President Obama: Draws up women’s basketball bracket

President Obama acknowledged the female basketball community today by actually FILLING OUT A BRACKET!

Step in the right direction, and certainly sets an example for the rest of the country. There are TWO championships going on people!

Hat-tip to Christine Brennan at USA Today for writing about the story.

To get involved in a bracket challenge, join us at WomenTalkSports.com (there will be giveaways!)

Brittney Griner throws controversial punch

Baylor’s star freshman (yes, the one that dunks), Brittney Griner, made headlines today – but not due to her talent on the basketball court.

During a game on Wednesday (that was being filmed on ESPN), Griner threw a punch at Texas Tech’s Jordan Barncastle. Right in the face. (ouch!)

Brave move as a freshman. Mechelle Voepel wrote a really good piece on this on ESPN.com. I highly suggest you check it out if you’re interested in a full digestion of what this means for Griner’s future career.

NCAA and social media: Friends?

I’d like to extend a huge “welcome!” to NCAA collegiate athletic departments – it seems that this year, you may have finally realized the power of technology in bringing fans into your stadiums. Well, at least some of you have.

What am I talking about? Well, apparently, a panel of [experts?] convened at an NCAA education session and came up with the following finding:

“Programs willing to invest in effective communication can reap far greater support than at any time in their history.”

Couldn’t agree more. I’m just left a little confused as to why it took a panel of experts AND so much time to figure this out. These tools have been around forever. The only thing I can come up with is that there are some weird regulations out there that I don’t know about. Or athletic departments weren’t willing to lose control of their information. But now they don’t have any choice, and control is being relinquished. I guess that’s innovation?

NCAA institutions (especially schools which have strong female programs) should be doing everything they can to get fans, even if that means going online. Free tools exist, starting with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. These are ways to connect with people and keep them engaged, and sports fans are some of the most faithful users. Embrace it.

So I have to ask the question -  sports information directors, where the heck have you been?

You’ve got a lot of work to do. You need to show me why my friends and I should care about you. What makes you different and cool? What makes you indispensable?

The NCAA panel was right – unlike any other time in history, there’s a huge opportunity here. But like the millions of Americans who are out of work or suffering in the economic depression, you’ve got some proving to do. Here are a few things to think about:

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Brittney Griner dunks in Baylor game

…wow. Even made Deadspin. Yikes. This kid has a future.

WNBA uses crowdsourcing to pick new name for Tulsa

I was impressed when I visited the WNBA Facebook Fan page today. They’re using crowdsourcing techniques to have the audience pick the next name for the new team in Tulsa, Arizona. This is what I saw:

 

Very cool. This type of technique makes me feel engaged. There’s a direct call to action, and I feel like I’m a part of this “naming” process. Looks like other fans enjoyed this functionality as well (92 comments, 142 people “liking” the post by showing their support).

When you click the bit.ly link (smart to use Bit.ly because you can literally track the link’s performance in a variety of networks), you’re brought to a WNBA page and asked to fill in some personal information (a little too much personal information, but I was willing since I respect their organization).

Then, I could vote. I picked Tulsa Tempo. Who would you pick?

Note: This blog post is part of a series discussing my experiences with social media as they relate to advocacy issues that highly affect the women’s sport sphere. This is an assignment for a class I’m enrolled in as part of John’s Hopkins University’s Digital Communications program.

WNBA Champions Video: Phoenix Mercury

… in case you missed it live last week, the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury won their second title in three years. Excellent accomplishment, and performed in front of a packed house. The video below tells the story.

ESPN’s Nancy Lieberman told me, “It was fantastic. Our ratings went through the roof.”

Congratulations to the WNBA for a truly special season.

We expected great, and that’s exactly what we got.

Can’t wait for next season.

Audio interviews: Women’s Sports Foundation’s red carpet event

Check out some of the interviews from the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Annual Salute to Women in Sports red carpet event last night… (Click links below pictures to listen to the interviews).

Apologize in advance for the lack of “depth” in my questions (interviews are very short). Please understand I was being trampled upon by other media personnel and didn’t have enough time to prepare. However, that said, there are some great quotes here and definitely worth listening in.

Jessica Mendoza Interview
Softball left fielder and Women’s Sports Foundation President Jessica Mendoza discusses the importance of social media in female athletics.  Jessica is an avid member of WomenTalkSports.com and is responsible for inviting me to the red carpet event.

