The Business Case For Women's Sports: Recent Episodes
Caroline Fitzgerald
Welcome to the GOALS podcast, The Business Case For Women's Sports, where we explore every corner of the women’s sports industry from the field to the front office. Hosted by Caroline Fitzgerald, this podcast features interviews with leaders in women's sports that dig into topics like data insights, marketing strategies, and sponsorship deals. We believe that it’s good business to invest in women’s sports, and our #GOAL is to prove it.
In episode 205 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Marianne Brooks, Vice President of Partnerships at Canada's Northern Super League (NSL).
As one of the league's earliest hires, Marianne has helped build the NSL from the ground up by helping drive the league’s growth through commercial partnerships.
In this episode, hear about:
- ⚽ How the Northern Super League went from an idea to one of the fastest-growing properties in women's sports
- 📈 Why Canada has become one of the most exciting growth markets in women's sports
- 🇨🇦 Why bringing professional women's soccer to Canada is strengthening the country's entire player development ecosystem
As Marianne explains, women's sports don't need to “clear a different bar” to earn investment – they simply need the opportunity to reach their potential.
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In episode 204 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Sabina Ahmed, Assistant Vice President of Sponsorships & Experiential at AT&T.
AT&T has been investing in women's sports for decades and became the WNBA's inaugural Changemaker partner back in 2019.
Now, as the league celebrates its 30th season, AT&T is once again taking center stage as the presenting sponsor of AT&T WNBA All-Star.
In this episode, hear about:
- 🏀 How AT&T is bringing WNBA All-Star to life for fans in Chicago and beyond
- 📱 Why the best sponsorships create experiences – not just brand visibility
- ✨ How a fan-first strategy builds stronger brands, deeper loyalty, and lasting business impact
As Sabina explains, the brands that will win in women's sports aren't just the ones that sponsor the game – they're the ones that create meaningful connections between fans, athletes, and the sports they love.
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In episode 203 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Charlotte North, one of the greatest players in the history of women's lacrosse.
A 3x world champion, NCAA national champion, and inaugural WLL champion, Charlotte shares her journey from discovering lacrosse in Texas to helping launch a new era of professional women's lacrosse.
Charlotte also opens up about recovering from a torn achilles, continuing to lead Team USA from the sidelines, and why she believes the WLL is built for long-term success.
In this episode, hear about:
- 🥍 Why the WLL is filling a critical gap in the professional lacrosse landscape
- 📺 How media coverage, broadcast partners, and visibility are accelerating the growth of women's lacrosse
- 📈 Why Charlotte believes women's lacrosse is one of the biggest investment opportunities in sports today
As Charlotte explains, there has never been a better time to invest in women's lacrosse – or women's sports.
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In episode 202 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Donna Orender, Commissioner and Co-Founder of UPSHOT, and Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Vice President of Basketball Operations, to discuss how they're building a new professional women's basketball league in the U.S.
Rather than competing with the existing women's basketball landscape, UPSHOT is filling a critical gap in the ecosystem by expanding opportunities, developing talent, and helping grow the sport from the ground up.
In this episode, hear about:
- 🏀 Why UPSHOT calls itself a "league of opportunity" and the gap it's filling in women's basketball
- ⚡️How creating more professional opportunities benefits athletes, coaches, communities, and the future of the game
- 📈 Why the growth of women's basketball is about abundance, not competition
Women's basketball doesn't need fewer opportunities – it needs more – and UPSHOT is helping create them.
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In episode 201 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Emmy Award-winning basketball analyst, broadcaster, entrepreneur, and one of the most respected voices in women's basketball, LaChina Robinson.
LaChina has been telling women’s basketball stories for two decades – stories that mainstream sports media has often overlooked.
Today, she reflects on the evolution of the sport, and how ultimately, visibility has changed everything.
In this episode, hear about:
- 🏀 Why the WNBA's success has been 30 years in the making – not something that happened “overnight”
- 📺 How greater media investment & visibility transformed women's basketball
- ✨ Why the stories of women athletes off of the court matter just as much as what happens on the court
As LaChina explains, investing in women's sports is ultimately an investment in women everywhere.
When we invest in women's sports, we're not just growing leagues – we're expanding what's possible for women across every industry.
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For a very special 200th episode of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Ali Riley, former captain of New Zealand's Women's National Team, Angel City FC legend, and current analyst for NWSL on Prime.
After a remarkable playing career that spanned five Women's World Cups, the Olympics, the NWSL, Europe, and international football, Ali has transitioned into media, where she's helping tell the stories driving the next era of growth in women's sports.
In this episode, hear about:
- ⚽ Why the NWSL's growth is being fueled by investment, visibility & player empowerment
- 📺 How Prime Video's comprehensive storytelling approach is helping deepen fan engagement & elevate the league
- 🎙 What it's really like transitioning from professional athlete to broadcaster & media personality
- 🚀 Why Ali believes the future of women's soccer is brighter than ever thanks to the next generation of players, leaders & fans
From the evolution of women's sports media to the business opportunity surrounding women's soccer, Ali shares an insider's perspective on one of the fastest-growing opportunities in sports.
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In episode 199 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Dr. Karli Richards, a podiatric surgeon, sports medicine specialist, and leading advocate for women's athlete health.
From women-specific cleats to injury prevention research, Dr. Richards is working to close some of the biggest gaps facing women athletes today – and helping ensure the next generation has the tools they need to perform at their highest level.
In this episode, hear about:
- 👟 Why women athletes need equipment designed specifically for their anatomy
- 📊 How the lack of research continues to impact injury prevention & athlete performance
- ⚽ How better equipment, education & sports science can help keep more athletes healthy and on the field
As Dr. Richards explains, keeping women athletes healthy isn't just the right thing to do – it's good for all of women’s sports.
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In episode 198 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Tracy Joyner, Head Women's Soccer Coach at the University of Oregon.
As a former professional soccer player and one of the fastest-rising coaches in college soccer, Coach Joyner has spent her career breaking barriers, building winning programs, and helping the next generation of women leaders thrive.
In this episode, hear about:
- ⚽️ Why women coaches play such a critical role in the women's sports ecosystem
- 🚧 The barriers that continue to prevent women from entering and staying in coaching careers
- 🤝 Why mentorship and women supporting women are essential to creating more opportunities in sports
From leadership and authenticity to confidence and career development, this conversation is filled with lessons for athletes, coaches, executives, and anyone looking to make an impact.
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In episode 197 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Sam Rapoport, one of the most influential leaders in football.
From creating the NFL Women's Forum to helping drive the explosive growth of girls' and women's flag football, Sam has spent her career breaking barriers and creating opportunities for women across the sport.
In this episode, hear about:
- 🏈 How the NFL Women's Forum helped transform the league's hiring pipeline for women
- 💡Why access – not talent – is often the biggest barrier facing women in sports leadership
- 📈 Why women's flag football may be one of the biggest growth opportunities in sports today
From NFL front offices to the Olympic movement, Sam shares what it takes to create lasting change – and why the future of women in football has never been brighter.
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In episode 196 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Matt Hong, the President of USA Sports.
From the WNBA and LOVB to the LPGA and the upcoming U.S. Women’s Open, presented by Ally, USA Sports is making major investments in women’s sports coverage – and seeing major returns.
In this episode, hear about:
- 📺 Why USA Sports is expanding its women’s sports coverage
- 🏀 How strategic “franchise” programming & promotion is key to making women’s sports more visible & accessible
- ⛳ Why women’s golf in particular has massive untapped audience potential
- 💡 Why Matt believes women’s sports have been historically undervalued
As women’s sports viewership continues to surge, Matt shares why USA Sports views women’s sports as one of the biggest growth properties in media today.
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In episode 195 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Suzanne McKenzie – Founder & CEO of Able Made, a responsible, sport-inspired lifestyle brand fusing soccer culture, elevated design, and social impact.
After losing her husband to sudden cardiac arrest while playing the game he loved, Suzanne created a youth soccer foundation in his honor – and launched Able Made to support it.
Able Made exists to empower city youth while proving that design can do as much good as it looks.
From rejecting “shrink it and pink it” design norms to building a brand rooted in both purpose and lifestyle, Suzanne is redefining what it means to operate at the intersection of sport, style, and social impact.
In this episode, hear from Suzanne on:
- 🫶 How Able Made is rethinking sports apparel through design, sustainability, and purpose
- ⚡️ Why authenticity and impact are key differentiators in today’s sports business landscape
- 🤝 How investing across the entire women’s sports ecosystem unlocks long-term growth
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In episode 194 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Jenny Nguyen, the CEO & Founder of The Sports Bra - which is the world’s first sports bar dedicated to women’s sports.
In 2026, The Sports Bra is entering its next era of growth with a new public investment campaign inviting fans to “Own A Piece of The Bra."
When The Sports Bra opened in 2022, there wasn’t a single bar in America dedicated exclusively to women’s sports.
Today, the brand is expanding nationally with franchise locations planned in Boston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, St. Louis, and Portland, Maine – and a vision for 40+ locations by 2030.
In this episode, hear about:
- 🍺 Why The Sports Bra launched its new investment campaign
- 📈 The company’s rapid growth from one Portland bar to a national franchise brand
- 💸 How fans can now become investors in the future of The Bra
- 🌎 Why women’s sports represent a major untapped hospitality opportunity
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In episode 193 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Ashima Chopra – Founder & CEO of FanVerse, the first predictive data intelligence company built to understand, engage, and grow women’s fandom.✨
For decades, the sports industry has operated under one flawed assumption: that the default fan is male.
But as Ashima explains, that assumption is wrong – and costing the industry billions.
Despite higher brand loyalty and purchase intent among women, traditional data analytics and fan engagement are still male-coded, transactional, and outdated.
In this episode, hear from Ashima on:
- 📈Why female fans are the most undervalued & under-measured audience in sports
- 📲How the team at FanVerse is building a data engine designed to decode the motivations of female fans
- 💡How FanVerse is redefining data, insights, and engagement around women’s fandom
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In episode 192 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Ashley Mateo – Founder & Editor-in-Chief of RUNHER Magazine, the only quarterly print magazine dedicated entirely to women’s running.👟
After nearly two decades in the media, Ashley set out to build what didn’t exist: a platform centered on women’s running stories.
The result? ➡️ A fast-growing, community-driven publication that’s tapping into one of the most powerful – and overlooked – audiences in sports.
From launching the magazine via Kickstarter to redefining how brands can show up authentically in the running community, Ashley breaks down all of the untapped opportunity when it comes to women in running.💪
In this episode, hear from Ashley on how RUNHER Magazine is reimagining media & storytelling – and how women are driving the future of running.
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In episode 191 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Colie Edison, the Chief Growth Officer at the WNBA.
As the league tips off its 30th season, it’s entering its most powerful growth era yet, driven by record media deals, rising valuations, and unprecedented demand.
From a $3.1B media rights deal to the Golden State Valkyries becoming the first billion-dollar franchise in women’s sports, the WNBA is proving that women’s sports aren’t just culturally relevant – they’re commercially undeniable.
In this episode, hear from Colie on:
- 📺 How increased visibility is breaking the cycle that held women’s sports back for decades
- 📈 Why the league is turning cultural momentum into enterprise value growth
- 🤝 How partnerships have evolved from “experiments” to core strategy
- 🚀 Why “it’s not really a why anymore – it’s a when” to invest in the WNBA
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In episode 190 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline welcomes Jennifer van Dijk, the Team President of the Boston Legacy FC.
The NWSL expansion club is already off to a strong start in its inaugural season – from playing its first home match in front of 30,207 fans at Gillette Stadium to quickly establishing itself as one of the most exciting new teams in women’s sports.
From stepping into the role mid-launch to building a franchise from the ground up, Jennifer shares a behind-the-scenes look at:
- ⚽️ What it takes to bring a pro women’s sports team to life
- 💚 How to navigate the complexities of launching in a competitive market like Boston,
- 🦢 The journey of rebuilding the club’s brand through deep community engagement.
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In episode 189 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Janet Napolitano – former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security under President Obama and Founder of the UC Berkeley Center for Security and Governance.
Secretary Napolitano is now leading one of the most important (and overdue) initiatives in women’s sports: closing the data gap in women’s health and performance.
The Women’s Health and Performance Initiative (WHPI) at UC Berkeley is using secure, real-time data to better understand women’s bodies, improve performance, and reduce injury.
For decades, the vast majority of sports science research has been built on men – leaving women athletes underserved at every level.
In this episode, Secretary Napolitano breaks down:
- 📊 Why the lack of data on women’s bodies is one of the biggest gaps in sports science today
- 🧠 How WHPI is using real-time physiological and neurological data to build predictive models for injury prevention and performance
- 💡 How data-driven insights can inform smarter policy, better healthcare, and long-term outcomes for women
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In episode 188 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Vanessa Fuchs – the CEO of WeCOACH, a nonprofit dedicated to recruiting, advancing, and retaining women coaches across all levels of sports.
When it comes to women in coaching, the numbers tell a story that’s impossible to ignore.
Before Title IX, more than 90% of women’s collegiate teams were coached by women.
Today? ➡️That number has dropped to just ~41%.
In this episode, Vanessa breaks down:
- 🚧 The biggest barriers preventing women from entering & staying in coaching
- 🤝 How WeCOACH is supporting women through programming, advocacy, and initiatives like National Women Coaches Day, in partnership with Hudl
- 💼 The business case for investing in women coaches – and why it’s essential to the long-term growth of the entire women’s sports ecosystem
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In episode 187 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Jill Gonzalez – the Head of Consumer, Product & Tech Communications at StubHub.
StubHub has officially launched HerSportsHub – the first dedicated women’s sports ticket destination in the resale industry – creating a centralized, one-stop shop for fans to discover and attend women’s sports events across leagues like the WNBA, NWSL, and PWHL.
StubHub launched the platform after seeing a strong demand for women’s sports, like the demand for PWHL tickets jumping 252% on StubHub during the 2026 Winter Olympics.👀
In this episode, Jill breaks down:
- ⏰ Why StubHub saw the opportunity (and urgency) to build a dedicated women’s sports platform
- 🎟️ How HerSportsHub reduces friction in the fan journey by centralizing supply
- 🚀 Why accessibility – making women’s sports easier to find and attend – is one of the most powerful growth levers in the industry
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In episode #186 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Amanda Lucci – the Director of Special Projects at Women’s Health who leads the platform’s sports + athlete vertical.
As women’s sports continue to surge, major media platforms are evolving how they show up – and Women’s Health is leaning in.
With a legacy of connecting fitness, wellness, and storytelling, Women’s Health has been doubling down on in-depth coverage of women athletes – from the Olympics to pro leagues like the NWSL & WNBA – and meeting a growing demand from both audiences and advertisers.
In this episode, Amanda breaks down:
- 📈 How Women’s Health has evolved its coverage as women’s sports have scaled – like launching ‘The Huddle’, a new podcast about sports, sweat, and everything in between
- 📰 Why women’s sports storytelling is resonating more than ever with the Women’s Health audience
- 💡 Why connecting sport, health, and culture is a unique (and powerful) advantage in women’s sports media
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In episode #185 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sat down with Jennifer Lynne Williams, the Chief Development Officer at USA Basketball.
Jennifer & the team at USA Basketball know that their impact goes far beyond willing Olympic medals – it’s about the lessons sport can teach far beyond the court.
With that in mind, USA Basketball is focused on investing in youth development, coaching education, expanding access & opportunity for girls in basketball, and intentionally building pathways for women to lead – not just play – in sports.
In this episode, Jennifer breaks down the business case for investing in women & girls, why representation & access matter, and how USA Basketball is creating opportunities at every level of the game.
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In episode #184 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Cameron Brink – one of the fastest-rising stars in the WNBA and one of the most marketable athletes in women’s sports today.
From building a standout brand portfolio early in her career to her latest partnership with Optimum Nutrition, Cam is redefining how athletes build and leverage their personal brands – and how brands show up in women’s sports through athlete sponsorships.
In this episode, hear from Cam – who is a proven expert brand builder and marketer – on:
- Why authentic athlete-brand alignment matters more than ever
- What makes her partnership with Optimum Nutrition so intentional & meaningful
- How women athletes are thinking like entrepreneurs in 2026
- The importance of long-term partnerships vs. one-off campaigns in women’s sports
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In episode #183 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sat down with Erin Ryder & Emma May-Bradley, the co-founders of Playmakers Nashville, a newly launched nonprofit membership community focused on advancing & empowering women in all areas of sports.
Fresh off their launch, Erin & Emma are on a mission to build a more inclusive and equitable sports industry in Nashville & beyond.
Playmakers Nashville is already making an impact through:
- A cohort-based model supporting women at every stage of their careers
- Scholarships, mentorship, and professional development opportunities
- A growing community of 180+ members and counting
In this episode Erin & Emma talk about the gap they saw in Nashville’s sports ecosystem, and how they stepped up to build a community for women in sports rooted in access, connection, and growth.
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In episode #182 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sat down with Dr. Jeremy Jordan (Dean of the Falk College of Sport at Syracuse), Dr. Lori Robinson (Director of Team Enrichment for the Houston Texans & Falk alumna & Advisory Board Member), Patti Phillips (CEO of Women Leaders in Sports), and Christina Turner (Chief Strategy & Operating Officer at Women Leaders in Sports).
In this conversation, Caroline had the chance to interview leaders from both Falk College and Women Leaders in Sports about their innovative new partnership that is focused on developing women leaders across the sports industry.
This collaboration brings together higher education and one of the industry’s most influential leadership organizations to create intentional pathways for students to access mentorship, community, and career opportunities within the women’s sports ecosystem.
At a time when the growth of women’s sports is creating new jobs, leagues, and investment opportunities, building a strong pipeline of women leaders has never been more important – and this partnership represents a strategic investment in that future.
In this episode, hear:
- Why universities play a critical role in developing future leaders in sports.
- How the Falk College of Sport & Women Leaders are bridging the gap between education and industry.
- Why investing in women’s leadership is essential to sustaining the growth of women’s sports.
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In episode #181 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sat down with Dr. Risa Isard, the Director of Research & Insights at Parity, and Emma Schieck, a 2x Paralympic Gold Medalist in sitting volleyball and an Athlete Sales Representative at Parity.
Parity just released new research in partnership with SurveyMonkey to better understand Paralympic fandom – and what it means for women athletes and brands.
The key findings include:
- 36% of U.S. Winter Paralympic fans plan to follow the Games more this year than in the past.
- Women’s sports fans are more likely to watch the Paralympics than men’s sports fans.
- 24% of U.S. Winter Paralympic fans have made a purchase because of Paralympic sponsorships.
In this episode, learn more about the data behind Paralympic fandom, the untapped opportunity for brands, and why women’s sports fans are emerging as one of the most important audiences driving growth for the Paralympic movement.
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In episode #180 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Dean Astrid Sheil and Justine Pouravelis from Simmons University – the leaders behind the nation’s first Master’s of Management degree focused on the business of women’s professional sports.
This first-of-its-kind program was created to fill a decades-long gender gap in sports management education, giving women the academic foundation, industry insight, and confidence needed to lead in a rapidly scaling women’s sports economy.
One of the program’s most distinctive features is its powerhouse Advisory Board, made up of industry leaders from the PWHL, Bleacher Report, DraftKings, KLUTCH Sports, the NC Courage ownership group, and more – intentionally bridging the gap between academia and the real-world needs of the women’s sports industry.
In this episode, hear:
- Why women’s sports deserve its own academic pathway.
- The role academia plays in building confidence and leadership pipelines.
- Why this moment is exactly the right time to invest in women’s sports and launch this program at Simmons University.
