Event Recap: Women in Sports Marketing

What do you want to be when you grow up?

No matter what your age, it’s always fun to think about what you want to do for a living. Whether it’s a first career, a new career or a career shift, you can look to a group of  remarkable women who are forging new paths and establishing themselves as role models in the sports world.

Wednesday night at the Red Bull headquarters in Santa Monica, a group of almost 250  women who are sports marketing professionals, athletes,  brand managers and students gathered for the Second Annual Women in Business event Business presented by Tadpole Marketing, in partnership with Stanton & Company.

Designed as a networking event to inspire individuals through the contributions of influential women in sports marketing, Women in Business featured a panel of some of the most highly regarded women in sports marketing, including Laura Gentile, VP of espnW for ESPN, Olympic softball player Jessica Mendoza, president of the Women’s Sports Foundation, Mary O’Connor, director of Olympic Marketing at The Marketing Arm, Carolyn Deighan Coyne, Tadpole Marketing founder,  Julie Solwold, VP of global sports marketing for Paul Mitchell, Amy Stanton, founder and CEO of Stanton & Company and Diane Thibert, director of global PR for Oakley. Additionally, Amy Swift Crosby of SMARTY moderated the event.

The evening kicked off with a networking hour featuring dinner by Chipotle (a personal fave) and Red Bull cocktails.  Vanguard Records recording artist, Daphne Willis treated the crowd to live acoustic performances which was a bonus for music lovers – especially fans of indie singer/songwriters.

When the formal session began, the audience got a chance to learn about the panelists, how they came to have their current jobs and what a typical work day is like for them. Not surprisingly, no two stories were the same.  Some of the women took the traditional route of college, grad school and internships while others fell into their jobs more serendipitously.  A chance meeting on an airplane or at a sports event helped launched the career of more than one  woman on the panel. Their days are jam-packed, often chaotic, filled with meetings, travel, strategic planning and sometimes juggling families and personal lives. Not surprisingly,  no two days are ever the same.

Not all the panelists were/are athletes but the majority played a sport in high school and college and credited that experience as beneficial in their current jobs.  Jess Mendoza,  a professional softball player who also works as a TV commentator and is President of the Women’s Sports Foundation, talked about batting averages and explained that hitting .300 (a good stat) means failing seven out of 10 tries.  Learning to deal with failure has helped her deal with the curve balls of life that are often thrown.  Her motto? Bring it on.

When asked about the State of the Union for women in business all the panelists agreed that’s it’s a good time to be a woman.  In different ways, they all said it’s important to create your own destiny, follow your passion, make a difference and represent. Don’t be afraid to make your voice heard was a common piece of advice.

Amy Stanton, a panelist as well as organizer of the event, stressed being innovative when searching for solutions to problems.  As one of the few professionals who focuses on helping market female athletes, Stanton practices what she preaches and points to clients like Gretchen Bleiler as well as Jess Mendoza as examples of athletes who have successfully leveraged their athletic careers via creative marketing.

So what’s hot? What’s on the horizon for 2010? All the panelists were encouraged by forecasts and believe this year will be a positive one.  Technology will remain hot and ESPN’s Laura Gentile believes mobile apps and wireless platforms will be growth sectors. Julie Solwold of Paul Mitchell, a company long known for innovation and out-of-the-box thinking, is keeping an eye on free-skiing and hip hop :-)  and Stanton believes customized products will gain popularity.

Following the panel, audience members had the  opportunity to break out into smaller groups with panelists and find out more about their brands, corporate plans and even their personal journeys. This was a great opportunity to gain more in depth knowledge about a panelist or company as well as meet some of the other attendees.

At the end of the evening  Stanton noted, “Women naturally want to support and help each other and this was an event created to make that possible. It was an inspiring evening and I feel fortunate to have been part of it.”

Ditto.

Get ready for Winter X Games Europe

ESPN announced the first wave of athletes invited to the Winter X Games Europe March 10-12, 2010. The event will be the first Winter X Games held outside the United States.

