Context

Girls drop out of team sports at twice the rate of boys by age 14, often due to lack of access, representation, and support. Recognizing this disparity, Nike and the NBA/WNBA launched Game Growers, an initiative empowering girls to shape the future of sports participation. By providing a platform for girls to voice their experiences and ideas, the program aimed to address barriers and inspire long-term engagement in athletics.

Approach

In partnership with Nike and the 36 WNBA and NBA teams, we built a community of young female ambassadors to drive local impact and increase girls' participation in sports. Using a challenge-based model, we invited girls to pitch ideas for getting more of their peers involved, giving them a platform to lead change in their communities.

Game Growers reimagined how teams, leagues, brands, and communities work together, centering Gen Z voices to break down barriers. By empowering girls to take ownership of the challenge, we uncovered fresh, innovative solutions to help close the gender gap in sports.

Responsibilities

• Led a research initiative that included collaborative design sessions with Nike staff and former WNBA players, in-depth interviews with NBA/WNBA personnel, and an online survey collecting video submissions from 44 girls across 21 states.

• Developed a comprehensive service blueprint to establish the foundation for implementation.