Kea [00:00:01] Welcome, welcome to this episode of Tea With Kea. I have a very special person
[00:00:12] here with me today. It was a wonderful, wonderful yourself. Yes, I might start today.
Kea [00:00:23] OK, I got to you know,
Jessica [00:00:27] I am Jessica Stitts. I am your friend of two years now to you.
Kea [00:00:37] Yeah, yeah, and more than hold on, I think two years, yeah, I was about yes, about to be two years coming up.
Jessica [00:00:45] Yeah, yeah. Two years in. You know, I’m just out here
Unidentified [00:00:48] with my very old man, but I’m nervous.
Jessica [00:00:54] I come over guys on my knees like, you know, strong these twenty two. I should be strong like everything. Core, full body, full body. But I’m not going to do anything to make that happen.
Kea [00:01:09] That’s OK. You want to start getting here.
Jessica [00:01:10] I thought I was out of breath.
Kea [00:01:12] That’s ok. OK, ok. Let the people know what was going on right now. OK.
Jessica [00:01:17] OK drinking is a wine a real thing from philosophy. Something it’s a really cute y. I love their bottles. They have like beautiful like little illustrations. I’m not going to say like geisha girls because it’s not but they’re like whimsical like fairy woman.
Kea [00:01:34] We’re always philosophy why this is the name
Jessica [00:01:37] of the one and it’s like philosophy. I think I’m just going to up the house leave. It starts with a P, that’s what I’m going to go with and that’s what I’m sticking to. I believe it starts with the P and I just love their their wine. So I hope that while you have because you work class, you will have a beer.
Kea [00:01:58] Some people pick a lot of Sprite and I pick have
Jessica [00:02:01] a drink or genin or she was driving a juice.
Kea [00:02:06] Real talk at home drink yesterday I was drinking bourbon in my passion fruit juice and I put Cooloola into my black tea. That was me yesterday. You kind of touched on this. We we met. Lt was funny, right? So literally I was talking to you back then and he was like, yeah, you know, sort of this tailgate. And I was like bad. The only soccer I’d ever been involved in when I was that I was in Manchester and you know, I moved to Atlanta. They just got a team. But I really know people. So I was just kind of like, OK, OK, spring twenty eighteen. That’s when you get the next grade. I remember his name Dante. So pretty and it wasn’t that great. Like the network didn’t even matter. I was like, oh my God, she’s so fucking pretty. And like he was so funny
Jessica [00:02:59] back but I just thought how guy hanging out like right away. But yeah. So I actually worked with some friends of mine.
Kea [00:03:09] This guy was like, hey, right. I mean he’s sure we’re not short like
Jessica [00:03:13] yeah yeah, yeah. I don’t really like the classics but here and put a number on it. Those names will not be said out loud.
Kea [00:03:21] That’s OK. I’m honest. Remember your friend’s name, t shirt, shorts and flip flops. So yeah, it definitely was released in the spring. Early summer. Yeah.
Jessica [00:03:32] Something in somewhere around that because I remember I was like, no, go ahead, let’s exchange numbers. And I think we hung out like that weekend afterwards.
Kea [00:03:41] Really.
Jessica [00:03:41] Do you pick me up. I have some Baabda and we went to Taco Mac.
Kea [00:03:45] Yes. Yes.
Jessica [00:03:48] And I can’t remember if that was the same day as the game.
Kea [00:03:51] It wasn’t. It wasn’t. And next time we
Jessica [00:03:54] hung out, I don’t recall where we met up. But then we were at Stat’s and I was like, you know, you want to go to this game?
Kea [00:04:02] I and we took that picture with the Hartfield, too.
Jessica [00:04:05] Yeah, I remember already fragile. She dropped well, I was already tipsy at night and I was like,
Kea [00:04:13] let’s just go. So I’m glad that you like but like. Yeah, because it was that whole
Jessica [00:04:18] life turned into an adventure that
Kea [00:04:20] for that now I recall because
Jessica [00:04:23] we went to a person’s home and with the dog.
Kea [00:04:26] Yeah. And then that was,
Jessica [00:04:28] that was a very long because you that you I think you picked me up at the MARTA and then we parked outside and just a whole adventure because I think in that moment you’re obsessed with one since the other side. And I was like, I don’t know about the whole soccer game happening. Look at this. We’ll get you in the building right next to me for forty bucks. Let’s go. So that when we
Kea [00:04:54] finally met your friend and mine, that was like into the supporters. I was like, oh, my God, what is the supporter section like?
Jessica [00:05:00] Real life. That was my first time friends. Remember my friend and supporter. I am just walking out of my brain like I’m here to live my life. Exactly. My hair was braided.
Kea [00:05:16] Yes, I remember that time. And you wear your glasses.
Jessica [00:05:21] My big goal is not these. These are the replacement for those who have to go over to early retirement. They hang out at my house. I put them on my are so dirty, but. Look at this. I can see clearly now. I am really happy hear that you
Kea [00:05:41] two literally know because I also I feel like you were like like a factor in me really like getting into soccer here, because, like I mean, my broad friends, obviously, it was like different, like, you know, like it felt. It was kind of like a part of the school’s culture, what kind of it was, you know, and then like coming here like like in my circle, I normally talk about
Jessica [00:06:09] honey,
Kea [00:06:12] you know, and then also on top of that lot, not knowing that many people like me might here to Atlanta. I was like, oh, this girl like you could use, you know, literally, like you just like check all the boxes. And I was just
Jessica [00:06:26] like by there we go. I mean, I can’t do shots anymore, but
Kea [00:06:30] I’m so I’m so here. That’s OK. You know what? That could be a whole other conversation because really there’s nothing more. It’s OK if it’s it’s OK because I’m starting to reevaluate how I party. But that’s a whole nother discussion because you know what you mean. Quijada, we’re talking about you and Myracle and like that’s at the moment, EPSA that could that had responsibly
Jessica [00:06:58] as an adult
Kea [00:07:00] who. Yes.
Jessica [00:07:00] Responsibly look at now. Yeah. I told you so many times I hit my brick wall at twenty four. I was like, OK, let’s, let’s transition. Which is why I look because so much I can do all day boy.
Kea [00:07:15] Oh why aren’t you going to have on Friday for Good Friday.
Jessica [00:07:22] I’m thinking about going and if I do go it’s going to be very quick.
Kea [00:07:27] That’s where I was like wait until Tatsu. Yeah. And so I was like oh no, I didn’t have like something in the group chat.
Jessica [00:07:33] No, no, no, no. It’s it’s honestly because a because I don’t live in Atlanta. Yeah. I have a very big issue with like driving down to Atlanta twice in a row. That’s where I’m like. And that’s one of the reasons why I don’t really want to do the United Block party, because we’re going to try to be here again on Saturday.
Kea [00:07:56] True. True.
Jessica [00:07:58] So for me, true. Yes. Like a weekday and just all of this, I’m like, you know what I’m not saying I didn’t have fun. I had a lot of fun. Twenty. Twenty. You go into the city, though.
Kea [00:08:09] Not so twenty twenty one. Twenty twenty one. I would like to like.
Jessica [00:08:17] OK, we’ll see. Yeah.
