What happens when a creator, a producer and a buyer sit down for a conversation about the state of athlete-driven content?

If the creator is Megan Rapinoe, the producer is Constance Schwartz-Morini and the buyer is Marie Donoghue, then the conversation showcases what makes women uniquely qualified to lead in the space. The conversation also examines why athlete-driven content plays such a critical role in women’s sports.

There is a direct and undeniable connection between athlete-driven content and the increased popularity of women’s sports. At this point, the connection is well-established fact. With the ability to control the narrative, to share more in more places, to tell stories and histories, female athletes challenged and changed perceptions about women’s sports. Or, as Donoghue describes the cause-and-effect, athlete-driven content acts as “jet fuel” for women’s sports.

Meanwhile, Rapinoe describes the transformative power of athlete-driven content with a dash of bemusement. As a result, what she says about athlete-driven content and its impact inevitably hits differently.

“Everyone thought for so long that we didn’t like women’s sports, and now all of a sudden, we love it?” said Rapinoe. “Nothing changed about women’s sports. Nothing really changed about the WNBA or the NCAA Tournament or the NWSL or the World Cup. People just started to change the way they felt about it. The narrative changed........

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