Kate Johnson

The same thing's happening here in the United States with NCAA men's and women's basketball.

The men's tournament earns $1.1 billion per year in media rights fees, 17 times more than the estimated value of the women's tournament, even as the last three finals on average are approaching par.

These costs, they don't just undervalue women's sports, they're undervaluing the women's sports fan.

which is a huge miss in the bigger economic picture.

It turns out, compared to men's sports, fans of women's sports are younger, they're generally more tech savvy, and they're more loyal to brands who sponsor women's sports.

But in a world where men's sports are everywhere and women's sports are harder to find,

These short-sighted media rights holders and gatekeepers, while they're failing certainly the athletes, but also the fan, and especially, and maybe more importantly, our girls.

Which leads me to the real kicker.

Despite the recent surge in women's sports, our girls are still dropping out of sport at twice the rate of boys by the age of 14.

If they can't see incredible content of female athletes crushing it in sport and in life, it makes it harder for them to see sport as a pathway for themselves.

If they can't see it, how can they ever dream of becoming it?

I know without a doubt I would not be the person or leader I am today were it not for the lessons I learned as an athlete.

The grit, the determination, the teamwork, the accountability, the resilience, all of it has had a significant impact on the rest of my life.

And this makes sense.

We know there's a direct correlation between girls who grow up playing sports becoming women who lead.

But while 94% of C-suite women grew up playing sports,

Only 6% of global CEOs are female, which means when girls drop out of sports, a significant pipeline for future female leadership suffers.

Now, there is good news.

Women's sports are growing, and it's thanks to the contributions of new media players that are reimagining the sports landscape for women's sports.

Brands who understand the value and are leaning in.