Running Point and the Rise of the Feminist Sports Drama
How Netflix’s latest series redefines leadership, ambition, and gender in the world of basketball
Netflix’s Running Point isn’t just a sports drama — it’s a feminist statement dressed in Jordans. On the surface, it follows Jordyn, a young woman thrust into the spotlight as the head of a high-profile NBA team. But beneath the fast breaks and power plays, this is a show about what it really means for a woman to take the lead in a world designed for men.
And it doesn’t flinch.
Feminism Off the Bench
From episode one, Running Point makes it clear: Jordyn isn’t here to be liked — she’s here to win. And for many women watching, that’s a deeply familiar (and radical) narrative. Female protagonists in traditionally masculine spaces often fall into one of two categories: the overly emotional liability or the ice queen who sacrifices femininity for power.
Jordyn is neither.
She’s smart. Calculated. Messy. Vulnerable. Strategic. She’s allowed to be all of it — without apology. That alone is revolutionary.
In one early scene, Jordyn’s authority is questioned by her male peers before she even utters a word. Sound familiar? She’s underestimated not because of her skills, but because of the body she inhabits. Her every move is scrutinized, but unlike shows that use that tension as background noise, Running Point confronts it head-on.
The show doesn’t just give us a woman in power — it interrogates what happens when a woman refuses to shrink in order to keep it.
Power Plays in Heels
The fashion choices in Running Point deserve a sidebar of their own. Jordyn’s style — sleek, powerful, unapologetically feminine — flies in the face of the “dress like a man to lead like one” narrative. And that’s the point. She doesn’t dim her femininity to fit in with the boys' club.
We often ask women to trade something in exchange for power: softness, emotion, sexuality, style, motherhood. Running Point asks why we can't have both — authority and adornment.
The Court as a Battleground
The basketball court becomes a metaphor for every boardroom, every board meeting, every male-dominated space where women have to prove themselves twice as hard for half the credit. Jordyn’s strategies, her ability to read a room, anticipate moves, and balance egos — it's not just leadership, it's emotional intelligence turned into a weapon.
And here’s where Running Point gets interesting: it doesn’t paint Jordyn as the exceptional woman. It suggests that there are many women capable of doing this job — they just haven’t been given the chance.
Coach, Not Mascot
Running Point subverts another tired trope: the idea that women in male-dominated arenas must be nurturers or mascots. Jordyn isn’t here to “fix” the team emotionally or provide moral guidance. She’s the strategist. The decision-maker. The leader.
We see this in her complicated relationship with her players — some of whom resist her authority simply because they’re not used to seeing a woman call the shots. It’s not unlike what we see in the real world, where women leaders are policed for being too assertive, too quiet, too emotional, too ambitious.
Too something.
And yet Jordyn doesn’t bend. She sets the tone — and others eventually follow.
Why It Matters
At a time when women’s roles in sports, politics, and leadership are still under attack — from equal pay fights in the WNBA to the demonization of powerful women in the media — Running Point arrives as a cultural rebuttal.
It’s entertainment, yes. But it’s also aspiration.
It shows what’s possible when we stop asking women to apologize for being excellent — and start building structures that recognize their greatness.
Final Take
In a media landscape full of half-baked girlbosses and one-dimensional “strong female leads,” Running Point offers something rare: a woman who leads with grit, grace, and complexity — and doesn’t need to be “fixed” to be lovable.
Whether you’re into sports or not, this one’s worth watching.
Because women don’t need to be on the sidelines.
We are the point.
Pop Quiz: What other Netflix shows feature feminist themes in unexpected genres? Drop your picks in the comments!