WNBA season kicks off, WNBA team valuations show players’ investments, Natasha Cloud finds a team!

Valkyries at the quarter mark, Trans athletes thriving, HELL NO to patches celebrating the US’s birthday

We express appreciation for Marisa Ingemi’s humane profile of transgender athlete and advocate AB Hernandez. We celebrate WNBA star Natasha Cloud’s sharing of her painful journey overcoming retaliation for advocating for social justice. We shout a big hell no to celebrating the United States’ 250 birthday, recognizing that democracy has always been intentionally illusive. 3:30 – Dang were we wrong!!  https://www.professionalsoftballleague.com/schedule [https://www.professionalsoftballleague.com/schedule] 5:43 – https://www.valkyriesbeat.com/ [https://www.valkyriesbeat.com/] 6:00 – https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/story/2026-06-01/how-transgender-athlete-ab-hernandez-beat-vitriol-stoked-by-trump [https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/story/2026-06-01/how-transgender-athlete-ab-hernandez-beat-vitriol-stoked-by-trump]  35:53 – https://valkyries.wnba.com/news/valkyries-sign-nadia-fingall-20260607 [https://valkyries.wnba.com/news/valkyries-sign-nadia-fingall-20260607] 38:20 – https://www.sportico.com/leagues/basketball/2026/wnba-america-250-patch-fanatics-donald-trump-1234902332/ [https://www.sportico.com/leagues/basketball/2026/wnba-america-250-patch-fanatics-donald-trump-1234902332/] 39:16 – https://x.com/_breezy_briii/status/2062663499642442120?s=46 [https://x.com/_breezy_briii/status/2062663499642442120?s=46] 49:32 – https://megaphone.link/VMP2793392468 [https://megaphone.link/VMP2793392468]

Valkyries heal their Fever, then fold against the Aces; Fili and Michelle touch on learnings from Jane Austen and Optimus Prime

Valkyries have a strong win against the Fever, fall short to the Champs; Fili and Michelle discuss formative books, good advice from the Transformers, making salsa from scratch with the next generation, and feeling our power! 0:42 -- https://www.instagram.com/p/DY43gLhNX0v/ [https://www.instagram.com/p/DY43gLhNX0v/] 23:00 -- https://www.instagram.com/p/DZEJlUHBLwl/ [https://www.instagram.com/p/DZEJlUHBLwl/]

Just say no to AI, Portland Fire goes white, Valkyries continue second season growth, ‘Yeah, boy’ to Flavor Flav

Ew to the “girlbossification” of AI, Portland Fire waive Black players for some whities, Golden State Valkyries’ first-ever draft pick Juste Jocyte makes her highly anticipated debut, the good and the bad of the PWHL contract and owner, and props to upcoming She Got Game weekend. 10:35 Out of Your League Piece on AI  [https://www.thefrankiedlc.news/p/wnba-fans-hate-ai-but-the-league-is-embracing-it-anyway] 45:21 Justė Jocytė First Bucket!  [https://www.instagram.com/p/DYycnAhFmDo/?img_index=2]            Nice Profile [https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/meet-juste-jocyte-15-year-old-phenom-and-professional-record-breaker/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email] too. 51:33 Collective Bargaining Agreement [https://global-uploads.webflow.com/64d22f9c3617ad42d10d32f1/64ed721629f3b2cfe84c7a54_PWHL-CBA-thpwhlcom.pdf] (CBA) between the Professional Women’s Hockey League and the Professional Women’s Hockey League Players Association 57:44 PWHL Salaries [https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/65038094882d837d666bf1bb/69efbccd65fdec269086fc2c_PlayerSalaries_2025-2026.pdf] 1:00:33 Yes Flava Flav started with Water Polo [https://www.npr.org/2024/08/04/nx-s1-5061526/rapper-flavor-flav-on-why-he-decided-to-sponsor-the-u-s-womens-water-polo-team] 1:02:39 Flava Flav goes to the Clark County Commission Meeting [https://www.instagram.com/reels/DYmWcVnkau5/]

Valkyries look playoff bound again, A plea to fix WNBA League Pass, The anti-Blackness behind efforts to tame defensive play

We talk about the importance of air conditioning, Fili learns that motorcycle drag racing is in fact a thing, and the Golden State Valkyries start the season strong with a three-dimensional offense (YAY!!). Also, are the WNBA rules changes on “physical” play trying to reduce player injuries or is it a racist dog whistle of more sinister motives? 3:08 Dystany Spurlock and Motorcycle Drag Racing  [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsioG7bJ-Nw] 9:30 PWHL Finals Game 1 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QFDZsfVrOY]– Montreal vs Ottawa 11:19 USWNT Head Coach Emma Hayes [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYO54-ngV1f/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==] on reporters needing to stop covering women’s sports from male gaze 12:39 Link between ACL Tears and hormonal fluctuations [https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/44917657/fifa-funds-study-link-acl-tears-menstrual-cycle] during menstrual cycles 25:18 Sheila E!  [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheila_E.%20https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LYv5mupFaq0] 32:14 Johannes Sideways Fade 3  [https://www.instagram.com/reels/DYQ888VJbej/] 46:39 Dawn Staly Droppin' Knowledge. Article [https://www.revolt.tv/article/2023-04-02/291723/dawn-staley-slams-critics-hurtful-narratives-about-south-carolinas-womens-basketball-team-were-not-thugs]. Video. [https://x.com/sportingnews/status/1642032917785223168%20]

WNBA season kicks off, WNBA team valuations show players’ investments, Natasha Cloud finds a team!

We talk about what we’re most excited about for the WNBA season, and why WNBA owners need to stop crying poor. Michelle pans the sports journalists’ coverage of Natasha Cloud’s free agency. As greeting card, floral, and jewelry companies force a normative Mother’s Day on us all, Filiberto reminds us that people have a variety of relationships with their parents, and chosen families should be as celebrated as birth families. 6:52 Valuations Sportico [https://www.sportico.com/feature/wnba-team-values-rankings-list-1234784563/] – GSV $850 m, CNBC [https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/04/cnbcs-official-wnba-team-valuations-2026-how-the-15-franchises-stack-up.html]– GSV – $1 b. Infographic [https://imgur.com/a/xjC312B] 10:30 Value to Revenue [https://imgur.com/a/xjC312B] 12:50 Rant on Billionaires! [https://wegotnextpod.org/episodes/costco-snobbery-hot-wnba-rookie-debuts-and-athletes-seize-the-means-of-production/transcript#t=49m3s] 16:02 USA Rugby Players Combat Trans Exclusion [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/30/womens-rugby-trans-ban?_bhlid=92a4a90effd83368134efe9077bc8847c5565198] 16:30 Minnesota lifter JayCee [https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/04/30/transgender-athlete-reaches-settlement-with-usa-powerlifting] wins lawsuit against USA weightlifting over trans exclusion 20:50 USA today commentary by Brianna Turner [https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2026/04/10/ioc-sex-testing-athletes-2028-olympics/89488310007/]