The following letters are among the responses to the publication of “Game Changers: Women in Sports Business (SportsBusiness Journal, October 10-16).”
As a longtime subscriber and frequent symposium participant over the years, I am very excited to see this feature on some of the talented women in the sports business industry. As the president of the NYC Metro Chapter of WISE (www.wisenyc.org), I was especially excited to see our very own Sue Rodin and other women whom WISE has honored over the years mentioned!
Thank you for sharing their stories. Looking forward to more exciting and diverse pieces from SBJ!
Van Adams
New York City
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I just wanted to thank you and your staff for collaborating and coming up with “Game Changers.” I am currently enrolled in the Sport Management graduate program at the University of Alabama, and this edition of SportsBusiness Journal was published at exactly the right time. Just this morning I read in a textbook about the still readily apparent inequality in the number of men and women working in the sport industry. It was so very refreshing this afternoon to flip through glossy pages of the SportsBusiness Journal and read about successful women in an industry that doesn’t have enough of them. Although you may find controversy over this project, but I hope you don’t, please take away this: You have put together a compilation of women who have inspired me and given me hope that I can make it in the sport industry some day. I hope to be one of these women that are “kicking ass in a largely male-dominated industry.” It was truly a pleasure to read this today and thank you again.
Lindsey McCracken
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
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I just read through the “Game Changers: Women in Sports Business” articles. These are fantastic and shine a well deserved spotlight on these innovative women. Very well done!
Craig Ricks
Irvine, Calif.
Ricks is vice president of marketing for Paciolan.
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I really like the concept and think it highlights the depth and gains women have achieved in the business of sports.
Mike Trager
Greenwich, Conn.
Trager is a longtime media consultant.
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I commend SBJ for shining a light on a few of the many women who have excelled in the sports industry, and I hope you do more such lists in the future. However, I take issue with your statement in the accompanying column that the reason your Forty Under 40 list and others like it have been so dominated by white males is that there simply aren’t enough diverse executives for you to choose from. My advice to you is the same advice I give to hiring managers who say they struggle to find diverse candidates for executive positions: Look harder.
There is no shortage of talented minority and female executives, lawyers and agents in the sports industry. Finding them may require you to look a level below the C-suite, and to put pressure on the companies you cover to tell you about the up-and-coming women and minorities in their ranks. SBJ can actually be part of the solution to the persistent problem of lack of executive diversity, because lists like Forty Under 40 are frequently used by executive recruiters and in-house human resources professionals when looking for candidates to fill top jobs.
So, while I think you’re headed in the right direction with “Game Changers,” I know you can do more. Take it from me, who just turned 40 and never made your fancy Forty Under 40 list. That’s OK — there’s always Fifty Under 50, Most Influential Retirees, etc.
Rob Simmelkjaer
New York City
Simmelkjaer is senior vice president of NBC Sports Ventures.
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Refreshingly candid admission about the criticism of the “emphasis on white men.” Good decision to focus one time on women. You should also consider one on minorities. Executives appreciate the exposure.
Chris Bellitti
New York City
Bellitti is vice president of corporate communications for Fox Sports Networks.
