The Business Case For Women's Sports

Hosted by Caroline Fitzgerald

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199

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Welcome to the GOALS podcast, The Business Case For Women's Sports, presented by Ally, where we explore every corner of the women’s sports industry from the field to the front office. Hosted by Caroline Fitzgerald, this podcast features interviews with leaders in women's sports that dig into topics like data insights, marketing strategies, and sponsorship deals. We believe that it’s good business to invest in women’s sports, and our #GOAL is to prove it.

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60 recent

June 9, 202624 min

Ep. #197 How Sam Rapoport Changed Football Forever ft. Sam Rapoport

In episode 197 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Sam Rapoport, one of the most influential leaders in football. From creating the NFL Women's Forum to helping drive the explosive growth of girls' and women's flag football, Sam has spent her career breaking barriers and creating opportunities for women across the sport. In this episode, hear about: 🏈 How the NFL Women's Forum helped transform the league's hiring pipeline for women 💡Why access – not talent – is often the biggest barrier facing women in sports leadership 📈 Why women's flag football may be one of the biggest growth opportunities in sports today From NFL front offices to the Olympic movement, Sam shares what it takes to create lasting change – and why the future of women in football has never been brighter. More from GOALS Follow GOALS on Twitter: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on Instagram: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goals-sports Shop: goals-sports.com/shop

June 2, 202623 min

Ep. #196 Why USA Sports Is Betting Big On Women’s Sports ft. Matt Hong

In episode 196 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Matt Hong, the President of USA Sports. From the WNBA and LOVB to the LPGA and the upcoming U.S. Women’s Open, presented by Ally, USA Sports is making major investments in women’s sports coverage – and seeing major returns. In this episode, hear about: 📺 Why USA Sports is expanding its women’s sports coverage 🏀 How strategic “franchise” programming & promotion is key to making women’s sports more visible & accessible ⛳ Why women’s golf in particular has massive untapped audience potential 💡 Why Matt believes women’s sports have been historically undervalued As women’s sports viewership continues to surge, Matt shares why USA Sports views women’s sports as one of the biggest growth properties in media today. More from GOALS Follow GOALS on Twitter: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on Instagram: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goals-sports Shop: goals-sports.com/shop

May 28, 202626 min

Ep. #195 Meet Able Made: The Purpose-Driven Brand at the Intersection of Style, Soccer, and Impact, ft. Suzanne McKenzie

In episode 195 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Suzanne McKenzie – Founder & CEO of Able Made, a responsible, sport-inspired lifestyle brand fusing soccer culture, elevated design, and social impact. After losing her husband to sudden cardiac arrest while playing the game he loved, Suzanne created a youth soccer foundation in his honor – and launched Able Made to support it. Able Made exists to empower city youth while proving that design can do as much good as it looks. From rejecting “shrink it and pink it” design norms to building a brand rooted in both purpose and lifestyle, Suzanne is redefining what it means to operate at the intersection of sport, style, and social impact. In this episode, hear from Suzanne on: 🫶 How Able Made is rethinking sports apparel through design, sustainability, and purpose ⚡️ Why authenticity and impact are key differentiators in today’s sports business landscape 🤝 How investing across the entire women’s sports ecosystem unlocks long-term growth More from GOALS Follow GOALS on Twitter: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on Instagram: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goals-sports Shop: goals-sports.com/shop

May 22, 202639 min

Ep. #194 Why The Sports Bra Is Inviting Fans To “Own A Piece of The Bra” ft. Jenny Nguyen

In episode 194 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Jenny Nguyen, the CEO & Founder of The Sports Bra - which is the world’s first sports bar dedicated to women’s sports. In 2026, The Sports Bra is entering its next era of growth with a new public investment campaign inviting fans to “Own A Piece of The Bra." When The Sports Bra opened in 2022, there wasn’t a single bar in America dedicated exclusively to women’s sports. Today, the brand is expanding nationally with franchise locations planned in Boston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, St. Louis, and Portland, Maine – and a vision for 40+ locations by 2030. In this episode, hear about: 🍺 Why The Sports Bra launched its new investment campaign 📈 The company’s rapid growth from one Portland bar to a national franchise brand 💸 How fans can now become investors in the future of The Bra 🌎 Why women’s sports represent a major untapped hospitality opportunity More from GOALS Follow GOALS on Twitter: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on Instagram: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goals-sports Shop: goals-sports.com/shop

May 19, 202632 min

Ep. #193 Why the Sports Industry Is Leaving Billions on the Table by Ignoring Women Fans, ft. Ashima Chopra

In episode 193 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Ashima Chopra – Founder & CEO of FanVerse, the first predictive data intelligence company built to understand, engage, and grow women’s fandom.✨ For decades, the sports industry has operated under one flawed assumption: that the default fan is male. But as Ashima explains, that assumption is wrong – and costing the industry billions. Despite higher brand loyalty and purchase intent among women, traditional data analytics and fan engagement are still male-coded, transactional, and outdated. In this episode, hear from Ashima on: 📈Why female fans are the most undervalued & under-measured audience in sports 📲How the team at FanVerse is building a data engine designed to decode the motivations of female fans 💡How FanVerse is redefining data, insights, and engagement around women’s fandom More from GOALS Follow GOALS on Twitter: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on Instagram: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goals-sports Shop: goals-sports.com/shop

