Alabama & Auburn v. John Mayer

Last night my boyfriend and I had tickets to see John Mayer which started at 7 p.m. It was his idea that because of parking and walking we should leave at 6. What always seems to happen is that he rushes me to his house only to find him not ready and watching ESPN. As 6:20 rolls around I suggest that maybe we should leave and while he would like to stay and finish watching the Alabama v. Auburn game he decides it's a good idea also. We leave as the game is tied with, what hasn't been decided yet, one second left. It just so happens that we get to the concert to find out that the play of the century has occurred and I am now the girlfriend that made him leave. So for those of you that missed the play because your girlfriend made you do something else or because she suggested that you leave for the concert at the time you wanted, here is the clip...

Thanksgiving and Football.

It is something that most of us do on Thanksgiving, but is there a reason that this has become such a huge tradition? Watching football on Thanksgiving is something I can remember as long as I can remember celebrating the holiday. We switch the channel between the usual Dallas Cowboys game and whatever holiday movies and parades are on. So, where did this tradition begin?
Playing football on Thanksgiving began as a high school and college tradition but is now only one that the National Football League participates in. The 2 franchise cities associated with this are Detroit and Dallas, who began their legacy in 1966. The story to kick off this tradition is that of George Richards, a local Detroit radio host, who bought the Portsmouth Spartans when they were facing hard financial times and could not survive in the league. After moving them to the Detroit area, Richards arranged for them to play on Thanksgiving as the beginning of their season in Detroit. This tradition has continued every year since and has made a mark on our American holiday.
What started as a promotional tactic for a struggling team has made its way into the household of nearly every American on Thanksgiving.

History of the WNBA.

In April 1996, the NBA Board of Governors approved the Women's National Basketball Association to start in June 1997. The next decisions made after that were what stations would broadcast the games and when they would play. The WNBA was first picked up by NBC, ESPN, and Lifetime Television, and they decided to play during the summer when the sports schedule was not as busy. More than 50 million people watched the games on the networks during the first season with a variety of different viewers. Lifetime even aired 30-minute segments about the lives of players off of the court. On October 23, 1996, Sheryl Swoopes became the first player signed to a team in the new league. Eight teams were made in the first season and included and Eastern Conference of the Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Houston Comets and New York Liberty and a Western Conference including the Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs and Utah Starzz.
The logo that they currently have was selected over 50 other designs and uniforms were changed multiple times until they arrived at the number of three jerseys and two pairs of shorts for each girl. The WNBA game consists of a 19-foot, 9-inch three-point line, two 20-minute halves, eleven-player rosters and a collegiate-regulation size ball. The WNBA official ball is a Spalding, 28.5 inches in circumference, and one inch smaller than the NBA’s regulation ball.
The WNBA also prides itself on the service that they do in the community to give back for the opportunity that they have been given.

Game Day Recipes.

It is every wife's responsibility to plan an awesome Game Day Party for her husband. While he may say that the guys will be fine with pizza and beer, every woman knows that that is nothing to brag about and it's time to pull out the killer recipes. Here are just a few that you cannot go wrong with choosing for your party.

Sausage Cheese Balls

Berry Beer Punch

Turkey Chili

Colby Pepper Jack Cheese Dip

Below you can find my outline for my Blogging Adoption Assignment...

Sports Girl Kat

By: Sydney Monday

www.sportsgirlkat.com

www.sportsgirlkat.tumblr.com

I.               About the Blogger

A.   Kat manages the communications and technology for student life at a large university in Boston along with being a sports writer for a few publications.

B.    She grew up in Rochester, New York

C.    Sports have always been a passion of hers

D.   Her father used to say that if you can talk sports then people won’t pay attention to whether or not you are rich or poor.

