July 3, 2025 • 36 mins
In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez tells Jason Kelly how he has felt since finalizing his ownership of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx. Then, they speak with Michelle Wie West about what she learned during her impressive golf career. West tells the hosts why she was excited to invest in Togethxr to promote women’s golf, why she sees potential in the new simulator golf league TGL, and what she learned from her father-in-law, the late NBA great Jerry West.
You can also watch this interview on the Bloomberg Podcasts YouTube page.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio News.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome back to the Deal. I'm Jason Kelly alongside Alex Rodriguez.
Coming up on the show Michelle Wee West, legendary golfer.
She is a fierce business person as well. We're going
to talk about some of the deals that she's been
doing of late. But first of all, Partner, congratulations, this
is it. You did it. I mean, this is the
first time we're talking on our show about the fact
(00:33):
that you and Mark Lori closed your deal to buy
the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Minnesota Lynx. How are you feeling,
I mean, what a journey.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Well, thank you, partner, and look, I'm very very happy
and even more relieved. It's been a long time coming,
so grateful for this opportunity. When the decision came, it
was like waiting for this for like months and months
and months. It was probably the most nervous I've ever
been and couldn't be happier and really excited for are
both of our teams and the fan base here has
(01:02):
been really supportive and we're excited to dig in.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Yeah, I'm talking to you. You're in Minneapolis this week.
Big game for the Links which will be decided by
the time folks listening to this the Commissioner's Cup. I mean,
talk about the Links for a second. You're the governor
of that team. Now, this is a juggernaut team in
the history of the w They won the most titles
the FISA. Collier obviously is one of the standout players
(01:27):
in the entire league. What a moment, not just for
that team their success this season, but historically. You've got
a franchise that truly is one of the signature clubs
in the W.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
And when I think about that, Jason, I think about
our great leader. You know, Cheryl Reeves has been here
for over fifteen years. She has four titles, she coached
in the Olympics. We have this incredible, incredible sticky fan
base that just loves their team, and Links fans are different.
They're used to winning. They're a bit almost spoiled, right
with four titles. They almost won another one last year.
(02:00):
And you have an officia Collier who could be the
MVP this year. And it's really really exciting. I'm really
excited to see what this year has. But they haven't rolling,
and they've been rolling all year.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Yeah, of course this comes on the heels of an
announcement earlier this week, three new franchises coming to the WNBA,
the expansion fee a record two hundred and fifty million.
That's five times more than the Valkyries, who are seen
as a very successful expansion team commanded in terms of
an expansion fee, So clearly a very good business to
(02:30):
be in. Flipping over to the Timberwolves and really to
the macro of it all, I would love for you
to take me and to take our listeners inside, like
you were nervous leading up to it. What's it like
when you actually like you're signing to become an owner.
I mean, this is a generationally impactful and meaningful moment
(02:53):
for you, for your family, all of it. Like, what
does it feel like?
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (02:59):
Look, I think Mark and I we were like ten
year olds waiting for our parents to say, yes, you
can go out for the weekend.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
Yeah, and go get an ice cream.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
I mean we're literally waiting by the phone with so
much anxiety and stress because ultimately, Jason, you don't know right.
You think you have a good case, but the arbiters
can decide one way or another, and you just really
never know. But you know, Mark and I both look,
I come from nothing, and when you come from nothing,
you appreciate everything. So obviously there is like a real,
real dream come true for both of us.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
I mean, we're both from New York.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
We always dreamed of being a part of an ownership
group and to have this moment and the responsibility. The
real stakeholders of these franchises are the fan base here
and we're lucky enough to have the financial wherewithal to
be able to steward these two franchises, and we both
feel very happy and grateful for the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
I saw a great post that you had on Instagram
of getting a call for being drafted and making a call.
I mean, it's a cool split screen to see, but
what a split screen to live. There are only a
couple other people who've ever been able to do that,
Michael Jordan being another one to make that call knowing
(04:12):
what it feels like to have your life changed on
the other side. Tell me about that.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Yeah, it's funny, Jason, because when you saw the draft
this year, there was an incredible amount of emotion with
all the young players, and you see the tears, and
you see the gratitude and appreciation and that this belief
with their families, with their partners, you know, whoever's there
with them. And I remember getting that call in nineteen
ninety three and having the same exact emotions. I mean,
(04:38):
here I am. A few years before that, I saw
a mom, you know, collecting food stamps because she was
a single mother. And here I am getting a million
dollar signing bonus. I thought it was like all the
money in the world, and it was and it still is.
And to make that call now and hear the emotion
on the other side when you talk to these young players.
We drafted two kids, both over seven feet, both eighteen
(04:58):
years old, and I there, I was an eighteen year
old at the Kingdome playing for Loopanela and playing in
front of Can Grifford Junior.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
And boy, I tell.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
You what a world went to in thirty years To
be able to do that and make somebody else stream
come true is pretty awesome.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
And so as you think about even the next few weeks,
there's a sense of you are working literally for years
to get this particular deal done, but what comes after
the deal is often the most interesting but some of
the most challenging stuff. So what's on your mind? What
are you and Mark sort of saying to each other,
as you know, you're in season with the Links, now
(05:36):
you're about to go to summer league in a few
weeks with the Wolves, Like I'm sure you're talking like
ten times a day, Like what are those conversations?
Speaker 4 (05:43):
Like, yeah, I just hung up with them.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Actually, look, I think Jason, we have the great luxury
that Mark and I try to get our MBA on
the NBA for the last four years in this ownership transfer,
and we were allowed to run basketball basically for the
last four years.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
One of the movie as we made early on was bringing.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
In Tim Conley, and then Tim Conley brought a world
class team around him.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
And that's worked out pretty well.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
We've gone to back to back final fours Western Conference Finals.
We've come up short of our goal, but we want
to copy and paste that same exact philosophy bringing a
world class leader on the business side, and hopefully we
can have similar results.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Well. Meanwhile, in the NBA, you and Mark are now
governors of that league. The biggest headline in the NBA,
maybe the biggest headline in sports over the past couple
of years, has happened since we were on these mics together,
which is Los Angeles Lakers, perhaps the most iconic franchise
in all of sports, certainly in the top three, top
(06:41):
five sales for evaluation of ten billion dollars. It's an
amazing moment, not just because of the number, but because
of what Jerry Buss and his family have meant to
the league. This was someone you knew. You know Jeannie well,
she's a partner in the league. Obviously, what was your
reaction to that news of an ownership change, and of
(07:04):
course Mark Walter, well known for Guggenheim and the champion
Los Angeles Dodgers, taking over that franchise, what was your
immediate reaction?
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Well, I think my first thought was why would the
great doctor Buss be thinking right now?
