Did anyone happened to catch Texas A&M's newly released media guide for the 2009-2010 women's basketball team? Or Florida State's women's basketball team website? Oh how times have changed since I was a college athlete.
The Seattle Times reporter Jayda Evans recently wrote about the newly redesigned women's collegiate media guides and websites with an overt feminized message. One has to question if this is some kind of attempt to re-brand female basketball players based on widely accepted views that if you're a female college athlete who plays basketball, odds are you're a lesbian. Evans article examines this seemingly new wave of over-feminizing female basketball players as a way to mask "butchness." (Yes, even the WNBA has attempted to sex upfeminize its gals). Evans highlights Training Rules, a recent documentary film by Dee Mosbacher and Fawn Yacker about former Penn State coach Rene Portland, who supposedly touted three rules for her female players: No drinking. No drugs. No lesbians.
Here's the trailer clip from Training Rules
Evans writes: "The film is fascinating in its inside look at how homophobia has a choke hold on women's sports in general. How it's used against each other in recruiting, tagging programs as full of lesbians, and how schools/coaches over feminize themselves to not appear lesbian. All under the "innocent" veil of wanting to show women athletes can be "powerful, beautiful, strong and accomplished." Or, to put it more simply, heterosexual, too."
As a former high school basketball player and collegiate track athlete, I've experienced first-hand the turmoil female athletes (whether they identify as lesbian or not) endured at the hand of coaches and peer athletes. These same athletes, who were also my friends, were labeled as "butch" and "lesbos" and misjudged accordingly because of what others assumed or "saw."
In high school, I was called a "man" a "horse" and a "dinosaur" for the way I appeared on the basketball court and track. My legs were huge. I'd curse when I got upset. I was faster than all the other girls (and some guys). And at times, I walked around with a head scarf wrapped around my head because 1) it was hella comfortable during track meets and basketball games, and 2) it was hella cold in Cleveland, Ohio. The folks who called me a man, horse, or dinosaur learned somewhere that if the fastest girl or best long jumper in the state didn't act (or hell, look) like a lady or wasn't girly in nature and in stature that she, that I, must be the opposite of that; manly, animal-like, and monstrous. Some people's logic is the epitome of #epicfail.
The sexualization and over feminization of female athletes is nothing new, and neither is the ridicule female athletes experience because who they are and how they act don't measure up to another person's standard of womanhood. I share in Evans position that dressing up these women for a website or media guide is offensive because it works to undermine the ability each one of these athletes have worked to master since childhood. And I'll take it a step further; the fact that these universities are promoting an overtly feminized "illusion" is asinine and creepy (Texas A&M coach Gary Blair adjusting his tie in the picture above is just all kinds of weird).
Whether these women like to wear dresses or not, or whether they identify as homosexual or heterosexual isn't the issue. The problem is disconnect: What does wearing a silky prom dress circa 1999 or posing in a sultry manner while wearing a black cocktail dress have to do with how many boards these women can grab per game or how accomplished they are on and off the court? What does one thing have to do with the other? If my school or coach would've ever suggested that I pose wearing a dress or high heels for the sports media guide/website so as means to appear "powerful, beautiful, strong, and accomplished," I would've laughed hysterically in their face and redirected them to my stellar grade point average, field goal percentage stats, and scholarship awards instead.
Don't play me for a fool.
When the game means more than wind sprints and foul shots. When it takes on a different connotation. When it becomes as much about how these women look as about how they play and hustle on the court. When young girls, hoping to one day play for schools like Penn State, Texas A&M, Florida State, or the WNBA, think that part of being a powerful, beautiful, strong, and accomplished female athlete means looking good in a dress or high heels, then society--touting tolerance in the guise of fear and cowardice--has officially failed its daughters.
The day we start asking our men's teams to pose for media guides and websites in Rambo outfits with machine guns strapped to their backs to appear, you know, "manly" instead of appearing like, you know, basketball players is when you'll catch me on the first flight to a desert island. Ok, maybe that was kinda an exaggeration of epic proportions, but arguably not as ridiculous as female basketball players posing for "glamour shots" in collegiate sports media guides.
Almost a year ago to the date, I had the opportunity sit and listen to activist, Liepollo L. Pheko of The Trade Collective, speak about racial justice in a global economy. Throughout her speech, she referred to those that are largely deemed invisible by a majority as "The Many." These, We, The Many, she said are otherwise known as The Other, but in numbers, in potential, and in the spirit of the collective, We, The Many - despite being Otherized, are gifted, powerful, and necessary.
