Defeating the Boys and the Roar of Possibility
Selling out in a good way.
Welcome to the first edition of And One. I’m so happy you’re here. Every Friday, you can expect to receive a newsletter with curated stories from around the web about women’s sports news, culture, trends, and more.
Caitlin Clark is reportedly set to sign a massive shoe deal with Nike. Only three other women in the WNBA have signature shoes and they're all white, so… where are A’ja Wilson’s? Meanwhile, Zendaya is redefining the meaning of “tennis shoes” on the “Challengers” press tour, and Coco Gauff is playing for herself now.
The Only Girls’ Team in a Boys’ Soccer League Has Gone Undefeated (NYT gift link)
The Queens Park Ladies, an under-12 girls’ soccer team in Bournemouth, England, didn’t lose a single match against their all-boys’ team opponents during their 22-game season. “I feel really proud of my team and happy for us,” said the team’s captain. “I didn’t expect it, but I did think we could do it.”
Portland-Born Women’s Sports Bar The Sports Bra Is Going National (Eater)
Two years ago, Jenny Nguyen launched a Kickstarter to raise the funds to open a women’s sports bar. Now, thanks to an investment from Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, her Portland, Oregon establishment, The Sports Bra, plans to franchise and expand to new cities.
WNBA Teams Make History With 2024 Season Ticket Sell-Outs (Just Women’s Sports)
Three WNBA teams — the Dallas Wings, Atlanta Dream, and Las Vegas Aces — have sold out of their season ticket packages. “We’ve continued a record-setting growth trajectory over the past three years under new ownership — both on and off the court — and 2024 is shaping up to be our best season yet,” said Morgan Shaw, Atlanta Dream’s president and COO, via a team press release.
Howard Women’s Rugby Club Founders Seek Resources as Graduation Nears (Andscape)
Last year, the team, launched in 2020, finished second place in their fight for the College Rugby Association of America DII title. Despite their success, they’re still considered a club team and lack basic resources like a practice space on campus. Even as the team’s founding members prepare to graduate, they’re committed to their goal: building an NCAA DI program.
I Heard the Roar of Possibility at the PWHL’s Record-Breaking Sellout (Defector)
The match-up between Montreal and Toronto in Montreal set a new record for attendance at a women's hockey game with 21,105 fans filling the second-largest hockey arena in the world. “Odds are that some of them will go on to pick up a stick, and when they do they’ll remember what it felt like to be in an arena full of people screaming their heads off,” writes Defector’s Abigail Segel.
LPGA Is in Prime Position to Lift Women’s Golf. So Far, They’re Whiffing. (USA Today)
Nelly Korda won her fifth straight LPGA event on Sunday, but the production value of the TV broadcast wasn’t up to par with her achievement. It lacked all the graphics and shot-tracking technology golf fans expect to see when watching PGA events. “The NBC coverage looked like a penny-pinching, outdated endeavor — the bare minimum to get these women on TV,” writes Dan Wolken.
Hundreds of Athletes Urge the NCAA Not to Ban Trans Athletes from Women’s Sports (NBC News)
Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird are among the 400 athletes who signed an open letter to the NCAA supporting transgender athletes’ inclusion in women’s collegiate sports. “We call on you to be on the right side of history and affirm that sport is truly for us all,” the letter reads.
Fast Break…
A few quick moments of joy.
A note to readers: The format of this newsletter was inspired by After School by Casey Lewis, which I highly recommend you subscribe to.