Speaker 4 (07:16):
And how proud he is of his six children.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
And obviously Geny Buss has just done an incredible job,
you know, steward of that great franchise who learned under
Doctor Bus. My daughters are huge fans of Geny Buss
and they hope to one day, you know, follow her footsteps.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
Look, the NBA is just an incredible global league.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
And what really makes me happy about this transaction for
the Bus family and Geenie is that they're handing it
off to an incredible business person who has a world
class track record.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Look what he's done with the Dodgers.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
The Dodgers operate like an NFL team, almost like the
Dallas Cowboys. So if you're a Lakers fan, you're in
good hands. And good news for the Lakers is that
it looks Jeanie Buss is still going to stay on
as governor for at least a few more years. And
the Lakers are one of the most powerful franchises in
all the sports, not domestically but around the world.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
And I was just as shocked as you when I
got the news, Jason, I was like what, And I
think that was a reaction for many fans around the world.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Yeah, our tech thread was a series of expletives, I believe. Yeah,
so as I'm sure yours were. You know, my phone
was blowing up, just because you know, in the world
of business, and again, it's not just about the number,
it's about the fact that there was a trade in
the parliaance of deal making that really just knocked people's
socks off. Interestingly, our guest on today's show has a
(08:43):
connection to the Los Angeles Lakers, Michelle Wee West. The
West is her married name. Her husband, Johnny, works for
the Golden State Warriors. Her father in law was the
late Jerry West the logo and obviously made his name
with the Lakers and did so much for that franchise
and for basketball. Meanwhile, Michelle Wee before she was Michelle
(09:05):
Wee West, completely changed the game of golf. I mean
really brought women's golf I think to the four. She
has since become an incredibly influential and powerful deal maker
in her own right and has really expanded her remit
a lot around sports. She became an investor in Together.
I love golf. I love watching her and her career
(09:28):
and what she's done. So I know you were excited
about this one as well as I was.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Yeah, I mean, look, she's an extraordinary young woman. This
is one that I'm going to tell my daughters. You
have to listen to this episode.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
It was a great conversation. We're excited for you to
listen to it. Coming up, Michelle we West. We are
so excited today to have none other than Michelle Wee
(10:01):
West with us. Michelle. Awesome to have.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
You here, Thank you, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
All right, So, you are just like exactly the type
of person we love to talk to on this show,
an incredible athlete who has really excelled in her business
endeavors so far. But I want to take you back
to one of your first big business decisions if we can,
which is something you have in common with my friend here, Alex.
(10:27):
Alex signed with Nike when he was seventeen, and people
don't usually get in one stuff like this, but you've
got him. You signed at fifteen. Walk us through that deal, Like,
what was going through your mind? Is that all happens?
I mean, this is obviously an iconic brand. Walk us
through that.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Yeah. I mean, to be honest, I really wasn't too
involved with that. I mean, as you expect a fifteen
year old, I really had no interest in, you know,
learning about the business. I wish I wish I did.
In hindsight, you know, I was very fortunate that my
my parents, you know, were really good with money. My
dad was a math major, statistics major, you know, taught
(11:07):
statistics at a university, so he was very numbers based
and was very protective of my legacy and my time
and everything. And for me, I just wanted to play golf.
And it was funny because back in the day, I
don't remember that MTV show My Sweet Sixteen, where they
had this like lavish birthday parties for sixteen year olds,
and I was so obsessed with it. I was like, Okay,
(11:28):
it'd be really cool if I turned pro on my
sixteenth birthday. I did a big press conference and I
did a whole thing.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
The all I really wanted was that.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
And in terms of you know, the the technicalities of
the contract. You know I had signed with w ME,
I was a Jill Smoller powerhouse of his agent, so
I was very, yeah, very well protected in that space.
So I just I just to full trust and really
trusted my parents, really trusted my agent and my agency,
and you know, I think they had my back. I
(11:57):
think I signed a pretty good deal. But when I
was I really tried to separate myself from the money
aspect of it because I never wanted it to feel
like that. And in golf very different from team sports.
You pay for everything upfront. You pay for your flights,
you pay sometimes for your caddy flights when they're international,
(12:18):
your PT, your trainer, you know, your support staff that
are coming with you. A lot of times you know
every week that was my parents, you know, your hotel room.
And when you start to think about money, it really
starts to mess with your head. And there was like
a short period of time when I was playing I
would start thinking about that. When I was like missing
cuts and playing really poorly, I was like, oh my god,
(12:39):
I'm in the red every single week, and it just
it makes you not Playwall. It makes you feel like
it's a job and whatnot. And I felt like I
played my best when I just separated the two and
I played because I wanted to play Wall. I wanted
to win. I wanted to feel the feeling of that,
and not because of the money aspect of it. And
of course I was very fortunate and some amazing deals
(13:01):
with some amazing companies. But I really try to separate
the two when I was playing.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
So Michelle, I love that, and our audience just loves
this kind of nuanced stuff, right, you just mentioned this
is totally different than team sports. I couldn't think of
paying for a team flight or uniforms or like caddies
like bat boys just come with us.
Speaker 4 (13:20):
They just show up.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
When you think about when you first started, you mentioned
being on the Red, how much of an investment upfront
do you have to make and how much do you.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
Have to make to be in the on the black.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Yeah, that's a great question. You know, my parents, obviously,
you know, we're very middle class. My dad was, you know,
a professor, my mom was a realtor. And you know,
I was very fortunate because time wise, my parents were
very flexible and being able to spend time with me
their time, which is so important. My mom can make
her own hours. My dad had spring break and all
(13:53):
the summer off. So I was very fortunate in that sense,
with you know, obviously time being wealth and my parents
being able to so much o their time with me,
you know, but money wise, another factor of it was
that I grew up in Hawaii, and you know, to
play in tournaments, it's not just a quick drive here
and there. It's not like I was born living in
southern California and I could play in all the tournaments.
(14:14):
I could just get in a car and drive to Nevada,
drive to Scott Still, drive to the Bay Area. It's
a five hour substantial air flight to play in these tournaments.
But early on, you know, I contribute a lot of
my success to you know, we call in Hawaii, like,
you know, everyone is aunts and uncle and you know,
even though you're not family. And I acquired a lot
(14:36):
of amazing antias and uncles you know in Hawaii who
you know, paid for my course fees. I had a
lot of support from you know, my people in Hawaii,
and that's kind of why I kind of started this
strange career path in terms of playing in PGA Tour
events when I was fourteen, and then qualified for LPG
(14:59):
events when I would I was twelve. And I think
a lot of that contributed to the financial aspect of it.
I was just trying to find tournaments on island. Sony
Open happened ten minutes for my house. And you know,
when I was twelve, I had already won the largest
woman's amateur event, the most prestigious women's amor event in
(15:21):
Hawaii by thirteen strokes.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Yeah, Like, where do you go from there? Right? And
I'm like, okay, within that small space. Then I started
playing in men's events, and then I was like, oh,
why don't I play in the Sony Open that's ten
minutes for my house, it doesn't cost anything, Or why
don't I qualify for the Takefuji Classic, which was on
the Big Island when I was twelve. You know, I
qualify for the USJ pubpet Links when I was ten.
(15:45):
But you know, it's just it's so much money and
when you're playing those amateur events, you don't get anything back.
My parents, you know, they sacrifice so much for me
to get where I am. But you think about the
financial aspect of it, not because I did these things
to muster up the image or try to get a
bigger deal with Nike. It wasn't even that. It was
(16:07):
just pure I'm just trying to not be so much
in the red yeah, you know, trying to find tournaments
local and that ended up being I guess the PGA
tor event, which is the Sony Open, which is kind
of wild to think about.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
What were you thinking about at the time. Did it
just feel like, well, this is what I'm doing. Did
it feel as radical as it you know read to
the rest of the world.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
No, I meant me, this is like my fourteen year
old self thinking this was like you know, I was
I played on the boys baseball team and literally I
was the only girl. I made the All Star team,
and I was like, this is just like that.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
Yeah, and so at that point, I mean I'd love to.
I mean, Alex is a very good golfer. I am
a very poor golfer, but we both love the game.
