On Tuesday, a group of leading executives in the sports industry launched the “SheIS” movement, an initiative centered on empowering female athletes, with the release of a PSA. The WNBA is at the forefront of the movement, working with other professional women’s leagues to support each other and use the power of sports to create a future of strong women.

Envisioned by Brenda Andress, Commissioner of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, SheIS features commissioners and presidents of numerous sports leagues in the USA and Canada. Representatives of WWE, Women’s Professional Lacrosse, National Pro Fastpitch, the National Women’s Hockey League and the United States Tennis Association joined Andress and WNBA President Lisa Borders at the WNBA offices in New York to take the SheIS pledge earlier this month.

Each league took the pledge to “be better, do better” for female athletics, promising to support the women’s sports outside of the one they are affiliated with.

“This is one of many things that the WNBA will do, and continue to do, to use our platform to perfect our craft in basketball and additionally serve beyond the court,” Borders said. “We’re building communities, making young girls and women stronger, and by definition making communities stronger.”

The vision of SheIS centers on progressive change from a place of positivity. Knowing sports have long been an avenue of creating strong individuals and leaders, the executives in professional leagues aim to make a profound impact on the future of women’s athletics.

As part of the campaign in April, Borders and Women’s Tennis Association CEO Stacey Allaster sat on a panel to discuss a variety of issues in women’s sports. When she was initially approached by Andress about the movement, Borders recognized the importance of working with organizations that share the same goals. She anticipates the leagues sharing their successful practices and assisting each other with the growth they desire.

“I have had the privilege of serving in public office, and one of the things you always do in the political arena is shore up your base, meaning you start with the people that are believers — those who stand with you without explanation, without any comment,” Borders said. “They just are immediately with you because they are aligned with your thinking, your values and your behaviors. So that is the premise here – there are women just like us who want to support their peer athletes across the sporting industry.”

Borders cited the example of Serena Williams, the tennis star who became an icon in her sport. The leaders in other sports will aim to learn from Williams’ journey to fame and incorporate similar strategies with their athletes. The leagues plan to use social media to promote the movement and support each other’s voices. In addition, they made a commitment to attend each other’s games and support the other sports’ athletes with the same passion as dedicated fans.

Through the initiative, the leagues aim to help increase young girls’ participation in sports.

“There are many skills that you garner playing team sports,” Borders said. “There is an Ernst & Young study where they talk with 400 successful women on four continents, primarily in top leadership roles. And 80 percent of those women said a great part of their success, they attribute to playing organized sports. So we know that there is inherent value in sports for the individual, and we certainly learn playing as a team to persevere.

“But for young women and girls in particular, it’s a confidence builder. If we can instill confidence in young girls that they can do anything they want to do from a very early age, we want to do that.”

In partnership with Fast and Female, the SheIS fund will be dedicated to developing youth athletes in the USA and Canada. The fund will receive donations from partners, key donors and the general public as these leagues work together to continue the advancement of girls and women through sports.

You can follow along and join the conversation using #SheIS on social media.