Jamia Fields is a forward for the Houston Dash of the NWSL. 

In the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting, we have seen a lot of athletes using their platforms to demand change. The Black players of the NWSL also released a powerful statement in response. Can you talk to me about what being a part of that statement means and your perspective? 

I think it shows that we’re moving in the right direction. It’s terrible that all these things had to happen, or continue to happen, to come together as Black players in the league to make a statement. But I understand that we’re making a movement together, for the Black athletes in the league and the Black community as a whole.

What was the league’s response to your statements?

I’ve seen a couple statements, but overall the league has been supportive with our statement. They don’t really have a choice because we put it out there. As a Black players union, our goal really is to just come together and have a voice. Hopefully, people support it. If they don’t, we can all keep continuing to learn, but the league has been responding well and we’re appreciative of that. They’re trying to push for change.

After the statements made by Hansen, what is the hope for the future of NWSL ownership and how do you think the league can continue to progress?

Well, yes, the statements — they were terrible. Those things can’t be said. They show zero support. Black players, in this league, and across multiple leagues from the WNBA at the forefront and the MLS… we deserve better. We deserve to be seen. We deserve to fight against the injustices that are happening. And that’s what we’re trying to do.

Does your team or the NWSL have any plans for social justice messaging during the Fall Series at all?

Well, we do have plans. We are trying to lead a few initiatives, and we are trying to really piggyback off of what the WNBA has done. Obviously we have to stand on our own, as our league and ourselves, but we see how the WNBA has progressed and handled fighting for change. We definitely, as a league, as a whole — we need to be role models.

What have you learned about the role that athletes have to play in national conversations around race and social justice?

Well, this world kind of revolves around sports in a way. I’ve just been very proud and thankful for how many men and women athletes have been taking a stand and using their platforms to just really catch the eyes of America, and be like, “Hey, I know we’re good at our craft, but these topics are more important. These topics deserve the attention ahead of our games.” Right? So I’m just really proud of the female and male athletes that have really pushed for this.

 Is there anything that you have personally been using this time to reflect on? 

I just think that I can figure out more ways I can help fight for change. I think all of us wish we just had the one answer that would correct everything. I have been doing a lot of reflecting on how I can continue to use my platform, use my voice, to push for change. Both in the league and in my community.

 What have the conversations been like between teammates while all of this is going on? 

A lot of conversations are happening. We all have different perspectives, we’re all raised differently, we’re of different races. But I think these conversations are important due to the fact that we have been raised differently and we are different. We should come together and see each other’s perspectives. There were a lot of conversations at the tournament, and now, here in Houston, we have been collaborating with the MLS a little bit, trying to figure out how our organizations can make a bigger impact on the Black and Brown community in Houston.

Was there anything else that you wanted to mention that I didn’t bring up?

In sports, our voices are so powerful. And so in these leagues, in these seasons, I keep highlighting the WNBA, and that needs to be pushed in our league because we’re not a minority Black league. The NWSL is predominantly white. We need to try harder with using our voices and our platform, know when our games are aired on TV we can use that platform to be able to show like “Hey, these are injustices that are happening, and we need justice to happen.” I’d just like to really highlight that point.

Hailey Van Lith is reportedly on her way to TCU, says Talia Goodman of The Next Hoops.

The former Louisville star joined LSU for the 2023-24 season, but a disappointing run in Baton Rouge saw her enter the transfer portal once again at the season’s end. Van Lith opted to use her fifth year of eligibility versus declaring for the WNBA draft.

Van Lith was admittedly less effective as a Tiger. Her field goal percentage decreased from .411 in 2022-23 with Louisville to .388 at LSU. She also went from averaging 19.7 points per game to just 11.6, due in part to a change of position from shooting guard to more of a point guard role.

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At an end-of-season banquet last week, LSU coach Kim Mulkey used her speech to wish Van Lith well, calling her "one of the hardest working players that I’ve ever coached."

"Her aspirations were to get drafted this year," Mulkey said, according to NOLA.com. "And she realized, 'I need another year, and I need to go back to a place where I can relax and get back to my normal position.'

"And what do you do? You hug her, and you wish her well."

The decision to commit to TCU may come as a surprise after Van Lith paid a visit to Mississippi State last weekend. The Horned Frogs finished out the 2023-24 season 21-12 overall, coming in 9th in the Big 12 and scoring an average of 69.5 points per game. The program also made headlines in January when they held mid-season open tryouts in response to an onslaught of sidelining injuries.

