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Soccer Legend Kelley O’Hara Talks Retirement, Career Shifts, and Launching ‘Sports Are Fun!’

Sports Are Fun! host and soccer icon Kelley O'Hara poses in a blue hoodie and orange cap.
New JWS show 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara launches today. (Just Women's Sports)

It's safe to say Kelley O'Hara is enjoying retirement.

Check her social media and you’ll see that the two-time World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist has been traveling. She's been hitting the slopes, jetting to Miami for Unrivaled's opening day, and even got a chance to celebrate former USWNT teammate Heather O'Reilly's 40th birthday in Los Angeles. 

And for the first time, there wasn't a voice in the back of her mind telling her she needed to get back to work. "The holiday season has never been relaxing for me," she tells Just Women's Sports. "I think people really don't realize the extent to which you have to prepare for preseason, and how little of a break we get as footballers."

That’s not to say that she didn't love playing soccer. O'Hara cherished every moment of her final season on the pitch with 2023 NWSL champs Gotham FC — one that was unfortunately shortened due to injury. But she's also very happy with the life she's created on the other side.

"Obviously, [playing] comes with its pitfalls or obstacles or annoyances, but I really loved it," she says. "So I'm surprised with how much I'm not missing it."

Gotham defender and Sports Are Fun! host Kelley O'Hara claps at the crowd after an NWSL match.
'Sports Are Fun!' host Kelley O'Hara played her last pro match on September 8th. (Evan Yu/Getty Images)

Lingering injury prompted O'Hara's retirement

O'Hara admits that some of her decision to retire was out of her hands prior to hanging up her cleats.  She spent much of her prestigious career holding lingering injuries at bay, and the physical toll finally caught up to her. And with a full trophy case and little room for regrets, it felt like the right time to step away. 

"I'm trying to sort out my knee. Unfortunately, it's pretty far gone," she continues. "So just managing it and figuring out how to do all the things I want to do, and enjoy life the way I want to enjoy it."

The sacrifice that led to success is still front of mind. O'Hara has already accepted that she will eventually have to undergo a knee replacement sooner rather than later.

But she also knows her second act is only just beginning.

Kelley O'Hara speaks into a microphone while filming JWS show Sports Are Fun!.
O'Hara launches her latest venture — Sports Are Fun! — this week. (Just Women's Sports)

O'Hara trades the pitch for the studio with 'Sports Are Fun!'

This week, the 36-year-old is diving headfirst into a new venture. After hosting multiple podcasts with JWS and trying her hand at broadcast commentary, O'Hara is stepping back into the studio to debut Sports Are Fun!, a new weekly women's sports show launching its first episode today.

O'Hara brings a championship-level of consistency to the podcast, set to run through the end of 2025. While the women's sports media space is used to player-hosted seasonal one-offs centered around major events, Sports Are Fun! is filling a significant gap: the regular, everyday coverage that’s long dominated the men's sports landscape.

"I'm looking forward to having this week-in and week-out show, to be able to connect with our fans, cover the sports, and have fun," she says. "Sports are fun!"

The show sets itself apart from long-form interview or analysis podcasts, shifting the format by focusing on real-life living room conversations women’s sports personalities are currently having. To bring that idea to fruition O'Hara will be joined by journalist and content creator Greydy Diaz as co-host in addition to a rotating cast of some of women’s sport’s biggest names. All that plus JWS intern BJ, there to add his own takes as the group's requisite Gen-Zer.

"Obviously we're gonna have guests come on that are relevant for whatever's happening in the world of sports, but it really is going to feel like a group hang," says O'Hara, noting that the show will draw just as heavily from pop culture as it will from the games on TV.

O'Hara still has close relationships with former teammates in this new chapter in her career (Photo by Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Tuning into the fun without losing the facts

"I love reality television, which is probably why I love sports, too — or maybe I love reality television because I love sports," O'Hara laughs. She personally enjoys podcasts that discuss the shows she's watching episode by episode, and thinks that same collaborative chatter can translate perfectly to the sports world.

"I'm not the be-all, end-all or the final word on women's sports," she says. "I might think one thing, and my guest co-host is gonna think another thing. To me, that just sparks more conversations." 

For O'Hara, the idea is to lean into those conflicting perspectives, mirroring the way real sports fans engage with the week's biggest stories.

However, as a former athlete with close ties to many active players, O'Hara knows there's a fine line between having honest conversations and being condescending. She hopes that her first-person knowledge lends some weight to whatever thoughtful criticism Sports Are Fun! stirs up. 

"You have to comment on your friends at times, and that's hard," she says. "But it's really good when you have people who have done it doing that, because they've been there."

