Women in Sports Wednesday: Ally Esposito

By: Madison Hedding

Who: Ally Esposito, St. John’s University Marketing Graduate Assistant, Social Handle: @allyesposito1
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What’s your story? 
 
Ally Esposito was born and raised in Crofton, Maryland. Growing up, her dad and her brother were always playing sports, with Ally playing Lacrosse for most of her life. “I was always around sports. I loved watching them, I loved playing them, I just loved the energy and happiness that it brings to people.” 

In high school, Ally didn’t play sports, but she managed the football team. “It was something to do just to stay involved and to keep myself active.” Then, it turned into a true passion of hers and did it for three years. She also managed the basketball team for two years. 

It became a whole new world for her, so doing that and being the only woman in the room a lot of a time molded Ally’s desire to continue the position and to be a role model for younger girls. “I wanted to be that person that younger girls could look up at me and say, ‘wow, I want to be her. I want to do what she does. I can do that too.’” 

Throughout the rest of high school, Ally strived to focus on women empowerment and uplifting other women throughout her journey because she never had a mentor in sports. “Where I am from, there weren’t any females who worked in sports. So I didn’t have anyone to be a role model for me. I just had to learn on my own and consciously make that decision I was going to leave things better for those who are going to come after me than what I had.” 

For College, Ally attended Temple University and knew before she signed up for classes, she was going to major in Sport Management. “When I got there, I was the football equipment manager as a freshman. 

Through her time at Temple, Ally had over TEN internships with teams such as NFL Draft, USGA, Temple Athletics, Philadelphia Soul, College Gameday, Gasparilla Bowl, 76ers, New York Jets, and Philadelphia wings – just to name a few. 

Ally was even the President of Minorities in Sports at Temple. She strived to showcase to women in sports and minorities a chance to see someone like themselves in a leadership position. “Throughout college, I made it my mission to empower women in whatever I did. I mentored younger women who were just getting their start in sports. I also worked for the Sports Sorority as a Next Generation Development Coordinator and created a mentorship program for them. Creating a mentorship program is unbelievably beneficial for women and minorities in sports because we need that support to break through all the barriers we have to face in the industry.” Ally wanted people to have the person she didn’t have to give them support. She wants to be that person that a lot of women in this industry don’t have – and continues to do so even after college. 

During her final weeks at Temple, she was given an opportunity from the Director of Marketing at Temple, to network with the Director of Marketing at St. John’s. “I swear I wasn’t going to do grad school, but then I then was presented the opportunity to be the GA at St. John’s so I said why not.” And, as soon as she got offered the position, COVID hit so Ally was unsure if the job was even going to come to fruition. “I got accepted in March, and they didn’t tell me until the end of July that I was going to be able to come. It was a tough few months, but now looking back it’s all worth it.” Life always has a weird way of working out, but they always do. 

Share some struggles/challenges you have had to overcome that you face as a woman working in sports? 
 
The thing that Ally has had to overcome the most was being comfortable, with being uncomfortable. “Freshman year when I showed up to the football facility with the whole team and staff being male… and I was the only female standing there at 18. I wanted to leave – but I choose to go through with it despite the awkwardness.” 
 
Ally saw that with opportunities in life, sometimes you have to go through uncomfortableness to get to be comfortable. “I realized that I’m here for a reason, and they wanted to give me an opportunity just as they would have given it to anyone else so I took it and ran with it and haven’t ever looked back.”
 
It’s stuck with Ally as she’s gone through positions, gained experience, and realized that she was still always the few, if not the only woman in the room. “Once I became confident in myself and that we’re all here for the same reason, regardless of anything different about us, we’re all working towards the same common goal. So why not grow and build together rather than tearing others down. There’s no difference between you and me.” It didn’t matter that she wasn’t the only woman in the room, it was a compliment that spoke to her capableness and confidence that others had in her that she had to learn to have herself. 
 
Ally now speaks with confidence knowing what her purpose is in life – empowering women and minorities in sports. But she wasn’t able to get comfortable doing that, without a little bit of uncomfortableness.
 
What is the best advice you can give a woman who is either just getting her foot in the industry, or already working in sports about how to navigate the struggles and challenges we face? 
 
Ally’s biggest advice that she gives and lives by is, “lift as you climb”. Ally didn’t have a mentor at first, no women role models to ask for help so she had to do everything herself and figure things out on her own. “I realized very quickly that once I became confident in myself and who I was, I was succeeding and being able to lift myself rather than others lifting me up. But then I also realized that not everyone can do that, so I needed to be that person to lift others as I grow so one day they can do the same for those coming after them.” 
 
Ally makes it her mission to give back, and it’s truly come full circle in her own life; both personally and professionally. “The women in sports community is smaller than anyone would like especially compared to all the males in sports, so we need to lean on our sisters in sports and be there for each other. You can truly never give back enough.” 
 
Sharing job opportunities, bringing up people’s names in rooms where they haven’t stepped foot in, helping with cover letters and resumes - there are so many ways to give back and be there for other women. The more empowered women we become, the more we can empower other women.
 
Lastly, Ally strongly reinforces to everyone too, “be confident in yourself and be confident with yourself in rooms where you step foot in. Don’t let anything back you down from your passions.” Life is always going to be uncomfortable, but if you remember your passions and why you started, you’ll learn to become comfortable. 
 
If you are interested in sharing your story, struggles, and words of encouragement for other women in sports, please send me a DM through social media (@MadisonHedding) or email me at 15mhedding@gmail.com 
 
Support Women in Sports. ALWAYS. 
Madison Hedding

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