Women not Supporting Women (Alex Cooper x NWSL drama)

Last night, May 17, Alex Cooper attended the Bay FC game in San Jose, CA, to promote her hydration drink, Unwell, as a new league sponsor. I had the honor of meeting her, and let me say it was a dream come true. Hours spent watching her podcast, and to finally see the iconic Father Cooper in real life was insane. I was riding the high of meeting her, combined with celebrating the 2-0 Bay FC win over Angel City, and assumed everyone else was happy too. But, per usual, the Internet had its opinions about the partnership...and they were negative.

Fans of the league posted mean comments on the Instagram collab post between the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and Alex Cooper's Unwell drink, bashing the brand and complaining about her presence at the game. One comment stated, "Disgusting. 'Unwell' is certainly how I feel about this vapid partnership. Love Alex's Dodger hat by the way. You can tell just how passionate she is about women's soccer." Cooper is from LA and most likely wore the hat to display her loyalty to the city. She was gifted a Bay FC jersey from the team and was later seen wearing her "Unwell F.C." merch, thus being a neutral supporter.

Also, there is an entire thread on Reddit featuring questions about the Unwell brand and confusion regarding the partnership.

WHY?! Can women not support women? This is so much more than a sponsorship or a money thing. Cooper played Division 1 soccer at Boston University, worked hard to build this brand, and is now trying to collaborate in a way that benefits both groups. Listeners of the Call Her Daddy podcast came out to the game because Alex Cooper was there and stayed to watch women's sports. On the other hand, NWSL fans in attendance became exposed to the Unwell brand and even got to taste the drink during the pregame fan fest. This is women’s sports broadening their audience to the social media world, and the social media world learning about women's sports. Everyone should be happy for one another and uplifting.

A woman-owned product in a women’s sports league should be celebrated.