July 31, 2025 • 28 mins
In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly speak with Haley Rosen about why she founded “Just Women’s Sports,” the media company focused solely on – you guessed it – women's sports. Rosen tells the hosts how she got investors to see the coverage as a real business and not a charity, how she is both creating and leveraging this moment of fandom for women’s sports, and why she thinks the media industry needs to “feel incredible urgency” to keep this moment going.
You can also watch this interview on the Bloomberg Podcasts YouTube page.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio News.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome back to the Deal. I'm your host Jason Kelly
alongside my co host Alex Rodriguez. Alex, you are currently
on vacation celebrating a big birthday, joining the ranks of
us old guys. So happy birthday, partner. I'll say it
again and again. We're going to celebrate when you get back.
And you know, interestingly, today's guest in a way speaks
(00:33):
to one of the next chapters of your life, which
is being an owner of a couple very high profile
sports franchises. Hailey Rosen is the founder and CEO of
Just Women's Sports, someone we really wanted to talk to,
in part because you're now the governor of the Minnesota Linx.
This is an area that you and I have been
talking about since the inception of the show a few
(00:53):
years ago. This boom and women's sports, it's undeniable. It's
amazing how far ahead of the curve she was.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Yeah, it really is fascinating.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
I mean, she went to Stanford and I think she
kind of backed up into this with one of her
side hustles, and it was really interesting how while she
had a little side hustle, she got to raise, you know,
a couple hundred thousand dollars I think four hundred thousand
to be exact, and off she went. And then she
quit that regular job and made that side hustle her
regular job.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
And here we are a couple of years later.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Well, and I also love when we're able to talk
to someone who is already, at least by association, sort
of part of the deal cinematic universe. Because the folks
she has convinced to invest in just women's sports, Billy
Jean King, David Blitzer, both of whom have been guests
on this show. I mean, these are the folks who
(01:44):
really understand the business of sports quite holistically, and they
are betting on this mega trend, which I mean is
a pretty easy megatren to bet on at this point,
don't you think, I mean, you're you're sitting and watching
this on a daily basis.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
I think, yes, Jason, But it's easy for us to
play Monday morning quarterbacks are easy. But the fact that
she did it Saturday morning, and she was ahead of
the curve and she was a risk taker. I get
especially kind of excited about episodes like this one because
for us and for our listeners. A lot of them
are great entrepreneurs who are trying to raise capital. One
(02:20):
thing is to raise capital, the other thing is to
raise capital from blue chippers like Joe si and David
Blitzer and yeah, and so many others. I really want
to get into the details on how and what made
her raise his capital for those kind.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Of folks, Yeah, and what she saw in terms of
the media landscape. You know, we've had a lot of
people on this show who've been very successful in media,
both in front of the camera and also behind the camera.
You know, I'm thinking of the stephen A's and the
Richard Jeffersons and in front of the camera, but also
you know, folks like Mark Shapiro, who obviously at ESPN
and now at WMEE has made such an impact on
(02:55):
what the media world, you know, really looks like. This
is something that, to your point, was not as obvious
back when Haley founded Just Women's Sports. So excited to
get into that, all right, Coming up next, Hailey Rosen.
(03:20):
Welcome back to the deal. So excited to have Hailey
Rosen with us. She is, of course, founder and CEO
of Just Women's Sports. I read it every day. It
is the go to place to understand what's happening in
the booming world of women's sports.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Hailey, thank you so much for joining us.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Thank you so much for having me and reading our
newsletter every day. I love it.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
I love it. It really is. It's a must read.
And I guess let's start there because that feels like
the tip of the spear in terms of sort of
getting people into this world. How do you sort of
come to that idea? And then we want to talk
about how you build the business. But the initial idea,
where does it come from?
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Yeah? Yeah, Well, a little bit of background on me,
just because it's relevant to this idea. I was a
soccer player. I played in college and then played professionally
for a little bit in the US and abroad. That
experience really led me to this idea. I was playing
before the twenty nineteen World Cup. I bring up that
timing just because I think it was really the start
of everything we're seeing. You know, we were just starting
(04:17):
to sell out stadiums. You know, the stadiums were small.
Attendance was up but went from a small number to
a slightly bigger number. Brains were coming on board, but
The main thing was that you could feel there was
a shift, there was something happening. This was there was
an energy and excitement and momentum that was really starting
to build. I had a bunch of injuries. I retired
sooner than I probably would have liked, and kind of
(04:38):
jumped into you know, the quote unquote real world. Got
a job, and when I was working, I'm just like
a sports fan, like born and raised in LA I
followed the Lakers, I followed the Dodgers. I just wanted
to follow the NWSL and WNBA, just like I didn't
think anything of it. I just wanted to follow sports
that fell part of it. And I couldn't do it
like at all, And I started hunting for you know,
(04:59):
I looked like my friend just got traded. Where can
I find that information? What's the end of B cell standings?
Can I go see that goal? Like I started just
looking for this information, and everything I did see was
just very weird to me, felt very young, hyper feminine.
A lot of lifestyle content, which you know, there's a
place for all of this, but my question was just
like where are the sports? Where the highlights and the
(05:21):
stats and where are the sports and that question is
what led me to Just Women's Sports. I basically grabbed
an Instagram handle called it just Women's Sports, started posting
the type of content I wanted to see and sort
of snowballed to what I'm doing today.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
And so at what point do you determine this as
a business and a business which needs money and you
need to go find that money.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
So it's funny looking back because I feel like I
was both like stumbled into this and also like knew
exactly what we were trying to do from the start.
When did I think it was a business and could
be a big business? Like right away, Like as soon
as I kind of covered that, like no one was
really talking about women's sports, and I felt like what
did exist just didn't feel true to what it was.
(06:07):
I was like, this is a huge opportunity, this is crazy,
this doesn't exist. I feel like there's so much happening here,
Like we got to go in terms of, like you know,
I need money and we're how we do this. I
feel like I just kind of really dig kind of
stumble into early days. Like truly, I was working in
tech and I was like out with friends one night
(06:28):
and was like talking about this I had like started
becoming obsessed with the idea that there needed to be
more women's sports coverage, and my boyfriend now husband at
the time, was like, well, you could like start an
Instagram account, like you know, anyone could do it. I
was literally in the back of a cab in New
York and grab the just Women's Sports handle and just
like started posting, and really quickly we went from like
no followers, no content strategy, to like forty thousand followers,
(06:52):
one hundred thousand followers, and it just kind of started
going like that, and I think really quickly I sort
of caught up with like, Okay, there's something here, There's
an audience that's excited. What do we need to do
to turn this into like a real content business.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
So, Hayley JWS, you're in that cab, You're talking with
your boyfriend, then your husband. Now you're kind of brainstorming.
