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Ironically, the more connected we become online, the more valuable in-person experiences are. It’s classic scarcity theory, and sports publicist and entrepreneur LaTonya Story understands it as well as anyone. That insight helped inspire her to launch the Sports Power Brunch, an event celebrating the most influential women in sports.
Now, after seven years as The Sports Power Brunch: Celebrating the Most Powerful Women in Sports®, the event is entering a new era as The Sports Power Awards™. The rebrand will debut at the eighth annual celebration on Feb. 10, 2027, at The Beverly Hills Hotel during Super Bowl LXI Week in Los Angeles.
Story spoke with Entrepreneur about building the event from the ground up, the thinking behind the rebrand, and the keys to its enduring success.
Start small, think big
The Sports Power Brunch wasn’t Story’s first foray into event planning. It grew out of something she was already doing in Atlanta: Ladies Pigskin Sundays, weekly gatherings for women who love football.
Through her connections in the sports industry, Story grew the events to include DJs, giveaways, and even NFL-provided swag bags. So when the Super Bowl came to Atlanta in 2019, she was already well positioned to host a bigger celebration.
“I wanted to do an event that honored and celebrated women in sports who I personally admired,” she says. Guided by the belief that “a closed mouth don’t get fed” and “if you have not, because you ask not,”
Story took the initiative to reach out to women she admired, many of whom she had never met, and launched the inaugural Sports Power Brunch in her hometown.
“I live by the philosophy: ‘If you build it, they will come,’” she says. “Ultimately, my end goal is to have an actual sports awards show for either streaming or linear television.”
Build for the long game
Of course, bringing influential people together doesn’t automatically make for a great event. Story is conscious of that, which is part of the reason behind this year’s format changes.
“One thing I noticed with our previous format, which included panel discussions, is that people were so excited to meet, greet, and talk to one another,” Story says. “Sometimes you lose that excitement when you transition from the awards into a panel discussion.”
Not wanting to lose that momentum, Story decided to have guests go straight from the awards show into the post-event networking mixer, with panel discussions moved to the second day.
“The true value of a live event isn’t measured solely by bringing people together in a room, although I love doing that,” Story says. “For me, it’s really about longevity and impact, giving sponsors a memorable experience that keeps them coming back, and building a brand that invests in the real success of people.”
Story estimates that roughly 90% of the brunch’s revenue comes from sponsors, with the remaining 10% generated by ticket sales. Her emphasis on relationship building has helped keep sponsors coming back year after year. The NFL has been a legacy sponsor since 2019, Prime Video has supported the event for four to five years, and Delta Air Lines is returning for its third year.
Still, Story is always looking to bring on new sponsors, often through connections made at the events themselves. This year, Visa joins the lineup, thanks in part to a relationship Story built with a former Moët Hennessy executive who previously sponsored one of her events in Las Vegas.
“She remembered me and spoke my name behind closed doors at her new company,” Story says. “That’s a testament to what we’ve created and continue to build.”
Celebrate others to strengthen your brand
Equally important to the networking is the women being honored, something Story takes immense pride in. “About 95% of the women we honor are really behind the scenes,” she explains. “They’re senior executives in sports. Some are front-facing, and some are not.”
Story points to Clutch Sports Group COO Farah Leah and Detroit Pistons President Melanie Harris as examples. “They may not be household names, but they’re doing the true work in the industry,” she says.
For more recognizable figures, Story presents the Trailblazer Award, which will go to WNBA legend Nneka Ogwumike this year.
The selection process also involves strategic considerations. Story makes a point of honoring someone from the Super Bowl host city, which this year will be Rams EVP Molly Higgins. She also selects someone from the NFL office to recognize the league’s role as a partner. This year, that honor goes to SVP Tracy Pearlman.
On the surface, a curated awards show might seem like a superficial way to bring people together. But the business logic is sound: It gives invitees, especially honorees, a compelling reason to attend while reinforcing Story’s authority as a connector and tastemaker in the industry.
“You know, I’ve never had someone say they couldn’t come,” Story laughs. “So that is a great point.”
