What began as an online call to diversify sports panels has become a living model of collective action. Collective Visibility, founded by Vanessa Åsell Tsuruga, connects women experts across the global sports sector to change who gets seen and heard. By combining peer and self-nomination, the initiative built an inclusive directory that makes it easier for event organizers, brands and media outlets to find women speakers – and for women to find one another.

Vanessa Åsell Tsuruga and Christos Anagnostopoulos (Hamad Bin Khalifa University) have now studied how this collaborative approach to advocacy has reshaped media narratives. The study, published in the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship found that coordinated visibility can redefine what equality looks like in practice.

“Visibility becomes sustainable when it’s shared and grounded in purpose,” says Vanessa Åsell Tsuruga, affiliated researcher at SSE’s Center for Sports and Business. “Collective Visibility isn’t just about gender balance – it’s about redesigning systems so inclusion becomes part of the everyday fabric of sport.”

Changing the story in sports media

The study shows that coverage and inclusion of women’s sports narratives can shift as Collective Visibility gains traction. Media stories framed women in sport as central to the sports conversation rather than exceptions to it. Shared advocacy also drives engagement and loyalty within the community.

Social media has played a key role in this change. Online communities help amplify individuals and stories that traditional outlets might overlook, allowing athletes and women in sport to act together as cultural and commercial leaders. “For too long, visibility in sports was treated as a competition,” says Åsell Tsuruga. “Collective Visibility shows that women in sport collaborate, and our representation makes us stronger rather than divides us.”

A model for inclusion beyond sports

Three years on, the momentum continues. The researchers argue that the model not only addresses gender equity but also enhances innovation and competitiveness in the sports sector. The team now plans to expand the concept beyond sport – into business, academia and other areas where women remain underrepresented.

A future content hub is envisioned as the next step: a digital archive of stories, interviews and creative works that turn women’s achievements into a living legacy. “Representation expands when platforms are built to welcome, not filter,” says Åsell Tsuruga. “That’s the core of collective impact – and why we see this as just the beginning.”

The study, Voices of change through COLLECTIVE VISIBILITY: a case of women’s empowerment in sport, highlights how change in sports can ripple across society when visibility becomes a shared project rather than a personal achievement.

For more information, contact:

Vanessa Åsell Tsuruga
Center for Sports and Business
Stockholm School of Economics
Email: vanessa.aselltsuruga@gmail.com

Read the full study: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJSMS-04-2025-0165/full/html

About Collective Visibility

In partnership with the Center for Sports and Business at the Stockholm School of Economics, we’re building out COLLECTIVE VISIBILITY to diversify speakers and thought leaders in sport! It’s a talent game: our end goal is to sustain a workforce able to tackle all challenges in today’s complex sports business and academia. Visibility is key.

We encourage women in sport to join our speaker directory. It’s free. Sports conferences and media can use this rich resource to find speakers and thought leaders — adding diversity and expertise to content. The speaker directory has 800+ women in 70 countries, speaking 60 languages! Our goal: 1,000 women in 2025.

Follow COLLECTIVE VISIBILITY on LinkedIn.

Calling all women in sport: Join the COLLECTIVE VISIBILITY speaker directory to profile yourself and to diversify discussions on sport.

Calling all sports conference organizers, media and podcast hosts: Search the COLLECTIVE VISIBILITY speaker directory of women in sport to diversify your content lineup.