White House Roundtable Celebrates Title IX’s 37th Anniversary

Today, the Women’s Sports Foundation represents the female athletes of the United States in a celebration of the anniversary of Title IX by visiting the White House for a special roundtable discussion.

“At 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23, the White House will be holding a 37th anniversary of Title IX roundtable featuring Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Education Secretary Duncan, Foundation founder Billie Jean King, first Foundation President Donna deVarona, former Foundation President Dominique Dawes, current President Jessica Mendoza, Foundation Government Liaison and former Trustee Lillian Greene-Chamberlain, Ph.D and CEO Karen Durkin.”

You can watch the roundtable at 2:30pm EST here. Also, the White House’s Facebook application will be streaming to the roundable live, here, where you can participate by adding to the chat.

To convey the message even further, check out the below video… which is….  frankly – awesome. I highly encourage other female sports bloggers to post this on their blogs as well today.

Watch the thoughts of seven champion athletes, Jennie Finch (softball), Natalie Coughlin (swimming), Brenda Villa (water pol0), Mariel Zagunis (fencing), Janet Guthrie (auto racing), Tatyana McFadden (paralympics), Jessica Mendoza (softball), read the Title IX legislation that grants opportunities to female athletes today. Congratulations to the Women’s Sports Foundation for creating it.

Powerful message conveyed by a beautiful cast through a viral medium. If you want to read more, visit the Women’s Sports Foundation.

Dads: Important role models for female athletes

While I know that not all female athletes have fathers (nor do they need them to be successful), I find it important on this Father’s Day to recognize the positive impact dads can have on the female athlete experience.

First, it’s important to point out that men make up the majority of female athlete coaches. While I understand the Women’s Sports Foundation’s POV on this issue continues to (rightfully) focus upon the lack of women in the profession (which is a problem), I also believe it’s important to talk about the men who do coach girls. Often times, these men are dads: supportive role models who have a vested interest in a woman’s future as an athlete.

Take, for instance, fathers like Richard Williams, the father of Serena and Venus, two of the most well-known tennis players in the world. Serena and Venus’ careers started on the Compton public tennis courts, where her father encouraged their development.

On the other hand, take a look at someone like Christine Brennan, renowned sports journalist, best-selling author and commentator.She recently published a book titled Best Seat in the House: a Father, a Daughter, a Journey through Sports (click that link to hear a GREAT podcast wth Christine that WomenTalkSports co-founder Ann Gaffigan recorded).

And on the personal side,  I must give tribute to my own father. For as long as I can remember, I spent the better part of my early youth following my Dad around trying to be just like him.

From an early age, he coached me in basketball, softball and soccer. That’s what got me involved in sports in the first place. Plus, I loved having him on the sideline supporting me each game and practice. His dedication (along with my mom’s) can be attributed to my successes later in my career.

One of the most important conversations I ever had with my Dad occurred during my senior year of high school. I remember it was the summer and we were sitting in the car on the way home from an AAU tournament. I remember feeling frustrated because I couldn’t decide which college I wanted to attend. I had the opportunity to attend a few division II  and  division III schools.

I remember him telling me not to think about basketball, and to focus upon the “experience” or “journey” that I would go through. That was exactly what I needed to hear.

So I chose the division III school where I obtained the “full package” – a great education, awesome friends, and an athletic career where I could maintain balance in other areas of my life, close enough where my parents could come see me play regularly. To date, I don’t regret that decision, and I thank my Dad for giving me the advice that he did that day.

So this goes out to all the fathers of female athletes today – thank you for your advice and support. Your commitment to us means the world. Keep doing what you’re doing. We need you.

Live blogging from Washington Mystics vs. Chicago Sky game, Saturday June 20, 7pm

I will be live blogging from the Washington Mystics vs. Chicago Sky game tonight at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC at 7pm.

This is a special day for the Maryland/Washington, DC area. Why? Because two local stars will be facing each other: Marissa Coleman of the Washington Mystics and Kristi Toliver of the Chicago Stars.

Toliver and Coleman were teammates on the University of Maryland this past year – local and national favorites to advance the club in the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately, their journey was cut short with a loss to Louisville in the elite eight.

During the NCAA tournament, Graham Hays from ESPN described the Toliver/Coleman popularity, saying,

“There are times when the things Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman do on a basketball court make it difficult to believe your own eyes. But in person, it doesn’t take a replay to verify the moment. All you have to do is listen for the roar.”

I plan to see that roar again today as the two local stars revisit their home city. I anticipate to see local girls basketball teams filling the stands, including my own, the 14U Classics AAU club of Bethesda, MD, as the WNBA, understood how my girls worship Coleman and Toliver and graciously invited us to witness their reunion.

