WomenTalkSports Xbox Nadal Preview

Nadal is a very cool (new) game about to be released by Xbox. I was invited to go to a party in NYC this past week and check it out along with other WomenTalkSports.com writer Lesley Higgins. We both loved it.

You might ask about what this has to do with women and sports. As you can see in the preview of the game below, there will be sports games on the system. Although we didn’t get to try any of them, they look pretty cool! This is a good, creative way to get young girls physically active at home, as well as engaged and excited about sports.

Excited for Nadal to come out! I might have to buy an Xbox for this…

How YouTube Direct could change sports broadcasting

Some recent, exciting news – YouTube Direct launched. This post discusses why it’s important for those in the sports world to pay attention to it.

Essentially, YouTube Direct is a platform which allows media sites to permit users to upload videos to YouTube without leaving the media site (see picture to the right). So far, those to take advantage of this new (free) API are mostly traditional news sites – The Huffington Post, NPR, Politico and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Why should people in the sports world care? It all has to do with broadcast media and the diversification of sporting event content.

(First, if you haven’t done so already, read my recent post on NCAA and social media: Friends?.)

Here’s my thinking…

One of my key criticisms of (some, not all) NCAA athletic departments was the fact that many of them aren’t open to the idea of sharing. In particular, I think they don’t broadcast their video content online nearly as much as they should. By limiting themselves to their local markets, they’re limiting their reach to a small, geographic area.

On the national level, let’s face it – not all sports are broadcast on TV. First, there’s just not enough space and licenses. Primary spots are given to “primary” sporting events. Meanwhile, all the others stay within the reach of their local media (which can be quite limiting).

But in both of these situations, there are a few constants – the fans and the athletes.

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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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Sports bloggers: We’re not hermits, after all

This blog post is part of my ongoing weekly series discussing the role of social media and female athletics.

A recent post on TechPresident.com explains that new research by Pew says the Internet has not made us all hermits, after all.

That’s right, fellow twitter-ers and blog readers. We’re not the big dorks sitting alone in our parents basement typing away after all.

The full study/evidence can be found here on Pew.

Nancy Scola reports, “This is the sort of research that helps flesh out the promise of using connective technology to build civil society and the political realm.”

In short, the Internet – blogs, email, mobile phones, Twitter, Facebook – it’s not pushing us all apart. It’s bringing us together.

Maybe that’s why I’ve made over 70 new friends over the past year on WomenTalkSports.com. That’s where my home is. Where’s yours?

Twitter lists for sports advocacy

This blog post is part 6 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

This past week, Twitter announced their Twitter Lists functionality. If you want to see exactly what Twitter Lists are and how they work, read this post on The Next Web.

Essentially, Twitter Lists also make it easier to curate tweets and follow people in specific niche communities. In my opinion, the functionality allows me to find “people like me.” And when it comes to sports advocacy and building a community for grassroots movements, Twitter Lists are very, very valuable.

Here are some unique functions of Twitter lists in the sports world that I’ve seen so far:

• The Huffington Post used Twitter Lists to cover the World Series. As you can see, they broke it down by “baseball writers,” “New York Yankees” and “Philadelphia Phillies.” Very, very cool.
• The National Hockey League uses Twitter Lists to build social network for fans of teams in each city. Proves the NHL is way ahead of other leagues in the social media world, which earned them the well-deserved and very viral article on Mashable.
• Building upon Twitter’s simple List API, Listorius has established itself as a database of the most popular Twitter Lists. Check out some of the top ones in sports, including NHL and NFL players.

Twitter says, “We believe Lists will be a new discovery mechanism for great tweets and accounts.”

…That’s exactly what we’re hoping will happen with women’s sports fans online. Check out Twitter users in the women’s sports community here.

Mobile technology: A clear tool for communicating women’s sports

This blog post is part of my ongoing weekly series discussing the role of social media and female athletics. My latest reading is  The Politics-To-Go Handbook: A Guide to Using Mobile Technology in Politics, published by the Insitute for Politics, Democracy & The Internet and George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management. In addition, I read through MobileActive.org.

My latest interest in women’s sports has to do with mobile technology (i.e., cell phones) and the opportunity we as athletes and an industry have to communicate with each other using this platform.

First, a recap of my reading. The Politics-To-Go Handbook is a good, quick read for someone who wants to understand the basics of social communication with cell phones – I highly recommend it. Going in, to be honest, I didn’t really know all that much. Now, I feel like I have a solid foundation, at least as far as strategy is concerned. The tactical end of mobile technology education can be adopted with some training, and also regularly reading sites like MobileActive.org.

