Trotter: Run of success leads to creation of National Black Women in Sports Day

May 2024 · 6 minute read

Although significant ground remains to be covered, women’s sports have made notable gains in almost every aspect in recent years. We’ve seen the U.S. women’s national soccer team sign a collective bargaining agreement that ensures equal pay to their male counterparts, and the Women’s Tennis Association this year announced a push toward equal purses with men. Last April was particularly noteworthy, as LSU’s victory over Iowa for the Division I national championship was the most-watched women’s college basketball game of all time.

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And yet the gains have been even more pronounced for Black women, who over the last five years have seen Cynthia Marshall become the first Black woman CEO in NBA history, with the Dallas Mavericks; Sandra Douglass Morgan become the first Black woman to become president of an NFL team, with the Las Vegas Raiders; and agent Nicole Lynn become president of football operations for Klutch Sports Group, after which she negotiated what was then a record $255 million contract extension for Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts that made him the NFL’s highest-paid player.

Such successes were unheard of in previous generations because opportunities were non-existent for women in general and Black women in particular. But now that they’re happening, Jaia Thomas wants to celebrate and amplify them, which is why she led the push to have July 7 recognized as National Black Women in Sports Day.

The day will feature a social media campaign (#blackwomeninsports) that highlights and amplifies the achievements of Black women on all levels of the athletic world, and it will mark the launch of a website (www.blackwomeninsports.com) that serves as a hub to support Black women in sports who are seeking to make not only a mark but also a difference in athletics.

“Visibility is so very important in making sure that everyone has the opportunity to succeed in the sports industry,” Las Vegas Raiders president Sandra Douglass Morgan said. (Kirby Lee / USA Today)

“The ultimate goal is three-fold,” says Thomas, an attorney who specializes in sports and entertainment law, with a focus on intellectual property. “Firstly, I want National Black Women in Sports Day to serve as a blueprint for young Black girls to see what is possible. As the adage goes ‘You can’t be what you can’t see.’ Although I had amazing examples of successful Black women throughout my childhood, I don’t think I ever met a Black woman agent, attorney, or executive in the sports industry until I was in my late 20s or maybe early 30s. Having a day that highlights these women can provide a type of exposure for young Black girls and young Black women that they may not get elsewhere. I’m hoping this exposure motivates them to pursue these careers.

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“Secondly, I want it to open up more opportunities for Black women in the sports industry. Black women are still the minority in every segment of the sports industry and my hope is that this day will challenge sports teams, leagues, agencies and organizations to be more intentional about hiring Black women. Thirdly, my goal is to garner more support for Black women who currently work in the sports industry. By educating people about Black women coaches or Black women athletic directors, and more, my hope is that we become more proactive about supporting them. I’ll know if it has achieved these goals when the numbers start to increase, when we start to see more Black women executives, agents, coaches, etc., in the industry.”

Thomas’ passion for racial and gender equity comes as 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 one of the first Black-owned radio stations in the country, WCIN in Cincinnati. One of the station’s many slogans was “The Pulse of the Community”, and it reflected as much with a popular talk show that addressed the disparities between Blacks and Whites in the city.

“It left an imprint and made me hyper-aware of issues surrounding diversity and inclusion,” she says. “So I think the spark was lit as a child, and the fire turned into a flame through varied life experiences. Both of my parents are from the Jim Crow South, so racism isn’t some far-fetched, esoteric abstract to me. I’m only one generation removed from segregation. I have great grandparents who were never able to reach their full potential simply because of the color of their skin, so I know firsthand the debilitating impact and effects of racism. And as a Black attorney in an industry where we make up only 5 percent of the profession, I’ve experienced firsthand the unequal treatment and unbalanced opportunities afforded to people who look like me. I’ve experienced the micro-aggressions and heard the snarky comments throughout my professional life and know that even though we’ve made progress, we still have a long way to go.”

When Thomas graduated from The George Washington Law School and did not see many African-Americans in the intellectual-property space, she founded Diverse Representation, a company that seeks to increase the exposure and hiring of Black agents, attorneys, executives and publicists in the sports and entertainment field, which became her area of interest after interning with the Cincinnati Bengals during law school. The company is believed to be the first to create a comprehensive database of Blacks working on every rung of the sports and entertainment ladder, and it seeks to align potential employees with companies.

For Thomas, there is no satisfaction in complaining about problems. Her joy comes from searching out potential solutions. She is like a human compass that consistently points toward positive change. Her every move is made with intentionality, with a goal of inspiring, raising awareness and increasing the number of Blacks, particularly women, in the sports industry. In January she partnered with Southern University, a Historically Black College and University, on a sports-agent boot camp for students from across the country seeking to work in the sports industry. Highlighting the accomplishments of those past and present through National Black Women in Sports Day is just one means to an end.

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“Visibility is so very important in making sure that everyone has the opportunity to succeed in the sports industry,” says Douglass Morgan. “I have said it before that being the first is not success, in my opinion. It is making sure that I’m not the last. The National Black Women in Sports Day is a fantastic opportunity to shine a light on the positive impact of Black women in sports and hopefully inspire and uplift the next generation of leaders in our industry.”

(Top photo of Jaia Thomas: Courtesy of Jaia Thomas)

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