Berkeley Hosts Leadership Academy for Women's Sports
"If you can change how women are viewed in sports, you can change how women are viewed in society."
Last week, the Haas School of Business hosted a three day leadership conference focused on shaping the the business of Women’s Sports. The conference featured 40 participants from over 100 applicants looking to gain insights into the growing landscape of Women’s Sports across the country. Participants and peers included athletes and others looking to transition into leadership roles, industry leaders from the NBA, FIFA, all Bay Area Women’s Sports franchises, and distinguished faculty and leaders from across the Cal community.
In Monday’s evening opening panel discussion, the speakers highlighted the cultural impact Women’s Sports has on gender equity and inclusion. Danielle Slaton is a former professional soccer player and current Senior Vice President with BayFC Soccer. She highlighted her playing career, and how, instead of hearing ‘U-S-A’ chants at the 2019 World Cup, it was replaced by ‘EQUAL PAY’ in the same rhythm. Slaton has two sons, who look up to female players as role modeat the same level as male athletes. As to why she chooses to lead and is a supporter of programs as as this, she said;
“If you can change how women are viewed in sports, you can change how women are viewed in society.”
Lindsay Barenz is the President of the Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul. She is a former White House Fellow during the Obama Administration and carried forward the desire for social justice when she transitioned into Sport Leadership roles. She emphasized how society needs to normalize how we view female athletes; “Being an athlete is still feminine. Being strong is still feminine.”
The Bay Area currently has three professional Women’s Sports teams, and will have a fourth when LOVB Professional Volleyball debuts in 2027. With the Bay Area’s history of activism and equal rights, Berkeley is the natural setting for hosting such a conference. Faculty Member Francesca LeBaron thinks Berkeley is the perfect focal point to be a leader in Women’s Sports and societal impact;
“I think women’s sports is such a lever for activism. Everything from pay, equity, and how we talk so little about women’s health, right? And I think that this is just such a great venue venue to do it in.”
Kristen Rodgers is a former Sports Anchor now active in Silicon Valley VC. She is passionate about women representation in leadership roles.
“We really see that women’s sports is not just having a moment. Tt is a movement. But in order for us to have equity in Women’s Sports and Male Sports, like we need women in leadership roles, and we just don’t have that. If we look at the Golden State Valkyries and the Golden State Warriors are a great example, there’s only six percent of season ticket holders that actually overlap, so it’s a different fan base for the Valkyrie. So, we want to make sure that that team leading the Valkyries reflects the fan base and reflects women in those leadership spots.”
On a personal level, the oversaturation of daily fantasy sports and overhyping of stars pure statistics has worn me out on the NFL and NBA in recent years. I had several small conversations with a few participants comparing fandom and fan engagement between male leagues and teams and female leagues and teams. The message was consistent; Women’s Sports fans are looking for engagement. Teams are not looking for sponsors, they are looking for partners who can help drive large community engagements across a wider fan base, with less focus on individuals.
This year, was the first year of the Leadership Academy. The program was sponsored by the Haas Center for Equity, Gender and Leadership, and led by Professor Kellie McElhaney. Notable names who acted in an advisory or teaching role include Head Basketball Coach Charmin Smith, Brandi Chastain, and Bay Area Host Committee COO Karina Herold.