WEBVTT - Big Meddling Energy with Lauren Holiday 0:00:00.800 --> 0:00:03.239 Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're searching 0:00:03.360 --> 0:00:06.159 Pride parade, but we aren't getting any of the NWSL 0:00:06.200 --> 0:00:10.400 title celebration photos we're looking for. It's Wednesday, November twenty seventh, 0:00:10.440 --> 0:00:12.360 and on today's show, we'll be talking with US Women's 0:00:12.440 --> 0:00:15.120 national team legend and Angel City FC co owner Lauren 0:00:15.160 --> 0:00:18.400 Holiday about being a change maker in the sports ownership space, 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:22.080 her meet cute with MMBA player husband Drew Holiday, and 0:00:22.120 --> 0:00:24.760 how a brain tumor helped her learn how to choose joy. 0:00:25.239 --> 0:00:28.920 Plus the PWHL season starts this weekend, and a millennial 0:00:28.960 --> 0:00:31.360 man in his spoons. Y'all tell us what you collect 0:00:31.400 --> 0:00:45.440 on vacation. It's all coming up right after this welcome 0:00:45.440 --> 0:00:49.519 back slices. Here's what you need to know today in 0:00:49.680 --> 0:00:53.000 NWSL news. The Orlando Pride held their championship parade in 0:00:53.040 --> 0:00:56.120 downtown Orlando on Monday, and the city showed up and 0:00:56.280 --> 0:00:59.480 showed out. Commissioner Jessica Berman was in attendance, as was 0:00:59.520 --> 0:01:02.680 co owner and former MNBA great Grant Hill. The drinks 0:01:02.760 --> 0:01:05.440 kept flowing throughout the day and Marta head coach Seb 0:01:05.520 --> 0:01:08.399 Hines and members of the team's executive leadership address the 0:01:08.400 --> 0:01:10.959 crowd in front of City Hall. Later on Monday evening. 0:01:11.120 --> 0:01:13.520 We'll link to the full City Hall ceremony and some 0:01:13.640 --> 0:01:16.840 sights and sounds from the championship celebration in our show notes. 0:01:17.400 --> 0:01:18.200 More soccer news. 0:01:18.240 --> 0:01:20.880 The US women's national team heads across the Pond to 0:01:20.920 --> 0:01:24.319 play a friendly this weekend. The retooled Olympic gold medal 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:27.840 winning side will face England at Wembley Stadium Saturday, November 0:01:27.920 --> 0:01:31.120 thirtieth at twelve twenty pm Eastern. You can watch on TNT, 0:01:31.200 --> 0:01:35.160 Telemundo and NBC Universo, or stream on Max and Peacock. Then, 0:01:35.200 --> 0:01:37.800 on December third, the team heads to the Hague, Netherlands, 0:01:37.959 --> 0:01:40.200 to face the Dutch national team at two forty five 0:01:40.200 --> 0:01:43.200 pm Eastern. That'll be available on broadcast and streaming in 0:01:43.280 --> 0:01:46.800 the same places. They'll be without their triple Espresso frontline 0:01:46.840 --> 0:01:49.760 of Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson for. 0:01:49.680 --> 0:01:50.560 Both of those games. 0:01:50.720 --> 0:01:54.240 All three are resting nagging injuries. And don't forget these 0:01:54.280 --> 0:01:56.720 two matches will be the last for a legendary keeper, 0:01:56.720 --> 0:01:59.800 Alyssa Naire, who announced her retirement from international play after 0:01:59.760 --> 0:02:03.240 all eleven years with the national team. In college soccer, 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:05.480 only eight teams are left in the twenty twenty four 0:02:05.560 --> 0:02:09.000 NCUBLEA College Cup. There will be no repeat winner this year. 0:02:09.160 --> 0:02:12.480 Vanderbilt upset twenty twenty three champion Florida State in the 0:02:12.520 --> 0:02:15.640 second round. In the quarterfinals, it'll be Southern cal versus 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:19.480 Wake Forest, North Carolina versus Penn State, and Stanford versus 0:02:19.560 --> 0:02:22.200 Notre Dame on Friday the twenty ninth. Then on Saturday, 0:02:22.280 --> 0:02:24.959 the thirtieth, Duke plays Virginia Tech. We'll link to the 0:02:25.000 --> 0:02:28.520 full weekend schedule in our show notes in college Vibes. 0:02:28.960 --> 0:02:32.000 The twenty twenty four nc DOUBLEA Tournament is on the horizon. 