Is sport a safe space for women?

Have you ever felt unsafe in the workplace? 

RL: I had an internship very early on in my career where there were some people who attempted to make me feel unsafe and unwelcome as the only female intern in the group. That being said, the next internship I had, again I was often the only female intern and it could not have had a more sincere, collaborative, and supportive group environment. I probably owe a bit of my thick skin to that original group, and copying Coco Gauff will say: thank you to the people who didn’t believe in me.   

AG: No, I haven’t. I think unsafe is too big a word, at least as far as my personal experience is concerned. I also believe it is important to “set the scene” from the beginning, with attitude, appearance, behaviour and words, in order to build a clear, professional and safe environment around you. 

ML:Never unsafe, no. I always found myself to be well protected by my managers at the companies I chose to work at, especially in those early years. But I am aware not everyone had that level of care. No doubt at times I found myself in uncomfortable situations or indeed surprised by the behavior of others. 

AD:Yes, several times, especially at the start of my career, when I was unsure of how I should behave and what is acceptable behaviour by colleagues. 

AM:I wouldn’t say unsafe, but uncomfortable sometimes yes. The environment has changed significantly over the years for the better and behaviours which were considered normal in the past are now not accepted in the workplace. I was lucky enough to have a good sense of humour, being trained in fighting sports and having many good colleagues and bosses. 

How can businesses foster a culture of equality? 

ML: Hire equally, or hire with equity in mind. Sometimes you need to take a bet on someone who might be the right fit if they were given the right support. I believe in making sure hiring loops are inclusive, it’s not always the case that only one person is the absolute right fit for a job. If you have the intent on equality in the workplace, it will become reality. 

AD: It comes from the top – CEO, executive team – where different voices and diversity are encouraged and included in decision making, where psychological safety is supported and rules, regulations and processes are constantly monitored and adjusted to ensure they remain relevant and inclusive. There also need to be role models – to show diversity and equality across all levels of decision making. 

AM: Role modelling is the critical success factor for fostering a culture of equality. It is not a classic project that starts on Day X and has to be completed on Day Y: it is a change of culture that comes with consistent and relentless change in behaviours. Making sure that your shortlist for hiring and promoting includes women, stimulate active participation in meetings and projects, hero a more diverse approach to problem solving.  

RL: Create an environment where everyone feels comfortable providing input. Creating a culture of equitable representation means being able to see people like you in positions of power, giving everyone down the ladder a sense of what you also can achieve. 

AG: “Business is business” we say when making decisions that overcome personal relationships and are simply driven by a thorough analysis aiming at the best (commercial) results. If the same motto and approach guided work environments overall, there would no longer be men and women identified by their gender but people who are in certain positions because of their competences, experience and ability to generate the best possible outcome for a project and a company.  

Have you ever felt demonised, singled out or overlooked at work by men because of your gender?  

ML: I was more overlooked when I was younger, but that perhaps is also a sign of the times when you had to prove your ability. As a woman there was a sense that you ‘more than’ earn your stripes, work harder, prepare more, understand more. As you get older you learn to use your voice and “lean in” as Sheryl Sandberg put it, prioritise and perhaps not be that person who does everything all the time.  

AG: I started my career in the sports business as media operations manager at ski events. I was young and had no experience, not born or raised in the mountains AND I was a woman: probably too much, in my male counterparts’ mind, to be able to survive winter hardship on the ski slopes! I believe it was a combination of several elements and not just the fact of being a woman. That said, the beginning is always tough, even more if you are a woman in the sports business. You must demonstrate your capabilities twice as much as men, you have to show double commitment and determination to undergo the initial “test phase”.  

AM: In the earlier days of my career, I happened to be overlooked or mistaken for a personal assistant.  

What’s changed over the years? 

AD:There’s more awareness and some genuine advocates (men and women) to drive change. These discussions didn’t take place earlier and I probably lost out on opportunities because of my gender whereas now I may get opportunities (which I deserve) because the sports industry is striving to be more inclusive. 

ML:So many businesses rely on data to make decisions, so I feel quite empowered to have a strong opinion and back that up with evidence. When I started in network television, opinions or decisions were really based on belief systems or speaking in an echo chamber.  

AM:Industry has made a lot of progress in the recent years, as it reflects an evolving society and a broader set of role models for women. It is more normal and more frequent each year to see more women in senior and less senior roles. 

What still needs to change?

AM: Our challenge is to make it more attractive for more women to think about working in this business in the first place. At DAZN, for example, we can clearly see that our big investment in female football helps draw the attention for female talent to DAZN as a possible great place to work.  

ML: Hearing and listening to different voices. I am a big proponent of having Gen Z staff weigh in on decisions and content that we produce for Gen Z to watch … the more diverse that pool of opinion, the wider the data set (and growth) is likely to be. We need to think about who else is out there that needs to hear from us and how we are reaching them. 

 AD: This strive for change is also creating a divide amongst those who always wielded more power and those who are fighting for equality and greater opportunity. The former (still in the majority) are against this change and would rather maintain status quo. 

Can you envision an industry that offers the same chances to men and women?

AG: If I consider my current experience at Lega Serie A, I can indeed envision equal opportunities. Our management group is equally split between men and women, who are in certain positions because of their experience and knowhow in the specific departments they are responsible for, irrespective of gender. It is probably not so common for a sports organisation and even less for a football league, but it represents a good case study and hopefully an example to follow. 

AD: I really hope so – women in sport and women’s sport – the potential is still untapped and until the decision makers genuinely care about making a change (not for CSR but for business reasons) this will remain a struggle. 

ML: Yes, I think the next generation will force that. I see change happening. SailGP is 50/50 in the leadership team.  

AM: 100 per cent. And why should that not be possible? At DAZN we want to proactively help get there as the media has a great responsibility for everything that has to do with culture and society – and sport is part of culture and even more our society. 

Does women’s sport need to be run by women?  

RL: No, women’s sports need to be run by the best person for the job. There are incredible examples of female leaders in women’s sport – Jessica Berman, Mollie Marcoux Samaan, Cathy Engelbert, but there have also been great male leaders. 

 AD: No, it doesn’t. But it does need men and women who are true advocates for the product (women’s sport) and understand it (and put in the effort to understand why it is different from men’s sport). It simply shouldn’t be a cut and paste solution where it’s marketed and presented like men’s sport. There is a different audience, some who may not even watch men’s sport, and not enough is being done to tap into this audience and commercialise it. 

AM: No, it doesn’t have to. Just as men’s sport does not have to be run by men. But women see the sports world through a different perspective and companies should recognize this as an advantage.  

ML: Women’s sports need to be run by competent and empathetic people, like any successful business. 

AG: A good mix of men and women gives the best contribution to any kind of job and activity, just because of the personal and gender characteristics each person can bring to the table, complementing each other.   

What’s utopia for women in the sports business? 

ML: The ability to network and connect and do business without a negative gendered/racial/social economic lens clouding decision making. It will take a series of really strong female (and diverse) role models who have struggled to get to the top but once the precedent is set, I don’t see the clock winding back. 

RL: When there is significant representation of women in all positions. I get excited whenever there is news about a woman breaking into a position that has not historically been held by a woman. I think utopia will be when we are no longer surprised by women in significant positions of power.  

AG: When women are the first to work together, in solidarity and not in competition. It is not a fight among women or a fight between men and women, but an honest and fair “race” towards excellence in all that each person does in life and at work. 

AM: A diverse environment by genre, geography and age, where everyone contributes to growth of the business.