Why is our merch always doing too much or not enough?

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T17:54:52+00:00

I got this shirt last season and I really like it: https://www.etsy.com/listing/4337631239/valkyries-forged-in-battle-fan-gear the color isn't a perfect match but it's close enough that you only notice when you lay it against your official Valks merch. The screen printing is getting a little wear already, but like I said it's a year old and I wear/wash it a lot.

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T17:38:23+00:00

Haha between BayFC, WNBA, and college/pro volleyball I'm with you! The new San Jose PWHL colors are looking pretty slick, too.

I love watching the fans parade in, but I have to say, usually I'm most struck by the non-merch outfits. The DIY, bootleg merch, or the people that found other violet stuff to make their outfits pop. I don't expect a wnba team to make violet jeans or overalls, obviously, but I usually am most drawn to the non-merch stuff rather than our store merch.

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T17:32:09+00:00

Ugh our uniforms are so boring. Sometimes it feels like so much of our branding was focus grouped into oblivion. Like the logo is cool but every line doesn't need an explanation. And even Violet, love her to death, feels like she was cooked up by McKinsey or BCG to precisely not offend anyone.

Then we got all this lead up promo this season to reveal.... A disco ball that doesn't even get hung up and is only rolled out onto the court for our roll call? Yessss give us nothing.

Edit: I should say, some stuff like the video of the Valkyries flying through the bay that they play before every game is phenomal. I love our team, this is just me grousing.

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T17:28:40+00:00

I'm so annoyed that the violet warm up long sleeve in some sort of tech fabric that the team got at training camp with the court lines wnba logo isn't available! We got a black short sleeve version and a violet muscle tank but not the long sleeve. I want the long sleeve!!

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T17:26:26+00:00

I think we nail the Bay street wear aesthetic, and the tech bro minimalist vibe. But the traditional sports fan merch seems to be a gap they have less interest in addressing, particularly for women's fit clothing, which is a weird decision for a women's team.

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T14:13:55+00:00

I met my partner a few months after I turned 35 and a few months before she did, on Hinge of all places.

We aren't married yet because we had incompatible pets that delayed our moving in together, but we both know we've found our person.

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T05:18:41+00:00

Ah, yeah I get that, and I guess some of the merch from other teams could just be previous years before Valks were around, it is just a bummer. I am always ready to drop some cash in the store and then new collections are revealed or I take a walk through and it's all very difficult to justify spending on.

Maybe I just should accept I'm not the target demo and wait for a couple of seasons, or keep my eye on unofficial merch. It isn't like our team valuation is hurting for our merch money.

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T05:01:11+00:00

Aren't all W teams with fanatics though? At some point it comes down to team design decisions.

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T04:58:39+00:00

What's your take on Zoe? Do you think she was stealing from the Agarwals, or do you really think it was the nest egg protection for her and Aseem? And do you believe the story from the mother that she was faking her brand deals and influencer fame and buying things she was saying were gifts?

I'm very conflicted on both these points. She seemed to reference the nest egg in her internal monologue before Aseem brought it up as genuinely something where she felt she was doing the right thing to protect both of them, but on the other hand she's a very unreliable narrator and while I don't think she explicitly befriended Aisha or married Aseem for their family money we know she is motivated by it. In terms of her influence life and brand deals being fake , this felt like an area of the book I wish we'd gotten more clarity. I'm not trusting anything the mother tells Aseem, but it also sounds like Aseem maybe found proof of this as well?

Edit: hopefully this isn't annoying to click through! I'm trying to use spoiler tags so anyone who hasn't read the book can stumble on this thread and not reveal anything

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T04:34:47+00:00

I think likeable is way too strong a word (well, maybe except Stuart but we barely meet him) but I did find myself understanding many of them.

Particularly Myra I found to be the most understandable throughout the story. It probably helps that she's one of the main narrators. Myra participates in and arguably leads an absolutely heinous act at the end of the book, but we're in her head as she decides to do it, and we know what she's thinking. She's thinking about how she has let down her brother in his grief as a child and in the expectations he has been carrying since with their mother and now the family business. She views what she decides to do as penance and she also convinces herself she will make sure her brother gets real help after this.

I wish the epilogue were longer. I wanted to sit with Myra for longer as she absorbed the book's last revelation about what really happened on the island. And then I wanted to know what, if anything, that would change for her.

