Celebrating fathers and father figures in sports | The GIST

Whether he’s organizing the carpool, coaching from the sidelines, or playing catch in the backyard, dads and father figures have a huge role in molding their child’s relationship with sports.

• And from a father-daughter perspective, playing sports together is proven to help young girls develop a healthy sense of competition while teaching them to take risks.

Finally, the number one influence on a child’s sports fandom is their dad’s allegiance to a team…unless you’re this brave little NY Yankees fan in a Boston Red Sox home.

Following the tragic death of retired LA Laker Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, one integral part of his off-court legacy started a global movement: celebrating Girl Dads.

Bryant had a special bond with 13-year-old Gianna, who was killed in a helicopter crash, alongside her father and seven other people, including two of her basketball teammates. Gigi, as she was known, dreamed of playing in the WNBA and becoming a professional baller like her number one supporter: her dad.

The legendary Dwyane Wade may be retired, but he recently moved from Florida to California in part because he felt his family, including his transgender daughter Zaya, “would not be accepted” in a state rife with anti–LGBTQIA+ legislation.

• Wade has been a staunch supporter of Zaya since she came out in 2020 and is a proud advocate for the trans community, saying at last year’s Met Gala, “Let’s make sure our kids have an opportunity to live this life that we all get to live.”

• The Wades also recently launched Translatable, a safe space for LGBTQIA+ youth to express themselves, and a resource hub for their parents, families, and support systems. Talk about a role model.

There’s something special about gifts from your parents, but women’s sports investor (and Serena Williams’ husband) Alexis Ohanian might take the cake. After becoming a lead investor in the NWSL’s Angel City FC in 2020, he and Williams gave their daughter, Olympia, a piece of the pie, making the then-two-year-old the youngest co-owner of a professional sports team.

The team at The GIST is filled with sports-obsessed women and nonbinary folk who were either athletes themselves or simply sports-curious. For the final two sections, here’s a sweet surprise for the GIST fathers and father figures in our lives. Prep the tissues.

“I grew on a cul-de-sac, the same one that my dad did, and some of my earliest memories are “playing hoola hoop” with him. He taught me how to toss and backspin the hoop so we could throw it to one another. It was cool and something that no other kids knew how to do, so I’d show off this “cool thing my Dad taught me” at recess. — Alessandra Puccio

“Growing up in an uber Latin family meant soccer was as present and important in our household as music is to most. I’m lucky that my dad would take the time to explain the who, what, and why during games. I’ll always remember the 2002 World Cup when he would wake me up so we could watch live in the middle of the night. It was the first time I really cared about sports and a big part of that was knowing it was special to him and he was sharing it with me.” — Rachel Fuenzalida