At our Sports PowerPoint Party event last weekend, my friend Ashtyn—who is the writer and personality behind a lot of the sports media brand Offball’s best stuff—gave a presentation on why we should allow ourselves to hate women athletes. She argued that blanket rooting for all women athletes simply because they’re women is condescending and base, and that they’re as deserving of rancor as male athletes. And though it was a hilarious presentation, the message felt incredibly poignant. Choosing not to hate a woman athlete (or to pretend not to) based on her womanhood is reductive. Saying you like that women’s sports exists without caring enough to hate certain players is not the feminist take you think it is.
Part of my motivation behind Good Sport is to help move the culture of women’s sports beyond a sort of girl boss sheen and into a more authentic world that can hold things like rivalry and bitterness and nastiness, in addition to the more joyous parts of sports, like friendship and sportsmanship. Less she believed she could and so she did, more she is ruthless and really good at sports and so she did.
This was on my mind when I watched Chris & Martina: The Final Set, a Netflix documentary about the decades-long tennis rivalry and real friendship between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Evert was a blonde American girl next door, and Navratilova was a butchy immigrant who defected from the Soviet-controlled Czechoslovakia. As the credits rolled, I felt so wistful. They’re great friends now, but during their playing years, their relationship was complex, riddled with jealousy and intensity as the two best tennis players in the world. At some points, they hated each other. And in that way they couldn’t have respected each other more.
Without further ado, here’s your newsletter.
On the Good Sport podcast: I spoke with Faith Morley, a professional women’s rugby player for the NY Exiles. We talked about what life actually looks like for an athlete in startup leagues like the WER, and what the Exiles are hoping to achieve next season. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts.
NYC women’s sports news & culture
Here’s what you should know this week.
The NY Heights’ first WPBL season comes to an end. After putting up a strong fight in their semifinals series against the LA Queens, the NY Heights lost 1-2, ending their inaugural season. I’m assuming a message from the team is forthcoming as the championship wraps up, but it’s sweet to see all the supportive comments on their last post. The LA Queens moved on to the championship series against the SF Firebells, which is currently tied 2-2. The championship will come down to Game 5, happening this Tuesday at 7pm ET.
NY Heights player Keira Izumi Gotham FC: We’re still #1. Our soccer team is just really good. After a hard-fought battle with the NC Courage, and two goals scored by the rookie Jordan Dudley, Gotham FC defended its number 1 spot in the rankings with a 2-1 win. We also officially clinched our playoff spot on Sunday, locking us into the post season through November. Our team is just looking nice across the board, with standout performances from defenders Tierna Davidson and Jess Carter. Here’s a look at the Top 3 spots in the rankings:
Mandatory women’s soccer lore. Gotham FC’s forward Sam Kerr is married to Kristie Mewis, a former Gotham FC player and 2023 NWSL Champ, who has also played with the USWNT. You may recall the viral “sportsmanship” moment between them during a game. Kristie’s younger sister is Sam Mewis, who is an American soccer legend with a World Cup championship and multiple NWSL titles to her name. Sam is now the editor-in-chief and podcast host of The Women's Game from Men in Blazers. So Sam Kerr and Sam Mewis are sisters-in-law, and here is wife Sam attempting to pants sister Sam <3
Buckle up for WNBA playoffs. The NY Liberty have two regular season matchups this week, and then it’s time for playoffs. We won’t have the exact details on our first-round opponents until the regular season is done and seeds are nailed down, but we are locked into the lower tier of the 8-team playoff field, making our most likely first-round opponents the Minnesota Lynx (projected No. 1), Golden State Valkyries (projected No. 2), or Las Vegas Aces (projected No. 3). All formidable matchups…Let’s see what happens.
What to watch this week
Monday 9/21
🏀 The Liberty host the Atlanta Dream at 8:00 pm ET, Barclays Center (Noche Latina Night). Watch on Peacock and NBCSN.
Wednesday 9/23
🏀 The Liberty host the Atlanta Dream at 8:00 pm ET, Barclays Center. Watch on local TV or USA.
Friday 9/25
⚽ Gotham FC host the Chicago Stars at 8:00 pm ET, Sports Illustrated Stadium (Teachers Night). Watch on Prime Video.
And that’s a wrap…
Thanks for reading, folks. By the way, today happens to be my birthday, so sign your friend up for Good Sport as my present or something…love you bye.