0:02:32.040 --> 0:02:35.200 The bracket selection show goes down on Sunday, December first, 0:02:35.200 --> 0:02:38.560 at six pm Eastern on ESPN. Sixty four teams make 0:02:38.560 --> 0:02:41.160 the tournament, thirty two get automatic bids, and the other 0:02:41.240 --> 0:02:44.120 half are selected by the D one Women's Volleyball Committee. 0:02:44.240 --> 0:02:47.320 Last season, Texas beat Nebraska three nothing in the championship 0:02:47.480 --> 0:02:50.679 to win the school's second consecutive title and fourth overall. 0:02:50.840 --> 0:02:53.280 The first and second rounds the tournament take place December 0:02:53.320 --> 0:02:56.080 fifth through seventh, and you can get even more pumped 0:02:56.080 --> 0:02:58.480 for the volleyball tourney by watching number one ranked pitt 0:02:58.800 --> 0:03:02.600 play number three Louisville tonight at seven pm Eastern hell 0:03:02.639 --> 0:03:05.000 of a matchup. Panthers won the first meeting between these 0:03:05.000 --> 0:03:07.720 teams three to two on their home court back in October, 0:03:07.800 --> 0:03:09.640 but the Cardinals have been on a nine game win 0:03:09.720 --> 0:03:12.120 streak ever since. The winner of the rematchable claim at 0:03:12.240 --> 0:03:15.679 least a share of the twenty twenty four ACC Volleyball Championship. 0:03:15.880 --> 0:03:16.760 Catch the action on. 0:03:16.800 --> 0:03:21.440 ACC Network or streaming on ACC Network X via ESPN. Finally, 0:03:21.440 --> 0:03:24.120 Track and Field News Grand Slam Track, a pro track 0:03:24.160 --> 0:03:27.000 competition launched earlier this year by four time Olympic champ 0:03:27.080 --> 0:03:30.079 Michael Johnson, has officially announced the signing of three time 0:03:30.120 --> 0:03:33.880 gold medalist Gabby Thomas. Thomas's scheduled to compete at all 0:03:33.919 --> 0:03:37.880 four Slams in twenty twenty five in Kingston, Miami, Philadelphia, 0:03:37.920 --> 0:03:41.960 and Los Angeles. All Right, Selicis, we wanted to give 0:03:42.000 --> 0:03:43.960 you an update today and a college volleyball story we've 0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:45.840 touched on a few times over the last few months 0:03:45.960 --> 0:03:49.800 concerning the San Jose State Spartans volleyball team. ESPN's Katie 0:03:49.800 --> 0:03:52.640 Barnes has done excellent reporting on this and they were 0:03:52.680 --> 0:03:55.480 on Tuesday's episode of the ESPN Daily Podcast if you 0:03:55.520 --> 0:03:57.760 want to listen to them discuss their reporting in full, 0:03:58.040 --> 0:04:00.000 but here's the gist of it from Katie's story. 0:04:00.480 --> 0:04:01.840 Now you remember the number. 0:04:01.600 --> 0:04:04.360 Of teams were forfeiting matches with San Jose State after 0:04:04.400 --> 0:04:06.640 an online outlet reported that a member of the team 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:09.720 was transgender. Now earlier the season, San Jose State co 0:04:09.840 --> 0:04:14.600 captain Brooks Slusser joined a federal lawsuit challenging NCAA policy 0:04:14.840 --> 0:04:17.800 allowing transgender athletes to participate in women's sports. 0:04:18.000 --> 0:04:18.760 The latest is this. 0:04:18.839 --> 0:04:22.400 On Monday, US District Judge s Cato Cruz denied a 0:04:22.440 --> 0:04:26.120 motion filed by twelve plaintiffs, including Slusser and a spartan's 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:29.320 assistant coach, against the Mountain West Conference. It would have 0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:32.920 rendered the San Jose State player in question ineligible and 0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:36.240 removed Wins from the team. The plaintiffs argued that they 0:04:36.240 --> 0:04:39.120 had their Title nine rights violated due to the participation 0:04:39.160 --> 0:04:41.839 of a transgender athlete on the San Jose State volleyball team. 0:04:42.040 --> 0:04:44.760 The motion also alleged that the plaintiff's free speech rights 0:04:44.760 --> 0:04:47.360 were infringed upon because they were discouraged from speaking about 0:04:47.360 --> 0:04:50.360 their opposition to her participation. Now, the player in question 0:04:50.400 --> 0:04:52.359 has played for San Jose State for the past three 0:04:52.400 --> 0:04:55.880 seasons without incident. We'll link to Katie's story about the 0:04:55.880 --> 0:04:57.800 whole situation in our show notes. 