"Why Sports Teams Need Women Owners"

Sheila C. Johnson, one may ask who is that? The name does not sound familiar unlike, Magic Johnson, Mark Cuban and Dr. Jerry Buss. All 3 men are or were owners of major NBA teams like the Lakers and the Mavericks. Sheila C. Johnson is just like those men. She is the Managing Partner of the WNBA's Washington Mystics team. Not only is she the first African-American woman to own a professional team, but she also has a stake in three other professional sports teams. Her stakes include the Washington Mystics (WNBA), Washington Wizards (NBA), and the Washington Capitals (NHL). Johnson is paving a road to help all women in obtaining positions in upper management. She is highly involved in the sports world, but she is also a founding partner of BET (Black Entertainment Television) and the CEO of Salamander Hospitality, LLC.

To have all these great accomplishments, I wonder why Sheila C. Johnson is not a well known household name. Could is be because of her gender or her being a minority? I know that if any of those men (Magic Johnson, Mark Cuban, or Dr. Jerry Buss) had all of these accomplishments they would be more well known than they already are. It brings me back to the idea that the world may not know about Johnson because to bring light her enormous accomplishment may stir up controversy. Like it was stated by Sheila C. Johnson, "When I was growing up, people used to talk about the magic circle of expectations for women. Let's face it: whatever women do, they must do it twice as well as men to be though of half as good." She had said that having strong women in power has made a significant difference in corporations. That is part of the reason why she decided to become a owner of the Washington Mystics. Her goal was to promote the development of the next generation of women whether it was on the court or off the court. Sheila C. Johnson knows the positive impact that women could have in any professional management realm, if given the opportunity. Like she said, "Women need to depend on each other, stand beside one another and use their skills and voices to let everyone know that we make a difference."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sheila-c-johnson/wnba-2011-_b_858194.html


Jodie Goya
KIN 338I
T/Th 2-3:15