I mean, talk to us about golf and the business
of golf when you came in and then maybe fast
forward to where we are today for both the overall
game and especially for women's game.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Yeah. You know what's so amazing about golf is that
it really opens the doors for you to play with
CEOs and high executives. And already when I was ten, eleven, twelve,
I was playing with the most influential people in Hawaii
just because they wanted to play with this kid who's
like really good at golf, and you know, we would
(17:23):
you know, have some friendly games, money betting games, and
ended up acquiring a big stack of cash, which I
was like, I'm going to save this money to buy
my first car. That's just so powerful about the game
of golf, and I get so passionate about getting more
girls of color into the game of golf, just because
there's no other sport that connects you to the most
(17:44):
powerful people in the world.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
So, Michelle, I just want to follow up on that
I mean, that is an interesting concept. If someone so young,
you're a female, you're still in college, and you're playing
with some of the most successful CEOs, as you said,
in the world. What point in those eighteen holes do
you know I may have some traction here?
Speaker 4 (18:05):
Is it? You know? The back now?
Speaker 3 (18:06):
And do you sometimes kind of misread it like oh
my god, I'm gonna get a deal here and you
get nothing. And sometimes you think, oh this was quite
pedestrian and you get a big deal.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
Has that ever happened? And when do you know?
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I don't think it's
so specific like that. But you know, I think the
world everything is about connections and making human connections with people.
And you know, I've been very fortunate in my life,
and I think, you know, I think golf is so
different from other sports, like even like baseball or football
or basketball. You know, when you're signed with a company,
(18:38):
you're not going out. The CEO is not playing a
sport like let's say, you know, they sign a really
famous football player. These CEOs are not just being like, hey,
let's just pad up and let's play football. Agains see
each other, right, They don't get these like organic experiences,
whereas golf you're spending five hours of like meaningful connecting
time with these top CEOs and it's I think it's
(19:00):
extremely powerful. But it's gotten me some in some very
interesting rooms and feel very blessed about that.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
And what do you think about sort of the state
of the game now, Michelle, I mean, it feels like
we're at this fascinating moment for both the men's tours
and the women's game as well. You know, we've had
changeovers in leadership across the board. As you look at
the state of golf, you know, as someone who obviously
played it at the very highest level and someone who
(19:27):
cares about the game, Like, what do you make of
it at the moment?
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Yeah, I mean I think the men's side. On the
women's side, you know, they have some connecting past, but
I think the women's side, I'm extremely excited about the
new leadership. You know, our persons are getting bigger on
our tour, we're getting better viewership. I still think there's
a lot that needs to be done to give these
girls what they deserve in terms of you know, media
(19:52):
attention and viewership on broadcast. You know, on the men's side,
it's definitely a little messier right now, and I think
they're trying to find their way. But yeah, I think
it's an exciting time for both men and women. There's
a lot of change going on. There's a lot of
competition going on, especially on the men's side in terms
of leagues, and when that happens, I always think there's
(20:12):
a net positive at the end of it.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
It also feels like, even more broadly, that the game
is like gaining steam. I mean you think about I
know you're involved with TGL as an owner. We got
a chance to interview Mike McCarley on this show. I
was able to see one of the matches live and
in person. What attracted you to that is a deal
(20:35):
in terms of growing the game, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
I was very intrigued from the moment I heard about
TGL when they were incorporating the amount of technology that
they are with simulator golf and know all sorts of technology.
I love the aspect of bringing the game indoors into
an arena. I think that's kind of like one thing
that golf is so great about. But in terms of spectatorship,
(21:03):
live spectatorship, it's hard. It's hard as a spectator to
go out to the golf course, you know, especially in
the summer when it's hot, to follow your favorite golfer
four five hours walking. I think bringing it indoors brings
the more casual viewership, more casual spectator into the game.
With the rise of top golf and golf simulators all
(21:24):
over the country, I think it just really brings on
a fun new twist to the game. And went to
one TJ match live and I was so impressed. I
was blown away. I think the tunnel is such a
fun idea. It kind of brings in the fun aspects
of like NBA, NFL, like that energy into golf, which
I think is is so refreshing. I think TJL is
a great supplement to you know, quote unquote real grass golf.
(21:49):
I think it's just a really fun way that you
can see teen sport and professional golf and see these guys'
personalities and see the technology is pretty cool. I'm excited
about it.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
And Michelle, you talked about how happy you are with
where women's golf is today, but just wondering, obviously there's
always a ways to go into everything. When you think
about if there's one or two things that you can
do to improve the game and make it better.
Speaker 4 (22:15):
What would be those two things?
Speaker 1 (22:17):
I'm gonna make it And I can go on and
on about this. Yeah, I think that the TV quality,
the broadcast quality of our tournament needs to get a
lot better. And that means more cameras on site, more
on screen technology, more. And this is my second point,
(22:38):
which I'm going to bacon into one is better statistics.
You know, on our tour, the caddies still write down statistics,
starts gained and all that. They still manually write it
down instead of it being automated, and you know, and whatnot,
and that you know comes hand in hand with sports vetting,
(22:58):
and you know, obviously people have their views on that whatnot,
but it is a fact that sports betting does drive
viewership in terms of people who watch sports, and when
we don't have really accurate statistics, it's hard for people
to get into sports betting, which obviously, again, like you know,
(23:19):
that's a very controversial topic. But I do think that
we need to work on our broadcast quality in terms
of number of cameras on site. You know, I believe
that the men have you know, more than tripled amount
of cameras that are on site, so they cut to
(23:40):
a lot of places. I think it just came out
that a lot of stuff isn't really live anymore. They
just cut to the best shots, and it just produces
so much more drama, so much more excitement. Were our tour,
you know, you have maybe one camera following the lead
group or a couple cameras based around the golf course,
(24:00):
and you know, our players look slower to the TV
viewer because one camera is just following one player a
lot longer instead of cutting back and forth. And people,
especially nowadays, what they're you know, our lack of attention span.
You know, we need that better cutting back and forth. So,
you know, I think if we can increase our broadcast quality,
(24:24):
I think our viewership will also rise. And I think
if we have better statistics, I think the people who
are talking about our game will have more stats to
back it up with instead of being like, oh, Nellie
Court is a really great player and you're like why,
and you're like, well, cause she is, you know, you know, like,
(24:44):
I think statistics really help in that sense, which I
think we are going in the right direction, and I
think that's just really helpful in viewership as well too.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Well, it's interesting to think about that in the context
of one of your latest deals, Michelle, which is partnering
up with Together, who famously has everyone watches women's sports
their T shirt, their iconic shirt. Super Bird was a
guest on this show and talked a lot to us
about sort of the origin story there. I mean, it
does seem like what you're saying, and correct me if
(25:16):
I'm wrong. Is there is proof out that there's increasing
proof out there that if the quality of the broadcast
is good, if the quality the content is good and
it's available, people will watch it. People will watch women's sports.
Was that part of the idea that you wanted to
get involved with Together? What was the sort of impetus
for you getting involved with them?
Speaker 1 (25:35):
Yeah. I have been a very big fan of Together
for a while since say kind of came out, since
the origin. I just saw how beautifully their storytelling was.
