Let's talk about birth control

“Don’t bring shame to the family,” my dad said with a smile and teasingly waving a finger at me in his version of “the talk.”

Those were different days. I was in my late teens for cryin’ out loud. Today women play a plethora of professional sports, promote products and talk openly about their health.

It’s also not taboo to have a child without being married (re: the “shame” about which my dad joked/not joked). To be sure, he also added that if I needed to see a doctor for birth control, I could count on him to support me. My mom had a version of this a short time later, so I knew it was a talk they’d recently had.

All of this is to say that the WNBA and its new commercial partner, Opill, have a huge opportunity to publicize birth control’s benefits and safety. Buying over-the-counter contraception is new in the United States, and who better to partner their marketing and publicity prowess than a company helping to open that door and a league that straightforwardly shares its views on societal topics?

“We at the WNBA, are committed to addressing issues that matter to players, and expanding reproductive healthcare is one of those key issues,” WNBA chief growth officer, Colie Edison said in a statement.

Women’s rights to select the scope of their healthcare again face historical legal fights, so in addition to being a complementary collaboration, it’s valuable because of conversations they will generate. Opill and the WNBA can extend their messaging far beyond that of a product sale.

Women’s sports, as we’ve said here before, are having a moment. Bolstered by record-breaking media ratings and social discussions from the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four, their trajectory is due north.

Some of us had awkward conversations with our parents about sex, but times have long changed. Hopefully, the WNBA and its corporate collaborators will continue to make those talks easier and educate more women as they decide what’s best for their reproductive health.

There’s a lot to learn from each side’s messages, and publicity is their best booster.

© Gail Sideman, publicity 2024

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