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In episode #179 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Megan Hughes Allison, the President of underdog venture team – a next-generation sports marketing and live-events agency built to challenge the status quo.
At underdog, Megan & her team are helping brands, leagues, and innovators reimagine the sports industry through a challenger mindset – with women’s sports as a key fixture of their mission.
In this episode, Megan shares:
- 💪 Why underdog venture team is betting big on women’s sports as an undervalued, high-potential marketplace.
- 📈 The key white-space opportunities brands should be leaning into right now.
- 🤝 How agencies and investors can ensure long-term, sustainable growth in women’s sports.
- 💡 Why “being an underdog” can be an advantage in business – and in life.
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In episode #178 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline meets Jilyne Jarvis, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of ZGiRLS, which is a nonprofit that offers a confidence-building program for girls ages 11-14 from female professional athletes and Olympians.
At ZGiRLS, the belief is simple: confidence is a skill, and every girl deserves the chance to build it.💪
The team at ZGiRLS believes that girls aren’t born doubting themselves, but somewhere along the way, many start to.
Through a curriculum co-created by Olympians, psychologists, and mental-health experts, ZGiRLS gives girls tools to understand and navigate their thoughts, build a growth mindset, and advocate for themselves while communicating what they need.
In this episode, hear Jilyne share more about the work of ZGiRLS, why the program is so effective being delivered by professional & Olympic female athletes, and how ZGiRLS uses sport as a lens to build confidence that carries into every facet of life.⚡️
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In episode #177 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with David Brickley, CEO & Founder of STN Digital to dig into the organization’s brand-new WNBA Social Rankings & Insights Report created in partnership with Zoomph.
After witnessing the WNBA’s incredible growth across social media, STN Digital and Zoomph teamed up to quantify the league’s digital impact, analyzing more than 20,000 pieces of team content from the 2025 season to reveal which clubs and campaigns drove the most engagement, impressions, and media value.
Highlights from the report include:
- 💥 Indiana Fever ranked No. 1: $55.04M Social Value, 38.73M engagements, 1.17B impressions.
- 🚀 Dallas Wings led all teams in growth: +505% engagements, +251% impressions, +344% Social Value YoY.
- 🖼️ Static > Video on X & Facebook: photo posts nearly doubled engagement.
- 🔁 WNBA x NBA collabs soared: 5 of the top 6 Instagram team posts were crossover moments.
In this episode, hear Caroline & David discuss the report’s findings and talk about why the WNBA’s social impact is yet another proof point the league is trending up.📈
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In episode #176 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Alanna McDonald, Co-founder and President of 3XBA, which is the premier women’s 3x3 basketball tour and youth development pipeline in the U.S.
Launched in 2024, 3XBA is taking a global approach to growth by building a FIBA-sanctioned ecosystem from the ground up.
The league is centered around Olympic development, youth participation, and sustainable career pathways, creating new opportunities for women athletes at every level.
In this episode, Alanna shares:
- 🌎 How 3XBA is fueling the global rise of women’s 3x3 basketball.
- 🏀 Why 3XBA’s youth-to-pro structure is critical for Olympic development.
- 🤝 How partnerships with USA Basketball, AWSN, Baden, Moolah Kicks, and Rough & Tumble Pub are driving growth for the league.
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In episode #175 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Michelle Henry, the Senior Vice President of Product at Hudl – a global sports technology company primarily used by sports teams to record, analyze, and share video of games and practices.
Today, Hudl is used by 99% of U.S. high schools, with women & girls as the fastest-growing audience on the platform.
In her role, Michelle leads at the intersection of tech & sport, helping Hudl power a more equitable and accessible sports experience for all athletes – especially women and girls.
In this episode, hear Michelle share how Hudl’s schoolwide packaging helps make sports tech more equitable for female athletes, and why video storytelling is a proven game-changer for women & girls in sports.
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In episode #174 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Megan Rose, the Managing Director and Head of Business Development Operations at USTA Coaching.
The newly launched USTA Coaching is on a mission to educate & serve tennis coaches to create inspiring tennis experiences for players of all levels.
From developing new pipelines to diversifying the coaching workforce, Megan and her team believe coaches are fundamental to growing tennis and achieving the USTA’s goal of reaching 35 million players in the U.S. by 2035.
In this episode, Megan shares:
- 🎾 How USTA Coaching is inspiring, supporting, and educating coaches at every level.
- 💡 How tennis has been a leader when it comes to gender equity in sports.
- 🔑 Why investing in women coaches is a key to unlocking the next generation of players and fans.
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In episode #173 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Tammy Parlour, the CEO and co-founder of the Women’s Sport Trust, which is a pioneering UK charity that has been driving systemic change in women’s sports since 2012.
Tammy and her small-but-mighty team are working tirelessly to remove barriers for women’s sports in the UK.
Through groundbreaking research and athlete programming, the Women’s Sport Trust is shaping the future of women’s sports in the UK, driving new investment, visibility, and opportunities for women athletes at every level.
In this episode, Tammy shares:
- 📊 How the Women’s Sport Trust is using research to prove and grow the audience for women’s sports.
- 💡 Why visibility is the gateway to progress in women’s sports.
- 🌍 The differences (and lessons) between the U.S. and U.K. women’s sports ecosystems.
- 📈 Why women’s sports is one of the few industries where commercial growth and cultural impact go hand-in-hand.
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In episode #172 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline welcomes Julia Muscarello & Haley Reines from Wilson Sporting Goods – two of the leaders behind the creation of Caitlin Clark’s signature basketball line.
Wilson is doubling down on women’s sports by building with athletes, not just for them – with one key example being Caitlin Clark’s new signature basketball line.
From concept to court, Julia & Haley share how Wilson turned Caitlin’s story into a product by melding design, tech, and accessibility for athletes from youth to pro.
In this episode, Julia & Haley share:
- 🎯 Why Caitlin was the right athlete for a groundbreaking signature line and to be the face of Wilson basketball.
- 🎨 The design pillars behind the four balls in Caitlin’s current signature line, and how Caitlin’s input shaped every detail.
- 🛒 Why Wilson is betting big on women’s sports.
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In episode #171 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline welcomes Sarah Myer, the Chief of Staff & Strategy at the Indiana Sports Corp (ISC), which is Indiana’s sports commission.
Traditionally, sports commissions – like the Indiana Sports Corp – have created economic development in cities & states by bringing major sporting events to town.
More and more, cities are seeing the value in bidding on women’s sports events that drive business results and community impact.
From hosting the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game to unveiling a bold 2050 Vision plan that names women’s sports as a core pillar, the Indiana Sports Corp is aiming to set the standard for how cities can invest in women’s sports.
In this episode, Sarah shares:
- 📈 How the ISC is building a leading women’s sports ecosystem in the U.S.
- 🏟️ Why the state’s new Marvella Sports Complex will change the game for young female athletes.
- 🚀 How hosting women’s events like the Final Four and WNBA All-Star drives real economic impact.
- 💡 Why investing in women’s sports is good business for cities, states, and communities alike.
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In episode #170 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Rachel Goodger, Chief Revenue Officer, and Katherine Rowe, VP of Client Strategy & Insights at CrowdIQ, which is a data intelligence company using computer vision to analyze who’s in the stands at sporting events.
The CrowdIQ team recently released a groundbreaking new report titled, “Quantifying Female Sports Fans” that reveals just how powerful and distinct female sports fans truly are.
In this episode, Rachel & Katherine share:
- 📈 What 300,000 fan data points reveal about how women engage with sports in-venue.
- 💡 Why female fans spend 5x more than the average sports fan – and what that means for teams, venues and sponsors.
- 👟 How women’s sports crowds are now 60% female, while men’s sports are trending toward a 50/50 gender split among younger fans.
- 💰 Where the biggest sponsorship and merch opportunities lie among female fans.
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In episode #169 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline welcomes Sara Pollack, the Vice President and Global Head of Consumer Marketing at Pinterest.
For the first time ever, Pinterest stepped into the sports arena as an official partner of the New York Liberty.
After seeing the massive surge in searches related to the Liberty and the WNBA on their platform, Pinterest knew the Liberty would be the perfect partner to launch their first sports collaboration.
Today, the Liberty and Pinterest are working together to celebrate women’s sports through exclusive content, in-game activations, and community outreach that reflect the energy of New York and its iconic team.
In this episode, Sara shares:
- 📈 Why Pinterest chose the Liberty for its first sports partnership.
- 📊 The surging interest in the Liberty and WNBA on Pinterest (searches for “WNBA aesthetic” are up +1,295%).
- 💡Why Pinterest sees women’s sports as a powerful cultural force shaping the future of fandom.
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In episode #168 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline welcomes back Kate Veronneau, Director of Women’s Strategy at Zwift and one of the driving forces behind the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
Since her first appearance on the podcast in 2023, Kate has helped shepherd the race into a new era.
Backed by Zwift’s bold investment and mission-driven strategy, the Tour de France Femmes has become one of the fastest-growing properties in global sport – with the 2025 edition of the race breaking records for attendance, engagement, and viewership.
In this episode, Kate shares:
- 🚴♀️ The phenomenal growth of the Tour de France Femmes, including record-breaking crowds and TV audiences.
- 📺 Why visibility and global broadcast accessibility are fueling women’s cycling fandom and participation.
- 📊 Data from Zwift’s impact report proving the race is inspiring women worldwide to ride and invest in the sport.
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In episode #167 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Allie Kleva, Chief Growth Officer at Athletes Unlimited.
Allie has played a leading role in the launch of the brand-new Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) and helping to create a sustainable professional women’s softball league in the U.S.
Backed by powerful partners like ESPN and Major League Baseball, AUSL is building on softball’s rich tradition and thriving college fandom to create a new professional pathway for athletes.
In this episode, Allie shares:
- ⚡️The origin story of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League.
- 🥎 How AUSL delivered 20 sellouts, $1M+ in merch sales, and 150K average viewers in its inaugural season.
- 🤝 The significance of Major League Baseball’s historic eight-figure investment in AUSL.
- 🚀 What’s ahead in Year 2 for AUSL.
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In episode #166 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Jordan Robinson – acclaimed women’s basketball journalist, analyst, reporter, and host of The Women’s Hoop Show and She’s Got Next on Audacy.
Jordan has built a dream career rooted in passion for women’s basketball storytelling.
Today, she’s at the forefront of women’s basketball media, championing greater visibility for athletes, pushing for deeper coverage, and proving why investing in women’s sports is both powerful and good business.
In this episode, Jordan shares:
- ⚡️How she built her career covering women’s basketball across multiple platforms.
- 🏀 Why now is a transformative moment for women’s basketball & women’s sports at large.
- 📰 The urgent need for daily women’s basketball media & diverse storytelling.
- 💰 Why more money is critical for the growth of women’s sports.
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In episode #165 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Jillian Hiscock, the founder of A Bar of Their Own in Minneapolis, which is one of the first dedicated women’s sports bars in the world.
Since opening in 2024, “A Bar of Their Own” has become a hub for the women’s sports community in Minnesota and a fixture of the growing global movement of women’s sports bars.
In this episode, Jillian shares:
- 💡The “aha moment” that inspired her to open the bar.
- 💪How she built a thriving women’s sports business from scratch.
- ❤️Why collaboration is at the heart of the women’s sports bar movement.
- ⚡️How Minnesota is becoming a national hub for women’s sports.
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In episode #164 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Meg Rushton, the first-ever Chief Communications Officer at the Women’s Sports Foundation.
In its 51st year, the Women’s Sports Foundation is entering a new era, and Meg’s appointment signals a bold step forward.
With decades of communications experience outside of the women’s sports industry, Meg brings a fresh perspective to the Foundation’s work to advance equity and opportunities for girls & women in sports.
In this episode, Meg shares:
- 🏆 Her journey into women’s sports & why now was the right time to join the industry.
- ⚡️ What her role as CCO entails and why storytelling is central to sustaining momentum in women’s sports.
- 💡 The key priorities on the horizon for the Women’s Sports Foundation.
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In episode #163 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Stephanie Marciano, Ally’s Head of Brand & Sports Marketing.
Since joining Ally in 2021, Steph has been at the forefront of building one of the most impactful sports marketing portfolios in the industry.
From leading Ally’s 50/50 pledge, WNBA partnership, and investments across golf, soccer, basketball, and more, Ally has been a leader in the women’s sports movement and has helped catalyze incredible growth and investment across the industry.
In this episode, Steph shares:
⚡️ Why Ally chose women’s sports as an anchor of its sports marketing strategy – and how the 50/50 pledge is reshaping the industry.
🏆 How Ally evaluates ROI and the business case for investing in women’s sports.
🔥 The story behind Ally’s new multi-year partnership with the WNBA.
💡 Advice to other brand leaders about why now is the time to invest in women’s sports.
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In episode #162 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Megan Oglesby, an investor and board member of WPSL Pro, which is a forthcoming sanctioned Division II women’s professional soccer league.
The launch of WPSL Pro will mark the first time that the U.S. has a second-division women's pro league.
To date, fifteen teams have been confirmed by the league, helping to close the gap between women’s soccer opportunities at the collegiate and pro levels.
In this episode, Megan shares the league’s plans and why now is the right time to build a sustainable, community-driven women’s soccer league that unlocks new markets for growth within women’s sports.
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In episode #161 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Talia Raviv, the Global CEO of Publicis Media, and the leader of the team behind the newly launched, Women’s Sports Connect.
The Women’s Sports Connect is a groundbreaking new solution from Publicis Media & Publicis Sports helping brands invest in women’s sports at scale. 🚀
From media & content to sponsorships, NIL, and events, the Women’s Sports Connect program is helping to connect advertisers with opportunities to reach the women’s sports audience.
In this episode, hear Caroline & Talia discuss how Publicis is solving the fragmentation problem when it comes to women’s sports media, unlocking real business outcomes for brands, and making sure women’s sports don’t get left on the sidelines.
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In episode #160 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Amanda Vandervort, the President of the Gainbridge Super League (formerly known as the USL Super League), and Mike Nichols, the Chief of Sponsorship Strategy & Activation at Group 1001, parent company of Gainbridge.
In April 2025, the USL Super League and Gainbridge announced a historic multi-year partnership that included naming rights.
The deal made Gainbridge the first-ever entitlement partner of a professional soccer league in the United States.
In this episode, hear:
- What’s on the horizon for the Gainbridge Super League.
- Why Gainbridge is dedicating over 40% of its sports sponsorship dollars to women’s sports.
- Why it’s great business to invest in women’s soccer.
🗓️ Save-the-date! The Gainbridge Super League kicks-off on Saturday August 23, 2025 and will run through May 2026.
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In episode #159 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Fielding Kidd Jamieson, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Tipt Ventures, which is an investment platform grounded in the thesis that women will be a driving force in the transformation of sports.
Fielding has spent her career helping brands unlock value in sports, and now, in partnership with Co-Founder Ami Galani, she is focused on unlocking the incredible opportunity that exists at the intersection of women x sports.
Fielding & Ami created Tipt Ventures to identify and invest in businesses within the sports economy that serve women as athletes, fans, and consumers.
In this episode, Fielding shares:
- ⚡️ Why the team at Tipt Ventures believes women will be a driving force in the transformation of sports.
- 📈 Why early‑stage investment in women‑focused sports startups is the key to sustainable industry transformation.
- 🤝 Why centering women at every touchpoint isn’t just ethical, it unlocks new market growth in sports.
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In episode #158 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Paula Hughes & Sarah Bergstrom, two of the key leaders at TOGETHXR.
TOGETHXR is a women’s sports media platform that was co-founded by Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel, and Sue Bird back in 2021.
Since its founding, TOGETHXR has redefined how women athletes are covered, celebrated, and amplified in culture.
In this episode, hear Sarah & Paula share:
- 📺 How TOGETHXR is taking women’s sports content beyond just stats & scorelines.
- 📈 The story behind their iconic “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports” shirt & campaign.
- ⚡️Why women’s sports is one of the most exciting & positive investment opportunities in the world.
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In episode #157 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Patrick O’Keefe, the Chief Integrated Marketing Officer at e.l.f. Beauty.
e.l.f. has emerged as one of the boldest brands investing in women’s sports.
From hockey to racing to wrestling, Patrick and his team at e.l.f. are doing it differently, and showing up in underserved spaces to rewrite the playbook for how brands connect with women athletes & fans.
In this episode, Patrick shares:
- 🌍 Why e.l.f.’s approach is rooted in purpose, equity, and cultural disruption.
- 🏁 Why they’ve diversified their women’s sports portfolio to include soccer, wrestling, racing, hockey and more.
- 💬 Why it’s essential that brands get in the game & invest in women’s sports.
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In episode #156 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Laura Andriani, the Senior VP of Consulting at Two Circles, to dive into her team’s new report: The U.S. edition of the 2024 Sports Attendance Review.
The report contains some pretty significant findings about the role that women’s sports are playing in the overall growth of live sports attendance.
In this episode, Laura shares:
- How women’s sports are responsible for half ‼️ of the year-over-year growth in total live sports attendance.
- Insights into women’s sports fan behavior, including how 70% of WNBA ticket buyers are women.
…AND why women’s sports have so much room for growth.
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In episode #155 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Dr. Rebecca Heiss and Leigh Irwin, the co-founders of GameChanger, which is a movement dedicated to keeping women involved in sports throughout their lives.
Rebecca & Leigh created GameChanger to help women connect, continue to play basketball, and make a lasting impact on their communities.
Through their flagship initiative, Holding Court, they provide spaces for women to play basketball in a supportive & inclusive environment, welcoming women of all ages & skill levels to connect and play.
In this episode, hear Rebecca & Leigh share the inspiring founding story behind GameChanger, and why they are on a mission to keep adult women in the game.
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In episode #154 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Anna Smith, the co-founder of VICTRA which is the #1 app dedicated to women’s soccer fandom.
VICTRA is a one-stop digital platform designed to give women’s soccer fans everything they’ve been missing: news, community, commerce, and connection, all in one convenient location.
In this episode, Anna shares:
- 📱 Why digital access is critical to growing women’s sports fandom.
- ⚽ How VICTRA is organizing the women’s soccer ecosystem.
- 🛍️ How they’re helping brands like IDA Sports and TOGETHXR connect with women’s soccer fans.
…AND why now is the perfect time to invest in women’s sports tech.
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In episode #153 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Terri Carmichael Jackson, the Executive Director of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA).
For the last ten years, Terri has led the work of the WNBPA, which is the union for current women’s professional basketball players in the WNBA.
The mission of the WNBPA is to leverage the collective wisdom and vision of WNBA players and fully commit to affirming, defending, and advancing player interests on and off the court.
Terri has dedicated her career to advocating for women athletes, fighting for fair wages, better working conditions, and sustainable growth within the business of women’s sports.
In this episode, Terri shares:
- 💪The importance of collective bargaining and the WNBPA’s fight for fair compensation and protections.
- 💰The need for more investment into every aspect of women’s sports.
- ⚡️Why the mantra of current CBA negotiations is, “It’s business.”
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In episode #152 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Jodi Bondi Norgaard, the founder of “Dream Big Toy Company” & the creator of the “Go! Go! Sports Girls” line of dolls, books, and apps.
Jodi has spent nearly two decades challenging the status quo in the toy and media industries, creating empowering products and stories for girls that encourage healthy and active play over beauty and body image.
In this episode, Jodi shares:
- The story behind founding a toy company that fought against harmful gender stereotypes.
- Why she wrote her new book, “More Than a Doll” to spark change beyond the toy aisle.
…and what it takes to build a purpose-driven brand that empowers young girls through sports.
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In episode #151 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Victoire Cogevina Reynal, the co-CEO of Mercury13, which is a pioneering investment group on a mission to unleash the commercial potential of women’s football across the globe.
