Philadelphia Union vs Seattle Sounders at PPL Park 6.27.10

Today was an eventful day in the Philadelphia Area. The Philadelphia Union played their first game in their brand new stadium, PPL Park. It was extremely exciting for the players, fans, and staff. I was there on site to get one of the first looks at the new stadium and to see the first game ever at PPL Park. (See below for my first look at PPL Park.)


Being that it was the first ever game at PPL Park, staff was running around crazy and all were very busy. I had two jobs to do today once I got to the stadium. First, I took an iFlip, which is a small digital video recorder, around the stadium to capture footage of the fans. This was exciting because the stadium was roaring with excitement. Before the game started I walked around with the camera and taped fans. I interviewed fans, I got in crowds of fans and taped singing, I taped people playing soccer. I tried to find things around the stadium that would be interesting for Union fans to see.

Once the game started, I decided that I better watch it. My other job was post game quotes! Yes, they brought me back and told me I had done a "great" job last game. Since I knew I may have to interview players myself, I knew I needed to pay close attention. So I decided to take a seat right down on the field (See view from my seat below).

The first half of the game was nerve-wracking. The Union had played Sounders in Seattle for the first game of the season. The Sounders had given Philadelphia a pretty bad beating that first match. Not only that but Pat Noonan, of the Sounders, scored the first goal of the game in the 44th minute to put the Sounders up 1-0 at the half. I know, as a fan and soccer player, I was devistated. It is so rare to score goals, so I knew the difficult task ahead for the Union. But like I mentioned before, this Philadelphia Union team, they never give up. The team came back out after half time, with a vengeance. Sebastien Le Toux answered back with a goal in the 55th minute. He then assisted a goal to Fred in the 79th minute to put the Union up 2-1. Then again in the 84th minute, Le Toux assisted a goal by Danny Mwanga and infront of a sold out crowd of over 18,000 fans, the Union won their first game at PPL Park.

The fans went wild and the players seemed thrilled. The players stayed on the field and high fived the fans, signed autographs, and one player did a Lambo Leap up into the supporters section. It was one of the most amazing feelings in the world. The only thing better was getting to go into the locker room and talk to the players after their victory. So that is just what I did.

I entered the locker room, again alone. So since Le Toux was over in a press conference, I decided to set my sites on Mwanga. So I headed over to his locker. Now Danny Mwanga is an amazing player and he also seemed to be a nice guy. He was great to interview. He is positive, encouraging, driven, and he has a love for soccer. This is what I like to see out of players because the Philadelphia fans, they are the same way. After talking to Danny, I spoke to Fred, then Torres, then Salinas, and then Califf. Media joined me shortly after Fred's interview, so I could relax a bit. After the interviews, I headed back up to type up my interviews and then I distributed them to the journalists again.

One thing I noticed today, since media eventually decided to join me, was that I was the only female in the locker room, other than the Union's Press Director who also serves as a translator for Portuguese and Spanish speaking players . The players, obviously all male, and the media too. At first, I felt discouraged. I wondered why there were no other female media. I was kind of heart broken and sad. I thought to myself, "How many women would love to have a chance to interview the players, post-game?" That is when it all clicked. I took a different look at the situation. I then realized how lucky I am. I am so lucky for getting such great experience. I am so lucky for someone taking a chance on me. I also felt lucky that I was making it known that a female is able to do this job, and do it as well as men. I now have been assigned to do this at all Union games. I will do this job with pride and to the best of my ability. My main reason to create Athletchic was to empower women in sports. I do not know if I will succeed. I do not know if I will make a difference at all. Either way, I am moving forward slowly and I hope that all of you out there will also help me in my efforts to empower females in athletics.

Go girls :)

and Union!

Goodnight!

Sports Depression

I am sorry to have been slacking. I have been extremely busy with work (x3), getting ready for the wedding, and moving to Baltimore. Also, the down fall of Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers has brought a sport depression over me. What is a sports depression you ask? Well it similar to clinical depression, except that it is rooted in sports. The DSM-IV, which is the diagnostic manual of psychological disorders, reports that in order to be diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, one must have five or more clinical symptoms of depression for a period of at least two weeks. At least one of the symptoms must be 1. Depressed mood, or 2. Anhedonia, which is a marked loss of interest in pleasurable activities. So the five symptoms of my sports depression were:

1. Depressed Mood (About the Lebron James criticism and athletes not living up to expectation.)
2. Anhedonia (As I would sit and stare at sporting events on television there was a loss of interest/emotion and feeling of emptiness and loss.)
3. Fatigue or Loss of Energy (Tired/Fed up with sports in general and extreme difficulty running and playing soccer.)
4. Hypersomnia (I had fallen asleep before seeing the conclusion of Red Sox, Celtics/Magic, and Lakers/Suns games!)
5. Feelings of Worthlessness (And I was worthless as I always am, I cannot help these athletes perform or perform for them.)

