I entered the lineup in Game 1 as a free agent for the Firin’ Sirens. The ball had gone out of bounds off of the opposing team, Swishimi. I caught the inbound pass and started running toward the other end of the court, but no one followed me. Oops. Wrong way. Embarrassing at first, but then I remembered something Effie Ralli had told me: “You can be really bad and we’ll still like you.”
This is the Los Angeles Feminist Amateur Basketball League.
LAFABL founders Aerienne “Hustle Your Bustle” Russell and Effie “The Pep” Ralli designed the league to a supportive, non-judgmental space for women to shoot hoops, regardless of ball-handling abilities or even fitness level. I’d heard stories about their hoops hijinks, the jock jams, the personalized trading cards, and the palpable, unapologetically feminine energy you won’t find on most playground courts. So when the league (hilariously known as LAFABL) announced its eighth season, I called, “I got next.”
And all the details—colorful, handmade team sashes and game time playlists curated from a millennial’s most embarrassing but beloved mixed CD of her youth—show the love that goes into organizing these games.
Still, I felt nervous stepping into the Lake Street Community Center for Game 1. The hardwood is a scary place if you’ve ever felt like a gym-class reject. I’ve been there, but so have most of the women here. I’m with peers, their ages ranging from mid-20s to mid-30s. Representing virtually every skin tone on the spectrum, as well as all shapes and sizes, this crowd might have been easy to blend into, yet everyone stood out. Each person’s individuality, from their tattoos to their psychedelic t-shirts, floral shorts, and tube socks, was striking in an arena where the homogeneity of “jockdom” is the norm. There are two or three serious ballers in the mix, as well as several who've played in the league for multiple seasons. But no one seems fazed at all about lopsided skill levels.
I also wondered if the blowback of Hillary Clinton’s widely unexpected, debilitating loss to Donald Trump just days before would be in the air. But surprisingly, and refreshingly, there was no Trump talk to be heard. LAFABL does attract feminists and celebrates sisterhood, but activism isn’t the intent here. “The feminist angle is just about inclusivity and community, so it’s not a direct political conversation that we’re trying to start or have,” Russell tells GOOD.
As Ray Allen, one of my basketball idols, once said before a 2011 NBA playoff game: “When you lace them up, it’s five-on-five.” That’s always resonated as a mantra that when you step onto the court, you leave everything else behind and keep your head in the game. That mental respite, whether you seek it as an athlete or as a spectator, has always been one of the beautiful things about sports, and women should feel just as free to pursue that on a Sunday afternoon as men undoubtedly do.
Part of the reason Russell and Ralli started this thing in the first place is because there are too many women who literally feel they have no place in sports. “We would go play basketball and all the courts were filled with guys,” Ralli says.
Nicole Stetter of the LAFABL team Dunkin Do-nets adds, “I have ample male friends who congregate to play casually, and they’re always so turned off by the idea of allowing women because they’re worried the level of skill and strength vary too much and they’ll have to ‘play carefully.’ I don't even completely disagree.”
So 2½ years ago, Russell and Ralli took their one-on-one games to the next level and organized their first four-week tournament. Each season thereafter, they’ve welcomed anyone who identifies as female to sign up for one of 40 roster spots, which they’ve filled every time. The dues, used to pay for use of the gym and supplies, are $20 per person, and free agents can come to any game and pay $5 to play. (This season’s first three games took place on Nov. 13, Nov. 20, and Dec. 4. The final game, on December 11 from noon to 1:30 p.m., is still open to free agents.)
Ralli says the league is a place for “people who might not fit into regular sports.”
“It is mostly a women’s league, but we want to make it a bit more broad than that,” she says. “Because you could be gender-queer and still feel not safe on a regular court playing basketball. If a trans man wants to play, I’d be open to it. Definitely gender-queer persons, trans women, and anyone who identifies as a woman are welcome.”
Aside from bolstering a healthy personal relationship with sports and exercise, the judgment-free zone of LAFABL also lets players harness their feminine power to inspire and connect with one another. “We can exhibit a natural sense of competition and simultaneously lift each other up and cheer each other on,” Stetter says. “It’s a beautiful dance.”
The impact can transcend the players themselves, too. Stetter, for one, brings her kids to her games.
“Having my son see all these girls together playing a male-dominated sport better be changing his perception of what sports can be! And I think having my daughter see a girls-only basketball league helps broaden the typical perspective of ‘basketball players’,” Stetter says. “If she can obtain even the smallest sense that she can do things that don't initially seem like they’re ‘for girls,’ then LAFABL has done so much for our family.”
In my first game, after the mad dash to the wrong hoop, I made up for my misstep later with some offensive rebounds, assists, and two baskets—and I can’t even express how exhilarating it felt to score those points for my team.
Yes, bloopers happen, but make no mistake—some of the girls here really have game, so it’s definitely not a complete free-for-all. In fact, my teammates surprised me when they strategized to implement zone defense, which helped us take the lead against our much-taller opponents.
Then, with about 10 seconds to go, the refs called a foul on our team. The shooter from Swishimi missed both free throws, but one of her teammates got the offensive board and hit a shot in the final seconds. The game ended in a 24-24 tie. No overtime.
Having a winner wasn’t really the goal. We had the drama that everyone craves from playing and watching sports—but it all ended in good fun, high-fives, and no losers.
