April 2, 2025 • 48 mins
Ilana Kloss, CEO of Billie Jean King Enterprises, has spent decades making sure women’s sports isn’t treated as charity—it’s an investment. She joins Courtside to break down the business case for equity, why sustained investment is key, and how brands are finally waking up to the value of women’s sports.
- 02:27 Introing Ilana
- 10:35 The Founding of World Team Tennis
- 24:16 Building Billie Jean King Enterprises
- 30:43 The Evolution of Women's Tennis
- 31:17 Navigating the Modern Media Landscape
- 33:47 Challenges and Changes in League Structures
- 35:10 Sustaining Growth in Women's Sports
- 37:50 The Power of Unified Voices
- 41:33 Investment and Long-Term Vision
- 49:47 The Role of Brands in Women's Sports
- 55:12 Final Thoughts and Future Outlook
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
A lot of times people think, if you're a woman,
you only want to be involved in women's sports, And
you know, why would you only want half the market? Right?
We want the whole marketplace.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Welcome to the first episode of Courtside with Laura Currenti,
where we're going to break down the business of women's
sports with the people shaping its future. So grab your popcorn.
I'm your host, Laura Currente. Today we're talking about something
we can't afford to ignore. Why investing in women's sports
isn't just a moral imperative, it's a business no brainer.
(00:32):
My guest today a Lana Claus, former number one doubles champion,
CEO of Billy Jean King, enterprise's investor in the Los
Angeles Dodgers and Angels City Football Club, and one of
the architects behind the growth of women's professional sports.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
She's been in the room where.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
It happens, literally, whether it was the founding of the
WTA in nineteen seventy three or the launch of the
PWHL just last year. In this conversation, we're going to
get into the economics of women's sports, why valuations are skyrocketing,
media rights deals are still playing catch up and how
smart brands are realizing that women's sports fans aren't just
(01:09):
watching their buying. We'll also talk about what's missing, why
leagues can't afford to be fragmented, and what it's really going.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
To take to make this moment last.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
So, if you're a brand, an investor, or just someone
who still thinks women's sports is a quote unquote nice
to have instead of the dominant force that it is,
buckle up. Alana Class is here to set their record straight.
Let's get into it. I'm here with Alana Klaus, a
former professional tennis player, a number one doubles ranked tennis
(01:41):
player in the world, also now the CEO of Billy
Jean King Enterprises, an investor in the Los Angeles Dodgers
as well as Angel City Football Club and most recently
an advisor and the brains behind the operation of setting
up the Professional Women's Hockey League.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Alana Class, Welcome to the show.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
It's great to be here with you, Laura and excited.
Also want to congratulate you on all the things that
Deep Blue and you are doing to help promote women's sports.
So we need everybody, so thank you.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
It is, as they say, a team effort. And I
remember the first meeting that we had, and I had
gotten the note from somebody on your team and in
your office saying, you know, the team at Billy Drinking Enterprises,
specifically a Lonoclaus would like a meeting. And I got
shivers when I read that, because, as the Italian Jersey
and me would like to think, it was like a
(02:34):
meeting with the.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Boss, you know.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
And I just remember the opportunity to sit down and
share the vision and sort of bring my expertise over
from the world of media marketing and advertising and jump
on this incredible wave that we've been riding that you
and Billy Jean certainly started. So before we get into
the business of I wanted to ask this question because
I was doing some digging and I couldn't find the answer.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
When did you fall in love with tennis?
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Wow? I think probably at like three or four years old.
I grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. Both my parents
played tennis, so at a very young age, we'd go
to the tennis club every weekend and I just loved it.
And then I you know, timing is everything, right, So
I was a ball girl at the South African Championships
(03:22):
when I was nine and ten years old, and Billi
Jan King came to South Africa to play in that
tournament and I had an opportunity to hit some balls
with her. I was heading on a court with my
dad and she walked by the court and she stopped
by the court and said to my dad, you know,
I recognize your daughter. She has some talent. You know,
(03:43):
she's been ballgirling for me, and would you mind if
I hit a few balls with her. She hat with
me for probably ten or fifteen minutes, and that day
I decided I was going to be a professional tennis player.
Even then there was not professional tennis, it was still amateur.
But that's that's what I wanted to do with my life,
so kind of from the age of ten, you know,
(04:04):
that was my goal in life. And you know, fast
forward to nineteen seventy two, I went to Wimbledon, won
the junior event there, and then in nineteen seventy three
when the Women's Tennis Association was started, I happened to
be one of the sixty four people actually in the
room when the WTA was founded.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
So it's incredible.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
I've always loved sports and always loved tennis, and I
think just the timing of Billy Jean coming to South Africa,
and I think we all need someone in our lives
who gives you that inspiration and you do have to
see it to be it. And that's why you know
what's going on now in women's sports and you know,
(04:45):
participation growth. I think it's huge because we want little
girls to be able to have the same dreams as
the boys.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
You've certainly been in the room where it's happened many times.
And before we get to the founding of the WTA,
when you talk about that ten year old girl, fast
forward to them becoming ranked number one in the world
in doubles, Alana, when do you know that, like you've
got it, You're on your way to a number one ranking,
You're competing on the world stage, and you know that
(05:14):
there's a difference between doing this for fun and doing
this for real.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Yeah, And I think for me, by the time I
was like, you know, thirteen or fourteen, I was the
best player in South Africa as a junior and then
I started to progress. But you know, you never really know.
You really want to do the absolute best that you
can every day and you know, your goal is always
to be number one in the world or won a
big championship. So for me, it was, you know, can
(05:43):
I become number one in South Africa? And then how
do I think beyond South Africa? And I think for me,
you know, tennis was an opportunity really to travel the
world and to actually see, you know, how things were
so different.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Right.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
I grew up in a party in a country that
was governed by apartheid. So for me to be able
to see the world, to be able to meet Arthur Ash,
meet Billy Jean King, you know, the pioneers who really
change the world for good through sports. So what I
did on the court was important, and I absolutely you know,
(06:19):
like you said, it was number one in the world
in doubles. I want some great singles titles. But for me,
it was really more the education and the ability to
have impact off the court because you're not a professional
athlete for that long, so how could I use that
as a platform to grow off the court.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Which is so relevant in twenty twenty five today as
you think about the common phrase that we hear often
in the industry of girls who play become women who lead.
Are their skills that you can recall gaining that maybe
weren't as obvious through the journey up the rankings, but
as you started to move into your post tennis career,
(06:58):
or at least off the court career, that you really
can look back on and say, you know, having experience,
that these are really valuable, tangible skills that I've applied
in the business world.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Well, absolutely. I think what sports teaches us, right is,
first of all, it's delayed gratification, right, because you're always
building and learning and trying to get better. I think
you have to plan, you know. I think a lot
of actually companies now want to hire women who've been
who are athletes, who have been in athletics, because they're organized.
A lot of women in C suite credit sports, you know,
(07:32):
in high school and college. But for me, it's about
you know, usually you're part of a team, so you
learn teamwork, you learn resilience, you learn how to you know,
pick yourself up after you may have a loss, you
learn to adapt. So I think the lessons that I
learned in sports unbelievably relevant to lessons in life and
(07:55):
in leadership. And I think that's why we always encourage
young girls to get involved in sports because that's where
you kind of learn the rules of the business and
the boys, you know, So I think it's huge name
of true man also helps you build self confidence, You
trust your body, you believe in yourself, and I think
all those things can really serve you well, you know,
(08:17):
beyond your competing years well.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
And I think as I looked at your long list
of illustrious accomplishments both on the court and as I
alluded to, off the court, you know you noted you
were one of the first sixty four in the room
when the WTA was announced. You then went on to
be the CEO and commissioner of World Team Tennis, which
then led to a series of further firsts to both
(08:41):
move the world of tennis, but also equity and opportunity
for girls and women, not just in sport, but in
business and in life. So can you take us through
that transitionary period when it was time to I guess
you would say hang up the racket and think about
that transition and how you were going to then step
into this position to build an organization which, if my
(09:03):
research serves me right, was the first.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
League and still to this day stands alone.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
I believe over forty years and offering equity between male
and female athletes. So can you talk a little bit
about the founding principles of World Team Tennis.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Absolutely, you know, I think again, I was very lucky
to be mentored by Billy Jean and to kind of
play and live it. I was actually drafted to play
for the San Francisco Golden Gators in World Team Tennis
when I was eighteen years old, and you know, you
talk about the business and World Team Tennis came and
they recruited me, and I think I was offered a contract.
(09:41):
It was probably thirty thousand dollars a year at the
time in the seventies. It was more than my dad
was earning. So you know, I kind of got this
concept right of being part of something that was really
going in the right direction. But what I love about
World Team Tennis it really does match philosophy in life,
which is men and women working on a team together
(10:05):
for an outcome. Whether you're a little boy or little girl,
if you come to World Team Tennis, you can see
yourself And for Billy jen and I that was so
important to us, so that you know, everybody felt like
they belonged and we were building a sport and a
league that was also for the fans, right that the
fans could be involved in chair. I think tennis is
(10:27):
perceived as an individual sport, but actually, you know, you
play doubles. There's the Billy jean Kin Cup, there's the
Davis Cup for men, there's a United Cup. So there's
a lot of events that our team related in tennis.
