This week, Sports Business Journal reporter Bill King published a profile on Marshall, detailing the transformation of the Dallas Mavs since Marshall took the reins. The turnaround is striking.
Six of the 14 members of the Mavs’ executive leadership team are women, while seven are people of color. Of 28 employees at the VP level and above, 11 are women and 11 are people of color.
Those reflect a 350% increase of women in executive leadership and a 224% increase of women and people of color at VP or above over the past four seasons, according to the team.
At the same time, business metrics have soared, King reported, with ticket revenue increasing 64%, sponsorships up 111% and grants through the Mavs’ foundation rising 162%.
“I truly, truly believe in a business case for diversity,” Marshall said during a recent, wide-ranging conversation with SBJ at the team’s training complex. “It’s not just that it’s the right thing to do. You want to have a profitable business, an inclusive culture, people who want to come to work every day, fans that love you. You want to win the war for talent. If you want to do that you need a diverse work force, a diverse set of suppliers, diverse customers and an inclusive culture all the way around. It hits the bottom line. I believe that and have lived it and know it to be true.”
———————————–
With the Mavericks on their way to what would be a herky-jerky February win, Marshall rose from her usual aisle seat six rows up from the home bench, cheering loudly as the players approached during a timeout. It’s where she spent the first half watching, cheering and conversing.
At halftime, she went to work.
Her first stop was to visit about a dozen high school students who serve as ballboys and ballgirls, thanking them for their service and then taking questions. She chatted with sponsor guests while grabbing a bite to eat in a hospitality area. Then she headed up to a suite to reconnect with a group involved in a women’s symposium that the team would host later in the month.
Back in her seat when an International Women’s Day promo came on the video board during a break near the end of the game, Marshall hooted and hollered, chanting “Girl Power” as she punched the air above.
As fans filed out after the game, she was courtside posing for selfies, and then on the floor catching up with those who made their way to her.
“I can’t remember one game where Cynt wasn’t talking to a special group, visiting a suite, doing a check presentation at halftime,” said Chief Revenue Officer Theo Hodges, who joined the team as senior vice president of sales nine months after Marshall’s hire. “She is constantly engaging with our fan base. She’s sitting in the stands. She’s up and dancing every time the intro music comes on. And once halftime hits, she’s off and running to 12 or 15 different areas just to shake hands with people.”
Share and comment