Does it matter whether a women’s sports team has its own stadium? As a season ticket holder at the KC Current’s new stadium, I have had this conversation multiple times.

Those who have power often determine who gets the best . . . and who gets the leftovers. Unwritten and written rules based on extensive lists of personal characteristics dictate how we treat each other. They determine how we show up for one another and what behaviors we believe we can get away with toward other groups.  

None of this should matter in the build-a-stadium discussion, but it does. It matters a lot.  

Macaela MacKenzie may have put it best in her new book, Money, Power, Respect: How Women in Sports Are Shaping the Future of Feminism. When a group is iteratively underinvested in throughout history, that influences how they show up. This underinvestment contributes to the gender gap in sports, making it incredible that women in sports today like Caitlin Clark and Coco Gauff excel the way they do—breaking records made by men and drawing in record crowds that beat those brought in by men. Imagine how many more female athletes would excel if we invested in them as we invest in men’s sports. 

This stadium was literally designed by women for women. And it showed in thoughtful inclusions such as a separate room for kids and adults with noise sensitivities, a nursing room for new mothers, and a changing room for families with small children. 

What I remember most about Welniak’s presentation was her response to a question from the audience. “What does the KC Current think about not getting a private-public partnership deal and the fact that a women’s team can’t garner that much community support? Isn’t it infuriating?” Welniak smirked shyly, then grinned widely and said to the audience something akin to “I don’t know. We don’t think it is.”  

I was in awe at her boldness. Then a wave of joy swept over me. She was right. The sharp-eyed owners of the team did not need the approval or buy-in of traditional systems that had historically and repeatedly underinvested in women’s sports. They had enough clout, money, and resources to do it their own way. 

And this is what is different about women in today’s economy. We no longer have to wait to play by the rules of a traditional society that underinvests in us and underprioritizes our needs and desires.

We now have enough agency and economic clout to play by our own rules, and we choose to do it alongside other individuals who support us and see our worth. Everywhere women are stepping up to re-create systems and invent tools and products that work for them. 

I’ve met women in tech who were fed up with a profession that undervalued them and created their own firms. The most exciting thing about the efforts of companies like Carely, Marma, and Leva is that they are leading the development of products that solve problems they personally experienced—problems that were not solved by traditional tech companies but should have been.  

Look at the Spanx empire built by Sara Blakely, who engineered a style of girdle-tight she knew women would want because she wanted it but it didn’t yet exist.  

Look to VC firms like Pivotal Ventures or the Female Founders Fund run by women who—through an accumulation of resources under their control— have started investing in women’s priorities, ideas, and innovations.  

Look no further than the recent increase in women-owned small businesses. According to a January 2024 report from the U.S. Small Business Administration, “From 2019 to 2023, the growth rate of women-owned businesses was 94% greater than the growth of men-owned businesses.”

Everywhere we look, women are creating things that best represent the world they want to live in. It is awe-inspiring, and I am here for the ride. It is the reason people like me invest in season tickets for the KC Current’s 2024 season in its new made-by-women-for-women soccer stadium. A stadium built by women for women has never mattered more.