Kea [00:08:19] Unsuccess because I do I live up there. Yeah. I the first time when you said where you live and I look on a map outside this rather than what people Lambe because normal people like know like far they see opera you know. Yeah.
Jessica [00:08:32] That’s like forty one up forty one. Thirty five is forty minutes with me. It can be forty five
Kea [00:08:38] to like an hour. Yeah. Just I was confused like I thought like you’re watching the Liverpool game today
Jessica [00:08:43] so I was thinking about it might you like. So I literally just stayed in my bed this whole time. I know that just you need to go because you know I’m trying to catch up on sleep. I was like, you need to go. And I totally wanted to be at Brewhouse to watch the game. Honestly, it was Hendershott. So it is what it is. You know, here we have Liverpool at the very tippy top,
Kea [00:09:06] are undefeated right now. Right.
Jessica [00:09:07] Absolutely undefeated. We had one draw with Manchester United and they couldn’t duplicate it two weeks ago last weekend.
Kea [00:09:16] Yeah, I like the activist group right now,
Jessica [00:09:22] but they’re they’re going to do shit and their performance was less than stellar. They had no communication, no ball control touches like the first. Second touches suck. So it was one. It was. And I do like watching him play because it seems like they definitely do bring that fire. But I watched a little bit here and there. I was getting ready and listen to that.
Kea [00:09:45] Datawatch, too, I don’t even know.
Jessica [00:09:47] So my dad will watch because I watch. So my dad watches any and all sports because he grew up playing sports. But this is why I am the way that I am. Right. Let’s go ahead and get into that about this whole what is just good fun.
Kea [00:10:01] Just nitty gritty, OK? Yes. Your first
Jessica [00:10:03] love. It does actually every sport first love you would think is soccer actually baseball.
Kea [00:10:12] Oh, I’m OK. I’m not I’m not surprised you saying that either.
Jessica [00:10:18] I, I grew up going to braves games like all the time, especially during the summer. We would go all the time because my dad’s job was to give him a ticket, so. Oh yeah. So would just pile into the car with and go yeah. You know, I have so many memories being at Turner Field and my sister fell in love with Sammy Sosa. Oh. Back when he was actually, you know. Yeah. A minority. Nobody was really. Oh my God. He is. No, you know, the walking dog is more of it’s kind of scary. It’s very sad. I’ve never seen such self-hate. But we’re going to move on.
Kea [00:10:56] Oh, God, no. We could literally have so many conversations you could about us.
Jessica [00:11:00] So, you know, when I was in Chicago, I took a picture of it star and sent it to my sister and all that stuff because, you know, you know, the same size the Cubs. So my two teens have always been the Cubs
Kea [00:11:12] and
Jessica [00:11:13] we always go and see the Cubs play the Braves. Always. Yeah. So that’s my first love. Some people actually have to be maybe like basketball, football. I grew up watching LeBron play all the time. We always watch football at my house is always on him. My mom used to scream at the TV. My mother does. There’s so much passion when it comes down to my dad used to play football, you know, and you look at what position girl
Kea [00:11:46] there is, you know, it’s kind of tiny. So like he’s always been that size. That’s on. Because I love
Jessica [00:11:52] more than my dad, like right now, like a physical person. My dad is a very tiny
Kea [00:11:57] actually, I can see that because he is
Jessica [00:12:00] he tiny, he teeny tiny, but in a in a little tiny town where my high school’s graduating class was more than population there, like Piedmont, Alabama, to be OK. We got like five stop. Like I know we got five stoplights. And so they all played every position possible. They were like, we get you the ball, you run, OK, or all of a sudden we’re changing the defense. Go my. That’s like I weigh three pounds soaking wet. And you want me to play defense. OK, coach, put me in cut like
Kea [00:12:37] that
Jessica [00:12:39] I the idea of my father running is very strong in my head
Kea [00:12:44] in there because like
Jessica [00:12:46] that I like things happen. Like there is a photo my grandmother has and my dad in high school and the girl is fucking beautiful by the way. Right. She’s the best there is, is actually a picture of my dad in his uniform and he has like all that stuff and you look like you’re being swallowed up. So, you know, it happened. Yeah, they’re because the president play basketball. Some of them played baseball at my uncle’s was really good with baseball and he could hit a ball like nobody’s business. So that was that whole thing. So soccer was my thing. I remember growing up in all of that because I love the Spice Girls, but the Spice Girls were not the end all be all like Victoria Beckham. Posh Spice does not necessarily lead to David Beckham. But because you’re right, because this was supposed to be like for every girl, you know, but because there was the constant TV on the sports channels, there was never a chance where you didn’t hear about David Beckham. And I was like, OK, well, this is interesting. Oh, you know, even, you know, they had been together for a very long time, apparently, and even still just seeing all of that. And then what I have a very vivid memory of it is watching. I don’t remember what year it was because, you know, nine years, maybe it is what it is. I remember vividly watching Mia Hamm in the Women’s World Cup and then also, you know, when she rips off her shirt, she she’s like, yeah. And I was like, this is fucking cool. Like, this is a sport. And, you know, I became a cricketer. I a teenager didn’t really do anything with it. The idea of my dad was one of five boys. He has a sister. But you asked her about my sister like. Oh, well, about his sister. I don’t know what she was doing, but all the boys played sport. So when he got girls, he was like, I don’t want to do this. I know.
Kea [00:14:52] I’m like, what were you playing like?
Jessica [00:14:54] He never he never did that with us. And then, you know, I’m like Kobe hashtag. I feel like that’s another conversation for another day. But girl, that he was not that, you know, he didn’t really know what to do with that. He didn’t know how to translate sports in his mind to a female body. You don’t know what to do with that. Whereas my sister could have easily been a track star, I could have done swimming anything.
Kea [00:15:21] But a lot of
Jessica [00:15:21] us can’t swim. Right.
Kea [00:15:24] Did you get that feeling right about.
Jessica [00:15:26] Absolutely. Teach them how to swim is very important. So we never did anything with that. So I became a player now, which is a video game nerd, geeky
Kea [00:15:36] love to see the love I, I, I’m going to come over and I’m going to give Borderlands a chance. You should. And I told you that I was going give her a real chance. It’s a lot. Well I, I hear it but like I feel like I’m just really monami you know what. OK, right. Let me let me see what I just HIVers about like you know,
Jessica [00:16:04] so I’m not against Monster Hunter World at all. But I’ll be honest, I’m turning on since I got to a certain point and Borderlands is something that I always kind of go back to. It’s a strong love that I have and there’s always people playing and starting new characters. So I always have the ability to jump in if I need to play with people. It’s really hard this time around. Yeah, I feel like it’s harder.
Kea [00:16:32] I mean, like loving the struggle right now.
Jessica [00:16:36] I’m very like a horrible gamer because I know I have a huge selection game and I literally maybe only complete like half of them. And then the other half I open the box. I play maybe to like twenty five to like forty five percent of that story of that game. And then I’m like, you know what, not doing this.
Kea [00:17:00] But you tried it though. I just tried to
Jessica [00:17:03] in terms of oh let me finish that.
