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Archive for the ‘Money, Power & Politics’ Category

Reporting from Sydney: World Conference on Women & Sport!

Friday, May 21st, 2010

By Sarah Odell and Lindsay Rico Have you ever considered access to athletics a human right? Do you wonder why it it matters for women to play sports? And, what the heck is Netball? These are a few of the questions being put forth at the Fifth World Conference on Women & ...

Foul call: Women’s softball cut short by darkness beside empty, lighted men’s baseball field

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

[caption id="attachment_1344" align="alignright" width="175" caption="Photo is for illustration only. Credit: Walla Walla University"][/caption] By Rachael Goldenberg Who would have thought that one call -- way back on opening day -- could determine the outcome of a collegiate softball season? Wednesday, March 17 was the start of the season for Wellesley College’s Varsity Softball ...

Kiss of mud, ring of fire: Tough Mudder up close

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

By Savanna Johnson If you had the chance to run seven miles up and down a ski mountain, with walls, tunnels, water obstacles, and lots and lots of mud in your way, would you do it? How about if 80% percent of the field was men? At the inaugural Tough Mudder event ...

Supreme Court Nominee Scandal! But, then, who hasn’t played softball (and been photographed doing it)?

Friday, May 14th, 2010

By Laura Pappano As long as we're sharing old softball photos, here's one of me playing at Yale in 1985. Q: What does it tell you? A: Probably not much (except that I’m a righty and played 1B). The firestorm over the photo of Elena Kagan playing softball may – or may not – ...

Who says “blue” must be male? Female baseball umpire Perry Barber wants more women making the calls.

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

By Megan Wood When umpire Perry Barber steps behind the catcher, fans often do a double-take when they glimpse the ponytail resting on the back of her uniform. Female umpires are not only rare, but practically unheard of.  Barber is one of only eight women to umpire professional baseball, officiating around ...

The Power of Mom: Six simple ideas for raising gender-fair kids

Friday, May 7th, 2010

By Katie Culver We have made loads of progress since the 1950’s, but gender inequities persist — first and foremost in the language we use and stereotypes we parents (even Moms!) often unconsciously perpetuate. In celebration of Mother's Day, here are simple things we can do to raise our children to ...

Are colleges businesses or non-profit do-gooders? (Sports suggests a credibility gap)

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

By Laura Pappano U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley is making trouble – again -- over the sweet financial deal colleges get as a result of their non-profit status. This time he is picking on federal tax rules that he says give colleges an unfair way to (indirectly) grow investments at taxpayer expense. ...

Never mind on that Title IX spam – er survey – rule. But what next?

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

By Laura Pappano Never mind. That was message in Tuesday’s “Dear Colleague” letter issued by the federal Office for Civil Rights. Never mind about that 2005 policy saying it was OK for colleges to meet a Title IX compliance prong gauging female interest in sports by sending out internet spam – er, ...

Six Sports Thoughts: From women’s B-ball to golf pay gap

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

By Laura Pappano Who says people don’t watch dominance? UConn’s NCAA Tournament run brought ESPN more viewers than in 2009. According to Nielsen, the final UConn-Stanford game drew 3.53 million viewers, up 32 percent from the 2009 final of UConn vs. Louisville. The Final Four averaged 3.16 viewers, up 22 percent ...

What does “female” leadership look like? Just watch UConn.

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

By Laura Pappano It’s time to think beyond the court. Sure, there’s a lot of back-and-forth about whether UConn’s dominance – winning streak of 78 and beating almost all opponents by double-digit margins – is bad or good for women’s college basketball. The basic argument: Is it too boring to watch? Or ...