New Episode of TSA: What Comes Next for the WNBA—and Who Should Lead It?
· Yahoo Sports
New Episode of TSA: What Comes Next for the WNBA—and Who Should Lead It?
The Sports Advisors podcast is a biweekly roundtable featuring experienced operators —across media, sponsorship, monetization, and technology— analyzing the properties and topics that matter, and the lessons they provide to the broader industry.
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In the latest episode, four JohnWallStreet Advisory Advisors discuss how commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s tenure should be evaluated, what the WNBA should prioritize in its next commissioner, the priorities for the league’s next era, the risks that could derail its growth and more.
The cast for the eleventh episode in a row includes:
Former Carolina Panthers CEO, former Verizon VP of Sponsorship, and current Encore Sports & Entertainment CEO Nick Kelly.
Former Washington Commanders Chief Strategy Officer, former Shop Your Way Chief Digital Officer, and current Next League Chief AI & Innovation Officer Shripal Shah.
Former Learfield CRO, former WWE Global Head of Sales & Partnerships and Head of International, and current DIRIGO Advisory, LLC Founder John Brody.
Former Fox Sports SVP of Programming, Research and Content Strategy, and current Crakes Media President Patrick Crakes.
As always, you can connect with any one of the JohnWallStreet Advisory Advisors by sending a note to [email protected]. In fact, we encourage it!
Key insights and takeaways from the 55-minute conversation:
New CBA is Engelbert’s Defining Achievement
The WNBA secured a record media-rights agreement, saw franchise valuations rise dramatically, expanded into several new markets and attracted unprecedented attention during Engelbert’s tenure. But her most consequential accomplishment may have been successfully negotiating a new CBA that included a material increase in player compensation.
“A year ago, two years ago, the whole narrative was [the WNBA] can't even pay the players, [that there is a need] to start these other leagues [like Unrivaled and Project B] so they can make enough money to live their lives. They have to go to Europe in the off-season,” Brody said.
That’s no longer the case.
“Paige Bueckers can live her life between the [nearly $500,000 annual salary] that the Wings give her, plus the enormous opportunity [players] now [have] to market themselves,” Brody added. “A lot of that credit has to go to the WNBA leadership team.”
Demand Media Partners Treat Clark Like Jordan
The WNBA’s next commissioner must press the league’s media partners to capitalize on Caitlin Clark’s unique ability to draw general-market fans with increased visibility and greater promotion.
The league seemingly “could use some help in the research area,” Crakes said. “I don't know what Caitlin's Q score is, but I bet it's in the top five [nationally amongst all pro athletes]. Most average Americans who have never watched a WNBA game know who Caitlin Clark is…. The comparisons to Jordan are very relevant on a reasonable level and you're not going to have that again. That's [a] once in a lifetime, maybe once in a couple lifetimes [opportunity for the league and it must capitalize].”
Cultural Engagement is a Path to General-Market Growth
The WNBA needs to broaden its appeal to become more of a general-market property. Building authentic connections with large, culturally engaged communities at the grassroots level is among the ways it can do that.
“If you're [marketing] in [New] Jersey, there's a huge South Asian population [there]. Make Bollywood nights…. Diwali is coming up, Navratri [too]. There are going to be thousands of people going to community events [around these festivals] just dancing. Put your players out there,” Shah said. Remember, “the average South Asian [household] income is $150K, so [the demo] also has money…. You [have to] find those [grassroots] connections, and that is what we talked about with the [need to create] academies, that gives you a foundation [to build fandom on].”
Treat Clark Games as Customer-Acquisition Events, Not Cash Grabs
Teams should be treating Clark’s annual visit —or visits— to town as an opportunity to acquire new fans, not merely as a chance to set the franchise’s single-game revenue record.
“One thing that I heard from a lot of MLS teams who took on Messi mania the first year is that they wish they wouldn't have increased ticket prices the way they did to try and maximize revenues because it made the matches post-Messi feel like a bargain. They actually wish they [sold seats at] an average ticket price for that match [so fans felt like], ‘It only cost me $35 to go see Messi, I had a great time and [now want to] come back’,” Kelly said. “So, [the lesson is], treat [the Clark games] like your Super Bowl. Everybody in that building has to realize [the] service [that night] has to be over the top because [for] most of these people [it] may be their first or only experience [at a game]. If [the club] wants them to come back, [everyone has] to be on [their] A game. You have to treat those moments [as] opportunities to recruit and have [those new consumers] become lifelong fans. You can't pass them by as another Tuesday night game…. [Just] don't charge Super Bowl prices.”
📺 Watch the full episode on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube page.
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Catch previous episodes of The Sports Advisors on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube channel, including discussions on the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s decision to stop funding LIV Golf, Vancouver Whitecaps FC potentially relocating to Las Vegas, the 2026 World Cup serving as a stress test for the modern sports business model, a sports betting reality check, challenger leagues as investments, premium sponsorship inventory, local sports media, making MLS Major League, the USTA and U.S. Open, LSU vs SEC, and more.
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The next episode will be released on Wednesday, October 7.
On the latest episode of JohnWallStreet Presents: Big Business on Campus, JohnWallStreet Founder Corey Leff and Playfly Sports Chairman Michael Schreiber sit down with Big 12 Conference Commissioner Brett Yormark. The trio discuss creating new assets and IP, leveraging brand partnerships to reach and engage with fans, the athletic, academic, and commercial upside that exists abroad, and much more.
📺 Watch the full video on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube Page.
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Don’t forget to like and subscribe!