Submitted by Wrestle Like A Girl

(WASHINGTON D.C.) Wrestle Like A Girl (WLAG) names former ESPN Executive and espnW Founder, Laura Gentile with its prestigious Adrienne Arsht Leadership Award for her advocacy and unwavering commitment to women in sports and the support of women’s sports across the industry. Gentile will be presented the award at WLAG’s Glitter Into Gold Gala on October 18, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

“I am thrilled that Laura Gentile will be receiving the Adrienne Arsht Leadership award. Laura embodies everything this award stands for and it is an honor to have award her with this distinction,” said business leader and philanthropist, Adrienne Arsht.

Gentile served 20 years at ESPN, where she held multiple roles including Executive Vice President and CMO, and was responsible for the health of the ESPN Brand, driving all its marketing strategic priorities. During her tenure she crafted award-winning campaigns — “There’s No Place Like Sports” and “This is SportsCenter” — that revitalized the Brand, and helped develop the leadership marketing, advertising and promotions for key partners including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WNBA and F1, and business priorities such as the ESPN App, Fantasy Football, and ESPN’s first streaming service, ESPN+.

Gentile was also instrumental in fostering a culture that embraced creative excellence and valued new audience growth, engaging youth, women, Hispanic and Black audiences throughout the ESPN ecosystem.

In 2009, she created and launched espnW—ESPN’s first and only dedicated business built to serve women who love sports—which debuted in December 2010. espnW is the leading voice and brand of its kind and is now a multimedia business encompassing digital, social, television, films, global mentorship, and networking events such as the espnW: Women + Sports Summit.

“Laura Gentile has been a driving force in promoting women’s sports as a business, and her wisdom and influence have played a key role in shaping the landscape for girls and women in sports. She has inspired the dreams of girls and women—from the wrestling mat and courts to the executive suites and all aspects of media. I can think of no better leader to honor this year with the Adrienne Arsht Leadership Award than Laura Gentile,” said Sally Roberts, WLAG co-founder and CEO.

In addition to the Adrienne Arsht Leadership Award, WLAG will present its esteemed Betty Award to Co-founder of Female Elite Wrestling, Dr. Charlotte Bailey for her advocacy of women’s wrestling through philanthropy and volunteerism, and The Afsoon Courage Award to the USA Women’s Wrestling 2024 Olympic team for their historical performances in Paris.

To purchase individual tickets or a table, please visit Wrestle Like A Girl Gala 2024

The Glitter Into Gold Gala celebrates the advancements of women's wrestling through WLAG programs and gathers and honors influential community leaders and businesses for their continued support and advocacy. This year’s theme ‘Champions of Change’ will celebrate recent landmark achievements including:

• Women’s wrestling is being recommended for NCAA Championship Status by 2026.

• Five more states have sanctioned girls’ high school wrestling—the most recent being Indiana—making it 46 states that now recognize girls' high school wrestling as an official sport.

• Powerful diplomatic sports collaborations with Azerbaijan, Canada, Jordan, and USA wrestling federations.