MEET CHRISTINA
"Do what you love, not what you think you're suppose to do."
Christina E. Unkel, J.D, M.B.A is an entrepreneur, attorney, multi-business owner, and sports tv analyst/journalist. As a past NCAA collegiate soccer athlete and former FIFA referee, Christina has spent the past 17 years working and performing at the highest professional, international, and collegiate levels of the soccer game among the elite players of the world.
Her television broadcasting work includes covering the 2019 Women's World Cup at Fox Sports and European Football (UEFA Champions League and Europa League) for CBS HQ and Paramount+. Christina is also a journalist for The Athletic and CBS Sports covering referees, the laws of the game, and legal issues in sports.
Christina’s passion for the game has now shifted to be the President of the USL Super League Tampa Bay Suns FC - the FIRST women's professional sports team in the Tampa Bay Area. One of the most rewarding areas in her professional capacity is creating businesses that enable organizations, companies, and individuals to perform or develop high-performance mindsets aligned with purposeful impact. Founder of SPARQ Consulting, Christina focuses on diversity, equity, inclusion, and access to work by means of the “athlete mindset”.
During the on and off season of soccer - she is also a driven litigation attorney and managing partner of her law firm, Unkel Law, PLLC. Christina uses her keen knowledge and vast experiences to serve businesses and athletes across Florida.
She is a graduate of Palm Beach Atlantic, Stetson MBA Program, and Stetson Law. Christina has received numerous awards for her work, including, Sarasota’s Women of Influence, Best of SRQ Magazine Business Leader and Lawyer, Best of Lawyers in
Tampa Bay, Sarasota County Bar’s Presidents Award, PBA’s Top 50 Alumni, and FLSRC Hall of Fame. She has held several chair and committee positions in her legal and sports capacities and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the International Women’s Forum (Suncoast Chapter), The Tampa Bay Chamber, and active member of the Women in Sports and Events “WISE” (Tampa Chapter ).
Her proudest accomplishment however is being a mom to a fearless little girl. Christina resides in Sarasota, Florida with her husband, Ted, and daughter, Quinn.