Mercury13 is actively building a portfolio of women’s football clubs and working to prove that women’s football isn’t just good sport; it’s good business.
In this episode, Victoire shares:
- 🌍 How Mercury13 is building Europe’s next generation of super clubs.
- 💸 Why financial independence is critical to sustainable growth.
- ⚽ What they’ve learned from their first acquisition of F.C. Como Women.
…and why she believes women’s sports might just be the most powerful gender equality movement in history.
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In episode #150 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Team USA Olympic gold medalist and Minnesota Frost star Kendall Coyne Schofield.
In this episode, Kendall shares:
- 📞 The inside story of the “cold call” to Billie Jean King that helped launch plans for the PWHL
- 💄 Why her new partnership with @elfcosmetics is about more than makeup
- 🏒 What it means to be able to play in a professional women’s hockey league like the PWHL
...and why investing in women’s hockey is great business.
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In episode #149 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Emily Sisson, the SVP of Sponsorship, Athlete & Partner Marketing at OneTeam Partners.
Emily and the team at OneTeam are helping reshape how brands show up in women’s sports by creating innovative, direct-to-athlete investment opportunities through players’ associations.
In this episode, Emily shares:
- 💸 Why sponsorships through PAs like the WNBPA, NWSLPA & USWNTPA drive real ROI.
- 📈 How smart brands are unlocking white space in the women’s sports market.
- 👀 What brands need to rethink about traditional sponsorship frameworks.
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In episode #148 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Lois Cook — a star player for the DC Divas, the founder of @cleatsandstilettos, and a powerful leader growing the game of women’s football through the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA).
Founded in 2009, the WFA is the largest, longest-running, and most competitive women’s tackle football league in the world — featuring over 60 teams across the U.S. and internationally.
In addition to being a top player in the WFA, Lois is also one of the key leaders behind the scenes leading social media efforts for the league, helping to amplify players, teams, and strategic league partners – like Wilson and the All Women’s Sports Network.
In this episode, Lois shares:
- 📱 How she built a following of 500K+ to spotlight women in football.
- 🎥 Why media access and social reach are game changers for growth.
- 🏈 What’s next for the WFA, including the launch of a national flag league.
- 💰 Why investment, sponsorship, and visibility are key to the future of the sport.
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In episode #147 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Madeline Di Nonno, the President & CEO of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.
Madeline leads the global research-based non-profit founded by Academy Award-winning actor Geena Davis.
The Institute works to create gender balance, foster inclusion, and reduce negative stereotyping in media – with powerful implications for women’s sports.
In this episode, Madeline shares:
- 📊 Why visibility in media matters for women’s sports.
- 📺 How the Institute's data proves the “if she can see it, she can be it” effect.
- 🧠 The role media plays in shaping perceptions and investments in women athlete.
- 📈 What still needs to change to unlock the full business potential of women’s sports.
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In episode #146 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with women’s sports powerhouse Karina LeBlanc.
Karina — a two-time Olympian and longtime leader in women’s soccer — is now the Executive Vice President of Strategic Growth and Development at RAJ Sports, the ownership group behind the Portland Thorns and the new WNBA Portland expansion team.
In this episode, Karina shares:
- 🏟 How RAJ Sports is building a $150M dual-sport women's performance center to set a new global standard.
- 🏀 Why Portland is becoming the global epicenter of women’s sports.
- 🚀 Why investing in women's sports is no longer a charitable cause — it’s a smart, strategic business move.
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In episode #145 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Raquel Braun & Lagen Nash – two longtime sports industry leaders and the co-founders of the new boutique sports consultancy, Mulier Fortis.
Raquel & Lagen are combining their experience working at the intersection of sports, media and tech to help organizations unlock growth – especially in women’s sports.
In this episode, hear Raquel & Lagen discuss:
- 📈 Why Mulier Fortis is positioned to solve key human resources challenges in women’s sports.
- 🎯 What success looks like for Mulier Fortis (which by the way, translates to “a strong woman” in English).
- 📰 How media coverage can change the direction of the women’s sports movement.
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In episode #144 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews RaShauna Hamilton, the VP of Fan Growth & Community at the Washington Spirit.
After beginning her career as an intern with the Washington Mystics, RaShauna has worked across both men’s & women’s sports—and is now leading initiatives to grow fandom, strengthen community ties, and expand access to the NWSL.
In this episode, RaShauna shares how the Washington Spirit is:
- ⚽ Expanding access to women’s soccer in D.C.
- 📈 Why investing in community is key to sustainable growth.
- 📣 Her strategy for reaching new and untapped fan segments.
RaShauna’s message is clear: community drives fandom, and fandom drives the future of women’s sports.
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Women’s sports is predicted to be the next multi-billion dollar industry.💰
In episode #143 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Pete Giorgio, the Global Sports Practice Leader at Deloitte, and Jenny Haskel, the Knowledge & Insights Lead for Deloitte’s Sports Business Group.
New data from Deloitte forecasts that women’s sports is on pace to cross the $2 billion revenue threshold for the first time in 2025.
Deloitte’s new report - "Beyond the Billion-dollar Barrier: Charting the Next Phase of Growth"- highlights a 240% revenue increase in pro women’s sports over the past 4 years, and forecasts that women’s sports will reach $2.35 billion in global revenue in 2025.
This projection follows a groundbreaking year in 2024, where women’s sports surpassed expectations, generating $1.88 billion in revenue – a significant jump from Deloitte's original $1.3 billion prediction.
In this episode, hear Jenny & Pete share:
- 📊 Why women’s sports are growing at an unprecedented rate.
- 🏀Which sports & markets are driving the revenue boom.
- 💼 Why the business case for women’s sports has never been stronger.
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In episode #142 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews U.S. soccer legend Briana Scurry.
One of the original 99ers, Briana helped cement the USWNT as one of the greatest American sports teams of all time — winning the 1999 World Cup and earning two Olympic gold medals with the team.
Off the field, Briana’s story is just as powerful — from facing a career-ending injury and financial hardship to becoming an outspoken advocate for mental health, concussion awareness, and financial empowerment for women athletes.
Now, she’s joining Caitlin Clark, Billie Jean King, and Annika Sörenstam as a Gainbridge ambassador to help financially empower the current and next generation of female athletes.
In this episode, Briana shares:
- 🧠 How the end of her soccer career nearly cost her everything — including her gold medals.
- 💵 Why she’s on a mission to teach athletes about financial wellness.
- ⚽️ What her new partnership with Gainbridge means for the future of women’s sports.
- 📢 Why investing in women’s sports is a business opportunity and a responsibility.
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In episode #141 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Jen Spicher, the CEO of Pro Volleyball Federation, which is a new U.S.-based pro volleyball league that’s making waves in women’s sports.
With sell-out crowds, major media deals, and a fast-growing fan base, PVF is proving that the demand for women’s volleyball is real – and here to stay.
In this episode, Jen shares:
🏐 The founding story behind PVF and how it’s growing fast in season two.
📺 How broadcast deals & local ownership are fueling fan engagement.
💸 Why now is the time for brands & investors to get into women’s volleyball.
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In episode #140 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Alex Sanchez, Managing Director of FIBA 3x3.
FIBA 3x3 Women’s Basketball is breaking new ground as it becomes a marquee feature on Whoopi Goldberg’s new All Women’s Sports Network. 🏀✨
As a dynamic, fast-paced format of basketball, FIBA 3x3 has been a game-changer for global basketball since its Olympic debut in 2021.
With a dedicated women’s circuit, it’s paving the way for increased visibility and growth in women’s sports.
In this episode, Alex shares insights on the partnership with Whoopi Goldberg and the impact of FIBA 3x3 on the global women’s basketball landscape. 🌍
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In episode #139 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Amanda Calabrese & Greta Meyer, the co-founders of Sequel, a revolutionary tampon brand designed for comfort and reliability by female athletes and engineers.
Amanda & Greta are not just disrupting the period care industry—they’re changing the game for women athletes everywhere.
With their innovative spiral tampon, Sequel is re-engineering the tampon for the first time in 80 years, creating a product that addresses the unique needs of athletes who menstruate.
In this episode, Amanda and Greta share:
- 💡 How their experiences as athletes and engineers led to Sequel’s creation.
- 👑 How Sequel is changing the game for athletes who menstruate.
- 🏆 Why investing in women’s sports means supporting innovative products designed for women athletes.
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In episode #138 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews veteran sports journalist and author, Jane McManus, about her new book, The Fast Track: Inside the Surging Business of Women’s Sports.
In “The Fast Track,” Jane dives deep into the rapid growth of women’s sports, exploring the wins, the challenges, and the untapped potential across the industry.
From game-changing moments to the systemic barriers that have held back the rise of women’s sports, Jane gives listeners an insider’s look into the forces shaping this space.
In this episode, Jane shares:
- 📚 The story behind “The Fast Track” and why she felt the timing was right.
- 🏆 The key wins in women’s sports that helped catalyze its popularity.
- 📈 What needs to happen next to keep the momentum going.
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In episode #137 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews two-time World Cup champion, Ashlyn Harris, about her newest venture—hosting the Wide Open with Ashlyn Harris podcast on iHeart Women’s Sports.
In “Wide Open,” Ashlyn is stepping beyond the field to have raw, real conversations about the challenges of elite athletes, the realities of mental health, and the unspoken struggles of life after sport.
In this episode, Ashlyn shares why she’s using her platform to peel back the layers of identity, vulnerability, and healing, and why investing in women’s sports means investing in the full stories of the athletes who make it great.
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In episode #136 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Sandra Richards, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, and Gwen Le Berre, Head of Responsible Investing at Parametric.
Morgan Stanley and Parametric are revolutionizing how we think about investing in sports with the newly launched “Parametric Custom Core Sports League Strategy,” which is a groundbreaking solution that allows their clients to invest in companies supporting sports leagues—including women’s leagues—through public equities.🏀✨
In this episode, Sandra and Gwen share how this innovative strategy is providing new opportunities for investors, elevating women’s sports, and proving once again why it’s good business to invest in women’s sports.
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In episode #135 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews WNBA and Unrivaled star, Kate Martin, about her new partnership with Athleta’s Power Of She Collective.
Kate is not only making an impact on the court—she’s helping shape the future of women’s sports off of it.
Through her new partnership with Athleta, she’s working to inspire young athletes, improve performance apparel for women, and advocate for more brand investment in women’s sports.
In this episode, Kate shares:
- 🏀 What it means to be part of Athleta’s mission to empower women
- 👕 How she’s influencing Athleta’s women’s performance apparel design
- 📈 Why brands should invest now in women’s sports before they get left behind
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In episode #134 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Fiona Morgan, the Chief Purpose Officer at SailGP.
SailGP is redefining sailing as a purpose-driven global sport, combining high-speed racing with initiatives that champion gender equity and environmental sustainability. 🌍⛵
SailGP has male and female athletes racing alongside each other on the same cutting-edge boats, with the Women’s Performance Programme driving the development of female talent at the highest level.
In this episode, hear Fiona share how SailGP is leveraging ✨purpose✨ as a business strategy, driving innovation in gender equity, and creating a fast-growing sport that’s attracting fans and investors worldwide. 🌟
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In episode #133 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Sherri Privitera & Avi Greene from the global design firm, Populous.
Populous is redefining how women’s sports facilities are designed, with a focus on equitable design that supports elite female athletes.
From stadiums to training facilities - like the newly announced complex for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever - Populous is leading the charge when it comes to designing facilities that allow girls and women to meet their full potential on & off the field of play.
In this episode, hear Sherri and Avi share insights on their innovative design principles, the importance of investing in facilities for women athletes, and why creating intentional spaces is essential for the growth of women’s sports.💡
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Athletes Unlimited is popping up in the Music City! 🎶🏀✨
In episode #132 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Megan Perry, the Vice President of Basketball at Athletes Unlimited.
Since its launch in 2022, AU Pro Basketball has created a player-led, player-driven league that fills the gap in the WNBA offseason, giving elite athletes a platform to shine.
For its 2025 season, AU Basketball is playing in Nashville, TN, bringing high-energy, professional women’s basketball to a city with deep roots in the game.
In this episode, hear Megan share insights into the innovative approach of Athletes Unlimited, the power of women’s sports as a business, and what fans can expect from AU Pro Basketball’s 2025 season in the Music City. 🎶🏀
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In episode #131 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with the legendary Kelley O’Hara.⚽✨
Fresh off her retirement from professional soccer, Kelley reflects on her incredible career, and everything she was able to accomplish both on & off the pitch.
Now, Kelley is stepping into a new role in media, as the host of a new weekly show called Sports Are Fun! with Just Women’s Sports.
Sports Are Fun! Aims to bring casual and hardcore fans together to talk about the biggest headlines and hottest debates in women’s sports.
In this episode, hear Kelley’s thoughts on the future of women’s sports, the importance of brand investment, and why she’s staying in the game to keep pushing for progress.💪
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In episode #130 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Andrea Yoch, a co-founder and the Chair of Investor Relations at the Minnesota Aurora Football Club.
The Minnesota Aurora is a women-led, community-owned, pre-professional soccer club playing in the USL W League.✨
Back in 2021, the club made waves by launching a new model of community ownership in women’s sports that allows individuals to become a community owner of the team by investing $100 or above.💰
Since launching, over 3,080 people have invested to become community owners of the team, and now the Aurora are looking towards continued expansion and growth. 👀
In this episode, hear Andrea tell the founding story behind the Minnesota Aurora, and talk about how the club has innovated to create a new way for people to invest in women’s sports.👏
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In episode #129 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Philippa Portnoy & Teresa Saputo-Crerend, the co-founders of LaunchBreak, which is a new networking platform for women athletes who play or played sports.🏆
Philippa & Teresa created LaunchBreak to leverage sports as a powerful way to advance women in society & in professional settings.
The platform offers mentor meetings, resume and job interview prep, and a robust community of over 1500 women ready to support & connect.
In this episode, hear Philippa & Teresa tell the founding story behind LaunchBreak, and talk about why they believe that women are unstoppable together.💪
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In episode #128 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Trisha Goyal, the CEO & Founder of Break Sports.
Since launching in 2020, Break Sports has become one of the largest online social sports booking platforms for casual players in the U.S.
Best known for their “Break The Love” platform for those who play racquet sports, Break Sports offers social sport experiences across 35 states where casual athletes can book, show up, play, and meet new people.🏆
To date, Break Sports has served over 360K users in the U.S. - primarily in racquet sports & golf - and in 2025, the team is setting out to innovate across more sports, including soccer & basketball.
In this episode, hear Trisha talk more about founding an innovative new company in sports, why it’s been good business to create a platform founded in making sports more accessible & inclusive for all who want to play. 🎾
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In episode #127 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with WNBA star and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Napheesa Collier, and Leila Bahbah, who is the U.S. Women’s Health Brand Lead at Perrigo, maker of Opill.
Opill, which is the first and only daily birth control pill available without a prescription in the U.S., just announced Collier as a new member of “Team Opill.”
The partnership between Collier & Opill builds on the birth control brand’s multi-year partnership with the WNBA which began back in April of 2024.🏀
In this episode, hear Leila talk about why Opill believes it’s good business to sponsor women’s sports, and hear Napheesa talk about why it’s important for her to use her platform to advocate for reproductive health.💪
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In episode #126 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sat down with Heath Pearce, the President of For Soccer and a former defender on the USMNT.
For Soccer just released a new fan insights report called the 2023-24 United States of Soccer Report that analyzes topics like demographics, fan characteristics, factors that shape soccer fandom in the U.S.
The 2024 key findings include:
- 🏆 ‘New Arrivals’ - aka respondents who indicated having been soccer fans for 5 or fewer years - have grown by 57% since last year
- 📈 More than 45% of ‘New Arrivals’ are women
- 💡 Those who have become fans within the last year is up 400% year-over-year
- ❤️ Among casual fans, MLS and NWSL are the two most-beloved leagues
In this episode, hear Heath & Caroline discuss the report, and talk about the context around why women’s soccer is on the rise in the U.S.
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In episode #125 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Nicole Jeter West, one of the co-founders of the newly formed Vanguard Maven Group (VMG).
VMG is a new consultancy that is on a mission to foster meaningful connections between people and brands.
Led by Nicole Jeter West, Danita Randolph, and Jadan Randolph, VMG is aiming to be "more than just a marketing and creative consulting agency; we are pioneers, leaders, and Mavens of sports, entertainment, and culture."
In this episode, hear Nicole tell the founding story behind VMG, and how the team is setting out to be a force for change in women’s sports.
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In episode #124 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes and long-time sports journalist Terrika Foster-Brasby, who are the co-hosts of iHeartMedia’s newest women’s sports series called, Levels To This.
The series aims to feature real conversations - primarily with women - about what it takes to excel at the highest level in their respective fields.
Once a week, Swoopes and Foster-Brasby will discuss the hardwork and obstacles that come along with being at the top of their game, and will dive into their personal highs and lows.
In this episode, hear the full story behind “Levels To This with Sheryl Swoopes & Terrika Foster-Brasby.”
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In episode #123 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Arielle Knutson, the CEO of Oiselle.
Founded in 2007, Oiselle is a “By Women, For Women” performance-oriented apparel brand rooted in running.
Investing in women has always been part of the ethos of Oiselle through the product they create, the athletes they partner with, and the communities they serve.
Oiselle exists to help female athletes experience the joy of running and the transformative power of sport.
In this episode, hear Arielle talk about how Oiselle is helping women all over the world find tested, trusted, quality products that work as hard as they do.
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In episode #122 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Pete Giorgio, the Global and US Sports Practice Leader at Deloitte, and one of the key leaders behind the newly announced Athena Pledge to bring more investment into women’s sports.
The Athena Pledge is a 1st-of-its-kind platform with four founding members including AT&T, Capital One, Cisco, and Deloitte, who have united to advance strategic efforts around women’s sports.
The #goal of the Athena Pledge is two-fold:
- 1️⃣ To mobilize investment, research, and opportunities in women’s sports.
- 2️⃣ To rally other brands to commit to increased spending and support of the women’s sports ecosystem.
In this episode, hear Caroline & Pete talk about the short & long-term plans for the Athena Pledge and why the founding members believe it’s good for business - and good for society - to invest in women’s sports.
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In episode #121 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sat down with Leela Srinivasan - the CEO of Parity, Olga Harvey - the COO at the Women’s Sports Foundation, and Mike Nichols - the Chief of Sponsorship Strategy & Activation at Group 1001 and Gainbridge - to discuss a very special women’s sports program taking place this November called Parity Week by Gainbridge.
Gainbridge, Parity & the Women’s Sports Foundation are teaming up to “invest in the future of women’s sports.”
Inspired by Billie Jean King - who started the Women’s Sports Foundation 50 years ago with a $5,000 check - this year, Parity Week by Gainbridge includes the distribution of $150,000 in grants to 21 deserving organizations that support girls & women through sports & education.
Throughout the month of November, grant recipients will execute projects to create more access and opportunities for girls & women in sports across the U.S.
In this episode, hear all the details of the 2024 edition of Parity Week by Gainbridge, and why Parity, the Women’s Sport Foundation, and Gainbridge are committed to helping the next generation of girls & women pursue their athletic dreams.
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In episode #120 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Jax Diener, one of the owners of Watch Me! Sports Bar, which is a new women’s sports bar located in Long Beach, California.
For a long time, Jax has had the desire to own a bar where women could feel comfortable gathering to watch sports.
After learning about The Sports Bra in Portland, Jax immediately went for it, and started collaborating with other leaders in the women’s sports bar movement like Jenny from The Sports Bra, Jen from Rough & Tumble Pub, and Jillian from A Bar of Their Own to pull the plans together for opening Watch Me! in Long Beach.
