January 2016 Round Up

One month down for 2016 and one month closer to the summer olympics. Media coverage of women in sports tend to increase in Olympic years. Let's look at some of the stories that were in the news this month.

The Ladies Gaelic Football Association and Lidl, a European grocery-store chain that has become the league’s official title sponsor, put out a fake product #Ladyball to highlight the ridiculous attitudes towards women in sport. "Soft touch, Eazi-play, Fashion driven."

When the Twitter outrage reached a fevered pitch, people were informed of the hoax. On their website, LGFA president said, "Through the “Ladyball” initiative Lidl has demonstrated their innovative and dedicated approach to supporting our sport. We hope to see everyone who spoke so passionately in women’s defence in this debate, channel that same energy into pitchside support during the coming season." Will they be able to turn hashtags into attendance? I hope so. There's a great article about this from the Washington Post with image captures of tweets, print ads, and video. Take a look!

From NPR came this great piece about the National Women's Hockey League who are in the midst of their first season. Some of the highlights include discussion about low pay, and flexibility in scheduling so that the women can all have other jobs. Says Dani Rylan, Founder and Commissioner, "You don't want to compare a league in its infancy to a league that is about to have its centennial." Sigh. The lack of pay equity doesn't seem to be keeping the players from amazing hockey though...

Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills football team promoted Kathryn Smith to the position of quality control-special teams. She will be the NFL's first full-time female assistant coach. Smith acknowledged that her job as quality control-special teams coach is an "amazing opportunity" on a personal level. Originally, the Bills didn't even make a big announcement thinking it was just a run-of-the-mill promotion.  Smith has years of experience both with the Bills and the Jets, but that didn't stop talk radio and Twitter degrading and demeaning her accomplishments. Maybe start listening to Spain, Jane, and Kate on ESPN's radio show The Trifecta. Here's the most recent show that includes a piece about Kathryn Smith's hiring.  

Finally, the African Women In Sports Forum opened in Algiers earlier this month. According to the website AllAfrica.com, "On the forum's first day, the participants will focus on the global effort for women's development, sports and Olympic movement, sustainable financing for the development of women and sport in the 21st century as well as the sustainable supervision of African women (role of sports federations)."

Don't forget Girls & Women in Sports Day coming up on February 3rd! Check here for events near you. In my town of Brunswick, ME I found this event:

"Bowdoin College will host its annual Girls & Women in Sports Day Event on Sunday, February 7 at Farley Field House.

The free-of-charge event is designed to introduce young women to a wide range of sports. Participants will rotate through sport stations at timed intervals. Sports scheduled for this year are: Basketball, Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Rugby, Soccer, Softball, Tennis and Volleyball.

The program will run in two age groups: K-3rd grade (11am-1pm) and 4th-HS (1:30pm-3:45pm). After each clinic, the participants are invited to have pizza and snacks with Bowdoin student-athletes."

Have a great February!

Back to School

School starts in my town this week. I know it's already started in many other towns across the country. Sports are gearing up--and if you haven't started back at practice, you soon will. I love fall; the crisp air, sipping on hot chocolate, sitting in the stands watching your favorite team. Or better yet, playing in the game!

This summer has seen two women elevated to positions never before held by women in professional sports. Sarah Thompson is the first female official in National Football League (NFL) history. Jen Welter is the first female coach in NFL history--she's an assistant Coach with the Arizona Cardinals.

They are both athletes in their own right. Sarah played basketball in college, and has been officiating football games for twenty years. Sarah says, "You want to be known as an official -- not as a female official -- because that's going to put you in a separate category," Thomas said. "We don't want to do anything that will enhance that. So when a coach looks at you, he just sees an official."

Jen Welter has a a master’s degree in sports psychology and a doctorate in psychology--in addition to having playing on a professional women's football team. One of her hallmark coaching strategies is leaving notes of encouragement for her team. She says about her experience, "We showed little girls that even in the final frontier of sports that anything is possible,'' she said. ''That is breathtaking to me. It's something that I never thought was possible.''

Get out there and play like a girl, just like these two groundbreaking women!

Sources:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12669370/meet-sarah-thomas-first-female-nfl-official-referee
http://espn.go.com/blog/arizona-cardinals/post/_/id/15729/how-jen-welter-got-hired-by-the-arizona-cardinalshttp://sports.yahoo.com/news/coach-jen-welter-calls-groundbreaking-nfl-fantastic-220005347--nfl.html

WILD CARDS: a Sporty Book Review

With the leaves changing and October crispness filling the air, a football story felt like the perfect book. After reading Simone Elkeles Perfect Chemistry series this Spring (which I was totally head over heels for) I found out she had this hot, new football story coming out this October and I couldn't wait to snag it up. It's told from the duel POV's of Ashtyn, a the kicker for the  football team, and Derek, the new guy in town who's not only going to invade her school that fall, but also her house (he's her big sister's step-son).

From Goodreads: 

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

Simone went to the high school where this book takes place and based her characters on the real team. She even has a tv show she's working on based on these players (link here). I liked that she got to know them and their coach and  was able to understand and really FEEL what  having a girl on the team can do to them. Of course she isn't telling their stories, but basing WILD CARDS off them more in a general sense.

I was expecting it to be a bit more like Catching Jordan with lots of playing time and seeing Ashtyn perform under pressure, but it was more of a love story. Only one game happens, and some practices, but much of the book is off the field. The sexual tension runs high from the moment the two meet. The duel POV is super fun. I liked experiencing both sides of the story. Derek has a difficult past, he's a decent guy who hasn't picked up a football since his mom died. Ashtyn is a girl (also without a mom) trying to gain her father's attention by playing football, a sport he loves. How the two meet is super fun...it reminds me a bit of  the movie Far and Away (with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman).

My main holdup: I struggled to believe the team would vote a kicker captain, especially since she didn't seem all that confident about that role. Her being voted in is the catalyst to the story, so I needed to believe it.

With all the sex and cruel language/discussions it felt more adult (or NA) than YA to me. When I read a YA I think about my 15 and 17 year old nieces and whether I could hand them the book. This time around I'd have to so no. But if you're a mature reader, go for it! It'll be a fun read of emotions, sexual tension, and football.

Have you read WILD CARDS? Would you play HS football? Are you loving fall?