Young SM alumnae band together to thrive in a slow-changing industry
The gender makeup of the sport business industry is changing, but it can feel like a glacial pace. A 2023 report by the consulting firm McKinsey & Company found that women in sport administration “are often the only person of their gender or racial identity — or both — at work.” They are “less likely than peers in other industries to have sponsors” who provide career guidance and advocacy and more likely to “leave their organizations to realize their goals.”
Some young sport management alumnae are refusing to accept those statistics. Because their networks began organically with their Michigan Kinesiology classmates, they were able to create an extra layer of personal and professional support that’s still going strong after graduation. It’s more than networking — it’s “friendworking.”
“There wasn’t ever a specific conversation about it while we were students, which I think is one of the most beautiful parts about it,” says Emily Latham (SM ‘19), senior manager of talent acquisition at the Miami Dolphins. “There was just this culture of, ‘Let’s push each other.’ We’re all going to try and be the best at what we’re doing and bring each other up along the way.”
Ally Futterman (SM ‘16), manager of naming rights at the New York Mets, decided to transfer from LSA to SoK after talking with her sorority sister Erica Bloom (SM ‘14).
“She was the VP of SBA [Sport Business Association] at the time,” Futterman says. “She had already done an internship with the Mets. She was a superstar to me, and I knew I needed to learn more from her. I asked her a million questions.”
Lindsey LaForest (SM ‘19), an associate at the law practice Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy & Sadler, PLC, helped add some structure to the way women SM students were connecting with each other. She and several older SM classmates co-founded the Michigan Women Empowerment in Sport & Entertainment (MWESE) student org, hoping to create an intentional, woman-focused space for members and guest speakers to get vulnerable.
“Providing space to have those conversations is so important,” LaForest says. “And it became, ‘We’re going to be that place where people can ask those uncomfortable questions.’”
Many SM alumnae now include the women SM faculty as part of their friendwork.
“I can’t say enough how much of an impact the female professors at Michigan had on me,” Latham says. “The example they set for us and the expectations they had for us.”
And that connection goes both ways — LaForest says that faculty member Kelli Donahue frequently sends current SM students to her if they have questions or need advice.
All of these women are continuing to grow their friendworks by giving back to the next generation of SM students and alumnae. Everyone interviewed for this article sits on alumni committees for SM student orgs, serves as a mentor, and/or participates in recruitment events.
LaForest always finds herself surrounded by the current MWESE members when she goes back for the annual Michigan Sport Business Conference (MSBC) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion lunch.
“I’m handing out my card for any questions they have,” she says. “I always take every call because I’ve been there.”
Years after they graduated, these young alums are watching each other advance in their careers.
“There’s something so funny about the fact that these are just my buddies from college and they are completely crushing the companies they’re in,” Futterman says. “Now they’ve become my professional network.”
Latham remembers talking about how they would all be working alongside each other after they graduated.
“We were like, ‘In 20-25 years how cool would it be for us to be in the C-suites at our respective organizations?’” she says. “And now I can call any of these women. We’ll always have that shared experience to tie back to and keep us together.”
Ultimately, no matter how much time has elapsed since the last time they talked, they have each other’s backs.
“Whether it's on Instagram, coming to each other's events, supporting each other’s charity work, or running into each other at MSBC every year,” LaForest says, “at the end of the day, we’re all just rooting for each other.”