Power vs. Presence: Are Women Truly Gaining Control in theSports Industry?

By: Lexi Cantrell | May 12, 2026

During the Golden State Valkyries' season in 2025, the Chase Center was packed with record-breaking attendance. With an average of almost 18,000 fans per game, the greatest attendance average in league history, the WNBA expansion team sold out all 22 of its home games.

In 2025, women's sports attracted 46 billion minutes of viewing, indicating a rise in investment, priority, and cultural significance within the industry. Elite women's sports generated more than $1 billion in income worldwide in 2024, and by the end of 2026, it is expected to reach $3 billion. The Valkyries have already have a valuation up to $1 billion.

Beyond the players and the games themselves, women's sports have grown. An industry based on media rights, sponsorships, executive leadership, ownership groups, and billion-dollar financial decisions operates behind the scenes. Many of those positions of authority have historically been held by men. However, concerns about power and influence persist as more women join ownership groups, executive offices, and revenue-generating leadership positions.

For many female athletes, the sports industry is very different from what it was even twenty years ago. Throughout her career, Kim Damron, president of sports properties at Learfield, said to have personally observed that change.

For over 150 collegiate athletic properties nationwide, Learfield is in charge of multimedia rights, naming rights, NIL opportunities, and digital strategy. Damron's position puts her at the heart of college athletics' business side. Her choices about revenue, branding, and fan interaction influence athletic departments all over the country.

“When I started in this industry 20 years ago, there were very few women administrators,” Damron said.

Damron said leadership opportunities for women have expanded internally at Learfield over the last several years.

“We’ve increased female leadership across the organization by 100% over the last 2.5 years,” Damron said.

Even as women continue moving into executive positions, Damron said advancement often requires support from those already holding power within organizations.

“I think male allyship is really important,” Damron said. “My boss is very supportive of us creating an environment that can succeed at these senior roles.”

Alongside the growth of women's athletics, organizations devoted to leadership development for women in sports have also become more well-known. Through networking, professional development programs, and mentoring, Women Leaders in Sports aims to give women all across the sports industry leadership possibilities. Additionally, the group studies gender equity in the business and leader pipelines.

The recent expansion of women's sports has raised awareness of the women who have spent years working behind the scenes, shared by Christina Turner, chief strategy and operational officer of Women Leaders in Sports.

“There is this big awareness around women’s sports, and there have been women behind the scenes for decades pushing the ball forward,” Turner said. “It’s finally getting the attention it deserves, but I don’t think we’ve recognized enough all the women behind the scenes who’ve been trying to make it happen for a long time.”

Turner said one of the biggest barriers to women reaching the highest levels of sports leadership remains access to revenue-generating positions.

“Revenue roles are really the driver to advancement in the top roles in sports,” Turner said. “Getting women more ingrained in the revenue side of things is really important.”

Turner said the chances for women are still impacted by traditional presumptions about leadership in sports, especially in the context of men's athletics.

“Women can’t lead football because they never play football or baseball,” Turner said. “Those are some of the traditional biases towards women leaders in sports, particularly around the men’s sports world.”

While opportunities for women to impact the industry are at an all-time high, Turner said representation in positions of influence remains limited.

“The ability to have power, make decisions, drive change, there’s more women I’ve ever seen before, but it’s still not enough,” Turner said.

Future progress depends on creating clearer pathways into leadership positions.

“We need to know that there’s clear pipelines for intentional, measurable sustained growth of women working in the industry,” Turner said.

Jennifer Simon-O’Neill, co-athletic director at UC Berkeley, said women in sports leadership should continue pushing toward the highest levels of authority rather than settling for secondary roles.

“We need to continue to push women into leadership roles,” Simon-O’Neill said. “We need to question why are women are shooting for the number two role intstead of the number one.”

Women in sports leadership are increasingly recognized for leading organizations and making major decisions, Simon-O’Neill said.

“I got to talk to Jess Smith, president of the Valkyries, and Stacey Jones who is the president of the Sparks,” Simon-O’Neill said. “We are not being put in those positions to look good, it's about us making decisions and leading a department.”

As women’s sports generate larger investments and higher financial returns, some executives say capital has become a primary pathway to industry influence. Lisa Walker, chief business officer of LOVB Houston, said women are shaping the future of sports through financial investment and ownership opportunities.

LOVB, short for League One Volleyball, is part of a growing movement of women-led organizations building professional foundations for women’s athletics.

“I think the power part comes with investment,” Walker said. “Women are starting to make more money, but they’re also investing back into the industry, which is helping more influence on some of these business decisions.”

Walker said women are creating their own opportunities by building organizations rather than waiting for entry into male-dominated spaces.

"I think there is more traction when women are building new things,” Walker said. “When I look at women who are investing in women’s sports, I think that’s where women are creating new opportunities for other women to grow and thrive.”

Even as financial opportunities expand, Walker said cultural barriers persist within sports leadership.

“The challenge is gender bias and it’s almost an unconscious reaction,” Walker said.

At the ownership level, Wendy Damonte, co-founder and CEO of Reno Pro Soccer, said women remain underrepresented in professional sports leadership. Reno Pro Soccer’s initiative to bring a United Soccer League team to Reno places Damonte among a small number of women leading professional sports ownership groups.

“Two years ago, I went to a soccer conference by United Soccer League, and I was the only female owner in the room except for one other woman,” Damonte said. “I think there is so much room for growth with women.”

For Damonte, building a professional sports organization extends beyond business or financial success.

“We are building a legacy,” Damonte said. “Not only for only for ourselves, our families, and our grandkids, but this community.”

Damonte said confidence and persistence have been essential to navigating the sports industry.

“I am a perfect example of if you put your mind to something and you’re not afraid to go after it, work hard every single day, you can get whatever you want in this life,” Damonte said.

Even in high-level roles, self-doubt remains a challenge for women in sports leadership, Damonte said.

“I think women have imposter syndrome,” Damonte said. “I’ve never really subscribed to that, but I find myself thinking, ‘Can I really do this?’”

For women who have spent decades behind the scenes, leadership opportunities today reflect a major cultural shift in the industry. Denise White, ceo of EAG Sports Management, said she has witnessed that evolution throughout 27 years in sports management and crisis communications.

“Over the past 27 years, I've watched a very big transition from women playing sports to women working in sports,” White said.

White said visibility in leadership positions inspires the next generation of women entering the industry

“When you see it, you can be it,” White said. “Giving women more opportunity in those leadership roles, whether it's crisis management or leadership, is very important.”

Leadership and influence encompass more than formal titles, White said.

“Power is knowledge,” White said. “In anything you do, whether it's sports or any business, as a woman, your power is knowledge, your power is your execution and how you lead.”

Women are increasingly visible in ownership groups, athletic departments and executive offices historically dominated by men. Yet many industry leaders still cite the same systemic challenges: gender bias, limited access to revenue-generating roles and the lack of clear pathways to the highest levels of authority.

Simultaneously, women’s sports are hitting unprecedented financial milestones. Expansion franchises are drawing record crowds, and billion-dollar valuations are emerging for the first time. As women step into roles that dictate how sports are funded and managed, their influence on the business side is expanding.

Whether this visibility translates into lasting structural power remains uncertain. However, as investment and leadership opportunities grow, more women are shaping the future of the industry from the front office — not just the field.