WEBVTT - Group Chat: They've Got Next with Jess Smith & Teresa Resch 0:00:00.600 --> 0:00:03.239 Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we can't 0:00:03.279 --> 0:00:07.080 stop thinking about Game one of the WNBA Finals. Last night. 0:00:07.520 --> 0:00:15.080 That shit was bananas, b ananas. On today's show, we'll 0:00:15.120 --> 0:00:17.200 talk about the game, then we'll chat with Golden State 0:00:17.239 --> 0:00:21.279 Valkyries President Jess Smith and WNBA Toronto President Teresa Resh 0:00:21.360 --> 0:00:24.840 about building a team from scratch, logos, colors, name and all, 0:00:25.079 --> 0:00:28.600 plus a mother's revenge and a call to action. It's 0:00:28.640 --> 0:00:41.400 all coming up right after this welcome back slices. Before 0:00:41.440 --> 0:00:42.839 we dive in, we just want to say that we're 0:00:42.840 --> 0:00:45.720 sending love to all of those affected by Hurricane Milton. 0:00:46.320 --> 0:00:50.880 Here's what you need to know today in the WNBA, 0:00:51.240 --> 0:00:55.240 Game one was an absolute ride. The New York Liberty 0:00:55.320 --> 0:00:57.840 came out fast in front of a Rock and Barclays crowd, 0:00:57.880 --> 0:01:00.320 building as much as an eighteen point lead in the 0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:02.880 second quarter, but they went cold in the third and 0:01:02.920 --> 0:01:06.759 the Links got hot, pulling within two points. New York 0:01:06.880 --> 0:01:09.680 pulled away again, getting their lead back up to fifteen 0:01:10.080 --> 0:01:12.240 with about five minutes to play in the game, but 0:01:12.360 --> 0:01:15.880 the Links battled back again, down three. With the clock 0:01:15.959 --> 0:01:19.240 winding down, Courtney Williams hit a three and got the 0:01:19.280 --> 0:01:22.399 foul for Minnesota, draining the free throat for the four 0:01:22.440 --> 0:01:25.840 point play and the lead, Minnesota's first lead of the 0:01:25.880 --> 0:01:29.120 game with five point five seconds to play. But that 0:01:29.319 --> 0:01:32.800 wasn't it. The Links played lockdown d on multiple attempts 0:01:32.800 --> 0:01:35.600 from the liberty, but Brianna Stewart took a fowl with 0:01:35.680 --> 0:01:38.640 no time remaining and got sent to the line where 0:01:38.680 --> 0:01:42.959 Stewie made the first and missed the second. That's right, 0:01:43.200 --> 0:01:46.560 we got ot slices and the extra period was just 0:01:46.600 --> 0:01:49.560 as wild. It came down to a Brianna Stewart driving 0:01:49.640 --> 0:01:53.360 layup with time running out, surrounded by Minnesota bodies, and 0:01:54.560 --> 0:01:58.480 the touch wasn't there too hard, No bucket. Links get 0:01:58.480 --> 0:02:02.280 the improbable win ninety three and steal Game one from 0:02:02.320 --> 0:02:04.800 the Libs on their home court in front of a 0:02:04.840 --> 0:02:08.399 stunned crowd that included Jason Sadeikas, Spike Lee, Gail King 0:02:08.440 --> 0:02:11.519 and Moore. Twenty three for Courtney Williams, twenty two for 0:02:11.639 --> 0:02:14.280 Kayla McBride and twenty one for Nafisa Collier in the 0:02:14.320 --> 0:02:17.800 Minnesota win, twenty four and ten for John qwell Jones, 0:02:17.880 --> 0:02:20.919 eighteen and nine for Brianna Stewart, and nineteen points for 0:02:20.960 --> 0:02:24.560 Sabrina and Escu in the Liberties losing effort. Game two 0:02:24.880 --> 0:02:30.040 is Sunday at three pm on ABC. Do not miss 0:02:30.160 --> 0:02:34.600 it Before game one. WNBA Commissioner Katy Engelbert broke some 0:02:34.720 --> 0:02:38.079 news announcing that starting next season, the WNBA Finals will 0:02:38.080 --> 0:02:41.440 be a best of seven format. It'll be a two two, 0:02:41.600 --> 0:02:44.320 one one one format, meaning the higher seed team will 0:02:44.320 --> 0:02:48.040 host games one, two, five, and seven. Also, the first 0:02:48.120 --> 0:02:50.240 round best of three series will shift from a two 0:02:50.280 --> 0:02:53.760 to one format to alternating games one, one one, giving 0:02:53.800 --> 0:02:57.440 each team at least one home playoff game. Engelbert also 0:02:57.480 --> 0:03:00.600 announced that next year's regular season will ex span from 0:03:00.639 --> 0:03:05.440 forty to forty four regular season games. Some player news 0:03:05.480 --> 0:03:07.760 out of the day too. Duana Bonner, in her exit 0:03:07.840 --> 0:03:10.520 interview with The Connecticut Sun, said for the first time 0:03:10.639 --> 0:03:14.440 explicitly she does not plan to retire in twenty twenty 0:03:14.480 --> 0:03:18.000 five and fully intends to play in the WNBA next season. 