On the first day of training camp, linebacker Bobby Wagner has already added another accolade to his lengthy resume. This one, however, isn't football related.
"I'm a minority owner of the [WNBA's Seattle] Storm," Wagner said in his post-practice press conference. "I'm really excited to be part of the 'W' and the WNBA. I think it's a great time. I'm really excited to be a part of the growth and to stay connected to a community that I still love."
As attendance and viewership numbers have continued to tick up across the WNBA, Wagner, an ever-developing businessman set to earn his MBA from Howard this winter, seems to have identified a special opportunity.
With the announcement, the future Hall of Famer becomes the first active NFL player to have equity in a WNBA team. "Bobby is a hometown hero who has had immeasurable impact on the Seattle community," said Seattle Storm Co-Owner Lisa Brummel in a statement released by the team. "He shares our desire to grow the game and knows the value and importance of investing in women's sports. As we continue to build on the incredible legacy of the Storm franchise, we are excited to add Bobby's experience and expertise to the mix."
Conversations around becoming part of the Storm ownership group began several months ago, but the Super Bowl champion's interest in and admiration of the team goes back years.
"I watched them from afar playing in Seattle," Wagner said. "Obviously, what they were doing on the basketball court but the most impressive stuff for me was what they were doing off the court. All the initiative, all of the help. Anything in the community I would say they were the first to do it. I don't know if we said it enough, but they inspired our organization [the Seattle Seahawks] a lot, and so I'm really excited to be a part of an organization that has been inspiring me for a long time."
While his Storm ownership might be the most widely publicized move, the future Hall of Famer has also invested in women entrepreneurs and women-led funds that focus on sports and tech. In any business decision, insights from those with specific experience and wisdom can be helpful. When it came to joining the Storm ownership group, Wagner had a great resource in his corner: Magic Johnson, a part-owner of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks.
"He's been a really big mentor of mine," Wagner said. "He's helped out so much, so he's definitely a guy I ran this idea across before I made the decision, and you know, he was a huge help because he's obviously done it, he's done it at a high level."
The nudge to invest in women's sports in this particular way also came from another place, which Wagner made sure to add at the end of his Day 1 press conference.
"Kobe [Bryant] was a really big part of me doing that," Wagner said. "I watched what Kobe was doing for women's basketball and for the WNBA. Me being a fan and me being somebody that watched him and watched some of the business moves that he made, this was something that was important to me because it's almost like trying to pick up where he left off. Obviously, I'm not him whatsoever but, you know, I could do my part."
Like Bryant, Wagner has taken the personal and made it a catalyst for something larger that can impact millions.
"I think women's sports is amazing. I have daughters. I have sisters. And it's important to really be a part of change, and I want to be on the right side of change so you know Kobe's legacy is something that I take a lot of pride in…him being somebody that I looked up to, it's only right for me to try to do my part and continue that legacy."
