I remember sitting in my family room as a young girl, watching a football game with my dad and older brother, just trying to fit in. I had asked a question about the game when they said, “do you even know what a quarterback is?” As an eight-year-old girl this question stumped me, and I obviously did not have the answer. Together, they dismissed my curiosity for a laugh, and this incident had quickly become an ongoing joke within my family.
Although I have always felt tremendous support from my family, I can’t help when looking back on the quarterback joke, to think if it was so funny because I was a girl asking about a “boys sport.” Which led me to the question of, would I have been taken more seriously if sports weren’t such a male-centered industry? Would I have known what a quarterback was if there was a woman I could relate to and learn from employed in this industry?
Keeping this in mind, I wanted to explore how employing women in male-centric industries like athletics, can benefit more than just the women being hired. After completing some research, I found that the inclusion of women in sports can better the companies themselves in terms of overall profits, workplace environments, and even cross-gendered relationships within society.
A typical job for a woman in the sports industry would be in a receptionist or assistant position, but a study was done on major companies like the NFL and NBA to test the effectiveness of women in higher positions. The study found that “companies with high number of women executives outperformed their industry median companies on three measures of profitability: profits as percent of revenues, assets, and stockholders’ equity.” This means that even with the small number of women in valued positions, they are still outperforming their counterparts in terms of economic benefits.
While economic gain is important to many companies, it is also important to foster an inclusive and understanding mindset to maintain a cohesive workplace environment. A different study performed by McKinsey & Company found that “women in leadership roles work harder than their male peers to support their employees’ emotional wellbeing.” By having a female encompass a supportive and compassionate business, employees are more likely to flourish personally, ultimately leading to better performances financially. In fact, “women reported being 2.8 times more likely to leave their job when they do not feel included.” Altogether, having a woman in an authority position can not only foster a more supportive environment mentally and economically, but also maintain that cohesiveness through having long-tenured employees. Experience and knowledge are vital to the success of athletic companies, so this is yet another way having a woman visible in these types of positions is important.
Looking back to that night watching football, I believe that if there was a strong female role model I could look up to and learn from, then I wouldn’t feel so out of place watching a game “meant for boys.” By employing women in male-centric fields like sports, it will give young girls someone to look forward to seeing when games come on, which will initiate further engagement. This encouragement of female viewership will bring about more cross-gender conversations with their male peers and family members; therefore, making sports a community where everyone’s curiosity can be explored.
In short, hiring women in valued athletic positions will not only benefit the companies themselves, but will also foster more equitable environments for girls in society, whether that be professionally or personally. Today, as a woman who wishes to work in the sports industry, I hope to one day give young girls like me the confident to explore their interests and feel as if they belong!
ShoutOut! James Madison University 