0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:22.680 More WNBA news. Former Las Vegas Aces assistant coach Natalie 0:03:22.760 --> 0:03:24.959 Nicasse has been named the first head coach of the 0:03:25.000 --> 0:03:27.800 Golden State Valkyries. The forty one year old LA native 0:03:27.840 --> 0:03:30.280 has plenty of coaching experience to draw on. She's been 0:03:30.320 --> 0:03:33.200 Becky Hammond's assistant for the past three seasons with the Aces, 0:03:33.200 --> 0:03:36.520 but also spent eleven seasons on staff with the mnba's 0:03:36.560 --> 0:03:39.440 Los Angeles Clippers as a video coordinator, assistant coach of 0:03:39.480 --> 0:03:42.640 the franchise's G League affiliate, and as a player development coach. 0:03:42.800 --> 0:03:44.840 As a hooper, she walked down at UCLA and was 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:47.000 a team captain there for three years, then spent two 0:03:47.040 --> 0:03:49.440 seasons playing in the National Women's Basketball League, a pro 0:03:49.520 --> 0:03:51.960 league that existed from ninety seven to two thousand and seven. 0:03:52.080 --> 0:03:54.440 We'll talk more about her hiring with Jess Smith in 0:03:54.560 --> 0:03:57.720 just a few minutes. In volleyball news. On World Mental 0:03:57.760 --> 0:04:00.840 Health Day yesterday, the Pro Volleyball Federal announced that it's 0:04:00.840 --> 0:04:03.600 teaming up with on Rise, a mental health care service 0:04:03.600 --> 0:04:06.720 specializing in work with current and retired athletes, to provide 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:09.480 care and support to each athlete on every team roster. 0:04:09.760 --> 0:04:12.320 These services will be offered at no cost to the players. 0:04:13.080 --> 0:04:16.000 More World Mental Health Day news broke over in the NWSL, 0:04:16.200 --> 0:04:19.680 the Players Association announced its establishing the Ohm Arvind Gift, 0:04:19.920 --> 0:04:22.160 meant to honor the life and legacy of soccer journalist 0:04:22.240 --> 0:04:25.160 In women's soccer advocate Om Arvin, who died by suicide 0:04:25.160 --> 0:04:27.800 in May of this year. Ohm dedicated himself to growing 0:04:27.800 --> 0:04:30.520 the women's game through his coverage and analysis, including but 0:04:30.600 --> 0:04:33.479 not limited to spearheading dedicated in depth coverage of Real 0:04:33.560 --> 0:04:37.240 Madrid Feminina on espionations, managing Madrid site. As part of 0:04:37.279 --> 0:04:40.200 Ohm's final wishes, a GoFundMe was created to raise funds 0:04:40.200 --> 0:04:43.960 for the NWSLPA. That GoFundMe has raised over twenty five 0:04:44.000 --> 0:04:46.760 thousand dollars, which has been allocated to the support the 0:04:46.760 --> 0:04:49.920 Player's National Emergency Trust to provide mental health support for 0:04:50.040 --> 0:04:52.800 nwsl players. The new gift in his name will encompass 0:04:52.839 --> 0:04:56.400 any future contributions made to the NWSLPA for mental health support. 0:04:56.600 --> 0:05:00.279 In a statement, NWSLPA Executive Director at Meghan Burke said, 0:05:00.320 --> 0:05:03.400 quote with the om Arvind Gift, the NWSLPA seeks to 0:05:03.400 --> 0:05:06.159 honor Ohm's life, legacy and the vision he had for 0:05:06.200 --> 0:05:08.360 a better world. We are deeply moved by the gift 0:05:08.440 --> 0:05:10.800 he has left us and we believe it will save lives. 