Celebrities, they’re just like us—they love the Minnesota Lynx. At least, such is the case for Eau Claire-based musician Justin Vernon, the frontman and creative mastermind behind indie-folk project Bon Iver.
Announced yesterday, the Lynx and Vernon will be joining forces for a unique partnership focused on gender equity and community impact. This collaboration marks the first of its kind across women’s professional sports.
Photo by Graham Tolbert
According to a press release, the multiyear partnership will kick off this season, focusing on “addressing gender inequities as a result of domestic and sexual violence, sex trafficking, health care disparities, and barriers within education and leadership.” The collaboration plans to spotlight and support several local nonprofits, including Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, She Rock She Rock, and Girls Taking Action.
“Basketball is exactly like music. It’s a group and individual improvising to create moments of vision, excitement, and joy. Simply said, the Minnesota Lynx team is my favorite band in the world right now,” says Vernon in a statement. “As Bon Iver, we also saw an unprecedented opportunity to not only support this band of incredible women on the court, but by combining forces to more urgently support the communities of women in the Upper Midwest.”
Vernon has long been an outspoken advocate for gender equity, raising awareness around domestic violence and sexual abuse through his 2 A Billion campaign. As part of the collaboration, 2 A Billion will donate $250,000 in grants to various nonprofits and shelters across Minnesota and Wisconsin working to support victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Vernon was also named the first individual Lynx Changemaker—a platform designed to transcend traditional sponsorship and pave the way for new ways to invest in women’s sports.
Courtesy of Minnesota Lynx/ESPN
So, what will the Lynx x Bon Iver collab look like? Outside of the donations, the partnership will include activations throughout the season, including “unique content features, player integration with the nonprofits, community outreach, basketball clinics, and the annual Lynx Changemakers Summit, which will take place in August.”
“We are incredibly excited about this innovative and first-of-its-kind partnership, centered around community impact and the cultural connection of sports and music. Justin is an incredibly passionate supporter of the Lynx, and our complete value alignment has allowed us to create a partnership focused on meaningful societal change,” says Lynx President of Business Operations Carley Knox in a statement.
Click here to watch Vernon and Lynx player Napheesa Collier discuss the partnership on ESPN’s NBA Today.
