For Vanessa Shay, A Chance To Recharge An Original WNBA Franchise

For longtime sports executive Vanessa Shay, the move to join the Los Angeles Sparks meant trading in one project in its infancy — she’s been Chief Revenue Officer for the San Diego Wave, a team with a perfect attendance record in its history — for an original franchise in the WNBA.

“As you guys all know, you guys are well versed in women’s sports, women’s sports does not exist unless the business side is supporting,” Shay told assembled media earlier this month at her introductory press conference. “We do not have the broad, lucrative broadcast deals…. So we need to make up a lot of, in my opinion, some step backs that have happened with the program in the last few years, and quickly accelerate forward with corporate sponsorship, increasing ticket sales, increasing our season ticket holder group, delivering in the community.”

Shay said she believes “LA’s forgotten about the Sparks”, and the numbers early on in 2022 back that up — just 4,701 people on average are attending Sparks games so far, ranking the team sixth in the 12-team WNBA. As recently as 2019, Los Angeles was first in the league in attendance, averaging north of 11,000 per game.

“They haven’t done a great job building brand awareness for the team that’s been in this market for 25 years,” Shay said. “It’s time to bring the Sparks up, to to remind everybody, they’re here.”

Notably, Shay drew similarities between difficulties the WNBA fans, in Los Angeles and elsewhere, are experiencing with League Pass — “It isn’t a very good product”, Shay said flatly — and similar issues NWSL fans have experienced with Paramount
PARA
Plus, where the lion’s share of NWSL matches are televised.

“I don’t really have an answer for that yet,” Shay said. “It’s a very complicated problem.”

Ultimately, when asked what qualified as success this season, Shay said winning is first and foremost. Measurables will include increases in corporate sponsorships as well. But the most significant one? Well, Shay said we’ll all be able to do that.

“You’ll see for yourselves,” Shay said. “As we say in the business: butts in seats in the arena.”

Pursuit of that continues Wednesday night, when the Sparks host the Mercury at 10:30 PM ET.