Monumental Sports & Entertainment Playmaker Perspectives Speaker Series

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

At Monumental Sports & Entertainment, we recognize that the power of sports extends far beyond the game. The Playmaker Perspectives Speaker Series is a dynamic series designed to bring together experts, thought leaders, industry changemakers, and individuals with diverse viewpoints to share their insights, experiences, and strategies for creating opportunities that empower others to reach their maximum potential and shape the future of sports, business, and culture. Through thought-provoking conversations, attendees gain actionable takeaways on leadership, innovation, and the evolving sports landscape. Whether exploring career growth, diversity and inclusion, fan engagement, or the business of sports, Playmaker Perspectives fosters meaningful dialogue, community, and belonging for our employees. The Playmaker Perspectives Speaker Series is a cornerstone of our commitment to fostering an inclusive culture at MSE. We create safe spaces for our employees to engage in candid discussions with our speakers about leadership, navigating careers, representation, and belonging in the workplace.

How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?

The Playmaker Perspectives Speaker Series is more than an internal engagement initiative—it is a catalyst for change, innovation, and inclusivity within the sports industry that educates, inspires, and connects. By spotlighting diverse voices, fostering meaningful dialogue, and challenging traditional norms, this series is helping to reshape the way sports organizations approach leadership, professional development, and fan engagement. This initiative sets a new benchmark for internal engagement in the sports and entertainment industry, ensuring that employees are not just spectators of industry change—but active participants in shaping it.

The sports industry has historically lacked representation at the leadership level. Playmaker Perspectives amplifies the underrepresented voices of women, BIPOC, and young professionals, creating visibility and pathways for future generations. By featuring leaders who have navigated barriers and redefined success, the series offers real-life blueprints for career advancement and creates space for intentional conversations around diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and representation, demonstrating the evolving priorities of our organization. The Playmaker Perspectives Speaker Series is about shaping the future of the sports industry. By elevating diverse voices, embracing innovation, fostering career development, and setting new leadership standards, this initiative is actively moving the industry and the culture of our company forward.

Objective

We are curating programming where employees gain full access to tools, insights, and guiding principles of our leadership. Through our Playmaker Perspectives Speaker Series, diverse experts, thought leaders, and individuals share their experiences and strategies for creating opportunities that empower others to reach their maximum potential.

Our goals are to give employees up-close access to leadership and changemakers who represent diverse perspectives and challenge outdated industry norms, workplace barriers, and traditional ideas of leadership.

We launched on National Girls and Women in Sports Day with our women’s employee resource group and an all-female panel featuring Michelle DiFebo Freeman, MSE Partner; Patty Medina, Associate Athletic Director, Student-Athlete Development and Inclusive Excellence, American University; Stacey Stewart, Founder, Sportsmom Foundation; and Alexa Landestoy, Host of Capitals Coverage on Monumental Sports Network.

Next, we featured powerhouse Sheila C. Johnson, Governor of the Washington Wizards, Capitals, and Mystics and America’s first Black female billionaire. Listening to employees’ needs, we continued with Zach Leonsis, President, Media & New Enterprises, MSE, and a Black History Month panel with Will Dawkins, General Manager, Washington Wizards, John Thompson III, President, Monumental Basketball, and Troy Weaver, Senior Advisor, Washington Wizards. The series was built on mentorship, connection, belonging, and diverse representation.

Strategy & Execution

Almost 41% of workers at companies globally say that their workplace is where they feel the greatest sense of belonging, second to home, and yet, 75% feel excluded at work ([EY Belonging Barometer 3.0)](https://www.ey.com/en_gl/newsroom/2023/09/ey-survey-finds-global-workers-feel-sense-of-belonging-at-their-workplaces-yet-most-are-uncomfortable-sharing-all-aspects-of-their-identities). The sports landscape has evolved from being primarily male dominated into a more inclusive and expansive industry. The Playmaker Perspectives Speaker Series was designed to showcase the breadth of talent we possess and illuminate the many diverse voices, perspectives, and journeys existing within MSE.

Today’s sports fans want to know more than just stats and game highlights—they crave authentic, human-centered stories. The series shifts the voices of executives and industry leaders to the forefront, offering a unique behind-the-scenes look at sports leadership, business, and culture. The series covers topics such as organizational culture, gender identity, multigenerational workforce, eliminating unconscious bias, and systemic change. Our speakers know exactly how it feels to be one of one—whether in the board room or on the court, and are pushing for greater access to sports, further aligning with the values of our fans. Our fanbase is diverse, engaged, and socially conscious and the series centers voices across different backgrounds, ensuring representation resonates with our audience.

Credits

Kimberly Marcus
Vice President, Access, Impact, and Inclusion
Monumental Sports & Entertainment

Courtney Humphrey
Manager, Access, Impact, and Inclusion
Monumental Sports & Entertainment

Kamora Johnson
Coordinator, Access, Impact, and Inclusion
Monumental Sports & Entertainment

Evan Chvotkin
Network Engineer
Monumental Sports & Entertainment

Quentin Addison
Vice President, Technical & Broadcast Operations
Monumental Sports & Entertainment