Make connections count
Ultimately, a host can only control so much. Guests’ experience is up to them, but Story does what she can to make everyone feel welcome.
“I’ve had people email me who came solo and said, ‘I’m an introvert, but I just really felt I needed to be in that room,’” Story shares. “They tend to open up once they get in the room.”
Part of that secret sauce is thoughtful table curation. While sponsors can choose their own seating, Story strategically places ticketed guests near people who could be valuable connections.
“I try to make sure that I’m putting people at tables where they can get to know each other and where there could be some synergy,” she says. “One woman who was attending told me, ‘Oh, no! I already know them. Place me somewhere with someone I don’t know, where I can do business.’ Things like that are really important.”
Story also makes a point of giving guests time to connect, allowing an hour and a half for networking after the awards.
“What’s so funny about the event is that people may not see each other every day or may only know each other through social media,” she says. “It’s so fun to see people running across the room, hugging and catching up. Business deals are being made in that room, too. People are looking at the tables to see which sponsors are represented or which executives are there, and then taking that next step to forge relationships that last long after my event.”
Turn pain into purpose
The same year Story hosted the inaugural Sports Power Brunch, her 30-year-old son, Sterling, passed away from cancer just two days before Christmas after being misdiagnosed. Rather than letting the tragedy derail her work, Story turned her grief into a mission, establishing the Sterling Legacy Fund to support health-related causes and organizations such as the American Cancer Society.
Still, Story wanted the foundation to feel more personally connected to her son. Sterling was a devoted basketball fan who still had an Allen Iverson Fathead on his wall when he died.
“My day job is as a sports publicist, and my first opportunity to work in sports was volunteering for the Allen Iverson Celebrity Summer Classic in Hampton, Virginia,” Story says.
Sterling’s love of basketball inspired the fund’s signature initiative, Sterling Courts, which renovates basketball courts in his memory. The initiative has brought lasting improvements to communities hosting the Sports Power Brunch, including an outdoor half court at the Downtown Boys & Girls Club in Las Vegas and a full-size indoor court in New Orleans during Super Bowl LIX in 2025. Both projects were completed in partnership with Prime Video, while Microsoft helped renovate computer labs, teen centers, and gaming centers at both locations.
“You never really get through grieving,” Story shares. “But as I processed my grief, I just knew there was something I could do with the platform I have, even if my son wasn’t a household name.”
Bloom where you’re planted
Story’s, well, story, is proof that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel to find success. By making the most of the resources and relationships you already have, you can simplify the process.
“I always tell people to bloom where they are planted,” Story says. “My very first event was at Davio’s restaurant in Atlanta. I just reached out to people in my network at the time. Most people ask, ‘How do I reach this big organization or that company?’ But you can start by working with people in your immediate circle.”
That approach may simplify the process, but it doesn’t make building an event easy. Securing sponsorships is difficult, and retaining them can be even harder.
“Start small, and then you can grow from there,” Story says. “If you build it, they will come, but sometimes you have to hit the pavement. Never stop pitching, never stop selling, and find people who believe in you.”
She knows firsthand how much that support matters. “At my first event, I couldn’t even pay the entire bill, so my friends put their credit cards down to help cover it. To see where I am now is such a blessing. I believed in myself first, and the people around me believed in me, too. They poured into me and helped grow what is now the event you see today.”
Ironically, the more connected we become online, the more valuable in-person experiences are. It’s classic scarcity theory, and sports publicist and entrepreneur LaTonya Story understands it as well as anyone. That insight helped inspire her to launch the Sports Power Brunch, an event celebrating the most influential women in sports.
Now, after seven years as The Sports Power Brunch: Celebrating the Most Powerful Women in Sports®, the event is entering a new era as The Sports Power Awards™. The rebrand will debut at the eighth annual celebration on Feb. 10, 2027, at The Beverly Hills Hotel during Super Bowl LXI Week in Los Angeles.
Story spoke with Entrepreneur about building the event from the ground up, the thinking behind the rebrand, and the keys to its enduring success.