The old sponsorship model was simple: Buy the assets, activate around the big moment, and move on.
Jessica Goldstein thinks that model is already outdated.
Live from the Marketing Vanguard stage at Brandweek 2026, Jenny Rooney sits down with Jessica, VP of partnerships and marketing solutions at the National Women’s Soccer League, to unpack why modern sports partnerships need to behave more like platforms.
They also discuss the value of building campaigns on athlete storytelling, fan behavior, consistent presence, and a role the audience can actually recognize.
What you’ll learn:
- Why athlete storytelling can turn individual players into gateways to broader fandom
- Why traditional sponsorship asset lists no longer create enough value on their own
- How 360 partnership strategies can connect live moments, content and fan behavior
- Why tentpoles need an always-on strategy around them to drive long-term value
- Why data should inform partnership strategy without pretending to make every decision for you
- How women’s sports can unlock categories and stories that traditional sports partnerships may not
This episode is part of a special vidcast series recorded live during Brandweek 2026 and presented in partnership with Tatari.
About our guest:
Jessica Goldstein is Vice President of Partnerships and Marketing Solutions at the NWSL, where she leads partnership strategy and marketing solutions for the league. Her work here primarily focuses on combining both sides of that experience: helping partners build stronger roles inside the league while using athlete storytelling, cultural crossover and long-term consistency to grow fandom around women’s soccer.
She has spent more than 20 years in sports, beginning at the NBA in production and entertainment before moving into brand marketing. Jessica later spent more than 11 years agency-side, where much of her work focused on sponsorship strategy and building women’s sports platforms for major brands.
Episode Highlights:
[03:19] Partnerships Can Actually Help Grow the Sport — Jessica points to Google’s women’s sports strategy as an example of what happens when a partner brings more than media dollars. Google entered the WNBA before doing an NBA deal and focused on accessibility and discoverability. That included helping move games onto ESPN and ABC. The lesson: the strongest sports partnerships can create value for the brand while also making the sport easier for fans to find and follow.
[05:19] Athlete Storytelling Is a Growth Strategy — For Jessica , building the NWSL means building the athletes too. The more fans understand a player’s personality, interests and story, the more likely they are to follow that athlete, notice when they are playing and eventually tune into matches. The goal is not to expect every new fan to immediately watch every game. It is to create enough connection that following the athlete becomes an entry point into following the league.
[06:57] Sports Fandom Is Bigger Than the Game — Jessica sees major opportunity in the crossover between sports, music, fashion, relationships and culture. Athletes show up at each other’s games. Fans follow what players wear, listen to and care about off the field. For the NWSL, that creates more storytelling territory than match results alone. Her point is that sports is culture, and brands that understand those intersections have far more ways to enter the conversation.
[09:03] The Asset-List Sponsorship Is Over — Jessica argues that sponsorship cannot be reduced to a menu of rights and assets anymore. Brands need broader platforms and 360 strategies that connect live events, content, media and different fan behaviors. Not every fan watches every match, especially younger audiences. So the partnership has to meet them across different touchpoints. The value comes from creating a connected role around the fandom, not simply checking off contracted assets.