You're really excited, as most entrepreneurs are, but you're still
so far away from actually raising capital. Talk to Hi
about with that first four hundred thousand that you raised,
how difficult is that? What was your pitch and what
was you think the hook that got them to be first?
Speaker 3 (07:27):
That's always the hardest.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Yeah. Yeah, the first check we ever raised was the
easiest check, and I would pay for that later down
the road. Because when I was working in tech, I
was living in San Francisco at the time. I had
some mentors that were vcs and working in sort of
the venture capital space, and so when I was thinking
about this and becoming obsessed and excited with the idea,
(07:48):
I got connected to Eric Chen who was our first investor,
and he's a very early stage, preseeed investor. He meets
founders when they're kind of in the ideation stage. And
I was coming to him really as a mentor, who
are saying, I believe in this, I'm excited about it.
I don't know exactly what it looks like, but I
think I'm gonna quit my job and do this. And
he was like, great, and here's seed money, Like let's go,
(08:10):
let's figure it out together. And that was like I
think I was going to do this any way. I
look at it just because I think I was young
and crazy enough, but I think that it forced all
this stuff quickly.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
You know.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
We had to like set up a business and set
up a business account, and think about hiring and think
about like what are our goals and like if we're
going to raise another round of capital, what are the
key metrics we're going to like measure ourselves against. And
so it kind of just got me going in a
more serious way really quickly, and I think it was
fortunate to me obviously was very fortunate to meet Eric.
(08:45):
I mean that initial funding lasted us. It was like
almost two years. We built, like the initial brand, we launch,
our initial show, our newsletter, the content strategy, the early
team was all from that initial check, which did come
really easily, and then later rounds were tougher. You know,
we've been really fortunate kind of jumping ahead. But we're
really really fortunate to have some amazing investors around the
(09:08):
cap table, Joe and Clara, Sie, David Blitzer, Michelle Kang.
But you know, I give him so much credit because
when we were raising in it was like twenty twenty
two ish, you know, people were talking about women's sports
the way they're talking about it now. You know, no
one believed like truly, Like when I say, like I
would walk in the room and I honestly I feel
(09:31):
like people took the meeting because I'm a female founder
and it was a kind of interesting topic, but like
they were not taking this seriously, no matter what metrics
I pulled up, no matter how much I could show
that this space is growing. Look at our engagement, look
at you know, everything is up into this right and
legacy media is behind. People were like, maybe this should
be a charity. Women's sports has never worked, Why do
(09:52):
you think it'll work now? And I just feel like
we were kind of banging our head against the wall.
And I really give that group so much credit for
listening and like believing, true believers and women's sports US sports.
So I sort of jumped ahead, but we're really fortunate
to have a lot of great people.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
I want to come back to that fundraising in the second,
but to fast forward to today, sort of sit with
today for a second, sort of this moment in twenty
twenty five where you know, expansion teams are going for
two hundred and fifty million dollars in the w You know,
we saw the transaction you know last year for Angel City.
You know they're in your hometown at a then record
(10:32):
valuation of two hundred and fifty million dollars with Willow
Bay and Bob bayger coming in to become the control
owners there? Did this happen faster than you thought it
might in terms of the rising valuations? I mean, you
are intimately familiar with sort of all of the inputs
and outputs here, Like from a business perspective, how do
(10:54):
you gauge it?
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Right now?
Speaker 1 (10:55):
I think this is the moment, and I think it's
like it's felt slow, slow, all at once, and it
feels like this is the all at once moment. I
did feel, you know, we launched in twenty twenty. I
did feel like there was a couple of years there
where I was banging my head against the wall. We
as a company, our audience growth was crazy, our engagement
was up. We were doing so many things that I
(11:16):
think media companies, you know, you'd love to see as
a media company, and we were still struggling to get
people bought in, get brands on board. All of a sudden,
that's changed. The conversation has completely changed, and that feels
like truly over the last year or so. And I
think the big shift from my point of view is
(11:36):
that brands are really bought in. They're not talking to
women's sports and sort of these subcategories they're talking about
investing and you know, sponsoring women's sports from their sports
marketing budgets. And to me, that's been the huge unlock
because all of a sudden you're seeing not just investor
dollars go into the space, but brand dollars go in,
and I feel like that's been a huge unlock.
Speaker 4 (11:56):
So, Hayley, you mentioned some of your investors, some of
the great blue chip investors in this country. What is
the difference of your pitch for say a Joe si
clari Cy, David Blitzer Versus Kevin Durant.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Is it different or is exactly the same.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
That's a good question. Maybe it should be different, but
I think it's exactly the same. Just because I'm a
bit of a someone told me I'm a one note politician,
I kind of like see this space how it is,
and it's really hard for me to say it any
other way than like how I see it, and I
believe it. I think what resonates with them is slightly different,
(12:32):
Like talking to Kevin Durant and Rich Cleman, like we're
going to talk kind of like as athletes, and like
something that always stood out to me with Kad is
like he's a true hooper, which I know there's a
new information, but like he's really into women's basketball and
he always has been. And that was like really fun
to meet him and connect and be able to talk
(12:53):
about that. And it wasn't like, oh, do we think
women's basketball like, oh, it's the right thing to do
to so poor. It was like, here's my favorite player,
here's what I'm excited about. Do you think that team
overperformed to underperform? Like those are really fun conversations to have.
And then I think with you know, Joe and Clara,
when I was saying we need to get out of
treating women's sports as charity and treat it like a business,
(13:15):
they were like, yes, one hundred percent, we've been saying that.
