That’s right.  The title says it all.  We are now 8 days from finding out if our baby is a boy or a girl.  Many of you have weighed in and made your guess, but finally we will know (unless the baby is being annoying and not wanting to show the world).  We have an ultrasound on the 20th and then the whole world will know (well maybe our world and not really the whole world)!

We are very excited!  The baby is growing to the point that we are starting to feel kicks!  I wanna know if we have a little Mia Hamm or Cristiano Ronaldo!  I wanna feel that powerful kick!  (See I can say that because it won’t keep me up at night or drive me crazy because it won’t stop kicking.)

Make sure you keep checking back to see what this kid is!

“No-one gets an iron-clad guarantee of success. Certainly, factors like opportunity, luck and timing are important. But the backbone of success is usually found in old-fashioned, basic concepts like hard work, determination, good planning and perseverance.”
… Mia Hamm

The Panic

This week marked the anniversary of the start of the panic of ’08-’09. After listening to the morning news shows rehash the events of the meltdown in the financial markets, I finally reached the point where I decided that the talking heads on the financial news networks had little or no idea that the system was and is badly broken. I took no solace in this moment of discovery. It nice to know where we’ve been, well ‘past is prologue,’ however an awareness that the financial panic that started one year ago with the demise of Lehman Brothers, and the failure of AIG has started to abate, provided a brief moment of pragmatic optimism. Almost no one in the United States has been untouched by the recession. Boomers experienced the rapid decline in the value of their 401k’s, X Gens saw their career aspirations flatten like unleavened bread and millennials experienced an evaporating job market. But, at this point in time, the bounce seems sustained. True, the stock market is just a forward indicator of economic recovery, and jobs tend to be a trailing indicator, but recovery is here albeit with a significant hangover. As anyone in the wine business knows, seasoned wine veterans and newbies alike, that the one channel most impacted by the panic has been the fine dinning segment. If your wine field brand marketing strategy is tied to the orthodoxy of conventional wisdom, then you’re now avoiding the on-premise restaurant channel in the same way that you’re avoiding friends and business associates unlucky enough to have contracted the H1N1 virus.

The Opportunity

Although it’s been anecdotally reported that there’s been a seismic segment shift away from wines on wine list selling for more than $100, sales above this apparent point of price sensitivity have indeed slowed but have not ceased. The quote that ‘stories of my death have been greatly exaggerated’ could have emanated from that bottle of 2005 Brunel les Cailloux Chateauneuf du Pape on the Bern’s Steak House wine list. There are a number of factors leading to reduced guest check averages, some related to the general economic morass, and some related to long term trends. For example, when was the last time that you had tableside service with rechaud prepared Steak Diane. I hear this is actually making a comeback…what old is new, again. And diminished sales efforts in the on-premise channel or tactics that include reallocating winery resources leading to channel specific abandonment seems to be mistimed. The on-premise channel is a complex mix of evolving differing business models that tend to adapt to the needs and wants of their intended consumer audiences. The restaurant business is a dynamic business with a significant rate of failure, but also meaningful rewards to the successful. It is a business that requires significant resources, both human and capital. The food service segment includes many different models including theme parks, hotels, institutional, educational, catering, stadium, white table cloth, family, casual, bistro, wine bar, sports bar,gastropubs, ethnic cuisine – Greek, Italian, Mexican, Thai, New American, Californian, Pacific Rim, entree specific as in Burger Bars, Fish and/or Steak House, et al. Restaurants may be part of a multi-unit enterprise or chain group, or may be single unit independents. It seems based on activity at retail, a visual survey of grocery/supermarket shelves and Club Stores that there’s been a rush to off-premise as the on premise market becomes more difficult and saturated. Many winecos based their distribution models on either a straight DTC model – for example: Goosecross, or Screaming Eagle – or a dual model of DTC and limited market on-premise sales. Two prime examples of this model are Cakebread and Duckhorn. With the recent sale of the Duckhorn Wine Company to the private investment management firm GI Partners, distribution has recently been expanded into multiple sales channels.