0:05:10.960 --> 0:05:14.359 End quote. We've got nwsl game action tonight as well. 0:05:14.560 --> 0:05:17.400 Fresh off winning the nwsl Shield, the Orlando Pride is 0:05:17.480 --> 0:05:19.920 on the road to face the Portland Thorns. Also this 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:23.000 weekend a bunch of games with playoff implications. Here's a 0:05:23.080 --> 0:05:27.719 quick refresher on where everyone sits heading into the weekend. Orlando, Washington, Gotham, 0:05:27.800 --> 0:05:30.680 Kansas City, and North Carolina have already wrapped up five 0:05:30.760 --> 0:05:33.520 of the eight playoff spots. The Houston Dash are the 0:05:33.520 --> 0:05:36.320 only team already out of the running, meaning eight teams 0:05:36.360 --> 0:05:39.560 are technically still in contention for just three spots. The 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:41.800 Chicago Red Stars can clinch a spot in the postseason 0:05:41.800 --> 0:05:43.960 with a win this weekend against Gotham, or if a 0:05:44.000 --> 0:05:46.640 few other things go their way. A few teams are 0:05:46.680 --> 0:05:49.640 also at risk of being eliminated from playoff contention this weekend. 0:05:49.920 --> 0:05:52.800 The Seattle Rain, Utah Royals, Angel City, and San Diego 0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:56.120 could all be mathematically eliminated depending on how things play out. 0:05:56.480 --> 0:05:59.680 As always, the scenarios are pretty complex, so we'll link 0:05:59.720 --> 0:06:02.920 to art Queen and data viz Whiz Alison Gale's research 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:05.120 in the show notes, along with the full game schedule. 0:06:05.720 --> 0:06:09.800 In college hoops, sophomore USC guard Juju Watkins keeps bringing 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:12.520 in the business. She has officially signed with Gatorade, making 0:06:12.560 --> 0:06:15.159 her only the third college hooper dependent nil deal with 0:06:15.200 --> 0:06:18.000 the brand. The other two are Yukon's Pagebeckers and former 0:06:18.040 --> 0:06:21.320 Iowah Hawke Caitlin Clark. Add this to the multi year 0:06:21.360 --> 0:06:23.919 extension she just signed with Nike, and it's clear that 0:06:24.040 --> 0:06:27.680 Juju's got next, Actually no scratch that her time is 0:06:27.760 --> 0:06:30.679 right now. They even gave her the Gatorade sweat treatment. 0:06:30.760 --> 0:06:32.719 You could check out that post in our episode notes 0:06:33.480 --> 0:06:36.839 more in college sports. On Thursday, the NCAA released findings 0:06:36.839 --> 0:06:39.000 from a study done in partnership with the data science 0:06:39.000 --> 0:06:42.360 companies Signify Group, analyzing the social media accounts of over 0:06:42.400 --> 0:06:46.159 three thousand student athletes, about five hundred coaches, two hundred 0:06:46.160 --> 0:06:49.760 event officials, and one hundred and sixty five teams. Their findings, 0:06:50.120 --> 0:06:53.280 the abuse, harassment, and threats of violence that college athletes 0:06:53.320 --> 0:06:56.880 face on social media reaches a high during March Madness. 0:06:57.120 --> 0:06:59.440 Eight out of ten ABUSI posts sent to college athletes 0:06:59.480 --> 0:07:03.040 on social media we're sent during the NCAA tournament. Further, 0:07:03.200 --> 0:07:06.040 women's basketball players are targeted three times more than their 0:07:06.040 --> 0:07:09.120 male counterparts. The NCAA made a point of noting that 0:07:09.160 --> 0:07:12.560 the study only covered public facing threats, and Signified Group 0:07:12.560 --> 0:07:16.800 executives believe harassment is likely worse in private messages and dms. Now, 0:07:16.800 --> 0:07:19.320 maybe this doesn't come as a huge surprise, but that's 0:07:19.400 --> 0:07:21.840 kind of the problem. We expect these young athletes to 0:07:21.960 --> 0:07:24.720 just take the online bullying in stride, keep up with 0:07:24.760 --> 0:07:27.120 their academic responsibilities, and perform to the best of their 0:07:27.120 --> 0:07:29.680 abilities in the sport they choose. But these kids are humans, 0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:33.160 and that status quo has to change. In news news, 0:07:33.440 --> 0:07:36.160 Yahoo Sports and The Athletic announced yesterday that they're teaming 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:38.080 up to bring a women's sports hub to the Yahoo 0:07:38.080 --> 0:07:40.800 Sports website and app. The hub will provide written, audio, 0:07:40.880 --> 0:07:43.840 and video content produced by both entities, and it'll be 0:07:43.880 --> 0:07:49.320 free and available globally, no subscription required. All right, celisis 0:07:49.400 --> 0:07:53.280 it's time for another What the fact we've heard this 0:07:53.360 --> 0:07:55.880 a million times pitched to us as a positive? The 0:07:56.000 --> 0:07:59.160 US women's national team jersey sold out in twenty four hours. 