More than 150 investors, team owners, venture capitalists, and civic leaders packed into the Presidio Golf Course and Clubhouse in San Francisco Wednesday for Sportico Invest West conference, with conversations ranging from women’s sports investment and fan experience to the Bay Area’s growing identity as a sports destination. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie was among the speakers, declaring the region “the economic engine of the planet right now.”
Golden State Warriors co-executive chairman and CEO Joe Lacob opened the event by pushing back on the notion that franchise owners should stay out of team operations. “In any business, if you’re not involved as the owner, I don’t care what business you’re in, it’s probably not going to succeed,” Lacob said. Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. added that the Bay Area gives the franchise a distinct recruiting advantage. “When we’re dealing with players, whether it’s free agency, draft, trades, there is a sense of selling them to come here and to stay here,” he said. “It’s a tremendous advantage.”
Jonathan Becher, president of Sharks Sports and Entertainment, said the region is approaching a meaningful inflection point. “There’s a chance, we’re not there yet, for the Bay Area to be known for sports just as much as it’s known for technology,” he said. Larry Baer, president and CEO of the San Francisco Giants, framed the team’s broader ambitions around the fan experience. “We’re in the Disney experience business,” he said, pointing to real estate development around the ballpark as part of that vision.
Women’s sports drew significant attention throughout the day. Venture capitalist Theresia Gouw, lead investor in the new NorCal Volleyball club of Major League Volleyball, announced exclusively from the stage that former NBA player Zaza Pachulia is joining the club as a founding investor. Gouw also noted that more young girls and women play volleyball in Texas right now than boys who play football. Alex Bhathal, owner of the Portland Fire and Portland Thorns, described Portland as “the global epicenter of women’s sports” and said owning two women’s teams allows RAJ Sports to tap into strong demand with two distinct audiences united by a shared passion.
Jess Smith, president of the Golden State Valkyries, spoke about building trust with a new fanbase. “You only get to introduce yourself once,” she said. The Valkyries, already the WNBA’s most valuable franchise following historic interest in their inaugural season, overlap with the Warriors fanbase less than might be expected. Smith noted that crossover fans between the two franchises rose from 7% last year to 8% this year. Stacy Johns, president of the Los Angeles Sparks, said the challenge in LA is matching the city’s culture with the stories of the athletes. “You have to tell the stories of the women who play for us. How can we create stars?”
Sacramento Kings owner and chairman Vivek Ranadivé drew a distinction between the loyalty of sports fans and ordinary consumers. “Businesses like banks or airlines, they have customers. We have fans, fans who paint their faces purple,” he said. Mayor Lurie put a number on what that devotion can mean for a city, citing a return on investment of close to $500 million for hosting the Super Bowl.
