First off, how has coronavirus impacted both your life and your training? How have you dealt with all the uncertainty around the delay? 

It has put an interesting twist on preseason. I’m trying my best to have some structure throughout the days. Staying on a good eating schedule, as well as remaining active as much as possible has helped a lot. Maintaining fitness is my biggest focus right now, until we’re able to start training again. The delayed start to the season is obviously unfortunate, but it’s building up my excitement even more for when we do get to start.

Going back to the beginning: you were originally drafted by Portland, then traded to Orlando three days later. What was your mindset like knowing you were about to be playing with stars like Alex Morgan and Marta? 

It started out as a whirlwind. Like, drafted by Portland, yay. And then three days later, nope, nevermind, heading to Orlando. I was really excited to get picked up by any team, but joining a team with players like that was definitely a bit nerve wracking. And I went in late as well cause I finished school first, so everyone else was used to playing with each other and being in Orlando.

I’m pretty shy, so I didn’t really say anything for at least the first couple of days. Just kept to myself, did what I had to do, and listened. But the team was great and very welcoming, making sure I wasn’t too nervous. And as the days went on, I started to have more conversations off the field. Players like Chi [Ubogagu] and Dani [Weatherholt] took me under their wings and made sure I was comfortable with everything. It took me a couple of weeks to adapt to the speed and I definitely had to turn my brain on a bit more. I kinda just got thrown into games and just went from there.

You pretty quickly went from new kid on the block to being one of the team’s leading scorers. What allowed you to make such a big jump?  

So my first trip, I can’t remember the dates exactly, but it was only a couple of weeks after I had gotten there. I didn’t expect to travel with the team, but I did. I didn’t play at all in the first game in Seattle, but then the next couple of games, I saw a couple of minutes. And then maybe a month later, I started my first game against Boston. And that was just surreal. It was amazing to get that opportunity. As time went, I felt like I really fit in with the team and was just able to contribute and develop as a player, especially going from that first year to the next. I wasn’t a consistent starter, but when I did get in, I made the most of my minutes. Scored a few goals. And then the third year I became a consistent starter, which was one of my goals. I feel like just getting minutes and actually getting to play a lot is really what helped me.

A lot of players struggle with the transition from being a star in college to then having to restart the whole journey in some sense of first being a back-up again and then having to slowly work their way onto the field. How’d you handle that mentally? 

Like you said, going from college and being the star to not even starting or maybe not even traveling, it’s definitely tough. And I think that in the back of my mind, I was just never satisfied with the minutes I got or how I played and stuff like that. I mean, you got to the pros, but are you really where you want to be? I just tried to make the most of every minute I got. I continued to work my hardest and slowly build my confidence, even if I was only getting 20 minutes a game. I made the most of it while also never being satisfied with minutes I was given.

You were traded to Chicago in the offseason. What are your thoughts about changing teams? 

I love Orlando, love the sunshine, and I’m definitely going to miss that. The team was always great with us, treated us really well. And you know, everyone could see we had such a star-studded team on paper, but for some reason things just hadn’t really clicked with us there. After being there three years, I was pretty comfortable there and I was really happy. But I think for my personal growth, I needed a change and I needed to try something new and be put in a new environment to try and challenge myself. So in the end, I’m hoping the move will be really good for me in that I am able to grow and have new experiences with different players and a new coach.

What makes you excited about Chicago in particular as the next stop on your journey? 

Chicago’s obviously been really successful in the past, so I just hope that I can help build on that success. Before I was traded, I didn’t know all of them obviously, but just from what I had heard about the girls, it sounded like they were a really great group. Team players, really team-focused and team-driven. And that’s what I love to be a part of. It’s just a team that is really all together and you know, fights for each other and works hard for each other, but also, you know, can have a laugh and is really enjoying what they’re doing.

And then on the field, obviously they’re going to need someone to step in and fill all the goals Sam Kerr scored. Katie Johnson is still there, and then adding Kealia [Ohai] and Makenzy [Doniak] and myself, I think we have the potential to have a pretty lethal front line this year, and I want to do everything I can to be a part of that.

You’re going into your fourth year. How has the league evolved since you joined? 

I think it’s been really great just to see the development from my first year till now. Definitely a lot of steps in the right direction, including the new TV deals and the salary cap being raised. Now we have housing provided for year round. All those things make such a difference, and they really show you just how hard everyone is working in the league to make it better and to improve every step of the way.

There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the 2020 season, but what would be your goals on the field for yourself and the team?

Team-wise is to make a run in the playoffs. I think with the success they’ve had, the ultimate goal this year is to win the league. But just game by game, we will have to grow as a new group. And my personal goal is to do everything I can to fit in with that group and get the most goals that I can and just do whatever the team needs me to do. I love to score goals, so hopefully I’ll have a chance to get some goals this year. But overall, I just want to do everything I can, work as hard as I can, to help the team be the best that we can.

Megan Oyster is a defender for the Houston Dash of the NSWL, who just last week returned to training for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Oyster spoke with Just Women’s Sports about what it was like to be back on the field, how the Dash are keeping players safe, and what happens next.  

The Dash are officially the first team back in training. What has that process been like and how has it been communicated to the players? 

It’s definitely been a whirlwind. The league has broken up our schedule and our timeline into phases, which I think has really helped all of us with our mindset. The communication has come mainly from the NWSLPA. They’ve done a phenomenal job keeping us in the loop. As players, we’re just trying to take everything day by day. There’s phases that we have to go through, and right now we’re in phase 1B, which just means individual training and being able to get back out to the facility. Mentally and emotionally it’s definitely been a lot of ups and downs, because we still really don’t know what’s going to happen next. But our team, and the girls around the league that I’ve spoken to, are all on the same page. We’re just trying to stay focused, trying to stay sharp, and doing all that we can to just stay sane. We still don’t know if there’s going to be a season, so we just have to take it day by day and wait for the next phase to be implemented. Keep communicating with each other, and just make sure that everyone’s kind of doing their part and staying with it.

What was that first practice back like? How was safety enforced? 

It was pretty crazy. I’m very thankful that they opened the fields for us, because quality field space has been really tough to find. Going into practice, we had to wear a mask. We got our temperature checks before we took the field. Everything’s six feet apart, obviously. All of the different fields at our training grounds have been sectioned off into different quadrants. I was on field 5B and could only be in that quadrant. If players are roommates, they can share a quadrant, but otherwise we’re not even allowed to pass to each other. It’s all really regulated, and we know we have to follow the protocols for safety measures.