0:07:59.440 --> 0:08:02.480 Caitlin clear Mark's All Star jersey sold out in fifteen minutes. 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:06.880 An immediate game sellout is great news. An immediate merch 0:08:06.960 --> 0:08:09.559 sellout means you left money on the table and didn't 0:08:09.560 --> 0:08:12.400 account for demand, and also that you're contributing months or 0:08:12.440 --> 0:08:15.280 even years later to a statistic that someone can hold 0:08:15.360 --> 0:08:17.640 up to say there isn't much money in women's sports 0:08:17.680 --> 0:08:20.040 merch or the sales are significantly less than the men's 0:08:20.360 --> 0:08:23.440 or other context freebs that weakens the business case for 0:08:23.520 --> 0:08:27.120 women's sports. So here's what the fact. According to research 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:29.280 done this year by Klarna and the sports innovation lab 0:08:29.520 --> 0:08:32.959 called Repper, revealing the unmet demand for women's sports merchandise, 0:08:33.320 --> 0:08:35.840 more than sixty percent of fans who searched for and 0:08:35.880 --> 0:08:39.240 intended to buy women's sports merchandise didn't make a purchase 0:08:39.280 --> 0:08:42.160 because it wasn't in stock. Thirty two percent of women's 0:08:42.160 --> 0:08:45.560 sports fans can't find a retailer that carries merchandise related 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:48.280 to their favorite teams and athletes, and seventy nine percent 0:08:48.320 --> 0:08:50.960 of respondents reported that they would purchase more women's sports 0:08:50.960 --> 0:08:53.680 merch if there were more options available to them, twenty 0:08:53.720 --> 0:08:55.640 eight percent reporting that they couldn't find a style that 0:08:55.679 --> 0:08:59.040 they liked. The report estimated that women's sports merchandise is 0:08:59.080 --> 0:09:03.120 a four billion dollar annual opportunity and it's falling short. 0:09:03.360 --> 0:09:05.720 And here's another fact. Did you know that eighty four 0:09:05.720 --> 0:09:08.280 percent of sports fans are into women's sports, but they 0:09:08.280 --> 0:09:11.080 only get fifteen percent of the media coverage That doesn't 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:13.840 add up. As a founding partner of Iheartwomen's Sports, elf 0:09:13.880 --> 0:09:17.120 Beauty is serious about changing the game and igniting conversations 0:09:17.120 --> 0:09:19.680 that will reshape the future of sports. Join the movement 0:09:19.720 --> 0:09:22.959 now at Elfbauty dot com. We're going to take a 0:09:23.000 --> 0:09:25.880 quick break. When we come back, we talk expansion with 0:09:25.920 --> 0:09:35.120 two WNBA team presidents. Stick around. It's time for another 0:09:35.240 --> 0:09:37.160 edition of group chat, where we take the t from 0:09:37.200 --> 0:09:39.880 the text and put it on the airwaves. She's the 0:09:39.880 --> 0:09:42.560 president of the WNBA expansion team tipping off in twenty 0:09:42.600 --> 0:09:45.760 twenty five the Golden State Valkyries, formerly head of revenue 0:09:45.760 --> 0:09:47.959 and head of corporate Partnerships for Angel City FC of 0:09:48.000 --> 0:09:50.720 the NWSL. She also spent five years working in men's 0:09:50.760 --> 0:09:52.920 Major League Soccer and six years with the Oakland A's 0:09:53.080 --> 0:09:55.480 a twenty twenty three Sports Business Journal forty under forty 0:09:55.480 --> 0:09:57.400 honoree and a member of the twenty twenty three Leaders 0:09:57.400 --> 0:09:59.880 in Sport Under forty class. We made a human pyramid 0:09:59.880 --> 0:10:02.920 in the Vice President of the United States of America's house. 