So you know, I kind of am what I am
for better or worse. But I think what resonates with
folks depends on, you know, where they're coming from.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
All Right, So Jason and I are investors. We can
do a little role play. Here, give us your one
note thirty seconds.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Give it to us.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Oh my god, Oh my god, I just got nervous. Okay,
here's here's my thirty seconds. Is Legacy Media is really
well set up around the legacy leagues, NFL, NBA, maybe
the MLB, and that starts with you know what, they
prioritize their temples, how they build their audience, how they
work with sponsors. The whole thing is really really well
set up for those properties. It's not as simple as
(13:53):
just adding more you know, the legacy companies. They're not
great at men's lacrosse or men's soccer. It's not just
you know, women's sports. So if we want that same
type of industry and ecosystem in women's sports, we have
to go build it, and we have to go build
it around soccer and basketball at NWSL, WNBA. We have
to make their temples aren't temples, build their audience, work
(14:13):
with sponsors in that way. And I think if we
do that, we can build up this audience and create
an industry that is just as big, if not bigger,
than men's sports. But it starts with media write the check.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
Check, all right, the smaller check.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
So to that end, I mean, you you went exactly
where I wanted to go, Haley, which is this notion
of you have this opportunity and challenge to build something new,
to understand an audience from the ground up, and you
saw the metrics, which obviously then you use to get
the sponsors and all of that. But I think it's
(14:52):
fair to say, and I want you to keep me
honest here, that this audience consumes differently. It has different expectations,
it has different rhythms, it has all sorts of, in
a very positive way, different characteristics. What are those and
then what do you do to create different products for
(15:13):
that audience?
Speaker 1 (15:14):
I think yes and no. With the whole premise of this,
I really believe, and I think we're seeing as women's
sports pushes further and further into the mainstream, that women's
sports fans are sports fans and they consume sports the
same way sports fans consume sports. I think there's two
things with women's sports fans that are important to keep
in mind, But I don't think it's sort of unique
(15:35):
to women's Women's sports fans are a next gen sports fan,
and I think that's really really exciting, and it means
sort of two things. Eighty percent of our audience adjust
women's sports is under the age of thirty four, heavily
gen z, heavily millennial, which means they're consuming the majority
of their content on digital channels, and so you know,
(15:56):
we talked about cutting a cord, this audience didn't have
a cord to cut, you know. They yeah, they're courtin
evers and so I think those are like really the
two unique things about this demographic is they're younger and
they're digital first. Beyond that, like sports are sports, it's
been the whole thing, and so I think that's like
really exciting. And this is something I've said to a
(16:17):
lot of folks around women's sports is I think there's
legacy properties that are really trying to think about how
do we capture and engage this next gen sports fan.
How do we build for a digital sports ecosystem. Women's
sports is starting there. That's the opportunity, and that's part
of why I'm so bullish is let's not go backwards.
Let's build for where sports fans are going. I think
(16:38):
that's really cool and exciting.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
And Hayley, how do you generate revenue for your company?
For JWS?
Speaker 1 (16:45):
This is a really good question. My mom asked me
this all the time. We have a sponsorship model, so
we work with brands, you know, via ads or sponsorships,
and you know, I think it's the same way a
lot of these athletes and teams and leagues work, you know,
generate revenue as well. We obviously don't have the rights
dollars coming through, but this whole thing is very sponsorship driven.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Arguably the most notable thing you have done with just
women's sports is to treat the coverage like sports coverage.
And I do think and I want you to, I
truly want you to argue with me if you disagree
with this, but part of the premise of women's sports
need to stop being treated like charity, I think bled
(17:42):
into the content up until a certain point that the
content was like look at these girls, like they're trying
so hard, Like good for them, and we need to
support them. And listen, we could talk the rest of
the day about sort of the take the take world
of sports right now, but part of what it does
feel like you're trying to do is to give sports
(18:05):
fans what they want, which is a place to be like, Okay,
this team won, this team lost, this person played well,
this person didn't play as well. This is sort of
what's happening in the league right now. This is who
seems to be like surging, who is falling back?
Speaker 3 (18:19):
And all that?
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Is that a fair assessment or how would you characterize it?
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Super fair? And I think, like to look at what
we do critically, I still think we just women's sports
could even do better with this. I think it's hard
to not sort of fall into this trap. But yeah,
I think it's when we say you have to treat
women's sports like sports, we mean it in every category
and through a media lens. That means you have to
be honest and real and authentic about it. And like,
believe me, I was an athlete. I really empathize, and
(18:46):
I get it sucks to be criticized. I get it sucks.
The scrutiny and also media coverage around women's sports fuels
this old thing, and I think as a fan, fans
want authenticity. I love soccer. I love watching soccer. I
love watching the US women's actual team. What I do
when I watch the team is I debate, you know,
should that player have gotten the look? Does someone else
(19:07):
deserve more time? Did she play well? Did she not?
And not because I'm trying to be a hater, Because
you love it and you care and it's exciting and
it's fun, and so we need that in women's sports,
and we need to get comfortable that if we're gonna
have real conversations, it's not all gonna be rainbows and butterflies.
There's gonna be times where there's criticism and critique and
can't just all be good, good, good all the time?
(19:29):
Everyone tried, and believe me, these women are the best
in the world out what they do. They know when
they're playing well, they know when they didn't play well.
They know. I think they can handle it, and I
agree with you, like I think on the men's side,
the tay culture has maybe gotten a little crazy, But
you know, I think where is the Charles Barkley on
(19:49):
the women's side, where are the people that can bring
fun and joy and real conversation. I think that's really
really critical and that is what I want just women's
sports to do and be. And I think there's times
where we have hit that. There's times we have gone
too far, there's times we haven't gone far enough. But
I think that's where we have to push this space
because that's what we all love about sports. It's fun
to be a fan. We have to be allowed to
(20:11):
have fun with it.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Yeah, it is interesting to see the you know, I
say this as a more than you know, mildly interested
viewer in the sense that I also, you know, want
to understand where media is going. I mean we talk
about it on this show all the time. You know,
you look at what Candae Parker is doing, you look
at what Cheney is doing, and Rebecca Lobo I would
put in that category as well. It's like these are
real ones, say, in the real thing on air and
(20:35):
in a way that I think is super compelling. So
let me ask you this, how do you think about
new products? Like you're in the business, you know, across
the board of different media properties. What's working maybe better
than you thought, what's working not as well in terms
of what your audience is engaging with sort of media
(20:55):
type wise.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Yeah, So I think three thoughts here. One is is
I think the platform really matters. I say digital, I
talk about social law, but I still think as a
sports sort of world, we're not paying enough attention to
the role that social media plays and building these communities,
building the fandom. And I'll give you an example last
(21:17):
year for March Madness, when Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese
blew up. It was awesome, you know, biggest viewership ever
we could see on our social channels that this was
going to be an absolutely massive final four. And I
often say social media as a leading indicator, and TV
numbers are lagging indicators and where the interest and excitement is.