Unfortunately, Coleman, the most promising rookie on the Mystics – averaging 12.7ppg, suffered a high ankle injury during a practice scrimmage last week. She’s out 4-6 weeks.

However, I am looking forward to seeing Toliver play. Though she’s only averaging 3.5 ppg so far for the Sky, she is expected to make an immediate impact on the club this season.

A piece in the Chicago Tribune earlier this month quoted Kristi’s coach, Steven Key, speaking very highly of her,

“Kristi Toliver is an unbelievable talent. She’s got a lot of skills,” said Sky coach/general manager Steven Key of his first-round draft pick from Maryland. “She can shoot the three and she has an unbelievable eye for her teammates.”

It just may take some time for her (and her teammates) to adjust over the course of this season.

Other players to watch today will be:

Washington Mystics:

Alana Beard – A graduate of Duke in her sixth year with the team, Beard is the Mystics biggest offensive threat as the leading scorer, averaging 17.3 ppg.

Crystal Langhorne – another local favorite, Langhorne, a Maryland graduate, led the Terps to a national championship in 2006. At 6′2,” Langhorne leads the Mystics in rebounds, averaging over 8 per game, and is third leading scorer, averaging 10.3 ppg.

Monique Currie – In her fourth year with the league, Currie is a graduate of the Duke women’s basketball powerhouse. Another strong team leader, Currie averages 7 ppg so far this season.

Chicago Sky –

Jia Perkins - A Texas Tech graduate who has been playing in the WNBA since 2004, though she skipped her first year due to the birth of her daughter. Perkins now leads the Sky with 19.8 ppg. And, at only 5′8″, she grabs an impressive 5.8 rebounds per game.

Sylvia Fowles - A Louisiana State grad in her second year with the league, goes by the name “Big Syl” as she towers a height of 6′6″. She averages 15.5 ppg and grabs 8.8 rebounds per game.

Candice Dupree – A graduate of Temple in her fourth year with the WNBA, Dupree, 6′2,” already averages 15ppg for the Sky.

Looks like a good game. Be sure to check out the live blog via WomenTalkSports.com.

5 reasons female athletes should engage online

If you’re a female athlete (or you represent female athletes), I have provided five key reasons you should get online and start talking about your life, your sport, and maybe even your brand.

1) You’re creating and controlling your own voice. Today, athletes can no longer rely on traditional media to cover their stories and extend their brands. Instead, I’m afraid you have to do it on your  own, ladies. Some of you are doing it really, really well. Even when you  get cut.

Take for instance Chantelle Anderson who tried out for the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream and got cut. She, prior to getting cut, not only created a name for herself by blogging on Yardbarker, but also continues to voice her opinions about the situation  to a huge audience of followers. Personally (and I know this is not right) but I think the Dream should have kept her, in addition to her talent, she has a following that (maybe) could have transitioned into ticket sales and increased attention, something the struggling league desparately needs.

2) Your fans want to hear from you. I’ve had this argument before with other bloggers – I’m a firm believer that female pro athletes need to engage directly with their fans online. Why? Because they want you to.

Take for instance Kathleen Hessert’s recent post on female racecar phenom Danica Patrick’s entrance into the Twitter-sphere. In this post, Hessert, CEO of Sports Media Challenge, mentions that prior to her first tweet, Patrick had 2,700 followers, which, she says, “illustrated the demand for her to communicate and connect with her fans in this relatively new medium.”

I agree with Hessert. Patrick’s list of followers (now over 15,000)  indicate that she not only has a brand, but also a following. To take it to the next level, all Danica has to do is engage and participate.

3) Your advertisers may want you to do it. Danica Patrick is, according to Hessert, “the first person to launch on Twitter in conjunction with, and backed by a sponsor.” If this becomes a trend, it must be done so authentically and transparently, as there is high risk for backlash from the community. For example,  in a comment on Hessert’s post, sports media blogger Jason Peck says,

“I’m not sure how everyone feels about the term “sponsored tweets.” That term makes me think that her messages are somehow being influenced by Tissot. I think Tissot can occasionally be wrapped into messages, but not sure they should dictate what she actually says about them. If they are, make sure to be transparent about it.”

I wholeheartedly agree with Jason. The trick will be finding a happy medium between good branding and authentic participation in the online space.  It’s going to be tricky, but I think we’ll get there.