0:10:03.200 --> 0:10:05.760 It's Jess Smith. What's up, Jess, Hi? 0:10:06.000 --> 0:10:08.040 I mean the last piece was the most memorable part 0:10:08.120 --> 0:10:08.840 of all of that. 0:10:08.960 --> 0:10:12.040 Important part of your resume. Joining her. She's the president 0:10:12.080 --> 0:10:14.920 of the WNBA expansion team tipping off in twenty twenty six, 0:10:15.080 --> 0:10:18.400 the yet to be named Toronto team, Formerly vice president 0:10:18.480 --> 0:10:21.200 of basketball operations for the Toronto Raptors. She also spent 0:10:21.240 --> 0:10:23.920 four years at the NBA office. We eat a basketball 0:10:23.960 --> 0:10:26.280 team's worth a sushi together in Toronto and we send 0:10:26.280 --> 0:10:28.880 each other Rex for extra long pants. It's Teresa Rush. 0:10:29.000 --> 0:10:29.959 What's up, Teresa? 0:10:30.440 --> 0:10:31.560 Oh, great to be here. 0:10:31.720 --> 0:10:34.840 I aged out of all those awards that just won, 0:10:35.040 --> 0:10:38.120 so maybe maybe my profile will be in the Golden years. 0:10:38.160 --> 0:10:40.000 No other time, but yeah, great to have. 0:10:40.080 --> 0:10:43.640 More fifty under fifty, sixty under sixty. We all got 0:10:43.640 --> 0:10:46.560 so much time to get shit done before we get 0:10:46.600 --> 0:10:49.200 to anything. Jess, thank you so much for timing big 0:10:49.240 --> 0:10:52.480 important breaking news just before your arrival on our show. 0:10:53.040 --> 0:10:56.680 We are recording this Thursday afternoon, and you just announced 0:10:56.679 --> 0:10:59.520 that the Las Vegas Aces assistant coach Natalie Nicassi has 0:10:59.520 --> 0:11:03.280 been higher as the head coach of the Valkyries. So 0:11:03.440 --> 0:11:04.959 take us through it. Tell us about the decision. 0:11:05.640 --> 0:11:08.640 A huge, huge day for us here. It's Ohemma's first 0:11:08.679 --> 0:11:11.000 move as our general manager, and you know it was 0:11:11.080 --> 0:11:13.440 quite a process for her, But Natalie comes with not 0:11:13.520 --> 0:11:16.760 only incredible expertise, but really leans into the culture that 0:11:16.800 --> 0:11:18.920 we're focused on building, where we want to be the best, 0:11:19.200 --> 0:11:20.760 but we want to be great people and we want 0:11:20.760 --> 0:11:22.760 to bring people into that and do great things. So 0:11:23.200 --> 0:11:25.440 she's going to be a powerhouse. We're so fortunate to 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:29.960 have her in Valkyrie Violet. Moving forward, Sorry, Asis Valkyrie Violet. 0:11:30.160 --> 0:11:32.600 Oh Scott, it's just rolling off the tongue already. Okay, 0:11:32.600 --> 0:11:34.320 We're going to get into that because I'm so excited 0:11:34.320 --> 0:11:37.000 to talk about how you build a brand logo and 0:11:37.040 --> 0:11:39.360 colors and name and mascot and all of it. But 0:11:39.400 --> 0:11:40.840 I want to do a quick though on the WNBA 0:11:40.880 --> 0:11:43.280 Finals first, because we're recording this just before the tip 0:11:43.320 --> 0:11:46.480 off of Game one. We'll go big picture, Teresa, who 0:11:46.559 --> 0:11:47.000 you got and. 0:11:46.960 --> 0:11:50.640 Why I got the Liberty. I think they're al for revenge. 0:11:50.679 --> 0:11:53.400 I think they're playing really well. New York City is 0:11:53.440 --> 0:11:56.200 on fire. Ellie's my favorite mascot. I'm all in on 0:11:56.200 --> 0:11:56.640 the Libs. 0:11:56.679 --> 0:11:57.920 Even though I. 0:11:57.920 --> 0:12:01.080 Grew up I grew up in Minnesota. Minnesota always wants 0:12:01.559 --> 0:12:03.600 wants a winner, is always looking for a winner. But 0:12:03.679 --> 0:12:04.880 I'm going with the Liberty. 0:12:05.960 --> 0:12:08.360 Ellie is also my favorite mascot, although tied with Benny 0:12:08.400 --> 0:12:11.120 the Bowl for very different reasons. Jess, who you got 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:11.520 and why? 0:12:12.120 --> 0:12:12.360 Yeah? 0:12:12.480 --> 0:12:15.760 Unbelievable finals and playoffs, you know, to date with the 0:12:15.800 --> 0:12:17.720 talent that's coming out. But I also have the liberty. 0:12:17.760 --> 0:12:20.199 I think there's a consistency that they're playing with right now. 0:12:20.200 --> 0:12:22.960 In Teresa's point, they have something to prove and there's 0:12:23.000 --> 0:12:24.719 a lot of emotion behind that, and the way that 0:12:24.720 --> 0:12:27.199 they're showing up for each other is a pretty pretty 0:12:27.200 --> 0:12:29.800 special squad. So I've got them in the finals, but 0:12:29.840 --> 0:12:31.439 I think it's I think it's going to be a 0:12:31.480 --> 0:12:35.040 tit for tat, full game finals, full five games. 