Although there are still many unresolved issues, women’s sports have made remarkable progress in almost every aspect in recent years. We’ve seen the U.S. women’s national soccer team sign a collective bargaining agreement guaranteeing equal pay with the men’s team, and the Women’s Tennis Association announced this year that it will promote equal pay with men. Her April last year is especially noteworthy. LSU’s Division 1 national championship win over Iowa was the most-watched game in women’s college basketball history.
But the gains for Black women have been even more pronounced, with Cynthia Marshall becoming the first Black female CEO in NBA history with the Dallas Mavericks in the past five years. Sandra Douglas Morgan is the first black woman to serve as president of an NFL team, the Las Vegas Raiders. Then agent Nicole Lin became president of football operations at Klutch Sports Group and went on to negotiate a then-record $255 million contract extension with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. , making him the highest-paid player in the NFL.
Such success was unheard of in previous generations because opportunities did not exist for women in general and black women in particular. But now that it’s a reality, Jaire Thomas wants to celebrate and amplify it, which is why she led the effort to have July 7 recognized as National Black Women’s Sports Day .
The day will highlight the achievements of black women at all levels in sports, feature a growing social media campaign (#blackwomeninsports) and mark the launch of a website (www.blackwomeninsports.com) that
“Visibility is critical to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to succeed in the sports industry,” said Las Vegas Raiders President Sandra Douglas Morgan. (Kirby Lee/USA Today)
“There are three ultimate goals,” says Thomas, who specializes in sports and entertainment law with an emphasis on intellectual property. “First, I want National Black Women in Sports Day to serve as a blueprint for young Black girls to understand what’s possible. As the saying goes, ‘Invisible You can’t become something.” Although I had great success stories of Black women throughout my childhood, I don’t think I ever met a Black female agent, lawyer, or sports industry executive until I was in my late 20s or early 30s. Spending a day focused on these women can provide young Black girls and young Black women with a type of exposure they can’t get anywhere else. We hope this exposure will motivate them to pursue these careers.
“Secondly, I want to create more opportunities for black women in the sports industry. My goal is for leagues, agencies, and organizations to be more intentional about hiring Black women. Third, my goal is to garner more support for Black women currently working in the sports industry. My hope is that by educating people about things like Black women coaches and Black women athletic directors, we can be more proactive in supporting them. We’ll know when those numbers start to grow, when we start to see more Black women executives, agents, coaches, etc. in the industry.”
Thomas’ passion for racial and gender equality is no surprise to those who know her. It’s in her DNA. Her paternal grandmother was an assistant to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and her father founded WCIN in Cincinnati, one of the country’s first black-owned radio stations. One of the station’s many slogans was “The Heartbeat of the Community,” which was similarly reflected in a popular talk show that addressed the disparities between blacks and whites in the city.
“It left a lasting impression on me and made me very conscious of issues around diversity and inclusion,” she says. “So I think a spark was ignited as a child and through different life experiences that fire became a flame. Both of my parents are from the Jim Crow South, so for me racial Discrimination is not some far-fetched, esoteric abstraction. I am only one generation removed from racial segregation. I have never been able to reach my full potential because of the color of my skin. I have great-grandparents, so I know firsthand the debilitating effects and effects of racism. And as a Black lawyer in an industry that only makes up 5% of the profession, I have great-grandparents who look like me. I have experienced first-hand the unequal treatment and unequal opportunities afforded to people. I have experienced microaggressions and heard harsh comments throughout my professional life, and I have never made progress. However, we know that we still have a long way to go.”
Thomas graduated from George Washington Law School and set out to increase the exposure and hiring of black agents, lawyers, executives, and public relations professionals at a time when there were not many African Americans in the intellectual property field. I founded a company, Diverse Representation. The field of sports and entertainment became her area of interest after interning with the Cincinnati Bengals during her law school days. The company is believed to be the first to create a comprehensive database of Black people working in all levels of sports and entertainment, and aims to connect companies with potential employees.
For Thomas, complaining about problems is not satisfying. Her joy lies in looking for potential solutions. She is like a human compass that always points towards positive changes. Her every move is done with intention and her goal is to inspire, raise awareness and increase the number of Black people, especially women, in the sports industry. In January, she participated in a sports agent boot camp in partnership with Southern University, a historically black university, for students from across the country who want to work in the sports industry. Highlighting past and present accomplishments through the National Black Women’s Campaign is just one of her means to that end.
“Visibility is so important to ensure everyone has the opportunity to succeed in the sports industry,” says Douglas Morgan. “As I’ve said before, in my opinion, being first is not success. I’m trying not to be the last. National Black Women in Sports Day is a celebration of the positive representation of Black women in sports. This is a great opportunity to highlight impact and inspire and uplift the next generation of leaders in our industry.”
(Top photo of Jaya Thomas: Courtesy of Jaya Thomas)
