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Fox News Latino Column: Women in the Locker Room – The Inés Sainz Saga, And What the Bigger Issue Is.

Oct 21st, 2010 by

The recently-launched Fox News Latino asked me to pen an op-ed about TV Azteca reporter Inés Sainz return to the job and her decision to no longer conduct interviews in locker rooms after being cat-called by some New York Jets players.

See: Women in the Locker Room? Are We Having This Conversation Again?

The editor who contacted me wanted to know what impact her decision might have on female sports journalists. My initial opinion was: None whatsoever. But I assumed for what they were paying me they wanted more than a two-word response.

As I thought about the subject further — and reflected on just how overblown the Sainz story had become — it dawned on me that there was a larger issue not being addressed. As I write, “Instead of discussing Sainz’s decision to avoid locker rooms, we need to look around and realize how few Latinas are even in them to begin with.”

I was really happy with how the column came out as well as with the reaction I received. It was also the site’s most read story of the day.

The story also ran on FoxNews.com.

Posted in Fox News Latino, Sports | Comments Off

College Soccer News Debut: Akron Again on Top

Sep 29th, 2010 by

I was disappointed when I learned that ESPNSoccernet was taking a new direction that would not include college soccer coverage. After all, I had covered the college soccer beat for four seasons. It might not be the most high-profile beat, but I’ve found covering the college game really rewarding.

I brooded for a day (when you cover a beat that long, you get attached to it), then set out to find somewhere else that could use a college soccer writer.

I had previously been approached by College Soccer News about writing for them, but it just didn’t work out at that time. I reached out to the editor about contributing this season, and I will be writing three columns for the site throughout the course of this season.

The first one ran this week and focuses at No. 1 Akron. The Zips had a near perfect season in 2009, but lost the NCAA title in a shootout. I look at how they’ve bounced back and how they’re doing now.

See: Akron Taking It One Step at a Time.

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Visiting Lecturer – Tufts University – Sports Journalism in the Internet Age

Sep 10th, 2010 by

During the Fall 2010 semester, I will be a visiting lecturer at Tufts University through the Experimental College, a department that focuses on “educational innovation, expansion of the undergraduate curriculum.”

As a lecturer, I am teaching a class titled “Sports Journalism in the Internet Age.” The goal of the course, which I designed myself, is to challenge students to think critically about media and examine works of sports journalism both in terms of writing mechanics and as literature. We will also look at how sports journalism is evolving to meet the demands of a digital marketplace.

Students will keep blogs throughout the course of the semester as well as produce a multimedia work of sports journalism as a final project.

Posted in Career, Teaching | Comments Off

NAHJ Sports Task Force Mentoring Program

Aug 4th, 2010 by

When I relaunched the NAHJ Sports Task Force this past spring, I wanted to make sure that we were active in working to make a difference for Latinos in sports journalism. That’s why I launched a mentoring program at the convention in Denver.

I initially expected handful of people to express interest. Generally, the response from NAHJ members to e-mails is anemic. But I was inundated with requests, particularly from students and young professionals seeking mentors. It was exciting, but almost overwhelming. I suddenly realized I needed to line up far more mentors than I anticipated.

That also turned out to be a great opportunity, because it allowed me to reach out to journalists who hadn’t been active in NAHJ before. It’s taken some work, but has been a wonderful experience. Every professional I’ve contacted was more than willing to serve as a mentor.

I believe mentors are a key part in helping young journalists through tough times. I’m, at least a small part, still in this business because my mentors always had my back and encouraged me. I want to give that to other journalists starting out.

This week, I learned that these efforts are already paying off. One of the students, under the direction of her mentor, executed a three-story package that ran on ESPNDeportes.com. I was asked to blog about it for NAHJ’s website, and the piece ran today.

See: NAHJ’s Sports Task Force is On!

It’s very rewarding to see this work paying off.

Posted in Career, NAHJ | Comments Off

ESPN.com: Does the Final Whistle Blow at the World Cup in South Africa Also Signal the Final Vuvuzela Blare?

Jul 11th, 2010 by

With the World Cup concluded, I sat back to reflect on the tournament. How Spain finally won. How the Netherlands has now made three trips to the finals only to be met with heartbreak thrice. How the United States did alright. And how the next time I watch a soccer match, it won’t be accompanied by the constant bzzzzzz that accompanied every game in the 2010 World Cup. I wrote a quick piece that was actually the Page 2 top story following the final.

