The Business of Access: Why Women Still Have to Build Their Own Leagues

It’s 2025, and women athletes are still negotiating for visibility, fair pay, and resources that men’s programs take for granted. The conversation isn’t about talent—it’s about access. Who gets gym time, sponsorship slots, primetime coverage, or a seat at the negotiating table? The answer determines everything that follows.

Shanice van de Sanden (NED) in a duel with Elise Thorsnes(NOR) in group play

1. The Economics of Exclusion

Title IX cracked open opportunity but never rebalanced control. Most women’s programs still rent, borrow, or beg for space. Even as NIL deals explode, the institutions and investors writing the checks remain overwhelmingly male. Access—physical, financial, and narrative—is still rationed.

Access is the first currency of power. Money and medals only flow once the gate opens.

2. The Ownership Gap

Look at the numbers: fewer than 6 percent of professional sports teams worldwide are majority women-owned. That imbalance shapes broadcasting rights, sponsorship pipelines, and even rule-making. When ownership is unequal, opportunity can’t be equal.

Case studies:

• Angel City FC proved that women-led investment attracts record attendance.

• Athletes Unlimited built a profit-sharing model that centers players instead of leagues.

  
  

  Both illustrate the same truth—change happens fastest when women own the platform itself.

3. Building Independently

Because legacy systems weren’t built for them, women are building anew. Independent leagues, hybrid events, and media collectives are redefining how sports can look. They’re smaller, smarter, and culturally in tune—combining athletic performance with lifestyle, wellness, and entrepreneurship.

That’s where Brunch League Sports steps in: a framework that merges leisure, community, and competition. It’s not a side project; it’s an infrastructure play.

4. Access as Brand Strategy

Owning the means of access—venues, media rights, data, and fan experience—is the real disruption. When women curate the full ecosystem, they control value at every level: athlete, owner, fan, and sponsor. The brunch table becomes more than a social ritual—it becomes a business model.

5. Closing Reflection

If golf courses once symbolized where men closed deals, brunch tables are where women now open doors. The next decade of sports equity won’t be won on fields alone—it’ll be won in boardrooms, investment decks, and new spaces where women write the rules of play.

Access isn’t granted. It’s built. And when women build it, the game changes for everyone.