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Brain Circuits
Four lessons from the world of sportsÂ
Women’s sports are booming. Here are four hard-won lessons from pioneering women athletes: from teaming up to playing to win.
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 played sports in their formative years.  
It’s no secret that playing sports imparts key skills that translate to the corporate world. From teamwork, learning from failure, resilience, and the ability to maintain forward- thinking to mental tenacity confidence and self-belief—these traits are hugely beneficial in any business. 
Here’s how managers can learn from women in sports to drive greater equity and inclusion:
1. Share knowledge and team up
Stilted by a ban on women’s football in many countries for much of the 20th century—including in England (1921—1970), Brazil (1941—1979), and Germany (1955–1970)—the 21st-century push for more equitable conditions illustrates that progress is not just individual, but collective. Be inspired by the example of female footballers teaming up to change the game.
2. Promote community and agency
Women in sports are agentic: they want to win, they train hard to win, and they are willing to demand fairer compensation and related benefits off the court or field. At the same time, women in sports share communal values by also showing how to nurture networks and push for equity.
3. Play the long game
Female former players are taking on leadership roles within sports’ governance structures, working to improve matters from within and systemically. In business and society, advocating for equity also requires long-range tactics, including involvement in governance structures to address gender discrepancies in leadership and managerial roles.
4. Boost role models
Bringing in and showcasing colleagues with outside-the-box skills and non-traditional experiences can help promote a stronger, enriched team. Leadership skills come from many experiences in life, not only from educational degrees: they also emerge from experiences in sports.
Further reading:Â
Four lessons from women’s football for advancing gender equalityÂ
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