(21:37):
I don't think we realize that enough in women's sports,
and I think we need to pay more attention and
figure out how to like really utilize that. And then
in terms of the type of content, I think there's
two things that we want to do really really well.
One is we want to bring you news. We want
to provide that service to a fan, and I think
this is something we often take for granted. On the
men's side, it's really easy to be a casual fanom
(22:00):
mens for it, so you can follow trades and you know,
it's NBA free agency right now. My phone is blowing
up with every trade that's happening. That can often be
hard to follow on the women's side, not for the
biggest names, maybe not for the biggest teams, but I
think across the board it's too hard to find basic information.
So news is a really important service that we want
(22:21):
to provide and I think a really important piece of
the ecosystem. And then two is sort of what we're
talking about I call it that wave to content, but
really it's who's driving the cultural dialogue, who's having those
conversations in public spaces. And you mentioned Shine and Candas.
I think they do a really good job at that.
Who else is doing that? Who else is going to
(22:41):
say something and maybe people will agree or maybe they'll disagree,
But just you know, bringing those fan conversations to public forums,
I think is a really important piece of driving interest
and continuing a dialogue. So that's what we think about.
We want to show up and go channels and we
want to provide a service of news or be a
part of the fan dialogue.
Speaker 4 (23:02):
So, Hayley, if you were advising Jason, myself or any
of our listeners and you're trying to grow your following,
maybe what are some dos and don't What are some
of the things they should be doing and some of
the things they should try to stay away from.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
It's a tough question, and it's a tough question because
it's shifting a lot right now. Like earlier this year,
social media platforms are really prioritizing creator content. So it
does vary with the platforms, but I think generally consistency, speed,
and just like hitting the moments that people are talking
about something big happens, finding a way to be a
part of that conversation in one way or another. I
(23:35):
think those are the things that really move the needle.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
And so what's the next big step forward? I mean,
we have a good sense of your strategy, but like,
what are the things you're looking toward? What are these
tent bowls sort of being created? I mean, it's an
interesting moment to talk to you because you are both
leveraging the moment but also creating the moment. I would argue,
you know, in.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Terms of know, I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Yeah, it feels like you now have an audience that
if you say something's important. So if you're really leaning
into the WNBA All Star Game, people are like, oh, yeah,
I gotta like I gotta get on that. I got
to see you know, Navisa call, you're being a captain.
I need to see Paige Becker's being the only rookie. Like,
how do you sort of leverage this moment in the
(24:22):
near and midterm.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
It's a really good question. I think that we as
an industry need to feel incredible urgency right now because
we have seen moments for women's sports does break through.
And I always use an example of the ninety nine
World Cup. Yeah, ninety thousand people at the Rose Bowl.
It was such a big cultural moment, and then what happened.
So we have seen these moments where the world pays
(24:45):
attention to women's sports. How are we going to make
this time different? And for me, it's we have to
build the ecosystem. We have to build the industry. And
I'm a bit of a broken record, but I really
do believe that starts with media. It is great that
these games are being televised, that we can actually watch
the women's sports product, watch the games. We need to
build that fan experience online and in these digital spaces.
(25:09):
It is absolutely critical that we just women's sports continue
to grow. It's critical that, you know, if it's not us,
someone steps in and is building this community of women's
sports fans because they're out there, the games are accessible.
Who is bridging that, who is you know, nurturing engaging
this audience. I think that's really critical. So I think
(25:29):
as an industry and we have to be really like
obsessed with building fans and taking advantage of this opportunity.
And then I think off of that, I think It
all starts with media, but we have to build this
whole industry. You look at commerce on the men's side,
we need to go build that in women's sports, Betting
a fantasy. There's just so many opportunities that have sort
(25:49):
of the same problem. They're really well set up for
legacy properties. So I think we have to recognize that
we are in a moment of opportunity and be doing
everything we can and to stand up this industry. So
women's sports is here to stay and here to be big,
big business.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
All right, So let's do a quick lightning round five questions.
First thing that pops your mind will bounce it back
and forth. I'll start and then Alex will pick up.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
You're reading, Oh my gosh, Okay, all right.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
What's the best piece of advice you've received on deal
making your business?
Speaker 1 (26:30):
You have to know your nose. You have to absolutely
know what's like a gotta walk away from this, No.
Speaker 3 (26:37):
Your nose. I like that. Who is your dream deal
making partner?
Speaker 1 (26:41):
My dream deal making partner. It's really fun when I
get to work directly with athletes and you have to
create cool content together. So we're excited and do more
of that.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
So your dream deal making partner is the next big athlete.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
I like that.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Yeah, there we go.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Which team do you want to see win a championship
more than any?
Speaker 1 (26:58):
I mean, I'm rooting for Angel City. I'm an LA
soccer girl.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
A CFC like gotta love it.
Speaker 4 (27:03):
What is your hype song before a big meeting or
a big negotiation?
Speaker 1 (27:09):
I don't have one. I need one. I always rely
on my teammates to play the songs in the locker room.
So now I'm like, I'm.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
Not gonna let you get away with it. Give me
whatever comes up to your mind. Go.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
I am like truly all over the place. I love oldies.
I love a good oldie, makes you feel good, makes
you feel centered.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
Here's the problem.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
You're gonna You're gonna say oldie and I'm gonna be like, yeah,
that was that was when I was starting out.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
Yeah exactly.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Okay, all right, last question, what's your advice for someone
listening who wants a career like yours.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
I think you just got to go for it, go
for it and bring the ships.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
I love it all right, Hailey Rosen, You're a champ.
I love reading your stuff. Thank you so much for
joining us. We say it all the time, and here
we love to talk to people at the white hot
center of what's going on, and no one is there
more than you. So thank you so much for spending
some time with us.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Thank you so much for having me. This so fine.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Thank you, Haley.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
The Deal is hosted by Alex Rodriguez and me Jason Kelly.
This episode was made by Anamazarakus, Stacey Wong, and Lizzie Phillip.
Amy Keen is our editor and Will Connelly is our
video editor. Our theme music is made by Blake Maples.
Our executive producers are Kelly Leferrier, Ashley Hoenig, and Brenda Nenham.
