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

Women Talk Sports Blogderby: Round 1

Intro: Welcome to the very first Women Talk Sports (WTS) Blogderby, Round 1.

Every few weeks, we will “pass the torch” to a different blogger in our community who will be responsible for rounding up the best blog posts about women’s sports.

If you’re interested in accepting the torch someday, contact us and we’ll put you on the schedule. Jane from Pretty Tough will be posting Round 2 of the Blogderby on Saturday, March 7. Archives of the Blogderby will be located at Women Talk Sports. Thanks, and go female athletes!

In women’s basketball news, we learned that Lisa Leslie is now retiring form the WNBA. Lyndsey D’Arcangelo from B5 Media’s Girls Dig Sports reports on the story. Certainly sad to see her go.

ESPN columnist Mechelle Voepel discussed (on her personal blog) how Iowa State’s “super fan” Wild Bill Yungclas has decided to retire. Her perspective on super fans is quite unique – as she mentioned she’s a reporter – someone who doesn’t have the “emotional investment” in teams.

In tennis news, Ken from After Atlanta discusses Shaheer Peer’s denial into the United Arab Emirates to play a tournament. Peer was supposed to play in Dubai at the Barclay’s Dubai Championships, but the UAE would not grant Peer, who is Israeli, a visa. Will be interesting to see how this develops. Women Who Serve also wrote about this issue.

Track Mom posted about how Angela Williams has become a youth track & field icon.

Nolachick from Chicks In The Huddle gives us a little reminder of who they are – true fans of the game of football.

Soccer fan Jennifer Doyle at From a Left Wing recently discussed some research behind finding a balance between runner’s high and overtraining syndrome, a form of athletic depression.

Erin Buzuvis from the Title IX Blog discussed an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education which suggests there will be increased Title IX reinforcement under the Obama Aministration. Would be great to see that happen!

Gamechangers launched a “Beat the BS” video. Gretchen from Girls Can’t What calls it a “fantastic promotional video.”

Similarly, Rob Mars from the Athletic Women Blog said “Sometimes the best way to demonstrate the absurdity of a baseless viewpoint is to give it an unfiltered airing, a tactic used here to great advantage.”

Apryl Delancey at Women Like Sports also posted the video with little commentary, but it looks like she’s supportive. I have a different point of view about this video (I think it just reinforces what everybody already knows). But props to Nike and Ashoka for reaching out to the blogosphere community! (below is the video)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhhinmLurOM

Talking about a different campaign – Jane from Pretty Tough tells us how we can star in Adidas new “Me, Myself” campaign, which seeks to find the “new face” of Adidas.

Chris Grant from Jetty Girl took five minutes to interview Tammy-Lee Smith, the surfing professional from South Africa. We learned that her “perfect day” is one where she’s surfing in her hometown, followed up by “flow riding session and skate sessions.”

Char from Sports Girls Play posted a video of Alicia Sacramone interviewing Dwyane Wade, Jordin Sparks, hip hop star Common and Alonzo Mourning in conjunction with the NBA All Star weekend and Gatorade’s Quest for G. Interesting to see how Alicia is making a name for herself outside of being an incredible Olympic gymnast (and knocking guys out at parties).

Ann Gaffigan at Steeple Chics discussed whether there will be gender equality at the 2012 Olympics in London. As a finalist in the Olympic qualifiers for the steeplechase, Ann has the authority to say, “[There are] 40 more events are offered for the men than the women at the Olympics? That’s 120 medals the women are not allowed to chase.”

Black Tennis Pros posted a great interview between tennis star Ahsha Rolle and USTA.com. We learned that her role models growing up were Serena and Venus Williams, as well as Lori McNeil.

Lara from Running in the Bike Lane discussed how caffeine can help post workout recovery. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I could down a cup of coffee after running 3 miles.

Helen at the Women’s Hoops Blog announced that the high school women’s basketball McDonald’s All Americans have been announced. Unsurprisingly, Brittney Griner, the high school dunking phenom, will represent the East.

Marie Hardin from Sports, Media and Society discusses how Alex Rodriguez called Selena Roberts “this lady” throughout an interview with Peter Gammons on ESPN. Hardin said he was “lobbed slow-pitch softballs instead of probing questions.”

Sara from Rock Climber Girl discussed trading injury rehab and treatment tips with fellow climbing blogger friends, including Tom, Narc, and Jon.

Patricia from Right Fielders wrote about Sarah Blewden, a former model turned amateur boxer in Great Britain.

