How Pumpkin Spice Latte Culture Can Coexist With Football Season, According to ‘Sports Bitches’

There’s something about a pumpkin spice latte that flips a switch. Suddenly, the air feels crisper, the sweaters come out of storage, and even the most caffeine-averse among us find themselves clutching a Starbucks cup like it’s a lifeline. On Sports Bitches, Rachel Bonnetta, Sarah Tiana, and Megan Gailey dig into exactly why PSL season has such a chokehold on women everywhere—and why it pairs so perfectly with football season.

For Gailey, the revelation came late. She admits she avoided caffeine for years, convinced that her “natural chaotic energy” was more than enough to get her through. But one sip of a pumpkin spice latte changed everything for her. “I got a pumpkin spice latte [on a] Friday morning,” she says, “and it was delicious.”

That single order set off a chain reaction—text threads, laughter, and the realization that she had officially crossed over into “fall girl” territory.

PSL season as the other kickoff

Forget football, the hosts joke that PSLs feel like a cultural kickoff all their own. Tiana teases Gailey for sending wide-eyed texts about her first cup, saying she sounded “as if [she] had never tasted it before.” Haven’t we all been there? Do you remember your first pumpkin spice latte? Bonnetta pushes the bit further, telling Gailey she’s basically reached her “final form” with her new PSL obsession. It’s peak autumn energy: cozy drinks, a delicious-smelling candle, and, of course, the looming pumpkin patch trip with her preschooler. 

Cold brew vs. classic latte

Of course, not all pumpkin spice lattes are created equal. The conversation takes a turn into the PSL family tree because Starbucks and the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf have created a flavor league of their own. “I believe the drink that you guys ordered was the pumpkin spice cold brew,” Bonnetta points out. Tiana chimes in, agreeing that she also enjoyed that drink.

It’s a generational divide of sorts: the OG hot PSL versus the sleek pumpkin cream cold brew. For longtime fans, it’s tradition in a cup. For newer converts, the cold brew feels like PSL 2.0—stronger, calmer, a little less sweet. The debate mirrors the way sports fans argue stats at the bar: everyone swears their version is superior, but in the end, the ritual matters more than the scoreboard.

The cozy counterbalance to sports mania

What really makes the PSL season fun is how it runs parallel to sports season. While football fans are screaming at referees and baseball diehards are glued to playoff games, women are quietly building their own fall playbook: pumpkin drinks, hayrides, Trader Joe’s seasonal snacks, and the eternal hunt for the perfect fall Instagram.

And that doesn’t mean you have to reject the sports altogether. A Saturday tailgate might mean a PSL-fueled Sunday stroll through Target’s fall section. A late-night game might get balanced out with an early morning PSL run. And sometimes, as Gailey proves, it’s about discovering that pumpkin spice can actually be the sport.

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