0:04:58.120 --> 0:04:58.640 Take a read. 0:04:58.960 --> 0:05:01.000 The Mountain West Tournament is scheduled to start today in 0:05:01.040 --> 0:05:04.120 Las Vegas. The Spartans, who received six four FOOIT victories 0:05:04.120 --> 0:05:07.720 because of boycotts from Mountain West opponents, are seeded second 0:05:08.000 --> 0:05:10.120 and they'll get a first round by The team is 0:05:10.120 --> 0:05:12.280 scheduled to play in the semi finals Friday against the 0:05:12.279 --> 0:05:15.240 winner of today's quarterfinal match between number three seed Utah 0:05:15.279 --> 0:05:18.680 State and number six Boise State, both schools forfeited to 0:05:18.680 --> 0:05:23.320 the Spartans during the regular season. All Right, Slices, this 0:05:23.360 --> 0:05:25.680 is going to be our last show before Thanksgiving. 0:05:25.720 --> 0:05:26.240 We're taking a. 0:05:26.200 --> 0:05:28.240 Couple of days off to eat all the food and 0:05:28.360 --> 0:05:31.400 watch all the shows you recommended. Just a quick reminder 0:05:31.520 --> 0:05:34.839 that the professional Women's hockey season starts this Saturday, so 0:05:34.960 --> 0:05:39.000 mark your calendars for the three games this opening PWHL weekend. Also, 0:05:39.240 --> 0:05:42.080 we're going to talk to Minnesota Frost captain and US 0:05:42.240 --> 0:05:45.480 legend Kendall Coin Scofield on Monday show. That'll help you 0:05:45.480 --> 0:05:48.120 get even more fired up for Season two of the PWHL. 0:05:48.400 --> 0:05:51.159 But before we hit the ice, we're not quite ready 0:05:51.160 --> 0:05:53.000 to say goodbye to the field. We've got a little 0:05:53.000 --> 0:05:56.880 more soccer talk from our incredible weekend at the NWSL Championship, 0:05:57.080 --> 0:05:59.040 and coming up we're going to hear from ACFC co 0:05:59.120 --> 0:06:01.880 owner and former US women's national team at NWSL player 0:06:02.000 --> 0:06:04.200 Lauren Holiday, who I got to sit down with in 0:06:04.279 --> 0:06:07.159 Kansas City. Part of the weekend's festivities was the presentation 0:06:07.200 --> 0:06:10.279 of the twenty twenty four Lauren Holiday Impact Award, presented 0:06:10.279 --> 0:06:13.680 by Nationwide, which celebrates the community involvement of fourteen different 0:06:13.680 --> 0:06:16.400 players nominated by their teams. At the media day, an 0:06:16.440 --> 0:06:20.159 award ceremony, and WSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said this about 0:06:20.200 --> 0:06:23.000 the no brainer of naming the award after Lauren Holiday. 0:06:23.440 --> 0:06:28.159 When we made the decision with Nationwide to attempt to 0:06:28.279 --> 0:06:33.240 name the award after a human who had outside contribution 0:06:33.520 --> 0:06:36.480 to women's soccer, to the league, and to the community, 0:06:37.279 --> 0:06:40.320 it was a very daunting task. It's hard to imagine 0:06:40.360 --> 0:06:43.279 that we'd be able to get consensus and have complete 0:06:43.320 --> 0:06:48.760 agreement across our ecosystem, that everyone would universally feel represents 0:06:48.800 --> 0:06:51.760 what this award means to all of us, and the 0:06:51.839 --> 0:06:56.400 process was actually quite surprising, without even prompting anyone with 0:06:56.560 --> 0:07:00.600 potential names or ideas, when we presented this idea said 0:07:00.640 --> 0:07:03.760 we'd like to think of someone who could embody the 0:07:03.880 --> 0:07:05.920 essence of what this award means to the league and 0:07:05.960 --> 0:07:09.480 to nationwide and to have it live the test of time. 0:07:09.960 --> 0:07:14.840 Every single person, without prompting, said Lauren Holiday. And when 0:07:14.880 --> 0:07:17.520 we call Lauren, of course she said yes, as she 0:07:17.720 --> 0:07:20.920 always does, and not only is she lending her name 0:07:20.960 --> 0:07:23.640 to this award, but she's lent her time, her resources, 0:07:23.680 --> 0:07:27.240 for energy, her