I thought the different aspects of you know, reporting the
news is one thing, but also storytelling the athlete behind
the moment, the moments leading up to the moment, I
(25:57):
thought were so beautifully done. You know, obviously a big
fan of you know, all the og Together crew. Alex Chloe, Sue,
you know, all of them. And I've gotten pretty close
with Alex and her husband Servondo, and you know.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
They are sorry Alex Morgan, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
Alex Morgan, yeah, yeah, and her husband, Sirvondo, And you know,
we've just been talking a lot about golf and been
noticing on their content. You know, they're very heavy into
you know, WNDA and soccer and sports that they know
really well, and you know, they wanted to expand into golf,
and we just started talking and obviously I'm very passionate
about women's golf and furthering that, so just it was
(26:36):
a perfect fit.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
By the way, Alex, I love the idea that they're like,
oh god, wish we could get into women's golf. Who
could help us get into Oh, I mean maybe Michelle
Lee West. I mean that would that be the ver
and the idea that you were interested, I mean, that
is a that is that's a dream matchup. It feels
like I imagine they were receptive when you when you
first had that conversation, and.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
No, you know, I just was honored that they were
even thinking of me or came to me. But yeah,
it's been really cool to see, you know how excited
there are about, you know, learning about golf in general.
I think a lot of the people that are working
on the social side of you know, together are getting
really into golf in general, which is what we want
the casual viewership to go up right, And we have
(27:21):
a very amazing nation women's golf where the people that
are excited about women's golf are really excited about women's golf, right.
But I think, you know, kind of incorporating the casual viewers,
the casual golf viewers, not just even men or women.
I'm not even going to go gender. I'm just talking
about the casual golfer, the top golfer, the people who
go to putt putt or pop stroke. You know, we
(27:41):
want those viewers to get excited about women's golf.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
So, Michelle, I want to transition a little bit. You know,
when you think about athletes and entrepreneurs, mentorship is such
a big component of it. And you have some royalty
around you. Obviously your mother played golf ever since you
were you know, basically born. But then you're married to
Johnny West, who works with the Warriors, and his father's
the late great Jerry West, who was a friend and
(28:19):
a mentor of mine and also known as the logo
in the NBA. Is there anything that you feel that
you've learned from both of them? Maybe start with your
mother that has really helped shape your career and anything
from the late Jerry West that you learned that you
still carry today.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Oh for sure. You know, First, I think the lessons
that I learned from my mom. You know, she was
Miss Korea, she was a dancer, played golf. I think
from her, I learned it was okay to be different,
it was okay to have passions, and you know, I
think when you look at my mom and my dad.
(28:57):
My dad came from a very traditional educational family, went
down the PhD route, became a professor. My mom, when
I hear of her childhood, it was you know, very unique,
very different. You know, she would skip school to go
to dance class, and you know, she was in pageants
and she was a kid and traveled the world and
dedicated her passion to that. And also my mom's younger
(29:21):
brother was a professional bowler and fun fact, I think
he won the gold medal when he was thirteen as
as a bowler. Oh yeah, so I know. So it's
like it's very split between my dad's side of the family,
who's all PhDs, all doctors, and my mom's side of family,
who's in the you know, the arts and the sports.
So my mom always kind of told me to dream big,
(29:42):
to look at things bigger, to not put yourself in
a category. And then you know, you know, meeting my
husband and you know, his family, it was amazing to
spend time with Jerry and to witness the passion you know,
even I obviously I did not know him when he played,
and I've only known him in his kind of post
(30:04):
playing career. It's just it was amazing to see his
passion in not only furthering the sport, but like players
as well. And you know, when you talk about mentorship,
I don't think there was anyone better at mentoring than
my father in law. He would spend hours a day
talking to players who either came to him or for
(30:28):
advice about what should I do about post retirement? How
do I get past this injury? I'm in a mental funk.
What do I do? He just left the door so
open for so many players to reach out to him,
which I really I was so impressed with.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
I did want to end with this notion of what's
happening in golf because you mentioned something really interesting, Michelle,
which is this idea that it feels like And maybe
it's because I'm super into golf right now, but like
my twenty two year old's really into it, My twenty
year old is really into it, my seven year old
daughter is like has her like little junior clubs, like
sub junior clubs. It does feel like golf is having
(31:07):
a moment, and part of it does feel like it's
driven by social media, by people sort of seeing you know,
for lack of better term, people who they like and respect,
people who they identify with playing. How does that continue
and how do you accelerate that. Maybe that gets into
some of the work you're doing with together.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
Sure, I mean, I think it's amazing to see the
actual numbers go up every year about the number of
kids that get into sport. And I think I have
to give a lot of kudos to the creators that
are in golf. You know, the YouTube golf. I need
to learn more about YouTube. I'm not cool enough to
learn about it, but it's incredible, like the followings that
these people have. But like I go saying, you know,
(31:50):
we need to get more casual viewers into the game
of golf. And that's what I love about TGL as well,
is that there are so many different forms of golf.
When people use to think about what golf was, it
was this very narrow viewpoint of what golf is, which
is country club, stuffy, old white, and I think that
(32:10):
a the creators are changing that mentality. I think TGL
is changing that mentality. I think social media, like you said,
my husband said a really interesting point yesterday. I get
He read in an article that if you are parents
at play golf and your kids play golf, you end
up spending eighteen percent more time with your kids if
your kids play golf, which I thought was so fascinating
(32:33):
and so cool. I think golf is one of the
rare sports that you can play multi generationally. You know,
you can play with your grandfather, your grandmother, your parents,
your son, daughter, and it's such a beautiful sport that
I'm glad that people are starting to see the different
forms of golf and that it's not only in like
(32:53):
the eighteen whole country club golf that people are seeing.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
All right, So we like to end every episode with
the lightning Round. It's just five questions. We'll bounce it
back and forth. Just say whatever you know pops into
your head. What's the best piece of advice you've ever
received on deal making or business?
Speaker 1 (33:19):
I mean, obviously when people say trust or gut, I
think that's extremely important. I do a lot of angel investing.
Someone told me it's all about the founder. It's all
about the CEO. It's not about the idea. It's about
the CEO. If you only get so hooked on the
idea but you're unsure about the CEO, it never really
ends up well because with early stage investing, the idea
(33:42):
changes all the time, and it really it centers around
how good of a CEO you are, how good of
a founder you are. I've learned to trust my gut
more on the founder slash CEO of the team rather
than the singular idea.
Speaker 4 (34:00):
Your dream deal making partner.
Speaker 1 (34:03):
Actually, I started working with Patrick coff and Co. Which
is a company that really helped athletes with their deals.
So they've been a really great partner with me so far.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
That's a good one. I was going to shout out
our buddy Mark, Patrick Coffay, this is over, so I'm
glad you mentioned them. All right, what team do you
want to see win a championship more than any.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
I'm in the Warriors.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Yeah, okay, good answer. That's good for Voks. Okay, that's
to go to the Valkyriz of course, the newest team
in the WNBA.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
All right, Michelle, what's your hype song before a big
meeting or a big negotiation?
Speaker 1 (34:37):
Oh right now the very moment. The song that I've
listened to the most and it kind of gets me
hyped is Steeveslama Chicken from Minecraft.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
What's your advice for someone listening who wants a career
like yours, which, by the way, you have a singular career,
but if they want to sort of make a transition
to business like you have so successfully.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
For me, deciding to retire as a very personal decision.
But I think I was so happy with decision because
I felt so right. I would say, don't rush into it,
don't be so fixated on your feeling right now. I
think there's so many times in my career where I
wanted to quit just because that moment was so hurtful
(35:19):
or so tough. When I actually decided to retire, it
was such a calm decision, non emotional. When you can
get to that place, I think then that's the right
moment to make a decision.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
All right, well, Michelle we West. This has been such
a treat for us. You've been on our list for
a long time, so I'm glad we finally made it happen.
