Is San Francisco really the #1 women’s sports city?

Kelly and Sara are asking two burning questions this week: Is San Francisco really the top women’s sports town in the world? (The New York Times says so and Kelly agrees.) And: Why in 2025 is Nordic Combined still the *only* sport women aren’t allowed to compete in at the Olympics?

But first, the women's sports highlights:

• Mikaela Shiffrin just won her 104th World Cup race — her third in a row and her fifth of the last six. Why isn't this getting more hype!?
• Is it because there's too many records? How that happened.
• Speaking of: The PWHL set a record for the highest attendance at a women's hockey game in the U.S.

And then a few follow-ups. "Like we were saying..."

• There is adult cross-country! And Ceili McCabe won the Canadian champs in the snow. But the Winter Olympics still don't want to add XC to their events.
• Why the h*ll aren't women allowed to compete in Nordic Combined in the Olympics?!
• And, in the Paralympics, there is no women's sled hockey. Technically, it's co-ed, but only three women have ever competed at the Games.
• What are "whereabouts" violations in doping and why did Canada's most decorated female Olympian get one? Sara explains the logistics of how the system worked when she had to update her whereabouts everyday.
• And yes, The Enhanced Games appears to actually be happening for real.

Then: What Makes a Great Women’s Sports City?

Is San Francisco really the #1 women’s sports city in the world? According to The New York Times (and Kelly), yes. We unpack what actually creates a powerhouse women’s sports environment — fan culture, investment, access, and visibility...

Disagree? Send us a voice memo to [e-mail].

Episode Resources:

The stats behind Mikaela Shiffrin's record wins: https://www.fis-ski.com/alpine-skiing/news/2024-25/a-century-in-numbers-the-stats-behind-mikaela-shiffrin-s-100-world-cup-wins

The top women's sports cities ranked: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6807524/2025/11/18/womens-sports-cities-top-ranked-fans/

A Q&A with the founder of The Enhanced Games: https://feisty.co/p/q-and-a-the-founder-of-the-enhanced/

Episode timestamps

02:58 - Mikaela Shiffrin's record-breaking records

06:03 - Are there too many...