Author Talk with Frankie de la Cretaz

🏈 Celebrate the Trailblazing Women of Football History!

Thurs, Feb. 6th @ 7:00 pm ET
Virtual via Zoom

Get ready for a Super Bowl of queer sports history as we welcome award-winning journalist Frankie de la Cretaz (they/them) for an exciting talk about their acclaimed book, Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League.

📖 About the Book:

Hail Mary dives into the untold stories of the National Women’s Football League, a pioneering league of athletes that changed. Through interviews with legendary players from teams like the Detroit Demons, Toledo Troopers, and LA Dandelions, Frankie brings this vibrant chapter of sports and LGBTQ+ history to life. From small-town lesbian bars to championship stadiums, Hail Mary chronicles how these trailblazers fought for their place in the spotlight—and won our hearts.

Buy a physical copy of Hail Mary here or an audiobook here.

🎉 Why You’ll Love This Event:

🏳️‍🌈 Celebrate rowdy, trailblazing women who made sports history.

🏈 Hear incredible behind-the-scenes stories about the league’s rise, fall, and unforgettable players.

📚 Meet Frankie de la Cretaz, whose writing on sports, gender, and culture has appeared in The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, The Atlantic, and more.

🐾 Maybe hear a little about Lou Sullivan, Frankie’s mini dachshund!

💻 RSVP Today!

This isn’t just a book talk—it’s a rowdy, joyous celebration of sports, history, and queer resilience. Whether you’re a sports fan, a history buff, or someone who loves a good underdog story, you won’t want to miss this event. Bring your team and get ready to cheer—this one’s for the books!

🎟️ Your Ticket Makes a Difference

All ticket sales are donations that support The History Project’s mission to document, preserve, and share LGBTQ+ history. Recordings of our events are made publicly available on our free YouTube channel. If cost is an issue, please email matisse.dupont@historyproject.org for help. Thank you for your generosity and support! ❤️

Frankie de la Cretaz is an award-winning journalist whose work sits at the intersection of sports, gender, and culture. They are the co-author of Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League, and their writing has been featured in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, The Atlantic, and more. They live in Dorchester with their partner, kids, and a mini dachshund named Lou Sullivan.

Hail Mary chronicles the highs and lows of the National Women’s Football League, which took root in nineteen cities across the US over the course of two decades. Drawing on new interviews with former players from the Detroit Demons, the Toledo Troopers, the LA Dandelions, and more,Hail Marybringsus into the stadiums where they broke records, the small-town lesbian bars where they were recruited, and the backrooms where the league was formed, championed, and eventually shuttered. In an era of vibrant second wave feminism, queer liberation, and Title IX activism, the athletes of the National Women’s Football League were boisterous pioneers on and off the field: you’ll be rooting for them from start to finish.