Latest news with #Wasserman
Forbes
11 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
The Most Valuable Sports Agencies 2025
E ach of the 10 times that Forbes has ranked the most valuable sports agencies—starting in 2013 and most recently in 2022—CAA has come out on top. But if the outcome is beginning to feel a bit preordained, what it means to be North America's largest agency continues to grow—and grow, and grow. CAA once again takes the No. 1 spot in the ranking on the basis of its $1.14 billion in maximum commissions, up 18% from three years ago. The Los Angeles-based agency now has more than 3,000 clients for talent representation and oversees an estimated $15.9 billion in team-sport playing contracts and $4.59 billion in non-playing contracts, including endorsements as well as its coaching and sports media groups. 'The sports business has grown so much just in the past three or four years that people want to be in the game,' says Howie Nuchow, co-head of CAA Sports, 'and that creates opportunities for smart strategic business decisions.' Despite CAA's continued expansion, its rivals have gained some ground. Wasserman and Excel Sports Management—Nos. 2 and 3 across the last five editions of the agency ranking, dating to 2018—have boosted their estimated maximum commissions 31% and 57%, respectively, over the last three years, to $956 million and $783 million. Octagon (No. 4 this year with $463 million in maximum commissions) and Klutch Sports Group (No. 5, $351 million) have experienced even more robust growth—119% and 252%. Combined, the top 10 North American sports agencies are generating up to $4.61 billion in commissions on more than $72 billion in active contracts under management, with those figures representing rises of 22% and 25% from $3.79 billion and $57.8 billion three years ago. Years of consolidation preceded that 2022 ranking, and the mega-agencies' shopping sprees haven't let up in the years since. For instance, Roc Nation Sports and Klutch parent UTA enhanced their global soccer rosters with deals for Brazil's TFM and Germany's ROOF, respectively. You First, which ranked 10th on Forbes' 2022 agency list, was itself acquired by Hollywood talent agency Gersh last year (and narrowly missed the 2025 agency top 10). CAA, meanwhile, has continued its push beyond talent representation—sports, entertainment or otherwise—by absorbing consulting firm Portas and Hanold Associates, which leads searches for human resources executives. Jeff Schwartz, CEO of Excel, which entered on-field NFL representation for the first time with its 2023 purchase of REP 1 Football, says his agency has meetings 'probably monthly' to discuss its growth priorities and potential acquisition targets. But while competition at the top remains fierce—just last week, leading NFL agency Athletes First announced that it had pried away Tory Dandy, CAA's co-head of football, to become an equity partner—'it's not just grow to grow,' says Jason Ranne, Wasserman's president of global talent representation. Agencies are focused on exploiting specific financial opportunities and expanding client services rather than merely keeping up with the Joneses. 'We don't actually view it as some unusual pace,' Ranne adds of Wasserman, which has either acquired or entered into strategic partnerships with 10 smaller agencies over the last two years, bolstering its hockey group in April with a deal for KO Sports. 'It's just kind of par for the course for us for the last 10 years.' One other major factor driving the M&A activity has been an influx of institutional investors. At least seven of this year's top 10 agencies have been backed by private equity or venture capital money in recent years, with Excel currently seeking a new investor as Shamrock Capital considers selling the minority stake it acquired in the firm in 2020. Schwartz, who in addition to his position overseeing Excel comes in at No. 2 in Forbes' 2025 ranking of sports agents, says he expects the fundraise to close by the end of the year. 'It's no different than healthcare and the other places where private equity shows up,' Ranne says. 'It does tend to push for M&A activities—that's kind of their bread and butter.' CAA, which had already been controlled by private equity firm TPG, offered a proof of concept in 2023 when it sold a majority stake in the agency to François-Henri Pinault and his billionaire family's investment company, Groupe Artémis. The deal reportedly valued the entirety of CAA—including its entertainment business, which is now smaller than the sports side—at roughly $7 billion, a big step up from TPG's $1.1 billion purchase in 2014. The most notable change in this year's agency ranking, however, runs against the consolidation trend. WME Sports, which was No. 3 on the 2022 list, went private in a transaction that closed in March and has been forced to divest its football and basketball divisions to avoid violating NFL and NBA conflict-of-interest rules, which