By Jena Donlin
Published: July 7, 2009
From political revolutions to celebrity gossip, Twitter has helped give people new access to the celebrities and political figures they love. For those interested in women’s sports, Twitter gives fans an unprecedented look into the lives of women athletes. From postings about their athletic achievements to insights about their personal lives, fans can get up-to-date information about the sports and women that they are most interested in.
Are you looking for women in sports to follow? The Women’s Sports Foundation follows almost 300 women in sports and has more than 600 followers with the same interests as you—women’s sports. Take a look through these. Many of these Tweeters are worth a follow!
The Women’s Sports Foundation’s user name is @WomensSportsFdn; you can view the Foundation’s feed at Twitter.com/WomensSportsFdn. Our account keeps you informed about everything going on at the Foundation.
Sportswomen to Follow
There are thousands of athletes, coaches and sports reporters to follow, and this may seem overwhelming. Don’t worry. We have combed through the Twittersphere to find the top ten must-follows of women in sport:
- For the best picture posts, follow Dara Torres, @daratorresswims. From primping for photo shoots to candid shots of her and her daughter by the pool, Torres takes her camera phone with her and shows followers the life of a world-class swimmer, inside the pool and out.
- Looking for an athlete with a lot of interaction with fans? Kara Lawson, @karalawson20, of the Sacramento Monarchs is quite the Twitterfly. This basketballer's feed is chocked full of @'s, which denote replies or shout outs to specific users—many of whom appear to be fans.
- Do you have a daughter or younger sister? Then Char, @SportsGirlsPlay, is worth the follow. A coach and mother of three, Char has created SportsGirlsPlay.com as a resource for raising happy and healthy athletes.
- Want a one-stop feed for everything women’s sports news? The Women Talk Sports blog network, @womentalksports, has you covered. This network brings together news, opinion, advice, blogs, data and tools focusing on issues related to women in sports.
- Want to keep up with someone here at the Foundation? Jessica Mendoza, @jessmendoza, the president of the Foundation and Team USA softball player, is the person for you. From jet-setting to Switzerland for a presentation to the International Olympic Committee to speaking in a roundtable discussion in Washington, D.C., for the 35th anniversary of Title IX, Mendoza is always doing exciting things.
- Are you interested in what world-class athletes do to stay fit? Angela Ruggiero, @AngelaRuggiero, gives detailed descriptions of her workouts and training as she prepares for the U.S. Olympic ice hockey tryouts.
- This list would not be complete without super-Tweeter Shawn Johnson, @ShawneyJ. Johnson has more than 20,000 followers, but even with this mammoth following, she could be anyone's best friend. She is extremely down-to-earth with her posts. From whitening her teeth to seeing "The Proposal" with her girlfriends, Johnson leads one busy life.
- Fellow Neweeter, Venus Williams, @venuseswilliams, just joined her Twitterholic sister, Serena Williams, @serenajwilliams on Twitter at the end of June. She seems to be struggling to keep her updates under the 140 character limit. Just shows you that a world-class tennis player on the court can have the same issues as we do off the court!
- If you enjoy a good a laugh, Sophia Young, @sophiayoung33, is a good follow for you. The enthusiasm of this young forward for the San Antonio Silver Stars is contagious.
While this list of women in sports will get you started, there are many other worthy Tweeters to follow. So get started and enjoy getting closer to the sports and athletes that you love!