II.             History of the Blog

A.   She started the blog after being influenced by some friends from high school in 2002 and it instantly took on a sports tone

B.    Didn’t start getting very popular until 2008 and she was getting between 500-1000 hits a day, now she gets about 250-300

C.    She doesn’t make money through her blog, but she does through her publications

III.           What Makes the Blog Unique

A.   A female perspective on sports gives it a different voice than a lot of sports blogs

B.    She also writes about sports such as gymnastics and hockey, which aren’t written about as often as others

IV.           Strengths

A.   The variety of different sports topics that she writes about

B.    The quality and personality of the writing

V.             Weaknesses

A.   Only posts about once a month on average

B.    Sometimes her posts are very long

VI.           Advice to New Bloggers

A.   “Don't think your blogging is automatically going to get you a writing career. I started my blog in 2002, and I didn't get my first writing gig until 2008. Make sure your blog shows that you are a strong writer who needs little editing. Have a collection of topics if you can't think of anything to write about.”

VII.         Likes/Dislikes

A.   Sometimes sports writing can be stiff with stats and team standings but her writing is very upbeat and entertaining.

B.    She doesn’t post very often

VIII.       What I Gained

A.   It is just as much about the quality of your writing as it is the content

B.    Regardless of the topic of your blog, the voice behind the writing is what captivates your readers

NBA Plays of the Week.

Just thought that I would get everyone psyched up about the start of the NBA season, my favorite time of the year! Enjoy the Top 10 Plays of the Week as shown by the video below.

Sometimes You Just Need Some Motivation.

Here is a compilations of some of my favorite inspirational speeches from my favorite sports movies. If this doesn't get you pumped up to have a good week, then I don't know what will.

Happy Monday :)

Remembering Joyner.

Florence Griffith Joyner was an American track and field Olympic athlete whose records in the 100 meter and 200 meter still stand. Joyner competed in the 1980 and 1988 Olympics where she dominated in her events. In the 1988 Olympics she set world records in two of her events, but with the immense difference in placement compared to the year before everyone began questioning her training. She is one of the many that have been accused of using steroids to enhance performance. Brazilian gold medalist, Joaqium Cruz, claimed that this is the only way that she could have made such a huge improvement in her time and in her physical appearance. Because of these allegations she was subjected to drug testing and even random drug tests throughout the year, none of which she failed. After her death, from suffocation during a seizure in her sleep, the autopsy found no trace of performance enhancing drugs in her system or any reason that that could've been the cause of her death.

Alexandre De Merode, the Chairman of the International Olympic Committee's Medical Commission, made a comment on the case of drug use in Joyner and said, "We performed all possible and imaginable analyses on her...We never found anything. There should not be the slightest suspicion [on Florence Griffith Joyner]."

It is sad to think that this is what our nation has come to; in the midst of an athlete achieving some of the highest honors in their sport we turn to an excuse. The fact that a woman was able to train and push her body to become faster and stronger was too unbelievable for people. A woman who has marathons dedicated to her, monuments of her at hospitals, and training centers named after her is faced with rumors and allegations that could tarnish her whole reputation. Instead of instantly looking for the bad we should be looking for ways that we can push ourselves to the next level to achieve our dreams.

What Do I Wear?

With so many games and the always changing weather of Oklahoma, it can become very difficult to pick out the right outfit for the occasion. For football, it's hot, it's cold, it's raining, or maybe even all of the above. Here are a few outfits that can fit your own style and also be great for supporting your team!

This first look is just vintage-looking t-shirt, jeans, combat boots, and natural hair. While the outfit is very casual, you are able to add your own style to it through the boots and by wearing a t-shirt that isn't just your regular game day look. This will definitely make you appear to be very comfortable in the game day environment.

This next look takes the t-shirt from above and just dresses it up a little bit. Instead of a jean, you can use a bright colored skirt, long or short, to make your game day look a little bit more girly. It is still a comfortable look but you are able to add more of your own style and stand out a little bit more.

 

This final look is great for any occasion. Just throw on your boyfriend's, dad's, or brother's jersey and pair it with bottoms that match the weather. In this picture she is wearing her jersey with shorts, and added sunglasses and a black leather bag to accessorize what may seem like a more boyish look. Jeans and a long-sleeve shirt underneath is all you need for the colder weather games. To add your only spin to it, look for oversized bags, necklaces, colored jeans, or an older, vintage jersey.  





