The confidence, the hustle, and competition are interwoven into sports culture– and as a spectator, the experience has only gotten more elevated and intense. Sports teams and leagues around the globe are tasked with keeping this experience elevated to continuously meet the standards of excellence within the industry.
Although sports are enjoyed across both female and male demographics, there are far fewer women represented in sports. The Front Office of professional leagues like the NFL are predominantly male and lack diversity of both genders. As a woman, this can make it very difficult to penetrate the industry and succeed among men.
According to the Women Sports Foundation Report—women are, however, slowly making their way into corporate positions. What’s noteworthy is that many of the women surveyed in these positions attributed their success in business to their participation in sports. Attributes like competitiveness, high pressure, teamwork, resilience, and strong work ethic “all translate well into corporate settings.”
Women who have earned their way to the top in the sports world, inherently perceive a greater responsibility to set an example for young women. Angelina Lawton, previously the SVP of Corporate Communications for the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, and now the CEO of DIGIDECK by Sportsdigita, knows firsthand what adapting to an intense environment like sports can do for a women’s career and confidence.
Building Resilience By Owning Confidence
Being the only woman in the sports board room allows little room for intimidation. When joined by predominantly male counterparts, female leaders are often faced with more scrutiny in all that they do and must irrefutably show confidence to succeed.
Having a background in Wall Street, Angelina recalls that her experience in finance “was good training to prepare her for sports because of the intensity of working in a male-dominated environment.”
The most important thing she learned was how to develop confidence amidst being “the only woman in the room, exclaiming that what holds most women back, are themselves.”
“You have to go to those meetings you’re scared of going to, go on TV and say the things that you’re scared of saying. Feel the fear and do it anyway,” Angelina asserts.
Using Intuition and Creativity to Create Shifts
In order to survive in traditionally male-dominated arenas, women are often pressured to suppress their innate, important characteristics like intuition and creativity.
However, more vocally in sports and business, these right-brain traits become more important for founders and leadership teams. The ability to zoom out and see solutions to problems in a way that people in your niche can’t see because of their narrow focus can pay dividends in the long run.
For Angelina, following her intuition led to her starting a sports tech business that has revolutionalized the industry. Today, her company DIGIDECK by Sportsdigita works with over 400+ sports teams and enterprise organizations. Not only is DIGIDECK aesthetically pleasing but on the back-end, it yields the power of data analytics to inform teams exactly which content is resonating. When asked what the ultimate purpose of DIGIDECK is, the answer had nothing to do with “make presentations pretty”, but the end goal was as Angelina simply put, “drive more revenue.”
Although sports, tech, and business traditionally are attributed to “a man’s world”, Angelina’s innovative spirit is a prime example of why women should be encouraged to pursue their intuition and creative outlets and deserve a seat in the boardroom.
Great innovations require disruptions.
Paving the Way for Female Leaders in Sports
Making headlines in the sports industry as a woman also comes with immense responsibility. As a company owner, you’re not only in charge of the product you put out, but the ethics and values you set out for your company.
As a proud mother, Angelina has made it her personal mission to lead by example for young women around the world. Her own children inspire her to become a better and more responsible business leader every day.
Research shows that founders that establish clear values are more likely to lead winning teams and cultures.
“I like to see more women in sales, tech, and sports. The numbers are increasing, but not at the rate they should be. What’s exciting is that as a female leader, you have the ability to shape the culture around diversity and equality. More women like to work for female leaders,” says Angelina.
Conclusion
As sports tech is a burgeoning scene on the horizon, it presents an opportunity for more women to prosper, not only through sports but through tech and engineering backgrounds. As a woman who’s broken through significant barriers; becoming a CEO in an ultra-niche, male-dominated industry; Angelina Lawton is on a mission to supersede expectations and make room for more women to diversify the industry, and hopefully, lead to more groundbreaking innovation.