And the club is really strict, too. It’s not like, “Oh, hey, we’re going to look the other way. Do you whatever you’re going to.” There’s actual people, like field marshals, watching our workouts and making sure we’re staying in our quadrants. And then after training the Dash and Dynamo equipment managers go around to wipe down all the goals with sanitizer. It’s really, really intense. They’re not messing around.

Yeah, today was a really good day ????⚽️#HoldItDown pic.twitter.com/HP7Si1hPES

— Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) May 7, 2020

How would you describe the team’s overall reaction to being back on the field? 

It was tough to be next to each other and not be able to play with one another, but I think everyone was just really excited to be out on the field. It’s kind of a weird feeling, but to see your teammates doing what they do behind the scenes in their own homes, working extremely hard, setting up technical drills to work on their game, and to up their game, and shooting, and sprinting, and doing agility drills just to stay sharp — It was really inspiring. And it was really cool just to know that we’re all in it together and that we’re all working towards the same goal.

Were there any moments of frustration or were you just happy to be back? 

There are definitely moments. When you’re sectioned into your own quadrant and you look to the right and left and you see your teammates right there but you’re not allowed to pass them a ball — that doesn’t really make sense. I know that this is what has to happen right now, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t moments of frustration. But obviously the whole world is going through this, so what are you going to do? It’s easy to lose perspective, but it quickly comes back.

I’m actually really impressed. This is a huge organizational effort on behalf of the club. 

Totally. The club is really mindful about the protocols that have to be followed, and I think they’re setting the tone for the rest of the league. Because obviously everyone wants to play and everyone wants to get back out there. But if we’re going to do it we have to do it the right way. We can’t take any shortcuts when peoples’ health is at stake. There can’t be anyone going behind the scenes and doing things that aren’t sanitary or not taking it seriously. And right now the club is taking it very seriously and I really appreciate it.

⚽️⚽️⚽️ #DashOn pic.twitter.com/tP0P7EGsea

— Megan Oyster (@MeganOyster) May 6, 2020

Alexis Jones plays guard for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA. Below, she spoke with Just Women’s Sports about her relationship with Adidas, her favorite cross-training workouts, and how she’s managing to rehab her knee while also training under quarantine. You can find an earlier interview with Alexis Jones about her draft day experience and her time with the Minnesota Lynx here.

Adidas has made a big push to invest in women’s sports. Can you talk about your experience with the brand and how they’ve supported you through your injuries?

Adidas has been super great to me, with anything I need. They’re always there for me and right now we have the #hometeam going on, where we got together all our Adidas athletes, and we’re just trying to show our fans and our community our activity while staying inside. We want to show them we’re still working out. And we’re just trying to get that positive energy to everybody who has to stay in the house right now. We’re trying to give the love back to our fans and show them that we’re here, and we’re going to support them in any cause, in any way.

What have you been doing while you’ve been quarantined?

I’ve been working out, keeping with the same routine I’ve had for the last three months. I made a hashtag video for Adidas where I showed them my boxing workouts I do. I’ve been really harping on these boxing workouts I’ve been doing lately.

#stayhome... working out is always a option for me! Stay moving and stay safe y’all !! @adidas @atlantadream @DrewdotCash #hometeam #makeembelieve pic.twitter.com/6WozazcDNY

— Alexis Jones (@real_alexisj) March 25, 2020

Ashley Hatch plays as a forward for the Washington Spirit of the NWSL. Selected by the North Carolina Courage with the second pick in the 2017 NWSL draft, Hatch was named the 2017 NWSL Rookie of the Year as she helped the Courage win that year’s NWSL Shield. Below, she spoke with Just Women’s Sports about what makes her a unique forward, why she thinks Washington’s owner is setting a new standard, and her own potential future with the USWNT.

First off, how has coronavirus impacted both your life and your training?

The virus has unfortunately prevented us from starting our pre-season and is preventing us from getting together to work out and practice. It has impacted my life just like it has everyone else’s life. It has forced me to stay home and get creative with how I spend my time and how I get my workouts done. I have been preparing all off-season for this season so I’m just looking at it like a little extension to my prep and using this time to focus on some things I want to get better at.

The Washington Spirit seems to have built out a really young core over the last few years, and you have a lot of high-ceiling rookies coming in. Can you speak to what it’s like to be a part of that? 

Like you said, we have a lot of incoming rookies and a lot of people who are transferring over from either other teams or are coming over from overseas. It’s kind of weird cause I feel like I’m still one of those young players, but I’m not. Like, this’ll be my fourth season in the NWSL. But it’s super fun and it’s exciting to have a lot of young players because they’re all so eager to learn and to play and compete. And I think that just adds to our culture as a team. And off the field, because we’re all in a similar age group, it’s easy for us to get along.

The team has been in a bit of a rebound the past couple years. What has that been like and what are your goals going into this season? 

It’s been quite the ride. I mean, this will be my third season now with the Spirit and this will be my first time having the same coaching staff for consecutive years. I mean you’re always getting used to new players, but getting used to a new coach and coaching staff and style of play is very challenging to do year after year. But we were successful last year compared to the year before, and so I think this year we’re really excited because we already have that foundation and those standards have been set.

You yourself have gotten better every year you’ve been in the league. What are your personal goals going into this season? 

That’s a good question. I mean, I don’t really think my goals have ever changed. As a forward, as I’m sure every forward would tell you, you want to be the leading goalscorer on your team. You want to be the leading goalscorer in the league. You want to be helping your team by scoring goals and contributing to wins. And obviously, making the national team is something that I think every US player is striving for.

What kind of opportunities have you had with the national team so far? 

I have two caps with them, and then I’ve been in a few camps, so I’m a camp-goer, I guess you could say, but it hasn’t been consistent. I think I’m doing well in the league and just continuing to push myself there I think will help my case for more opportunities. It’s something I can continue to work toward.

The front line for the national team right now is loaded, but most of those players are on the older end, relatively speaking. You’re only 24. There’s going to be opportunities. Do you ever think like, I could be in this next batch of forwards? 

Hmm. It’s in the back of my mind, definitely. But I don’t know. I try to just focus on what I’m doing here with the Spirit. Thinking that far into the future isn’t going to help me, whereas I think focusing on where I am right here, right now, will help me be prepared for whatever happens. Like you said, it feels like there might be an opportunity coming by, but in the meantime, I just want to stay focused so I can make sure that when any opportunity does come, I’m ready and I’ve put in a good case for myself.