And we just think that tennis was the leader right
in bringing men and women together. But the fact of
having men on one on the same team, they paid
(10:50):
equally on performance, equal representation, I think totally matches our
philosophy in life. So for me, when I stopped playing
professionally at the time, tennis was very individual. You played
for yourself, and I really was pretty lonely. You know,
when you win, you one alone and there's only one
winner at the end of the week. So I loved
(11:11):
playing doubles. I loved being part of a team. So
when I stopped playing professionally, Billy jen had just become
the commissioner of World Team Tennis, and she said, you know,
we're looking for somebody to help recruit players, and I,
you know, it was the perfect role for me. I
also always loved sales. My dad was in sales, so
(11:31):
you know, I loved bringing people together and getting deals done,
and so it was a very easy transition for me
into World Team Tennis. I loved team events, I loved
the message that it sent of inclusion, and it was
an unbelievable training ground for me because I started recruiting players,
then I got into sales, and then ultimately you know,
(11:53):
was commissioner and CEO for over twenty years. So I
think it really taught me everything that I use now
in day to day business and in life action.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
I couldn't relate to that last bit more in terms
of the transition, like, no matter what part of business
you're in, you're always selling something, and that sort of
those dopamine hits of the same way when you're competing
in whatever your sport may be, and then closing a
deal like that satisfaction and then you always want the
next one and the next one, which that could turn
into a whole therapy conversation. But that said, you know,
(12:26):
as you're talking, I was doing some research coming into
this conversation. There was a fabulous quote that the Sports
Business Journal had put in a feature they did with
you and Billy Jean where it's as classed. The daughter
of a salesman, as you alluded to, is a skilled,
relational business person, according to those who work for and
with her, a no nonsense negotiator, but also the type
who will call an old colleague twenty years after selling
(12:48):
to them and still remember the name of their dog.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
And I was like, I.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Knew I loved Dilana from the minute I met it. It
was like the best Instagram bio. I feel like you
could possibly have in operating in the world of or
let alone women's sport, because as you think about then
the expansion of you know, your career, as you continued
on in the business world, all of those relationships obviously
coming full circle I'm sure, and servicing as you then
(13:12):
went on to build things like the Women's Sports Foundation
that moving into the eventual development of Billy Jinking Enterprises.
Can you talk about the importance of those relationships and
leveraging those learnings and insights and how you then used
it to navigate building out the blueprint for what would
become the enterprise organization that you run today.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Well, I think, Laura, I mean, you know you asked
me What is the one most important thing that I
would tell other people is relationships are everything. And you
know a lot of times as a as a tennis player,
you don't want to do the pro am or you
don't want to go to the cocktail party. And I
cannot tell you how valuable meeting people and the relationships
(13:52):
that we built as a professional tennis player. And you know,
just taking the time asking questions of other people is huge.
I mean, you know, right now there's not probably within
one or two calls, Billy Jean or I can get
to anybody, and that's because of the relationships that we've built.
So we really encourage anybody, you know, build those relationships.
(14:15):
They're going to pay off down the road for you.
And it's also the right thing to do totally. You
talk about a relationship. How did we get involved in
the LA Dodgers, which has changed our life forever. You know,
Billy Jean was helping Kamal Murray, who started this tennis
program in South side of Chicago called Excess Tennis. She
(14:36):
was raising funds for him because she really believed in
access and opportunity and said to come out. Of course,
I'll come and do a fundraiser for you. I end
up sitting next to Mark Walter, who's the owner of
the Dodgers. I didn't know him, he didn't know me.
We started to talk, we went to dinner. Him and
his wife Kimber were amazing. He said to Billy Jean,
(14:59):
you know, I'd really like to have you involved in
the you know, earn the sparks and earned the Dodgers
would love to have you involved in the sparks. And
she's like, well, why not the Dodgers. I could not
believe she said that. But you know, because a lot
of times people think, if you're a woman, you only
want to be involved in woman's sports. And you know,
(15:19):
why would you only want half the market? Right? We
want the whole marketplace. You know, when people say to Billy,
thank you what you've done for women, she I can tell,
like the hair on her back stands up and then
she calms down because she realizes it's a compliment. But
she's like, I don't do what I do only for women.
I do it for everyone, and I want the whole market.
(15:41):
Why would I You don't say to a man, thank
you what you've done for men's sports. So those are
things that we learned. But you know the relationship of
meeting Mark and Kimber and him saying, you know, we'd
love to get you involved and being willing to say
why not the Dodgers, right, And that's another lesson. You know,
ask for what you want to need, right, because sometimes
(16:03):
we don't ask, and there's no harm in asking. So
I think talk about relationships. You know, once we got
involved in the Dodgers, we kind of were at the
big boy table and you know, just the relationships that
we made there and then the opportunities we had from that,
you know, changed our life forever. And it's funny you
(16:25):
look at Angel City and I investment in Angel City.
Actually we had to go to them. They didn't come
to us, and we were like, hey, why aren't they
calling us? But I think they probably didn't, you know,
thought of us as why would we want to be
in soccer. Well, of course we want to be in soccer.
We want to support women's sports and you know, so
(16:47):
so we called them and that was amazing. And then
you know, you think about you know, the p WHL
and that was a relationship with Mark and you know,
Kendall Coin, the captain of the US Olympic Hockey team
came to us and said, you know, we really I
have such a passion to play, but we can't keep
playing in a league where we're not treated professionally. So
(17:10):
that was a five year journey. But it's because of
the relationship that we had with Mark and kimber Walter
that we were able to go to him and say,
we've got this great idea. We have the best players
in the world, and you know, you have to start
with certain things that set you.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Up for success.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
So totally, but it's all relationship driven.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Congratulations on the trophy.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
The MVP trophy is named after a Lana class which
has to be fun to note and be able to
hand out annually. And so much of what you've done
has played the MVP role in the development and building
of these businesses that you know. As I was reading
that article, I referenced earlier this sports Business journal talking
about Billy being the brand and Alanas the operation and
(18:06):
what I've so respected about what you all have built.
In addition to all the things that are of course
noteworthy from a sport perspective, I think you have to
be one of the most distinct brands that isn't sat
alongside and ranked in the world of branding. And what
I mean by that is very few brands I believe
(18:26):
have such a level of distinction, clarity and prescriptiveness in
north Star. And it's very clear to me that while
you obviously go deep with respect to your level of
expertise around equity creating opportunity for women and girls, what
you've been able to build horizontally in terms of your investments.
How to think about the consulting business that you have
under enterprise as the Billy Jing King Cup. There's something
(18:49):
in it, Alana where the specificity to me has created scale.
And I'd love for you just to talk about the
building of Billy Jing King Enterprises and if you could
take me into the room when you decided to say
it down and say, hey, we're going to pull this
all under this tent. What does a business plan look
like a building in the name, you know, the namesake
of a legend that has such a clear and prescriptive brand,
(19:09):
but then the ability to brand should across so many
different parts of the business.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
It's a very good question. And it's interesting because we
sold World Team Tennis about eight years ago, and you know,
we were like, okay, what are we going to do now?
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Right?
Speaker 1 (19:23):
We're not done yet, as Billy says every day, She's
not done yet. And that'll get to the inspiration question,
which I'm sure is going to come.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Although I did read he says, you don't stop. So
this feels like a very good match.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Exactly, and it is where we definitely are a good team.
But you know, I think when we sold World Team Tennis,
we were like, okay, what can we do? And I
have to say we came up the idea of doing
Billy jan King Enterprises, But Marjorie Gantman, who is our COO,
we kept brainstorming and brainstorming, and she made us realize
(19:55):
that up until the point where we sold World Team Tennis,
if you wanted Billy Jean, you had to invest in
World Team Tennis. You know, you had to be a partner,
because we try to It was so ingrained in who
we were, you know, men and women working together on
a team. You know, everything we believed in, so all
(20:15):
of our partners and everything kind of went through the
lens of World Team Tennis. And once we sold it,
we actually could take a step back and say, Okay,
how can we continue to make impact and just look
at the landscape. And while Billy says, you know, she's
not really interested in legacy that you know, other people
can define her legacy, she wants to make impact. We
(20:36):
really started to think of what are the things that
we could do that could put in place that would
inspire others to go ahead and do more. Because Billy
is pretty much the first in everything, but she doesn't
want to be the first, and she certainly doesn't want
to be the lost. So her purpose in life was
how do I create opportunities for others to make it
(20:59):
easier for them to follow in her path. So, you know,
the business started, and I have to say, you know,
it was probably eighty percent, ninety percent of the revenue
was derived from Billy, and that's probably not a great
business model. So we started to think about, you know,
what were ways that we could you know, diversify and
(21:21):
so I think the consulting business, you know, investing, doing
the Billy Jean kin cup, doing different things that were centered,
like you said, around the brand of Billy Jean King.
But because of this knowledge and expertise that we've had
for over fifty years, how could we use that to
really help others grow and continue to invest in women's sports.
(21:45):
And it's so exciting. Like I told you, we had
to call Angel City. Now we don't have to make
too many calls. There's a lot more incoming calls.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
But as there should be.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Yeah, so it's it's really been exciting to Yeah, you know,
how do we use Billy's brand And of course we
do some things for her with some of her partners,
whether it be a datas or ELF or others, but
also how do we provide the expertise and knowledge that
we've had of what's possible and what works, what doesn't work,
(22:17):
and then also you know, use our relationships right to
help others go through the doors that maybe we helped open.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
It's an incredible exercise too, especially for founder led businesses
when the brand and the business is so wrapped up
in the founder and the association. But as you were talking,
you know, I could totally see a world where you know,
you think of like Volvo equal safety, like Apple, you
know equals innovation, Disney equals imagination, Billy Gene equals equity.
But Billy Gene's could also be a verb. It could
(22:46):
be an adjective. It's how you show up, it's how
you act, it's all of these things. And so I'd
be curious to do a brand exercise with you, you know,
off Michaelana, and just what that looks like in terms
of it becoming a way of working, a way of being,
way of doing, which I feel. You know, so many
people in the business of women's sports have been fortunate
enough to be in the orbit of But as it's
(23:07):
applied to business and as you make your investments, how
does it influence your decision making? Certainly from a values
mission perspective, I'm sure you know I could guess, But
are there things that would surprise us from a criteria
selection in terms of how you decide what you get
involved in?