And although the sports depression has not affected my social, occupational or other important areas of functioning in my life, it did stop me from blogging! Or that could have been the jobs, wedding, and moving. Either way, I am calling it a short sports depression. Luckily, watching Flyers playoff hockey has brought me out of my slump.

Anyways, I have been constantly reflecting on the last post that I had written, about Ortiz. The reason being is that after my last post, I received a few texts about the Sox from my brother. He had hope for Ortiz, “I think he will make a come back,” he said, as he told me that Ortiz had been “doing better”. I laughed and told him that it was over for Ortiz and that there were talks that he would be gone that same week. As I sat and watched the next few games, it looked as though my brother was right. In the last 10 games Ortiz has a batting average of .400 and has hit 5 homeruns. Pretty good for a guy that I thought was done. I can only hope that he will continue this. And now that I wrote this I bet he will perform poorly. That seems to happen to me, but maybe I am just a regular, superstitious, Sox fan. I hope that Ortiz continues to keep this up, like I said, I love the guy. Love, in sports, is never enough (i.e. - Nomar Garciaparra trade).

Aside from Ortiz, yet sticking with the Sox, they recently had a 3 game series against the Phillies, at Citizens Bank Park, in Philadelphia. I think this series has brought some hope to Sox fans. Although the first game did not go as planned, Dice-K almost threw a no-hitter in game 2, and our hitters crushed Roy Halladay, who is a king in Philadelphia, in game 3. The Phillies are a power house in the National League, and I think winning this series has uplifted the Sox. The Sox went on the sweep the Rays in Tampa. Not only have these series been uplifting to the team but also to the fans. If the Red Sox win tonight, against Kansas City, at home in Fenway, the Sox will be on a six game winning streak. Go Ortiz and Let’s go Sox!

Philadelphia Union vs FC Dallas at Lincoln Financial Field 5.15.10

Today’s game was pretty much life changing for me. When I got my assignment sheet for the game a few days prior, I thought to myself, “Oh man, post game quotes, this is going to suck!” Well boy was I COMPLETELY wrong. So I show up to the game early and was told to head to the press box. Since the Union’s stadium was not yet complete, we were playing home game #2 in the stadium of my favorite football team, the Philadelphia Eagles. Since we were at Lincoln Financial Field, some of the Eagle’s staff was on site to navigate.

I was assigned to work with a member of the Eagles organization who worked in media and public relations. He nonchalantly gave me a general overview of what “Post Game Quotes” consisted of. He told me that I would have to take a tape recorder to a press conference or in a locker room and gather quotes or interviews from players. The man reassured me a number of times that there would be media to aid in this process. “You won’t have to ask any questions, just follow the media and put your recorder up to the player when they are asked questions. If you do not know who the player is, ask the media.” He told me with confidence. After “showing me the ropes”, the man told me that I could sit in the press box with the journalists and watch the game.

That is just what I did. I made myself at home. I went over to the food that was provided for the press and I got myself a hot chocolate (I don’t drink coffee, haha) and a small salad. I grabbed the journalist “cheat sheets”, which consisted of player and team statistics, a starting line up, and a roster. Then I returned to my seat in the third row of the press box and I got ready for the game.



The game was great as all Union games are. The Union played pretty well. I sat at my desk taking notes on everything that was happening. FC Dallas had scored early, as Brek Shea scored a goal in the 13th minute of the game. I think this may have hurt the confidence of the Union early, but they continued to fight. That’s the one thing about this Philadelphia Union team. No matter what happens, they NEVER give up, EVER! That really tells you something about what kind of guys this Union team consists of and what kind of team they have put together. And when I say that this team never gives up, this game was proof.