May 14, 202626 min

Ep. #192 Why Women Runners Are One Of The Most Undervalued Audiences in Sports, ft. Ashley Mateo

In episode 192 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Ashley Mateo – Founder & Editor-in-Chief of RUNHER Magazine, the only quarterly print magazine dedicated entirely to women’s running.👟 After nearly two decades in the media, Ashley set out to build what didn’t exist: a platform centered on women’s running stories. The result? ➡️ A fast-growing, community-driven publication that’s tapping into one of the most powerful – and overlooked – audiences in sports. From launching the magazine via Kickstarter to redefining how brands can show up authentically in the running community, Ashley breaks down all of the untapped opportunity when it comes to women in running.💪 In this episode, hear from Ashley on how RUNHER Magazine is reimagining media & storytelling – and how women are driving the future of running. More from GOALS Follow GOALS on Twitter: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on Instagram: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goals-sports Shop: goals-sports.com/shop

May 8, 202622 min

Ep. #191 The WNBA at 30: Inside the League’s Breakout Growth Era ft. Colie Edison

In episode 191 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Colie Edison, the Chief Growth Officer at the WNBA. As the league tips off its 30th season, it’s entering its most powerful growth era yet, driven by record media deals, rising valuations, and unprecedented demand. From a $3.1B media rights deal to the Golden State Valkyries becoming the first billion-dollar franchise in women’s sports, the WNBA is proving that women’s sports aren’t just culturally relevant – they’re commercially undeniable. In this episode, hear from Colie on: 📺 How increased visibility is breaking the cycle that held women’s sports back for decades 📈 Why the league is turning cultural momentum into enterprise value growth 🤝 How partnerships have evolved from “experiments” to core strategy 🚀 Why “it’s not really a why anymore – it’s a when” to invest in the WNBA More from GOALS Follow GOALS on Twitter: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on Instagram: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goals-sports Shop: goals-sports.com/shop

May 7, 202624 min

Ep. #190 Inside the Launch of the NWSL’s Boston Legacy FC, ft. Jennifer van Dijk

In episode 190 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline welcomes Jennifer van Dijk, the Team President of the Boston Legacy FC. The NWSL expansion club is already off to a strong start in its inaugural season – from playing its first home match in front of 30,207 fans at Gillette Stadium to quickly establishing itself as one of the most exciting new teams in women’s sports. From stepping into the role mid-launch to building a franchise from the ground up, Jennifer shares a behind-the-scenes look at: ⚽️ What it takes to bring a pro women’s sports team to life 💚 How to navigate the complexities of launching in a competitive market like Boston, 🦢 The journey of rebuilding the club’s brand through deep community engagement. More from GOALS Follow GOALS on Twitter: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on Instagram: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goals-sports Shop: goals-sports.com/shop

April 30, 202617 min

Ep. #189 How UC Berkeley Is Rewriting the Playbook on Women’s Health & Athletic Performance, ft. Janet Napolitano

In episode 189 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline sits down with Janet Napolitano – former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security under President Obama and Founder of the UC Berkeley Center for Security and Governance. Secretary Napolitano is now leading one of the most important (and overdue) initiatives in women’s sports: closing the data gap in women’s health and performance. The Women’s Health and Performance Initiative (WHPI) at UC Berkeley is using secure, real-time data to better understand women’s bodies, improve performance, and reduce injury. For decades, the vast majority of sports science research has been built on men – leaving women athletes underserved at every level. In this episode, Secretary Napolitano breaks down: 📊 Why the lack of data on women’s bodies is one of the biggest gaps in sports science today 🧠 How WHPI is using real-time physiological and neurological data to build predictive models for injury prevention and performance 💡 How data-driven insights can inform smarter policy, better healthcare, and long-term outcomes for women More from GOALS Follow GOALS on Twitter: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on Instagram: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goals-sports Shop: goals-sports.com/shop

April 23, 202628 min

Ep. #188 How WeCOACH Is Investing In Women Coaches At All Levels In All Sports, ft. Vanessa Fuchs

In episode 188 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, Caroline interviews Vanessa Fuchs – the CEO of WeCOACH, a nonprofit dedicated to recruiting, advancing, and retaining women coaches across all levels of sports. When it comes to women in coaching, the numbers tell a story that’s impossible to ignore. Before Title IX, more than 90% of women’s collegiate teams were coached by women. Today? ➡️That number has dropped to just ~41%. In this episode, Vanessa breaks down: 🚧 The biggest barriers preventing women from entering & staying in coaching 🤝 How WeCOACH is supporting women through programming, advocacy, and initiatives like National Women Coaches Day, in partnership with Hudl 💼 The business case for investing in women coaches – and why it’s essential to the long-term growth of the entire women’s sports ecosystem More from GOALS Follow GOALS on Twitter: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on Instagram: @goals_sports_ Follow GOALS on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goals-sports Shop: goals-sports.com/shop

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The Business Case For Women&apos;s Sports