
Sports Business
Jess Smith breaks down the Golden State Valkyries’ billion-dollar strategy
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May 15, 2026
The Golden State Valkyries may as well be in Valhalla (or Ballhalla, as they call it). Shortly after the team shared its season two promotional campaign, CNBC deemed the Valks a billion-dollar franchise — the first in women’s sports history.
That’s no accident. Valkyries president Jess Smith and her team have been busy building a juggernaut brand — and in a region full of fervent fans and powerful sponsors, that becomes a billion-dollar pursuit.
Last month, we spoke with Smith about the strategies she’s implemented to reach this pinnacle, as well as what’s going to keep the club climbing in year two.
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We’re celebrating for all the right reasons today. Blayre Turnbull of the Toronto Sceptres is pregnant, marking the first PWHL player going through pregnancy in the league’s three-year history. It felt like as good a time as any to explore what the PWHL’s maternity policy is and how it stacks up to the rest of the pro women’s sports landscape.