The Process

As more of your competitors rethink their single track broad market strategy, and as a result move resources away from food service, be aware that opportunity awaits your wine brand(s). To take advantage of the various opportunities, specific targets must be identified, qualified and developed. The wine business is still a handshake business, and nowhere is this truer than in the on-premise channel. And nowhere in the wine universe is the business being professionalized more than in the restaurant arena. And this is good thing. But, it means that you also have to raise your game by identifying, targeting qualifying, presenting and closing. The days of the cold call are over. For example a past market sales day with Churchill Distributors in Baltimore, where the sales manager arranged for my work-with to be with a district manager. Twelve lighthouse restaurant accounts were on the call sheet, none of which were doing business at the time with Churchill. One by one each restaurant put Mirassou on the list or on a wine by the glass program. Although we only sold 36 cases that day, 12 new A on-premise accounts were opened for Churchill and Mirassou, and then as a result Mirassou Vineyards was the talk of the halls in suburban Baltimore for quite some time. But from that day forward I planned all of my calls in advance of a visit to the market. Here is an example from a memo written several years ago to the sales manager for my winery at the time (for illustration only):

“Thanks for your call today re. market work schedules. Please note the following: I need and want to be in the market, but on a planned basis, and with the following goals in mind:”

“National Accounts — i.e.: Mortons; Palm; PF Changs; Roy’s; Red Lobster; Daily Grill; California Cafes-Napa Valley Grill; Olives; B.R. Guest; Ritz Carlton; Starwood; Four Seasons; Hyatt; Sams; Costco

Regional Accounts — i.e.: Capitol Grille; Legal Seafoods; Clyde’s Group (Clyde’s; 1789); Disney World(CA Grill; Flying Fish); ABC Liquors; Specs; Richards; Majestic/Red Coleman’s; Seigels; Bev Mo; Cost Plus;  Red Carpet; Beltramo’s; K&L; Applejacks; Total Wine; Marty’s; Yankee; Esquin, Dorn’s; etc.

Independent, Wine Steward, or Natural Foods Grocery –i.e.: Dean & Deluca; Oakville Grocery; Oliver’s; Molly Stones; Whole Foods; Trader Joe’s; Fresh Fields; Treasure Island; Harris Teeter; Larry’s; QFC; Fred Meyer

Local Market Makers — i.e.: Top 10 chef driven, American cusine destination key accounts in the following markets: Boston (Olives; Mistral; 75 Chestnut; Aujourd’hui; Jasper White’s, 29 Newbury); New York (Tribeca Grill; Verbena; Blue Ribbon; Gramercy Tavern; Thalia; American Place; Mesa Grill): NJ (Park&Orchard; Bernards Inn; Ryland’s Inn; The Dinning Room) D.C. (Citronelle,Vidalia; Nora’s; Kinkeads; Sam & Harry’s; Sonoma; Sequoia; The Inn @ Little Washington); Atlanta (Bacchanalia; Buckhead Dinner (Buckhead Life Group); Restaurant Eugene); Miami (Chef Allen’s; Mark’s Place);  Orlando (Roy’s, Emril’s; Dexter’s; Maison et Jardin; Le Coq au Vin; Authur’s 27 — Disney — Flying Fish; Victoria & Alberts; California Grill); Tampa(Restaurant BT Bern’s; Side Bern’s; Mise en Place; Michael’s on East; Colony Resort; South Seas Plantation; Ritz Carlton Naples); Chicago (Charlie Trotter’s; Shaw’s; Gibson’s; Bob Chinn’s); New Orleans (Emril’s, Nola; Bayona; Brennen’s; Brigtsen’s) Houston (Rainbow Lodge; Sierra Grill; ; River Oaks Grill; Cafe Annie; Greenbriar Chophouse); Dallas ( Chaparal Club; Nick & Sam’s; The Green Room; The Riviera; Maguire’s; Papas Bros Steak House; ); Austin (Eastside Cafe; Star Canyon; Central Market); Denver (Bravo; Trios Enoteca; Kevin Taylor’s) Phoenix (The Phoenician; Bistro 24; Mastro’s; Wright’s; Rancho Pinot Grill); San Diego (Greystone; Rainwater on Kettner; The Fish Market; Donavan’s); LA (Mr. Stox; Michael’s; Grace; Saddle Peak Lodge; Lawry’s; One Pico; Providence; Tantra; Grill on the Alley); San Francisco (Boulevard; Gary Danko; Town Hall; Spruce; Quince; Aqua; Zuni Cafe;  –wine country —  zazu; Sassafras; Cyrus; Dry Creek Kitchen; Lark Creek; AKA Bistro; Bouchon; Bistro Jeanty; Cook; Go Fish; Mustards); Portland (Wildwood; Higgin’s; Heathman; Bluehour; Park Kitchen) Seattle (Ray’s Boathouse; Rover’s; Palace Kitchen; Wild Ginger; McCormick & Schmick’s; Metropolitan Grill)”

