7 minute read
KNOCKING DOWN THE FENCES
A Film & A Podcast Are Just The Beginning
A must see social impact film about rising in the ranks as an elite female athlete, ‘Knocking Down The Fences’ is a short film starring A.J. Andrews. Allié and I had the pleasure of speaking with A.J. the other night, after she finished up on the field. Not only is she our Official Ambassador for Breast Cancer Awareness, she’s officially one of our favorite people to laugh with over video chat. - Jack M.
JACK: We all face obstacles in life we need to get around, barriers we have to get over. You don't go around or over... you go through. 'Knocking Down THE Fences' is a powerful short film about you as the first woman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove. From this film, tell us about what you want people to learn 1) about you and 2) about life.
A.J.: I want people to know that I am extremely hardworking and I will achieve anything that I set my mind to. I set my mind to being an example of limitless possibilities the day I made history as the first woman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove so that young women all around me know they are limitless as well. I believe that the word impossible is not a declaration but a DARE! Any extremely successful person in this world dared to chase their dreams no matter the circumstances. They dared to achieve the "impossible." Before 2016, the year I won the Gold glove it was "impossible" for a woman to win the award but now young girls can dream bigger and aim higher since that glass ceiling has been broken. The documentary knocking down the fences certainly describes the kind of player I am on the field but it also describes the person I am of. I will never settle and I will keep pushing toward equality so that every young girl I come across feels as if she is the next girl to break down barriers and achieve the impossible.
I want people to truly see the sacrifices that women in sports and particularly softball players make in order to do what we love. We are not paid the way men are and truly play for the love of the game. I hope the world sees just how valuable we are and realize that the gross pay inequity is not justified and to join the fight for equality and equity in women's sports. I think the documentary is an eye-opener for women in sports and sparks urgency to make change.
Watch 'Knocking Down The Fences' on page 55 of 'The America Edition' of AwareNow (link at the bottom of the article).
JACK: As a black, female athlete, you fight uphill both ways for equality. What has been more difcult - being black or being a woman?
A.J.: Being a woman in America, I feel I am always fighting to be heard. I am fighting for the respect and the recognition that I am owed that is given so freely to men. I believe women empowerment isn't about making women strong, as women are already strong. It is about changing the way the world perceives that strength and never letting the world silence us as women for speaking our truth. It is hard as a woman to fight through the many layers that seek to suppress our abilities and our voices, and because we are fighting through so many layers it can be treacherous. Now add not being seen on top of not being heard and you will get a better sense of what it means to be a black woman in this country and fight for equality.
I fight through stereotypes, microaggressions, assumptions and racism in order to force the world to just see my capabilities to even allow me in the conversation. Only after I've successfully maneuvered through those barriers and won that fight do I then move to fighting to be heard. It is an uphill fight for equality for women, but it is two uphill fights if you are a black woman.
Jack: From the Rawlings Gold Glove to the ESPN Body Edition, you are making headlines left and right. A new league ('Athletes Unlimited'), a new blog ('Hardheaded') and a new program for young girls (Confidence Party with ZGirls). Bring us up to speed with each and then tell us just when exactly it is that you find time to sleep.
A.J.: I’m very excited to be playing in Athletes Unlimited this fall. It is a new league that will continue to give softball players an opportunity to play the sport that they love outside of college. It is a brand new model, almost like a fantasy league for the players, ran by the players. There are no coaches and the top 4 performing players each week get to draft their team. It is based on a point system and the highest ranked player at the end of the season gets a significant bonus. I'm very excited to bring another element of excitement to the already exciting game of professional softball. The season will start August 17th and run for 6 weeks so get excited to watch some softball!
I just started a podcast partnered with Athletes Unlimited called ‘Hardheaded’. I began doing Instagram Live Sessions with some of the best softball players in the world during quarantine to uplift the spirits of young athletes whose seasons were cut short and give them an opportunity to learn how to get better mentally from the best in the world if they aren't able to get on the field physically to train. The IG Sessions did so well that I thought I'd love to turn this into something people can listen to all the time and that is how ‘HardHeaded’ the podcast got started. It truly is a space where softball players around the world get to hear the stories of how some of the best in the game reached their success by remaining HardHeaded toward their goals.
Young girls are so impressionable and especially in the age of social media, girls tend to compare themselves to others and don't feel good enough. I want to reverse that and help build some of the most confident and strong women in this world. I met Jilyne, the founder of Zgirls, a few years ago and have loved her passion and everything she does for young girls ever since. I've had a chance to sit on panels for Zgirls and watched the huge impact everything Zgirls does has had on those young women and I joined the Confidence Party because I want to continue uplifting these young women to believe in themselves no matter what!
A.J. Andrews is a professional softball player, motivational speaker and the Awareness Ties™ Official Ambassador for Breast Cancer Awareness.
A.J. Andrews was the first woman to win a Gold Glove, has been featured in ESPN Magazine The Body Issue, and has also been recognized as an on-air talent and motivational speaker.
Andrews was selected in the second round as the 7th overall pick in the 2015 NPF draft by the Chicago Bandits. After the 2015 season, she was traded to the Akron Racers. In 2016, Andrews became the first woman to ever win the Rawlings Gold Glove award. That same year, she was a corecipient of the Rally Spike Award, which is given to the league’s stolen base leader. In 2017, she was an at-large selection for the All-NPF team.
As the Awareness Ties™ Ofcial Ambassador for Breast Cancer Awareness, A.J. Andrews helps to raise awareness for the cause and support eforts for the cure. To learn more about A.J. visit www.awarenessties.us/aj-andrews. Also, be sure to follow her on Instagram (@aj_andrews_) and catch her podcast, Hardheaded, on Spotify (www.beawarebehere.com/hardheaded).
