Valkyries President Jess Smith said that the team leads both the WNBA and “women’s sports at large” in sponsorship revenue in just the franchise’s second season, according to Sam Bradley of DIGIDAY. Smith did not share any figures, but noted that year-on-year, the Valkyries “grew partnership revenue 30% between regular seasons.” The team recently announced a partnership with Athleta to be the Valkyries’ official off-court apparel sponsor. On exclusivity, Smith said “categories are endless.” Smith: “Finance can be six categories. Non-traditional categories are flooding into women’s sports. … We’re seeing interest from ‘non-traditional’ categories starting to rise. There’s always a balance; if you’re going to own a category, that does come with a cost” (DIGIDAY, 10/9).
TURN IT UP: In S.F., Shayna Rubin wrote the volume at Chase Center on Wednesday was “high all night” during the team’s playoff win against the Aces. Golden State now leads the series 2-0, needing one more to clinch a spot in the WNBA Finals. With the top-seeded Lynx eliminated in Round 1, the No. 2 seed Valkyries “have home-court advantage for as long as this run will take them.” Rubin: “The crowd makes that advantage real.” The Valkyries “feed off the violet-clad, flashy and raucous crowd,” which sold out for a 49th straight game, dating back to last season – “every home game in the franchise’s existence.” The team has won every postseason game at Chase Center so far (4-0). If the Valkyries win every home game, the “title is theirs.” And their home-court advantage is “strong enough that it’s increasingly hard to imagine them losing at Ballhalla” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/8).