Today, Jax and the team at Watch Me! are open for business, and on a mission to create a space where women's sports are celebrated, friendships are forged, and empowerment thrives.
In this episode, hear Jax tell the whole story behind Watch Me!, and discuss why it’s been great business to invest in women’s sports.
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In episode #119 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Camryn Novak, the Co-Founder of Rexana Ventures, which is a data-led women’s soccer advisory firm.
Cam & the team at Rexana specialize in club optimization, analysis, and strategy - with a dedicated focus on women’s football.
In partnership with the Retexo Group - the foremost intelligence provider and partner to the buyside of the football M&A market - Rexana leverages comprehensive datasets, rigorous research, advanced analytics, and bespoke statistical models, with the aim to empower its clients to maximize revenue and minimize costs.
In this episode, hear Cam talk about how Rexana is on a mission to accelerate the growth of women’s football organizations - and why the growth of women’s football isn’t slowing down.
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In episode #118 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Raven Jemison, the President of the NWSL’s Kansas City Current.
Raven joined as the Current’s President earlier this year after working across professional sporting organizations like the Milwaukee Bucks, the NBA, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Now, Raven is bringing her experience to the NWSL to help the Current continue to raise the bar and set new standards for women's sports - like helping open the first stadium in the world purpose-built for a women’s professional team.🏟️
In this episode, hear Raven and Caroline dig into the details of how Raven is leading the KC Current as they innovate to establish best-in-class processes & experiences within women’s sports.
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In episode #117 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Natalie White, the CEO & Founder of Moolah Kicks.
Moolah Kicks is the leading performance brand in women’s basketball, and since launching in 2020, Moolah has been the only brand exclusively committed to creating performance footwear for the women’s game.
Moolah Kicks’ signature “no break in or no burning” technology is designed to have sneakers biomechanically fit the female foot form which virtually eliminates any break-in period, and significantly reduces risk of knee, ankle, and leg injury for female basketball players.
As Moolah approaches 5 years in business, the brand continues to make moves on behalf of women hoopers, including dropping two brand new sneaker models, and announcing a first-of-its-kind partnership with Stanley hydration products - marking the first footwear collaboration for Stanley in the brand’s 111-year history.
In this episode, hear Natalie tell the founding story of Moolah, and why it’s been great business for Moolah to serve the women’s basketball community.
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In episode #116 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down Allyson Felix - who you probably already know as the most decorated American Track & Field athlete of all time - and her and colleague, Cosette Chaput - a longtime sports agent & marketing executive.
Allyson & Cosette, along with Allyson’s brother and longtime business partner, Wes, just launched a new venture called Always Alpha.
Always Alpha is a first-of-its-kind management firm fully focused on women’s sports.
The firm hopes to revolutionize the way that women athletes are represented and address the dated, transactional talent management models that were not necessarily developed to serve women athletes and all of their dynamic layers.
In this episode, hear Allyson & Cosette tell the founding story of Always Alpha and talk about why they believe now is the time to create a management firm focused on women’s sports.
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In episode #115 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Patti Phillips, the CEO of Women Leaders in Sports.
Patti and the team at Women Leaders in Sports believe that the world needs more women in leadership positions in the sports industry.
As the premier leadership organization that develops, connects, advances, and champions women working in sports, Women Leaders in Sports helps women advance into positions of influence in the sports industry.
In this episode, hear Patti & Caroline talk about why having more women leaders in sports will help transform the industry for the better.
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In episode #114 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Ally Eclarin, the Co-Founder of State Champs, which is the first-of-its-kind brick and mortar sports coffee shop where you can (literally) drink coffee and watch sports.
Opening their doors in Kent, Ohio in March of 2024, Ally and co-founder Cassy wanted to create a third space where ✨all✨fans could come and watch sports without having to go to a bar.
Since day one, women’s sports have been baked into the core identity of State Champs, as fans can always expect at least half the TV’s to be playing women’s sports.
In this episode, hear Ally tell the founding story of State Champs, and talk about why it’s been great business to create more equitable spaces in sports.
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In episode #113 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, we’re discussing a new report from Gather that analyzed the landscape of sports sponsorships among Fortune 500 companies.
The data revealed that 6% - or 33 companies - have sponsorship deals with the WNBA, NWSL, and PWHL, and of the 40 industries studied, not one sponsors women’s sports exclusively.
The apples-to-apples comparison between men’s & women’s sports leagues found that:
🏀 48 Fortune 500 companies sponsor the NBA, while 15 sponsor the WNBA
⚽️ 51 Fortune 500 companies sponsor the MLS, while 19 sponsor the NWSL
🏒 50 Fortune 500 companies sponsor the NHL, while 3 sponsor the PWHL.
In this episode, hear Dave Gaspar, the head of innovation at Gather, talk about the new report, and provide insights around what the data means for the future of women’s sports.
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In episode #112 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Kayla Green, the CMO of ATHLOS, which is a first-of-its-kind track event bringing together the fastest women in the world to compete for the largest purse ✨ever ✨for a women’s-only track event.
On September 26th, ATHLOS will bring the fastest women in the world to New York’s Icahn Stadium to compete for a $500,000 prize purse + 10% of the event’s revenue.
The event is backed by Alexis Ohanian (the Founder of Reddit and Seven Seven Six Ventures and the husband of Serena Williams) who believes track & field is the next big opportunity in women’s sports.
ATHLOS NYC will feature six events: the 100m, 200m, 400m, 100m hurdles, 800m, and 1500m, and will be broadcast via YouTube, X, ESPN+, and DAZN.
Fans will not only see the fastest women in the world compete, but the event will also be headlined with a musical performance from Megan Thee Stallion.
In this episode, hear Kayla & Caroline discuss all of the details of ATHLOS, and how the event is raising the bar for women in track & field.
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In episode #111 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Santia Deck, a former track and field collegiate athlete who is trailblazing in women’s sports both on & off the field.
Santia first made history by signing the largest contract in the history of women’s tackle football - with being offered a multi-million dollar contract.
In the Summer of 2020, Santia made history again by becoming the first female athlete to own her own sneaker company, TRONUS.
In this episode, hear Santia discuss her work both on & off the field and talk about it’s great business to invest in women athletes.
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In episode #110 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Janelle Anderson, the CEO of RIP-IT Sports.
The team at RIP-IT believes that women & girls deserve gear that fits flawlessly, performs optimally, and mirrors the unique requirements of all female athletes.
They are working to create better, more protective safety and performance gear for female athletes to help them elevate their game.
In this episode, hear Janelle & Caroline discuss how RIP-IT is making big moves with apparel and equipment for girls & women in volleyball, softball and soccer.
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In episode #109 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Cameron Rogers, a Private Wealth Advisor at Ellevest.
Ellevest is a woman-first financial company that is on a mission to get more money in the hands of women - which includes the sports industry.
In this episode, hear Cam & Caroline discuss why “nothing bad happens when women have more money”, how people can invest in women’s sports, and why it’s a big mistake to treat women’s sports solely as a “charity.”
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In episode #108 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Khristina Williams, a New York City based multimedia journalist, a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, a prominent voice in women’s basketball media, and the host of iHeartMedia’s new women’s basketball podcast.
The show, “In Case You Missed It with Khristina Williams,” is a weekly podcast where Khristina breaks down the biggest stories in women’s basketball.
Khristina began her journey covering women’s basketball when she founded the social-digital media platform Girls Talk Sports TV in 2018 after recognizing a large gender gap in basketball coverage.
Fast forward, and today Khristina is changing the game by delivering fans daily, original programming for women’s basketball in a multitude of ways - including through her latest venture with iHeartPodcasts.
In this episode, hear Khristina & Caroline discuss the story behind “In Case You Missed It with Khristina Williams” and why regular coverage of women’s basketball is essential to growing the game.
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In episode #107 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Julie Haddon, the Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer at the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
The NWSL is breaking records at every turn. In the last year alone:
- ⚽️ Sponsorship revenue is up 43%
- 💰 The players salary cap is up to $2.75M (up from $1.375M)
- 🎟️ Ticket resale value is up 49%
- 👏 Game attendance is up 42%
- 📲 Social impressions are up 94%
- 🎽 Merchandise sales are up 300% on NWSLShop.com
- 📺 The league’s new media rights deal with Amazon, CBS, ESPN, and Scripps is worth $240 million (previous deal was $1.5 million with CBS)
In this episode, hear Julie & Caroline talk about the incredible growth of the league, and make the business case for why the NWSL is the fastest growing professional women’s sports league in the world.
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In episode #106 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Amanda Vandervort, the President of the USL Super League.⚽️
Kicking off on Saturday, August 17th, the USL Super League is a brand new professional women's soccer league in the United States.
As a Division I league, the USL Super Leagues aims to increase the number of professional women's soccer teams in the country, and create more jobs for women at the highest level of the sport.💰
In this episode, hear Amanda and Caroline discuss the league’s plans, and how the USL Super League is setting out to be a global leader in women’s soccer.
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Episode #105 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, hear from Dr. Nefertiti Walker, the co-author of the new book: “Slaying the Trolls! Why the Trolls are Very, Very Wrong About Women and Sports.”
Dr. Walker recently co-authored the book with Dr. David Berri to give those who love women’s sports all the evidence they need to win the fight against online “trolls” who naysay or question the value of women’s sports.
In the book, Berri & Walker use arguments, humor, and empirical evidence to prove that what the “trolls” are saying is completely inconsistent with reality – and debunk the antiquated myths that exist about women’s sports.
In this episode, hear Dr. Walker tell the story behind the book, and break down why the “trolls” are very, very wrong about women and sports.
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Just in time for the Paris 2024 swimming competitions… 👀🏅
Episode #104 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, featuring Shana Ferguson from USA Swimming.
USA Swimming has had quite a year leading up to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
ICYMI, the 2024 USA Olympic Trials took place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana – which is typically the home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.
The venue allowed for the biggest crowd in history for an indoor swim meet, and viewership across every night of the Trials averaged 3.4 million viewers on NBC, making it the most-watched Olympic Trials since 2016.
In this episode, hear Shana share valuable insights around championing gender equity, and why marketing & uplifting women’s swimming has been a golden marketing strategy.
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In episode #103 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, hear from Phil Thomson, the Chief Data Scientist at Parity.
Parity just released what could be the largest study of women’s sports fandom ever.
In partnership with SurveyMonkey, Parity polled over 14,000 global consumers to find out who’s watching women’s sports, why, and what they think of women athletes.
Their research revealed that:👇
- 📺 73% of people watch women’s sports at least a few times a year, and a higher percentage of men watch women’s sports more frequently than women.
- 🛒 Women’s sports fans are 2.8x more likely to purchase a product recommended by a female athlete than by another type of influencer.
- 🛍 32% of all women's sports fans are more likely to purchase from a brand that supports women's sports or partners with women athletes, and that number jumps to 44% for U.S. female fans of women's sports specifically.
- 📈 25%-33% of women’s sports fans are watching more women’s sports this year compared to last year.
- 💰 50% or more of respondents believe that brands are not investing enough in women’s sports compared to men’s sports.
In this episode, hear Phil & Caroline dig into the glass-shattering research, and hear the newest data behind why it’s good business to invest in women’s sports.
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In episode #102 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, hear Dr. Jessica Hammond-Graf & Katherine Aversano tell the story behind the formation of Women’s Elite Rugby: a new professional women’s rugby league launching in 2025.
Women’s rugby is one of the fastest growing team sports in the world, with more than 2.7 million women playing across the globe in professional leagues, at the Olympics, and at universities.
The team at WER is looking to capitalize on the growth of the sport and build a strong presence & pipeline in the U.S. ahead of the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup - which will take place in the United States for the first time in history.
In this episode, hear the story behind WER, and why women’s rugby is poised for considerable growth in the U.S.
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In episode #101 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Megan Gokey, the Head of B2C Marketing for North America & the U.K at Klarna.
Megan’s team at Klarna recently partnered with Sports Innovation Lab to study the untapped potential of the women's sports merchandise market.
Their study, titled: Rep Her: Revealing the Unmet Demand for Women’s Sports Merchandise revealed that the potential market size is $4 billion, and that there are significant disparities when it comes to availability & quality in women’s sports merchandise compared to men’s sports.
A few of the key findings include:
- Women’s sports fans make more purchases per year than men’s sports fans -- and spend more per year on merchandise than men’s sports fans.
- For every 9 pieces of men’s sports merchandise that are available for purchase, women’s sports have just 1.
- 79% of surveyed respondents reported they would purchase more women’s sports merchandise if there were more options available to them.
In this episode, hear Megan & Caroline dig into the research and discuss why it’s bad business to neglect creating merchandise for women’s sports fans.
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Today, we are celebrating an incredible milestone at GOALS: the 100th episode of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally. 🎉
To mark the moment, we are flipping the script & putting Caroline in the guest chair to share the story of how GOALS and this podcast got started.
As a special treat, our friend Ellen Hyslop - Co-Founder of The GIST and host of The GIST of It podcast - will serve as a guest host to interview Caroline about her entrepreneurial journey.
In this episode, hear Caroline share the founding story of GOALS and 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, and hear Ellen & Caroline talk about why it’s good business to go all-in on women’s sports.
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In episode #99 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Esther Wallace, the CEO & Creative Director of Playa Society.
Playa Society is a streetwear brand known for one-of-a-kind, hand-drawn women’s sports merchandise.
In 2018, Esther merged her core passions - design, fashion, and basketball - to create Playa Society.
Today, Playa Society is a leading women’s sports merchandise brand that has raised the standard for the whole industry by centering design, quality, and storytelling for female athletes + their fans.
In this episode, hear Esther tell the whole story behind the creation of Playa Society, and why she believes it’s great business to invest in women’s sports.
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In episode #98 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Grace Ahrens, the Executive Director of Women in Soccer.
Women in Soccer (WIS) is a free network that supports all women and underrepresented individuals connected to the soccer industry.
WIS is a hub of resources to help individuals find job opportunities, professional development resources, and like-minded folks in soccer.
In this episode, hear Grace & Caroline discuss why Women in Soccer exists, and how the team is working to get more women & diverse voices working in the beautiful game.
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THE US WOMEN ARE YOUR 2024 TST CHAMPIONS! 🏆
To celebrate, we have a SPECIAL episode of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, for you.
LIVE from this year’s TST, meet Heather O’Reilly - a former USWNT member, the Captain of the US Women’s team at TST, and one of the key leaders behind the creation of the 1st-ever Women’s TST.⚡️
TST (aka The Soccer Tournament) - is a men’s & women’s 7v7, winner-take-all, professional soccer tournament.
In 2023, Heather entered the only all-women’s team in the 1st iteration of TST - before there was specifically a women’s edition of the tournament.
Fast forward a year, and Heather & the leaders at TST worked together to establish the 1st-ever Women’s TST and bring on Ally as the Official Retail Banking partner of TST – which included sponsoring Heather O’Reilly + her TST team ‘US Women.’ (Ally Bank, Member FDIC)
Thanks to Ally’s help, the winner of the 2024 women’s bracket - which this year was the US Women! - took home $1 million – the exact same as the winning team of the men’s tournament.
In this episode, hear Heather & Caroline discuss how the Women’s TST came to be, and make the business case for investing big in women’s soccer.
This episode was recorded on-site during The Soccer Tournament in Cary, NC at WakeMed Soccer Park.
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In episode #96 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Liz Baker Plosser, the Editor-in-Chief of Women’s Health Magazine.
The team at Women's Health has always cared deeply about telling stories of women athletes & women’s sports, but under Liz’s leadership, WH is going deeper into their coverage of professional women’s sports.
In this episode, hear Liz & Caroline discuss why their increased coverage of women’s sports isn’t a “charity” play for Women’s Health; rather, it’s a top business opportunity + priority for the iconic brand.
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In episode #95 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Valerie Tyson, the Co-Founder and Head of Strategy and Sports at Unrivaled Group.
Valerie and her team at Unrivaled Group are passionate about helping women in sports break through barriers and generate their own wealth.
As a strategic digital organization with a focus in women’s sports + business, the Unrivaled Group creates brand-specific, AI & data-driven ecosystems to reveal true performance and consumer perceptions of brands to help them improve.
In this episode, hear Valerie discuss how the Unrivaled Group is working to change the game for women in business and sports by using data to level the playing field.
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In episode #94 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline chats with with Esmeralda Negron, the Co-CEO of Women's Sports at DAZN.
Esmeralda joined DAZN in August 2023 after co-founding ata football, which was a streaming platform + community for women’s football fans.
She led the growth of ata football from its inception in September 2020 to its acquisition by DAZN, managing all media rights, premium broadcast partnerships, product development, and strategic growth partnerships with professional clubs, leagues, and federations.
Now, in a first-of-its-kind role at DAZN, Esmeralda and her team are working to make DAZN the “global home for women's football.”
In this episode, hear Esmeralda & Caroline discuss why DAZN is so bullish on championing women’s football, and how they’re working to bring women’s football to the world.
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In episode #93 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Renee Chube Washington, the Chief Operating Officer at USA Track & Field (USATF).🏃♀️🎽👟
USATF is the national governing body for track & field, long distance running, and race walking in the United States.
Renee & the team at USATF are focused on supporting the entire ecosystem of track & field - which, of course, includes women & girls in the sport.
In this episode, hear Renee & Caroline discuss:
- 💜 USATF’s expanded maternity support for its athletes.
- 👏 USATF’s new partnership with a menstrual hygiene product supplier, August.
- ⚡️And why Renee believes women in track & field deserve every opportunity that men have been afforded.
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In episode #92 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Howard Megdal, the Founder and Editor of The IX Newsletter and The Next Women's Basketball Newsroom.
Throughout the course of his career in journalism, Howard has worked to equalize coverage between both men and women’s sports - most notably, by creating the The IX Newsletter, which is a daily newsletter that offers a “curated guide” to six different women's sports.
In addition to creating The IX, Howard also recognized there was an opportunity for “always-on” women’s basketball coverage, so Howard also created “The Next” which is a 24/7/365 newsroom that puts out coverage on all things women's basketball.
In this episode, hear Howard talk about what it’s been like dedicating his career to covering women’s sports, and why non-legacy media outlets like The IX and The Next have been essential to growing women’s sports coverage.🏆
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In episode #91 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviewed Minji Ro, the Chief Strategy Officer at Gainbridge, a Group 1001 company - and one of the key leaders involved with signing Caitlin Clark as a brand ambassador for Gainbridge.
Clark is joining the Gainbridge roster of athletes–which includes women’s sports legends, Billie Jean King and Annika Sörenstam, and Gainbridge is joining brands Clark’s growing portfolio of NIL partnerships–which includes Gatorade, State Farm, Nike and Hy-Vee.
As part of the partnership, Clark will serve as a brand ambassador for Gainbridge’s new financial product, ParityFlex.
In the official press release announcing the partnership, Clark stated: “Women of all ages need to think about their long-term financial goals. The ParityFlex product is designed to allow women to begin building their financial future now.”
In this episode, hear Minji & Caroline discuss why Gainbridge was so interested in partnering with Caitlin Clark, and why the company is bullish on investing in women athletes as brand ambassadors.🏆
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In episode #90 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Laura Andriani, the Senior Vice President of Consulting at Two Circles – which is a global, data-driven sports agency that helps sports organizations build direct relationships between sports & fans.
Laura & the team at Two Circles have extensively studied the women’s sports industry across the globe, and are bullish on using data to demonstrate the long-term value of women’s sports.
In this episode, hear Laura & Caroline discuss:
- 📈The unprecedented growth that we’ve seen in women’s sports over the last few years alone.