Sage Bauman is the head of Bloomberg Podcast. Additional support
(28:30):
from Rachel Carnivale and Elena sos Angeles. Thanks so much
for listening to the Deal. If you have a minute, subscribe,
rate and review our show. It'll help other listeners find us.
I'm Jason Kelly. See you next week.
Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio News.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome back to the Deal. I'm your host Jason Kelly
alongside my co host Alex Rodriguez. Alex, you are currently
on vacation celebrating a big birthday, joining the ranks of
us old guys. So happy birthday, partner. I'll say it
again and again. We're going to celebrate when you get back.
And you know, interestingly, today's guest in a way speaks
(00:33):
to one of the next chapters of your life, which
is being an owner of a couple very high profile
sports franchises. Hailey Rosen is the founder and CEO of
Just Women's Sports, someone we really wanted to talk to,
in part because you're now the governor of the Minnesota Linx.
This is an area that you and I have been
talking about since the inception of the show a few
(00:53):
years ago. This boom and women's sports, it's undeniable. It's
amazing how far ahead of the curve she was.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Yeah, it really is fascinating.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
I mean, she went to Stanford and I think she
kind of backed up into this with one of her
side hustles, and it was really interesting how while she
had a little side hustle, she got to raise, you know,
a couple hundred thousand dollars I think four hundred thousand
to be exact, and off she went. And then she
quit that regular job and made that side hustle her
regular job.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
And here we are a couple of years later.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Well, and I also love when we're able to talk
to someone who is already, at least by association, sort
of part of the deal cinematic universe. Because the folks
she has convinced to invest in just women's sports, Billy
Jean King, David Blitzer, both of whom have been guests
on this show. I mean, these are the folks who
(01:44):
really understand the business of sports quite holistically, and they
are betting on this mega trend, which I mean is
a pretty easy megatren to bet on at this point,
don't you think, I mean, you're you're sitting and watching
this on a daily basis.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
I think, yes, Jason, But it's easy for us to
play Monday morning quarterbacks are easy. But the fact that
she did it Saturday morning, and she was ahead of
the curve and she was a risk taker. I get
especially kind of excited about episodes like this one because
for us and for our listeners. A lot of them
are great entrepreneurs who are trying to raise capital. One
(02:20):
thing is to raise capital, the other thing is to
raise capital from blue chippers like Joe si and David
Blitzer and yeah, and so many others. I really want
to get into the details on how and what made
her raise his capital for those kind.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Of folks, Yeah, and what she saw in terms of
the media landscape. You know, we've had a lot of
people on this show who've been very successful in media,
both in front of the camera and also behind the camera.
You know, I'm thinking of the stephen A's and the
Richard Jeffersons and in front of the camera, but also
you know, folks like Mark Shapiro, who obviously at ESPN
and now at WMEE has made such an impact on
(02:55):
what the media world, you know, really looks like. This
is something that, to your point, was not as obvious
back when Haley founded Just Women's Sports. So excited to
get into that, all right, Coming up next, Hailey Rosen.
(03:20):
Welcome back to the deal. So excited to have Hailey
Rosen with us. She is, of course, founder and CEO
of Just Women's Sports. I read it every day. It
is the go to place to understand what's happening in
the booming world of women's sports.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Hailey, thank you so much for joining us.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Thank you so much for having me and reading our
newsletter every day. I love it.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
I love it. It really is. It's a must read.
And I guess let's start there because that feels like
the tip of the spear in terms of sort of
getting people into this world. How do you sort of
come to that idea? And then we want to talk
about how you build the business. But the initial idea,
where does it come from?
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Yeah? Yeah, Well, a little bit of background on me,
just because it's relevant to this idea. I was a
soccer player. I played in college and then played professionally
for a little bit in the US and abroad. That
experience really led me to this idea. I was playing
before the twenty nineteen World Cup. I bring up that
timing just because I think it was really the start
of everything we're seeing. You know, we were just starting
(04:17):
to sell out stadiums. You know, the stadiums were small.
Attendance was up but went from a small number to
a slightly bigger number. Brains were coming on board, but
The main thing was that you could feel there was
a shift, there was something happening. This was there was
an energy and excitement and momentum that was really starting
to build. I had a bunch of injuries. I retired
sooner than I probably would have liked, and kind of
(04:38):
jumped into you know, the quote unquote real world. Got
a job, and when I was working, I'm just like
a sports fan, like born and raised in LA I
followed the Lakers, I followed the Dodgers. I just wanted
to follow the NWSL and WNBA, just like I didn't
think anything of it. I just wanted to follow sports
that fell part of it. And I couldn't do it
like at all, And I started hunting for you know,
(04:59):
I looked like my friend just got traded. Where can
I find that information? What's the end of B cell standings?
Can I go see that goal? Like I started just
looking for this information, and everything I did see was
just very weird to me, felt very young, hyper feminine.
A lot of lifestyle content, which you know, there's a
place for all of this, but my question was just
like where are the sports? Where the highlights and the
(05:21):
stats and where are the sports and that question is
what led me to Just Women's Sports. I basically grabbed
an Instagram handle called it just Women's Sports, started posting
the type of content I wanted to see and sort
of snowballed to what I'm doing today.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
And so at what point do you determine this as
a business and a business which needs money and you
need to go find that money.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
So it's funny looking back because I feel like I
was both like stumbled into this and also like knew
exactly what we were trying to do from the start.
When did I think it was a business and could
be a big business? Like right away, Like as soon
as I kind of covered that, like no one was
really talking about women's sports, and I felt like what
did exist just didn't feel true to what it was.
(06:07):
I was like, this is a huge opportunity, this is crazy,
this doesn't exist. I feel like there's so much happening here,
Like we got to go in terms of, like you know,
I need money and we're how we do this. I
feel like I just kind of really dig kind of
stumble into early days. Like truly, I was working in
tech and I was like out with friends one night
(06:28):
and was like talking about this I had like started
becoming obsessed with the idea that there needed to be
more women's sports coverage, and my boyfriend now husband at
the time, was like, well, you could like start an
Instagram account, like you know, anyone could do it. I
was literally in the back of a cab in New
York and grab the just Women's Sports handle and just
like started posting, and really quickly we went from like
no followers, no content strategy, to like forty thousand followers,
(06:52):
one hundred thousand followers, and it just kind of started
going like that, and I think really quickly I sort
of caught up with like, Okay, there's something here, There's
an audience that's excited. What do we need to do
to turn this into like a real content business.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
So, Hayley JWS, you're in that cab, You're talking with
your boyfriend, then your husband. Now you're kind of brainstorming.