As a forward, your game seems pretty unique, especially for the league. You’re taller and you’re strong, but you’re also very much a skill player. Do you also see that as a unique combination? My sense is the league tends to have forwards that play big, strong, fast and straight ahead. 

That’s a good observation, and I thank you for the compliment. Before I transitioned to playing forward, I was an attacking center mid in high school. And so I was pretty crafty and had some good ball skills, which I didn’t want to lose as a forward, where a lot of times it is straight run and gun or just being strong on the ball and having a god strike. And if you’re good at those things, you’re going to be a good forward. But I think playing center mid growing up, I was able to keep a little bit of that and integrate it into my game as a forward. Sometimes it is hard because coaches want me to be a traditional nine and post up player, but that wasn’t my style growing up, so it’s something I’ve had to learn. But I would rather try and learn that than have to try and learn how to be a crafty player at this point.

Looking back at your rookie year, what stands out to you? 

I think that my rookie season, I just learned so much about the whole professional world, how to be a professional athlete, how to take care of yourself, how to play the game, how to improve, how to deal with contracts and all these other things that we’re never a part of my life before. I feel like my rookie season, I was kind of just like a sponge. I really sucked it all in. And I learned a lot from the veterans on the team and the girls who have been doing it a while. I also came to understand the business side of it, because even though I had a good season and I really enjoyed my time, I knew they didn’t want me back at the end of the year. They had to do what was best for the club and that was to trade me. So I feel like I kind of got thrown into the world of professional soccer really fast.

But with each different team I’ve been a part of, and each different club that I’ve been able to play for, I’ve learned, you know, what it takes to successfully run a club, especially from the owner’s perspective. I mean, Steve [Baldwin], our owner now, has done tremendous things for our club. He’s made such a difference in just the year that he’s been our owner. It’s exciting for the future of not only our club but the NWSL because owners like Steve kind of set that standard.

What do you think Steve’s done that’s been especially beneficial? 

He’s always high energy, and he has high belief. There’s no wavering in that. He just goes out there and represents us, and he’ll literally talk to anyone about money and sponsorships. He does a really good job of getting things in the works and getting us better sponsorships. He’s not afraid of people saying no, but a lot of people have said yes. I think he has like, no joke, five meetings a day with potential sponsors and current sponsors. And not only is he working on our sponsorships, but he’s doing a lot for the league as a whole in terms of finding partners.

He makes you excited to be a part of this movement for the Spirit. His efforts show you just how much faith he has in us as players and as a program. We have to hold ourselves to a higher standard, because we know Steve is going out to vouch for us. He treats female athletes like the athletes they are, and we know he’s going to fight for us.

You live cross country from your husband for half of the year while you’re playing. How do you two handle that part of the professional athlete experience? 

It’s definitely hard, but we just make it work and it’s kind of like a normal part of our lives now. I think it helps that he’s super, super supportive and is one of my biggest fans. It makes me so happy when he’s like, Oh my gosh, I can’t wait for this season to start, I just want to watch you guys play again. He’s just so invested and really enjoys it. And I don’t think, honestly it would be possible for us to have this long distance relationship if he wasn’t that way. So it’s definitely hard, but being with someone who’s supportive and who you truly love makes it doable.

Alyse LaHue is the general manager of Sky Blue FC of the NWSL. Below, she spoke with Just Women’s Sports about how she’s managing her front office in the midst of a pandemic, the potential for the NWSL to return this summer, and the impact of coronavirus on the world of women’s sports.

How did your front office react to the initial outbreak of the virus? 

From day one, we knew we were going to need to figure out how to make a community with our fans and engage them digitally. As the pandemic hit, we all learned how to use Zoom really quickly and how to interact as a staff. And I just told everyone, “From this day forward, you all have new jobs. Your job is now digital. So you have to see with new eyes, you’ve got to think with a new brain. If you were in sales before, we’re really not selling anything right now. Sponsorships are on hold. Now is about interacting with the community, trying to put a smile on people’s faces.”

How has your team adjusted to working in a virtual office?

We knew we had to figure out how to innovate in the digital space, and everybody was on board, which is all I can ask for my staff. This doesn’t work if I don’t have them. We use the term “nimble” a lot. We try to remain nimble at all times, in terms of pivoting and shifting quickly. And the staff is always willing to shift quickly with me when I ask, and I think their willingness to do so is the reason we’ve been successful.

I think one bright spot of this whole thing is when you get your back up against a wall, you have to innovate and you have to think in a different way, and that’s what I’ve challenged our staff to do during this time. What’s the thing that’s never been done before? What are the things other sports teams aren’t thinking of, and why not us? I don’t care about the history, I only care about where we’re at now and where we’re going, so why not us? Let us figure out the new way of doing things.

You mentioned community. Why is that a focus, and how are you building community in the midst of a lockdown? 

Going into this season, we knew we wanted to develop a sense of community around the team. That was one of our big key words, and we decided we weren’t going to let the pandemic change that. Right now, keeping that sense of community means finding as many ways as we can to interact online, whether with our season ticket members or with the greater women’s soccer community.

And we’ve taken an approach with our players that’s really person first, player second. Obviously we’re trying to do the best we can with training and online yoga sessions and watching film and all of that, but we’re also just having casual coffee chats, and we’ve had a weekly webinar with different folks who are experts in various topics. We’ve had a nutritionist, and last night we had a sports psychologist. Next week we have somebody from the Yale School of Management talking about entrepreneurship. So we’re trying to activate their brains as well during this time, and again, take a people-first approach to this, which I think is important. Because mental health is obviously something that must be weighing on everybody. I know it’s weighing on me.

I’ve seen the way it weighs on the players, and so I think the most important thing that we can do as a club at this time is to be a support system for them. It’s less about worrying about their fitness levels and more just caring for each other. Just having that empathy to know that this is a really difficult time.

I think that’s really important and I’m happy you’re making that commitment. What is your sense of the state of the league at the moment? 

I remain optimistic, which is hard to do sometimes during this — I’m not going to lie about that. Because we don’t know for certain what will become of the league. But as a league, I think we’ve gotten really creative in thinking through what the contingency plans could look like for the season. Obviously we want the players to stay fit, because a time could come when we can get back out to training and then hopefully get back to playing games again. But that’s a big unknown right now.

