Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun! presented by TurboTax.
In this week's Sports Are Fun!, soccer icon Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, retired NWSL star Merritt Mathias, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes all things women's sports.
In true Sports Are Fun! style, the crew dives right in. First up: WNBA legend Diana Taurasi's recent retirement announcement.
"I was introduced to Diana Taurasi at age 10 when she started her career at UConn," recalls Mathias. "At that time, I was very much like, 'I'm going to UNC, I'm going to play on the national team.' To see her at UConn — the UNC equivalent for women's basketball — and just the swag she had, the way she carried herself... For me, she transcended the sport."
"Thinking about her legacy — over 20 seasons, six gold medals, all-time leading scorer," says Diaz. "But a lot of people throughout her career, even now, don't know that she's Latina. I feel like that's a huge part of her legacy."
"To see a Latina dominate the sport as one of the greatest ever, if not the greatest, that's super special," she adds.
The co-hosts additionally tackle the SheBelieves Cup results, the SEC coin flip, the 2025 NWSL jerseys, and so much more.
Co-host Mathias urges new USWNT generation to carry the torch
After that, Sports Are Fun! weighs in on coach Emma Hayes's youthful USWNT. That's when Mathias asks if this generation will keep speaking out on cultural and political issues.
"I hope that this iteration of the USWNT starts to find their collective voice," the three-time NWSL champion asserts. "As they head into the 2027 World Cup, this is the first time this generation of players is being confronted with the weight and responsibility of [wearing] that crest."
"It's the truest reflection of America that we've seen from the USWNT, the most diverse," she continues. "It's also going to play under an administration [where] what makes everything great about this women's national team — diversity, equality, inclusion — is being attacked."
"I love that America looks like this because I love our women's national team," agrees O'Hara. "I think that is a great point."
"Will this generation look at the Megan Rapinoes, the Christen Presses, the Alex Morgans, the Becky Sauerbrunns, the Kelley O'Haras, and say, 'We, like you, will continue to push,'" Mathias asks, shouting out her Sports Are Fun! co-host.
"'We are going to uphold the narrative that marginalized groups matter. Because every single one of them is represented on our USWNT.'"
"That's powerful," O'Hara responds.
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.
Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun! presented by TurboTax.
A new episode of Sports Are Fun! dropped today, with soccer icon Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, retired NWSL great Merritt Mathias, and JWS intern BJ professing their hottest takes all things women's sports — joined this week by current WNBA star and former UConn legend Stefanie Dolson.
But first, the lineup takes a good look at USWNT coach Emma Hayes's 2025 SheBelieves Cup roster.
"I think this is an interesting point in time for this team and Emma as a coach," says O'Hara. "She is now having to make decisions and choose to leave people off that she's had consistently since she's been there for the purpose of trying younger talent, newer talent, uncapped talent."
"My only pushback to you is that in the past, when younger talent has been brought in the expectation is that you don't see significant minutes or opportunity within games," answers Mathais. "I think that's a massive shift, like performing or having runs within the NWSL does now get you an opportunity to see if your ability and your talent transfers to a level that is higher."
"And if you are going to start having this conversation and see what depth you have, what pipeline you have, whether you like it or you don't like it, this roster seems to be very aligned within this runway you have leading up to the World Cup," she adds.
In addition to chatting with Dolson about all things basketball, the Sports Are Fun! squad also tackles iconic walk-out songs, the week's wild NCAA upsets, how to avoid tanking your checking account, and so much more.
Stef Dolson invites 'Sports Are Fun!' into UConn's playbook
Later, guest star Stefanie Dolson joins the part to talk about college basketball, the WNBA, and Unrivaled — starting with a look at her alma mater UConn and their up-and-down NCAA season so far.
Diaz kicks the interview off with a question: "As a former multi-champion, do you think this UConn team with Azzi [Fudd], with Paige Bueckers, and their supporting cast, do you think they have what it takes to win it all?"
"They needed a big win," Dolson says of UConn's upset victory over top contenders South Carolina on Sunday. "I think a game like this was really important for them to kind of build that confidence. And I know that they've had a lot of tough games — when they played USC, that was a huge game for them although they didn't come out on top, it just showed how tough they are."
"I'm always gonna put my money on UConn. If you're a Husky, you're a Husky for life," Dolson continues. "I would never count them out, but there are a lot of really, really good teams — UCLA, USC, Texas — a lot of really, really great teams so I think it's going to be a fun tournament.
Dolson then looks back on her time at UConn, sharing an insider's perspective on how legendary head coach Geno Auriemma ran things.
"We had a lot of different rules in terms of teams and how we wanted to play," she remembers with a laugh. "And even if we won by 40, if we didn't play well, Geno was making us run."
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.
Welcome to the first episode of Sports Are Fun! presented by TurboTax.
The debut episode of Sports Are Fun! dropped today, with soccer icon Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, retired NWSL star Merritt Mathias, and JWS intern BJ professing their hottest takes all things women's sports.
"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," O'Hara told JWS.
"I might think one thing, and my guest co-host is gonna think another thing. To me, that just sparks more conversations."
This week, the crew gets into WNBA offseason moves, NWSL players departing for Europe, Unrivaled's upcoming 1v1 tournament, and so much more.
'Sports Are Fun!' tackles the WNBA — hot takes included
The trio really got going on the WNBA this week, voicing their opinions on this year's free agency winners, losers, and everything in between.
"Honestly, WNBA free agency is wild every year, but this year it felt even crazier than usual," says Diaz. "There's so much movement... But we're seeing all these players sign one year deals because the CBA is up October 31st."
"This is the season where you go wherever — it doesn't even matter where you go," she continues. "I would go wherever who like whoever's going to give me the most bread."
