9th Most Important Moment in Sports

REAL SPORTS, The Authority in Women's Sports, released its 11th Annual edition of the Most Important Moments in Sports.  Coming in at number 9 is "Robin Roberts Returns".

In February 2013, America welcomed Robin Roberts back to “Good Morning America.”  While no longer a sportscaster, Roberts will forever have an endearing relationship with sports fans because of her years at ESPN and ABC sports.  

Roberts was selected for this year’s Most Important Moments in Sports edition because of her tenacity, openness and commitment to being such a formidable competitor against cancer.

To read more about REAL SPORTS 9th Most Important Moment in Sports as well as the entire countdown, visitwww.realsportsmag.com 

10th Most Important Moment in Sports for 2013

REAL SPORTS, The Authority in Women's Sports, released its 11th Annual edition of the Most Important Moments in Sports.  Coming in at number 10 is "Making a Name".

For athletes seeking to participate in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, 2013 was their year to prepare for, and in many cases but not all, qualify for the Games.

Dec 2013: Bobsled Team U.S.A. sweeps with 1, 2, 2 finishes at the World Cup. 
Photo courtesy: U.S.A. Bobsled and Skeleton

The 10th moment features the success of the U.S. Ski Jumping team which will make its Olympic debut in February and U.S. Bobsled's surprise two-man sweep of the World Cup.  The piece also highlights the failure of the U.S. Short-track Speed Skating team.

To read more about REAL SPORTS 10th Most Important Moment in Sports as well as the entire countdown, visit www.realsportsmag.com 

Diana Nyad chosen as REAL SPORTS Sportswoman of the Year for 2013

(C) ISIPhotos.com

Touch the Other Shore:

Starting out on Aug. 31, 2013, 64-year-old Diana Nyad swam 103 miles between Havana and Key West, Fla., in 53 hours, reaching the beach in the early afternoon of Sept. 2. It was her fifth attempt, and her fourth try since turning 60.

She immediately faced criticism centering on the level of support she had, as well as the fact that she wore a protective suit that helped limit dehydration and hypothermia and protected against stinging sea animals. We will leave it to the reader to decide if a bodysuit detracts from the achievement of swimming 103 miles, after being forced to quit four times previously.

Nyad is recognized as REAL SPORTS Sportswoman of the Year for her commitment to accomplish her athletic goal despite age, health, safety, and often times the most threatening obstacle of all, human detractors. 

To read more about Nyad and to read what REAL SPORTS chose as the Top 10 Most Important Moments in Sports for 2013, visit www.realsportsmag.com 

REAL SPORTS: 2013 Most Important Moments in Sports

Aug. 2013: National Women's Soccer League championship game.
Portland Thorns defeated Western New York Flash 2-0 in the
inaugural season. Photo Credit: ISIPhotos.com

Persistence and dedication are two words that continually resonate within REAL SPORTS Most Important Moments in Sports annual editions.  2013 is no exception.  Whether you are Robin Roberts fighting cancer; are the believers of women’s soccer, which embarked on a third attempt at a professional league; are part of the ongoing push for inclusion and acceptance; are our sportswoman of the year, Diana Nyad, or are any of the other moments we selected, these two words exemplify women’s sports. (Read this year's issue)
As REAL SPORTS enters its 16th year of publishing and its 11th year of publishing this annual edition, persistence and dedication also describe the team that brings to life REAL SPORTS Most Important Moments in Sports each year.  For six years, REAL SPORTS, was a print publication with a readership base of more than 300,000, before it transformed into the online annual editions.  Regardless of its form, with each release, REAL SPORTS remains committed to providing a unique history and perspective regarding the successes and challenges in women’s sports.
The REAL SPORTS team now does this as a labor of love rather than the profession it once was.  This provides some unique opportunities for us to continue to influence the perceptions of women’s sports.  To be part of the change you want to see requires persistence and dedication.  You, our readers, may be surprised by how you can influence perspectives and opinions about women’s sports, too. 

*  If your company hires athletes for sales conferences, ask about including and paying a female athlete. 

*  If your company names its conference rooms after Olympic athletes, include some female athletes, and perhaps place a picture in the room of her in action.  

*  If you are watching the Winter Olympic Games in February, strike up a conversation about the female athletes with your coworkers and engage with online conversations. 

We are all empowered to be part of the change we want to see.  Just ask eighth-grader Rebekah Araujo, who we spotlight in this edition. It takes more than ideas though, as the Val Ackerman report on women’s basketball points out, there is a decline in women’s basketball attendance, so yes it is important to attend women’s sporting events. To that end, we applaud the fans of the Portland Thorns soccer team for their outstanding attendance figures.

