The last ten minutes of a basketball game, some sports fans say, are all you need to watch. That’s the real action; everything else is prep and prelude.

Not so, say others. What you see at the buzzer — whether blowout or nailbiter — has much to do with the beginning minutes.

A similar theme animated the dialogue at a panel discussion and leadership breakfast in August, hosted by Lincoln Road and the WNBA Chicago Sky. Speaking to a reunion of the Drake Scholars network, three leaders in the world of women’s sports celebrated the rising popularity that such sports are now enjoying, from the growth of the WNBA to the stellar performance of women athletes at the Paris Olympics.

But, they said, what looks like an overnight sensation is anything but. The groundwork for today’s success was laid more than fifty years ago. And, without that groundwork, they emphasized, we wouldn’t have what we have now.

“It took the passage of Title IX legislation in 1972 to make this a reality,” said Tina Tchen, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Impact Officer for the Obama Foundation. “It’s been transformative, and it goes to show why public policy and elections matter.”

In addition to Tchen and Ward, the audience also heard from Tania Haladner, Chief Marketing Officer of the Chicago Sky basketball team and Anne Sempowski Ward, Board Chair at CURiO Brands and an investor in the Sky. Michelle Dilley, CEO of AWESOME (Achieving Women’s Excellence in Supply Chain Operations, Management and Education) moderated the panel discussion.

The leadership breakfast was attended by more than 40 Drake Scholars, who gathered in Chicago from across the country for a networking and reunion weekend. The panel discussion was a closing event before the Scholars watched the Sky play the Las Vegas Aces at Wintrust Arena.

Many of the scholars are young women early in their careers. Ward reminded them to value the experiences they are having now as the base on which they will build—and to build a strong base.

“Wherever you are today is not where you are going to finish,” she said. “You may have a direction, but your life and career will change. Everything you’re learning now is foundational. Because what you are experiencing today is something that will help you later.”

Toward the end of the discussion, the panel took questions from the audience. Once again, the point was made about the merit of investing today in one’s future self and having faith in that investment.

“A lot of young girls give up sports in their teen years,” said Ward. “They do it for a variety of reasons; some don’t see a path forward; some don’t see the power.” Yet role models like the successful women athletes of the WNBA, Ward added, can help break that pattern, which is part of the significance of the rise in women’s athletics. So can “Boy Moms,” she said, who help young men grow up with respect for women and who become their allies as adults. But most important — at the beginning or at the buzzer — is to believe in one’s own worth. “You all have incredible influence,” she said. “Don’t ever forget that. Yes, you need to listen and learn. But you can always lead.”

Watch the video of the panel discussion here.