After Atalanta

...for me to get back from vacation (because that's where I am) you should go over the Women's Sports Foundation website to vote for Sportswoman of the Year . You cast two votes; one for team sport athlete and one for individual sport. WSF did a good job with the nominees who represent a variety of sports including tennis, bowling, swimming, softball, and gymnastics among others. They have more well-known athletes and lesser-known ones--the latter condition due largely to the media invisibility of the sport. I ask that you do two things: 1) read the bios of the athletes before you vote; it will give you a greater appreciation of all the athletes but especially the lesser-known ones; and 2) please don't vote for Danica Patrick--'cause I don't want to have to blog about that. Thanks!

Almost passed over yet another article about the bad economy and the effects on women's sports. You know, the one that invokes almost immediately the folding of the Houston Comets and the shaky pitch the WPS finds itself on. Though much later in the article it is noted that the WPS needed to average 4,000 attendees per game to remain sustainable and in the first weeks of the season is averaging 6,000. It is the LPGA actually that seems to be hit the hardest among women's sports and that is probably because they appeal to a different clientele. The hope among other women's sports is that the low cost of attending a game, tournament, or competition will draw people who are no longer willing to spend well over $100 for a family of 4 to attend a baseball game. The LPGA does not have those same advantages. And professional golf has always relied on high-end sponsorship because it is said to appeal to higher end customers--hence sponsorships by Rolex, Cadillac, etc. But in tough ...

Earlier this week the Women's Sports Foundation held their annual awards dinner in NYC. Nastia Liukin won the 2008 Sportswoman of the Year Award (individual) and Jessica Mendoza won it for a female athlete competing in a team sport. Of course, gymnastics could be considered a team sport as well though there is the individual component of it unlike in softball and other team sports. I was kind of bummed at the choice of recipients. I do like Mendoza and believe she is a good athlete and a good person very much involved in using sport to make change within and outside of sport, but she gets a lot of publicity already. Liukin doesn't really do anything for me and she doesn't appear to have done much outside of gymnastics. The thing most of the articles about the award if touting is Liukin's upcoming guest appearance on Gossip Girl. I myself voted for Ashley Fiolek, the teenager who races motocross (a very male dominated field). And Patty Cisneros for Team Sportswoman of th...

Last week the Women's Sports Foundation released its study of the effects of sports and physical activity on children and families, including who is playing (i.e. who has access and "interest"). A downloadable version of the report can be found here --this link also includes a summary of the findings. There has been a relatively decent amount of media coverage of the report (see here , here , here and here ) but I have been somewhat reluctant to talk about it. It could be, perhaps, that I was part of this research in its infancy and so the findings that, for example, girls in urban locales have significantly less access to sports than their male peers and that this is also dependent on race and class, really are not that surprising to me. I also have some hesitations because I question not necessarily the goals of the research--to bring more opportunities to girls--but the reasons behind the goals. In other words, I think we should question a little more the idea that sp...

The Billies, the annual awards event hosted the Women's Sports Foundation (and sponsored, in part, by ESPN), took place a few nights ago in LA . The awards recognize outstanding media coverage of women's sports in a variety of genres. This year's ceremony also recognized the 35th anniversary of the Billie Jean King's win over Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes. And the winners were: Under Armour for their Boom Boom Tap campaign in the Breakthrough and Innovation category. The movie Chak! de India in the film category. [Is it time for me to complain again about how I have yet to see this movie?!?] Kathrine Switzer won in the journalism category for her account of "crashing" the Boston Marathon in 1967, before women were allowed to enter. Her book is called Marathon Woman . And Lesley Visser won the outstanding journalist award.

Jessica Mendoza, national softball team player, has been elected the new president of the Women's Sports Foundation. What I know of Mendoza, I like. She is part of a group of athletes protesting China's policy on Darfur and, in general, seems to be in the know politically. I had a problem with past president gymnast Dominique Dawes because of her belief that it's ok for female athletes to pose in a sexual manner. For some reason I don't see Mendoza taking that stance. I hope she brings a lot of awareness about the connection between politics and sports to the forefront.

