How DRAFTED is Changing the Game

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There aren’t many sports start-ups that can say they attracted the attention of a trailblazing, industry legend like American tennis player Billie Jean King.

DRAFTED can.

DRAFTED is the sports platform designed for Latinas on the field, in the stands, and operators in the front office. On their one-year anniversary, the tennis icon followed the company’s Instagram account.

The company initially began as an editorial platform geared toward centering Latinas in sports. Now, DRAFTED has transformed to meet the demand of its community, evolving into a company that is equal parts storytelling, data and analytics, and experiential marketing.

“Our starting ethos was how are we making sure that we’re showcasing, elevating, and celebrating Latinas in the world of sports,” says Jennifer Yepez-Blundell, co-founder of DRAFTED. “No one ever represents or sees Latinas through the lens of sports.”

Yepez-Blundell, a second-generation Mexican American, is one half of the duo behind DRAFTED and has a background in marketing, having worked with brands like AT&T, State Farm, and Frito-Lay. She’s also a former collegiate athlete and mother of two who resides in Dallas, Texas. Her counterpart is Karina Martinez, an entrepreneur whose first business was a communication consultancy before she transitioned to her current venture—DRAFTED. Martinez was born in Asuncion, Paraguay, adopted by Cuban immigrants, and raised in Southern California. Today, she is a proud queer Latina based in South Pasadena, California.

“We need to make sure that any Latina, at any age, can see themselves reflected within the sports industry—and that’s really important when we’re thinking about the entire ecosystem of sports from the field to the front office.”

Jennifer Yepez-Blundell

The dynamic duo not only celebrate and promote their identities with loud, clear intent—they use it to drive their work. So, what exactly is DRAFTED?

From Fan Platform to Industry Ecosystem: DRAFTED’s Evolving Mission

“DRAFTED is really an ecosystem,” Martinez explains. “When we started, it was really focused on the fan experience. The original hypothesis is that these fans are underserved. When we started to test against that, what we learned is that the problem is so much deeper than just the fan; it’s the entire ecosystem that, just frankly, wasn’t built for Latinos. We went to build the first company to ever address this issue.”

Latinas in Sports: Celebrating Achievements and Highlighting the Gap

Deloitte forecasts that in 2024, for the first time, women’s elite sports will generate a revenue that surpasses $1 billion. DRAFTED is focused on not only ensuring the stories of Latinas in sports are being told, but that Latinas who show up for their favorite teams and athletes are considered and engaged by brands in a thoughtful way, too.

“Where so many brands fail is they just try to create without listening to the audience, or specifically when it comes to Latinx audiences,” Yepez-Blundell says. “They think they know what we want, but no one inside those decision-making rooms around innovation has our lived experience. Karina and I have that from the jump.”

Martinez and Yepez-Blundell have shifted in perspective from prioritizing the fan experience to drawing from their personal experiences as fans, athletes, and consumers. This transition underscores their commitment to reshaping the entire industry’s structure to be more inclusive and representative of Latinas, who are already part of this community but have been largely ignored. As such, their focus has moved beyond storytelling to encompass systemic change within the sports landscape.

The Power of Authenticity

“We need to make sure that any Latina, at any age, can see themselves reflected within the sports industry—and that’s really important when we’re thinking about the entire ecosystem of sports from the field to the front office,” Yepez-Blundell says. “That’s the mission now that we work toward every single day.”

Martinez and Yepez-Blundell are paving their way forward in the dark without any kind of roadmap, though that does not scare them at all. They are well aware that they do not know what they do not know. Rather than being paralyzed by this fact, they allow it to shape the nature of their work.

“The problem is so much deeper than just the fan; it’s the entire ecosystem that, just frankly, wasn’t built for Latinos. We went to build the first company to ever address this issue.”

Karina Martinez

What matters most to them is showing up as their authentic selves and allowing their identity to take up space—even though, historically, they were pushed to the side. Now, they are pushing back. And they are having fun doing it. That kind of courage makes it easy to root for them.

Filling the Void

“One of the most exciting discoveries is just how much the consumer really wants and needs this,” says Martinez. “I don’t think they knew it, because they haven’t had something like this before.”

By embracing their identities and leveraging their unique perspectives, Martinez and Yepez-Blundell are challenging the status quo. It’s no wonder tennis legend Billie Jean King is attracted to their work, despite not necessarily being DRAFTED’s target audience.

Championing Diversity: Real Recognizes Real in the Sports World

But real recognizes real, as evident in Kim Ng’s 2020 introductory press conference as the general manager of the Miami Marlins. The first woman in all of Major League Baseball (MLB) to ever hold the title, Ng is asked to name people who inspired her. Billie Jean King is one of two names she gives (Czech tennis player Martina Navratilova is the other). Later on, another reporter asks Ng who had a strong influence on the early parts of her baseball career in Chicago. Ng praises Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the White Sox and the Bulls; Kenny Williams, former White Sox general manager; and Grace Guerrero Zwit, former senior director of minor league operations at the White Sox. Zwit is a Latina who, up until her 2022 retirement, was one of the highest-ranking Latinas in all of baseball.

Ng says Zwit was “a great help to me throughout my career,” showing her the value of owning her expertise and using her voice. That Guerrero Zwit played an important role in this historic moment shouldn’t be forgotten.

DRAFTED is working to ensure that it isn’t.