Speaker 1 (23:24):
Well, I mean again another great question, because I think
it is the people for sure. Right, do we believe
in the people? Do we believe in the purpose? Do
we think that there is growth and opportunity long term?
Because at this point in our lives, right, we are
not going to get rich on it. Right, We're at
(23:45):
kind of Billy's like she says, she's in the fifth set,
but I don't ever believe it. But you know, so
I think it's what things can we invest in that
we can bring our expertise in our names to help
create additional value so that they can continue to grow
and prosper. So, you know, I think when we looked
(24:06):
at when you look at Angel City, right, and you know,
we invested, I think the valuation was probably around three
million dollars and it's sold for two hundred and fifty million.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Oh yeah, definitely coming to you the next time we're
making investment decisions on that return.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
Yeah, trust me, that was that was pretty nice. I think,
you know, when you look at the hockey, the p
WHL and getting you know, Mark and kimber Walter to invest,
it's really you know, I think what things can sustain
and are going to create opportunity for the long term
because it really does take sustained investment for the long
(24:45):
term in order to be successful. And then also, you know,
is there a path where you don't often get to
build something new right that hasn't existed before? And we
were able to do it with Tennis and be at
the table at the beginning. And to be honest, when
Kendall Coin called us, you know, five six years ago,
(25:07):
the same thought process. You know, when I said to
Billy and you know, what do you think She's like, Well,
you know, there needs to be one league, can't be
two leagues. You need to have one voice. You need
to have a long term investment. You can't just do
it short term, right, So I think, but we use
the same principles, right, and they still apply today. So
(25:29):
I think that knowledge of what happened in women's tennis,
I think they were the first. They continued to lead
the support and help that Billy gave Julie Faddy and
the ninety nine ers on starting the journey to equal pay.
But you know, the principles aren't aren't very different. It
really is is very similar as.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
You think about the principles, and I could just imagine
the here we go again, you know, like same business challenge,
new market, but certainly living in an hirely new media market,
new technologically driven market, new social media obsessed market, and
how much that has changed certainly the game forever. But
(26:12):
also what players, teams and leagues have to consider when
taking on investment. And it's not just about you know,
the facilities and the infrastructure and the training and the staff.
Now you're thinking about all of these assets that sit
around developing fandom, creating game day experiences, your social media presence,
content plans, what has been most interesting for you And
(26:33):
going back to you know, when you were sitting at
the top of the ranking WTA versus thinking now, what
a Cocoa golf or Madison Keys like? What these players
are having to manage and what are the conversations you
and Billy are having that like if this existed when
we were playing.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Well, I think again, it is so different. You're right right.
In our day, we would chase the media we wanted
them without them telling our story. Nobody knew who we were.
There was no social media. You know, you sat and
you did an interview with a reporter that didn't run
till the next day. You did radio interviews, you did
whatever you can. Now, obviously the players have their own
(27:11):
platform with social media, but we encourage them. It's great
to have your own channels to get the word out,
but you want other people telling your stories. So we
think it's really important to do both. So I think
that that is big, But it's a totally different world.
I think now for us, we didn't have teams or coaches.
(27:32):
I mean, you know, we hit with each other, we
traveled together. It's so we're thrilled, Like Billy Jean says,
these players are living our dream. This is exactly what
we dreamed for them, and we couldn't be happier. But
it is very different. It's much more isolated, right. They
each have a team around them, they each have their
own message. They have enough money. So our job is
(27:55):
trying to tell them the importance of history because you know,
the more you know about history, the more you know
about yourself. But more importantly, it kind of helps you
shape the future. And you know, we need these players
to think about the future. And you know, especially in
these new emerging leagues, the players aren't making a whole
(28:16):
lot of money, but they are building it for the future,
and that's a pretty special place to be in. I mean,
the other thing that's also different, you know, I think
even the investment and the league structures have changed. Like
you know, in our day, you sold franchises, right, and
you'd have one person who is wealthy, and you know,
(28:36):
it really swayed everything and somebody maybe you couldn't afford
to step up and do what it needed. So I
think for us, especially with the PWHL, you know, a
single entity ownership has been also very helpful because you
can at least then build it right and have equal
investment in all the teams and have consistency, which I
(28:59):
think is rare important. So things continue to change, I
mean all the time, so you do have to be
numble and you have to be opened, you know, to change.
Change is good. I think people sometimes, you know, are
scared of change.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
But I'm a Sagittarius, so I go ahead.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
First, exactly. Sometimes not changing is a much greater risk.
And I think we've built the.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
Evolution, you know.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
I always think back to when Serena was retiring and
she talked about this not being a retirement, and I
shouldn't even phrase it as that. When she was evolving
and seeing how athletes and you alluded to it as
well as you were pivoting out of you know, playing,
It wasn't about, you know, the end of something. It
was the evolution and taking what you applied and which
we're seeing so many more opportunities as a result of
the investment, the technology, the infrastructure improving. What would you
(29:47):
caution and what would you advise to ensure we sustain
what we are experiencing, because that's the single biggest question
I probably get on a daily basis what makes this
time different? That literally is like I should number one
from every skeptical client that I engage.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
Well, I think a few things. I think, you know,
brands and companies now are really investing in women's sports.
Actually some of them have never been in sports, and
they choosing women's sports right to kind of elevate their brand,
you know that better than most. So I think sustained
investment is huge. And then I also think with a
(30:26):
lot of these new leagues, we will lose some of them,
and I would really encourage, which we do anytime we
get a call, you know, if there is another league,
try to work with them, work together because it's hard
enough to be a women's league together competing against everything
that there is, so really try to work together and
(30:51):
support each other because I think ultimately, if we can
grow the part, then everybody's going to win.
Speaker 2 (30:57):
I do think that, you know, when you start to
see two three in some sports today, four professional league starting.
While I can understand there are different motivations and agendas
to do so, at the end of the day, what
we're not considering is the splintering of fan base. The
splintering of media rights, the splintering of audience, the splintering
of brand dollars, and totally diluting the overall impact, which ultimately,
(31:20):
at the end of the day impacts the players and
the fan experience. And so that's something that has been
a bit of a head scratcher over the last few
months as we're watching and so anytime we can play
that on repeat, it just as a megaphone in terms
of there's power and numbers, and that doesn't necessarily mean
number of leagues, but perhaps consolidation of efforts.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Correct and you know, you look at I think Unrivaled, right,
they just started, and they're pretty smart because they want
to be a lead in and keep some of the
athletes that were going overseas right to be able to
make a living here. So even in the hockey there
was there've been a couple of other leagues, and you know,
anyone who've invests in woman's sports to us are shaers, right,
(32:01):
I mean heroes and shiros because it's a hard and
long road. So we're incredibly appreciative. But I think if
we want to succeed, we have to come together and
we can't have competing leagues. I just don't believe in
the long run that that helps them. Like you said,
you know, the splintering of fans, people don't really know
(32:22):
the difference. So you know, the reason that Tennis was
so successful is Billy Jean was able to get everybody
to come together as one voice. And when you're able
to do that, you have a very powerful brand. And
so we have that with the PWHL. But you know,
we're still young. We're only in six cities. We need
more cities. We need a better media deal. I think
(32:44):
the media deals Laura, which you totally understand what you
did with iHeart and you know, getting women's scores told
and women's story is told because people don't know, and
if they don't know, how can you get excited? But
the media part, I mean, look, we were at four
percent of media coverage. You're now at fifteen percent, which
(33:07):
is great compared to men's sports. But it's really the
media rights fees that I think we're so far behind.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
Well, how the deals are getting set up. I think
the thing that has been really challenging. And again, I
was a media buyer for twenty years prior to coming
into the business of women's sports, but so many of
the skill sets apply, probably more so than ever in
terms of driving valuations, thinking about scaling audiences, all of
the things that brands are looking for when making their investments,
(33:39):
and even the biggest leagues, of which you know there's
only so many, But when you go and you do
a deal in the earliest days of your league and
you split your rights, I don't care how big the
final dollar amount is. If you're talking about sustained growth
and you chase the money, and that means splitting your
audience across platforms, be it networks, broadcast, cable streamers, social.
(34:00):
In doing that, not only are you taking an already
book growing nascent book growing audience splintering it, you also
now are creating a challenge for brand marketers and advertisers,
and that you have different rate cards, So there's different
prices for the same product, different production values for the
same product, different lead in halftime post game for the
same product.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
And it creates the.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Sense of not only can I not find it, I
don't know what channel it's on, but you've created a
commercial challenge because now as a buyer, I'm presented different
proposals for the same product. It really creates a challenge
in terms of well, now I'm not basing it on
the value of the product. I'm probably looking at it
in relation to the other things that I'm spending on
to find efficiencies or whatever the case may be, which
(34:42):
is a total technical conversation, but nonetheless, like these are
the business challenges when I look at what tennis has
been able to do.
Speaker 3 (34:50):
And I love this idea of one voice.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
It's probably the single biggest takeaway from this conversation for
so many reasons. But the unification of voice, the prescriptiveness
of plan, the ability then to take the north star
and stretch it as opposed to everybody coming to the
table with different points of view, all for the same outcome.
It could be the thing that hampers growth.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
Yeah, I know, there's no question. And look, the media
landscape now is so different, right, I mean between streaming
and I mean there's just so many different opportunities and
so many players wanting to get into the space. So
it's a challenge, and I think that's where you know,
women's sports has the most potential, but also the furthest
(35:32):
distance to go because we are so far behind, you know,
the men's leagues and the men's deals and you know,
we do have to earn it. Look, they've been out
there for so many more years, right than women's sports.
But we should learn from that. And again I think,
you know, one voice, one mantra and try to build
for the long term. Because they think you want sustainable,
(35:55):
you have to be able to sustain, you have to
be able to grow, which means more investment. You know.
