girlsox nation

When we think of Women of the Harvard Club, many of us immediate conjure images of power suits, sensible pumps and a string of tasteful pearls. As it turns out, many of the attendees of the "game night" held at the posh downtown location on Wednesday night were not Harvard grads, but a rather diverse group of professional women who understand the value of networking with other like-minded women. The topic was baseball, and more specifically how our National Pastime is often used as a networking tool for men- an ice breaker, and a way to bond with relative strangers in a meeting or Board room. Women often get excluded from these opportunities to connect with colleagues because they're on a bit of a learning curve, having never played baseball at a competitive level as so many of their male counterparts have.

Maggie Magner and Sue Stofira, the founders of girlsoxnation.com, were brought on board "game night" to give women some valuable tips on how to "grease the wheels" of networking around the topic of baseball. "I don't recommend that you feign expertise", said Magner, "There's a basic understanding about the game that we can share with you here, but also it's important to be honest about what you don't know, and to be comfortable with that".  Having faced numerous situations in which they are talking about baseball to and around men, Sue and Maggie have experienced the full range of responses from condescending to defensive, dismissive and worse. "I don't see it as compromising the game or the fan experience that I can comment on Jacoby's looks, while I also know that he just broke the single-season club record for steals with 55", joked Stofira. 

This balance is a delicate one, embodied by the controversy over the "pink hat". In a recent Globe article on this topic, Maggie Magner was a staunch supporter of the sport-savvy woman who chooses to wear girlie pink as her fan flair. Sports radio commentators and many long-time Sox fans resent the commercial success of the team, and the attendees at game night all had stories to share of the obvious venom toward any combination of pink and a Red Sox logo.

After a brief tutorial on the Wild Card race, scoring a play, and the well known personalities on the starting roster, the group gathered in front of the big screen in the Crimson room and tuned in to the Sox/Rays game. Correct answers to "stats free" trivia questions earned prizes for the guests from girlsoxnation.com which included New Balance sneakers, Twins '47 official Red Sox hats (made just for women), and author-signed books about being a sports fan in Boston.

And while the Red Sox ended up with the loss, the "game night" was a winner for the Women of the Harvard Club. "The presentation was simply stellar", said one attendee. "I loved learning more about the game, but also getting a better understanding of why baseball is so prevelant around the watercooler".  

By Lindsay Stone