There’s a girl being born in America

There’s a girl being born in America
And somebody will tell her she is beautiful
And somebody will tell her she is strong
Somebody will tell her she is precious
And somebody will tell her she is tough.
There’s a girl being born in America
And someone will give her a doll
And someone will give her a ball
And someone will give her a chance.

- Nike advertisement, launched on television in 1996.

According to Robert Goldman & Stephen Papson, the authors of Nike Culture (1998), “By posing the issue [socialization of girls] in a binary way between “balls” and “dolls,” the Nike ad sought to privilege action over appearance.” (p. 137)

What do you think?

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.

Read more

NCAA career development program for women

The NCAA is holding a career development program that’s targeting women, announced today. It’s going to be held on December 17 in conjunction with the women’s volleyball championship at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.

Here’s the kicker: Registration is limited to 35 participants and is currently open to female students and student-athletes from any division and sport.

Ok, so you’re targeting women. But only 35 of us? How exactly is that intended to make a realistic impact in getting women involved in college sports careers?

If you’d like to voice your opinion (or get more information), contact Karen Morrison, NCAA director of gender initiatives, at kmorrison@ncaa.org.

Blogs With Balls: Female sports community ignored, again

If you’re familiar with the mammoth multi-billion dollar male sports blogging scene, you’ve probably heard of A.J. Daulerio of Deadspin, Spencer Hall of The Sporting Blog or Dan Kellyand of the Bleacher Report.

Chances are, if you know these guys, you also know about Blogs With Balls. Why? Because they’re panelists. And chances are, (forgive me for stereotyping)… you’re a guy.

The first of its kind, Blogs With Balls is a an event occuring in New York City this Saturday, June 13. Sponsored by Yardbarker, this event will bring together some of the biggest names in the sports blogosphere for a one-day discussion on the space.

Topics include the future of sports media, leveraging social media, claiming earned media, the secret of success, content networks, financial return, and sports journalist vs. blogger.

While these topics are great ones and people in the industry would (and should) gain value from attending the event, I must point out that there is one serious problem. And if it is not addressed now, I fear that it never will be.

While some of the speakers on the agenda do include women, many of these ladies either work in the male sports industry or blog about completely men’s sports. Only one of the panelists actively blogs about women, and that’s Sarah Braesch, who, only as of a few nights ago, became an advisor to WomenTalkSports.com.

It is incredibly obvious that the female sports blogging community (yes, there is one) is seriously under-represented at this “sports blogging event.” In my opinion, if you’re going to use a gender-neutral term like “sports,” you had better include the other gender’s interests and not force us to live in a separate world. This is not only a common, significant oversight, but a dumb one, too.

As far as I know,  WomenTalkSports.com is the only network of female sports bloggers (writing completely about women’s sports).

Not one of its founders or bloggers was invited to this event. YardBarker (of which I am a member), HHR MediaGroup and every single panel moderator (including Matt Ufford, With Leather.com, Michael Tunison, KissingSuzyKolber.com, Dan Shanoff, DanShanoff.com, Sporting News, Matt Sebek, JoeSportsFan.com Dan Levy, On the DL Podcast) either did not realize this problem or chose to ignore it.

If you’re a female sports blogger, the very name of the event, Blogs With Balls, should – on some level – piss you off. Do you really think women are welcome or taken seriously at such an event? It’s not exactly welcoming for the gender that doesn’t (physically) have balls.

So I must ask those in the male sports industry – what do we need to do to be welcomed? This points to an even bigger quesiton – what do female athletes themselves need to do to be welcomed in traditional media coverage of sports (that doesn’t involve taking off clothes)? This, for example, would make a great debate topic for a panel this weekend.

Why were we excluded? Here’s my take – because that’s where the money is.  As I mentioned earlier in this post, male sports a multi-billion dollar industry. To date, the female sports industry is not at that level. Until women sports bloggers are recognized as part of a bigger, more diverse “sports community,” we will continue to rest in the shadows of our male counterparts.

I didn’t write about this topic because I hate men (I actually love them). I blog because I hope the opportunity to join this community is possible.

Until then, I’ll rest on Saturday knowing that Sarah will be there talking for me, and maybe next year, I’ll get the invite.

Sports Industry: Women and Minorities Wanted, Future Sole paves the way for sneaker designers

As a minority woman, recent college graduate and an aspiring sports journalist there is only one thing I am searching for; an opportunity.

This post is about opportunities for minority women in the sports industry, and it touches on a special sneaker design contest called Future Sole. While the registration deadline for this contest has already passed (6/1/09), there is still an opportunity for you to participate by voting for the winner. This post (hopefully) will give you reason to do so.

In order to paint the picture for how important this program is, I decided to share a little bit about my own life.

I posses a strong desire to make a name for myself in the sports communication industry, and by myself, I mean a strong African- American woman with a high passion for sports.  The last couple of weeks I have been searching day in and day out for a fall internship. “Sports Journalism”, were my initial keywords that I typed in many search engines, which then opened my eyes to other career paths, ones that I wasn’t aware of.

