GOAL caught up with the two World Cup winners to discuss their show and their plan to redefine coverage of women's sports.
At some point in the leadup to the World Cup this summer, both Tobin Heath and Christen Press had to acknowledge and accept the fact that they wouldn't be there with the U.S. women's national team. Injuries had robbed them of their chance to make a push for a third consecutive World Cup title, with both being key members of the teams that won in both 2015 and 2019.
So what did they do instead? They simply turned their focus toward an even more ambitious goal, one that has been in the back of their minds for some time. You see, with setbacks comes opportunity, and with the loss of a World Cup, Heath and Press can now solely focus on changing the way women's sports are covered forever.
Four years ago, Heath, Press, Megan Rapinoe and Meghan Klingenberg united to create re-inc, a lifestyle brand aiming to lead the conversation surrounding women's sports. This summer, re-inc unleashed The RE-CAP Show, starring Heath and Press, to breakdown the USWNT's road through the World Cup.
But this isn't a one-off or something for the two to use the pass the time until they're healthy again. Both Heath and Press are in this for the long haul. They have goals that extend far beyond a World Cup summer.
"Even when we've done interviews and stuff, we've always just been seen as talent," Heath tells GOAL, "but to be seen as actually the creators and the business owners is a massive step in changing the landscape of media. Media is being shaken up all over the place, and sports, for sure, is a big part of that.
"We always felt that, with women's sports, there was this idea of a sports house and women's sports got the guest room or the addition or like the garage of the house, right? We never really fit into it and we were always kind of like playing second fiddle until like a big thing like the World Cup, and even then, it's like we just felt like it didn't really represent us to the fullest. We thought we were very much pushed through a very small lens of what a women's athlete is. We have this massive opportunity this summer to be a part of the solution of that."
GOAL caught up with Heath and Press to discuss their thoughts on the World Cup, their adjustment to life in the studio and how they plan to define "gal culture" to the rest of the world.
GettyMissing the World Cup
Heath had known for some time that she wouldn't be heading to the World Cup. For Press, accepting that fact was a little bit harder.
The USWNT winger tore her ACL back in June 2022, and has since had four surgeries, with the most recent being on July 18. Throughout that process, Press had to come to grips with the fact that her body would not be able to handle what her mind wanted to do. There would be no third consecutive World Cup run.
"I have been on the road to recovery since June 2022, and it was not until the roster was named that I ever imagined I wouldn't be there," she says. "I think a lot of that is because I believe in manifestation, I believe in hopefulness and optimism. I'd rather be a fool than a pessimist. That's like a choice, a mental choice I make. I'd rather be called naïve than live with cynicism, and so it wasn't until the roster was named that I even processed this fully.
"I do miss being there and I've had moments in the World Cup where I felt nostalgic. The part that I feel most nostalgic for is that I know what the players are going through and I know how hard it is and I know how that creates a bond and a knowingness and an understanding. I miss that. I miss the quiet time in the hotel between meals. I miss getting coffee with my friends and knowing that no one else in the entire world can imagine what we're experiencing except for the people that are right there with you. I miss the bubble. I miss the intensity.
"When I've watched this whole World Cup, I've been overwhelmed with that sense. That doesn't happen 12 months out of the year with the U.S. women's national team. It is only happening for players in world championships because these tournaments are really like shooting star experiences. They're the highest intensity and it creates like a very unique environment."
As for her recovery, Press says she's doing as well as she can just days removed from surgery as she continues her extended rehabilitation process.
"I'm feeling fine! I'm on the bike, walking around, just waiting for the swelling to subside, waiting for my stitches to come out," she says. "Then I'll just be back at it strengthening and doing everything that I can get back on the pitch."
AdvertisementGetty ImagesStarting the show
Missing out on the World Cup, though, may just be a blessing in disguise. It led to the formation of The RE-CAP Show, after all.
The series, which is hosted by both Press and Heath, follows the USWNT's path through the World Cup. Through the show, the two are looking to provide analysis and insight with stories through their own playing careers, but both are also eager to bridge the gap between women's sports and life beyond it.
The two have already welcomed star-studded guests, with ex-USWNT boss Jill Ellis, OL Reign coach Laura Harvey and former USWNT star Lauren Holliday all joining so far.
Press wants to make one thing clear, though: the formation of this show isn't a reaction to being injured. It isn't something she and Heath are doing to stay involved with this World Cup. It's something that both are extremely passionate about, and will remain passionate about when healthy and beyond.
"I don't see this as like, 'Oh, I became injured and then I had to find something to find a purpose'," she says. "As an athlete, I was always yearning for purpose, always. I wrote a blog and I did broadcasting and I reupped a Player's Association and I negotiated CBAs and I always did a lot because for me, being an athlete, it is really important to also stimulate my brain because that's my personality. I like to use my brain in intellectual ways.
"Being injured is no change. I'm doing a lot. I've been a CEO of a startup for four years and I continue to be the CEO, co-CEO with Tobin, and running the show is a part of that.