4) You’re joining a niche community. By blogging and tweeting, without even knowing it, not only are you communicating with your fans, but you’re joining an online community of other female pro athletes and advocates. By talking with this niche community, you’re developing relationships that the world can see, and that type of exposure reaches further than any advertisement in a print magazine can say about you.

5) You’re pitching your brand to a whole new industry of journalists. By becoming active online, you’re also talking to sports bloggers, who I like to call the  “sports journalist replacements.”

As previously mentioned, traditional media is on the decline, and the journalism industry is starting to see the effects. Newspapers can no longer afford their journalists, and popular sites  created by fans (and former journalists), known as sports blogs, are rising out of the woodwork and taking control of conversations. They’re filling gaps that traditional media doesn’t cover. We all know that traditional media doesn’t cover genders equally when it comes to sports, so this is our opportunity to shine.

I hope you find these helpful. I’m looking forward to seeing some comments with your reasons.

Blogs With Balls: Female sports community ignored, again

If you’re familiar with the mammoth multi-billion dollar male sports blogging scene, you’ve probably heard of A.J. Daulerio of Deadspin, Spencer Hall of The Sporting Blog or Dan Kellyand of the Bleacher Report.

Chances are, if you know these guys, you also know about Blogs With Balls. Why? Because they’re panelists. And chances are, (forgive me for stereotyping)… you’re a guy.

The first of its kind, Blogs With Balls is a an event occuring in New York City this Saturday, June 13. Sponsored by Yardbarker, this event will bring together some of the biggest names in the sports blogosphere for a one-day discussion on the space.

Topics include the future of sports media, leveraging social media, claiming earned media, the secret of success, content networks, financial return, and sports journalist vs. blogger.

While these topics are great ones and people in the industry would (and should) gain value from attending the event, I must point out that there is one serious problem. And if it is not addressed now, I fear that it never will be.

While some of the speakers on the agenda do include women, many of these ladies either work in the male sports industry or blog about completely men’s sports. Only one of the panelists actively blogs about women, and that’s Sarah Braesch, who, only as of a few nights ago, became an advisor to WomenTalkSports.com.

It is incredibly obvious that the female sports blogging community (yes, there is one) is seriously under-represented at this “sports blogging event.” In my opinion, if you’re going to use a gender-neutral term like “sports,” you had better include the other gender’s interests and not force us to live in a separate world. This is not only a common, significant oversight, but a dumb one, too.

As far as I know,  WomenTalkSports.com is the only network of female sports bloggers (writing completely about women’s sports).

Not one of its founders or bloggers was invited to this event. YardBarker (of which I am a member), HHR MediaGroup and every single panel moderator (including Matt Ufford, With Leather.com, Michael Tunison, KissingSuzyKolber.com, Dan Shanoff, DanShanoff.com, Sporting News, Matt Sebek, JoeSportsFan.com Dan Levy, On the DL Podcast) either did not realize this problem or chose to ignore it.

If you’re a female sports blogger, the very name of the event, Blogs With Balls, should – on some level – piss you off. Do you really think women are welcome or taken seriously at such an event? It’s not exactly welcoming for the gender that doesn’t (physically) have balls.

So I must ask those in the male sports industry – what do we need to do to be welcomed? This points to an even bigger quesiton – what do female athletes themselves need to do to be welcomed in traditional media coverage of sports (that doesn’t involve taking off clothes)? This, for example, would make a great debate topic for a panel this weekend.

Why were we excluded? Here’s my take – because that’s where the money is.  As I mentioned earlier in this post, male sports a multi-billion dollar industry. To date, the female sports industry is not at that level. Until women sports bloggers are recognized as part of a bigger, more diverse “sports community,” we will continue to rest in the shadows of our male counterparts.

I didn’t write about this topic because I hate men (I actually love them). I blog because I hope the opportunity to join this community is possible.

Until then, I’ll rest on Saturday knowing that Sarah will be there talking for me, and maybe next year, I’ll get the invite.

Sports Industry: Women and Minorities Wanted, Future Sole paves the way for sneaker designers

As a minority woman, recent college graduate and an aspiring sports journalist there is only one thing I am searching for; an opportunity.

This post is about opportunities for minority women in the sports industry, and it touches on a special sneaker design contest called Future Sole. While the registration deadline for this contest has already passed (6/1/09), there is still an opportunity for you to participate by voting for the winner. This post (hopefully) will give you reason to do so.

In order to paint the picture for how important this program is, I decided to share a little bit about my own life.

I posses a strong desire to make a name for myself in the sports communication industry, and by myself, I mean a strong African- American woman with a high passion for sports.  The last couple of weeks I have been searching day in and day out for a fall internship. “Sports Journalism”, were my initial keywords that I typed in many search engines, which then opened my eyes to other career paths, ones that I wasn’t aware of.