Kea [00:17:05] I only play games when I’m at other people’s house and I’m like, OK, you know what, let me like hop on this, because they said something about it. Like I mean, you see it here. I’m literally if I were any more basic, like I would be girl, my TV is smaller than your TV game on it, OK? But I was thinking, like, you know, like you got you must set, you know, I’m saying no,
Jessica [00:17:29] Sam, I’m dangling from the wall
Kea [00:17:33] but is there just isn’t there yet is there.
Jessica [00:17:36] But I am a very noncommittal person when it comes to certain media, like, you know, I’m watching anime, I those are my things. I get halfway and I’m like, you know what? Actually I’m like anime. I do actually watch as regular TV shows.
Kea [00:17:54] Well, yeah, that’s because you don’t really like
Jessica [00:17:56] the way through. I really do. I’m like, this is so good, you know, those kids and stranger things. I’m in the middle of season one where they’re all scared shitless. That is the universe they live in and that is the universe they will stay.
Kea [00:18:09] I will say that one time I did I did find pretty interesting. But also, like I kind of what I like the characters is different, you know, like I feel like mostly invested in them.
Jessica [00:18:23] And like, I can’t really get, like, what is in The Handmaid’s Tale.
Kea [00:18:28] Never started it.
Jessica [00:18:29] OK, it’s so good. I’m not going to say anything. It’s so good. It’s really written. It’s great photography. Everything about it is really, really good. I mean, it’s like episode five. And I was like, you know what, I don’t feel comfortable. What is the purpose of it? It’s supposed to, like, make your mind go. You’re not you’re not supposed to feel comfortable. And then I quickly was just like, you know what, I can’t keep watching this. So I saw them as around Breaking Bad, OK?
Kea [00:19:00] I started that show. I people they hyped it up and it’s crazy.
Jessica [00:19:06] I finished the first season and then I was like, you know what? This is too intense for me. I’m not doing if only I can say I have finished with in the past like five years has honestly been Game of Thrones.
Kea [00:19:17] Which movie even worth finishing up wasn’t. Oh, God.
Jessica [00:19:20] I was like
Kea [00:19:22] like everything we’re staying saying we’re not like them. It’s a whole nother cool. Let’s bring it back. Yes. OK. OK. Yeah I’m twenty
Jessica [00:19:34] seventeen. Me and my girl Shonto were seeing all of these people on social media like posting and saying, oh we’re the united game. But I was like what, what is going on? And it just looked like a great time. So she and I were like, yeah, that’s what we’re going to do next. And we went and we were there. And, you know, I think Bobby Mercedes Benz is great. I will never sit here and shit all over Mercedes Benz as an experience for a stadium. But there is something fantastic about Bobby and
Kea [00:20:16] anybody who like Stadium, like
Jessica [00:20:18] so much fun. There’s something about the whole atmosphere. You’re going to be rained on. You know, the sun is in your face, but everything about it felt like a very genuine soccer experience. Yeah, I love Bobby Dodd and that that kicked off the love for it. And, you know, she became a flight attendant. So I had to learn how to ride solo dollar for a lot of games after that. And that’s kind of when I started hanging out with those guys. And then that’s where you came into the picture. And then fast forward to what, twenty nineteen. Twenty nineteen? I was going through some rough times and I was like, I need a distraction. I remember one of my friends being like, well, you know, I was a pretty mom for I’m inputting my blaber. So I joined up with a mom and I will say that that was definitely one of my better decisions. And it wasn’t until the very first, oh, this is the first week to open the season and know it was doing. This little tournament that’s going on now, because I know I’m not going to name it right. I believe it’s called CONCACAF, but I feel like I’m wrong. I don’t believe
Kea [00:21:30] you. Wrong.
Jessica [00:21:31] Not right. Me? No, I think it’s CONCACAF, but I’m not entirely sure. I feel like it might be. I do not know. But there was a tournament that they were in in the beginning of the year. And that’s where you met me at Midway Pub, yo.
Kea [00:21:55] Yes. And that was honestly that energy was fucking amazing. Like, literally it was it was like unparalleled. So like other like social studies that we’re used to being and like she didn’t like really Volonté sports. The only sports I follow were literally bandwagon because like my mother, like she’s a diehard cowboys. Yeah. Other than that, like my own, like my first love was volleyball, but literally being there and like being an atmosphere again we’re like you’re all together, you’re all just like having a beer, like watching soccer. And like the people, the people really like is like what got me. Yeah. You know,
Jessica [00:22:42] I get that. And that was the same thing because at that moment I was like, hey, guys, I want you guys to come with me because I don’t know any of these people.
Kea [00:22:49] And and you were looking so cool that they I mean, you always look cute, but like I was like,
Jessica [00:22:56] oh, so I sat here and I was like, you guys should come and join me. I think it’s called CONCACAF, but we watch that and, you know, joined after we hit the season, the not real season, but the I don’t know how to say things like that.
Kea [00:23:16] So I, you know, like but
Jessica [00:23:19] and this was during a watch party because I think our opening game, like season kickoff was the away game. And we were all there at Grindhouse Indicator. And that’s where we met some very interesting people that. Oh, yeah, yeah.
Kea [00:23:40] I love you. I love, I love, I love Roundhouse.
Jessica [00:23:44] I love how I love Grindhouse. You know that really good. The people are legit. A lot of that I sit here with our putting people so you feel among family and it was a lot of fun
Kea [00:23:56] regardless of welcoming. But that’s the whole thing too. It’s like you hear I here we have the same reason I was just listening. I’m sitting next to a stranger in a stranger like 30 minutes from now.
Jessica [00:24:06] Right. And it was so much fun that lady and her husband
Kea [00:24:10] were always like, oh, you know.
Jessica [00:24:13] Back to great memories. I will say we had a lot of fun at Grindhouse. I will say Midway is a bit more chill and the best thing about Midway is you can walk down the street and go to like Elgort Tree, which is like a big soccer pub down there. Yes, that’s where
Kea [00:24:32] we had our our our allu out the yard.
Jessica [00:24:36] Yeah, you met me there and I was like my birthday as well, like around my birthday or something like that. It was somewhere around that, but there was a game like five minutes later, so we were all there at electric and shit off of the losers
Kea [00:24:53] and and the good times one day drinking.
Jessica [00:24:57] Right, drinking. And then we all went to a game afterwards. I believe it was a long day. I know I went back to someone’s house, but nothing I
Kea [00:25:10] don’t know, I say should
Jessica [00:25:12] happen. But I know that I went back to their house and stayed there for a little bit. And then we got ready and then went to the state, went to the Gulf to tailgate, which if you haven’t been to a funny tailgate, is the best tailgate
Kea [00:25:26] then as awesome, OK, because we’re like we’re already like delving into this. Let’s talk about footy cause
Jessica [00:25:34] let’s talk about quitting my
Kea [00:25:35] job. I would just like to say so obviously, like I, I knew you in, like, you know, going to watch the games and like many other funny people I really appreciate, like, how diverse it is. And like, I feel that is very true. You know, sometimes I feel like I like kind of like really, you know, like it just it feels it feels good, you know, like I love I love how welcoming like everybody was.