ideas, and we're so happy to have 0:07:27.360 --> 0:07:30.960 her with us and part of carrying the legacy of 0:07:31.000 --> 0:07:33.600 what this award means to us. 0:07:34.240 --> 0:07:38.280 This year's overall winner and fan vote winner BAFC defender 0:07:38.360 --> 0:07:41.880 Jen Beattie, a breast cancer survivor herself, received thirty thousand 0:07:41.920 --> 0:07:44.760 dollars to give to Pink Ribbon Good, which provides support 0:07:44.760 --> 0:07:48.120 for those going through Breston gynecological cancer treatment. And a 0:07:48.160 --> 0:07:50.800 little Birdie told me that each year Lauren matches with 0:07:50.840 --> 0:07:53.440 a gift to that year's winner. Two you'll hear from 0:07:53.480 --> 0:07:57.440 the incredible. Lauren Holliday herself coming up right after this break. 0:08:05.960 --> 0:08:07.280 Joining us here on good Games. 0:08:07.280 --> 0:08:09.520 She's a former midfielder and forward for the US women's 0:08:09.600 --> 0:08:12.000 national soccer team from twenty seven to twenty fifteen. A 0:08:12.000 --> 0:08:14.800 two time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champ, played 0:08:14.840 --> 0:08:17.800 professionally for the Boston Breakers in the WPS before joining 0:08:17.960 --> 0:08:20.320 Kansas City in the NWSL, where she was the league's 0:08:20.320 --> 0:08:23.640 inaugural MVP in twenty thirteen. When she retired in twenty fifteen, 0:08:23.640 --> 0:08:25.280 she was a two time champ and the league's all 0:08:25.320 --> 0:08:27.720 time leading goal scorer and all time assists leader. A 0:08:27.800 --> 0:08:30.640 UCLA brewin, she met her NBA star husband Drew Holiday there. 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:33.280 In twenty sixteen, she revealed that she was diagnosed with 0:08:33.320 --> 0:08:35.560 a brain tumor during pregnancy with their first child, and 0:08:35.600 --> 0:08:37.600 in twenty twenty they co founded the Drew and Lauren 0:08:37.640 --> 0:08:41.280 Holiday Social Impact Fund, a program supporting nonprofits, businesses, and 0:08:41.400 --> 0:08:44.440 educational institutions in five key cities with the goal of 0:08:44.480 --> 0:08:48.520 combating socioeconomic inequality and fostering community growth. An Angel City 0:08:48.600 --> 0:08:51.360 FC owner, the twenty twenty three Muhammad Ali Sports Umanitarian 0:08:51.360 --> 0:08:53.160 Award winner at the SP's and a member of the 0:08:53.240 --> 0:08:55.480 National Soccer Hall of Fame. We have a lot of 0:08:55.559 --> 0:08:57.720 mutual friends, so I have so much good dirt that 0:08:57.760 --> 0:09:00.480 I can't put any of in the interview. It's Lauren 0:09:00.559 --> 0:09:02.160 Cheney Holliday. What's up, Lauren? 0:09:02.720 --> 0:09:06.000 Hi, thank you for having me and I agree. I 0:09:06.040 --> 0:09:08.200 have heard a lot about you also, but we can 0:09:08.240 --> 0:09:09.000 talk offline. 0:09:09.120 --> 0:09:09.840 Yeah, we just have. 0:09:09.960 --> 0:09:13.120 We've been circling each other and whenever someone's oh, did 0:09:13.120 --> 0:09:14.640 you see Lauren Mike, Oh, actually I haven't met her again, 0:09:14.679 --> 0:09:16.640 They're like, what, how is that possible? So here we 0:09:16.679 --> 0:09:20.320 are in this lovely Western conference room making the magic happen. 0:09:21.200 --> 0:09:22.640 I want to start. We were just talking before we 0:09:22.679 --> 0:09:25.720 started recording. It's been almost a decade since you retired 0:09:25.760 --> 0:09:29.160 from soccer. Looking around at this Championship weekend, the parties, 0:09:29.200 --> 0:09:33.160 the activations, the enthusiasm, the press, the media. Can you 0:09:33.200 --> 0:09:37.160 put in perspective the growth that you've seen in the 0:09:37.200 --> 0:09:38.200 league since you left. 0:09:38.679 --> 0:09:41.720 Yeah, first off, almost a decade from retiring makes me 0:09:41.800 --> 0:09:46.760 feel very old, so that's a little uncomfortable, But just 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:50.160 the growth in general is insane. I mean, I played 0:09:50.160 --> 0:09:52.880 in Kansas City at Shawnee Mission North High School. When 0:09:52.920 --> 0:09:55.800 we first