Sports Journalist Tonya (Tkelz) Kelly
In just a few short weeks since The 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four and WNBA Draft I noticed a shift to women’s sports. I have seen so many companies now investing in Women’s college and professional athletes. The streams of social media content encourages companies to view women’s sports as an investment rather than a cost. When I covered the 2022 Women’s Final Four, I felt the shift to women’s sports. It felt good to be acknowledged in a sports world that is so male dominated. Women media, athletes and Head Coaches shares their feelings that weekend of the aura they all felt was happening. Two years later college basketball was the biggest cultural phenomenal in the sports world heavily influenced by the futures of women’s athletes.
Not a passing trend
I can finally say women’s sports isn’t just a passing trend; they’re here to stay for the long haul. 2024 has given us so many pivotal moments for women’s sports and as a female journalist and sports fan, I am so excited to see the progress! The love of being an independent journalist and continuing to learn all sides of the sports business is invaluable. The impact women’s sports is having on all facets of branding and storytelling brings authentic topics to the forefront, that are deserving. The biggest takeaway this year is there is so much work to continue to be done to amplify the voices of women in all areas of SPORTS!
I am here for the shift and can’t wait to see how this season ushers in new levels of NIL deals and opportunities for women to build their brands like never before, This year’s WNBA draft class will surely break generational patterns for years to come.
Star studded new season
The energy and excitement generated, and with a star-studded rookie class, The WNBA kicks off their 28th season on May 14, 2024.
Tonya Kelly is the esteemed business owner of Empower Our Youth Foundation, a renowned local and national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to combating bullying, and Founder/Executive Director of On The Move with SportzKelz Media.
As a passionate advocate for independent journalism and sports, I founded SportzKelz Media to bridge the gap between the mainstream media and independent journalists in covering national/local sports events. With a vision to democratize sports coverage, our company provides opportunities for independent journalists to showcase their talent, perspectives, and unique storytelling abilities on a national/local platform.
