February 25, 2021 on ESPN.com The only thing Azzi Fudd can bring herself to look at is the falling snow. She can’t look at her mother, Katie, who’s sitting in the passenger seat, too distraught to drive. And she won’t look at her knee, which no longer looks like her knee anyway. Her grandmother, Karen, … Continue reading Azzi Fudd is unbreakable
May 28, 2018 on ESPN.com Mack Beggs steps from his house in Euless, Texas, gripping the leash attached to Dani, who, at 94 pounds, is the largest of his seven dogs. Mack, only 20 pounds heavier than his bullador, strains to get her into the back of his grandmother Nancy’s car. Dani seems to know … Continue reading They Are the Champions
May 4, 2018 on ESPN.com LAS VEGAS — Maggie Borland stood on the sand in the Neon Museum’s North Gallery in early March with her arms folded across her chest and waited for her cue from the cameraman. Her Overwatch teammates from Boise State University joked with one another behind her as they practiced their … Continue reading Bright lights hit Maggie Borland
January 4, 2018 on ESPN.com Ginny Baker was destined to be in Cooperstown. In the fictional world of the now-canceled Fox television show “Pitch,” it didn’t matter when Baker, who was played by Kylie Bunbury, retired. As the MLB’s first woman pitcher, eventually, she would have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The induction … Continue reading A year later, ‘Pitch’ and Ginny Baker’s influence lives on
January 10, 2018 on ESPN.com Jessica Platt learned to skate in a backyard ice rink her family built in a neighbor’s yard. She called it a back-rink. For as long as she can remember — so, since she was about 3 years old — Platt skated on that rink. “Canada, right?” she joked in a … Continue reading CWHL’s first transgender woman finds comfort, confidence in professional hockey
November 2, 2017 on ESPN.com Joanna Jedrzejczyk climbs off her bike and wheels it through the doors of American Top Team (ATT), a mixed martial arts gym in Coconut Creek, Florida. She rides the four miles between her house and the gym more mornings than not. With her dark hair pulled up in a high … Continue reading Undefeated and dominant, Joanna Jedrzejczyk seeks Ronda Rousey’s record and UFC’s loftiest ranks
July 11, 2017 on ESPN.com Ricki Ortiz has a decision to make. As she sits down in front of the monitor with her fight stick at DreamHack Austin in April, she has to choose whether to keep playing Chun-Li, the character around whom she has built the majority of her 20-year career, or abandon her … Continue reading What’s in a main? Why Ricki Ortiz might have to give up on Chun-Li
December 23, 2016 on ESPN.com Her nickname is The Lioness. Fitting, given Amanda Nunes’ tenacity in the octagon, but its origin predates women’s inclusion in the UFC. It was given to her when she was the only woman at her first gym, whose logo was that of two lions. The name stuck, and she made … Continue reading Meet Amanda Nunes, the fighter who has been largely forgotten in lead-up to UFC 207
September 20, 2016 on ESPN.com Kylie Bunbury took a deep breath before stepping on set. The upcoming scene required her character to engage in a rather tense conversation with her fictional mother, Janet Baker (Chastity Dotson), and her agent, Amelia Slater (Ali Larter). She was prepared. She had studied. She put her all into that … Continue reading Becoming Ginny Baker: ‘Pitch’ actress Kylie Bunbury transforms for the role of a lifetime
May 10, 2016 on ESPN.com | Stephanie Dolson as told to Katie Barnes When the WNBA tipped off in 1997, life was quite different than it is today for LGBT Americans. Conversations about sexual identity were much more clouded by the HIV/AIDS crisis, which was at its peak; marriage equality was not recognized anywhere in the … Continue reading Stefanie Dolson: ‘I just am who I am’
Katie Barnes 