started playing. We ended up playing at UMKC 0:09:56.120 --> 0:09:59.840 at the end. Still, I'm pretty sure they would lie 0:10:00.000 --> 0:10:02.880 about our attendance and they would say, oh, fifteen hundred, 0:10:02.920 --> 0:10:05.120 and I'm sure there was only six hundred people in 0:10:05.160 --> 0:10:08.559 the stands. So to come here and see like KC 0:10:08.840 --> 0:10:12.920 Current over everything, like the branding. You go on an airport, 0:10:13.240 --> 0:10:17.560 it's like Kansas City Chiefs KSE Current, You see the buses, 0:10:17.640 --> 0:10:21.200 you see everything. Just with the branding alone is incredible. 0:10:21.440 --> 0:10:24.480 I think the Lungs have done a phenomenal job here 0:10:24.480 --> 0:10:29.520 doing that. The stadium is beautiful, and I think what 0:10:29.640 --> 0:10:33.319 gets me the most is that we haven't even scratched 0:10:33.320 --> 0:10:36.560 the surface of where this is going. Like this is 0:10:36.600 --> 0:10:41.040 the first right, this is like they're pioneering a new 0:10:41.160 --> 0:10:45.600 road and it's just the beginning and it's so cool 0:10:45.640 --> 0:10:48.480 to see and it's full circle for me, But it's 0:10:48.600 --> 0:10:51.320 just the beginning, and that's what gets me so excited. 0:10:51.600 --> 0:10:55.400 Can you simultaneously hold your enthusiasm for what's happening and 0:10:55.840 --> 0:10:58.600 respect your place in that for having been a part 0:10:58.600 --> 0:11:00.760 of it when you weren't made as much money and 0:11:00.760 --> 0:11:03.520 getting the sponsored deals and playing in the purpose built facilities. 0:11:03.760 --> 0:11:05.120 Can you hold that at the same time as a 0:11:05.120 --> 0:11:08.080 little bit of like jealousy of like I really wish 0:11:08.160 --> 0:11:09.520 I was still playing right now. 0:11:10.200 --> 0:11:13.600 Yeah, I do think that comes to mind. But I 0:11:13.600 --> 0:11:17.240 had so much fun playing, Like I think back even 0:11:17.280 --> 0:11:19.920 to the WPS and now the NWSL, and I'm like, 0:11:20.520 --> 0:11:23.960 I met some of my best friends, Like we experienced 0:11:24.120 --> 0:11:29.360 some of the wildest things ever, three flights to a 0:11:29.440 --> 0:11:33.080 playoff game and you know, like just wild things that like, 0:11:33.960 --> 0:11:37.160 of course, I'm so grateful to see the growth of 0:11:37.200 --> 0:11:40.200 the sport. And then also like I get to say, like, 0:11:41.280 --> 0:11:44.880 I had a really really good time, and I think 0:11:44.920 --> 0:11:46.400 that is so cool. 0:11:46.920 --> 0:11:49.880 That is without knowing you, but of having heard so 0:11:49.920 --> 0:11:52.960 much about you. That gratitude for the tough stuff is 0:11:52.960 --> 0:11:55.000 probably why you're such a happy person and so beloved, 0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:58.120 because instead of lamenting it, you're looking back and being like, hey, 0:11:58.160 --> 0:11:59.520 but I had the best time. I got the best 0:11:59.559 --> 0:12:01.880 out of what I had, which is that's really powerful 0:12:02.200 --> 0:12:05.240 to remember. You've been a part of the USLW League, 0:12:05.559 --> 0:12:09.480 the WPS, the NWSL. We love celebrating positives, we love 0:12:09.520 --> 0:12:12.120 celebrating growth, but we also have to be critical in 0:12:12.200 --> 0:12:15.120 order to keep improving. And I guarantee you have seen 0:12:15.440 --> 0:12:17.720 things that leagues have done wrong and are still doing 0:12:17.760 --> 0:12:20.640 wrong in this current iteration. What do you think stands 0:12:20.640 --> 0:12:21.760 out to you from over the years. 