GXSLab launches multilingual content
Strategy is aimed at recognizing multi-cultural demographic at Ryerson University & within Canada
This past week SportTokz With Sport Profz dropped its first episode, which included Punjabi in addition to the English spoken podcast, with NBA Host and Commentator Parminder Singh, the podcast’s spotlight speaker. The podcast took inspiration from major Canadian sport broadcasters and professional sports, being CBC, which was the first to air Hockey Night in Canada in Punjabi, and which is now broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet. Like CBC and the NHL, the NBA was quick to realize its diverse audience base in Canada and now offers NBA basketball broadcasts in Punjabi.
“This strategic initiative, incorporating multi-lingual sport content and recognizing our multi-cultural demographic here at Ryerson University and within Canada, is part of a broader direction we will be taking, with our team, at the GXSLab”, states, SportTokz Co-Founder and Host and GXSLab Founder, Laurel Walzak. “You can expect to see more content in many languages to celebrate our Canadian linguistic and multi-cultural diversity”.
Aditi Chadah, a second-year RTA Sport Media Student, tuned into the live recording of the podcast and was encouraged by the experience. She referred to it as "relatable and inspiring". "SportTokz with Parminder Singh was incredible. The session was very insightful and inspiring. I could relate and his stories and experiences resonated with me. It was encouraging and wonderful to hear someone from the Punjabi descendant achieving so much in the sports industry here in Canada. The segment in Punjabi was so fun to watch and him (Parminder) talking about sports in my native language and discussing cricket and India definitely made me miss home", says Aditi Chadah.
Jen welter joins Ryerson/GxsLAb
1st female coach in NFL history joins Ryerson University, RTA Sport Media as a guest instructor W202
For Dr. Jen Welter, barriers exist purely to be broken. In 2015, she became the first female coach in NFL history by being named the Linebackers Coach for the Arizona Cardinals. Her time in Arizona was not the first time Dr. Welter shattered the glass ceiling of men’s pro-football. In 2014, she suited up as a Running Back for the Texas Revolution of the Champions Indoor Football League. She continues to challenge the notion of football being a “boys club” - most recently becoming the first female head coach to be featured in a Madden game with the release of Madden 20. She released her first publication, “Play Big: Lessons in Being Limitless from the First Woman to Coach in the NFL” in 2017. Dr. Welter holds a doctorate degree in Psychology, a Master’s in Sport Psychology, and a Bachelor’s degree from Boston College.
Dr. Welter will be joining the RTA School of Media in FCAD at Ryerson University as a guest instructor for the Winter 2021 semester, course RTA860 - 'Special Topics in Sport Media' Future of Sport Leadership and Innovation.
More Information About RTA860 W2021 Future of Sport Leadership and Innovation:
Course Instructor: Dr. Jen Welter
Course Description: This course will explore future trends in sport with specific focus on audience engagement and the accountability revolution in sport. Through lectures and seminar discussions, students will examine various aspects of sport innovation, examining technological and marketing advances in sport video games and the impact of gender and diversity movements on sport culture. This course will emphasize the impact diversification and innovation have on and the impact on fan engagement and participation and the role effective leadership plays in changing the traditional sport and sport media industry's field of play.
Offered: Online Winter 2021
For More Information / Contact:
Laurel Walzak
RTA Sport Media
The GXS Lab has worked with Ainka Jess, founder of She’s4Sports for the past two years producing events such as the BE BOLD SERIES discussing and promoting diversity and equality in sport. Ainka has recently won WXN Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 award, and was named as one of 150 black women in the HERstory in Black’s project for her work building She’s4Sports. This feature on Ainka Jess follows her entrepreneurial journey leading up to the nomination, and her personal experience in communications and sport media industry.
Watch our feature on Ainka Jess by clicking the button below:
LEADERS TODAY TO MOBILIZE SYSTEMIC CHANGE FOR GENDER EQUITY
GXS Gender Equity in Sport Initiative
GXS Gender Equity in Sport Initiative
GXS Gender Equity in Sport Initiative
A community for women and men to come together and engage in activities and discussions related to gender inequities in sport, sport media and sport business. And to introduce the positive benefits of being: gender sensitive and gender equal. With a mandate to mobilize change and move toward total elimination of these inequalities.
Become
A community for women and men to come together and engage in activities and discussions related to gender inequities in sport, sport media and sport business. And to introduce the positive benefits of being: gender sensitive and gender equal. With a mandate to mobilize change and move toward total elimination of these inequalities.
Become a member today, sign up to receive more information on membership, events and workshops.
"FOUR (4) STRATEGIC CATEGORIES WHICH REQUIRE SYSTEMIC CHANGE FOR WOMEN IN SPORT, L.WALZAK:
1. Access & Participation: Growth of the Game/ Sport - From Grassroots to Professional.
2. Broadcast Programming: Media’s Role - Portrayal, Stereotypes and Representation.
3. Exposure: Broadcast and Overall Marketer’s Role - Marketing to Fans.
4. Commercialization: Funding, Under-representation, Opportunities, Decision Making, Earning Power, Leadership and Governance".
