USC Annenberg held a National Girls and Women in sports day conference that featured women with varying professions across the sports industry, including professional soccer players from Angel City FC.
From speaking one-on-one with some of these women, there was one attribute I noticed that united them: resilience.
These women came from all walks of life and overcame adversity in their own ways. Knowing a lot about the sports industry, they provided tremendous insight about what’s needed and how young women can get involved in the sports industry
Amy Trask, the former CEO of the Oakland Raiders, started her career in the NFL. Back then, she was the only woman in every room.
Trask found success by not worrying about her gender. If she didn’t want anyone thinking about her gender, then she couldn’t worry about it. She listened to the advice her own mom would always give her, “To thine own self be true.” She just had to be herself. Individualities don’t dictate whether you can do a job or not.
If Trask could give advice to someone wanting to go into the sports industry it would be, “Work hard,” she said. “Work as hard as you can and when you think you can’t work any harder, find a way to work harder.”
Being true to yourself was the same advice Angelina Anderson, Angel City FC’s goalkeeper, had. She believes it’s important to cultivate a strong sense of inner belief even when you fail.
“There will likely be more failure than success at times,” she said. “When you fail, see those as necessary steps to get better and to move on to the next part of the journey.”
For Olivia Cheng, the senior director of marketing and brand engagement at LA28, she believes it’s important to not focus on the “Glitz and the Glam.”
She advises young people who want to work in sports to not focus on stats or liking a player. Instead, they should harness that enthusiasm on a skill set in the sports industry.
Young people should be the “kings and queens when it comes to social media products,” she said.
“You know what’s trending, you create the trends, are culturally relevant, so focus on that and leverage that,” she said.
Cheng has been able to use her own advice to reach her goals of getting to the top of the industry. However, her aspirations go further than her own professional success. She wants to inspire others.
“I got into the industry because I didn’t see myself,” she said. “I’m in the industry and I still don’t see myself.”
Her personal goals are to utilize her passion for marketing and storytelling to create a platform. With that platform she hopes to leverage it “to show representation for Asian-Americans and females.”
Courtney Moore, the vice president of DEI for the Los Angeles Dodgers, spoke about the importance of having diversity in the sports industry.
She expressed how representation is needed from a diverse group of individuals that come from different backgrounds.
“That’s what fuels a company to be better,” she said. “That’s what fuels a company to be more progressive and more profitable and to be more innovative.”
She wants women, no matter their background, to think big and be creative.
“Do not be afraid if you’re the only woman in the room,” she said. “You do not have to be a pioneer for long.”
These women inspire other women to keep believing they deserve a seat at the table whether they work in the sports industry or are an athlete.
“Women’s sports needs to be viewed less as a charity case and like a subset of sport,” Madison Hammond, an Angel City midfielder, said.
Instead they need to be viewed “more as a revenue driver and a culture shaper, because we’re definitely a lot more dynamic than we’re told we are,” she said.
Women deserve recognition in all facets of the industry and life.
“I’m asked all the time if I’m excited when a new woman is hired, and my answer is what’s gonna really excite me is when it’s no longer newsworthy,” Trask said.