it's probably time for a re-introduction

Hi, friends! I had hoped to have one more Out Fits post for you all before the new year, but everyone in my house has been out of commission with a nasty flu for the past week. It’ll be coming next week!

Between by Sagittarius Season Sale and my Heated Rivalry content, there are so many new people here that I thought I’d take a moment to say hi, introduce myself, and tell you some more about this newsletter. Thanks for being here. This is officially the first time since leaving Substack three months ago that I have gained subscribers rather than hemorrhaging them, so I’m really happy about that! I’m still not quite back up to my pre-move numbers, but I’m getting there.

First things first: Hi, I’m Frankie! I’m a long-time sports journalist whose work focuses on the intersection of sports, gender, queerneess, and culture. I wrote a book called HAIL MARY, which is about the first pro women’s football league in the United States. I’ve won national journalism awards, written magazine cover stories, written stories that helped changed professional league policies, and uncovered hidden histories that have gone on to inspire TV shows. I’m passionate about sports coverage that doesn’t center cis men.

Queerness is a politic that guides my content and coverage. Queerness encompasses so much more than just who someone dates or goes to bed with; it’s about dismantling oppressive structures and systems, in whatever form they exist. Queerness is a way of viewing the world that imagines a future in which everyone is free. Queerness is about power dynamics, about afflicting the comfortable and centering marginalized voices.

There is no queer-lens without a larger anti-oppression lens. This newsletter isn’t about homonormativity or rainbow capitalism, in which queer people conform their lives to the dominant structures in every way except for who they marry. My queerness is anti-capitalist, anti-colonial, anti-Zionist, anti-racist, pro-trans, feminist, and inclusive.

This newsletter will always be about queerness through that larger worldview. My journalism and my analysis are always about taking a critical lens to the systems of oppression that harm us all. If that’s your jam, I’m so glad you’re here. If it’s not, I hope you’ll stay anyway.

I’ve got some fun content planned for the next few weeks, including an Out Fits post dissecting the fashion of everyone’s favorite PWHL heartthrob, CJ Jackson; the next round of Shoot Your Shot personal ads; and to celebrate Unrivaled coming back to Miami and WNBA CBA and expansion discussion, an oral history of Miami Sol, the short-lived WNBA team.

Here on Beehiiv, I have three paid subscription tiers. Here’s what they get you:

You can upgrade to a paid subscription tier here, and if you do so by 11:59 PT ET on January 1st, you can get a lifetime 20% discount on your annual subscription.

Out of Your League is a labor of love. I am an independent trans journalist who is trying to report on my own community and write the stories mainstream publications won’t commission. I recently left Substack in order to be on a platform that more closely aligns with my values (aka not run by or overrun with Nazis), which was a terrifying prospect. I don’t run ads because I wouldn’t feel comfortable promoting any companies that don’t fully align with the values I espouse in my writing. I am entirely reader-supported.

This newsletter is not AI slop and it is written by a human (me!), and I pay other people to help me create the product you receive in your inbox on a regular basis—a fantastic editor (Louis Bien), a graphic designer who made all these beautiful logos (A. Andrews), tech support on the backend (Theo Pavlich), and I’ve recently commissioned a fabulous audience development expert to try to help me grow after leaving the Substack network.

Both the All-Access VIP and Biggest Fan tier come with Discord access and, in my opinion, the Discord alone is worth the price of a subscription. It is the most wholesome place on the internet to watch sports and talk shit. I learn so much from this community of subscribers on a daily basis and they make me better at my job. My subscribers are some of the smartest, most engaged people out there and I am so grateful to get to shepherd this group.

But don’t take my word for it! The members of the Discord can tell you all about it.

One of my favorite things that I get to do is hype up my friends who have written dope LGBTQ+ sports books while also allowing my subscribers to chat directly with them about the work. This book club isn’t just one where we read and discuss the books, but where the authors join us directly so you can ask them questions yourself in an intimate, friendly setting.

Over the first year I’ve been hosting the Book Club, we’ve read such an array of books and covered so many topics and had so many wonderful discussions. But I’ve hosted other events, too, like documentary film screenings, March Madness bracket pools, and live watch parties. It’s all done over Zoom so you can access it from anywhere, and I usually send recordings out in case you can’t join us live.

Both the All-Access VIP and Biggest Fan tier come with access to the Book Club and other events. We have some great books picked out already for 2026, and our first discussion of the year will be on Sunday, January 25th at 2 PM ET/11 AM PT. We’ll be joined by author Mac Crane to discuss their sapphic basketball romance A SHARP ENDLESS NEED. If you loved Heated Rivalry, this is a great book for you to check out next!

All three paid subscription tiers provide access to all the written content I put out here. These subscriptions also allow me to be able to afford to put in reporting time and hire Louis to edit my longer, more involved posts. I’ve unpaywalled all of these so you can see the kind of work I do. Maybe I’m biased, but I think there’s something here even for people who don’t think they care much for sports.

Out of Your League is so much more than just a newsletter. It’s a community. It’s my livelihood. And I can’t do it without all of you. So I’d really appreciate it if you purchased a paid subscription to my newsletter or bought one for a friend or shared this post with someone you think might like my work.

We’re all we’ve got, after all.