Partnership Report: League One Volleyball (LOVB) and SKIMS Collaboration

Introduction to the Strategic Alliance

League One Volleyball (LOVB) has entered into a strategic partnership with the apparel brand SKIMS, which will serve as the league’s official loungewear, intimates, and sleepwear partner. This collaboration is established amid a significant surge in the popularity and visibility of volleyball in the United States. The primary objective of this alliance is to accelerate the growth of professional women’s volleyball while concurrently empowering women and girls within and beyond the sports sector. This initiative directly supports several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on gender equality, health, and economic growth.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The partnership between LOVB and SKIMS is fundamentally aligned with a framework of sustainable development. The collaboration’s core mission and planned activities contribute directly to the following SDGs:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: By promoting volleyball from grassroots to professional levels, the partnership encourages physical activity and healthy lifestyles among girls and women, contributing to their overall well-being.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: This is a central pillar of the partnership. The initiative aims to achieve gender equality by empowering female athletes, providing them with professional platforms, increasing their visibility, and creating role models to inspire the next generation.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The establishment and promotion of a professional volleyball league create new, viable career paths for female athletes, contributing to inclusive and sustainable economic growth within the sports industry.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: LOVB’s grassroots-to-pro model provides access and opportunities for a diverse range of young female athletes, helping to reduce inequalities by making the sport more accessible.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: This alliance exemplifies a multi-stakeholder partnership, uniting a sports league and a private sector entity to achieve shared social and economic objectives that align with global development goals.

Core Objectives and Strategic Initiatives

Empowerment and Athlete Development

A primary objective is the empowerment of female athletes at every stage of their development. The partnership seeks to build confidence and celebrate the strength of athletes both on and off the court.

1. Elevating Athlete Voices: The collaboration will focus on storytelling initiatives that highlight the journeys and cultural impact of female volleyball players, from youth clubs to the professional league.
2. Community Engagement: SKIMS will actively participate in LOVB community events and athlete-driven activations throughout the season, fostering a supportive ecosystem for players and fans.
3. Inspiring Future Generations: As the most popular team sport for girls in the U.S., the partnership aims to leverage this influence to foster a community built on confidence and cultural change.

Brand Integration and Market Expansion

The partnership provides SKIMS with significant brand exposure across LOVB’s digital platforms, broadcast channels, and live events. This integration is designed to connect the brand with one of the nation’s fastest-growing sports communities.

• Digital and Broadcast Exposure: SKIMS will gain visibility across all official LOVB media channels.
• Event Activations: The brand will have a presence at league-wide events, directly engaging with athletes and fans.
• Cultural Intersection: Jens Grede, Co-Founder & CEO of SKIMS, noted the partnership expands the brand’s reach at the intersection of fashion, culture, and sports, aligning with SKIMS’ goal to empower women.

Stakeholder Commentary and Vision

LOVB Leadership Perspective

Michelle McGoldrick, LOVB’s Chief Business Officer, emphasized that the partnership is a significant milestone. She stated that SKIMS’ dedication to empowering women aligns perfectly with LOVB’s mission to elevate its athletes and accelerate the sport’s growth, thereby supporting the journey of these athletes to become household names.

SKIMS Leadership Perspective

Kim Kardashian, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer of SKIMS, expressed excitement for the partnership’s potential to support the community LOVB is building. She affirmed a shared commitment to inspiring confidence and empowering athletes at every level through innovative products and community-focused storytelling.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

   The article highlights issues and initiatives that are directly connected to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

   • SDG 5: Gender Equality: The core theme of the article is the empowerment of women and girls through sports. The partnership between LOVB and SKIMS is explicitly aimed at “empowering girls and women both in sports and beyond,” celebrating female athletes, and inspiring confidence. This aligns with the goal of achieving gender equality.
   • SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: By promoting volleyball, which is described as the “#1 team sport among girls in the United States,” the partnership encourages physical activity. Participation in sports is a key component of a healthy lifestyle, contributing to physical and mental well-being, which is the central aim of SDG 3. The article mentions “strength” and “teamwork” as key aspects of the sport.
   • SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The entire article is about the formation of a strategic partnership between a private sector entity (SKIMS) and a sports organization (League One Volleyball). This collaboration is designed to leverage mutual strengths to achieve a common objective: “accelerate the future of professional women’s volleyball.” This exemplifies the multi-stakeholder partnerships that SDG 17 seeks to foster.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

   Based on the article’s content, the following specific SDG targets can be identified:

   • Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership in political, economic and public life. The partnership’s mission to “elevate our athletes of every age” and support them on their “journey to becoming household names” directly relates to increasing the participation and visibility of women in public and economic life, specifically within the professional sports industry. The focus on “elevating the voices of female athletes” supports this target.
   • Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being. The article supports the promotion of well-being by highlighting a sport that inspires “a community of confidence, empowerment, and cultural change.” Encouraging participation in volleyball from the youth level upwards is a preventative health measure that promotes physical fitness and mental well-being.
   • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships. The partnership between LOVB (a civil society/sports organization) and SKIMS (a private company) is a direct example of this target in action. They are combining resources and influence to “work together to accelerate the future of professional women’s volleyball” and “empower women.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

   The article implies several indicators that could be used to measure progress:

   • For Target 5.5:
     • Growth in visibility of female athletes: Progress can be measured by tracking the increase in female athletes becoming “household names” and the media exposure they receive through “storytelling that celebrates the athletes on and off the court.”
     • Increased community engagement: The number and scale of “community and athlete-driven events” and “league-wide activations” serve as a direct indicator of the partnership’s effort to promote female participation in sports.
   • For Target 3.4:
     • Participation rates in volleyball: The article states volleyball is the “#1 team sport among girls in the United States.” Continued tracking of participation rates at youth and amateur levels would be an indicator of promoting well-being through sports.
   • For Target 17.17:
     • Existence and scope of the partnership: The formal announcement of the partnership itself is an indicator. Its success can be measured by the execution of planned activities, such as SKIMS’ exposure across LOVB’s “digital platforms, events, and broadcasts.”
     • Growth of the sport’s community: Measuring the growth of the “fastest-growing youth and professional sports communities” is an indicator of the partnership’s effectiveness in achieving its shared goals.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article. In this table, list the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), their corresponding targets, and the specific indicators identified in the article.

   SDGs	Targets	Indicators (Mentioned or Implied in the Article)
   SDG 5: Gender Equality	Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership in public life.	Increase in the number of female athletes becoming “household names.” Number of community events and league activations held to empower women and girls. Growth in media exposure and “storytelling that celebrates the athletes.”
   SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being	Target 3.4: Promote mental health and well-being.	Tracking participation rates in volleyball, the “#1 team sport among girls.” Building a “community of confidence, empowerment, and cultural change” through sport.
   SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals	Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public-private and civil society partnerships.	The formal establishment of the partnership between LOVB and SKIMS. The scope of partnership activities (digital platforms, events, broadcasts). Growth rate of the youth and professional volleyball community.

Source: insider.fitt.co