Golden State Valkyries President on Billion Dollar Valuation, WNBA Growth, Championship Promise

The Golden State Valkyries are in just their second WNBA season and are already being called the most valuable women's sports franchise in the world. The team generated $78 million in revenue in year one, has sold out every home game across two seasons, and holds a valuation that outpaces expansion fees that were set less than two years ago. Jess Smith, the team's president and winner of the WNBA's first ever Business Executive Leadership Award, sits down with Front Office Sports to talk about how all of it happened so fast. The expansion fee for the Valkyries was reportedly $50 million. The next round of expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia paid $250 million each. Ticket prices for some Valkyries games are now outpacing Golden State Warriors games at the same venue. And the question of whether a WNBA franchise could one day be as valuable as an NBA or NFL team is no longer a hypothetical worth dismissing. The CBA negotiations created real uncertainty about whether there would even be a season. The team made headlines with a draft day trade and a waiving decision that stirred up the fan base. Joe Lacob promised a championship within five years before anyone was even hired. Jess Smith addresses all of it, including whether she thinks they will actually get there. CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction and the Billion Dollar Valuation 0:28 Did They Expect to Hit a Billion Dollars This Fast 1:35 What the Valuation Says About the Undervaluation of Women's Sports 3:12 78 Million in Revenue and the Biggest Single Revenue Driver 4:39 Could a WNBA Franchise Ever Match NBA or NFL Valuations 6:03 The 50 Million Expansion Fee vs 250 Million for New Teams 7:39 Advice to New Franchises: Know Who You Are 8:41 Sold Out Every Game and Balancing Premium Pricing With Accessibility 10:11 CBA Negotiations and Roster Construction Challenges 13:47 Project B, Unrivaled, and Whether Players Even Need Other Leagues