This National Girls and Women in Sports Day, Real Salt Lake spoke to women across the Club about the challenges they’ve faced in the sports industry and how they’ve overcome them.
It’s the Club’s hope these responses will help inspire the next generation and show that while there is still much work to be done to create an equal work environment, women will and will always belong in the sports industry.
Michelle Hull Hyncik - VP of Legal & General Counsel
What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced being a woman working in sports?
“The fast-paced, dynamic, emergent nature of the sports industry is one of the most rewarding, and most challenging, characteristics. As a BigLaw planner used to rigid schedules, not knowing what you will face on any given day is a challenge – and exhilarating!”
How have you overcome this challenge?
“Senior mentorship from other sports industry leaders supportive of balancing life with young children has been invaluable in navigating the everyday urgency of this industry.”
Kathy Nelson - Director, Premium Sales & Services
What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced being a woman working in sports?
“One of the biggest challenges I have faced over the 14 years working in sports is not being taken seriously in a male dominated industry.”
How have you overcome this challenge?
“I have overcome this by making sure my voice is heard in the room and always pushing to have a seat at the table. I have focused on not shying away from my thoughts and opinions, and ultimately letting my work speak for itself.”
Brittany Dunn - Dietician Nutritionist Manager
What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced being a woman working in sports?
“The biggest challenge would be convincing people that there's validity in what you do in your job.”
How have you overcome this challenge?
“I think the biggest way that I've overcome that is continuing to be myself, being super personable, and then making sure that there's good communication because without that, there's a lack of understanding.
I think my job is trying to understand the value that it brings to other people, what their goals are and then trying to meet them there. That is my biggest goal, and to do it in a fun way, because we're still dealing with food. I want to make sure we have a good time while still meeting their nutritional needs and still having fun while doing that.”
Lita Quero - Director of Human Resources
What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced being a woman working in sports?
“My biggest obstacle is something that affects most working Mothers. Working in Sports requires accommodating the game schedule on evenings and weekends. I have an excellent support system at home, but I do struggle with the guilt of not being with them. There’s nothing RSL can do to change the game schedule, but I am lucky enough to work with an incredibly supportive group of leaders that allow me to be present for my children and have a rewarding career.”
How have you overcome this challenge?
“Women in sport have been the most supportive people I have met in my career! They openly share information and give encouragement even though most of us have never met in person.
Elizabeth Berman, CHRO at the 76ers told me “no woman walks alone” the first time I talked to her, and I have made that my mantra when it comes to elevating and supporting other women in any industry. If the work I am doing is meaningful and impactful it helps a little bit with the mommy guilt.”
Paula Garcia - Assistant Athletic Trainer
What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced being a woman working in sports?
“The biggest challenge might be how it's a male dominated field. I feel like it's also just hard being a person of color and being a woman. So it's always challenging putting your foot down and having them actually listen to you and pay attention.”
How have you overcome this challenge?
“I think the way to overcome it is just being true to who you are and luckily I've had great people to work with, so it's not difficult to speak your mind, and getting them to actually pay attention and listen.”
Laura Dearden - Club Photographer
What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced being a woman working in sports?
“I was pretty much thrown into this position. I wasn’t trying to be a team photographer, it was offered to me after the COVID furloughs while I was working on the Club’s community side of things as like their do-it-all media person.
The challenges that I faced with that happening is I felt like an imposter.
It felt like I wasn’t supposed to be here in this role. The imposter syndrome was crazy. That's my biggest challenge.”
How have you overcome this challenge?
“I don't know if you can actually overcome imposter syndrome, that feeling like you’re not good enough. I think that there are affirmations and validations that I’ve received, however, that make me feel like I truly deserve to be here now. So in that sense I’ve overcome imposter syndrome, it’s also taken a lot to get here, to know that I deserve to be here. Through all those games, photoshoots, everything that it took to get to this point. Yeah, I really do think that I deserve to be here.”
Sarah Henderson - Chief of Staff
What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced being a woman working in sports?
“Working in sports as a woman, you’re met with the male tendency to interrupt. They do it to each other all the time and I don’t have a loud voice so that’s definitely my challenge. Trying to find my voice in a leadership role.
How have you overcome this challenge?
“Over time, I’ve learned to overcome this with confidence. I look at how I can use visual cues like raising my hand to make sure my voice is heard. Earning trust with your colleagues also helps, as does calling them out when they’re out of line. All of this can lead to more productive meetings.”
Meg Van Dyk - Sr Communications Manager
What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced being a woman working in sports?
“I think for me personally, the challenge I’m thinking of is self-imposed. I wouldn't say this is something that I've ever publicly felt, but like I'm overly cautious when I'm in a locker room or around players. I'm just hyper aware of my surroundings and sometimes question, ‘am I in a place where I don't need to be?’
I think that I can sometimes limit myself because I don't want to be ever accused of being somewhere I'm not supposed to be, or someone asking, ‘why is she in here?’ Whereas I don't necessarily see that as being a thing that men think about.”
How have you overcome this challenge?
“I don't know if I have. I think it's always in the back of my mind.
it doesn't go away. Since I first started I've definitely gotten more comfortable, but there are just aspects of my job that I will never be able to do because I'm a female that men can do.
For example, post-game, my job is pulling guys for interviews. A man can walk into the locker room, grab a guy and come out while I stand outside the locker room and wait for somebody to be able to go inside, grab said person and then rely on them that they've communicated the appropriate information.
So it's all of these things you just have to think of work around. For me, I want people to always know that I'm doing a job, that I'm not hanging around, that when you see me, I'm there because I'm serving a purpose. I'm not just hanging out to try and be one of the guys or just be there for me. There's a job, I'm there to do it.”
MacKenzie Booth - Assistant Athletic Trainer
What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced being a woman working in sports?
“My biggest challenge working in sports I would say is being taken seriously. It is difficult on its own being a woman working in sports, let alone being a woman who enjoys doing hair and makeup. I’ve been turned down for jobs before because I didn’t fit into “the boys club”. Generally, sports are not looked at as glamorous or pretty (except cheerleading, dance, gymnastics, and broadcasting), they are more “rough and tough” you could say. And athletic training is no different. But for me I enjoy being “done up. I think anotherr thing about being a woman in sports is that people always assume you can't take the work load or that you're too soft. I have constantly been asked since I got into the profession If I am ok with the hours or if I need time off. I knew the workload when I got into this profession”
How have you overcome this challenge?
At first, I tried to pull it back a bit, (and let’s be honest, I don’t go crazy over the top anyway), I tried to “blend in” in a way (I don’t like the spotlight anyway). But it didn’t work for me. I didn’t feel like myself and my work was lacking a bit.
I decided to just be myself, take more classes, trainings, and get more certifications so I could present the best version of me: for myself, the club, and my athletes. I wouldn’t say I’ve completely overcome it. I still get judged or not taken seriously based on my appearance at tournaments, regular season games, and in my regular life. But I know that being my true self is more beneficial for the club, my athletes, and my profession rather than trying to be like someone else.”
