The 31 Most Powerful Women in Sports

The latest issue of Adweek is dedicated to the Most Powerful Women in Sports. The sports world has been upended in a year like no other, but that hasn’t stopped these champions from creating powerful innovations for fans and brands, both on and off the field. These 31 honorees—including Naomi Osaka (whom you can read more about in our cover story), NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird, MLS’ JoAnn Neale, Nascar’s Jill Gregory, the NHL’s Heidi Browning, MLB’s Barbara McHugh, WTA’s Micky Lawler, WWE’s Stephanie McMahon and NBA’s Kate Jhaveri—have changed the game, with many of them playing a key role in the groundbreaking “Real Heroes Project” that celebrated medical workers in May.

Meet them all: Plus, find a playlist of their favorite hype songs at the end of the list.

Also in the latest issue:

Marketing chiefs from the most prominent sports leagues in the nation are assembling for the Brandweek Sports Marketing Summit, starting today, where they’ll discuss how athletes and brands have been navigating the unpredictable 2020 landscape. In order to promote diversity and empower the next generation of marketing leaders, seven of these CMOs and execs are each sponsoring 10 students from prominent sports students, covering the cost for professionals.

Meet the participating mentors and learn where the students are from.

Hear from many of the Most Powerful Women in Sports this week at the Brandweek Sports Marketing Summit, Nov. 16-19. Get your passes now.

An impending Biden presidency has industry leaders wondering what the future will hold for privacy regulations—among other legislation—and angling to influence them to their benefit. In the privacy space, industry leaders advocate for a single federal privacy law rather than the patchwork of individual state laws that could emerge in the wake of complicated and headache-inducing laws in California. A lobby for the national law has emerged via initiatives like Privacy for America, a coalition of trade organizations including the 4A’s, ANA, and IAB.

Explore the proposal: We talked to sources who explain their hopes for the proposal.

When Trump’s legal team (evidently) accidentally booked Four Seasons Total Landscaping instead of the Four Seasons hotel, it proved to be a major windfall and publicity opportunity for the lucky company, which many pointed out is located between an adult bookstore and a crematorium. The brand leaned in, releasing shirts, stickers and masks featuring slogans such as “Lawn and Order” and “Make America Rake Again”—and the items sold out within days.

Making landscaping lemonade: You can even use its parking lot as a virtual background.

McCann’s 1971 “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” (a.k.a. “Hilltop”) remains one of the most iconic ads and culturally significant ads of all time. Harvey Gabor, the art director behind the spot, recently died at age 86 after being hospitalized due to complications from the coronavirus.

Watch Google’s “Project: Re-Brief” campaign, in which Gabor discusses a reimagining of “Hilltop.

More of Today’s Top News & Highlights:

A short film from Beats by Dre makes a provocative statement about Black culture and its importance to music, art, sports and the broader global community. In “You Love Me,” Tobe Nwigwe, Naomi Osaka, Lil Baby, Bubba Wallace, and Janaya Future Khan (among impressive behind-the-scenes names) pose the question: “You love Black culture, but do you love me?”

Join us as we kick off the Brandweek Sports Marketing Summit today at 11am ET with The Fan Experience. Leading marketers and sports figures will convene to share insights and lessons learned while navigating this year of unprecedented challenges. The Fan Experience

Today's lineup includes Mike Raffensperger, CMO of FanDuel, Kate Jhaveri, EVP and CMO of the NBA, Heidi Browning, Senior EVP and CMO of the NHL, Barbara McHugh, SVP of Marketing for MLB, Tim Ellis, EVP and CMO of the NFL, Caroline Morgan, Vice President of Digital Strategy for the LA Dodgers and many more.

Register today and join the movement.

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