"As much as on paper it looks like Aces might have won, I think that there's the question of too much star power. How is the chemistry going to work out on the court?" asks O'Hara, questioning the recent three-way trade that saw Las Vegas pick up Jewell Loyd while sending Kelsey Plum to LA. "KP is a dog, you know? That is the mentality and the kind of edginess that the Sparks have been missing."
"Listen, from a basketball perspective, yeah, massive," adds Mathias. "But what I am looking at is Alyssa Thomas to Mercury and DeWanna Bonner to Indiana — which means we no longer have couple tunnel 'fits!"
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.
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."
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.
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.
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."
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."
Welcome back to Fast Friends with Kelley O'Hara and Lisa Leslie!
Fast Friends brought the party to Kansas City on Thursday, as co-hosts Lisa Leslie and Kelley O'Hara, plus a roster of superstar guests, kicked off the 2024 NWSL Championship Weekend in style.
Retirement, goal cellies, NWSL title predictions, and more dominated conversation as league heavy-hitters Ali Riley, Merritt Mathias, Lo’eau LaBonta, and Kate del Fava — plus reps from each of the two championship contenders, Orlando's Carson Pickett and Washington's Croix Bethune and Ashley Hatch — took to the stage in front of a live audience.
The intrepid hosts also recapped the NWSL semifinals, including a mixup that saw Leslie texting O'Hara at exactly the wrong moment.
"I didn't really understand that they were going to add more time to the clock," Leslie explained, referencing her confusion over Washington's stoppage-time equalizer against O'Hara's Gotham FC.
"I got a text that was like, 'LETS GO!,'" laughed O'Hara. "And I'm like, 'Is she cheering for the Spirit?'"
About Fast Friends with Kelley O'Hara and Lisa Leslie
Coming off the success of JWS's Olympic commentary show The Gold Standard, Fast Friends features two legendary athletes serving up insider insights and unique takes on the biggest stories in women's sports every week.
Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.
North Carolina star Merritt Mathias pleaded for Courage fans to return to the stands while recognizing the club’s fractured relationship with LGBTQIA+ fans in particular.
The 31-year-old expanded on the subject after the Courage’s loss to San Diego on Sunday. More than 6,000 fans filled WakeMed Soccer Park to see USWNT star Alex Morgan take the field for the opposing team.
“The fan support has wavered,” Mathias said. “It isn’t a coincidence that Alex Morgan is playing and there are 6,000 people that are here. Previous games, the fan support has wavered and there are reasons for that. To see the seats filled again is pretty incredible, but it can’t be because of Alex Morgan. It has to be because of what you believe in here.”
Merritt Mathias on fan support after #NCvSD:
— Nicholas Schnittker (@nick_schnittker) May 22, 2022
"There’s been a very particular voice that has been heard in wanting to support the community. And personally, I don’t think we’ve done a great job of that in the past years." pic.twitter.com/Uv0KbxV4TS
Mathias went on to speculate on the reasons for the declining fan turnout, pointing to the Courage’s fraught relationship with the LGBTQIA+ community. This offseason, Courage supporters and NWSL fans more broadly condemned the decision of the North Carolina front office to re-sign Jaelene Daniels, who has publicly opposed gay rights.
The defender had retired in 2020 after playing six seasons in the league, including four with the Courage, but she came out of retirement in December to re-sign with North Carolina. She made headlines in 2017 when she turned down a national team call-up over her refusal to wear rainbow-themed gay pride jerseys.
“I just felt so convicted in my spirit that it wasn’t my job to wear this jersey,” Daniels said during an appearance on “The 700 Club.”
Mathias said she recognized the pain that re-signing Daniels, among other decisions by the club, caused members of the fanbase.
“There’s been a very particular voice that has been heard in wanting to support the community. And personally, I don’t think we’ve done a great job of that in the past years,” Mathias said. “I don’t think that has been any secret. We didn’t have a Pride Night for three years, we didn’t wear a jersey. Everyone knows all these things and I think bringing back Jaelene (Daniels) was a decision made by the club and as a player who is part of the community, you have to work through those struggles but that is what a team is about.”
The Courage issued a statement back in December in response to the backlash from Daniels’s singing.
“In response to the recent news of re-signing Jaelene Daniels, we as a club acknowledge the impact this announcement has on our community,” the North Carolina Courage wrote in an open letter to fans. “We’ve spent the past few days reading your messages and reflecting on our actions. We are very sorry to all those we have hurt, especially those within the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Yet despite the club’s actions and subsequent fan recoil, Mathias insists there are still plenty of players on the team that are part of the community and are looking for supporters to return to games.
“I think it is really important that we have a voice as much as the club. That there is a group here that truly, truly loves and supports and is here for the LGBTQ community,” Mathias said. “I think that is a really important message to get out there, because we definitely miss you guys. We definitely miss our fans. They are a huge reason why we were so successful for so many years.”
The North Carolina Courage have yet to win a regular-season game since claiming the Challenge Cup trophy, registering three straight losses to start their NWSL campaign.
The North Carolina Courage downed the Orlando Pride 1-0 in front of a home crowd at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday night, earning three points in the Challenge Cup standings.
The hosts out-possessed and outshot the Pride but were unable to convert in the final third, leaving the game level through the opening 45 minutes.
In the 61st minute, the gridlock was finally broken after North Carolina was awarded a penalty kick following a handball from Gunny Jónsdóttir. Merritt Mathias lined up from the spot, striking a gutsy penalty to secure the 1-0 lead.
.@MerrittMathias on the mark 🎯@TheNCCourage | #CourageUnitesUs pic.twitter.com/9qvhW67ym1
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) March 27, 2022
The 1-0 scoreline held until the final whistle, marking the Courage’s second-straight victory.
North Carolina now sits atop the East Division, four points clear of the Washington Spirit.