Although the Politics To-Go packet weighs heavily upon advocacy uses of the technology, it also touches on citizen journalism, the global use/impact of mobile technology, and opportunities for building localized communities of support. I think this is a valuable perspective that needs to be grasped by the women’s sports industry. This posts exposes some of the highlights.

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Stringer vs. Summitt: A rivalry of success and media attention

Vivian Stringer (Rutgers) and Pat Summitt (Tennessee) are without a doubt two of the biggest names in women’s basketball.

On January 3, the coaches’ teams battled it out for the 27th time. The Lady Vols’ 20-point comeback in the second half made school history.

Together, Stringer and Summitt have compiled 1,805 victories over 73 seasons, and they’re both over the age of 50. This past year, Vivian Stringer reached her 800th win, and Pat Summit has 983 wins, along with an incredible .844 average.

As a result of their success, they’ve built up quite a rivalry. Summitt has won 13 of 14 games against Stringer, and the most notable match up occurred in 2007, as Summit’s team defeated Stringer’s for the NCAA Championship.

On January 3, the Lady Vols made history, with the largest comeback in the history of their program.

Down to Rutgers by 20 points at halftime, the Lady Vols came back to defeat the Scarlet Knights, 55-51.

According to ESPN, Shekinna Stricklen’s 16 points and 11 rebounds led this run, and Summitt’s half-time rip speech inspired the comeback to occur.

Trailing 33-13 at the half, Summitt ripped into her inexperienced team telling them it would be a long plane ride home for the Lady Vols if they didn’t start playing with some “Tennessee pride,” reported ESPN.

“Never in my 35 years of coaching have I seen a game like that,” said Summitt, who earned the 994th win of her career. “I’ve been in a lot of games, I’ve been behind a lot in my career, this one stands out as one of the most special.”

It likely will be remebered by Stringer as well.

The impact of the match up extends far beyond the result of last week’s game in New Jersey. In addition to their winning records, the two coaches have successfully demanded media attention, both online and off.

Perfect example of this demand is illustrated New York Times January 2 article, Rutgers Women’s Basketball Resumes Rivalry with Tennessee. Excellently written, author Dave Caldwell rightfully payed tribute to the pioneers of the sport.

Summitt’s success has influenced the University of Tennessee’s Athletic Department to create a specific site for the school’s women’s sports. To my knowledge, no other institution does this, and it’s a huge step forward in terms of exclusivity in a male-dominated industry online.

Summitt’s name has also become a known brand for the school itself, with her face appearing on almost all of its publications.

In addition, Summitt has written two books (with the help of Sally Jenkins), Reach for the Summitt (part motivational book, part biography) and Raise the Roof (about the Lady Vols’ undefeated season in 1997–1998, in which they won the NCAA championship).

Stringer has also generated significant media attention.

In 2001, her success spurred the creation of a GREAT PBS documentary, This is a game ladies. Also, her face almost always appears immediately on the Rutgers athletics Web page.

Stringer has also made strides for minority women in sports. In 2003, she was recognized by Sports Illustrated as one of the “101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports,” and during the summer of 2004 she received the Black Coaches Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Stringer reflects on these achievements (and others) in her best-selling book, Standing Tall.

Reflective of fan popularity, bloggers are rising out of the woodwork, as well.

The Lady Vols fans have a few noteworthy blogs, including Pat Summitt/Lady Vols News, Govolsxtra, and Tennessee Lady Vols blog, to name a few.

Women’s Hoops Guru, Women’s Hoops Blog and Shes Got Game also frequently writes about Summit and Stringer (as well as other noteworthy teams) in the world of women’s basketball.

Also, of course, ESPN’s HoopGurlz is the best (by far) coverage of women’s hoops available, particularly for high school competition.

As for NCAA basketball, I said early in this article, both Summitt and Stringer are over the age of 50.

The competition for the “winningest coach” in female sports history will continue, I can only hope that some more hopefuls will rise to the top.

As for the media, my hope is that successful coaches like Stringer and Summitt continue to demand attention, and athletic departments realize the value in exclusivity for female sports.

Diversifying the content online (using video, podcasts, etc.) will help drive traffic. Continued wins by great coaches and outstanding performances such as the game on January 3 will hopefully earn a well-deserved spot in the headlines. The increase in the use of blogs will help us all feel like we’re part of the team.

