senior writer,
the athletic

meg linehan

Hi there! My name is Meg, and I tell stories about women's soccer.← That's me at the 2023 World Cup in New Zealand.

first, a little more about me

here's my story

I was one of those kids who watched the 1999 World Cup, not knowing at the time about the path it would send me on. In high school, I interned for the Boston Breakers (then part of the first women's pro league, WUSA). This was well, well before the days of Twitter, and I worked in the press box, writing live game updates in HTML for the team's website. I went off to school, lived some other lives as a bookseller and working in biotech.The 2011 World Cup got me back in the game. I started as a photographer, then started writing, and managed to swap over fully to writing shortly after the 2015 World Cup. The thing that always surprises people is that I used to pay to cover women's soccer, not the other way around. Before joining The Athletic, I freelanced for places like Equalizer Soccer, Vice Sports, Sports Illustrated, Teen Vogue and more. I worked for the NWSL leading their social media, then content, from 2017 to 2019. Ahead of the 2019 World Cup, I joined The Athletic as the first full time women's soccer reporter in the U.S. for a mainstream sports outlet.I cover the U.S. women's national team, NWSL and more, plus host a podcast about women's soccer, Full Time with Meg Linehan.I also wrote "Secrets of Success," a book about Megan Rapinoe and her leadership, which is available now.Sometimes you might see me on TV or in a documentary talking about — you guessed it — women's soccer.Other interests include: exploring new finds and old favorites for breweries in Vermont, buying books and never having enough time to read them all, and stressing over which sneakers to pack for the next work trip.

full time with meg linehan

the pod

Full Time with Meg Linehan is a weekly soccer podcast from The Athletic, covering the U.S. women’s national team, the National Women’s Soccer League, and the larger world of international soccer. Meg and co-host Tamerra Griffin tackle the culture, context, and conversations around the sport here in America and beyond.New episodes every Thursday + Full Time Review (we catch you up on the weekend action in 15 minutes or less) every Monday!

you can watch this video if you want!

or maybe this one

AWARDS & HONORS

Finalist, Billie Jean King Award for Excellence in Women’s Sports Coverage, 2024.Best column, 2023 United Soccer Coaches media awards.Best of Column Writing, The Athletic, 2023.Honorable mention, The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2023.Best of Enterprise/Features and Best of Breaking News, The Athletic, 2022.First place, investigative category, 2021 Associated Press Sports Editors contest with Katie Strang, Steph Yang and Pablo Maurer.Honorable mention, The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2021.Best feature story, 2021 United Soccer Coaches media awards.Media Impact Award, 2021 Women in Soccer awards.Best of Investigative and Best of Column Writing, The Athletic, 2021.Best Podcasts of the Year, The Athletic, 2020.Women's ICC Best XI 2020Best deadline/game story, 2019 United Soccer Coaches media awards.Best of 2019, The Athletic.

i wrote a book, too.

secrets of success

insights from megan rapinoe's
world-class soccer career

READ IT!

In the summer of 2019, the US women's national soccer team offered fans a thrill when it won its fourth World Cup title and second straight, culminating in a 2-0 final over the Netherlands. Co-captain Megan Rapinoe led the team to victory with a penalty kick to score the first goal and ultimately captured MVP and top goal scorer designations for the tournament. The winger has also led the US to a gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics. In addition to her athletic success, Rapinoe has proven to be a leader off the field as well. A vocal advocate on behalf of several LGBT organizations and a voice behind the women's team's equal pay complaint, she is one of many players involved in the gender discrimination lawsuit against the United States Soccer Federation.In Secrets of Success, the latest book in the Women in Power series, author Meg Linehan translates Rapinoe's success both on and off the field into digestible leadership lessons. In doing so, she draws from Rapinoe's still-young career as an athlete, businesswoman, and advocate.

need to get in touch?

contact

For time-sensitive media requests, it's probably best and fastest to reach out to the New York Times communications department. For other requests, here you go. Please note: I am frequently behind on email, so response time may vary.

Thank you

Please enjoy this photo of my dog before you go back to the main site.