“One of the reasons that I’m most passionate about covering the WNBA is because when I was a kid, I saw what the WNBA was like…”
Sports creator and former collegiate basketball player Rachel DeMita offered that perspective in an interview with Swish Appeal when asked why her basketball interests never extended beyond college.
DeMita instead has established herself as a prominent media voice across numerous sports spaces.
One of her main specialties is the WNBA in her YouTube series, Courtside Club,
where she enjoys brining the league’s stories to life by diving into newsworthy topics about teams, players and other league dynamics.
As the league has grown in recent years, interest from her audience has grown as well, bringing in new fans and viewers whose attention has shifted to what the WNBA has become. That was something DeMita didn’t have the pleasure of experiencing when she was growing up.
She recalled:
You would walk into an arena, and it would never be full. The ticket prices were super cheap. The players on the court were obviously spectacular, but some of their games weren’t even on national television, and their salaries were really, really low. So I saw that when I was a player, and thought, “I don’t really see a future in that…”
As a guard at Old Dominion University, DeMita didn’t realize until later that the league had been scouting her since high school. She didn’t complete her collegiate basketball career, however, in part because she didn’t see enough opportunities for a future in the league.
She admitted that she wonders whether she would have wanted to play professionally back then if she had seen the opportunities that are now in place within the league, sharing:
I actually think that’s why I’m so passionate. I don’t ever want there to be another young girl who sees the state of the WNBA and just doesn’t see a future in it. That said, the league is growing so quickly, and there’s so many good things happening for these women.
The talent is finally getting the praise that they deserve. And I just want that to continue.
And continue it has.
How DeMita developed her audience through authenticity
DeMita took matters into her own hands once she realized that television broadcasting wasn’t the only media avenue.
She stumbled into creating a YouTube channel that started with fashion and beauty content before pivoting to sports. She leaned on her basketball IQ and background to identify storylines and provide analysis, eventually developing her series Courtside Club.
“I just found a way to be a part of basketball again but not as a player…finding my voice in the sports space has been incredible,” DeMita said.
Originally partnered with ESPN during the first season, DeMita’s success took off as audiences grew to admire her voice in the sports world. She later found, however, that to reach her full potential in accomplishing her career goals, she needed to shape it through her own lenses.
Therefore, she switched back to an independent model. She explained:
I just think it’s so important in today’s day and age to own your voice, to own your show, and to own your IP. I just truly believe in what I’m building at Courtside Club, and I know that it will pay off more than working for any big network or working under somebody. I’ve learned so much about just building a business and building my show, and it also just gives me complete creative control, which I really, really love.
DeMita expressed how she not only wanted her audience to know her voice in the space, but to also experience an escape from everyday life when they tuned in and to have topics to discuss surrounding their favorite sports.
So, what was the process of accomplishing this?
“Creatively, I just knew the content had to be good. My first few months I watched back my episodes and thought they were boring,” DeMita said.
It took enlisting help with editing, producing, graphics and more to build a community of people who also saw her vision and wanted to help it grow. Now, with 15 years in the making, DeMita has built her empire and become a notable figure in the world of sports media.
She says the biggest compliment she’s received is when people tell her that they know she’s not lying to them over the internet.
“I’m not trying to push an agenda. You’re going to get how I feel about something every time,” DeMita said.
She explained how the audience can tell if you’re not being authentic. So, her advice is to find what you love and are interested in. From there, discover your unique voice to create content. As she put it:
The more that you feel excited to talk about something, the better! Like, what gets you energized in the morning? What are some topics that you could just dedicate all of your time to?..I think it’s really just finding the thing that really lights a fire under you and just going after it. With social media nowadays, there’s so many different ways that you can be creative and create your own.
How DeMita has taken advantage of opportunities to expand her brand
Though DeMita’s wheelhouse is in basketball, she doesn’t limit herself to it being her only source of coverage.
This past summer, she had the opportunity to cover the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time. She was used to watching the MLS as a casual fan, but dedicated time to learning the ins and outs, players’ journeys and everything in between to elevate her coverage to the best of her ability.
DeMita also had the opportunity to cover this year’s Winter Olympics in Milan. She said that these opportunities have really opened her eyes to the global impact of sports. She also feels that she’s now at the point of her career where she could get thrown into any arena, and she can provide the best content necessary to form a story for her audience.
In this world of digital media in a variety of platforms, DeMita says that, though the market is more saturated than ever, there’s even more opportunity than ever as well. She highlighted the fact that bigger networks like Netflix, ESPN and others are partnering with individual creators to build a massive platform, where these networks are reaching out to the talent rather than the traditional way around.
Her advice for other creators who want to broadcast their voice in this space is to take advantage of the platforms given to them, emphasizing:
You just have to do it. We’re living in a time where you can just put stuff out there. There’s so many different social media platforms. There’s so many resources that we have, and you just have to try things. Use trial and error. Find your voice!
DeMita has never seen being a woman in sports as a disadvantage, but instead another reason to stand out in a male-dominated industry, and put just as much hard work, time and dedication in as her counterparts.
With that, she’s continuing to grow her platform, become immersed in the opportunities given to her and encourage others who want to tap into the space to do the same, whatever that might look like for them. DeMita’s story is not just about her success and the brand she’s built from the ground up, but a letter to the next generation: find your voice and own it.
