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Johanna Mellis

@jojomellis

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Disabled ex-D1 swimmer, historian, sport scholar, maximalist style, ADHD, @theendofsportpod. She/her. “no liberation without disabled ppl,” Mia Mingus

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Some thoughts about Ladybugs, a 1992 comedy where a cisgender boy dresses up as a girl to play on a girls’ soccer team.

And, it is so much more than that: about capitalism (1 man’s promotion tied to a girls’ team!) gendered power (and racial power, there’s way more than could be done with this), sexual harassment, and grooming that occurs while cis white straight men enact their anti-trans fantasy in girls’ sports using a cis boy.

That several cis men have openly declared how they would like to rig WNBA games using cis men (frump, Enes Kantor Freedom, and Royce White) really hit it home to me:

These folks wants to rig the women’s game. They want to cheat, ensure that certain people win in girls and women’s sports. I shouldn’t be surprised, since middle and upper class white, cis, straight men from imperial Britain creating modern sports to rig and profit from it IS the history of modern sports. Sometimes it takes me a while to piece it all together.

So appreciate @ausmccoy for listening to me ramble, bounce ideas off, and keep telling me I should do this. And Kathryn Julian @kc_julian for further encouragement and thoughts, and @kempo_prof for affirming some of my ideas. And, @demarreah_smith for helping me see the grooming part (ugh).

Would love to hear people’s thoughts. TY for reading, commenting, sharing. I am thinking of making this into physical zine, too :) by @jojomellis

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2 months ago

Yesterday’s #hackersfilm outfit, explained. Oh the optimism I felt when recording this, only to receive an email just a few hours later that crashed the rest of the day. Oh well, still very proud of this outfit and how good I felt in it.

Tank @goodwillswpa
black top @goodwillnj
Sneakers @goodwillkeystonearea
Belt, heat necklace, bracelet, swirly & gemstone rings @tigersnakevintage by @jojomellis

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8 months ago

Alt-text: cis straight disabled white woman in a white fur coat and blue pants explaining the rationale behind her outfit.

I am trying to keep affirming my sense of self-expression thru style as I attempt to add some academic & public scholarship work back onto my plate this year (attempt is key). I have so many ideas and insights to share. Figuring out how to do so in a feasible way for me without being able to have the support I need is a constant thing, so we will see how this goes.

Also, as I explain, I had to talk thru this outfit after someone recognized me at the grocery story for sharing my outfits on here. My confidence in my capacity to do non-teaching work has dipped a lot as I’ve been trying to navigate multiple disabilities on my own. Yesterday’s interaction felt affirming and really good ❤️

Fur coat @theparadisegalleria
Black sweater @savers_thrift
Pants Marni for Uniqlo
Nightgown @found_fauna
Belt @lovechildvintagebudapest
Sneakers @goodwillkeystonearea
Gold watch + heart necklace @tigersnakevintage by @jojomellis

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8 months ago

The Running Man

@ausmccoy joins to explore the dystopian themes of the 1987 film and its relation to contemporary issues of authoritarianism, media control, and sports.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6kqY9K8DfVMPTGh1UbKzXn?si=aigICIR9SOSe5B28WLsvHg&utm_source=copy-link by @jojomellis

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5 hours ago

Y’all know I’ve become obsessed with sports films - Rollerball being 1 of them! My research interests on sporting authoritarianism and all its various forms keeps expanding - and in endless need of critique and expression. Both versions of this movie do it in such interesting ways.

I told the owner at @walltowallsoundandvideo last Saturday that we’d just watched the 2002 remake of Rollerball. I bought the 1975 VHS and the LaserDisc from him over the summer. And I had just put the 2002 VHS to buy on the counter to buy. I said that I was surprised how much I liked the film - and really appreciated the worker uprising at the end. He told me he had this signed & framed movie poster from when he worked at the studio, that he’d been trying to sell. He offered to sell it to me for $20!!! Austin and I were and still are so excited about it.

It is INCREDIBLE. And now hangs prominently in my office, thanks to @ausmccoy’s help before he went home!

(Thought I’d share the poster in the context of my office - which I’ve worked so hard to make it a space that affirms me and my interests - it is quite a peek into myself! And the Madonna song is so me)

Left to right, framed artwork expressing:

- disability humanity

- Misha the bear and the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games

- My Cousin Vinny on LaserDisc (also from @walltowallsoundandvideo!)

- an “y’all means all” print

My favorite corner of my office, left to right:

- Mexico City Olympic Games print with a small postcard in the top left

- me at Budapest Pride, 2013

- me with several advisees at a PAT regional conference, spring 2022 I think?

- roller skate bookend

- Orange clamshell Mac laptop from @ausmccoy, which still works!

- an amazing 90s-era colorful shelf from FB

- stereo system

- teaching clock, @goodwillswpa

- framed assortment of white elite women who play sports (golf, skiing, tennis)

Left to right (not shown in last image):

- Rollerball (1975) movie promo

- @justseeds print (need to detail the actual image)

My Rollerball (1975 and 2002) media! LaserDisc and VHSs from @walltowallsoundandvideo too:

- top: LaserDisc

- 1975 VHS

- 2002 DVD

- 1975 DVD (released in 1998)

- 2002 VHS - love the 5-day ren by @jojomellis

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3 days ago

My first zine! I’m thrilled with how it looks and reflects my creativity.

