San Francisco, CA
A new pro volleyball team wants in on San Francisco’s women’s sports boom
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Kelsey Robinson Cook is one of the most decorated American volleyball players of all time. An icon of the sport — a standout. Yet in her everyday life, she’s used to blending in.
That all changed the moment she stepped inside Rikki’s, a women’s sports bar in the Castro, where volleyball fans instantly recognized the three-time Olympic medalist.
It’s that enthusiastic, deep-rooted, and still-under-cover local passion for the sport that led League One Volleyball (LOVB) to bet on San Francisco. A new professional women’s sports franchise, LOVB SF is following Bay FC and the Golden State Valkyries into the market in January 2027.
“We have the bold ambition to be the Bay Area’s next great sports team,” newly appointed team president Stephanie Martin told The Standard.
After witnessing a Bay Area-based NWSL team and WNBA franchise launch in back-to-back years to record attendance numbers and instant cultural relevance, big aspirations are the norm amid a local women’s sports boom.
With roughly a year to go before LOVB SF takes the court, Martin, who also joined the team’s women-led ownership group, will spearhead the buildout of the franchise. With 15-plus years working in the local sports scene, Martin led marketing efforts for the 2013 America’s Cup and Super Bowl 50 and joined the LOVB executive team in 2023 before moving into her role with the San Francisco franchise in January.
Bay FC and the Valkyries set a lofty precedent, but they also offer a credible blueprint for Martin’s team to follow.
“Both of those organizations really understood that you want to be a part of the community first. You want to listen and engage with the community early,” said Martin, who is already planning a team-naming contest and a mascot-creation competition to engage local fans.
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Martin has sought advice from Valkyries president Jess Smith and Bay FC’s Founding Four (Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton, and Aly Wagner are all members of LOVB’s ownership group), who all knew the market was underserved.
“There has been such a demand for women’s sports here for so long that this fanbase is unparalleled,” Martin said. “It’s incredible to see it skyrocket.”
As LOVB SF’s ownership group sees it, the case for professional volleyball in San Francisco has already been written — just as it was for soccer and basketball.
The Bay Area has one of the strongest volleyball cultures in the country, anchored by Stanford’s dynasty (10 NCAA championships) and bolstered by successful programs at Saint Mary’s, the University of San Francisco, Santa Clara, and Cal. Youth volleyball clubs dot every corner of the region and adult recreational leagues fill courts across the city. By LOVB SF’s estimate, around 300,000 people play adult recreational volleyball in the Bay Area.
The team could host games anywhere, but LOVB SF is committed to playing matches inside San Francisco city limits.
“San Francisco is a place where volleyball has a really robust community already,” Martin said. “It’s a community that already cares about volleyball, understands it, understands the values of what it stands for.”
The team is scouting venues, targeting an arena that can hold 3,000 fans with the hope of growing into a larger, permanent home over time.
“You go to a Valkyries game and it’s the best time you could have. Bay FC games, same thing. It’s inviting, welcoming, and it’s a party. Those are the experiences we want to create,” Martin said.
As easy as Bay FC and the Valkyries might have made it look, launching a franchise and building a fan base is daunting. For Martin’s crew, it’ll be soup to nuts each day until the first match in 11 months. And for LOVB SF, there’s an added challenge.
If the NWSL and WNBA are young, 12 and 29 years old, respectively, then LOVB is a newborn. Only in its second season, LOVB doesn’t have an established fanbase. It does, however, have a media rights package that places matches on ESPN and USA Network and a content hub within Victory+, a streaming service that also airs NWSL games.
Without stars with household names — an element that has propelled both the WNBA and NWSL to massive recent growth — Martin and the ownership group know the lack of awareness around players represents LOVB SF’s biggest hurdle. That’s why they’re hosting weekly LOVB watch parties at Rikki’s and eager to connect future players with local youth clubs.
Martin is also confident that once people experience the action live, selling the product will be easy. Volleyball, she says, is uniquely electric because it’s fast-paced, highlight-heavy, and dramatic. Olympic viewership backs that up, too, as volleyball consistently ranks among the most-watched events.
To thrive in San Francisco and beyond, LOVB also must outpace its competitors as it’s one of three pro domestic volleyball leagues, in addition to the Pro Volleyball Federation and Athletes Unlimited. LOVB views its club-to-pro model as a differentiating quality that can make the league sustainable.
Several players came up through LOVB-affiliated clubs, training in the same gyms where they now compete at the highest level. The organization also works with high school athletes and their families to demystify recruiting, NIL deals, and career pathways in the sport, all to make volleyball feel less like a dead end and more like a viable profession.
That philosophy carries into how LOVB compensates players, who earn base salaries of $60,000, receive year-round healthcare, and live in housing provided by the league during the season.
“One of the things that gets me fired up is being part of a team that’s owned by women who have done it in their spaces … it’s going to create an environment that athletes want to play in, be a part of, and feel loyal to — to start and end their careers in San Francisco,” Robinson Cook, who played pro volleyball abroad for more than 12 years and is part of LOVB SF’s ownership group, said.
If LOVB SF succeeds, the next generation of local volleyball stars will be able to spend their entire careers in the United States. And it won’t just be Rikki’s where the top players are treated like celebrities.
San Francisco, CA
50 Beagles Rescued From Wisconsin Lab Arrive in Bay Area, SF Activist Faces Felony Charges
Animal rescue groups persuaded a Wisconsin breeding lab to sell 1,500 beagles after activists worked for a decade to free them, and 50 of the dogs arrived in the Bay Area Sunday. Meanwhile, an SF activist faces 12 years in prison for rescuing some of them prior to the deal.
