Kathryn Frederick, chief marketing officer for the Los Angeles Rams, Danita Johnson, president of business operations at D.C. United and Kathryn Schloessman, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission, discussed how women are leading the sports industry on and off the field at Newsweek’s Women’s Global Impact Forum 2026 in Los Angeles on March 25.
Women have transformed the sports landscape in recent years, with more women in leadership roles and the expansion of women’s sports. Frederick also said women are driving fandom and culture around sports and brands are focused on authentic storytelling to build loyalty with teams that share fans’ values.
“Women are making a lot of those decisions for the family, ultimately, as you’re thinking about everything from ticket buying to merch, to everything across that ecosystem, women are so influential,” she said. “Women [are] that final frontier of connecting all of the dots; it connects the household, it connects the wallet, but it also drives that sustainable impact.”
The panelists also discussed the major sports events coming to Los Angeles, like the World Cup, the 2028 Olympics and Super Bowl LXI next February. Besides the eight World Cup games played at SoFi Stadium, Schloessman said her team is also creating events and opportunities for both locals and visitors to enjoy and drive economic and cultural impact throughout the city.
“We have this incredible opportunity where all eyes in the world are on us, and how are we going to showcase this? Because we had a crummy year in Los Angeles last year, as we know, and we get a lot of bad publicity in Los Angeles,” Schloessman said. “We all live here for a reason and we love this city, [so] how are we really taking advantage of this opportunity of the spotlight to really tell the story?”
For more coverage of the Women’s Global Impact Forum, read Newsweek’s full recap of the day’s events.