Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Momo and Okarun share a close moment in Dandadan

    Momo And Okarun: The Gold Standard For Shonen Romance

    07/03/2025
    Ironheart Episodes 4 6 But Why Tho 1

    ‘Ironheart’ Explained: Explore MCU’s Bold New Chapter

    07/01/2025
    Buck in 9-1-1

    ‘9-1-1’ Has To Let Buck Say Bisexual

    06/29/2025
    Nintendo Welcome Tour promotional image of the maraca mini-game

    The One “Game” That Justifies The Nintendo Switch 2 Purchase

    06/25/2025
    Destiel Confession in Supernatural - Castiel (Misha Collins) and Dean (Jensen Ackles)

    The Destiel Confession: The Lasting Importance Of Supernatural’s Greatest Ship

    06/22/2025
  • Squid Game
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
  • Summer Game Fest
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » REVIEW: ‘The Herricanes’ Shows That The Love Of Football Isn’t Gender Restricted

REVIEW: ‘The Herricanes’ Shows That The Love Of Football Isn’t Gender Restricted

Kyle FoleyBy Kyle Foley03/11/20234 Mins Read
The Herricanes — But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

The Herricanes — But Why Tho

The Herricanes is a documentary about the Houston Herricanes women’s football team that existed back in the 1970s. Airing at SXSW 2023, the Olivia Kuan-directed film shines a light on a lesser-known story and the people who made it possible.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

American football has long been a male-dominated sport, and that was especially true in the 1970s. After Title 9 went into effect in 1972, several teams were determined to create a women’s football league that gave women a chance to play the game that was so popular nationwide. While The Herricanes primarily focuses on the story of the Houston team, it also takes a larger look at the league and climate they played in over their five-year existence.

What immediately struck me with The Herricanes was the reason for making the documentary. Director Olivia Kuan’s mother, Basia Haszlakiewicz, was a player for the Herricanes back in the 70s. Kuan comments at the start that as a kid, she thought everyone’s mom played football, but she soon learned that was most definitely not the case. The Herricanes, while it does serve as an important story about the pioneers of women’s football, is also a heartfelt way for a daughter to share her mom’s story.

The players that made up the Herricanes were, unsurprisingly, badass. To come together and form a team in a male-dominated sport in a time period where women had myriad obstacles in their way in all aspects of life took immense amounts of courage. Still, the women of the Herricanes didn’t see it that way. The common refrain is that they just wanted to play football and that they were trailblazers rarely ever crossed their minds. Kuan uses a mix of interviews with former Herricanes players as well as current women’s football players with the Houston Energy. It was fascinating to see how the mindset between generations separated by 40 years was entirely the same—women just wanted to go out there and play football.

Though they might not have seen themselves as playing an important role, The Herricanes shows that these women were genuine pioneers. The film addresses the hurdles women had to overcome in the 70s and ones they are still fighting against today, and it’s clear that those hurdles played a significant role in the existence and eventual folding of the Herricanes. A women’s football team was already going to face opposition, but having players of various racial and sexual backgrounds was even more of a problem in conservative Texas.

My only real issue with the film is that it is trying to tell two stories at once. You have the upstart Herricanes determined to kick ass, and then you have the social and legal barriers that women have fought and continue to fight. The pacing and storytelling are off-ballance, with stories jumping between decades in ways that felt out of place. It also doesn’t leave much room for individual stories to breathe, which is a shame.

It’s those individual stories that make The Herricanes really enjoyable to watch. Each player on the team had her own obstacles to overcome, but they all shared the same desire to play football. It is nice to get to hear the various personal stories. There are stories of what it was like to be a gay woman in the 1970s, what it was like to be a black woman in conservative Texas, and what it was like to try to enter what the world saw as a thing only meant for men. There are even moments where the players admit to not understanding the lives of some of their fellow teammates at first, but there was an almost immediate sense of family and unity that quite clearly opened some eyes and hearts.

The people involved in the Herricanes are important, even if history has tried to relegate them to the back pages. They might not see it that way, but what they did paved the way for future generations in a sport that women were always going to have difficulty breaking through. In the years since the Herricanes last played, we have seen female coaches and even players make their way to the men’s side of football. Breaking barriers might not have been the Herricanes’ goal, but they did so nonetheless.

The Herricanes is a love letter to football and the badass women who played it. Each player has her own story that by the end made me emotional to see them reunite after 40 years. The world still has a ways to go when it comes to women in the world of football, but The Herricanes helps give credit to the women who paved the way simply for the love of the game.

The Herricanes premiered at SXSW 2023 on March 11th, 2023.

The Herricanes
  • 8/10
    Rating - 8/10
8/10

TL;DR

Despite some pacing and timeline issues, The Herricanes is about women who kicked ass when the world said they couldn’t.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleLoungefly’s SXSW 2023 Fashion Preview Is A Nostalgia-Ganza
Next Article REVIEW: Intrusive Thoughts Get Real in Hulu’s ‘Appendage’
Kyle Foley

Kyle is an editor, writer, and musician from Orlando, FL who primarily covers soccer as well as video games and anime. He also believes mayonnaise is the best condiment for hot dogs, which are sandwiches.

Related Posts

The Old Guard 2
5.5

REVIEW: ‘The Old Guard 2’ Is Distracted And Half-Baked

07/02/2025
Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey in Jurassic World: Rebirth
5.5

REVIEW: ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ Is Best When Nobody Is Talking

06/30/2025
MEGAN 2.0 promotional image
7.0

REVIEW: ‘M3GAN 2.0’ Puts Action First

06/29/2025
F1 (2025) promotional key art
8.0

REVIEW: ‘F1’ Is A High-Octane Blockbuster

06/24/2025
KPop Demon Hunters Promotional image form Netflix
9.0

REVIEW: ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Brings Beautiful Animation And An Even Better Message

06/20/2025
Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later
8.5

REVIEW: ’28 Years Later’ Is How Franchises Should Return

06/18/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8
7.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 7-8

By Sarah Musnicky07/03/2025

The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8 spends welcome time in pre-domestic bliss before new developments stir up trouble.

Together (2025) still from Sundance
8.0
Film

REVIEW: Have A Grossly Good Time ‘Together’

By Kate Sánchez01/27/2025Updated:07/04/2025

Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s Together (2025) is disgustingly funny, genuinely ugly, and just a good time at the movies.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4 Alcatraz
9.0
PS5

REVIEW: ‘Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 + 4’ Gives Old Games New Life

By Kyle Foley07/07/2025

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4 is another example of how to breathe new life into a classic without losing touch of what makes the originals great.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here