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 off-field role in changing the way fans and the larger public think about football, both as a sport and a cultural institution. Since joining the 49ers in 2011, her portfolio has grown from being the team’s top lawyer to overseeing its work with community groups and fan engagement, and pushing for ways to make the team more inclusive, both in its front office and among its fan base.
One looming perception is that football’s diehard fans are macho, beer-guzzling men. Gordon rejects that perception, citing an NFL statistic that nearly half its fans are women. She also points to ways 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.
“From my perspective, being great at diversity, equity and inclusion, is just one aspect that is absolutely critical to your long-term strategy,” she said, during an interview at Levi’s Stadium.
Outside the 49ers, the “very proud” Oakland native and graduate of College Preparatory, UCLA and Stanford Law School is focused on being a mentor to women in sports and to others who want to enjoy greater success in life and work. In 2020, she published “SZN for Change,” a guided journal that offers daily exercises to help people refine their goals and identify steps for making lasting changes.
After working remotely for much of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gordon, who is expecting her first child in November, returned to the office last month.
Q Did you play sports as a kid? 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 half-time 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 I 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 So you began thinking of a career in sports then?
A Oh yeah, I thought, this is where I wanted to be. The summer after my first year of law school, I was a law clerk at the Raiders. The summer after my second year, I was at a law firm that did work for the NFL. I also worked for the NFL.
Paraag Marathe, EVP of football operations, was at the NFL Combine and started chatting me up. He asked me: “Would you ever want to come to the Bay Area?” I was like, “Yes I would!” About three months later, he called and said, “We’re creating this role, director of legal affairs.”
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 do you do in 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 In your time with the 49ers, have you seen a growing recognition within the NFL about the need to be more inclusive and be concerned about social justice?
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 certainly proud of things we’ve done in our organization. We’re the first NFL team to introduce a diversity interviewing policy (interviewing at least one woman and at least one woman of color for every business opening). So I think we’re always pushing the envelope. 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 Will you take time off when your baby comes in November?
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 in and outside of the 49ers, 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, so we can perform at optimal levels. To perform at an optimal physical level, you have to perform at your optimal mental level.
Q In your book, you also mention that you’re an abuse survivor. Do you want to say anything about that?
A I’m a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I do think journaling is one of the most important tools that we can give to young people, because all you need is a piece of paper and a pen. For a lot of abuse survivors, myself included, the average time before you disclose to any other human being that you’re an abuse survivor is 20 years. Journaling is a powerful tool.
Q As part of the daily journaling you recommend, why is it helpful for people to start by listing things they’re grateful for?
A When I think about what I’m grateful for, it completely changes my mindset going into the day. I think that affirmations are really powerful. Billie Jean King spoke at an event the NFL did for women when we hosted the Super Bowl. She said, “If you have a negative thought, I want you to immediately replace it with a positive thought.” If Billie Jean King said it, it must be true.
