This article was contributed to through an internship with Siren Sport, posted January 27, 2021. Read the original article here.
Today we’re excited to announce that women’s sports advocate Mary Konstantopoulos, of Ladies Who League, will be joining the Siren team as an official collaborator!
With a long history of supporting women’s sport—and women in sport—we are thrilled to have Mary K join our team officially. Mary is a lawyer, sports advocate and board member of Hockey Australia, all while running the ‘Ladies Who’ empire. Current Deakin University intern Georgia Dunne sent five quick fire questions to Mary with the aim of understanding why Mary was so keen to join our collaborator team.
Why did you want to be a part of the Siren team?
I wanted to be part of the Siren team because Siren is changing the game when it comes to coverage of women’s sport. This is a wonderful opportunity to work alongside like-minded individuals who are passionate about women in sport and who are making real change to address the completely unbalanced representation of women’s sport in the mainstream media. Over the years I have had the chance to work alongside many of the Siren founders and am fortunate enough to call many of them friends. It’s an honour to be given the opportunity to be able to contribute to a platform which is absolutely like no other.
What is it about Siren that appeals to you?
There are many people that complain that women’s sport does not get the coverage it deserves. It is easy to make this complaint or observation but a lot harder to do something about it. The founding of Siren took courage from a group of women, committing to changing the game for women in sport–that is absolutely inspiring. I also love how Siren supports other women in the industry and gives them paid opportunities to share their work.
What do you love about women’s sport?
For so long (and in many cases it is still the case), women are not being paid as full-time professional athletes to participate in the sports they love. This means that most (if not all) women participating in sport at an elite level do so because they love it. It isn’t because it was an easy path or because it would be financially lucrative–it is out of love. I find that deeply inspiring. Additionally, because of pay levels, it has meant that most female athletes need to juggle their training with a job, education and family commitments. This means female athletes have deeply beautiful and authentic stories–which they are often very happy to share with us!
What are you hoping to cover throughout this year with Siren?
As many female athletes from as many different sports as possible. Especially in an Olympic year this is a wonderful opportunity to introduce the Siren subscribers and followers to some incredible athletes they may not have heard of… yet.
Do you have any hopes for women’s sports for this year?
My hope for women’s sport this year is that we continue to keep it front of mind and push for more coverage, more opportunities and better pay for our athletes. Because of the pandemic there is a fear that women’s sport could be pushed to the side. Now, more than ever, it is important that our sports demonstrate with action that women’s sport matters and that sport is for everyone.
Comments