Friday Five: Ann Hoang
If you build it...
Welcome to the Friday Five, where I ask one leader building the future of sports the same five questions. Every Friday (ish).
This week’s guest found me — sort of. I read Rachel Axon’s SBJ piece on how major sports apps are failing to cover emerging women's leagues (none of the nine most popular sports apps currently include scores for League One Volleyball, Major League Volleyball, Athletes Unlimited Softball League, Women's Lacrosse League and Women's Elite Rugby), and the article pointed me straight to a solution: Now Playing, built by Ann Hoang. I downloaded it that day, sent it to multiple group chats, and immediately started using it. Despite subscribing to WNBA League Pass, I’ve found myself more than once Googling how to watch a game — because for some reason they’re not all on League Pass (!!!). I then, of course, cold-emailed Ann to introduce myself and say thank you.
Ann built Now Playing solo, as a developer with a simple mission: make it easy to find out what’s on in women’s sports & where to watch. Even though it’s only been a handful of weeks since launch, Ann is already thinking past the app itself — toward the bigger infrastructure question of visibility in this space, and where a tool like hers fits into an ecosystem that, frankly, still has a lot of boxes left to check.
Let’s get into it.
1. Tell us about a sports moment that stopped you in your tracks — as a fan, in the building, behind the scenes, or on the court.
In 1984, the first-ever U.S. Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials were held in my hometown of Olympia, Washington. Tiny Olympia! I remember walking the few blocks from our house to Capitol Boulevard, across the street from my school, Peter G. Schmidt Elementary. People were lined up rows deep on both sides of the street, with some even on rooftops and cars. My 9-year-old self couldn’t comprehend the magnitude.
After waiting what felt like hours, I heard a deafening rolling roar and then saw the runners. I absolutely remember Joan Benoit in her red and white outfit, with short brown hair, and the rush of women beside her. It was the first time I ever saw elite athletes in person. They were magical. And FAST.
Seeing thousands of people cheering, waving flags, and losing their minds gave me my first taste of sports fandom. A few months later, I watched on TV as Joan, the runner who had passed 15 feet in front of me, won the gold medal in Los Angeles.
2. What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received — and who gave it to you?
Being a woman and a software engineer for the last 20 years meant I was often the “only” and the “other.” Early in my career, I attended a Women in Tech luncheon at a Microsoft conference and one of the panelists talked about brag docs and imposter syndrome. I never forgot it.
A brag doc is a constantly updated collection of your wins, compliments, and achievements: positive feedback you’ve received, things you’ve accomplished, problems you solved, etc.
When things are challenging and you need a reminder that you are, in fact, awesome, you open the brag doc. It’s the ultimate antidote to imposter syndrome, which is rampant among women in tech. And from a practical standpoint, it’s also very helpful during performance review season.
3. What’s something happening in women’s sports right now that you think is underrated or under-discussed?
There is a deep relationship between women’s sports fans and personal values, and I think that makes this space special. It’s about more than just sport. It’s community and identity.
Fans care about what leagues and teams stand for, who they center, who they hire, and who they sign. Championships and wins can’t make up for a lack of safety or equity. For example, the lack of Black women head coaches in the WNBA, a league built by and predominantly powered by Black women athletes, is a topic worthy of much more discussion and examination.
As women’s sports grows and matures at a dizzying pace, we should take care to protect and honor the many beautiful, complex communities that make up the fandom.
4. Who’s someone in this space — athlete, builder, fan, or otherwise — who deserves more flowers than they’re getting?
Maddy Brown, the creator behind the @wnbadata accounts on Instagram and TikTok. She’s a brilliant math Ph.D. candidate who applies statistical analysis to women’s basketball. Basically, data-driven stories, and I never miss one of her videos.
I learn so much from her work. She recently broke down in fascinating detail whether anyone might break Teresa Weatherspoon’s steals record when the WNBA expands to 50 games next season. Women’s sports deserves all the nice things, and that definitely includes geeky metrics and data analytics.
5. What are you most excited about right now — in work or life?
I’m counting down the days until the Seattle Storm’s first-ever Hello Kitty Night on Monday, July 20th. My two great loves combined.
I’m also incredibly excited for the inaugural season of the WPBL, the Women’s Professional Baseball League. How many times have I watched, and cried during, “A League of Their Own”? It’s been 70+ years since the U.S. has had a women’s pro baseball league. Kelsie Whitmore will soon be a household name. Women are playing. People are watching. How can you not be romantic about baseball?
Know someone who should be featured in a future Friday Five? Drop a comment or slide into my DMs.
— K