Jessica [00:26:08] I mainly did join up because I saw how diverse the age group is as well as how, you know, everybody looked. No. Has it been all peachy keen? We all know that’s not true. Yeah, but when you put a bunch of people in a room together, you know, it’s bound to happen that there’s going to be you know, somebody had some conflicting personalities. But the benefit of that is, you know, when they go, girl, you go, hi,
Kea [00:26:40] we love show. Oh, OK.
Jessica [00:26:44] Oh, OK, go. So we’re just going to we’re going to move on from a lot of those situations, those bad eggs or, you know, those people who just walk away. Yeah. When it comes to having a more welcoming and kind of just in my mind, the Southern experience mixed with soccer is fine. And that’s not detract from any of the other groups because I do have friends and the other supporters groups. But, you know, let’s talk about for a second with hooliganism. And so, yeah, that’s especially someone who’s been in the UK. Yeah. Yeah. And what that really
Kea [00:27:21] honestly, it is a lot calmer here in the US, which is also why kind of like honestly in the UK if I can different I like I got to play in Latin America.
Jessica [00:27:34] Yeah. Correct. To say whatever it is, it’s like South America. I mean I’m talking about like La Liga and like South America because Rabs be packing heat you know. Yeah. Yeah. I didn’t know some of them be packing heat. Oh I look at the. Absolutely they they turned around and been shot and all this stuff you know. So do you want to call it union. I don’t. I know very bits and pieces of it from the outside. But you know, I think there is a emergence in the US with how much soccer MLS has has very much taken off. And I think it’s only going to get bigger. We’re going to have thirty two teams by twenty twenty two. I believe it is. I could honestly be wrong with these numbers because it feels like we’re adding a new expansion team every five minutes. Oh I’m so we know we’re going to be, you know, the same size as, like the big teams, you know, and whatever or whatever it may be the same number of baseball teams. You know, California is out here and three Texas has three, you know, like sort of us to New York has two people, like they always do. So when we’re talking about numbers and numbers, we’re looking at, you know, standard size for American national sports teams. It’s not national sport. And I think that we’re looking at a very changing time with how diverse America is, as well as know definitely with how much access we have to the Internet, people traveling, young people traveling, doing a lot of overseas Internet internship. So what’s that work study abroad? Yeah, that so I think people exchanges, you see, and you know what soccer looks like over the pond. And because you get people from Latin America coming up and living their lives like, you know, but I don’t know them in the health industry, you have a. A lot of these people will bring in more soccer, and I think what we’re kind of turning into is I honestly believe within the next two years, things are probably starting a little ugly.
Kea [00:29:54] And I hear you. And like I, I do agree to a certain point. But at the same time, it’s like like the benefits outweigh the negatives. Like sports brings people together. Yes. Is it getting to a point where it’s like that tip of the iceberg? Yes.
Jessica [00:30:11] I think we need to take a minute to explain what hooliganism is, though, because, you know, as in Atlanta, I’m not really like it is what it is, you know, with the Hawks, you know, whatever. Yeah, but
Kea [00:30:22] the worst people
Jessica [00:30:24] are Saints fans.
Kea [00:30:27] They like my my roommate and he’s not here. That’s great. But if he walks in, you
Jessica [00:30:33] know, so, you know, the NFL has been it’s been shown suppressing fights and situations. They block out a lot of things from tailgates and things like that. It’s not people being angry and doing things. It’s not drunken people doing things. Hooliganism is you know, a lot of these people are sober.
Kea [00:30:54] Yes. That mentality, it’s
Jessica [00:30:56] the mentality of I’m here for club and country. You know, it’s this whole type of environment that they they build on top of themselves where it’s not we’re pranking people or we’re snatching somebody’s scarf or whatever. It boils down to smoke bombs being thrown or, you know, a team’s bus being assaulted and vandalized by the other side’s team. And again, these are OK, let’s go ahead and say that they’re drunk. How drunk do you have to be to be violent to yourself and to be like, you know, that’s a whole nother level of just a rowdy thing and hooliganism. It’s dangerous. Hooliganism can and a lot of people’s lives. And I think that, you know, within the next two, three years, we’re going to start to see an emergence of that here for for soccer, because an older generation, much older. I can talk about my parents. Yeah, you have to worry about soccer like on or, you know, those younger people who fight each other on the stand and go to war because somebody wore the wrong colors on their side or something like that. So that is, you know, a lot of people’s acknowledgments of it. And then the collapse that happened in the UK during the Liverpool match where everything just fell apart. While there’s not dedicated towards or it’s not a sign of hooliganism, there is a bit of, you know, violence that carries over with mainstream soccer football. So I do think that that is probably going to start to rear its head. Yeah, it really is. And it’s not people who are passionate, people who are looking for something to hide behind.
Kea [00:32:48] Yeah, I don’t know. My dad has like just like at face value. OK, same good different. No. Like that type of mindset. And you at the end of the day like we want to be safe, you know, because like literally we’re all here because we love our team. Like that’s just what it is like period. You know, like I can understand, like when you’re the away team and you know, they’re in your territory. But still, at the end of the day, I mean, our life is in Orlando. Well, yeah. I mean, that’s what I was thinking about really.
Jessica [00:33:28] Well, except for I don’t think you and the girls in college or saw because I was further behind close working with someone who was
Kea [00:33:36] a little bit the police like usher
Jessica [00:33:37] us. It was that. But somebody actually did throw smoke bombs into our march. These did happen and they got right back out. But I was about to say like but it felt like it went without a hitch of me following then like scaring everybody because me following shortly and having surgery is not a good idea. But everything was fine. My organs were still where they needed to be.
Kea [00:34:03] Nashville, Miami. We might not have no. Yeah. No more surgeries. No, we’re good. I’m not going to split right here.
Jessica [00:34:12] Nobody, you know, people were there were still a little bit of a problem. And, you know, and we weren’t
Kea [00:34:20] even actually doing anything wrong. No, we were not. We were chanting together and not taking any actions that would even be deemed
Jessica [00:34:28] Orlando by Orlando. Oh, fuck you, Orlando. It is. But, you know, even right now, you know, that whole thing with Charlotte, they don’t know yet. But yeah, honestly, that’s the start stuff and.
Kea [00:34:43] In his own, because people want to, like, make sure that no one is not there to even, like, make a deal about, but also so worried because it’s like, oh, like it’s like North Carolina. But then I’m like, oh, like I said, I’m not. Then again,
Jessica [00:35:02] I do believe in healthy, you know, rivalry’s. Yeah. But I do believe it needs to be organic. But, you know, when you’re down here in Atlanta, you’ve been here your whole life long enough. Not don’t start. No stuff will be that’s not you know about. But that is the rules in Atlanta. You know, you mind your own business. You do what you need to do. But, you know, we hear some both elbows you forget, like the late 90s, early 2000 was Atlanta music we all hear about. You’re doing this shit. We all start by like Bonecrusher along these lines. But, you know, he kind of came out. I got to go scrapie. You know, all this stuff was, you know, we are here and we don’t get far. You know, if you can see all the ludicrousness birds and move, bitch, get out the way you put, you
Kea [00:35:55] know, OK, what time? Oh, you’re going to laugh at me. What’s the thing? Or you’re like me.
