Tucker Center affiliated scholar Sally Shaw, Ph.D., is quoted in a recent RadioNZ article, “Homophobia difficult to tackle in sport – researcher” on the lack of conversations about sexual identity in sporting contexts. Shaw’s research looked at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and found that homophobic language is common in the sport of rugby.
Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D., School of Kinesiology lecturer and director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, is quoted in a Medium piece, “Muffet McGraw and the Coaching Wage Gap: A look at how Rutgers is emblematic of the gender inequality in college athletics.” LaVoi comments on the inequity between men’s and women’s athletics.
Twin Cities PBS in partnership with the Tucker Center has produced new “Game On” video interviews with eight women coaches, including Minnesota Lynx Head Coach and General Manager Cheryl Reeve. The accompanying TPT Originals article, “Meet 8 Women Coaches Who Will Fire You Up,” seeks to dispel false narratives, discover some solutions and highlight why it matters to have women coaching.
The videos include: Jill Ellis, Head Coach, U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team; Faith Johnson Patterson, Head Coach, Girls’ Basketball; Beth Wilmeth, Head Coach, Women’s Volleyball at University of Northwestern; Kari Maijala Ornes, Director of Coaching, Prior Lake Soccer Club & Leslie Oskey, Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach, Augsburg University; Julie Lundquist, Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach, University of St. Thomas; Colette Montgomery, Director of Coaching, Edina Soccer Club; Leah Dasovich, Head Coach, Girls’ Basketball, Minnetonka High School; and Minnesota Lynx Head Coach and General Manager Cheryl Reeve.
On April 19, the Tucker Center‘s sixth annual Women Coaches Symposium (WCS), co-hosted by WeCOACH and Gopher Athletics, welcomed 340 female coaches to the DQ Room at the TCF Bank Stadium. The theme this year was self-care for coaches, and the venue filled to capacity.
The symposium’s signature Jean K. Freeman Keynote featured Cheryl Reeve, general manager and head coach for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, and showcased breakout sessions and presentations by 23 other standouts in coaching and sport science research.
The WCS, brainchild of Tucker Center director Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D., is the largest professional development, networking, and community-building opportunity for women coaches at all levels and all sports in the country. The goal of the WCS is to recruit and retain women in coaching, as female athletes need and deserve same-sex role models.
On April 26, School of Kinesiology senior lecturer Nicole LaVoi, PhD, director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport, facilitated a panel on “Women Thriving & Surviving in Male Dominated Workplaces” at Gustavus Adolphus College. LaVoi is a 1991 graduate of the college.
LaVoi’s panel was part of the 9th Annual Gustavus Women in Leadership (GWIL) Conference, “EmpoWErment: We Rise by Lifting Others,” held at the Sheraton Hotel in Bloomington, MN. The conference, whose purpose is to prepare, promote and inspire Gustavus women in their professional and personal leadership development to reach their potential, featured several other Gustavus alumna alumna.
Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D., School of Kinesiology lecturer and director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, presented data with Megan Kahn, executive director, WeCOACH, in a session on April 28 entitled “Changing the Landscape and Narrative About and For Women Coaches” at the 2019 NCAA Inclusion Forum in Atlanta, GA.
The session shared how WeCOACH has partnered with the Tucker Center to showcase powerful data on women in the coaching profession. LaVoi provided data outlining common, unfounded narratives for recruiting, hiring and retaining women college coaches and offered strategies for changing these narratives to improve the occupational landscape for women coaches.
Austin Stair Calhoun, PhD (2014, Sport Sociology), and Josh Lupinek, PhD (2015, Sport Management), were recognized and honored for their achievements at the annual College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) “Rising Alumni Reception” on April 18, 2019, at the McNamara Alumni Center. The reception seeks to honor CEHD’s best current alumni leaders, and connect them with past Rising Alumni award honorees and current Alumni Society Board members to forge new alliances.
Calhoun was nominated by Nicole M. LaVoi, PhD, who was her adviser during her time at the School of Kinesiology. Calhoun is currently chief-of-staff for the U of M Office of Medical Education, making her responsible for strategic operations and working with school leadership on new initiatives. Many of her past roles involved promoting access to technology for the common good, including director of eLearning + Digital Strategies for the School. Calhoun has a commitment to social justice, using her research findings to create awareness and policies around inclusive online content. She believes it’s important for professionals to “show up, follow up, and raise your hand up,” and enjoys problem-solving and innovating at work. Austin credits her time in the School with providing interdisciplinary opportunities that helped her create a unique educational experience as well as a strong network.
