General

I think it is worthwhile to support companies that support female athletes, and endeavor to that end as best I can with this blog. Today's post comes as a result of HP's (wise) decision to partner with Dara Torres, the ageless wonder, for a new campaign. I pass this press release along to you just as it came to me:

HP and Dara Torres Inspire "Moms for Simplicity"
Five-time Olympic swimmer, mom and businesswoman joins moms nationwide to share knowledge, learn tips and plan for summer

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 27, 2009 – With summer around the corner, children will soon be trading homework for fun in the sun, which for today’s moms means a new set of daily activities and often even busier family calendars to juggle.

To honor these multitasking moms, HP and Dara Torres launched "Moms for Simplicity," a website, online essay contest and photo mosaic where moms can inspire and educate each other by sharing stories about how technology simplifies their lives.

"Today’s moms have more demands than ever that fill our lives, and new technologies are helping to simplify our daily routines," said Torres. "Whether I’m paying bills and staying organized, catching up on TV shows and movies while on the road, or creating fun activities with my daughter, HP technology helps make my life easier so I can do the things that matter to me the most."

In mid-June, Torres will choose three contest winners to receive a personalized HP technology makeover, the chance to meet Torres and see her swim in the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, and possibly the opportunity to see her compete at the FINA World Championships in Rome.

The contest, which runs through June 16, asks moms to upload a photo to an online photo mosaic and, in 200 words or less, tell HP and Torres how they use technology to simplify their busy lives -- including digital scrapbooking, keeping in touch with friends, running a business from home, or managing a weekly schedule.

Participants will have their photo and story featured on the photo mosaic, and three will win HP products, including the HP Vivienne Tam edition notebook, HP Photosmart All-in-One printer and an HP TouchSmart PC. Additionally, winners will become "amateur mom reporters" at the U.S. Nationals, where they will see Torres compete and report their experiences on the "Moms for Simplicity" website through a series of video diaries.

"People are looking for easy ways to manage their lives while still being able to do it all, and HP is dedicated to helping them achieve this," said Michael Mendenhall, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, HP. "We are excited to partner with Dara, who is an inspiration to so many people and uses technology to maximize every day of her busy schedule."

According to Nielsen NetRatings, there are 32 million women in the United States who have children under 18 and get online (84 percent of moms online), which translates to about 40 percent of all women online in the United States today.(1)

More information on "Moms for Simplicity" and how to participate in the contest is available at www.hp.com/go/hpmomsforsimplicity.

About HP
HP, the world’s largest technology company, provides printing and personal computing products and IT services, software and solutions that simplify the technology experience for consumers and businesses. HP completed its acquisition of EDS on Aug. 26, 2008. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com/.

(1) "NetRatings @Plan," Nielsen NetRatings, Winter 2008/2009.

I'm looking forward to the long weekend, as most of you undoubtedly are. I'm keeping it simple, too, with just three things planned: reading, relaxing, and watching sports (namely, lacrosse and softball).

Shawn Johnson made the biggest news this week, so it seems fitting to end with her. In this clip, she talks to Jimmy Kimmel about her DWTS win:



Have a great weekend!

Note: Today you are blessed with a stay of sorts, a guest blogger. Enjoy!—Rob

In the past decade, women in sports jobs have increased their prominence in the sports world, slowly overtaking various obstacles to get where they are at today. Many sports teams have opened up to allow women’s teams to join national arenas, which has in turn led to a spotlight on women in sports. Establishing themselves in a male-dominated industry has taken years to accomplish, and even now, they are still not at the same level as men in the industry, but have made wide strides to achieve success.

Some sports arenas refuse to have women on their management team because they believe that unless you have played the sport, you cannot help to direct it. This normally only applies to a sport like football, in which few women have ever played for a team (other than a college intramural). Additionally, many teams do not feel comfortable hiring a woman in a high sports position, which has resulted in many discriminatory practices by many teams throughout the sports world. It has become ever more obvious that in order to reach a high spot in the sports world, women need to prove their capabilities much more so than men ever do. The International Olympic Committee has been one group which has taken great strides over the past years to overcome the discrimination against women in sports, accounting for increased women’s sports competitions and more jobs within the company itself that are available for women. These jobs allow women to participate in an international arena, wherein they can dispel myths that women are not suited for these types of jobs. The IOC in general is striving to equal the playing field for men and women within its games and administration to prove to the rest of the world that women and men can be equal within sports; according to March estimates, women now comprise 42 percent of their participants, which is a closer percentage than many sports teams around the country. Their administration also is closing in on equality, and they hope to portray this equality to the rest of the world.

Women’s sports teams (professional and college) were once almost solely run by women, but after the gender equality act, many men stepped into the field which has resulted in an off-balance even within women’s sports. It is up to women to pursue these career opportunities in order to bring the balance back into the sports world; by denying women to participate in football administrative jobs, sports teams are being hypocritical by allowing men to take higher positions in women’s volleyball teams (teams in which they have little experience overall). Women need to gain control over their own sports, and infiltrate into men’s sports teams as well. American sports are the hardest to break into because in order to get to a high career within the sports world, women have to overcome years of obstacles and menial jobs that men would not have had to do. By presenting more and more women to the sports stage, the playing field will have to become leveled, thus allowing more women to get into management positions for any type of sporting event.

This post was contributed by Heidi Taylor, who writes about sports management degree schools. She welcomes your feedback at HeidiLTaylor006 at gmail.com.

In this arm-wrestling match, we see a mother reminding her son that she is queen, never to be underestimated:



To all moms, present and future, Happy Mother's Day!