Inaugural Girls Summit brings together major sponsors for girls’ basketball in NYC

The GIST: Basketball nonprofit PeacePlayers is hosting its first-ever, in-person Girls Summit event in NYC this weekend. Big brand stars are showing up to support girls in sports during the event, which is a meaningful investment in community and brand equity. Never shine if you don’t glow.

PeacePlayers: Founded in 2000 to create global safe spaces for kids through basketball, the organization has hosted clinics in regions like South Africa and Northern Ireland, according to co-executive director Sally Nnamani. In 2017, Nike partnered with PeacePlayers to bring its program to five major U.S. cities: NYC, Baltimore, Detroit, LA, and Chicago.

The sponsors: Aside from presenting partner Nike, which has been essential to the stateside growth of PeacePlayers, the two-day summit features prominent sponsors of women and girls in sports such as the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, WSLAM, the NY Liberty, MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, Sports Business Ventures, and the Women’s Sports Foundation.

• Each sponsor is offering distinct activations that align with its brand: Basketball magazine WSLAM is hosting a media event, Nike is running a “Body Confidence” training workshop, and NY Liberty players will lead a basketball tournament for the kids.

• Nike is also hosting Girls Summit’s activations at its NYC headquarters, as well as connecting participants with Nike employees for career development. Just doing it.

Zooming out: Events like this give like-minded brands an opportunity to have an immersive impact on girls’ sports by furthering charitable initiatives IRL. Supporting women’s sports — including community and grassroots initiatives like this — has been proven to win over younger consumers, creating a “halo effect” for dedicated sponsors in the space. Everything we need and more.