Key takeaways
-Career reinvention rarely follows a linear path. It often starts by staying close to what you know and saying yes before you feel ready.
-The German market is increasingly defined by intentional visibility. Athletes, clubs, and organizations that actively shape their presence across media and digital platforms are setting the pace for sustainable growth and long-term relevance.
-The next phase of growth will be shaped by organizations willing to invest early, build audiences deliberately, and design fan experiences that reflect the culture of women’s sports rather than replicating men’s models.
Lisa Ramuschkat began her career as a professional field hockey player in Germany’s Bundesliga. Over the past decade, she has emerged as a leading voice in the country’s sports media landscape, working with platforms including Sky Deutschland, SPORT1, Magenta Sport, EuroLeague Basketball, and the DFL.
Alongside her on-camera work, she founded the podcast Team Lisa to highlight women in sport, engages in speaking and event moderation, and invests in initiatives that empower female athletes and entrepreneurs, such as the women’s football club FC Viktoria Berlin.
In the interview with WSC’s Merav Savir, she reflect on the abrupt end of her playing career, her reinvention in sports media, and how those experiences shape her views on women’s sports and audience engagement.
Identity shift after sports
For years, everything in Lisa’s life revolved around field hockey. Then, without warning, it was taken from her.
A coach told her she would not play again under his tenure, and “my career was over from one day to the next.”
I asked myself who am I as a person without this whole part of my identity.
Watch the full interview:
Reinvention through media
The next major chapter in Lisa’s life happened almost by accident. She joined a German TV network just as it began experimenting with social media. When the station was asked to produce native video content, someone needed to step in front of the camera. No one volunteered. Except for Lisa.
“I was like, okay, I guess I wouldn’t mind. I want to try it.” Saying yes opened the door to live broadcasting and on-camera roles across major sports platforms, and to a media career that has now spanned more than a decade.
Women’s representation and responsibility
Lisa’s growing visibility in sports media sharpened her view of how women athletes are perceived. Social media offers more control over representation, but with that control comes responsibility.
She saw that tension while hosting the field hockey European Championship. Many athletes called for stronger commercial support, yet kept their social media profiles private, limiting the exposure they were asking for.
The disconnect was hard to ignore. “Do you want to be relevant? Then that’s a part of what you have to do,” she says. Visibility, especially in women’s and niche sports, does not come automatically.
The why behind Team Lisa
The Team Lisa podcast grew out of a tension Lisa felt early in her TV career. Producers told her to “be yourself” on camera, but only up to a point. Authenticity was encouraged, as long as it fit within narrow boundaries.
“So you’re saying be yourself, but don’t really be yourself,” she says.
Rather than keep adjusting herself to meet those expectations, Lisa created a space of her own. One where she could speak freely, ask the questions she cared about, and reflect her perspective without compromise.
At first, she assumed that building something successful would require male athletes and mainstream reach. But that idea didn’t last long. What she was drawn to instead was creating room for voices that were consistently overlooked.
“I want a platform for those who are unheard,” she says. “For those who everyone is looking down upon.”
Optimism for women’s sports
Through her investment in Viktoria Berlin, alongside backing from Monarch Collective, a major US-based female-led VC, Lisa has seen firsthand the commercial possibilities of women’s football in Germany.
“This is legit business. You can make money here. And you’ve been ignoring this side of the industry – and society – for way too long.”
She is equally energized by recent structural shifts in Germany, including the formation of a new women’s football league framework that gives clubs greater autonomy to market themselves, tell their own stories, and build audiences on their own terms.
She also sees creative potential of women’s sports fandom, particularly experiences that move away from copy-paste versions of men’s games and create space for connection, culture, and new audiences.
This, to her, is where the next chapter of women’s sports will be written.
A message to the next generation
After years of hosting conversations with women in sport, Lisa has started to hear the same doubts surface again and again. “So many women lack inherent confidence and self-belief,” she says. “And I’m so tired of it.”
The women she admires most are not the ones without fear, but the ones who act in spite of it. “We’re all scared,” Lisa says. “Nobody you see on TV is better or stronger. They just found a way to do it scared anyway.”
That belief sits at the center of Team Lisa. It’s proof that fear does not disqualify ambition.
“There is so much joy on the other side of fear,” she says. “You just have to walk toward it.”
Watch the entire interview with Lisa Ramuschkat.
Actionable Insights
– Treat visibility as a responsibility, not a byproduct, especially in women’s and niche sports where demand must be cultivated, not assumed.
– Build platforms and fan experiences on their own terms rather than defaulting to copy-paste models from men’s sports.
– Normalize fear as part of growth and focus instead on creating environments where people feel supported to act in spite of it.
Cover photo by: Lisa
