Game changers: Inspiring women in sports

Game changers

Champions of sport. Champions of innovation. Champions of change. From play-makers to trailblazers, women across sports are breaking new ground, shattering glass ceilings, and paving the way for other dreamers.

Billie Jean King, a game-changing pioneer in women’s sports, has a mantra: “progress never ends.” While she may no longer be playing on center court, she continues to champion the next generation of women in sports, tirelessly advocating for “equal pay for equal play” and continuing to develop tools and resources that empower women in sports to be their best.

Discover Billie Jean and other game changers’ stories of perseverance—and get inspired to dream big and spark change, too.

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Tennis legend Billie Jean King is still pushing the game forward

A woman is holding a racket with graphic overlays over the racket.

Coco Gauff uses tech to take her game to the next level

A woman works on a laptop and a monitor.

At Cloud9, Halee Mason turns her passion for data into success

See how Burton Snowboards helps riders achieve their full potential

Committed to equity

Loretta Claiborne

Loretta Claiborne—a world-class runner, an accomplished public speaker, and a Special Olympics athlete—has used her voice to champion the rights of people with intellectual disabilities and teach the importance of empathy around the world. Loretta has dedicated her career to these causes, serving as Special Olympics' Chief Inspiration Officer. "Find an opportunity and seize it," Loretta says. "Be the best you can be, and never let anyone doubt you."

Learn how Special Olympics is partnering with Microsoft to empower inclusion

Kiana Clay

After an accident resulted in the complete paralysis of her right arm, Kiana began searching for how she could continue her journey in snowboarding. Through grit and determination, alongside new technology like Burton’s Step On® boots, designed on Microsoft Surface, Kiana has developed as an adaptive rider and now looks to compete on the world's stage.

Learn more about Kiana’s petition to have upper limb female competitions on the world’s stage

Parity is closing the sports sponsorship pay gap

Parity is on a mission to close the massive sports sponsorship pay gap for women athletes. By unlocking the power of athletes' stories and committing to intentional brand matching with powerful partners like Microsoft, Parity drives revenue streams off the field, and helps their athlete community leverage their voices, engage their fans and authentically speak to their values and passions.

Learn how Parity is empowering women athletes through knowledge and technology

Reaching new heights

o Jewell Loyd and A’ja Wilson sharing inspiration with Microsoft Surface devices.

WNBA fans get access to Crunch Time performances across the season.
Learn more about Crunch Time.

Jewell Loyd

Jewell was the first WNBA draft pick in 2015 as well as Rookie of the Year, and she is currently a guard for the Seattle Storm. She is ranked the #1 FIBA 3x3 Player in the World, and has won two WNBA championships with the Seattle Storm and is a two-time WNBA All-Star. As a dedicated disciple of Kobe Bryant, she founded the Mamba Army grassroots league dedicated to using mentorship and basketball to provide inspiration and elite level training to kids of all socioeconomic backgrounds as well as to help educate student-athletes on the business of sports. She is also an ambassador for Eye to Eye focusing on mentoring people with learning disabilities.

A’ja Wilson

As a WNBA MVP (2020), the 2018 WNBA 1st overall draft pick, 2x WNBA all-star, NCAA National Champion (2017), and FIBA Gold Medalist, A’ja Wilson is a forward with the Las Vegas Aces. In 2021, she is the first woman to receive an individual statue honoring her on and off the court achievements at the University of South Carolina. A’ja’s off the court endeavors focus on building the A’ja Wilson Foundation; its mission is to serve as a resource for children and families who struggle with dyslexia as well as to change the culture of students to prevent bullying through educational development, mentoring, and channeling energy towards inclusivity and compassion among their peers.

A woman sits on a bench looking at the screen of a Microsoft Surface.

"Life isn’t promised, so you gotta do what you gotta do now. Obviously you plan for the future, but don’t wait for the future."

- Coco Gauff

Learn more about how she’s using tools from Microsoft to achieve her goals

Engineering innovation

Alba Colon

“Many of the tools we work with now didn’t even exist a few years ago. That is probably the most exciting part of the role, being on the forefront of what happens next to help make our cars faster and better” Alba, Director of Competition Systems at Hendrick Motorsports, is always thinking about ways to make her team faster on the track. She leads a group that thinks outside the box and develops tools to enables the drivers, the pit crews, engineers, and technicians to do their jobs better and more efficiently.

Learn more how Hendrick Motorsports uses Microsoft technology to accelerate decision making

Elizabeth Apthorp

“I enjoy a challenge and every day is a challenge here … I love the competitiveness and it’s nice to work in a company where everyone has the same end goal.” Elizabeth Apthorp’s job as Composite Design Engineer for Alpine F1® Team is to design parts that go onto their race cars. Using Microsoft technology, she manages the production cycle of carbon fiber components such as the wing, mirrors, and driver seats. One of Elizabeth's most memorable moments was being part of the team who delivered the chassis for the 2018 season, a process that requires months of design work, manufacturing, and FIA homologation crash tests.

A woman works on her laptop in an empty workspace.

"Don’t be scared … the best advice I can give you is just be unapologetically you."

As Lead Data Scientist for Cloud9, one of the most successful esports organizations in the world, Halee Mason has found her calling and passion. But it wasn’t part of a grand plan—she got there through exploration, self-discovery, and a lot of hard work.

Find out how Halee is using technology to push what’s possible in the world of esports

Cloud9 White

Cloud9 White is an all-women roster breaking new ground, playing and competing against top teams. The players of Cloud9 White like Alexis Guirrasi are constantly looking for ways to get the competitive edge, from trying new strategies to incorporating the latest technology. This approach has paid off as Cloud9 White won VCT 2021: Game Changers North America Series 1 without dropping a single map.