The Billies, the annual awards celebrating positive media portrayals of women in sport sponsored by the Women's Sports Foundation, will take place April 15 this year in LA. The WSF just announced the finalists in the three award categories. In the Breakthrough & Innovation category, honoring images and portrayals that challenge the status quo of females as athletes, we have: 1. "Women's Soccer Team -- The Greatest Team You've Never Heard of"; Nike's advertising campaign from the 2007 World Cup. I was not a huge fan of this campaign. I thought it condescended to the many soccer fans who knew exactly who this team was because we don't show up for soccer every 4 years. 2. "Boom Boom Tap" Under Armour's first campaign for female team athletes. This was catchy and simple and it featured sports like field hockey that get very little attention. 3. "GKA" a television series on Fuel TV dedicated to women's participation in action spo...

It's nice having friends, lovers, family members, etc. who are athletically-inclined. Because athletically inclined people give other athletically inclined people very useful and fun gifts. And sure, some people, like a friend who uttered the above as she watched the gift exchange, don't quite get it--but that's ok. Given and received around here this year: A membership to the Women's Sports Foundation --and yes, there is still time to become a member and have your donation be matched by an anonymous donor. So my $50 membership is actually worth $100. Stuff to keep warm: ski cap, wind-resistant grippy gloves, toe covers for cycling shoes, wind-resistant reflector vest Accessories and necessities: tennis balls, handlebar wraps, bike odometer Workout stuff: "just the right length" shorts with pockets , Life is Good t-shirt Oh yes, the above mentioned "exercise food": trail mix and Shot Bloks . Not bad.

Once upon a time I was a journalism major; and during this time I learned about the importance of the follow-up story. The "what ever happened to (pick issue or person or event)?" story that was especially good to trot out in the middle of summer when there was nothing going on, as I learned, once upon a time, when I was a reporter in a small town. Following up, as I hope to demonstrate here, is a transferable skill. So here goes. 1. Following up on my post about holiday gifts in the form of books, is the observation, made by my partner in the throes of last-minute Christmas shopping, that about 99.9% of the eff'in books in the sports section at Barnes and Noble are about men. I was told "that if aliens landed on earth and went to Barnes and Nobles they would have no idea that women played sports." I personally think that if aliens landed, we might have bigger problems, but point taken. Because even if the books seem gender neutral, they are not. Case in point, ...

I am always leery of giving gifts that allegedly benefit an organization. So I try to look into what exactly is being promised to said organization and what the organization does with the money. For example, I don't buy anything that is for breast cancer because I think most of it is a waste of money and provides more money to the companies that actually produce carcinogens and, as Diane has pointed out , research organizations that test on animals. But since this is supposed to be a positive seasonal post, I will move on to suggestions of how you can give this season and support women and girls in sport. Donations. I received an email not too long ago from It Takes a Team! the branch of the Women's Sports Foundation (WSF) that addresses homophobia in sports. Dr. Pat Griffin and her staff do an amazing job bringing issues related to sexuality to one of the most difficult places to talk about them: college athletic departments. But the organization needs your help . Think about ...

The need for a fitter population is a concern frequently covered by the media. Yesterday I mentioned the WSFF report on the state of women's fitness in Great Britain. There was no mention, though, in the coverage I saw of the report, about disparities in fitness levels across racial and class lines. In the United States that concern is very real and many are trying to address it. When I was in graduate school in Boston I worked on a project funded, in part, through the Women's Sports Foundation where organizations that offered programs aimed at increasing the participation of girls in sports and physical activity--especially girls of color and those from working and lower class backgrounds--received grants to continue (or begin in some cases) their work. In return, some eager researchers came in and observed the process and collected data. Boston was a target city because statistics at the time showed boys in the city had twice as many participation opportunities as girls. Yest...

Last night's Women's Sports Foundation Annual Salute to Women in Sports featured some big names receiving great accolades . Golfer Lorena Ochoa, who last year overtook one of the greatest--Annika Sorenstam--as the number one golfer in the world, won professional Sportswoman of the Year. Tennessee softball pitcher Monica Abbott won the same in the amateur category. Figure skater Michelle Kwan won the Billie Jean King Contribution Award for her work as a public diplomat travelling around the world talking to kids about education and social issues. And the Rutgers women's basketball team won the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award for enduring all the crap that followed in the wake of Don Imus's imbecility. They met and posed for a picture with former national soccer team member and long-time WSF supporter Julie Foudy, who, while praising the team for their actions, got their gender wrong and called them "guys." Other attendees included Jackie Joyner-Kersee who had to co...

