The Good Sport Guide to Women's Sports in NYC: June 22nd - 28th
Everything you should know, watch, and do as a women's sports fan in NYC.
Happy summer, my glorious Good Sport readers. Last week I was subjected to a bout of food poisoning so nefarious I wondered if it was perhaps my time. Lying on the cold linoleum of the bathroom floor, I thought it was a shame I had only gotten about two months into writing my newsletter about women’s sports culture in New York City…
Sike. I lived.
I even made it to the very beautiful wedding of my good friends, where I engaged in one of summer’s greatest pastimes: Velcro catch.
On the Good Sport podcast: I talked with Ish Islam from Game Griot about why he, as a man, loves women’s basketball <3 and he had amazing answers. We covered 30 years of the W, a NY Liberty progress report, players we don’t play about, and lots more. Listen on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your pods.
What to know
Sam Kerr is coming back to NYC. Sam Kerr is one of the best strikers in soccer; she is a certified goal-scoring machine. And Gotham FC got her. She’s been at Chelsea for the past six-ish years, and after serious interest from multiple clubs, she’s returning to the reigning champs of the NWSL, filling our biggest need as a team. She was previously on Gotham back when it was Sky Blue FC, where she set the then-record for most regular-season goals. We traded defender Lilly Reale to Boston to make this happen, which is a huge loss: Lilly was the 2025 ROTY. But getting a player like Sam Kerr is the only way it makes sense. We are already a very solid team, and we just got a lot scarier. Prediction: Kerr will break that regular-season goal record with Gotham again.
Jasper Wax and Getty Images Checking in on the NY Sirens roster. ICYMI, the PWHL was in chaos last week as current teams felt screwed over by the draft order prioritizing new expansion teams, and Sirens fans were rightfully stressed about all the players we’d lost. Good news: We got some great young additions during Wednesday’s draft:
But one big gap in our roster remained: We didn’t have a starting goalie. But just yesterday, the Sirens announced that we signed Elaine Chuli, a three-year PWHL vet with a resume of amazing stats. Lots of changes, but our team is coming together.
The Liberty takes a historic L, but I’m still smiling. I hate when my teams lose, but if I had to pick how they lose, it’d be like last night’s game against the LA Sparks. It was the 30th anniversary of the league’s first game, which the Liberty won. Legends like Lisa Leslie, Kym Hampton, Rebecca Lobo, and so many more were in the stadium to celebrate the milestone. This time around, though, Nneka Ogwumike hit a 3-point buzzer beater to take LA to a 98-97 win over our Liberty. What a surreal moment for the President of the WNBPA, who led this year’s historic CBA negotiations, changing the lives of W players and their families. For a season all about legacy, it felt like we were watching a piece of Nneka’s emerge in real-time.
We have a really good lacrosse team. The NY Charging is the only undefeated team left in the WLL after this weekend’s win over the Maryland Charm. Peep this incredible behind the back goal from Darcy Felter. What a way to make your pro debut!
What to watch this week
Tuesday 6/23
🏀 The Liberty are on the road at the Las Vegas Aces at 10:00 pm ET. Watch on USA Network (or WWOR My9 in the NY market).
Thursday 6/25
🏀 The Liberty are on the road at the Seattle Storm at 10:00 pm ET. Watch on WNBA League Pass (or WWOR My9 in the NY market).
Friday 6/26
⚽ Gotham FC plays the Kansas City Current in the NWSL Challenge Cup in Columbus, OH at 8:00 pm ET. Watch on Prime Video.
Saturday 6/27
🥍 The NY Charging are on the road at the California Palms at 8:30 pm ET. Watch on ESPN+.
Sunday 6/28
🏀 The Liberty close the week on the road at the Golden State Valkyries at 7:00 pm ET. Watch on ESPN.
The Scene Report
Here’s some fun stuff going on in the NYC W sports scene.
The Good Sport big gay knockout game is this Wednesday, 6/24. Let’s go down to the basketball court and work it out on the remix or whatever Lorde said. RSVP here.
The creator rysasewsclothes is known for mixing her two fav things: Knitting and the NY Liberty. She’s hosting a slew of knit club nights at Wilka’s this summer on July 5th, August 2nd, and September 13th. Get your fiber arts and go.
And that’s a wrap.
Have a great week my friends. And if you’re in the mood, send this post to a friend who loves women’s sports in NYC. Maybe they’ll like it! Love you bye.