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Tegan McGrady on How We Move Forward

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Tegan McGrady is a defender for the Washington Spirit of the NWSL. A Stanford University graduate, she helped lead the Cardinal to the 2017 NCAA Championship. Below, she spoke with Just Women’s Sports about the ongoing protests, what makes this moment unique, and why it has given her hope for the future. 

Why do you think it’s important to speak out now? 

I feel that it’s important to speak out now, first of all, because I am half black and I feel that this is something that has hit me a lot harder than anything else in my life. Being black in this world and America, I’ve always understood the hardships that it comes with. I haven’t experienced all of those hardships myself, but I’ve seen the racism. It’s been pointed towards me. It’s been pointed towards my family. And there’s a time where you just have to speak out. You have to say how you’re feeling. I’ve been reluctant in years past to really speak up, because I’m not one who speaks up unless I have a strong desire or passion. But now I feel like it’s finally my turn to speak on something that I’ve lived. And I see how it’s affecting people around me for the better. There’s so many lists of books by black authors that people are sharing right now. In previous years, people might have been offended if a black person told them to read this or that book, but now we’re able to help people understand what the black community is saying and what they are describing as their oppression in this world.

Broadly speaking, what do you think needs to change? How do we move forward?

I think it starts with education. Young kids going to school today are being sheltered from some of the things that have happened in our history. Racism is not something that we should be shying away from. My mom is a first grade teacher, and I’ve been able to listen to her kids. They’re smart. They understand way more than we think they do. The fact that racism is a difficult topic just means that it needs to be more focused on. People try and say, “Oh, we don’t see color.” But if you don’t see color, then you haven’t really seen the history of this world, the history of this country. We need to talk about the fact that we do see color. And we need to talk about history in a way that includes everyone. Then we can move forward.

Yeah, it seems like when we were young, we were taught to be “colorblind,” but that’s not really the right approach. 

Exactly. You can’t be color blind in this world because in order to understand the history of anyone in the world, you have to see color. But that doesn’t mean you have to see it in a way where one is better than the other. You can see color as representing different cultures, different people that we can learn from. Then you see that color isn’t a bad thing. Color is a great thing. It gives us a foundation to build a country on top of. And you can see that with what we’re doing now in the black community. We’re not asking to be seen as not black. We’re asking to be seen as black and equal.

You play a sport that is known to be pretty white. How has race intersected with your experience as an athlete? And how can soccer improve?

The crazy part is I never thought of it that way. I grew up in an area where I might have been on the more privileged side of the black community. And that’s why I myself have tried to take a step back and step outside my own privilege to understand the wider black community. I didn’t grow up with many black people playing soccer around me, but the ones that did, we were all very close. We all gravitated towards each other. It’s definitely hard when you get to the highest level and you look around a team and you don’t see anyone else who really looks like you. But I think as a society, we can change that. I wish I had all the answers, but I really think it starts with educating the younger generations, with giving younger girls the confidence that they can make it to the next level, no matter their race. It’s going to take a lot, but I believe that we have the resources and the people in this country to do it.

It’s always been super interesting because even during my time at Stanford, I was always trying to find where I fit in. If I truly fit in with the black community, if I truly fit in with the white community, if me being half black and half white sometimes staggered my understanding of where I come from or who I truly am. I felt stuck in the middle at some point. But ultimately, I feel like I’m blessed to be both. I feel like I can help bridge this gap. That’s where I think I can use my privilege and turn it into something where I can help bring people closer together.

Racism isn’t new. What do you think it is about this moment that has sparked such a widespread movement? 

It could be multiple things. I think social media has such a big presence now. Now everyone can see these murders, they can hear the desperation in George Floyd’s voice when he says, “I can’t breathe.” And then I think there’s a reaction within the black community that’s simply, enough is enough. We have seen too much of this. We have felt too much of this. We’re putting our foot down. When you watch the full video, nine minutes is a long time. It really hits you. And I think for a lot of people in this country, it hit them hard. Everything finally snapped, and you had this waterfall effect where everyone saw how much it was affecting those around them. And that’s something we can’t be blind to. We have to be able to see that. We have to be able to talk about that.

And this is one of the first times in a long time where I’ve seen millions of people being willing to open up and talk about the problems this country is facing with race and inequality. You just hope this isn’t something that’s going to fizzle out. But I feel with so many voices that have spoken out, that I don’t know how something like this could fizzle out, because I don’t think in our lifetime that I’ve ever seen something this big really go the way that it has. It really gives me hope for the future. I mean, I’ve never spoken up about anything. So if I can speak up and other people can speak up and this keeps going, it gives me butterflies in my stomach to see where this could all lead to, especially with all the elections coming up. So much could change in this country within the next year, or even just the next three, four months down the line.

Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries Ride Upset Wins into the WNBA Weekend

Phoenix Mercury players including Satou Sabally huddle during a 2025 WNBA game against the New York Liberty.
Phoenix rose to No. 3 in the WNBA standings with Thursday's win over New York. (Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images)

Two key upsets headlined Thursday's WNBA bill, sending the Phoenix Mercury soaring into third place in the league standings while the No. 6 Golden State Valkyries continued to outwit opponents.

The red-hot Mercury snagged their fourth straight win by taking down the No. 2 New York Liberty 89-81 on Thursday night, overcoming an 35-point performance from two-time MVP Breanna Stewart with five double-digit Phoenix scorers.

Meanwhile out West, the Valkyries stifled a surging No. 7 Fever, downing Indiana 88-77 in part by holding star guard Caitlin Clark to just 3-for-14 from the field — and 0-for-7 from behind the arc.

