Women Changing the Sports Landscape for the Better
Women Changing the Sports Landscape for the Better
By Jake Weintraub
There are seldom times in history that are known to be catalytic while they are going on, but 2020 has certainly been one of those rare cases. Between the election cycle, the Coronavirus pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement taking on a new level of prevalence, this year has been one filled with societal changes the likes of which we may have never seen.
Additionally and importantly, according to the McKinsey Global Institute, job security for women has been 1.8 times more vulnerable to the COVID-19 Pandemic compared to male job security. To that point, women make up 39 percent of global employment but account for a staggering 54 percent of overall pandemic-related job losses. This is a problem.
However, with all these barriers and unjust realities, women continue to break through these glass ceilings in increased numbers. With the recent hiring of Kim Ng as the first female General Manager for a Major League Baseball team (Miami Marlins) making headlines, these strides are getting the attention that they inarguably deserve. Many other women have made similar advances into the sports industry, a field that has overwhelmingly been thought of as male-dominant in the past.
A few examples are Sarah Thomas as the first female NFL referee, Becky Hammon becoming the NBA’s first female assistant coach and Violet Palmer paving the way for female NBA referees. These advances have been coupled with increasingly hopeful, prideful and central voices of female athletes such as Naomi Osaka, Megan Rapinoe, and Serena Williams. With each breakthrough these and other women have made, more doors are opened to future women in sports that should have been opened a long time ago.
Becky Hammon in the huddle coaching up the San Antonio Spurs at a Summer League game.
As a nation, the United States has increasingly seen women actualizing their personal and professional potentials as more people see their contributions across all facets of business. As the Sports Business Association, the influence and impact of women in sports has never been more important.
With tomorrow’s panel on sports marketing featuring Krista Olsen (Senior Director, Red Peg Marketing) and Becca Valle (VP, Head of Marketing for the New York Knicks), one particular marketing campaign of note is Nike’s “Dream Crazier” advertisement. During the 60 second video narrated by Serena Williams, Nike calls on young women everywhere to push for a world in which men and women are given the same opportunities, specifically in sport. She challenges how the status quo of the sports industry in all phases has been associated with men and goes on to address the glass ceilings that have begun to be chipped away.
Serena Williams appears in Nike’s “Dream Crazier” campaign, calling on women everywhere to pursue their dreams.
Young women and girls with a passion for sports are encouraged to think their dreams are attainable, in contrast with outdated views of gender roles in sports. They can look forward to a future that gives everyone the same opportunities, regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation.
I am very excited to see this movement evolve and flourish now and into the future. Women have long deserved the same positions as men. As they get more and more opportunities, the sports industry will only be exposed to a wider variety of better, stronger and smarter ideas from a wider variety of people. Growth comes from different perspectives and the ideas that are formed by those differences. This is morally right, but that is not all. This movement will have a truly amazing role in the expansion and development of the sports industry as a whole. Bring it on!