Excitement for the WNBA’s first expansion franchise in 17 years “hits a fever pitch” on Friday, as the Golden State Valkyries kick off their first season, according to Amy Tennery of REUTERS. The WNBA awarded the new franchise to the Bay Area in October 2023 and gave the team the “extraordinary task to build itself from scratch -- from branding and marketing to business operations and on-court talent -- in only a year and a half.” The team kicks off the inaugural season with more than 10,000 full season ticket holders, playing out of the Chase Center where their NBA counterparts, the Warriors, compete. While they share a common court, the Valkyries have “carved out their own identity and fanbase in the title-rich Bay Area,” as only 5% of those 10,000-plus season ticket holders have season tickets with the Warriors, too (REUTERS, 5/15).
FACE OF THE FRANCHISE? Valkyries G Kate Martin has gone from a supporting player on an Iowa team that reached the national championship game with Fever G Caitlin Clark to a “recognizable name in the WNBA in her own right.” The Valkyries, an expansion team built largely of role players and international talent, do not yet have a clear “face of the franchise.” But Martin is “already one of the most recognizable players on the roster.” She finished her 2024 rookie season with the fifth best-selling jersey in the WNBA. She boasts a “loyal following” -- 164,900 on TikTok, 455,000 on Instagram -- and her “authenticity has endeared her to fans” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 5/15).
NEW FANBASE READY: WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the Valkyries have “more season-ticket holders than any team in the history of the WNBA.” Engelbert: “What is really interesting, and this tells you about the W – less than 5% of those season-ticket holders are Golden State Warriors season-ticket holders. … It just brings in a whole new fan base, a whole new media market for us” (“The Bill Simmons Podcast,” THE RINGER, 5/15).
