ThomasCostello
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‘One of a Kind’ Cotie McMahon partners with State Champs: a March Madness dream come true
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In a world full of bars catered specifically to men’s sports, McMahon and State Champs help push the women’s game into the same conversation.
Last year, Ohio State women’s basketball hosted the James Madison Dukes in the NCAA Tournament’s First Round. After going down 12 points in the first quarter, the Buckeyes charged back to soundly move into the Second Round. In the crowd was Ally Eclarin, co-founder of State Champs, watching forward Cotie McMahon take the game over.
“I distinctly remember sitting at the tournament game, when they played JMU, looking over to my co-founder and being like ‘one day we are gonna work with her,’” said Eclarin.
In the Ohio State victory, McMahon led the Buckeyes with 18 points, taking nine foul shots on play that includes driving to the basket, getting contact and extending plays. A relatively quiet game in McMahon’s standout 2023 postseason, averaging 19.4 points and 8.4 rebounds on the way to an Elite Eight run.
“When I first moved to Ohio I became all in on Cotie McMahon,” said Eclarin. “She was the first player at OSU where I was like ‘WHO IS SHE’ and then learned she’s an Ohioan and was a freshman? Holy smokes there’s more years of this? Meaning she is only gonna get better?”
In the year that followed, both McMahon and Eclarin made strides on their goals. For McMahon, she followed up a Big Ten Freshman of the Year season with a First Team All-Big Ten and AP Honorable Mention. Plus a Big Ten regular season conference title.
For Eclarin and State Champs, it was bringing a mission to life. State Champs is located in Kent, Ohio and has a uniquely refreshing women’s sports focus. However, it’s not an outright part of marketing the shop. That’s because to State Champs, women’s sports are sports. No designation needed.
So, whether its having NFL Network on one television and another playing a United States women’s national soccer team, or celebrating the local Kent State Golden Flashes women’s basketball team’s MAC Tournament win, it’s about loving sport, as a whole.
“Here at the shop we have women athletes displayed and honored in the same way businesses display men’s sports at a sports bar because women’s sports are sports,” said Eclarin. “We see them as the baseline, not the other way around. We believe women’s basketball, NWSL, and women’s sports in general should be listed in the same sentence as NFL, NBA, MLB, etc.”
So, when the shop opened in March of 2024, partnering with McMahon was one step closer to coming to fruition.
“What we love is that Cotie’s style is one that fans of just basketball period can get behind,” said Eclarin.
The forward loves the mission of State Champs too.
“It’s a cool opportunity just because the focus has never really been on women’s sports,” said McMahon. “So for that to be the focus now I think it’s pretty cool and I just feel like Ohio as a whole has done a great job in supporting women athletes and women’s sports in general.”
McMahon and State Champs worked together on a one of a kind shirt, honoring a “one of a kind” Buckeye. State Champs handled the design and McMahon handled the work on the court.
The shirt prominently features McMahon following the win over the Michigan Wolverines, on Feb. 28, when Ohio State won the outright Big Ten season championship.
For a player who has many suitors in wanting to partner, McMahon’s decision was easy.
“My agency reached out to me about wanting to partner with them and so of course I said yes,” said McMahon. “I thought the t-shirt was pretty cool.”
Now, McMahon is hoping to add more to her list of accolades with the Buckeyes this March Madness. State Champs will be watching.
The coffee shop is part of a growing list of places built specifically for uplifting the women’s game and erasing the archaic view that sports and women’s sports are separate entities. After opening on March 16th, the shop is working on getting fans out to Kent to watch the NCAA Tournament.
It's running a competition where if you pick the winner of the National Championship, they win a prize pack. The popular women’s sports content site Togethxr included State Champs on a first of its kind Women’s March Madness watch guide, where people can go and watch women’s basketball specifically. State Champs is one of only two locations in Ohio (none in Columbus).
When fans descend on Cleveland, Ohio, for the Final Four, State Champs will be there handing out coffee and meeting new fans. All in hopes to pick up the same kind of attention that they're one of a kind marketing partner demands on the court, but it’s not the only thing they have in common.
While both McMahon and State Champs are young in their careers, they know their identities and want everyone to be part of the excitement.
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In a world full of bars catered specifically to men’s sports, McMahon and State Champs help push the women’s game into the same conversation.