Sports Are Fun! host Kelley O'Hara juggles a basketball outside Unrivaled's arena in Miami.
A fan of all sports, O'Hara traveled to Miami to catch Unrivaled 3×3's season tip-off. (Just Women's Sports)

O'Hara is all in on being a sports fan

While her playing career obviously influences her perspective as a sports commentator, O'Hara is also excited about just being a fan. "It's so funny, now that I am not having to play and work weekends, I'm like, 'Oh, I can go see all the things,'" she says.

And she really means all the things. In addition to hitting up Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball in Miami, she’s also getting into winter sports like Aspen's Snow League and she’s looking forward to making it down to Tampa for March Madness. She wants to experience it all.

"I'm a sports fan — put sports on and I'll pick a team," she says. "And I'll seem like I've been a lifelong fan, all in one game."

While fandom isn't exactly the same as playing in the pros, O'Hara is eager to tackle Sports Are Fun! with the same energy that fueled her soccer career. 

"Anything I do, I want to win, and this is no different," she adds. "And winning is  getting as many people as possible tuning in and creating this community that loves women's sports and loves talking about it."

USA Rugby Takes the Turf for Eagles Friendly and Sevens World Championship

USA Rugby star Ilona Maher carries the ball during a 2024 Olympics quarterfinal against Great Britain.
Rugby star Ilona Maher and the USA 15s are competing simultaneously with the USA Sevens this weekend. (Alex Ho/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Two top-flight USA Rugby teams are hitting the turf this weekend, as the Eagles Sevens lands in LA for the 2025 HSBC SVNS World Championship while the Eagles 15s continue their friendly series in Kansas City.

Over 7,500 fans snapped up tickets to catch superstar Ilona Maher and the rest of USA Rugby's world No. 9 ranked 15s squad take on No. 2 Canada at Kansas City's CPKC Stadium on Friday, less than a week after suffering a narrow loss to No. 11 Japan in LA last Saturday.

This Saturday, however, is all about the No. 6-ranked Eagles Sevens squad, as the US team joins seven other elite rugby nations hunting a 2025 world title in LA.

Saturday's slate of pool play games will see Team USA facing off against No. 2 Australia, No. 3 France, and No. 7 Fiji, with No. 1 New Zealand, No. 4 Canada, No. 5 Japan, and No. 8 Great Britain also battling for one of four spots in Sunday's semifinals.

Sammy Sullivan of Team USA rugby celebrates during a game at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Sammy Sullivan and five other Eagles Sevens players this weekend won bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics. (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

USA Rugby drops 2025 HSBC SVNS World Championship roster

After finalizing the lineup, USA Rugby revealed its 12-player Eagles Sevens roster on Wednesday, naming six Olympians and six new faces to the 2025 HSBC SVNS World Championship team.

Leading the US this weekend is captain Kristi Kirshe and vice captain Kayla Canett, with the 2024 Olympians joined by four other teammates from the bronze medal-winning squad in Paris — Ariana Ramsey, Alena Olsen, Sarah Levy, and Sammy Sullivan.

After suffering a knee injury in the team's last tour in Hong Kong, star Alex "Spiff" Sedrick — who scored the game-winning try in last summer's bronze-medal game — will miss this weekend's World Championship.

In her stead, fresh faces like national team debutant Ashley Cowdrey earned a nod, joining a US roster with six athletes who've played no more than six HSBC SVNS events.

One of those six new stars is Nia Toliver, who caps her breakout sevens season as one of the 2025 HSBC SVNS Rookie of the Year and Try of the Year nominees.

Rounding out the team are Jess Lu, Autumn LoCicero, Su Adegoke, and Tessa Hann.

How to watch USA Rugby this weekend

The Eagles 15s will contend with Canada at 8:30 PM ET on Friday, before the Eagles Sevens kick off their 2025 HSBC SVNS World Championship run against France at 2:28 PM ET.

All matches throughout the weekend will be available to stream live via RugbyPass TV.

Caitlin Clark, Revamped Indiana Fever Gear Up for 2025 WNBA Season

Caitlin Clark holds a basketball and smiles during a 2024 Indiana Fever practice.
Caitlin Clark returned to camp with the Indiana Fever this week. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Last season's WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark returned to the public eye this week, as the 23-year-old rejoined a new-look Indiana Fever roster for training camp following a purposefully restful offseason stretch.

After going straight from the 2023/24 NCAA championship game into her rookie WNBA season, the 2024 No. 1 draft pick turned down numerous opportunities over the winter break, from the NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest to Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball.

"I'm so used to playing basketball," Clark told reporters inside the Fever's Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Monday. "For basically a year of my life, that's all I did. So the rest was certainly great, and I thought it was going to feel long, it really didn't."