Last month, several animal rights activists attempted to free 1,500 beagles at Wisconsin-based Ridglan Farms, the second-largest breeder of beagles for laboratories in the US, as KGO reported last week. Four activists, including Dean Guzman Wyrzykowski of San Francisco, were arrested during the rescue operation and charged with felonies, with up to 12 years in prison, according to a post by Wyrzykowski on social media.
“There are thousands of dogs just like her in laboratories across the country,” says Wyrzykowski, while holding the dog he’s accused of stealing.
Last week, animal rights group Big Dog Ranch Rescue, which is based in Florida, and DC-based Center for a Humane Economy made a confidential agreement with the lab to purchase the animals to be adopted out by rescue groups. Per KGO, well-known Berkeley activist Zoe Rosenberg, who brought one beagle named Chester home with her, was among the volunteers helping the dogs in Wisconsin after they were rescued.
As KGO reports, the Northern California Beagle Rescue Group brought 50 beagles to the Bay Area via school bus Sunday, and they’ll be adopting them out to homes in San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, and nearby cities once they’ve received veterinary care.
The dogs had likely never touched grass until after leaving the lab, and they’ve been slowly acclimating to their new lives. Some were reportedly malnourished and most had bad teeth and were in need of dental work.
“It was very emotional,” says Wendy Lansdon, a volunteer with Northern California Beagle Rescue, speaking to KGO about when the bus full of dogs first arrived in the Bay Area. “Some of them were really quiet when we got in there, some of them were happy, and the other ones were terrified.”
Prior to the dogs’ arrival, the Northern California Beagle Rescue Group announced on social media it was seeking foster home volunteers in Fremont, San Jose, and Sacramento — near where the beagles will be receiving veterinary care. The group is also requesting donations to help fund the dogs’ vet care.
According to the site Save the Dogs, activists had been pushing for the closure of Ridglan Farms for almost 10 years, as investigators, whistleblowers, veterinarians, and others worked to spread the word about the inhumane conditions of the lab, which stayed in operation for decades, despite being hit with hundreds of state-level cruelty violations.
“The dogs born there were treated as inventory: bred, confined, sold to research, disposed of,” says Save the Dogs.
Save the Dogs notes that activists are now targeting Marshall BioResources, the largest breeder of dogs for laboratories in the country, which has operations in New York and the United Kingdom.
Image: Northern California Beagle Rescue/Facebook
Division-leading Dodgers aim to snap home losing trend as they open series against the Giants in a matchup of NL West foes
After dropping their second straight home series over the weekend, the Los Angeles Dodgers head into Monday night’s series opener against the San Francisco Giants sitting atop the National League West Division standings, aiming to avenge a series loss to the Giants from two weeks ago. San Francisco has lost nine of its last 12 games overall and have dropped seven in a row on the road as they begin a 10-game road trip that will keep them away from home until Memorial Day Weekend. The Giants will start Trevor McDonald (1-0, 1.29 ERA) in his fourth start in the Majors while the Dodgers will counter with second-year Japanese import Roki Sasaki (1-3, 5.97 ERA) who has given up a home run in five consecutive outings.
How to Watch San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers:
Date: May 11, 2026
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
TV Channel: MLB Network
Location: Dodgers Stadium
Live Stream the San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers game on Fubo: Start watching now!
Dodger center fielder Andy Pages, who has helped Los Angeles claim World Series titles in each of his first two years in the Majors, leads the team this season hitting .333, ranking the 25-year-old Cuban third among all hitters in MLB. Pages is hitting .371 so far in May with five extra base hits and 10 RBIs and has successfully reached base in 13 of his last 14 games.
With nine hits in seven games so far this month, Giants second baseman Luis Arraez is hitting a team-leading .310 at the plate in 2026 and is on pace for his eighth career 100-hit campaign. Arraez is one of only two active players with a career batting average above .300, hitting .316 for his career and leads Houston’s Jose Altuve by 15 points.
What time is Giants vs Dodgers?
Coverage of the San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers starts Monday, May 11, at 10:00 p.m ET. Tune in to see if the Dodgers can beat the Giants for the fifth time in the last six games at Dodger Stadium or if San Francisco can beat LA for the fourth time in the last five head-to-head matchups.
What channel is the Giants vs Dodgers game on?
Looking to watch the game? Subscribers can tune to MLB Network to catch the action. Make sure you subscribe to Fubo now to watch this matchup at home or on the go with the Fubo TV app.
Watch the San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers game on Fubo: Start watching now!
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Happy Mother’s Day to all the McCoven who hopefully have better things to do than watch this dreadful baseball team. But if this is your chosen way of spending the day, then welcome, and may the Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the series for you.
Right-hander Tyler Mahle takes the mound for the Giants, as the veteran makes his eighth start of the year. He’s 1-4 on the season, with a 5.00 ERA, a 4.91 FIP, and 34 strikeouts to 18 walks in 36 innings. He was very strong his last time out, pitching 5.1 shutout innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.
For the Pirates, it’s right-hander Bubba Chandler, a 23-year old in his second season. In seven starts this year, Chandler is 1-4 with a 4.76 ERA, a 5.60 FIP, and 31 strikeouts to 26 walks in 34 innings. Chandler gave up two runs in five innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks in his last game. He has issued the most walks in the Major Leagues, so he’s probably foaming at the mouth to face the Giants, who apparently believe that drawing walks is a sin on par with murder.
Enjoy the game, everyone. Go Giants! Go moms!
Who: San Francisco Giants (15-24) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (22-18)
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM
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