Sherri Coale. A Female Basketball Coach Icon.

"When you go away from home and go to college, that's when you formulate your own set of values and principles and decide how you want to live your life," she said. "I was fortunate to be surrounded by great people who made great impressions on me." -Sherri Coale

Sherri Coale is an Oklahoma native who grew up in the small town of Healdton. She went to school at Oklahoma Christian University where she played guard on their basketball team. She married Dane Coale in 1987 and has a son, Colton, and a daughter, Chandler. Coale's basketball coaching career started as an assistant coach at Edmond Memorial and then  at Norman High School where she was their head coach for 6 years. She became the youngest head coach in the high school prep classification at age 2. After that she went straight into coaching at the University of Oklahoma when their women's team was one of the least respected and experiencing too many losses. She took this team and completely turned it around, taking them to the National Championship game in 2002. In the 2005-2006 season the Sooners were 16-0 in the Big 12 and became the second team to go undefeated in conference play. It is safe to say that she took this team and completely turned it around. Her career does not stop in college because she went on to be the assistant coach to the USA Women's Basketball Team where they took the bronze medal.

While Coale is very well-known for her basketball successes she is even more known for her passions about academics and service. She has her team participate in community events and a big sister program to be mentors to younger girls. She wants them to have an impact on the people that they are around and be role models to all of the girls that look up to them. She has a strong faith and that definitely shines through in her actions.

"I want it to be my legacy at OU that we produced people who made a difference in the world," Sherri told Oklahoma magazine. "It's not just about champions, or only about how we played the game."

Blogger to Blogger.

As a blogger just starting out, I am constantly looking for ways to improve my blog and find inspiration to keep me going. Today I had the opportunity to listen a well-known political blogger in the Oklahoma area and it was really an awesome experience. His name is Kurt Hochenauer and he is the writer of Okie Funk. He is an English professor at the University of Central Oklahoma and all around just a normal guy who's blog really took off. Hochenauer started as a journalist for the Tulsa Tribune and other publications when he noticed the need for a more liberal perspective in the Oklahoma area; this is why he started his blog. He told us that he looks to articles online and does his research before he posts a story, which he does about 3 times per week. He has faced a lot of controversy for what he has written but he felt, especially as an educator, that it was his responsibility to the community.

He gave the class some advice for starting our blogs and that was that we needed a good platform, which I feel like blogger does really well. He encouraged us to be unique in our writing and that "good writing is the number one thing about a successful blog." He also told us that what we were doing is important for us in a professional aspect and that was really great to hear. It was very reassuring that having a blog that is sports themed could be great for my future. The final thing I took from his speech was that journalism can sometimes become shallow so having something like a blog that you can pour out your passion into is really important.

If you'd like to check out Kurt's blog, here's the link below.
Okie Funk

Ethics in the Media.

So, this past week I attended a Media Ethics Conference held by the University of Central Oklahoma and to my surprise I actually enjoyed what all of the speakers had to say. I went to the session called "Ethically Following the Story," and I really learned a lot about what difficulties you are faced with when you enter the professional world of journalism. It was especially interesting to me because Mike Sherman, the sports editor for The Daily Oklahoman, talked a lot about ethics in sports. He talked a lot about the issue with OSU and how his team handled the issue and how ethics came into play. If you think that there isn't anything hard about journalism this would have proved you wrong. You are in control of what so many people see, so it is important that you report fairly and accurately.

There really wasn't much content on blogging and the media but mostly for writing in general. I think that it can definitely be applied to us as bloggers though because whether or not we think so, we are reporters already! What we write is being seen and what others write online is also. We are responsible for what we post and that makes us have to face ethics of our own everyday. I did a little bit of research on the panel of speakers and 3/4 of them did also have a blog. If that says anything at all it's that it is a great tool for writers.

