Aug 26, 2019

Sparks President and COO Danita Johnson speaks during a panel discussion at the team’s annual #WeAreWomen event, which also featured female leaders from sports and entertainment, including Epic Records’ Michelle Edgar, Vision Venture Partners’ Eryn McVerry, Overwatch League’s Kristin Connelly, Riot Games’ Naz Aletaha and sports agent and Disrupt the Game founder Allison Galer. (Photo by Mirjam Swanson/SCNG) PUBLISHED: | UPDATED: August 25, 2019 at 10:52 pm LOS ANGELES — Before the Sparks took the court Sunday for a key 84-72 victory over the Connecticut Sun at Staples Center, the tea’s #WeAreWomen campaign extended a fifth year with a pregame panel featuring accomplished women from the world of sports and entertainment who shared their thoughts on the importance of diversity and inclusion, equality and equity. “I feel like our league is a representation of diversity and inclusion,” said Danita Johnson, the Sparks’ President and COO. “When we started this league back in ’97, we were one of the first spots teams to ever be inclusive to the LGBT community, when we talk about diversity on the court from our front office, we’re one of the few African American-led sports teams, not only in the W, but in sports, period. “So I think on and off the court, we represent all different walks of life and we’re super excited about what we get to do.” “Stop falling for the stereotypes,” said Naz Aletaha, head of LOL Esports Partnerships and Global Esports Business Development for Riot Games, who was joined by Epic Records’ Michelle Edgar, Overwatch League’s Kristin Connelly, Vision Venture Partners’ Eryn McVerry and sports agent and Disrupt the Game founder Allison Galer. “Stereotypes are doing all of us a disservice when it comes to not just our businesses, but the people that we hire,” Aletaha continued. “I think as women and as industry leaders, we should be looking to hire not just who we think our demographic is, but forming these diverse and inclusive teams so that we can provide the best experience and product to our very diverse audiences.” It was the kind of message that Sparks Coach Derek Fisher said excited him about taking the job with one of the WNBA’s original franchises, which features women in leading roles in basketball and business operations. “That’s one of the reasons why I got excited about accepting this job, because there are some elements to coaching and working in the W that you don’t have elsewhere,” Fisher said. “You have an opportunity I think to play a bigger role in the community, in impacting young girls and young women and different groups and organizations and people that I think don’t necessarily come with other sports leagues. So I think we’re fortunate from that standpoint. “And hopefully we’re doing a good job as an organization of letting people know that for us it’s normal … we’re run by women for the most part, and again, that’s another reason why I was excited about being a part of this organization.” Related Articles