0:12:23.000 --> 0:12:25.480 Yeah, I think for me is people didn't believe, you know, 0:12:25.600 --> 0:12:28.720 they didn't believe that women's sports was capable of this. 0:12:28.840 --> 0:12:30.400 It was like, well, what do you want us to do? 0:12:30.440 --> 0:12:33.920 We're losing money, we're doing this and now like being 0:12:34.000 --> 0:12:37.240 involved and understanding the business side of sports. It's like 0:12:37.320 --> 0:12:40.840 a lot of teams lose money, but to have the 0:12:40.920 --> 0:12:44.679 marketing to have and I think we were still not there, 0:12:45.040 --> 0:12:49.400 Like the marketing isn't there, We're not being we're not 0:12:49.480 --> 0:12:54.720 on the main channels enough. Not everyone is a household name. 0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:58.440 Yet I think the marketing piece is what comes up 0:12:58.440 --> 0:13:01.560 for me, Like it was absolutely zero when I played, 0:13:02.040 --> 0:13:04.120 and now it's like, oh, we're doing something, you know, 0:13:04.200 --> 0:13:06.160 Like I said, I shout out the lungs for what 0:13:06.200 --> 0:13:09.600 they're doing here in Kansas City. But it's still such 0:13:09.920 --> 0:13:12.160 a long way to go. There are still people in 0:13:12.280 --> 0:13:14.839 cities that there are NWSL teams that do not know 0:13:14.920 --> 0:13:19.440 that there's a professional women's soccer league in America and 0:13:19.480 --> 0:13:21.360 that's unacceptable in. 0:13:21.280 --> 0:13:22.079 Their cities too. 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:25.439 I remember when I took over as minority owner of 0:13:25.440 --> 0:13:27.040 the Chicago Red Stars, that was one of the first 0:13:27.080 --> 0:13:29.400 things I said, is people here don't even know that 0:13:29.760 --> 0:13:33.200 Megan Rappino, Alex Morgan, these names that they do know 0:13:33.360 --> 0:13:35.080 are playing here and they could go see them. They 0:13:35.080 --> 0:13:36.800 don't have to wait for the friendlies when the US 0:13:36.840 --> 0:13:38.760 one's national team comes into town. But the marketing is 0:13:38.800 --> 0:13:41.920 so bad, especially in cities that have other professional teams. 0:13:42.320 --> 0:13:44.680 And to say the product is the problem and it 0:13:44.720 --> 0:13:48.600 won't work when you haven't invested enough on the awareness side, 0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:51.760 on getting on the proper networks and channels is so 0:13:51.800 --> 0:13:52.440 short sighted. 0:13:52.520 --> 0:13:53.640 And so we're seeing that change. 0:13:53.679 --> 0:13:56.800 But even in this current NWSL, what do you see 0:13:56.840 --> 0:13:59.080 and you're like, that's still not We still need to 0:13:59.080 --> 0:13:59.439 work on that. 0:14:00.080 --> 0:14:05.160 The purpose built facilities. I think facilities aren't equal across 0:14:05.200 --> 0:14:08.120 the league. And obviously in every sports team, one owner 0:14:08.200 --> 0:14:11.760 might spend more whatever, and there will be some disparities, 0:14:11.800 --> 0:14:16.000 but there's a vast difference in some of the locations. 0:14:16.040 --> 0:14:19.760 I think that needs to get better. I think travel 0:14:20.160 --> 0:14:24.280 where how are we traveling throughout the whole season, not 0:14:24.360 --> 0:14:29.280 just the playoffs? Like that is huge, not only for timing, 0:14:29.320 --> 0:14:32.520 but for recovery for the athletes, for all of that, 0:14:33.000 --> 0:14:38.400 and I think the investment in women's nutrition, their bodies 0:14:38.480 --> 0:14:43.000 there were vastly different than men, and just understanding like 0:14:43.080 --> 0:14:46.440 how we can continue to grow in that and have 0:14:47.560 --> 0:14:51.000 the ability the access to it without it being on 0:14:51.040 --> 0:14:53.400 our own dime. So I think that all of those 0:14:53.440 --> 0:14:56.600 things still in the NBSL can improve greatly. 0:14:57.320 --> 0:14:59.440 Ever since you were tired, you've been interested in team 0:14:59.480 --> 0:15:03.480 ownership and you've taken business classes at Harvard. You've become 0:15:03.520 --> 0:15:06.160 an athlete advisor for Avenue Capital Group that's run by 0:15:06.160 --> 0:15:09.040 former Bucks co owner Mark Lasry. Your husband played for 0:15:09.080 --> 0:15:11.480 the Bucks for a while, won a championship there, and 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:13.920 that Avenue Group was reportedly set to take control of 0:15:13.960 --> 0:15:16.120 the NC Courage. In fact, on our show we reported 0:15:16.160 --> 0:15:19.600 about the majority ownership by and set to go through. 