- 🏆How fans of women’s sports demonstrate different behaviors than fans of men’s sports.
- 💰How Laura & her team use data to make the business case for investing in women’s sports.
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In episode #89 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Amanda Hazer, a “next quarter coach for women athletes.”
With a background in neuroscience and an MBA in innovation and product development, Amanda is now the Founder of Amanda Hazer Consulting.
In 2023, Amanda decided to take her skills and help women — specifically athletes — to use behavioral change to prepare for a fulfilling life beyond their sport.
Through her consulting practice, Amanda works with women athletes as they transition through and beyond sports to their next chapter.
She collaborates alongside athletes, coaches, and administrators to understand the layers to an athlete’s identity, to learn how they see value and purpose in their life and work, and then help them walk confidently into whatever's next.
In this episode, hear Amanda make the “business case” for why it’s essential to support women athletes through all phases of their athletic journey, including retirement.
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In episode #88 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline talks with Danette Leighton, the CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation.
Fifty years ago – shortly following the enactment of Title IX – the Women's Sports Foundation was founded by Billie Jean King as one of the 1st organizations to recognize the role of sports in helping girls and women achieve their full potential in sports & in life.💪
What was started by BJK in 1974 with a $5,000 check, has grown into a multifaceted organization that has invested over $100 million to help girls and women play, compete, and lead - in sports and beyond.
The Women's Sports Foundation believes that giving girls and women access to sports is not only transformative for them, but also beneficial to society at large.
Through their research, advocacy, and community programming, the WSF continues to illuminate the societal and cultural impact that is made when girls and women play sports.
In this episode, hear Danette & Caroline dig into the WSF’s core belief & guiding light: that equality in sports leads to equality in life.
This episode was recorded on March 22, 2024.
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In episode #87 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Raquel Braun, the Chief Business Officer at the Women's Sports Network - which is the first-ever 24/7 streaming network dedicated exclusively to women’s sports.
Powered by female voices, the Women's Sports Network aims to make women’s sports accessible to fans 24/7 by featuring original programming, live game action, award-winning docs, athlete profiles, and behind-the-scenes stories of women athletes.
Their signature daily studio show, GAME ON, features the latest news and hottest topics on what’s current in sports & sports-adjacent pop culture.
In this episode, hear Raquel & Caroline talk about the #goals of the Women’s Sports Network, and how Raquel and the team are rewriting the playbook for traditional network coverage of women’s sports.
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In episode #86 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sat down with Jacie deHoop, Co-Founder of The GIST.
Launched in 2019 by three college friends, The GIST is a fan-first sports media brand that provides equal coverage to women's and men's sports.
Jacie and the all female-identifying team at The GIST is focused on changing the game in the male-dominated sports industry where less than 15% of journalists are women & just 15% of coverage is on female athletes and non-binary folks.
Through their hugely popular newsletter, podcast, and social content, The GIST aims to be your “witty, sports-obsessed best friend” that gives fans sports coverage that centers on women.
In this episode, hear Jacie & Caroline discuss the sports media landscape, and how The GIST is shaking things up for the better.🏆
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In episode #85 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline chats with Deidra Maddock, the Vice President of Sports Brand Solutions at Disney Advertising.
In her role, Deidra leads a cross-country team responsible for marketing sponsorships across all professional league content, ESPN studio programs and social platforms, ESPN-owned events, and all sponsorship activation efforts.
As a 14-year veteran of The Walt Disney Company, she has contributed to numerous successful rights renewal and content acquisitions and has overseen go-to-market strategies, as well as the development of all single and multimedia sponsorship offerings and fulfillment of those sponsorships.
In this episode, hear Deidra & Caroline talk about:
- 💪The glass-shattering $920M broadcast rights deal between ESPN and the NCAA that features 40 NCAA championships over the next eight years, and includes women’s #MarchMadness.
- 🏆 How Deidra and her team go-to-market to sell women’s sponsorships.
- 🏅 Why Deidra believes it’s essential for more brands to get intentionally involved with women’s sports.
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In episode #84 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, we sat down with Laura Waters-Brown, a Director at The Collective at Wasserman, and one of the key leaders behind the #WeAreBG Campaign to bring Brittney Griner home safely.
On February 17, 2022, WNBA superstar Brittney Griner was detained upon her arrival in Moscow.
As of April 29, 2022, Griner was officially classified as a Wrongful Detention by the U.S. State Department, which signals that the U.S. government will seek to negotiate her release.
While Griner was detained, the team at Wasserman (the agency that represents Griner) created the campaign #WeAreBG to lobby support to bring her back home.
Almost 100 Wasserman employees were involved in the effort, and the collective campaign ultimately helped activate thousands to write, call, petition, and advocate for Griner’s release on December 8, 2022.
The campaign has been lauded by the sports industry, and has received recognitions from Hashtag Sports, the Sports Business Journal, PR Daily, and more.
In this episode, hear Laura talk about the work that went into creating the #WeAreBG campaign which ultimately helped sparked a movement to bring Brittney Griner home safely.
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In episode #83 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sat down with Arianna Criscione, the Co-Founder of Valeur.
Arianna is an ex professional football player who has mixed her on-field knowledge with her off-field business acumen to become an expert in women’s football.⚽️
In addition to being on the founding team of Mercury 13, Arianna and Co-Founder, Preeti Shetty decided to start Valeur because they know that women in sport are underpaid and they want to help change that.💪
Valeur is working to be the voice of pay equity within the sports industry, empowering women with the tools, skills, and networks to overcome institutional bias, and raise the perceived value of women across sports.⚡️
In this episode, hear Arianna & Caroline discuss Arianna’s journey through football that has led her to now doing this work to get women in sports compensated appropriately.🏆
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In episode #82 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Jamie Mittelman, the Founder & Host of Flame Bearers which is the first global storytelling platform to illuminate the unsung stories of resilient women Olympians & Paralympians.🏆
Through their popular podcast, video and live events, Flame Bearers gives women Olympians & Paralympians a platform to share their trials and triumphs, discuss what life is like outside the games, and bring unique perspectives to their stories.
Jamie started Flame Bearers after recognizing how little media coverage women in sports receive. 📺
Jamie believes that “if you can see it, you can be it” - so Flame Bearers exists to ensure that girls & boys have role models who look like and sound like them at the highest level of sports.⚡️
In this episode, hear Jamie tell the story behind the creation of Flame Bearers, and hear more about how Jamie and her team are gearing up to tell more stories of Olympians and Paralympians around the 2024 Paris Olympics.🏆
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In episode #81 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet women’s sports leader & legend, Ilana Kloss.
Ilana and her long-time partner, Billie Jean King, have been fighting on behalf of women in sports for decades.💪
Currently, Ilana serves as the CEO of Billie Jean King Enterprises, a part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Angel City Football Club, the Chair of the Board of the Billie Jean King Cup Limited, a member of the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Executive Board, and a member of the Board of the PWHL.
From 2001-2018, Ilana was the CEO & Commissioner of World TeamTennis, and as an athlete, Ilana was a world No. 1 doubles player and US Open doubles champion.🎾
In this episode, hear Ilana talk about her incredible journey through sports, and share some insights around how she and Billie Jean have been so effective in their work over the last 50+ years to trail-blaze on behalf of women in sports.⚡️
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In episode #80 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, we sat down with Jennifer Haskel, the Insights Lead for Deloitte’s Sports Business Group.
A new report from Deloitte came out that predicts that for the first time in history, women’s professional sports will generate over $1 billion in global revenue.
The growth of women’s sports is happening quickly: per Deloitte, the industry saw $695 million in revenue in 2022, $981 million in 2023, and now is projected to see $1.28 billion in global revenue in 2024.
In this episode, hear Jennifer & Caroline discuss the methodology behind this glass-shattering projection, and dig into the huge opportunity ahead for the women’s sports industry to scale to incredible new heights.💰
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In episode #79 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sat down with Leela Srinivasan, the new CEO at Parity.
Parity is on a mission to close the gender income & opportunity gap in professional sports by developing high-impact collaborations between brands, professional women athletes and their fans.💰
Less than a year in as Parity’s CEO, Leela has hit the ground running bringing her incredible expertise in marketing, business development, tech, and so much more to the table on behalf of women athletes.
In this episode, hear Leela & Caroline discuss Parity’s work as the only at-scale platform that offers brands the opportunity to partner specifically with professional women athletes, and hear Leela’s vision for taking the organization to new heights. 🚀
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In episode #78 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Jacqie McWilliams Parker, the Commissioner of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA).
Commissioner McWilliams-Parker has been leading the CIAA for the last 11 years - a role she took on after holding various leadership roles within college athletics over the last 30 years including spending nine years at the NCAA managing championships for Divisions I, II and III.
Jacqie is the first female to serve as Commissioner for the CIAA and was the first appointed African American female Commissioner representing NCAA Divisions I, II & III.
In all of the leadership positions she’s held throughout sports, Jacqie has always fought on behalf of women athletes and women in sport.
In this episode, hear Jacqie share more about her incredible journey as a leader in sports, and why she believes that it’s simply good business to respect and value women in sports.
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In episode #77 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sat down with Ramsey Baker, the SVP at Aggregate Sports.
A new survey from Aggregate Sports, in collaboration with market research platform Suzy, found that general sports fans overwhelmingly think brands should support women's sports.
A sample of 1,000 general sports fans (ages 18-65) were polled with the goal of better understanding current consumer perceptions around women’s sports.
The survey found that:
🎾 77% of fans believe that brands should sponsor women’s sports.
🤝 74% of fans believe that brands should sponsor sports equally for women and men.
🏆 62% of fans feel better about brands that sponsor women’s sports.
In this episode, hear Ramsey & Caroline discuss these findings, and talk about how these shifting perceptions around women’s sports demonstrate just how big the business opportunity can be for brands who embrace women’s sports sponsorship opportunities.💰
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LIVE from the Ally Tipoff, hear from Andrea Brimmer the Chief Marketing and PR Officer at Ally Financial.⚡️
We recorded episode 76 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, at the Spectrum Center in North Carolina right before the start of the first-ever Ally Tipoff.
The Ally Tipoff was created in collaboration with Ally and the Charlotte Sports Foundation to bring more attention to the start of the women’s college basketball season. 🏟️
The event featured a high-profile match-up between Iowa vs. Virginia Tech - two of last year’s Final Four teams as they began their seasons and journeys to the National Championship.
By the numbers:
🤯15,196 fans attended
📈 It was the most-attended women's college basketball game ever in North Carolina 📈
🏀It was highest attended regular season game in Virginia Tech program history
In this episode, hear Andrea and Caroline discuss Ally’s game-changing leadership & strategy to invest in women’s sports - which includes creating the first-ever Ally Tipoff.
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In episode #75 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Jennifer Yepez-Blundell & Karina Martinez, the Co-Founders of DRAFTED.
DRAFTED is a sports tech company created specifically by and for Latinas that celebrates Latinas in the world of sports and harnesses the power of Latinx sports fans.
Fueled by their personal lived-experiences, passion, and expertise, Jennifer & Karina decided to build an industry-disrupting platform to serve as a hub that connects the sports world with the pulse of Latinx culture.
Jennifer & Karina believe that Latina sports fans are one of the most exciting and underserved customer segments in all of sports, so they’re on a mission to demonstrate the social and economic value that comes with investing in Latinas in sports.
In this episode, hear Jennifer & Karina share the story behind why they decided to start DRAFTED, and make the business case for why it’s good business to prioritize Latina sports fans.
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In episode #74 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Colleen Garrity - the SVP of Marketing at Excel Sports Management.
In her role, Colleen leads Excel’s basketball marketing division & oversees marketing initiatives for both women's and men's basketball which includes working closely with both established players and emerging talents specifically in women's basketball.
Notably, Colleen and her team recently signed Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark to their roster of women’s basketball athletes.
Before signing with Excel, Clark’s family was exclusively handling the management of her extensive line-up of partnerships with brands like Nike, Topps, and State Farm, but now, Colleen and her team will be taking the reins and managing Caitlin’s business affairs.
In this episode, hear Caroline and Colleen discuss what it’s been like working with Caitlin Clark and why it’s good business to invest in women’s basketball.
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In episode #73 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Meghann Burke, the Executive Director of the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association (NWSLPA).
As the labor union of NWSL players, the goal of the NWSLPA is to elevate professional standards in NWSL so that every player can pursue a long-lasting, sustainable, and fulfilling career as a professional soccer player.
In her role leading the union, Meghann serves as a voice and advocate of the players, which includes serving as the collective bargaining representative of NWSL players.
In this episode, hear Meghann talk more about everything that the NWSLPA has achieved since its inception in 2017 - including negotiating a landmark CBA agreement in 2022 - and listen to Meghann share more about all of the ways that her team fights on behalf of NWSL players every single day.
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In episode #72 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Ally Davis & Melissa Forman, the founders of Impakt Partners.
Impakt Partners is a purpose-led women’s sports media company that is working to accelerate positive change by telling and amplifying incredible stories about inspiring female athletes.
Impakt Partners is co-founded by Melissa Forman and Allyson (Ally) Davis - tenured sports media professionals who are acclaimed film and television producers, directors, media executives and marketers with a deep diverse network of creative professionals.
Melissa & Ally understand the sports media business and now want to help key stakeholders increase growth, revenue and market relevance through women’s sports storytelling.
In this episode, hear Ally & Melissa tell the story behind the creation of Impakt Partners, and share their expertise around why meaningful storytelling is one of the best ways we can create equity in sport.⚡
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In episode #71 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, hear the story behind a new sportswear company, SPRHRA.
Marina Paul is on a mission to create more female superheroes - or SPRHRAs. As a lifelong athlete, Marina realized a gap in sports apparel for female athletes.
After interviewing 150+ high-performing female athletes from all different sports, she realized most female athletes had the same concerns.
Marina realized that female athletes waste significant time and energy re-adjusting their sports apparel to fit them since historically, there has been very little sportswear built for how female athletes play, move, and live.
As a result, Marina set-out to create SPRHRA and eliminate the restrictions placed on female athletes.
In this episode, hear Marina tell the story of behind the creation of SPRHRA, and what’s it's like starting an innovative business with a mission of empowering women athletes everywhere.⚡
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In episode #70 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Paralympic gold medalist, advocate, and author, Scout Bassett.
Scout recently authored her first book, titled, “Lucky Girl: Lessons on Overcoming Odds and Building a Limitless Future.”
In this book, Scout shares the lessons she’s learned battling the toughest challenges facing young women today.
As an infant in China, Scout survived a fire that took her right leg.
She spent the next seven years in an orphanage before being adopted and whisked away to the United States, where she felt foreign in every way.
Though she defied the odds and became a gold medalist and world-record holder, Scout fought against adversity her entire life—and mostly off the track.
In Lucky Girl, Scout shares ten lessons she’s learned to help readers overcome some of the most difficult challenges in life today.
In this episode, hear Scout share more about Lucky Girl, and why she believes investing in women is the way to lift up all of society.
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In episode #69 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Andrea Pagnanelli, the CEO of the National Cycling League.
Andrea has had an incredible journey through sports - both personally & professionally.⚽️
From playing soccer at Brown, to working in the NFL, the VC space and within the NWSL, all of Andrea’s experiences in sports have prepared her for a new challenge: leading the newly launched National Cycling League.⚡
Founded in 2022, the National Cycling League (NCL) is working to transform professional cycling into a world-class spectator sport.
For a long time, the Tour de France has been the only widely popular cycling event for spectators to engage with.
Now, the NCL is aiming to create races for both cyclists and fans alike in the U.S., hosting events in Miami Beach, Denver, and Atlanta. 🚴♀️
In this episode, hear Andrea talk about the NCL’s plans to revolutionize the sport of cycling by making it more available and inclusive for all.
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In episode #68 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Kate Veronneau - one of the incredible leaders behind the creation of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. 🚴♀️
Kate is the Director of Women’s Strategy at Zwift - which is an online cycling game & training program that enables users to ride, train and compete in a virtual world.
Used by over 3 million cyclists & athletes around the world, Zwift is one of the most beloved brands in cycling. 🚴♀️
In her role, Kate focuses primarily on existing & potential female users of Zwift, and works on initiatives that serve and attract more women to the Zwift platform. ⚡️
One of the major initiatives that Kate has spearheaded is the launch of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift - which is the dedicated women’s version of the iconic cycling race. 🏆
In this episode, listen to the story of Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift from idea to inception, and hear why Zwift continues to make strategic investment in women’s sports.⚡
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In episode #67 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Samantha Ward & Meghan O’Donnell - two seasoned sports industry professionals & entrepreneurs that recently launched a platform called empowHERed.
Launched in 2023, empowHERed exists to create more opportunities for women in the sports industry through professional development, mentorship, networking, and mental health resources.
Meghan & Samantha are passionate about creating a sports world that is welcoming, safe and inclusive of women because they know how overwhelming it can be to break into, advance, or even just exist as a woman in sports.
Through empowHERed, they’re providing women with more professional development resources so they can excel within sports.
In this episode, listen to the story behind empowHERed, and why Meghan & Samantha believe that helping women excel professionally in sports is one of the keys to creating a more equitable sports world.⚡
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In episode #66 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Vered Koren - an AVP at Wasserman.
In the last few months, Vered and the team at The Collective at Wasserman have been busy at work publishing game-changing women’s sports research.
This summer, the team published a report called “The New Economy of Sport – The Unparalleled Value of Professional Women Athletes” which contains incredible insights around the economic and social value associated with investing in women athletes.
The #GOAL of the report is to give commercial partners all the rationale needed for driving significant impact through alignment with women athletes.
The key takeaways include:
📲 Women athletes drive 2x more engagement on social media than men athletes.
🛒 Fans of women's sports are 54% more aware of brand sponsors and are 45% more likely to consider or purchase from a brand sponsor compared to men's sports.
In this episode, listen to Vered and Caroline discuss the findings of the full report, and make the business case for why brands should sponsor women athletes.⚡
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In episode #65 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, we hear from Nancy Hensley - a Founding Member of Mercury 13 - which is a multi-club ownership group that is on a mission to invest $100 million in acquiring women's soccer clubs in Europe and Latin America.
Led by sports entrepreneur Victoire Cogevina Reynal, Mercury 13 is aiming to become the industry standard of women’s football ownership by identifying the next decade’s super clubs and fueling their commercial power to attract a massive yet underserved market: female football fans.⚽️
First up? Lewes FC - a club from England's second division side which in 2017 became the first to split its budget and resources equally between the men's and women's teams.🔥
In this episode, hear Nancy & Caroline discuss Mercury 13’s #goals, and make the business case for why it’s good business to invest in women’s football.
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In episode #64 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, hear from Dominique Wright, the CEO & Founder FAND.
Dominique created FAND after recognizing the many pain points that exist when it comes to connecting brands with college athletes for NIL marketing deals.🤝
FAND works to simplify brand-athlete collaboration by using NIL software to automate communication, streamline notifications, and providing 24/7 athlete customer support.
In this episode, hear Dominique talk about what it has been like building FAND, and how NIL deals are creating more economic opportunities for women athletes.💰
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In episode #63 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Laura Miranda & Ariana Rae Diverio - the Co-Founders of B. Partners.
Newly launched, B. Partners is a first-of-its-kind consulting agency, specializing in brand-building and revenue generation.
B. Partners is a female and minority-founded commercial consulting group specializing in accelerating growth for consumer brands and commercial properties.
Their unique approach to business delivers exponential revenue results using assets that are often overlooked - which includes women's sports.
Laura & Ariana are on a mission to generate $1 billion in total projected earnings in the next 5 years for their clients - and their hope is that a big portion of that goes into the women’s sports ecosystem.
