maya goldberg-safir
@roughnotes.bsky.social
maya (she/her) / independent women's basketball writer & audio maker I subscribe WNBA ROUGH NOTES https://wnbaroughnotes.substack.com/ I queer community, adventures & audio I oakland via chicago via oakland <3
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THE WAY I WILL BE COVERING ASW IN THE BAY FOR THE REAL ONES: wnbaroughnotes.substack.com
wnba rough notes | maya goldberg-safir | Substack
women's basketball changes everything!!! Click to read wnba rough notes, by maya goldberg-safir, a Substack publication.
wnbaroughnotes.substack.com
will likely include wnbaa asw mutual aid to mitigate the helllllla high prices we know are coming and im not even kidding (ride share spreadsheets? scrappy community picnics? do you wanna join a team of volunteers?)
media platforming s*phie's "takes" on who the next wnba commish should be - please walk outside, take a breath, consider whether you have a sense of right and wrong, and then sit back down to work and do it differently, please
September 15, 2026 at 8:12 PM
media platforming s*phie's "takes" on who the next wnba commish should be - please walk outside, take a breath, consider whether you have a sense of right and wrong, and then sit back down to work and do it differently, please
alt title for essay
September 15, 2026 at 7:51 PM
alt title for essay
Reposted by maya goldberg-safir
This is a really important read.
I hope Valkyries fans will push back against Chase Center and root out any transphobic security members determined to make Ballhalla more dangerous for trans people.
I hope Valkyries fans will push back against Chase Center and root out any transphobic security members determined to make Ballhalla more dangerous for trans people.
In August, the SF-based anti-trans group "Women Are Real" showed up before a Valkyries game. I stayed outside to witness & question their presence - leading to a strange interaction w/ security. I've been nervous but determined to write about this, and its implications for Valkyries fans:
Lavender Scare, Volume 5: Transphobes in Ballhalla (+ post-FIBA momentum)
Yes, even here. The question is: are Valkyries fans ready for them?
wnbaroughnotes.substack.com
September 15, 2026 at 6:05 PM
This is a really important read.
I hope Valkyries fans will push back against Chase Center and root out any transphobic security members determined to make Ballhalla more dangerous for trans people.
I hope Valkyries fans will push back against Chase Center and root out any transphobic security members determined to make Ballhalla more dangerous for trans people.
In August, the SF-based anti-trans group "Women Are Real" showed up before a Valkyries game. I stayed outside to witness & question their presence - leading to a strange interaction w/ security. I've been nervous but determined to write about this, and its implications for Valkyries fans:
Lavender Scare, Volume 5: Transphobes in Ballhalla (+ post-FIBA momentum)
Yes, even here. The question is: are Valkyries fans ready for them?
wnbaroughnotes.substack.com
September 15, 2026 at 6:01 PM
In August, the SF-based anti-trans group "Women Are Real" showed up before a Valkyries game. I stayed outside to witness & question their presence - leading to a strange interaction w/ security. I've been nervous but determined to write about this, and its implications for Valkyries fans:
Reposted by maya goldberg-safir
this episode may have made me cry a little
My latest: In the era of Y2K, the WNBA's 'glass closet' era was cracking - including here in Northern California, home to the Sacramento Monarchs. This is the unexpected story of how their Gay Pride Night came to be - & the 1st time it's been widely told beyond original reporting at the time:
Ep.6: How the WNBA’s ‘glass closet’ cracked in Sacramento
Podcast Episode · BOUNCE: The Rise of Women's Professional Sports · September 2 · 33m
podcasts.apple.com
September 9, 2026 at 6:25 PM
this episode may have made me cry a little
just a classic @wagesofwins.bsky.social reality check:
September 9, 2026 at 4:30 PM
just a classic @wagesofwins.bsky.social reality check:
Reposted by maya goldberg-safir
we are so lucky to have maya and her work
Spent the last few days obsessively stitching together a "Bye, Cathy" montage to capture this feeling of momentum in the #wnba:
Rough Notes: Bye, Cathy
Listen now | The real story of the WNBA commissioner’s departure.
wnbaroughnotes.substack.com
September 9, 2026 at 3:44 PM
we are so lucky to have maya and her work
Spent the last few days obsessively stitching together a "Bye, Cathy" montage to capture this feeling of momentum in the #wnba:
Rough Notes: Bye, Cathy
Listen now | The real story of the WNBA commissioner’s departure.