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:38.120 Completely agreat. I also love calling women's sports anything tit 0:12:38.160 --> 0:12:41.040 for tat. It has a totally different meaning. Also, I'm 0:12:41.120 --> 0:12:42.800 hoping that we're not like when they show those like 0:12:42.880 --> 0:12:45.319 full boards of like Fox Sports or ESPN, people who 0:12:45.320 --> 0:12:47.640 all pick the same team and ultimately jinx them. So 0:12:47.800 --> 0:12:50.079 if so, sorry libs, Uh sorry, because I got the 0:12:50.160 --> 0:12:53.480 libs too. Okay, once that final shot of that series 0:12:53.520 --> 0:12:56.880 has been taken, once the champions are crowned, you got next, Jess, 0:12:57.080 --> 0:12:59.439 which means all eyes will be on the Valkyries. You 0:12:59.480 --> 0:13:04.760 already have over eighteen thousand season ticket deposits secured despite 0:13:04.760 --> 0:13:08.520 having zero players on your roster and just today announcing 0:13:08.559 --> 0:13:11.559 your coach. So let's start there. What an incredible accomplishment. 0:13:11.720 --> 0:13:12.840 How have you pulled that off? 0:13:13.720 --> 0:13:15.440 A lot of it. It's a testament to the Bay, 0:13:15.559 --> 0:13:18.120 this ownership group and the intention about how we're building 0:13:18.120 --> 0:13:20.559 the team. You know, it's really important that you come 0:13:20.559 --> 0:13:22.600 out from day one and share what this is going 0:13:22.600 --> 0:13:24.000 to be and what people will be a part of, 0:13:24.240 --> 0:13:26.439 and listen to them and how to build it alongside 0:13:26.480 --> 0:13:28.520 of them, to give them exactly what they're looking for. 0:13:28.840 --> 0:13:30.680 And we did just that, you know, right down to 0:13:30.679 --> 0:13:32.720 the name where twenty five percent of people actually wrote 0:13:32.720 --> 0:13:35.120 into the chronicle after they said at the announcement day, 0:13:35.120 --> 0:13:36.840 you know, what should the team be named? They wrote 0:13:36.840 --> 0:13:39.000 in Valkyries. You know, we listened to them. That's what 0:13:39.000 --> 0:13:40.560 they wanted us to be, That's what they wanted us 0:13:40.600 --> 0:13:42.760 to build around, and we continue to do that. But 0:13:42.840 --> 0:13:45.480 it really is a testament to understanding the base power 0:13:45.600 --> 0:13:47.920 and ability to lead. You know, this is a region 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:50.280 that people often look to to see what comes next, 0:13:50.320 --> 0:13:52.680 whether it's technology, innovation or just how we treat people 0:13:52.679 --> 0:13:55.760 and progress the world forward and building with women's basketball, 0:13:55.840 --> 0:13:57.600 and with that in mind, you know, it's just been 0:13:57.679 --> 0:14:00.040 an incredible opportunity, but we're very grateful for it. But 0:14:00.440 --> 0:14:03.439 we are going to create incredible experiences to make sure 0:14:03.440 --> 0:14:06.680 that we're matching the excitement that's being given to us. 0:14:07.240 --> 0:14:10.439 Yeah, I mean, you created something that has such a 0:14:10.480 --> 0:14:13.520 brand already, which is wild. There are teams that have 0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:16.000 existed for years and you don't really know who they are, 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:18.840 what they stand for in the Valkyries, so clearly already 0:14:18.840 --> 0:14:21.320 have this identity. Take us back to day one on 0:14:21.360 --> 0:14:23.800 the job. What is the first place that you start 0:14:24.040 --> 0:14:25.920 in creating a new team. And I'm not talking as 0:14:25.960 --> 0:14:28.720 much like business wise, but more creative wise. 0:14:29.400 --> 0:14:32.880 No, creative wise, it's you know, the name had been 0:14:32.920 --> 0:14:34.840 selected by the time I started, but then how we 0:14:34.840 --> 0:14:37.120 were going to define that was a big moment. You know, 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:39.400 a lot of the conversation was should we