Hot Cakes & Hot Takes: Key Articles of the Week
Women’s sports receive 4% of media coverage. Just 4% in a time where USWMNT has won back to back world cups, the top female ice hockey players are fighting for a sustainable professional league, and the WNBA is wrapping up their season. Female athletes deserve more than the 4% of the coverage they receive.
We hope to raise awareness of their important, meaningful and critical stories each Sunday by highlighting impactful articles. While you Sunday brunch with your hot cakes, read our hot takes:
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| Washington Mystics celebrating their win with a team hug |
Elena Delle Donne and her team were finally able to win the WNBA title beating the Connecticut Sun 89-78 this past Thursday. The team started 21 years ago, and for a long time, they struggled with coaching consistency. Finally, in 2013 the team stabilized under Mike Thibault. Their biggest personnel boost was the purchase of Elena Delle Donne before the season of 2017.
Interestingly, Delle Donne praises Mystics' coach for letting her be who she is. Earlier in her career, she said coaches always tried pitting women players against each other, asking Delle Donne to be meaner to her teammates in order to be a true leader. In the article, Elena is quoted saying, "He's said the exact opposite: 'The best leader you can be is when you're true to yourself. Whatever you're comfortable being, be that for your team.'
LaToya Sanders, the oldest player in the Finals this year, Emma Meeseman who elevated the game, Kristi Toliver who returned for the playoffs and Ariel Atkins all made this win possible to the team.
"Masks On" by Bradley Beal
To continue the topic of women's basketball and Washington Mystics in particular, let's take a look at an essay by Bradley Beal.
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| Bradley Beal wearing Elena Delle Donne's face mask |
Beal starts off by answering the question of Who is your biggest influence? or Who was your basketball hero growing up? He breaks the stereotype right away, and instead of mentioning "a dude" he talks about his mom - a basketball player herself, and a coach.
As he takes us through his childhood memories of his mom shaping him as a player, Beal comes to the conclusion that "greatness is greatness" - and it doesn't matter if the player is male or female.
He then gives a personal review of the team and its players - Elena Delle Donne, the only female member of the 50-40-90 club, Natasha Cloud, Ariel Atkins, Emma Meeseman, Aerial Powers, LaToya Sanders, Tianna Hawkins, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, and Kristi Toliver who he praises for making him a better player.
Beal draws a line under his review by demanding equal opportunities and equal pay for these players. He mentions how they travel in coach despite their hectic schedules and injured bodies with long legs. To quote, Beal says: "These women need to get paid, and they need to get treated like the stars that they are."
It's inspiring to see a male player stand up for what he believes.
Photos from the second day of the PWHPA’s Dream Gap tour stop
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| Amanda Pelkey and a fan |
In August this year, The Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), composed of the best players from around the world, announced a Dream Gap Tour - a series of showcase events played with the mission of closing the gap between what boys and girls can aspire to achieve. "Young hockey players – boys and girls – should be able to share a dream of one day making a living as a professional hockey player,” said Kendall Coyne Schofield, captain of the U.S. National Hockey Team, Olympic Gold Medalist and the first woman to compete in the NHL All-Star Skills Competition.
Last weekend Dream Gap Tour stopped in Hudson, New Hampshire. The stop included four games over two days. Enjoy the inspiring photo report in this article.
The Dream Gap Tour plans to visit several citied in the United Stated and Canada.
Internationally: Sania Mirza on closing the gender gap
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| Sania Mirza |
As part of the India Economic Summit panel on gender gap, Sania Mirza, tennis champion and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia, remembers the awkward question she was asked back in 2015 right after winning the Wimbledon women's doubles with Swiss player Martina Higins. As she was sitting at a press conference with the trophy in her hands, the journalist asked Sania: "What are your plans for motherhood?"
In her interview, Sania talks about her frustration and how unfair such treatment of women athletes is. She wonders if male athletes ever get asked this question.
The article highlights the sad facts - apparently, it will take the world 108 years on average to close the gender gap throughout all the regions.
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| economic gender gap |
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