On the latest episode of “Listen In With KNN” award-winning journalist, Kelsey Nicole Nelson welcomed Alycen McAuley, Chief Business Officer of the Washington Mystics to the show. McAuleyprovided insight on growth of women’s sports and community impact.
The Washington Mystics are a WNBA expansion team founded in 1998 and owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE).
McAuley expresses gratitude for support from the fans and the growth of the basketball market.
“If you take a look at where we were 10 years ago to where we are today the growth has been extraordinary and I think D.C. has really been leading that charge,” McAuley said.
She added that the current young Mystics team, including fourth overall pick Lauren Betts and WNBA All-Star Kiki Iriafen are bringing impact to the WNBA by growing the game.
“I think our athletes are some of the most dynamic athletes that are in the game right now, and I think you’re starting to see firsthand for the Mystics what change looks like in women’s basketball,” McAuley said.
She pointed out that in Mystics games, the female leadership is present in every department of the organization working the game while encouraging people to attend games.
“What we’re doing is normalizing female leadership and all of its different iterations,” McAuley said. “So if you come to a Mystics game, you of course see extraordinary athletes on the court, but you’ll also see women in pretty much every major role in our organization working the game.”
Furthermore, MSE and the Mystics launched EquipHER in April 2026 to provide young female athletes in DC Public Schools (DCPS) with essential athletic gear such as sports bras to participate in sports.
McAuley believes that the lack of female participation in the community is due to the lack of equipment needed.
She said she wanted to normalize the idea that sports bras are part of equipment and establish a safe space offering young girls sizing for bras.
“We hear that one of the barriers is that they don’t feel comfortable in their bodies and no one’s able to talk to them about that,” McAuley said. “It was like, okay, that’s a barrier that we can help with. And if that means we go out and we give out sports bras and help have that conversation.”
70 percent of boys play sports in the D.C. area compared to the girls 53 percent, according to the Aspen Institute.
“If we can break down that barrier, the girl is just focused on playing and performance and not feeling self-conscious,” McAuley said.
Furthermore, she said that the players are looking to be in the community and to give back to girls.
“They were thrilled and excited that we’re doing this program and like they have girls now coming up to them at the preseason game going, ‘I got a sports bra,’” McAuley said.
She later mentioned that EquipHER launched a community event in the Ward 8 district at Charles Hart Middle School that featured Mystics Legend, and WNBA champion Ella Delle Donne and the Mystics dance team on April 21.
“We really wanted it to be a celebratory kind of environment,” McAuley said. “We actually didn’t want to have, like, a really heavy kind of conversation. We really wanted it to be about girls empowerment and all the elements of that and just be in community and celebrate together.”
With the success of the event, McAuley sees it as community engagement and shaping the future of women’s sports.
“The principal was out there dancing with us and handing out sports bras,” McAuley said. “I think they’re just excited to see the pillars in the community like Monumental involved directly with the students.
McAuley mentioned that D.C. is always really focused on leadership at the political level in government and our nonprofits and businesses.
She especially credits the Mystics franchise setting an excellent example of female leadership at multiple levels.
“The reason that they get to those positions is because they’ve learned those life lessons through sports,” McAuley said. “So it’s like, we need these girls playing for so many things that are coming for the future of our community.”
In addition, she also mentioned the Mystics revealing their WNBA Nike Rebel Uniform at Ben’s Chili Bowl, featuring players such as Iriafen, guards Georgia Amoore and Jabe Melbourne.
The uniforms honor the D.C.’s U Street and Black Broadway era from the 1920s-1950s, including women entrepreneurs and entertainers.
U Street or Black Broadway was an economic hub for African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement that included jazz clubs and theaters.
Women such as Virginia Ali, Shirley Horn, Winnifred Lee and Patricia Mitchell all brought business and entertainment to U Street as the Rebel design, showcases their perseverance.
Listen to the full audio down below.
