Welcome to the Party

In Part 1, we invited you to slow down, ask questions and listen longer. In Part 2 of this special three-part series, Julie Foudy, Abby Wambach and Billie Jean King continue that conversation with Dr. Anna Baeth and Ellie Roscher, authors of Fair Game: Trans Athletes and the Future of Sports, taking a closer look at what fairness means—and how policies meant to define it affect real people. Together, they explore the distinctions between transgender and intersex athletes, the scrutiny placed on women’s bodies and the consequences of exclusion at every level of sport. Abby gets candid about her own evolving perspective, including a moment on the sidelines of her daughter’s cross-country team that prompted questions about fairness, friendship and belonging. From elite competition and sex testing to the joy of simply playing alongside your teammates, this conversation builds on Part 1 with a question at its heart: How do we protect opportunity in women’s sports while honoring the humanity of everyone who wants to play? Wherever you’re coming from, there’s room to keep listening, keep learning and stay in the conversation. Follow @welcometothepartyshow on: YouTube — @welcometothepartyshow Instagram — @welcometothepartyshow TikTok — @welcometothepartyshow Email — [email protected] Substack - https://welcometothepartyshow.substack.com Welcome to the Party Merch - https://welcometotheparty.voila.store    Keep the Party Going: If you want to learn more or go deeper on some of the things we discussed today, here are a few resources we recommend: Missed Part One of our transgender athletes series? Start there. Julie, Abby and Kinger sit down with Dr. Anna Baeth and Ellie Roscher, authors of Fair Game: Trans Athletes and the Future of Sports, to dig into the science, fairness questions, policy and lived experiences behind the debate.What Everyone Gets Wrong About Trans Athletes Read Nancy Armour’s USA TODAY reporting on the IOC bringing SRY gene testing back for female athletes ahead of LA28, nearly three decades after abandoning a similar testing policy: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2026/06/10/ioc-gene-testing-female-athletes-2028-olympics/89824319007/ Want to see the legislation for yourself? The Trans Legislation Tracker follows bills affecting transgender people across the country, including the more than 1,000 bills it tracked in 2025: https://translegislation.com/bills/2025 Go deeper on the Supreme Court case Chase discussed. The ACLU’s Little v. Hecox case page includes the history, court decisions and legal filings surrounding Idaho’s transgender student-athlete law:https://www.aclu.org/cases/hecox-v-little Want to follow more of Chase Strangio’s work? Chase is Co-Director of the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Rights Project and works on litigation and advocacy around transgender rights across the country: https://www.aclu.org/bios/chase-strangio Chris Mosier's website is the place to go for action steps and the most up to date policy information: https://www.transathlete.com/ Fair Game by Ellie Roscher and Anna Baeth: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/fair-game-trans-athletes-and-the-future-of-sports/ Thank you to our sponsors: -Ally’s got you covered. Ally Bank, Member FDIC

Coach Jackie came for the party and immediately put Abby and Julie’s vibes under review in a classic “Are They Gay or Are They Just Podcast Hosts”. The women’s sports creator joins Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy to talk about turning fandom into a career, using humor to tackle serious issues, and why standing up for trans inclusion meant sending a very scary text to her childhood hero: Abby. Plus, Jackie shares the story behind her new podcast, Is She Game?, working with the Obamas’ Higher Ground, and landing Billie Jean King as her first guest. Naturally, there’s also a WNBA-meets-Love Island detour. Before Jackie joins, Abby and Julie check their WNBA playoff brackets, break down the NWSL playoff scramble, preview the USWNT’s showdown with Spain, and ask why college athletes are logging so many miles just to play.   Follow @welcometothepartyshow on: YouTube — @welcometothepartyshow Instagram — @welcometothepartyshow TikTok — @welcometothepartyshow Email — [email protected] Substack - https://welcometothepartyshow.substack.com Welcome to the Party Merch - https://welcometotheparty.voila.store    Keep the Party Going:   Thank you to our sponsors: -Ally’s got you covered. Ally Bank, Member FDIC

