It's All About the Marketing
the part where the writer comes out of the cave (somewhat reluctantly)
Hello friends!
It’s hard to believe but The Tigerbelles book has been in the world for four months now, and it’s been a blur of events from Tennessee to Boston, Miami to California, and radio shows and podcasts everywhere in between. In sharing the story, the most common questions have been, “Why have I not heard about this team before?” and “This should be a movie!” I agree! In my head, I have a continuous cycle of potential cast members running around. I’ll see someone new in a show and find myself wondering if they have any experience on a track. It’s a story that’s made for the screen, and people in the industry are looking, so I’m keeping the hope alive!
Women in sports are having a moment right now. Did you watch the Women’s March Madness finals? That was some great basketball! And the numbers don’t lie. The viewership for the women easily outpaced the men, proving (again) that despite what some decision-makers believe, people do want to watch women in sports, but the money (for salary and marketing) is slow to follow.
I heard one acclaimed female sports writer complain (justly) when a host asked her if she thought the WNBA would be boosted by the emergence of Caitlyn Clark that the WNBA has been strong for years now, and said that if people want more compensation for the women they should make sure they are watching, buying jerseys, and filling the seats. She has a point, but I think the people come when they hear the stories. When they learn who the players are, their personal struggles and triumphs, they start to care, they start to follow, they start to cheer, and then the business can start to reap their rewards. And hopefully, follow with their much-needed marketing dollars to perpetuate the cycle.
It’s a problem of what comes first, the story or the demand for the story. But when you have a breakthrough moment like March Madness or the National Women’s Soccer League, or (name your favorite female athlete all the way back to Wilma Rudolph) it’s up to the writers and journalists to tell those stories in such a way that compels even the most cynical observer to care so that those moments aren’t flashes in the pan, but are the hooks that bring in new fans.
For my part, I’m going to keep writing and talking about the Tigerbelles as long as people will let me. As I told Derek DiTomasso for the Boston Globe, it’s weird how much resistance there is to talking about women in sports. I grew up on inspirational sports stories like The Natural with Robert Redford, and I just don’t see the difference.
Some News
I am thrilled to have received a starred review from Brenda Barrera with the American Library Association’s Booklist, who recommended The Tigerbelles to high schools for track fans and all teens interested in women’s and Black history saying “Card does a masterful job capturing the lasting impact of this sisterhood of Tigerbelles, who broke gender barriers during a time of Jim Crow racism and discrimination.” See the full review here, and recommend it as a read to your college or high school!
The Tigerbelles has been featured in the Boston Globe, The Writer’s Bone podcast, What’s @ Risk for WBZ News Radio, and many more. Check my website for details and some fun listening!
Upcoming Events
I’m so excited about two upcoming events in particular that will be happening next week. If you’re in the Atlanta or Nashville areas, I hope you can join me! The first next Tuesday, May 7th at the Decatur Public Library will be hosted by former Tigerbelle Olympian, Dr. Nicole Williams, who will tell her story of looking up to Wilma Rudolph as a young girl and believing that her own dreams were possible, and also Inessa Holston, the daughter of Isabelle Daniels Holston, who is featured prominently in The Tigerbelles book as one of the original Tigerbelles and Olympic medalists.
Details here
Next up in Nashville at the home of my very first job out of college, the Tennessee State Museum, for the TN Writers/ TN Stories series on Saturday May 11th. I’m honored to be joined in conversation by LaTonya Turner, news editor and host of All Things Considered on WPLN (NPR).
Details here
Book Clubs
I have been and continue to visit private book clubs, which has been a lot of fun! If you’d like me to visit your book club or school, drop me a line, I’ll be happy to!
What I’m reading
I recently wrote an article for Electric Lit featuring 7 books about women in sports, that you should read. From historical to personal narrative and even a deep dive into the business of women in sports (this one could not have hit at a better moment) you should check them out!
This list is also featured in Jean’s Bookshop on Bookshop.org
Love The Tigerbelles? Leave a Review!
As the popular Instagram meme says, if you want to hug a writer, leave a review! Just a line or two saying “Great read about women in sports, highly recommend” is all it takes.
As much as Amazon doesn’t need my promotion - their algorithms matter. You can leave the review here and/or on your Goodreads.
That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!