Anyone with deep pockets who is planning on being in the NYC area a week from tonight might consider heading over to the Waldorf-Astoria for the Women's Sports Foundation's Annual Salute to Women in Sports Awards Gala and Auction. For enough money you can purchase a spot at a table with a champion athlete. The money, of course, goes to a worthy cause. WSF sponsors a multitude of programs and opportunities aimed at bringing the beneficial effects of sports and physical activities into the lives of all girls. Plus you will get to see the Parade of Athletes which will include Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Dominique Dawes, Dawn Riley, Gretchen Bleiler and Jennie Finch. And you'll be there live and in person to see who wins Sportswoman of the Year and the Billie Jean King Contribution Award.

Women's Sports Foundation CEO Donna Lopiano, who has held the position for fifteen years, announced she was stepping down at the end of last week. No word on her replacement or definite future plans. She said she may return to the academy (she was director of women's athletics at University of Texas). She is definitely eager to undertake a new project. WSF has begin searching for a new CEO and Lopiano has agreed to serve as a consultant for another 3 years. So her amazing influence will not be entirely lost. And I, for one, am eager to see where she directs her energies next and the change she will surely bring about wherever she goes.

I have previously blogged about the problems I have with Nancy Lieberman. And when I saw that the Women's Sports Foundation newsletter this month was running a feature on her , I was a little disappointed. It is nothing especially new. She hasn't done something notable of late. The WSF wants to keep lauding women's sports advocates like Lieberman who is a former WSF president. During the feature Lieberman re-states her complaint (that I initially heard at the Title IX conference at Harvard in April) that women are spending their money on Coach and Prada purses and not on season tickets to local women's intercollegiate or professional sports. Apparently this is a line she uses at most of her public speaking gigs. She also seeks to mention her teenage son whenever possible. My diagnosis: Lieberman has an acute case of apologetic behavior. Apologetic behavior is when female athletes essentially compensate for their presence in sports, a traditionally masculine endeavor, th...

The WNBA is in trouble. And it isn't because of attendance or financial woes or the lack of festivities around the All-Star Game --it's because they think Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is an inspiration. Yes, the WNBA gave Rice its 2007 WNBA Inspiration Award Friday at a luncheon with the WNBA all-stars and other figures including Women's Sports Foundation CEO Donna Lopiano. A complete copy of Rice's remarks can be found here . This award (or rather the giving of the award to Rice) epitomizes some of the big issues I have with mainstream sport and with some aspects of women's sports advocacy groups. Rice has a very successful career in an historically male field. She is intelligent and a proven expert in her field. I don't know her entire history but it seems likely she has succeeded in the rich white man's world despite obstacles she, as a black woman, faced. But she is not an inspiration. No one in this administration is an inspiration. In promoting ...

The other night during game one of the championship series of the WCWS (Arizona won the third game, by the way, to give them back to back titles) commentator Beth Mowins noted the growing depth of women's intercollegiate softball. No California team made it to Oklahoma City this year, for example. Mowins also noted that the SEC, of which Tennessee is a member school, has grown increasingly stronger in the past five years or so. SEC softball has been the beneficiary of SEC football, Mowins said almost in passing during this inter-inning chat. Wait, what? Did she just basically say that football pays for women's softball in the SEC. This is the kind of argument that gets thrown back at women's sport advocates when we kindly point out that football teams are too large and usurp far too much of the athletic budget. "But football pays for women's sports," we hear over and over again. And over and over again we must say "No, the majority of schools with footbal...

I forgot to blog about this year's Billies held a couple of weeks ago in Beverly Hills. In addition to BJK herself, good pal Elton John showed up to entertain, Sharon Stone, Geena Davis, and various assorted sports celebs were on hand. I always thought it was unusual that there's this big awards event whose name is meant to invoke other big-time awards events but they only give out about four awards. The Billies celebrate positive media coverage and representations of girls' and women's sports. For example, this year the MTV series MADE won a Billie in the Breakthrough and Innovation category. This doesn't exactly thrill me because it seems to laud the whole series rather than the few episodes in which girls are "made" into athletes. Some of the episodes are hideous examples of conformist (to heteronormative femininity) behaviors. (See, for example, any of the ones were the outsider girl want to be made into prom queen or homecoming queen or the popular gi...