Kat V Adams, PhD

BREAKING: The WNBA announced it is adding three more expansion teams in the coming years that will be located in Cleveland, Philadelphia and Detroit.

SCIENCE (and POLICY) at the FIRST International Congress on Safe Sport Research.

Happy 50th birthday, Oksana Chusovitina! 🎉

BREAKING: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders just got a 400% pay raise. The reveal comes in Season 2 of America’s Sweethearts, now streaming on Netflix. Wages have jumped from $15/hour to over $75/hour—marking one of the biggest contract shifts in NFL cheer history.

Read More: hubs.li/Q03sDRB70

In our competitive society, where it seems that only the strong and winners deserve to live, sport also teaches us how to lose. It forces us, in learning the art of losing, to confront our fragility, our limitations and our imperfections. It is through the experience of these limits that we open our hearts to hope. Athletes who never make mistakes, who never lose, do not exist.

the academy: sports are a culturally-insignificant object unworthy of study

the literal pope:

big claims from ISU for a "more dynamic, inclusive and future-ready sport" without much substance. New website! Graphics at competitions! Quiet space for athletes! (all good things! but not quite meeting the promise)

YouTube video by Anything GOEs GOEing into Detail with Emma Aalto and Millie Colling

GOEing Into Detail: 🇫🇮 Emma Aalto & Millie Colling

@choreosequence.bsky.social talked to Finland's first same-gendered ice dance team about how their partnership came to be and the start of their competitive journey together

youtu.be/soW97T8jNk0

USA Cheer has released new uniform guidance focused on athlete wellness. Recommendations include full-top options, age-appropriate attire, social media consent, and body-neutral coaching language.

Full story: cheermedia.com/industry/usa...

Chilean gymnast Tomas Gonzalez: “I wanted to show that your sexual orientation doesn’t define your worth.” The three-time Olympian opens up on his coming out journey, the power of visibility, and returning to sport with new confidence

Chilean gymnast Tomas Gonzalez: “I wanted to show that your sexual orientation doesn’t define your worth.”

www.olympics.com/en/news/chil...

a couple fun years of finally seeing college gymnastics add teams, only to see those teams fold in a handful of years. I assume this is related to Fisk being NAIA, planning to move to NCAA, and then the house settlement hitting this week

Shoma Uno: “If Malinin leaves viewers thinking, ‘Wow, that was incredible,’ Kagiyama evokes feelings of, ‘I just witnessed something beautiful, and I’m deeply moved.’ That duality – athleticism and ar... Shoma Uno about Ilia Malinin, Yuma Kagiyama and Mikhail Shaidorov.

"'That duality – athleticism and artistry – is what makes figure skating so captivating.'" fs-gossips.com/13830/

Gymnastics coach Han banned for life for abuse The gymnastics coach for a one-time Olympic alternate whose case dates to at least 2016 has received a lifetime ban from the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

SafeSport bans gymnastics coach Qi Han for life after misconduct probe

www.espn.com/olympics/gym...

Gymnastics coach Han banned for life for abuse The gymnastics coach for a one-time Olympic alternate whose case dates to at least 2016 has received a lifetime ban from the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

Everest Gymnastics gymnastics coach Qi Han has been placed on Safesport's permanently ineligible list. He coached Ashton Locklear. The case lists emotional and physical misconduct.

www.espn.com/olympics/gym...

Daymon Jones joins USAG National Team Staff Developmental Program.
www.instagram.com/p/DKSyN4zuy_...

Wonder what she’s aiming for next - anticipated her staying through LA, but she’s had a hell of task and also probably wants (and deserves) a break

It’s always a little weird to see ppl learn about EDS for the first time because…I was gymnast. I danced. I skate. I can watch someone warmup and tell you if they have a connective tissue disorder.

I'll continue to hope that the rising tide of women's pro sports would also lift up a broader understanding of athletics and athleticism - and also hope that i can someone that is able to maintain this research beyond a dissertation

but i also feel sad, because I know when I was a kid in a soccer uniform, my athleticism was never questioned, but in a leotard it was...

on this site if you search for women's sport researchers/writers, most have "woso" or "wnba" in their bio. I'm so glad those sports and athletes and researchers are getting their due (i BEGGED my parents to go to washington spirit opener at rfk in the first iteration of what is now the nwsl)

so i get the impression that these feminized sport topics are fine for your first/only solo research project, but not appropriate/fundable/realistic for a career.

some additional searching showed that many of these writers are not in academia (no huge shock there), but those that are don't continue to publish on these feminized sports.

which i feel some way(s) about. my dissy was focused on WAG because that was what drew me to the research in the first place - i assume many others come to their dissy topic for similar reasons - all social science is at least a bit "me-search"

2. SO MUCH of this scholarship is in masters theses and doc dissertations.

1. cheer had a bit of an academic boom in the '00s & '10s, but much less scholarship coming out about in the past 10ish years

after being DEEP in WAGym research/writing/media for a couple years, i'm digging into other aesthetic sports. I've been searching google scholar on all the rhinestone sports - RG, artistic swim, cheer, dance, etc over the morning and i've noticed 2 things: 🧵

ngl, an event titled "flip n fun" is getting me really interested in acro gymnastics

Youth sports in recent years has been dominated by money to who actually moves up to become a professional athlete.

Sports in America have historically been one of the few avenues for class advancement in this country.

Trans people break what we believe is the fundamental dichotomy of sports.

These factors combined have led to this issue having passionate reactions from parents who think their kids are being cheated.

One in nine parents thinking their kid will go pro is an INSANE stat by the way.

More men allege sexual misconduct by ex-IU doc At least 15 former Indiana men's basketball players are alleging improper sexual conduct by a former team physician and saying Indiana officials, including the late coach Bobby Knight, were aware of t...

"At least 15 former Indiana University men's basketball players are alleging improper sexual conduct by a former team physician and saying Indiana officials, including the late coach Bobby Knight, were aware of the behavior."

www.espn.com/mens-college...

Did you even do your dissertation on gymnastics if you don’t do a celebratory picture with fancy fingers™️