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.