Talking women's sports at espnW

American sports channel ESPN launched their espnW channel at the end of 2010 and have been doing some great work in promoting women's sports. Have to put my hand up and say I was a bit cynical at the time but the espnW summit held this month has wiped my worries.

Great panels for fans of women's sport like women and (sports) journalism content, mentorship, female executives, female fans of male sports and their role. And one of my favourite bloggers Dr. Nicole LaVoi talking on the 'sex sells' panel. Obviously all from an American perspective but interesting points raised for us over here as well.

You can find videos from these panels and more on the espnW Summit page. *One slightly annoying note  - you can't forward the videos so if you accidentally log out of the page, you have to start again at the introductions each time!

Buffalo Girls - child boxers

How young is too young to fight? 

Director Todd Kellstein says: "Their faces beam with youthful innocence. Like other young girls, they laugh and play, in spite of their hardscrabble existence. But on Saturday nights in rural villages throughout central Thailand, some of the nation’s 30,000 child boxers enter the ring, where their tiny fists, elbows, knees and feet fly, pummeling one another in pursuit of prize money as strangers, neighbors, and even their own families, wager on the outcome. Is it exploitation, empowerment or economic necessity?"

Wordless Wednesday

Not so Wordless Wednesday today: 

Thanks to photographer and footballer Melissa Vuong from the Bondi Shamrocks Australian Rules Football Club for sending these great shots from pre-season training this week on Coogee Beach in Sydney.
Read more about the club here in this interview with Sandra Ryan (in green above).