Champions of Change: Shattering Ceilings in Sports

Julie Haddon joined the National Women’s Soccer League from the NFL as the league experienced turmoil, investigations into systemic abuse and a rapid departure of executives.

Enter Haddon, the NWSL’s first chief marketer, who quickly got to work. She’s launched the group’s largest brand campaign to date, partnered with players and teams to as the league experiences rapid expansion and is showing the U.S. that the best players in world play here.

On this episode of Champions of Change, learn how Haddon leveraged her experience from early days at Twitter and DreamWorks to the NFL, to her time as a softball player at Indiana University to help make the NWSL into a powerhouse.

Follow Mollie on Twitter: @MollieCahillane

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And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at [email protected].

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When four-time national champion and World Cup winner Cheri Kempf played softball, a player-run league like Athletes Unlimited didn’t exist.

The former commissioner of National Pro Fastpitch taught herself how to pitch, and is now the director of softball and an svp at Athletes Unlimited, giving female professional athletes a chance to show the world what they’re capable of.

On this episode of Champions of Change, Kempf joins Adweek’s senior TV reporter Mollie Cahillane to discuss how she’s using her lifetime of softball experience to develop a professional league, establishing broadcast and media deals with partners like ESPN and the WNBA, and growing the collegiate game as a longtime color commentator.

Follow Mollie on Twitter: @MollieCahillane

Subscribe to Champions of Change on your favorite podcast platform!

You can listen and subscribe to all of Adweek’s podcasts by visiting adweek.com/podcasts.

Stay updated on all things Adweek Podcast Network by following us on Twitter: @adweekpodcasts.

And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at [email protected].

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Arielle Chambers knows the WNBA—and women’s sports—is so important, and she’s making sure everyone else knows it too.

On this episode of Champions of Change, Adweek senior TV reporter Mollie Cahillane is joined by Arielle Chambers, founder of media platform HighlightHER.

Chambers founded media platform HighlightHER in 2019 with an all-female team of Black content creators. They tell the stories of women at all levels of sport. She took the platform to market in 2021 under Bleacher Report, and its growth only continues to accelerate.  

In this episode of Champions of Change, hear how the storyteller and host somehow gets it all done, from hosting (M)NBA red carpets, partnering with Twitter around the WNBA, debuting a custom basketball with Wilson, and why everyone should be talking about and watching women’s sports.

Follow Mollie on Twitter: @MollieCahillane

Subscribe to Champions of Change on your favorite podcast platform!

You can listen and subscribe to all of Adweek’s podcasts by visiting adweek.com/podcasts.

Stay updated on all things Adweek Podcast Network by following us on Twitter: @adweekpodcasts.

And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Champions of Change, Adweek senior TV reporter Mollie Cahillane is joined by Invest in Women founder Kelsey Trainor.

Trainor has been busy, launching her own brand as well as serving as the vice president of business and legal affairs at Gaming Society, a betting education company with an emphasis on women’s sports.

In this episode, we learn how Trainor created a brand that’s raised thousands of dollars for Black Girl Hockey Club, launched a collaboration with the Human Rights Campaign, pivoted her career from law, to television and now to sports betting, and how sports can be more inclusive. Plus, hear the legal advice she offers the WNBA around its media rights deal.

Follow Mollie on Twitter: @MollieCahillane

Subscribe to Champions of Change on your favorite podcast platform!

You can listen and subscribe to all of Adweek’s podcasts by visiting adweek.com/podcasts.

Stay updated on all things Adweek Podcast Network by following us on Twitter: @adweekpodcasts.

And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the first episode of Champions of Change, Adweek senior TV reporter Mollie Cahillane sits down with Ally Financial CMO Andrea Brimmer.

There are brands that talk the talk, and brands that walk the walk. During Brimmer’s tenure at Ally, the financial company has committed to a 50/50 media spend across men’s and women’s sports, a pledge greatly advanced by a first-of-its-kind deal with Disney earlier this year.

In this episode, we hear how Brimmer’s collegiate soccer career helped drive her desire to create equity in the sports and media landscape, how to break the cycle of underinvesting in women’s sports and how brands and marketers can truly change the game.

Follow Mollie on Twitter: @MollieCahillane

Subscribe to Champions of Change on your favorite podcast platform!

You can listen and subscribe to all of Adweek’s podcasts by visiting adweek.com/podcasts.

