The President of the WNBA shares her story of success
By Casey Sherman
It was what it was.Val Ackerman had no choice but to follow in men's footsteps. But she was not about to let that stand in her way; she turned it into positive motivation and drive for her career path. It took some time to find her niche, going in various directions, but she ended up right where she started – sports.
It all began when she was a young girl. Like many females, growing up in the introductory years of Title IX, an interest in sports was usually sparked by a parent's influence.
“My dad was a high school athletic director who loved all kinds of sports and played everything with me and my brother,” she remembered. “There were so few opportunities to play on teams, but he helped by teaching us sports.”
Ackerman used the competitive edge, discipline and leadership that her father shared through sport and put it towards creating a goal for herself. “I wanted to be a lawyer – that was always a lifelong dream of mine. No one in my family had ever been or knew anything about the profession. I thought it would be very interesting.”
She went on to study at the University of Virginia. As a political and social thought major, Ackerman continued to play sports and was a starter for the women's basketball team, earning Academic All-American accolades twice.
Ackerman planned to compete more following her collegiate career, and although the Women's Professional Basketball League was at the start of its existence at that time, she chose to avoid it. “I didn't even give it any consideration.” Instead she followed the post-college trend for women college players and played overseas.
Following her one season in France, her sights were set back on the dream to study law. Ackerman traveled back to the United States and attended the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law. Graduating in 1985, she spent the next two years working as an associate for the Wall Street law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.
It was the next job that would change not only her life and career, but also the face of women's basketball. Ackerman entered the National Basketball Association's (NBA) offices as a staff attorney in 1988, working on the non-legal side.
She had been in the NBA offices for 18 months when she was asked by David Stern to join his staff. Ackerman once again was facing male domination in the upper levels of management, but it was not something that intimidated her. “It was a wonderful group of people who were very passionate about their work, and I enjoyed that environment immensely.” Though she did encounter a problem when she had her first child – a situation that had not surfaced in that office environment.
“There was no one for me to talk to or look up to on the whole subject of what it would be like juggling work and family. That was difficult,” she said. “If you are a working parent, you have to be very adept at juggling your time. There just are not enough hours in a day to do everything that you would want to do. You have to learn how to prioritize and be a good time manager.” Controlling both came with time and being a working parent was added to her list of skills.
Serving as special assistant to Stern in the commissioner's office, she contributed by helping the NBA shift some of its focus to the women's game. Just one of her contributions was the designing of the women's national team that captured gold in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. This event was just part of the launching pad for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
In the fall of 1996, the WNBA announced Ackerman as its president and its tip-off plans for the inaugural season starting the following summer. The WNBA has seen significant growth since that first summer as it ranks today as the leading women's professional basketball league in the world, with 14 teams, world-class players representing more than 20 countries, extensive national television coverage, valuable sponsor support and a budding fan base. Both the NBA and WNBA take advantage of their visibility by placing a strong emphasis on community outreach. Players are committed to getting involved with fans and various charities to show their appreciation, a quality that Ackerman finds particularly very rewarding.
As the WNBA enters its seventh season, we should be celebrating the achievements and opportunities it has created for players, coaches and fans alike. However, there is a problem that could cause some uneasiness for women in the sports world because of the recent controversy surrounding possible changes to Title IX. Threats to the 30-year-old law by the Department of Education's Commission on Opportunity in Athletics could impinge on the women's professional basketball scene.
“Any changes that would dilute the effects of Title IX would be very hurtful,” Ackerman explained. “Our organization has been a direct beneficiary of Title IX because of what the women's college and high school game has done to develop the players, to create a baseline of interest and support.”
Speaking from an executive, athlete and mother's perspective, she has every right to be concerned. With two young daughters that are avid in sports, Ackerman finds pride in her daughters' fondness of sports. “For them to have the opportunity to play sports at a young age – something that I did not have – that's positive reinforcement for me.” She and her husband have instilled a wealth of sport outlets for their daughters, going by the philosophy of “the more, the better.”
We are now living in a time where sport is also growing as a business, which rings music to Ackerman's ears. “There are many more opportunities to work in sports than ever before. I hardily recommend it. It's a fun line of work that is very exciting to see what you do come to life.”
Her keys to success for any career-seeking individuals, whether it be in a male or female dominated industry include competency, good people skills and the ability to prioritize. “No matter what field you are in, there is no substitute for hard work, just like in school when you're trying to make good grades, the same holds true in the business world.”
There is no question that women and girls are interested and thriving in the sports industry, whether they are on and off the playing field. The momentum that Ackerman has created throughout her career is what has put her miles down the path she embarked on not so long ago and no doubt created a motivational move for girls and women.
“If you want to get ahead, you have to be prepared to make sacrifices. Just put in your time.”
Now she is the one creating the footprints.