The game ahead
Lynch noted that the addition of the Golden State Valkyries this year, the arrival of the Toronto Tempo in 2026, and the recently announced expansions into Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia should have an immediate positive impact on WNBA revenue—as should new media rights deals.
The expiration of long-tenured, discounted legacy brand deals should also increase sponsorship value going forward, but Lynch said there’s plenty of room for more investment. The average men’s team has 100 sponsor deals, compared to a league-high 92 for the Fever. But that’s quickly changing: Much as the Pacers Sports & Entertainment group is able to use sales and marketing resources across leagues and teams to bring in more sponsors, the Washington Mystics’ owners at Monumental Sports have driven 65 sponsorships using similar strategy.
Jason Notte/ADWEEKWhile WNBA teams owned by groups like PS&E, Monumental, the Liberty’s Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment, and the Valkyries’ Golden State have certain advantages through shared resources with NBA teams, Lynch says both they and independent teams like the Chicago Sky (57 sponsors) face obstacles that may have similar solutions.
WNBA teams generally do not own their buildings, limiting the amount of revenue they’re able to draw from them and making their business model different than even the National Women’s Soccer League, where the Kansas City Current built and owns its facility.
But Lynch sees a path forward from his early work with another league that also didn’t own its facilities: UFC.
Lynch noted that UFC initially worked with its fighters to incentivize social media, sponsorships, and revenue growth and create a model in which both the league and the fighters benefited. The SponsorUnited CEO sees an answer somewhat similar to college name, image, and likeness rights for sponsorships and even ticketing, where the WNBA and its players can develop a yet-unused plan for sharing revenue, giving players a bigger piece of the revenue while assuring WNBA owners and investors continued to share in the league’s growth.
“You got to come out and say, ‘Look, we’re both stakeholders. We know where we’re at.’ There’s alignment. There’s transparency there,” Lynch said. “How are we going from $76 million to $760 million over the next 10 years, and how are we doing it alongside our players so we’re both benefiting from it?”
