Girls' Sports, Interrupted

Sports Health

Girls' Sports, Interrupted

What’s going on: When Lindsey Vonn tears an ACL, everyone understands how brutal that is. But you don’t hear about the 15-year-old who tears hers twice and quits soccer before she can drive. One knee surgeon told The New York Times the injury is “probably the biggest youth sports issue in the world right now, apart from concussions.” Among high school athletes, girls are three to six times more likely than boys to tear an ACL, according to NYT. Over the past 15 years, their injury rate has more than doubled compared to boys, and the risk climbs higher for girls who play year-round. But here’s the kicker: prevention exists. A 20-minute warm-up called FIFA 11+ has shown it can cut ACL tears by up to 80%. And yet most youth teams still skip it. Unlike concussion protocols, FIFA 11+ is still optional.

The takeaway: Most ACL tears don’t come from some dramatic collision. They happen in a blink — a hard pivot, a sudden stop — when a knee can’t handle the force. Year-round schedules only stack more stress on the same joints, and talent can’t outrun overuse. Programs like FIFA 11+ can help strengthen legs and improve balance so knees don’t take the hit alone. The routine is free, available on YouTube or as an exercise sheet. And it’s not just for soccer, young athletes playing any sport can use it. Meanwhile, real off-seasons, cross-training, and dedicated strength work are other moves that can give growing bodies time to recover and get stronger.

Related: Lindsey Vonn Thanks the Village That Got Her to the Mountain — and Back (Newsweek)

The News in 5

🗞️ Hillary Clinton’s closed-door Epstein deposition was paused briefly yesterday after a Republican attendee leaked a photo.

🗞️ Instagram released a new safety feature that will alert parents if their kids repeatedly search for terms related to suicide.

🗞️ Questions are swirling after ICE released a nearly blind man just miles away from his home without notifying his family, and he was later found dead.

🗞️ North Korea’s Kim Jong Un might be sending the world a message after he and his daughter wore matching jackets.

🗞️ The FDA plans to offer bonuses to staff who speed up drug reviews. Can’t decide if that’s promising or a terrible idea.

US News

The New American Dream…Is To Leave

What’s going on: Some Americans are hitting the UNO reverse card on immigration. Last year, for the first time since the Great Depression, more people left the US than moved to it, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Brookings Institution estimates that 150,000 Americans left in 2025, and expects even more will follow this year. (An estimated 4 to 6 million Americans already live abroad.) There is even a backlog of people who want to renounce their US citizenship, usually because of taxes or another citizenship. Companies have sprung up to help Americans move abroad, streamlining the visa and house-hunting processes. Realtors in Ireland said 1 in 15 residents in a trendy Dublin neighborhood was born in the US. Irish exit, anyone? 

What it means: A handful of experts are calling it the “Donald Dash,” but in reality, this exodus has been building up for years. Many Americans are tired of the cost of living and believe they can have a better quality of life overseas. The grass isn’t always greener (and you might still have to pay US taxes), but that’s not stopping people. American students can study at some of the best universities abroad without back-breaking student loans. Retirees’ dollars can go much further in Europe or Mexico. And many are drawn to the added benefit of learning another language. For some, remote work means they can take their US salaries elsewhere. One woman told WSJ she was struggling to make her $80,000 salary work in the US. That’s not much of a problem anymore since she moved to Albania. Ciao, au revoir, adios, sayonara, and peace out. 

Related: Six Realities of Moving Abroad as an American (CNBC)

Fixations

To All the Emotional Support Animals We've Loved Before

What's going on: When was the last time you inexplicably heard one of your own tears plop onto your phone screen? If you’re like the rest of us, it may have involved a 7-month-old monkey named Punch hugging his stuffie like it’s the only thing that gets him. Punch lives at a zoo near Tokyo. His Disney villain of a mother rejected him. The other monkeys iced him out. (Some primatologists call that “socialization.” The internet calls it Regina-George-level bullying.) For a stretch, Punch had no one but a jumbo IKEA orangutan plushie — yes, the beloved DJUNGELSKOG — to cling to. But the thing is, he was never really alone…

Spare no details: The internet adopted Punch at warp speed. He’s not just a distraction from the news cycle — he’s our emotional support monkey. Like Harambe, Moo Deng, and “Sphengic” before him, Punch became the tiny, wide-eyed underdog we collectively root for. He’s relatable. Social anxiety? Been there. Clinging to a comfort object? Say less. Projecting all our feelings onto a baby primate? Apparently, also yes. At a certain point, the memes wrote themselves. As one comedian put it: “I am a boy mom for Punch.” It’s funny — but it’s also telling. The internet suddenly became… nurturing? People worried. They hoped. Some actually took action. Amid reports that the other macaques may be warming to Punch (though it’s still touch and go), Punch’s struggles remind us that tenderness still travels fast. That even in a chaotic feed, we will stop for a small creature holding on tight. And maybe that’s the real comfort object.

Related: Paw-sitively Picture Perfect: Learn About the Paralympic Service Dogs (Instagram)

On Our Calendar

A few things to jot down today…

🗓️ Scream 7 premieres today. How many more sequels are left? 

🗓️ Team USA’s Hilary Knight and fellow Olympians hit the ice in their PWHL return. Tune in for some gold-medal play.

🗓️ We want to say happy 30th birthday to Pokémon, but then we’d feel old.

Psst…For more dates worth knowing this week, check out the Skimm+ calendar.

Know It All

Which airport has officially launched a campaign to (say it isn't so) ban pajamas?

Extra Credit

RSVP

Roughly 1 in 4 US adults is a caregiver, and the majority are women. *Pretends to be shocked.* Being a part of the sandwich generation — aka juggling parenting, work, and taking care of your parents — can be overwhelming, but you’re not in it alone. 

Join us IRL at Skimm HQ in NYC on Tuesday, March 24th for a candid conversation with caregiving experts and trusted voices. 

Plus, enjoy light bites, bracelet-making, and a guided meditation. You’ll leave feeling recharged, informed, and a little less alone.*

Skimm'd by: Rashaan Ayesh, Mallory Simon, Molly Longman, Maria del Carmen Corpus, and Marina Carver. Fact-checked by Sara Tardiff.