LOVB Owner Chantell Preston Backs WNBA's Clark Strategy as 2027 Volleyball Expansion Nears
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 1
LOVB Owner Chantell Preston Backs WNBA's Clark Strategy as 2027 Volleyball Expansion Nears
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 1
Summary
Chantell Preston said the WNBA has "done a good job" handling Caitlin Clark's impact, arguing the league should build visibility around multiple stars rather than market only one player.
Clark still anchors the audience boom Preston was discussing: Fever-Sky on Aug. 23 averaged 3.31 million viewers and peaked at 3.82 million, the biggest regular-season WNBA audience since 1997.
Preston tied that view to investment logic, saying women's sports are a business opportunity rather than charity and that Clark's arrival has changed the WNBA's economic conversation.
LOVB is her next bet: the league launched in 2025 and plans expansion teams in Los Angeles, Miami, Minnesota and the San Francisco Bay Area for 2027, including Preston's San Francisco Signal.
Preston said volleyball's No. 1 ranking among U.S. girls' sports, Olympic viewership and aligned team-and-league ownership make it attractive, though she said long-term growth still depends on media and brand support.
Could the WNBA's attempt to shift the spotlight away from Caitlin Clark actually cost the league millions in untapped commercial growth?
Will League One Volleyball's unique dual-stake ownership model be the secret weapon that finally makes professional women's volleyball highly profitable?
Can the massive surge in ad spending transform women's sports from a fleeting cultural trend into a permanent, sustainable business empire?