In this episode, hear Laura and Ariana share the story behind the creation of B. Partners, and why they believe in the power of partnerships to change the game for women in sports.
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In episode #62 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, hear the founding story of the NWSL’s newest expansion team, Bay FC, as told by Leslie Osborne - a former USWNT team player that is now one of the Founding Four members of Bay FC.
Coming to the NWSL in 2024, Bay FC is the first NWSL team in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The team is co-founded by four U.S. Women’s National Team legends—Brandi Chastain, Aly Wagner, Danielle Slaton, and Leslie Osborne—in partnership with global investment firm Sixth Street.
This year, Bay FC won one of three coveted bids for NWSL expansion, paying a record $53 million fee to the NWSL which was the most ever paid for a team in the league.
In this episode, hear Leslie and Caroline discuss the journey to get Bay FC started, and Bay FC’s vision to change the face of women’s soccer as we know it.
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In episode #61 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, hear from Odessa Jenkins, the CEO & Founder of the Women’s National Football Conference.
Headed into its 5th season, the WNFC is a competitive women’s tackle football league that is on a mission to accelerate equity in sports for women and girls through the power of football.
Featuring 16 teams across the U.S. - with players from 20+ countries - the WNFC aims to combine great football & entertainment with a commitment to equity, inclusion, and social responsibility.
In this episode, hear Odessa Jenkins talk about what it has been like building the WNFC, and why she believes that women’s tackle football is the next big sports + entertainment product.
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In episode #60 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Mollie Marcoux Samaan, the Commissioner of the LPGA. ⛳️
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is one of the longest-running women's professional sports associations in the world. 🏌️♀️
Mollie is the ninth Commissioner of the LPGA since its formation in 1950, and is leading the LPGA to become the premier women's professional sports organization in the world today. 🏆
In this episode, hear Mollie and Caroline discuss the current landscape of women’s professional golf, and why Mollie believes it’s a win-win-win to invest in the LPGA.💰
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In episode #59 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Sarah Bain, the Managing Director of Techstars.
Founded in 2006, Techstars believes that entrepreneurs create a better future for everyone and great ideas can come from anywhere.💡
They are on a mission to invest in an unprecedented number of startups per year enabling more capital to flow to more entrepreneurs around the world. 🚀
They do this by operating accelerator programs and venture capital funds, as well as by connecting startups, investors, corporations and cities to help build thriving startup communities.💰
In this episode, hear Sarah - an expert in identifying and investing in emerging businesses and markets - and Caroline discuss the value proposition of women’s sports, and why now is the time to invest in women’s sports while the industry is still in its “start-up” phase.⚡️
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In episode #58 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, we sat down with the legendary Hilary Knight.
Hilary Knight is an Olympic Gold Medalist and USA women’s hockey star and advocate.
Hilary’s impact in women’s hockey is felt both on and off the ice - and most notably, Hilary has been a leading voice in the efforts to professionalize women’s ice hockey and get women in hockey equitable resources and opportunities.
Largely thanks to Hilary's efforts as a player advocate, a new, unified professional women’s hockey league was just established in North America called the Professional Women’s Hockey League - or the PWHL.
The league will unify professional women’s hockey in North America and will feature the best players in the world.
The PWHL is backed financially by Mark and Kimbra Walter and is led by a Board of Directors that includes Billie Jean King, Ilana Kloss, and Los Angeles Dodgers President Stan Kasten, and Dodgers Senior Vice President of Business Strategy Royce Cohen.
In this episode, hear Hilary and Caroline discuss the plans for the PWHL, why it’s GREAT business to invest in women’s professional hockey.
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In episode #57 of The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Rachel Goodger - the Chief Revenue Officer at CrowdIQ.
As a former division 1 hockey player and a sports industry professional, Rachel has had a front row seat to how the women’s sports industry has evolved over the last decade.⚡️
Now through her work at CrowdIQ, Rachel works with the team to use their advanced photography technology to provide professional sports teams with actionable insights about their crowd composition and behaviors.📲
In the episode, hear Rachel and Caroline discuss the key trends that CrowdIQ has observed around crowd demographics and behavior over the last few years, and share helpful insights that women’s sports industry professionals can use to better connect with their fans and stakeholders.
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In episode #56 of 🎙️ The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Vanessa Sachs - the CEO & Founder of SWAKE.
SWAKE is the first sweat-resistant cosmetic company bridging the gap between the beauty and fitness industry. 💪
Historically, there haven’t been a lot of products or innovations specifically for women athletes or women in sports.
So Vanessa decided to take matters into her own hands and create a cosmetic line specifically for women in fitness + sports.💄
In the episode, hear Vanessa tell the story of founding her company, and discuss why she has gone into business on behalf of women in sport.
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In episode #55 of The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Val Ackerman - the Commissioner of the Big East Conference and the founding President of the WNBA.
Val is an American sports executive, a former lawyer, and a former basketball player who is currently serving as the commissioner of the Big East Conference.
In addition to her work at the Big East, Commissioner Ackerman is best known for being the first president of the WNBA, serving from 1996 to 2005.
In this episode, hear Val and Caroline discuss how the landscape of women’s sports has changed over the last 27 years since she became the first woman to successfully launch & operate a women's team sports league in the U.S., and why Val is optimistic about the future of women’s sports.
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In episode #54 of The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Jay Kaufman - the Executive Vice President & Head of Sports at the National Research Group.
In their recently released Leveling the Playing Field report, the NRG summarizes how the popularity of women’s sport has grown significantly over the last few years.
The report’s key takeaways include:
- In the United States, 3 in 10 sports fans say they’re watching more women’s sports now than they were 5 years ago.
- The broadcast market for women’s sports grew significantly worldwide this year, thanks in part to wildly successful events like the UEFA European Women’s Championship and ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
- 85% of fans – including 79% of men – think that it’s important for women’s sports to continue to grow in popularity.
- During the Tokyo Games, in half of the 10 most widely viewed sports, viewership for women’s events was higher than men’s.
In this episode, hear Jay breakdown the Leveling The Playing Field report, and discuss how the research proves that it’s good business to invest in women & girls in sports.
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In episode #53 of The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Sarah Styles - the Director of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation in Victoria, Australia.
In 2015, the Victorian Government made a commitment to increase the number of women and girls participating in sport and active recreation.
As a result, the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation was born, which is the only government agency of its kind in Australia.
In her role, Sarah oversees all of the Office’s initiatives, and most recently, her team released a new piece of research called, ‘The Value of You Can Be What You Can See: Addressing the Sponsorship Gap for Women’s Elite Sport’ that found that sponsorships of women’s elite sport actually outperform men’s when it comes to brand awareness, brand consideration and customer conversion.
The data revealed that for every $1 corporate sponsors invest into women's sport, they see - on average - $7.29 customer value in return.
In this episode, listen to Sarah and Caroline discuss the findings of the full report, and make the business case for why brands should sponsor women’s elite sports.
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In episode #52 of The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, meet Megan Reyes - a prominent content creator and athlete advocate in women’s sports.
During the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Megan spearheaded incredible content creation + storytelling of women’s football federations that historically have not seen their fair share of the limelight.
Most notably, Megan created ‘Between Two Worlds’ - which is a four-part audio documentary examining the Filipino-American experience in parallel with the @pilipinaswnt’s road to the 2023 #FIFAWWC.
In this episode, hear Megan & Caroline discuss Megan’s favorite storylines from the 2023 Women’s World Cup and why Megan believes that investment is the key to creating more gender equity in football across the globe.
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In this episode of The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, we meet Megan Lanham, the Co-Founder & CEO of Rithmm.
Rithmm is a personalized predictive analytics tool for sports betting that aims to make it easy to make smart bets. Rithmm simplifies sports analytics for everyday bettors.
Their team of PhDs, data scientists, and machine learning engineers helps betters build their own analytical models and get personalized recommendations so they can make smarter bets.
In this episode, hear Megan explain how Rithmm is disrupting the sports betting landscape, and share more about their plans to get into the business of women’s sports.
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In Ep. #50, Caroline sits down with Emily Caron - a reporter at Sportico who is focused on covering the business side of women's sports.
Prior to joining Sportico, Emily spent two years at Sports Illustrated, and has also written for ESPN, espnW, CBS Sports, SB Nation, and the Religion of Sports. ✍
In Emily’s role at Sportico, she covers the biggest stories around women’s sports sponsorship deals, marketing campaigns, media deals, team & league valuations, attendance numbers, and more.
Women’s sports still receive less than 10% of media coverage - and the business side of women’s sports receives even less.
In this episode, hear Emily and Caroline discuss the current landscape of sports media, and why in order to grow women’s sports, we need more coverage of the business side of women’s sports.
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In Ep. #49, Caroline sits down with Nicole Pawlak - the Senior Director of Special Projects at Athletes Unlimited - to talk about how the team at AU is innovating the product of women’s sports.
Nicole, who is a seasoned sports industry professional, has been part of Athletes Unlimited since it was created back in 2020.
The team at Athletes Unlimited believes that the traditional model of pro sports is not built to bring out the best in athletes - or to deliver the most to its fans.
Because of this, they decided to develop an all-new model that puts players and fans first.
Since Athletes Unlimited launched, they have facilitated successful women’s professional softball, volleyball, basketball and lacrosse leagues - and they’re just getting started.
In this episode, hear Nicole talk about the vision for Athletes Unlimited, and how they’re innovating the product of women’s sports.
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In Ep. #48, Caroline shared the microphone with Mara Fitzgerald - who happens to be Caroline’s sister, and the creator of SHOT:CLOCK which is a 'facts only' women's sports media platform.
In August of 2018, Caroline and Mara were frustrated that women’s sports weren’t receiving more media coverage.
After a lot of brainstorming on a Fitzgerald Family vacation, SHOT:CLOCK was born as an Instagram account that would highlight the world of women’s sports by sharing news, data and relevant content.
While Caroline has since pivoted away from SHOT:CLOCK to go all-in on GOALS and The Business CaseFor Women's Sports podcast, Mara has remained steadfast in her work to grow SHOT:CLOCK into one of the go-to women’s sports media platforms for ‘facts only’ updates around women’s sports.
Today, SHOT:CLOCK has over 13K dedicated followers - all grown from the work Mara puts in in her free time - as her work as an architectural engineer in the construction industry remains her full-time profession.
In this episode, hear Mara & Caroline tell the whole story behind the creation of SHOT:CLOCK, and how Mara continues to make waves across women’s sports with every SHOT:CLOCK post she creates.
In Ep. #47, Caroline sits down with ESPN's Sarah Spain - a women's sports legend, leader and now investor.
Sarah has an incredible tenure through sports - both as a collegiate athlete at Cornell and most notably as an incredible radio host, anchor, and sports reporter.
Through her work at ESPN and ESPNW, Sarah has used her platforms to promote the importance and business opportunity around investing in women’s sports.
In 2021, Sarah even went so far as to put her money where her mouth is and invest big to become a part owner of the NWSL’s Chicago club - the Chicago Red Stars.
In this episode, hear Sarah breakdown why she has dedicated so much of her personal and professional journey to advancing women’s sports, and why she believes it’s a massive business opportunity to invest in women athletes.
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Learn more about Embarc Chicago & Hear The Cheers.
In Ep. #46, Caroline interviews Ann Kletz - the Co-CEO & Co-Founder at Goal Five - to hear the story behind the sportswear brand's work to create performance apparel for women, by women.
Inspired by United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 - “Achieve equality and empower all women and girls” - Ann and her team at Goal Five set out to put women athletes first and create a sportswear brand for women, by women.
For the longest time, performance apparel has been made with only men in mind.
Goal Five believes that all girls, regardless of race and socio-economic status, should have the opportunity to play sports, because when girls play and compete, they become strong, confident leaders on and off the field.
So they are on a mission to create performance apparel that empowers women both on and off the field.
In this episode, hear Ann tell the whole story behind the creation of Goal Five, and how she and her team are putting women first and creating sportswear for her.
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In Ep. #45, Caroline talks with Faatimah Amen-Ra A - the Founder of the Women’s Premier Basketball Association - to discuss how the WPBA is working to create more opportunities for women to play basketball professionally in the United States.
As the first FIBA certified basketball league in California, the WPBA is a collaboration of professional athletes, community leaders, coaches and staff that are dedicated to the vision of upholding the highest standard in women’s basketball.
In this episode, hear Caroline and Faatimah dig into the landscape of professional basketball opportunities in the U.S. and discuss why it’s good business to invest in emerging women's sports leagues like the WPBA.
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In Ep. #44, Caroline interviews Jess Smith - the Head of Revenue at the Angel City Football Club - to discuss how the Los Angeles-based NWSL team booked $35 million in sponsorship revenue before playing a single game.
Women's sports currently receive only 1% of global sports sponsorship dollars, but despite this massive disparity, there is one team in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) that has managed to take sponsorship results for women’s sports properties to new heights.
The Angel City Football Club found success in building a new model for how to drive sponsorship revenue in professional women's sports. The Angel City Sponsorship Model, which allocates 10% of the value of every Angel City F.C. sponsorship deal to a community program in the Los Angeles area, has resonated with brands and contributed to the franchise’s successful business development efforts.
In this episode, hear Jess talk about ACFC's innovative approach to brand partnerships, and how the club is working relentlessly to become the first women’s sports team with a $1 billion valuation.
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Check-out the ACFC x Viva La Bonita Collection.
In Ep. #43, Caroline sits down with Gina Waldhorn - the Chief Marketing Officer at Sports Innovation Lab - to discuss Sports Innovation Lab’s work to grow women’s sports, including teaming up with Ally to launch the Women’s Sports Club; a club that will assemble a cohort of businesses that buy and sell sports media and sponsorships with a shared goal to elevate investments in women’s sports.
The innovative launch of the Women’s Sports Club is par for the course for both SIL and Ally, two brands that have a demonstrated history of investing in and championing women’s sports.
- Sports Innovation Lab has been leading the way when it comes to generating the data & reports that show the business value & opportunities within women’s sports. (See: The Fan Project)
- In May of 2022, Ally announced a five-year initiative called the 50-50 Pledge, vowing to reach parity across its media spending in men’s and women’s sports - and since then has been taking big action to invest in women athletes.
In this episode, learn more about the Women’s Sports Club and the work Gina and the team at Sports Innovation Lab are doing to make the business case for women’s sports through data, research and partnerships.
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In Ep. #42, Caroline sits down with Jen Barnes, the Founder & Owner of Rough & Tumble Pub - Seattle's pub for women's sports. In this episode, hear Jen tell the full story behind creating the second sports bar in the world made specifically for women's sports.
When Jen couldn’t find a bar or any place outside her living room to watch the 2021 OL Reign’s semi-final playoff game, she was inspired to create a space for women's sports fans. Rough & Tumble opened in the Seattle neighborhood of Ballard in December of 2022. With 18 screens and space for more than 160 people, Rough & Tumble has become a go-to sports bar for all fans of all ages to join us to watch ALL the sports.
The team at OL Reign described Jen Barnes as: "The driving force behind all of Barnes’s work is simple – she’s an unrelenting advocate for gender equity, women athletes, and women’s sports. A natural leader, she has experience in many fields, including HR, marketing, operations and finance. Her impressive resume, along with the support of the community has spurred the success of Rough & Tumble. With particular support from the Seattle Storm, OL Reign, and Washington’s collegiate teams, Rough & Tumble has truly become the women’s sports hub in Seattle."
In this episode, hear Caroline interview Jen to hear the full story behind her entrepreneurial journey to create of Rough & Tumble Pub, and how Jen is working hard to level the playing field one pub, one game, and one cheer at a time.
In Ep. #41, hear from Sara Gotfredson - the Founder of the Trailblazing Sports Group, which is a new, mission based, female-founded sports marketing company focused on elevating women's sports via storytelling and brand partnerships.
Sara is a seasoned sports marketing executive with nearly 20 years in digital and traditional media experience and brand building with ESPN and the Walt Disney Company. She has long believed that brands have the power to make an impact in the financial success of women’s sports, AND investment in women’s sports is good for business and the bottom line.
In this episode, hear Caroline interview Sara to hear the story behind why Sara founded Trailblazing Sports Group, and how Sara and her team have gone into business with the singular focus of increasing investment in women’s sports fueled by storytelling and strategic partnerships that scale.
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In episode #40, hear Alana Casner and Phillippa Thomson talk about the work they do at Parity to close the gender pay gap in sports by creating financial opportunities for women athletes.
The team at Parity does this by matching athletes with inclusive and equitable brand partners. Not only do they believe fundamentally that women athletes should be paid more – but also that their voices are untapped resources that can help brands grow. Parity uses proprietary data analytics and impactful marketing strategies to help its roster of over 800 women athletes earn more revenue through brand partnerships, NFTs, and more.
As Parity’s Vice President of Content & Strategy and Parity’s Chief Data Scientist and Interim Chief Technology Officer, Alana and Phil work together - with the entire Parity team - to close the sponsorship gap in sports by creating data-driven brand partnerships between women athletes and brands. In this episode, here more about how Parity is taking the movement for equity into their own hands.
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In episode #39, hear Ginny Gilder - an Olympic silver medalist, an author, the founder & CEO of an investment business, and co-owner of the WNBA's Seattle Storm - talk about her incredible journey over the last 40 years to fight for the rights and opportunities for women in sport.
From participating in an iconic protest as part of Yale's rowing team in 1976, to joining as a co-owner of the Seattle Storm in 2008, Ginny's activism, work and leadership has contributed to the creation of a tremendous about of gender equity in sport.
In this episode, hear Ginny & Caroline discuss:
- Ginny's time rowing at Yale, which included protesting for Title IX compliance.
- The story behind Ginny, Dawn Trudeau, Lisa Brummel buying the Seattle Storm back in 2008.
- The 50th anniversary of Title IX, and what the law has meant for women in sports.
- What Ginny finds most exciting about the current landscape of women's sports.
...and of course, why Ginny believes it's good business to invest in women's sports.
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In Ep. #38, hear from Karen Issokson-Silver, the Vice President of Research & Education at the Women’s Sports Foundation.
In her role, Karen oversees proprietary research, program evaluation, and education, as well as directs the organization’s research agenda to drive programming and advocacy within girls and women’s sports when it comes to health, gender and equity. Most recently, Karen and her team released a report called: The Healing Power of Sport: COVID-19 and Girls’ Participation, Health and Achievements.
This new report is one of the first studies to examine ways in which sports participation among girls was impacted during the pandemic and how sport served as a protective factor against some of COVID-19’s negative impacts on behavior, mental health, and academic achievement. The findings from this report highlight the powerful protective role that sports can play in supporting the physical, social and emotional well-being of girls.
While sports participation among young people was significantly impacted by COVID, girls who were able to continue playing experienced a myriad of positive impacts in areas of physical health, mental health and academics. The report shines a light on the critical role of sports in girls’ lives and underscores the need to invest in girls’ sports programming so that all girls reap the benefits.
In this episode, hear Karen & Caroline dig into the Women's Sports Foundation's findings, and discuss why it is so essential to the well-being of girls for brands, networks, schools and communities to invest in sports for women & girls.
Full episode available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music.
In Ep. #37, hear Amanda Christovich - a reporter at Front Office Sports - talk about what it's like working full-time to cover the business of women's both college & professional sports.
In her role at Front Office Sports, Amanda mainly covers the business of the college sports industry, as well as the business of women's professional sports. In the sports industry, it's rare to come across a reporter that covers the business side of women’s sports. Women’s sports currently receives around 4% of total media coverage, and the business side of women’s sports receives even less. Amanda is one of only a handful of full-time sports business reporters in the world that is charged by her company to cover the women's sports industry.