"We were being disruptive, we know that she doesn't like physicality, we know that she wants to get to that left step-back," Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase said about the Valkyries' strategy to effectively contain Clark.

Though the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and 2024 WNBA champions New York still hold court atop the table, Thursday's actions proves that other squads are making some unexpected in-roads.

Putting together an impressive road record are the Mercury, who will ride a 4-2 away record into their Saturday matchup against the No. 11 Chicago Sky — the last stop on a four-game road trip that's been perfect for Phoenix thus far.

Already flipping the script on expectations is Golden State, with the 2025 expansion team rising despite relying on a hodgepodge roster as several players compete at EuroBasket 2025. The Valkyries will aim to keep their winning momentum in their Sunday clash with the No. 12 Connecticut Sun.

How to watch the Mercury, Valkyries this weekend

Both of Thursday's victors will be back in action this weekend, with Phoenix facing Chicago at 1 PM ET on Saturday, airing live on ABC.

Then on Sunday, Golden State will host Connecticut at 8:30 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.

Las Vegas Aces Aim to Stop Skid Ahead of Tough WNBA Weekend Matchups

Las Vegas's A'ja Wilson tries to defend a lay-up from Seattle's Gabby Williams during a 2025 WNBA game.
The Las Vegas Aces will face both Seattle and Indiana this weekend. (Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images)

In another weekend full of WNBA action, all eyes are on Las Vegas, as the No. 8 Aces will try to curb a two-game losing streak against two formidable opponents.

A successful weekend for Las Vegas could hinge on three-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson's potential return from injury, with the star forward recently upgraded to "questionable" after landing in concussion protocol last week.

Overall, the margin for error has narrowed in the middle of the WNBA pack, as talented teams continue to translate quality performances into consistency.

  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 8 Las Vegas Aces, Friday at 10 PM ET (ION): The Aces will try to end their free fall in Friday's head-to-head battle with a Seattle side that can beat anybody at their best.
  • No. 7 Indiana Fever vs. No. 8 Las Vegas Aces, Sunday at 3 PM ET (ESPN): Las Vegas next faces a Fever team still smarting from Thursday's away loss to the Golden State Valkyries, with both teams narrowly clinging to positions above the playoff line.
  • No. 2 New York Liberty vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm, Sunday at 7 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Liberty have a comfortable hold on second place, but with two losses in their last three games, New York is flirting with danger entering their Sunday game with Seattle — particularly if star big Jonquel Jones is out after suffering a knock to the ankle on Thursday.

Ultimately, there's no rest for the weary in the WNBA, as a series of difficult matchups can see a single error quickly slide into a losing streak.

NWSL Kicks Off Final Gameday Slate Ahead of Summer Break

The San Diego Wave celebrate a goal by María Sánchez during a 2025 NWSL match.
The San Diego Wave will take on 2024 runners-up Washington on Sunday. (Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)

The final NWSL weekend heading into the league's six-week summer break has arrived, giving teams one more chance to prove themselves before regular-season play pauses to make way for major international tournaments.

With a five-point gap separating No. 1 Kansas City from No. 2 Orlando in the NWSL standings, the Current will enter the break as the 2025 Shield frontrunners regardless of this weekend's results.

Despite Kansas City's grip atop the table, there's still plenty of room for movement both above and below the postseason cutoff line, as clubs across the NWSL look to wrap their midseason finales on a high note:

  • No. 1 Kansas City Current vs. No. 10 Angel City FC, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): Angel City has a shot at launching themselves above the cutoff line on Friday, but they'll have to snap the Current's five-game winning streak to make it happen.
  • No. 8 Gotham FC vs. No. 9 Bay FC, Saturday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): Gotham and Bay FC enter the weekend tied on points while staring at each other from on opposite sides of the playoff line — meaning a Saturday win for either club could set the tone for the rest of the 2025 season.
  • No. 3 San Diego Wave FC vs. No. 4 Washington Spirit, Sunday at 10 PM ET (CBS Sports): The weekend's only top-table clash could see San Diego sprint back into second place — unless Washington leapfrogs the upstart Wave to claim the third-place spot.

KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Ups Purse to $12 Million, Ties LPGA Tour Record

Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul hits a shot during the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship.
Thai golfer Jeeno Thitikul is in the lead after one round at the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

The LPGA Tour has turned its attention to Texas, with the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship — the third major of the pro golf season — teeing off in Frisco to a flurry of first-round action on Thursday.

All of the sport's Top 100 athletes are participating in this week's event, including No. 1 Nelly Korda, who sits in a 14th-place tie with an even-par first-round performance, and surging US dark horse No. 50 Lexi Thompson, who tied for 10th in her Thursday return from a brief retirement.

However, leading the pack heading into Friday's second round is Thailand's world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul, who finished the first day of competition atop the leaderboard with a score of 4-under-par.

Australia's No. 24 Minjee Lee also posted a strong start, capping Thursday at 3-under to sit in second place.

While the sport's best chase victory on the links, the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship is already making history off the green.

Not only is it the first-ever women's major to tee off at Frisco's Fields Ranch East, the tournament also increased its purse to $12 million on Tuesday — nearly tripling the $4.5 million prize pool from just four years ago and tying the US Women's Open for the LPGA Tour's highest payout in the process.

How to watch the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

The third LPGA Grand Slam of 2025 continues through Sunday.

Friday's second round will air live on the Golf Channel, while coverage of Saturday and Sunday's final rounds will air across NBC and Peacock.

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