The Business of Women's Sports: Sponsorship in an Evolving Landscape

Wednesday, October 22 | 12:30 PM ET

The Business of Women's Sports

Sponsorship in an Evolving Landscape

Join SBJ Live for a dynamic panel discussion exploring the rapidly changing world of women’s sports sponsorship. This episode, part of our ongoing “The Business of Women’s Sports” series, brings together leaders from teams, agencies, and established and emerging brands to share research, practical experiences, and actionable insights.

What We Will Discuss:

• How traditional sponsors are engaging differently in women’s sports and leveraging unique opportunities not found in men’s sports.
• The rise of new and non-traditional brands entering the space, including challenger and category-defining companies.
• Case studies and practical examples of why brands choose women’s sports, how they activate partnerships, and what makes these investments successful.
• Audience demographics, engagement trends, and the business value of connecting with highly engaged women’s sports fans.

Transferable learnings for teams, leagues, brands, and agencies looking to maximize sponsorship impact. Whether you’re already active in women’s sports or seeking to better understand the space, this session will provide valuable perspectives and strategies from those shaping the future of sponsorship.

Who Should Attend:

Brand marketers, sponsorship professionals, team and league executives, agency leaders, and anyone interested in learning more about sponsorship in women’s sports.

Featured Speakers (Additional to be Announced)

Amanda Calabrese is the Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Sequel, a women’s health company redefining personal care with the first reengineered tampon in over 90 years. She leads Sequel’s brand and marketing strategy, building partnerships with top sports organizations including Athletes Unlimited, the Indiana Fever, DC United, DC Power, and Audi Field. A Team USA lifesaving athlete and international medalist, Amanda brings her experience as a world-class competitor to Sequel’s mission of performance-driven innovation. She was named to the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 List and holds a B.S. in Product Design Engineering from Stanford University.

Matt Drew is the Chief Revenue Officer at Unrivaled, having been involved with the league since its inception. He is responsible for overseeing all revenue operations with a particular focus on brand partnerships. Previously, he led international business development at StubHub, the international division at WWE and was a member of the founding group of the global sports streaming service, DAZN.

Dave Gaspar is partner and head of innovation at Gather, a new type of agency, where a collective of independent practitioners specialize in consulting and creative implementation for its clients. At Gather, Dave leads the innovation practice as well as the Sports and Sponsorship practice.   

Leela Srinivasan is CEO of Parity, a sports marketing and sponsorship platform focused on professional women athletes. In pursuit of its mission to close the gender income and opportunity gap in pro sports, Parity forges partnerships between brands and its community of 1,100+ elite women athletes from 85 sports, including over 300 Olympians and Paralympians. The company was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in Sports for 2025.

Prior to joining Parity, Leela was a three-time CMO at online survey platform SurveyMonkey, digital payments provider Checkout.com, and recruiting software firm Lever. She also held marketing leadership roles at LinkedIn and OpenTable, worked for management consulting at Bain & Company, and began her career in sales.

Leela serves on the boards of Upwork, the world’s human and AI-powered work marketplace, and nonprofit Empowered by Light, as well as on the board of advisors for the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth where she earned her MBA. She was recently named to ADWEEK’s inaugural list of 25 Sport Marketing MVPs. She was also recognized by Sports Business Journal as a 2024 Game Changer and a 2024 Power Player in Women’s Sports, and by Cynopsis on their 2024 list of Top Women In Media. She is a member of Fast Company’s Impact Council.

Registration is free. All registrants will receive a recording of the webinar following the event.

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