SBJ Inside the Industry: "The Business of Women's Sports"

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

This episode takes a look at the booming business of women’s sports: new leagues emerging, superstars on the rise, and the women taking charge off the field. Host Tarik El-Bashir, along with Sports Business Journal’s Abe Madkour and reporter Rachel Axon, discuss game-changers like Carolina Panthers’ president Kristi Coleman and Washington Spirit owner Michelle Kang, as well as the undeniable “Caitlin Clark Effect”. 

How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?

By making “The Business of Women’s Sports” one of the first episodes of Inside the Industry ever produced, we communicated to the viewer that women’s sports were always going to be part of the conversation, and indeed we have revisited the topic many times over since the premiere. The informational and conversational format of the show allows the audience to engage directly with expert content.  

Not only does Inside the Industry air on Monumental Sports Network, it is also available to stream on the Monumental + app, on the Sports Business Journal Youtube page. We are also able to extend our reach by making excerpts available without any sort of subscription on Youtube and social media through both Monumental and SBJ platforms. General sports fans, DC-Baltimore locals, sports business aficionados who are drawn in by their existing interests will find themselves thoroughly engaged in the topic of women in sports.   

Objective

Sports Business Journal: Inside the Industry is an exclusive perspective of the rapidly changing business of sports, and the trends, leaders and innovations shaping the industry. Journalist Tarik El-Bashir and SBJ’s publisher and executive editor Abe Madkour are joined by a diverse series of guests who impart insight from their position within the industry. The goal is to include the viewer in an expert discussion without alienating them.

The show has featured extraordinary women in the industry, both on and off the field. Kim Stone, the president of the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, Olympic gold-medalist Thea LaFond, and Washington Wizards SVP Rebecca Winn have contributed to studio panels, as have SBJ reporters Rachel Axon and Mollie Cahillane, whose reporting also serves as foundational research for producers.  

“The Business of Women’s Sports” was the second episode produced for the series. It was crucial to address this topic early in the show’s run, as it would have relevance throughout the series. This episode explores the athlete’s side with emerging sports like Flag Football, and new leagues such as Unrivaled, Athletes Unlimited, and the PWHL. Viewers are also introduced to executives Kristi Coleman of the Carolina Panthers and Michele Kang of the Washington Spirit.  

Strategy & Execution

Our strategy is to take full advantage of our relationship with Sports Business Journal and resources at Monumental to provide insider content.  For “The Business of Women's Sports,” we drew heavily from SBJ’s Game Changers conference, a yearly summit dedicated to “elevating and celebrating women in sports business.” We are able to present exclusive content from this conference and others to viewers who might never be able to attend. This content was used to create video packages which focused on the women’s basketball boom, the rise of flag football, and executive Michele Kang. In addition, we also built a segment around an exclusive interview with Kristi Coleman of the Carolina Panthers.

Inspired by these video packages, Tarik, Abe, and Rachel Axon filmed their own panel discussion at Monumental’s onsite studios. Once the studio segment was filmed, the video packages were re-edited to accurately reflect the panel, and additional material included to illustrate points made by the panelists.  

The final product is an episode that guides viewers into the world of women’s sports by providing context, commentary, and humor.  This episode available on Monumental, Monumental +, and the Sports Business Journal website. We also released social-media-friendly excerpts that could be shared.  

Organizations

• Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Links

•   Website

Featured

• • Kristi Coleman
  • CEO
  • Tepper Sports & Entertainment
  • Rachel Axon
  • Olympics Reporter
  • Sports Business Journal
  • Michele Kang
  • Owner
  • Washington Spirit
  • Kim Stone
  • CEO
  • Washington Spirit 

Credits

Jim Kowats
Executive Producer
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

David Konschnik
Supervising Producer
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Lisa Hendin
Producer
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Meredith Hays
Editor
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Christine Ryan
Associate Producer
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Alex Moore
Assistant Editor
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Toby Roberts
Additional Editor
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Thomas Jacobi
Director of Photography
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Tarik El-Bashir
Host
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Patrick Hare
Production Manager
Monumental Sports and Entertainment