Day one or one day?
Leveling The Playing Field
We didn’t launch The Call Up to fill your inbox with passive advice, so we’re back with real opportunities, stories, and connections that could take you from wishing and hoping to shaping the future of the game.
- Coincidentally, tomorrow’s episode of How I Got the Call Up features someone who did just that. Don’t miss Susie Piotrkowski, ESPN’s vice president of women’s sports programming & espnW, as she breaks down how a career in sports doesn’t necessarily have to follow someone else’s path. Can’t wait to listen.
Industry growth
🎪 Death, taxes, and tentpole moments
The GIST: The cyclical nature of sports means there’s always something big on the horizon. These tentpole moments — from the Super Bowl and Grey Cup to FIFA World Cups and playoff pushes — represent the best of competition and golden opportunities to accelerate your career.
- Organizations are thinking years in advance for how they can make the next big moment their best one, and you should too, whether you’re an artist, trainer, content creator, nutritionist, or facility manager.
Take the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup (WC), for example. The buildup focused on roster selections and player fitness, but the scale of pre-tournament prep meant tens of thousands of people across the globe working to get the teams to North America and to create a system that enabled them to compete at the highest level.
England’s senior men’s team manager Ruth Corry recalled two years of site visits and another year of logistical planning, including coordinating seven freight containers of equipment across the Atlantic Ocean. This also meant building England’s tournament HQ and ensuring a seamless process for the team during every game, meal, training, and appearance.
- But Corry didn’t start at this level: Her career journey began as a teenager working part-time as a soccer coach, to a PE teacher, then into operations for a youth academy before joining a pro club, and ultimately getting called up to the national team.
- Her playbook didn’t follow a traditional executive track, yet she built the operational muscle she needed for the biggest stage at every point during her career.
It’s a myth that big moments start at kickoff and people like Ruth Corry perfectly debunk it. The women who are growing in this industry aren’t checking boxes — they’re using their lived experiences to fill operational gaps and create space for themselves.
And the countdowns are already on: The PWHL All-Star Game is 145 days away, the FIFA Women’s World Cup is 253 days out, the 2028 Summer Olympics start in 640 days. Tentpole moments are valuable because more eyes means extra investment and when women are involved in planning, the final product changes.
- Don’t wait for the clock to expire on your dream. Take the first step, and even if it’s ugly, at least you’re moving.
🏀 After a record-setting regular season, the WNBA playoffs continued its YoY viewership rise with the semifinal opening games averaging 1.15M viewers despite competing with the NFL.
💜 The Golden State Valkyries became the first women’s sports team in the world to surpass $100M in annual revenue, a number that is expected to grow as the Valks compete in the WNBA Finals.
🏅 American bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor was announced as chief athlete officer of Flavor Flav’s SHE Weekend during Advertising Week New York, where the rapper and Rhiannon Rae Ellis revealed plans to expand the celebration.
🏈 The NFL formally asked the Supreme Court to take up a case against prediction markets after opposing rulings in federal appeals court left the issue unresolved.
🏒 The PWHL's four new expansion teams have unveiled their inaugural season home and away jerseys, although full franchise identities are still forthcoming.
🏀 A third college basketball player has been detained by ICE due to an expired visa.
📈 NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman is eyeing further expansion, hoping for at least 20 teams to help increase league visibility and presence across the country.
👚 Kit sponsors continue to innovate in international women’s football with French club Les Marseillaises debuting a crestless, limited-edition jersey dedicated to fighting breast cancer.
▶️ Congrats to Remington Parker on her new role as the senior manager of consumer communications in sports, fitness, and wellness at Reddit. The “heart of the internet” needs women in sports, too.
▶️ Marissa Valerio is the new data protection officer at Arsenal FC — her first foray into the sports industry after nearly a decade in advising on data protection in media and broadcasting.
🎊🎧Coach Jackie J launched Is She Game?, a new podcast presented by Higher Ground, the media production company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama.
🔓🎓 College students and recent grads looking to break into the industry, here are some unreal opportunities from MLB, USA Basketball, The Athletic, and Women’s Sports Futures Lab. Actual gold.
🔓🏀 Flagrant Magazine, your favorite player’s favorite print basketball publication, submitted an open call for story pitches for its Spring 2027 issue. This twice-yearly mag showcases the culture of basketball, and you could be in it.
🤝 Women Leaders in Sports hosts its annual national convention this week in Chicago. Tomorrow’s finale is sold out, but membership applications are still open.
📅 Toyota was announced as the presenting sponsor for the 17th annual espnW: Women + Sports Summit along with Adidas, Gatorade, Google Pixel, and Lilly. The in-person and virtual event runs Wednesday through Friday in the Ojai Valley. Register for the free livestream.
📃Good Sports released a new study detailing the financial pressures of youth sports on parents, as well as the emotional stress that comes from the lack of affordable options.
Today’s email was brought to you by Rachel Fuenzalida. Fact-checking by Bonnie Lee. Ops by Elisha Gunaratnam. Managing edits by Molly Potter and Katie Foster. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.