51��������

More Than a Game

Kat Reichert, CLA Public Information Office
November 21, 2025
cla-pio@alaska.edu

Jakki Padilla Brings WNBA Activism to the Airwaves

When recent 51�������� Professional Communication MA graduate Jakki Padilla sat down in front of the microphone for Cultivate Talk, she wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Sharing her thesis publicly, beyond her committee, beyond the classroom, felt daunting. “It was scary! Overall, though, it was rewarding!” she said. After nine months immersed in her research, she found the conversation flowed naturally. It felt like “a casual conversation between two scholars,” giving her space not only to revisit the project but also to share pieces of her academic journey that never made it into the final manuscript.

Padilla’s thesis grew from a single night of movie browsing, when she stumbled upon Power of the Dream (2024), Kim Porter’s documentary chronicling how WNBA athletes, particularly members of the Atlanta Dream, used their platform during the tumultuous 2020 season. As a lifelong fan of women’s basketball, she was immediately drawn in. “It is so powerful and amazing how 144 athletes of the WNBA impacted change not only within their organization, but for [the] whole state [of Georgia],” she said. That moment planted the seed for what would become a deeply analytical dive into the intersections of sport, communication, and social change.

To unpack that impact, Padilla turned to the cultural-economic model (CEM) by Curtin & Gaither (2007), which examines how communication, culture, and systems of power interact across five interconnected pillars: production, consumption, identity, representation, and regulation. “Everything is connected and much deeper than what meets the eye!” she said. Through qualitative content analysis, she revealed how WNBA players’ activism was intentional, collective, and strategically communicated, illustrating the ways athletes shape public discourse far beyond game statistics.

Her faculty recognized the significance of her work early on. “Jakki has such an in-depth knowledge of women's sports and a true dedication to social activism,” said Dr. Tori McDermott, assistant professor of Communication and a member of Padilla’s committee. “I knew it would add such important knowledge and nuance to continuing conversations about the role of sports in social activism and its connection to communication.” McDermott noted that the project began as a paper in a qualitative research course she co-taught with Dr. Amy May. “It has been great to see Jakki find her niche as an emerging communication scholar and start building her reputation nationally,” she added, pointing to Padilla’s published work and upcoming book chapters.

Padilla credits the MA program and its people for helping her find her voice as a scholar. “The Department of Communication is led by not only professors, but genuinely caring and supportive humans overall,” she said. Faculty provided resources, mentorship, and encouragement, but she emphasized it was up to her to make the most of each opportunity.

Her path into communication wasn’t linear. A chance encounter on a flight to Cabo with a woman named Mari from Seattle—serendipitously, a motivational speaker—who nudged her toward pursuing the field she had long been drawn to. “She told me, no offense, but you do not sound passionate about your major,” Padilla recalled. The comment struck a chord. She had already been thinking about switching, but felt hesitant. Mari encouraged her to “do the damn thing,” and Padilla has never looked back.

Today, she offers clear guidance to students hoping to use research to spark change: “Embrace all the opportunities and lean into the COMM-unity!” She recalls faculty who welcomed every idea on her thesis list and helped her craft a project rooted in both passion and purpose. Her message is simple: “Open-mind, open-heart, and dream big!” And her work demonstrates exactly what can happen when a student does just that.

Cultivate Talk, a podcast dedicated to exploring the depth and breadth of human communication, continues to highlight voices like hers, offering space for conversations that bridge scholarship, storytelling, and lived experience. To hear Padilla unpack her research firsthand, listeners can find her episode, More Than a Game: The WNBA and Activism, on YouTube and Spotify.

51�������� the 51�������� Department of Communication

The 51�������� Department of Communication offers a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, a Master of Arts in Professional Communication, and an accelerated BA-to-MA pathway for students ready to deepen their expertise. Students explore how communication shapes relationships, media, leadership, and civic life, then apply those skills through research, public-facing projects, and hands-on practice. With strong faculty mentorship and flexible program options, graduates leave prepared to thrive as thoughtful communicators and adaptable professionals.