“The above short list of accounts is for bracketing purposes only, and meant to be illustrative of the type of account in which I should be utilized. Other markets adjacent to the listed markets are important, such as NJ-Philadelphia; D.C.- Baltimore-NVA; CA-NV; Chicago-MSP, Denver-Ski-Country and work in key adjacent markets can be planned at the same time as Key Market work.”

As a believer in a multi-channel sales and distribution strategy, with an emphasis on-premises, it seems obvious that planning beats out the old traditional flying by the seat of your pants marketing methods. As a focused wine business it is suggested that you develop a by market, by account target list appropriate to your price points and product mix. Understand that you don’t need to be everywhere, but you should target everywhere that counts. There are approximately 20 markets in the United States that will deliver the majority of even an enterprise wine company’s planned broad market sales targets. This is a cut of a targeted account list developed some time ago for the Colorado Market. For each geographic area of distribution (i.e., Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, LA, Phoenix, Denver, Chicago, Twin Cities, Chicago, Boston New York, etc.) you should develop a list of targeted accounts for each probable point of distribution utilizing your current CRM tool. List the Account name. Address, Gatekeeper, Contact #, Contact e-mail, Cuisine Type, Targeted Placement, Achieved Placement. Success can not be achieved without planning and execution.

The Plan – Marketing by Pulling Corks

While nothing beats the hands-on market knowledge gained from spending significant time on the streets, pulling corks and sampling gatekeepers at the best lighthouse restaurant accounts, significant low cost resources exist for identifying targeted restaurants within your winery’s areas of distribution. Wine & Spirits Magazine has published the results of its Restaurant Poll for 20 years. The Wine Spectator publishes the world wide results for the best restaurant wine lists annually. Zagat list the best wine restaurants by metropolitan area in the USA market. Restaurants & Institutions Magazine has just published the annual list of the 400 largest chain restaurants, and the 100 largest single unit independents by $ volume. If it’s within your brand marketing plan to generate national account on-premise business, I would suggest purchasing the Chain Store Guide. Once you’ve established a functional targeted list put approximately 65% of your broad market resources, time and energy into securing on-premises account placements by:

- Qualifying accounts according to needs and wants
- Planning your visits focused on the goal of a specific placement
- Communicate key points of differentiation and value
- Pull Corks
- Taste
- Secure WBTG or Wine Listing
- Close

Note: Copyright © 2009 Think Wine Marketing® All rights reserved.

Need a midweek lift? How about some words of encouragement. (Quotes from various websites and books.)

1. “Problems are only opportunities with thorns on them.” –Hugh Miller

2. “A bend in the road is not the end of the road… unless you fail to make the turn. ” –Unknown

3. “I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.” –Paul

4. “Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you.” –Aldous Huxley

5. “When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place.” –Unknown

6. “I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” –David

7. “When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” –Alexander Graham Bell

8. “Everyone has inside them a piece of good news. The good news is you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!” –Anne Frank

9. “Never give in… never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force.. never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” –Winston Churchill

10. “Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.” –Unknown

11. “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” –Christ

12. “They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea.” –Sir Frances Bacon

13. “Optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress.” –Nicholas Murray Butler

14. “You do not pay the price of success, you enjoy the price of success.” –Zig Ziglar

15. “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” –Jesus

16. “People who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who do nothing and succeed.” –Unknown

17. “He who refuses to embrace a unique opportunity loses the prize as surely as if he had failed.” –William James

18. “Instead of giving myself reasons why I can’t, I give myself reasons why I can.” –Anonymous

19. “When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” –Franklin Roosevelt

20. “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.” –Richard Bach

21. “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” –Japanese proverb

22. “I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” –Jesus

23. “If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again.” –Flavia Weedn

