At the Top of Their Game
A roster of the some of the most powerful sports executives in the country鈥攁ll of them women鈥攃hronicled their rise to the C-suite during a lunchtime panel, November 13, at AU鈥檚 Washington College of Law.
The event, sponsored by WCL鈥檚 Sport and Society Initiative, featured four general counselors representing six Washington sports teams: the Commanders鈥 Mali Friedman, the Spirits鈥 Shameeka Quallo, the Nationals鈥 Betsy Philpott, and Abby Blomstrom of Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Washington Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics.
The District is one of only a few cities in the country where all professional sports teams are helmed by a female lawyer. (DC United鈥檚 Jessica Wright was not in attendance.)
Across all industries, women make up just 28 percent of C-suite executive roles, according to , while 38.5 percent of all general counsels are women, according to . In sports, those gender disparities are often even more pronounced鈥攅specially when they intersect with other marginalized identities.
鈥淎nytime I walk in [the room], there are two things that are undeniable: I am a Black woman,鈥 Quallo said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 sort of been my story of being in rooms, places, and spaces where I don鈥檛 see a lot of people who look like me. Inherently, it鈥檚 something that鈥檚 top of mind, but it鈥檚 also embedded in how I show up. I鈥檓 always mindful of who else I鈥檓 bringing with me.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to be very conscientious about it,鈥 added Philpott, senior vice president and general counsel for the Washington Nationals. 鈥淟ive intentionally with that in mind when you鈥檙e going to work, especially if you鈥檙e a female leader.鈥
The conversation was moderated by Julie Jensen, SPA/BA 鈥95, WCL/JD 鈥02, a former executive for the now Commanders and founder and co-CEO of Jasper Advisors, who also gave space for the panelists to explain the responsibilities of a general counselor.
The top lawyer for each team handles all legal matters, including business transactions, contracts, litigation, and risk management advice. It鈥檚 a job that touches every aspect of the organization.
鈥淚 work very closely with basically every department, and I think that probably goes for all of my colleagues up here too,鈥 Philpott said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really important that you, as a lawyer, establish strong relationships across all departments because the most important thing you can get from everybody is information. If you don鈥檛 trust that you鈥檙e going to use that information well, then they鈥檙e not going to give you that information.鈥
Each panelist also shared about how they ended up in sports law. While the others had always planned to work in sports, Blomstrom, former assistant general counsel at AOL, fell into it.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 something I was planning to do,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t was a little bit of a leap, but it鈥檚 been super rewarding. And as everyone has said, every day is different.鈥
Friedman鈥檚 path to becoming chief legal officer and senior vice president for the Commanders also required a leap of faith. After working for the Golden State Warriors鈥攁nd being part of two championship runs鈥攕he left for the XFL, which folded just eight months after it launched, due to the pandemic.
Out of a job, Friedman headed back to the DMV, where she grew up. Now, she is proud to be part of a senior leadership team that is comprised of 53 percent women and 47 people of color under President Jason Wright and new ownership.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been great to see the cultural transformation,鈥 she said. 鈥淵ou feel the difference. You end up making better business decisions and getting better results when you have a diverse group of opinions and backgrounds in the room.鈥
The event closed with WCL students asking for advice on how to break into sports law鈥攊ncluding how to prepare for all the roles they鈥檒l need to play within an organization.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no way you can learn all the things you鈥檙e going to need to do in a more generalist role,鈥 Friedman said. 鈥淵ou absolutely will learn along the way.鈥