In this episode, hear Amanda talk about her role at Front Office Sports, how she is encouraged and empowered to cover women's sports, and what she thinks needs to happen to create more gender equity across all of sports media.
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In Ep. #36, hear Susie Piotrkowski - the newly appointed to Head of espnW - share her vision for how we can grow women's sports.
In her new role as an ESPN Vice President, Susie helps drive the future vision for the espnW portfolio, including the new W. Studios group. Susie is responsible for leading the further development, creation and execution of espnW content, amplifying the espnW voice across ESPN platforms, and working closely with ESPN Content, Marketing, Programming, and Corporate Strategy.
In this episode, hear Caroline and Susie talk about what needs to happen now to grow women's sports, and hear Susie's vision for how she is getting to work to use the espnW platform to lead when it comes to expanding women's sports media.
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In Ep. #35, hear Fielding Jamieson tell the story behind creating the Trailblazer Venture Studio, which is the first venture studio focused on the intersection of women and sports.
Fielding is part of the senior leadership team at R/GA Ventures where she leads their sports vertical and their strategy practice. As part of this work, Fielding is also the Managing Director of the Trailblazer Venture Studio, which was developed very intentionally by R/GA Ventures, Billie Jean King Enterprises, Elysian Park Ventures, and the Los Angeles Dodgers to focus on what they believe to be the biggest growth opportunity in sports: women.
The Trailblazer Venture Studio partners with entrepreneurs and companies—from early-stage startups to later-stage businesses—that put women leaders, athletes, and fans first. In 2022, nine organizations were selected to participate in the studio's first cohort, including: Ida Sports, The GIST, Togethxr, Curastory, Elysian Park Planning, FORTË, HER Galaxy, LOVB, and Sportsbox AI.
In this episode, hear Fielding & Caroline discuss how and why the Trailblazer Venture Studio is investing big at the intersection of women and sports.
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In Ep. #34, Caroline interviews Ari Chambers. Named a Forbes 30 under 30 honoree in 2021 and one of Sports Illustrated's 100 Influential Women in Sports in 2022, Ari is best known for her work covering the WNBA and NCAA women’s basketball, and founding the platform highlightHER, which is Bleacher Report’s dedicated women’s sports content channels, and one of the fastest growing women's sports platforms that exists today with over 215K instagram followers.
Ari's work it known and celebrated across the sports industry, but one of things Ari is best known for is the statement: “The WNBA is so important" which she first tweeted back in 2017.
In this episode, hear Ari tell the story behind founding highlightHER, sparking a movement with her seemingly simple tweet, and why she's defined her purpose of as advocating for women's equity & empowerment through sports.
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In Ep. #33, Caroline sits down with Ali Kershner, the Director of Creative Strategy at the Art of Coaching and was formerly the Associate Olympic Sports Performance Coach of the Stanford Women’s Basketball & Golf teams.
On March 18, 2021, Ali shared comparison photos of the men’s & women’s weight room and strength & conditioning facilities at the NCAA March Madness basketball tournaments. The photos, along with Sedona Prince's TikTok video, went viral to expose the disparities between the men’s & women’s tournaments.
Ali's activism set forth a global conversation around gender inequities in NCAA college basketball - and sports in general - that continues to this day. In this episode, hear Ali tell the story behind her whistleblowing at the the 2021 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament and what it was like to pour fuel on the fire of the women's sports movement.
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In Ep. #32, Caroline interview with Laila Brock, the Vice President of Business Development at JMI Sports - a media rights and venue development company, providing management of collegiate multimedia rights, sponsorship sales agency representation, and project management or the development of collegiate and professional sports facilities.
Laila has spent years working on both the operations and revenue side of sports and in her role at JMI Sports, Laila has been instrumental in driving JMI Sports’ businesses across all lines of services.
In this episode, hear Laila talk about her incredible journey through the sports industry - both as an athlete and as a professional - and Laila's point-of-view of why it's so important for brands & individuals to support women's sports and women in sports.
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In Ep. #31, Caroline talks with Ashley Hart, the CEO & Founder of She Plays - a fantasy sports gaming provider that focuses exclusively on women's professional sports in the U.S.
While fantasy sports are commonplace in men's sports, they are a brand new segment of the women's sports industry. Fantasy gaming opportunities in women's sports are few & far between, so Ashley and her team are working hard to create opportunities for women's sports fans to engage in fantasy opportunities.
In this episode, hear Caroline and Ashley discuss the state of fantasy gaming for professional women's sports, and hear how She Plays is working to close the gender gap in this virtually untapped part of the women's sports industry.
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In Ep. #30, Caroline talks with Chad Groves from SponsorUnited about the recent growth of sponsorship deals within the women's sports industry.
In October of 2022, SponsorUnited - the leading global sports, entertainment and media intelligence platform - released the 2022 Sponsor United Women In Sports Report, which is a first-of-its-kind report that delivers an in-depth analysis of more than 350 athletes, 7,100 deals, and over 33,000 social posts between leagues, teams, athletes, and brands in women's sports.
A few key takeaways from this report were:
🏈 The quantity of women's sports sponsorships increased by 20% in the past year. (Not necessarily the amount of money, the number of deals)
⛳ The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) welcomed over 1,000 new partners across their tournaments & events.
⚽ Alex Morgan was the most endorsed female athlete.
💰 The Financial category is the most actively sold category currently in women's sports.
In this episode, hear Chad & Caroline break down these findings and make the business case for why brands should invest in women's sports athletes and properties, and check-out the full report here.
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In Ep. #29, hear Sophie Goldschmidt, the CEO & President of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, discuss her incredible career journey spent in the global sports industry creating opportunities for female athletes & women in sport.
Before joining U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Sophie held executive positions across the sports industry, with past experiences including time spent as the CEO of the World Surf League, the Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at England Rugby, Vice President of Sponsorship & Marketing at the WTA, multiple leadership positions at the NBA, and more.
In this episode, hear Sophie & Caroline discuss past work that Sophie's done to move the needle for women's sports - like implementing equal prize money for men and women at the World Surf League - and her plans to continue elevating women in sport through her work at U.S. Ski & Snowboard and as a board member at the newly formed Women's Sports Network.
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In Ep. #28, hear Brooke Donberg, the Sports Marketing Manager at Clif Bar & Company, tell the story behind featuring six women athletes on CLIF BAR packaging for the first time ever.
Back in 2020, for the first time in the brand's 28-year history, CLIF BAR replaced the iconic male climber on the packaging with real-life trailblazers - six women athletes. The six athletes included Venus Williams, Megan Rapinoe, Ashima Shirashi, Jordyn Barratt, Lakey Peterson, and Katerina Nash - representing six different sports ranging from traditional events like cycling, tennis and soccer, to newer sports like skateboarding, surfing, and climbing.
This decision was made to celebrate the incredible athletes who require sustained energy to push boundaries and go farther in their discipline. Clif Bar & Company has been a vocal advocate for women and women athletes since its founding days in the mid-1990s. At the headquarters office, the company provides many benefits to support women and parents including a robust parental leave policy, extensive health and wellness programs including an onsite gym, subsidized onsite daycare, a lactation room with hospital grade pumps, and the choice to work a reduced work schedule upon returning from maternity leave.
When LUNA Bar was created in 1999 as the first nutrition bar for women, the brand naturally focused on supporting causes that women care about, like equal pay and women in film. In 2019, LUNA Bar closed the World Cup roster bonus gender pay gap for the 23 women on the US Women’s National Soccer Team, paying each of them $31,250 to ensure their equal pay for equal work. Clif Bar is adding to this legacy of supporting women by highlighting these six athletes and their contributions to their sports.
In this episode, hear Brooke Donberg - a long time Clif Bar team member and advocate for women's sports - tell the story behind how & why women athletes ended up on your Clif Bars back in 2020.
In Ep. #27, Caroline sits down with Bridget Sponsky, the Executive Director of Brand, Sports and Sponsorship Marketing at Ally Bank. At the 2022 espnW Summit, Ally announced a pledge to achieve equal spending in paid advertising across women’s and men’s sports programming over the next five years. Additionally, to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Ally will turn its 50/50 media spend pledge into action by launching "Watch the Game, Change the Game," a new national advocacy initiative spanning broadcast, digital and social media channels aimed at rallying viewership of women's competitions.
"Watch the Game, Change the Game" will support the drive for equity in sports media coverage with a new TV spot and marketing campaign featuring real female athletes at the top of their game, rally scarves for fans to show their support, and takeovers of field signage at National Women's Soccer League and Women's International Champions Cup games. This initiative is intended to act as a call to action because Ally believes that more representation in media will help create long-term sustainability for women's sports and drive fandom, followership, and deepened engagement with core audiences for the brands that invest.
In this episode, hear Bridget talk more about Ally's women's sports-focused initiatives, and discuss why the brand is so committed to creating gender equity in sports.
For more information on Ally's "Watch the Game, Change the Game" campaign, visit watchtochange.com.
In Ep. #26, Caroline talks with Lexi Trumble, a Title IX Gender Equity Associate Attorney at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough. In her role, Lexi helps counsel colleges and universities across the country on legal and compliance matters such as Title IX athletics and sexual misconduct, athletics strategic planning, and school and university law.
June 23, 2022 marked the 50th anniversary of Title IX, a federal law that has radically changed the educational and athletic landscape in the United States. The 37-word amendment, which was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on June 23, 1972, reads:
No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
Fifty years after the enactment of Title IX, there is significant evidence to demonstrate the positive impact that this landmark legislation has had on millions of women and girls in the United States - particularly when it comes to participation in athletics. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation’s “50 Years of Title IX” report, female participation in high school sports rose from 294,015 in the 1971-72 school year to 3.4 million in 2018-19. Female participation in sports at the collegiate level schools rose from 29,977 in 1971-72 to 215,486 in 2020-21 among NCAA schools (Women’s Sports Foundation 2022).
While there have been significant gains related to female participation in sports that can be directly attributed to Title IX, significant gender disparities exist across every level of the sports industry. In the episode, hear Lexi explain more about this game-changing law, and specifically the impact that Title IX has had on women’s sports at the collegiate level.
In Ep. #25, Caroline talks with Dr. Joseph Galasso & Dr. Michael Farber from Baker Street Health & Human Performance. Baker Street is a multi-disciplinary, integrative health center, providing medical care to professional athletes across New York & New Jersey.
In the last few years, Baker Street has formed first-of-its-kind partnerships with the New York Liberty of the WNBA and the Metropolitan Riveters of the PHF to provide the team’s athletes with an industry-leading suite of medical support, behavioral health services, and mental skills training.
In this episode, hear Dr. Farber & Dr. Galasso talk about their approach to providing both mental & physiological care to female athletes - and why they believe that holistic healthcare paired with the right medical providers can help take women's sports to the next level.
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In Ep. #24, Caroline sits down with Jenny Nguyen, the Owner of The Sports Bra - a women's sports bar in Portland, OR. In this episode, hear Jenny tell the full story behind the creation of the world's first & only sports bar that is fully dedicated to showing women's sports.
The idea for The Sports Bar started in April 2018, when Nguyen and about a dozen of her friends wanted to watch the NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Tournament championship game between Notre Dame and Mississippi State at a local sports bar. They grabbed a few tables and slid them together, and got the server to switch one of the televisions to the big game for them. They ordered food and drinks and proceeded to watch what would be one of the best games in NCAA history. When it was all over, they realized they had watched the whole thing on a tiny TV in the corner of the bar with no sound on.
Fast forward to 2020, when Nguyen had been running her parents’ family business for a couple years, having left her position as a chef. Between the pandemic and the racial justice movement, the world was being turned on its head. It was a time of change. She had always felt a bit lost since leaving the kitchen but didn’t know what lay ahead. She felt she needed to do something more.
Social movements were pressing harder and further, people were learning and unlearning, and women’s sports were pushing forward and through. Nguyen felt that there was so much distress and upheaval in 2020, but also so much inspiration and reason to fight. Finally, she saw her place in the struggle and how she could do something meaningful. The idea of The Sports Bra was born.
Introducing a new special edition sub-series of The Business Case For Women’s Sports that coincides with The Goal Post report. SHOT:CLOCK, The Collective at Wasserman, and GOALS recently published the first edition of The Goal Post - which looks at key moments in women’s sports and aggregates the most significant stats & facts related to those moments. The #GOAL of the report is to indisputably prove - with facts & data - that it’s good business to invest in women’s sports.
Every time we release a new edition of The Goal Post report, we’ll also release a new podcast episode to break down the report’s findings + contextualize them further. Each episode will feature two special guests. The first featured guest will always be Mara Fitzgerald from SHOT:CLOCK who will talk through The Goal Post in more detail, and the second will always be a relevant industry expert to provide insights around the topic at-hand.
This first episode - which focuses on the 2022 March Madness tournament - features Haley Rosen from Just Women's Sports, in a conversation about the growth of women’s sports through the lens of women's basketball.
Visit https://www.wearethecollective.com/goalpost to read the full 2022 March Madness report from SHOT:CLOCK, The Collective at Wasserman, and GOALS.
In Ep. #23, Caroline talks with Jenna Mielnicki - the Senior Vice President and Head of Partnership Strategies for LEARFIELD - about the growing influence and presence of women within college athletics.
In March of 2022, LEARFIELD published the Empowering the Influence of the Female Fan Intercollegiate Fan Pulse Report, which leveraged tens of millions of data points to demonstrate the growing economic power and influence of female college sports fans.
According to the report, female fans account for 48% of college sports followers across social media; 32% of basketball and 34% of football viewers are women; women’s basketball saw the highest increase in followers across both genders from October of 2022 until March of 2022.
The report also points out that as women influence 85% of all consumer spending, brands would be wise to better understand and connect with female fans in order to drive their business.
In this episode, hear Jenna break down these findings and make the business case for why brands should invest in female fans - and women in sports.
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In Ep. #22, Caroline sits down with Carolyn Braff, the Head of Marketing and Brand Strategy at Gatorade. In this episode, Carolyn breaks down why it's a business imperative of Gatorade's to invest in creating a more inclusive sports world - and specifically, why they're working to create equal opportunities for girls in sports.
In her role as Gatorade's Head of Brand Strategy, Carolyn has made investing in women’s sports is a key part of the brand's overarching marketing strategy. Most notably, in the past year Gatorade has put forth two key initiatives to support this strategy which include:
1) The establishment of Gatorade Women’s Advisory Board with board members that include:
- Carolyn Braff, Gatorade Head of Marketing and Brand Strategy
- Maddie Bregman, GirlZ, CEO
- Jennifer Brunelli, Sports Nutrition RDpro
- Tanna Burge, Texas A&M, Director of Sports Performance
- Aminah Charles, Beats by Dre, Sports Marketing Manager
- Elena Delle Donne, WNBA Champion, two-time MVP and Olympic Gold Medalist
- Gina Hardy, Tonal, Senior Vice President of Marketing
- Nicole LaVoi, Director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport
- Sydney McLaughlin, Team USA Track & Field Olympian
- Candace Parker, WNBA Champion, WNBA MVP, Olympic Gold Medalist, and NBA and NCAA analyst for Turner Sports
- April Ross, AVP Champion, seven-time AVP MVP and two-time Olympic medalist
- Sarah Spain, ESPN Sports Reporter and Chicago Red Stars Co-Owner
- Aleia Taylor, Women's Sports Foundation, CMO
- Abby Wambach, Women's World Cup Champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist
2) An investment of $10 million to 5 sports-focused social impact organizations which include: Athlete Ally, Good Sports, Honest Game Foundation, Laureus USA, and the Women's Sports Foundation.
In this episode, hear Carolyn break talk more about these initiatives and why Gatorade is putting their food on the gas to keep pushing for the creation of a more equitable sports world.
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In Ep. #21, hear Laura Youngson & Ben Sandhu, the co-founders of Ida Sports, talk about their journey to create football (or soccer) cleats & shoes specifically designed for female athletes.
The story of Ida Sports begins in 2017 when Laura and her team at the Equal Playing Field initiative led a group of women to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro to play a record-breaking football match to highlight gender inequalities in sport. During the quest to play the highest altitude football match ever, Laura discovered a common problem facing female players all over the world: their boots were made for men (or kids) and left their feet in pain long after the final whistle blew.
Fast forward, and Laura met Ben - a former professional cricketer - while playing indoor football in Melbourne. Between scoring epic team goals, they would talk about the things they would change around women’s sport including creating a shoe for women. They decided to team up and change the game.
After reading many medical journals and doing their own research on the vast differences between women's and men's feet, Laura and Ben assembled a team of football and footwear professionals to identify what would make the perfect women's boot. The first prototypes were cooked up in Laura’s kitchen and put together with the help of shoemakers in Melbourne. The first prototype is now affectionately known as the “Frankenshoe”.
Fast forward to 2020 and Ida Sports launched their first boot. Global pandemic aside, it was a massive success and the boots garnered 5-star reviews from players all over the globe. Today, Ida Sports footwear can be purchased all over the globe from retailers like soccer.com, and DICK'S Sporting Goods.
In this episode, hear Laura & Ben tell the whole story behind the idea & creation of Ida Sports and why they are in the business of creating footwear specifically for women athletes.
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In Ep. #20, Caroline sits down with Missy Park, the CEO & Founder of Title Nine. Title Nine is an American manufacturer of clothing for women athletes. Missy founded Title Nine in 1989, and has grown the brand to become the largest independently-owned and operated retailer of women's fitness clothing. Title Nine’s mission is to encourage women to own, risk, and lead in the world of sports, business, and beyond.
In this episode, Missy tells the story of how she came to start Title Nine, and how the company has spent 32 years in the business of putting women first. Most recently, Missy and her team gave $1 million to the soccer players of the U.S. Women’s National Team in an effort to help close the gender pay gap for the team.
By the numbers, the U.S. Women’s National Team is the most successful team in the history of international women's soccer, winning four Women's World Cup titles, four Olympic gold medals, an Olympic bronze medal, and eight CONCACAF Gold Cups. They just made it onto podium at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and took home the bronze medal. And they’re currently ranked #1 in the world by FIFA.
On the other side of that coin, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team has never won a World Cup, they’ve never won any Olympic medal, and they’re currently ranked 20th in world. YET, players on the US Women’s National Team earn $9,000 less per win than the Men’s team, and over a 5-year period, the women have been paid $64 million less than their male counterparts. Essentially, is that players on the women’s national team make 38 cents for every dollar that their male counterparts make.
After watching the documentary "LFG" in 2021, Missy was moved to write the biggest check in the history of Title Nine. Title Nine's donation of $1 million to the USWNT players to put the women’s team on the same pay scale as the USMNT for six games of the 2020 Olympics.
This episode was recorded on August 10, 2021.
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Ep. #19 of The Business Case For Women's Sports was recorded LIVE, on-stage at the 2021 Lead Sports Co. Summit and is presented by Nav.it. In this episode, Caroline sits down with Natalie Hinds in front of 150 teen female athletes to hear Natalie tell her incredible comeback story, and talk about what it's like to be a professional athlete and fight for sponsorship dollars and visibility in the sport of women's swimming.
Natalie is best known for being one of the fastest swimmers in the United States. She grew up in Midland, TX, where she was one of the top recruits in the nation coming out of high school for the class of 2012. She went on to swim at the University of Florida and graduated as a 20x All-American sprint specialist. In 2015, Natalie made history alongside Lia Neal and Simone Manuel, becoming the first trio of Black swimmers to go 1-2-3 in a single event at the NCAA Championships.
In 2016, Natalie competed at the Olympic Trials, followed by a brief retirement before coming back reignited in the fall of 2018 with her sights set on qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Natalie’s historic comeback led to her becoming a 2020 Olympian where she won a Bronze medal on behalf of Team USA in the 4x100 free relay.