At about the 88th minute of the game, I decided it was time to pack it in and head down to the locker room. I was assigned to get quotes from FC Dallas. While walking downstairs I was upset that the Philadelphia Fans would witness the teams first home loss. At the same time I thought, “Well, this is our first year, what can we expect from these guys.” Then I thought, “At least I am not going to have to walk into the locker room of the losing team!” I was just a bit nervous, if you didn’t already pick that up. So while I was standing outside of the locker room talking to the security guard and trying to calm my nerves I started to hear cheering. Louder and louder. Then I heard the stadium erupt. “What the hell is going on?” I thought as I stood there looking at the security guard. All of the sudden one of the Union staff members runs in, “WE SCORED!” She shouted, “IT WAS DANNY!” In stoppage time, the MLS number one draft pick, Danny Mwanga, scored his first MLS goal to tie the game in front of a Philadelphia crowd of over 25,000.



Minutes later the players started coming back to the locker room. The FC Dallas players were swearing. Then I began to hear clapping. I turned and Danny Mwanga was jogging by with a smile on his face as everyone in site was saying, “Good game, Danny!” I was extremely excited and happy for him. What an amazing way to score your first professional goal, in front of your fans to keep from losing the game. Being a soccer player, I was caught up in that fantasy for a few moments as I saw him run by.

I quickly came back to, when I realized that now I would have to enter the locker room of an angry team. That did not help my nerves. All of that quickly slipped out of my mind however, as the security guard told me that I could enter the locker room, yet there was no media in sight. I was asked to get, “A couple interviews with a couple players.” I realized at that moment, that I was going to have to do the interviews.

Luckily, I have played soccer my entire life and there is nothing in my life that I know better than soccer. So as the players came out I was ready for them, I guess (haha). First I interviewed Brek Shea, the 18 year old, FC Dallas player, who scored the goal in the 13th minute of the game. Brek was really tall and pretty nice. I had a bit of difficulty with him which tore my confidence down. He wasn’t the type of person that will go on and on when you ask him a question. His answers were extremely short, EXTREMELY SHORT. “Am I asking closed questions?” I thought at first, then it was, “Am I not using minimal encouragers?” If you are wondering what all that means, I come from a Counseling Psychology background and those are techniques to use when interviewing someone to get a desired result from an interview. I started to think that this position was not right for me. But then Heath Pearce came out of the locker room. At the time, Heath was about to try out for the USA’s World Cup roster. I decided to talk to him a bit. He seemed much more experienced with interviewing and he gave longer and more desirable responses. I was extremely happy with this interview.

After I spoke with him, I quickly ran back upstairs and began transcribing my interviews. After transcription, I had the Eagles staff member check everything over, then I made copies, and handed them out to the journalists in the press box. And although high speed and anxiety provoking, I realized that this was a perfect job for me. So hopefully, I will be able to continue on this crazy journey of mine and share my behind the scenes experiences with you all. But for now, I am happy with a 1-1 tie and I will head to bed with feelings of excitement and happiness about what this day has brought me.

Sox Slump? (5/2010)

OK so it’s been about 1 week since my first post and so much has gone on sports since then. The Red Sox were swept by the Orioles! The Cavs are now 1-1 with the Celtics in Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs. Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic beat the Atlanta Hawks by 43 points in Game 1. Fans in Philadelphia run onto the field, 1 being tazed, at Citizens Bank Park. And Milton Bradley acts out again.

But let’s start with someone I hold dear to my heart. Retired Red Sox Short Stop, Nomar Garciaparra. Two days ago was Cinco De Mayo, no not Ocho Cinco De Mayo yet I wish it was, but rather 5/5/10. The Boston Red Sox, who are in the midst of a horrible start to their season, honored the memorable #5 and had Nomar Garciaparra day at Fenway. The Red Sox won the game, and the next day went on to sweep the Angels, who may actually be worse than the Sox this year.

So the Red Sox are now 1 game above 500 looking at a series against the Yankees beginning tonight. What are the Red Sox going to do to be able to hang with the Yanks and Tampa Bay this year? The team is missing something. Power? Drive? Intensity? All of it. I attended the Sox/Orioles game at Camden Yards last weekend Boston felt so different from the days of Curt Schillings bloody sock, Manny being Manny, and Kevin Millar being, well, Kevin Millar. The team is no longer fun to watch and maybe they are no longer having fun playing. If it weren’t for Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia, I may stop watching baseball all together. These two guys show me, each and every game, that they are truly winners and will do what it takes to make the city of Boston and their fans proud.


