Hey LEAD Fam! Ellie here. I was so excited to do this second interview for GIRLS WHO LEAD with Kaylen Buschhorn, founder of “More Than Just Balls.” We talked all about her experience running a platform that aims to elevate women in sports while being a student-athlete at McDaniel College. Kaylen shared how she creates balance for herself, the lessons she’s learned, and where she hopes to see growth in the amazing world of women’s sports. 

Kaylen’s Instagram account @morethanjustballs has over 2,000 followers with the primary goal of promoting women’s sports and sharing how to watch and support during televised or live-streamed events. If you're like me and don’t want to miss an opportunity to support female athletes, check out More Than Just Balls. Let’s dive into our interview...

EF: So my first question is, when did you start More Than Just Balls? 

KB: So actually, funny story, I am a junior in college, so it was kind of a school project for my social media and rhetoric class, but it really just started off with an idea that I wanted to see more coverage of women's sports. It was September of last year, and it definitely grew with the pandemic like it was something that I always wanted to start and then having online classes I had a bunch of time on my hands. And so I was like, What can I do? I ended up turning in the assignment to make a blog for one week. 

All we had to do was make a blog post, but I kept it going and created a brand. And it just bloomed from there and then there were so many people that started following it. We have amassed over 100,000 unique viewers in January and February, so we're growing pretty fast. And we have followers, like John Cena, Billie Jean King, Lindsey Vonn, and Togethxr followed us the other day so that was pretty cool. Also, I say we, but it's literally just me alone.

EF: That's really cool. You kind of already addressed my next question, but what inspired you to create an account to elevate female athletes? 

KB: I’m a female athlete myself and in Division III, so I'm in a unique place where being a student-athlete is a big thing for us. They always tell us to branch out and do more, and I definitely saw with all the conferences that I was able to attend, being a D3 student athlete, the discrepancies between women’s and men’s sports. That was a big inspiration for me, but also my sister and I are both very avid athletes and avid spectators of women’s sports. And we found that it was so hard to find any women's sports coverage, and like most of the country, we eat it up, like women's sports are being consumed at such a high level. There's just not enough exposure. I wanted to help increase that with what I thought would just be a small, little account, maybe 100 followers. I was like, “Oh it’ll be fun.” But now it's blown up and I have so many great connections, and I think the women's sports industry is so close and so supportive.

EF: Yeah, I totally agree with that. What are your goals, both long and short term for your account and for yourself? 

KB : Okay, so I'll start with myself. Since I am a junior in college, I'm looking to go to grad school, hopefully focusing on sports management, but I do want to stay within women's sports. But I do have to say ever since I was young, I've always wanted to work in the NFL so that might be something that I explore. I am graphic design based and marketing based so that's where I will look for grad school and keep up More Than Just Balls. 

Where I see More Than Just Balls going, I don't know - I didn't think it would grow to where it is today. It’s been crazy connecting with others, getting different opportunities to promote different brands and products. So I'm hoping it just continues to grow and inspires young girls that they can continue playing in their sport and that they will be recognized on a high level. As we saw in the NCAA tournament, both for volleyball and basketball, there are discrepancies that are still blatantly obvious, and the change needs to be made and it starts with us speaking up and speaking out and so I'm going to continue to do that. I'm going to continue to use my platform and my voice to speak for those who don't seem to be spoken for right now. 

We’ve seen it especially with the NCAA, but it's also seen across the sports landscape with the WNBA or even women's hockey. It's just small things like that that we see, and I'm hoping to just break those barriers and showcase the women who are breaking the barriers as well.

EF: That's amazing. So, what’s one thing that you've learned from running More Than Just Balls?

KB: I always asked this question and I never really have a go-to answer because there is so much that I've learned. I've gotten a lot of hate comments from trolls recently just with what's going on with the NCAA and stuff like that. They are just endless. And I think what it's really taught me is to have a hard shell like a turtle, duck in when I need to but also like to stay out and keep speaking my mind. It is important what we're saying and there is back to back it up. I think definitely just staying strong, staying true to who I am and my beliefs and having those people behind me that'll back things.

EF: Yeah, those trolls are everywhere.

KB: They're everywhere! I even had one that created an account called More dot Than dot Just dot Balls. And they were trolling me with my own account name. Instagram took it down so it's okay, but I think just having that tough skin has really helped me to learn. And I think that'll be good in the long run when I'm in the workforce. 