be blue 0:14:39.400 --> 0:14:41.760 and gold. Often when you see a women's team with 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:44.880 a sports ownership group that already has an existing men's team, 0:14:44.960 --> 0:14:48.280 they have a similar color way, and we were really 0:14:48.320 --> 0:14:50.240 adamant that that was not going to be us. For 0:14:50.760 --> 0:14:53.160 good reason. When you see blue and gold and Golden State, 0:14:53.280 --> 0:14:55.280 you're going to think of the Warriors. They've earned every 0:14:55.320 --> 0:14:57.840 piece of that legacy. We want the ability to build 0:14:57.840 --> 0:15:00.920 our own legacy. And also, we've talked about in sports 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:03.560 business now for the last number of years, this audience 0:15:03.680 --> 0:15:05.520 is a unique audience. Now all of them will be 0:15:05.520 --> 0:15:07.040 Warriors fans, and you want to make sure that you're 0:15:07.040 --> 0:15:09.080 building a product that invites everybody to have a seat 0:15:09.120 --> 0:15:11.920 at the table. Well, of course we want Warriors fans too, 0:15:12.440 --> 0:15:14.760 and so when we thought about the colorway, the WBA 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:16.080 has done a great job of this with the orange 0:15:16.120 --> 0:15:18.600 ho titty. We wanted to own something that was ours, 0:15:18.720 --> 0:15:20.320 so whether it had our logo on it or not, 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:23.080 that when you saw it you thought of the Valkyries, 0:15:23.440 --> 0:15:25.080 and not only thought of the Valkyries, but thought of 0:15:25.160 --> 0:15:27.600 who we are from a value perspective and what that means. 0:15:27.680 --> 0:15:27.880 You know. 0:15:27.920 --> 0:15:30.000 I think what's really special about what all of us 0:15:30.000 --> 0:15:32.720 are doing, including this show, is that we know that 0:15:32.720 --> 0:15:36.280 there's power in listenership, viewership, buying merchandise, buying tickets, and like, 0:15:36.320 --> 0:15:38.280 what this feels like is so much more than sport. 0:15:38.360 --> 0:15:40.800 It's really part of our culture and our identity, and 0:15:40.840 --> 0:15:43.080 so building a brand that allowed our fans, you know, 0:15:43.160 --> 0:15:44.720 to make sure that they can embody that as well. 0:15:45.200 --> 0:15:47.600 And I love that and it's so true. First of all, 0:15:47.600 --> 0:15:49.800 I love the violet, not just because it looks really 0:15:49.840 --> 0:15:51.200 good on me. You set me a shirt and I 0:15:51.240 --> 0:15:53.920 was like, oh, this might be my color, but also because, 0:15:54.320 --> 0:15:57.760 much like Angel City, that sort of reclaimed pink in 0:15:57.800 --> 0:16:00.240 a way that had been something to mock. This is 0:16:00.240 --> 0:16:02.840 a color that you don't see in professional sports really 0:16:02.880 --> 0:16:05.560 the same way racing Louisville has a touch of it, 0:16:05.640 --> 0:16:08.480 but this is really your dominant color. Real quick. You 0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:10.560 did help launch angel City as well. What's been the 0:16:10.600 --> 0:16:12.960 biggest difference in starting a team from scratch in the 0:16:13.040 --> 0:16:14.560 WNBA versus NWSL. 0:16:15.440 --> 0:16:17.720 Yeah, it's such a different time. Even four years later, 0:16:17.840 --> 0:16:19.840 it often feels like dog years to me, like one 0:16:19.920 --> 0:16:22.840 day is one month's time, and so launching Angel City 0:16:23.120 --> 0:16:24.960 feels like ten years ago to me in the best 0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:27.080 ways of just the amount of work we poured into 0:16:27.080 --> 0:16:30.120 that organization. But really what I took from the it's 0:16:30.160 --> 0:16:32.600 different in some ways, but what I think is similar 0:16:33.520 --> 0:16:37.440 is the opportunity to really lean in and be unapologetically yourself. 0:16:37.520 --> 0:16:39.920 And build something that's really unique, and I think that's 0:16:39.960 --> 0:16:41.600 incredibly important. You're going to see a lot more of 0:16:41.640 --> 0:16:42.760 it in women's sports. 