What happens when you build a sports business around the fans instead of the bottom line? Savannah Bananas founder Jesse Cole joins Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy to break down how a struggling baseball team became Banana Ball — a phenomenon selling out major stadiums while refusing to play by the traditional rules of sports business. Jesse shares why he’s committed to keeping tickets affordable, how a “Fans First” philosophy shapes everything from player contracts to the upper deck experience, and why he believes long-term trust matters more than short-term profit. He also takes Abby and Julie inside the evolution of Banana Ball, the upcoming first-ever Banana Bowl, and the joy, accessibility, and community he believes sports can never afford to lose. Plus, the three explore what women’s sports can learn from the Bananas as the industry grows: how to scale without losing the culture that made people fall in love with it in the first place. Follow @welcometothepartyshow on: YouTube — @welcometothepartyshow Instagram — @welcometothepartyshow TikTok — @welcometothepartyshow Email — [email protected] Substack - https://welcometothepartyshow.substack.com Welcome to the Party Merch - https://welcometotheparty.voila.store    Keep the Party Going: Our October charity is Thriving Pink. A portion of proceeds from Welcome to the Party merch this month will support Thriving Pink and its work providing financial assistance, support groups, wellness programs and resources for people navigating breast cancer: https://www.thrivingpink.org/ and https://welcometotheparty.voila.store/ Women’s sports are booming, but the full pipeline tells a more complicated story. The new WSF Sport Report 2026 looks at girls and women in sports from youth participation through college and the pros, including access, belonging and the future of Title IX. Julie promised we’d link the full study: https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/wsf-sport-report/ Okay, so how exactly does Banana Ball work? Two-hour games, no walks, fans catching foul balls for outs and a whole different scoring system. Get all 11 rules here: https://help.bananaball.com/article-categories/banana-ball-rules Want to actually get to a Banana Ball game? Jesse explained why they use a ticket lottery and built their own Fans First Marketplace to keep resale tickets at face value and away from scalpers: https://help.bananaball.com/knowledge-base/how-to-get-tickets-the-lottery-interest-list/ Thank you to our sponsors: -Ally’s got you covered. Ally Bank, Member FDIC  

The party hits the tread! Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy join Peloton instructor Kirsten Ferguson, aka Queen K, for a 20-minute walk/run and their most heated Minute to Win It yet. Between intervals, Kirsten shares how she went from hating running to training for a marathon, why community keeps her moving, and how to tell when it’s time to push or recover. First, Glennon Doyle joins the WNBA playoff bracket battle, where the last-place finisher has to wear the dreaded party-pooper hat. Then it’s back to the question Julie’s been chasing: can she finally beat Abby?   Follow @welcometothepartyshow on: YouTube — @welcometothepartyshow Instagram — @welcometothepartyshow TikTok — @welcometothepartyshow Email — [email protected] Substack - https://welcometothepartyshow.substack.com Welcome to the Party Merch - https://welcometotheparty.voila.store    Keep the Party Going: Party People, come run with Queen K. Kirsten Ferguson put Julie and Abby through a 20-minute Walk + Run at Peloton Studios, complete with another Minute to Win It showdown. Find Kirsten’s Peloton classes here. https://www.onepeloton.com/instructors/Peloton_KF? From A to Z: This Is Me! Kirsten wrote her new children’s book with her daughters, Eden and Emery, using affirmations to help girls build confidence and see themselves reflected on the page: https://www.pelobuddy.com/kirsten-ferguson-book/ September may be ending, but Zoe’s Goal keeps going. You can continue supporting Zoe Suder and the fight for more childhood cancer research funding anytime. https://zoesgoal.org/   Thank you to our sponsors: -Ally’s got you covered. Ally Bank, Member FDIC

Olivia Babcock has won just about every individual honor in college volleyball. The one thing missing? A national championship. After three straight Final Four heartbreaks for Pitt, the two-time AVCA National Player of the Year joins Abby Wambach, Julie Foudy, and Billie Jean King to talk about what it takes to turn individual greatness into a team title. Olivia opens up about those losses, Pitt’s “want to” culture, how she builds her teammates’ confidence, and the “positive stress” of deciding what comes next. Plus, Glennon Doyle calls in to fact-check Julie on Abby’s snoring, and Abby and Julie share the new home of their San Francisco Love volleyball team: the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.   Follow @welcometothepartyshow on: YouTube — @welcometothepartyshow Instagram — @welcometothepartyshow TikTok — @welcometothepartyshow Email — [email protected] Substack - https://welcometothepartyshow.substack.com Welcome to the Party Merch - https://welcometotheparty.voila.store    Keep the Party Going: Is Olivia Babcock the greatest athlete in Pitt history? That’s the question, and the case is pretty compelling: https://bandwagoners-guide-to-pitt-volleyball.ghost.io/is-olivia-babcock-the-greatest-athlete-in-pitt-history-guest-post/ Want to follow Olivia and Pitt’s chase for that national championship? Check out the Panthers’ full 2026 schedule and results: https://pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/womens-volleyball/schedule Keep up with Olivia off the court too. Follow her on Instagram at @oliviiaabab.  San Francisco Signal has a home. The new pro volleyball team will play its inaugural season at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium: https://www.lovb.com/news/san-francisco-signal-inaugural-venue-bill-graham-civic-auditorium?utm_source=chatgpt.com    Thank you to our sponsors: -Ally’s got you covered. Ally Bank, Member FDIC