LVSportsBiz Q and A: Las Vegas Aces President Nikki Fargas
By Cassandra Cousineau of LVSportsBiz.com
It’s been barely a month since Las Vegas Aces owner Mark Davis introduced Nikki Fargas as the new team president.
Appointing Fargas, whose most recent position was a decade spent as the LSU women’s basketball head coach, was a purposeful hire beyond the Xs and Os of the game. “We are going to do everything in our power to make our front office the best in the business, and provide our players with all the tools they need to bring a championship to Las Vegas,” Davis said during the press conference held in Allegiant Stadium where his Raiders play.
With most of the country making the pivot from pandemic protocols, professional sports have been more deliberate in their approach to fully embrace wide-opened, packed arenas. None more so than the WNBA. The league has yet to allow for capacity crowds around the country. Davis has refunded all Aces season ticket holders and allowed just those nearly 2,000 fans to attend games for now. When we spoke with Fargas, it was via Zoom to still observe COVID-19 protocols protecting the team and staff members.
In her position, Fargas is tasked with elevating the team’s marketing. She intends to reconnect fans with both familiar and new players competing to make good on Davis’ goal for WNBA gold this season. The Oakridge, Tennessee, native is a somewhat measured front office professional, but her competitive and coaching roots run deep. She has a pronounced and genuine passion for the players and the league they represent.
“When I made the decision to come here it was because I have a huge passion for the sport,” Fargas said at the start of the season, “But more importantly, I have a passion for our ability to be more than just a game. The impact that our players have had not just in the basketball community but society as a whole — I want to be a part of that.”
When LVSportsBiz.com spoke with Fargas this week, she had a full plate and continues to be highly motivated by a strong start to the season by the Aces and the WNBA as a whole.
LVSportsBiz: What do you attribute the increased WNBA viewership numbers to? Is it the availability on additional platforms this season, or is the league benefitting in some way from the 2020 bubble season in a previously unforeseen way?
Nikki Fargas: Women’s basketball has always been exciting to watch. We really do thank Cathy Englebert and her team for investing in our coverage. Look at ESPN, ABC, ESPN+ and the involvement of Google. We are making sure the next 25 years are even better than the first. People are excited to come back. The WNBA is here, even in the midst of a pandemic. We’ve also had amazing games so far, with overtime play, buzzer beaters, and it just has a playoff caliber feel already. I think the fans are really appreciating the quality of the product and the level of play.
I would also point to the coverage we’re getting through different platforms. The social media channels help send photos and videos viral so quickly. Our content is out there all of the time.
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LVSB:The women of the WNBA were at the forefront of social justice and specifically the Georgia senate race which ultimately worked to unseat the owner of the Atlanta Dream. A’ja Wilson and Liz Cambage while in Australia were the most vocal Aces on the subject. Whereas a lot of leagues and athletes tend to run from the fire, the women of the WNBA embrace it. How does activism benefit the marketing of the WNBA?
NF: Well, I support our players telling their stories the way they want to tell them. They connect with loved ones, and impact fans who have shared experiences. And it didn’t start and end in the [Bradenton] bubble. These young ladies were committed to fight for social justice to the extent that some opted out of the season. That’s a bold move. For the league to support that was very telling. We had 144 strong, beautiful women say “We’re going to stick together, and give them strength in numbers.”
Displaying the name of Breonna Taylor on their jersey and forcing people who were unaware to say her name, obviously brought awareness that was needed. They took that platform and created real change. They stood together as one. It’s not over in that there’s still many opportunities for us.
Think about it, 144 women altered the course of the American Republic! That has ramifications for other young women. That’s what I love about being a part of the W.
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LVSB: How does team owner, Mark Davis, support the player’s drive to be part of social change.
NF: Mark is also a change maker. The opportunities for someone like me who was a young girl, from a small town, to pick up a round ball and play a game has actually led to a life of work dedicated to advocacy. To be a woman in sports and have an owner who understands giving them the best creates meaningful longevity in their career, it’s really a unique position.
Mark is also dedicated to all of the resources needed to allow the Aces to compete for a championship. We’re going to have everything under one roof as part of the Al Davis-Eddie Robinson Leadership Academy. Staff, coaches, and players all will benefit from a beautiful training facility and offices making for a seamless team experience.
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LVSB: We all know there are many opportunities when it comes to marketing the league. Commissioner Englebert cited less than four percent of all media covers women’s sports and less than one percent of all corporate sponsorship dollars globally go to women’s sports. What’s going well for the Aces in that respect? What are some of the best assets for the team at the moment?
NF: The league has been very innovative. It’s a sports innovative league and that matters a great deal. So, I believe those numbers will continue to grow for the W as corporate partners see the value in partnering with us.
As for the Aces, our best assets are our players. It definitely helps when you have the reigning MVP in A’ja Wilson. Bill [Laimbeer] understands the talent on his roster. When we talk about what’s going well, I want people to understand we want Las Vegas to be the premier destination for players. We really are working hard to make that happen and it’s paying off. We have a winning culture that both Bill and Dan [Padover] have been building.
Our other asset is our alumni. This season we’ve introduced our alumni initiative celebrating those players who have paved the way. We value and respect all players who have been part of the Aces history going back to 1997.
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LVSB: Bill Foley, the owner of the Golden Knights, has publicly said he’d love to add Aces game to his calendar at the new Dollar Loan Center arena where the AHL Silver Knights will play in Henderson. How interested would the players be in moving from their home on The Strip at Mandalay Bay to the suburbs in Henderson? Have they discussed it at all?
NF: I will say MGM has been unbelievable as a partner. Being open to looking at all options that are out there, we want to make sure we provide the best for our players and opposing players. Thinking forward, there are conversations of us having our own arena.
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LVSB: The team has added several new players to the roster this season. In some ways, the fans have yet to even get to know them beyond the name on the jersey. What do you wish fans knew right now about the women who wear the Aces jersey?
NF: They’re women and they love what they do. They come in everyday to do their very best. They’re always striving to be the best they can be. They also have aspirations outside of basketball. They are very hopeful to be able to do those things while playing the game of basketball as well. These young ladies are in a year when they are going to be representing their country in the Olympics. Stay tuned and support them any way you can. The women who wear the Aces jersey are daughters, mothers, and friends. I want the fans to continue to support them as we all try to get back to normalcy; the players need that support too.
The Aces currently sit in the third spot in the WNBA standings. The team is back in action at the Michelob Ultra Arena on June 13 against the Dallas Wings.