We really appreciate your time. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
The Deal is hosted by Alex Rodriguez and me Jason Kelly.
This episode was made by animaz Iracus, 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 Nonham. Sage Bauman is the head of Bloomberg Podcasts.
(36:16):
Additional support from Rachel Carnivale and Elena Los 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 Jason Kelly alongside Alex Rodriguez.
Coming up on the show Michelle Wee West, legendary golfer.
She is a fierce business person as well. We're going
to talk about some of the deals that she's been
doing of late. But first of all, Partner, congratulations, this
is it. You did it. I mean, this is the
first time we're talking on our show about the fact
(00:33):
that you and Mark Lori closed your deal to buy
the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Minnesota Lynx. How are you feeling,
I mean, what a journey.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Well, thank you, partner, and look, I'm very very happy
and even more relieved. It's been a long time coming,
so grateful for this opportunity. When the decision came, it
was like waiting for this for like months and months
and months. It was probably the most nervous I've ever
been and couldn't be happier and really excited for are
both of our teams and the fan base here has
(01:02):
been really supportive and we're excited to dig in.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Yeah, I'm talking to you. You're in Minneapolis this week.
Big game for the Links which will be decided by
the time folks listening to this the Commissioner's Cup. I mean,
talk about the Links for a second. You're the governor
of that team. Now, this is a juggernaut team in
the history of the w They won the most titles
the FISA. Collier obviously is one of the standout players
(01:27):
in the entire league. What a moment, not just for
that team their success this season, but historically. You've got
a franchise that truly is one of the signature clubs
in the W.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
And when I think about that, Jason, I think about
our great leader. You know, Cheryl Reeves has been here
for over fifteen years. She has four titles, she coached
in the Olympics. We have this incredible, incredible sticky fan
base that just loves their team, and Links fans are different.
They're used to winning. They're a bit almost spoiled, right
with four titles. They almost won another one last year.
(02:00):
And you have an officia Collier who could be the
MVP this year. And it's really really exciting. I'm really
excited to see what this year has. But they haven't rolling,
and they've been rolling all year.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Yeah, of course this comes on the heels of an
announcement earlier this week, three new franchises coming to the WNBA,
the expansion fee a record two hundred and fifty million.
That's five times more than the Valkyries, who are seen
as a very successful expansion team commanded in terms of
an expansion fee, So clearly a very good business to
(02:30):
be in. Flipping over to the Timberwolves and really to
the macro of it all, I would love for you
to take me and to take our listeners inside, like
you were nervous leading up to it. What's it like
when you actually like you're signing to become an owner.
I mean, this is a generationally impactful and meaningful moment
(02:53):
for you, for your family, all of it. Like, what
does it feel like?
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (02:59):
Look, I think Mark and I we were like ten
year olds waiting for our parents to say, yes, you
can go out for the weekend.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
Yeah, and go get an ice cream.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
I mean we're literally waiting by the phone with so
much anxiety and stress because ultimately, Jason, you don't know right.
You think you have a good case, but the arbiters
can decide one way or another, and you just really
never know. But you know, Mark and I both look,
I come from nothing, and when you come from nothing,
you appreciate everything. So obviously there is like a real,
real dream come true for both of us.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
I mean, we're both from New York.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
We always dreamed of being a part of an ownership
group and to have this moment and the responsibility. The
real stakeholders of these franchises are the fan base here
and we're lucky enough to have the financial wherewithal to
be able to steward these two franchises, and we both
feel very happy and grateful for the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
I saw a great post that you had on Instagram
of getting a call for being drafted and making a call.
I mean, it's a cool split screen to see, but
what a split screen to live. There are only a
couple other people who've ever been able to do that,
Michael Jordan being another one to make that call knowing
(04:12):
what it feels like to have your life changed on
the other side. Tell me about that.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Yeah, it's funny, Jason, because when you saw the draft
this year, there was an incredible amount of emotion with
all the young players, and you see the tears, and
you see the gratitude and appreciation and that this belief
with their families, with their partners, you know, whoever's there
with them. And I remember getting that call in nineteen
ninety three and having the same exact emotions. I mean,
(04:38):
here I am. A few years before that, I saw
a mom, you know, collecting food stamps because she was
a single mother. And here I am getting a million
dollar signing bonus. I thought it was like all the
money in the world, and it was and it still is.
And to make that call now and hear the emotion
on the other side when you talk to these young players.
We drafted two kids, both over seven feet, both eighteen
(04:58):
years old, and I there, I was an eighteen year
old at the Kingdome playing for Loopanela and playing in
front of Can Grifford Junior.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
And boy, I tell.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
You what a world went to in thirty years To
be able to do that and make somebody else stream
come true is pretty awesome.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
And so as you think about even the next few weeks,
there's a sense of you are working literally for years
to get this particular deal done, but what comes after
the deal is often the most interesting but some of
the most challenging stuff. So what's on your mind? What
are you and Mark sort of saying to each other,
as you know, you're in season with the Links, now
(05:36):
you're about to go to summer league in a few
weeks with the Wolves, Like I'm sure you're talking like
ten times a day, Like what are those conversations?
Speaker 4 (05:43):
Like, yeah, I just hung up with them.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Actually, look, I think Jason, we have the great luxury
that Mark and I try to get our MBA on
the NBA for the last four years in this ownership transfer,
and we were allowed to run basketball basically for the
last four years.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
One of the movie as we made early on was bringing.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
In Tim Conley, and then Tim Conley brought a world
class team around him.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
And that's worked out pretty well.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
We've gone to back to back final fours Western Conference Finals.
We've come up short of our goal, but we want
to copy and paste that same exact philosophy bringing a
world class leader on the business side, and hopefully we
can have similar results.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Well. Meanwhile, in the NBA, you and Mark are now
governors of that league. The biggest headline in the NBA,
maybe the biggest headline in sports over the past couple
of years, has happened since we were on these mics together,
which is Los Angeles Lakers, perhaps the most iconic franchise
in all of sports, certainly in the top three, top
(06:41):
five sales for evaluation of ten billion dollars. It's an
amazing moment, not just because of the number, but because
of what Jerry Buss and his family have meant to
the league. This was someone you knew. You know Jeannie well,
she's a partner in the league. Obviously, what was your
reaction to that news of an ownership change, and of
(07:04):
course Mark Walter, well known for Guggenheim and the champion
Los Angeles Dodgers, taking over that franchise, what was your
immediate reaction?
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Well, I think my first thought was why would the
great doctor Buss be thinking right now?
Speaker 4 (07:16):
And how proud he is of his six children.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
And obviously Geny Buss has just done an incredible job,
you know, steward of that great franchise who learned under
Doctor Bus. My daughters are huge fans of Geny Buss
and they hope to one day, you know, follow her footsteps.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
Look, the NBA is just an incredible global league.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
And what really makes me happy about this transaction for
the Bus family and Geenie is that they're handing it
off to an incredible business person who has a world
class track record.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Look what he's done with the Dodgers.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
The Dodgers operate like an NFL team, almost like the
Dallas Cowboys. So if you're a Lakers fan, you're in
good hands. And good news for the Lakers is that
it looks Jeanie Buss is still going to stay on
as governor for at least a few more years. And
the Lakers are one of the most powerful franchises in
all the sports, not domestically but around the world.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
And I was just as shocked as you when I
got the news, Jason, I was like what, And I
think that was a reaction for many fans around the world.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Yeah, our tech thread was a series of expletives, I believe. Yeah,
so as I'm sure yours were. You know, my phone
was blowing up, just because you know, in the world
of business, and again, it's not just about the number,
it's about the fact that there was a trade in
the parliaance of deal making that really just knocked people's
socks off. Interestingly, our guest on today's show has a
(08:43):
connection to the Los Angeles Lakers, Michelle Wee West. The
West is her married name. Her husband, Johnny, works for
the Golden State Warriors. Her father in law was the
late Jerry West the logo and obviously made his name
with the Lakers and did so much for that franchise
and for basketball. Meanwhile, Michelle Wee before she was Michelle
(09:05):
Wee West, completely changed the game of golf. I mean
really brought women's golf I think to the four. She
has since become an incredibly influential and powerful deal maker
in her own right and has really expanded her remit
a lot around sports. She became an investor in Together.