As James reported on Sunday, the prelims of the 2009 Knicks Poetry Slam was held on Saturday, November 7th at The Manhattan Center in New York City. Along with James and other Play City folk, I had the opportunity to witness what I deemed as The Gifted Many. Brooklyn's, Harlem's, Queen's, the Bronx's, Manhattan's, Jersey's, and Philly's finest were definitely in the building. A showcase of young poetic, dance, and musical genius commanded the audience's attention over the weekend. I was forced to not only reminisce about my fleeting youth but also wonder in amazement at how these young minds can be so entirely insightful, intellectual, and exuberant.
Like, for example, Alexis Marie. This young queen took to the stage armed with some of the most powerful words I've ever heard uttered from a teenager's mouth (mind you, I used to be a middle school teacher). Her poem was about womanhood, strength, struggle, courage; "things" you'd assume a young teenage girl wouldn't have any clue about. But while listening to Alexis I got a sense that she's encountered some very deep and soulful life experiences that inform her ability to express herself through poetry. Alexis exhibited an astute awareness that spoke to who she is and who she is to become as a woman of color. Her performance was simply stunning.
Equally as powerful was another spoken word performance by two young boys from NYC. As soon as they were introduced, teens rushed to the front of the stage. At that point, I kinda knew something amazing was about to happen. The young men stood side-by-side as they recited, in sync with one another, the beginning of their poem entitled Switch. As they continued, their voices split, like a call-and-response with separately distinct voices. As I listened, I began to understand that Switch was a poem about a young black boy's struggle with being homosexual. The young boys took the idea (and gesture) of "switching" and turned it into social commentary. I'm not quite sure if this idea of switching also spoke to the way in which marginalized people have learned to "switch" language, mannerisms, or consciousness as a way to (temporarily) assimilate into a situation largely controlled by a dominant group. (See: W.E.B. DuBois double consciousness and Gloria Anzaldua mestiza consciousness).
In any event, the performance left me in awe, so much so that when it was over, I looked at James and the only word I could muster was simply "Wow."
In addition to the performances, students were given the opportunity to learn more about participating colleges and universities at the event. Syracuse University, the University of Wisconsin, Mercy College, among others were in attendance. Each student was welcomed to obtain more information about higher education throughout the day.
In looking back, I can better understand the importance of Saturday's event. It was a time when youth of varied colors, ages, sexualities, and abilities can all at once be recognized for their unique talent and be encouraged to use these talents to advance in education and situation. More often than not, these same youth are the ones overlooked or taken for granted despite talent, creative genius, and sheer numbers to influence the communities around them.
Thanks to The New York Knicks, Nike, the Sports & Arts in Schools Foundation, and participating colleges/universities for acknowledging these kids; The Gifted Many.
Oh, and did I mention that there was an awesome beatboxer by the name of Anointed S AND and contortionist in attendance on Saturday?
New York City dance coach Nekia Thomas-Wise was recently nominated by Fully Focused dancer, Tianna Brown for the 2009 Play It Forward contest. I had the opportunity to chat with coach Wise.
Here's what she had to say about being nominated, about being a coach and mentor in New York City, and some of her most memorable experiences, including the reality that comes along with coaching girls who confront issues like teen pregnancy and drugs.
I was really surprised to find out that Tianna nominated me! I don't really look at what I do with the girls as anything "worth" awarding. In fact, annually, I give the girls an awards ceremony during their recital where I praise their "good" work and reward it. It felt really awesome to have that sort of role reversal. You and your team, Brooklyn's Fully Focused recently won the grand prize for the 2009 Nike/YouthNoise Step It Up competition over the summer. How was that experience for you and your dancers?
The Step it up Competition was an amazing experience! Fully Focused has been in many competitions -and quite successful! Step It Up however was the first competition that they've ever won that required them to take so much responsibility outside of dance. I put lots of responsibility on the girls in terms of attendance, punctuality, and performing. The Step It Up competition gave my girls purpose in being performers and change agents simultaneously. It was a learning experience for them to be challenged to take their skill and use it to be even more productive in society!
[Fully Focused PSA for 2009 Step It Up competition]
How long have you been coaching dance?
I've been coaching dance for 10 years and through generations of girls coming and going, Tianna Brown has been under my wing the entire ten!
How did you get involved with coaching? Were you or are you a dancer as well?
I used to take modern dance classes at Brooklyn Academy of Music since age 7 or 8. I started dancing at neighborhood block parties in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn when I was about 13 and a non-profit talent show network, AllStars when I was 15. Then, by age 20, I started to teach girls from the neighborhood dances for the block parties.
