Glass Ceiling Shattered? Not Just Yet...
With the growing popularity of females participating in sport, do we see a direct correlation with women in sport administrative roles? With the recent hiring of the University of Pittsburgh's new Athletic Director, who happens to be a female, is the proverbial "glass ceiling" shattered? Or do we still have some work to do?
Who is Heather Lyke? 

"Lyke, who grew up in Canton, Ohio, has been athletic director at Eastern Michigan since 2013 after spending 15 years at Ohio State in several administrative positions, including senior associate athletic director....   At Eastern Michigan, Lyke oversees 21 fully funded varsity sports. She is the first woman to hold the full-time athletic director position at EMU and will be the first at Pitt."

Learn More about Pitt's New Hire

Challenges of Women in Sport Administration

Athletic Directors Discuss the Role of being a Female in a Male Dominated Industry
Athletic Directors Discuss the Role of being a Female in a Male Dominated Industry

Female Athletic Directors: A Scarce but Positive Influence

"Although women continue to make progress toward better representation in college athletics, in the nearly 44 years since the passage of Title IX, the percentage of women in administrative roles in college athletic departments has remained relatively low." 

Penn State Hired A Female Athletic Director, But Why Do Women Still Battle To Get The Job?

"Across the "power five" conferences, there are 65 head athletics directors.  However, only three of them are women, meaning that 95.4-percent of head athletics directors responsible for overseeing the most prestigious intercollegiate athletics programs in the United States are men."

Dave Baker's Take on the Issue

" I wish her great success - as this is an unforgiving sports town - but even more so as a trailblazer she will be scrutinized much closer than her male counterparts.  I hope that the institution allows her to surround herself with a team that is as strong as she is.  Her accomplishments are already renowned.  Now she'll get to showcase them on an even larger stage!"