Invited X Games athletes include:

SuperPipe Women

Torah Bright (AUS)
Gretchen Bleiler (USA)
Ellery Hollingsworth (USA)

Slopestyle Women

Jenny Jones (GBR)
Jamie Anderson (USA)
Janna Meyen-Weatherby (USA)
Cheryl Maas (NED)
Sarka Pancochova (CZE)

The event will bring together eight different competitions over three days, including Ski and Snowboard SuperPipe and Slopestyle for men and women as well as a Snowmobile demonstration.

ESPY Award winners

The hottest stars in sports, including many 2008 Olympians, converged with Hollywood last night as ESPN hosted the 2009 ESPY Awards. The 17th annual award show celebrated the best athletes and performances of the past year. Actor Samuel L. Jackson hosted the glittering show which saw some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment come together under a single roof for the gala evening.

Unlike the Oscars or the Grammys, fans vote for the awards and 13 were handed out. FYI, ESPY is short for the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly.

SPOILER ALERT: While the 2009 ESPY Awards was taped last night (July 15) fans will have to wait until Sunday, July 19 at 9 p.m. to watch it on TV. So, if you don’t want to know the winners, stop reading now!

The hometown team, Los Angeles Lakers (who play across the street from the Nokia at the Staples Center), won the ESPY for Best Team edging the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Stevie Wonder made the presentation and Kobe Bryant, surrounded by several teammates, accepted the trophy.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson won the award for the Best Coach, his third such honor.  NBA’s Best Player was the Cleveland Cavaliers Lebron James.  The L.A. crowd no doubt wanted Kobe to win the NBA’s Best Player award but Lebron deserved this one as he had a monster season.

One streak came to an end at the ESPY’s last night, the five year reign for Tiger Woods as the Best Male Athlete Award. Coming off a historic Olympics at the 2008 Beijing Games, Michael Phelps edged Tiger this year to win the prestigious award. Actress Demi Moore presented the trophy to Phelps. The Olympic swimmer who won eight gold medals in the pool also swam away with the ESPY for Best U.S. Olympian and the Best Championship Performance.

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice presented the award for best female athlete to Olympic all-around gold medalist Nastia Liukin, who was a bit little shocked to have beaten out Serena Williams. Swimmer Dara Torres won the ESPY for the Best Comeback.

The Best Female College Athlete was given to Connecticut basketball player Maya Moore who also led her team to a National Championship.

The ESPY for the Best WNBA Player went to Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks. Tiger Woods was not surprisingly voted the Best Male Golfer and Lorena Ochoa won the ESPY for the Best Female Golfer.

Serena Williams took the award for Best Female Tennis Player. This is the first ESPY Award that Williams has received since 2003, when she won the Best Female Athlete award.

At the ceremony the Williams sisters presented former South African president Nelson Mandela the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Mandela’s daughter Zindzi Mandela and grandson Zondwa Mandela accepted the award, which is presented annually to individuals whose contributions transcend sports.

Erin Popovich emerged as a ray of hope for all humanity as she was named Best Athlete with a Disability while the Best Female Action Sports Athlete was awarded to big wave surfer Maya Gabeira.

Complete list of winners:
Special Awards
Arthur Ashe Courage Award: President Nelson Mandela
Jimmy V Award For Perseverance: Don Meyer, Northern State University coach
Best Comeback: Dara Torres, Olympic swimmer.

Best in Sport
Best Female Athlete: Nastia Liukin, Gymnastics
Best Male Athlete: Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimming
Best Moment: US Swim team wins thrilling finish in Olympic relay
Best Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Best Coach/Manager: Phil Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers
Best Game: Steelers vs. Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII
Best Championship Performance: Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimming
Best Play: Roethlisberger to Holmes Super Bowl Winning TD
Best Upset: US Soccer shocks Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinals
Best Breakthrough Athlete: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Best Record Breaking Performance: Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimming
Best Sports Movie: The Express: The Ernie Davis Story
Best Male College Athlete: Tim Tebow, Florida Football
Best Female College Athlete: Maya Moore, Connecticut Women’s Basketball
Best Male Athlete with a Disability: Jason Lester, Ironman Triathlete
Best Female Athlete with a Disability: Erin Popovich, Swimming
Best International Male Athlete: Usain Bolt (Jamaica, Sprinter)
Best International Female Athlete: Lorena Ochoa (Mexico, Golf)

