By Kristine Anjela C. Pablo 

Digital sports platform SLAMonline Philippines and basketball concept shop TITAN 22 continues to celebrate women in sports with the Show Her Love Media Workshop.

Breaking barriers 

Val Chua, Titan’s Senior Director for Growth and Strategy, started the event with her opening remarks as she tells the origin of how they came up with the “Show Her Love’s” concept four years ago before the pandemic started. 

According to Chua, the campaign began as a simple hangout for women in sports until they decided to expand their program to inspire every girl and woman to showcase their talents.

Being a woman in a man-dominated field can be scary, but this very premise made them aspire to break this prejudice by inviting women athletes and journalists who broke barriers and will continue to do so. 

The narrative fits with the likes of Far Eastern University (FEU) women’s basketball alumni, national team cagebelle Allana Lim who was named as the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 74 Finals Most Valuable Player, and Clare Castro who also made the Parañaque Lady Aces to head in the 2021 Women’s Basketball National League. 

In the first edition of SLAM who produced its women sports magazine WSLAM, Lim was also featured as the first Filipino professional player to be an import even before the collegiate men were bound for Korea and Japan.

The grassroots of women’s football also took the spotlight as FEU dominated UAAP Season 85, highlighted by our own Philippine Women’s National Football team that participated in the FIFA World Cup last year.

From small room to big dreams

Such breakthroughs also became Titan’s ground to hold the line and even amplify their call for women’s careers in sports to flourish even more. 

From the starting 15-20 girls, the ideas sprouted in a small room for those who wanted to take up space and be involved more than just being on the sidelines. 

It was Titan’s Executive Director Dennis Tan that ignited to create a basketball tournament for the women community pioneering from 12 teams until it became bigger with 35. 

In 2022, Show Her Love opened more opportunities for women as they came back, beginning with a women’s tournament in basketball as well as a media workshop.

The Senior Director emphasized that it was Titan’s commitment on “empowering dreams of young hoopers” that has gone beyond serving basketball consumers. 

Leaning on that resolve, the workshop has three parts to learn from: Sports writing headed by sports writer and freelance journalist Beatrice Go, Lead Vertical Producer of FIBA Danine Cruz for social media content creation, and former UAAP courtside reporter Bea Fabregas-Ramos for on-cam presenting. 

The event gathered students, social media personalities, aspiring journalists, and other media professionals in sports to share insights regarding the field, and learn from one another. 

Beatrice Go also known as “Bee Go” shared the essence of writing sports stories through the years. 

“You can bring out so many great stories from so many athletes. It’s because right now in the media industry, formats don’t really matter. We are limitless when it comes to formats,” said Go.

Go also highlighted that in writing sports, the character is king. One that shows that they are people too, and  that they can also be relatable. 

For Cruz, different organizations also practice a different sense of style or format when it comes to their social media creation. 

Utilizing concept videos or live coverage may not be a walk in the park, but it helps the audience to be more engaged and feel like they are also part of the game.

So when you get the chance to take on these opportunities, Cruz said that there is nothing else left to do but to take it.

“If you get a seat in this male-dominated industry, take space. Speak up, make sure people know you’re part of the group, make sure you have your voice, and you have something to say”, Cruz emphasized.

The last part of the talk featured Fabregas-Ramos’  tips and tricks on talking in front of the camera while learning to understand the bigger picture and working well with the pressure.

The former courtside reporter also tackled the importance of being genuinely happy for others who may have taken the opportunity before your timeline you have set for yourself. 

“Dream big and be happy for other people while you’re dreaming big. And when your time comes, be ready and hold steady”, Fabregas-Ramos said.  

Three women who spoke on empowerment and being in the room, passed down to women with limitless ideas. Women in sports may be a foreign sight for some, but they are taking space that will remain through time. Their common denominator will also linger—the heart and love for sports, because doing such is no easy feat. It requires blood (literally and figuratively), sweat, and tears. 

-With reports from Katlene Angcanan

(Photo courtesy of SLAMonline PH)