Reading: Millenial Makeover

This blog post is part of my ongoing weekly series discussing the role of social media and female athletics. It’s also a class requirement for a course I’m taking at John’s Hopkins University.

This week’s reading is called Millenial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics by Morley Winograd & Michael Hais.

This book is a story about me.

Why? Because I was born in 1985. I’m part of Generation Y -  I was born within the timeframe of 1982-2003.

Winograd & Hais refer to me as part of the “civic” generation -   my peers and I actually outnumber my “boomer” parents (by 10 million). We helped nominate and elect President Barack Obama, and, according to these authors, we will transform and dominate politics for the next 40 years.

Why?

Because we’re more engaged than any other population. “The attacks of 9/11 and the growing threat of terrorism and Islamic extremism” - are making us “pay attention” to things more.  Pop Culture is capturing the “comedy” of our attention, and the technology wave is at our fingertips…. and we’re using it… every day, to create change.

Read more

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.

Read more

Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and sports advocacy (Part 2)

 

This blog post is part 2 of a series dicussing my experiences with Facebook, Myspace and Twitter 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.

Facebook:
I’ve decided to “ramp-up” my networking power by joining an event for a local group called Women In Sports and Events (WISE). It’s a “how-to-network presentation and panel discussion with some of the top executives within the D.C. Sports & Events industry,”  taking place this Tuesday at 6pm.

How did I RSVP? Through Facebook, of course. So far there are six attendees (WISE is a local thing – there are groups in every major city). I’ll be sure to look at this panel with an advocacy perspective and check back with any learnings that I find.

Read more

Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and Title IX (Part 1)

So another assignment for the class that I’m taking is to post at least once/week about my experiences with groups, conversations, and other opportunities on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter (related to politics and issue advocacy). (yes, I’m going to have to dust off my MySpace account)

Keep in the sports twist, I’m going to try and relate my experiences to Title IX (political advocacy issue), but apoligize as I’m somewhat skeptical that I’ll come up a bit light on my search and experiences in the Web 2.0 world. I’ll be doing this on a case-by-case basis each week, reflecting upon my immediate conversations about Title IX on social networks.

1) Facebook
First place I looked for info about Title IX on Facebook was the Women’s Sports Foundation Fan Page (has 725 fans – not bad, but not good either). First thing I noticed: I thought their call to vote on Sportswoman of the year is a great way to engage their fans. However, when I clicked the link to vote, it didn’t work. Yikes. BUT they allow my comment to appear below it. So I have a voice. That’s good.

Read more

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.

Read more

Male Coaches

I know what you’re thinking, what an odd title for a women’s sports blog!  What does it mean to have two male coaches in the women’s final? was featured this afternoon on the NCAA Double-A Zone blog.  The article opens restating the statistics released earlier this year by the NCAA in the Perceived Barriers Study, that we covered in Gender Barriers in Athletics.

Until reading this article I had not realized that this is just the second time in history that two male head coaches meet on the stage of the women’s final.  (the first time coming in 1988.)    

Now, I’m hoping that Marta Lawrence wrote this article just to get a rise out of people like me.  And if so, congratulations!  The questions asked really got me thinking, and caused me to react!  I want to make sure I am not misunderstood, I have had multiple good male coaches, and I know MANY good male coaches of female athletes.  I have nothing against men who coach women.  How many people are going to assume that Louisville and UConn met tonight in the National Champioinship game because they have male coaches?  How many people are going to belive that the Geno Auriemma and Jeff Walz  are more qualifed, more successful, more talented, than Pat Summit, C. Vivian Stringer, Tara VanDerveer, Sherri Coale, simply because they are men. 

So, does the game tonight work to reiterate the subconscious notion that men are better suited to coaching than women?

In one word: No.  

Do women still need to climb the gender equity hill or is tonight’s game an indication that we’ve moved to a post-gender time in women’s athletics?

1) It doesn’t bother me that the coach of the UConn Huskies and the Louisville Cardinals are men.  It doesn’t bother me that the top two women’s basketball teams in the country are coached by men.  We know the facts.  Only 42% of women’s college teams are coached by women.  In 1972, the birth of Title IX, 90% of women’s college teams were coached by women.  It upsets me that people will look at tonight and say “men are better suited to coaching than women.” 
2) Women definitely still need to climb the gender equity hill.  The worst thing that we can do as women, as leaders, and as mentors to young children, is to think that “we’ve moved to a post-gender time in women’s athletics.”  If we believe that, if we allow that thought to creep into our minds, we will lose everything our founding mothers fought for when Title IX was enacted. 

“There’s always going to be another mountain
I’m always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I’m gonna to have to lose,
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb”

(I SWEAR I chose this quote before that little tribute to the women’s tournament…even if it’s sad to admit!)

Webinar: Breaking Down Barriers: NWLC’s Guide to Title IX for Lawyers and Advocates

The National Women’s Law Center is hosting a webinar titled Breading Down Barriers, tomorrow (Thursday) at 1pm EST.

In partnership with the law firm DLA Piper, NWLC will focus upon empowering participants on how to be a resource as a Title IX advocate in your community.

To sign up, click here.

