Adweek’s Most Powerful Women in Sports Honor Serena Williams

As always, Adweek’s 2022 Most Powerful Women in Sports list honors the women redefining the sports landscape. While that elite group hails from different backgrounds and each offers unique perspectives and insights about the state of sports, there’s one thing they agree on: Serena Williams is the true GOAT. When we asked this year’s lineup who they would put at the top of their own Most Powerful Women in Sports list and what they thought was the most inspiring sports story of the year, Williams’ name came up time and again. Here were some of the highlights of how honorees paid tribute to her: On why Williams is at the top of their own personal Most Powerful Women in Sports list Arielle Chambers, founder, HighlightHER: “Serena Williams has shown us that you can have a career that not only creates a path that was once nonexistent to people who look like you, but can reshape people’s perception of your sport in its totality. Serena has shown us that it’s possible to be completely dominant and something you work for, but still have a hand in other endeavors.” Pepper Persley, reporter and broadcaster: “[Serena Williams] has quite literally transcended how powerful a woman in sports can be, and I absolutely look up to her!” Jenna Kurath, vp of startup partnerships and head of Comcast, NBCUniversal SportsTech: “Serena Williams [is] a mother and inspirational athlete who has crushed records and barriers and will continue to do so as a VC investor in early-stage startups with founders from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. And she didn’t wait for retirement to start her next career chapter: ‘78% of our portfolio happens to be companies started by women and people of color, because that’s who we are,’ Serena has said.” Serena Williams Will Exit the Court, but Her Title as Brand Icon Is Assured Mallory Weggemann, five-time Paralympic medalist, author, co-founder and co-CEO, TFA Group: “Serena Williams and Allyson Felix [are at the top of my list]. Both are forces in their own athletic right, but more impressive, they have used their platform for good [and] to drive change and leave an impact for the next generation. I am currently pregnant with our first child, and I proudly was able to initiate my maternity protection through the USOPC [U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee], meaning my national team benefits and health insurance are protected throughout the entirety of my pregnancy and for 12 months postpartum, something that didn’t exist until 2019. These benefits are a direct result of the voice of these women and so many others. We as females should never have to be put in a position of choosing career or family, yet in many industries we still do. By using their platform, they made change not just in the sports world, but most certainly beyond, because as we all know, sport serves as a catalyst to spark a conversation.” On why her final U.S. Open tournament and likely retirement from tennis was the most inspiring sports story of 2022 Cassidy Lichtman, volleyball player executive committee chairwoman, Athletes Unlimited: “It was so meaningful to watch this icon take the court for (maybe?) the last time and be celebrated not only for her achievements but for her strength and her humanity and the way that she has changed what it means to be a woman and an athlete or to be a Black woman in a white, male sport. She has given us all so much for so many years. It felt like the world was living and dying on every point with her, and all the way up to the final rally she never wavered from who she is. I'll never forget watching that.” Megan Rapinoe, soccer world champion, activist and author: “I can’t imagine a more inspiring sports career as a whole, but watching her final moments—pushing and fighting until the very end with that special grace only Serena has—was truly inspiring to witness.” Dany Garcia, chairwoman, co-owner, XFL; chairwoman, founder and CEO, The Garcia Companies; co-founder, Seven Bucks Productions: “Serena changed the game for women in sports. Throughout her illustrious career, she has continued—over and over again—to break barriers and shatter ceilings for female athletes and athletes of color. She has showcased incredible determination and grit, and has overcome adversity on and off the courts. Her game continues to level up off the court through her venture fund, Serena Ventures; continued charitable endeavors, an innovative partnership with Nike that champions the careers of emerging BIPOC designers; her commitment to her beautiful family; and so much more. And as a fashion lover with an athletic physique, I love to see how she uses fashion as a method of creative expression, both as a channel for joy and a powerful agent of change. With her recent retirement from tennis, I am excited to see what ceilings she’s going to shatter next.”

Women in Sports

Adweek’s Most Powerful Women in Sports Honorees Agree: Serena Williams Is the True GOAT

Megan Rapinoe and others pay tribute to the icon who ‘changed the game for women in sports’

Adweek Staff

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