Some evenings leave you inspired.
Others leave you challenged.
Attending the Title IX Awards in Las Vegas as a guest of Ariel Investments’ Project Level did both.
The evening celebrated remarkable leaders whose lives and careers have forever changed the landscape of women’s sports. Among them was basketball legend Lisa Leslie—a pioneer whose accomplishments opened doors for generations of girls who followed.
As I listened to stories of courage, perseverance, and progress, I found myself reflecting on just how far we’ve come.
Fifty years ago, millions of girls simply weren’t given the same opportunities to participate in sports as boys. Title IX helped change that. It transformed education, expanded athletic opportunities, and fundamentally reshaped what young women could imagine for themselves.
Its impact is undeniable.
But as someone who spends every day working to create places where children can play, I was reminded that our work is not finished.
Because opportunity doesn’t begin when a law is passed.
Opportunity begins when a child has somewhere to play.
A girl may have the legal right to participate in sports, but if her neighborhood lacks safe playing fields, if her school facilities are inadequate, if practices are canceled because fields are unsafe or unavailable, or if families simply cannot access quality spaces close to home, then that opportunity remains out of reach.
Rights matter.
Infrastructure matters, too.
At Playing for Keeps, we often talk about access as though it is a single issue.
In reality, access is built from many different pieces.
It requires thoughtful public policy.
It requires visionary philanthropy.
It requires private investment.
It requires community partnerships.
And it requires physical spaces that welcome every child onto the field.
None of these pieces alone are enough.
Together, they create opportunity.
That is why I believe the next chapter in advancing equity in sports must focus not only on participation, but on infrastructure.
As Los Angeles hosts the FIFA World Cup, the Super Bowl, the NCAA Championships, and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we have an unprecedented opportunity to ask a different question.
Not simply, “How many girls are allowed to play?”
But, “How many girls actually have a place to play?”
Those are very different questions.
The first is answered by legislation.
The second is answered by community investment.
One creates rights.
The other creates possibility.
Watching leaders like Lisa Leslie being recognized for changing the future reminded me that every generation has its own responsibility.
The pioneers before us fought to open doors.
Our responsibility is to build what lies beyond them.
To create neighborhoods where girls don’t have to wonder whether there is a field available.
Where families don’t have to drive across town to find a safe place to practice.
Where every child, regardless of gender or ZIP code, has the opportunity to discover confidence, health, friendship, and purpose through sport.
That is the future Playing for Keeps is committed to building.
Because every child deserves more than a moment.
Every child deserves a place to play.
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