do not allow team owners to simultaneously hold a representation business in the sport. (Egon Durban, the billionaire co-CEO of Silver Lake, which led the WME deal, has a stake in the Las Vegas Raiders, and tech billionaire Michael Dell, whose family office invested in the new WME, owns a piece of the San Antonio Spurs.) Sports will remain a focus for WME, which still has a major presence in tennis, golf, action sports and media, although it fell just outside Forbes' 2025 agency ranking. WME's former football division, now rebranded as WIN Sports Group, also missed the cut despite Joel Segal landing at No. 14 on Forbes' agent list. But its newly independent basketball business—using the name WME Basketball, at least temporarily—came in at No. 10 among North American sports agencies, with Bill Duffy at No. 4 on the top agents list. Among the other changes to the talent representation landscape since Forbes' last ranking in 2022, virtually all of the top 10 agencies have significantly expanded their college NIL practices—and are seeing an actual financial return, beyond the benefits of cultivating a talent pipeline. 'I would say this year it made the move to justifying the effort,' CAA's Nuchow says. 'This is now a whole new budget line item that you hadn't had before that is millions of dollars.' Women's sports are also a new, or renewed, area of focus for much of the industry, even though playing contracts for female athletes remain modest. And while agencies wait for the millions to come for some of those clients, they are benefiting from the rising tide in other ways. 'We're working on the areas where the growth is happening, meaning franchise values,' Nuchow says, noting that CAA advises on media rights and stadium construction. Beyond talent representation, agencies have been building out their divisions that work with brands, teams and leagues—areas that are excluded from the Forbes ranking but can have superior profit margins. Still, even as sports agencies branch out in new directions—and talent representation becomes a smaller piece of total revenue—they aren't planning to get out of the business that got them here. 'Talent is in our DNA at Excel, and talent opens the door for so many of these other areas,' Schwartz says. 'Could revenues be greater in some other areas? Maybe—but I still think there's so much to do globally on the talent side that we're focused on.' Most Valuable Sports Agencies 2025 #1. CAA 📍 Los Angeles Key Sports: Football, Basketball, Soccer, Baseball, Hockey Key Clients: Josh Allen, Devin Booker, Sidney Crosby, Jack Grealish, Shohei Ohtani Estimated Clients: 3,070 Estimated Playing Contracts Under Management: $15.9 billion Estimated Non-Playing Contracts Under Management: $4.59 billion Maximum Commissions: $1.143 billion Tom Wilson/#2. Wasserman 📍 Los Angeles Key Sports: Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Hockey, Football, Golf, Olympic Sports, Rugby, Action Sports Key Clients: Maxx Crosby, Katie Ledecky, Connor McDavid, Evan Mobley, Zack Wheeler Estimated Clients: 4,360 Estimated Playing Contracts Under Management: $9.52 billion Estimated Non-Playing Contracts Under Management: $3.07 billion Maximum Commissions: $956 million#3. Excel Sports Management 📍 New York City Key Sports: Basketball, Football, Baseball, Golf Key Clients: Caitlin Clark, Jared Goff, Nikola Jokic, Cal Raleigh, Tiger Woods Estimated Clients: 750 Estimated Playing Contracts Under Management: $6.56 billion Estimated Non-Playing Contracts Under Management: $3.5 billion Maximum Commissions: $783 million #4. Octagon 📍 McLean, Virginia Key Sports: Hockey, Baseball, Basketball, Football, Golf, Tennis, Soccer, Olympic Sports Key Clients: Simone Biles, Stephen Curry, Leon Draisaitl, Trinity Rodman, Bobby Witt Jr. Estimated Clients: 900 Estimated Playing Contracts Under Management: $3.55 billion Estimated Non-Playing Contracts Under Management: $1.64 billion Maximum Commissions: $463 million#5. Klutch Sports Group/UTA 📍 Los Angeles Key Sports: Basketball, Football, Baseball, Soccer Key Clients: Rafael Devers, Kai Havertz, Jalen Hurts, LeBron James, A'ja Wilson Estimated Clients: 680 Estimated Playing Contracts Under Management: $6.27 billion Estimated Non-Playing Contracts Under Management: $1 billion Maximum Commissions: $351 million #6. Boras Corporation 📍 Newport Beach, California Key Sport: Baseball Key Clients: Pete Alonso, Carlos Correa, Bryce Harper, Corey Seager, Juan Soto Estimated Clients: 110 Estimated Playing Contracts Under Management: $4.89 billion Estimated Non-Playing Contracts Under Management: $80 million Maximum Commissions: $260 million #7. Roc Nation Sports 📍 New York City Key Sports: Football, Soccer, Basketball, Baseball Key Clients: CJ Abrams, LaMelo Ball, Skylar Diggins, Kyler Murray, Vinicius Jr. Estimated Clients: 260 Estimated Playing Contracts Under Management: $2.14 billion Estimated Non-Playing Contracts Under Management: $510 million Maximum Commissions: $218 million #8. Athletes First 📍 Laguna Hills, California Key Sport: Football Key Clients: Justin Herbert, Micah Parsons, Dak Prescott, Jalen Ramsey, Tua Tagovailoa Estimated Clients: 220 Estimated Playing Contracts Under Management: $5.68 billion Estimated Non-Playing Contracts Under Management: $400 million Maximum Commissions: $197 million#9. GSE Worldwide 📍 New York City Key Sports: Golf, Tennis, Football Key Clients: Chase Brown, Bryson DeChambeau, Joaquin Niemann, Tommy Paul, Jessica Pegula Estimated Clients: 290 Estimated Playing Contracts Under Management: $210 million Estimated Non-Playing Contracts Under Management: $580 million Maximum Commissions: $122 million#10. WME Basketball 📍 Beverly Hills, California Key Sport: Basketball Key Clients: Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, Chet Holmgren, Sabrina Ionescu, Jalen Williams Estimated Clients: 270 Estimated Playing Contracts Under Management: $1.8 billion Estimated Non-Playing Contracts Under Management: $400 million Maximum Commissions: $120 millionMethodology Forbes' 2025 list of the most valuable sports agencies ranks firms based in North America according to an estimate of the maximum commissions they can generate from the contracts they manage. Agencies that do the bulk of their business in Europe or Asia—such as TEAM8, which is headquartered in Ohio but has the vast majority of its contracts under management attached to Roger Federer—are excluded. However, for any agency that is included in the ranking, the contract and client estimates do include overseas divisions, such as CAA's Stellar soccer group. Estimates for Klutch Sports Group include contracts negotiated by ROOF, a European-focused soccer agency that was acquired by Klutch parent UTA in 2024. Estimates for WME Basketball are strictly for the divested basketball division of WME Sports. The list considers both playing and marketing contracts for clients in all team sports at the ranked agencies (including sports that have a relatively small presence in North America, such as cricket and rugby). The list also considers marketing contracts for clients in individual sports, such as golf and tennis, as well as clients who are retired. In addition to endorsements, the non-playing contract estimates include contracts for coaches and sports media personalities and athletes' content deals. All figures reflect only individual talent; agency divisions that represent brands or sports properties such as leagues and teams are not included. Clients from outside the sports world are also excluded in the case of agencies that have entertainment divisions, such as CAA, Wasserman, Klutch/UTA and Roc Nation. Contract figures represent estimates of the total value of all active deals under management as of December 31, 2024, including both money that has already been paid out and money that has yet to be paid. To calculate commissions on playing contracts, Forbes multiplied the contract value either by the maximum agent fee allowed by that league's players' union or by the standard market rate in cases where there is no cap—3% in the NFL, 4% in the NBA and the NHL, 5% in MLB and 10% in European soccer. (In golf and tennis, agents traditionally do not earn commissions on their clients' prize money.) Forbes assumes a 20% commission rate on endorsement contracts, and lower rates on other sorts of non-playing contracts, in line with industry standards. Forbes' contract total estimates are rounded to the nearest $10 million. Maximum commission estimates are rounded to the nearest $1 million. Agency client count estimates are rounded to the nearest 10. Figures were compiled through conversations with industry insiders and with the help of public reports and databases such as Spotrac, Inside the League, PuckPedia and Capology. Some clients and contract figures that could not be independently corroborated were not included. More From Forbes Forbes Talent Agency Wasserman Expands NHL Division With Deal For KO Sports By Brett Knight Forbes Private Equity Firm Velocity Capital Is Investing More Than $100 Million In A European Soccer Agency By Justin Birnbaum Forbes As The NHL Grows, A Dominant Sports Agency Thinks Hockey Marketing Is No Longer On Thin Ice By Brett Knight Forbes The World's 10 Highest-Paid Athletes 2025 By Brett Knight
IOL News
a day ago
- Health
- IOL News
Join Dr. Eve at the Women's Wellness Experience: a journey to empowerment