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:22.200 What's the latest on that? We haven't heard much since 0:15:22.200 --> 0:15:23.080 that original report. 0:15:23.680 --> 0:15:26.560 Yeah, I think that's a dream, right. I would love 0:15:26.640 --> 0:15:30.040 to be a part of that. It's still in process. 0:15:30.120 --> 0:15:34.080 I don't know how much that I can divulge in 0:15:34.440 --> 0:15:38.400 this setting, but yeah, I think that that would be 0:15:38.520 --> 0:15:40.280 The hope is that I would get to be a 0:15:40.280 --> 0:15:44.360 part of an ownership group where I had real say 0:15:44.640 --> 0:15:47.200 and my voice was heard and I had a real 0:15:47.280 --> 0:15:50.920 role in that. And I hope that it is with 0:15:51.160 --> 0:15:52.400 North Carolina Courage. 0:15:52.520 --> 0:15:54.400 So the dream isn't over yet, even though we haven't 0:15:54.440 --> 0:15:55.080 heard about. 0:15:54.880 --> 0:15:57.080 The dream's not over yet. It's not over yet. 0:15:57.280 --> 0:15:59.320 But it's not a sure thing at this point because 0:15:59.320 --> 0:16:01.320 we haven't heard that it went through all the final 0:16:01.640 --> 0:16:02.560 league approvals. 0:16:02.760 --> 0:16:07.600 Yeah, I don't think it's a sure thing. That hasn't happened. So, Okay, 0:16:07.760 --> 0:16:09.640 we haven't signed the dotted line yet. 0:16:09.520 --> 0:16:09.920 Got it. 0:16:10.720 --> 0:16:13.120 What's interesting to you about being a controlling owner because 0:16:13.120 --> 0:16:15.280 you are a part owner of Angel City, but you 0:16:15.320 --> 0:16:16.400 want to be in a different role. 0:16:16.760 --> 0:16:20.760 How much time do we have? Okay, that is my question, 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:23.640 and maybe we get to talk longer after this. But 0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:28.320 for me, I have a dream. It is not just 0:16:28.360 --> 0:16:30.160 for the end of CELL. I want to start in 0:16:30.200 --> 0:16:34.640 the end ofsl But I believe, truly the athletes need 0:16:34.680 --> 0:16:38.120 to have an ownership stake in their leagues. And I'm 0:16:38.320 --> 0:16:41.240 extremely passionate about it because I think there needs to 0:16:41.240 --> 0:16:43.800 be integrity from the top. And I'm not saying that 0:16:44.080 --> 0:16:47.800 ownership groups don't have integrity, but an integrity of understanding 0:16:47.840 --> 0:16:51.240 what an athlete goes through to play the sport, Understanding 0:16:51.320 --> 0:16:55.160 what I have been through in the NWSL, in the WPS, 0:16:55.640 --> 0:16:58.600 and making sure that like our voices are heard. So 0:16:58.680 --> 0:17:02.040 I think in the ENDBSL, my idea of control, to 0:17:02.120 --> 0:17:05.679 have a controlling stake in an NWSL team is to 0:17:05.760 --> 0:17:08.720 create an environment that I want to be replicated across 0:17:08.800 --> 0:17:14.080 all leagues men's women's internationally in America, but to run 0:17:14.080 --> 0:17:17.399 it with integrity. Hey, everyone from the top down, like, 0:17:18.040 --> 0:17:20.080 this is what we believe in, this is what we're 0:17:20.119 --> 0:17:23.320 shooting for, this is our vision. Right, So everyone is 0:17:23.359 --> 0:17:26.240 in alignment, the athlete and the ownership. So sometimes I 0:17:26.240 --> 0:17:28.960 think there's a disconnect, Right, the ownership wants to win 0:17:29.000 --> 0:17:31.480 for a vastly different reason than why the athlete wants 0:17:31.520 --> 0:17:33.679 to win, and so it's like, well, how do we 0:17:33.680 --> 0:17:36.640 get an alignment. How does the athlete and the ownership 0:17:36.680 --> 0:17:39.520 want to win for the same reason. There can be nuances. 