In an era where women’s sports is no longer a “category to watch” but a market force to invest in, founders Tish Galindo and Tamala Barksdale are not waiting for permission — they’re building infrastructure. As the visionaries behind Made x Us Agency and the powerhouse platform Women Raise the Game, the duo has positioned themselves at the intersection of culture, capital, and competition.
Tamala Barksdale and Tish Galindo
During Super Bowl week, they hosted the third annual Women Raise the Game “Champions” event, a gathering that has quickly become a high-impact convening for athletes, executives, creators, and brands shaping the business of sports. But as Galindo and Barksdale make clear, this is far bigger than an event. It’s a strategic movement designed to redefine who gets to influence the future of the sports ecosystem.
(L-R): Tish Galindo, Kamal Bhandal, Diana Flores (Woman of the Year awardee), and Tamala Barksdale during the Women Raise The Game’s CHAMPIONS Super Bowl Celebration last February 4, 2026
Gurus Magazine sat down with the founders to discuss capital flows, creator power, Los Angeles’ global sports moment, and why women are no longer asking for seats at the table — they’re building the room.
Q) Your company, Made x Us, recently hosted your third annual Women Raise the Game “Champions” event during Super Bowl week. What makes this year different from previous years?
Tish Galindo: This year felt inevitable. The first year was proof of concept. The second year was credibility. This year was power. We weren’t just hosting an event, we were curating the future of the sports ecosystem. The room expanded. The influence deepened. The brands came in more intentional. And most importantly? The narrative shifted from “women deserve a seat” to “women are shaping the business.”
Tamala Barksdale: Our brand partners came in with an extremely sharp focus business objectives against women’s sports. Capital is formalizing around the category. Where capital formalizes, valuation rises. Where valuation rises, women win economically. We are exactly where we need to be.
(L-R): Tamala Barksdale, Diana Flores (Woman of the Year awardee), Kamal Bhandal, and Tish Galindo during the Women Raise The Game’s CHAMPIONS Super Bowl Celebration last February 4, 2026
Q) Where there any new components that you added to this event in 2026? What mission did you hope to accomplish?
Tish Galindo: Yes, and this was a big one for me. We officially brought creators into the Champions platform and honored them as cultural architects in sports. For years, creators were treated like sideline coverage. But the truth is, they are shaping fandom in real time. They are how Gen Z experiences the NFL, the NBA, the Olympics. So we didn’t just invite them- We elevated them.
And we doubled down on transformation by honoring our Woman of the Year for her leadership in flag football — a space exploding globally and redefining access for young women in sport. The mission? Expand who gets to be called a “champion.” Not only athletes. Also, Builders. Storytellers. Movement-makers.
Tamala Barksdale: We are aligning the platform with where sports consumption and capital are headed. Creators drive attention. Attention drives monetization. Honoring leadership in this space positions WRTG ahead of the investment curve.
Q) Where do you see Women Raise the Game going in the next few years, especially with so many big entertainment and sporting events coming to Los Angeles?
Tish Galindo: Los Angeles is the global stage in sports, and hosting these games only compounds the opportunity — World Cup, Super Bowl Olympics, everything. WRTG is not waiting for invitations. WRTG will continue to show up inside those tentpoles as the cultural layer — the place where women, creators, executives, and brands connect with intention. We’re building and expanding as a platform; creator network, Content. Community. Strategic brand partnerships. Super Bowl LX was the halo. The next few years? All scale.
Tamala Barksdale: Los Angeles will host the world. Our strategy is to make women’s leadership visible in every major sports conversation that happens here.
Q) As an agency, why did Made x Us feel it was important to launch and grow Women Raise the Game?
Tish Galindo: Because we saw the gap. Brands wanted authenticity in women’s sports. Leagues wanted deeper female engagement. Creators were building audiences with no bridge to leadership. WRTG became that bridge.
As an agency, we don’t just want to make ads around culture. We want to build inside it. WRTG allows madeXus to operate at the center of sports business conversations. We’re not reacting to trends, but helping shape and define them.
Tamala Barksdale: Women’s sports is projected to exceed $1B in global sponsorship revenue within the next few years. Brands entering now need strategic guidance and cultural fluency. WRTG sits at that intersection. We’re proud to also celebrate the women on and off the field driving that growth.
Q) What advice do you have for other female leaders in sports and entertainment?
Tish Galindo: Double down on your ambition. Take action. Be collaborative. Be brilliant.
Don’t dilute your vision because you’re uncomfortable. That’s a sign you’re in a new space and it takes courage. Build something that’s undeniable. And remember — nothing great is made alone. Bring others with you. Most importantly, it is on you to lead your own journey.
Tamala Barksdale: Learn the business model. Know where the money flows. Influence follows economic leverage. Seize it now.
Tish Galindo
Tamala Barksdale
If the past few years marked a surge in visibility for women’s sports, Galindo and Barksdale are focused on what comes next: ownership, valuation, and structural power. With Los Angeles poised to host major global sporting moments in the years ahead, Women Raise the Game is positioning itself not as a side-stage activation, but as a central cultural and economic force.
For Made x Us, this is the blueprint – build inside culture, align with where capital is moving, and ensure women are not only present in the conversation, but leading it.
As the founders see it, the future of sports isn’t just more inclusive. It’s more intentional. And the women shaping it aren’t waiting for validation; they’re raising the game.
