Women are the future of sports because women are shaping the future of sports.
To close out ADWEEK’s Brandweek event in Phoenix, Ariz., on Thursday, ADWEEK Chief Brand and Community Officer Jenny Rooney welcomed some of the most powerful women in both sports and sports marketing to discuss the value of investment and access in bringing more women into the game. Angel City Football Club president and co-founder Julie Uhrman, Major League Baseball CMO Karin Timpone, and Delta CMO Alicia Tillman—all 2024 ADWEEK Brand Genius honorees—exchanged their ideas for growing sports and creating a more inclusive environment for fans and participants alike.
“It starts with community: Building fandom, driving revenue, getting sponsors on board to care, getting media companies to care and promote you and put you on at the best time on the best day,” Uhrman said. “If your community cares and you create a sense of belonging in that community, then everybody else will show up.”
In November, the National Women’s Soccer League struck a $280 million media deal that gave it expanded access on platforms including CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video, and every Saturday night on E.W. Scripps’ ION. As a result, an Angel City team that Uhrman initially co-founded with Alexis Ohanian and others for a $2 million expansion fee in 2018 just sold a majority stake to USC professor Willow Bay and Disney executive Bob Iger for a record $250 million.
Delta signed on as an NWSL partner in 2022 and remains one to this day. In August, it was named the official airline of the WNBA and will provide charter flights for all of the league’s teams. Meanwhile, Delta has also served as Team USA’s official sponsor for Beijing 2022, Paris 2024, Milan Cortina 2026, and LA28—with Tillman noting that this summer’s Paris Olympics featured more women on Team USA than men.
“I can’t emphasize enough just the power of storytelling and the roles that we have,” Tillman said. “We see the responsibility, being at the helm of major brands, to lift the voices up that deserve to be [heard].”
Timpone said MLB’s focus on fan growth throughout its 162-game season has produced outreach including enhanced coverage of Shohei Ohtani’s 50-50 season and next year’s game in Japan, this season’s “MLB at Rickwood” tribute to the Negro Leagues in Alabama, and Spanish language campaigns. However, both recent marketing and rules changes have also been aimed at bringing more women into the fold—and it’s working.