Frankie is a freelance writer whose work sits at the intersection of sports, gender, culture, and queerness. Their writing is a mix between reported journalism and creative nonfiction, and they teach writing classes at GrubStreet.
Their work has been featured in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Vogue, the Washington Post, Bleacher Report, The Ringer, The Atlantic, and many others. You can read clips of their writing here.
Their book, HAIL MARY: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League, is co-written with Lyndsey D’Arcangelo is available now, from Bold Type Books. The book was called “a delight” by Publisher’s Weekly and named one of the Los Angeles Times’ “10 sports books we loved in 2021.”
Hail Mary tells the little-known, fascinating story of the rise and fall of the National Women's Football League, told through the players whose spirit, rivalries, and tenacity carried the league and furthered the legacy of women in sports.
The book is a celebration of women athletes and their fight on and off the field, and a powerful story of the league that changed their lives and the course of women's sports.
HAIL MARY
The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League
by Frankie de la Cretaz and Lyndsey D’Arcangelo
Order today from Bold Type Books or Bookshop.org
HAIL MARY Reading Group Guide for classes or book clubs
Awards and Recognition
2017 Nellie Bly Award for Investigative Journalism from the Transformative Culture Project: “The Yawkey Way,” DigBoston
Notable Story of 2017: “The Yawkey Way,” Best American Sports Writing 2018
Notable Story of 2018: “The Hidden Queer History of ‘A League of Their Own,’” Best American Sports Writing 2019
Nominated for 2018 SABR Award in Historical Analysis/Commentary: “The Hidden Queer History of ‘A League of Their Own’”
Notable Story of 2019: “They Call Her ‘La Primera,’ Jai Alai’s Last Hope,” Best American Sports Writing 2020
Top 10 honors in Division A Explanatory Writing 2021 from the Associated Press Sports Editors: “Living Nonbinary in a Binary Sports World,” Sports Illustrated
Featured Story in The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2022: “Living Nonbinary in a Binary Sports World,” Sports Illustrated