I mean men's teams a lot of them aren't profitable,
but they continue to invest for growth so that their
valuations and their revenue increase. And so to me, what's
so exciting about women's sports is that we do have
(36:17):
you know, the billionaires investing because they can invest for
long term and they're building the value of each of
the teams and leagues that they're invested in, and they
don't get in for short terms. So for me, that's
really exciting, and that tells me that women's sports again,
it's an investment. It's not a charity like it used
(36:38):
to be. It's not a box to check anymore.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
No, absolutely not. As evidence by your Angel City investment.
If anybody has questions about what returns look like, they
can ask for your w two's I suppose.
Speaker 3 (37:08):
It's also interesting.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
I had a colleague of mine who invests in minor
league teams, and he told me, you know, Laura, sports
are where billionaires go to become millionaires. You shouldn't be
thinking about it as a space where you're going to
see an immediate return on your investment.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
Now.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Arguably a different story in the world of women's sports
because the bar and the threshold and the barrier has
been so low. But I think we're going to quickly
see that that will soon become the case, as it's
going to require that incredible amount of taking the investment
and putting it back in for things like facilities, expanded infrastructure,
new media and content channels like by the way, are
(37:47):
we going to see Billy Jean King productions? Because I
think that's like a whole cable channel we can get
off the ground. But you know, it is interesting to
think about how, yeah, even twelve twenty four months ago
wasn't the case, but yesterday's price is not today's price.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
Yeah, and look, you're right, a lot of the teams
aren't making money. Most of them aren't, right, So, but
there's this interest and you've got new franchises selling, but
it's it's a long road and it's going to take
a long time. And I think at least now people
are willing to invest for the long run. But you know,
we were. We did a Billy jan King Enterprises did
(38:24):
a Power of Women's Sports summit along with the Billy
Jean King Cup this year in Malaga. And Sheila Johnson,
who is the first black woman billionaire and just an
incredible person, you know her life story and obviously involved
with ted Leonsis and I think the Mystics and you know,
a bunch of other businesses. But you know, she got
(38:46):
up there and I think everyone was expecting her to
say how great she's doing, and she said, listen, I
do this because I really care. But it is hard,
hard work, and it's hard to make money in sports.
Takes a long time, and so there is a long
runway and you do have to invest for the long term.
But the fact is that the investors that are now
(39:09):
getting into women's sports have the capability to stay for
the long term. And you know, once you get that,
you know you can succeed. I mean look at MLS
and Anchius. I mean he invested billions and you know
now it's starting to turn around. The same has to
happen in women's sports. And we've been saying forever. If
(39:31):
you invest in us like you invest in the men,
and you give us the time, I guarantee you that
you will get a great return on your investment. But
you have to be willing to go at it for
the long run. And you know it's it's a hard road.
It is not an easy business.
Speaker 3 (39:48):
No, it certainly is.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
That I came across a great Instagram quote card. I'm
not going to remember what media platform it was from,
but it was I think coming off of this most
recent PTERBHL game that you all attended, and I, as
a reporter, had asked Billy about what she sees happening
in the market, how she feels about and she's like,
I've worked my whole life to finally see this, this
come to fruition. So knowing that if you have one
(40:12):
more hour in the data spend, where are you putting it?
Speaker 1 (40:16):
Well, I think, you know, we just continue to push
and to push others to invest, believe, be open minded
and you know, and give women sports the same passion
and purpose and investment of your time because it's all
of those things. It's not only investment of just writing
(40:37):
a check, it's what you put behind it. And so
I think it's really about, you know, being all in,
which is what all our life's about. And I think
you know, now as we look at the Billie Jean
King Cup, which is something that we are very proud
of and trying to grow the Woman's World Cup of Tennis,
we have partners that are like minded. And I think
(40:58):
that's another thing that's really important if you can get
brands that really believe in what you're trying to do.
I mean, we're so lucky we have elf eyes, lips
and face. I mean they market behind us, they tell
our story. I mean, you know, they don't just put
their logo on.
Speaker 2 (41:16):
It's such as financial capital, it's strategic capital.
Speaker 1 (41:20):
An emotional creative. And then you have Gamebridge, who have
made a commitment to you know, they're spending forty percent
of their sponsorship portfolio on woman.
Speaker 2 (41:29):
Can you talk about the Billy Jing Kincup, because I
know it's been in the works for a very long
time and I was reading about how it started with
I believe of sixteen countries and as of twenty three
it was over one hundred and thirty four in a
quick span. You're taking it around the world and this
year was I believe your first equity summit that you
did programming alongside. If I have that correct, why now
(41:50):
and how are you leveraging these commercial partnerships to not
only obviously bring awareness and access to the tennis, but
to also push extra the narrative that exists in and
around the specific cup.
Speaker 1 (42:04):
Well, for sure, Look, I mean Billy Jean won the
first it was called the Federation Cup at the time.
It was in London in nineteen sixty three. They won
the first competition. We've always loved team events and we've
always believed that, you know, tennis, because it's global, has
the power to help transform on and off the court.
(42:25):
And when you look at the International Tennis Federation, who's
our partner in the Women's World Cup of Tennis, I
think for us on the court, women's tennis is doing
great right. We have equal prize money at most of
the major's. We've got a way to go in other areas.
But where we thought we could make impact is you know,
(42:45):
teaching women get on the board of your local federation,
become a coach, get into media, become an official, so
all these other jobs around the sport, there's huge opportunity.
So I think for us it was really a platform
to be able to do that. And so again, you know,
(43:06):
the partners that we have have that same belief and
with the International Federation governing the Olympics and the sport
of tennis, their fit was absolutely perfect. But we were
able to do a joint venture with the International Tennis
Federation to really pull out the commercial rights so that
(43:26):
we can elevate the competition and truly be inspirational on
and off the court. So you know, it is exciting
to be part of that. And you know, I still
wake up driven. And you know, with Billy, it's like
you know, she always says, you know, the only thing
matters is what you do today.
Speaker 2 (43:45):
I love that when you think about the brands that
are starting to show up. Earlier in the conversation you
alluded to those that have never even spent in sport
are coming directly to women's sport. You alluded to of
Cosmetics and the incredible work their team is doing in
showing up in places like tennis racing. You know, all
sorts of incredible initiatives to stand up and support behind
(44:05):
the scenes and through their communications. Are there any brands
that have surprised you in entering the space, conversations that
you have that are inspiring you, or partners that you're like, well,
if I get one phone call to make tonight, this
is who it's going to.
Speaker 1 (44:21):
I think, you know not. I mean, I won't name
specific brands, but I know that you know. For us,
it's funny whenever we go to meeting, our first question
to a CEO is do you have daughters? And especially
if they're men and they have daughters, we know that
we have a chance because we want.
Speaker 3 (44:39):
That's a great brief.
Speaker 1 (44:41):
It's as exactly like, you know, don't you want your
daughter to have the same opportunities as your son? And
they do. And so I think it's just getting people
to understand the power. And most women sports fans are
much more loyal, so they're more likely to buy your product.
And I think you you know, your shareholders are both
(45:01):
men and women. So for us, we think there's a
huge opportunity investing in women's sports and it absolutely will
will pay off.
Speaker 2 (45:10):
I love that our big initiative in twenty twenty five
is we've done a really great job of tapping, you know,
the dozen or so hand raisers, the brands who have
really been champions from the beginning, particularly on the women's
sports side, and we're so grateful and thankful for them,
and we could probably name them all right here in
this conversation.
Speaker 3 (45:26):
But our focus is, i should say, is on a butt.
Speaker 2 (45:29):
It's an and engaging the non endemics, those brands who
we can you know, bring in around storylines and narratives
that are unique to female athletes that you might not
necessarily get in and around the world of men's sports.
So it's a big initiative for us, and hopefully we'll
be doing some fun partnerships together this year.
Speaker 1 (45:48):
I have no doubt, Laura. I think you know your
passion and purpose that you bring. You keep pushing, you
keep innovating, and you know, I think it's just to
get company needs to realize that they have to. You
can't just you have to walk the talk, right and
if you really care, then you should be investing in
women's sports. If you're investing in men's sports, you should
(46:10):
be investing in women's sports. And I guarantee you if
they stay the course, it'll it'll pay off. But you
know what, I'm sure many people will take your call.
Speaker 3 (46:20):
And you know I'm going in with you. I heard
this call.
Speaker 1 (46:24):
Well we'll keep pushing, you know, we will always take
your call.
Speaker 2 (46:28):
Put it down well and likewise. And if you had
one doubles player that you could have played with that
never got the opportunity to man or women, who would
it be?
Speaker 1 (46:38):
Wow? I mean, look, I got to play doubles on
and off the court with Billy Jin and I don't
think there's anyone better than that.
Speaker 2 (46:45):
So that's a mic drop if I ever heard so,
Well leave it at that. But Alana, thank you so
much for the time. Obviously, the trailblazing work that you
have done, continue to do and I know will drive
us into the future. It's an honor and a privilege
to be in your company and I'm just super grateful
for the time today.
Speaker 1 (47:02):
Well, thanks Laura, and good luck with the podcast. I
know you're just beginning your journey, but I have no
doubt you are going to continue to reach for the stars.
Speaker 3 (47:12):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (47:12):
We know women's sports is not a shy business, so
you got to take the mic and go.
Speaker 1 (47:17):
As they say in tennis, serve and Vollin Serve and
Volin No loves to the Net.
Speaker 3 (47:22):
I love it. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (47:23):
Alanna, all right, take care, see you somewhere soon.
Speaker 3 (47:26):
Take care. Thanks for grabbing a seat.
Speaker 2 (47:30):
I'm your host Laura Crenti, founder and CEO of Deep
Blue Sports and Entertainment. Our executive producer is Jesse Katz,
and this show is produced by Ryan Martz along with
associate producers Meredith Barnes and Rachel Zuckerman. Court Side is
an Iheartwomen's Sports production and partnership with Deep Blue Sports
and Entertainment. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
(47:50):
wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (47:53):
Want more, follow, rate.
