The Broadsheet: September 15th

September 15, 2014, 11:30 AM UTC
Fortune

Good morning, Broadsheet readers. In three days, Fortune will announce its 2014 Most Powerful Women in Business list. Email me at caroline.fairchild@fortune.com with your prediction for this year’s #1 woman. Have a great Monday!

EVERYONE'S TALKING

 Hillary Clinton returns to Iowa. The former Secretary of State traveled to Iowa over the weekend to support retiring Democratic Senator Tom Harkin at his annual steak fry fundraiser. Clinton had not returned to Iowa since she lost to President Obama in the state's 2008 presidential caucus. While she likely will not announce her presidential plans until early 2015, many voters came out to show their support. One super PAC posted blue "Ready" signs at the steak fry to promote Clinton's presumed 2016 campaign. HuffPost

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

 Christine Lagarde to Japan: Good work, but not enough. The International Monetary Fund head praised Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's efforts to get more women in the workplace, but she said there is still much work to be done. “I know that some efforts are underway here, but I believe there is scope to go further,” Lagarde said Friday. “Excluding women simply makes no economic sense." WSJ

 Nicole Brown’s sister: Pistorius is another O.J. Denise Brown, the sister of O.J. Simpson's ex-wife who was murdered in 1994, wrote on Time's website that it saddens her that "we are still seeing the same crimes, just different names, over and over again." Last week, South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius was found not guilty of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.   Time

Facebook's top content cop talks censorship. "It is a tremendous challenge to maintain a set of standards that meet the needs of a community as diverse as ours," says Monika Bickert, the head of global policy for Facebook. Bickert says because of blunt nudity policies at Facebook, certain photos -- including of women breast-feeding -- can be taken down by accident. Re/Code 

 Viola Davis steps out. After years of supporting lead actresses, the Oscar-nominated star finally will get her shot at a leading role. This fall, 49 year-old Davis will star in the new ABC series How to Get Away With Murder. “I always got the phone call that said: ‘I have a great project for you.' Then I get the script, and I have a role that lasts for a page or two," says Davis on the lack of leading roles written for black women. How to Get Away With Murder includes Shonda Rhimes among its executive producers and will air on Thursday nights. NYTimes

BROADVIEW

Corporate sponsors stay, but #Goodellmustgo

The campaign to oust NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is getting more heated by the day.

Women's groups are aggressively rallying for the commissioner to resign, and the hashtag #Goodellmustgo has taken off on social media. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand added her voice on Sunday by saying that there should be congressional hearings on the NFL's handling of the scandal, while Maureen Dowd weighed in to say that Goodell must resign. ESPN anchor Hannah Storm also gave a passionate monologue on air that questioned the NFL's values and integrity. 

In the wake of all the negative attention, the NFL head made a last-minute decision on Sunday to not attend the regular-season opener for the San Francisco 49ers at the new Levi’s Stadium. 

Yet despite the rising chorus of voices against Goodell, the commissioner likely will remain in the top post for one lucrative reason: corporate sponsors. As long as Anheuser-Busch, PepsiCo, Microsoft, Verizon and others continue funneling a collective $1 billion into sponsorships for the league's games, Goodell will probably stay put.

For the commissioner to be forced out, the sponsors may have to demand it. While Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam has voiced his support of Goodell, executives at other big NFL sponsors have remained quiet. While it is highly unlikely, I wonder if someone like PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi or Microsoft CFO Amy Hood would ever join the growing campaign of powerful women against Goodell. Only then, I believe, will the NFL act. 

What's your take? Tweet at me @CFair1 with #Goodellmustgo and your thoughts. 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

 'Support the player and be quiet.' Tracy Treu, the wife of former Oakland Raiders center Adam Treu, shared with Mother Jones her thoughts on why Ray Rice's wife Janay has kept quiet throughout this entire controversy. "This is what Janay Rice was risking: embarrassing the Ravens, embarrassing her family, screwing his teammates out of their prized running back, losing money, losing security," wrote Treu. Mother Jones

Female partisan divide shrinks. Democrats continue to hold an edge over Republicans among women voters, but the margin is lessening. While it's not clear why women's views are leaning slightly more to the right, a growing concern among female voters over national security issues may have something to do with it. WSJ

 Why the gender gap will close. Research shows that women are perceived as easier to be taken advantage of, which could lead to lower pay. But as more women make it to the top of their respective industries, these sexist views about women are becoming less common. NYTimes

ON MY RADAR

Hillary talks paid family leave  WSJ

The next women's movement is integrating men Forbes

Lingerie shopping with True & Co. CEO  Fortune

The most powerful women in Chicago  Crain's 

Shirley Muldowney is changing car racing for women  ESPN

3 things I learned at a women’s conference that included men  Bizwomen

QUOTE

When I was younger, the people I worked with were often hesitant about giving women feedback. Maybe they figured we would break down and cry. I once walked into the office of an executive I worked for and said: You owe it to me to tell me what I can get better at. I know I’m not great at everything. I need you to give me feedback. I found that once I did that, it opened the floodgates, and they were willing to talk with me about what I should work on.

American Water CEO Susan Story.