Kirsten, Jessie, and Megan are back for our second edition covering 21 Thunder. This time, rather than a review, we decided to record our reactions live. The commentary begins after a discussion of the news of Kobe Bryant’s death, which was breaking as we began recording. We wrestled with the complicated legacy of a sporting talent who was the subject of serious sexual assault allegations. The hosts discussed how to memorialize and talk about a person after death while also acknowledging the issues about what he did when he was alive. Agreeing with Lindsay Gibbs in it not being “too soon”, we acknowledged the pain survivors have to deal with in these situations. Shireen Ahmed tackled the silence in football and Jessie Losch explained why language matters in articles for Unusual Efforts. As always, Effortista June summed up our thoughts in one succinct tweet.
I'm ko'd with flu but I still gotta remind folks that "speak no ill of the dead" means don't bring up your granduncle's affairs w/ your cousins at the funeral, not refuse to engage meaningfully with public legacies
— June (@tldrjune) January 26, 2020
After the heavy discussion, we dive straight into Episode 2: “Road Game”. If you want to listen along with us, jump to 31:40 on Megaphone or your preferred podcasting service. We make up for the serious beginning by laughing our way through trying to understand border control, pondering the cost of healthcare, and wishing we could go to a trivia night in Canada. We need an adult as we plan a cross-Canada road trip, courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Board (even if they don’t know they are sponsoring us yet).
Someone on the writing staff has at least done a cursory Google search of juicy topics in women’s soccer in the past decade, and that comes through in the broader strokes. – Stephanie Yang
We also heavily reference Stephanie Yang’s piece about the Christine Sinclair/Christy Cook comparisons, so check that out before watching.
If you enjoy our 21 Thunder reviews and/or articles, considering checking out our new and improved Patreon! We have updated levels and goals, and who can resist a custom Sonja Missio photoshop?