The strongest part of the session was the knowledge passed on by the professionals that were on the panel. They were very successful in their field and that is what college students should be learning from as well. They offered writers in different areas and that made it more interesting for all of the students. I am looking to get into sports with my writing and I loved getting to hear from someone that already is. I have no complaints about the conference at all, only advice to go to speakers or events that include working professionals because they have the knowledge you need as students!

Fake It Til You Make It.

For most women (this is a completely stereotypical statement), football is not their main subject of knowledge. A lot of us are faced with situations where we are surrounded by sports obsessed men and we have nothing to say. We sit there with the urge to contribute to the conversation but just don't know what to say. Every girl wants to be the "cool" girlfriend that knows a little something about sports. Well, here is a list of topics/terms that, if used effectively, can make you seem like a football guru yourself!

1. Know your points!
In football, a touchdown is worth 6 points, a field goal is worth 3 points, and a two-point conversation which is the team's second chance to get points after they score a touchdown is worth 2 points. There is also a safety, which means the player with the ball is tackled in their own end zone and the opposite teams gets 2 points.

2. Know the quarterback!
On most football teams the quarterback is going to be the most mentioned and well-known player on the team. Do your research on the team's quarterback so there's at least one player's name that you know. Also remember, he's the one that throws the ball and runs occasionally.

3. Know your downs!
You will hear the announcer say "2nd and 10" or "3rd and 5" which is the number of down the team is on and how many yards they have until they get a 1st down. Each team gets 4 downs to get a touchdown and if they don't they turn the ball over to the other team.

4. Know about the magical yellow line!
The most important thing to know about the yellow line you see on TV is that the players can't see it. It basically just shows you how far the team has got until a 1st down. It is very important to not ask how the yellow line moves around on the field so much.

5. Know who's on offense and defense!
It sounds dumb but you don't want to be the girl that is screaming for the wrong team. Yelling, "Get the ball!" when your team is trying to score can totally blow your cover. If your team has the ball then they are on offense, if not they are on defense.

While there is still so much more to the game this is enough to have you covered for at least a while. When in doubt, ask some questions so at least it seems like you are interested. There is also the option of ditching the sports lingo and just keep grabbing the guys beers and you won't have any issues being the "cool" girlfriend.
Hope this helps next Monday night!

The Most Dangerous SPORT for Women.

The Telegraph says...

And then it also says...

It has always been a large debate among sports enthusiasts whether or not cheerleading should be considered a sport. Being a cheerleader myself I have had this question asked me many times and have been ridiculed for my thoughts. In the first article, the writer describes many injuries that occur while cheering and how the fact that we ignore it as a sport only increases this number. I will agree that many of the stunts and tumbling that cheerleaders try are very dangerous and a lot of times are not done in a very safe environment or taught by coaches that actually know what they are talking about. A lack of knowledge in the sport is what fuels a lot of these injuries and making more regulated competitions and clinics could really help with this problem. In the second article the writer states that "Today, however, the activity is still too underdeveloped and disorganised to be treated as offering genuine varsity athletic participation opportunities for students." I can only respond with first, that they should "develop" their spelling a little bit better before submitting a story, and that it is not the athletes that keep the sport from thriving, but its critics. I know that when thinking of cheerleading a lot of people think of the girls in tiny skirts on the sidelines at Dallas Cowboys games or the middle school cheerleading team in their neighborhood. I will agree that this is not a form of competition, simply a support system for another sport. But I urge you to attend nationals with a competitive cheer team and tell me what you think then...

Spirit of Texas International Open Coed Level 5

If you're telling me that after watching all of those skills and that level of talent you are still a non-believer, I'm afraid you are being a bit too small-minded and stubborn. I can honestly tell you after years in competitive cheerleading, multiple twisted ankles, sore muscles, hyperextended limbs, concussions, and more I am a firm supporter of cheerleading the sport.

If You Enjoy My Blog.

Then here's a few more that you may like as well...