Individual Sports
Best Baseball Player: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
Best NBA Player: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Best WNBA Player: Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks
Best NFL Player: Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
Best NHL Player: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Best MLS Player: Landon Donovan, Los Angeles Galaxy
Best Male Action Sports Athlete: Shaun White, Skateboarding/Snowboarding
Best Female Action Sports Athlete: Maya Gabeira, Surfing
Best Bowler: Norm Duke
Best Driver: Jimmie Johnson
Best Fighter: Manny Pacquiao, Boxing
Best Male Golfer: Tiger Woods
Best Female Golfer: Lorena Ochoa
Best Jockey: Calvin Borel

2009 ESPY Award nominees announced

The 2009 ESPY Awards are upon us, and set to air Sunday, July 19th at 9pm, with Samuel L. Jackson as host (we’ll miss you JT).  This year there are a whopping 37 categories and Michael Phelps leads the way with four nominations.

The ESPY Awards honor the best achievements, moments and leading athletes of the previous year. Fans determine winners through online (www.espys.tv) and mobile phone voting (www.espn.mobi) that begins today and runs through July 11.

The Arthur Ashe Courage Award will be given to former South African president Nelson Mandela. Dara Torres, who won three silver medals as a 41-year-old swimmer at the Beijing Olympics, will receive the Best Comeback award.

The voting has begun so be sure to cast your vote for your fave nominees….

BEST FEMALE ATHLETE

Natalie Coughlin, Swimming
Nastia Liukin, Gymnastics
Maya Moore, NCAA Basketball
Candace Parker, WNBA
Serena Williams, Tennis

BEST MALE ATHLETE

Kobe Bryant, NBA
LeBron James, NBA
Jimmie Johnson, Auto Racing
Michael Phelps, Swimming

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies
Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimming
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, Olympic Beach Volleyball

BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE

Shawn Johnson, Olympic Gymnastics
Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

BEST FEMALE COLLEGE ATHLETE

Courtney Kupets, Gymnastics, UGA
Kerrie Hanks, Soccer, Notre Dame
Danielle Lawrie, Softball, Washington
Maya Moore, Basketball, UConn
Dana Vollmer, Swimming, Stanford

BEST FEMALE INTERNATIONAL ATHLETE

Marta, Soccer, Brazil
Yelena Isinbayeva, Pole Vault, Russia
Lorena Ochoa, Golf, Mexico
Stephanie Rice, Swimming, Australia
Dinara Safina, Tennis, Russia

BEST FEMALE ACTION SPORTS ATHLETE

Torah Bright, Snowboarding
Ashley Fiolek, Motocross
Sarah Burke, Skiing
Maya Gabeira, Surfing

BEST RECORD BREAKING PERFORMANCE

Usain Bolt, Olympic Sprinter
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
Phil Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers
Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimmer

BEST UPSET

Mine That Bird wins the Kentucky Derby
Oregon State stuns then #1 USC
Tampa Bay Rays win the American League Championship Series
US Soccer shocks Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinals

BEST GAME

Federer vs. Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon Final
Steelers vs. Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII
Syracuse vs. Connecticut in the Big East Tournament Quarterfinals

BEST MOMENT

Florida’s Tim Tebow’s speech
Helio Castroneves wins the Indy 500
US swim team wins thrilling finish in Olympic relay

BEST TEAM

Connecticut Women’s Basketball
Los Angeles Lakers
North Carolina Men’s Basketball
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Steelers

In that last category, Go UConn!!

Next X: Disney TV taps into extreme sports

Disney and ESPN have come together to bring you “NEXT X”, a reality series for kids where five  extreme athletes guide five up and comers by teaching them how to hone their technical skills and confidence to possibly become the next action sports superstar.  Chris Cole, Scotty Cranmer, Billy Marks, Lincoln Ueda, and Van Homan are the guys who will mentor five lucky individuals.

