when collaboration meets creativity, we judo-chop

i am rarely very “political” here, in so much that we know i have opinions (e.g., bacon = good; pimento loaf = bad), but never in a way that makes a scene (pro-choice! pro-pride! pro-earth!). however, just because i rarely partake in such polarizing debates, doesn’t mean i don’t spend an considerable amount of time musing over such concepts … and, given my job/life, a lot of that brainstorming & daydreaming revolves around feminist, critical and scholarly thought on sport, especially women in sport.

my “boss” at UMN recently started a blog devoted to many critiques. i’ve helped her get this thing of the ground .. and then, by jove, she has rolled with it, cranking out the QUALITY content — not just pictures of cats and college.

if it seems that i’m a little jealous of the forum she has, that would be because i am. and then i realize … um, i have a forum just like that. just with hot jamz and hijinx. it may not be as academic, but it *could* be mine.

given that, let me share a few thoughts i have related to this post(that i will eventually be posting in the comments section):

• I can hardly go a day (or even an hour!) without someone forwarding me an article about social media or Twitter. A constant I’ve seen throughout these recent, and nascent, narratives regarding Twitter is a lack of empirical research – surely, we are seeing a phenomenon emerge and we know SOMETHING is happening — but that is where the certainties stop. 
• We still have no idea what that “something” is. In all honesty, it could be a very bad something for women’s sport … especially (like the linked post highlights) if social media only replicates and reinforces these dominant and emblematic representations of the hetero-, hyper-sexual female athlete. If that is the case than it’s extremely premature to call any kind of social/new media a savior or posit that it can only be a positive for women’s sport. Thus, this post resonated with me, because I’ve been feeling like there’s a disconnect for some time (and of course, am now attempting some research of my own).
• Another disconnect that may need further fleshing out is the relationship between organization/league and the athlete. While the former may think social media is a “quick fix”, do the actors (i.e. athletes) know that they are pawns – Or are they just being “regular” people, connecting with friends and not realizing that they are being called upon to save the women’s sport in 140 characters or less?
• It may be that leagues and teams may want to show female athletes as “regular” well-rounded people. This could be the subject of a whole other “blog” and could be someday … but if there is a conscious or unconscious attempt to promote an image of well-roundedness (i.e., mother-athlete, friend-athlete, and student-athlete); it’s borderline insulting to both the athletes and the fans. Many people, arguably most people, spend their entire lives TRYING to be exceptional at one thing. However, female athletes are truly exceptional and have spent their entire careers honing their talents. Why wouldn’t we want to showcase that kind of exceptional? Possibly in more than 140 characters?