Please take a moment to share this year’s edition with your friends on social media. I also invite you to start a dialogue about this year’s picks.  @realsportsmag #RSMIMIS

All the best,

Amy Love

Founder/Publisher

"I'm Not a Fan of Women's Professional Sports...

I just haven’t had a team capture my attention." Says Amy Bergstrom, associate sports producer for seattletimes.com  

Really?  

Wake Up Call - Women Can't Continue to Speak Out of Both Sides of Their Mouth and Expect Anything to Change.

The Seattle Times article continues on to say "by fan, I mean a person who buys tickets for games, wears team apparel or follows in detail the progress of a team". The article then continues to say "but I am a fan of women playing sports professionally".

REAL SPORTS magazine's 2012 Most Important Moments in Sports edition recognizes the important legacy David Stern has played in the continued viability of the WNBA and covers the state of women's professional soccer in the US, which includes the next chapter with the launch of the National Women's Soccer League, which is a collaboration between Canada, Mexico and the United States soccer federations.  

Women's sports absolutely remains in a tenuous position.  Right now, the existence of the WNBA and latest attempt at professional soccer is absolutely because of powerful men who are willing to bankroll opportunities at the league or professional level, with some women now becoming team owners.

Over our fifteen years of publishing REAL SPORTS - I have reflected many times on how Dad's with Daughters were our best customer (when we were a print publication - meaning they were ready and willing to pay for a subscription) and it's interesting, now our best advocates are women (is it because we are now a free online publication?). Women's sports need both - women and men who combined are willing to put money down as a proxy for women's sports being relevant and advocates to expand the awareness of and interest and excitement in women's sports.

The Boston Consulting Group study states "women in the U.S. reported 'controlling' 72.8% of household spending".   Women have the ability to make financial decisions that can directly influence the viability of women's sports.  

However, if women continue to play to heartstrings and say giving girls the opportunity to play is important but not supporting the success itself through buying tickets, buying and wearing apparel and showing interest by following women's sports not just a specific team, then the Good Magazine article which points to a non-profit model/charity model being perhaps the only viable option for women's sports has merit.  Certainly for REAL SPORTS, the model we operate under now is self-funded out of a personal commitment to keep the issues of women's sports in the forefront.

The issue of building a solid fan base for women's sports extends beyond the professional ranks.  Living in Northern California, I have the luxury to see some of the best college basketball in the country with Stanford being close by.  At the recent #1 and #2 match-up between Stanford and UConn, Stanford sold-out the game with 7,392 in attendance, but that's a rarity in terms of selling out. Stanford's two prior home match-ups saw announced attendances of 4,217 against Pacific and 3,531 against Long Beach State.

Dec. 28, 2012, Stanford vs. UConn, sold out Maples Pavilion

If you find yourself in the camp of saying "it's important to have viable women's sports options (youth, collegiate, national team, and/or professional), what steps do plan to take to support the viability and interest of these?

Amy Love

Publisher/Founder

REAL SPORTS magazine

Hope Solo - Is She the Future Keeper for Tom Sermanni and Team USA?

The 2012 Edition of REAL SPORTS Most Important Moments in Sports edition raises a question that should spark debate and interest among women's national soccer team fans and players. With Tom Sermanni being named the new head coach as of Oct. 30, replacing Pia Sundhage, who left to coach her native Sweden following the Olympic win, is Hope Solo his keeper going forward?

Heading into the next World Cup/Olympic cycle, Sermanni has many questions to answer – among them is Hope Solo, the enigmatic publicity magnet whose glibness and off-field demeanor continued to attract the spotlight in 2012, the goalie for the future? She’s the best in the world, and has the stats back it, but with plenty of goalkeeping talent waiting in the wings, is the media attention regarding her on and off-the-field issues, rather than the team’s on-field results, worth keeping when one star goes to no great pains to align herself with the rest of the squad?

Should she be replaced, it likely won’t be the end of her career.  Now that a third professional league, National Women’s Soccer League,  is in the works, she’ll certainly find herself on a roster as a big name draw. Read more about women’s soccer in the year-end 2012 Most Important Moments in Sports edition by REAL SPORTS (www.realsportsmag.com). 

Content: Chelsea Janes/Amy Love, Photograph: ISI Photos / John Todd

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2012 Most Important Moments in Sports Edition Just Released

The 2012 Edition of REAL SPORTS Most Important Moments in Sports is filled with great action shots and insight into the world of women's sports.  As we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Title IX, check out the publication at www.realsportsmag.com.  The issue is our gift to fans of women's sports everywhere.  All we ask is that you pay it forward and share the issue with your friends and comment on it on Facebook: REAL SPORTS mag and Twitter @realsportsmag