ESPN is playing in my house at least 20 out of the 24 hours in any given day. My dad lives for sports, so it’s either on because someone’s watching it, on as background noise, or on because it’s 2 am and my dad couldn’t sleep and he needed a way to pass the time (and what better way than watching the Dirk Nowitzki 30 for 30 rerun?). Despite ESPN’s constant presence in my life, sports are not my thing. But though I despise the thought of playing a sport, I do love the athletes. I love their personalities, their athleticism, and their personal quirks that show in their interviews. To continue with our Black History Month (week) coverage, here are 4 of my favorite female athletes.
Crystal Dunn
Picture courtesy of Wikipedia
When I was 3, my parents signed me up for little kid soccer. I promptly quit after my first game when I fell and skinned my knee. Conversely, Crystal Dunn kept playing and now is killing it on the North Carolina Courage and U.S. Women’s National Team (yeah, you know, the best women’s soccer team in the world?). In college, she juggled (get it… soccer pun…) her sociology major with being the best player on the UNC women’s soccer team, while also casually playing in the 2012 World Cup for the U.S. under-20 women’s national soccer team as a junior. When she got back from Japan that year, she jumped right back into college sports and helped lead UNC to win the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship. During her senior year, she was named, ACC Offensive Player of the Year, NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) All-American, and First-Team All-ACC for the FOURTH YEAR IN A ROW. TLDR: She’s AMAZING. Her profile on the United States Soccer Federation website says that she likes to sing, dance (apparently is “widely known as one of the best dancers on the U.S. team), and entertain people with her musical talents. Her favorite athletes are Lebron and Serena, which is #relatable. You should totally follow her Twitter (@crysdunn_19) because she’s funny and all about girl power, and she just got married, so her timeline is really cute right now.
Maria Taylor
Picture courtesy of ESPN
Maria Taylor. A queen. A star. Someone who knows more about sports than I could ever know. A true icon. Maria Taylor, sports analyst and reporter, is literally one of the only reasons I don’t go crazy in my own home. First of all, this is her cover photo on Twitter:
(This is simply iconic, and I love it).
What I really love about her is that she’s constantly talking about women’s sports, even when talking about men’s sports. She always makes sure that women’s sports aren’t forgotten about, that people care about the WNBA, and that female athletes are given the same coverage as male athletes. Plus, despite being employed by ESPN, she doesn’t faint over Zion Williamson as much as the rest of the network does, which is always a good thing.
Simone Biles
Picture courtesy of USA Today
I love Simone Biles as much as the rest of the world, but sometimes it really makes you think when you remember that she’s 21 years old. In 2016, Simone and I were both 18, but whereas I was learning how to talk with my insurance on the phone for the first time, Simone was winning Olympic medals left and right. She’s a true goddess. She’s also considered by many to be the best gymnast of all time; I guess that’s what you get when you’ve won a combined total of twenty-five Olympic and World Championship medals. She’s also the 1st American gymnast to win a World medal in EVERY EVENT. Listen, I’d say I’m a good student, but I can’t even get A’s in all of my classes. Meanwhile, she’s passing with flying colors in literally every event she competes in. She’s incredibly strong, but not just physically. In 2018, she released a statement on Twitter saying that the former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar (also known as the devil incarnate) sexually assaulted her. She didn’t attend the hearings because she didn’t want to face her abuser (completely understandable), but she remains outspoken on the issue of sexual assault and harassment. She also signed with Mattress Firm as the face of the company’s foster home support program, as she lived in a foster home for the first few years of her life before being adopted by her grandparents. I just really love Simone; she’s delightful and adorable and powerful, and she has a frickin’ awesome Twitter. She retweets Delish and Cute Emergency tweets, posts about National Margarita Day, and has some pretty awesome #ootd’s. UGH, she’s so COOL, and I WANT TO BE HER FRIEND.
Allyson Felix
Picture courtesy of Wikipedia
Running is the bane of my existence but track and field is ironically my favorite sport to watch. It’s probably because of my marathon runner/high school track star father and his love for watching people run in circles. So, of course, I can’t make a list of amazing black female athletes without mentioning Allyson Felix. She’s the only female track athlete in history to win six Olympic gold medals, winning five gold medals with the U.S. relay team and one gold medal in the 400 meter event. Overall, she’s won nine Olympic medals (and a ton of World Championship medals as well). I can’t even imagine running on nine different occasions. To make her even cooler, she’s a participant in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s “Project Believe” program and has passed all of her drug tests, which means that she’s won nine Olympic medals completely on her own accord (Meanwhile, I essentially need an inhaler to walk down the driveway). Not only that, but she traveled to Brazil in 2014 with the U.S. Department of State to give speeches, clinics, and other events to disabled youth and youth from marginalized communities. She’s really out here doing the most, in the best way possible. She’s currently taking a break from running because she just had a baby girl Camryn, which is a great example of how women can be incredible at their jobs and also incredible mothers. While I’ll miss watching her run this year, she said her goal is to get back on the track in 2020… I can’t wait! (Hopefully we get to see cute baby Camryn in the crowd… and maybe she’ll be wearing those adorable earmuff things that babies wear at sporting events.)