Jessica [00:36:03] Like because like some of the Soulja Boy, it was it was
Kea [00:36:08] it was like that. But it was like, oh what fucking song was it. A pop song and drop it. And I know it was something like, OK, I was I was like basically like all the illana people like they were like doing that like perfect like rapping and like on beat and shit girl. And it’s like jumping out here. I don’t know, I forgot this guy. I mean he was like Yeah you weren’t from Atlanta because you like wasn’t on. And I was like yo I felt, I felt so red. And that’s even like more red afterwards because I can’t remember like what
Jessica [00:36:40] things are like make you extremely up. Now I’m extremely Laina. I know the music but I’m not a that little because no I do not like me. Some lemon pepper wings.
Kea [00:36:52] No girl I wish I had some right now.
Jessica [00:36:56] It is I’m not a little more than pepper weeks on the then
Kea [00:37:01] it’s OK to have a wrong opinion sometimes.
Jessica [00:37:07] Oh, my God.
Kea [00:37:08] No, just like if it’s crazy, like that’s how I think about it, too, as far as like L.A. United, because obviously, you know, people who were born and raised here, like they you know, they grew up. And the fact is, I grew up on the hogs, the Braves, whatever. But it’s like Atlanta is so new to the point to like from what I am witnessing, like I’m a transplant. And so I like I have a bunch of friends who are transplants as well. So it’s also kind of like it’s like a level grad for you, because I love soccer. Like if you like most people, if you like, if we were to go outside right now and ask people like, hey, where are you from? Yeah. Like who’s who’s like to talk to. They like. Huh, you know, stuff like. It also kind of gives like that like level field for like people who grew up in Atlanta and transplant and also people who are traven like interview. Very, very true. Yeah.
Jessica [00:38:07] You know, Bobby Dodd and things like that. Even before we did a tailgate, me and Shauntay met these guys behind us right next to us from where they were sitting and they were so welcoming. They’re very friendly. You know, it wasn’t sexual. They both had women on their own. It was, you know who you guys haven’t been soccer game before.
Kea [00:38:23] Yeah.
Jessica [00:38:24] Let’s go ahead and explain things to you and kind of like let you know. And it wasn’t a situation of mansplaining. It wasn’t the situation being, like, overbearing and trying to tell us everything, because at some point we could figure stuff out for some cause and just, you know, having a very fun, welcoming, diverse environment is really what sold the situation for us. Yeah. At least for me
Kea [00:38:48] now, literally, people breaking down things. I’m like I’m like I’m looking out. It’s a flag. It’s a flag. Like what? Like who what happened. Oh, like, you know, just I, I love that because it’s like you watch it like you want to understand and just no one’s no one in the community is like shit like that.
Jessica [00:39:08] No, no. We have not seen that just yet. Just yet. I just. Yeah. Because again my experience with soccer was me as a little kid watching me at home during the Women’s World Cup, you know, and that was what, 97, 98 like decades ago? I don’t know. Let’s be honest. So I was born right, OK. You like four seven? I think I don’t know how old I am when I talk about numbers anyway,
Kea [00:39:40] so
Jessica [00:39:42] I think, you know, having a welcoming environment, which is still fairly welcoming, you know, I haven’t really met people who are super standoffish. That’s what
Kea [00:39:51] I. OK, if you like, we’re going to go with, like an 80 percent, 80 percent. Yay, 20 percent nay. Yeah, I would say that
Jessica [00:40:02] like a soccer league. Not a snob. You know, for me, like I obviously spoke about Liverpool today. I’ve only been running for Liverpool for like a year and a half. I’m still very, very new when it comes to the world of soccer. And I’m not ashamed to admit that. Yeah, you know, it is it is what it is. You know, it’s not something that you readily see over here. And again, until I started hanging out in Atlanta, I didn’t know that such a strong soccer community existed. You know, I didn’t know there was such a strong drug scene in Athens until I hooked up and went to drug shows in Athens. And there’s a very strong drug scene there, just like it is, and I’m sure it exists everywhere else. So without going out and exploring, you’re not really going to know. Like, I want you guys you I was like, why do you like Brewhouse Myracle? You can’t park there. No, I guess that’s just soccer environment.
Kea [00:41:01] Yeah, it really is.
Jessica [00:41:03] You know, when you’re there for those camps, that is where you feel accepted and where you feel like, you know, what’s going on and stuff like that. And yeah, there’s some old hands who are hooligans who are there. And I don’t want to like one of those two old men about to get into boys. About what?
Unidentified [00:41:24] You can go you’re
Jessica [00:41:28] there about sars-cov-2 like this is so weird, it’s not that deep, but, you know, they are both from the UK and all of a sudden they started getting the most heavy accent. So I was like, I want to talk about
Kea [00:41:39] I know if English got what
Jessica [00:41:42] you called, you know what don’t like I don’t know what. I don’t know. I don’t know. So I you know, I love to learn. There’s a lot of people who you who go to Brewhouse and stuff like that. Nobody sponsored by anybody just so.
Kea [00:41:57] But we’re not Prizzi’s.
Jessica [00:42:00] But when it comes to fully enjoying an environment or space, you definitely have that.
Kea [00:42:09] Yeah.
Jessica [00:42:10] For soccer. So hopefully they’re for that. And I think more people should really, you know, kind of adventure, you know,
Kea [00:42:21] literally a soccer environment. I feel you percent and I OK, I love you. I mean a lot for many reasons. But like one of my love is because, like you like you do things based off of like your own intrinsic motivation, you know, like I’m more of I know what I like. But if people around me aren’t really St-, they’re also like with it, I’m not going to like, go out of my way to, like, go somewhere like that’s why I like like I said when I came back to the States, I want to I mean, you know, I was like, yeah, like my times, you know, none of my friends, like, you know, back here were talking about the team. So I just like to whatever. But that’s mainly because, like, my friends are Chelsea fans. But anyways, Chelsea is I would just like, OK, but like you’re just like, OK, excuse me. Like I know, I know like I don’t like I don’t want to put myself in an environment where the people around me are also going to feel the same thing. And I could because I’m like out of fear, like even if I’m just gonna watch the games, like go somewhere alone and I’m not afraid.
Jessica [00:43:23] I’m not as great as you might think that I am. I really have to kind of move around that because I’m very much like I don’t like being by myself. I’m a very small girl. This is me, but my head is, you know, and so hear me
Kea [00:43:38] now because I was someone, you
Jessica [00:43:40] know, the wind blows too hard. I started to get knocked over. So, you know, all of a sudden, you know, Mary Poppins, you know, starts to show up and then I get flown out to the sky. Some very big on the idea of, you know, let’s go ahead and. Keep everything with a partner. I want to stay with someone so I always know that I’m safe. But when my friend became a flight attendant, I was like, well, I still want to go to Atlanta. Not a game of chess, OK? I believe she is studying to become a pilot. I oh, that’s
Kea [00:44:19] oh, that’s a little scary. I hope she’s who she got confidence.
Jessica [00:44:23] She is not afraid of any of that stuff. Me, I like being on the ground as much as possible. I don’t like flying it. That’s always drunk when I fly. Oh really. Yeah. Always drunk.
