The Virtual Woman: A Woman's
Weekly Guide To Cyberspace
Web Scores High for Sports Information
Personally, I've followed so few sports teams in my life that I've had to retreat from Corporate America due to a disturbing lack of anything to say at the water cooler each Monday morning. And I can tell you from experience, it's not easy nor do I recommend trying to fake these things either: "Hey Bill, what about them Niners?" Bill nearly chokes on his water but manages to respond dismissively, "What about them? It's May and the 49ers haven't played in three months. Virtual Woman, get real. Football season is more than a little bit over." I watch Bill walk over to Jim's cube and within a minute hear the two laughing hysterically. I can see my career with this organization deteriorating by the second as the laughter becomes more insistent, spreading from cube to cube like a bad set of jokes on email. So whether you're clueless like I used to be and need some help to save your job or you are truly interested in sports information, this week's column is a guaranteed winner.
Dear Virtual Woman:
I admit it -- I'm a sports fiend.
I want my scores, and I want them now. What's the best basic sports site on the Web?
- Angelique, Baton Rouge, LA
Dear Angelique:
The best? A few years ago I was laughed at. Now I'm the expert. Ha! Anyway, you want to know which is the best, eh? Hmm...can you imagine a locker room debate about that? As with almost every large subject area on the Web, you have several major channels checking in here. Your basic players are the usual suspects: ESPN (http://www.espn.go.com), CNN (http://cnnsi.com/), all the major television networks, and USA Today. You can get up-to-the-minute coverage at any one of those locations, but I prefer USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sfront.htm) For one thing, it has a red "scores" button prominently featured at the top left, beneath which is a helpful, chock-full navigation bar running down the entire left sign of the screen. That means you're only one click away from the latest standings in your sport of choice. Within each sport, you get continuous updates, league information, team information, stats, and all the rest. And while these offerings are pretty much parallel to what you'll get from the site's competitors, the USA Today's site is just, well, prettier. It's simply and sensibly designed, and a whiz to navigate.
Dear Virtual Woman:
I like Super Bowl Sunday
as much as the next girl, but what really interests me is women's sports. I know
that women are making great strides in the world of athletics, sometimes in
sports that aren't as high-profile as basketball. On the other hand, I don't want
to go clicking around the Web all day in search of news about women athletes. Is
there a single Web site that serves as something of a clearinghouse for women's sports?
- Melanie F., St Louis, MO
Dear Melanie:
Is there a single Web site dealing with women's sports? Is a basketball pock-marked? I mean, what isn't on the Web these days? (And don't say inner peace. I'm sure it's there somewhere!) Especially with, as you point out, the rocketing popularity of women in sports. In short, the good people at Just Sports for Women have put together precisely the site you seek. Check out SportforWomen, and reap the happy benefits. For example, their Sportswire area includes the latest news, scores, stats, polls and standings for the more publicized sports (basketball, tennis, golf, and the Olympics). If it's the facts you want, Sportswire is for you. If you prefer your news a little meatier, try their Go Girl section, a more magaziney treatment of the news. In the Features section of the site, you can also read any one of several lengthier, more personal articles. Just Sports for Women also contains no fewer than four chat rooms, in which you can chew over a particular issue or just chill with your friends in the locker room. What's more, the site is searchable. I plugged in "Jennifer Azzi" and got a healthy list of articles containing her name.
Dear Virtual Woman:
I like Super Bowl Sunday
Sometimes I like to listen to broadcasts of games while I'm working at my
computer. Is there a Web site that has recordings of sporting events?
- All Ears, Omaha, NE
Dear All Ears:
There's a Web site that contains broadcasts of pretty much anything, and its sports coverage is more than adequate. For your listening pleasure, http://www.broadcast.com/sports has a large menu of events to choose from--everything from basketball and baseball to horseracing to "fantasy sports." Click on "Women's Sports," and your menu expands to include basketball, volleyball and hockey.
Happy Surfing!
Find these links and more at WWWomen.Com (http://www.wwwomen.com) the web's largest search directory of topics for women online. Email the Virtual Woman with your Internet questions or send snailmail to: WWWomen.Com, Attn: Virtual Woman, 3701 Geary Blvd., #325, S.F., CA 94118. Copyright, 1998. WWWomen, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Contributing Editor: Melissa Levine
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