Why no girls? Not really sure since there are plenty of action sports athletes who are female.  Just look at some of the girls who’ve rocked ESPN’s X Games like Elissa Steamer, Cara-Beth Burnside, Lauren Perkins, Mimi Knoop or Lyn-Z Adams.   And there are plenty of young girls who are kicking butt and would benefit from some mentoring from these pros.

The project was filmed at the sprawling action sports oasis of Camp Woodward in the Mojave Desert in Tehachapi, California and will be broadcast over the next two months, culminating in a half-hour television special, with one amateur participant chosen for a showcase in the next X-Games.

Hopefully, Disney and ESPN will feature some action sports girls in the near future. In the meantime, check out the press release the show.

“Next X,” a reality series for kids developed by Disney XD in collaboration with ESPN, features five of the world’s top professional BMX and skateboarding athletes as they mentor young amateurs in their chosen sport, teaching them how to hone their technical skills, build their confidence and inspire them to become better athletes. The story is told through eight short-form episodes, culminating with a half-hour television special that will feature highlights from X Games 15.

The series will star professional action sports athletes Chris Cole (skateboard), Scotty Cranmer (BMX), Billy Marks (skateboard), Lincoln Ueda (skateboard) and Van Homan (BMX).  The five up-and-coming action sports athletes are 12-year-old Ian Bradley, a BMX amateur from New Hampshire; 11-year-old Matty Cranmer, a BMX amateur from New Jersey; 12-year-old Mitchie Brusco, an amateur skateboarder from Washington; 9-year-old Tom Schaar, an advanced skateboarder from California and 11-year-old Micah Wu, an amateur skateboarder from Kentucky.

In conjunction with the premiere of “Next X,” Disney XD.com will debut “X-clusives,” special webisodes that delve further into the young athletes’ experiences while training with their mentors.  The webisodes include new behind-the-scenes footage, in-depth athlete interviews, a high jump competition, extended one-on-one training sessions, skateboard and BMX safety tips and outtakes of all the action.  Disney XD.com users are also invited to play five exclusive action sports-themed online games developed by ESPN and Disney.com starting Monday, June 29.  Gamers can test their motocross, rally car, BMX and skateboarding skills.

“X Games on Disney XD,”  a series of four individual 60 second programs, features X Games athletes, event highlights and some of the best action-packed moments from the X Games.

Hosted by ESPN and E! Entertainment anchor Sal Masekela, all four episodes will focus on specific aspects of the X Games. Episode 1 will air July 13 and will feature historical look backs at the X Games debuts of current legends Shaun White, Travis Pastrana and Ryan Sheckler. Episode 2 will air July 20, prior to X Games 15, and will highlight what to watch for at this year’s X Games. Episodes 3 & 4 will air the two weeks after X Games 15, August 5 and August 10, and both episodes will be highlight oriented from the event.

Fastpitch 411

1. The College World Series is amazing and full of nonstop action live on ESPN. Follow the games here.

2. The National Collegiate Softball Player of the Year was announced. Check out full coverage of this prestigious award.

3. Follow and Tweet with ESPN commentator, Jessica Mendoza and go behind the scenes of the broadcast.

4. Take a virtual tour of the WCWS.

5. Snag some Huskies and/or Gator college softball gear.

Have a fabulous week, everyone!

Keri :)

(Update: Washington won the 2009 NCAA Softball Championship in two games (8-0, 3-2)  Congratulations Huskies!)

To bee or not to bee

ESPN usually airs football, basketball, ice hockey and occasionally a NCAA Division I championship  — but kids pushing around vowels and consonants? America’s youngest and most celebrated letter bearers were featured today on the station generally meant to broadcast athletic endeavors (poker notwithstanding).

We’re talking, of course, of the 82nd Annual Scripps Spelling Bee. The week began with a record 293 spellers and today’s difficult semifinals began with 41 contenders. Chairs on stage emptied one by one until only 11 kids were left.

The finalists include seven girls and four boys and the champ will be crowned tonight during prime time coverage on ABC. (8 p.m. ET) hosted byTom Bergeron. Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, are expected to attend. The winner receives more than $40,000 in cash and prizes.