And I think that goes for all of society, there’s so many unknowns right now. So again, I remain optimistic about what our season could look like, but we don’t know the timing of when it’s going to happen. Our players will do the best they can to stay fit and we’ll provide them as many tools as we can. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to make sure everybody mentally is holding on during this time and that has to stay at the forefront of our minds.

NWSL preparing to re-open training camps May 16. Details: #uswnt https://t.co/yhpdq9jgV0

— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) April 30, 2020

It was reported today [April 30th] that the NWSL is looking to bring players in starting on May 16th. What can you say about this development? 

Yeah, I mean that’s been a roving target. It’s moved three or four times in terms of return to full training. We’re under indefinite shelter-at-home orders in New Jersey, so I don’t presume by May 16th that we’re just going to be able to return to outdoor activities in a large scale way.

Our league has relied on a medical task force to provide them the best advice during all this. These are experts from the medical community, so we’ve really relied on them to provide us insight into the best way to return to training. And there’s a lot of talk about phased-in training which you’ve seen in some places in Europe, where it’s not going to be the full team just hopping back on the field again, but maybe starting with small groups, individual groups spaced out within the field.

So there’s a lot of unique and innovative things on the table to try to get the players back out there. Again, I think it’s more for their own mental health to be back out there playing, but it’s got to be done in a safe way. And I appreciate that our league has not tried to rush this in any way because there’s so many factors at play here that you have to navigate.

Obviously the pandemic is bad for everyone and for all sports, but there’s also been a lot of talk around how it is particularly bad for women’s sports. What are your thoughts on the topic?  

I put out a weekly women’s sports business newsletter every Wednesday, and yesterday I was overwhelmed by the amount of content that was in there. I had people texting me like, “Holy cow! The newsletter is long this week.” And I was thinking as I was going through the news, the thing that sucks is so much of it was asking, how are women’s sports going to survive? And I actually contemplated, like, “Should I include this or not? I don’t want to read this.”

For somebody that works in women’s sports, I want to be optimistic and not have to think about those things. But it is a reality. And for women’s clubs that are tied into men’s clubs, it’s kind of the easy thing to chop off, right? You can just cut those expenses or cut the women’s team entirely. And I think there’s a lot of fear around the world right now of that happening.

But look, we’ve existed off of 4% of media attention for a very long time, so I don’t think that’s going to dramatically change with a pandemic. It’s not going to increase, and how can it dramatically decrease? We’re already in the media basement. There’s nowhere else to go. So from that standpoint, I think it’s much ado about nothing. I’m not worried about media coverage right now.

The thing that keeps me up at night is certainly thinking through the situation from a financial perspective. I do believe the fans will be back. They’re going to support us, and our season ticket members have been incredible through this time. But I worry about sponsorships. I do. That’s a really big financial piece of the puzzle for us, so that one keeps me up at night. But I do believe companies are going to be looking for unique and strategic ways, especially digitally, to interact with consumers, and I believe I’ve put my club in the best position possible to capitalize on that through all the connections we’ve made with the community during this time. So that’s really all I can do, is stay optimistic and do the best I can to set the stage for the future.

Alexis Jones plays guard for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA. She played two seasons at Duke before transferring to Baylor, where she was a 2x First-team All-Big 12 selection. Drafted by the Minnesota Lynx in 2017, Jones played two seasons with the team before being traded to the Los Angeles Sparks. She signed with the Dream this past offseason. She spoke with Just Women’s Sports about her draft day experience, her advice to the incoming rookies, and how Cheryl Reeve’s tough love helped make her the player she is today.

The 2020 WNBA draft was last week. Looking back, what do you remember about your draft day experience? 

It was a dream come true. I remember getting to New York, it was like, okay, this is real. I’m in New York. My family also got to come, which made it a great experience. And then I got to talk with Adidas, which was amazing. I used to dream about getting a shoe endorsement when I was younger. And so to have the opportunity to be a part of the Adidas family was a really big honor, especially because for women, there’s not a lot of opportunities out there for girls to be a part of a shoe company. So I was really super happy, proud, and appreciative of that. They’ve been amazing to work with.

What was it like having to wait to hear your name called?

I was nervous, because I was expected to go sixth or seventh, so when I didn’t hear my name being called, I was like, yo, I don’t know what’s about to happen. But then next thing you know, I end up getting picked up by Minnesota. I was like, cool. As long as I didn’t drop to the second round, I’m fine. I never expected in life to be going to Minnesota, but I was happy because I knew I’d have a chance to be around some of the top girls in the nation.

The Lynx were in the middle of their dynasty at the time. Do you remember what the first thing that went though your head was when you realized you were heading to Minnesota? 

Not going to lie, the first thing going through my head was, I know I’m not about to play. I got that through my head real quick. I’m not that good at enjoying the moment, so I was automatically thinking about basketball. But then I got to speak to Seimone Augustus on the phone, and that was super dope. To be on a call with Seimone Augustus was super inspirational for me right there at that moment. It was a wonderful feeling.

There wasn’t really time to celebrate, though, because I knew I was about to be on the bench. I was like, I have got to get in the gym. Contracts aren’t guaranteed, and I didn’t want to get waived. So I had a little draft party when I got back home, but the next day I was in the gym.

What are your thoughts on the incoming rookie class? 

I think there’s a lot of good guards coming. The past few years there’s been a lot of great guards. I played with Lauren Cox before, and I’m super proud of her. I also played with Beatrice, who was taken by the Sparks. Super proud of her as well. I like the girl from Texas A&M a lot [Chennedy Carter, Atlanta’s first round pick]. We’re both Texas people. She for sure has a lot of game in her and a lot of swag, too, which is great to come into league with swag. I think all these young girls, they just have a whole bunch of swag. I love it. They all got energy, and everything that’s coming to them is well-deserved.

You transferred from Duke to Baylor after tearing your ACL during your sophomore. Can you talk about what went into that decision? 

I think I got to a point where I was just too far from home. I just needed people to be around me at that moment. A lot of times my dad would call, and he would want to come see me play, but he couldn’t. And when I was injured I started to think… that maybe this is God calling and telling me to be back close to home where I can just be happy. And so I just took the jump.