As I watched J.D. Drew leisurely play Right Field that game (See Above), I sat in the first row of my right field section thinking, “Do these guys actually care?” It was like that scene from Fever Pitch when Jimmy Fallon sees Jason Varitek and some other Sox players at a restaurant. He realizes that he, the fan, was more invested in baseball than his teams players. I felt like Jimmy Fallon. I, the dorky, baseball fan, seemed WAY more into baseball than my own team. It was discouraging and I felt a sense of entrapment. First, I am a female, I cannot join the Red Sox and start hitting for them. And second, even if I was a male, I do not have the skill, talent, and athletic ability that these players possess. The only thing I felt I had over these guys, except for Pedroia and Youkilis, was heart. So I sit in the stands, or on my couch, trapped. There is nothing I can do to help this team.


It has been obvious that with the loss of Manny Ramirez things have not been the same. Although some Red Sox fans may have been fed up with or disliked Manny, he was and still is, exactly what this team needed. And yes, yes, I know that some of you will say, that we got rid of him at the right time because of his suspension. No matter what, Manny is a great hitter. His swing is one of the most beautiful swings in the game. Every time I see him I think, “I wish I could swing the bat like that.” My fiancé who is an Indians fan and has been a fan of Manny since his rookie year, tells me over and over again that when he first saw Manny hit the ball he changed his swing. My fiancé began to model the swing of Ramirez, and now when I attend his recreational softball league games, I see an American Manny Ramirez at bat each time he steps to the plate. Manny was a great part of the Red Sox team while he was in Boston. With Manny hitting 3rd in the line-up, and Ortiz 4th, the pitchers on opposing teams needed to pitch AROUND Manny and TO Ortiz. This allowed Ortiz to be a force on our offense, however, with Manny out of the line-up the Red Sox DH, David Ortiz, has a batting average lower than everyone on the team except Rookie outfielder Josh Reddick and the Sox players who have not played in a game. The Philadelphia Phillies, 47 year old, pitcher, Jamie Moyer, has a batting average more than .100 points above David Ortiz. Now don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of David Ortiz and was wearing his T-shirt jersey on the night of May 1, 2010 at Camden Yards when he blasted 2 home runs into the stands. He is likable, he seems to be pleasant and he has done some amazing things for the Red Sox, but I think it’s about time for the Sox to pull the plug on him. How can your DH, who does not play defense, and who is suppose to be the driving force of a ball clubs offense, hit worse than all but 1 player on the team? The Sox might as well join the NL and allow their pitchers to hit the ball since that is the level at which Ortiz is hitting now. I am sorry that I have to be like this. Like I said, I am a fan or Ortiz, and I am not trying to down play what he has done for the Sox but I am also a fan of baseball, the Red Sox, and winning, and with a struggling offensive force, the Red Sox will not be able to make a legitimate run at a pennant this year. Ortiz needs to pick it up, or he has to go. With that being said, Ortiz can win me over again tonight against the Yankees. The Yankees are now sitting in 2nd place in the AL East, with the Sox at 4th, with only the horrible Baltimore Orioles, who swept us, behind them. I hope that we can pull out some wins against this great Yankees team but I am not going to get my hopes up.

Unfortunately since the game will not be on TV here in Philadelphia, I will be watching as the Cavs try to defeat the Celtics in the NBA playoffs, while watching the GameCast of the Sox/Yanks game. The Cavs/Celtics game will be followed by the Spurs vs. Suns game. If you have not yet seen Barbosa's impression of Avatar, check it out below. Hilarious! Go Sox and Cavs! Weird I know, we will get to that later! Bye!

Philadelphia Union at NY Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena 4.24.2010

So today, I travelled to NYC today with some, crazy, Philadelphia Union fans to see the Philadelphia Union take on the NY Red Bulls for the first time ever. This was my first time at Red Bull Arena and only my second professional soccer game. Let me start by saying, Red Bull Arena was amazing! It’s a brand new field.

I sat up in the supporters section. It was an interesting experience to say the least. To avoid a fight between Union and Red Bulls supporters, security had us, Union fans, enter early through a back gate. Then they escorted us to our seats. The Union has a group of supporters named the Sons of Ben (See Below), who are awesome.