24. “One has to remember that every failure can be a stepping stone to something better.” –Col. Harland Sanders

25. “If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.” –Dave Ramsey

26. “I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.
Some come from ahead and some come from behind.
But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready you see.
Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!” –Dr. Seuss

27. “Remember that what happens in you is more important than what happens to you.” –John Maxwell

28. “Begin somewhere; you cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do.” –Liz Smith

29. “Celebrate what you’ve accomplished, but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.” –Mia Hamm

30. “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” –Isaiah

What’s Serena Williams wearing at the U.S. Open this week? Her requisite hot-mama fitness ensemble—and a new brand of “athlete engineered” beauty products called Mission Skincare. Williams is one of several professional athletes including Mia Hamm and Amanda Beard who have lent their names to the sports-lifestyle skin-care line.

We couldn’t help noticing that the cosmetic chemistry doesn’t quite match the prowess of these pros, however, so we also mention a few formulation foibles:

A powerhouse cleanser: The Active Daily Facial Cleanser ($39.95) turns from a citrus-scented gel to foam, “oxygenating” skin to the point of clean. (Formulation foible: It’s paraben-free but has sodium laureth sulfate, an out-dated foaming agent that strips away skin’s moisture along with dirt.)

A protective sunscreen: The no-more-tears Sting-Free Sunscreen SPF 30 Facestick ($8.99) is a boon for anyone not willing to wear a John McEnroe-style sweatband. (Formulation foible: This touch-up product is the size of a lip balm and meant for just the eye area. The other sunscreens in the line are for all-over coverage, but they’re formulated very differently. Does this mean they sting?)

A nourishing lip balm: Amanda Beard has her name on the Organic Strawberry Lipbalmer SPF 15 ($3.99), which uses mostly natural ingredients like beeswax in lieu of petroleum—a hydrating home run.

It’s great to see athletes endorsing skin-care products, and strange that so few beauty brands prominently sponsor the athletes in turn. (Neutrogena, anyone home?) But considering how important great products really are to those whose health is their living and their workplace the great outdoors, it’s probably a good thing that Mission isn’t the only game in town.

Products are available at www.missionskincare.com

Andre Agassi and David Robinson were honored last night at the U.S. Open for creating schools for underprivileged children.  Women’s  soccer superstar Mia Hamm and football great Doug Flutie were also honored for their efforts in bone marrow and autism, respectively.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gQtXTDWV9J4p7_g26G5lVUyHdcyA

Barcelona will be in Hollywood in a few days to unveil the new Nike LA84 Foundation community rooftop court in Hollwood.

Mia Hamm & Guardiola will help present the event, and a special 3 vs. 3 match will take place.

Here’s the where & when if you are interested in attending.
The Montablan
1615 Vine Street
Hollywood, CA 90028
Thursday, July 30th 4:30PM – 6PM

RSVP at: rsvpnike@nike.com

The Philadelphia 76ers today traded disgruntled center Samuel Dalembert to the Los Angeles Sparks for star power forward Candace Parker and a throwback jersey from Hall of Fame Center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Dalembert is expected to back up Sparks center Lisa Leslie.

According to sources, talks have been ongoing for some time, but were held up due to the Sixers insistence on a signed Magic Johnson jersey. Once that was reduced to a game worn Abdul-Jabbar jersey, things moved quickly.

“We are proud to introduce our new forward, Candace Parker,” said Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski of the 6′ 4″ dunking machine. “We expect her to be a significant improvement over Dalembert. She is stronger, has a better outside shot, and is far less likely to cost us games by committing four fouls in the first quarter of every game.

“Plus, this Kareem jersey is gonna look sweet on the wall of my office.”

Dalembert seemed thrilled to be traded to a contender.

“It is an honor to be traded to a team with such a rich tradition,” said the soul-rending “center.” ”I hear the seats on the bench there are well padded. I look forward to taking my team killing skills to Los Angeles.”

When asked what Dalembert’s role would be, Sparks head coach Michael Cooper was very clear.

“His role will be to make sure that Lisa has plenty to drink, and that she has a fresh towel with which to dry off when she sits down.” When asked specifically about his playing role, Cooper just laughed and left the podium.

Contacted by phone, Sixers guard Andre Iguodala seemed to sum up the feelings of the whole team, if not the city.

