The power of the telephone: feminism, sports and social change

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

I’ve been blogging the past couple of weeks about social media and its impact upon women in sport – mainly due to my own personal interests but also to fulfill a class requirement. This week, I’m compelled to change it up a little big and bring us back to a time before the Internet and social media, a time when we relied upon the telephone. Why? Because I am beginning to realize it’s just still as “social” as any other media utilized today.

I’m going to take you back to a time that I can only imagine (because I wasn’t alive). Let’s think about the 19760′s and 1970′s, a time when our foresisters (female equivalent of forefathers) organized and fought for an equal playing field as it relates to gender and sport.

Let’s think of people like Bernice Sandler, a part-time lecturer at the University of Maryland, and Rep. Martha Griffiths (D-Michigan), Rep. Edith Green (D-Ohio), researchers like Vivian Acosta and Linda Jean Carpenter, and athletes like Billie Jean King who started coming together at the grassroots level to create change. For the sake of this post, let’s call these women “feminists.” (but I don’t want to label anyone)

According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, during that time, there existed a combination of, “the modern feminist movement, a youth culture, and other sources of social unrest.” And these are women who did something about it.

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Live Blogging from the Women’s Sports Foundations’s Annual Salute to Women in Sports!

Tonight, I’m going to be live blogging from the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Annual Salute to Women in Sports event at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. Stay tuned below around 6pm ET for some live coverage from the Red Carpet!

Tonight’s evening hosts include Bob Costas, Mary Carillo, and Billie Jean King, Women’s Sports Foundation’s founder. Honorees include Annika Sorenstam, legendary golfer and philanthropist, Dick Ebersol, Chairman of NBC Universal Sports & Olympics, and Pat Summitt, University of Tennessee head women’s basketball coach  and all-time winningest coach in NCAA history.

Follow me live over at WomenTalkSports.com. Or, follow me on Twitter: @mhueter

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.

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Happy Girls and Women’s Sports Day: Look Who’s Playing

I’d like to wish you a happy girls and women’s sports day!

The theme for today is Look Who’s Playing, which shows how athletes who played or are still playing, are making a difference, overcoming difficult circumstances, breaking records and making things possible.

My favorite resource (so far) is this photo gallery which showcases the 35 most memorable moments since Billie Jean King inspired a generation of men and women when she beat Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes. (so inspiring)

If nothing else, the most important thing you can do today is take action. Check out this page from the National Women’s Law Center to encourage your elected officials to pass these two important, bipartisan bills that will make a huge difference in the lives of girls.

On a professional level (correct me if I’m wrong) it looks like the WNBA is taking the lead with support for this day.

Check out the below video about why the WNBA matters, as well as an accompanying letter that I recieved from Donna Orender, the president of the WNBA. Donna, thanks for taking the lead on this.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vkuXg5yxYs&eurl=http://www.womensvoicesforchange.org/2009/02/national-girls-and-women-in-sports-day-why-the-wnba-matters.html&feature=player_embedded

From Donna Orender, President, WNBA:

Tension and passion hung in the air in the final electrifying seconds of Game 2 of the WNBA Western Conference Finals on Sept. 27. In front of a packed home crowd at the AT&T Center, the San Antonio Silver Stars’ Sophia Young hit a 14-foot turnaround jumper at the buzzer to fend off elimination from the Los Angeles Sparks. At this moment, someone leaned over to me and whispered, “You must be so proud of all this.”
It was one of many incredible moments that define our league. At these times, I am grateful for the messages the league delivers to young women that sweat and grit are permissible and to young males that strong and athletic women will populate their future.
The WNBA formed just 12 years ago, and it continues to blaze trails. The markers of success are familiar in the American sports landscape – corporate partnerships, network television broadcasts, the rhythm of a season from training camp to All-Star to playoffs. It’s the trailblazers who are different.

This WNBA is defining what an investment in our female youth can yield.

With these role models before them, young women are playing sports in exponentially increasing numbers. The health benefits of this participation have been well documented: the lowering of heart disease and cancers, and the rise in self-esteem and school performance. Far less commonly recited, however, are the enormous social benefits. Sports is a pervasive cultural presence; its language is the language of business and the currency of status, clearly dominating the hallways and corner offices of the global corporate landscape. Up until now, women have been largely sidelined, kept away from the enormous profits and other considerable benefits that being a valued member of this sports society generate. The WBNA says to young women that they can earn a seat at this table by showing them that they’re invited to dinner in the first place.
Our league sits uniquely at the crossroads of Main Street USA, with an atmosphere and accessibility that encourage families to gather for a game that speaks to America’s values and work ethic. In a day and age when community leaders, politicians and parents simply ask for positive role models for their children, we find one right in front of us: the WNBA, a league where teamwork and hard work are prized, and athletes’ raw passion to play and compete are front and center from opening tip to closing buzzer.