They have a massive section at the home games in Philadelphia and they even attend away games. I didn’t realize how crazy and dedicated they were to the Union until I sat with them. These guys and girls are up on their feet the entire game. They are standing, cheering, screaming, clapping, dancing and singing. Yes, I said singing. Although this is only the Unions first season, the Sons of Ben already have chants for the team. They usually have a few leaders, who will stand down towards the front of everyone. These leaders decide what chants to sing and what to do. AND THEY DO NOT STOP! I was wondering how they were able to keep the group going the entire time. I was trying to figure out if they were just really creative people or if they actually planned out what they were going to do all game. That is how in depth it was. It was absolutely awesome! They have a ton of energy too. I didn’t understand how they could keep this up the entire game.


Aside from the supporters. The game went alright. The team played very well but they ended the game with a loss. NY Red Bulls, Salou Ibrahim scored in the 50th minute. Sebastien Le Toux fired back, scoring in the 59th minute. Unfortunately later in the game, NY Red Bulls were given a penalty kick which Juan Pablo Angel put away to win the game. The Union played great. They were tough and they possessed the ball well. In the future they will just need to be sure to finish the ball. Oh well, maybe next time! Go Union!

The Beginning of Athletchic

I am beginning this blog and my website (www.athletchic.com) to reach out to all of those female athletes, aka athletchics, out there.

To introduce myself, my name is Jessie, and I am a 26 year old, female, originally from Erie, PA, now living in Philadelphia, PA. I grew up in a very active family. My parents, God bless them, are runners. I remember growing up with family runs, trips to the track, and watching my parents finish the Boston Marathon. Not only were they runners but athletes. My mother grew up playing basketball, and my father, baseball. Eventually they both got into soccer. When I was very young, my parents were in charge of "Mini Booters", which was a soccer league for children in the Erie area. At 4 years old, my parents made a life changing decision to place their sweet, innocent, well-behaved, daughter in the Mini Booters soccer league. They did not know then how this would change my life and how grateful I am for that. Since the age of 4, I have not stopped playing soccer. From soccer I got into basketball, softball, volleyball, track and field, cross country, and even gymnastics. I would go from sport to sport, day to day. Eventually I settled with soccer, since it afforded me a scholarship to college.


But not only was I an athlete, I was fan of sports as well. My father is a huge sports fanatic. He is a loyal Red Sox and Eagles fan. I have witnessed him follow these teams through thick and thin. As Sox fans would say, I was, "Born into it," and that statement could not be more true. I feel like these teams are my teams. I follow them, love them, and support them, like any die hard fan. If it weren't for my dad, and being "born into" the family of Sox and Eagles fans, I do not know where my life would be like. What would I do every Sunday during the Fall and Winter? What would I go to ESPN.com everyday to read? What purpose would PTI, Around The Horn, Mike and Mike in the Morning, Sports Center, and sports radio serve?


Well after thinking about this, my life, sports, and competition, I have decided that I want to be much more involved. I need to be able to make a statement, I need to be heard, and I want other female athletes and fans to be heard as well. Being a female in athletics is tough though. No one ever comes to your games or takes you serious. You have to earn respect, and it takes FOREVER to do so. Constantly proving and re-proving yourself is hard. Everyone has ups-and-downs but when you are a female competing with males, in a male dominated field, your lows are noticed much more often than your highs. I grew up in a neighborhood full of males and never got the respect on the field, or court, or rink that I deserved, yet I was the only person in our neighborhood gang to go on to play a sport at the collegiate level. Odd since I was put down, picked last, and not respected, and why? Because of my gender! Although females are making an attempt to become more well known in sports, as we have the WNBA, the WPS (Women's Professional Soccer League), and more and more female broadcasters, athletics is still a male dominant field.

I believe that females should get more respect and more opportunity. I have played soccer my entire life and my knowledge of the game is greater than the major I received a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in. I am an expert of soccer, I have studied it longer and harder than anything else. I have lived soccer, experienced soccer, read soccer, and watched soccer. I have played with rec teams, competitive teams, coed teams, women's teams, men's teams, and college teams. So why do I have to sit back and watch men talk about soccer? Why do I have no say in my views and thoughts about players and teams?

Well I cannot be quiet any longer, and thanks to the Internet, I can express my thoughts on everything in the sports world here. And I want all of you to respond and let me know what you think. This is a learning experience and I really hope that it will be a good one. I am not the blogging type. I am an athlete and a tom-boy who wants to talk sports with all of you other female athletes and sports fans out there, and all of you male sports lovers who want to hear what a female thinks. So please let me know what you think, feel free to respond, and also feel free to e-mail me at Athletchic@gmail.com. Please also visit me at www.athletchic.com.