See: Lasting memory of Cup: vuvuzela.

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Posted in ESPN.com, Sports | Comments Off

Television Guest – Basic Black on WGBH – Arizona’s Controversial Immigration Law

Jul 9th, 2010 by

When I was first approached about appearing on Basic Black, the show was just going to focus on the World Cup. A few days before the show, the producer mentioned that she would also like the panel to touch on SB 1070, Arizona’s controversial immigration measure. It ended up being a two-part program with the first half focusing on geopolitics in the World Cup and the second half discussing immigration legislation.

It was nice to be able to talk about a subject that wasn’t sports-related. While I love sports, I like to think that I have a real range as far as what I can cover and comment on. This was a welcome opportunity to do just that.

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Posted in Media Appearance, Non-Sports News | Comments Off

Television Guest – Basic Black on WGBH – Discussing Geopolitics and the World Cup

Jul 9th, 2010 by

After my radio appearances on The Callie Crossley Show, I was asked to be a guest on Basic Black. The show is a discussion-format program that focuses on issues of interest to the African American community and airs on WGBH, the New England PBS affiliate.

The conversation covered everything from race and the World Cup to the lack of soccer’s popularity stateside to whether billions of dollars South Africa spent to host the tournament could have been better spent.

It was a great experience, and I enjoyed the chance to be a part of the program.

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Posted in Media Appearance, Sports | Comments Off

Radio Guest – The Callie Crossley Show on WGBH – Discussing the World Cup and Marketing to Latinos

Jun 29th, 2010 by

After appearing on The Callie Crossley Show two weeks ago, I was asked to come back as a guest to talk about companies’ efforts in marketing to the Latino audience during the World Cup.

It was a great segment, and I’m already looking forward to the next time I’m invited on the show.

My segment starts at the 15:00 mark.

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Posted in Media Appearance, Sports | Comments Off

Radio Guest – The Callie Crossley Show on WGBH – Discussing Soccer and Its Global and Local Roles

Jun 17th, 2010 by

This afternoon, I appeared as a guest on The Callie Crossley Show on WGBH, Boston’s NPR station, to discuss the World Cup, soccer and the role the sport plays in immigrant communities. I appeared on a segment discussing a soccer tournament that a local non-profit organizes, however, my contributions were about soccer in the broader picture.

It was an honor to be invited on the show, and it was a great experience.

The segment where I’m featured begins at the 20:00 mark.

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Posted in Media Appearance, Sports | Comments Off

ESPN.com: Red Sox, The Musical

Jun 12th, 2010 by

When I heard they were making a musical about the Red Sox, I was torn between wanting to cringe and laugh. Let’s be honest, sports and musicals haven’t gone together since the debut of “Damn Yankees in 1955.

But “Johnny Baseball” wasn’t campy at all. In fact, it was a quality musical that hit on the 2004 ALCS, the Red Sox curse, the history of race relations in Boston and a story of star-crossed lovers, all with impressive lyrical storytelling and catchy music. I feel like the resulting story did a good job in capturing those elements.

See: “Johnny Baseball” sings the Sox song.

I was happy with how it came out as were the ESPN.com readers, whose opinions count most. That’s why it was great to get an e-mail from a reader who wrote, “I really enjoyed your column on Page 2, ESPN.com. It’s the best thing up there all week.” Even though, I’m entering my fifth year writing for ESPN.com and have seven years experience, little notes like that, from readers I’ve never met, still make my day.

On a personal note, I think I feel especially proud of this story because I’ve had it in the back of my mind for over a year. This piece came about by chance. Living near Harvard Square, we pass by the American Repertory Theater almost daily. Last summer, I noticed a banner hanging from one of its windows announcing the world premiere of a new show, at that time titled “Red Sox Nation,” that was to debut in the Spring of 2010. This was several months before I was even contributing to Page 2. I told my husband I thought that could make for a fun story.

A few months later, the Page 2 opportunity came about, and when I first met with my editor, I brought a list of ideas – including the Red Sox theater idea. He said he loved the idea. Then it became just a matter of waiting for the show to open. More than a year after the idea first struck me, the piece ran.

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Posted in ESPN.com, Sports | Comments Off

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