You're really excited, as most entrepreneurs are, but you're still
so far away from actually raising capital. Talk to Hi
about with that first four hundred thousand that you raised,
how difficult is that? What was your pitch and what
was you think the hook that got them to be first?
Speaker 3 (07:27):
That's always the hardest.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Yeah. Yeah, the first check we ever raised was the
easiest check, and I would pay for that later down
the road. Because when I was working in tech, I
was living in San Francisco at the time. I had
some mentors that were vcs and working in sort of
the venture capital space, and so when I was thinking
about this and becoming obsessed and excited with the idea,
(07:48):
I got connected to Eric Chen who was our first investor,
and he's a very early stage, preseeed investor. He meets
founders when they're kind of in the ideation stage. And
I was coming to him really as a mentor, who
are saying, I believe in this, I'm excited about it.
I don't know exactly what it looks like, but I
think I'm gonna quit my job and do this. And
he was like, great, and here's seed money, Like let's go,
(08:10):
let's figure it out together. And that was like I
think I was going to do this any way. I
look at it just because I think I was young
and crazy enough, but I think that it forced all
this stuff quickly.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
You know.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
We had to like set up a business and set
up a business account, and think about hiring and think
about like what are our goals and like if we're
going to raise another round of capital, what are the
key metrics we're going to like measure ourselves against. And
so it kind of just got me going in a
more serious way really quickly, and I think it was
fortunate to me obviously was very fortunate to meet Eric.
(08:45):
I mean that initial funding lasted us. It was like
almost two years. We built, like the initial brand, we launch,
our initial show, our newsletter, the content strategy, the early
team was all from that initial check, which did come
really easily, and then later rounds were tougher. You know,
we've been really fortunate kind of jumping ahead. But we're
really really fortunate to have some amazing investors around the
(09:08):
cap table, Joe and Clara, Sie, David Blitzer, Michelle Kang.
But you know, I give him so much credit because
when we were raising in it was like twenty twenty
two ish, you know, people were talking about women's sports
the way they're talking about it now. You know, no
one believed like truly, Like when I say, like I
would walk in the room and I honestly I feel
(09:31):
like people took the meeting because I'm a female founder
and it was a kind of interesting topic, but like
they were not taking this seriously, no matter what metrics
I pulled up, no matter how much I could show
that this space is growing. Look at our engagement, look
at you know, everything is up into this right and
legacy media is behind. People were like, maybe this should
be a charity. Women's sports has never worked, Why do
(09:52):
you think it'll work now? And I just feel like
we were kind of banging our head against the wall.
And I really give that group so much credit for
listening and like believing, true believers and women's sports US sports.
So I sort of jumped ahead, but we're really fortunate
to have a lot of great people.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
I want to come back to that fundraising in the second,
but to fast forward to today, sort of sit with
today for a second, sort of this moment in twenty
twenty five where you know, expansion teams are going for
two hundred and fifty million dollars in the w You know,
we saw the transaction you know last year for Angel City.
You know they're in your hometown at a then record
(10:32):
valuation of two hundred and fifty million dollars with Willow
Bay and Bob bayger coming in to become the control
owners there? Did this happen faster than you thought it
might in terms of the rising valuations? I mean, you
are intimately familiar with sort of all of the inputs
and outputs here, Like from a business perspective, how do
(10:54):
you gauge it?
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Right now?
Speaker 1 (10:55):
I think this is the moment, and I think it's
like it's felt slow, slow, all at once, and it
feels like this is the all at once moment. I
did feel, you know, we launched in twenty twenty. I
did feel like there was a couple of years there
where I was banging my head against the wall. We
as a company, our audience growth was crazy, our engagement
was up. We were doing so many things that I
(11:16):
think media companies, you know, you'd love to see as
a media company, and we were still struggling to get
people bought in, get brands on board. All of a sudden,
that's changed. The conversation has completely changed, and that feels
like truly over the last year or so. And I
think the big shift from my point of view is
(11:36):
that brands are really bought in. They're not talking to
women's sports and sort of these subcategories they're talking about
investing and you know, sponsoring women's sports from their sports
marketing budgets. And to me, that's been the huge unlock
because all of a sudden you're seeing not just investor
dollars go into the space, but brand dollars go in,
and I feel like that's been a huge unlock.
Speaker 4 (11:56):
So, Hayley, you mentioned some of your investors, some of
the great blue chip investors in this country. What is
the difference of your pitch for say a Joe si
clari Cy, David Blitzer Versus Kevin Durant.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Is it different or is exactly the same.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
That's a good question. Maybe it should be different, but
I think it's exactly the same. Just because I'm a
bit of a someone told me I'm a one note politician,
I kind of like see this space how it is,
and it's really hard for me to say it any
other way than like how I see it, and I
believe it. I think what resonates with them is slightly different,
(12:32):
Like talking to Kevin Durant and Rich Cleman, like we're
going to talk kind of like as athletes, and like
something that always stood out to me with Kad is
like he's a true hooper, which I know there's a
new information, but like he's really into women's basketball and
he always has been. And that was like really fun
to meet him and connect and be able to talk
(12:53):
about that. And it wasn't like, oh, do we think
women's basketball like, oh, it's the right thing to do
to so poor. It was like, here's my favorite player,
here's what I'm excited about. Do you think that team
overperformed to underperform? Like those are really fun conversations to have.
And then I think with you know, Joe and Clara,
when I was saying we need to get out of
treating women's sports as charity and treat it like a business,
(13:15):
they were like, yes, one hundred percent, we've been saying that.
