Michele Kang on growth of women’s sports
Michele Kang walks the Women Sports Foundation’s red carpet and answers questions on her vision of women’s sports.
Sports Seriously
NEW YORK — Soccer stars Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy, Olympic track and field medalist Gabby Thomas and WNBA legends Swin Cash and Tamika Catchings walked the red carpet at the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Annual Salute to Women in Sports on Wednesday at Cipriani Wall Street.
As the entrances drew to a close, a special guest was promised. Another New York City basketball legend sashayed into the spotlight, none other than Liberty mascot Ellie the Elephant — wearing a stylish hat, hoop earrings, capelet and bedazzled Nike Air Force 1s to celebrate the evening.
The red carpet was a precursor to an evening of celebrating the great gains women’s sports have made over the past few years. TV viewership for women’s sports surged 131% in 2024, according to a report from TV outcomes company EDO. Ratings for regular-season WNBA games on ABC and ESPN this season were up 6% year-over-year.
“(Women’s sports have) been a most underappreciated, unbelievable asset,” said Michelle Kang, owner of three women’s soccer teams. “We are telling people, it’s here and it’s … the most entertaining and athletic product. Now, people get to see it.”
She owns majority stakes in the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, France’s OL Lyonnes and England’s London City Lionesses. Kang, who received the Billie Jean King Leadership Award at the event, reflected on what an impact King had on her as a young girl.
“I was a 14 year old girl in South Korea, watching the Battle of the Sexes on television,” Kang said. “At that time, I didn’t fully grasp the cultural weight of the moment, but I do remember thinking, ‘Who is this woman beating a man at his own game and doing it with such spunk?’ That image stayed with me and moved me … that women could not only take their place on the stage, but command it.
“Years later, when I came to the United States, I carried with me a belief my father taught me, ‘If you set a goal and work hard, nothing, certainly not your gender, should hold you back.’ That belief guided me through my journey, from business to women’s sports.”
Herb Simon, the owner and chairman of Pacers Sports & Entertainment, won the Champion for Equality award. The Indiana Fever owner was introduced by Catchings and related a story about Birch Bayh, a United States congressman from Indiana, who was his friend. Bayh authored Title IX, which bans sexism in higher education institutions that receive federal funding, which fueled the growth of opportunities for girls and women in sports.
“As with most start-up teams, for many years, (owning the Fever) was financially challenging. And a few of my financial advisers recommended we sell the team,” Simon said. “Every time the topic came up, I thought of Birch, and I couldn’t do it.
“Needless to say, they are not my advisers anymore. I stayed with this team because I believed women deserve their own professional league. And that one day, we would be where we are today.”
The Fever advanced to the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs in 2025 despite having five players, including phenom Caitlin Clark, sidelined by injury.
“The Fever season last year was unlike any season I’d ever seen,” Simon said. “Our team showed grit, resilience, and embodied everything that is great about the sports.”
In addition to Kang and Simon, Alysia Montaño was honored with the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award. She became a symbol of strength and defiance when she raced while eight months pregnant to advocate for athletes to be able to be moms without losing their livelihood.
Diana Flores, who is captain of Mexico’s National Flag Football Team and champion of flag football’s historic growth, was given the Game Changer Award.