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Why do some folks use social media but don't engage?
Psychologist says people who never comment on social media share these 5 positive traits
For over 20 years, social media has developed into a staple in many people’s day-to-day lives. Whether it’s to keep in communication with friends and family, following the thoughts of celebrities, or watching cat videos while sipping your morning coffee, there seem to be two types of social media users: commenters and lurkers.
The term “lurker” sounds equally mysterious and insidious, with some social media users writing them off as non-participants at best or voyeurs at worst. However, mindfulness expert Lachlan Brown believes these non-commenters have some very psychologically positive and healthy traits. Let’s take a look at how each one of these traits could be beneficial and see how fruitful lurking might be even though it can drive content creators crazy.
1. Cautious about vulnerability
Consciously or not, making a post online or commenting on one puts you and your words out there. It’s a statement that everyone can see, even if it’s as simple as clicking “like.” Doing so opens yourself up to judgment, with all the good, bad, and potential misinterpretation that comes with it. Non-commenters would rather not open themselves up to that.
These silent users are connected to a concept of self-protection by simply not engaging. By just scrolling past posts or just reading/watching them without commentary, they’re preventing themselves from any downsides of sharing an opinion such as rejection, misunderstanding, or embarrassment. They also have more control on how much of themselves they’re willing to reveal to the general public, and tend to be more open face-to-face or during one-on-one/one-on-few private chats or DMs. This can be seen as a healthy boundary and prevents unnecessary exposure.
Considering many comment sections, especially involving political topics, are meant to stir negative emotional responses to increase engagement, being extra mindful about where, when, and what you comment might not be a bad idea. They might not even take the engagement bait at all. Or if they see a friend of theirs post something vulnerable, they feel more motivated to engage with them personally one-on-one rather than use social media to publicly check in on them.
2. Analytical and reflective mindset
How many times have you gone onto Reddit, YouTube, or any other site and just skimmed past comments that are just different versions of “yes, and,” “no, but,” or “yes, but”? Or the ever insightful, formerly popular comment “First!” in a thread? These silent browsers lean against adding to such noise unless they have some valid and thoughtful contribution (if they bother to comment period).
These non-posters are likely wired on reflective thinking rather than their initial intuition. Not to say that all those who comment aren’t thoughtful, but many tend to react quickly and comment based on their initial feelings rather than absorbing the information, thinking it over, researching or testing their belief, and then posting it. For "lurkers," it could by their very nature to just do all of that and not post it at all, or share their thoughts and findings privately with a friend. All in all, it’s a preference of substance over speed.
3. High sense of self-awareness
Carried over from the first two listed traits, these silent social media users incorporate their concern over their vulnerability and their reflective mindset into digital self-awareness. They know what triggers responses out of them and what causes them to engage in impulsive behavior. It could be that they have engaged with a troll in the past and felt foolish. Or that they just felt sad after a post or got into an unnecessary argument that impacted them offline. By knowing themselves and seeing what’s being discussed, they choose to weigh their words carefully or just not participate at all. It’s a form of self-preservation through restraint.
4. Prefer to observe rather than perform
Some folks treat social media as information, entertainment, or a mix of both, and commenting can feel like they’re yelling at the TV, clapping alone in a movie theater when the credits roll, or yelling “That’s not true!” to a news anchor that will never hear them. But contrary to that, social media is a place where those yells, claps, and accusations can be seen and get a response. By its design, social media is considered by experts and the media as performative, regardless of whether it is positive or negative. Taking all of the previously mentioned traits into account, one can see why they would prefer to “observe the play” rather than get up on the stage of Facebook or X.
On top of that, these non-commenters could be using social media differently than those who choose to fully engage with it. Using this type of navigation, there may be nothing for them to comment about. Some commenters are even vying for this for their mental health. There are articles about how to better curate your social media feeds and manipulate algorithms to create a better social media experience to avoid unnecessary conflict or mentally tiring debate.
If you go on a blocking spree on all of your accounts and just follow the posters that boost you, it could turn your social media into a nice part of your routine as you mainly engage with others face-to-face or privately. In terms of commenting, if your curated Instagram is just following cute dogs and all you have to offer for a comment is “cute dog,” you might just enjoy the picture and then move on with your day rather than join in the noise. These non-commenters aren’t in the show and they’re fine with it.
5. Less motivated by social validation
The last trait that Brown showcases is that social media users who browse without posting tend to be independent from external validation, at least online. Social media is built to grow through feedback loops such as awarding likes, shares, and reposts of your content along with notifications letting you know that a new person follows you or wants to connect. This can lead many people to connect their activity on social media with their sense of self worth, especially with adolescents who are still figuring out their place in the world and have still-developing brains.
Engaging in social media via likes, shares, comments, and posts rewards our brains by having them release dopamine, which makes us feel good and can easily become addictive. For whatever reason, non-commenters don’t rely on social media as a means to gauge their social capital or self worth. This doesn’t make them better than those who do. While some non-commenters could have healthier ways to boost their self worth or release dopamine into their systems, many get that validation from equally unhealthy sources offline. That said, many non-commenters’ silence could be a display of independence and self confidence.
Whether you frequently comment online or don’t, it’s good to understand why you do or don’t. Analyzing your habits can help you determine whether your online engagement is healthy, or needs to be tweaked. With that information, you can then create a healthy social media experience that works for you.