Four lessons from the world of sports 

This year, for the first time ever, women’s elite sports are expected to break the billion-dollar barrier—with expected revenue of $1.28 billion for 2024, compared with $981 million for 2023. In sum, growth is looking good, according to a November report by Deloitte, which projects that women’s football (soccer) will contribute the most to 2024’s revenue total (43%), followed by basketball (28%) and then tennis (5%), with many other sports making up the rest (23%).

But sport isn’t just a business. It’s also an inspiration for business because sports help shape norms. Shining floodlights on talented female athletes can help shift the conversation about gender, challenge stereotypes, and generate new images of strong role models. And, in fact, there’s a clear correlation between women who have played or play sports and female leadership in society and the workforce more generally. According to an Ernst and Young and espnW study from 2020, 80% of female Fortune 500 CEOs…