Progressive Insurance has secured a landmark sponsorship deal with Cleveland’s new WNBA franchise by purchasing both available jersey patch spots, marking the first time in league history that a single sponsor has claimed both advertising placements on a uniform.
The franchise announced the agreement on Tuesday, positioning Progressive for maximum visibility when the team takes the court in May 2028. Teams in the WNBA are permitted to sell two jersey patch placements: one on the upper left corner of uniforms and a larger spot under the numbers on the front of the jersey.
Mari Pumarejo, Progressive’s chief marketing officer, emphasized the significance of the Cleveland connection for the insurance company. “We have a smaller partnership with Chicago that we announced a couple months ago, but this one was special to us,” Pumarejo said. “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.”
The Phoenix Mercury hold the distinction of being the first WNBA team to secure a jersey sponsor when they partnered with LifeLock in 2009. However, Progressive’s decision to purchase both available spots represents unprecedented territory for the women’s league.
Progressive’s commitment extends beyond the jersey itself. The company and the Cleveland WNBA franchise will launch an annual community impact program focused on transitional housing organizations for women, children and families across Ohio, western Pennsylvania and western New York.
Progressive CEO Tricia Griffith has demonstrated a broader commitment to women’s sports in the Cleveland area. She is also an investor in the Cleveland Astra, a women’s professional soccer team that is expected to begin playing in 2028, the same year as the WNBA team’s inaugural season.
The Cleveland WNBA team announcement came as part of a broader expansion effort on June 30, 2025, when the league awarded its 16th franchise to the city. The team will play its home games at Rocket Arena in downtown Cleveland, a 19,000-seat venue that also hosts the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. The franchise is owned by Dan Gilbert, who also controls the Cavaliers.
This marks a significant moment for professional basketball in Cleveland. The city was home to the Cleveland Rockers, one of the original WNBA franchises when the league began in 1997. The Rockers operated for six seasons before the Gund family decided to cease operations in 2003.
The new franchise has already generated substantial interest from the local community. Over the past year, Cleveland residents have placed 9,000 season ticket deposits, a strong indicator of fan enthusiasm for the team’s return to the city. Allison Howard, president of business operations for the Cleveland WNBA team, noted that the franchise has adjusted its timeline based on community demand.
“We were going to fully stand up the team until closer to about two years out, but we started to listen to the community right away and they wanted to know more and more of how we were going to treat this team,” Howard said. “We are definitely taking our time to make sure that we’re doing it right. But we’re excited to continue to take the feedback from people and be able to participate and do a lot of listening.”
The jersey sponsorship announcement represents the first of several major announcements expected over the next 12 months. The franchise has not yet revealed the team’s official name or colors, both of which are anticipated to be unveiled in the coming months. The team name announcement is expected sometime in the next couple of months.
Progressive’s investment underscores the growing commercial viability of women’s professional basketball and reflects the WNBA’s expanding profile. The announcement comes as the league continues its growth trajectory, with the addition of teams in Toronto and Portland also beginning play in 2026.
For Cleveland, the return of professional women’s basketball represents a homecoming after more than two decades without a WNBA presence. The city’s proven track record in hosting major sporting events, including hosting the sold-out 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four at Rocket Arena, helped strengthen its case for the expansion franchise.