Pat Griffin from the LGBT Sport Blog wrote about how Brooke Heike, a former basketball player at Central Michigan State University, has filed a lawsuit against CMU coach Sue Guevara for benching her and revoking her scholarship because she wore make up and because she was not a lesbian. Griffin said these allegations are “wildly improbable” because lesbian coaches do not want to call attention to their sexual orientation, as they’re afraid they will be targeted by negative recruiting.

Drag racer Erica at Horsepower & Heels discusses the significance behind signature Black & Pink racecar paint jobs.

Kim from Total Female Hockey wrote about why it’s important for girls to play multiple sports.

Hanne Lyngstad recently switched her blog, I Run Therefore I Blog, to English and wrote about sports bras.

Sheila Weaver from She Loves Sports talks about why fewer women are coaching in sports.

If you’re interested in accepting the Blogderby torch someday, contact us and we’ll put you on the schedule. Jane from Pretty Tough will be posting Round 2 of the Blogderby on Saturday, March 7. Archives of the Blogderby will be located at Women Talk Sports.

Also, if you’re a women’s sports blogger and would like to join the WTS community, please contact us.

NC State Coach Kay Yow Dies at 66

NC State women’s basketball coach Kay Yow died at the age of 66, losing her battle against breast cancer.

This is certainly a sad day for women’s basketball.

The full story can be found at Pretty Tough.

Candace Parker is expecting…

…not another national championship, or WNBA title. Instead, she’s expecting a baby.

According to ESPN:

Candace Parker is expecting her first child this spring, and the WNBA star will keep working out leading to the 2009 season.

The announcement was made Wednesday by the University of Tennessee, where Parker starred before going on to the Los Angeles Sparks. Her husband is Shelden Williams of the Sacramento Kings.

Hat tip to Jane from Pretty Tough for the story…

Her Sports Rounds… The Best of Women’s Sports

Below is my roundup – hope you enjoy!

Lauren at Feministe discusses the beauty and power displayed in the image of female bodybuilders – an image that “isn’t that of a delicate orchid.”

Jane from Pretty Tough gives a great recap of what’s happening in the women’s figure skating industry. I know I’ve said this before, but I think Jane probably has the best coverage of women’s sports out there.

Diane from Women Who Serve talks about “who’s hot and who’s not” for women’s tennis in ’09. This is a very interesting read, and a great blog – I’m so glad Diane decided to start this blog – a life-long fan of women’s tennis… what a great way to express her passion.

Rob from the Athletic Women blog discusses the importance of strength training for female athletes.

Apryl Delancey from Women Like Sports discusses how Lisa Guerrero from Inside Edition and TV Guide has decided to become a sports blogger!  I hope she takes the lead in covering women’s sports!!!

Ted and Sara at the Women’s Hoops Blog give great recaps of what’s happening in college hoops – check out their post from November 23 – what great coverage!

Lyndsey from Girls Dig Sports (B5 Media) says that Alicia Sacramone, from the Olympics gymnastics team, is considering a reality show with Lou Reda Productions.

Erica Ortiz discusses what she’s thankful for at Horsepower & Heels.

Keri Mikulski heads back to Texas for a book signing at The Ronald McDonald Tournament which benefits the Ronald McDonald House in Houston.

Our Bodies Our Blog linked to me this week – blogger Christine took a liking to a YouTube video I posted this week about five year old basketball phenom Milan Simone Tuttle.

Sara from Rock Climber Girl is attempting to bring together the rock climbing community by to making a directory of climbing-related Twitter-ers.  I think Twitter is awesome – I’d love to see a community of female athletes raising influence on Twitter.

Stanford FBC gives us the back story on how a musician (Bud Anderson) and a graphic artist ( Sarah Boruta) are the new videographers for the Stanford women’s team.These two seem to be responsible for Stanford’s viral videos and possibly a music video for the team.

Adam Jacobs at The Final Sprint discusses corruption at the top of the track and field industry. He came out with Part III and Part IV of his Dysfunction Run Amuck series. I highly recommend you read them – very, very interesting.

Female boxer Chevelle Hallback moves to MMA

I am a bit excited, and a bit confused about MMA.

Chevelle Hallback, a popular female boxer who’s fought on nationally televised events while racking up a 27-5-2 professional record, will make her pro mixed-martial-arts debut during a Dec. 5 Xtreme Fighting Championships event in Florida.

