Mentium Athletics and the LPFA Tour are proud to announce that Tom McCarthy of Progressive Sports Management, Inc. has agreed to become its first President & CEO, effective immediately. Well known and respected for managing the professional careers of numerous NFL and Olympic champion athletes through Progressive Sports Management, Inc., McCarthy, has focused the last several years representing some of the greatest female professional athletes, including Lisa Fernandez and Dr. Dot Richardson (1996, 2000 & 2004 Olympic softball gold medalists) and Misty May (2004 Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist).
"I am honored and excited to be leading the charge for the LPFA Tour. After many years developing opportunities for star athletes, I am thrilled to be directing a business team with the purpose of creating and promoting an enduring professional fastpitch platform,” McCarthy said. “Today’s fastpitch softball player has the skills and character for girls to emulate and the marketability for corporations to participate."
Experiencing the growth in women’s sports firsthand, the advancement of youth fastpitch softball and the rapid and continued skill development of Olympic softball players, McCarthy’s mission is to extend the reach and commercial viability of professional fastpitch softball. McCarthy is a pioneer in the representation and marketing of female athletes. He believes female professional athletes have a strong platform as role models. This is shown by corporate America’s increasing desire to have female athletes endorse their products and services. His aim is to continue that pattern.
Breaking down the barriers for female softball players within corporate America became a huge initiative for McCarthy, in representing fastpitch softball’s two greatest players, Dr. Dot Richardson and Lisa Fernandez. McCarthy, Richardson and Fernandez created many “firsts” in the softball industry. Their work lead manufacturers to brand private label bats, gloves, cleats, batting gloves, sweatbands and kneepads with their likenesses at most major retail stores. This, in turn, helped launch a boom in female specific products. Today, it has grown into a multi-million dollar industry.
About the LPFA Tour
The LPFA Tour festival weekend brings the world’s best professional fastpitch softball players together with amateur communities across the United States. During each festival weekend players, coaches and staff will incorporate youth and coach instruction, player mentoring and corporate endorsement into their schedule of games.