It was definitely a scary feeling, because you never know how the next coach is going to treat you. And I knew Kim was a hard-nosed coach. Plus my dad was even preaching at me to stay. He did not want me to go. But I really wanted to be close to home, and at some point I just felt like, no matter how hard it might get, I’m going to always be me at the end of the day. I know I play hard. I know I work hard and that no matter what happens, I’m going to go in and do what the team needs me to do.

The jump from college to professional must have been an even bigger transition. How did you make that adjustment?

I think I just got blessed to be in Minnesota. I had great teammates like Mone [Seimone Augustus], Lindsay [Whalen], Maya [Moore]. I took every opportunity to learn everything I could from them. And they really brought me in. When I would get in the game for my two minutes, they would try to make my two minutes seem like they were the two minutes of a Hall of Famer.

And Coach Reeve gave me tough love. Man, my first game, I ain’t ever going to forget. My first game, I was talking to Mone, and I was just talking to Mone. I knew I wasn’t going to play. Of course, if coach wanted to put me in, I was ready. But I had already accepted that I probably wasn’t going to play that game. So then Coach Reeve came over and started talking to Mone. She turns to me and just says, you know you’re not going to play this year, right? And I was just like… I had nothing to say. Mone told me later not to worry about her, but after that, it was always bittersweet being coached by her. I don’t have any bad blood with her or anything. I enjoyed it, and I think that’s where I learned to grow up. She brought that hunger out of me. She just kept making me more hungry and hungry to get where I wanted to be.

You were a first round pick and an amazing college player, but obviously it can still be a tough transition. There’s a lot of players who just got drafted who are in the same shoes you were in. What would you say to them? 

Stay focused on what you believe in and know what you’re coming into. And I would say always be willing to learn. If you’re willing to learn, you can go so far in this basketball game. You can be one of the greats if you are willing to learn.

Shelina Zadorksy plays as a defender for both the Orlando Pride of the NWSL and the Canada women’s national team. With the CWNT, Zadorsky won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Below, she discusses Canada’s decision (before the games were officially postponed) to withhold athletes from the Tokyo Olympics, as well as how she’s both training under quarantine and handling the uncertainty surrounding the start of the NWSL season.

What did you think of Canada’s decision to announce its withdrawal from the Olympics ahead of the official cancellation? What was your overall impression of how the Canadian Olympic Committee handled the situation? 

Canada made the right move with the COC. Everything going on in the world is bigger than sports. The safety of the athletes and all those involved is most important. I’m proud of how the COC handled themselves and proud that other countries followed suit. Obviously, the IOC wanted to keep the games. They had to react to everything in real time, so I understand why they were a little slow, but they ultimately made the right call. I’m also very thankful the games were postponed and not cancelled.

Walk us through the moment when you heard the games were officially being pushed back. What was going through your head?

Because we already had all the build up, and the COC had already pulled out, when the final decision was announced I think I mostly felt relief. Obviously, it would have been really difficult to have had the games and not been a part of it, even if we knew it was the right call by Canada and the other countries to keep their athletes home. So ultimately, I just felt relief knowing everyone was on the same page.

#TeamCanada will not send athletes to Games in summer 2020 due to COVID-19 risks.

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— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) March 23, 2020

What have the conversations been like between you and your Canadian teammates throughout all this? 

Our conversations and communication have been really positive. Throughout the whole process, both the leadership group within our team and our coaches have been really open and transparent in their conversations with us. Mostly, we’ve just been checking in to make sure everyone is okay and feels supported during this time. We’re even doing video workouts together!

How does being quarantined impact your training both personally and as a team?

Obviously, not being on the field with your team and feeling like you’re not getting better to play a 90 minute game with your team is really hard as an athlete. But in this time, you just have to focus on what you can do. We had a Zoom workout with around 20 of us earlier led by my CNT strength and conditioning coach. I am also lucky to live in a warm place (Orlando) where I can social distance but still run and do some speed, agility and ball work outside.  I have also been slowly adding pieces to my home gym so I can do workouts inside — I just got a stationary bike, which is pretty exciting.

There is some clarity around when the Olympics will happen, but still no clarity on when the NWSL season will start. Are you just focused on staying fit as you possibly can?

Yes and no… Right now it’s about managing our energy with a lot of unknowns.  Basically, I want to just stay mentally and physically prepared to go into a pre-season at a moment’s notice. But I also know there’s no clear timeline, so I have to focus on not getting burned out. I try to make small gains every day.

How has your life off the field been affected by the pandemic?

I’ve always known that I’m a social person, and I really have felt that in this time. I really love being around people and having that community so isolating can be really difficult. Obviously, it’s what we need to do to get to the other side of this. So I’m talking on the phone more, and I’ve become really thankful for FaceTime and having the ability to check in with people that are far away.

Anything else you would like to share?

Just that we all need to do our part and socially distance so we can get past this and get back to doing what we love. But also that while we’re in these tough times, I think we can learn a lot about ourselves and what’s really important to us.

Hilary Knight is one of the most decorated players in the history of women’s ice hockey. As a member of Team USA, Knight has won an Olympic gold medal, two Olympic silvers, and eight gold medals at the IIHF World Championships. In 2019, Knight was among a group of more than 200 of the world’s best players who announced they would not be suiting up for any professional league until better pay and working conditions were secured. Below, Knight goes into detail about her decision to walk away, what she hopes to achieve, the potential of women’s hockey, and much, much more.

Since its formation in 2015, there have been difficulties surrounding athlete pay and working conditions in the NWHL. How would you describe your experience dealing with these issues? 

From the get-go, all of us athletes were extremely excited about the promise and the opportunity that the NWHL could provide for the future of women’s ice hockey. And we initially kept quiet about the conditions we were playing in and the pay. But as I played in the league over the years and saw the way things unfolded, whether it was our athletes not getting paid or not having the resources we needed, or a bus showing up three hours late, or a bus not having a bathroom when we’re traveling from Boston to Buffalo — these were all slaps in the face that kept adding up.

I understood that the league was building as we took off, but I think we were ultimately sold a dream that wasn’t ever going to become a reality. The NWHL was not ready to support us in the ways we needed and deserved. In the beginning I gave it time, and then I just realized that it was never going to grow into the league that could support its athletes. I wanted it to be a sustainable and competitive league that gives players adequate resources and funding that they can rely on. But I was seeing fellow athletes leasing apartments on the premise that they were going to get paid, but instead they had their payment cut in half and taken out from underneath them. That was really difficult to see and endure, especially when we are talking about moving in and out of expensive cities like Boston or New York — these were significant housing costs that players were not able to cover on their own without a supplemented salary or separate income.

