Cynthia Marshall knows the difference between diversity and inclusion. “Diversity is being invited to the party,” she says. “Inclusion is being asked to dance. True inclusion is when people are invited in on the conversation and they’re invited in on the strategy.”
The more women, the greater the odds of true inclusion. But too often the call for more women in sports leadership positions translates into a checklist mentality. Too often that mentality results in the addition of one or maybe two women. That’s progress, but it stops well short of the kind of inclusion that prompts culture-changing progress.