“As a Latina, you face systemic barriers whether you want to play [a sport] or whether you want to work in the sports industry,” Yepez-Blundel says. “Girls stop playing sports at a younger age than boys; they start dropping off around the age of 14, and the rates for Black and brown girls are even higher. There are core cultural beliefs, stereotypes, and interpersonal messages that really deter the success of girls in sports, and that affects the entire [sports] pipeline. If you’re dropping out at 14, you’re not playing in high school, in college, or at [a] professional level. Beyond that, we know most female executives have a sports background, so there are a lot of barriers in place for Latinas.”