One day as fall was approaching, I was coming home from college and I ran into one of the girls that had been in the block party dance (one of Tianna's old friends) and she said to me "Nikki, now that the block party is over, we don't have anything to do." That totally resonated with me in a huge way because it was true. After the rehearsals and the block party, they always sat in this area we called "THE SQUARE" in the middle of the project complex and just played spades, ate Chinese food, smoked cigarettes or weed, etc. I was going to and from City College and my part-time tutoring job. Some days when I left they were there and hours later they were there when I returned. So, I knew about the AllStars and prepared them for competition that winter. From there, I committed myself to working with these girls all year round to give them something productive to do, Hip Hop Dance. What better way to reach them? What are some of your most memorable experiences as a coach? What are some of your most memorable performances with dancers?
Step It Up will forever be a memorable performance! Attending the Up2Us conference and meeting people that were so passionate about coaching and young people was an inspiring experience. It made me feel like I'm on a mission with intelligent, powerful people!
What are the most difficult challenges you've confronted as a dance coach?
Difficulties being the coach of an all girl group have been the challenges of being more influential over these girls than their boyfriends! Within the past year, I have lost 2 Fully Focused Dancers to teenage pregnancy. Both 19 years old, one just had twins. It's also hard to keep the other girls on a straight and narrow path and encourage them not to follow their fellow dancers who have made poor decisions.
What are some of the most rewarding experiences you've experienced as a coach?
Most rewarding are outcomes of the girls I've worked with through the years. I've worked hard to take dance and teach real life responsibility. I always tell them that Fully Focused has a cool fun component and the business component as well. So, I have a girl from East New York who was in some gang when I got her, SFD (I don't know what the acronym stands for). She is a freshman in Howard this year and just asked me for a letter of recommendation last night for her business club. Also, Tianna. You guys already know her success story!
What are some of your favorite songs to perform to?
Favorite songs to perform to are almost all by Jay Z! However, Fully Focused tries thinks outside of the box in terms of mixing Broadway musicals with Hip Hop, etc.
[Jay-Z f/ Alicia Keys "Empire State of Mind"]
What do you think are some of the most important lessons a player or student can learn from her coach?
Students can learn a lot from coaches! They have the opportunity to see a bit of the future, even if it seems impossible. I want my dancers to take advantage of having me in their lives to some extent. I want them to use me for insight to structure, and planning life long things. I hope I serve as a model and help them achieve their future goals. I come from where they come from. When it's all said and done, I'm one of them! What are some of the most important lessons a coach can learn from her players or students?
Coaches learn teachable moments from students; for life and for the sport. How long do you intend on coaching dance?
I plan on coach forever! I aspire to open up a studio in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn and service so many more young girls. I'll have dance camp in the summer, classes throughout the year, and Hip Hop aerobics with moms. Then I plan on conducting workshops for moms too! Tara, I have such a plan. And, I'm training the current FF dancers to be the teachers at the studio to help them earn money!
Congrats Nekia, keep inspiring and continue to do great work in your community! Shout out to Tianna and the entire Fully Focused dance team.
Last week, I presented at the Cool Twitter Conference in Brooklyn, New York. I discussed ways in which people can use Twitter to disseminate and promote services, products, and ideas. I detailed my work with YouthNoise and how I use Twitter to engage in social conversations. My presentation was based on this idea/space I called Twitter Society. I define Twitter Society as,
"A place where cultural exchanges take place and un/written rules, etiquette, and behaviors are thusly devised and supported by the society."
The more I engage with folks on Twitter, the more I notice how this type of social space functions similarly to our 'offline' societies.
In Twitter Society, there are patterns of written language, etiquette rules, and by golly, there's even a Twitter jail! There are networking groups and clicks made up of academics, activists, celebrities and regular Jills and Joes. All of these people are engaging in some sort of dialogical relationship. Though Twitter has over 50 million users, not all of them are active. But the ones that are active sure do tweet a lot, including yours truly!
During my presentation I cited specific examples of how people engage. I mentioned one of my first ever encounters with an active tweeter; NBA player Shaquille O'Neal (@ THE_REAL_SHAQ). I joined Twitter about a year ago, but have only been active within the last 3-4 months (@taralconley). When I first joined, I began following Shaq because I heard his tweets were interesting (read: engaging). I noticed right away that Shaq tweeted a lot. One of the ways he would engage with fans was to send his followers on scavenger hunts. I remember one time he tweeted about being at the local mall in Miami and said the first person to find him at this particular mall would win a free pair of his sneakers.
Fans and followers have noted how cool Shaq is for actually responding and talking "directly" to them. They feel a sense of intimacy with their favorite NBA star. Arguably, before Twitter came along this type of "direct" intimacy with celebrities - namely professional athletes, was non-existent. Sure, athletes have Facebook pages and blogs, but it's Twitter that provides a sense of immediate gratification and direct engagement fans and followers seem to embrace.
"Howard is one of a growing number of athletes using social media to help build his image, and on his blog he chronicles some of the other things he’s done recently."