You can read more on MMAjunkie.com

I have to say – I am a little bit confused. Does this mean MMA’s not going backrupt?

Just the other day, MMA Ultimate Fighting Forumz comes on my blog and comments,

“Hello Everyone! If you are looking for information on Mixed Martial Arts events and community, http://www.ultimatefightingforumz.com is for you!”

Then, I see on Pretty Tough that Carano is being auctioned to the highest bidder?

According to Jane,

“Carano and Cris Cyborg, who are the two highest-profile women in MMA, are caught in the middle of this mess.  They can’t look for fights elsewhere and there maybe potential legal battles when their contracts are bought by promotions they have no interest in fighting for.”

This is nutts! What is going on over there?

Special thanks to M. Lucus for the link in her comment about Hallback. (By the way, M. Lucus’ blog is hilarious – you should check it out).

Her Sports Rounds: The best of women’s sports

Each week, I will be featuring Her Sports Rounds, a blog round-up of the best postings on women’s sports.

From stories of the best athletes to funny YouTube videos and Presidential nominees’ comments on Title IX, the women’s sports blogosphere brought a lot of great information to the table this week!

Sheila Weaver over at She Loves Sports reports on Europe’s sports woman of the year, Olympic pole vault champion and world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva.

At the Athletic Women Blog, Rob Mars posts a video of female athletes (namely Vicki Unus) in the circus from the 1960′s. Totally cool!

Over at C and R’s Stanford Women’s Basketball Blog, there are some funny YouTube videos that made me laugh – and wish I were somewhere near Stanford to see their games. My favorite is the Media Day video, found here.

Over at The Final Sprint, U.S. middle distance runner Sara Hall blogs about how she is re-inspired and motivated to start a new season.

Over at the Title IX blog, Kris discusses Senator McCain’s comment on Title IX and his concern for popular athletic programs that have been cut due to the need for equal funding for male and female athletic programs. Kris says,

“I have yet to see (though would be happy to) an athletic department that is equally funding its men’s and women’s programs.”

At Pretty Tough, Jane Schonberger praises Sports Illustrated for Faces in the Crowd, which covers females and males equally (shocker – because this publication usually doesn’t). Jane says,

“In addition to featuring athletes in sports such as soccer, volleyball and cross country, the magazine highlights girls who are participating in less traditional pursuits.”

Over at Women Like Sports, in her “Tales from the Inbox” post, Apryl Delancey discusses Lyndsey D’Arcangelo‘s new book, The Trouble with Emily Dickinson, and the Women’s Sports Foundation’s V is for Victory video campaign.

At the Women’s Hoops blog, Steve posts about Northwestern’s new coach Joe McKeown. Steve says, “seems to me he’s a good fit for the place.”

Over at the Women’s Sports blog, they discuss how Lorena Ochoa was featured in the Mexican version of British gossip mag Hello!. They say,

“It gives  lie to the yammerers who keep insisting she’s not that popular in the U.S. because she’s ‘unattractive,’ while at the same time emphasizes stereotypical class privilege and femininity at the expense of being real.  Ah, the magazine industry.”

- If I missed a great blog post, please be sure to add it to the comments below!

Women Fight for the Right to Wrestle

I came across this interesting article in the New York Times. It turns out wrestling has been a growing sport for women for the last twenty years. Girls are walking out onto the mat everyday across America, standing up, and utilizing their right to wrestle. According to the article, Women Want to Wrestle; Small Colleges Oblige,

“The inclusion of women’s wrestling in the Olympics beginning in 2004 provided a huge boost to the sport’s popularity and credibility. Five thousand girls nationwide wrestled in high school in the 2006-7 academic year, yet only eight colleges offer it as a varsity sport. Three of those eight programs are starting this fall.”

The more girls that wrestle in high school, the more girls that want to wrestle in college, and the more girls that move on to compete in the Olympics. The sport is growing, and it would be a shame for the girls to be limited or shut out of competing, because their university or institution did not have a women’s wrestling program. Wrestling has been under attack by opposers of Title IX. Unfortunately, wrestling is a sport that regularly gets cut in order for colleges and institutions to comply with Title IX rules and regulations. One supporter of women’s rights to wrestle has a great solution to everyone’s problems! Joey’s Wrestling room is a page dedicated to women’s wrestling. In “History of Wrestling” he states,

“At the collegiate level women’s wrestling is an ideal choice for creating new opportunities for women. In fact, women’s wrestling fits the NCAA criteria for emerging sports programs. Many schools that support a men’s wrestling program are out of compliance with Title IX – and money is always a factor. Adding women’s wrestling to an athletic program can save the athletic budget alot of money. Think about it. The coaches, the equipment, and the facilities are all in place. All that is needed is singlets and travel expenses. Economically it is the smart choice.”

