Dads: Important role models for female athletes

While I know that not all female athletes have fathers (nor do they need them to be successful), I find it important on this Father’s Day to recognize the positive impact dads can have on the female athlete experience.

First, it’s important to point out that men make up the majority of female athlete coaches. While I understand the Women’s Sports Foundation’s POV on this issue continues to (rightfully) focus upon the lack of women in the profession (which is a problem), I also believe it’s important to talk about the men who do coach girls. Often times, these men are dads: supportive role models who have a vested interest in a woman’s future as an athlete.

Take, for instance, fathers like Richard Williams, the father of Serena and Venus, two of the most well-known tennis players in the world. Serena and Venus’ careers started on the Compton public tennis courts, where her father encouraged their development.

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Serena Williams: highest paid female athlete, worth $23 million

Now this is interesting….

Just read an article posted on NBC, titled, Call her $erena – as in $23 million worth.

In the tennis world, Serena Williams is a winner.

And she collects a check each time she outplays an opponent. Over time, these checks add up.

This week, Serena won the Australian Open for the fourth time (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009) and she’s the new world number one. This Australian Open is her tenth career Grand Slam crown and she is only the seventh woman to have won ten or more Slams.

To top it off, on Wednesday, Serena and her sister won their eighth doubles Grand Slam title.

She pushed her total income above $23.5 million.

“It’s amazing how much women’s tennis has grown since I joined the tour 14 years ago,” she said. “I am very proud to have reached this milestone for me, my family and all women athletes out there.”

I’m sure her sponsorship contract with Nike helps a bit, too. She sported a blue Nike dress, headband and wrist bands.

It’s a great day for women’s sports.

A salute to female athletes in 2008

Here’s a special treat – a homemade video that I created with Jane from Pretty Tough this week. I hope you like it! Please feel free to embed or slap on your Facebook page.

These women worked hard this year, and they certainly deserve the credit.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQUog8xS2FA

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.

WNBA’s First Outdoor Game

This past Saturday, the Indiana Fever beat home team New York Liberty to make history – not as winners, but rather as participants in the WNBA’s first outdoor game.

According to WNBA.com, in addition to making professional basketball history, the Liberty Outdoor Classic was the first non-tennis sporting event to take place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which is the largest public outdoor tennis facility in the world.

“Since opening in 1997, the world’s largest outdoor tennis-only venue has been the main stadium for the U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. It’s where Serena and Venus Williams have won two women’s titles each, and Roger Federer the last four men’s championships.

For one night, there was a different ball bouncing on the court in the first outdoor regular-season game in professional basketball history — men’s or women’s.

The game drew 19,393 to the 23,226-seat stadium. The attendance fell short of the team’s Garden record of 19,563, achieved three times — the last against Charlotte on Aug. 11, 2002.

Fireworks shot out from the sides outside the stadium before the Liberty’s starting lineup was announced, and on the court during the introductions as the players ran on the court”

Very, very cool. Check out the rest of the above article on ESPN.

Sister vs. Sister: Venus Comes Out On Top

For nearly two hours on Saturday, the Williams family rocked the tennis world’s grandest stage as they battled at Wimbledon. Unfortunately for Serena, Venus has the best standing record at the All England Club; her 7-5, 6-4 victory gave her a fifth singles title, leaving Serena with just two.

According to the New York Times, Serena explained to reporters that “there’s nothing to be satisfied about.”

However, it seemed she cheered up later in the night as she and her sister joined forces to win their third women’s doubles title, beating Lisa Raymond of the United States and Samantha Stosur of Australia, 6-2, 6-2.

But for many, the singles match was the highlight of the day. Two sisters with similar background and genetic makeup, battling for one of the most prestigious titles in the sport.

Many tennis enthusiasts say the one thing Venus has that makes her so incredibly hard to beat is her height: she’s 6 feet 1 inches tall (compared to her sister, who stands at 5 feet 10 inches tall), allowing her to cover a lot of ground at the net.

Also, her serves are incredibly fast. In the first game of the second set, Venus hit the fastest serve ever recorded by a woman at Wimbledon, 129 miles per hour.

I think this proves one thing and one thing only: Venus was giving it everything she had, and she came out on top, making history. I think it’s safe to say that Saturday’s match served as another thrilling moment in women’s sports.