WOW Owner Jeanie Buss Discusses The Importance Of Women's Wrestling

While Jeanie Buss is best known these days for her role as owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers, she's also made her mark in pro wrestling, as the co-owner of the promotion Women of Wrestling. Partnering up with WOW founder Dave McClane in 2012, Buss has helped WOW's notoriety, including producing multiple new seasons of the show, as well as securing a syndicated TV deal with Paramount Global to air WOW on 160 different US TV networks.

Speaking with "Sports Illustrated," Buss talked about the importance of women's sports to her, and how professional wrestling is something she feels can help with its growth. "It's important to see women's sports that can be self-sustaining," Buss said. "It shouldn't be just one start-up league that folds after five years and you never hear from them again. It's heartbreaking to spend time and energy on something that doesn't make it."

"Wrestling is part of our consciousness. And I've been a wrestling fan for a long time, since there was the crossover to pop culture with Cyndi Lauper and Captain Lou Albano in the 1980s. Wrestling has a global reach, and I wanted to invest my own personal funds into something that was sustainable and could develop an audience. Wrestling has always been able to do that." Buss invoked the 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King, which King won, as a major inspiration for her and what she feels women's sports can be. She believes her roster at WOW has the opportunity to have the same level of inspiration. "These women deserve a platform," Buss said. "I couldn't be prouder to invest in the product and be entertained by the stories of these star wrestlers."