Sports Innovation Lab Announces Creation of Women’s Sports Leadership Board at espnW: Women + Sports Summit

October 19, 2021

Key decision-makers across business sectors unite to drive investment into women’s sports

LA JOLLA, CALIF. (PRWEB) OCTOBER 19, 2021 — Sports Innovation Lab, a data-driven fan intelligence company, announced today at the 2021 espnW: Women + Sports Summit the formation of the Women’s Sports Leadership Board, bringing together leading executives from leagues, media networks, brands, retailers, and other influential properties from across the sports landscape. The board is the first of its kind, specifically dedicated to accelerating the growth and commercialization of women’s sports.

Amongst the inaugural members include: ESPN’s Rachel Epstein; Athletes Unlimited’s Jon Patricof; Coca-Cola’s Amber Steele and Pablo Kennedy; Delta Air Lines’ Emmakate Young; Dow’s Chris Chandler; Elysian Park Ventures’ Cole Van Nice; Facebook’s Melissa Lawton; Gaming Society’s Jaymee Messler; Goal Five’s Ann Kletz; International Tennis Federation’s Kelly Fairweather and Tim Stemp; Just Women’s Sports’ Ali Braverman; LPGA’s Mollie Marcoux Samaan; Mastercard’s Alison Giordano; Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s Monica Dixon; New Balance’s Romina Bongiovanni; New York Liberty’s Shana Stephenson; Octagon’s Christine Franklin; Premier Hockey Federation’s Johanna Boynton and Tyler Tumminia; PUMA’s Maura Everett; The Big Ten’s Jessica Palermo; U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s Katie Bynum; VISA’s Andrea Fairchild; WNBA’s Phil Cook; WWE’s Laura Petrucelli; and Zoomph’s Amir Zonozi.

The announcement came at the conclusion of Sports Innovation Lab CEO and Co-Founder Angela Ruggiero’s W Power Talk on-stage presentation, which highlighted the results of the company’s industry-defining The Fan Project report released previously this year. Produced in partnership with 27 key organizations and based on more than 10 million data points, The Fan Project presents a new business model for the entire sports industry that blueprints how to capitalize on shifting fan behavior.

“The Women’s Sports Leadership Board is a landmark step in the growth of women’s sports,” said Ruggiero. “By uniting a world-class group of leaders in sports, business, and entertainment, we are facilitating deals that will unlock billions of dollars in revenue. These leaders have demonstrated a commitment to our new Community-Based Monetization Model, and are embracing new methods in how to produce, distribute, and measure sports content.”

Megan Perry, Sports Innovation Lab’s VP of Executive Engagement & Women’s Initiatives, added: “The espnW Summit is an incredible platform to share ideas with the most talented, influential leaders in women’s sports. As we pair our event participation this week with the announcement of our Women’s Sports Leadership Board, we hope that our contribution to the conversation will inform and inspire those responsible for the continued growth of our industry.”

Following the announcement, Sports Innovation Lab hosted a breakout session for summit attendees interested in having their organizations adopt strategies from its Community-Based Monetization Model to maximize fan engagement.

To follow the conversation around the formation of the Women’s Sports Leadership Board on Twitter, follow @sportsilab, @angelaruggiero, and #espnWsummit.

About Sports Innovation Lab 

Sports business decisions require understanding an ever-changing fan: The Fluid Fan™. Sports Innovation Lab exists to educate clients on who their Fluid Fans are and how technology is changing their behavior. Through our industry-leading fan data and research we inspire brands to create breakthrough fan experiences, and work with the world’s leading sports organizations including the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, FIFA, Google, Facebook, Coca-Cola, Visa, and more.