What was the thought process behind choosing to not play in any North American league this year? 

At a certain point, I just thought that the NWHL was never really going to get where it needed to be, and so I decided to move to Canada and play for the CWHL. I knew the CWHL wasn’t the answer either, but it provided a more competitive environment and potential stability. But months later, the CWHL ended up folding, which was a heartbreak in itself, but it allowed a handful of us to take a step back and ask ourselves: what are we doing here? We realized that we were continuing this self-perpetuation of women’s hockey, and that the sport is never going to get to where it needs to be unless it has the right leadership, the right business model, the right amount of resources and obviously the right players to push it forward.

How would you describe the purpose of what you’re doing with the PWHPA (Professional Women’s Hockey Player Players Association)? 

This is for the future of the game. We’re trying to build something that’s bigger and better than what is currently out there. Not only for ourselves but also for the younger girls who dream of playing professional hockey. We think change is necessary, and that is ultimately why we’re not playing in any league in North America right now.

My teammates and I know that we have an opportunity to do something for the next generation. We’ve taken a step back and realized that we have two choices. We can conveniently go play for a league that is not going to give us everything that we want, which only fills the need for now. Or we can put our feet down and really fight for the right to play in a situation that’s both built for us to succeed now and also provides a suitable structure for the next generation of players.

Do you think that women’s hockey has the fanbase to support a large professional league? How would an investor know that the potential returns are there? 

I think women’s hockey does have a strong fan base, but I think ice hockey in general is a little bit further behind other sports in terms of fans. It’s a little more insulated, so we have some ground to make up in terms of making the sport more accessible and inclusive. I think this will be a pivotal factor in taking hockey to the next level, as more participation will lead to more fans.

In terms of women’s hockey specifically, for so many years, I thought the product was the issue. I thought being a woman on ice was the issue. And that couldn’t be further than the truth. Our skill sets, the game, the level of competition, the physicality, the speed — all of it is a perfect mixture for delivering a high quality product. Now, on the other hand, I do think we have a visibility issue, and that’s an issue across all female sports. Whether that’s in the workplace, on the field, on the ice, or on the court. We’ve never been given the space to develop our sport. The men have had so many years, if not centuries, to plant seeds to develop their sport, and the women just haven’t been able to do that. We’ve never been given the opportunity nor had the amount of time to really grow the same way. So that’s why I say it’s not a product issue, it’s a visibility issue. And if we can continue to deliver on the visibility, fans will show up. Fans will turn on the TV.

Do you have games you can point to that show what visibility and publicity can do for the sport? 

So I went to the University of Wisconsin, and our team had one of the highest attendance averages for an NCAA team at the time. We had a game that had 15,000 plus fans. This was at the collegiate level, which is insane. And people said no one watched women’s hockey or women’s college hockey. But the reality is if we’re not on TV, if we’re not being streamed, if people don’t know we are playing, they’re not going to show up. People in Wisconsin knew we were playing, so they showed up. And that’s why we continued to develop a fan base there. The same notion goes for the professional level. If no one knows we’re playing in Minnesota, no one is going to show up to our game in Minnesota.

I think back to when the NHL Anaheim Ducks hosted the USA Hockey team for the last stop of our rivalry series with Canada. That game set an attendance record in the US. They ended up having to open up more seating to accommodate fans. And part of the reason fans showed up is because the Duck’s marketing department advertised our game. People knew ahead of time that the game was happening and sure enough, a ton of fans came to cheer us on. There are skeptics that think that no one will show up to women’s games, but it’s just not true. We’ve proven the interest is there.

Let’s talk more specifically about your individual position. You’re the de-facto face of women’s hockey right now. How are you embracing that role and the pressure that comes with it?

There’s definitely pressure, and I think most of it comes from not wanting to have a misstep or ever misguide people. I want to be great on the ice and I want to be great off the ice. But I’ve also learned that you can’t do everything at once, so off the ice I really try to pick what’s most important and then focus on that when I’m not training. Whether it’s through my on-ice performances, or just being a great citizen in my community, I want to be a great role model for people who are looking for inspiration. I mean, it’s just so cool to be able to have a positive impact on other people’s lives and to be able to do it through something I love. It is a huge honor and a huge responsibility, but it’s a position where I feel like I can absolutely thrive.

A question about your brand. You often present like a traditional tomboy —  you wear the backwards hats and the beanies. But I’ve seen media images of you where they really doll you up. Neither is better or worse, but do you feel like the media portrays you in a way that is significantly different than how you really are? 

Well, I have definitely changed a bit over the last five or 10 years. I used to be so concerned with how I dressed, how I looked, how people viewed me. I was so consumed with wanting to be forward-facing and presenting the sport in a way that got more people attracted to it. I was so cautious about my image, and I was self-conscious about a certain understanding of what femininity was. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that I need to present a realistic version of myself. And that’s specifically what my Instagram and YouTube channels are about.

I also partnered with Red Bull, which was a huge honor. And because only Red Bull athletes get to wear the Red Bull hat, I got totally hooked on wearing that everyday, to the point that I really hope I’m not balding now. But overall, I do think social norms have continued to develop and advance in different ways, mostly for the better. Femininity used to be a very narrow category where now it’s so much more broader than what even I thought. And now I want to take more advantage of that to share with people what I’m really like as a person off the ice.

Back to business. The NHL itself is a very profitable enterprise. Do you think women’s hockey, with the right investments, could reach that kind of level?

Most definitely. I wouldn’t put a ceiling on growth in any sport. I think if you have the funding and the resources from the get-go on the women’s side, it has the potential to mirror the men’s side. It’s only natural when you get involved in a business that it continues to grow if you give it the right type of nourishment, so to speak.

I’d say our situation is something similar to an entrepreneur who has a fresh business model and is looking for seed money. That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re asking people to buy in and believe in our vision, and help us get to where we know we can be. We have that entrepreneur mindset of wanting to build and grow, while also understanding that we’re a handful of players trying to do it as best as we can. We aren’t a league. We’re an association that’s going to put on tours and help our members while always keeping in mind that we’re working for the next generation.

Why don’t you think the investment has been there on the women’s side?

