Empowering Women in Sports & Entertainment by Sarah Ressler

When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was play sports – basketball, soccer, tennis, skiing, softball – you name it. I played at every stage of my life, from elementary school and middle school to high school and college. When I was in college, I was fortunate enough to have an internship at Billie Jean King’s Women’s Sports Foundation where I learned some mind-blowing statistics. For one, by age 14, women are 2x more likely to drop out of organized sports than their male peers. On the flip side, 94% of female C-suite executives report playing a sport when they were younger. As a collegiate athlete, upon graduating 8 years ago, I knew it was important to me to keep sports a big part of my life. So, I decided to make a career out of it and work in the sports industry.

I currently work at Fanduel, a sports entertainment/gaming company, on the media team. The sports industry is incredibly male dominated, as is tech and gaming, so working at the intersection of both can feel daunting at times. But, I have been fortunate to find both women and male mentors to help navigate the industry. It’s been important in my career to have female mentors who understand the unique challenges as a woman working in sports. Fanduel even has an employee resource group, “Women’s Initiative Network”, to provide a space for women to get together and talk about all topics, including challenges and successes in the workplace. I’ve found that, in addition to mentors, it’s equally important to find female peers who are in the same stage of career. I’ve been lucky to meet very ambitious, talented, and thoughtful friends trying to make their mark as women working in sports.

Playing sports and watching sports are both an amazing way to bring people together, so I’m passionate about making sure women are involved in the conversation. Women’s sports currently comprise only 15% of media coverage. That starts with having a seat at the table, so I love working in the industry and showing up each day excited about that mission. I feel fortunate to be in a time where that number is starting to grow rapidly, with the likes of Caitlin Clark and the USWNT changing how the country thinks about women and sports.

In lieu of organized sports, I still stay active, whether that is golfing with friends, or heading to my local climbing gym. Food and drinks are fuel, so I love that Owl’s Brew uses 100% real and natural ingredients. My go-to when I want to unwind with a nice drink with friends is the Black tea & Pineapple. It makes for an awesome addition to the golf course when my friends or colleagues get together for a quick round. 

Sarah Ressler is a graduate of Amherst College where she was co-captain of the women’s golf team. She currently lives in New York City and works at Fanduel.