"I think for me, it's really not reactionary. It's about how I am and who I am. I think the habits that I build over time, make it so that I don't view individual instances as hardships, but I do know that the rest of the world does."
GettyInside opinions from outside the bubble
Press and Heath know why so many are interested in hearing their opinions about this World Cup. Few people on this planet have resumes that can match up with theirs, and few have the knowledge and experience to break down what's happening at the highest level.
However, some parts of that are easier said than done. For decades, athletes have transitioned into media and many have found it difficult. It's not just the on-camera aspect that's hard, either, but the subject matter as a whole.
Many writers and pundits struggle with analysis, finding it difficult to strike the balance needed when it's time to be critical. So you couldn't blame Press or Heath if they'd find it hard to take shots at their former teammates, even when the moment calls for it. Both, though, are ready to do so.
Speaking after the USWNT's 1-1 draw with the Netherlands, Heath called the first half "disastrous". She said that the team looked like a group of individuals, not a finely-tuned machine. Heath also criticized Vlatko Andonovski's decision not to use Lynn Williams as a substitute, with Rose Lavelle being the only player to come off the bench.
"It's funny because when we're analyzing the game, we're hypercritical," Heath says, "because that's the way that we would be analyzing it as players. There's this general zeitgeist of what the media thinks is going on, and then there's the reality of what's happening with the girls and they're not the same thing.
"It's easy to get wrapped up in what the loud noises are being a fan and all of these things, but if you could actually just come at it from a player perspective and analyze the game, you're actually more critical probably than the fans from an analytical perspective. "
Press agrees. Given their experiences, both feel qualified to offer criticism in the right way, and both know what it's like on the other side to hear that criticism, especially coming from people you respect. They also both have a general idea of what goes on in USWNT camp and what impact, or lack thereof, outside opinions have on the group.
"Tobin and I have walked the walk," Press says, "and it allows us to, not share what is fair, I'm not a journalist, I share what I feel and I know that's subjective. I don't feel worried about that because I'm entitled to my feelings. I love his team, we've both given our life to this team, and the only thing that we want is for the team to succeed. We're not here to make news and drama, but we are here to amplify the message of sports and excellence that we have given our life to and continue to do so."
She continued: "The criticism is absolutely a part of it. It comes with the territory of greatness. When you're on your way to doing something great, people are going to criticize you and judge you along the way, and it's almost a signal that you're on the right path, and that's my analysis of that last game.
"I am curious, really, what it feels like in camp now because a single game in the World Cup doesn't win you the World Cup and it could go a lot of different ways. If the team is really oriented around an epic second half and a bit of momentum and really embodying the values of the U.S. women's national team with that or they're more focused on the tactics and the formation and the structure. That comes down to the staff and the player personalities and each team is really different in that."
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GettyDefining Gal Culture
One of the things that makes the RE-CAP Show so interesting is the hosts. Throughout her career, Heath, in particular, has generally been content to stay in the background while her larger-than-life teammates took center stage. She was always a player that let her game do the talking and, if you've followed her career at any point, you'll know that her game talked a lot.
So it was a bit of a shock for many to see Heath dive into content and place herself front and center. It's something that she, admittedly, has thought about for some time. Heath isn't necessarily in this to prove herself as some pundit or game analyst; she's in it to tell stories that haven't been told, simply because there haven't been many storytellers quite like her.
"It's been super liberating," Heath says. "Look, I can speak for myself personally: I was never represented in what I thought women's sports media content should look like. I want to create content that looks and feels like the diversity of what women's sports is so that little Tobin could have been included in that and would have been proud to stand in front of a camera and tell her story and use her voice. It was not always accepted. It just wasn't like that.
"Most of us, we do our talking on the field and we've done as much talking as possible and it's been incredible to be part of such a successful team, but more so the legacy off the field is what's really important to us. Part of this media division, which is the most important thing, is using the lens of what sports is to talk about much bigger issues, like pay equity, racial equality, women's health, queer culture. This is what women's sports is! This is the part that has been eliminated from women's sports for a really long time because we weren't the ones telling our stories."
The RE-CAP show is, for Heath, the first step in the process. This World Cup summer is a start, a beginning. The aim is to use this show as a springboard for larger goals as she looks to help define the culture and the narrative surrounding women's sports going forward.
"The end goal of this is to remediate or reimagine the way women are seen experiencing sports," she says. "What I want it to look like is, if you're watching a piece of content, immediately because of what they're saying, because you're seeing that there's this intersection between sports and progress and equity, that you're like, 'Oh my gosh, re-up did that, that's their culture!' It's Gal Culture, and we want you to be able to recognize our content for what it is because right now, and I say over and over again, Gal Culture hasn't been defined.
"Bro Culture permeates our sports content and Gal Culture isn't there yet. We want to be the ones to define it, to get the look tone, style and feel of it, and this is just our first piece of content to do that."