EF: That just shows that people have nothing better to do.

KB: They're just sitting on their phones.

EF: How do you balance running the account, school, and being an athlete?

KB: It's definitely a lot of time management. I am also the Vice President of my sorority as well. So I kind of do it all. I also have two internships right now for graphic design. I think being online helps, so I get to set my own schedule, but definitely when my schedule’s set for me in the fall, it'll be a lot of time management and writing in my planner. Planners are big for me; I love a color coded planner. Alerts and alarms on your phone, and definitely just like checking in with others, so I don't get too bogged down with work. I like taking walks. Buying myself ice cream is one of my favorite things to do or sushi. It’s also having mentors that will tell you to back off when you're doing too much or help you out and I think something that I'm looking forward to doing this summer is working with my sister, when I'm home. 

I’ve definitely learned how much I can handle and when I need to back off, especially with the classes that I'm taking and all my other commitments. But I think definitely that's the best thing about DIII is, if I was DI I wouldn't have this opportunity to create More Than Just Balls because you are so locked down. But with DIII, my coaches, they follow the account and they're very supportive of it so I think it's really good to find those people that will support you. And then in turn will let you know “Hey, you're doing too much.”

I also wake up really early and get a bunch of stuff out of the way in the morning.

EF: Sometimes getting up early and getting it out of the way in the morning just makes you feel so good the rest of the day, and then you can just work on other things. 

KB: If I wake up at nine o'clock, I'm like okay my day is wasted, like I might as well hang out in bed the rest of the day. 

EF: Where do you hope to see women's sports go in the next five years? 

KB : In the next five years, I think it's a lofty goal but, I hope to see coverage reach at least 60/40. So 60% for men, 40% for women. I think it's an achievable goal. There was a study that came out recently that said women's sports will grow if they're given viewership, and we're all like, “Well thanks Captain Obvious,” like we've said that for years. But I think these new sponsors are coming on. We see Gatorade is doing a lot, Budweiser is doing a lot, and I think this is something that we've seen with the fan project. They're trying to promote women's sports and how good a business it is. 

This is something that Haley Rosen is doing a good job with for Just Women’s Sports. I think leagues popping up like Athletes Unlimited will help to promote this. I think ESPN and other networks like them are taking notice, like seeing the NWSL Challenge Cup broadcast on CBS network, but also every single game is being shown on Paramount Plus. We're starting to see brands and companies realize, and I think in the next five years, we can get to that 60/40 spot because we do have our male counterparts in the NBA starting to support and say no, this is wrong, like we need to be more.

EF: Yeah, I think that goal is totally achievable for women’s sports. 

KB: I think the growth that we've seen in the past year is just gonna keep going, like men's sports have less room to grow, but that's the best thing about women's sports - there's room for growth. So, there's only one way and that's up and out, and that's where we're headed.

EF: What advice do you have for the next generation of young women in sports? 

KB : I think it's to play with a chip on your shoulder, and live with a chip on your shoulder. So on that for the field that means: If someone tells you you can't do that well, go and show them why they're wrong. And same goes when you're in a boardroom or in the office or just in a cubicle like someone's going to tell you no, but let that fuel your fire instead of breaking it down. That's something I've had to learn growing up is because I've been told no multiple times, I’ve been told no it's not gonna work, I'm still told no every day. But the best way to achieve is to make mistakes and have people doubt you, because you'll have more motivation in the long run with those doubters. This is the most important lesson that I think the younger generation should learn because we're always told no, like women are told no you can't do that, no you can't do that. We're always told no, and the men, like I've heard the statistics many times, but men will apply for jobs that they aren’t qualified for, but women won't even apply for jobs that they're overqualified for because we're told no so often. And so I think it's just taking that step, taking that leap. Taking that initiative to be confident in yourself and go out there and just do it.

EF: That's really good advice. Okay, so now I have some rapid fire questions.

KB: I love that, those are my favorite!

EF: Favorite female athlete? 

KB: Oh my gosh. Well that's hard. Candace Parker 

EF: Favorite meal?

KB: Breakfast. 

EF: Favorite TV show?

KB: Oh my gosh. All-American right now.

EF: Coffee order?

KB: I don't drink coffee so passion tea lemonade.

EF: Oooh, that's good. Favorite sport to watch?

KB: I'm gonna have to say lacrosse, because I am a lacrosse player and I just find it so interesting.

EF: Mantra or motto to get you motivated?

KB: Do what others won't.

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