After 12 years, the WNBA deserves more credit and more importantly, greater support for its considerable accomplishments. By just existing, it continues to encourage significant numbers of young women to compete, compete in all fields of endeavor.

Our fans have responded to the high level of play by pushing increased attendance, TV ratings, Web traffic and merchandise sales. These women are spreading this work ethic and universal language around the world – note the 41 current-and-former WNBA players on Olympic rosters in Beijing, including the 12 members of Team USA who brought home their fourth consecutive gold medal.

Progress has been made and yet for all of us who are involved with girls and women’s sports, the gap is still wide and perceptions still slow to change. In a world that is turning upside down and inside out as we try to buckle our seat belts, my hope is that the shift in the earth’s tectonic plates helps us collectively recognize and actively support change.

If you have a daughter, a sister or a niece, then you fully understand the desire for her to have full access to all that is possible for her. Sports is a huge gateway. The WNBA is an iconic brand that is the most visible means of providing very positive imagery and role models who support all of her hopes and dreams and possibilities. Further, it provides major league sports entertainment rooted in value and values. Wow, life’s lessons are on sale, front and center, and at a great price.

The question we have to ask ourselves – are we willing to pay the price to keep the momentum going? As the women’s game continues to explode and play happens both below and above the rim, the drama of winning and losing are decisions that we effect each time we choose to support our young women with our time, attention and financial resources. Please choose wisely. I would tell you that the price for us to not support the WNBA and our young girls’ physical and spiritual development through sports is a very costly one.

The mission for the league is to lead, to inspire and to create change. It’s a rallying call every day. For me, it is both a professional and personal calling. It is about making a positive difference, which is everyone’s self-interest. The wonder of sports is that it is a place where passion rules and where fun and games form a solid foundation for winning, winning in the most important game, in the game of life.

Happy National Girls and Women in Sports Day!

Zina Garrison, tennis star, in a dispute with USTA over her departure from Fed Cup

Zina Garrison, the first black captain of the U.S. Fed Cup team, was not brought back to USTA as Fed Cup captain after going 5-5 over five seasons, losing in the semifinals four times and the quarterfinals once.

Now, according to Sports Illustrated, she’s in a dispute over the “departure.”

Garrison is the 18th U.S. Fed Cup captain since the competition began in 1963 and first African-American captain in the competition’s history. She replaced Billie Jean King as Fed Cup captain for the 2004 season.

Fed Cup is the premier team competition in women’s tennis, launched in 1963.The complete history of the Fed Cup can be found here.

The list of players who have competed in the Fed Cup is impressive. The website says,

“Many of the game’s all-time greats, along with the current crop of talents, have featured in the competition throughout its history. Names such as Billie-Jean King, Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Virginia Wade, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis appear alongside many of today’s stars such as Venus and Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic, Amelie Mauresmo and Jelena Jankovic.”

Mary Joe Fernandez, runner-up in three Grand Slam singles tournaments and winner of two Grand Slam women’s doubles titles AND two Olympic gold medals, is supposed to take over in Garrison’s place in 2009.

As a side note, Black Tennis Pro’s is a GREAT site for information on African American men and women stars in the sport of tennis. They do an excellent job of providing equal coverage between genders, and I highly recommend you add their feed to your reader.

Billie Jean King named “Global Mentor For Gender Equality.” Global partnership announced to promote women’s leadership

This past week, Billie Jean King was named “Global Mentor For Gender Equality” by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, the world’s leading global sport for women.

According to the Women’s Sports Foundation,

“The appointment of Billie Jean King to the new role brings together the sporting world’s leading advocate for equality with the landmark global partnership between UNESCO and the Tour to further gender quality and promote women’s leadership in all spheres of society. It also brings together two of the world’s leading organizations devoted to furthering equality, in the Women’s Sports Foundation, founded by Billie Jean King in 1974 with a mission to increase opportunity and participation for women and girls in sports, and UNESCO.”

Since its founding in 1973, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and its players have been leaders in fighting for equality.

As mentioned above, the global partnership will seek to further gender equality and promote women’s leadership in all spheres of society. (We all know this is needed!)