Favorites include a couple of pretty smart gals: of Olathe, Kan., who’s made it to the finals four times and Serena Skye Laine-Lobsinger of West Palm Beach, Fla.

Longtime ESPN Sports Center co-anchor Chris Mkendry announced the event live from the Grand Hyatt in Washington D.C. Great coverage from a channel that ranks the importance of the Spelling Bee somewhere below Major League Baseball but above women’s softball and basketball.

The highly competitive National Spelling Bee is an excursion through Webster’s dictionary in search of obscure words. Spellers ask almost identical questions as they try to wrap their brain matter around how the word is formed.

“Can you tell me the definition?” “Can you tell me the country of origin?” “Can you use it in a sentence?”

A few of today’s troublesome words included piqueur, grenache and fedelini. Twitter fans can follow www.twitter.com/scrippsbee throughout the competition for highlights.

Can you spell T-O-U-G-H?

(Update: Kavya Shivashankar correctly spelled “Laodicean” to win the 82nd annual event)

Q&A: ESPN’s HerStory – Celebrating Women in Sport

This month, in honor of  Women’s History Month, ESPN puts the spotlight on female athletes – past and present – with stories of empowerment and inspiration, struggle and triumph, appearing across all ESPN platforms, including television and ESPN.com. The celebration starts this weekend and culminates on March 27th with “Her Story: Celebrating Women in Sport” a one-hour special hosted by anchor Hannah Storm.

Senior news editor Kristin Huckshorn coordinated all production elements of the “Her Story” project.  She was kind enough to take some time to talk to us about all the great programming taking place this month.

PT: What’s your background and how did you come to write about women’s sports?

KH: My own background in journalism is eclectic. I have worked as a sportswriter, political writer and foreign correspondent as well as an editor but my career begins and ends with sports. I started as a sportwriter in 1980 for the San Jose Mercury News, covering college and pro sports and the Olympics. I spent four years in Washington DC and almost 10 years in Asia as a news reporter before returning to the US and becoming the deputy sports editor of the New York Times. I joined ESPN in 2007 as a senior news editor.

PT: ESPN must have an amazing archive of material. How did you choose which shows to include?  What’s your favorite piece of programming?

KH: Yes ESPN has an amazing archive but what you will see and read this month is almost all original programming and content. We set out to create something new and to focus on contemporary stories about young female athletes today. There have been magnificent iconic moments and athletes through the years but we felt those stories had already been told and told well. For instance, we will run vignettes – basically short little films – each weekday and they feature a lot of young women you will have never seen before. Our one hour special on March 27 is primarily a collection of stories starring fresh faces. The average age of the subjects is probably around 18.

Time on a busy cable network like ESPN is at a premium. There is a whole lot of programming to get on the air each day. We knew we had to choose wisely and we felt aiming the cameras at new stories was the most powerful way to celebrate the month.

With a nod to the past, on March 14, for 11 hours, ESPN Classic will air stories about some of those icons. My favorite in that marathon is the reairing of the Billie Jean King-Bobby Riggs classic match. It was great theatre.

PT: The My Story element is great. How will you pick the winning clip(s)?

KH: We have a panel of five judges from ESPN. I’m one of them, so is associate producer Melissa Panzer, whose idea this was. We will watch each clip and judge them based on who has told the best story in the time allowed. We are looking for inspirational or empowering stories told creatively. The clip needs to be about a female athlete or team or a coach of a female team but the director/producer can be male or female. The best part is that we will air the winning clip on our Special [HerStory airing March 27th].

PT: What, if any, challenges did you face putting the HerStory series together?

KH: The usual – tracking down athletes and securing shoot dates. The most complicated part was lining up the athlete-men who star in our vignettes talking about their inspirational daughters/sisters/mothers. They have busy schedules. For instance Stephen Curry of Davidson, who talks about his mom, a former volleyball player at Virginia Tech, is in season right now. So is Jamie Dixon, the Pitt coach, who talks about his sister Maggie. But all the men were very eager to participate in the project. In terms of getting the time and commitment from ESPN, that was easy to be honest. The project was actually [ESPN EVP] John Skipper’s idea and I think people internally really understood and liked the concept of focusing on new stories about young women.

