Women’s Sports Is Now a Major Investment Opportunity

For years, NFL linebacker Bobby Wagner was told the same thing most athletes hear.

Make the most of this money that you’re going to make because that’s the only money that you’re making,” he shared in a recent interview with Inc.

Only he didn’t believe that.

That decision — to think beyond short-term earnings — is now shaping how Wagner and WNBA legend Sue Bird approach investing.

It also points to a broader lesson for founders and operators: The biggest opportunities rarely appear obvious when they matter most.

Women’s sports are a perfect example.

For decades, professional women’s basketball moved in cycles — growth followed by pullback, momentum followed by doubt.

“I would say the first, 27 or so years, it was the classic two steps forward, one step back,” Bird told Inc. about the WNBA and women’s sports. “At times, maybe two steps back, one step forward.”