Women’s Sports Magazines = Dying

Girls, seriously?

How about we put down the fashion magazines for just a second. We’re selling ourselves short in sports journalism, and if we don’t start coverage of our best moments on the athletic fields will disappear altogether.

I recently posted on how disappointed I was to learn that Sports Illustrated for Women was a flop. So, it was by coincidence that I came across the Sports Media and Society blog where author Marie Hardin posted that Golf for Women magazine has joined the ranks of womens sports magazines that have been discontinued.

But what she said about readership is particularly interesting.

“Golf for Women and Women’s Sports & Fitness both had respectable circulations — around 600,000, the same rate base as that of The Sporting News.“

Hardin concurs with the thoughts that I originally expressed in my previous post: advertising and identity are driving this trend of lack of material. Money and power reflect what’s important in our culture, and for some reason, our sports are not deemed an important enough to invest.

She linked to HerSports Magazine, which is interesting to me. I will be following the publication closely (particularly their new blog). But on the surface, I don’t see how they can draw the readers we need and deserve, because it’s not strong enough.

I think that we need to start getting opinionated about sports, sports coverage and sports news. I’m a firm believer that we as women can find the answer to the lack of sports journalism on the Web, where there’s unlimited space, and identity can be created and crafted as we choose. Should this work, we’ll prove that advertising is not necessary for the initial (and most important) stages of information share, and the news will literally go viral.

I think that if enough of us get together in the blogosphere and start talking sports, traditional media will follow, because advertisers would want to reach our audience. Anyone with me on this? Blogs are the perfect outlet for expressing our opinions.

Regardless, when someone finally hits this one home, it should really take off. Because, as Hardin says,

“Finding the formula that will attract the ad dollar has so far proven elusive for many women’s sports titles.

Hilarious Wii Fit Parody

When health and technology meet, a scary thing happens: there’s an obesity problem. Check out this hilarious video about the Wii Fit, the latest invention to keep kids fat. I love this video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iYBmAVuBns]

My favorite part is when the narrator says,

“Instead of having your kids get outside to play and get exercise, why not have them stand right in front of the TV? You’ll save that money on soccer registration.”

Cell Phones: Mini Microwaves?

When I saw this video on Good Morning America today, I could not believe it. A wildly popular YouTube video shows cell phones, when placed toward each other, can actually produce enough microwaves to pop popcorn. Gross.

So this got me thinking. If it’s powerful enough to do this, what’s it doing to our ears?

I remembered an article that I recently posted on the site which I am Editor for, Hesfit.com. In a piece about cell phone usage, writer Denise Musumeci uncovers a link between cell phones and brain cancer — a correlation that, although not proven, IS existent.

“I think the safe practice,” said Dr. Keith Black, a surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, “is to use an ear piece so you keep the microwave antenna away from your brain.”

A microwave antenna? Since when?? THIS explains the popcorn. But is it safe? We’re not sure. In fact, the FDA also admits that the average period of time that cell phones were used is three years, which is not enough time to measure the long-term risk of cell phone use.

“Three types of tumors have been associated with wireless phones: glioma tumors, salivary gland tumors, and acoustic neuroma. All three types of tumors are very rare, however, heavy use of cell phones increase this risk. According to the New York Times, “Last year, The American Journal of Epidemiology published data from Israel finding a 58 percent higher risk of parotid gland tumors among heavy cell phone users.”

What’s also unknown is the effect it will have on children, who are growing up using these things from a young age (I’m only 22, and I didn’t have a cell phone until I was about 15).

“Young people who are still not fully grown face a lifetime of increasing cell phone use and will ultimately face more exposure in the long run than those who didn’t start using cell phones until well into adulthood.”

Experts recommend — if you use a cell phone, wear a headset, if possible, to avoid holding the antenna near your head.

Yikes. Scary thought.

Mac Triumphs PC

One of the things that can stress me (and many others like me) out these days is a slow computer, which is exactly why I decided it was time to get a new one. Spending most of my day writing in front of a computer and searching the Web, I knew I needed a tool to help me become more successful. This is a post about my computer-buying experience, and why every shopper should get a Mac.

If you are in the market for a new laptop or computer, by all means… choose a Mac. Not only do you get great incentives like rebates and freebies, but the purchasing procedure couldn’t be any easier. 

