The Washington Spirit seemed to be everywhere.
Glossy action photos of D.C.’s professional women’s soccer team decorated Metro stations, bus shelters and the main hall at Union Station. Stars such as Trinity Rodman and Croix Bethune adorned the tops of pizza boxes. Television and radio ads promoting the team aired on local stations.
They were among many elements of the Spirit’s first major brand campaign. Launched in 2023 and reprised this season, it elevated women’s soccer players to spaces that large companies and men’s teams typically occupy.
It also marked a shift: In a sport that once targeted narrow audiences — young girls, soccer moms, soccer dads — the Spirit was catapulting itself into the mainstream.