PT: How do you feel about the blogosphere in general and sports blogs in particular? What do you think about how women’s sports are covered in the blogosphere?

KH: I appreciate and admire the democracy of the blogsphere. I don’t equate it with journalism. Journalists are usually professionally trained and must adhere to high standards of fairness, accuracy, balance. They have a lineup of editors behind them, a safety net. But I think blogs are a great tool for starting a conversation about any topic and letting anyone weigh in. There is a lot of writing talent out there. I have seen very little on women’s sports in the blogosphere but I think it benefits women’s sports. Obviously women’s sports does not get the amount of coverage anywhere in broadcast or print that men’s sports receives and blogs help equalize that a bit more. And any writer loves the idea of being able to write as long as they want!

PT: It seems ESPN is slowly increasing it’s support and coverage of female athletes. What’s the plan for the future?

KH: ESPN has always, to me, done a solid job of covering women’s sports. They have the entire NCAA women’s tournament and they make that a showcase event in March and April. They had recently added more elite tennis, early rounds of Wimbledon and the US Open so you will certainly see more women on air this summer. I am not someone who thinks you cover women’s sports out of altruism. My mantra as a reporter, as an editor at the Times and here at ESPN has been that we want to tell good stories, whether they are about male or female athletes. I am hoping that what we do this month is tell good, interesting, new stories that anyone would want to watch. They just happen to be about young women. I also give ESPN a lot of credit for putting so many women on air. Doris Burke does play by play for men’s hoops, for instance, and I think she is a great talent.

PT:  Additional thoughts?

KH: It was amazing to me to meet so many empowered young women athletes. I came up at a time when Title IX had barely taken root. Young women today feel absolutely entitled to equal opportunity on the field. They take it for granted and I think that is a good thing. They won’t settle for less. They are way cooler than I ever was.

We can’t share any of the programming here, but go to ESPN.com all this month to find great articles, videos, and more. Thanks Kristen and thanks to ESPN for commemorating the accomplishments of great female athletes – from the pioneers who paved the way to those carving the future of women’s sports.

Women’s HerStory Month on ESPN

Billie Jean King made history 35 years ago by beating Bobby Riggs in a tennis match in an iconic moment in the history of women’s sports. Today, a new generation of female athletes make their own history on playing fields across the country.

This month, in honor of  Women’s History Month, ESPN will broadcast a contemporary collection of stories of empowerment and inspiration, struggle and triumph. The programs, which feature both pioneers as well as a new generation of female sports icons will appear across ESPN platforms, including television and ESPN.com.

Stories include a profile of supergirl Candace Parker  (now dunking for two), who will appear on the cover of the March 23 issue of ESPN the Magazine. In that same issue, and on March 8 on “Outside the Lines,” senior writer Peter Keating expands his ongoing investigation into sports and concussions by examining the ramifications on female athletes.

A series of vignettes featuring the newest generation of female athletes will begin airing March 8. Athletes such as Jessica Long, a double amputee swimmer who won gold at the Paralympic Games in Beijing (not to mention the Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete back home), and Darienne Serna, a spectacularly agile wide receiver who helped her Texas team win the girls 12- to 14-year-old NFL flag football championship by channeling her hero, Larry Fitzgerald.

On March 14, ESPN Classic will run an 11-hour marathon showcasing many of the pioneering women who led the march across the frontiers of equal prize money, equal access and equal opportunity.  Beginning with a documentary on Title IX and including the smackdown match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, the ESPN marathon will highlight some of the most significant moments in women’s sports history.  Profiles include Mia Hamm, Chris Evert, Bonnie Blair and FloJo.

On March 27, ESPN will air a one-hour special, “Her Story,” with Sports Center anchor Hannah Storm. The special focuses on fresh stories about young athletes including surfer Bethany Hamilton’s extraordinary comeback from a shark attack, as well as reporter Shelley Smith’s astute look at what it means to be a young Hispanic athlete. 

