Attention women’s sports fans and lesbians—especially those at gorgeously massive center of that Venn diagram. Clear your schedule for November 9th, because Erin Foley, comedian and host of the “Herlights” podcast, is bringing the heat with a live episode featuring tennis legend and queer icon Rennae Stubbs.
GO Magazine caught up with Erin before the show to discuss everything from the origins of “Herlights” and the growing importance of women’s sports, to who in the WNBA is going to be the next Candace Parker professionally and personally (IYKYK). Here are the Herlights:
GO: Let’s go back to the beginning—how did “Herlights” come to be?
Erin Foley: So, I started talking about women’s sports on my own podcast in 2014 called “Sports Without Balls.” The title doesn’t hold up anymore, of course. But even though it was only 10 years ago, you could still only see a handful of women’s sports on TV. That podcast covered all sports, but I would try to jam 70 percent women’s sports and 30 percent my beloved New York men’s sports teams into each episode. Then, my career kind of shifted into TV writing for three or four years. That was kind of all-encompassing, and I took a break from standup and podcasting. And then at the beginning of this year, I was like, “I really miss standup, and I’m trapping people in the corner and talking about women’s sports, so I should really do a sports podcast again.” Herlights is a rebrand with 100% women’s sports.
GO: What has been the most surprising or memorable reaction you’ve gotten from listeners of “Herlights”?
EF: It’s just the adorable enthusiasm and excitement that there’s so much content now. A lot of them are longtime listeners from my first round, but hopefully, I’m getting momentum and getting a lot of new listeners. It’s just this overall collective enthusiasm that we get to geek out about hockey, basketball, and collegiate volleyball. It’s this really fun back and forth of excitement and seeing how the world is kind of catching up.
GO: In the last few years, viewership of women’s sports has skyrocketed. As a lifelong fan of women’s sports, why do you think this is the year that it’s finally getting the attention it deserves?
EF: First of all, women are just second-class citizens. We are hanging on by a thread to keep a vote. So I think overall, the growth of a few sports is pulling the rest. What’s the phrase? A high tide lifts all boats? If you just take the stats in 2023, we’re off the charts across attendance, TV ratings, social media platforms. So, when people are like, “Wow, the WNBA has exploded.” I’m like, “It has been exploding for so long.” In 2023, when you get players like Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese, then of course, it [feels like] a huge explosion all of a sudden. Then the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team absolutely exploded, so that lifts the NWSL. December has become like March Madness for collegiate volleyball now that it’s being televised. If you build it, they will come. But it has been built. People have been coming, but it’s like, if you build it, put a freaking TV camera in front of it, and look what happens.
GO: Speaking of media coverage, what’s your take on how the media covers women’s sports?
EF: I think there’s a huge learning curve. When you see Chiney Ogwumike, Andraya Carter, Elle Duncan, and Carolyn Peck, you’re seeing the best of the best report. They should just have a camera follow them around at all times and to deliver all the content. If you’re talking softball, Beth Mowens, Jessica Mendoza, Michelle Smith, Holly Rowe, these women have been covering it for so long. They know what they’re talking about. They’re super engaging, so let’s stick with them. Let’s have them cover all of it. But conversely, I think there is room for men. You want men to be watching and supporting women’s sports.
GO: What do you foresee in the coming years now that there is all this momentum behind women’s sports?
EF: The key word here is investment. When you look at some of the top levels, like the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team and the WNBA, they’re just getting their flowers. They’re just getting some of these bigger contracts, although there’s still so much work to be done. But in the other sports like volleyball, softball, and field hockey, there needs to be investment because there’s some really great leagues out there that want to have deals with ESPN, but there’s no money involved, so they can’t pay the players.
GO: “Herlights” covers a ton of different sports, but what’s your favorite sport or tournament to watch?
EF: That is a very difficult question. Basketball is always going to be my first love. I played it in high school and college, and so I think NCAA March Madness is [my favorite] since I’ve been watching it for so long on the women’s and men’s sides. I’m also obsessed with the US Open. I literally start on day one and watch every women’s match for the two weeks. So that’s right up there. I love tennis in general, but the US Open in particular. I have to throw in the Women’s Soccer World Cup or Olympics and the Women’s College World Series. I could give you a top 25.
GO: We’re so excited to see you LIVE on November 9th at 7 pm at the Green Room 42 with an extra special guest, retired tennis legend and current analyst Rennae Stubbs. What can fans expect from a live taping of a podcast versus a typical episode?
EF: “Herlights’” regular episodes are [usually] Tuesdays, and they’re super conversational, informative, and fun. But this mini-tour is kind of a giant experiment. I’ll be doing the show live, combining comedy, women’s sports, and interviews. I start by going out and doing 15 minutes of standup, then I bring out the guest, and we have a conversation, and then we do a live Q&A.
GO: What are you most excited to talk to Rennae about?
EF: Rennae and I go way back, but I’m most excited to talk to her about her amazing career on and off the court – the grand slam wins, playing in the Olympics, becoming an ESPN commentator, the current state of women’s tennis, and most importantly, her role as an LGBTQ+ icon. My favorite question to ask guests is, “When did you know you belong? That you could do this professionally?”, so I’ll be asking that for sure. Also, she is a NY Liberty season ticket holder and I have been a fan since 1997, so we HAVE to talk about the championship.
GO: Rennae Stubbs is known for her advocacy along with her athletic skills. How important do you think athlete advocacy is in helping grow fan engagement and awareness in women’s sports?
EF: I think it’s huge. I mean, not to stereotype, but you figure a lot of high percentage of women’s sports fans are probably in the LGBTQ community. I know there’s push back from a lot of professional athletes in the media being just like, “stay in your lane,” but I couldn’t feel more strongly against that. I’m not saying it’s a requirement for all these professional athletes in the media, but we put these athletes on such pedestals. So when athletes are talking about mental health awareness or LGBTQ+, especially trans rights, it is so impactful.
GO: We can’t wait to see Rennae Stubbs, but what other dream guests would you love to get on the pod?
EF: The Erin Foley dream sequence is a live show with Sydney Colson. She’s hilarious, but she’s also such a phenomenal basketball player, and I think sometimes that gets lost because of her personality and her hilarious social media posts. But I have a bunch! Rebecca Lobo, T-Spoon. We had Sue Wicks on, and she was amazing. Brandi Chastain, Simone Biles, icons like that. Especially Martina Navratilova because of this interesting trifecta of what she had to go through at that time, not only as a gay woman, but she defected to America when she was 18. Lisa Fernandez, UCLA softball and an Olympian. I mean, she’s the greatest of all time. People don’t probably realize how amazing she is. So, I think it’s a really good mix of some of the women that built these leagues.
Don’t miss Erin Foley and Rennae Stubbs on November 9th, 7 pm at the Green Room 42 as a part of the New York Comedy Festival. Get your tickets here! See you there. sportsbians!