Free from basketball's daily grind, Clark used the down time to focus on strength and conditioning.

"Just getting my body where it needed to be, and really working on things that I needed to work on was super important," Clark said, responding to a recent viral photo of her defined arm muscles.

"It's going to help me offensively, it's going to help me defensively, it's going to help me not get as tired throughout games," she continued. "Even through these two practices, I can certainly feel it."

Deepened Fever roster hunts first WNBA title in 13 years

Clark enters her sophomore season with a refreshed Fever roster surrounding her — and a marked expectation to build on last year's first-round playoff run.

Now helmed by ex-Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White, Indiana's incoming roster highlights include veterans DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard, Sydney Colson, and Sophie Cunningham alongside a returning core of Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell.

That new-look lineup, led by Clark, could be a winning formula for the Fever to bring a title back to Indy for the first time since 2012 — a goal that White feels is well within reach.

"As far as teams that I've coached in the W, it's the deepest, most talented roster that I've really been a part of," said White.

PWHL Taps Seattle for 2nd Expansion Franchise

A view of Climate Pledge Arena during the 2025 PWHL Takeover Tour game in Seattle.
Seattle will be home to the newest PWHL team. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

The PWHL officially announced Seattle as the league's newest expansion franchise early Wednesday morning, bringing the total number of teams taking the 2025/26 season's ice to eight.

The move comes exactly one week after the second-year league tapped Vancouver as its seventh market, capitalizing on the natural rivalry between the cross-border Pacific Northwest neighbors.

While Seattle's bid was led by Climate Pledge Arena's Oak View Group alongside the NHL's Seattle Kraken, both new teams will fall under the league's single-entity structure, with the Walter Group continuing to operate as the PWHL's sole owner.

Rising hockey fervor set up Seattle for PWHL bid success

The West Coast ice hockey hubs join the league's original six teams, as demand for women’s hockey continues to escalate throughout North America following the PWHL's 2024 launch.

Minnesota, Toronto, Ottawa, Boston, New York, and Montreal have all seen fanbases grow over the PWHL's first two seasons, in which the league tested interest in additional markets via very successful Takeover Tours across North America.

As for the factors that tipped the scales in the Seattle's favor, the PWHL cites both the city's enthusiastic Takeover Tour turnout — 12,608 fans showed up for this year's January 5th matchup — as well as its long history as a hub for pro women's sports.

"We are looking forward to returning the love, energy, and excitement the Seattle sports community shared with us during the PWHL Takeover Tour," said PWHL EVP of business operations Amy Scheer in the league's announcement.

"It's a joy to have PWHL Seattle join the WNBA's Storm and the NWSL's Reign, who are skyscrapers in the city's towering sports landscape."

With two new teams officially on board, the league next plans to release details regarding both an expansion draft and the roles Seattle and Vancouver will play in June 24th's PWHL Draft in the coming weeks.

NCAA Basketball Stars Take Center Court at 3X Nationals

South Carolina's Joyce Edwards and Tessa Johnson high-five during a 2025 NCAA basketball game.
South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards and Tessa Johnson will feature at this weekend’s 3X Nationals basketball tournament. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Some of the biggest NCAA stars are heading to Arizona to participate in this weekend's 3X Nationals, a three-day tournament to determine USA Basketball's 2025 3×3 champion.

Sixteen four-player women's squads will take the court when the competition tips off on Friday, with top college programs like South Carolina, TCU, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma State, Florida, Richmond, and South Dakota State fielding 3×3 teams alongside pro clubs and other organizations.

"With the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 on the horizon, we are looking forward to welcoming 3×3 players, both veterans and those new to the game, to Mesa to compete in this exciting event that features a unique style of basketball," said USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley.

Played in the FIBA half-court style, the tournament also serves as an evaluation tool for USA Basketball's 3×3 rosters, including the group tapped to represent the US at June's 3×3 World Cup in Mongolia.

While pro players are eligible for roster spots, college talents have often dominated international 3×3 teams, including TCU alum and new Chicago Sky rookie Hailey Van Lith, who earned bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

This weekend's 3X Nationals could see NCAA standouts like Vanderbilt's All-American freshman Mikayla Blakes as well as South Carolina's Joyce Edwards, Tessa Johnson, and Chloe Kitts make cases for future USA Basketball roster spots.

How to watch the USA Basketball 3X Nationals

The 3X Nationals tip off at 6 PM ET on Friday, with the first two days consisting of pool play.

The top two teams in each of the four groups will advance to Sunday's championship bracket, where the quarterfinal round will begin at 1:20 PM ET and the tournament final is expected to take the court at 5:20 PM ET.

All games will stream live on YouTube.

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