The partnership elements include:

(i) a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour/UNESCO Fund for women and leadership, which will be endowed initially with approximately €200,000 as seed funding with the goal of reaching a much higher figure through planned additional fundraising activities,

(ii) a “Promoter of Gender Equality” player program, which will involve players at both a global and national level in awareness raising activities as well as direct involvement in specific gender equality and women’s leadership programs throughout the world,

(iii) mentoring, scholarship and fellowship programs designed to create opportunities and the environment for women and girls to succeed in all walks of life and

(iv) usage of existing UNESCO and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournaments, galas and conferences as awareness and fundraising platforms. Additionally, the Sony Ericsson Championships promoters and the city of Madrid will support the program through marketing, awareness and fundraising activities. Advertising utilizing players to raise awareness of gender equality issues is also planned.

I’d like to personally thank both the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and UNESCO for their commitment to a strong future generation of women.

Celebrate Columbus Day at the Sports Museum

Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza and the USA softball team will be at the Sports Museum in New York city this Monday.

They will be meeting sports fans and signing autographs from 11am-1pm. This is a unique opportunity, so if you’re in the area and have off on Columbus day (or even if you don’t) you should go check this out!

Also present will be Kym Hampton and John Starks of the New York Knicks; the duo will be meeting fans, signing autographs and holding a basketball clinic from 1pm-3pm.

I’ve never been to the Sports Museum, and unfortunately, I have to work on Monday.

However, I am definitely planning on making a trip up there because they are home to the first and only Women’s Sports Hall of Fame, built in partnership with Billie Jean King’s Women’s Sports Foundation.

Can’t wait to see it!

If anyone goes to this event, please post how it was. I’m interested in hearing about it.

Roundup: Dumbest things said on sports blogs

When the passion strikes me, I will occasionally be providing you with a roundup of some of the dumbest things I see on sports blogs. Apparently, some men feel the need to make degrading comments about women online.

What’s even more entertaining (to me) is how much money they’re making off of content such as this. Some of these blogs are worth over $15 million.

Can you believe that?

So this is an effort to show these guys exactly how dumb they look, even online.

WARNING: Some of these sites get paid based upon how many comments are up on their sites, so use discretion when deciding whether or not to comment.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

1) Pat Gray, Your Eyes Will Bleed:

“There seems to be a big “girl-power” push going on now though. In yesterday’s USA Today, they devoted an entire section to women pioneers in sports. Like Billie Jean King’s 1973 tennis victory over Bobby Riggs. Big deal. She was 29, and at the height of her career. He was 55 years old, and only won a couple major tournaments in the 30’s and 40’s! If she HADN’T beaten him, THEN you’ve got a story.”

Actually Pat, the BIG DEAL is that Title IX passed just before that match. Title IX AND Billie Jean King sparked a revolution for women that continued in sports 35 years later. The “clue phone” is ringing. I think you should answer it.

2) Deadspin posted on Jaime Nared, who was recently kicked off her mixed-gender basketball team in Portland, Oregon. Comments include:

(Big Slim Shade) “A girl playing basketball? What will they think of next?”

(Afino) “Take it while you can get it now, girl, because it’s all downhill from here in terms of people who give a shit about women playing basketball!”

Laugh it up, guys. Good thing Deadspin gives you a place to poke fun among intellectuals. This girl would kick all of your a$$es if you played her. And she’s what? Only 14 years old?

3) Again, from Deadspin (are we noticing a pattern here?). This blogger posted on a women’s hockey game, where Slovakia beat Bulgaria, 82-0. They oh-so-thoughtfully provided video and commentary,

“Contrary to what you probably thought, the Bulgarians can actually skate. Although figuring out what those stick things are for seems to be another matter.”

Again, the comments were yet another example of how supportive these readers are of women’s sports.

“That’s really not very lady-like.” (the earl of weaver) and “The goalie would have been better off just lying prostrate across the ice.” (Dan Daoust)

4) Larry Brown from Larry Brown Sports posted on 9/19 about how the Los Angeles Kings are holding tryouts for ice hockey girls (think Laker girls for ice hockey). Anyway, he certainly had no filter when discussing this piece of news.

“You might be inclined to go with the Laker girls over the Kings ice girls at first reaction, but I might have to change my initial thought based on what I saw from the Kings tryouts that took place recently. I’m not exactly sure what role ice girls have at a hockey game, but I’m all for anything that brings extra skin to a sporting event. The Kings have said that they’re looking for girls that will help represent the team as well as possible. My advice for them: You can teach anyone to skate better, but you can’t teach hotness. Feel me? Check out some of the talent on the ice“

Hey Larry, I bet these girls make more money that you do. Maybe they’re in better shape, too?

5) on 205th also discussed ice hockey girls, with some awesome commentary.

“Dallas + Ice Girls doesn’t really make much sense to me, you know since there is no ice in Dallas, except in drinks, but then again ice hockey in Tampa Bay doesn’t make sense either. Hey look, boobies!!”
(below this comment there was a picture of the cheerleaders on a boat at a lake)

Wow. Really cool. These girls make money off of you idiots.

