On Tuesday in class, xoxogossipgirl, EyesWideShut, and StoryPaws drew attention to local, national and global stories that reflect what’s happening right now in sports, economics, and society. We discussed James Madison University’s women’s basketball team, rising unemployment rates among Black women nationally, the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team, and Swedish skiier Elis Lundholm, the first transgender athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics.
Local news
JMU Women’s Basketball made history on February 21, 2026, defeating App State 74-48 at the Atlantic Union Bank Center during its annual Play4Kay Pink Game. The event honors the legacy of Coach Kay Yow and supports the Play4Kay foundation, which raises funds for cancers affecting women. The initiative emphasizes that the event is “bigger than basketball,” connecting the game to women’s health, research funding, and health equity.
The game brought in 4,690 attendees, which was the largest crowd ever for a women’s basketball game at the AUBC. In a sports culture where women’s teams consistently receive less funding, media coverage, and recognition than men’s teams, this turnout challenges the idea that women’s sports are less exciting or less valuable. At the same time, this milestone should be seen as a starting point, not a finish line. While 4,690 fans set a new record for the women’s program, it’s still nearly half of the men’s AUBC record of 8,439. We’ve come a long way, but the gap makes it clear that continued support and visibility for women’s sports still matter.
This game represents both progress and possibility. When women’s athletics are promoted and supported, the community shows up, and that support can extend beyond the court to broader commitments to women’s health and equity.
National news
In the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Team USA and and Canada battled in the Gold Medal Game where Team USA came out with the gold. The United States Women’s Ice Hockey Team entered the final after an impressive tournament run. They outscored opponents 31-1 and previously beat Canada 5-0. Looking at viewership, the women’s gold medal game averages 5.3 million viewers, with the highest point being 7.7 million. This is the most viewers ever for a women’s hockey game. Despite it being record-breaking in viewership for the women, it is still significantly lower than the men’s gold medal final. The men’s averaged 18.6 million live viewers on NBC and Peacock with it rising to 20.7 million. Although the viewership in the woman’s final broke a record, the game still drew way less viewers than the men’s and had less media coverage/promotions after the game. This women’s team competed at the highest level, the final game was a huge rivalry and were a dominating team. The gap reflects disparities in attention and visibility across men and women’s sports.
From January 2021, black women’s unemployment rate increased from 5.4% to 7.3% at year-end, an increase equal to that of the peak of white women’s unemployment during the Great Recession. This spike does not occur on its own; black women have a high concentration of employment in public sector and care-based industries, which are often also the first industries to experience budget reductions and economic uncertainty. When there is a change in funding, black women will be impacted first and worst.
global news
Swedish skier Elis Lundholm made history at the 2026 Winter Olympics by being the first transgender athlete to compete in a Winter Olympics. He placed 25th in the qualifying round. According to Reuters, Lundholm encourages young athletes to “be themselves” even with controversy surrounding transgender athletes. According to Associated Press, he said, “I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it that much, I’m competing in the same conditions as everyone else,” he said. “I’m just skiing.” This reinforces his desire to focus on his performance instead of his identity. With lots of media coverage surrounding him, this was not the case. NBC commentators misgendered him during coverage. From Express, The commentator said, “Getting off course here though… oh she just skids out of that gate. She’s going to hop up and go around to make sure she does not DNF as she continues down the line here.” After intense backlash, NBC later came back with an apology and deleted the coverage, “We apologise to Elis and our viewers, and we have removed the replay of that feed.” Elis Lundholm competing at the Olympics increased conversation about inclusivity, fairness and representation at such a high level of sports. This story also highlights the importance of accuracy and respect on identity especially for media outlets.
ShoutOut! James Madison University 