I wrote the following blog post long before the Canadian television series (based on the Game Changers novel series by Rachel Reid) Heated Rivalry turned the culture on its head. Now, more than ever, we need to be more inclusive in sports and that starts with player’s loved ones.

Dear television stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, help us go from WAGs to SOAPs.

Let me explain what WAGs and SOAPs mean:

WAGs stands for “wives and girlfriends” of professional athletes. The term has always felt uncomfortable to me, though I’ve struggled to articulate exactly why. After working in various baseball front offices and spending time with WAGs and helping players’ families, I’ve realized how exclusionary (and yes, still unsettling) this term truly is.

People say sports imitates life (it’s actually art, but sports are art), and if around 5–10% of the general male population may be gay, we might expect similar numbers in sports — in theory. Yet significantly fewer male athletes are openly out compared to female athletes, mainly due to stigma, locker room culture, and fear of backlash. Consider the 2020 Tokyo Olympics: only 186 openly LGBTQ athletes competed among over 11,000 participants — about 1.6%. Most of these were women.

Here is my proposal: Change WAGs to SOAPs.

SOAPs stands for “significant others and partners.” This term embraces all relationships regardless of sexuality. Some “girlfriends” are actually life partners, and “partners” conveys a deeper meaning than the juvenile-sounding WAGs. It flows more naturally in conversation and, most importantly, it’s inclusive. This is particularly important given that baseball, and sports in general, already face significant challenges with exclusivity within their institutional structures and cultures.

It is also cleaner. ;)

So, now I write directly to all current WAGs (i.e., Taylor Swift, Ciara, Livvy Dunne, etc.), front office budget makers, family coordinators, and other concerned parties with the power to amend this small but mighty acronym:

Please retire WAGs and put SOAPs in the game.

Cheers!

Sarah