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And record prize-money for Coco Gauff
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"If a woman is playing it, we're showing it."


- Whoopi Goldberg on her announcement of the first global women's sports network

Three big stories to know this week in women's sports


1. How could the U.S. election results affect women's sports?


Last week, a majority of Americans (50.3%) voted Donald Trump back into the office of President and gave Republicans control of the Senate, most likely the House, and the Supreme Court. While it's hard to know what policy changes and laws will ultimately be implemented, women's healthcare and women's sports played a prominent role in the campaign rhetoric. Here are some things we'll be keeping an eye on:

- Title IX: The landmark legislation ensures equal access to sports and educational facilities for girls, and rules against sex discrimination (as well as maternity protections) were expanded under President Biden — but Republican legislators have spoken out against the new rules and the changes been tied up in the courts.


- Trans women and girls in sports: While exit polls found that voters said they didn't vote based on trans inclusion issues and that the majority support anti-discrimination legislation, President-elect Trump made banning trans girls from sports a prominent feature of his campaign and has said it would be a "Day 1" priority.


- Abortion healthcare access and maternity protections: In the last two years, nearly half the states have moved to ban abortion either outright or within 6 weeks. (As we've discussed before "six weeks" is really counted from the first day of your last period, which makes it a much shorter timeframe from once a woman is actually pregnant and could know.) The laws have also made it more difficult or impossible for women to get necessary life-saving medical care when something goes wrong in a pregnancy. Abortion bans and limits on maternity care are expected to expand under the new administration, which will be wrapped up in health and performance especially for female college athletes.


Women's sports have never existed outside of politics — as any woman who hasn't been allowed to play probably knows. Who gets access to what and how is deeply wrapped up in the rules and laws and in who gets to determine those laws. Sports is politics; politics is sports.

(Photo: WTA)


2. Coco Gauff earns a record $4.8 million prize purse 🎾 


"lol. safe to say I beat the bad season allegations" 


— Coco Gauff tweeted after becoming the youngest player to win the WTA Finals since Maria Sharapova in 2004


Gauff earned $4,805,000 for the win — bringing her total earnings to $21.5 million. Only 14 other women have surpassed that $20 million mark and she's the first tennis player born since 2004 to hit the $20 million (man or woman). And it was the first women's professional tennis tournament in Saudi Arabia.


The WTA Finals are for the top eight-ranked singles and doubles players to close out the year. After an up-and-down season, Gauff beat the #1 and #2 ranked athletes, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek. Then, she topped Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen in a 3+ hour match and the first WTA Finals to go to a third set tiebreaker 😮


😬 Not-so-fun fact: Wimbledon champ Barbora Krejcikova called out the commentators after some off-air remarks about her appearance accidentally went live


3. University of Arizona wins first NCAA varsity triathlon title 🥇


After seven years of ASU taking the women's national title, their rival desert team at U of A finally took the top spot this weekend.


What is NCAA triathlon?


Since 2014, women's draft-legal triathlon has been an NCAA emerging sport for women. Emerging sports for women are an accelerated pathway for new sports to become official NCAA championship sports.


To date, there are just under 40 schools (the needed mark!) that have added varsity tri programs. The next step would be for the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics to vote and recommend it to become an official sport — at which point, after final approval, the NCAA would take over the operation of the championship. (Right now, USA Triathlon helps a lot of the schools with grants.)


Earlier this year, the Committee voted to recommend women's wrestling move forward in the next step towards championship status.


Triathlon is hoping to add a draft-legal, small team version across three Divisions that would compete in the fall. In the meantime, club triathlon (which is men and women) competes in a non-drafting Olympic-distance non-NCAA season in the spring that attracts around 1,000 athletes to the championship.


Tip of the week


This time of year is a great time to get strong 💪 (Really, all times of the year are good times to get strong.) But we know a lot of you want to use the colder weather and this time between big goals to get into the gym.


We got you! 


Strength training has been shown to reduce cardiovascular disease mortality by up to 19%, improve bone density, and lowers mortality risk. Not to mention it makes you stronger, faster, and fitter. That's why we've put together a 16-week strength training course designed to help you safely and effectively  build to the compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, and presses) that includes demo videos, setting goals, and understanding how to fuel your lifting. 


SIGN UP: For our 16-week Strong training course — the next cohort starts Dec. 5




The highlight reel





Your Feisty recommendations


What to watch: ZANA: Women of the Little 500 — about the women of the Little 500 🚲 in Indiana


What to read: "Meet Okinawa's Only Female Karate Grandmaster"

What to listen to: Rebecca Rusch went on Rich Roll to talk about the impact of her concussion while mountain biking; you can listen to our full Brain Storm series with Rebecca to learn more about brain injuries 🧠


What we love to see: Less than 10% of Unbound 200 riders are women and less than 20% of the 100-mile riders — but we're ready to get more women, more miles 🚴‍♀️ 🚴‍♀️ 🚴‍♀️ Sign up for our free community training program to get ready for your big gravel ride this summer!
MORE ON WOMEN'S PERFORMANCE
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The Feist is written by Kelly O'Mara and edited by Drew Jones. Ads by Ella Hnatyshyn


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