I love golf. I love watching her and her career
(09:28):
and what she's done. So I know you were excited
about this one as well as I was.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Yeah, I mean, look, she's an extraordinary young woman. This
is one that I'm going to tell my daughters. You
have to listen to this episode.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
It was a great conversation. We're excited for you to
listen to it. Coming up, Michelle we West. We are
so excited today to have none other than Michelle Wee
(10:01):
West with us. Michelle. Awesome to have.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
You here, Thank you, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
All right, So, you are just like exactly the type
of person we love to talk to on this show,
an incredible athlete who has really excelled in her business
endeavors so far. But I want to take you back
to one of your first big business decisions if we can,
which is something you have in common with my friend here, Alex.
(10:27):
Alex signed with Nike when he was seventeen, and people
don't usually get in one stuff like this, but you've
got him. You signed at fifteen. Walk us through that deal, Like,
what was going through your mind? Is that all happens?
I mean, this is obviously an iconic brand. Walk us
through that.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Yeah. I mean, to be honest, I really wasn't too
involved with that. I mean, as you expect a fifteen
year old, I really had no interest in, you know,
learning about the business. I wish I wish I did.
In hindsight, you know, I was very fortunate that my
my parents, you know, were really good with money. My
dad was a math major, statistics major, you know, taught
(11:07):
statistics at a university, so he was very numbers based
and was very protective of my legacy and my time
and everything. And for me, I just wanted to play golf.
And it was funny because back in the day, I
don't remember that MTV show My Sweet Sixteen, where they
had this like lavish birthday parties for sixteen year olds,
and I was so obsessed with it. I was like, Okay,
(11:28):
it'd be really cool if I turned pro on my
sixteenth birthday. I did a big press conference and I
did a whole thing.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
The all I really wanted was that.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
And in terms of you know, the the technicalities of
the contract. You know I had signed with w ME,
I was a Jill Smoller powerhouse of his agent, so
I was very, yeah, very well protected in that space.
So I just I just to full trust and really
trusted my parents, really trusted my agent and my agency,
and you know, I think they had my back. I
(11:57):
think I signed a pretty good deal. But when I
was I really tried to separate myself from the money
aspect of it because I never wanted it to feel
like that. And in golf very different from team sports.
You pay for everything upfront. You pay for your flights,
you pay sometimes for your caddy flights when they're international,
(12:18):
your PT, your trainer, you know, your support staff that
are coming with you. A lot of times you know
every week that was my parents, you know, your hotel room.
And when you start to think about money, it really
starts to mess with your head. And there was like
a short period of time when I was playing I
would start thinking about that. When I was like missing
cuts and playing really poorly, I was like, oh my god,
(12:39):
I'm in the red every single week, and it just
it makes you not Playwall. It makes you feel like
it's a job and whatnot. And I felt like I
played my best when I just separated the two and
I played because I wanted to play Wall. I wanted
to win. I wanted to feel the feeling of that,
and not because of the money aspect of it. And
of course I was very fortunate and some amazing deals
(13:01):
with some amazing companies. But I really try to separate
the two when I was playing.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
So Michelle, I love that, and our audience just loves
this kind of nuanced stuff, right, you just mentioned this
is totally different than team sports. I couldn't think of
paying for a team flight or uniforms or like caddies
like bat boys just come with us.
Speaker 4 (13:20):
They just show up.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
When you think about when you first started, you mentioned
being on the Red, how much of an investment upfront
do you have to make and how much do you.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
Have to make to be in the on the black.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Yeah, that's a great question. You know, my parents, obviously,
you know, we're very middle class. My dad was, you know,
a professor, my mom was a realtor. And you know,
I was very fortunate because time wise, my parents were
very flexible and being able to spend time with me
their time, which is so important. My mom can make
her own hours. My dad had spring break and all
(13:53):
the summer off. So I was very fortunate in that sense,
with you know, obviously time being wealth and my parents
being able to so much o their time with me,
you know, but money wise, another factor of it was
that I grew up in Hawaii, and you know, to
play in tournaments, it's not just a quick drive here
and there. It's not like I was born living in
southern California and I could play in all the tournaments.
(14:14):
I could just get in a car and drive to Nevada,
drive to Scott Still, drive to the Bay Area. It's
a five hour substantial air flight to play in these tournaments.
But early on, you know, I contribute a lot of
my success to you know, we call in Hawaii, like,
you know, everyone is aunts and uncle and you know,
even though you're not family. And I acquired a lot
(14:36):
of amazing antias and uncles you know in Hawaii who
you know, paid for my course fees. I had a
lot of support from you know, my people in Hawaii,
and that's kind of why I kind of started this
strange career path in terms of playing in PGA Tour
events when I was fourteen, and then qualified for LPG
(14:59):
events when I would I was twelve. And I think
a lot of that contributed to the financial aspect of it.
I was just trying to find tournaments on island. Sony
Open happened ten minutes for my house. And you know,
when I was twelve, I had already won the largest
woman's amateur event, the most prestigious women's amor event in
(15:21):
Hawaii by thirteen strokes.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Yeah, Like, where do you go from there? Right? And
I'm like, okay, within that small space. Then I started
playing in men's events, and then I was like, oh,
why don't I play in the Sony Open that's ten
minutes for my house, it doesn't cost anything, Or why
don't I qualify for the Takefuji Classic, which was on
the Big Island when I was twelve. You know, I
qualify for the USJ pubpet Links when I was ten.
(15:45):
But you know, it's just it's so much money and
when you're playing those amateur events, you don't get anything back.
My parents, you know, they sacrifice so much for me
to get where I am. But you think about the
financial aspect of it, not because I did these things
to muster up the image or try to get a
bigger deal with Nike. It wasn't even that. It was
(16:07):
just pure I'm just trying to not be so much
in the red yeah, you know, trying to find tournaments
local and that ended up being I guess the PGA
tor event, which is the Sony Open, which is kind
of wild to think about.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
What were you thinking about at the time. Did it
just feel like, well, this is what I'm doing. Did
it feel as radical as it you know read to
the rest of the world.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
No, I meant me, this is like my fourteen year
old self thinking this was like you know, I was
I played on the boys baseball team and literally I
was the only girl. I made the All Star team,
and I was like, this is just like that.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
Yeah, and so at that point, I mean I'd love to.
I mean, Alex is a very good golfer. I am
a very poor golfer, but we both love the game.
