espnW Summit Celebrates Women’s Athletes And The Future Of Women’s Sports

With women’s sports gathering more popularity — an industry predicted to hit $2.35B in 2025, a 25% increase from last year — women did what they do best, they gathered.

Held on May 1 in Brooklyn, New York, the espnW Summit brought together leaders across sports, business, and entertainment for curated conversations focused on leading voices in the women’s sports space. Featured guests included Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, “SportsCenter” host Elle Duncan, Seattle Kraken Assistant Coach Jessica Campbell, UCLA Women’s Basketball Head Coach Cori Close and many more. 

The room was arranged in banquet style, with circular tables drawing attendees into conversation while the stage anchored the event. The day opened with a surprise appearance from The Timeless Torches, whose upbeat performance set an energetic tone.

The momentum continued with keynote speaker Cori Close, who spoke with moderator Sarah Spain about building a winning culture and the team’s recent success. Following her, leaders from the Athletes Unlimited Softball League took the stage: Allie Kleva, Cat Osterman, and Sierra Romero. They offered insights into how the league is challenging traditional models in professional sports and creating more opportunities for women athletes.

Throughout the morning, the conversations underscored the steady growth and increasing structure of women’s sports, particularly in how new leagues and franchises are investing in long-term success. ESPN “SportsCenter”Anchor for Kraken Hockey Network Linda Cohnopened up about her early struggles breaking into the industry in 1992, saying it was hard not to feel like the smallest person in the room. She spoke candidly about years of self-doubt and how playing goalie with a mask helped her block out the noise—literally and figuratively. It took time, she admitted, to stop letting others chip away at her confidence. Cohn urged women to be fearless, go after what they want, and keep planting seeds for change.

“It’s happening,” she said. “Soon, it won’t be a man’s world.”

With so many inspiring stories from the past and present, the energy of the room shifted more so when the 2x Olympian, World Champion and NYT Best-Selling Author Jordan Chiles took the stage. Moderated by SportsCenter host Elle Duncan, Chiles shared she began gymnastics as a kid to channel her ADHD. Known for her bold and powerhouse presence, Duncan pressed on the question of how those traits were developed in a sports culture like gymnastics that prides itself on uniformity. 

Pointing to her little tattoos, and piercings, she explains she doesn’t see a lot of gymnasts like herself. Chiles explains that once she started embracing herself, she was able to have more fun at school and the sport. 

“I just guided myself through everything, whether it was with racism, whether it was the way that the culture only looked at me as a normal gymnast,” she said. “I was like, well, I am a strong black woman who has curves, who has all these things, and you guys are just going to have to acclimate to that. I think that’s where it was an eye opener for a lot of people. From there on, I was just myself.”

One of the main conversation points of Chiles’ journey was her strong desire to stay in public school. She explained that most elite gymnasts do not, and to her, she knew she could not do online schooling, and being social in a public school setting helped her ADHD.

“I was always told, ‘your sport doesn’t define who you are,’” she said. “That’s what I thought of my whole life, and that was the main thing I told my parents. I said, ‘I do not care what I do in life, but you’re not taking me out of school because of my sport.’”

Chiles continued to share about the verbal and mental abuse she experienced from her coach. Experiencing years of trauma where she developed a negative relationship with her body and food eventually led Chiles to talk to a sports psychologist, and now is an empowering advocate for mental health.

“I get to look at myself in the mirror and tell myself every day, you’re beautiful,” she said. “You’re this role model. You’re an icon. It’s okay to use your voice. It’s okay to tell people if you’re going through a tough time. Talk to somebody because it helped me.”

In March, Chiles published her memoir I’m That Girl: Living The Power of My Dreams, which was an instant New York Times Bestseller. In a heart-warming metaphor, Chiles explains writing this memoir was like picking petals off a rose saying “he loves me, he loves me not.” 

“I felt when I was writing every single trauma thing that was happening,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh,’ that’s just a piece of the rose that I get to just take off because I know there’s going to be a new rose that’s going to bloom.”

And that’s exactly what Chiles does – she continues to shed petals and bloom again, whether that’s through her expression on the floor routine to Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat, or competing for UCLA, and exploring her creativity through her love for fashion. To close out the conversation, Duncan asked “if your life had a tagline like a reality TV show, what would it be?” Chiles calmly and confidently responds with, “keeping up with that girl,” reminding us that the Chiles’ legend is far from over.