Pretty Tough has already started to highlight the immerging sport of women’s wrestling. In a blog posted she states some of the facts about the sport:

“About 4000 girls wrestle at the high school level in the U.S. (compared to 239,000 boys), according to the USA Wrestling Association.

High school girls’ wrestling has only been sanctioned in two states: Hawaii and Texas (both since 1999).

Until girls’ wrestling teams are numerous enough to get state sanctioning, girls have to compete at informal divisions or meets instead of state tournaments�or compete against boys. In 2005, there were 17 girls who qualified for boys’ high school state tournaments around the country, and six of those girls placed.

The U.S. Girls Wrestling Association claims to be the future of the sport. They provide information of USGWA tournaments and events, as well as a discussion forum for female wrestlers and coaches.”

Hopefully in the next couple of years we will begin to see an increase in women’s wrestling and less cutbacks of men’s programs. After a highly publicized summer Olympics I don’t recall any coverage of women’s wrestling. Guess we have a ways to go.

CORREECTION: (by Megan Hueter)

Wrestling has not been under attack of the opposers of Title IX. The only thing that COULD BE criticized by wrestling coaches is the opportunity for women’s wrestling to be classified as an “emerging sport.” Wrestling has not made the NCAA’s seven-sport list to be classified as “emerging,” so there is really no argument here.

Above, when I saw “wrestling coaches,” I am not referring to ALL wrestling coaches. I am referring to some (and it is coming directly from the New York Times),

“Dozens of men’s teams have been eliminated over the past three decades, a phenomenon many coaches attribute to Title IX.”

As you can see, it’s clear they are critics of the law. However, it’s not Title IX that has eliminated those programs. It’s the institutions and their decisions to distribute funds to other men’s programs which they may deem more valuable. (which is unfortunate)

Also, to note, it’s not Title IX that is not allowing women’s wrestling to be classified as an emerging sport. It’s the NCAA. The problem is not with the law (it’s a good law that has created millions of opportunities for female athletes). The problem is with the institutions that govern the law and the politics that surround those decisions. It’s unfortunate for men AND women (sometimes) that this is the case.

Thanks to Keri Mikulski

I wanted to extend a special thanks to Keri Mikulski for posting an interview about me on her blog.

Thanks again, Keri! Keri Mikulski is the author of Screwball, a book about women’s softball.

Keri is a former softball coach at the high school I graduated from. She’s very passionate about women’s sports and is one of my most loyal readers. You can also find Keri writing for Jane Schonberger over at Pretty Tough, who I interviewed a few weeks back.

It’s certainly a small word, and it’s so great to have a community of women interested in spreading the word about women’s sports.

Steph Gilmore Wins Rip Curl, Heads to Billabong

Steph Gilmore took first place at the Rip Curl Mademoiselle in France last week and is headed with momentum toward the Billabong Girls Pro Rio – event No 4 of 8 on the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour.

Surfing is an incredible sport. I love to watch people like Steph Gilmore who are so awesome at it. They make it look so easy.

I’ve tried surfing in only 3-foot waves on a long board and find it extremely difficult. These girls are kicking butt on some of the biggest waves in the world, doing tricks on a short board. Truly amazing, and it definately deserves some attention.

More about Steph Gilmore can be found on Pretty Tough , and you can also check out Surfervillage.com for more information about women surfing, specifically.

Exclusive Interview – Jane Schonberger from Pretty Tough

I recently had the unique opportunity to interview a pioneer who has dedicated her career to bringing a voice to women’s sports, Jane Schonberger. Jane is the founder and “Chief Trailblazer” for Pretty Tough, a #1 site for female athletes and fans of women’s sports.

Geared toward young girls and their growing desire to play sports, Jane established the Pretty Tough (PT) brand to demonstrate that a woman’s femininity and desire to play hard can be strong and can co-exit. Not only does PT do an excellent job of conveying this message to an audience who needs to hear it the most, but the site also has some of the best comprehensive, up-to-date coverage of women’s sports available.

I am a strong supporter of this site and this company, and I wish Jane the best of luck in her future endeavors. (You might see me guest blogging for PT in the future).