I stumbled across the NCAA career center, where I discovered the sports information director profession. Immediately I took a strong interest in the position, the job sounded appealing to my interests. However, I will be honest; the fine print at the end of all of the job descriptions grasped the majority of my attention and ignited my confidence.

The fine print read somewhere along the lines of ‘women and ethnic minorities strongly encouraged to apply’, which seemed to good to be true. After more internship searching, this statement became a reoccurring theme.

There is a lack of women and minorities in the sports media industry.

As an African- American woman that is striving to become successful in the industry that I love, I plan to be a force in breaking down the barriers, race and gender combined. I am confident that  I have the same dream as many other young female athletes; when I was young, I wanted to be a professional basketball player, until recently I realized the odds of that happening were slim to none.

I  decided not to give up; I just made the decision to take another road to the same goal.

I discovered my passion for writing, media, and sports. I switched my college undergraduate major from Health and Physical Education to Journalism, because I love to write I played basketball my entire life on the high school and collegiate levels.

I now have my B.A. in Journalism at the age of 23, and can proudly say that I’m the first in my immediate family to achieve a college degree. My brother (pictured with me above) is close behind, too, set to finish his degree in the next couple of years.

This is an accomplishment that I am very proud of, however, I will always look back and wish there were more opportunities and exposure along the way to guide me toward my dreams.

With a lot of hard work and some help from others on the way, I made out alright. But as a child, or teenager, they were non-existent.

I believe one of the keys to making a way for women in sports media is opportunity. My community and childhood surroundings didn’t introduce me to women’s sports; actually my middle school didn’t even have a basketball program (those opportunities came later – in junior high, high school and college).

But one thing I learned is that it isn’t too late to make change.  I plan to give back to the young ladies in my community, which is predominately African- American, and help them broaden their horizons.

On a larger scale, there are still individuals who have become successful, and are providing chances for the youth. Future Sole is an example of such an organization.

Future Sole is a sneaker design contest that was created in 2007 to give youth the access to the footwear design industry.

“When I was growing up, there wasn’t a forum to learn about the sneaker design industry or a community to share design ideas,” said Edwards. “Many kids don’t know a career in footwear design exists, so with Future Sole I wanted to open their eyes to the possibilities and show them how they can achieve it.”

- D’Wayne Edwards, Jordan Brand Footwear Design Director

Future Sole is a nationwide high school footwear design competition co-sponsored by Nike. The contest is in its second year, and the registration ran until 6/1/09. High school students between the ages of 14-19 were eligible for the contest. While the deadline for this has past, you can still participate by voting for the winner.

Why women? Because there are only 2% women of color collectively. The contest hopes to close the demographic gaps in the industry.

Lisa Leslie of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks is a sponsor of this program, and this really speaks to her ongoing support of minority youth trying to make it in the industry.

“I believe this program will  impact many kids lives in a very positive way. I think this is an awesome opportunity for any child who’s creative and loves to draw. I am happy to be a role model and have the opportunity to give back especially in my own community!”

What that says to me is there is another avenue for creative women (especially colored women) in the sports industry to take. Last years winners were two males, while that is awesome, maybe this year can be different, and two women can win the contest.

I can remember a good friend of mine always drawing pictures of cool sneakers when we were younger; he wanted to design sneakers. If he had access to an organization like Future Sole back then, he may have been able to pursue this dream.

For more information, please visit www.futuresole.com. To vote for a winner, click here.

Basketball teammates help girl with amnesia

Just saw this story on ABC’s World News. It’s a good one. Good enough to share it with you.

It’s about a girl named Kayla Hutchinson, who, at the age of 19 as a student-athlete at Walla Walla Community College, collided with a teammate during a basketball practice and suffered a concussion (very common).

A few days later, however, she started losing her memory, didn’t know where she was, and had responses similar to that of a toddler. She didn’t know where she was, and couldn’t remember anything from the 19 years of her life. Memories of vacations, graduation and holidays were all gone. On top of all of this, she couldn’t do things like make her lunch or get to class.

Who was there to help? Her teammates.

Hutchinson’s roommates, all female athletes, started recognizing the problem as soon as Hutchinson returned back to her downtown apartment. Hutchinson couldn’t feel her arms and didn’t remember her roommates’ names.

Her basketball coach was equally concerned.

“When I recruit these kids, I make a promise to their parents to take care of them, but you never think it’s going to be this. Every year I get 15 new children. Kayla is like a daughter. Every day when I wake up, my first thought is How’s Kayla?”

