Vegas Marketing Group Signs WNBA Aces Players To $1.2M Pact, WNBA Takes Issue
Saturday, May 18, 2024 at 02:40PM By Barry Janoff
May 18, 2024: Calling it a “a first-of-its-kind” deal, — and urging them to "Just Play. Rep Vegas” — the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has signed a $1.2 million sponsorship deal covering each player on the WNBA two-time defending Las Vegas Aces.
The two-year sponsorship, which the LVCVA said it brokered directly with each player's agent, will offer a $100,000 per year deal to each active player for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
According to LVCVA, the official destination marketing organization of Southern Nevada, “The intentionally simple sponsorship agreement enables players to do what they do best, "Just Play. Rep Vegas."
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “Each player signed a contract to reach mutually agreeable opportunities for appearances on Las Vegas’ behalf. The LVCVA will also provide players with Las Vegas-centric gear that they will be expected to wear to promote the city.”
However, the "agreement has raised flags with the WNBA," according to ESPN.
"A league spokesperson confirmed to ESPN (today) that there is an open investigation looking into the deal with the Aces players."
"These players have put a national spotlight on Las Vegas,” Steve Hill, LVCVA president and CEO, said during a presentation at the Aces facility yesterday (May 17). “There are no better representatives for Las Vegas than these champion athletes,
“A first-of-its-kind sponsorship deal with the players directly creates a win for them and a win for our destination. This partnership builds on the current momentum of sports tourism and the popularity of women's professional sports."
The current active roster (as of May 18, 2024) includes: Kierstan Bell, Emma Cannon, Alysha Clark, Sydney Colson, Dyaisha Fair, Chelsea Gray, Megan Gustafson, Kate Martin, Kelsey Plum, Kiah Stokes, A'ja Wilson and Jackie Young.
The presentation was also attended by Aces owner Mark Davis, North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown and Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero.
Hill told the players, “We want to do something that is new, something I don't think anybody has ever done before. We want to recognize you individually, we want to put some money in your pockets.
“We've got an offer for you. We think it's a great offer for us. We hope you think it's a great offer for you. We'd like to offer each of you, individually, a sponsorship for this year in the amount of $100,000."
According to Hill, "The offer's really simple. We want you to just play. We want you to keep repping Las Vegas, and if you do a three-peat, that will be icing on the cake. That's it."
According to ESPN, “The sponsorship does not violate the WNBA's salary cap because the authority did not orchestrate the sponsorship with the club. . . . (But) such a deal likely would give the Aces a tremendous advantage in landing free agents if other teams are unable to match the offering.”
Earlier this week, the LVCVA board unanimously approved $1.2 million in sponsorship for the NBA Summer League — $600,000 each for the July 2025 and July 2026 sessions — and a $5 million sponsorship for WWE’s WrestleMania 41, scheduled for April 19-20 in Allegiant Stadium, home for the NFL Raiders, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The Aces as a team are on a roll.
They visited the White House on May 9, where they were honored for the 2023 WNBA championship, during which Vice-President Kamala Harris said, “You simply inspire people across our nation and around the world. Through your excellence, you show young leaders and young women leaders they can be and do anything.”
A’ja Wilson was just named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People of 2024” with a profile written by Tom Brady.
WNBA 2024 GM Survey: A’ja Wilson MVP, Caitlin Clark RoY
WWE WrestleMania 41: Viva Las Vegas
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