The Roku Originals documentary, “Gamechangers: Mother/Athlete,” made its world premiere at the 24th annual Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival (MVAAFF) on Sunday afternoon. The intimate film is part of Roku’s “Gamechangers” series and follows WNBA stars Sheryl Swoopes, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Bria Hartley, Natalie Achonwa and Allison Feaster as they reflect on the joys and challenges of navigating pregnancy, postpartum and motherhood as professional athletes. 

“I think as viewers, as a public, we often see our athletes as heroes. They’re also human beings, and they’re dealing with a lot of the same day-to-day issues that we deal with,” director Christine Turner told me during a Q&A following the screening. As a storyteller and as a filmmaker generally, it’s always my hope and my goal to tell the stories of complex, multifaceted, multidimensional individuals. It’s important because everyone out there needs to see and understand that.”

Swoopes, who was the first woman to sign on to play in the WNBA during its inaugural season in 1997, got pregnant just ahead of the league’s first year. In the documentary, she reflects on how terrified she was to share her pregnancy with her team and with the public.

“There was a part of me that was like, ‘Everybody is counting on me. There’s no way I can get pregnant right now,’” Swoopes said. “At the same time, I have to say it wasn’t my plan, but it was done. And so that’s what I took from that. And listen, I just tried to do the best that I could do.”

It’s been nearly 30 years since the WNBA was established — funded by the NBA. However, in “Gamechanges: Mother/Athlete,” Swoopes and the rest of the players discuss the lack of resources, particularly regarding their maternal welfare. For nearly three decades, it’s been up to these women to figure out their schedules, finances and everything in between during their pregnancies and thereafter with little guidance or support from the organization. The WNBA did not offer fully paid maternity leave until 2018.

“I hope people come away with a greater appreciation of what Sheryl and so many other women in the league have done and gone through,” Turner said. “It’s incredibly hard, and it’s admirable and inspiring. I hope we get a better window into the issues women in the league and professional sports are facing. And then I hope that audiences can also just relate to something of themselves or their partner or their loved ones, their mothers or whatever.”

Motherhood and career are always going to be a balancing act, but it certainly can be done. For Swoopes, it’s all about embracing everything that comes with it.

“So many times, though, we get caught up in everything else going on around us that we don’t stop to concentrate and focus on ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally, all these things,” Swoopes said. “The first thing I would say is make sure you’re taking care of you before you take that next step. But the other part of that is, for myself, I didn’t plan. It just happened. And when it happened, I embraced it after I had to do all the other things. I would just say make sure you’re ready when it happens. And never question whether the decision you made was right or wrong. You live with that decision, and you make the most of it.”

“Gamechangers: Mother/Athlete” will stream free on The Roku Channel this fall.