I mean, talk to us about golf and the business
of golf when you came in and then maybe fast
forward to where we are today for both the overall
game and especially for women's game.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Yeah. You know what's so amazing about golf is that
it really opens the doors for you to play with
CEOs and high executives. And already when I was ten, eleven, twelve,
I was playing with the most influential people in Hawaii
just because they wanted to play with this kid who's
like really good at golf, and you know, we would
(17:23):
you know, have some friendly games, money betting games, and
ended up acquiring a big stack of cash, which I
was like, I'm going to save this money to buy
my first car. That's just so powerful about the game
of golf, and I get so passionate about getting more
girls of color into the game of golf, just because
there's no other sport that connects you to the most
(17:44):
powerful people in the world.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
So, Michelle, I just want to follow up on that
I mean, that is an interesting concept. If someone so young,
you're a female, you're still in college, and you're playing
with some of the most successful CEOs, as you said,
in the world. What point in those eighteen holes do
you know I may have some traction here?
Speaker 4 (18:05):
Is it? You know? The back now?
Speaker 3 (18:06):
And do you sometimes kind of misread it like oh
my god, I'm gonna get a deal here and you
get nothing. And sometimes you think, oh this was quite
pedestrian and you get a big deal.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
Has that ever happened? And when do you know?
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I don't think it's
so specific like that. But you know, I think the
world everything is about connections and making human connections with people.
And you know, I've been very fortunate in my life,
and I think, you know, I think golf is so
different from other sports, like even like baseball or football
or basketball. You know, when you're signed with a company,
(18:38):
you're not going out. The CEO is not playing a
sport like let's say, you know, they sign a really
famous football player. These CEOs are not just being like, hey,
let's just pad up and let's play football. Agains see
each other, right, They don't get these like organic experiences,
whereas golf you're spending five hours of like meaningful connecting
time with these top CEOs and it's I think it's
(19:00):
extremely powerful. But it's gotten me some in some very
interesting rooms and feel very blessed about that.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
And what do you think about sort of the state
of the game now, Michelle, I mean, it feels like
we're at this fascinating moment for both the men's tours
and the women's game as well. You know, we've had
changeovers in leadership across the board. As you look at
the state of golf, you know, as someone who obviously
played it at the very highest level and someone who
(19:27):
cares about the game, Like, what do you make of
it at the moment?
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Yeah, I mean I think the men's side. On the
women's side, you know, they have some connecting past, but
I think the women's side, I'm extremely excited about the
new leadership. You know, our persons are getting bigger on
our tour, we're getting better viewership. I still think there's
a lot that needs to be done to give these
girls what they deserve in terms of you know, media
(19:52):
attention and viewership on broadcast. You know, on the men's side,
it's definitely a little messier right now, and I think
they're trying to find their way. But yeah, I think
it's an exciting time for both men and women. There's
a lot of change going on. There's a lot of
competition going on, especially on the men's side in terms
of leagues, and when that happens, I always think there's
(20:12):
a net positive at the end of it.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
It also feels like, even more broadly, that the game
is like gaining steam. I mean you think about I
know you're involved with TGL as an owner. We got
a chance to interview Mike McCarley on this show. I
was able to see one of the matches live and
in person. What attracted you to that is a deal
(20:35):
in terms of growing the game, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
I was very intrigued from the moment I heard about
TGL when they were incorporating the amount of technology that
they are with simulator golf and know all sorts of technology.
I love the aspect of bringing the game indoors into
an arena. I think that's kind of like one thing
that golf is so great about. But in terms of spectatorship,
(21:03):
live spectatorship, it's hard. It's hard as a spectator to
go out to the golf course, you know, especially in
the summer when it's hot, to follow your favorite golfer
four five hours walking. I think bringing it indoors brings
the more casual viewership, more casual spectator into the game.
With the rise of top golf and golf simulators all
(21:24):
over the country, I think it just really brings on
a fun new twist to the game. And went to
one TJ match live and I was so impressed. I
was blown away. I think the tunnel is such a
fun idea. It kind of brings in the fun aspects
of like NBA, NFL, like that energy into golf, which
I think is is so refreshing. I think TJL is
a great supplement to you know, quote unquote real grass golf.
(21:49):
I think it's just a really fun way that you
can see teen sport and professional golf and see these guys'
personalities and see the technology is pretty cool. I'm excited
about it.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
And Michelle, you talked about how happy you are with
where women's golf is today, but just wondering, obviously there's
always a ways to go into everything. When you think
about if there's one or two things that you can
do to improve the game and make it better.
Speaker 4 (22:15):
What would be those two things?
Speaker 1 (22:17):
I'm gonna make it And I can go on and
on about this. Yeah, I think that the TV quality,
the broadcast quality of our tournament needs to get a
lot better. And that means more cameras on site, more
on screen technology, more. And this is my second point,
(22:38):
which I'm going to bacon into one is better statistics.
You know, on our tour, the caddies still write down statistics,
starts gained and all that. They still manually write it
down instead of it being automated, and you know, and whatnot,
and that you know comes hand in hand with sports vetting,
(22:58):
and you know, obviously people have their views on that whatnot,
but it is a fact that sports betting does drive
viewership in terms of people who watch sports, and when
we don't have really accurate statistics, it's hard for people
to get into sports betting, which obviously, again, like you know,
(23:19):
that's a very controversial topic. But I do think that
we need to work on our broadcast quality in terms
of number of cameras on site. You know, I believe
that the men have you know, more than tripled amount
of cameras that are on site, so they cut to
(23:40):
a lot of places. I think it just came out
that a lot of stuff isn't really live anymore. They
just cut to the best shots, and it just produces
so much more drama, so much more excitement. Were our tour,
you know, you have maybe one camera following the lead
group or a couple cameras based around the golf course,
(24:00):
and you know, our players look slower to the TV
viewer because one camera is just following one player a
lot longer instead of cutting back and forth. And people,
especially nowadays, what they're you know, our lack of attention span.
You know, we need that better cutting back and forth. So,
you know, I think if we can increase our broadcast quality,
(24:24):
I think our viewership will also rise. And I think
if we have better statistics, I think the people who
are talking about our game will have more stats to
back it up with instead of being like, oh, Nellie
Court is a really great player and you're like why,
and you're like, well, cause she is, you know, you know, like,
(24:44):
I think statistics really help in that sense, which I
think we are going in the right direction, and I
think that's just really helpful in viewership as well too.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Well, it's interesting to think about that in the context
of one of your latest deals, Michelle, which is partnering
up with Together, who famously has everyone watches women's sports
their T shirt, their iconic shirt. Super Bird was a
guest on this show and talked a lot to us
about sort of the origin story there. I mean, it
does seem like what you're saying, and correct me if
(25:16):
I'm wrong. Is there is proof out that there's increasing
proof out there that if the quality of the broadcast
is good, if the quality the content is good and
it's available, people will watch it. People will watch women's sports.
Was that part of the idea that you wanted to
get involved with Together? What was the sort of impetus
for you getting involved with them?
Speaker 1 (25:35):
Yeah. I have been a very big fan of Together
for a while since say kind of came out, since
the origin. I just saw how beautifully their storytelling was.
I thought the different aspects of you know, reporting the
news is one thing, but also storytelling the athlete behind
the moment, the moments leading up to the moment, I
(25:57):
thought were so beautifully done. You know, obviously a big
fan of you know, all the og Together crew. Alex Chloe, Sue,
you know, all of them. And I've gotten pretty close
with Alex and her husband Servondo, and you know.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
They are sorry Alex Morgan, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
Alex Morgan, yeah, yeah, and her husband, Sirvondo, And you know,
we've just been talking a lot about golf and been
noticing on their content. You know, they're very heavy into
you know, WNDA and soccer and sports that they know
really well, and you know, they wanted to expand into golf,
and we just started talking and obviously I'm very passionate
about women's golf and furthering that, so just it was
(26:36):
a perfect fit.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
By the way, Alex, I love the idea that they're like,
oh god, wish we could get into women's golf. Who
could help us get into Oh, I mean maybe Michelle
Lee West. I mean that would that be the ver
and the idea that you were interested, I mean, that
is a that is that's a dream matchup. It feels
like I imagine they were receptive when you when you
first had that conversation, and.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
No, you know, I just was honored that they were
even thinking of me or came to me. But yeah,
it's been really cool to see, you know how excited
there are about, you know, learning about golf in general.