0:16:43.040 --> 0:16:45.760 I love it. Teresa. You're sitting where Jess was less 0:16:45.800 --> 0:16:48.080 than a year ago, a blank page in front of you, 0:16:48.200 --> 0:16:50.440 and not really just a city, but a whole country 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:53.120 to represent with your name and your brand. The Toronto 0:16:53.240 --> 0:16:56.040 WNBA team is Toronto, but like a whole bunch of Canadians, 0:16:56.000 --> 0:16:57.880 I mean, watch them from all over. Where did the 0:16:57.920 --> 0:16:58.760 process start for you? 0:17:00.040 --> 0:17:02.880 Funny, I didn't even realize just that when you arrived 0:17:02.920 --> 0:17:05.560 and took the job, like Valkyrie's has already chosen, Like, 0:17:05.600 --> 0:17:08.800 I feel so honored that I get to actually impact that. 0:17:09.000 --> 0:17:11.520 So where we started was, I mean a similar place. 0:17:11.560 --> 0:17:13.480 Like we wanted to hear from Canadians and we thought 0:17:13.520 --> 0:17:15.960 it was really really important that they had a voice 0:17:15.960 --> 0:17:19.240 in it. So we set up a website, We set 0:17:19.280 --> 0:17:21.240 up a text number and said tell us what you want. 0:17:22.000 --> 0:17:24.359 And it was really really interesting to see the submissions. 0:17:24.359 --> 0:17:27.240 We had over ninety eight different countries actually interact with website, 0:17:27.240 --> 0:17:31.280 which really surprised me. We got over a thousand unique names, 0:17:31.680 --> 0:17:34.199 and then from there we just started calling them out right, Like, 0:17:34.240 --> 0:17:36.200 there was a lot of a lot of names in there. 0:17:36.200 --> 0:17:38.679 That Valkyrie actually was very popular, and like I'm not 0:17:38.680 --> 0:17:41.919 sure if they paid attention, Raptors was really popular. Like 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:43.240 there's a lot that came up. 0:17:43.200 --> 0:17:45.720 With the hders at the end, right, Raptors, Well. 0:17:45.640 --> 0:17:47.399 Yep, that was part of it. Yeah, there's a lot 0:17:47.440 --> 0:17:51.600 of genderized names in there too. But what was interesting is, yeah, 0:17:51.600 --> 0:17:53.960 there's a lot of names that are taken, right, there's 0:17:54.080 --> 0:17:56.919 trademark and IP and all those those crazy things, But 0:17:57.400 --> 0:18:01.040 there is still an unbelievable universe that hasn't even been 0:18:01.080 --> 0:18:03.040 touched yet, and we are really excited to play in 0:18:03.040 --> 0:18:03.600 that universe. 0:18:03.640 --> 0:18:06.880 So we're not quite there. We don't have our name and. 0:18:06.800 --> 0:18:10.240 Colors yet selected, but we've actually taken a lot of 0:18:10.840 --> 0:18:14.840 insight and direction from Canadians and also from what other 0:18:14.920 --> 0:18:18.240 teams have done. Like we take a lot of cues 0:18:18.240 --> 0:18:21.000 from the Valkyries, and we talked to Jess a lot. 0:18:21.040 --> 0:18:24.480 We take a lot of cues from the NWSL PWHL. 0:18:25.119 --> 0:18:27.320 We're learning a lot. We're looking around in the marketplace. 0:18:27.359 --> 0:18:29.159 So we can't wait to have Brandon Dendy. Like the 0:18:29.160 --> 0:18:31.959 fact that right now my name says Teresa rash WNBA 0:18:32.000 --> 0:18:34.080 Toronto is kind of boring. I can't wait to actually 0:18:34.080 --> 0:18:36.040 have a name to put at the end there and 0:18:36.080 --> 0:18:38.399 really plant our flag. But it's fun to also see 0:18:38.440 --> 0:18:41.719 like oh, Emma being hired and Nally being in hired, 0:18:41.760 --> 0:18:43.520 and like, you know, I kind of hate that just 0:18:43.600 --> 0:18:45.439 keeps stealing all the people on my short list. But 0:18:45.640 --> 0:18:48.480 it's good because that means that this league is only 0:18:48.520 --> 0:18:51.080 going to be elevated. And what the Valkyries are doing 0:18:51.160 --> 0:18:53.360 is setting the bar that we are going to try 0:18:53.359 --> 0:18:55.320 to raise, that Portland's going to try to raise, and 0:18:55.359 --> 0:18:56.679 the next team is going to try to raise, and 0:18:56.720 --> 0:18:58.919 I think in general, we're just so excited to be 0:18:58.960 --> 0:18:59.840 part of this movement. 0:19:00.560 --> 0:19:04.399