1. Apryl Delancey
2. Sports Girl Kat
3. Teach Me Sports for Women
4. Mouthy Housewives
5. The Bloggess
6. Margaret Soltan
7. MB Haggerty Blog
8. Oklahoma Sports Blog
9. Bloomberg Marketing
10. Escape From Cubicle Nation

While all of the above prove to be a good read, there is one that stood out to me for a variety of reasons.  Kat Hasenauer Cornetta writes the blog a sportsgirlkat.com. She is a communications and technology assistant at the university level and a sports writer on the side. These 2 areas of expertise are all displayed in her blog. 

Kat Hasenauer Cornetta aka SportsGirlKat 

Her greatest strength by far is the witty and personable voice that is well heard throughout her blogs. Knowing that each post I read will have topics I enjoy in the same quirky voice makes it that much more enjoyable. As mentioned before she is very familiar with the areas of communication, technology, and sports. These are the topics discussed in her blog which gives her readers the assurance that what they are reading is written by someone who is educated in the field. The final strength that this blog has is it's relatable nature. She has a post titled, "Everything I Know About Marketing I Learned From My Dance Studio." At first glance you may think how does this story go along with her theme but after reading it you can see very clearly. She is able to use something as relatable as dance lessons to reach her audience.

This blog, having similar topics to what mine will have, has given me the idea to not just stick with basic sports news or just the topic of sports as a whole. I can stray away and show sports in a way that is different every single week. Discussing my childhood sports experiences could be a humorous way to bring others in to what I'm talking about. The next thing I learned was that it is extremely important to have a defined voice in your blogs. When the reader is drawn in to your personality then the story won't matter as much as how you tell it.

The only weakness I can find is that her site design is a little on the plain side, but the stories spice up the page!
   

Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better.

Throughout history we have seen women prove that they can do just about anything that man can do. They have stepped on the moon, made medical breakthroughs, and held a stable job to support their family. One field that has taken some work is the world of sports, or what men would like to call their "domain." Ofcourse women have played in their own leagues and broadcasted on their own games, but at what point did we branch into men's sports...

Her name was Phyllis George and she was the Miss America winner in 1971. It was in 1974 that she was hired on at CBS and one year later promoted to the cast of NFL Today as one of the first woman with a leading role in a sports broadcast. After George there was Jayne Kennedy who was the first African American woman with a role in TV sports and the first reporter to be on the cover of Playboy magazine. As you can see the beginning roles of women in sports was to be a pretty face on TV and someone for all of the men viewers to fantasize over. It wasn't until Leslie Visser in 1984 that a woman looking to enter the sports broadcast world was hired. Accoring to the Doug Mead, featured columnist for The Bleacher Report, she is the only person to ever cover the Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Monday Night Football, the Superbowl, the Olympics, and the US Open network broadcasts. A number of female athletes branched over to men's sports including tennis player, Mary Carillo, Canadian hockey player, Cassie Campbell, and basketball player, Doris Burke. Some of the more recent women include one of the first sideline reports Bonnie Bernstein, Lisa Guerrero, and Erin Andrews.

 

Many of the women listed above have set themselves apart from the men in the field and even been titled some of the best in their specific sport. If there is any doubt that women do not belong in sports broadcast just take a moment to view some of their tape or check the ratings on broadcasts that include women versus those who don't. We have a role in sports and I don't think there is a man around now that could deny that.

About Me.

My name is Sydney Monday and I am a public relations major at the University of Central Oklahoma. I enjoy reading, writing, anything music related, and sports. The last one, sports, has led me to the creation of this blog. I am looking to show the female perspective on the world of sports in many different ways in this blog.

This blog will be addressing the many questions that "sports-challenged" women have, their role in the sports world, the history of women in sports, female careers in sports, and even humorous topics such as what to wear to the game and what to cook for your husband's friends when they all come over for Monday night football. I am hoping to take my degree and use it for something sports related, so why not start here?

So get ready to enjoy Monday Nights with Monday!