Mentoring / Paying it Forward

We all know having mentors is a huge part of being successful in any industry.  Mentors have a wealth of knowledge and experience which can ultimately lead to doors opening.  They can help you make decisions with your career and give you advice on what to do next.  Some may see mentoring as “keeping a look out” or “challenging the mentee to be successful”.

The qualities a mentor has does not surprise many; however, finding a mentor seems to be tough specifically when trying to find South Asian women in the sports field.  I have a couple mentors I look to for work / career advice, professional development, and someone to bounce ideas and thoughts off of.  However, I noticed none of those mentors are South Asian women in the sports industry.  There are many factors that explain why there might be a lack of South Asian women in this industry; though, rather than figuring out why there is a low number focusing on trying to find the right mentor is what we should be doing.

As many of us continue to try to break in perhaps finding South Asian women and men in other industries to serve as a mentor will be the key to a successful career, even in sports.  Many of the struggles we face today can be found in other industries and applying those experiences to the sports arena can aide in a successful career.  Also searching for women and men in those careers that you like to emulate will help in triumph.  Those that have gone through it have seen what it takes and having them talk about it is one of the easiest ways to gain knowledge about the career you want to pursue.  We need to start somewhere and as the number of South Asian women in sports continue to grow finding those mentors might get easier.

For now, however, how do we find the right mentors to help us get there?  Join the conversation on Twitter about mentoring / paying it forward on March 12 from 9 to 10 PM EST using #SAWSports!!

The First Chat

On Wednesday, February 12 we held the first South Asian women in sports Twitter chat!  The topic was ‘Breaking into the Industry’ and we had a number of folks join us ranging from an Indian figure skater to an online publication dedicated to giving a voice to young South Asian women.  The conversation started off with ways women have broken into the sporting industry and reasons why women have not gone down this path even though they have a passion for it.

@NehaSoneji A2. I think there is a lot of social stigma in the #SouthAsian community about persuing a non #STEM related career #SAWSports

— Brown Girl Magazine (@BrownGirlMag) February 13, 2014

@NehaSoneji #SAWsports S. Asians, esp. women are in a minority in sports;heavy emphasis placed on being a good wife and pursuing adv degree

— Dr. Ami (she/her) (@AmiParekh1) February 13, 2014

Getting into the sporting industry has always seemed “way too far fetched” for South Asian women.  Many of our parents lack the knowledge of knowing what type of impact one can have in the industry.  Ami Parekh (Indian Figure Skater) talks about how her parents didn’t know much about sports and what it had to offer.  A lack of role models, opportunities, and knowing this can be a long term career women can pursue are also reasons why many have not continued down this path.

@NehaSoneji many desi women in WLP don't go into politics b/c parents don't feel there's a long term path, prob same in sports #SAWSports

— Washington Leadership Program (@TheWLP) February 13, 2014

As many of our parents came from a country where there is a lack of infrastructure for women to choose this industry.  In the United States, the infrastructure is there and yet many South Asian women have yet to take advantage of this.  There was talk about how this needs to change by knowing other successful individuals in the industry, knowing that it’s okay to do something that isn’t considered mainstream.

https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/433781034669182976
Building a community of like-minded women can aid in a lot of what lacks today.  It can keep the momentum going and continue to show others that this is an industry we can belong in.  And most of all, the next generation will have a foundation to build off of.  Continue this conversation with us every second Wednesday of the month on Twitter from 9 to 10 PM EST using #SAWSports!  Next chat: Wednesday, March 12.

Building a Community and Having a Voice

South Asian women face many obstacles here in the U.S.  The cultural patriarchy, the glass ceiling, pay gap, maternity leave, and expectations to cook, clean and care for the family.  Trying to follow one’s passion is hard enough, but trying to break into a male dominated industry like sports may seem nearly impossible.  But it’s not; over the last decade the South Asian women in the sports community have been making splashes of impact in various aspects of the industry.  Mohini Bhardwaj, the first South Asian American gymnast who earned a team silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.  There are also tennis stars like Sania Mirza, Shikha Uberoi and Neha Uberoi.  In media, Aditi Kinkhabwala who was a journalist for the Wall Street Journal is now a reporter for the NFL Network and Kavitha A. Davidson a Bloomberg View columnist who writes about Sports.  Then there’s Megha Parekh, Vice President and General Counsel of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Being a woman in a testosterone filled industry is tough enough and being a South Asian woman is even tougher.  There are a countless number of incidents where South Asian women are criticized for being in the industry.  For instance, not too long ago Kinkhabwala was covering the Pittsburg Steelers when they played the Miami Dolphins on December 8, 2013 and received a racist remark on Twitter.

Taking this Steelers loss well, aren’t you? … RT @JohnMeketa @AKinkhabwala Did the dot on your forehead freeze and fall off?

— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) December 9, 2013

Then just recently Priyanka Chopra talked about her thoughts on receiving racist remarks for being the opening act for NFL Thursday Night Football.  Although this is nothing new in the industry, these are the obstacles that all women have to overcome no matter what race or nationality they are.  But, what’s being done to make sure South Asian women overcome these hardships?

There’s also overcoming those hardships that start at home.  Many of you may remember the movie, Bend It Like Beckham a story in which a young South Asian female had aspirations of being a soccer player but her parents wanted her to go to school and get married instead of going to college on a soccer scholarship.  Our reality isn’t like a movie but the expectations to succeed in school, be a good wife, and good mother overshadow the path to follow one’s dream.  How can these girls and young women in school get through these obstacles?  Parents and families need to understand the value and impact young women can have in this industry.

What about the next generation?  More and more South Asian women have an interest of being in the sporting industry.  There are young girls out there who look up to individuals like Mirza and Kinkhabwala.  They want to be an athlete or in journalism or be an agent.  The “pay it forward” model needs to happen, these girls and young women looking to get into the industry and women who are already in the industry need a support network, a community to be a part of.  Being able to relate to someone can always help in achieving success and building relationships can drive that process.  To start building a community a South Asian women in sports Twitter chat will be on the second Wednesday of each month beginning February 12 from 8 to 9 PM EST.  Join the conversation and follow along with the #SAWSports hashtag.