 My colleague and friend Dr. Brittani Sahm Webb wrote a chapter in one of my FIFA World Cup books about podcasts as a media space where interest in and knowledge about women's sport is expanded.
That chapter sparked a conversation between us -- let's write more about podcasts on women's sport. We decided to start with one we both enjoyed: "The RE--CAP Show," which is hosted by former USWNT stars Tobin Heath and Christen Press. We started off the study with a simple research question: What is "gal culture," the thing the soccer players suggested is an anecdote to bro culture. But, as we dug into the episodes -- listening to darn near all of the episodes between the two of us (and reading the transcripts of them) -- we started to readjust our research questions. The hosts attempted to define "gal culture," but it seemed to be a moving target. One week it was just the notion that women could talk about women's sports without the male gaze. Another it was about financial dependence from men. And, yet another, it was defined as spaces free from men -- like a surf retreat, or a spa. So, Dr. Webb and I decided to examine the podcast through the theoretical lens of neoliberal feminism. Neoliberal feminism centers feminist goals around neoliberalism, or individualism, market competition and self-empowerment through consumer choices. As such, it is a form of feminism that is heavily critiqued. We ended up with an article that is critical of a podcast we quite enjoy. Weird, right? The piece is published online and in a future edition of Communication & Sport. We are proud of this piece and hope you'll give it a read.
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Molly Yanity, Ph.D.
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