Third pic featuring the always amazing @kryptobanana.bsky.social

Awww that makes my heart so happy. I love the claw hands so much.

You don’t need foam to be part of The Squad.

A funny followup, Claudia blew up her knee and was out for 2 months right after I ordered 100 claws and this poster (that made it to CBS!) was originally drafted for her.

Laurel was outstanding that game. Definitely one to remember.

#nwsl

A middle aged white guy (me) with a beard holding a sign aloft reading "Everyone supports the NSWLPA"

BONUS!

Support the PA, pay the players what they are worth, trans people have always existed and always will, and remember to boo Portland.

/realend

Reign FC ad for their "Claws Up" ticket bundle showing two blue claws that read "Claws Up"

It's so out of control at this point that the Reign are running a ticket bundle with knock off claws.

So, just know that it rules to be a weird fan. Make something really dumb that you love.

But also, it would be nice if the paper of record got the facts right. The real story is very silly.

/end

Prepare to have Lynn's Claudia Dickey song stuck in your head. Claudia, Claudia 🤣👏 YouTube video by The Women's Game

An now to the part where The Athletic gets it wrong. Lynn went on the (delightful) @womensgamemib.bsky.social and and shared her (delightful) Claudia jingle. I sing it about twice per game. Tremendous.

www.youtube.com/shorts/8gpjs...

/8

An Instagram post of Maddie Prohaska in a shirt reading CLAWD SQUAD with a cartoon crab in goalie gloves.

An instagram exchange with goalkeeper Neeku Purcell Neeku: "Hi! Thank you again for bringing clas to the game tomorrow!! Could we possible have 10???! Also, we don't want to take all of them so if that's too much then whateever number works great. Thank you, we are so pumped" Me: "Happy to bring them. I will have 10 for y'all at the game. My pleasure. Go get that W! Wooooooo."

I gave some to Claudia parents (they're gems) when they attended a game. Reign training staff came over and got claws. Eventually the meme broke containment and it's was all over the locker room. The other keepers were on it Early.

/7

I ran out immediately after. We ordered more claws. They filled my garage. I hauled them 30 at a time to the stadium. Folks hunted me down at games. I joked we had our own secret society. You had to hustle to get in. Had to talk to other fans.

/6

snippet of an email reading... "I am looking to purchase a few of these, now muct are they and how do I find you at the game?"

Folks near us asked about them and I started selling them for my cost ($5) or handing them out to particularly enthusiastic kiddos in the stands. Pro tip: if you had a Claudia keeper kit on, you got welcomed into "The Squad" gratis.

A few games later, it happened someone found my email.

/5

An proof order form for a blue foam claw reading CLAWD SQUAD

A box in a garage overflowing with navy blue lobster claw merch.

On April 1 2024 I bought 100 foam lobster claws with the text CLAWD SQUAD written on them. This is an insane thing to do on a whim but, we all need our mirth.

Now whenever she makes a save we can do lobster claws in approval. It's very fun.

/4

Claudia Dickey holding the aforementioned poster after a game.

In March the next year I printed another and Clawds was gracious enough to come and say hey, I gave it to her and we had a laugh about it.

But a leaping save in that game gave me a new idea I couldn't shake...

/3

A collection of 10 differen posters arranged on the floor including the one from the first post. They are all various puns and nonsenses related to Reign players "3 Lu Moon" "Olo Reign" "Air Jordyn" etc.

In November of 2023 I hauled this absurd set of posters all the say to San Diego for the championship game (RIP Pinoe's achilles). I remember telling my wife "I think this one is too stupid of a poster to not print, I love it too much".

We lost, we flew home, but I adored the goofiness.

/2

A poster reading "Can't Beat Clawdia" with Claudia Dicky in her OL Reign keeper kit and obscenely badly photoshopped lobster arms.

The @theathletic.com claims Lynn invented Claw-dia but the true story is that one absolutely deranged fan (me) invented and has been building that brand for the best US keeper for years. Please put in the papers that I am annoyed.

A thread...

#nwsl

www.nytimes.com/athletic/721...

In the spirit of generating Sport Animosity. My thoughts on expansions and rivalry.

Nwsl

Fishlock scoring at Portland in only the second weekend of the NWSL’s existence back in 2013, then slapping the crest and gesturing in defiance to 16,000 hostile fans, set the tone both for the Cascadia rivalry and for the league as a whole.

It seems like the A squad is better than the B squad. Follow me for more riveting USWNT analysis.

There’s a phone game powered by flighttracker called SkyCards that may eat half your life. So many silly lookin planes flying around every day.

I find the critically examining my fandom is a path to madness. Much simpler to just go “woooo” at things lol

This fits my priors so is obviously correct. Nwsl best league baybeeeee.

It will go back to turf. I don’t know when it is scheduled to be removed so Sounder and Reign may have some playtime on it.

Apparently they’re trucking in like four feet deep of dirt for it lol.

Specifically, they couldn’t start doing it until after the NFL playoff games at Lumen. Which were unexpectedly home playoff games and pushed everything back and into the start of MLS and NWSL seasons.

We adore her up here.

Chawinga for HC of the year??? 😉

Hmm. Looking at the link above… I may have missed the vibe.

I would be shocked if Squishmallow didn’t have a dumpling version of their plushes.

But their YC per 96’ is incredible!

A spreadsheet with one column showing each season of NWSL play, and another column showing the number of regular-season games in that year, with the grand total summing up to 1,500 games.

Unless I miscounted (and assuming we count the Spirit’s two 2021 forfeits in this tally), tonight’s Legacy-Wave game is the 1,500th regular-season game in NWSL history

@tlpavlich.gay has you covered. bsky.app/profile/tlpa...

It’s not great!