“Wow, I thought we would never unload that mook,” said Iguodala. “To call him useless is an insult to useless people. Who did we get for him? You know what, it doesn’t matter. We are a better team today.”

When told that WNBA star Candace Parker was now a Sixer, Iguodala replied, “Great. She will double his scoring average just by not fouling out.”

Parker seemed to take the whole situation in stride. “I’m just going to try to fit in and do what I do. I plan to be a team player. (Sixers head coach) Eddie (Jordan) told me that I was a much better fit for the Princeton offense, due to the fact that I have an IQ over 75, unlike Dalembert.

“He said that, not me. I mean, it’s true, but I’m just saying.”

When asked about how she would handle the difference in the game play, Parker expressed confidence.

“Look, I am not worried,” said Parker. ”I know what I can do. Obviously, the Sixers do too, or I wouldn’t be here. I can handle the ball, I can shoot, I can dunk, all the things that were missing from that position for the 7 minutes a game that he played last year.

“If some high school kid can dunk on (Cleveland Cavaliers guard) LeBron (James), I can too.”

At press time, it could not be confirmed that the New York Mets were trying to trade Oliver Perez to the USA Olympic team for softball ace Jennie Finch and a Mia Hamm throwback.

There have been numerous recent developments in the US bid to host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Not only have formal proposal requests been sent to 37 potential US host cities but forty-five venues have made the short list of candidate stadiums.

California Governer Arnold Schwarzeneger has accepted an invitation to join the Board of Directors for the USA Bid Committee in its endeavor to bring the FIFA World Cup to the United States in 2018 or 2022.

Arnold isn’t the only person providing star power to the Board of Directors. He joins Landon Donovan and Mia Hamm, two of the most decorated players in U.S. National Team history and Former United States Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger on the USA Bid Committee.

President Obama has even reached out directly to FIFA President Joseph “Sepp” Blatter and U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati to endorse the efforts to bring the world’s largest sporting event back to the United States.

It’s pretty safe to say that the committee is pulling out all stop in their bid to host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup.

I have seen more of these “Become a Fan” ads lately on Facebook, which I attribute to the general increase in entities have a “fan” page on Facebook in general. I didn’t click on this ad, so I don’t know whether it actually takes you to a fan page or something else, or even if it’s someone affiliated with Nomar Garciaparra who has put up this ad. I do find the whole practice a bit curious – what benefit would a famous person get from having lots of declared “fans” on Facebook? Does it help them in getting endorsement deals by “proving” their popularity or something?

This ad in particular caught my eye though with the text under the picture that mentions Garciaparra’s marriage to Mia Hamm – “Married Olympian and World Cup Champion soccer star Mia Hamm.” Does that strike any one else as bizarre? Why doesn’t the text include information about his baseball career or achievements? Then, when I found his Wikipedia entry, I saw that the text from the ad also appears in the personal life section of the page, in a longer sentence. The sentence from the Wikipedia page is: “On November 22, 2003, Garciaparra married Olympian and World Cup Champion soccer star Mia Hamm.” (as of 6:41pm Thursday June 18, 2009).

I’m not sure what’s going on here, but the whole thing just seems fishy. I would definitely never click on this ad out of fear that someone just put this together to draw someone in to some bad spam site or something like that. Or if someone really is trying to advertise Garciaparra’s Facebook page, they might consider rethinking their method here.

Ubisoft’s Academy of Champions is a stylish arcade-soccer game featuring legendary soccer icons Pele and Mia Hamm. It’s Exclusive to the Wii and is slated for a Sept. 2nd release.

PHOTO! Here

Mia Hamm is Nomar Garciaparra

Oh Gisele, your footy gambling habits are just so adorable

It’s not often that we run pictures of beautiful super-models on this site, but today’s your LUCKY DAY!