USA Today, female athletes, milestones and progress

In today’s issue of USA Today, we earned an entire section of the paper. Its title: “Women in Sports.”

I almost jumped out of my chair when I started reading. Seven complete pages of content and photos of women who have completed milestones in sport.

The cover article is particularly interesting.

Heather Tucker published a groudbreaking article in the world of women’s sports. She discussed the heroines of milestones of the past, heroines of the present and obstacles that lie ahead for the future of female sports. If you haven’t done so already, please go check it out here.

She discussed Billie Jean King’s defeat of Bobby Riggs in 1973 in the “Battle of the Sexes,” a day after Title IX was passed.

She said, “King, who accepted Riggs’ challenge to play a televised match at the Houston Astrodome, soundly defeated him in three sets and put a damper on critics’ voices that women could not compete with men.”

Awesome. Totally awesome. I wish I were alive for that moment. Even though I wasn’t I know that what she did affected my ability to compete and succeed in sports twenty years later.

Tucker then pointed to Candace Parker, calling her a hero of today’s image of women’s sports due to her ability to beat five male competitors in the 2004 McDonald’s All-American Game, including Josh Smith, who won the NBA dunk contest the nest year.

She also mentioned Danica Patrick’s milestone in her “breakthrough” Indy-car race in Japan in April, when she became the first woman to triumph in a national oval-track touring circuit (Indy Racing League or NASCAR).

Then, Tucker talked about perceptions, and how the above milestones have inspired and influenced young women to compete on the playing fields today.

She said, “Perceptions of what women are capable of and what they can offer have been elevated thanks in part to these stars.”

Then, she wrapped up by highlighting the challenges that lie ahead, such as coaching, managing and team ownership, areas of influence that women have yet to solidly break through in terms of a “glass ceiling” in sports.

This is an incredibly crafted article. In my opinion, it’s too short. A lot of names are missing from this list of heroines. It takes much more than three influencers to break barriers. It takes an army, and decades of time and struggle.

Hopefully one day we’ll get there. Until then, articles like these will help keep the spirit alive. Thanks USA Today.

Other stories include player profiles on Jackie Joyner Kersee, Pat Summit, Mary Lou Retton, Janet Guthrie, Anny Meyers Drysdale, Nancy Lopez, Leslie Visser, Dot Richardson, and Brandi Chastian.

A separate article discussed sports marketers and how their altering their pitches as more female fans tune into sports. That particular article along warrants another post from me. I’ll be back in just a moment with more. (so excited!)

Serena Tops Venus in Quarterfinal of Open

Tennis is one of the women’s sports (along with women’s golf) which has been able to attract a large amount of journalistic attention. Part of that, in my opinion, is due to the Williams’ sisters ability to perform, and perform well against each other. Wednesday night’s match between Serena and Venus did just that.

According to The New York Times, last night’s quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open went to Serena, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (7), giving her a 9-8 lead in this series. However, Venus’s 125-mile-an-hour serve is definately something to watch. Can you imagine trying to hit that?

Do the sisters like playing against each other? The NY Times says,

Serena, a few weeks shy of 27, was on record as saying that it stinks to have to play Venus, just turned 28, so early, but the competition itself seems to have become business as usual, as the sisters play for themselves.

Because the Williams sisters played on the court named for Billie Jean-King, they discussed her opinion of the sisters, as well as her new book, Pressure Is a Privilege: Lessons I’ve Learned From Life and the Battle of Sexes (LifeTime Media, Inc).

In the book, says the NY Times, King describes the thrill of watching Venus accept the champion’s check of $1.4 million at Wimbledon in 2007, and how Venus said live on the BBC, “No one loves tennis more than Billie Jean King.” And then Venus addressed King: “I love you. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.”

Whether the sports ability to draw attention is due to icons of the past like Billie Jean King or phenoms of the present like Serena and Venus, or the Open’s decision to hold a subsequent match between Nadal and Fish immediately after the Williams’ show, we’ll never know.

It should also be noted that another possible reason W.T.A. (Women’s Tennis Association) is able to draw so much attention is due to their innovative marketing skills and strategy. For instance, WTA just announced a new revenue sharing plan for players and a revamped ranking system to emphasize the important tournaments. Plus, the W.T.A. officially approved on-court coaching for next year – they’ll be wearing microphones to bring fans “closer to the game”.

But having bloggers from The New York Times following every serve, volley and replay of the U.S. Open, discussing women’s competition regularly and fairly, is truly an accomplishment for us in general. I hope other sports can soon follow in their footsteps.

To follow the action of the tournament, check out the U.S. Open site.