There’s a handful of reasons, starting with the negative stereotypes surrounding women in sports. It’s a global issue, and you see it in other industries. Women are not receiving equal pay for doing the same amount of work as men. They don’t have the same equity despite putting in the same amount of sweat. And this has been happening for years, so it is hard to break out of that mold. But what is promising is that the world is changing, and this couldn’t be a more exciting time to be a woman in the world. We are getting more opportunities now than ever before, both in and outside of sports, and that makes me really excited for the future. And this is great for both the athletes getting these opportunities, and for the men and women who have been missing out on these incredible performances.

But that’s why I say it’s a visibility issue, rather than a product issue. If we can continue to improve our visibility, fans will show up, they’ll turn on their TVs, because the product is there. And I’m quite confident with that. If you look at where women’s ice hockey is on growth charts and how it’s developing in North America, even if you just look at the youth level, it’s pretty outstanding. We’re moving in the right direction. And we’re all very excited about where the sport can go. But we also understand that we’re maybe 20, 30 years behind soccer. And if you look at where soccer was 20 years ago, the 99ers [the 1999 World Cup winning USWNT] did so much for the generations that followed. That’s a team we’re trying to emulate in a sense, even though they’re in a different sport.

The 99ers are an interesting comparison, because they’re iconic now but they also had to play through a lot of BS during their time. Your approach is obviously different from theirs. How did they inspire you?

I look back to our experience with our equitable support battle with USA hockey [the U.S. women’s national team and USA Hockey agreed to a landmark new contract in 2017 after the players threatened to boycott the IIHF World Championships]. I think you’re always building on the people who came before you, and as role models they provided a lot of insight into how to go through those big, public battles. They did what they could do at the time to push the sport forward, whether that was going door to door to sell tickets to their own events or educating people about women’s soccer. Times are different now, though. We can communicate with the world in a lot of different ways. And obviously, the US women’s soccer team is on different footing now than they were 20 years ago. We still look to them, though, because what they’re doing is awesome. They continue to pick up the torch and sprint forward with it.

How do you respond to critics who say you opted out without a clear set of plans? 

It would be silly to assume that we don’t have a plan, even just given the caliber of supporters that we have, whether that’s Billie Jean King, Secret, Budweiser, Bauer hockey or even Ballard Spahr, our law firm, as well as the hockey talent that we have. Some people have suggested that we opted out without a plan, but that’s definitely not the case. Part of our plan was the Dream Gap Tour, which we’re really looking forward to building off of given how much success we had last year. We have a lot of great people involved, and when you put them all in a room, they’re going to make great things happen.

And what people forget in this back-and-forth dialogue in women’s hockey is that there are about 200 women essentially sacrificing the primes of their careers to not play because they want to find something that promises a better and more financially sustainable future than what the sport is currently offering. When you put it that way, our actions are easy to understand. Granted, not everyone will agree with our vision or views, but if you look historically at women’s sports, we haven’t had the same funding as male sports. And when you look at what has allowed male sports leagues to develop and be sustainable long term, it’s the fact that they have organizations that are providing their athletes with the necessary resources. That’s what we’re after.

Is there a risk that you’ve potentially slowed that progress by creating this rift between the players and the NWHL? 

I think the biggest potential fallout is forcing the fans to choose. That’s a media narrative that’s continuing to be pushed, that it’s us versus them. And that was especially present when we still had the CWHL, and there were two dueling leagues, one in Canada and one in the US. But I don’t think that necessarily hurts or slows the growth. I think there’s just a difference of opinion as to how to move the game forward. I always want to be honest about what I believe is right for the sport, and how people receive it is entirely up to them. I am not on a personal mission to exploit or “destroy” a league, but I will be critical of something that makes lofty claims and doesn’t measure up.

But ultimately, I’d say the future of women’s hockey is extremely bright, and we’re looking forward to taking the sport to the next level. We might not necessarily have a league to play in right now, but we’re helping that young girl who is watching us fight make her dream of becoming a professional hockey player possible. And that’s what everyone wants.

Bethany Balcer plays as a forward for OL Reign of the NWSL. Balcer played collegiately for Spring Arbor University, winning two NAIA national championships and and three NAIA National Player of the Year Awards. After being invited into training camp prior to last season, Balcer became the first NAIA player to ever sign a contract with an NWSL club. She went on to be named the 2019 NWSL Rookie of the Year. Balcer spoke with Just Women’s Sports about her unorthodox path to the NWSL, the impact of coronavirus on the upcoming season, and how she’s managed to keep a consistent mindset throughout her meteoric rise. 

Can you walk me through what your mindset was like when you went in to try out for Reign? 

We had meetings the day before our first day of training, and I remember just walking into the room, not even saying hi to anybody, and just slipping into the back. I was just so nervous not knowing anybody. There were other girls in the same position, but they’d all played each other in college, so I definitely felt pretty isolated. On the field, though, I had a good mindset. I wasn’t letting nerves get the best of me. I was just like, if this is meant to be, then it’ll happen. I tried to not see it as being as big of a mountain as it actually was, and that allowed me to play freely.

It’s a big mental battle because you don’t really know where you stand or what the coach thinks of you. But I just took it day by day, and over time I got more comfortable. And once I got the hang of the pace and the physicality, it just became really fun.

I think confidence is still really undervalued in terms of how it affects performance. Would you say it was a big part of your own success at that trial? 

I think what gave me confidence is that I knew I had nothing to lose. Like, if I made a mistake, it wasn’t a big deal, because they all were probably expecting me to. I mean, they were literally expecting nothing out of me, so everything I did was a surprise. They’d seen a lot of the other girls play before, but I was just a shot in the dark. And I think that helped a lot. Everyone loves a good underdog story, and that’s what it was.

That seems like a really healthy mindset. How do you keep that perspective in a competitive professional environment? 

For me, my identity has never been in soccer. I’m a go with the flow type of person, and even when I’ve had season-ending injuries, I feel like I haven’t been completely shocked. It’s kind of like, if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. And I know soccer is temporary. I’m not going to play for forever. I just want to play for as long as I can, and when it’s time to hang the boots up, I’ll hang them up.

So you go into tryouts with nothing to lose. You make the team, you become a regular start. You start scoring goals. You’re named rookie of the year. You’re getting called up to the national team. You’re seeing this amazing progression in a short amount of time. Have you been able to keep that relaxed attitude as the stakes have gotten bigger? 