• Gisele Bundchen (-Brady) has made 1 million dollars betting on Jose Mourinho’s Internazionale side since last December.  So let’s do the math here, shall we?  She’s rich enough from modeling to never have to do a real day’s work EVER.  She clearly knows how to gamble AND win.  She’s gorgeous.  She’s married to arguably the greatest American football player of this generation, who’s also rich and famous.  She often struts around in her unmentionables.  I can’t go on.  It’s just too much.  Thanks to Clare for the tip.  EDIT:  DirtyTackle says it’s NOT TRUE.  So now I can just go back to hating Tom Brady for many other reasons.  Excellent.
• Barcaloco is reporting that FC Barcelona will be canceling their summer tour of the USA.  Instead, the Catalunian giants will be heading to Asia for a tour there.  All those hoping for a glance at what might be the greatest offensive side in history in the states will be sorely disappointed.
• Southampton have been given a 10 point penalty in their administration case, which means that they are relegated from the Coca-Cola Championship into League 1.  This is yet another case of a club that once flourished being run aground by poor financial dealings and even poorer management.  So much for Harry Redknapp’s declaration that the club would never find itself in this position.
• FA Cup Final news:  Howard Webb will do his usual cock-up of the ref job despite his undeserved reputation.  Everton has won the toss and will be designated as the “home” team, and thus, can wear their blue kits.  Chelsea will be in their yellow abominations.
• If you have not seen the video of Pepe’s EPIC meltdown and subsequent THREE red cards the other day in Real Madrid’s 3-2 win over Getafe, get prepared to be a bit horrified.  It’s quite a scene.
• Speaking of unbelievable videos, the highlights (video quality is a bit subpar) from the Liverpool-Arsenal match from Tuesday are a treat.  Unless you were hoping for a win for either side.  Then, it’s frustrating as hell to watch.
• Keano says Ipswich are GOING UP!
• If you’ve never read Bill Simmons rather famous 2006 piece on how he chose Spurs as his Premier League team to follow, the archive is here.  He’ll likely revisit Spurs next year after the World Cup, then drop them again shortly thereafter, the prat.
• Mia Hamm’s foundation is very worthwhile if you’re ever looking for a former player’s charity to contribute your money to.

Happy birthday Magnakai, you old fart!  Get the beers in, son!

Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker is a stunning athlete, both in terms of skill and beauty. She is also as popular as a WNBA star can be in this country. The rap supergroup Wu-Tang Clan even referenced her on their recent album:

You’re a starter, like Candace Parker…GPA 4.0 and the game’s complete / Skin tone buttercream, all defensive-team / Dreamgirl like Jennifer Hudson, you’re my queen. -”Starter” by the Wu-Tang Clan

Candace on the cover of ESPN the Magazine

And the recent 23 March issue of ESPN the Magazine features a cover story features (a very pregnant) Candace Parker and her marketing role for both the WNBA in particular, and women’s sports in general. It is part of ESPNtM’s tribute to Women’s History Month. The issue includes statistics on participation rates among female athletes, as well as the struggles of female athletes with concussions. Here is one can learn from the article—Candace is wholesome; she is beautiful; she demands a lot from herself. What else? She is normal. And…she is wholesome. And…she is…beautiful. Oh, and she is not crass. And…and…married to Shelden Williams…

The entire article came across as a desperate attempt to sell Candace Parker to male-dominated industry. The problem is the term desperate as there appeared to be a lot of repetition in the article of points that most of us already knew—Candace is talented, beautiful, and down-to-earth. But this desperation speaks to a larger problem with the selling of “female” sports.

While Title IX is not exclusively focused on sports, nor is it solely for the benefit of women (see Western Kentucky’s promotion to FBS football), this amendment has attempted to create equal opportunities—or at least equal access—for people regardless of gender. This important amendment focuses primarily on institutions or education program “that received Federal financial assistance.” In the case of college athletics, it ensure that roughly the same number of athletic scholarship went to both male and female athletes. Based on the ESPN statistics, it is safe to assume that Title IX has dramatically increased female participation in athletics. And in some schools around the country, women’s sports teams rival in popularity at least the second most popular male sport—women’s basketball at Connecticut, Old Dominion or Tennessee; women’s soccer in Virginia or North Carolina; softball at Arizona and UCLA; women’s volleyball at Hawai’i.

What has been difficult to overcome are the hurdles to successfully creating and marketing professional leagues for women in the United States. The Candace Parker article notes what many sports fans already know—the WNBA often plays in front half-filled (or half-empty) arenas. This, despite the fact that the WNBA has been in existence for over a decade. To top that, the pay difference between the WNBA and NBA is so large that many of the WNBA players often play in Europe during the off-season.

