One of the strongest statements I heard at our recent Game Changers Conference came from
Kathryn Olson, the dignified former CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation. When asked what’s next for the growth possibilities of women’s sports, she looked out at the crowd of more than 400, which was 90 percent women, and turned to my boss, SportsBusiness Journal Publisher
Richard Weiss. “I hope when you have this event next year, there are more men in attendance,” she said. “If we’re talking to ourselves, we’re not getting anywhere. We have to engage men in the conversation.”
The reason it stood out to me was twofold. One, no one could ever question the passion of those in attendance about the power of women’s sports and women as thought leaders in the executive ranks. Two, the ones that need to be convinced are the men who weren’t in the audience.
And that remains the major disconnect for me in pushing the ball forward on women’s sports. I’ve been part of hundreds of conferences over the years, and this particular audience was so different and impressive — energetic, opinionated, devoid of the pomposity and the know-it-all mentality that occasionally come with some discussions. Panelists enjoyed one another and showed genuine enthusiasm, honesty and frankness. But my goal is Olson’s. Getting this passion outside of the core, to expand the conversation, and have a real debate about the core values, and yet the business challenges, of women’s sports.
The problem: There is a reluctance to publicly have that debate. Too often, as we seek to program a powerful panel with diverse thought, we are turned down by smart, influential, largely male executives who don’t want to play the bad guy — the ones who may point out the legitimate business issues that women’s sports present, from either the corporate community and those on the editorial and business side of today’s sports media. I understand it — the sports business is small, and no one wants to been seen as a contrarian about women’s sports. Many have daughters who dream of playing in the WNBA or WTA.
But to Olson’s point, until we have that discussion, where there is a real debate about the value proposition of women’s sports as sponsorship and media vehicles, it will be the church preaching to the choir. I have so much respect for Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman, who shook up the audience and challenged women’s sports “to think big, think broadly,” and WTA Chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster, who travels the globe believing in her product and being an evangelist for it. She’s tireless, while honest, saying on more than one occasion how hard it is to get mainstream acceptance.
I have heard her speak, and time and time again she calls out today’s mainstream media and corporate community to support women’s sports. “We need leadership,” she exclaimed. “We need companies like [WTA sponsor] SAP to say we’ll invest in our sport. We need media leadership, like [WTA partner] ESPN, that won’t just talk about it, but will do something. That’s what we need. … It’s time for people to invest time, energy and money to women’s sports.”
But she also notes that the decision-makers at these companies are 90 percent men. My mailbox and phone lines are filled with messages from male executives who have told me how the business proposition of women’s sports doesn’t add up and that I miss the point on the big-picture economics of women’s sports. That may be. But until we have that debate publicly, everyone is talking over each other.
Let’s have that debate. The people who attend Game Changers deserve to hear it.
Abraham D. Madkour can be reached at amadkour@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