About a month ago, I decided I needed a new computer. I rushed my decision. I drove to the Rockville, MD Circuit City where I purhased an HP laptop that happened to be on sale at the time. First, the salesman told me the wrong financing information, so I left. I came back the next day and decided I could afford to purchase it outright.  I bought it, took it home, and began to unpack the box and run installation. 

As soon as I unpacked the box, about a dozen pamphlets and promotional materials spill out everywhere. From everything such as Microsoft Office to Norton AntiVirus and other media programs, it was like sales pitches were being shoved in my face. 

Then on to installation. The rumors about Windows Vista were right. It’s glitchy. It runs extremely slow. It comes pre-installed with a TON of programs which need to be removed (and that takes knowledge and time).  The third-party relationships that Windows Vista decided to package itself with has turned the PC’s into complete mess.  Anyway, I could not get an internet connection and my programs were having a very difficult time opening. 

So I took it back to Circuit City, where a technician proceeded to mouth off to me. He told me there was nothing wrong with the computer. I told him he was wrong, because it does not work. He then explained to me that Vista comes pre-installed with programs, and that Circuit City could “optimize” the computer for me for an extra 50 bucks.

In so many words, I told him that I would not pay the 50 bucks and that someone either needed to make this PC work or let me return it with no fee. With arguing back and forth, the tech made the mistake of saying, “It’s not our fault you didn’t know what you were buying”. 

I was extremely livid and the situation AND the way it was being handled. So I had to argue my way up to the manager. Then, I threatened to write to Circuit City corporate headquarters about the horrible experience. All of a sudden, I was able to return the PC with no fee. And THANK GOD I was able to do this. 

I took some extra time in deciding my other option – which was to buy a Mac. At first, I was hesitant about configuration issues I might have. But I went with some friends’ recommendations and purchased a MacBook.

It was extremely easy. I just went on to their site, figured out what specifications I wanted in terms of memory and speed, added some software and voila. It’s done. The computer was shipped to me three days later. 

Today, I opened up the box which contained about 4 different items. The MacBook, a power cord, a booklet that reads “everything mac,” and another booklet which reads “everything else,” including two Mac operating system cd’s (which I didn’t even need). 

The configuration was easy as pie. Within about 5-6 short steps, I was logged on to my wireless network at home and playing with cool programs such as iPhoto and iMovie. (I’ve been harassing my parents with videos and funny effects pictures that I’ve taken of myself. )

On top of all of this, I found out today that my purchase qualifies for a free ipod (with rebate). As you can imagine, this pretty much made my day. I’m excited to keep learning about how to use the Mac, and I strongly recommend it be chosen over a PC. They’re much more user-friendly, easy to set up, and contain great programs for practical use. 

Drug Marketing Meets Primetime TV

Online searches via Google for the drug amantadine spiked on early last week after the drug played a prominent role in the medical drama “House.”

In terms of digital health, as the Washington Post accurately points out, this is important for one key reason. Primetime TV is a powerful medium to send people to the Internet to look up drugs.

In the epidsode, House, the hero on the show, realized that a young woman named Amber had damaged kidneys and was taking amantadine for the flu. The drug built up to toxic levels.

The result of mentioning amantadine: the drug shot to the top of Google’s hot trends list last week, WSJ’s Buzzwatch reported.

So, there is a clear connection here. Primetime TV and pharmaceutical drugs.

According to Jacob Goldstein at the Washington Post, between January and September of last year, pharmaceutical products and logos were seen or mentioned 705 times on broadcast and cable television, up from 630 times during the same period in ‘06, Fortune reported last year.

Rachel at Our Bodies Our Blog also pointed out that last year, The Well-Timed Period noted posters for the NuvaRing on the set of Scrubs and wondered whether this was an example of “stealth pharma marketing.” It later became clear that this was exactly the case, with NuvaRing maker Organon Pharmaceuticals acknowledging placement deals with primetime programs including “Scrubs,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “King of Queens.”

But the FDA can’t ignore this forever. Researchers at UCLA recently called for the FDA to regulate this marketing scam.

The facts about drugs in scripts are poorly supervised and sometimes incorrectly portrayed (as are medical terms and emergency situations). But what we can see from last week’s report is that people are paying attention. And, they’re making the extra step of going onto their computers to find out more.

If the facts are incorrect, this can become a large-scale public health concern if the FDA does not jump in soon.

As far as marketing goes, the Pharma companies will probably see the TV-internet connection as a positive trend and attempt to buy their way into more Primetime TV shows.