For the first time in the NWSL's 12-year history, fans can now buy their own goalkeeper jerseys. And while replica goalkeeper jerseys representing all 14 NWSL teams hit the market on Wednesday, some didn't stick around for long. 

Fans across women's soccer have long vocalized their discontent over the position's lack of availability on social media, often comparing the shortcoming to the widespread availability of men’s goalkeeper jerseys. And as the NWSL has grown, so has demand — and not just from those in the stands. 

"To have goalkeeper kits available for fans in the women’s game as they have been for so long in the men’s game is not only a long-awaited move in the right direction, it’s just good business," said Washington Spirit goalie Aubrey Kingsbury in an team press release. "I can’t wait to see fans representing me, Barnie [Barnhart], and Lyza in the stands at Audi!"

just went looking at #nwsl goalkeeper kit stock out of curiosity — Alyssa Naeher's $145 kit already sold out S-XL (league announced GK jerseys on sale 3 hours ago)https://t.co/8bYA7tlwcx

— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) April 17, 2024

Business does, in fact, appear to be booming. Alyssa Naeher’s Chicago Red Stars kit sold out less than three hours after the league's announcement. Jerseys for other keepers like DiDi Haračić, Abby Smith, Michelle Betos, Katelyn Rowland, and Bella Bixby aren’t currently available via the Official NWSL Shop, though blank goalkeeper jerseys can be customized through some individual team sites. Jerseys start at $110 each.

"This should be the benchmark," said Spirit Chief Operations Officer Theresa McDonnell. "The expectation is that all players’ jerseys are available to fans. Keepers are inspiring leaders and mentors with their own unique fan base who want to represent them... I can’t wait to see them all over the city."

Decorated gymnast Simone Biles took to the popular Call Her Daddy podcast this week to open up about her experience at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, revealing she thought she was going to be "banned from America" for her performance.

After Biles botched her vault routine due to a bout of the "twisties," she withdrew from the team final as well as the all-around final in order to focus on her mental health. She later reentered the competition to win bronze in the individual balance beam final.

In her interview with podcast host Alex Cooper, Biles admitted to feeling like she let the entire country down by failing her vault attempt.

"As soon as I landed I was like 'Oh, America hates me. The world is going to hate me. I can only see what they’re saying on Twitter right now,'" she recalled thinking. "I was like, ‘Holy s---, what are they gonna say about me?'"

"I thought I was going to be banned from America," she continued. "That’s what they tell you: Don’t come back if not gold. Gold or bust. Don’t come back."

Widely regarded as the greatest gymnast of all time, Biles has hinted at a desire to join her third Olympic team in Paris, though her participation won't be confirmed until after the gymnastics trials in late June. She holds over 30 medals from the Olympic Games and World Artistic Gymnastics Championships combined, and if qualified, would be a sure favorite heading into this summer’s games.

Caitlin Clark is reportedly close to cementing a hefty endorsement deal with Nike.

The Athletic was the first to break the news Wednesday evening, commenting that the deal would be worth "eight figures" and include her own signature shoe. On Thursday afternoon, the publication tweeted that the deal would top $20 million, according to lead NBA Insider Shams Charania. Both Under Armour and Adidas are said to have also made sizable offers to the college phenom and expected future WNBA star.

The new agreement comes after Clark's previous Nike partnership ended with the conclusion of the college basketball season. She was one of five NCAA athletes to sign an NIL deal with the brand back in October, 2022. 

Considering Clark's overwhelming popularity and Nike's deep pockets, the signing's purported value doesn't exactly come as a shock. New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu’s deal with the brand is reportedly worth $24 million, while NBA rookie and No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama’s deal is rumored to weigh in at $100 million. And in 2003, LeBron James famously earned $90 million off his own Nike deal. 

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Clark’s star power continues to skyrocket, with the NCAA championship averaging 18.9 million viewers and the 2024 WNBA Draft more than doubling its previous viewership record. Following the draft, Fanatics stated that Clark's Indiana Fever jersey — which sold out within an hour — was the top seller for any draft night pick in the company’s history, with droves of unlucky fans now being forced to wait until August to get their hands on some official No. 22 gear.

In Wednesday's Indiana Fever introductory press conference, the unfailingly cool, calm, and collected Clark said that turning pro hasn’t made a huge impact on how she’s conducting her deals.

"If I’m being completely honest, I feel like it doesn’t change a ton from how I lived my life over the course of the last year," she said. "Sponsorships stay the same. The people around me, agents and whatnot, have been able to help me and guide me through the course of the last year. I don’t know if I would be in this moment if it wasn’t for a lot of them."