From a PR perspective, it seems as though pro athletes are adopting social media outreach for branding and image control purposes. While this may be true, I'm also incline to believe that celebrities and professional athletes are drawn to social media the same way you or I are drawn to these social spaces. They too desire to be a part of communities made up of diverse people and ideas. Call it narcissism, call it altruism, or call it our psychological need to be loved and belong to a social space. Whatever the case may be, it's apparent that these social networks speak to something human and societal, and they are changing the way professional athletes communicate with others.
As I mentioned in my presentation, "Twitter makes us more aware of our purpose in the conversation." Those active tweeters know that Twitter requires time and commitment, perhaps even more than Facebook and Myspace. Twitter also forces us to choose our tweets wisely. We've seen what happens when tweeting goes awry for public figures.
So while Twitter and other social networks allow people to connect instantly and directly, all of us are still responsible for our social behaviors and actions in these spaces. We've gotten accustomed to rethinking a position before uttering it to a family member or friend, but because we live in such a terribly fast and invasive age with the advent of the World Wide Web, we're now forced to rethink our (re)thoughts. And maybe, in the end, that's a good thing.
Johnson, Howard, and O'Neal are among many high profile athletes whose tweets will be scrutinized in Twitter Society. These athletes aren't only being watched by fans in the stands, but also by followers lurking behinds Twitter avatars. As a 'snew ' (social + new) media consultant, I'm hopeful these athletes can use online platforms of social media to further engage with fans and serve their communities off the playing field.
The Universe is so letting the sports world be great this week. Has anyone else noticed how many fascinating sports stories have been appearing in this week's news cycle? If not, no worries, I compiled a list of featured sports-related stories.
Yahoo! News reported yesterday that Ruth Frith, from Brisbane, broke the world record for being the first 100-year-old woman to throw a shot put 13 ft. 4 in. Um, wow. First of all, I remember back in the day when my fellow middle-school track teammates couldn't even jump 13 ft., let alone throw a ball 13 ft. - and these were twelve and thirteen-year-old teenagers!
This great-grandmother trains 5 times per week, lifts weights, doesn't eat vegetables (because she doesn't like them), and doesn't drink or smoke. In addition to throwing the shot put, Frith also throws the hammer and javelin. I tried to throw a javelin in college and basically sucked at it.
Ruth Frith is awesome. Period. She's also another reminder that I really need to stop coming up with lame excuses to avoid hitting the gym every day.
In other not-so-awesome-news, ESPN senior writer, Wright Thompson recently wrote a reflexive-expose, Seats of Gold: Yankee Stadium's Legends Suite Was Sparsely Populated at Times This Season - A Sign of What Greed Does to Loyalty about the high price of being a sports fan. His story centers around the brand new Yankee stadium, chock-full of luxurious amenities that service the most elite & over indulgent fans. If you're simply a 'normal' sports nut whose into Ball Park Franks and beer in plastic cups, then you're better off staying at home; you're not wanted in these parts.
Thompson was invited to watch a Yankee game from the Legends Suite, presumably because he's a sports writer. While he admits feeling the 'perks' he couldn't help but recognize a sad reality within professional baseball: greed. Wall Street brokers and wealthy Yankee baseball fans have had a long and, yes, corrupt past. Thompson details this lustful relationship in the article. But the Yankees isn't the only team gripped by corporate greed's stronghold, Thompson's commentary speaks to a larger, more tragic phenomenon happening within all major professional sports teams in the US. Thompson notes:
"A recent poll discovered an unsettling trend emerging for the first time. American families whose household income is $75,000 or less now have zero dollars of discretionary income. According to Luker, that means about 75 percent of the country can never responsibly afford to go to a live professional sporting event . . . The reason sporting events cost so much now, Luker's research shows, is because they are designed to be affordable only to those making $150,000 or more a year."
Professional pollster, Rick Luker adds,
"We have the first true sustained evidence of less interest in sports than there was 10 years ago . . . in general, sports will not be what it is today. We're burning out the love of sports."
Professional sports teams are pricing themselves into oblivion and losing tons of loyal and young fans along the way.
Thompson piece is honest and insightful. He struggles with being a loyal fan and objective sports writer while temporarily participating in the lavish luxuries of the Legends Suite. Somewhere between his charming and witty written descriptions, you realize Thompson unearths a complex relationship between the love for the game and the power of greed. Being part of the elite at Legends Suite has a moral price, one in which Thompson and thousands of other die-hard fans end up paying.
After leaving the game, Thompson writes: "Something important was lost in the transfer of money for services. The game happened. I loved it. Now it's over. People file out of every exit, disappearing into the night. They walk to subway stations, to cabs, to parked cars. Some of us won't ever come back."
(Wow, I'm totally realizing that this mid-week round up is depressing.)