Outside of the pool, Natalie is an accomplished speaker, using her platform to share her inspirational comeback story, and bringing awareness and creating educational opportunities to the sport of swimming. Natalie is also an accomplished business person, both working in an Operations role for Turner Media, and as a business owner, as the Founder of Loominary Designs a custom tapestry & home decor business.
In this episode, hear Caroline and Natalie dig into Natalie's journey as a professional swimmer both in and out of the water, and dig into why it's simply good business for brands to invest in female swimmers like Natalie Hinds.
Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music, and learn more about Lead Sports Co. here: https://www.leadsportsco.com/.
This episode is brought to you by Nav.it, a proud supporter of the Lead Sports Co. and women’s sports. Nav.it is a female-founded fitness app for your finances, helping you understand and track your spending to improve your money habits. With Nav.it, you’ll save more, pay down high-interest debt, and reduce your financial stress. Check out Nav.it by heading to the Apple Store or Google Play.
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In Ep. #18, Caroline welcomes Angela Ruggiero, the CEO & Co-Founder of Sports Innovation Lab, back on the podcast to discuss the findings of The Fan Project - and the untapped business potential of women's sports.
In February of 2021, Angela & her team at Sports Innovation Lab launched The Fan Project, which was a coordinated effort across the sports industry to collect and analyze women's sports fan data.
5 months and 10 million data points later, Sports Innovation Lab released The Fan Project report, which uses the collected data to paint a picture of women’s sports fans like never before, prove the business potential for women's sports, and provide a business model for brands to optimize their investments in women's sports.
In this episode, hear Caroline & Angela break-down this glass-shattering report, and discuss all of the ways that women's sports are an untapped market with high growth potential.
Download The Fan Project Report here: https://www.thefanproject.co/.
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Before the start of the 2021 WNBA season, Caroline sat down with Erica Ayala, a New York-based freelance journalist, to discuss why it's (past) time for brands to create more signature shoes for WNBA players & women athletes.
In August of 2020, Erica wrote a power piece for Sports Illustrated called, The Legend of Air Swoopes and the Quest for a New Women's Signature Shoe, where she dug into the history of Sheryl Swoopes' partnership with Nike into develop the Air Swoopes.
Now 25 years after its release, the Air Swoopes remain the only long-standing signature women's basketball shoe - despite the success of the line, the proven marketability of women athletes, and the increasing demand for women's sports merchandise.
While there have been a few limited runs of shoes created in collaboration with a handful of WNBA players (for example: Candace Parker, Lisa Leslie, Dawn Staley, Rebecca Lobo, Sabrina Ionescu, and Diana Taurasi), few have been truly signature shoes, and none have been granted the opportunity to exist beyond a few production runs.
In this episode, hear Caroline and Erica discuss some of the reasons behind why shoe companies aren't investing in women basketball players, and why it would be a good business decision for brands to create signature basketball shoes for WNBA players.
This episode was recorded on May 14, 2021. Click here to follow Erica on Twitter, and here to hear Erica on the Locked On Women's Basketball podcast.
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Ep. #16, Caroline and Amir Zonozi, the CEO & Co-Founder of Zoomph, reflect on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and how women athletes dominated both in athletic competition - and when it came to social media reach & impact.
Zoomph is a leader in digital intelligence at the intersection of sports and sponsorship analysis. During the 2020 Olympics, Amir and his team measured the power of influence of Team USA's women athletes by analyzing the data around social media reach, impact and generated value. What they found was that women athletes largely preoccupied the online conversations during Tokyo 2020. The top moments included:
- Suni Lee generating $6M in social value from 9 Instagram posts with an unprecedented 47% follower interaction rate.
- Simone Biles' tweet thanking fans for supporting her decision to withdraw that generated over 100 million organic impressions and $2.7 million in social value.
- Allyson Felix's name being mentioned on social more than 10K times with 52M impressions worth almost $900k in social value.
- Katie Ledecky generated 8.5 million organic impressions from her Instagram, with an engagement rate of 12.83% - which was a full 2 points higher than the official @TeamUSA's Instagram engagement rate.
Even beyond the digital space, Tokyo 2020 was an absolutely glass-shattering Olympics for women athletes. Looking specifically at Team USA, 53.6% of American Olympians were women, and women won 66 of Team USA’s 113 medals - accounting for 58.4% of the medals won.
Women’s sports also received 59.1% of primetime coverage from NBC in the U.S., which was the highest percentage that women's sports have ever received in the history of NBC’s Olympic broadcasts.
In this episode, listen to Amir and Caroline discuss all of the ways in which women athletes won the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
This episode was recorded on August 17, 2021. Click here to ready more about the data & insights from Zoomph.
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Ep. #15, hear Caroline catch-up with Thayer Lavielle, the Executive Vice President at The Collective, which is the women’s division of the sports marketing & talent management company, Wasserman.
On August 2, 2021, Thayer and her team launched The Collective® Marketplace: the first & only online collectible & memorabilia marketplace that is dedicated to women’s sports.
The Collective® Marketplace platform enables fans to buy authentic game-used, autographed memorabilia and licensed products of the world’s biggest women athletes. The Marketplace launched with contributions from some of the biggest names in women's sports, including Sue Bird, Mia Hamm, Alix Klineman, Hilary Knight, Alex Morgan, Katelyn Ohashi, Nneka Ogwumike, Morgan Pressel, Megan Rapinoe, April Ross, Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi.
Not only will The Collective® Marketplace put money directly into the pockets of women athletes, it’s the first time that women’s sports fans will have access to a robust supply of memorabilia.
The Collective is launching this platform during a record-breaking year for women's sports collectibles & memorabilia sales. In 2021 alone, eBay has seen a significant rise in women’s sports trading cards sales, with WNBA card sales up more than 1,100% over two years, and women’s soccer card sales up 172%. Recently, an Alex Morgan card sold for $16,000, a Serena Williams rookie card went for $14,483, and a Mia Hamm Rookie Card sold for $34,440 at auction, making it the top-selling women's sports card of all-time.
Listen to Thayer and Caroline discuss how The Collective® Marketplace is a game-changer for women athletes & women’s sports fans alike.
This episode was recorded on August 2, 2021. Shop the The Collective® Marketplace.
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In Ep. #14, hear Matt Peek, the Co-Founder and COO at Parkside Collectibles, tell the story behind the creation of the first-ever trading cards for the National Women’s Soccer League.
In 2018, Matt & his business partner Eric Christensen, made the very deliberate choice to invest in women’s soccer after Matt's daughter pointed out that it was "dumb" that there weren't trading cards for professional women's soccer players. After realizing that no companies had the licensing rights to create NWSL trading cards, Matt & Eric founded Parkside Collectibles, with the #GOAL of eventually partnering with the league.
After initially getting turned down by the then NWSL commissioner, Matt & Eric would spend the next year building out their business and establishing themselves as a proven trading card manufacturer. In 2019, Parkside finally accomplished their goal, and formed a partnership with the NWSL to create the league's first-ever trading cards.
Fast forward, and Parkside Collectible produced a limited batch of trading cards for the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup cards which sold-out almost instantly - selling 2,750/3,000 packs in the first 36 hours alone. After the success they saw in 2020, NWSL x Parkside Collectibles teamed up again to create 25-card sets to align with the 2021 NWSL season. And even though Parkside created significantly more units to sell in 2021, the demand for the sets has been signifiant, with just a few packs left for purchase around the U.S. on shelves at Target & Walmart.
In this episode, hear Matt tell the whole story behind the idea & creation of the NWSL cards, and hear Matt & Caroline discuss the general business opportunity for trading cards of professional women athletes.
Spoiler Alert: Are you still looking to get your hands on a set of 2021 NWSL cards? Listen until the end of the episode to hear Matt reveal some future chances to purchase the last few packs of cards.
This episode is proudly presented by Legend Rings, a proud supporter of women's sports. Learn more about Legend Rings.
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In Ep. #13, Caroline sits down with Chrissi Sanders, a thought-leader in the women's sports industry. In addition to being a Licensed Mortgage Banker, Chrissi is the founder of Next Play, a global full-service sports advisory firm. Chrissi is dedicated to helping her clients increase their brand footprint, market share & wealth.
For a long time, women have been discouraged from discussing money. Chrissi is on a mission to remove this out-dated stigma, and normalize financial discussions within the women's sports industry.
In this episode, hear Chrissi outline her key recommendations for how women athletes can build lasting wealth, and how the women's sports can unlock more market share in the sports industry.
Want to hear more from Chrissi? Every week, Chrissi leads a Women’s Sports Business Chat on Clubhouse, that brings together leaders across the women’s sports industry to talk about investments, endorsements, data, and more. Follow Chrissi on Twitter for more details @chrissisanders8.
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In Ep. #12, Caroline interviews Jason Bergman, the Co-Founder & CEO of MarketPryce. Jason is a firm believer that all athletes should have fair access to marketing & endorsement opportunities. At MarketPryce, Jason and his team work to remove many of the institutional barriers that are in place between women athletes and their ability to capitalize on their talents.
The rise of social media has contributed to the massive increase in the support of women’s sports over the past few years. Women’s sports teams, leagues and players no longer need to wait for traditional media and networks to give them opportunities; social media has proven to be a huge value generator for women athletes. Across the sports industry, women’s sports teams & athletes consistently deliver meaningful results on social media which has demonstrated the marketing power of women athletes.
Enter MarketPryce. In an increasing digital age of sports, brands are look more & more to work directly with athletes as social media influencers. MarketPryce is disrupting to the sports industry by empowering women athletes to take marketing into their own hands and connect directly with brands that are interested in working with them.
At MarketPryce, Jason and his team believe its good business to invest in women's sports, and they're working to create a new opportunities for women athletes to get compensated fairly for their work, labor, name, image, and likeness.
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In Ep. #11, hear from Alyse LaHue, the General Manager of NJ/NY Gotham FC of the NWSL. Before joining Gotham (formerly known as Sky Blue FC), Alyse spent 5 seasons as the GM of the Chicago Red Stars.
Under the leadership of leaders like Alyse, the growth of women’s soccer in the U.S. is arguably the most exciting trend in the sports industry right now. In 2020, NWSL viewership was up 493% (while most men’s sports leagues saw double-digit drops in viewership), and social engagement numbers are at the top of the charts. Just this week, six NWSL teams made the Front Office Sports 'Trending 20' leaderboard which measures cross-platform engagement for ALL professional sports teams - male and female.
In this episode, hear Alyse's thoughts on why women’s soccer is on the rise the United States, the story behind re-branding Sky Blue FC's to NJ/NY Gotham FC, and how Alyse is leveraging the power of Gotham's fans to inform the Club's future.
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In Ep. #10, Caroline interviews Meredith Cash, a women's sports reporter at Business Insider. Meredith is a full-time, salaried women’s sports reporter, which is a rarity in the world of sports media.
Currently, only 14% of sports journalists are women, as there are significant barriers in place for women that want to break into the boys club of sports media - and even more barriers in place for women that want to specifically cover women's sports.
In this episode, hear Caroline & Meredith dig into the business of being a women’s sports reporter, the many reasons why women’s sports only receive 4% of media coverage, and why it's bad business for networks & newsrooms to not invest in women's sports
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In Ep. #9, Caroline talks with Tully Bevilaqua, a former WNBA player, an Australian Olympic silver medalist, and a member of the Western Australia Basketball Hall of Fame.
Tully began her basketball career playing in the WNBL, and came to the US in 1998 to play in the WNBA for the Cleveland Rockers. Tully went on to play in the league for 14 seasons with 5 different teams, including the Seattle Storm, where she won the 2004 WNBA Championship. Outside of the WNBA, Tully spent many seasons playing professional basketball in Australia, Hungary, Germany and Brazil.
In the episode, Tully talks about her experiences playing professional basketball around the world, and how perception, compensation, and opportunities have changed across the global women's basketball industry over the years.
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In Ep. #8, Caroline sits down with Kelsey Trainor to discuss the many ways that NCAA is failing women athletes - and how they've gotten away with it for so long.
Kelsey is a lawyer, producer, and writer who currently serves as in-house counsel & head of Business & Legal Affairs for Abrams Media. As a two-sport collegiate athlete and former college coach, Kelsey often writes for national publications regarding issues related to collegiate athletics & equality in sports.
In this episode, Caroline & Kelsey dig into the disparities between the 2021 Men's & Women's NCAA March Madness Tournament. Kelsey sheds lights on why the NCAA is not bound by Title IX, and how the NCAA's rules around NIL & athlete compensation disproportionately impact women athletes.
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In Ep. #7, Caroline sits down with Anya Packer, the Executive Director of the National Women’s Hockey League Players’ Association. In advance of the 2021 NWHL Playoffs & Isobel Cup Championships, Caroline & Anya discuss why it’s good business to invest in women’s hockey - and the right thing to do in terms of gender equality.
As the head of the NWHLPA, Anya serves as the voice of the players. In 2019, she negotiated a glass-shattering collective bargaining agreement with the NWHL, to have 50% of all sponsor-related revenues go directly to player salaries. In her role, Anya is also involved with every new NWHL sponsorship call, and works to bring in new partnerships to grow the league, and therefore close the gender pay gap in professional hockey.
This episode is proudly presented by Legend Rings: The Official Championship Ring Provider of the 2021 NWHL Isobel Cup.
Learn more about Legend Rings.
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In Ep. #6, Caroline sits down with Anya Alvarez, the Director of Content & Digital at Athletes Unlimited.
During this episode, Anya & Caroline discuss how Athletes Unlimited is disrupting the women’s sports industry by offering new professional leagues for the world's best athletes. Their new model of play is fantasy-inspired, and has a radical new scoring system with points - and money on the line. They currently have leagues for professional softball, volleyball, and lacrosse.
In addition to offering a radical new model of play, Anya and the team at Athletes Unlimited are doing something that has never been done before in the sports industry - they're centering the athlete & sports fan as inherently female.
While Athletes Unlimited has only been in business for a year, they have already made waves by showing more and more value to their athletes, brand partners, and fans. The demonstrated media value for their softball league alone this summer was $25.9 million, and so far they've partnered with CBS, Fox Sports, YouTube, Twitter and Twitch, and ESPN and more to make the leagues & games accessible to fans.
They've also signed multiple partnership deals with national brands such as GEICO, Gatorade, Hyperice, Lasso Gear, NeuroFuel, VKTRY, Mikasa, West+Wilder, and Mariner Wealth Advisors that will support Athletes Unlimited’s inaugural volleyball season, running from February 27 to March 29 in Dallas, Texas.
Athletes Unlimited is also investing in the fan experience by launching The Unlimited Club, which allows fan to get closer to the action than ever before.
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In Ep. #5, Caroline sits down with Jan Receski, the Founder & CEO of OnPar Now - a brand new state-of-the-art indoor golf facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After an incredibly successful 30-year career, Jan is entering the women’s golf business. She started OnPar Now to create an inclusive space where no one would be excluded from the game of golf. Jan recognized that the women's golf industry is a growth opportunity that is ripe for disruption, and the team at OnPar Now is on a mission to change the women's golf game forever.
More about OnPar Now: https://onparnow.com/
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In Ep. #4, Caroline sits down with Angela Ruggiero, the CEO & Co-Founder of Sports Innovation Lab to talk about The Fan Project, and how Angela & her team are harnessing the power of fan data to show media companies & brands the power of women’s sports.
The Fan Project is a coalition of sports leagues, brands, & communities dedicated to creating equality and opportunity for women’s sports. During this episode, Angela takes us behind-the-scenes and talks more about the work that Sports Innovation Lab is doing to empower women's sports fans to share their social media data, and ultimately help illustrate the untapped business potential of women’s sports.
More about The Fan Project: http://bit.ly/2MhqrUg
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In Ep. #3, Caroline sits down with Maggie Ntim, a FIFA USSF soccer agent, and the CEO & Founder of Trinity 3 Agency to discuss women's sports business through the lens of an agent.
During this episode, Maggie and Caroline discuss how Maggie serves as an advocate for her clients at every turn; especially for her female athletes who have to fight harder for their piece of the sports industry pie. Maggie has spent half a decade successfully navigating partnership deals for sports, entertainment, and tech companies. As one of the first African American female soccer agents in the US, she’s on a mission to recruit more female agents, and continues to advocate for more women & men of color in sports and in soccer.
In 2020, Maggie set out to do more business in the women’s soccer world, and bring on more female players as clients & partners. In November 2020, Maggie signed her first female footballer - Samantha Johnson - who came of out of retirement and signed with Melbourne City FC - the #1 team in Australian W-league. Maggie also recently signed Sydney Schneider, who represented Jamaica in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and was just drafted by the Washington Spirit.
Most recently, Maggie closed out her first NWSL draft as one of the first Black female agents to represent players in National Women's Soccer League. The 2021 NWSL Draft was a glass-shattering night for Women of Color in soccer. In the first round of the draft, 7 out of the 10 women drafted were Women of Color - 6 Black Women & 1 Latina Woman were selected in the first round. In this episode, Maggie talks about that night, and her vision for the future of women's soccer.
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In Ep. #2, Caroline sits down with Niky Scott from Zoomph to talk about the power of the women’s sports fan.
As a customer success manager at Zoomph (a leader in digital intelligence at the intersection of sports & sponsorship analysis), Niky spends her days digging through the data behind the growth of women’s sports.
In 2020, Niky published the WNBA and NWSL Social Media Sponsorship & Fan Insights Report, which showed that even during a pandemic, these two leagues were able to generate a significant return on investment for brands that invest with women’s sports.
During this episode, Niky and Caroline discuss fan engagement rates in women's sports versus men's sports, the birth of cross-over women’s sports fandom, and the impact of COVID-19 on the recent accelerated success of women’s sports.
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In Ep. #1, Caroline interviews Eb Jones to hear the full story of the WNBA Orange Hoodie, and how it came to be one of the most successful pieces of merchandise in the history of women's sports.
In 2020, the WNBA Orange Hoodie made history. The Sports Business Journal named it the “Fashion Statement of the Year”, Opendorse named it one of the top 5 performing athlete influencer marketing campaigns of 2020, and at one point, it was the top-selling item across the entire Fanatics website, and ultimately became the best-selling WNBA item ever sold.
The story of the WNBA Orange Hoodie begins in February 2019, with a strategic decision by Eb Jones, who was the Head of Content of Influencer Strategy at the WNBA at the time. As the WNBA underwent their most recent rebrand, Eb put together the merchandising & influencer strategy to support the rebranding efforts.
The result? The WNBA Orange Hoodie was born, and selected to be the WNBA's signature item. Eventually, the Orange Hoodie was distributed to all WNBA players and a small group of athlete and entertainment influencers, including A'ja Wilson, Kobe Bryant, Naomi Osaka, Lebron James, Jemele Hill, Gabrielle Union, Shea Serrano, and many more.
Many reports and analysts attribute the recent growth & success of the WNBA in large part to the Orange Hoodie, and the impressions and excitement it generated for the league.
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Welcome to the GOALS Podcast - The Business Case For Women's Sports, where we explore every corner of the women’s sports industry from the field to the front office.
Hosted by Caroline Fitzgerald, this podcast will set-out to prove that it’s good business to be in the business of women's sports. Every episode, we will interview leaders in women’s sports and dig into topics like data insights, marketing strategies, and sponsorship deals, so we can share the stories behind the biggest breakthroughs in the industry.
Our GOAL with this podcast is to show brands, networks and people in general that it’s good business to invest in women’s sports.
If you're interested in women's sports, investing in women's sports, or want to learn more about the business side of women's sports, this podcast is for you.
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