Re: the HR song: the huge interest and discussions around the show (& @ausmccoy encouragement!) got me thinking about creating my 1-credit Heated Rivalry class for the spring. That set me on the path of rewatching sports films - including this problematic old fav.

On the back is a QR code to my longer piece about the film for @elevennamedpeople too!

I ordered just a few copies initially and have 30 more on the way. I’d love to give some out at the upcoming ASA as well as to friends and bookstores like @thewoodenshoebooks @redemmas to expand awareness that some of us former athletes and critical sport scholars do understand the connection btw sports, gender, sexual harassment and transphobia! I don’t have the space to lose money atm so I’m not totally sure how to go about getting these out there. More to come, lol. by @jojomellis

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14 days ago

Breaking Gender Barriers in Track & Field

Lauren Kuntz joins to discuss her efforts to innovate women’s multi-events in T&F.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6mFdtnRSolwqlCtqvXlQ9c?si=4ViylsEbRMWqW-EUzb4gHA&utm_source=copy-link by @jojomellis

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14 days ago

Gambling and Professional Running

Friend of the pod @hborenstein23 joins to unpack the complex relationship between track and field, gambling, integrity, and athlete welfare.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/10bWCp6aWywZTaQC4IlXwU?si=L0vOGGLmSZKxak7OckUG8g&utm_source=copy-link by @jojomellis

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24 days ago

ICE abducted a WBB player while she was traveling with her Kentucky State team in early August at Louisville airport.

She has been imprisoned for 1.5 months and denied care for a serious ACL injury.

It is the responsibility of universities and the NCAA to protect their players.

They have failed.

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/louisville/2026/09/19/ksu-basketball-aminata-seck-detained-by-ice-at-louisville-airport/91796072007/ by @jojomellis

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a month ago

The NFL, CTE, and Medical Racism

John Hoberman joins to discuss the disturbing new @the_bmj_ CTE findings and the ways racial disparities shape the prevalence and impact of the condition among current and former football players.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/13wMOMMhjD61ubGbMjmWHc?si=TrsbLYd0QP67uJwND9ppwA&utm_source=copy-link by @jojomellis

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a month ago

September is both suicide prevention month, and chronic pain awareness month. The rates of suicide for people with chronic pain are SUPER high. Which makes total sense unfortunately. Solidarity 🫂🫂🫂🫂

I thought I’d share some styling tips that have - and have not! - helped support my chronic back and hip pain owing to my variety of issues (SIJ dysfunction, 2 deteriorating lower back discs, scoliosis, sciatica…what else, hmm). Some of these tips might help you, but it depends on your body, condition, the day, the weather, etc.

As always: listen to what your body tells you throughout the day and see if you can figure out if your clothing has an impact (which, is hard! My PT folks have told me several times that it is really difficult to be this attuned to how your clothing can impact support and pain levels). Some days a certain pair of pants/shorts plus a belt helps my pain, some days it does not. The massive diversity of our bodies mean that we are all so different, and every day can be different.

#disability #style #disabledstyle

(Instagram doesn’t show reels to non-followers unless it is under 3 mins, so I didn’t address everything here. But it’s a start!)

And: for the two authors whose recent bigoted, neoliberal ableist articles for The Cut and The Telegraph denigrating the humanity of us disabled folks by 1) disabled kids vis-a-vis their able-bodied parents, the latter who are “grieving” bc their kids “will never launch,” and 2) claiming that women on the internet are finding out that “disability is cool” - I have some words: your lazy, boring work abets the resurgent eugenics in the US and UK. We are amazing, many of us in daily pain, and many of us have learned through and with our bodies & minds about how every human life is deserving of love, care, and communal support regardless of our disability. Do you wish to be disabled and get more familial support and/or “be cool?” Is that what it is? Apparently “transability” is a term and something that some people strive for. A new term for me. by @jojomellis

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a month ago

OLF #19 - Kawhi/Clippers, LeBron/Polymarket, Dysgenic Fitness Discourse

We explore the NBA cap “scandal,” the violent use of military training in college hockey, LeBron + sports betting and the “Fitness Discourse” that has taken over “left” social media.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5AHPdR2w3bVsft4AjtC8mq?si=jLCmnvCYRaucZ0GEsOqHsQ&nd=1&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=organic&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA72NUWvCMBSFf0362M7WiQhhlKrzQZjKGGwvkqY3Npom8ebGshd%2F%2B%2BrEvyCch8P5zuG0RD7Msix4R1r9psL71Gh7yt48uiZK4s6DTVg%2BVtGYfUTD29uEFSXLl4NuOH2speuGCLwOroHBvZarTbPL%2B6L%2BCorG5ZGqaXdmxTJoVsyP66qzl%2Bp7J6L8eXlfhI%2FzKmz%2Fv4QxtZCnZ%2FyxfGKbgY6Sq2yFtWA49ZoIMFEgKCJwhwdhtUyuCAoQtT3sa3R9AOSf9%2BofSvBtXEcBAAA%3D&product=open&%24full_url=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fepisode%2F5AHPdR2w3bVsft4AjtC8mq%3Fsi%3DjLCmnvCYRaucZ0GEsOqHsQ&~channel=twitter&feature=organic&_branch_match_id=1627004945096403067 by @jojomellis

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a month ago