Kea [00:44:34] That’s valid. Oh it’s valid that way.
Jessica [00:44:36] Just in case something happens. All that was going on. I’m always wrong. I always get in the door when I’m flying. I’m not gonna fall asleep. None of that because you’re drunk.
Kea [00:44:46] But don’t fall asleep on the plane. No. I feel like.
Jessica [00:44:52] I know you want us to and from Hawaii, I was I was under the age, so I couldn’t sleep anyway. Well, I wouldn’t dream
Kea [00:45:01] of a certain age Kitley
Jessica [00:45:05] you but I didn’t sleep for either one of those flights going to or from and that was my first flight was to Hawaii, which is probably the worst way to get a first plane ever, because all I see is like water. But anyway.
Kea [00:45:21] And on that note, OK. Yes, Nancy. She was a girl. Yeah, I know. He was like, yeah,
Jessica [00:45:27] because I well, so because I had to go and do a lot of things by myself, kind of, you know, just like, oh, yeah, I’m going to find the things that make me happy and I’m going to do those things on my own. And it’s not always I’m still very much a person who like, oh, I want people with me because I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m still very much going to I’m going to try and ask people to go. But if they’re not going to go, you know, I’m not really I stop myself sometimes I going to Brewhouse today because I decided to stay in my bed the whole time.
Kea [00:46:01] And that’s all good. I mean,
Jessica [00:46:04] the soccer community is a lot bigger than people think it is. And, you know, if anybody is on the fringe of, you know, maybe I want to go deep into that type of environment, go for it. On the top of that, you know, there’s been a lot of support I found from the women’s team. Yes. And I really think that. There is more visibility than ever, and people should really capitalize on it. Women should capitalize on it and wear, you know, 20, 20. Don’t let someone mansplaining something to you, period.
Kea [00:46:45] It’s not just a space for men. Hello. We’re here. We’ve been here. We’ve been here. You’re definitely here.
Jessica [00:46:52] And that is something people have mentioned to me is, you know, just here a black woman in a space that doesn’t work it towards. I was going to try to like or talk to you brought other black women, quote unquote, with you. And I will say know soccer is not an environment that markets towards black women. Gaming is not an environment that markets towards black women enemy among all the a lot of things I personally like, I don’t personally feel like market towards black women and black female for a video game. Not saying they don’t exist, but can I come up with one off the top of my head? No. Yeah. Other than The Walking Dead, which is, you know, a it’s a game. You have Clementine, who’s a little girl, and that is the first and only thing that comes to mind. And a game that I really love playing growing up was a game called the American Eagle because there was a character named Jade.
Kea [00:47:59] Beyond that, you
Jessica [00:48:00] know, beyond good.
Kea [00:48:02] Oh, beyond good and evil. Yeah. Oh, my.
Jessica [00:48:05] Yeah, it’s kind of more of a cult classic. It came out at a time where I don’t think it was such a good time. I think there was a lot of games that came out that kind of overshadowed it, I believe was published by Ubisoft. I could be wrong. But you know, the character Jade, she was a dark skinned one. But, you know, spoiler alert, she’s an alien person to you. So, like, you know, I really kind of gravitated towards playing a game like that. But when it comes to a darker skinned or a brown character, you don’t really see that in. Yeah. Anime. Jesus, other than revolutionary girl. You know, I’m going to say that from there. I don’t recall a dark skinned character. You have Pluto from saying, I know you don’t see them.
Kea [00:48:55] I don’t. But I will know. I know I made promises to many people that I was a dragon. So I’m going to do all of my absolute God during research. But for that film, if you ever if
Jessica [00:49:11] you ever wanted to do a cosplay in person, you should do. Her name is Keniry and she Mary Hunter, Hunter and Conatus Akitas.
Kea [00:49:22] She is. She is. I think it is going to like have to like, look her up because
Jessica [00:49:27] Canaria is the absolute best. So I honestly think that, you know, the main character’s queer characters find characters. All these people play and you have a lot of that stuff with revolutionary girl Tina because her friends for nine is actually, you know, a woman. And then with the relationship between Uranus and Neptune is a bisexual relationship. I saw that growing up. I knew growing up because they censored a lot of stuff. I only knew about Revolutionary Girl as an adult. But with Senator Moon, you kind of it’s really weird because both go they’re cousins, my cousins, all the way down there like that.
Kea [00:50:13] I look at the other. Right.
Jessica [00:50:15] What are you all like? This is really weird. But again, like as an adult, you see that. But when it comes to representation, soccer, I, I don’t feel ever really puts black women as a demographic that they promote towards. Yeah. And I feel like there might be a bit you know, we’re having a lot of conversations with Italy and I think the IT series a I think a series A with A because that’s the problem with soccer. It’s really, really big. It’s so big. And so it makes it really difficult to kind of pinpoint where it is that you’re looking at. It is called series, and this is where you have a lot of racial undertones or conversations that show up where it’s, you know, fans are making monkey sounds to players and things that. Are, you know, in our eyes and a lot of other people’s eyes completely unacceptable or racist and things like that, but again, you’re looking at an environment in general that doesn’t really promote towards. Black people know what literally like to your point. All right, we talked about this. I’m not going to say it’s one hundred and ten percent because, you know, you look at I know again, I’m not going to say things like I saw your money. You you look at Mohamed Salah because I’m using my team as an example. But then you flip the script because these are people who are very, very, you know, not influential, but much loved by their community. But you put the script and looked at characters like Neymar. Neymar is a dark skinned Brazilian. Who is extremely controversial? He very much plays for himself, not only for the club, but for himself, and I’m not mad at him, but he also plays for himself when he has to play for country in the World Cup and things like that. But then you have a character like poker. There’s tons of Papoutsis, what? Three of them, Paul, 14, and somebody else. And I know that that’s really horrible to not know the other one’s name, but there’s three of them. And, you know, they’re considered, you know, Rabble-rouser to a certain extent, you know, and again, it kind of goes to. Showboating is, I guess, showboating, which I think the black community kind of is more of. Did anybody else, you know, what was that line by by Congress back when Congress was legit? I’ve canceled them. I don’t listen to him,
Kea [00:53:05] I say, but he was
Jessica [00:53:07] like, I know Spike Lee going to kill me for this, but,
Kea [00:53:09] oh, well, with that one click, I know it’s little guilty, but let me finish. It was. Yeah. Anybody on my it was like him. I do like,
Jessica [00:53:19] you know what, I’m going to go spend all my money. Yeah. Most people turn around and that’s it. I’m going to sit here and show off what I feel like.
Kea [00:53:26] We never had shit. They wouldn’t give a shit back then.
