Katie Barnes (they/them/their) is a pop-culture obsessed writer for espnW.com, covering culture, LGBTQ issues, women’s basketball, and MMA.

Since joining ESPN in August 2015, Katie has written on myriad topics, such as campus sexual assault, the sports world’s response to North Carolina’s controversial law, HB2, American Ninja Warrior, Pitch, and more.

Katie studied American Studies, History, and Russian Studies at St. Olaf College, and Student Affairs in Higher Education at Miami University (OH), and thus believes that no degree is prophetic. A retired fanfiction writer, Katie now enjoys writing with their name attached, but wears their fandom as a badge of honor. Calzona is their OTP (though they have a soft spot for Clexa).

(If you’re confused, it’s okay, so are Katie’s parents).

In addition to espnW.com, you can find their work at Feministing.com, Outsports.com, Curvemag.com, Ebony.com, and MTV News.

Katie actually likes cornfields, and thinks there is nothing better than a summer night’s drive through the Indiana countryside. When not transcribing a mountain of interviews, you can usually find Katie hanging out with their partner and cat, Atticus, attempting to write for fun, or playing video games.