When the accident occurred, Kayla’s parents wanted to take her home to Idaho. But, as this news report on KomoNews.com says,

“they found a network of support so tightly woven around their daughter that to remove her would have been detrimental, they believed.”

Hutchinson’s teammates, coach, roommates and professors all helped to get her back on track. Last year, she was released to participate in most of the basketball practice drills. She’s writing and reading again.

If you missed World News, you can watch this again on ABC’s Nightline at 11:35pm ET for the full story.

Congratulations to Lauren O’Donnell, new head women’s swimming coach at Juniata College!

I’m proud to announce that one of our blog contributors, Lauren O’Donnell, has accepted the position of head women’s swimming coach at Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA.

Lauren is a former two-time All-American swimmer and six-time NCAA championship qualifier with five years of collegiate coaching experience. Lauren and I went to The College of New Jersey together, and we both share a love for female sports.

Congratulations, Lauren, and I’m excited to see some women’s swimming content in the blogs this year. If you want to read more about Lauren, her experience, and what she’s bringing to Juniata College, click here.

WomenTalkSports.com welcomes you to the “Twitter Lounge”

As many of you know, I am one of the co-founders of WomenTalkSports.com, so I am a bit biased when I write this post. However, our site has grown tremendously, and our new Twitter Lounge resource is so good that I felt the need to write about it in an effort to spread the word.

If you’re not already aware, WomenTalkSports.com is a female sports blog network that was created in early February of this year by myself (chief marketer), Ann Gaffigan at Steeplechics (chief tech director, who literally built the site from scratch) and Jane Schonberger of Pretty Tough (chief editor).

We created WomenTalkSports.com because we knew that there was not much discussion of female athletes online or offline, and we wanted to come together with other advocates and provide that voice. Each day, we acquire new members to our community (we’re now over 30 blogs), and together, we represent  a variety of sports, professions and interests in the women’s athletic industry. Read more

Will women’s boxing be included in the 2012 Olympic Games?

Read an interesting article on BBC this morning about a new possibility to include women’s boxing in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The story broke in Europe today after hearing International Olympic Committee president Jacque Rogge publicly back its inclusion.

AIBA, the international federation for amateur boxing, also supports women’s inclusion in the Games and will soon petition for official inclusion. Read more

Jacklyn Murphy’s “big sisters”: Northwestern women’s lacrosse team

Jacklyn Murphy is no ordinary 14-year-old junior varsity lacrosse player. She’s got a great story, one which I’m thrilled to say the New York Times told the world this past weekend.

In short, Jacklyn, four years ago, was a frail 10 year old being treated for a malignant brain tumor. Through a mutual friend, she developed a unique relationship with the Northwestern University Women’s Lacrosse coach, and then the team, who have since become her “big sisters.”

At the time, the lacrosse players developed a relationship with Jacklyn through cards, text messages and a signed media guide.  Taken back by her story, the Northwestern players “began playing for Jacklyn,” New York Times reporter Pete Thamel wrote. “Soon after it started winning national championships, four in a row.”

The team is now 21-0 this season, and two games away from its title. They beat Princeton on their home turf in an N.C.A.A. quarterfinal game Saturday afternoon, and will compete against Penn on Sunday in Towson, MD at 6pm ET.

The bond helped Jacklyn, too. Thamel writes, “the bond the Northwestern team formed with Jaclyn helped save her life. She is now a healthy 14-year-old freshman at Arlington High School in LaGrangeville, N.Y., where she plays junior varsity lacrosse.”

Denis Murphy, Jacklyn’s father, has since set up Friends of Jacklyn, a non-profit organization which “matches a child with a college or high school sports team based on geographic location.”

“There’s magic in what they’ve done for her,” Denis Murphy said. “I can’t tell you or put into words what they’ve done for her health.”

I highly recommend you read the full story titled Four-Time Champions, and All Jacklyn’s Big Sisters. In addition, below is a great Big Ten Network video where Jacklyn tells her story..

(Video) Christiane Amanpour on the importance of women in sport

Below is a video – created and distributed by the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) – of Christiane Amanpour, CNN Chief International Correspondent, on the importance of sport in the lives of women and girls.

It is vitally important that those in the public eye who support women’s sports continue to participate in opportunities such as these, regardless of how much/little they’re paid for doing so.

Props to WSF for making this video available and embeddable. I found this on WSF’s Facebook Fan Page. They’ve got some great content up there – highly recommend you promote it within your network. They also have a Cause Page – great way to recruit friends as engaged advocates. Enjoy!