I stumbled across the NCAA career center, where I discovered the sports information director profession. Immediately I took a strong interest in the position, the job sounded appealing to my interests. However, I will be honest; the fine print at the end of all of the job descriptions grasped the majority of my attention and ignited my confidence.

The fine print read somewhere along the lines of ‘women and ethnic minorities strongly encouraged to apply’, which seemed to good to be true. After more internship searching, this statement became a reoccurring theme.

There is a lack of women and minorities in the sports media industry.

As an African- American woman that is striving to become successful in the industry that I love, I plan to be a force in breaking down the barriers, race and gender combined. I am confident that  I have the same dream as many other young female athletes; when I was young, I wanted to be a professional basketball player, until recently I realized the odds of that happening were slim to none.

I  decided not to give up; I just made the decision to take another road to the same goal.

I discovered my passion for writing, media, and sports. I switched my college undergraduate major from Health and Physical Education to Journalism, because I love to write I played basketball my entire life on the high school and collegiate levels.

I now have my B.A. in Journalism at the age of 23, and can proudly say that I’m the first in my immediate family to achieve a college degree. My brother (pictured with me above) is close behind, too, set to finish his degree in the next couple of years.

This is an accomplishment that I am very proud of, however, I will always look back and wish there were more opportunities and exposure along the way to guide me toward my dreams.

With a lot of hard work and some help from others on the way, I made out alright. But as a child, or teenager, they were non-existent.

I believe one of the keys to making a way for women in sports media is opportunity. My community and childhood surroundings didn’t introduce me to women’s sports; actually my middle school didn’t even have a basketball program (those opportunities came later – in junior high, high school and college).

But one thing I learned is that it isn’t too late to make change.  I plan to give back to the young ladies in my community, which is predominately African- American, and help them broaden their horizons.

On a larger scale, there are still individuals who have become successful, and are providing chances for the youth. Future Sole is an example of such an organization.

Future Sole is a sneaker design contest that was created in 2007 to give youth the access to the footwear design industry.

“When I was growing up, there wasn’t a forum to learn about the sneaker design industry or a community to share design ideas,” said Edwards. “Many kids don’t know a career in footwear design exists, so with Future Sole I wanted to open their eyes to the possibilities and show them how they can achieve it.”

- D’Wayne Edwards, Jordan Brand Footwear Design Director

Future Sole is a nationwide high school footwear design competition co-sponsored by Nike. The contest is in its second year, and the registration ran until 6/1/09. High school students between the ages of 14-19 were eligible for the contest. While the deadline for this has past, you can still participate by voting for the winner.

Why women? Because there are only 2% women of color collectively. The contest hopes to close the demographic gaps in the industry.

Lisa Leslie of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks is a sponsor of this program, and this really speaks to her ongoing support of minority youth trying to make it in the industry.

“I believe this program will  impact many kids lives in a very positive way. I think this is an awesome opportunity for any child who’s creative and loves to draw. I am happy to be a role model and have the opportunity to give back especially in my own community!”

What that says to me is there is another avenue for creative women (especially colored women) in the sports industry to take. Last years winners were two males, while that is awesome, maybe this year can be different, and two women can win the contest.

I can remember a good friend of mine always drawing pictures of cool sneakers when we were younger; he wanted to design sneakers. If he had access to an organization like Future Sole back then, he may have been able to pursue this dream.

For more information, please visit www.futuresole.com. To vote for a winner, click here.

(Video) Christiane Amanpour on the importance of women in sport

Below is a video – created and distributed by the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) – of Christiane Amanpour, CNN Chief International Correspondent, on the importance of sport in the lives of women and girls.

It is vitally important that those in the public eye who support women’s sports continue to participate in opportunities such as these, regardless of how much/little they’re paid for doing so.

Props to WSF for making this video available and embeddable. I found this on WSF’s Facebook Fan Page. They’ve got some great content up there – highly recommend you promote it within your network. They also have a Cause Page – great way to recruit friends as engaged advocates. Enjoy!

This. Is. Cool…. Online community comes together, demanding fair pay for women

I wanted to share the list of blogs which collectively came together (with the help of the National Women’s Law Center) to discuss and demand fair pay for women.

The list continues to grow. It’s so great to see women coming together for a common cause to actually discuss and create conversations about an advocacy cause that we all collectively support.

Take a look at this list (be sure to click “more” – this is huge). Also, notice the Twitter widget, below – they’re following all conversations with the hashtag #fairplay.

9to5 National Blog

A Blog of Our Own
AAUW CA Online Branch Forum
AAUW Dialog – Lecia Imbery
AAUW Dialog – Linda Brodsky
AAUW-WA Public Policy
About.com: Working Moms

Read more

Vote today! 13 ways you can change the world through sports

… as if you needed ideas.

Today is the last day you can vote for your favorites in the Sport for Change contest finalists run by Nike and Ashoka. This post contains links to the finalists, as well as some social media they’ve shared with the world.

To recap – The title of the contest: “GameChangers: Change the Game for Women in Sport”.

