Cleveland’s WNBA team doesn’t play until 2028 but Progressive just scored jersey sponsorship

Cleveland’s WNBA team doesn’t play its first game until May 2028. However, the framework is steadily being put in place.

The franchise announced on Tuesday that Progressive Insurance will be the jersey patch sponsor. It will also be the first time in the WNBA that a sponsor has bought both spots on a jersey. Teams are allowed to sell jersey patch placement on the upper left corner of uniforms as well as a larger spot under the numbers on the front of the jersey.

The Phoenix Mercury were the first WNBA team to have a jersey sponsor in 2009.

“We have a smaller partnership with Chicago that we announced a couple months ago, but this one was special to us,” said Mari Pumarejo, Progressive’s chief marketing officer. “Once we heard that the WNBA was going to bring a team to Cleveland, it was a good fit for us and we kept our ears open for an opportunity to learn more about it. And once we met (president of business operations) Allison (Howard) and the team, we just knew that our values matched and that we could have the kind of partnership where we could help support women’s sports, the community and city.”

Progressive is based in Cleveland with its corporate headquarters in suburban Mayfield Heights, Ohio. The company has had a naming r...