The ”Her Story” page on espn.com will include stories, columns, videos and links to all kinds of content from television, ESPN The Magazine and ESPNRISE.com. Readers and viewers also can help document the new history by submitting their own inspirational sports stories. The “My Story” section of the page lets anyone with a camera produce a short video clip about themselves, a coach, a teammate or a team. The winning clip will air on the “Her Story” television special on March 27.

Women’s History Content on ESPN

Date	Time (ET)	Program	Channel
March 8	9:00 a.m.	Outside the Lines: Girls and Concussions	ESPN
March 14	10:00 a.m.	On the Basis of Sex: The Battle of Title IX	Classic
Marathon	11:00 a.m.	Firestone IndyCar 300 at Japan – Danica Patrick’s first win	Classic
	1:00 p.m.	2004 PBA Banquet Open, Liz Johnson, 1st woman to reach final of PBA event	Classic
	2:00 p.m.	SportsCentury: Nancy Lopez	Classic
	2:30 p.m.	SportsCentury: Bonnie Blair	Classic
	3:00 p.m.	SportsCentury: Mia Hamm	Classic
	4:00 p.m.	SportsCentury: Florence Griffith-Joyner	Classic
	4:30 p.m.	SportsCentury: Chris Evert	Classic
	5:00 p.m.	1978 Wimbledon Final: Martina Navratilova vs Chris Evert	Classic
	7:00 p.m.	Reel Classics: When Billie Beat Bobby	Classic
March 27	8:00 p.m.	Her Story: Celebrating Women in Sports	ESPN

Kim Bain-Moore: First Lady of Fishing

Annika Sorenstam. Michelle Wie. Danica Patrick. Kim Bain-Moore? Like pioneering female athletes before her, Bain-Moore is making history by competing against the guys. And not without controversy.

Last weekend, Bain-Moore, a 28-year old angler from Australia, became the first woman to compete in the 39-year history of the Bassmaster Classic, the Super Bowl of pro bass fishing. The three-day tournament, which took place on Louisiana’s Red River, featured the top 37 anglers from the Bassmaster Elite Series, an 11-tournament circuit, plus qualifiers from other events.

Bain-Moore, who currently lives in Alabama, qualified as the 2008 angler of the year from the five-tournament Women’s Bassmaster Tour. A rookie on the WBT last year, she won the first tournament, finished no lower than sixth in the next three and won the season-ending WBT Championship to secure the year-end title and a place in history.

Women who have been fishing for 40-odd years and dreaming of the day when a sister could compete in the Bassmaster Classic celebrated Bain-Moore’s accomplishment. But many of the 50 male anglers she fished against in the Classic weren’t happy about her participation. They insist they have nothing personal against Bain-Moore; they just don’t think she deserved a shot at the $500,000 first prize.  With the biggest names in pro fishing competing for a crown known to lead to lucrative endorsement deals and instant fame,  it’s little wonder they didn’t want Bain-Moore crashing their party.

But bass fishing is an equal opportunity sport. The bass don’t know or care if it is Y or X at the end of the rod. Other than the toilet challenges women face, there’s no reason why one gender or another has an advantage.

Having infiltrated what has always been a good-old-boy network, Bain-Moore’s qualification for the Classic last October caused an instant media frenzy. Katie Couric with CBS Evening News, USA Today, Time Magazine, dozens of morning drive radio shows, major newspapers and about every outdoors magazine  have begged for her time. At times she even had to have a security escort. Bodyguards for a bass angler?

Even though Bain-Moore went into the Classic a long-shot, the attention never waned. She had a tough first day, landing two bass weighing three pounds, six ounces. Unable to make the cut and move on, Bain-Moore watched Californian Skeet Reese, one of the few guys on the tour who supported her, win the contest. But just fishing the Classic makes each angler a winner and the career boost for Bain-Moore, and women’s fishing, is incalcuable.

The 39th Bassmaster Classic will forever be the defining moment when the world that will drive the next era of sportfishing became aware that there is serious interest in women’s angling. And Bain-Moore served as a more than able ambassador. She got to wave the flag for the ladies and after embracing the experience and the challenge we have no doubt, she’ll be back.

For a behind-the-scenes look at Bain-Moore’s Classic journey, check out her ESPN blog.

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