Observed Signal · Oct 9, 2026 · Partnership · Source: Digiday · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Golden State Valkyries' Jess Smith on winning sponsors
Golden State Valkyries president Jess Smith discusses the team's sponsorship strategy, emphasizing the blend of mission-driven growth and capital. The WNBA's newest team has become the first women's sports team to reach $100 million in annual revenue, with sponsorship income up 30% year-over-year. Smith highlights the importance of exclusivity, data-driven measurement, and partnerships like with Athleta, Sephora, and Iren, an AI storage company. The team leverages shared resources with the NBA's Warriors for insights and has partnered with talent agency The Team to measure community impact. Smith notes growing interest from non-traditional categories and the natural growth of the league, including additional games and increased ratings.
Shows growth in women's sports sponsorship and data-driven measurement, but is a single-team interview with limited industry-wide impact.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Golden State Valkyries are the first women's sports team to reach $100 million in annual revenue.
- Sponsorship income increased 30% year-over-year.
- The team announced a partnership with Athleta, part of Gap.
- The Valkyries partnered with talent agency The Team (formerly Wasserman) for measurement.
- The team has over 40 partners, including Carmax, Rakuten, and Kaiser Permanente.
Connected Companies & Entities
4 Entities mapped“Sephora is a partner of ours, for example.”
“Aided by over 40 partners including long-term sponsors Carmax, Rakuten, Kaiser Permanente, among others.”
“Aided by over 40 partners including long-term sponsors Carmax, Rakuten, Kaiser Permanente, among others.”
“The Golden State Valkyries are the WNBA’s youngest team.”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Female Athletes Redefine Brand Value
A live Marketecture panel in New York City brought together founders of Always Alpha (Cosette Chaput, Allyson Felix, Wes Felix) and Zoe Ruderman of ADWEEK to discuss how female athletes are changing brand strategy, storytelling, and ROI. Panelists argued women’s sports is a high-growth, compounding-ROI opportunity that traditional, male‑focused sports marketing models fail to capture. Key themes: athlete-driven, long-term storytelling outperforms templated influencer tactics; female athletes often deliver higher engagement and trust despite smaller followings; brands must invest beyond headline events (e.g., LA28) and broaden ecosystem support to avoid top-heavy, unsustainable investment. Categories like beauty and retail lead adoption while finance and automotive lag.
Women athletes embrace creator playbook for income and growth
Women athletes are increasingly adopting creator strategies to supplement income and build their personal brands, driven by the growth of women's sports yet persistent pay gaps. Companies like Togethxr, co-founded by athletes, offer programs such as the Snap the Gap cohort with Snapchat, providing production resources and mentorship. Participants, including soccer player Michelle Alozie and gymnast Kyrstina Johnson, saw significant follower growth on Snapchat. This creator approach not only supports athletes during their careers but also prepares them for life after sports. The trend is supported by rising viewership and revenue in women's sports, with leagues like the PWHL and NWSL reporting increased YouTube engagement. Athletes also leverage social media to secure non-sport brand partnerships, as exemplified by Sarah Nurse's beauty content.
Brands Still Underinvesting in Women's Sports — $1 Trillion
Adweek’s Adspeak podcast episode, hosted by Zoë Ruderman, examines why brands underinvest in women’s sports despite strong consumer response. Guests Allyson Felix, Wes Felix and Cosette Chaput (co‑founders of Always Alpha; Allyson and Wes are also associated with Saysh) discuss data-backed signals such as a cited 2.8x purchase‑intent gap, the need to reframe KPIs away from vanity metrics, and the power of authentic storytelling and athlete-first partnerships. The conversation covers Allyson Felix’s transition from a Nike sponsorship to founding Always Alpha, how bundling athletes can reduce individual impact, and why the LA 2028 Olympics could be a tipping point for brand investment in female athletes.
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