Esther González signed in Saudi Arabia less than a month after Gotham FC mutually terminated her contract "to attend to personal matters in Spain." What happened? We've inquired and it is still unclear. But Gotham probably would have sought a transfer fee from a wealthy team/league. #NWSL

Why did Esther González sign in Saudi Arabia after mutually terminating Gotham FC deal?

YouTube video by Jeff Kassouf

youtu.be

Allegations of sexual misconduct against AAU coaches are handled by a board whose names are not made public. Asked about written guidelines for when to ban coaches, a former board member said the group “just decided on our feelings.” with @washingtonpost.com

A Youth Sports Giant Promised Reforms to Protect Kids From Sexual Abuse. Most Never Happened.

More than a decade after the Amateur Athletic Union promised to implement “historic child protection measures,” it still hasn’t done so, leaving hundreds of thousands of kids at risk. Some AAU athlete...

propublica.org

NEW: The AAU, one of the country's largest youth sports organizations, is failing on nearly every level to adequately protect children in its care from sexual abuse, a ProPublica and @washingtonpost.com investigation found.

This National Youth Sports Organization Is Failing to Protect Kids From Sexual Abuse

More than a decade after the Amateur Athletic Union promised to implement “historic child protection measures,” it still hasn’t done so, leaving hundreds of thousands of kids at risk. Some AAU athlete...

propublica.org

For the first time in more than 70 years, women took the field in a professional baseball game. Dreams that generations fought for are finally becoming reality. Here’s to every girl who has ever been told, “Baseball isn’t for you.” Keep proving them wrong💪 #WomensSports #SheShed #ViVaHerAlliance

What is in Fifa's 25-page sales pitch: a reference to more than doubling the number of global tournaments held each year, from 200 to 450 What is not in Fifa's 25-page sales pitch: a single reference to women's football

Fifa’s sales pitch revealed: more tournaments, more debt … but no mention of women’s game

Fifa’s sales pitch to persuade members to approve the sale of the World Cup’s commercial rights clearly states that their plans for financial growth will be achieved by staging more tournaments, havin...

theguardian.com

New Research: How Does the Public Perceive the Problem? The Online Harassment of Women in Sport Using data from a national survey of 1,912 U.S. adults, this study by DSES' @staceypope.bsky.social et al. finds widespread concern about increasing levels of online harassment. doi.org/10.1177/2167...

New article examining public opinion on the online harassment of women in sport, with Adam Gemar and Stacey Pope: journals.sagepub.com/eprint/K7XYX...

How Does the Public Perceive the Problem? The Online Harassment of Women in Sport - Rachel Allison, Adam Gemar, Stacey Pope, 2026

Research has shown the pervasive online harassment of women in sport, yet limited scholarship has examined public perceptions of the online harassment of women ...

journals.sagepub.com

BREAKING: The USL and USLPA have reached a tentative agreement for the first CBA in Super League history, giving their women's players standardized rights like minimum salaries ($37.2K w/risers), player consent to transfers, insurance, housing. More on ESPN:

USL Super League, union agree to CBA key terms

The USL Super League and the USL Players Association announced on Thursday a tentative agreement over key terms of its first collective bargaining agreement.

espn.com

FIFA President Gianni Infantino's private-jet travel during the World Cup group stage produced ~516 tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent. This is what 78 people would produce across a calendar year. And we're only halfway through the tournament (day-wise). www.bbc.com/sport/footba...

World Cup 2026: How Fifa president Gianni Infantino is jetting around

Gianni Infantino has clocked up thousands of air miles across North America so far.

bbc.com

I don't want to hear another word about how much white European visitors are enjoying ranch dressing while team officials, Africa's top referee, and now one of the world's most celebrated fans are turned away from the World Cup. The USA is an utterly unfit host — it's as simple as that

DR Congo superfan denied US visa to support team at World Cup

Michel Kuka Mboladinga is iconic for his motionless tribute at DRC games, but a US World Cup repeat has been denied.

aljazeera.com

People interested in watching Morocco tonight—the men’s side isn’t the only Cinderella story in world football. The women’s game is equally magical: www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edi...

The Long Rise of the Moroccan Women's Football Team | 15 | Critical Pe

This chapter explores the long rise of the Moroccan women’s football team to the world stage, considering the political and cultural factors that serve to

taylorfrancis.com

New article online today with Braden Leap! "Finding Gratitude and Getting Feral: How Peloton Instructors Construct Fitness Identities Across Country and Hip Hop Rides" online.ucpress.edu/jpms/article...

