For over twenty years, Amanda Gunville lived in the high-stakes world of the NFL. Working alongside legendary agent Leigh Steinberg, she was surrounded by icons like Warren Moon and Patrick Mahomes. Football wasn’t just her career—it was her everyday language. But after a two-and-a-half-year battle with cancer, Amanda returned to the game with a perspective that would change everything.
Sitting down to watch a game after years of intensive chemotherapy, Amanda felt something she never expected: she felt lost. The pace was faster, the rules had shifted, and the “insider” language felt like a barrier.
“If I spent two decades at the highest level of the professional game and felt overwhelmed after a break, what must millions of women feel who were never invited into the huddle in the first place?” Amanda asks. That moment of personal disconnect sparked a realization: there was a massive gap in sports culture, and it wasn’t about a lack of intelligence—it was a lack of inclusion.
The Problem Hiding in Plain Sight
Nearly half of the 180 million football fans in America are women, yet many find themselves “standing when everyone else stands”—nodding along to conversations they don’t fully understand.
Amanda began noticing this even among her most successful peers. “I have a close friend who is a brilliant entrepreneur—she actually built a multi-million dollar athletic apparel company,” Amanda says. “She’s athletic and savvy, yet she admitted she had no idea what was actually happening on the field. She was watching for her son, but she was missing the story. That’s when I knew I had to build a bridge.”
A New Category: Sports Fluency
This gap became the foundation for Champera, a platform that moves beyond “sports education” and into Sports Fluency. Amanda isn’t interested in lecturing; she positions herself as your smartest, funniest friend on the couch, breaking down the game in real-time.
Her flagship program, the Football Fluency Method, simplifies the complexity of the game into approachable modules like “See Players, Not Just Jerseys” and “Think Like a Coach.” By making the first module free, Amanda is removing the “gatekeeping” that has kept women on the sidelines.
The Philosophy of Joy and Empathy
Amanda’s unique teaching style is deeply rooted in her recovery. During her cancer journey, she authored her book, Finding Hope & Joy in Cancer, and established a nonprofit to get those books into the hands of others facing similar battles.
“Whether I’m helping someone navigate a scary diagnosis or explaining a complex defensive strategy, my approach is the same: use humor, empathy, and relatable stories to make intimidating things feel manageable,” she explains. This emotional throughline is what makes Champera different—it’s about using joy to build confidence.
Depth Beyond the Sidelines
While her years with Leigh Steinberg gave her a masterclass in the psychology of elite athletes, Amanda’s sports background is incredibly deep. Her career began in college, where she simply walked up to a cameraman and asked how to get a foot in the door. Before she was an industry fixture, she co-founded her own agency, managed high-level hospitality for the Super Bowl and Formula 1, and worked as a stage manager for FOX Sports and ESPN.
She isn’t just someone who “worked in sports”—she’s someone who knows exactly how the stadium runs from the ground up.
The Vision for the Future
For Amanda, sports fluency is a form of cultural currency. It’s about the professional woman who wants to lead the Monday morning quarterback talk at the office, or the mom who wants a deeper connection with her son’s obsession.
As she builds Champera, Amanda is looking toward aspirational growth through partnerships and media expansion that redefine fan engagement. She isn’t just teaching a game; she’s creating a world where women feel like they belong in every room—and every stadium—they enter.
Her message remains clear: “You aren’t behind. You were just never taught this way before.” With Champera, Amanda is finally making sure the most exciting conversations in sports have room for everyone.
This article is published on Good Decisions