I’ve definitely been trying to because that’s what got me here. And I still think in baby steps. I’m like, okay, now that I’m on the team, how I can I start getting minutes? Now I’m getting minutes, how can I start being impactful? After that, it’s how do I become a starter? Even now, when I’ve “made it” in a sense and am getting national team call ups, I’m still thinking about the details of my game that I can work on that will help me stand out at the next level. I think I’ve done a good job proving I belong in this league and can compete at this level, and now it’s about honing my skills and figuring out the little things.

What was the biggest jump from college to the professional league?

It sounds so basic, but the speed of play. I remember the first week of training when I was here, I was sprinting all the time, going as fast as I could, and still falling behind. But that’s what’s required of every play, every minute. It takes a whole other level of energy and physical capacity. I mean, I feel sick after games now because I’m exerting so much to keep up. That’s not something I was used to. I’m way more fit now than I’ve ever been. And the fact that I was on cloud nine all last season, just from being on a team, meant I could go, go, go without ever thinking about how tired I was.

What was it like to win rookie of the year? 

That was crazy. I’m still super humbled by the fact I won that. I mean, there were people telling me throughout the year that I was going to get in, but I still wasn’t thinking about it. I was just focused on trying to win a championship. I just wanted to play the best for my team. But it was definitely special to have something to show for all the hard work over the last few years, both on and off the field. Like I said, I hope it proves to people that the draft isn’t the end-all, be-all, and that there are just so many different paths to get here.

I know there’s some uncertainty surrounding this season, but what are some goals for your second year in the league? 

I want to be a more clinical attacker. Definitely in college, I had so much freedom to just shoot whenever and kind of do my own thing. You don’t get as many opportunities in a game at this level, so now it’s back making the most of when I do get in front of the goal. Instead of just blasting it as hard as I can, I want to work on getting that finessed shot down. I got away with a lot in college just because of the level I was playing at, but now I have to watch for mistakes. So I’m working on cleaning up my touch on the ball and making sure my passes are precise. Little technical things like that. Ultimately, I really want to prove that I can be consistent, and that last season wasn’t a one-year thing.

How has coronavirus impacted your training going into the season?

Obviously corona has shifted our normal day of living. My heart breaks for those who are dealing with the illness. I still train individually, but we have ceased getting together as a whole team for obvious reasons.

How has the delay impacted your mindset?

Offseason is just a little longer this year. That’s my approach to it. The things we do now and the upcoming weeks can determine if we will be great or not. I think a lot of us players are looking at it as an opportunity to work a little extra and push ourselves even further. I hope everyone is taking proper precautions and limiting their interactions with others, because the sooner we can grasp just how serious this is, the better off we’ll be.

Even though the team isn’t training together, have you talked about what your collective goals are? 

As a team, we’re just trying to get our feet under us, because last year with so many injuries, players were coming in and out. We were signing new people like every week. It seemed like our locker room was never the same. Our starting lineup was never the same. And so I think this year Rob is hoping to not have any injuries so we can form a good team cohesion and learn how to take advantage of everyone’s strength.

Lauren Barnes is a defender who plays for both Reign FC in the NWSL and Melbourne City in Australia’s W-League. While sports leagues around the world were shutting down due to the coronavirus, the W-League marched ahead, holding its grand final behind closed doors on March 21st (for context, the NBA shut down on March 11th). Melbourne City topped Sydney FC 1-0 to win the game, but as Barnes explains below, it was difficult to get caught up in any celebrations, as she had to catch what might have been the last flight home. 

You’ve had a crazy last few weeks. Basically every sport was shut down, but you guys were playing in the W-League final. Can you walk us through what that was like?

At the time coronavirus hadn’t really hit Australia that bad, so most people there were just living normally. Even in the week leading up to the final, everything was still open. You could easily go to a café, and there would be 25 to 50 people there. It was crazy to me. Obviously, I had family in the U.S., where everyday things were slowly shutting down and all the sports were being cancelled or postponed. So for me, it was just like, this is crazy that we’re even playing, especially because the virus was spiking so fast around the world. I just couldn’t believe it. As a team, we tried to keep our focus on soccer, but that’s pretty hard when there’s a pandemic going on. It was tough, and it was something none of us had ever experienced, or hopefully will ever experience again.

And what was the actual game like? 

I was so drained going into that final. It felt so weird. I was worried about home, and I was worried about Australia, because every other place started off okay, and then there was this rapid domino effect of everything shutting down. I was expecting the same thing to happen in Australia. Obviously, when you’re in the game and you have the adrenaline everything’s fine, but I remember the final whistle blowing and just feeling relief. There were just so many emotions surrounding that game that had nothing to do with soccer. And when it was over, I just felt like this huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

Was that because you could just focus on getting home at that point?

Yeah. And because leading up to the game, it was like, don’t touch anything, make sure you’re washing your hands, and disinfect this, and disinfect that. Oh and also focus on your role with the team and make sure you’re ready to perform. I mean, every minute you had to think about so many different things. So once it was over, I could relax a bit and get home and just focus on what’s going on in the world.

Coronavirus came a bit late to Australia, but when did you realize that it was a serious issue? 

I think I always took it seriously because of the situation in the states. Coronavirus might have been slow to hit Australia, but a couple days before the final, things were picking up. It was clear that this was real, that countries were shutting down, that Australia was heading toward a lockdown. We were all watching the news. Flights were being cancelled for the international girls, and I had to move mine up to the day after the final to make sure I got out.

Did players or coaches ever openly question whether the final should happen? 

Credit to [Melbourne] City, but I do think they tried everything possible to make sure we were safe. Managers and coaches were always telling us to reach out if there was anything we needed. The locker room was kept clean, and we had a bunch of rules we had to follow. I felt safe, but at the end of the day, you’ve seen how fast this virus spreads. So I knew in the back of my head that this was something we might not have been really prepared for, no matter how prepared we felt.

People in the US couldn’t believe we were still playing, but it wasn’t a big worry in Australia. There was definitely a disconnect though, because you would go through handshakes and not be allowed to touch each other. But then you’d go play a competitive contact sport, where you’re scoring goals and celebrating with your teammates, and you’re in huddles, and you’re touching other players. I mean, we were doing all this stuff to prevent the spread, but you can’t prevent it if you’re actually playing a game. That was just hard for me to fathom. It didn’t make sense. And it definitely affected people, especially the internationals who didn’t know if they were going to be able to get home.