Last year, Ohio State women’s basketball hosted the James Madison Dukes in the NCAA Tournament’s First Round. After going down 12 points in the first quarter, the Buckeyes charged back to soundly move into the Second Round. In the crowd was Ally Eclarin, co-founder of State Champs, watching forward Cotie McMahon take the game over.
“I distinctly remember sitting at the tournament game, when they played JMU, looking over to my co-founder and being like ‘one day we are gonna work with her,’” said Eclarin.
In the Ohio State victory, McMahon led the Buckeyes with 18 points, taking nine foul shots on play that includes driving to the basket, getting contact and extending plays. A relatively quiet game in McMahon’s standout 2023 postseason, averaging 19.4 points and 8.4 rebounds on the way to an Elite Eight run.
“When I first moved to Ohio I became all in on Cotie McMahon,” said Eclarin. “She was the first player at OSU where I was like ‘WHO IS SHE’ and then learned she’s an Ohioan and was a freshman? Holy smokes there’s more years of this? Meaning she is only gonna get better?”
In the year that followed, both McMahon and Eclarin made strides on their goals. For McMahon, she followed up a Big Ten Freshman of the Year season with a First Team All-Big Ten and AP Honorable Mention. Plus a Big Ten regular season conference title.
For Eclarin and State Champs, it was bringing a mission to life. State Champs is located in Kent, Ohio and has a uniquely refreshing women’s sports focus. However, it’s not an outright part of marketing the shop. That’s because to State Champs, women’s sports are sports. No designation needed.
So, whether its having NFL Network on one television and another playing a United States women’s national soccer team, or celebrating the local Kent State Golden Flashes women’s basketball team’s MAC Tournament win, it’s about loving sport, as a whole.
“Here at the shop we have women athletes displayed and honored in the same way businesses display men’s sports at a sports bar because women’s sports are sports,” said Eclarin. “We see them as the baseline, not the other way around. We believe women’s basketball, NWSL, and women’s sports in general should be listed in the same sentence as NFL, NBA, MLB, etc.”
So, when the shop opened in March of 2024, partnering with McMahon was one step closer to coming to fruition.
“What we love is that Cotie’s style is one that fans of just basketball period can get behind,” said Eclarin.
The forward loves the mission of State Champs too.
“It’s a cool opportunity just because the focus has never really been on women’s sports,” said McMahon. “So for that to be the focus now I think it’s pretty cool and I just feel like Ohio as a whole has done a great job in supporting women athletes and women’s sports in general.”
McMahon and State Champs worked together on a one of a kind shirt, honoring a “one of a kind” Buckeye. State Champs handled the design and McMahon handled the work on the court.
Introducing the Cotie McMahon x State Champs collaboration
Born and raised in Ohio. As a Freshman, she led @OhioStateWBB to its first Elite Eight appearance in 30 years
As an Ohio-based brand, we are honored and proud to have Cotie as our first official NIL collaboration pic.twitter.com/b5dcZVWcy5
— State Champs️ (@StateChampsCo) March 20, 2024
The shirt prominently features McMahon following the win over the Michigan Wolverines, on Feb. 28, when Ohio State won the outright Big Ten season championship.
For a player who has many suitors in wanting to partner, McMahon’s decision was easy.
“My agency reached out to me about wanting to partner with them and so of course I said yes,” said McMahon. “I thought the t-shirt was pretty cool.”
Now, McMahon is hoping to add more to her list of accolades with the Buckeyes this March Madness. State Champs will be watching.
The coffee shop is part of a growing list of places built specifically for uplifting the women’s game and erasing the archaic view that sports and women’s sports are separate entities. After opening on March 16th, the shop is working on getting fans out to Kent to watch the NCAA Tournament.
It's running a competition where if you pick the winner of the National Championship, they win a prize pack. The popular women’s sports content site Togethxr included State Champs on a first of its kind Women’s March Madness watch guide, where people can go and watch women’s basketball specifically. State Champs is one of only two locations in Ohio (none in Columbus).
When fans descend on Cleveland, Ohio, for the Final Four, State Champs will be there handing out coffee and meeting new fans. All in hopes to pick up the same kind of attention that they're one of a kind marketing partner demands on the court, but it’s not the only thing they have in common.
While both McMahon and State Champs are young in their careers, they know their identities and want everyone to be part of the excitement.
Continue reading...