Speaker 2 (47:54):
And review court Side wherever you get your podcasts, and
stay in the game by following us on social media
at Iheartwomen's Sports, and don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter.
In the show notes, thanks for listening. We'll see you
next time. Court Saide
A lot of times people think, if you're a woman,
you only want to be involved in women's sports, And
you know, why would you only want half the market? Right?
We want the whole marketplace.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Welcome to the first episode of Courtside with Laura Currenti,
where we're going to break down the business of women's
sports with the people shaping its future. So grab your popcorn.
I'm your host, Laura Currente. Today we're talking about something
we can't afford to ignore. Why investing in women's sports
isn't just a moral imperative, it's a business no brainer.
(00:32):
My guest today a Lana Claus, former number one doubles champion,
CEO of Billy Jean King, enterprise's investor in the Los
Angeles Dodgers and Angels City Football Club, and one of
the architects behind the growth of women's professional sports.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
She's been in the room where.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
It happens, literally, whether it was the founding of the
WTA in nineteen seventy three or the launch of the
PWHL just last year. In this conversation, we're going to
get into the economics of women's sports, why valuations are skyrocketing,
media rights deals are still playing catch up and how
smart brands are realizing that women's sports fans aren't just
(01:09):
watching their buying. We'll also talk about what's missing, why
leagues can't afford to be fragmented, and what it's really going.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
To take to make this moment last.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
So, if you're a brand, an investor, or just someone
who still thinks women's sports is a quote unquote nice
to have instead of the dominant force that it is,
buckle up. Alana Class is here to set their record straight.
Let's get into it. I'm here with Alana Klaus, a
former professional tennis player, a number one doubles ranked tennis
(01:41):
player in the world, also now the CEO of Billy
Jean King Enterprises, an investor in the Los Angeles Dodgers
as well as Angel City Football Club and most recently
an advisor and the brains behind the operation of setting
up the Professional Women's Hockey League.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Alana Class, Welcome to the show.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
It's great to be here with you, Laura and excited.
Also want to congratulate you on all the things that
Deep Blue and you are doing to help promote women's sports.
So we need everybody, so thank you.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
It is, as they say, a team effort. And I
remember the first meeting that we had, and I had
gotten the note from somebody on your team and in
your office saying, you know, the team at Billy Drinking Enterprises,
specifically a Lonoclaus would like a meeting. And I got
shivers when I read that, because, as the Italian Jersey
and me would like to think, it was like a
(02:34):
meeting with the.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Boss, you know.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
And I just remember the opportunity to sit down and
share the vision and sort of bring my expertise over
from the world of media marketing and advertising and jump
on this incredible wave that we've been riding that you
and Billy Jean certainly started. So before we get into
the business of I wanted to ask this question because
I was doing some digging and I couldn't find the answer.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
When did you fall in love with tennis?
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Wow? I think probably at like three or four years old.
I grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. Both my parents
played tennis, so at a very young age, we'd go
to the tennis club every weekend and I just loved it.
And then I you know, timing is everything, right, So
I was a ball girl at the South African Championships
(03:22):
when I was nine and ten years old, and Billi
Jan King came to South Africa to play in that
tournament and I had an opportunity to hit some balls
with her. I was heading on a court with my
dad and she walked by the court and she stopped
by the court and said to my dad, you know,
I recognize your daughter. She has some talent. You know,
(03:43):
she's been ballgirling for me, and would you mind if
I hit a few balls with her. She hat with
me for probably ten or fifteen minutes, and that day
I decided I was going to be a professional tennis player.
Even then there was not professional tennis, it was still amateur.
But that's that's what I wanted to do with my life,
so kind of from the age of ten, you know,
(04:04):
that was my goal in life. And you know, fast
forward to nineteen seventy two, I went to Wimbledon, won
the junior event there, and then in nineteen seventy three
when the Women's Tennis Association was started, I happened to
be one of the sixty four people actually in the
room when the WTA was founded.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
So it's incredible.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
I've always loved sports and always loved tennis, and I
think just the timing of Billy Jean coming to South Africa,
and I think we all need someone in our lives
who gives you that inspiration and you do have to
see it to be it. And that's why you know
what's going on now in women's sports and you know,
(04:45):
participation growth. I think it's huge because we want little
girls to be able to have the same dreams as
the boys.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
You've certainly been in the room where it's happened many times.
And before we get to the founding of the WTA,
when you talk about that ten year old girl, fast
forward to them becoming ranked number one in the world
in doubles, Alana, when do you know that, like you've
got it, You're on your way to a number one ranking,
You're competing on the world stage, and you know that
(05:14):
there's a difference between doing this for fun and doing
this for real.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Yeah, And I think for me, by the time I
was like, you know, thirteen or fourteen, I was the
best player in South Africa as a junior and then
I started to progress. But you know, you never really know.
You really want to do the absolute best that you
can every day and you know, your goal is always
to be number one in the world or won a
big championship. So for me, it was, you know, can
(05:43):
I become number one in South Africa? And then how
do I think beyond South Africa? And I think for me,
you know, tennis was an opportunity really to travel the
world and to actually see, you know, how things were
so different.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Right.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
I grew up in a party in a country that
was governed by apartheid. So for me to be able
to see the world, to be able to meet Arthur Ash,
meet Billy Jean King, you know, the pioneers who really
change the world for good through sports. So what I
did on the court was important, and I absolutely you know,
(06:19):
like you said, it was number one in the world
in doubles. I want some great singles titles. But for me,
it was really more the education and the ability to
have impact off the court because you're not a professional
athlete for that long, so how could I use that
as a platform to grow off the court.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Which is so relevant in twenty twenty five today as
you think about the common phrase that we hear often
in the industry of girls who play become women who lead.
Are their skills that you can recall gaining that maybe
weren't as obvious through the journey up the rankings, but
as you started to move into your post tennis career,
(06:58):
or at least off the court career, that you really
can look back on and say, you know, having experience,
that these are really valuable, tangible skills that I've applied
in the business world.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Well, absolutely. I think what sports teaches us, right is,
first of all, it's delayed gratification, right, because you're always
building and learning and trying to get better. I think
you have to plan, you know. I think a lot
of actually companies now want to hire women who've been
who are athletes, who have been in athletics, because they're organized.
A lot of women in C suite credit sports, you know,
(07:32):
in high school and college. But for me, it's about
you know, usually you're part of a team, so you
learn teamwork, you learn resilience, you learn how to you know,
pick yourself up after you may have a loss, you
learn to adapt. So I think the lessons that I
learned in sports unbelievably relevant to lessons in life and
(07:55):
in leadership. And I think that's why we always encourage
young girls to get involved in sports because that's where
you kind of learn the rules of the business and
the boys, you know, So I think it's huge name
of true man also helps you build self confidence, You
trust your body, you believe in yourself, and I think
all those things can really serve you well, you know,
(08:17):
beyond your competing years well.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
And I think as I looked at your long list
of illustrious accomplishments both on the court and as I
alluded to, off the court, you know you noted you
were one of the first sixty four in the room
when the WTA was announced. You then went on to
be the CEO and commissioner of World Team Tennis, which
then led to a series of further firsts to both
(08:41):
move the world of tennis, but also equity and opportunity
for girls and women, not just in sport, but in
business and in life. So can you take us through
that transitionary period when it was time to I guess
you would say hang up the racket and think about
that transition and how you were going to then step
into this position to build an organization which, if my
(09:03):
research serves me right, was the first.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
League and still to this day stands alone.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
I believe over forty years and offering equity between male
and female athletes. So can you talk a little bit
about the founding principles of World Team Tennis.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Absolutely, you know, I think again, I was very lucky
to be mentored by Billy Jean and to kind of
play and live it. I was actually drafted to play
for the San Francisco Golden Gators in World Team Tennis
when I was eighteen years old, and you know, you
talk about the business and World Team Tennis came and
they recruited me, and I think I was offered a contract.
(09:41):
It was probably thirty thousand dollars a year at the
time in the seventies. It was more than my dad
was earning. So you know, I kind of got this
concept right of being part of something that was really
going in the right direction. But what I love about
World Team Tennis it really does match philosophy in life,
which is men and women working on a team together
(10:05):
for an outcome. Whether you're a little boy or little girl,
if you come to World Team Tennis, you can see
yourself And for Billy jen and I that was so
important to us, so that you know, everybody felt like
they belonged and we were building a sport and a
league that was also for the fans, right that the
fans could be involved in chair. I think tennis is
(10:27):
perceived as an individual sport, but actually, you know, you
play doubles. There's the Billy jean Kin Cup, there's the
Davis Cup for men, there's a United Cup. So there's
a lot of events that our team related in tennis.