Stay updated on all things Adweek Podcast Network by following us on Twitter: @adweekpodcasts.

And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Champions of Change: Shattering Ceilings in Sports! Building off Adweek’s Most Powerful Women in Sports awards franchise, this weekly podcast series is back for Season 3 with a fresh identity.

Hosted by Adweek’s senior TV reporter Mollie Cahillane, Champions of Change spotlights the women and non-binary people making a difference in the sports world, both on and off the field. Each week, hear how athletes, marketers, creators, and executives are breaking down barriers and changing the game forever. 

Follow Mollie on Twitter: @MollieCahillane

Subscribe to Champions of Change on your favorite podcast platform!

You can listen and subscribe to all of Adweek’s podcasts by visiting adweek.com/podcasts.

Stay updated on all things Adweek Podcast Network by following us on Twitter: @adweekpodcasts.

And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, senior TV reporter Mollie Cahillane is joined by Camber Clemence, founder of non-profit Cut Down The Net, and Meredith Cash, senior sports reporter at Insider.

The trio breaks down Adweek’s 2022 Most Powerful Women in Sports list, featuring cover stars and WNBA legends Sylvia Fowles and Sue Bird.

Listen to their thoughts on the 2022 winners, the importance of brands and NIL, the future of the sports landscape, and whether or not they’ll ever be allowed back on this podcast.

Follow Mollie on Twitter: @MollieCahillane

Subscribe to Adweek’s Most Powerful Women in Sports on your favorite podcast platform!

You can listen and subscribe to all of Adweek’s podcasts by visiting adweek.com/podcasts.

Stay updated on all things Adweek Podcast Network by following us on Twitter: @adweekpodcasts.

And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode, Adweek’s senior TV reporter Mollie Cahillane sits down with Ilana Kloss, former U.S. doubles champion, and current CEO of Billie Jean King Enterprises.

Since retiring from professional tennis, Ilana has served as commissioner of World Team Tennis from 2001 to 2021, was former Chair and current Board of Trustee member for the Women's Sports Foundation, and is part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angel City Football Club with wife Billie Jean King.

On this episode, Kloss talks about her career path, owning professional sports teams, and her work and responsibilities.

Follow Mollie on Twitter: @MollieCahillane

Subscribe to Adweek’s Most Powerful Women in Sports on your favorite podcast platform!

You can listen and subscribe to all of Adweek’s podcasts by visiting adweek.com/podcasts.

Stay updated on all things Adweek Podcast Network by following us on Twitter: @adweekpodcasts.

And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode, Adweek’s senior TV reporter Mollie Cahillane sits down with Carolyn Kindle Betz, the first female president and CEO of a Major League Soccer club, St. Louis City SC. 

Carolyn is the face of the MLS’ newest expansion team, set to begin play in 2023. She led the majority-female-owned ownership group through the bid process after the MLS expansion team was awarded in 2019.

On this episode, hear from Carolyn about how she brought the MLS to St. Louis, her thoughts around building partnerships and attracting sponsorships, and how she’s cultivating community around the team.

Follow Mollie on Twitter: @MollieCahillane

Subscribe to Adweek’s Most Powerful Women in Sports on your favorite podcast platform!

You can listen and subscribe to all of Adweek’s podcasts by visiting adweek.com/podcasts.

Stay updated on all things Adweek Podcast Network by following us on Twitter: @adweekpodcasts.

And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode of Most Powerful Women in Sports, senior TV reporter Mollie Cahillane is joined by Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman.

Ackerman has been at the helm of the conference since 2013 and oversaw its relaunch. As one of the first female beneficiaries of an athletic scholarship thanks to Title IX, she played basketball at the University of Virginia and became the first president of the WNBA, and is a past president of USA Basketball.

During the conversation, learn how Ackerman transitioned from a law career to the sports world, what it’s like being a top executive in both men’s and women’s sports, her plan for the next round of media rights negotiations, and the Big East’s place in an ever-shifting collegiate landscape.

Follow Mollie on Twitter: @MollieCahillane

Subscribe to Adweek’s Most Powerful Women in Sports on your favorite podcast platform!

You can listen and subscribe to all of Adweek’s podcasts by visiting adweek.com/podcasts.

Stay updated on all things Adweek Podcast Network by following us on Twitter: @adweekpodcasts.

And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.