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Nancy Lieberman Interview
Nancy Lieberman, ESPN women’s basketball analyst/Olympian discusses the “family” of female professional athletes and the importance for women to continue to support the Women’s Sports Foundation.

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How to increase attendance to women’s basketball games

The other day, I received an interesting question from a reader of WomenTalkSports.com. The individual, a college student, said:

“I’m working on a project to increase attendance at a women’s basketball tournament. Because this is your specialty, I was hoping you could offer any available tips or resources you’ve encountered on the best way to achieve this.”

To be completely honest, I didn’t know a good answer to give him. My personal feeling, as an ex-college basketball player, is that it’s a complex issue that involves many social, cultural, athletic talent and (obviously) financial factors.

Stumped, I crowdsourced the question to my fellow bloggers of the WomenTalkSports community and tweeted the question via twitter.com/womentalksports.

Below are some of the responses I received. What are your thoughts? Interested in continuing this conversation, as many of my friends found it worthwhile to answer.

Question: What are some ways to increase attendance to women’s college basketball games?

Answers….

@loisheilig: “That is a tough question. But if there were more games on TV someone might
watch & decide they would like to go see one. And keep the prices down.”

Sports Girl Kat: (speaking from her personal experience): “Giveaways such as such as iPod Touches, a pair of Red Sox tickets, gift certificates, and a semester’s worth of textbooks.” “T-shirts, free popcorn and soda, as well as competitions between students.”Have a student DJ spin between warm-ups and the game. Dare really popular students to bring as many friends as possible – if they bring 15, they get a coupon for several pizzas. Find out what your non-sports fans will come out to an non-sporting event for, and offer that inconjunction with a basketball game.”

Jayda Evans: (speaking with WNBA perspective) “I would have thought the W’s Live Access would helped, but only a few games aired without constant buffering. If you can’t get coverage, you have to see the product to develop some sort of connection that pulls you to the arena. I’d also say more weekend matchups and probably day-time starts during true summer months. More families can attend games without disrupting kids’ sleep sked. Lastly, I’d say drop some prices down or offer more perks with the ticket. Even college ball in some areas are trying to entice and people love free stuff or the feeling of getting a real good deal.”

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WNBA playoffs begin September 16

Great video from the WNBA. Watch the playoffs!!

Inspiring women and an inspiring league

This past week, I traveled to Chicago for a wedding and a work trip. Just as I pulled out of my place in DC, I tweeted my status, “En route to Chicago.” Among responses from friends wishing me safe travels came an email from one of my WNBA contacts inviting me to their Inspiring Women luncheon in downtown Chicago the next day, should I have time to swing by.

The event was great. One of the major accomplishments of the event is that it provided an opportunity for the league’s sponsors to come together for a nice lunch. Watching the WNBA President, Donna Orender,  greet everyone (including me) by name with a smile is quite an experience.  It exemplifies how the league tries very hard, despite criticism, to make everyone feel like family. The event also shows that the league supports inspiring women in society, too.

The WNBA honored Cokie Roberts, senior news analyst for NPR News, political commentator for ABC News, and best-selling author.

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My night at the Liberty game… and you’re invited to a discount, too

“AND HERE ARE YOUR NEW YORK LIBERTYYYYY!”  Those words by the announcer got the crowd rockin’ Thursday night at Madison Square Garden as the New York Liberty hosted the Washington Mystics.  This post will tell you a little about my experience and gives a great offer for an experience of your own.

I have to admit, last night’s game was only my second WNBA game and coincidentally, it was my second Liberty game.  I had courtside tickets for the first time ever, thanks to a recent contest on WomenTalkSports.com.  After last night I realized that everyone sitting around me who were also court side, seemed to all know each other.

It was like the court side fraternity.  No wonder all the celebrities hang out there, it’s a great place to be!  Fans were high-fiving each other and talking to the players each time they’d run down the court.

Speaking of fans, upon first glance, the only one-third filled Garden didn’t seem too intimidating, but I have to say, once the game started those loyal fans can really make some noise.  Although the majority of the first half the Liberty were taking quite the beating, the crowd would still cheer like crazy when something went their way.

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This week: New York Liberty tickets giveaway contest; sports industry career fair

Check it out – there’s a giveaway for tickets to the 7/30 New York Liberty game vs the Washington Mystics over at WomenTalkSports.com.

If you work in the industry and you live in New York, it may benefit you to attend the Liberty’s career fair being held this Thursday, July 17. Reps from a number of sports organizations will be there.

Good luck on the contest! If anyone attends this week’s career fair, please let me know how it went!

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