I've had a recurring thought over the past year-ish: The #NWSL must reach new audiences to grow at true scale. It also can't ignore its current/longtime fans. That audience expansion creates inevitable tension. The catch is, the league needs both -- and the dilemma is not unique in sports or biz.

Why NWSL's business expansion creates tension between longtime fans and newcomers

As the NWSL expands its business, awkward and failed deals have irked hardcore fans -- and that friction isn't going away anytime soon.

espn.com

Today is the deadline to submit an abstract to present at NASSS 2026 in Calgary! conference.nasss.org/2026/papers/....

When I was asked to write something about the World Cup, I almost declined. As a scholar of women's football, what did I have to say about it? But I thought more, especially also about the Women's World Cup, and I'm proud of what I came up with: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/HZKUZ...

Extending the critique: the (men’s) world cup as a gendered mega event

Published in Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies (Ahead of Print, 2026)

tandfonline.com

NEWS: The #NWSL and NWSLPA have joined Project ACL alongside England's WSL to deepen the study around the prevalence of ACL injuries in women's soccer. FIFPRO will lead and guide the study. www.espn.com/soccer/story...

NWSL, players association team up on Project ACL initiative

The NWSL Players Association and the NWSL announced on Wednesday that they have joined Project ACL, an initiative focused on reducing anterior cruciate ligament injuries in women's professional soccer...

espn.com

Left: How people think Mississippi votes Right: How Mississippi actually votes

Sport scholars, submit an abstract now for the 2026 North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS) conference in Calgary! Abstracts due by May 4th, 11:59 pm U.S. CST. Abstract Submission: conference.nasss.org/2026/papers/... *Note* The open sessions are listed under my name.

Incredibly brave. 👏👏👏

Fare network @farenet.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Argentina 🇦🇷 Argentine footballer Ignacio Lago has made history as the first active professional player in the country to come out publicly, sharing his relationship with his boyfriend during a TV interview. buff.ly/VcFNVas

This looks to be an important documentary. www.kpbs.org/news/2026/03...

White with Fear

Premieres Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream with KPBS+. Told by operatives in the rooms where it happened, this film is a deep dive into the decades-long quest by some of America’...

kpbs.org

New article led by Adam Gemar, with @rachelallison.bsky.social and DSES' Prof. @staceypope.bsky.social on Gender Essentialism and U.S. Attitudes Towards the Media Coverage of Women’s Sport is now published in the Communication & Sport journal accessible here: journals.sagepub.com/toc/coma/14/2

So excited to organize the third lecture in the GT-UGA Soccer and Politics Lecture Series. After great lectures by @rachelallison.bsky.social & @brendaelsey.bsky.social , we will now have @abeissel.bsky.social speaking about FIFA, human rights, and the 2026 World Cup!

A new FIFA regulation rules that at least TWO staff members on the bench of every team at women's tournaments must be female—either in an assistant coach or head coach role 🚨 It will come into effect this year during the U17 & U20 Women's World Cup & Champions Cup competitions.

It's #NWSL Opening Day 2026! Gotham won the 2025 title only 111 days ago. The inaugural season in 2013 only went from April-August, followed by a 224-day gap (!) until the 2014 season. Portland Thorns at Washington Spirit (8 ET, Prime) opens the 2026 slate tonight.

The new #NWSL season is near, so new Ambition Rankings are here. Boston and Denver join the mix to make 16 teams, which can really be divided into two or three tiers at this stage. How is each team trending up or down? Great ambition does not always lead to strong implementation.

NWSL ambition rankings: All 16 clubs judged by the big moves they are or aren't making

The NWSL has teams that are building stadiums, signing stars and spending money. Meanwhile, other teams, well, aren't doing any of that.

espn.com

This isn't my newsletter's usual beat, but I had to write something jessica.substack.com/p/mens-hocke...

The U.S. Men's Hockey Team Failed the Locker Room Test

Men need to stop bonding over humiliating women

jessica.substack.com

Sociologist C. Wright Mills saw this coming—and tried to warn us—60+ years ago. jacobin.com/2026/02/wrig...

I am excited to be in Houston for The World at Play: The Beautiful Game in 2026! ⚽ worldatplay.blogs.rice.edu

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dedicated his life fighting for equity and justice. He taught us that even in the face of intimidation and discrimination, we must never stop working towards a better future – a lesson that feels especially relevant today.

Looking forward to this conversation!