Top 10 most powerful women in the business of sports

Dynamic women hold responsible positions in sports. Let’s see whο they are and which is the role they have to serve successfully.

1. Sally Bergesen: She is the Founder and CEO of Oiselle. Oiselle was launched in 2007. This company was created by women for women. More specifically, Oiselle is a women athletic apparel company which sells running apparel for female athletes of all ages and paces, bringing together a community of women. Oiselle, by using the power of sports has the goal to build a sisterhood. Of course, Oiselle has also charitable activity.
2. Ronda Rousey: She is most known with her nickname “Rowdy”. She is an American professional wrestler, retired mixed martial artist and judoka. She is the first American woman to win a bronze Olympic medal in judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics that were held at the Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium. After that, followed a lot of recognitions for her. Also, she was featured in many magazine covers while she appeared in films, playing herself. Rousey is the only woman to win a championship in both the UFC and WWE.

   

3. Cynthia Marshall: She is 61 years old and she is CEO of the Dallas Mavericks. She likes to call her Cynt. In February 2018, Marshall became the first colored female CEO in the history of the National Basketball Association. Furthermore, in the late 1970s she was the first African-American cheerleader at the University of California, Berkeley where she was studying.
4. Kim Ng: She is currently the general manager of the Miami Marlins. Also, she is the highest-ranking female baseball executive. She is the first woman to serve as general manager of a team in the Big Four leagues in North America and the first person of East Asian descent to serve as general manager of an MLB team. In 2017 she was named as one of the most powerful women in sports by Adweek.
5. Nicole Lynn: In 2015 Nicole Lynn became the first female agent to represent top NFL agency, PlayersRep. She was only 26 years old when she signed her first client. In 2017, PlayersRep was acquired by Young Money APAA Sports Agency owned by rapper, Lil Wayne. In 2021, Nicole elevated her career and joined the team at Klutch Sports Group as their new President of Football Operations. Her client list includes NFL players and other athletes from various sports.
6. Jeanie Buss: She is the controlling owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Her father is Jerry Buss, a real estate investor who later owned the Lakers and other sports businesses. Jeanie Buss, when she was 19 years old, started in the family business as general manager of the Los Angeles Strings professional tennis team. She later became the owner of the Los Angeles Blades professional roller hockey team. When her father died, his controlling ownership of the Lakers passed to his six children with each sibling receiving an equal vote. Buss took over as team president. In 2020, she became the first female controlling owner to guide her team to an NBA championship.
7. Dawn Staley: She is currently the head coach for South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball and the United States women’s national basketball team. Staley as an American basketball Hall of Fame player won three times Olympic medals. She was also elected to carry the United States flag at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics. After winning the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics, she went to play professionally in the American Basketball League and the WNBA. In 2011, Staley was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history. On March 10, 2017, she was named head coach of USA national team. On April 2, 2020, Staley became the first person to win the Naismith Award as a player and also as a coach.
8. Naomi Osaka: Although she is only 23 years old, she has been ranked No. 1 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). Also, she is the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles. She is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion and is the reigning champion at the US Open and the Australian Open. Naomi Osaka is one of the most known professional tennis players. She was born in Japan but trained in the United States since the age of three.

   

9. Sheila Johnson: She is an American businesswoman and at the same time a sports executive. Sheila Johnson is team president, managing partner, and governor of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics. When the Mystics was sold to Lincoln Holdings LLC, Johnson served as president. She is the first African-American woman to be an owner or partner in three professional sports franchises: the Washington Capitals (NHL), the Washington Wizards (NBA), and the Washington Mystics (WNBA).
10. Michele Roberts: She is the first woman to hold the position of the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association. She is also the first woman to head a major professional sports union in North America.