Hannah Gordon
49ers’ top exec is changing the way we love football
Hannah Gordon is often called one of the most powerful women in the NFL. But some sports commentators say Gordon, the San Francisco 49ers chief administrative officer and general counsel, is one of the most powerful people in the NFL. Period.
The accolade comes from Gordon’s role in changing the way fans and the larger public think about football, both as a sport and a cultural institution.
Gordon, a “very proud” Oakland native and alumna of College Preparatory, UCLA and Stanford Law School, rejects the idea that football’s diehard fans are macho, beer-guzzling men. She cites an NFL statistic that nearly half its fans are women, and notes that the 49ers, reflecting Bay Area values, have been at the forefront of NFL efforts to launch clubs for female and avid LGBTQ fans and to increase hiring of executives who are women and people of color.
Q Did you play sports as a child? What kind of career did you dream of?
A No. I was a dancer. But I’ve always been competitive. I totally wanted to be Anna Wintour and editor-in-chief of Vogue because I loved to write and I love fashion, but my writing skills were much better than my art or sewing skills. When I got to UCLA, I fell in love with sports.
Q What appealed to you about it?
A Honestly, I was so homesick, I started watching a ton of sports. During my freshman year, it was the first year of the Lakers’ “three-peat.” Hannah Storm was hosting the halftime show for every finals game, and she had these smart, witty conversations with other people about sports. I thought, “How do I do that job?” I applied to the Daily Bruin, and covered women’s tennis my sophomore year, football for my junior and senior years, and that led me on a path here.
To me, football is the greatest sport ever invented. It’s a chess match intellectually, and a physical gladiator sport at the same time. I think it’s such a unique combination of the physical and the mental. It’s a beautiful and brutal game.
Q What does a general counsel do in the world of football?
A In this stadium, when you see the Bud Light sign, there’s a big contract with Bud Light to put that sign up there. When you look at this beautiful field, we have to buy this turf or these seats. There’s also employee contracts, sponsorships, litigation, risk management.
Q What about your other roles?
A With our community impact work, there’s the 49ers Foundation, which essentially brings health and wellness to kids, primarily through our free, co-ed flag football teams. We also go into schools and do camps.
With fan engagement, we were the first team to start a platform for LGBTQ fans in all of professional sports. This year, I finally got to tap into my fashion designer dreams and design our Pride collection. We did the first ever genderless retail line in the NFL. For WON, the Women of the Niners, we do activities to recognize avid fans who may have not always felt invited into the NFL.
Q You probably get asked this a lot, but as a woman in a male-dominated industry, have you encountered sexism?
A Yes, of course. But when I talk to women in other fields, they’ve also encountered sexism. It’s not unique to football and other sports. There’s nothing about the game of football that is sexist. It’s just, this is the society we live in.
Q Have you seen a growing recognition within the NFL about the need to be more inclusive and be concerned about social justice?
Hannah Gordon is the chief administrative officer and general counsel for the 49ers, as well as the author of a new book, “SZN for Change.”
A Definitely. (At the 49ers) I don’t have a formal role in increasing diversity, but I enjoy doing that because it makes us a better business. We’re the first NFL team to introduce a diversity interviewing policy. When another team adopts a diversity interviewing policy or when another team starts doing LGBTQ Pride events, that feels like a ripple effect of the work we’re doing.
Q What have been really exciting moments for you at the 49ers?
A There are so many! Building this stadium is certainly one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever worked on. The first time we saw people come into the building, and it came to life for a game, that was thrilling. I would also say that winning two NFC championships was definitely among the highlights of my career.
Q Your baby is due in November. Will you take time off then?
A I am a workaholic, so one of the things is having to give up control for a period of time. My original plan was to take two weeks off, and people were like, “You are such a psychopath.”
Q Both with the 49ers and in your new book, “SZN for Change,” you’re focused on being a mentor and on the importance of promoting mental health. Does that focus come from your experience in sports?
A One of the many reasons I love sports is that there is such a passion for understanding how human biology and our brains work. To perform at an optimal physical level, you have to perform at your optimal mental level.
ARIC CRABB/STAFF