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Leagues and Governing Bodies

WTA CEO Steve Simon Wants Tour To Be More Mother-Friendly

As tennis looks toward Serena Williams returning at the Australian Open, WTA CEO Steve Simon "hopes players will be able to easily function as working mothers while on the tour," according to Billy Freeman of the AAP. Williams gave birth to daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. in September and "pledged to return" in '18 to defend the title she won at Melbourne Park earlier this year. Speaking at the year-end WTA Finals in Singapore, Simon said that the sport needs to make sure it stays "on top of the issue." Simon added, "Serena is not the first high-profile mother that's been a mum on the tour, the most recent past one was obviously Kim Clijsters. I think it's something that's exciting. It should be congratulated. There is room for both." Clijsters won the 2009 and 2010 US Opens as well as the 2011 Australian Open after the arrival of daughter Jada, "putting her in an exclusive club of only three women to win grand slams after having a baby." Simon: "I hope that it becomes an issue that we have to deal with that we have more mums and kids out there, because it's great to see" (AAP, 10/26).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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