Ashoka’s Changemakers and Nike continue their partnership to identify, inspire and bring together the next wave of innovators eager to change the game for women in sport. Between November 12, 2008 and February 25, 2009, individuals from around the world came together to propose a ways to leverage sport for positive social change in the lives of girls and women. Read more

Women’s Hoops Final Four

It might be April but the fun and excitement of Division I Women’s College Basketball March Madness is still underway.

And then there were four. The ladies of # 1Connecticut advanced after a (83-64) win against # 6 Arizona State, # 3 Louisville defeated # 1 Maryland (77-60), # 1 Oklahoma State was able to finish on top of # 6 Purdue (74-68), and # 2 Stanford rolled over # 4 Iowa State (74-53).

In a match up set for 7 p.m. this Sunday night, April 5^th, # 3 Louisville (33-4) will take on # 1 Oklahoma State (32-4), and # 1 UCONN (37-0) will duke it out with # 2 Stanford (33-4) at 9:30p.m.in St. Louis, MO.

Just looking at the impressive records of the remaining teams it is safe to anticipate that these will all be very good, exciting, competitive games. I think the last draw will certainly come down to UCONN vs. Oklahoma State, with UCONN taking it all. There is just something about these huskies this year, oh maybe it’s their undefeated record, extremely talented line-up, and perhaps their phenomenal coach.

March Madness Online: Thank you, ESPN, for promoting women

Ok, so March Madness has officially begun.

It’s my favorite time of the year!!

This year, I actually decided to participate (shocking) by filling out brackets and starting Women Talk Sports groups) for both the Men’s NCAA Championships (via CBS Sports.com Facebook application) and the Women’s NCAA Championships (via ESPN’s women’s tournament challenge).

The great gift of social media is letting us not only track our brackets online, but also participate by challenging our friends – in my case, it’s the Women Talk Sports community, and whoever else wants to join.

The first resource I found was via Facebook – a friend had invited me a few days ago.

The application is created by CBS Sports. It’s actually really neat – it lets you customize your bracket, track how you’re doing via your profile widget, pick your favorite teams, start discussions and

actually “trash talk” others’ brackets. Very interactive and fun.

Except for one thing.

THEY DON’T HAVE A WOMEN’S BRACKET.

Like, are you kidding me?

When you say you have “NCAA Basketball Brackets” you’d think it was for both genders. But I guess the women’s teams aren’t good enough for a Facebook application yet.

Ugh.

As far as I know, the only site that is actively letting fans participate online with the women’s tournament is ESPN, through it’s Women’s Tournament Challenge. Although it’s not as great as the one on Facebook (in that you have to create an account and invite people who also have to create accounts), it’s still pretty good.

In fact, the ESPN bracket challenge is an actual contest, in that you could win a $3,000 gift card from Best Buy if you get the most points.

Here’s a little bit of background information from their Web site:

“Welcome to the 2009 Women’s Tournament Challenge. The March to the Arch has arrived and that means it’s time to become part of the madness.

The next step is easy. Just select which teams you think will win each of the 63 tournament games that tip off March 21. You earn points for each game you correctly predict. The point value for a correct pick increases with each round of the tournament, culminating with the NCAA championship game in St. Louis on April 7. All 63 games are on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN360.com, so follow along as you pull for your picks to survive and advance.”

So, who do you have going all the way?

You can see my women’s brackets on the ESPN Women Talk Sports group via the ESPN Women’s Tournament Challenge. (Yes, I picked Maryland to upset UConn in the championship – that would be exciting).

You can see my men’s brackets on the Women Talk Sports Facebook group via the CBS Sports Application. (I picked North Carolina beating Memphis for the championship).

If either of these applications had an embeddable widget (which would make sense), you know I’d have it up here. If you find any, please let me know!

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.

Male/female soccer game in Iran sparks attention, punishment

When I read about this yesterday, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

On January 20, Iran held its a mixed soccer game – the first of its kind – since the Islamic revolution in 1979.

The game was intended to be a secret – but some cell phone footage was leaked, and punishments were handed to three Iranian soccer club officials.

Check out this AP article for more.

The Jan. 20 game between the club’s female team and its youth male team in Tehran was the first time in the 30 years of Iran’s Islamic establishment that males and females played soccer together, observers said.

The youth team beat the women 7-0 in a game Vatan-e-Emrooz described as ‘historic.’

According to this Fox soccer news article, Iran’s strict Islamic rules ban any physical contact between unrelated men and women, and Iranian women are even banned from attending soccer games when male teams play.

Surprisingly, my colleagues on the male sports blogs covered this story, led by Sports by Brooks:

“Women’s soccer has only recently been widely accepted in Iran. A national women’s team was formed in 2005, but already has had some success in Asia, nearly qualifying for last year’s Asian Cup finals. As you can see from the photo above, the Iranian players have to wear long sleeves, pants, and a head scarf. And home matches are attended only by women.”

It followed with a link from Ball Hype. I’m shocked – they don’t usually cover women’s sports.

The officials of the game – a coach and two managers – first denied the game took place, but video clips on cell phones of the game were used as evidence against them.

This story (and subsequent research) has challenged me to write a series about Muslim women and sports.

So look for more to come..

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