So you know, I kind of am what I am
for better or worse. But I think what resonates with
folks depends on, you know, where they're coming from.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
All Right, So Jason and I are investors. We can
do a little role play. Here, give us your one
note thirty seconds.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Give it to us.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Oh my god, Oh my god, I just got nervous. Okay,
here's here's my thirty seconds. Is Legacy Media is really
well set up around the legacy leagues, NFL, NBA, maybe
the MLB, and that starts with you know what, they
prioritize their temples, how they build their audience, how they
work with sponsors. The whole thing is really really well
set up for those properties. It's not as simple as
(13:53):
just adding more you know, the legacy companies. They're not
great at men's lacrosse or men's soccer. It's not just
you know, women's sports. So if we want that same
type of industry and ecosystem in women's sports, we have
to go build it, and we have to go build
it around soccer and basketball at NWSL, WNBA. We have
to make their temples aren't temples, build their audience, work
(14:13):
with sponsors in that way. And I think if we
do that, we can build up this audience and create
an industry that is just as big, if not bigger,
than men's sports. But it starts with media write the check.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
Check, all right, the smaller check.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
So to that end, I mean, you you went exactly
where I wanted to go, Haley, which is this notion
of you have this opportunity and challenge to build something new,
to understand an audience from the ground up, and you
saw the metrics, which obviously then you use to get
the sponsors and all of that. But I think it's
(14:52):
fair to say, and I want you to keep me
honest here, that this audience consumes differently. It has different expectations,
it has different rhythms, it has all sorts of, in
a very positive way, different characteristics. What are those and
then what do you do to create different products for
(15:13):
that audience?
Speaker 1 (15:14):
I think yes and no. With the whole premise of this,
I really believe, and I think we're seeing as women's
sports pushes further and further into the mainstream, that women's
sports fans are sports fans and they consume sports the
same way sports fans consume sports. I think there's two
things with women's sports fans that are important to keep
in mind, But I don't think it's sort of unique
(15:35):
to women's Women's sports fans are a next gen sports fan,
and I think that's really really exciting, and it means
sort of two things. Eighty percent of our audience adjust
women's sports is under the age of thirty four, heavily
gen z, heavily millennial, which means they're consuming the majority
of their content on digital channels, and so you know,
(15:56):
we talked about cutting a cord, this audience didn't have
a cord to cut, you know. They yeah, they're courtin
evers and so I think those are like really the
two unique things about this demographic is they're younger and
they're digital first. Beyond that, like sports are sports, it's
been the whole thing, and so I think that's like
really exciting. And this is something I've said to a
(16:17):
lot of folks around women's sports is I think there's
legacy properties that are really trying to think about how
do we capture and engage this next gen sports fan.
How do we build for a digital sports ecosystem. Women's
sports is starting there. That's the opportunity, and that's part
of why I'm so bullish is let's not go backwards.
Let's build for where sports fans are going. I think
(16:38):
that's really cool and exciting.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
And Hayley, how do you generate revenue for your company?
For JWS?
Speaker 1 (16:45):
This is a really good question. My mom asked me
this all the time. We have a sponsorship model, so
we work with brands, you know, via ads or sponsorships,
and you know, I think it's the same way a
lot of these athletes and teams and leagues work, you know,
generate revenue as well. We obviously don't have the rights
dollars coming through, but this whole thing is very sponsorship driven.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Arguably the most notable thing you have done with just
women's sports is to treat the coverage like sports coverage.
And I do think and I want you to, I
truly want you to argue with me if you disagree
with this, but part of the premise of women's sports
need to stop being treated like charity, I think bled
(17:42):
into the content up until a certain point that the
content was like look at these girls, like they're trying
so hard, Like good for them, and we need to
support them. And listen, we could talk the rest of
the day about sort of the take the take world
of sports right now, but part of what it does
feel like you're trying to do is to give sports
(18:05):
fans what they want, which is a place to be like, Okay,
this team won, this team lost, this person played well,
this person didn't play as well. This is sort of
what's happening in the league right now. This is who
seems to be like surging, who is falling back?
Speaker 3 (18:19):
And all that?
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Is that a fair assessment or how would you characterize it?
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Super fair? And I think, like to look at what
we do critically, I still think we just women's sports
could even do better with this. I think it's hard
to not sort of fall into this trap. But yeah,
I think it's when we say you have to treat
women's sports like sports, we mean it in every category
and through a media lens. That means you have to
be honest and real and authentic about it. And like,
believe me, I was an athlete. I really empathize, and
(18:46):
I get it sucks to be criticized. I get it sucks.
The scrutiny and also media coverage around women's sports fuels
this old thing, and I think as a fan, fans
want authenticity. I love soccer. I love watching soccer. I
love watching the US women's actual team. What I do
when I watch the team is I debate, you know,
should that player have gotten the look? Does someone else
(19:07):
deserve more time? Did she play well? Did she not?
And not because I'm trying to be a hater, Because
you love it and you care and it's exciting and
it's fun, and so we need that in women's sports,
and we need to get comfortable that if we're gonna
have real conversations, it's not all gonna be rainbows and butterflies.
There's gonna be times where there's criticism and critique and
can't just all be good, good, good all the time?
(19:29):
Everyone tried, and believe me, these women are the best
in the world out what they do. They know when
they're playing well, they know when they didn't play well.
They know. I think they can handle it, and I
agree with you, like I think on the men's side,
the tay culture has maybe gotten a little crazy, But
you know, I think where is the Charles Barkley on
(19:49):
the women's side, where are the people that can bring
fun and joy and real conversation. I think that's really
really critical and that is what I want just women's
sports to do and be. And I think there's times
where we have hit that. There's times we have gone
too far, there's times we haven't gone far enough. But
I think that's where we have to push this space
because that's what we all love about sports. It's fun
to be a fan. We have to be allowed to
(20:11):
have fun with it.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Yeah, it is interesting to see the you know, I
say this as a more than you know, mildly interested
viewer in the sense that I also, you know, want
to understand where media is going. I mean we talk
about it on this show all the time. You know,
you look at what Candae Parker is doing, you look
at what Cheney is doing, and Rebecca Lobo I would
put in that category as well. It's like these are
real ones, say, in the real thing on air and
(20:35):
in a way that I think is super compelling. So
let me ask you this, how do you think about
new products? Like you're in the business, you know, across
the board of different media properties. What's working maybe better
than you thought, what's working not as well in terms
of what your audience is engaging with sort of media
(20:55):
type wise.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Yeah, So I think three thoughts here. One is is
I think the platform really matters. I say digital, I
talk about social law, but I still think as a
sports sort of world, we're not paying enough attention to
the role that social media plays and building these communities,
building the fandom. And I'll give you an example last
(21:17):
year for March Madness, when Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese
blew up. It was awesome, you know, biggest viewership ever
we could see on our social channels that this was
going to be an absolutely massive final four. And I
often say social media as a leading indicator, and TV
numbers are lagging indicators and where the interest and excitement is.
