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Chapter 1: What inspired Tierna Davidson to host this episode?
At the Moth, we're using the power of storytelling to connect teachers with their students. Once a student develops their story and voice, they can show up more authentically in the classroom, their relationships, and beyond.
Which is why we developed the Moth Teacher Institute, an annual conference that brings together educators who want to use the Moth storytelling techniques in their classrooms and communities. The programming features live storytelling, panel discussions, and hands-on workshops to help find, shape, and tell your own true personal stories. To learn more and apply, visit themoth.org slash edu.
Hi there, and welcome to The Moth. I'm Tierna Davidson. I'm a soccer player for the U.S. Women's National Team and Gotham FC. I'm a World Cup winner and Olympic gold medalist. And today, I'm hosting this episode of the Moth Podcast. And I'm actually hosting from our national team training camp. So if you hear any shouts or whistles in the background, that's why.
With the Men's World Cup in full swing, we wanted to celebrate the shared excitement, the feeling that so many people are invested in one long cross, one sliding tackle, one bicycle kick. That's actually one of my favorite parts about soccer, that it's so global.
Whether it's through your club team or playing in international tournaments, you gain so many people in your corner from all over the world. And when you have a World Cup, you get that really intense national rivalry, but you also get this passionate feeling of solidarity because a World Cup only happens once every four years. As a fan, you wait and anticipate it for what feels like forever.
And as a player, you prepare for it for so long so you get that camaraderie and shared experience across teams. So to celebrate this special moment, we're sharing three stories about soccer, but about everything around soccer too. The competition, the sense of community, and the feeling of discovery you get when you push yourself.
Our first storyteller is Patrick McGraw, who told this at a Twin Cities Story Slam, where the theme was pride. Just as a note, in the story, Patrick quotes a homophobic slur that was directed at him. Here's Patrick, live at the Mock.
My relationship with sports is a fairly typical one for an effeminate kid growing up in the 70s and 80s. Short story, I grew to hate them. And being a painfully shy kid didn't make things easier. The first time I was called a faggot was in fifth grade. It was because of how I walk and talk, so gender policing at its finest.
When I went to junior high, I almost instantly stopped eating in the cafeteria because it was just easier for me to eat alone by my locker than navigate so many people. But my locker in seventh grade was just down the hall from the gym. And the 10th grade boys, their gym class ended during my lunch period. They had to wait in this long hallway of the locker room
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Chapter 2: How did Patrick McGraw reclaim his love for sports?
You know, you slide a little late. But I wasn't going in there to go take other people out. That wasn't really how I played. And some of the other girls were just kind of scary. Usually I was afraid that if I hit someone, they'd hit harder.
But I got nervous because my coach was true to her word, that if I didn't hit someone and get a whistle, I saw my sub on the center line, and I thought, well shit, now I have to sit the rest of the game. And the thing I hated most was sitting. And so I tried really hard.
I would sit there anxious if I didn't get a chance to throw like a subtle foul in the first five minutes, and I'd see my sub start warming up, so I'd just go over and shove a girl. because I wanted to stay in. And my nickname went from Mo to Mellow Yellow because I got a lot of yellow cards doing that.
And it got to the point where my dad pulled me aside, and he was never my coach, but he had such a love and eye for the game, and he said, what the fuck are you doing? I said, dad, I just want to play. That's all I want to do. And if I got to foul a girl, I'm staying on the field. Well, it got to the point where that wasn't enough, and I got benched anyway. And I was really frustrated.
So I was especially excited when word came out that our coach was transferring to another school because she thought our team, quote, wasn't going anywhere. Caused a lot of drama. So it was especially exciting when we made it to the semifinals of the state tournament and we were playing her team. It was a really scrappy game, because she taught all of her girls to play mean.
They're sitting there. They're kicking at shins. They're pulling shirts. There are girls that are getting kicked out of the game left and right, and from my team too, because we'd also been trained to be mean. And so it's down to the final moments of the game. We've got probably 15 minutes left. And it's tight. It's tied. Tensions are high. Nerves are high. And I get the ball.
And I know that this girl that is at least twice my size and has been knocking me around all game, that if I get one touch past her, I'm gone. And so I get the ball, do a little fancy footwork, and I lose her. And I'm booking it down the field. I'm cutting in towards center. I know I can go for a goal. I'm bypassing the forward who's calling for the ball because this is my moment.
And I get taken out from behind by this damn girl who's chasing me right in the middle of the penalty box. I don't like penalty kicks because that's a lot of pressure. And it's a lot of pressure when it's down to the wire in the semifinal game, and it's that bitch of a coach who's been benching you all season. So I go up there. My heart's beating a mile a minute.
I set the ball down on the marker. And I'm watching the keeper, and she's jumping around on the line. I can hear people yelling. I see my dad in the bleachers, and I know that if I miss a penalty kick, it's going to be bad at home. It's going to be bad with my team too. But I go up there, and I see that coach, and I see that damn smirk on her face.
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