GXS Women in Sport Advocate & Mentor
GXS Gender Equity in Sport Initiative
GXS Gender Equity in Sport Initiative
Laurel has positively impacted young, up and coming women in sport business and sport media. Seven years ago, Laurel donated a financial scholarship bursary and committed to ten (10) years to act as a ‘champion’ in the early stages of their career.
As of recent Laurel produced a Women in Sport mentorship web video series to communicate
Laurel has positively impacted young, up and coming women in sport business and sport media. Seven years ago, Laurel donated a financial scholarship bursary and committed to ten (10) years to act as a ‘champion’ in the early stages of their career.
As of recent Laurel produced a Women in Sport mentorship web video series to communicate the important messages of why it is important to support women in their careers in sport.
Most importantly Laurel is a true leader in the sport industry and advocates on a consistent and genuine basis for women in sport whether as: An Athlete; a Builder, a Coach, or in the Media and beyond. She is not afraid to use her voice and influence to drive awareness and change for gender equality in sport, at all levels.
Equal Playing Field
GXS Gender Equity in Sport Initiative
Equal Playing Field
Questions we ask:
- Is your sport organization willing to diagnose their gender sensitivity at work or create a culture and environment that celebrates and promotes gender equity and diversity?
- Is the sport industry ready and willing to create an environment for women to thrive?
- Does diversity in sport organizations benefit the sport organiz
Questions we ask:
- Is your sport organization willing to diagnose their gender sensitivity at work or create a culture and environment that celebrates and promotes gender equity and diversity?
- Is the sport industry ready and willing to create an environment for women to thrive?
- Does diversity in sport organizations benefit the sport organization?
- How many male equity champions can you identify in your sport organization?
- Are their people within our sport organization who perpetuates gender inequities?
- Is sport gendered?
Tell us your opinion on Twitter @GXSLab #GenderEquityinSport #Diversity #Inclusion
GXS Gender Equity in Sport
Galvanization and A Phased Approach to Equity: Women in Sport
For as long as sports, both professional and amateur, have garnered media attention, female athletes have received little coverage and equally as troublesome, inappropriate coverage. The latter is no more evident than after witnessing the January 2015 encounter between WTA’s Eugenie Bouchard and a reporter after her strong performance at the Australian Open. Instead of being asked about her dominate straight set victory over Kiki Bertens, the once 7th ranked female tennis player in the world, Bouchard was asked to twirl for the audience. With the sport media industry now a billion-dollar business, and growing, and female athletes achieving large amounts of success, the fair portrayal of these athletes is long overdue. And this is just one example of there existing gender bias and gender stereotypes in sport media and it is not just amongst the professional athletes.
Considering that sports brings people together and media has the power to break stereotypes, this initiative is needed not only to ensure that female athletes are treated unbiasedly, but because the sport media industry can influence society to be more equitable towards women, specifically women in sport.
Learn more about Laurel's five specific technical ‘PHASES’ that range from assessment of understanding of gender inequalities in sport media to change transformation and mobilization. The five ‘PHASES’ specifically will...
Subscribe below to learn more.
An EXCLUSIVE interview with laurel walzak
She Makes No Apologies About It
What role do you play in Advancing Women in Sport?
“I have always advocated for women, it is part of who I am and part of my DNA. I made a decision many years ago, in effort to have a positive impact on young, up and coming women in sport business and sport media to develop an award to do just that, so I founded the Future Woman in Sport Award. Originally, to receive the award, a student in their final semester at George Brown College, Sport and Event Marketing program, in Canada, who has the potential to distinguish herself in a career related to sports, sports’ entertainment or events, or sports’ media, can apply for the award. The preference is given to a female student as a way of giving female students equal opportunity to pursue a career in the sports, sports’ entertainment or sports’ media industry. I donated this financial scholarship bursary with this award and as well acted as the winner’s ‘champion’, as required by the award winner. As of recent I produced a Women in Sport mentorship web video series to communicate the important messages of why it is important to support women in their careers in sport, and the impact her mentorship had on the award winner’s careers. This is only the beginning. Since then I founded GXS Women in Sport, where I encourage women and men to come together to engage in meaningful discussion about inequities for women in sports with a specific and focused call to action for improvements and ultimately action for systemic change and women’s empowerment. This initiative is in collaboration with students and industry professionals, I will be launching a program related to this in the fall of 2019.
What are you doing today to mobilize change for Women in Sport?
“I am focusing on three key areas:First, my research. I seek to look at each of the categories just mentioned to understand the gender inequalities in sport and sport media to transform and mobilize change.Second, continue my mentorship and grow my award for young and up and coming women in sport to provide them guidance and support as required.And third, make use of the Global Experiential Sport Lab as a platform to: share knowledge in the form of workshops, seminars and speaker series; tap into global networks to galvanize leaders for change; and provide a place for both women and men
