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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."

‘Sports Are Fun!’ Talks Dust-Up Between WNBA Rivals Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark

Cover image for Sports Are Fun with Kelley O'Hara featuring WNBA rivals Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.
The 'Sports Are Fun!' crew spotlights the WNBA rivalry between stars Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. (JWS)

Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun!

Every week on Sports Are Fun! presented by Amazon Business, co-hosts soccer legend Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes on the biggest women's sports headlines.

This week, the Sports Are Fun! crew is joined by retired NWSL star Darian Jenkins. And with the WNBA season tipping off last weekend, women's basketball naturally dominated conversation.

Firstly? The Caitlin Clark flagrant foul heard around the league — and the fallout that subsequently followed it.

"First game that we want to go over is Fever vs. Sky," O'Hara introduced. "Caitlin Clark had a triple-double. Angel Reese had a double-double. And the Fever won. But what everyone's been talking about is the foul that Caitlin Clark committed on Angel."

"The flagrant," corrected BJ.

"Excuse me," O'Hara said. "So Caitlin Clark had a foul on Angel Reese under the basket. It got upgraded to a flagrant one. Aliyah Boston came to her defense, because Reese got up and was kind of going for Caitlin. A lot of chatter around this, and I liked the spice."

"It's the game," Diaz said, jumping in. "It was a basketball play, as they both said. However, it was flagrant. It happens in basketball. I think it was the reaction that we saw on social media that really elevated it."

"This is a rivalry, everyone," quipped BJ. "This rivalry feeds families. We love it."

"She's a spicy player. I love seeing the passion," Jenkins said of Reese. "We should be excited about that, especially in women's sports."

"I feel like it's always, 'We'll play nice, be proper, don't swear,'" she continued. "You never see that in the men's game. They're heated all the time."

"At the end of the day, these are physical players," echoed Diaz. "Caitlin Clark is physical. She was physical last year, she's physical this year. It's a grown woman's game."

Along with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, the Sports Are Fun! hosts additionally cover WNBA tip-off, the surging San Diego Wave, the PHWL Finals, and so much more!

'Sports Are Fun!' condemns allegedly hateful remarks from Indiana fans

The rivalry between second-year WNBA stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese was on full display at the Indiana Fever's opening weekend game against the Chicago Sky. But it was the crowd's response to it that hit a nerve with the Sports Are Fun! hosts.

"It was a foul, flagrant foul, obviously," BJ said. "But I would be remiss if I didn't say that what is unacceptable is the Fever [fans'] behavior — bad statements, bad sportsmanship, bad slandering on Angel."

"There's no space for that sort of behavior," Diaz agreed. "There are kids at that game... It's unacceptable."

"You can you can heckle, we're all for that," O'Hara chimed in. "But if there's somebody saying hateful things, racist things, it's got to be reported."

"Just on a human level. You can be a fan of the game, but you see something wrong, check it," Jenkins said. "These women worked so hard to get where they are. If you're stooping that low, you should not be allowed at a game."

Sports Are Fun! podcast graphic featuring Kelley O'Hara.
'Sports Are Fun!' places Kelley O'Hara at the intersection of women's sports and fun. (Just Women's Sports)

About 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara

'Sports Are Fun!' is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women's sports in the first place.

Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O'Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they're talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.

From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams "Sports Are Fun!"

Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.

USWNT Roster Strikes a Balance Ahead of Summer Friendlies

USWNT players including Sam Coffey and Crystal Dunn line up before a 2025 friendly.
This week's 24-player USWNT roster will face China PR and Jamaica in upcoming friendlies. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

Another USWNT roster arrived on Tuesday, with head coach Emma Hayes tapping 24 players for the world No. 1 team's upcoming early summer friendlies against No. 17 China PR and No. 40 Jamaica.

Featuring both mainstays and prospects, the lineup showcases Hayes's interest in developing young standouts while also highlighting returning regulars — and one unexpected favorite.

USWNT staples like Crystal Dunn, Emily Sonnett, Lindsey Heaps, and Lynn Biyendolo are back, balancing out less experienced players like forwards Michelle Cooper and Emma Sears, midfielder Claire Hutton, and defender and first-time call-up Kerry Abello.

One uncapped invitee doesn't fit the US's ongoing youth movement mold, with 32-year-old Kansas City captain and celly queen Lo'eau LaBonta earning her first national team nod.

"First of all, she's deserving of the call-up," Hayes told reporters on Tuesday morning, praising the midfielder's NWSL play. "She’s being consistent in everything that she has done. And with the volume of young players or less experienced players we're bringing in, I think we have to get that balance right."

Angel City sister duo Alyssa and Gisele Thompson also made the cut, with Hayes shifting Gisele from defender to forward ahead of the younger Thompson's possible fourth senior cap.

European club players also returned to the spotlight, with Ajax's Lily Yohannes, Chelsea's Naomi Girma and Catarina Macario, Arsenal's Emily Fox, and Manchester United's Phallon Tullis-Joyce heading to camp alongside Dunn (PSG) and Heaps (OL Lyonnes).

Hayes also noted that former call-ups Jaedyn Shaw (North Carolina), Mia Fishel (Chelsea), and Korbin Albert (PSG) will spend the break with the USWNT U-23 squad, calling time with the youth team "what I felt has been really missing for a lot of players."

