commentary + critique

from tamryn spruill

Pod Archive

2: S2E2: All We Needed Was The Chance

Gabby Williams spoke with The Hard Screen in January during a break between the EuroLeague Women regular and postseasons where she plays for Sopron Basket in Hungary. The forward with the WNBA’s Chicago Sky spoke about her new partnership for Ford, the silliness of gendering objects like cars, advertisers’ renewed interest in the league’s players, […]...

9: S1E9: The Cry for Justice Continues

On the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s murder by Louisville police officers, we review the changes that have happened in the wake of her death, explain why justice still has not been served and replay an episode that originally aired on July 31, 2020 about the relentless grief inflicted on families whose loved ones have […]...

8: S1E8: Girl, Bye: The Unforgivable Sins of Kelly Loeffler

Now that Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler has been voted out of a Senate seat she was never voted into, does this mean she returns to WNBA ownership as if nothing ever happened? Unlikely, if the players, who supported her rival, Rev. Raphael Warnock, in the race, have anything to do with it. Many of […]...

7: S1E7: Natasha Cloud: ‘We are the deciding people on who runs our country’

Ahead of the November 3rd presidential election, WNBA champion Natasha Cloud is urging all people to vote, especially Black and brown people who historically have been disenfranchised from the electoral process. In a wide-ranging interview with Tamryn Spruill, Cloud also discussed the need for police reform, the Breonna Taylor case in the context of voting, […]...

6: S1E6: ELECTION SPECIAL

“Vote like your life depends on it,” says Natasha Cloud, starting guard for the 2019 WNBA champion Washington Mystics. With the 2020 presidential election just two weeks away, The Hard Screen brings you an election special that includes: Interviews with Cloud and Renee Montgomery, a two-time WNBA title-winner, who opted out of the 2020 season […]...

S1 Extra: ‘Literally, by her sheer size’

Layshia Clarendon discussed the ways the Pulse nightclub massacre was a galvanizing moment for LGBTQ+ acceptance and the reasons Brittney Griner’s entry into the WNBA — ‘literally, by her sheer size’ — made a resounding and undeniable statement of authenticity. Get the latest “screen” and sign up for the HARD SCREEN Newsletter at: https://thehardscreen.net/....

4: S1E4: #SayHerName (Part 2): ‘Amplify the names’

TRIGGER WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS VIVID DESCRIPTIONS OF POLICE VIOLENCE AND MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL LISTENERS. In this two-part #SayHerName special edition of The Hard Screen, mothers of daughters murdered by police speak on their shattered lives, their partnership with WNBA and demands for change. Joining the conversation are: Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw, co-founder […]...

S1 Extra: Sabrina Ionescu’s Quite Literal Hoop Dreams

One day after No. 1 overall 2020 WNBA Draft pick Sabrina Ionescu dropped 33 points in 34 minutes in her second professional game, Tamryn Spruill spoke with the New York Liberty guard about hoops, opportunities to grow the game and more. In this “extra” from The Hard Screen, a portion of that interview. Get the […]...

3: S1E3: #SayHerName (Part 1): ‘We’re living every day with amputated hearts’

TRIGGER WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS VIVID DESCRIPTIONS OF POLICE VIOLENCE AND MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL LISTENERS. In this two-part #SayHerName special edition of The Hard Screen, mothers of daughters murdered by police speak on their shattered lives, their partnership with WNBA and demands for change. Joining the conversation are: Sydney Colson, Chicago Sky […]...

2: S1E2: Because Dr. King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech Tells Me So

Atlanta Dream co-owner and U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler opposes the WNBA’s and the Atlanta Dream’s support for Black Lives Matter. Players and the WNBPA have called for her to sell her ownership stake in the team. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has stated that she will not force Loeffler out as owner, yet maintains support for […]...

Welcome to The Hard Screen!

Welcome to The Hard Screen: a podcast about women’s hoops — a brick wall between the sport you love and the misogynistic nonsense that surrounds it. With a storytelling bent, The Hard Screen marries current events with historical context, emotion with fact, and drills down deep into issues of race, gender and sexuality that impact […]...