And we just think that tennis was the leader right
in bringing men and women together. But the fact of
having men on one on the same team, they paid
(10:50):
equally on performance, equal representation, I think totally matches our
philosophy in life. So for me, when I stopped playing
professionally at the time, tennis was very individual. You played
for yourself, and I really was pretty lonely. You know,
when you win, you one alone and there's only one
winner at the end of the week. So I loved
(11:11):
playing doubles. I loved being part of a team. So
when I stopped playing professionally, Billy jen had just become
the commissioner of World Team Tennis, and she said, you know,
we're looking for somebody to help recruit players, and I,
you know, it was the perfect role for me. I
also always loved sales. My dad was in sales, so
(11:31):
you know, I loved bringing people together and getting deals done,
and so it was a very easy transition for me
into World Team Tennis. I loved team events, I loved
the message that it sent of inclusion, and it was
an unbelievable training ground for me because I started recruiting players,
then I got into sales, and then ultimately you know,
(11:53):
was commissioner and CEO for over twenty years. So I
think it really taught me everything that I use now
in day to day business and in life action.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
I couldn't relate to that last bit more in terms
of the transition, like, no matter what part of business
you're in, you're always selling something, and that sort of
those dopamine hits of the same way when you're competing
in whatever your sport may be, and then closing a
deal like that satisfaction and then you always want the
next one and the next one, which that could turn
into a whole therapy conversation. But that said, you know,
(12:26):
as you're talking, I was doing some research coming into
this conversation. There was a fabulous quote that the Sports
Business Journal had put in a feature they did with
you and Billy Jean where it's as classed. The daughter
of a salesman, as you alluded to, is a skilled,
relational business person, according to those who work for and
with her, a no nonsense negotiator, but also the type
who will call an old colleague twenty years after selling
(12:48):
to them and still remember the name of their dog.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
And I was like, I.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Knew I loved Dilana from the minute I met it. It
was like the best Instagram bio. I feel like you
could possibly have in operating in the world of or
let alone women's sport, because as you think about then
the expansion of you know, your career, as you continued
on in the business world, all of those relationships obviously
coming full circle I'm sure, and servicing as you then
(13:12):
went on to build things like the Women's Sports Foundation
that moving into the eventual development of Billy Jinking Enterprises.
Can you talk about the importance of those relationships and
leveraging those learnings and insights and how you then used
it to navigate building out the blueprint for what would
become the enterprise organization that you run today.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Well, I think, Laura, I mean, you know you asked
me What is the one most important thing that I
would tell other people is relationships are everything. And you
know a lot of times as a as a tennis player,
you don't want to do the pro am or you
don't want to go to the cocktail party. And I
cannot tell you how valuable meeting people and the relationships
(13:52):
that we built as a professional tennis player. And you know,
just taking the time asking questions of other people is huge.
I mean, you know, right now there's not probably within
one or two calls, Billy Jean or I can get
to anybody, and that's because of the relationships that we've built.
So we really encourage anybody, you know, build those relationships.
(14:15):
They're going to pay off down the road for you.
And it's also the right thing to do totally. You
talk about a relationship. How did we get involved in
the LA Dodgers, which has changed our life forever. You know,
Billy Jean was helping Kamal Murray, who started this tennis
program in South side of Chicago called Excess Tennis. She
(14:36):
was raising funds for him because she really believed in
access and opportunity and said to come out. Of course,
I'll come and do a fundraiser for you. I end
up sitting next to Mark Walter, who's the owner of
the Dodgers. I didn't know him, he didn't know me.
We started to talk, we went to dinner. Him and
his wife Kimber were amazing. He said to Billy Jean,
(14:59):
you know, I'd really like to have you involved in
the you know, earn the sparks and earned the Dodgers
would love to have you involved in the sparks. And
she's like, well, why not the Dodgers. I could not
believe she said that. But you know, because a lot
of times people think, if you're a woman, you only
want to be involved in woman's sports. And you know,
(15:19):
why would you only want half the market? Right? We
want the whole marketplace. You know, when people say to Billy,
thank you what you've done for women, she I can tell,
like the hair on her back stands up and then
she calms down because she realizes it's a compliment. But
she's like, I don't do what I do only for women.
I do it for everyone, and I want the whole market.
(15:41):
Why would I You don't say to a man, thank
you what you've done for men's sports. So those are
things that we learned. But you know the relationship of
meeting Mark and Kimber and him saying, you know, we'd
love to get you involved and being willing to say
why not the Dodgers, right, And that's another lesson. You know,
ask for what you want to need, right, because sometimes
(16:03):
we don't ask, and there's no harm in asking. So
I think talk about relationships. You know, once we got
involved in the Dodgers, we kind of were at the
big boy table and you know, just the relationships that
we made there and then the opportunities we had from that,
you know, changed our life forever. And it's funny you
(16:25):
look at Angel City and I investment in Angel City.
Actually we had to go to them. They didn't come
to us, and we were like, hey, why aren't they
calling us? But I think they probably didn't, you know,
thought of us as why would we want to be
in soccer. Well, of course we want to be in soccer.
We want to support women's sports and you know, so
(16:47):
so we called them and that was amazing. And then
you know, you think about you know, the p WHL
and that was a relationship with Mark and you know,
Kendall Coin, the captain of the US Olympic Hockey team
came to us and said, you know, we really I
have such a passion to play, but we can't keep
playing in a league where we're not treated professionally. So
(17:10):
that was a five year journey. But it's because of
the relationship that we had with Mark and kimber Walter
that we were able to go to him and say,
we've got this great idea. We have the best players
in the world, and you know, you have to start
with certain things that set you.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Up for success.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
So totally, but it's all relationship driven.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Congratulations on the trophy.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
The MVP trophy is named after a Lana class which
has to be fun to note and be able to
hand out annually. And so much of what you've done
has played the MVP role in the development and building
of these businesses that you know. As I was reading
that article, I referenced earlier this sports Business journal talking
about Billy being the brand and Alanas the operation and
(18:06):
what I've so respected about what you all have built.
In addition to all the things that are of course
noteworthy from a sport perspective, I think you have to
be one of the most distinct brands that isn't sat
alongside and ranked in the world of branding. And what
I mean by that is very few brands I believe
(18:26):
have such a level of distinction, clarity and prescriptiveness in
north Star. And it's very clear to me that while
you obviously go deep with respect to your level of
expertise around equity creating opportunity for women and girls, what
you've been able to build horizontally in terms of your investments.
How to think about the consulting business that you have
under enterprise as the Billy Jing King Cup. There's something
(18:49):
in it, Alana where the specificity to me has created scale.
And I'd love for you just to talk about the
building of Billy Jing King Enterprises and if you could
take me into the room when you decided to say
it down and say, hey, we're going to pull this
all under this tent. What does a business plan look
like a building in the name, you know, the namesake
of a legend that has such a clear and prescriptive brand,
(19:09):
but then the ability to brand should across so many
different parts of the business.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
It's a very good question. And it's interesting because we
sold World Team Tennis about eight years ago, and you know,
we were like, okay, what are we going to do now?
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Right?
Speaker 1 (19:23):
We're not done yet, as Billy says every day, She's
not done yet. And that'll get to the inspiration question,
which I'm sure is going to come.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Although I did read he says, you don't stop. So
this feels like a very good match.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Exactly, and it is where we definitely are a good team.
But you know, I think when we sold World Team Tennis,
we were like, okay, what can we do? And I
have to say we came up the idea of doing
Billy jan King Enterprises, But Marjorie Gantman, who is our COO,
we kept brainstorming and brainstorming, and she made us realize
(19:55):
that up until the point where we sold World Team Tennis,
if you wanted Billy Jean, you had to invest in
World Team Tennis. You know, you had to be a partner,
because we try to It was so ingrained in who
we were, you know, men and women working together on
a team. You know, everything we believed in, so all
(20:15):
of our partners and everything kind of went through the
lens of World Team Tennis. And once we sold it,
we actually could take a step back and say, Okay,
how can we continue to make impact and just look
at the landscape. And while Billy says, you know, she's
not really interested in legacy that you know, other people
can define her legacy, she wants to make impact. We
(20:36):
really started to think of what are the things that
we could do that could put in place that would
inspire others to go ahead and do more. Because Billy
is pretty much the first in everything, but she doesn't
want to be the first, and she certainly doesn't want
to be the lost. So her purpose in life was
how do I create opportunities for others to make it
(20:59):
easier for them to follow in her path. So, you know,
the business started, and I have to say, you know,
it was probably eighty percent, ninety percent of the revenue
was derived from Billy, and that's probably not a great
business model. So we started to think about, you know,
what were ways that we could you know, diversify and
(21:21):
so I think the consulting business, you know, investing, doing
the Billy Jean kin cup, doing different things that were centered,
like you said, around the brand of Billy Jean King.
But because of this knowledge and expertise that we've had
for over fifty years, how could we use that to
really help others grow and continue to invest in women's sports.
(21:45):
And it's so exciting. Like I told you, we had
to call Angel City. Now we don't have to make
too many calls. There's a lot more incoming calls.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
But as there should be.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Yeah, so it's it's really been exciting to Yeah, you know,
how do we use Billy's brand And of course we
do some things for her with some of her partners,
whether it be a datas or ELF or others, but
also how do we provide the expertise and knowledge that
we've had of what's possible and what works, what doesn't work,
(22:17):
and then also you know, use our relationships right to
help others go through the doors that maybe we helped open.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
It's an incredible exercise too, especially for founder led businesses
when the brand and the business is so wrapped up
in the founder and the association. But as you were talking,
you know, I could totally see a world where you know,
you think of like Volvo equal safety, like Apple, you
know equals innovation, Disney equals imagination, Billy Gene equals equity.
But Billy Gene's could also be a verb. It could
(22:46):
be an adjective. It's how you show up, it's how
you act, it's all of these things. And so I'd
be curious to do a brand exercise with you, you know,
off Michaelana, and just what that looks like in terms
of it becoming a way of working, a way of being,
way of doing, which I feel. You know, so many
people in the business of women's sports have been fortunate
enough to be in the orbit of But as it's
(23:07):
applied to business and as you make your investments, how
does it influence your decision making? Certainly from a values
mission perspective, I'm sure you know I could guess, But
are there things that would surprise us from a criteria
selection in terms of how you decide what you get
involved in?
Speaker 1 (23:24):
Well, I mean again another great question, because I think
it is the people for sure. Right, do we believe
in the people? Do we believe in the purpose? Do
we think that there is growth and opportunity long term?
