Building Leaders Before the Game Starts: How Leveling the Fields is Changing the Future of Women in Sports

When it comes to creating opportunities in sports, the biggest impact doesn’t always happen under the lights; it starts much earlier.

In the latest episode of the podcast, Melyssa Jaskiewicz, VP of Sales at Sideline Sports and Founder of Leveling the Fields, joined Justin and Matt to share how her journey in sports led to building something much bigger than a career.

From a Family Idea to a Career in Sports

Melyssa’s path into the sports industry didn’t follow a traditional playbook.

What started as a family road trip idea – complete with baseball bingo cards – eventually grew into a business that expanded across leagues and platforms. Over time, that experience turned into a 15+ year career in sports.

But it was a moment at the National Sports Forum that changed everything.

After hearing a powerful statistic – that 94% of women in C-suite roles played sports – Melyssa began connecting the dots. The result was a new mission: create more opportunities for girls to get involved in sports early, setting them up for leadership later in life.

Solving the Real Barriers

Through her research and early conversations, three major challenges became clear: access, options and cost.

Leveling the Fields was built to address all three.

By bringing programs directly to schools, offering multiple sports and fully funding participation for Title I schools, the organization removes the common barriers that prevent young girls from getting involved.

It’s a simple idea with a powerful effect; meet athletes where they are and make participation possible.

More Than a Game

At its core, the program isn’t just about playing sports; it’s about building life skills.

Through a combination of sport instruction and guided “empowerment journals,” participants learn how lessons on the field apply far beyond it. Concepts like trust, teamwork, resilience and self-confidence are reinforced intentionally, helping girls connect those experiences to real-world situations.

As Melyssa shared, these are the same traits employers look for across industries, and they’re often developed long before someone enters the workforce.

Building Toward the Future

Since launching, Leveling the Fields has quickly gained momentum, growing from a single pilot program to multiple active programs across school districts.

With plans to expand into more schools, add new sports and eventually establish chapters nationwide, the vision is ambitious but grounded in a clear purpose:

Create opportunities early. Build confidence. Develop leaders.

Because long before careers begin, and long before leadership roles are earned, it all starts with a chance to play.

Listen to the full conversation in this podcast episode!