Cape Town -121121-Marlene Wasserman, known as Dr Eve is a clinical sexologist opening her own sex health centre in Sea Point, Cape ESTHER LEWIS. PICTURE: CANDICE MOSTERT Dr. Marlene Wasserman, known as Dr Eve is a clinical sexologist opening her own sex health centre in Sea Point, Cape Town. 'Female sexuality remains both an enigma and a stigma,' said Dr. Wasserman. 'Whether women desire more sex or less, they are too often blamed, shamed, or misunderstood. This event is about creating a safe, informed space to shift that narrative.' Internationally respected clinical sexologist and trauma specialist Dr. Marlene Wasserman (known as Dr. Eve) will participate in the Women's Wellness Experience for a deeply impactful session exploring how trauma, shame, and social stigma continue to shape women's sexuality—and what true healing and embodied pleasure can look like. The session will address long-held taboos and myths, such as: The idea that women do not desire sex. The assumption that women inherently know what they want sexually. The erasure of solo pleasure, queer desire, and sexual agency. The false belief that trauma does not impact intimacy. Dr. Wasserman also brings a trauma-informed lens to her work, unpacking how early life trauma disrupts a woman's ability to feel safe in her body, trust others, or express desire. 'When a child is forced into self-reliance, it can make adult intimacy feel unsafe,' she explained. 'Healing begins with acknowledgment, self-compassion, and being in spaces where we feel seen.' Her approach blends evidence-based psychotherapy with emerging therapeutic modalities, such as Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)—a legal, science-backed treatment for trauma and PTSD. While broader psychedelic therapies are still under review, ketamine is already transforming how trauma survivors reconnect with pleasure and agency. 'We cannot separate sexual wellbeing from emotional healing,' Dr. Wasserman notes. 'Women deserve access to both.' She also highlights the power of community. In September, she will launch Embodied Pleasure—a six-week facilitated group offering women a safe, confidential space to explore their sexuality through body-based practice, shared stories, and somatic support. 'Women gathering in safe spaces to talk about pleasure and pain—that's revolutionary,' she said. 'That's how we reclaim our bodies, rewrite the script, and step into intimacy with confidence.' With tickets priced at R320 for early bird access, attendees are encouraged to book their spots through Quicket to ensure their participation in this transformative experience.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Huntington CFO on the strategic $1.9 billion deal to expand Texas footprint
Good morning. For CFOs navigating 2025's uncertain landscape, strategic M&A remains one of the few levers for rapid growth—if executed with precision. I spoke with Zachary Wasserman, CFO of Huntington Bancshares, a $210 billion regional bank holding company based in Columbus, Ohio, about how their latest Texas expansion fits into this playbook. Huntington (No. 375 on the Fortune 500) recently announced a definitive agreement to acquire Dallas-based Veritex Holdings, the parent company of Veritex Community Bank, for $1.9 billion in an all-stock deal. The transaction is expected to close in early Q4 2025. As of March 31, Veritex had approximately $13 billion in assets, $9 billion in loans, and $11 billion in deposits. 'This will significantly boost our Texas footprint,' Wasserman said. 'Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston are tremendous growth markets, and Veritex's deep local relationships are a perfect complement.' He described the acquisition as a springboard for growth, not only through expanding commercial lending but also by bringing Huntington's full suite of services in treasury management, wealth, and capital markets to Veritex customers. 'We're excited to bring all of our branch banking and consumer digital offerings, including mortgage products, to these markets,' he added. Even amid continued uncertainty, strategic M&A remains attractive. 'Organic growth is always our top priority, and you can see that in our Q2 results—over 8% revenue growth and 20% EPS growth,' Wasserman explained. 'But when acquisitions offer a compelling fit in strategy, culture, and financials, they can be a powerful accelerant. Texas is now our third-largest state, and with its economic growth, this deal positions us for significant expansion.' KPMG's recent midyear M&A survey finds that 74% of dealmakers expect M&A in 2025 to be more active than in 2024. Nearly 65% of dealmakers said they have changed their deal plans since the start of the year, with 22% saying they will do more deals, versus 18% saying they will do fewer deals. Post-acquisition integration is a top priority, Wasserman noted. 'Our experience with prior acquisitions has made this a well-oiled process.' The Huntington executive team recently visited Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston to meet new colleagues and begin integration planning. Wasserman also said the missions and cultures of Huntington and Veritex are well aligned, which he believes is essential. Q2 momentum Huntington reported net income of $536 million for the second quarter, with earnings per share of $0.34, an increase of $0.04 year over year. The bank saw 12% growth in net interest income and a 3% increase from the previous quarter, driven by 8% total loan growth year over year, with 10% growth in commercial loans, and a net interest margin (NIM) expansion to 3.11% from 3% in the previous year. 