Thomas Burkel

Author: Thomas

  • Leveling the Playing Field

    Leveling the Playing Field

    How the Women’s Sports Foundation is Making an Impact on Women’s Sports

    By Thomas Burkel

    In the world of sports, women have had the opportunity to change the game. From fighting for equal pay to being monumental in the rise of NIL. Women athletes have had to strive for equal opportunities to their male counterparts. However, with the sudden rise of women’s sports, public relations professionals, non-profits, and teams are trying to find ways to support women athletes. In recent years, there have been non-profit organizations created to support the women’s game. Whether through outreach to young girls to creating funds for NIL initiatives, nonprofits around the world are creating the blueprint for supporting women athletes. 

    In this read, I will highlight how the Women’s Sports Foundation uses its nonprofit expertise to support women athletes and create initiatives for women in sports. Then I will analyze their work from a public relations perspective and discuss how their work affects the future of communications in sports.  

    To give a brief rundown, The Women’s Sports Foundation was founded by Billie Jean King in 1974. King was influential in the rise of women’s sports, especially for women’s tennis, as she created the Women’s Tennis Association and pushed for equal pay for women athletes (Women’s Sports Foundation 2020). Looking closely at the organization, they are focused on advocacy work, supporting women college athletes through NIL, and advocating for gender equality in sports. Although the non-profit doesn’t specifically focus on NIL, for women’s college basketball athletes, their work creates a pathway for women athletes to succeed and represent their brand. 

    So what work has the Women’s Sports Foundation accomplished? Some initiatives that the organization has completed are funding for coaches, athletes, and scouts within college basketball. For example, in their Tara VanDerveer fund they raised over $1.2 million and gave that money to 44 colleges to close the gender gap in coaching (Miller 2024). The foundation also partnered with NBC on a 5-year deal to promote women in sports. With the use of content creation, marketing, and community outreach, NBC and the Women’s Sports Foundation have made it a mission to support women in sports through their social platforms and communications (O’Grady 2023).  

    The Women’s Sports Foundation does a great job of catering to the needs of young female athletes. Whether it is through community outreach, fundraising, or showcasing their areas of growth through their communication channels, they highlight what is possible for the future of women’s athletics. Although the organization doesn’t do much work in the realm of NIL or women’s college basketball, it makes a change for all women’s sports. How they communicate on their website and social media feeds that they are one for the community, gives their audience a sense of hope that there’s progress being made in women’s sports. As a PR professional, this is exciting. How they communicate their effectiveness, showcase what they have accomplished, and what their future initiative is, is something you hope to see out of your brand. 

    Overall, the Women’s Sports Foundation is giving young girls around the world the chance to dream big. Whether in sports or life, women around the world can achieve greatness on and off the field. And the Women’s Sports Foundation is making this dream come true.

    Sources:

    Our Founder – Women’s Sports Foundation. (2020, September 23). Women’s Sports Foundation. https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/who-we-are/our-team/our-founder/  

    Women’s Sports Foundation® Continues to Strengthen the Pipeline for Aspiring Women Coaches Through Its Tara VanDerveer Fund for the Advancement of Women in Coaching – Women’s Sports Foundation. (2024b, September 19). Women’s Sports Foundation. https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/press_release/womens-sports-foundation-continues-to-strengthen-the-pipeline-for-aspiring-women-coaches-through-its-tara-vanderveer-fund-for-the-advancement-of-women-in-coaching/ 

    NBC Sports and the Women’s Sports Foundation Announce Five-year Partnership Extension – Women’s Sports Foundation. (2023, March 16). Women’s Sports Foundation. https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/press_release/nbc-sports-and-the-womens-sports-foundation-announce-five-year-partnership-extension/

  • The Hoopers Dream: An Introduction to NIL and Women’s College Basketball

    The Hoopers Dream: An Introduction to NIL and Women’s College Basketball

    Most athletes have the dream of playing pro. The fame, money, and class that comes with playing at the pro-level is unmatched for any athlete. Fans shouting in harmony to the teams fight song, scoring the game winning goal, getting to sign autographs for a young fan, these are all moments that athletes dream about. However, this reality is a pipe dream for most athletes with less than 2% of athletes turning pro (NCAA 2024). Athletes fall away to the side as their professional careers come to a close, and they are left to be forgotten. But what if I told you that this could be different. With the rise of NIL mixed with athlete branding, athletes around the world have the opportunity to change their image. Now athletes can have a career outside of athletics and be seen more than just an athlete but as a human. 

    As I began to put pen to paper surrounding my blog posts, I wanted to come up with an idea that was both informative and transformative. This led me to discuss how women college basketball athletes can elevate their brand and image. With the rise of NIL in the past four years, college athletes are able to profit off of their name.This has grown exponentially as we have seen many athletes turn into more than just athletes. They have turned into role models, brand images, and dynamic playmakers in the communications field. With the likes of Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and more, these athletes have been able to raise their brand on and off the court.  With an engaging social media presence athletes are seen as more than just hoopers they are playmakers in the communications field. 

    Within this blog hoopers, fans, and aspiring communication professionals can get a deeper dive into how athletes can expand their game. In particular, I will narrow into how women college basketball athletes can elevate their brand. From social media tricks, navigating the landscape of NIL, and showcasing athletes who have made a difference in elevating their brand, this is a space to showcase the future of NIL and women’s college basketball. 

    The future is now when it comes to creating name, image, and likeness opportunities for women’s college basketball athletes. Elevating brand image, creating strategic goals in terms of creating a strategic brand, and building a culture of growth on social media are all exciting areas that this blog will cover. Now is the time to elevate your brand, are you in? 

    Source: 

    NCAA. (n.d.). NCAA recruiting facts. https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/compliance/recruiting/NCAA_RecruitingFactSheet.pdf