Jessica [00:53:29] And so he’s very much like, I’m going to sit here and flaunt it. And I think that is another thing that, you know, kind of carries over to defense of how sports are handled, how black athletes are handled from one demographic, not demographic, from one sport to another to another. Because the majority of your players could be African-American in basketball and football, you turn around and you have, you know, baseball and soccer and it’s kind of like we love. Yeah. You know, you have to kind of calm it down and keep it extremely tame. Jared. Derek Jeter. I was like, you know, Derek Jeter was, you know, a playboy and all that stuff. And, you know, his late night facilities were very much published and known about back in the day. But, you know, when it comes to being an athlete, being a star, that’s not, in my opinion, newsworthy. And, you know, it’s I think that’s kind of a difference with how it’s handled, how it’s marketed, how you see things. You know, Cristiano Ronaldo is the face of soccer. I don’t care who you are and in on the basis of soccer in this current day. And that’s just me. And then, of course, you have. And I know I get I’m always going to get names. Well, that’s OK. And I’m going I forget how to be like that person, that person, Modric. And for Croatia, I rooting for Croatia for the World Cup because I love to root for the little guy in there with me. I love Croatia. I think it’s a beautiful, beautiful place. I’d love to visit and you know, twenty twenty one. Twenty one. So I think for, you know, these, these faces, I don’t see a whole lot of that, that blackness. And yes, you did have some money who I believe won this really big prestigious awards so completely by person. I believe those only centralized in Africa, which there’s nothing wrong with that. Africa is a very big place for him to beat out whoever else was. There is a very big accomplishment. He’s a very talented player. He is, I believe, due to injury he tapped out last week for he was like, no, and will play because I can’t do it. He walked himself off. He’s not needing to be carted off or nothing like that. He just knows his limit. And I’m OK with that. But I think you have a thing where just brown and black players are not marketed in the same way. And then. You know. Even when you’re looking at the women’s team, there are black women who play on that team and so on, but they’re there and I don’t feel like they get the same type of.
Kea [00:56:21] That recognition,
Jessica [00:56:22] recognition, as everybody else does, and I’m going to be horrible because I don’t want people’s names,
Kea [00:56:27] but I know it’s just so much I
Jessica [00:56:29] know they’re there. I know they exist. Yeah. And it’s like you talking, can you speak or can you do this type of advertisement? No, it’s always making Rapino. It’s always Alex Morgan is always charming. Lloyd, I’m not mad at any of those women I know. No way. But this is very much a sport that is not advertised towards. Brown people, especially brown women. I agree, and I think. I don’t think it’s going to change anytime soon.
Kea [00:57:05] Well, it’s interesting because it is kind of a Segway into like the last little part I want to talk about. Obviously, it’s two factors. OK, if can Crenshaw sitting right here, she really knows about intersectionality like we’re women when we’re black women, you know, like when you were talking about as far as like. The lack of seeing not even just like the lack of like seeing representation, but also just even growing up like we wasn’t talking about ultimate soccer was like I’m looking at Secretary Santorum. And that’s I was watching, like when Reggie did that that short for ESPN. Like, that’s also like one of the things that he brought up as far as like our community. But also on top of that, like. Having a woman’s voice and what the world sees is like a man’s sport, which is literally why. And honestly, like that moment right here. I wouldn’t have like even like you make things happen in your Catalyst’s. Oh, no, seriously. So we’re waiting for you. But we we have a subgroup so formally with all women who are within our group from our social circle, and then we have a little batty mob, hashtag them, hashtag MediaOne. We live in Nashville taking over my enemy. No, actually
Jessica [00:58:46] serious kid girl.
Kea [00:58:47] I don’t know girls, if you know you’re and let me tell you this because so I basically I, I threw out we have a group chat and I threw out an idea because I was kind of like, well, can we just have a space where, you know, like only the women, like you have the floor and we just, you know, like we’re we’re the ones who are, you know, like, you know, in charge of all the conversations that happen, which also I like I haven’t looked to see like who’s like running for positions. But I’m hoping that maybe in the future you’ll run for something because I knew we were OK with it. We’ll see. We’ll take that point in our group chat. And then Jessica was really like, yo, you should, like, get this poppin. We we had our first sister circle in the park and honestly, the conversation was fucking golden. It was literally everything that like we had like envisioned and like literally thankfully to you, like you like your you’re really you kind of like keep us in like reference of like time frames because. No, no, no. Because seriously because like like you you make things happen, you ask the important questions. And I don’t think that we would have started this like had you not mentioned it before. We also had our second outing, which thankfully other Kurdish adults are used to, and we actually got funding for which I didn’t even know about the funding until the day. So we were extremely appreciative. As I
Jessica [01:00:36] told you, he was
Kea [01:00:36] going to get this funding. And you said it looked like he had said it like the group chats. I was confused. I wasn’t confused. And the point is, we have this as a group. It’s just like anyone who identifies as a woman within 40. And we’re also hoping to. Like, we we’ve also opened it to other women, like in the other three supporters groups as well. So, you know, I think that, like in itself is also a step forward that we’re taking because in twenty nineteen, it’s kind of like just an idea. But like we’ve already had two outings and we know. We know that we have like support from leadership, and you’re extremely active in the group and you honestly like some something you post, it really makes me think like the Utah article especially. I actually didn’t know how to process that information. I didn’t know how to process it. And so, honestly, I am thankful for you that we actually got this off the ground. I’m thankful that we actually already had to meet UPS. I’m thankful for you still continuing to be active as far as social media goes, because not obviously you don’t live like within the city of Atlanta. A lot of people who are in foody don’t live. A lot of people don’t live within like the actual city of Atlanta. So still being able to maintain that communication. Honestly, I’m very excited for like what what we have coming to twenty because we know that we know the woman if you’re interested and we know that we have support of leadership. And I really feel like the conversations that we’re already having are just so many steps in the right direction. So that’s honestly all. I just I just like to thank you. I appreciate it. It was just an idea.
Jessica [01:02:33] And I to go back to you because you’re the one who said, you know, I see that there is a need and I feel like we could technically fill it with having a sister circle because that’s really what it goes back to. And I think I’ve said this before. I feel like I kind of have to motivate you to kind of get shit off the ground. And I always feel like I have to, you know, do a little look at the you know, like our peer pressure is very different. I hope you pressure me as the other kid. I know peer pressure and just shut up and stop trying to act like you’re 75 years old, you know? So I think but I always have to try and give you a nice little kick in the rear and try and bring your confidence back up to where it deserves to be. I am not in the city. I don’t have as much free time as people think, but still very present. The very present. When there is something that I need to be there for, I’m going to make sure that I try and be there, you know, when it comes to a level of priorities and things like that and trying to keep open communication. And you’re right, I am very much looking forward to what the sisters circle can do in twenty twenty, opening it up to the other supporters groups and having more women involved and just saying, you know, we’re here to have a conversation not just about soccer, but to open it up for a modern woman in a James Brown says it’s a man’s world because. Because unfortunately, it is always existed in a man’s world.