'Most of the NIM expansion comes from optimized funding costs as rates have declined over the past year,' Wasserman said. As the second quarter progressed, client uncertainty faded, Wasserman noted. 'Tariff prospects improved, capital markets stabilized, and equity markets rebounded,' he said. 'The economy continues to grow, prompting commercial clients to invest in their businesses, while consumers remain resilient.' For the remainder of the year, Huntington's strategy focuses on growing its fee-based businesses, including wealth management, payments, and capital markets. 'The biggest risk continues to be the macro economy and geopolitical environment,' Wasserman said. 'But what we're seeing on the ground indicates a strong second half of the year.' Sheryl This story was originally featured on Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Huntington CFO: Veritex met ‘high bar' for acquisitions
This story was originally published on Banking Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Banking Dive newsletter. As Huntington conducted due diligence on acquisition target Veritex, the Columbus, Ohio-based regional discovered many of the customers it had hoped to snag over time were already clients of the Texas bank. That was just one advantageous aspect of the $1.9 billion deal, announced last week, according to Huntington CFO Zach Wasserman. The $208 billion-asset regional envisions the acquisition serving as a springboard to local business in Texas, given Veritex's presence in the Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston markets. The acquisition of Dallas-based Veritex came together quickly: Huntington management had known Veritex CEO Malcolm Holland for a few years, but deal discussions began in mid-June, Wasserman said. Huntington didn't need to do an acquisition in Texas, Wasserman asserted, since the regional lender now has $6 billion in loans and $2 billion in deposits in the state, but 'what we saw here was very opportunistic.' 'It's something we became very convicted about as we learned more about them, in terms of their culture being incredibly well-aligned, and the strategic growth opportunities for us,' he said. Veritex's commercial clients are largely in the small and medium-sized business space and the smaller end of the middle market, so Huntington plans to bring its services and capabilities to those customers while $13 billion-asset Veritex offers Huntington the brand recognition and local expertise that can help bolster growth in the state, Wasserman said. Another area of opportunity is consumer, since 'neither of us are really going after the consumer business in Texas,' he said. 'We'll be launching our full consumer franchise into Texas. There's 31 branch locations that they've got, and I think, over time, you'll see us expand on that pretty significantly,' he said. That includes branch expansion, although Wasserman declined to provide specific details. Veritex is the 10th-largest commercial bank in Texas. With the deal – expected to close in the fourth quarter – Texas becomes Huntington's third-largest state in terms of deposits. The bank hasn't shared specific long-term goals in Texas, but Wasserman said he expects the state and the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area to be some of the largest for Huntington 'for a long time to come.' 'We will invest on top of that platform and really build it out even more than it is,' he said. That includes investments in talent, Wasserman indicated. Since Huntington has announced rollouts in Texas and the Carolinas and launched some specialty businesses, 'we have started to get quite a bit of inbound interest across the board in joining Huntington,' because 'bankers want to be part of a platform that's growing,' he said. Huntington has about 200 employees in Texas now; once the Veritex deal closes, that'll be about 1,000, he said. Wasserman declined to share any target for hiring or headcount expansion in the state, but said growth is part of the plan. To be sure, there's no shortage of competition across Texas, as national and larger regional banks, as well as local lenders, seek to expand on the backs of population and business growth in the state, through organic growth or merger and acquisition opportunities. Huntington aims to stand out with a local angle, Wasserman said. In commercial banking, 'that's actually a pretty differentiated approach,' he said. 'In many cases, what we're seeing is a lot of verticalization in the commercial banking space, where the relationships of local bankers are getting kind of disintermediated by industry experts within different institutions that are often not local.' Holland will remain with the company after the deal closes and become its Texas chairman 'to really help us make a smooth transition and to grow from the platform he and his team have already built,' Wasserman said. 