H.Wood Homecoming Super Bowl Party by DraftKings Takes San Francisco by Storm

The Friday night event featured a concert by 50 Cent and was attended by several SI Swimsuit models.

Alix Earle / Vivien Killilea/Getty Images

This past weekend, several SI Swimsuit models flocked to San Francisco for an array of events leading up to Sunday’s Super Bowl showdown. In addition to Thursday evening’s Tight Ends and Friends celebration and Sports Illustrated’s The Party Presented by DraftKings on Saturday night, there were a number of other occasions in which SI Swimsuit models brought some incredible energy to the biggest football weekend of the year.

On Friday morning, DraftKings and Female Quotient hosted a brunch at One Hotel San Francisco, which several SI Swimsuit models and staff attended. In addition to a luxurious spread, guests were treated to a panel discussion featuring women in leadership positions across sports, business and gaming. Among the panel participants were Stephanie Sherman, CMO of DraftKings, and Shelley Zalis, founder and CEO of The Female Quotient.

During a conversation among Zalis, two–time Olympic medalist Michelle Kwan and Lara Abrash, chair of Deloitte US, the trio discussed how the future of women’s sports is being shaped in the current landscape. Kwan, who competed in the Winter Olympics in 1998 and 2002, reflected on the growth of women’s sports in recent years and how it is no longer seen as a “passion project.”

“We are here,” Kwan emphatically stated. “Women’s sports [are] here, which is so exciting. When you see, as we were talking about earlier, women’s soccer, you see WNBA, you see these ratings, women’s sports can actually fill the stands, generate revenue and bring in an incredible group of people.”

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Additional panel discussions featured meaningful conversations on the power of community, leadership and flag football. The brunch, with celebrity guests like Nikki and Brie Bella of the WWE in attendance, also included a selection of signature cocktails made with Smirnoff, including Bloody Marys, screwdrivers and espresso martinis. While mingling, guests were invited to make custom stadium bags, courtesy of Sheer Gear.

Custom stadium bag / Courtesy of The Female Quotient

FQ Lounge / Courtesy of The Female Quotient

Later that evening, DraftKings hosted a Homecoming concert in partnership with h.wood, which included special performances by 50 Cent, Kaytranada, DJ Pee .Wee and Zack Bia. The Los Angeles-based hospitality and lifestyle group is known for its annual Super Bowl party, which draws an incredible list of acts and A-list guests each year.

“ We’re kind of known as the leaders of that cross section of sports, music, entertainment and hospitality, and so Super Bowl is, for us, the pinnacle moment for that,” John Terzian, h.wood cofounder, tells SI Swimsuit of the major celebration.

Several SI Swimsuit models were in attendance during Saturday night’s DraftKings and h.wood event, including Katie Austin, Nicole Williams English, Alix Earle and Haley Kalil. Austin, who has posed for each annual SI Swimsuit Issue since 2021, says the event was an unforgettable one.

Kelsey Anderson, Katie Austin and Nicole Williams English / Courtesy of Katie Austin

“The [energy] was electric Friday night,” Austin says of the atmosphere on the evening of Feb. 6. “50 Cent is always an SI Swimsuit favorite to see. He performed at our launch party in New York City last year. [For this event], we had the front row table with the best view thanks to h.wood! Going to these parties together with the girls always makes for the most fun nights.”

Alix Earle / Vivien Killilea/Getty Images

Will Levis and Haley Kalil / Vivien Killilea/Getty Images

In addition to live music, great food and delicious drinks, guests were treated to several custom gifting opportunities, including engraved Meta Ray-Bans, customized Super Bowl x Draft Kings bomber jackets, cashmere beanies and custom socks. 

“We’re really customer centric at DraftKings, and so we really want to go wherever our customers are going,” Shawn Henley, Chief Customer Officer at DraftKings, says of bringing forth an unforgettable Super Bowl weekend experience. “And so as they become more interested in sports or gaming, clearly experiential is really big for us, and so we really view this as an opportunity to bring DraftKings to life and be the physical embodiment of our brand.”

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