Car racing remains a male-dominated sport, but there are signs that there could be change coming down the road.
Only five female drivers have entered a Formula One Grand Prix, ten women have entered an Indy 500 race, and 16 women have driven in a NASCAR Cup Series. There’s hope for change, though, in the Formula E all-electric vehicle competition, which has already featured three female drivers during its seven seasons.
“Aside from gender, we’re all our individual characters,” said ROKiT Venturi Formula E team principal Susie Wolff. “There cam be boys that prefer ballet and girls that prefer cars, and it's just making sure that we make sure that the girls that are interested in the sport are getting the opportunity to enter and be successful.”
In 2014 Wolff became the first woman to participate in a Formula One weekend in more than two decades when she drove in a practice session. She now leads ROKiT Venturi’s team and a third team's members are women.
“It's hugely advantageous for me in my role now, the fact that I was a driver, because I know what it's like for the drivers in the car and I know the pressures they're under,” she explained. “And I also, from my perspective now, see what it takes to get the right environment, the right people on board to create that energy in the team which can be be such an important part of success.”
Adding women gives teams another vantage point, added ROKiT Venturi head of partnerships Chloe Bearman.
“I think being a female adds a different perspective and definitely the team I’m at right now, with Venturi, we're leading the way,” she said. “And we're showing that a team that is diverse, there's real strength in that.”
Forty-eight percent of workers for Formula E and member organizations are women. With electric cars emerging as the future of the automotive industry, the organization is hoping it can pave the way for further gender equality.
“The great thing is when you walk up and down that grid is that more girls feel like they can take part,” said Formula E chief strategy and business development officer Hannah Brown.
Gabe Laques, MLB Editor & Reporter, USA Today Sports, joins Cheddar Bets to offer up his expert opinions on the start of baseball season.
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Baseball is as American as — Apple TV+. The National Pasttime has a new media partner this season, as the MLB will be streaming Friday night doubleheaders on the Apple streaming service. Noah Garden, the league's chief revenue officer, spoke to Cheddar News to break down the details of what's being offered in the new package and why Major League Baseball felt the need to make the move this year. "We've been in a situation where we've lost reach, even within the cable bundle. There are situations where people in the local market don't have access to watch their favorite team and their local team on top of that," he said. "You have cord cutters and even probably more importantly, cord nevers. So streaming offers of some ability to gain reach that we've lost over the the last couple of years, and Apple was really the perfect partner for us."
The 2022 Masters Tournament is slated to begin on Thursday, and one of golf's most iconic players is set to return to Augusta National, just 14 months after a devastating car accident. In a press conference, Tiger Woods told reporters that not only is he planning to play in the tournament, but that he also thinks he can win. Cam Rogers, national sports betting and golf analyst, and host of 'Lock It In'
for the Bleav Podcast Network, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
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Catching you up on what you need to know on April 4, 2022, with reports of Russian war crimes in Ukraine, a weekend shooting in Sacramento killing six and injuring 12, Mexico ending its gas subsidization for U.S. drivers, and the University of South Carolina winning the women's NCAA basketball championship, and more.
Between Bells EP Conor White recaps some of the biggest stories of the week, while Baker Machado and Hena Doba test their knowledge, and maybe learn a thing or two. It's This Week in Trivia!
David Salituro, MLB and PGA sportswriter for Fansided.com, joins Cheddar Bets to break down his favorite futures bets in the MLB and at The Masters.
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For the first time in the history of the storied men's college basketball rivalry between Duke University and the University of North Carolina, the two teams will be meeting directly in the NCAA tournament — and in the Final Four! Sean Green, the co-founder of the Sports Gambling Podcast Network, joined Cheddar to give his take on the possible final game of legendary Duke coach, Mike Krzyzewski. "Now, if you recall, UNC actually beat Duke in Coach K's final home regular-season game, so revenge is going to be on the mind of Duke in this Final Four game, and I think they have the best of UNC. I like them laying four points," Green said. He also picked Villanova with an upset win over Kansas.
