Overview
Athletic Girl Productions, Inc. is a non-profit media corporation dedicated to serving girls. As a new organization located in the Bay Area of Northern California, we are competitive and feisty. We believe in the power of thoughts, words, and the undeniable will to win. Spearheading efforts to increase physical and emotional wellness, AGP promotes strong female role models and courageous messages through various media outlets. We are dedicated to inspiring girls and young women to live healthy lives, participate in sports, and strive to reach significant personal and professional goals. We’d like to welcome our latest partner, GP Storage Containers, the leader when it comes to buying, renting and leasing steel storage containers online. GirlsAreChampions.org uses storage containers supplied by GP Storage Containers to store valuable sports equipment safely, right at the athletic complex.

Mission Statement
Our mission is to educate and empower girls through sports while creating a positive presence for girls in the media.

History

Athletes in Literature
In December of 2005, Lisa Izzi did not visit family for Christmas. She was in grad school. Working on a novel. And she was on a deadline. As a student in Spalding University’s MFA Writing Program, Lisa was also required to write a critical thesis—one of those long research papers that makes you feel terrible while you’re doing it, but pretty darn smart after you’ve finished. Being a former athlete and coach, Lisa thought the topic of female athletes in literature would be interesting. The tricky thing was, finding female athletes in literature!

What Kind of Women?
During her research, she soon found out that boys had an abundance of books to read on the subject of sports. Girls, on the other hand, did not. Magazines, TV shows, films and internet also provided an overflow of stories, articles, and interviews about male athletes. Again, Lisa found the same empty results on women athletes. When she read journals with statistical facts that pointed out the lop-sided state of male vs. female athletes in the media, she began to think this was wrong. If athletic women are rarely seen or heard from, then what kind of women are girls looking up to, today? Skinny models? Hollywood celebrities? Video dancers?

Girls’ Sports Media
At that moment, the Big Question hit Lisa—Where ARE the healthy role models for girls? If the media promotes one type of woman, skinny-sexy-glamorous, then what can girls do but feel inadequate and lost? Really—no wonder girls are depressed, have low self-esteem, and eating disorders. The bombarding messages are: Diet! Fix your nose! And where are you boobs! What kind of standard has society set for all American girls?

Lisa stopped to think, and gradually, the idea became clear: Athletes and goal-oriented women were the ticket. With over 92% of sports television geared to boys and men, and with one sports book for each girl compared to six for every boy, Lisa decided what to do: Create sports media for girls.

AGP
Athletic Girl Productions began with the idea for a TV show. Lisa is a writer, an actor, and a sports professional—bingo—just put ‘em all together. And then she thought “bigger.” With kids and teens on computers, you gotta go where the kids are! So wha-LA, a website was born.

With vision and passion, Lisa promotes a positive presence for girls in the media. Inspiring role models in the sports world—peers, as well as, successful women—are the voices and images for girls today. There’s even a pressing need for women writers, producers, and directors. The media is predominantly run by men, and society’s view of the world is slanted from their perspective.

The Future of Girls
Because Lisa got the chance to be an athlete, because she had parents who supported her through practices, injuries, and competitions, and because her coaches believed in her talent, Lisa was heavily influenced. In her world, there was no obesity or diabetes. It was natural to be active and physically fit; she learned to strive and reach for higher goals. She never once did sports to please somebody else—the motivation came from inside.

Now, Lisa reflects on girls in our community: She believes they need to have confidence, face challenges, and overcome obstacles. She believes that they will love themselves if they see stories of real and authentic women in the media. And she believes that girls (maybe more than boys), are a big part of tomorrow.

GirlsAreChampions.org is about every girl. And when you see the sparkle in a young girl’s eyes, don’t you see the champion in her, too?