Book Launch: Jane McManus, Inside the Surging Business of Women's Sports

Fact: Women’s sports are big business.

Come meet Ossining’s very own sports journalism luminary, Jane McManus, for the launch of her new book, The Fast Track: Inside the Surging Business of Women's Sports (Temple University Press, February 21, 2025).

“Jane McManus has long been charting the growth of women’s sports with stories behind the scenes and in front of the cameras. Now, with The Fast Track, she provides the inside scoop on where we have been, where we are going, and why it matters.”—Billie Jean King

Copies of Jane’s book will be available for purchase and signing.

Please RSVP for planning purposes.

About the Author

Jane McManus is an author, academic and sports writer.

Her book The Fast Track: Inside the Surging Business of Women's Sports details the progress and reluctance in women's sports and media. She also guest-edited The Year's Best Sports Writing 2024 and teaches at New York University. She was the Executive Director of the Seton Hall Center for Sports Media, and the Director of the Marist College Center for Sports Communication.

McManus spent nearly 10 years at ESPN, covering the NFL and as a columnist for espnW. She hosted two radio shows, including The Trifecta with Kate Fagan and Sarah Spain, and was a frequent analyst for SportsCenter, The Sports Reporters, and Outside the Lines among other ESPN shows. Prior to that, McManus covered everything from high schools to the US Open for The Journal News in Westchester, NY, and her work has appeared in Deadspin, The New York Daily News, Newsday, The New York Times, USA Today, The Independent of London and other outlets. She has appeared as a guest on Good Morning America, CNN and NPR’s Morning Edition.

She received a BA in the Liberal Arts from St. John’s College in Annapolis Md. and a Masters in Journalism from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where she taught sports journalism for over a decade. While she was covering the New York Jets for ESPN, McManus played roller derby for seven years as Lesley E. Visserate.

About the Book

"No one cares about women's sports" is a familiar refrain from vocal skeptics, but as The Fast Track shows, a series of watershed moments reflect the increasing popularity of and support for women's sports from both investors and fans.

Veteran sports journalist and academic Jane McManus examines both this upward trend and the forces that have held women's sports back since the early 1970s when Title IX became law (and Billie Jean King soundly defeated Bobby Riggs). As the fervor for Caitlin Clark during the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball championship illustrates, there is big money to be made from broadcasting, merchandising, and investing in women's sports.

The Fast Track chronicles how pioneering sponsorships, broadcast opportunities, and surges in ratings contradict the myths about disinterest. Interviews counter the resistance toward women's leagues, reveal how women are covered in the media, and consider the possibilities for further investment. McManus also addresses racial inclusivity, transgender athletes, women's health issues, and equal pay.

An essential road map to capitalize on untapped potential, The Fast Track provides a snapshot of where women's sports as an industry and investment stand at this moment in time.