Because at this point in our lives, right, we are
not going to get rich on it. Right, We're at
(23:45):
kind of Billy's like she says, she's in the fifth set,
but I don't ever believe it. But you know, so
I think it's what things can we invest in that
we can bring our expertise in our names to help
create additional value so that they can continue to grow
and prosper. So, you know, I think when we looked
(24:06):
at when you look at Angel City, right, and you know,
we invested, I think the valuation was probably around three
million dollars and it's sold for two hundred and fifty million.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Oh yeah, definitely coming to you the next time we're
making investment decisions on that return.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
Yeah, trust me, that was that was pretty nice. I think,
you know, when you look at the hockey, the p
WHL and getting you know, Mark and kimber Walter to invest,
it's really you know, I think what things can sustain
and are going to create opportunity for the long term
because it really does take sustained investment for the long
(24:45):
term in order to be successful. And then also, you know,
is there a path where you don't often get to
build something new right that hasn't existed before? And we
were able to do it with Tennis and be at
the table at the beginning. And to be honest, when
Kendall Coin called us, you know, five six years ago,
(25:07):
the same thought process. You know, when I said to
Billy and you know, what do you think She's like, Well,
you know, there needs to be one league, can't be
two leagues. You need to have one voice. You need
to have a long term investment. You can't just do
it short term, right, So I think, but we use
the same principles, right, and they still apply today. So
(25:29):
I think that knowledge of what happened in women's tennis,
I think they were the first. They continued to lead
the support and help that Billy gave Julie Faddy and
the ninety nine ers on starting the journey to equal pay.
But you know, the principles aren't aren't very different. It
really is is very similar as.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
You think about the principles, and I could just imagine
the here we go again, you know, like same business challenge,
new market, but certainly living in an hirely new media market,
new technologically driven market, new social media obsessed market, and
how much that has changed certainly the game forever. But
(26:12):
also what players, teams and leagues have to consider when
taking on investment. And it's not just about you know,
the facilities and the infrastructure and the training and the staff.
Now you're thinking about all of these assets that sit
around developing fandom, creating game day experiences, your social media presence,
content plans, what has been most interesting for you And
(26:33):
going back to you know, when you were sitting at
the top of the ranking WTA versus thinking now, what
a Cocoa golf or Madison Keys like? What these players
are having to manage and what are the conversations you
and Billy are having that like if this existed when
we were playing.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Well, I think again, it is so different. You're right right.
In our day, we would chase the media we wanted
them without them telling our story. Nobody knew who we were.
There was no social media. You know, you sat and
you did an interview with a reporter that didn't run
till the next day. You did radio interviews, you did
whatever you can. Now, obviously the players have their own
(27:11):
platform with social media, but we encourage them. It's great
to have your own channels to get the word out,
but you want other people telling your stories. So we
think it's really important to do both. So I think
that that is big, But it's a totally different world.
I think now for us, we didn't have teams or coaches.
(27:32):
I mean, you know, we hit with each other, we
traveled together. It's so we're thrilled, Like Billy Jean says,
these players are living our dream. This is exactly what
we dreamed for them, and we couldn't be happier. But
it is very different. It's much more isolated, right. They
each have a team around them, they each have their
own message. They have enough money. So our job is
(27:55):
trying to tell them the importance of history because you know,
the more you know about history, the more you know
about yourself. But more importantly, it kind of helps you
shape the future. And you know, we need these players
to think about the future. And you know, especially in
these new emerging leagues, the players aren't making a whole
(28:16):
lot of money, but they are building it for the future,
and that's a pretty special place to be in. I mean,
the other thing that's also different, you know, I think
even the investment and the league structures have changed. Like
you know, in our day, you sold franchises, right, and
you'd have one person who is wealthy, and you know,
(28:36):
it really swayed everything and somebody maybe you couldn't afford
to step up and do what it needed. So I
think for us, especially with the PWHL, you know, a
single entity ownership has been also very helpful because you
can at least then build it right and have equal
investment in all the teams and have consistency, which I
(28:59):
think is rare important. So things continue to change, I
mean all the time, so you do have to be
numble and you have to be opened, you know, to change.
Change is good. I think people sometimes, you know, are
scared of change.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
But I'm a Sagittarius, so I go ahead.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
First, exactly. Sometimes not changing is a much greater risk.
And I think we've built the.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
Evolution, you know.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
I always think back to when Serena was retiring and
she talked about this not being a retirement, and I
shouldn't even phrase it as that. When she was evolving
and seeing how athletes and you alluded to it as
well as you were pivoting out of you know, playing,
It wasn't about, you know, the end of something. It
was the evolution and taking what you applied and which
we're seeing so many more opportunities as a result of
the investment, the technology, the infrastructure improving. What would you
(29:47):
caution and what would you advise to ensure we sustain
what we are experiencing, because that's the single biggest question
I probably get on a daily basis what makes this
time different? That literally is like I should number one
from every skeptical client that I engage.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
Well, I think a few things. I think, you know,
brands and companies now are really investing in women's sports.
Actually some of them have never been in sports, and
they choosing women's sports right to kind of elevate their brand,
you know that better than most. So I think sustained
investment is huge. And then I also think with a
(30:26):
lot of these new leagues, we will lose some of them,
and I would really encourage, which we do anytime we
get a call, you know, if there is another league,
try to work with them, work together because it's hard
enough to be a women's league together competing against everything
that there is, so really try to work together and
(30:51):
support each other because I think ultimately, if we can
grow the part, then everybody's going to win.
Speaker 2 (30:57):
I do think that, you know, when you start to
see two three in some sports today, four professional league starting.
While I can understand there are different motivations and agendas
to do so, at the end of the day, what
we're not considering is the splintering of fan base. The
splintering of media rights, the splintering of audience, the splintering
of brand dollars, and totally diluting the overall impact, which ultimately,
(31:20):
at the end of the day impacts the players and
the fan experience. And so that's something that has been
a bit of a head scratcher over the last few
months as we're watching and so anytime we can play
that on repeat, it just as a megaphone in terms
of there's power and numbers, and that doesn't necessarily mean
number of leagues, but perhaps consolidation of efforts.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Correct and you know, you look at I think Unrivaled, right,
they just started, and they're pretty smart because they want
to be a lead in and keep some of the
athletes that were going overseas right to be able to
make a living here. So even in the hockey there
was there've been a couple of other leagues, and you know,
anyone who've invests in woman's sports to us are shaers, right,
(32:01):
I mean heroes and shiros because it's a hard and
long road. So we're incredibly appreciative. But I think if
we want to succeed, we have to come together and
we can't have competing leagues. I just don't believe in
the long run that that helps them. Like you said,
you know, the splintering of fans, people don't really know
(32:22):
the difference. So you know, the reason that Tennis was
so successful is Billy Jean was able to get everybody
to come together as one voice. And when you're able
to do that, you have a very powerful brand. And
so we have that with the PWHL. But you know,
we're still young. We're only in six cities. We need
more cities. We need a better media deal. I think
(32:44):
the media deals Laura, which you totally understand what you
did with iHeart and you know, getting women's scores told
and women's story is told because people don't know, and
if they don't know, how can you get excited? But
the media part, I mean, look, we were at four
percent of media coverage. You're now at fifteen percent, which
(33:07):
is great compared to men's sports. But it's really the
media rights fees that I think we're so far behind.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
Well, how the deals are getting set up. I think
the thing that has been really challenging. And again, I
was a media buyer for twenty years prior to coming
into the business of women's sports, but so many of
the skill sets apply, probably more so than ever in
terms of driving valuations, thinking about scaling audiences, all of
the things that brands are looking for when making their investments,
(33:39):
and even the biggest leagues, of which you know there's
only so many, But when you go and you do
a deal in the earliest days of your league and
you split your rights, I don't care how big the
final dollar amount is. If you're talking about sustained growth
and you chase the money, and that means splitting your
audience across platforms, be it networks, broadcast, cable streamers, social.
(34:00):
In doing that, not only are you taking an already
book growing nascent book growing audience splintering it, you also
now are creating a challenge for brand marketers and advertisers,
and that you have different rate cards, So there's different
prices for the same product, different production values for the
same product, different lead in halftime post game for the
same product.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
And it creates the.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Sense of not only can I not find it, I
don't know what channel it's on, but you've created a
commercial challenge because now as a buyer, I'm presented different
proposals for the same product. It really creates a challenge
in terms of well, now I'm not basing it on
the value of the product. I'm probably looking at it
in relation to the other things that I'm spending on
to find efficiencies or whatever the case may be, which
(34:42):
is a total technical conversation, but nonetheless, like these are
the business challenges when I look at what tennis has
been able to do.
Speaker 3 (34:50):
And I love this idea of one voice.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
It's probably the single biggest takeaway from this conversation for
so many reasons. But the unification of voice, the prescriptiveness
of plan, the ability then to take the north star
and stretch it as opposed to everybody coming to the
table with different points of view, all for the same outcome.
It could be the thing that hampers growth.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
Yeah, I know, there's no question. And look, the media
landscape now is so different, right, I mean between streaming
and I mean there's just so many different opportunities and
so many players wanting to get into the space. So
it's a challenge, and I think that's where you know,
women's sports has the most potential, but also the furthest
(35:32):
distance to go because we are so far behind, you know,
the men's leagues and the men's deals and you know,
we do have to earn it. Look, they've been out
there for so many more years, right than women's sports.
But we should learn from that. And again I think,
you know, one voice, one mantra and try to build
for the long term. Because they think you want sustainable,
(35:55):
you have to be able to sustain, you have to
be able to grow, which means more investment. You know.
I mean men's teams a lot of them aren't profitable,
but they continue to invest for growth so that their
valuations and their revenue increase. And so to me, what's
so exciting about women's sports is that we do have
(36:17):
you know, the billionaires investing because they can invest for
long term and they're building the value of each of
the teams and leagues that they're invested in, and they
don't get in for short terms. So for me, that's
really exciting, and that tells me that women's sports again,
it's an investment. It's not a charity like it used
(36:38):
to be. It's not a box to check anymore.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
No, absolutely not. As evidence by your Angel City investment.