Seattle goalkeeper Claudia Dickey makes a save during a 2025 NWSL match.
Stellar NWSL play has Seattle's Claudia Dickey in the mix for the USWNT goalie gig. (Soobum Im/NWSL via Getty Images)

USWNT goalkeeper competition continues

Tullis-Joyce as well as Utah's Mandy McGlynn and Seattle’s uncapped Claudia Dickey will feature in goal, as the search to replace retired USWNT legend Alyssa Naeher continues.

"The data don't lie — Claudia Dickey's probably the best performing goalkeeper in the NWSL this season," Hayes said of the US newcomer.

Notably, Houston's Jane Campbell will not be joining the team, despite the longtime reserve keeper's 10 caps and six clean sheets for the USWNT.

All in all, Tuesday's roster marks one of Hayes's more diverse lineups, with this window's friendly opponents allowing her the freedom to test out new configurations.

Expect the US boss's next roster to be a bit less experimental, as the stakes will raise with late June's three-match slate against No. 26 Ireland and No. 7 Canada.

The May/June 2025 USWNT roster

  • Goalkeepers: Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign FC) Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United)
  • Defenders: Kerry Abello (Orlando Pride), Crystal Dunn (Paris Saint-Germain), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC), Naomi Girma (Chelsea FC), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC)
  • Midfielders: Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC), Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current), Lo’eau LaBonta (Kansas City Current), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC), Lily Yohannes (Ajax)
  • Forwards: Lynn Biyendolo (Seattle Reign FC), Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Catarina Macario (Chelsea FC), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC)

How to watch the upcoming USWNT friendlies

The 24-player USWNT roster will kick off their upcoming friendlies by taking on China PR at 5:30 PM ET on Saturday, May 31st, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Live coverage of the match will air on TBS.

Then on Tuesday, June 3rd, the US will face Jamaica in St. Louis, Missouri, with the 8 PM ET match airing live on TNT.

WNBA Rookie Paige Bueckers Balls Out in Dallas Home-Opener

Dallas rookie Paige Bueckers sets up a pass during the Wings' Monday loss to Seattle.
Bueckers tied the current season-high WNBA rookie single-game scoring mark with 19 points on Monday. (Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)

Dallas rookie Paige Bueckers took charge on Monday, with the 2025 WNBA Draft's No. 1 overall pick proving her worth in the Wings' 79-71 loss to Seattle.

The only Wing to log more than 29 minutes in Monday night's home-opener, Bueckers spent 37 minutes on the Dallas court, tallying a team-leading 19 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and two steals in just her second pro game.

She also joined Mystics newcomer Sonia Citron as the only 2025 rookies to score more than 18 points in a single game so far this season.

On the flip side, 2025's No. 2 pick Dominique Malonga did not feature in the Storm's starting lineup, finishing her night with just one minute of playing time.

The 19-year-old French phenom made the most of her brief appearance with a speedy two points, despite Seattle head coach Noelle Quinn taking a conservative approach to integrating the WNBA's youngest player into the league.

While rookies make headlines, veterans still run the WNBA, with Quinn relying heavily on her experienced starting core to notch Seattle's first victory of 2025.

Leading the Storm was 2016 MVP Nneka Ogwumike with a 23-point, 18-rebound performance — her 110th career double-double — while Skylar Diggins (21 points, nine assists) and Gabby Williams (17 points, five assists, five rebounds) followed closely behind.

"I love how our vets showed up and willed us through possessions," Quinn said after the win. "I think that there's a lot to build and grow from this game."

How to watch WNBA games on Tuesday

The 2025 WNBA season continues at 7 PM ET on Tuesday, when the Atlanta Dream take on the Indiana Fever while the Las Vegas Aces visit the Connecticut Sun.

Both game will stream live on WNBA League Pass.

Ottawa, Minnesota Chase History as Puck Drops on PWHL Finals

Minnesota's Denisa Krizova and Claire Thompson chase Ottawa's Ronja Savolainen, who controls the puck, during a 2025 PWHL game.
Ottawa is the first Canadian team to ever make the PWHL Finals. (Troy Parla/Getty Images)

For the second straight year, the 2025 PWHL Finals are down to the postseason's underdogs, with the No. 3 seed Ottawa Charge and the No. 4 seed Minnesota Frost facing off in the best-of-five championship series after ousting the league's top teams.

Minnesota booked their Finals spot with a 3-1 series victory over No. 2 seed Toronto last Wednesday, before Ottawa ousted top-seeded Montréal by the same series margin on Friday.

While the Frost gear up to defend their 2024 Walter Cup title this week, first-time playoff team Ottawa will aim to make even more history by securing Canada’s first-ever PWHL trophy.

This year's PWHL Finals pits Minnesota's red-hot offense, which netted 18 goals across four semifinal games, against Ottawa's shutdown defense.

Led by rookie goaltender Gwyneth Philips — a 2025 Goaltender of the Year finalist — the Charge allowed just six pucks into the net through four playoff games.

Philips's top save percentage and low 1.14 goals-against average will be put to the test by the Frost, who claim seven of the PWHL's Top-8 postseason players, led by forward Taylor Heise and her seven playoff points.

Ottawa's Jincy Roese and Minnesota's Liz Schepers skate during a 2025 PWHL game.
Either Ottawa or Minnesota will earn the Walter Cup in the 2025 PWHL Finals. (Troy Parla/Getty Images)

How to watch the 2025 PWHL Finals

The puck drops on the 2025 PWHL Finals tonight at 7 PM ET, as Minnesota hits the ice against Ottawa live on YouTube.

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