Lupinek is currently an assistant professor of business administration at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He was nominated by past Rising Alumni recipient Chris Schulz, with whom he worked at the Active Kids Association of Sport. At the University of Alaska, Lupinek has developed a full Bachelors of Sport and Recreation Business degree program based on student interest and industry needs. His research interests include sport marketing and social network analysis. He founded Alaska’s first virtual reality research lab, where scholars from all disciplines can develop experimental uses for VR equipment. He also has been working with rural American Indian-Alaska Native communities that are off the road system to repurpose VR gaming equipment for public health uses. This project has been funded by the National Institutes of Health because of its potential to impact health disparities.
KARE 11 News has interviewed School of Kinesiology senior lecturer and Tucker Center director Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D., for an online piece, “The stats behind the decline of female coaches.” LaVoi talks about the barriers to women in coaching in the context of recent comments from Notre Dame’s women’s basketball head coach Muffet McGraw who asserts that there are not enough women in positions of power.
School of Kinesiology senior lecturer and Tucker Center director Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D., is quoted in a Tampa Bay Times article, “Even in women’s athletics, it can still be a man’s world.” LaVoi comments on hiring and supporting women in athletics.
School of Kinesiology senior lecturer and Tucker Center director Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D., is quoted in a recent article from ThinkProgress.org, “Muffet McGraw is done hiring men.” LaVoi comments on the traditional place of men and women in sport.
Cheryl Cooky, Ph.D., Tucker Center affiliated scholar and associate professor of American Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Purdue University, is quoted in a recent Ionian News article, “Lack of media coverage for women’s sports.” Cooky spoke to the news outlet about the findings from her recent study on televised sports news coverage.
Mary Jo Kane, Ph.D., director emerita of the Tucker Center and professor in the School of Kinesiology, is quoted in a Twin Cities Business magazine article, “How the Minnesota Lynx Went from Also-Rans to Outperforming the WNBA.” Kane comments on the success of the Lynx and the support by Minnesota fans necessary to that success.
School of Kinesiology senior lecturer and Tucker Center director Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D., is quoted in a recent Nation article, “Transphobia’s New Target Is the World of Sports,” commenting on how lack of education and understanding negatively promotes cis-backlash against transgender athletes.
Anna C. Baeth, doctoral student in sport sociology in the School of Kinesiology and research assistant in the Tucker Center, has been awarded a $6,250 grant from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for her proposal, “Analyzing the Pathways of Women Head Coaches with a 20+ Year Career Longevity in NCAA D-I Sport.” Baeth’s research focuses on women who have stayed in D‑I coaching for over 20 consecutive years and centers on supports—rather than barriers—that women coaches face. Baeth writes that “findings from this study will have significant implications for awareness, coach recruitment and retention, and increasing diversity in the coaching profession.”
Tucker Center Affiliated Scholar Vikki Krane, Professor of Teaching Excellence in
An article in TeamUSA.org cites recent data from the Tucker Center’s Women Coaches Research Series & Report Card.” The article, “As A Player, Broadcaster And Now Coach, Kara Lawson Is A Leader Of Girls And Women,” profiles the eponymous head coach of the U.S. women’s 3×3 basketball team and lead analyst for the Washington Wizards.
Lisa A. Kihl, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Global Institute for Responsible Sport Organizations (GIRSO), is presenting a sport ethics seminar to members of the Minnesota Chapter of the International Association of Special Investigation Units, on February 21, 2019. Kihl’s seminar, “Corruption in Sport: Industry Trends on the Causes, Consequences, and Reform Efforts,” discusses why corruption in sport is carried out by ordinary people and becomes systematic.
Mary Jo Kane, Ph.D., director emerita of the Tucker Center and professor in the School of Kinesiology, gave a keynote address on February 1, 2019, at the 22nd Annual TRIA Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Conference in Bloomington, MN. Her keynote, “Does Sex Really Sell Women’s Sports: The View from Elite Female Athletes,” discussed Kane and colleagues’ research on media representations of female athletes from the athlete’s perspective, in particular, the data indicating that the vast majority of female athlete’s preference to be depicted on-court, in-uniform, and in action.
Further reading: Fink, J., Kane, M. J., & LaVoi, N. M. (2016). The freedom to choose: Elite female athletes’ preferred representations within endorsement opportunities. Journal of Human Kinestics, 28, 207-219. doi:10.1123/jsm.2013-0101
The Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport received the 2019 Minnesota Legacy Award at the 33rd Annual Minnesota Girls and Women in Sports Day on February 6 at the Minnesota History Center. The award, presented by the Minnesota Coalition of Women in Athletic Leadership at a ceremony honoring 22 Minnesota individuals, groups or programs in six separate categories, honors the Tucker Center for its significant and important contributions to the advancement of opportunities for girl’s and women’s sports in Minnesota over the last 25 years. The annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) is a nation-wide celebration recognizing the accomplishments of individuals in the promotion and advancement of girls’ and women’s sports.
Media citations:
Harvard Magazine has quoted Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D., senior lecturer
