Articles from the Week: Gender Equity in Sports

I’ve always been a big fan of women's sports and have been interested in sports journalism since high school. I’ve also been on what I lovingly call, “Journalism Twitter” aka X, for a few years and while it’s certainly had its ups and downs, one thing that I do like about it is its ability to connect me to other women's sports journalists and important women’s stories.

Marathon season for this year has been off and running/Source: Wix Media

This week, I wanted to highlight a few stories that I came across. It was a big week for women’s sports — the Professional Women’s Hockey League is set to begin in January, marathon season is off and running (see what I did there?) and Megan Rapiono, arguably one of the most influential players on the U.S. Women's National Soccer team, played her last match.

---

Here are a few articles I found that I felt like connected with my beat — gender equity — and my general interests in women’s sports, including some locals news out of Minnesota.

For The Messenger Sports, Tamerra Griffin wrote about Rapinoe’s retirement and dedicated to finding joy, something Griffin notes as “The radical practice of joy has roots in Black feminist scholarship and art.”

• “Whether we were kneeling, or talking about equal pay, or trans rights, there’s so much pressure,” [ Rapinoe] said. “I was like, ‘We have the right to enjoy what we’re doing as well.’ And I think a lot of times my joy, or expressions of joy, was absolutely an act of resistance, or a big, glaring sort of middle finger to everyone. Like, this is my life, and this is my career, and I get to do with it what I want to do with it, and we get to express ourselves in the way that we want to express ourselves.”

For the Star Tribune, Bob Timmons wrote about the upcoming Twin Cities Marathon, including its increase of non-binary runners, something that more organizations have been accepting of in recent years.

• “When it comes to inclusiveness, Twin Cities Marathon (TCM) organizers are seeking wins, too. This Sunday's race has the most nonbinary runners yet, continuing an upward trend since the marathon created the division in 2019. The numbers might seem small but they represent legitimacy to some in the LGBTQ community for an industry still finding its way.”

Also ahead of the TCM, Sheila Mulrooney Eldred from the Sahan Journal wrote about Verna Volker, the founder of Native Women Running, and her role in creating opportunities for Indigenous people in the sport.

• “She rarely saw other Native runners at races or on social media. People say running is for everyone, Volker explained, but she didn’t experience that to be true. This sense of marginalization in the running scene felt especially unfair given that her Navajo people have been running for more than 1,000 years.”

---

I’m always on the lookout for women’s sports news and equity in sports, especially as I’m looking forward to diving into my third package for Ithaca Week, which relates to both areas. Let me know which articles you enjoyed and if you’ve been reading anything good lately!