If anybody has questions about what returns look like, they
can ask for your w two's I suppose.
Speaker 3 (37:08):
It's also interesting.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
I had a colleague of mine who invests in minor
league teams, and he told me, you know, Laura, sports
are where billionaires go to become millionaires. You shouldn't be
thinking about it as a space where you're going to
see an immediate return on your investment.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
Now.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Arguably a different story in the world of women's sports
because the bar and the threshold and the barrier has
been so low. But I think we're going to quickly
see that that will soon become the case, as it's
going to require that incredible amount of taking the investment
and putting it back in for things like facilities, expanded infrastructure,
new media and content channels like by the way, are
(37:47):
we going to see Billy Jean King productions? Because I
think that's like a whole cable channel we can get
off the ground. But you know, it is interesting to
think about how, yeah, even twelve twenty four months ago
wasn't the case, but yesterday's price is not today's price.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
Yeah, and look, you're right, a lot of the teams
aren't making money. Most of them aren't, right, So, but
there's this interest and you've got new franchises selling, but
it's it's a long road and it's going to take
a long time. And I think at least now people
are willing to invest for the long run. But you know,
we were. We did a Billy jan King Enterprises did
(38:24):
a Power of Women's Sports summit along with the Billy
Jean King Cup this year in Malaga. And Sheila Johnson,
who is the first black woman billionaire and just an
incredible person, you know her life story and obviously involved
with ted Leonsis and I think the Mystics and you know,
a bunch of other businesses. But you know, she got
(38:46):
up there and I think everyone was expecting her to
say how great she's doing, and she said, listen, I
do this because I really care. But it is hard,
hard work, and it's hard to make money in sports.
Takes a long time, and so there is a long
runway and you do have to invest for the long term.
But the fact is that the investors that are now
(39:09):
getting into women's sports have the capability to stay for
the long term. And you know, once you get that,
you know you can succeed. I mean look at MLS
and Anchius. I mean he invested billions and you know
now it's starting to turn around. The same has to
happen in women's sports. And we've been saying forever. If
(39:31):
you invest in us like you invest in the men,
and you give us the time, I guarantee you that
you will get a great return on your investment. But
you have to be willing to go at it for
the long run. And you know it's it's a hard road.
It is not an easy business.
Speaker 3 (39:48):
No, it certainly is.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
That I came across a great Instagram quote card. I'm
not going to remember what media platform it was from,
but it was I think coming off of this most
recent PTERBHL game that you all attended, and I, as
a reporter, had asked Billy about what she sees happening
in the market, how she feels about and she's like,
I've worked my whole life to finally see this, this
come to fruition. So knowing that if you have one
(40:12):
more hour in the data spend, where are you putting it?
Speaker 1 (40:16):
Well, I think, you know, we just continue to push
and to push others to invest, believe, be open minded
and you know, and give women sports the same passion
and purpose and investment of your time because it's all
of those things. It's not only investment of just writing
(40:37):
a check, it's what you put behind it. And so
I think it's really about, you know, being all in,
which is what all our life's about. And I think
you know, now as we look at the Billie Jean
King Cup, which is something that we are very proud
of and trying to grow the Woman's World Cup of Tennis,
we have partners that are like minded. And I think
(40:58):
that's another thing that's really important if you can get
brands that really believe in what you're trying to do.
I mean, we're so lucky we have elf eyes, lips
and face. I mean they market behind us, they tell
our story. I mean, you know, they don't just put
their logo on.
Speaker 2 (41:16):
It's such as financial capital, it's strategic capital.
Speaker 1 (41:20):
An emotional creative. And then you have Gamebridge, who have
made a commitment to you know, they're spending forty percent
of their sponsorship portfolio on woman.
Speaker 2 (41:29):
Can you talk about the Billy Jing Kincup, because I
know it's been in the works for a very long
time and I was reading about how it started with
I believe of sixteen countries and as of twenty three
it was over one hundred and thirty four in a
quick span. You're taking it around the world and this
year was I believe your first equity summit that you
did programming alongside. If I have that correct, why now
(41:50):
and how are you leveraging these commercial partnerships to not
only obviously bring awareness and access to the tennis, but
to also push extra the narrative that exists in and
around the specific cup.
Speaker 1 (42:04):
Well, for sure, Look, I mean Billy Jean won the
first it was called the Federation Cup at the time.
It was in London in nineteen sixty three. They won
the first competition. We've always loved team events and we've
always believed that, you know, tennis, because it's global, has
the power to help transform on and off the court.
(42:25):
And when you look at the International Tennis Federation, who's
our partner in the Women's World Cup of Tennis, I
think for us on the court, women's tennis is doing
great right. We have equal prize money at most of
the major's. We've got a way to go in other areas.
But where we thought we could make impact is you know,
(42:45):
teaching women get on the board of your local federation,
become a coach, get into media, become an official, so
all these other jobs around the sport, there's huge opportunity.
So I think for us it was really a platform
to be able to do that. And so again, you know,
(43:06):
the partners that we have have that same belief and
with the International Federation governing the Olympics and the sport
of tennis, their fit was absolutely perfect. But we were
able to do a joint venture with the International Tennis
Federation to really pull out the commercial rights so that
(43:26):
we can elevate the competition and truly be inspirational on
and off the court. So you know, it is exciting
to be part of that. And you know, I still
wake up driven. And you know, with Billy, it's like
you know, she always says, you know, the only thing
matters is what you do today.
Speaker 2 (43:45):
I love that when you think about the brands that
are starting to show up. Earlier in the conversation you
alluded to those that have never even spent in sport
are coming directly to women's sport. You alluded to of
Cosmetics and the incredible work their team is doing in
showing up in places like tennis racing. You know, all
sorts of incredible initiatives to stand up and support behind
(44:05):
the scenes and through their communications. Are there any brands
that have surprised you in entering the space, conversations that
you have that are inspiring you, or partners that you're like, well,
if I get one phone call to make tonight, this
is who it's going to.
Speaker 1 (44:21):
I think, you know not. I mean, I won't name
specific brands, but I know that you know. For us,
it's funny whenever we go to meeting, our first question
to a CEO is do you have daughters? And especially
if they're men and they have daughters, we know that
we have a chance because we want.
Speaker 3 (44:39):
That's a great brief.
Speaker 1 (44:41):
It's as exactly like, you know, don't you want your
daughter to have the same opportunities as your son? And
they do. And so I think it's just getting people
to understand the power. And most women sports fans are
much more loyal, so they're more likely to buy your product.
And I think you you know, your shareholders are both
(45:01):
men and women. So for us, we think there's a
huge opportunity investing in women's sports and it absolutely will
will pay off.
Speaker 2 (45:10):
I love that our big initiative in twenty twenty five
is we've done a really great job of tapping, you know,
the dozen or so hand raisers, the brands who have
really been champions from the beginning, particularly on the women's
sports side, and we're so grateful and thankful for them,
and we could probably name them all right here in
this conversation.
Speaker 3 (45:26):
But our focus is, i should say, is on a butt.
Speaker 2 (45:29):
It's an and engaging the non endemics, those brands who
we can you know, bring in around storylines and narratives
that are unique to female athletes that you might not
necessarily get in and around the world of men's sports.
So it's a big initiative for us, and hopefully we'll
be doing some fun partnerships together this year.
Speaker 1 (45:48):
I have no doubt, Laura. I think you know your
passion and purpose that you bring. You keep pushing, you
keep innovating, and you know, I think it's just to
get company needs to realize that they have to. You
can't just you have to walk the talk, right and
if you really care, then you should be investing in
women's sports. If you're investing in men's sports, you should
(46:10):
be investing in women's sports. And I guarantee you if
they stay the course, it'll it'll pay off. But you
know what, I'm sure many people will take your call.
Speaker 3 (46:20):
And you know I'm going in with you. I heard
this call.
Speaker 1 (46:24):
Well we'll keep pushing, you know, we will always take
your call.
Speaker 2 (46:28):
Put it down well and likewise. And if you had
one doubles player that you could have played with that
never got the opportunity to man or women, who would
it be?
Speaker 1 (46:38):
Wow? I mean, look, I got to play doubles on
and off the court with Billy Jin and I don't
think there's anyone better than that.
Speaker 2 (46:45):
So that's a mic drop if I ever heard so,
Well leave it at that. But Alana, thank you so
much for the time. Obviously, the trailblazing work that you
have done, continue to do and I know will drive
us into the future. It's an honor and a privilege
to be in your company and I'm just super grateful
for the time today.
Speaker 1 (47:02):
Well, thanks Laura, and good luck with the podcast. I
know you're just beginning your journey, but I have no
doubt you are going to continue to reach for the stars.
Speaker 3 (47:12):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (47:12):
We know women's sports is not a shy business, so
you got to take the mic and go.
Speaker 1 (47:17):
As they say in tennis, serve and Vollin Serve and
Volin No loves to the Net.
Speaker 3 (47:22):
I love it. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (47:23):
Alanna, all right, take care, see you somewhere soon.
Speaker 3 (47:26):
Take care. Thanks for grabbing a seat.
Speaker 2 (47:30):
I'm your host Laura Crenti, founder and CEO of Deep
Blue Sports and Entertainment. Our executive producer is Jesse Katz,
and this show is produced by Ryan Martz along with
associate producers Meredith Barnes and Rachel Zuckerman. Court Side is
an Iheartwomen's Sports production and partnership with Deep Blue Sports
and Entertainment. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
(47:50):
wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (47:53):
Want more, follow, rate.
Speaker 2 (47:54):
And review court Side wherever you get your podcasts, and
stay in the game by following us on social media
at Iheartwomen's Sports, and don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter.
In the show notes, thanks for listening. We'll see you
next time. Court Saide
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