'That's really key.' Veritex has 800 employees; when asked if all will remain, Wasserman said he expects the large majority will. 'Given the modest size of the deal, retaining relationship managers will be crucial,' JPMorgan analyst Andrew J. Dietrich said in a July 14 note. Huntington had about 400 people engaged in acquisition diligence, reviewing Veritex's commercial and industrial business and portfolio – 'not only the existing credit, but also just their philosophy,' Wasserman said. That was essential to ensure the bank's approach aligned with Huntington's, so the regional could be comfortable taking over Veritex's business and living with it for years, he added. The deal is expected to be modestly accretive to Huntington's earnings per share, result in minimal tangible book value dilution and has an earn-back period of about one year. Huntington expects to realize 25% cost synergies from Veritex's expense base, with half in the first year and the remainder in the second year, Dietrich noted. From here, Huntington remains largely focused on its organic growth strategy, rather than eyeing more M&A deals, although the bank remains 'opportunistic,' he said. 'We set a really high bar,' strategically, financially and culturally, with potential acquisitions, Wasserman said. 'It's not often that an opportunity clears those hurdles,' although 'if it did, you know, [we're] open to it.' 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USA Today
19-07-2025
- Business
- USA Today
WNBA fashion, growth on display at The Collective's All-Star party with USA TODAY Studio IX
INDIANAPOLIS — WNBA All-Star weekend has been a vibe. Fans have converged on the hoops capital of the United States and immersed themselves in the W and it's growing popularity. "It's so cool," Fever guard Lexie Hull, who participated in the 3-point contest on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, told USA TODAY Studio IX. "I know our team, our front office, everyone with the Fever, has been working really hard to put together a really awesome weekend. "And to have a lot of the W players and the fans filling the stadium, every restaurant and every hotel, it's awesome." Many of those players, along with team owners, general managers and other sports business VIPs celebrated all things WNBA, fashion and the culture of women's sports Friday night at an All-Star party hosted by Wasserman's The Collective in partnership with Ally Financial and USA TODAY Studio IX. Hull walked the red carpet into The Bemberg, a members-only club where the event was held, along with the New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart, Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings — dressed head to toe in Coach — and the Seattle Storm's Gabby Williams. Notre Dame phenom Hannah Hidalgo and Olympic volleyball medalist Jordan Thompson also attended. Thompson said it is "amazing" to watch the growth of women's sports. She hopes that volleyball can capitalize. "Especially in the WNBA, it's just starting to skyrocket," said Thompson, who will begin play in the Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball Championship this fall. "It's kind of exciting, because, as a volleyball player, it's a vision of where we could be one day, and hopefully sooner rather than later." The growth in women's sports has happened for many reasons including the talent, personality and style of the women playing. But they have experienced significant buy-in from companies who understand the power of collaboration with leagues like the WNBA and NWSL. Ally Bank was an early sponsor of women's sports, helping get the NWSL championship moved to primetime on CBS. "For us, it made a lot of sense to enter the women's (sports) space in a big way," Stephanie Marciano, Ally's head of sports and entertainment marketing, said. "We felt there was a lot of impact we could make, specifically on the media side. Because there's a number of data metrics that prove that there was a huge visibility and coverage gap in women's sports." Ally divides it's advertising dollars 50/50 between men's and women's sports media. Wasserman believes it's a blueprint many other companies will follow as the popularity of women's leagues continues to grow and sports like women's volleyball and soccer take off. Another one starting to make some noise? Girls flag football, which is being added as a sport in high schools across the county."When you see billionaires coming in, multiples of them, to invest in teams, not only in the W, but across other women's sports," Thayer Lavielle, The Collective's managing director said, "they have had proven success at making a lot of money. People are seeing the return in the value." Lavielle said the women's sports space is a community where people work collaboratively, which is unique. Her advice to brands that want to support "this rocket ship" is simple. "Come in, the water's warm. Do it. Invest now," Lavielle said "Everything will continue to go up."
