BOUNCE: The Rise of Women's Professional Sports

Women, non-binary players tackle America's Game.

From our friends at Uncuffed, we're sharing an episode that’s all about sports, play, and the joys of competition. We’ve got stories from the track and the chess board. Plus, life lessons from a boxing ring.

The Golden State Valkyries are known for embracing their queer fandom. But the WNBA wasn’t always so accepting. It took years of pushing for change to get where we are today, both from the outside by fans, and from people within the teams. One pivotal moment came out of the Valkyries’ Northern California predecessors, the Sacramento Monarchs. When a lesbian group still faced homophobia at the hands of the franchise, they decided to do something about it — and made history.

Before the Sacramento Monarchs or the Golden State Valkyries, there were the San Francisco Pioneers. The first professional women's basketball team that played in the City more than two decades ago. Today, we revisit an episode of BOUNCE Season 2, by Maya Goldberg-Safir, that get's to know the team, and their impact on Bay Area professional women's sports.

Following the success of the 1996 US Olympic women's basketball gold medal, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced the creation of a new Women’s National Basketball Association—the WNBA. Thirty years later, the WNBA is doing better than ever. But a lot has happened over the decades. We hear from three different perspectives on the WNBA and how the league has evolved over the years.

With all of the talk about the WNBA and the WPBL, team BOUNCE put together a live event at KALW's studio event space. The gathering included station reporters, former Sacramento Monarchs executive Andrea Lepore, and a live audience to discuss the past and present.

From college scholarships to Olympic dreams, girls flag football is creating opportunities that didn’t exist a few years ago. In Sacramento, Joslyn Cetina and Leyona Wilson , are chasing big goals with Elevate founder and trainer Vince Carter, whose program is helping shape the future of the game.

It's the first episode of BOUNCE Season 3! We look at how the launch of the Women’s Professional Baseball League means that for the first time in decades, girls have a chance to go pro.

We are bringing back Bounce for a third season, and expanding it to cover the expansion of women's professional sports. The podcast will track the 2nd half of the Golden State Valkyries' 2nd season and also cover the emerging football, baseball, and hockey leagues. Women's professional sports is here, and we're here for it!

The Golden State Valkyries created a movement bigger than themselves. Today, we’ll hear about the "Violet Wave" on the Finale of Bounce: The Valkyries' 1st Season in the Bay.

The WPBA is a pro developmental league in the East Bay with big ambitions and real impact. It’s recognized by FIBA — rare for a U.S. women’s league outside the WNBA — and it’s becoming a place where players continue their careers, get seen by scouts, and find community.

What if your mom played basketball from high school, to college, and then for the WNBA. And what if as their kid, basketball wasn’t really your thing? That is reporter Audy McAfee’s story. She dug into her mother’s basketball history and found out what an O.G. baller she was.

Today's episode of BOUNCE is all about the people behind the mic: sports announcers bringing listeners right into the thick of the game.

For the first time since their team folded in 1981, the first professional women’s basketball team in San Francisco reunites in the Bay Area.

The Valkyries are playing better than projected. But even the best professional athletes are finding that the real money lies in tapping into the big business of commercial endorsements. Today, that also means developing a personal brand, and lots of online engagement.

It's episode five of BOUNCE and in today’s episode, we ask: What does the Valks’ arrival mean for the LGBTQ community in the Bay?

The Valkyries lead the WNBA in attendance, and Valks merch is EVERYWHERE. Will popularity mean better pay for the players?

There is a wave of women’s sports bars opening across the United States. The trend started up in the Pacific Northwest a couple of years ago and has recently landed in the Bay Area with Rikki's.

It's the second episode of BOUNCE, KALW’s basketball podcast that’s all about The Valkyries first season in the Bay. This one’s all about the team’s fearless leader: Coach Natalie Nakase.

The night finally arrived. Something fans anticipated for generations. The. First. Game.