(21:37):
I don't think we realize that enough in women's sports,
and I think we need to pay more attention and
figure out how to like really utilize that. And then
in terms of the type of content, I think there's
two things that we want to do really really well.
One is we want to bring you news. We want
to provide that service to a fan, and I think
this is something we often take for granted. On the
men's side, it's really easy to be a casual fanom
(22:00):
mens for it, so you can follow trades and you know,
it's NBA free agency right now. My phone is blowing
up with every trade that's happening. That can often be
hard to follow on the women's side, not for the
biggest names, maybe not for the biggest teams, but I
think across the board it's too hard to find basic information.
So news is a really important service that we want
(22:21):
to provide and I think a really important piece of
the ecosystem. And then two is sort of what we're
talking about I call it that wave to content, but
really it's who's driving the cultural dialogue, who's having those
conversations in public spaces. And you mentioned Shine and Candas.
I think they do a really good job at that.
Who else is doing that? Who else is going to
(22:41):
say something and maybe people will agree or maybe they'll disagree,
But just you know, bringing those fan conversations to public forums,
I think is a really important piece of driving interest
and continuing a dialogue. So that's what we think about.
We want to show up and go channels and we
want to provide a service of news or be a
part of the fan dialogue.
Speaker 4 (23:02):
So, Hayley, if you were advising Jason, myself or any
of our listeners and you're trying to grow your following,
maybe what are some dos and don't What are some
of the things they should be doing and some of
the things they should try to stay away from.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
It's a tough question, and it's a tough question because
it's shifting a lot right now. Like earlier this year,
social media platforms are really prioritizing creator content. So it
does vary with the platforms, but I think generally consistency, speed,
and just like hitting the moments that people are talking
about something big happens, finding a way to be a
part of that conversation in one way or another. I
(23:35):
think those are the things that really move the needle.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
And so what's the next big step forward? I mean,
we have a good sense of your strategy, but like,
what are the things you're looking toward? What are these
tent bowls sort of being created? I mean, it's an
interesting moment to talk to you because you are both
leveraging the moment but also creating the moment. I would argue,
you know, in.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Terms of know, I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Yeah, it feels like you now have an audience that
if you say something's important. So if you're really leaning
into the WNBA All Star Game, people are like, oh, yeah,
I gotta like I gotta get on that. I got
to see you know, Navisa call, you're being a captain.
I need to see Paige Becker's being the only rookie. Like,
how do you sort of leverage this moment in the
(24:22):
near and midterm.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
It's a really good question. I think that we as
an industry need to feel incredible urgency right now because
we have seen moments for women's sports does break through.
And I always use an example of the ninety nine
World Cup. Yeah, ninety thousand people at the Rose Bowl.
It was such a big cultural moment, and then what happened.
So we have seen these moments where the world pays
(24:45):
attention to women's sports. How are we going to make
this time different? And for me, it's we have to
build the ecosystem. We have to build the industry. And
I'm a bit of a broken record, but I really
do believe that starts with media. It is great that
these games are being televised, that we can actually watch
the women's sports product, watch the games. We need to
build that fan experience online and in these digital spaces.
(25:09):
It is absolutely critical that we just women's sports continue
to grow. It's critical that, you know, if it's not us,
someone steps in and is building this community of women's
sports fans because they're out there, the games are accessible.
Who is bridging that, who is you know, nurturing engaging
this audience. I think that's really critical. So I think
(25:29):
as an industry and we have to be really like
obsessed with building fans and taking advantage of this opportunity.
And then I think off of that, I think It
all starts with media, but we have to build this
whole industry. You look at commerce on the men's side,
we need to go build that in women's sports, Betting
a fantasy. There's just so many opportunities that have sort
(25:49):
of the same problem. They're really well set up for
legacy properties. So I think we have to recognize that
we are in a moment of opportunity and be doing
everything we can and to stand up this industry. So
women's sports is here to stay and here to be big,
big business.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
All right, So let's do a quick lightning round five questions.
First thing that pops your mind will bounce it back
and forth. I'll start and then Alex will pick up.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
You're reading, Oh my gosh, Okay, all right.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
What's the best piece of advice you've received on deal
making your business?
Speaker 1 (26:30):
You have to know your nose. You have to absolutely
know what's like a gotta walk away from this, No.
Speaker 3 (26:37):
Your nose. I like that. Who is your dream deal
making partner?
Speaker 1 (26:41):
My dream deal making partner. It's really fun when I
get to work directly with athletes and you have to
create cool content together. So we're excited and do more
of that.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
So your dream deal making partner is the next big athlete.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
I like that.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Yeah, there we go.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Which team do you want to see win a championship
more than any?
Speaker 1 (26:58):
I mean, I'm rooting for Angel City. I'm an LA
soccer girl.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
A CFC like gotta love it.
Speaker 4 (27:03):
What is your hype song before a big meeting or
a big negotiation?
Speaker 1 (27:09):
I don't have one. I need one. I always rely
on my teammates to play the songs in the locker room.
So now I'm like, I'm.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
Not gonna let you get away with it. Give me
whatever comes up to your mind. Go.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
I am like truly all over the place. I love oldies.
I love a good oldie, makes you feel good, makes
you feel centered.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
Here's the problem.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
You're gonna You're gonna say oldie and I'm gonna be like, yeah,
that was that was when I was starting out.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
Yeah exactly.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Okay, all right, last question, what's your advice for someone
listening who wants a career like yours.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
I think you just got to go for it, go
for it and bring the ships.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
I love it all right, Hailey Rosen, You're a champ.
I love reading your stuff. Thank you so much for
joining us. We say it all the time, and here
we love to talk to people at the white hot
center of what's going on, and no one is there
more than you. So thank you so much for spending
some time with us.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Thank you so much for having me. This so fine.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Thank you, Haley.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
The Deal is hosted by Alex Rodriguez and me Jason Kelly.
This episode was made by Anamazarakus, Stacey Wong, and Lizzie Phillip.
Amy Keen is our editor and Will Connelly is our
video editor. Our theme music is made by Blake Maples.
Our executive producers are Kelly Leferrier, Ashley Hoenig, and Brenda Nenham.
Sage Bauman is the head of Bloomberg Podcast. Additional support
(28:30):
from Rachel Carnivale and Elena sos Angeles. Thanks so much
for listening to the Deal. If you have a minute, subscribe,
rate and review our show. It'll help other listeners find us.
I'm Jason Kelly. See you next week.
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