Kea [01:04:05] It is the truth, like we’re like we’re in this fight together like it is, is that that
Jessica [01:04:12] is what it is. And, you know, my father is a man who has two daughters, a granddaughter. He’s very much so. A bit of a misogynist. And, you know, it is not it is what it is. I correct in as much as I possibly can, but how he feels is who he is when it comes to certain things. And I, I feel like having this space and being open and having that ability to talk about things is very healthy because you don’t have that type of environment and a lot of places. But I think soccer helped bring that together because women, again, are still the minority in this situation. Exactly. Women, again, are still kind of overlooked when it comes to marketing. Not one hundred and ten percent, but enough in my mind where it’s like I don’t I don’t think I appreciate this. Like something I notice and I can I could have lost my brain somewhere along the way because I see things. And then I think that I’m right. But then I’m not because I go to Dick’s Sporting Goods for all of my athletic wear, because I can’t go to the store like you guys can. Yeah. Right down the street. I can’t do that. So I go to Dick’s Sporting Goods a lot and you know, it’s not soccer, but for baseball, there are actual like women’s jerseys. There’s only men. Yeah. And let me
Kea [01:05:37] know, I’ve just because I know that’s the whole realm, I have the
Jessica [01:05:41] knowledge that I am pulling it up. And while I understand that, like, women aren’t playing the game, I do believe that you should have jerseys that fit women
Kea [01:05:53] and stuff, of course. But I just feel like you’re not catering to your audience.
Jessica [01:05:58] It’s like there’s some women who watch baseball. Exactly. It is. It is what it is. But I I’m very happy with the little family that I’ve created and that type of environment. And I’m happy
Kea [01:06:12] that I kind of dragged, you know, how in soccer, you know, I wish
Jessica [01:06:18] had we’ve done so many things outside of soccer, within the soccer community, outside of the soccer community, just having fun and kind of experiencing things. The laughing.
Kea [01:06:27] Exactly. And then we happen to like have friends who were friends. And it was like, oh, wait, what? Well, you know, like
Jessica [01:06:36] time, you know. So I think that, you know. If I have to suggest things to to people, cause I have a lot of suggestions, I have time to restructure. I think people should really find something. One year that’s kind of just not something they’ve known about it, but they never delved into it. Yeah, I think people should really, really capitalize on
Kea [01:07:02] it because they like themselves. Well, they actually are interested in
Jessica [01:07:06] and just stick to it because you don’t know the friends that you make. You don’t know the experiences that you have, the ups and downs I’ve had within 30 or within the community, you know, people.
Kea [01:07:20] I think it may
Jessica [01:07:26] be I really do think that you need to to branch out because of that, again, not only for yourself, but for the community as a
Kea [01:07:34] whole. Exactly.
Jessica [01:07:35] We are black women who are very, very present. The amount of black women that I personally see and I can probably count on, you know, 10 fingers and toes who are at tailgates not just within the mob, but
Kea [01:07:47] within the whole. Yeah, and this
Jessica [01:07:49] is me looking at a very small space. I know there’s plenty of black people who fill up the stadium in general, but plenty, quote unquote, plenty. But, you know, when it comes to actively participating and saying, you know, I want to be here, I want to be president and I want to be known as a force that is there, I really do think that, you know, had that level of participation, because if you don’t show that interest or don’t show that participation, nobody is going to do that for you. There is a change in the gated community where people are starting to, you know, add more people of color and, you know, a little bit of an extra dynamic to your standard line of main characters, which is good. It is simply a step in the right direction, you know, where we really should be looking at where things. But then you have situations where, you know, people are still being like the Asian girl in Star Wars, her she’s a love interest offend. And, you know, she’s got so much flak for her character, but that’s how she was written. But having, you know, minority characters, the present. There’s going to be a lot of pushback.
Kea [01:09:04] That’s unfortunately true
Jessica [01:09:06] in putting that a little bit more in the forefront. I think helps with a lot more solidarity and kind of opening up your community way more than people think, and if you like something like it, I want you to participate because
Kea [01:09:24] my take up that space, take up that
Jessica [01:09:27] space, because otherwise it’s going to be filled with the same people which make you feel like you cannot participate in that space. Do it, love it, own it, be a part of it and be active in it, especially if you already see in that group that you’re only one of five who’s actively participating do it because otherwise people are like, oh, they just feel like any other person. They don’t, you know, out of an actual whole percentage, they only make up this much. Don’t be that person. Participate, be active, be present, because you never know when there’s a next thing you know. You could bring in 15 other people who are just like you right along for the ride. So it’s definitely worth it to to have that environment. And you meet a lot of great people like you. We made a lot of friends, but,
Kea [01:10:19] you know, all we
Jessica [01:10:21] talk about being hated, you know,
Kea [01:10:23] the memory is I mean, I’m looking forward to like the future, you
Jessica [01:10:27] know? But you know something, honestly, with a lot of things, as a black woman, I’ve always felt on the outside as a, you know, this is a man’s world. This is a man’s community. Don’t care. I’m here and I’m talking about and if I don’t like you, I’m not going to sit here and bluster, both bolster, bolster and push my way through everybody else’s opinion to, like, make myself feel right. You know, I’m not doing that. If I don’t know what’s going on, I’m going to say I don’t know what’s going on because, you know, maybe I’m not that adept. Or maybe, you know what? I don’t care. So I think everybody do what you want to do and have a good time,
Kea [01:11:11] do what you want to do and have a good time. Now that. That’s like one of those like when you like, look up a quote by a famous person and it takes you like to bring a quote, I know that I feel like by Jessica’s, but I don’t
Jessica [01:11:27] know what you are doing to have a good time.
Kea [01:11:30] I mean, life’s too short. Like, yeah, you’re like what you’re interested in and have fun. You meet people who are also the same ages and like I mean, you summed it up, it’s
Jessica [01:11:40] really about that because unless you take that diagnosis and everybody is always like, oh, something brand new, it says here everything is scary, waking up is scary, going to sleep. It’s scary getting your car scary because you never know what’s going to happen. But there’s only two things that can happen really. Now make it to a destination. You go that. That’s it does you go to sleep. Where are you going to wake up? Oh, you’re going down. That’s it. And like, so are
Kea [01:12:07] you living you still might as well go ahead and pursue the things that you want to do.
Jessica [01:12:11] Absolutely. So anything that captures your interest as far as, you know, entertainment getting out there, you know. Oh, I don’t know about that. And, you know, I’m always been a big, like, alternative music kind of emotional scene girl. I still go and listen to that music. I’m going to go to those concerts and people. You’ve been the only black girl there, OK?
Kea [01:12:32] And I’m like, yeah, I haven’t thought about it and thought about it.
Jessica [01:12:37] I’m still in my moment. I’m still there because that’s what I want to do. Nothing is going to stop me from going to a lesser concert. Nothing that’s going to prevent me from doing that. Yeah. You know, I’m the only girl with no ass go into a big free concert.
Kea [01:12:49] OK, let’s talk about it right now. Oh, I swear.
Jessica [01:12:53] I swear I’ll talk to you. Probably upper lip, like I said, talking. I explained how, like, you know, a little police matter I have, like. As well as just cracking a joke, you know, whatever you love jokes, I think I’m good at jokes.
Kea [01:13:14] I think I love you a little less, but I like you. Yes, I love my life.
Jessica [01:13:21] That’s why laughter is adorable.
Kea [01:13:26] Well, I usually I usually ask my guests what they’re their final words. Like what you and I leave the people where they’re like, you’re
Jessica [01:13:37] going to leave people. Do you see me in the streets?
Kea [01:13:42] Thanks for listening to this episode of Tea With Kea.
Tea With Kea 