July 2003: Symposium

The Game Notes are educated.


Mamacita pays more attention to her e-mail than I do, and so she was the one to get us registered for a panel discussion about female athletes and mixed messages. It was a five person panel; didn’t catch all the names. Lisa Leslie was there, along with the editor-in-chief of the ESPN mag, a veteran sportswriter named Christine Brennan, someone from Cosmo, and a bigwig from the ad agency Spike Lee either owns or works with. (missed some of the intros while arguing with mamacita over whether I should use the comp or not) Michelle Tafoya (you know her, many of you have cursed her name) was moderator, and Val Ackerman showed up in a brief cameo role. We got to watch a video of media clippings about the WNBA, including a slightly extended version of the Bird Amex commercial and the goddamn Leslie "dunk"; I covered my eyes when they showed Teasley's three and covered my ears when the Sparks sang "Respect". There was loud cheering when they showed Spoon's Shot. It was fun.

Ackerman got the ball rolling with some introductory remarks about the whole matter, got a couple of laughs, then turned the mike over to Tafoya.

Tafoya tossed out the first question to the male panelist, the one from the ESPN mag- “How much sex is necessary to sell women’s sports?” He hemmed, and hawed, and said that the definition of sexy had changed, and that it wasn’t necessary. Brennan, to his left, chipped in to point out, “What about Anna Kournikova?” Laughter. He had trouble. The advertising lady threw in that the corporate structure is very male-dominated and so stuff is tailored to them. She added that more women in the marketplace are becoming visible, so maybe the balance will shift and become more equal. She said that women happen to be broader in their thinking- that got some laughs. He pointed out that the market drives the stories that are printed and that the evolution was happening. Cosmo lady said that girls aren’t worrying so much when they go into sports and they’re just diving into it. Leslie said that it’s going to take major media coverage for women’s sports to familiarize people with itself; women’s tennis is so popular because people can see it. She also pointed out that the Olympics are the only time when her sport gets heavy positive coverage‚ while negative stuff gets more attention. (She kept stumbling over Kournikova.) Tafoya finished off by pointing out that the college softball world series got its best ratings when a babe pitched.

Brennan was asked if appearance would always be mixed in. She brought up 1996 and 1999 (I have to explain why to you?). She pointed out that gymnasts and skaters were always loved because they’re cute and adorable. She said that the sports media had dropped the ball and that they had ot rethink how to cover every big event. She said that you have to be talented, and pretty was just an advantage. She mentioned the LPGA and the edict that they had to be a little sexier last year. “She’s an attractive girl next door… if you live in Stockholm.”

Tafoya asked Leslie how she mixes everything. Leslie thinks it’s the best job in the world, having the opportunity to get rough and sweaty, then being able to change into glamorous clothes. She says that sex is always going to sell and that’s that. Tafoya asked her if other players resent her or admire her for being who and what she is. She said that she gets both reactions, that people like Bird and Cash come to her for advice. She values her appearance because she thinks that any moment might be the moment she leaves an impact on someone. She commented on how we should stop making a choice between women and men’s sports and just give it to them. There was applause.

The advertising lady was asked how they could/would/should work sex in (brain freeze, my apologies). She mentioned that she and her agency are trying to work the Williams sisters into stuff, and yes, sexuality and appearance are both very important, but sex is not necessarily going to sell stuff. She commented that she gets to be the one to rein the boys in. Tafoya asked where the line is between having looks and talent and “selling out”. Kournikova came up once again; the advertising lady described her as being created. She says that women who don’t have the package of talent and looks start leaning too much on whichever element they do have. Sellouts lean on sex, and they don’t last.

The Cosmo lady was asked if young women look at themselves differently as they combine athletic and sexy. She replied that girls don’t really think about it that way anymore, that they just do it, that there doesn’t have to be a choice. She discussed an article with Bird and Cash in which they said that compettion on court caused them to bond off the court. (I may have misheard that.) She also discussed a piece with Mia Hamm which discusses the intangibles of making the team. She says that her mag’s coverage talks about the power of these athletes. Leslie chipped in that this generation is going to be conditioned that there won’t be so much of a difference between going to guys’ games and girls’ games.

Summer Sanders had the first question. Her mike was weird. She wanted to know how to get more women to buy tickets and such; she didn’t think male viewership was so important, though it is on the rise. Brennan said that that would take time because women of a previous generation weren’t used to standing up and asking to go watch sports. She said that it would take the next generation to have that kind of interest. The advertising lady said that they needed to talk about the benefits of sports and how it’s more than just women running up and down the court. She said that huge PR efforts are needed (uh, DUH). Brennan fired back that “it has to be cool?” The advertising lady said that they need to continue pushing women’s sports and keep it constantly in the public eye or else the guys in the sports section would forget it. The ESPN dude said that the effort to keep things positive could backfire because his magazine looks for stories with conflict because those are the stories that sell. Leslie let the ESPN dude have it, suggesting that there be a consistent section on the WNBA so that it would be constantly there and women would actually read it. There was much applause. He panicked.

Next question came from someone not from around here. She asked Tafoya when the sports shows would be half and half. She also asked when there would be a consistant percentage of women’s coverage on SportsCenter. Tafoya replied that she would get frustrated when SportsCenter would be stupid. She says that the SportsCenter people would reply that it would happen when the market was ready for it to happen. She also reminded people that comparing the modern NBA with the modern WNBA is bloody unfair. ESPN dude helped get Tafoya out of the hot water; that cued the power to turn off.

Then there was the question from Leslie Visser from CBS. She sent it towards the Cosmo lady and asked why there seemed to be a breakdown. Cosmo lady sat there like a deer in the headlights and babbled. That was the last question. Tafoya wrapped it up.

I have to say that I was impressed wth Leslie despite myself. She was insightful, incisive, aggressive, and sometimes very funny. I guess it’s because it’s a subject that she’s sort of familiar with, but she knew what she was talking about and she expressed herself well. It’s another dimension that I never thought of very much. I may not like her style of play, or some of what she says about her colleagues, but I can’t condemn her one hundred percent anymore.

Of course they left stuff uncovered. They completely ignored anything approaching lesbians, the lesbian fan base, the probable existence of lesbian players, or anything like that. Mamacita thought they left a couple of stones unturned, such as how the f*ck to break the cycle. She also wanted to know how much effect the male athletes' opinions would have on the perception of the WNBA. (Tennis, golf, and basketball were the real topics; soccer came up very briefly, sorry.)

I may not have been completely accurate in my summarizing. Please bear this fact in mind. And see this forum tomorrow for reports from the All-Star open practice.