Specifically, the webinar will address:

• How schools can comply with Title IX
• Tips for recognizing Title IX violations
• Step-by-step guidance for addressing Title IX violations in the courts

Thanks again to the folks at NWLC for passing this along to me. If I can tear myself away from my desk, I’ll try to hop on.

Otherwise, I’m told there will be a recording of the session available on the NWLC Web site.

NWLC is one of many organizations committed to promoting women’s participation in sport. This webinar is part of the National Women’s Law Center’s Citi Education Series on Family Economic Security.

Also, for a great post on National Girls and Women in Sports day, check out Womenstake, the NWLC blog (I highly recommend adding it to your feed reader).

Will Obama create opportunities for high school girls to play sports?

Today is a day of change.

…Or at least that’s what President Obama has been preaching for the past year.

And if what he says is true, there’s a chance he could create many more opportunities for high school girls who want to play sports.

The issue: The High School Sports Information Collection Act -  a piece of legislation which would extend Title IX reporting requirements from colleges to high schools. It’s expected to be reintroduced and voted on by Congress this year.

Over the past eight years, Title IX has been treated skeptically by the Bush administration. This act was introduced and neglected in 2007.

And now is a time for change.

During his campaign, President Obama promised a lot of things. Among them, he promised to support the reintroduction of this Act, and women’s sports leaders are now challenging his administration to follow through on their promises.

The law would require high schools to collect and share information about whether their athletic programs serve both sexes equally, as colleges must do now.

According to the National Women’s Law Center, high school girls get 1.3 million fewer participation opportunities than boys do. Unlike colleges, NWLC says high schools are not required to disclose data about the degree of equality in women’s sports programs.

The rest of this article on GameChangers.net is really, really good. I highly recommend you read through it.

For more information on this and other legislation, check out the Women’s Sports Foundation.

Uncertain future for Title IX under Obama

Read an interesting article on NCAA today by Michelle Brutlag Hosick about Obama’s new administration and the impact it will have on the future of Title IX.

Conclusion of the article: nobody really knows for sure.

Interesting to me, though, how it was said that Obama doesn’t want to lose support from women’s groups and young females – thats probably the most credit that female athletes have gotten in the policy world in about 30 years.

It’s promising to hear that the Obama administration would not support any change that would loosen the Title IX. It’s equally interesting to hear that Orleans wants to “encourage collaboration between parties on different sides of Title IX interpretation.”

I don’t think it’s an interpretation issue. The law is crystal clear. I think it’s an implementation issue, and it’s a conversation that needs to happen between college athletic directors and lawmakers.

It’s about the financial value that is placed on certain men’s programs.

NCAA’s “On Her Game” is right on point

If you’re a female athlete and you only read one industry publication  this month, check out NCAA’s feature, On Her Game – an excellently written editorial about modern female involvement in collegiate athletics.

Author Michelle Brutlag Hosick does a great job of explaining how female student-athletes are distinguishable in 2008.

Brutlag says,

They are female student-athletes in 2008.

They are radically different from the female student-athletes who charted new ground when Title IX created previously unimagined opportunities in 1972.

They respect their forebears, but they stop short of reverence. They want women to have coaching opportunities, but they want the best coaching they can get for themselves, regardless of which gender provides it. They are comfortable in defining what constitutes a quality athletics experience – and then making it happen.

They are, in many ways, a break from the past.

Brutlag goes on to discuss outside competition, comparisons to male athletes, and team integration. There’s a great video to accompany this, as well, located here.

This piece is an excellent read for those who may be unfamiliar with new movements of modern female athletic culture. Great job, Michelle!

“It was never a money issue. It was a Title IX issue.”

This is an explanation excuse that Edgar Johnson,  University of Delaware athletic director gave for his decision to cut men’s indoor track and add (eventually) women’s golf.

Check out this post from EBuz at the Title IX Blog. Interesting stuff.

My favorite point of hers,

“Saying “there’s no money” is one thing. Saying “we’d rather spend money on football than on providing a diverse array of athletic opportunities for both men and women” is another thing altogether. Unfortunately, I’m not optimistic that those eager to blame Title IX for university’s misdirected priorities will probe the AD’s statement deeply enough to recognize the difference.”

Is it just me, or does Johnson’s explanation go against what NCAA President Myles Brand told institutions NOT to do?

Title IX: Not an excuse for cutting men’s programs

NCAA President Myles Brand told USA Today last week that Title IX is not to blame for cutting men’s programs during tough economic times.

In my opinion, this is a message that was barely heard and needs to be shouted from the rooftops.

Because of tough economic times, the NCAA expects that some schools may drop men’s teams in the coming months. Brand is urging schools not to blame Title IX – which bans sex discrimination at schools receiving federal funds.

To my faithful critics who will come on here and post in response to this, I HAVE to point out.. from the NCAA’s Double-A Zone (something I’ve been trying to emphasize for months):

The law does not mandate a university cut men’s programs to accommodate this proportionality. “I would suggest that athletics directors need to spend more smartly,” Brand told the paper and suggested cutting costs in travel, facilities and “expenditures in the highly visible sports.”

I’d like to personally thank the NCAA for helping me construct my argument.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how the economy effects programs in the coming winter season.

Where’s the Women’s Sports Foundation?  You guys should be helping the NCAA broadcast this message!!!

Next Page »