0:17:39.880 --> 0:17:42.280 Ownership can care more about one thing and the athlete 0:17:42.320 --> 0:17:45.159 can care more about another. But if we have that 0:17:45.240 --> 0:17:48.359 integrity to know that we're both working toward that goal, 0:17:48.880 --> 0:17:51.520 I think it's going to change sports. And I think 0:17:51.560 --> 0:17:53.720 the only way you do that is with an athlete 0:17:54.080 --> 0:17:58.240 that has a voice in a majority position. And so 0:17:58.359 --> 0:18:00.920 that's my dream, that's my that's what I want to do. 0:18:01.080 --> 0:18:04.879 I like look at ownership groups like Michelle O Kang 0:18:05.440 --> 0:18:08.399 and her voice is so powerful and what she's doing 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:11.240 and everything she does, I love it, and I'm like, yes, 0:18:11.520 --> 0:18:14.159 and let's get an athlete. Let's get a player that 0:18:14.240 --> 0:18:16.600 played with her, because she's going to change the world. 0:18:17.040 --> 0:18:19.960 She already is. And so I think that that's where 0:18:20.000 --> 0:18:22.480 my passion is. And I'm like, I see that, and 0:18:22.520 --> 0:18:25.400 I see that I have an opportunity in Mark and Avenue. 0:18:26.720 --> 0:18:30.000 They've been an incredible partner with me where they say, hey, 0:18:30.119 --> 0:18:34.040 this is yours, this is you're the expert here, and 0:18:34.080 --> 0:18:37.200 to give me that taste of like, wow, I am 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:40.040 the expert has really like opened my mind, So like 0:18:40.080 --> 0:18:40.840 what can we do? 0:18:41.480 --> 0:18:41.760 Yeah? 0:18:41.920 --> 0:18:44.080 You know, I know you're friends with Merret Matthias. She 0:18:44.200 --> 0:18:45.680 came on the show and I don't know if it 0:18:45.720 --> 0:18:47.320 made the final cut because she and I were talking 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:49.520 for a long time, but one thing she mentioned was 0:18:49.560 --> 0:18:53.600 hierarchies in sport, and in men's sport, the athlete is 0:18:53.640 --> 0:18:55.760 at the top of it, the top of the pyramid 0:18:55.800 --> 0:18:58.240 because they're the product, they're the reason it succeeds. They 0:18:58.400 --> 0:19:01.000 people understand that they're the value there. And in women's 0:19:01.040 --> 0:19:03.720 sports there's somewhere in the middle. They're just not valued 0:19:03.720 --> 0:19:05.480 the same way. They're not paid the same, the facilities 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:07.280 aren't the same, the respect isn't the same, the treatment 0:19:07.320 --> 0:19:11.040 isn't the same. That's how toxic situations also occur so 0:19:11.080 --> 0:19:13.439 often in women's sports, because there isn't enough power in 0:19:13.480 --> 0:19:17.760 the athlete to overcome some of the manipulations or otherwise 0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:22.919 that come from staff, coaches, ownership. Is it possible to 0:19:23.000 --> 0:19:27.360 do that without someone like Mark Lazary or the kind 0:19:27.400 --> 0:19:30.440 of capital behind you to compete, Because what's happened in 0:19:30.440 --> 0:19:32.280 the NWSL. There is a woman I was speaking to 0:19:32.520 --> 0:19:34.520 who is putting in a bid on the Portland Thorns, 0:19:34.560 --> 0:19:36.640 and midway through the process of having this massive group 0:19:36.680 --> 0:19:39.480 of women with a lot of money, they said, well, 0:19:39.520 --> 0:19:42.000 the main owner has to be a billionaire. Wipes out 0:19:42.000 --> 0:19:45.480 their bit. There's who do we call Oprah and Kylie Jenner? 0:19:45.520 --> 0:19:48.200 There's like three, right, So when we make it about 0:19:48.240 --> 0:19:51.439 only money, we end up having mostly majority middle aged 0:19:51.480 --> 0:19:54.240 white dudes owning everything. And if they say you're the 0:19:54.320 --> 0:19:55.680 expert and put you in charge. 0:19:55.720 --> 0:19:57.800 Awesome. If they don't, we end up with the same 0:19:57.840 --> 0:19:59.960 pattern over and over again. How do we stop? 0:20:00.600 --> 0:20:00.840 Yeah? 0:20:00.920 --> 0:20:04.040 At first off, I think it is consistency, right, we 0:20:04.119 --> 0:20:06.760 need to have a consistency across the board for the league. 0:20:07.280 --> 0:20:09.879 If this is our standard, then that's our standard. But 0:20:09.920 --> 0:20:12.720 then we have to rethink it. How are we getting 0:20:12.760 --> 0:20:17.399 athletes involved? Yes, isn't a former NWSL player, even a 0:20:17.400 --> 0:20:19.960 former women's national team player. There's not any of us 0:20:19.960 --> 0:20:22.760