Check out the below interview. I hope you enjoy her words as much as I have. Thank you, Jane, for your inspiration and taking the time to speak with me.

(MH) Tell me a little bit about yourself, your background and your role at Pretty Tough.

(JS) After a successful career as content developer and entertainment/brand marketing executive, I wanted to focus my attention on something I really cared about. I have two teenage daughters – both athletes – who are my role models.  I wanted to create a brand that spoke to them – and other girls of their generation – demonstrating that a woman’s femininity and desire to play hard and be strong can co-exist.

I teamed up with friends and colleagues that I’d worked with at Disney, Fox and other studios to develop and market the brand. I serve as the Chief Trailblazer but I have help from a talented group of writers, designers, consumer product gurus, licensing professionals, athletes and coaches.

(MH) Have you ever played sports? If so, which sports and how have they had an impact upon your current career and involvement with Pretty Tough?

(JS) As a kid I mostly played sports on a recreational level. I played tennis and swam competitively for a couple years but wasn’t a super serious athlete. The impact on my adult life comes primarily from lessons learned about goal-setting, perseverance and mental toughness.

Today I still play tennis and swim – I also love to hike and bike – and I play basketball on a Moms League at our local park.

I’m also an avid spectator – one of my daughters is an elite level soccer player, the other is a fencer – and I love going to youth sports competitions as well as college and professional sports events.

(MH) Tell me a little bit about the background of Pretty Tough (the book) and how the Web site and sports blog evolved from there. Does Liz Tigelaar have any continued impact on the site?

(JS) One of our early goals when we established Pretty Tough was to publish a series of books that featured young female athletes. We wanted stories about pushing limits and busting stereotypes – e.g. the popular jock can just as easily be a girl as a guy.

Razorbill, a division of Penguin Young Readers, shared our vision and bought the series. Pretty Tough was the first book. Playing with the Boys was the second in the series and we’re working on the third and fourth books now.

Pretty Tough novels illustrate the life of female athletes in a way that’s never been done before. We wanted to show the grittiness and sweat that athletes must endure to be the best they can be. The books also delve into the lives of the athletes—their friendships and romances—stuff that appeals to girl readers.

We created the Pretty Tough book series because we love to read, and as teens, we could never find good books with a female athletic main character. We hope readers can identify with our characters and see how they deal with a lot of the same issues teens face today.

Author/screenwriter Liz Tigelaar was brought on board because she supports girls in their quest to be both strong and tough athletes without losing their sense of girlie-ness and femininity.  She loved the idea of writing books about teenagers for teenagers that sends a positive message and she’s done a terrific job capturing the voice of our characters.

(MH) I noticed there is a PT Team. I’m curious, how did this group of people come together? How did you find so many voices to represent so many different sports?

(JS) We developed a sponsorship/ambassador program last year to recognize girls in diverse sports. We have an application process and girls on our team benefit on a variety of levels.  PT Team members get exposure on our site and via our marketing campaigns; they receive a free cap and shirt, stickers, and other promotional material. They also earn discounts on products purchased through our online store and commissions on sales generated by their efforts.

(MH) In my opinion, Pretty Tough covers sports better than many other resources out there. Who is in charge of updating and keeping track of all the latest female sports news? How do they do it?

(JS) Given our limited staff, the task of keeping the site up-to-date is my responsibility. We work with a talented group of girls and women who contribute material specific to their sport and occasionally assign articles we think will be of general interest.

We’re always looking for new writers and experts and want to provide a forum for all female athletes so hit us up if you think you have something to contribute.

(MH) I noticed there is a “Life & Style” section to the site. What is the purpose of this section, and do you think that section is important in order to attain viewers?

(JS) At our heart, we are a lifestyle brand and I think it’s important for girls to understand how sports and leading active lives are core to a healthy lifestyle. By profiling certain personalities and depicting popular culture, we are essentially connecting the dots and demonstrating how sports and sports themes impact our lives positively on a daily basis.

(MH) How does Pretty Tough profit from the site?

(JS) The site was originally established to develop brand awareness for Pretty Tough and serve as an online shopping destination for Pretty Tough products. It has since evolved into a marketing/advertising vehicle for complementary companies as well.

(MH) I was once told by a female sports blogger that a main reason women’s sports publications such as Sports Illustrated for Women have fizzled out over the years is because they can’t compete with the fashion and consumer magazines and publications, and there is limited interest in the sports news alone. What do you think about this?

