lucy saying this reminded me of how much ona struggled moving to manchester during covid 🥺 i always think about how players who move abroad must be so strong mentally and to do it during the pandemic is even crazier. she's amazing and i'm just glad it was worth it in the end 🫶
(link to lucy's interview & ona's interview)
taking a quick detour from my usual content to share a few books i've been reading about women in sports:
(p.s. i'm american so these are pretty usa-centric)
Sidelined: Sports, Culture, and Being a Woman in America by Julie DiCaro
julie dicaro recounts her own time in sports talk radio as well as the stories of many other women. great examples of how the toleration of violent or otherwise misogynistic male athletes contributes to the exclusion of women in sports media. really tough subject material at times but necessary and very eye-opening -- also less than 250pgs!
Money, Power, Respect: How Women In Sports Are Shaping The Future of Feminism by Macaela MacKenzie
split into three sections that explore how money, power, and respect (or the lack thereof) in women's sports reflect the struggles of women and afab people in larger society. i especially enjoyed that it touched on the gap in venture capital investments in women's sports and athlete sponsorship deals rather than just wages alone
Fair Play: How Sports Shape The Gender Debates by Katie Barnes
i was really excited to read this from a queer/nonbinary journalist and it did not disappoint! katie doesn’t shy away from the many complexities surrounding the intersection of gender and sport and i enjoyed reading the personal experiences of trans athletes across different sports and time periods. really accessible writing, i highly recommend if you’re interested in learning more about the history of or debate around trans inclusion in sport
bonus:
Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner
bonus fictional lesbian soccer romance! my fellow lesbian coworker sent me the preorder link during the world cup lol. really fun read and highly recommend for any romance lovers!
watching the uwcl post-match coverage and every time they start to talk shit and say chelsea were robbed, someone from barça comes over to give their interview LMAOOO it's perfect