\n\tNews on a NorCal Volleyball Investor: Venture capitalist Theresia Gouw, who is the lead investor of the new NorCal Volleyball club of Major League Volleyball, announced exclusively from the stage that former NBA player Zaza Pachulia is joining NorCal Volleyball as a founding investor.<\/p>\n
\n\tEverything\u2019s Bigger in Texas, Including Girls Volleyball: \u201cThere are more young girls and women who play volleyball right now in the state of Texas than there are boys who play football,\u201d noted Gouw.<\/p>\n
\n\tBig Game ROI: \u201cClose to $500 million for Super Bowl,\u201d San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said while discussing the return on investment for cities hosting major sporting events.<\/p>\n
\n\tFace-Painted Devotion: \u201cBusinesses like banks or airlines, they have customers. We have fans, fans who paint their faces purple,\u201d Vivek Ranadiv\u00e9, owner and chairman of the Sacramento Kings, said as he pointed out how team owners should not take their responsibilities toward passionate fans for granted.<\/p>\n
\n\tKeeping Everything Fresh: \u201cLet\u2019s get the land next to the ballpark,\u201d Larry Baer, president and CEO of the San Francisco Giants, said, reflecting on developing new real estate to grow the fan experience. \u201cWe\u2019re in the Disney experience business.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tRedefining the Bay Area: \u201cThere\u2019s a chance, we\u2019re not there yet, for the Bay Area to be known for sports just as much as it\u2019s known for technology; that\u2019s one of the things that excites all of us,\u201d Jonathan Becher, president of Sharks Sports & Entertainment, said.<\/p>\n
\n\tNew Unicorn in Town: \u201cWe are social unicorns with the ability of teams to reach a billion people,\u201d Ranadiv\u00e9 said, playing off the traditional definition of unicorn companies with a valuation of $1 billion or more.<\/p>\n
\n\tEverything Is Better in Portland: \u201cPortland is the global epicenter of women\u2019s sports \u2026 Probably one of the only places in the world where the women\u2019s sports teams are as popular as the men\u2019s sports teams,\u201d Alex Bhathal, owner of the Portland Fire and Portland Thorns, said.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\tSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA \u2013 MAY 06: Alex Bhathal, Executive Chair, RAJ Sports, speaks onstage during Sportico Invest West at Presidio Golf Course Clubhouse & Terrace on May 06, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kimberly White\/Sportico via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\n\tWhere You Need to Be: \u201cIf you\u2019re in sports or you\u2019re in business, this is the economic engine of the planet right now,\u201d boasted Mayor Lurie.<\/p>\n
\n\tGood News, Bad News: \u201cWe\u2019ve got good news and we\u2019ve got bad news. The good news is we just bought the team. The bad news is we just bought the team,\u201d Baer, the Giants\u2019 CEO, said as he recalled what investor Walter Shorenstein told him in 1992 when they learned their $100 million purchase of the Giants was green-lit, keeping the team in San Francisco and preventing a move to Florida.<\/p>\n
\n\tNothing Personal, Memphis: \u201cIt\u2019s a lot easier to sell a player to come here than Memphis, so to speak. I could have picked any city, frankly,\u201d Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. said. \u201cWhen we\u2019re dealing with players, whether it\u2019s free agency, draft, trades, there is a sense of selling them to come here and to stay here \u2026 For me, in my own shoes, it\u2019s a tremendous advantage to be able to sell the Bay Area.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tUpside of the Cap: \u201cOne thing that the NBA has gotten right\u2014and I was on the other side of the table in CBA negotiations in my capacity at the Players Association\u2014but having a salary cap has certainly helped NBA franchise values grow over the years. They\u2019re guaranteed a certain limit to spending, and it\u2019s so punitive with the different aprons, that those franchise values have grown,\u201d said NBA veteran Roger Mason Jr., who sold his sports content IP company Vaunt last month to FSP<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tQB Tanking: NFL quarterback coach and Therabody ambassador Jordan Palmer attributed hyperbaric chambers and playing video games on Xbox as the secret to your favorite QB\u2019s success in his conversation with Therabody founder and chief wellness officer Dr. Jason Wersland.<\/p>\n \n\tDoubling Up on Women\u2019s Sports: Speaking about owning both the Portland Fire and Thorns, RAJ Sports executive chairman Bhathal touted \u201cbeing able to have two teams that can tap into this unbelievable demand for women\u2019s sports and the culture of women\u2019s sports, but with two distinct flavors.\u201d Bhathal added that \u201cthe audiences are different \u2026 but the community is united in their love and passion for women\u2019s sports.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA \u2013 MAY 06: (L-R) Joy Nuga, Stacy Johns, President, Los Angeles Sparks, and Jess Smith, President, Golden State Valkyries, speak onstage during Sportico Invest West at Presidio Golf Course Clubhouse & Terrace on May 06, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kimberly White\/Sportico via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n