(JS) I think that print publications in general are finding it difficult to compete with the internet and other content delivery options. Women’s sports magazines just happened to be at the forefront of pubs experiencing financial difficulties. The current trend is in niche content and given the targeted demographic, I think marketers will find women’s sports sites a more cost-effective way to reach their audience.

(MH) I’ve written about this a few times on my blog, but something that really is annoying to me is that male sports bloggers often only cover female sports when the participant is “hot” or attractive. Have you seen this or come across this? What are your thoughts on male sports bloggers?

(JS) Objectifying female athletes is a favorite pastime of many male bloggers. It’s obvious that “hot” or attractive personalities are going to garner more media attention (whether it’s David Beckham or Amanda Beard) but bloggers only interested in T&A are abhorrent. I love to see female athletes in the spotlight but it’s important to recognize their athletic talents and achievements as well as their physical attributes.

(MH) If you look back to the WNBA fight that happened a few months ago, why do you think that was so successful in grabbing so much attention?

(JS) Although it might not have been the kind of attention the WNBA wanted, the mini-brawl did shine the spotlight on the players momentarily. Female athletes are just as competitive as men and when pushed to the edge they are obviously capable of exhibiting the same lack of control.  The bigger question should be: Now that the women have shown they can fight like the NBA players – can they get paid the same as the guys too?:-)

(MH) Since I started covering the Olympics this year, my site traffic jumped. There seems to be a strong interest during the Olympics which fizzles out over the year. Have you seen this as well? What are your thoughts about the Olympics and its ability to generate an interest in female sports?

(JS) With all of the media hype and money spent on the Olympics, it’s no surprise that interest in all sports was heightened during the event. Athletes such as Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Allyson Felix, Sanya Richardson, Dara Torres, Kerri Walsh and Misty Misty May-Treanor received well deserved attention. Equally important was a focus on athletes like fencer Mariel Zagunis, pole vaulter Jenn Stuczynski and martial artist Diana Lopez. Hopefully interest in them and other female athletes will continue.

(MH) What do you think about women’s softball being eliminated for the London games? Do you think there’s a chance to bring it back?

(JS) Softball’s elimination from the 2012 Games sucks and since the basis of the IOC’s decision was nebulous at best, I think there’s a good chance they’ll reconsider for the 2016 Games.

(MH) It seems there is a large disconnect between the millions of girls and women (through college) who compete in sports on a daily basis and the few of us who cover and follow women’s sports as adults (after college). What do you think about this? Do you think there is a market out there for adult females who want to learn about and follow women’s sports?

(JS) I’m sure there is a market for adult females who want to follow women’s sports – albeit a small one compared to the male market. At PrettyTough.com we try to focus not only on the sports but also on the lifestyle aspects. Our audience is one that lives a “sports-inspired life” and is also interested in the health, beauty, and entertainment aspects of athletics.

(MH) What do you think is essential in capturing this market? What is holding it back from taking off right now? Why aren’t advertisers interested and investing (i.e., Sports Illustrated for Women got dropped a few years back)?

(JS) As mentioned before, niche content and a targeted demographic provide marketers with great opportunities. The cost of producing and distributing a magazine is significant but there are a number of alternative methods for delivering content that provide marketers and advertisers with cost-effective solutions. Companies seriously looking at the bottom line recognize that women involved in sports and living a healthy lifestyle are a valuable demographic with enormous spending power and they should be finding efficient ways to reach them.

(MH) What do you think the future of women’s sports will be? Do you think we’ll generate more attention, or do you think it has leveled off?

(JS) I believe this is just the tip of the iceberg. Just as college sports has exploded in the past 20 years, women’s sports will be the next huge growth area. College basketball games used to be played in empty arenas  – the first nationally televised game wasn’t until 1968 (UCLA vs. Univ. of Houston). Today there are entire cable networks devoted to college sports and they’re big business for all involved. Women’s sports will follow a similar trajectory.

— I’d like to thank Jane Schonberger again for taking the time to speak to me. Her words and mission at Pretty Tough are critical in our ongoing fight to bring a voice to women’s sports online.

Pretty Tough blog has great Olympic coverage

I was searching for another source for coverage of women in the Olympics, and once again, was brought back to the Pretty Tough blog. They are featuring their Girls Guide: Olympic wire for each day the Olympics are going. I highly encourage you to check it out as a source for up-to-date information. As soon as I revamp this site and have control over the design, I’m definately going to embed their widget, and I encourage others to do so as well.

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