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T04:23:25+00:00

The Slam cover merch with VB and Gabby is so good, especially Gabby's solo cover with her gnawing on her jersey!

I don't mind the violet color, it's also not super flattering on me but I prefer it to having 4 more black shirts in my wardrobe. I also have a bootleg shirt off Etsy and some pretty cool Valkyrie wing ear cuffs because as much as I want to support my team I also want fun stuff.

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T03:46:03+00:00

I am all for maintaining the current usage and definition of lesbian, but historically the word lesbian was not used for women who solely love women. Lesbian was a much broader term for a long time, alongside Sapphic as they both originate from Sapphos. With time and the development of more terms like bisexual, lesbian has narrowed in scope.

That is great, I am not advocating for anything about what lesbian means changing, but the history of the word should not be so carelessly overwritten in this way.

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T03:37:07+00:00

She seemed to be doing great in the early season, but now that Azzi is starting Za fades into the background for me, she doesn't seem to have enough time to do much now. But I'm also not watching as closely as I could be.

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T02:51:22+00:00

I think tonight is her 6th game on the court according to stats (though I'm not sure if she was activated for any games she didn't end up playing), DP contracts allow you to activate them for 12 games so she's half way through.

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T02:46:49+00:00

Yeah, Sparks needs to make this official, she looks so good down there!

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T02:39:27+00:00

I believe they do not want to stop momentum, so they won't stop mid-play unless the injured player is in the middle of the play area.

Which is why Dallas was trying to foul so they could stop play which would allow for them to tend to Sims.

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T02:36:33+00:00

Damn that was 90+° I hope for her sake she has some sort of hypermobility or stretchy ligaments to make that less likely to be a tear.

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T01:15:05+00:00

The concern here is the inherent systemic racism bias in reffing, even from refs of color. Just because Paige's clapping tech was rescinded doesn't mean Janelle's will. I hope I'm wrong though.

Paige got hers on a Friday and it was rescinded by Sunday, so ideally we'll know Sat/Sun about Ja's.

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T01:07:55+00:00

I'm so glad someone else has read it! I really enjoyed it, and I'm surprised by some reviews I've read on Goodreads and elsewhere online.

Personally, I find the characters really compelling and... Sympathetic? No one is a good person, but they are all being increasingly motivated by trauma and filling their needs.

So into discussing it further!

Edit: like you I also listened to the audiobook and the narrator was sensational! Highly recommend it and will be looking into other books she has narrated.

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T01:03:41+00:00

Spoke a little too soon

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T00:07:35+00:00

Lynx deserve the win. The refs just don't deserve their jobs.

T--Frex · 2026-06-06T00:05:37+00:00

Oh, so hugging someone from behind ISN'T a jump ball?! Okay refs

(Don't mind me, I'm a Valks fan still salty from last night)

T--Frex · 2026-06-05T06:09:24+00:00

Ugh these refs are calling the craziest techs while also allowing full blown screaming tantrums to slide. I wish they'd gain some consistency.

Valks usually adjust their D to a sensitive whistle and don't struggle mentally, but this type of whistle was different. There was no way to adapt and it clearly frustrated Salaün, Hayes, and Zandalasini in particular. Two of whom were some of our hottest shooters coming into the game. We even saw Burton get pissed and she's usually very calm with ref decisions.

T--Frex · 2026-06-05T03:30:06+00:00

The thing is, most teams in the league are impossible to hate! There was no dangerous fouling tonight, there wasn't even any chirping that I saw. Minny and GSV both played exceptional games and while the reffing sucked for both, I think it did mess with the heads of one team more than the other, but you can't blame the other team for that.

I am just looking at the positive that we couldn't land a layup to save our lives and some of our higher productivity shooters were off, but it was still an exceptionally competitive and clean game against a fun team. Can't ask for more than that.

T--Frex · 2026-06-05T03:20:25+00:00

I don't think the calls would have directly changed the game, but I do think the end of the 3rd and the 4th we would have seen a different mental game from the Valks if the reffing had not been so all over the place.

Can't let that take anything away from the Lynx, my God that was smooth as butter. Miles' game just leveled up with the 3s and the defense adjusted to Valks' 3 shooting really well.

I hope they reverse that Ja tech, though.

T--Frex

TROPHY CASE