The problem is not the talent of these women. I have had the (un)fortunate opportunity to play some pick-up games against members of Alabama’s women’s team and they can box out, pound the boards, and hit a pull up with just about any of the guys running that day. Sure, if these women were taking on their counterparts on the men’s team it would be a different story (well, maybe not if former UA coach Mark Gottfried was coaching them “up”). But the notion that some average Joe could take Candace Parker to the hole, or can blast a shot past Hope Solo, or hit a pitch off of Jennie Finch is erroneous. They are all extremely talented and know how to play their sport well—it is what they do for a living.

I would argue that problems lies in the attempts to expand the audience for women’s athletics. There is no doubt that the WNBA and other women’s leagues and team appeal to young girls. If I had a daughter, I certainly would like for her to see Candace Parker and Mia Hamm as role models and proof that she could play sports, if she so chooses. But the problem is expanding to the male demographics. And I see two reasons for this.

Candace Parker from her days at Tennessee

First, some men have a difficult time seeing females as “athletes.” While this goes back to the “women-have-no-game” stereotype, it goes a bit further than that. It hits at the perception that “beautiful” women cannot be athletic. This, despite the fact that Jennie Finch, Serena Williams and Parker are all considered beautiful. I would argue that men find it difficult to see beauty in a woman who is muscular and athletic.

Think of how female athletes are marketed. Anna Kournikova was one of the most widely known female athletes in the world, but it was not because of her tennis play. Successful tennis stars like Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova appear in numerous ads, but few tune in specifically to see them play tennis. It is the female body itself (i.e., sex or sexiness) that sells and not their game.

On the other hand, Tiger Woods can play off of his golfing talents; LeBron James is known for his basketball game and can be commercially successful. Even Michael Jordan can still move Haynes products despite the fact that his playing days are long over. Jordan is still known as a basketball player and that helps him sell.

What this demonstrates is that men can use their status as athletes to sell products, while it tends to be the beauty and sex appeal of female athletes (rather than their skill). Yes, men are also sold on their sex-appeal (see David Beckham), but their sport also carries them. It does not appear to work the same for all female athletes. This speaks to the notion of female athletes not being viewed as “athletes,” but more often as models.

Furthermore, the female as athlete does not necessarily play to the notion of men living their sports “dreams” vicariously through their favorite athletes or teams. Men often envision themselves as Michael Jordan hitting the game winner, or Joe Carter blasting the walk-off shot in the World Series, or John Elway leading a game winning drive. I doubt that many men see themselves as Brandi Chastain scoring a PK to win the World Cup (most probably just see themselves scoring with Ms. Chastain). This notion makes it difficult for men to feel a part of the (women’s) game.

This transitions to the second point—women’s sports are “foreign.” It can be seen as different or foreign from men’s sports. Trying to sell the WNBA to men who are used to seeing rim-rattling dunks, no-look passes, ankle-breaking crossovers, and backboard-pinned blocks is similar to attempts at sell soccer to the football-crazed United States. The sports are completely different in the minds of many. The WNBA has a different tempo and playing style/strategy when compared to the NBA. While both are the same sport in principle, the two can easily be viewed as “different.”

Additionally, there are so many sports in this country that it is extremely difficult for this “different” sport to compete. MLS has a lot of trouble for the very same reason. Personally, I have only caught a few WNBA games simply because, in terms of sports, there was nothing else on (or as it was last year, Candace Parker was playing). In 2005, the only reason I watched the NCAA Women’s Softball World Series was because the NHL had a lockout (and again, not much else was on in terms of sports).

Stop it! She can kick your ass!

Title IX has gone a long way in creating avenues for female participation in education programs and sports. The results are seen in the number of successful women’s sports teams throughout the NCAA. It has come so far that there are enough quality players to create women’s leagues such as the WNBA. However, the selling of these leagues are doomed to failed thanks in part to the difficulties in expanding its audience to include a male demographic who have a hard time buying women as athletes or their leagues as comparable to male leagues.

The desperation to sell women’s professional athletics in the United States leads to leagues like the WNBA resorting to the unfortunate pimping of its talented (and beautiful) athletes, such as Candace Parker. Unfortunately, there are not enough Johns out there to buy the product.

This article first appeared on Bleacher Report on 31 March 2009.