The Long Game

For the adults who keep girls in the game

Twice a month: one story worth your time, one number worth knowing, and something you can use this week.

PLAY.STAY.LEAD.

Women who went on to hold leadership roles as adults

Women who did not

Two more seasons is the whole difference.

Women's Sports Foundation, Play to Lead, 2024.

Two more seasons is the difference, and almost nobody who decides it is a girl. It is her parents in the car after a hard game. It is her coach deciding who gets minutes. It is whoever does or does not waive a registration fee.

The Long Game is written for those people: parents and caregivers, coaches, officials, athletic directors, club and parks and recreation directors, trainers, teachers and counselors, and the people who fund all of it. Idaho and the Intermountain West, from a foundation that works here.

In every issue

  • A story about a moment that decided whether a girl kept playing.
  • A number, sourced, with what to do about it.
  • A program worth knowing, and how to reach it.
  • Something to use this week, written so you can say it out loud.
  • A voice from somewhere in Idaho you have probably not heard from.
  • Open Practice, where a question from a reader gets three answers.

Reader questions

Open Practice

You bring the question. Three of our teammates who have lived it answer from their own experience. Different seats, different answers, all worth hearing.

How it works

  1. 1 You ask One question, in your own words. It takes about a minute, and you can stay anonymous.
  2. 2 We take it to three people From three different corners of this work. A coach, a parks and recreation director, an official, a parent, an athlete, whoever should actually be answering your question.
  3. 3 We run all three answers Side by side, with names and roles attached. We copy edit for length and nothing else, and we never smooth three answers into one.

The kind of question that fits

“My daughter wants to quit the sport she has played since she was six. Do I let her?”

“Registration is $400 and we cannot do it this season. What do I actually say to the club?”

If it is the thing you would ask another parent in the parking lot, it is the right question. The harder ones are the ones we want.

We never print last names, and we never print your child’s name, school, or club. Leave the name field blank and your question runs anonymously.

Ask a question

We read every one. We run one per issue, twice a month, on Wednesdays.

We ensure girls don't just enter the game — they stay in it, grow through it, and lead beyond it.

The Taylor LEAD Foundation · Boise, Idaho · taylorleadscholarship.com