Legends

2024 was the first time I cried over a player retiring. Sure, there were players whose retirements hit me hard. Sue Bird, Sam Mewis, Megan Rapinoe, Tim Duncan. Even Serena William’s got me a bit emotional. But I never felt quite like this.

It was Alex Morgan getting subbed off in the 13th minute of her final game with the San Diego Wave, just days after announcing she was pregnant with her 2nd child. I sat on the floor of my apartment in my AM13 USWNT jersey, with tears flowing.

Then Alyssa Naeher retiring from international football. I had just finished a work meeting at my parents kitchen table, days before thanksgiving. The Instagram post announcing it prompted immediate tears.

Then, Diana Taurasi. 20 years in the WNBA has finally come to an end. I sat on my bed in my apartment, as the Discord notification popped up. I had watched the “if this is it” campaign unfold last September, but now it was real. I read the TIME article and cried.

Now it’s Tobin Heath, officially announcing her retirement from soccer just yesterday. She hasn’t touched the pitch in a couple years, but there was still that tiny piece of hope we’d get to see her score again.

I’ve been a lifelong sports fan, and admittedly there were years I didn’t pay very close attention to the WNBA or NWSL or any of the other women’s leagues out there. Eleven year-old me would’ve been very disappointed to hear that. But in 2022, I returned to it all, and became so invested it’s probably annoying to those around me.

Sometimes it feels like I shouldn’t be feeling all the things I’m feeling about these players retiring, like I haven’t been around long enough to care. There are days where I wish I could turn back the clock and watch every second of the 2015 and 2019 USWNT World Cup Title runs live. Wish that I watched the WNBA long after I stopped playing basketball. But that isn’t how life works. Like why am I crying over a player I only really watched for a couple years? Some of whom I never got to watch in their primes…

The truth is, the reason we’re crying is pretty simple:

They are legends.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word “Legend” as “someone very famous and admired, usually because of their ability in a particular area” All of these players fit squarely into that category. And many of them are admired for so much more than what they did in their sport.

Alex Morgan has always spoken up for gender-equality, no mater who was listening. Also, She can find the back of the net with ease.

Diana Taurasi is so proudly herself, loud, proud, Queer, and has shied from away from telling the refs how she feels. She’s also the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, casual.

Alyssa Naeher shows us that you don’t have to be loud or crazy to be known, and that caring for your people matters. Also, I’d trust her to save a PK any day of the week.

Tobin Heath reminds us that we have power, in whatever space we step in, even when it may not be obvious. Plus she can cook defenders leading to yet another goal.

I watch women’s sports because the in-game product is so amazing. But I fell in love with women’s sports because of the people playing. It’s so hard put into words what it means to be able to watch these players, to learn from them, to admire them. I don’t throw the word inspirational around a lot, but how else can you describe them? I googled a bunch of similar words to inspirational - motivational, impactful, etc. But none of the quite captured it. I’m not sure inspirational even fully covers it. Maybe we’ll never have a word that does, but for now, inspirational will do.

If I could say just one thing to all of them, it’d be this:

Thank you, for changing the game, changing the world, and being exactly who you are. We are all better for it.