wnbaroughnotes.substack.com
September 9, 2026 at 3:14 PM
Spent the last few days obsessively stitching together a "Bye, Cathy" montage to capture this feeling of momentum in the #wnba:
hear that, valkyries fans?! :)
loved this episode, every valk fan should take a listen #wnba
My latest: In the era of Y2K, the WNBA's 'glass closet' era was cracking - including here in Northern California, home to the Sacramento Monarchs. This is the unexpected story of how their Gay Pride Night came to be - & the 1st time it's been widely told beyond original reporting at the time:
September 9, 2026 at 3:13 PM
hear that, valkyries fans?! :)
My latest: In the era of Y2K, the WNBA's 'glass closet' era was cracking - including here in Northern California, home to the Sacramento Monarchs. This is the unexpected story of how their Gay Pride Night came to be - & the 1st time it's been widely told beyond original reporting at the time:
Ep.6: How the WNBA’s ‘glass closet’ cracked in Sacramento
Podcast Episode · BOUNCE: The Rise of Women's Professional Sports · September 2 · 33m
podcasts.apple.com
September 2, 2026 at 5:27 PM
My latest: In the era of Y2K, the WNBA's 'glass closet' era was cracking - including here in Northern California, home to the Sacramento Monarchs. This is the unexpected story of how their Gay Pride Night came to be - & the 1st time it's been widely told beyond original reporting at the time:
content for the weekend from the rough notes universe:
Rough Notes: Your Weekend Women’s Basketball Party, August 28 Edition
All the exciting new content from Rough Notes & my universe of collaborators/friends (that includes you).
wnbaroughnotes.substack.com
August 28, 2026 at 7:28 PM
content for the weekend from the rough notes universe:
Reposted by maya goldberg-safir
“What is a man, anyway” is a banger line to end this article.
Multiple reports say the league has ruled him ineligible for the WNBA draft, ending his publicity stunt. But his stint as a "WNBA prospect" got me thinking more broadly about men.
Enes Kanter Freedom brought middle-school energy to the WNBA
chicago.suntimes.com
August 25, 2026 at 3:12 AM
“What is a man, anyway” is a banger line to end this article.
holy shit i should be hearing about this from every front page nook and cranny of wnba media today
👁 literally 🤳
...26 REBOUNDS?!
...26 REBOUNDS?!
August 25, 2026 at 4:39 PM
holy shit i should be hearing about this from every front page nook and cranny of wnba media today
WE ARE BAY AREA SNOWFLAKES WHO DO DESERVE THE WORLD
August 25, 2026 at 2:15 AM
WE ARE BAY AREA SNOWFLAKES WHO DO DESERVE THE WORLD
Reposted by maya goldberg-safir
this is why artists + wnba players matter, together:
Her Name Is Edna and She Dances on the (Studbudz) Stream
Photographer Nicol Biesek was living the dream — going from documenting All-Star weekend to becoming a character in the Stud Budz livestream.
www.autostraddle.com
August 20, 2026 at 9:54 PM
this is why artists + wnba players matter, together:
we are divorced
August 20, 2026 at 4:22 AM
we are divorced
why am i already so nervous about tonight
August 19, 2026 at 9:19 PM
why am i already so nervous about tonight
ATTN WNBA FANS: ELDER DYKES RUN SHIT YOU MUST DO WHATEVER THEY SAY
August 18, 2026 at 6:40 PM
ATTN WNBA FANS: ELDER DYKES RUN SHIT YOU MUST DO WHATEVER THEY SAY
ATTN WNBA FANS: NO ITS NOT HOW YR PICTURING "THE BEACH"
August 18, 2026 at 6:40 PM
ATTN WNBA FANS: NO ITS NOT HOW YR PICTURING "THE BEACH"
ATTN WNBA FANS: BLOW THE WHISTLE LEARN IT
August 18, 2026 at 6:38 PM
ATTN WNBA FANS: BLOW THE WHISTLE LEARN IT
ATTN WNBA FANS: YES, WE'RE ALL GAY
August 18, 2026 at 6:37 PM
ATTN WNBA FANS: YES, WE'RE ALL GAY
ATTN WNBA FANS: CLIPPER
Tap to Pay Ushers in a New Era of Flexibility on Muni
www.sfmta.com
August 18, 2026 at 6:37 PM
ATTN WNBA FANS: CLIPPER
ATTN WNBA FANS: PACK LAYERS YES IN SUMMER
August 18, 2026 at 6:34 PM
ATTN WNBA FANS: PACK LAYERS YES IN SUMMER
ATTN WNBA FANS: HALF A BURRITO IS A MEAL
August 18, 2026 at 6:32 PM
ATTN WNBA FANS: HALF A BURRITO IS A MEAL