I think a lot of the people that are working
on the social side of you know, together are getting
really into golf in general, which is what we want
the casual viewership to go up right, And we have
(27:21):
a very amazing nation women's golf where the people that
are excited about women's golf are really excited about women's golf, right.
But I think, you know, kind of incorporating the casual viewers,
the casual golf viewers, not just even men or women.
I'm not even going to go gender. I'm just talking
about the casual golfer, the top golfer, the people who
go to putt putt or pop stroke. You know, we
(27:41):
want those viewers to get excited about women's golf.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
So, Michelle, I want to transition a little bit. You know,
when you think about athletes and entrepreneurs, mentorship is such
a big component of it. And you have some royalty
around you. Obviously your mother played golf ever since you
were you know, basically born. But then you're married to
Johnny West, who works with the Warriors, and his father's
the late great Jerry West, who was a friend and
(28:19):
a mentor of mine and also known as the logo
in the NBA. Is there anything that you feel that
you've learned from both of them? Maybe start with your
mother that has really helped shape your career and anything
from the late Jerry West that you learned that you
still carry today.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Oh for sure. You know, First, I think the lessons
that I learned from my mom. You know, she was
Miss Korea, she was a dancer, played golf. I think
from her, I learned it was okay to be different,
it was okay to have passions, and you know, I
think when you look at my mom and my dad.
(28:57):
My dad came from a very traditional educational family, went
down the PhD route, became a professor. My mom, when
I hear of her childhood, it was you know, very unique,
very different. You know, she would skip school to go
to dance class, and you know, she was in pageants
and she was a kid and traveled the world and
dedicated her passion to that. And also my mom's younger
(29:21):
brother was a professional bowler and fun fact, I think
he won the gold medal when he was thirteen as
as a bowler. Oh yeah, so I know. So it's
like it's very split between my dad's side of the family,
who's all PhDs, all doctors, and my mom's side of family,
who's in the you know, the arts and the sports.
So my mom always kind of told me to dream big,
(29:42):
to look at things bigger, to not put yourself in
a category. And then you know, you know, meeting my
husband and you know, his family, it was amazing to
spend time with Jerry and to witness the passion you know,
even I obviously I did not know him when he played,
and I've only known him in his kind of post
(30:04):
playing career. It's just it was amazing to see his
passion in not only furthering the sport, but like players
as well. And you know, when you talk about mentorship,
I don't think there was anyone better at mentoring than
my father in law. He would spend hours a day
talking to players who either came to him or for
(30:28):
advice about what should I do about post retirement? How
do I get past this injury? I'm in a mental funk.
What do I do? He just left the door so
open for so many players to reach out to him,
which I really I was so impressed with.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
I did want to end with this notion of what's
happening in golf because you mentioned something really interesting, Michelle,
which is this idea that it feels like And maybe
it's because I'm super into golf right now, but like
my twenty two year old's really into it, My twenty
year old is really into it, my seven year old
daughter is like has her like little junior clubs, like
sub junior clubs. It does feel like golf is having
(31:07):
a moment, and part of it does feel like it's
driven by social media, by people sort of seeing you know,
for lack of better term, people who they like and respect,
people who they identify with playing. How does that continue
and how do you accelerate that. Maybe that gets into
some of the work you're doing with together.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
Sure, I mean, I think it's amazing to see the
actual numbers go up every year about the number of
kids that get into sport. And I think I have
to give a lot of kudos to the creators that
are in golf. You know, the YouTube golf. I need
to learn more about YouTube. I'm not cool enough to
learn about it, but it's incredible, like the followings that
these people have. But like I go saying, you know,
(31:50):
we need to get more casual viewers into the game
of golf. And that's what I love about TGL as well,
is that there are so many different forms of golf.
When people use to think about what golf was, it
was this very narrow viewpoint of what golf is, which
is country club, stuffy, old white, and I think that
(32:10):
a the creators are changing that mentality. I think TGL
is changing that mentality. I think social media, like you said,
my husband said a really interesting point yesterday. I get
He read in an article that if you are parents
at play golf and your kids play golf, you end
up spending eighteen percent more time with your kids if
your kids play golf, which I thought was so fascinating
(32:33):
and so cool. I think golf is one of the
rare sports that you can play multi generationally. You know,
you can play with your grandfather, your grandmother, your parents,
your son, daughter, and it's such a beautiful sport that
I'm glad that people are starting to see the different
forms of golf and that it's not only in like
(32:53):
the eighteen whole country club golf that people are seeing.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
All right, So we like to end every episode with
the lightning Round. It's just five questions. We'll bounce it
back and forth. Just say whatever you know pops into
your head. What's the best piece of advice you've ever
received on deal making or business?
Speaker 1 (33:19):
I mean, obviously when people say trust or gut, I
think that's extremely important. I do a lot of angel investing.
Someone told me it's all about the founder. It's all
about the CEO. It's not about the idea. It's about
the CEO. If you only get so hooked on the
idea but you're unsure about the CEO, it never really
ends up well because with early stage investing, the idea
(33:42):
changes all the time, and it really it centers around
how good of a CEO you are, how good of
a founder you are. I've learned to trust my gut
more on the founder slash CEO of the team rather
than the singular idea.
Speaker 4 (34:00):
Your dream deal making partner.
Speaker 1 (34:03):
Actually, I started working with Patrick coff and Co. Which
is a company that really helped athletes with their deals.
So they've been a really great partner with me so far.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
That's a good one. I was going to shout out
our buddy Mark, Patrick Coffay, this is over, so I'm
glad you mentioned them. All right, what team do you
want to see win a championship more than any.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
I'm in the Warriors.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Yeah, okay, good answer. That's good for Voks. Okay, that's
to go to the Valkyriz of course, the newest team
in the WNBA.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
All right, Michelle, what's your hype song before a big
meeting or a big negotiation?
Speaker 1 (34:37):
Oh right now the very moment. The song that I've
listened to the most and it kind of gets me
hyped is Steeveslama Chicken from Minecraft.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
What's your advice for someone listening who wants a career
like yours, which, by the way, you have a singular career,
but if they want to sort of make a transition
to business like you have so successfully.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
For me, deciding to retire as a very personal decision.
But I think I was so happy with decision because
I felt so right. I would say, don't rush into it,
don't be so fixated on your feeling right now. I
think there's so many times in my career where I
wanted to quit just because that moment was so hurtful
(35:19):
or so tough. When I actually decided to retire, it
was such a calm decision, non emotional. When you can
get to that place, I think then that's the right
moment to make a decision.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
All right, well, Michelle we West. This has been such
a treat for us. You've been on our list for
a long time, so I'm glad we finally made it happen.
We really appreciate your time. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
The Deal is hosted by Alex Rodriguez and me Jason Kelly.
This episode was made by animaz Iracus, 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 Nonham. Sage Bauman is the head of Bloomberg Podcasts.
(36:16):
Additional support from Rachel Carnivale and Elena Los 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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