WEBVTT - Keep Your Eyes On This Site with Lindsay Gibbs 0:00:00.720 --> 0:00:03.360 Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where the Sunday 0:00:03.440 --> 0:00:06.400 Scaries we're more like terrors this weekend. After the Cheetoh 0:00:06.400 --> 0:00:08.920 in Chief took getting bombed on a Saturday night to 0:00:08.960 --> 0:00:11.120 a whole new level, We're going to need to bury 0:00:11.119 --> 0:00:13.200 ourselves in some sports nonsense for a little bit, how 0:00:13.240 --> 0:00:16.520 about you. It's Monday, June twenty third, and on today's show, 0:00:16.520 --> 0:00:18.800 we'll be talking with Lindsay Gibbs, creator of the women's 0:00:18.840 --> 0:00:23.119 sports newsletter Powerplays, about her process in choosing, researching and 0:00:23.160 --> 0:00:26.480 writing about topics, the challenges of being your own boss, 0:00:26.720 --> 0:00:29.560 and why knowing history and context in women's sports is 0:00:29.600 --> 0:00:33.159 more important than ever. Plus a Hoops and gayshit Soft 0:00:33.159 --> 0:00:37.280 Tarred launch WNBA Portland Tees is an announcement the Sad 0:00:37.280 --> 0:00:39.720 Facks about Title nine at fifty three, and a friend 0:00:39.760 --> 0:00:42.319 of the show bids farewell to the beautiful game. It's 0:00:42.320 --> 0:00:57.200 all coming up right after this welcome back slices. Here's 0:00:57.240 --> 0:01:01.720 what you need to know today in Hoops's Pride Month 0:01:01.800 --> 0:01:04.160 rolls on. We got to start the week off strong 0:01:04.200 --> 0:01:07.440 with some hoops and gay shit. Many have speculated about 0:01:07.440 --> 0:01:10.640 the nature of the quote unquote friendship between Dallas Wing's 0:01:10.720 --> 0:01:13.720 rookie Page Beckers and her former Yukon teammate Azy Fudd. 0:01:14.160 --> 0:01:17.679 While on Saturday, Fud gave the world a definitive answer, 0:01:18.120 --> 0:01:20.920 the Yukon super senior took to Instagram to post a 0:01:20.959 --> 0:01:23.600 mirror selfie in a salon chair while she was getting 0:01:23.600 --> 0:01:26.920 her hair done and on her phone case backwards because 0:01:26.920 --> 0:01:30.880 of the mirror were the words Page Becker's girlfriend in 0:01:30.959 --> 0:01:34.600 pink letters. Doesn't get much clearer than that. We'll link 0:01:34.640 --> 0:01:36.640 to a friend of the show coach Jackie Jay's video 0:01:36.680 --> 0:01:38.360 about the photo and our show notes so you could 0:01:38.360 --> 0:01:41.280 see it for yourself. Now, let me assure you there 0:01:41.400 --> 0:01:46.080 are basketball gays across the world absolutely losing it right 0:01:46.160 --> 0:01:48.320 now because this is a friends to lover her story 0:01:48.440 --> 0:01:51.160 for the Ages. Fud and Beckers have been friends for 0:01:51.240 --> 0:01:53.800 a long ass time. For a story by USA Today's 0:01:53.800 --> 0:01:56.960 Sidney Henderson. The two first met in twenty seventeen while 0:01:57.000 --> 0:01:58.960 they were trying out for the USA Basketball women's U 0:01:59.000 --> 0:02:02.280 sixteen national team. They've seen each other through a ton, 0:02:02.400 --> 0:02:05.280 including an unfortunate number of knee injuries, and they were 0:02:05.320 --> 0:02:07.680 teammates at Yukon from twenty twenty one through this past 0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:10.400 college season, when they led the Huskies to the program's 0:02:10.440 --> 0:02:15.080 twelfth NCAA championship together. Now, I'm categorizing this as a 0:02:15.120 --> 0:02:18.079 hard soft launch because Beckers isn't in the picture, and 0:02:18.120 --> 0:02:19.600 I think you got to be together in the photos 0:02:19.600 --> 0:02:22.720 for a true hard launch. But it is the second 0:02:22.919 --> 0:02:25.480 hard soft launch from this pair because they did a 0:02:25.480 --> 0:02:29.160 cute little take on those recent trending videos about restaurant bills. 0:02:29.160 --> 0:02:30.520 I don't know if you've seen this, but we'll link 0:02:30.560 --> 0:02:32.280 to it in the show notes if you didn't. In 0:02:32.320 --> 0:02:35.640 the video, Fud asks Beckers how much the meal costs. 0:02:35.919 --> 0:02:40.120 Becker's replies two hundred dollars, and Fud replies, Oh, that's 0:02:40.160 --> 0:02:43.640 not that bad. Cut back to an exasperated Beckers with 0:02:43.760 --> 0:02:47.600 the bill, and Fud captioned it princess treatment every time 0:02:47.600 --> 0:02:51.160 I'm with her. That's a soft launch, y'all, and it 0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:55.079 definitely had people talking. But the phone case, now we're 0:02:55.120 --> 0:02:59.079 really cooking with gas. It is officially official, and I 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:01.880 love this couple. So I am so happy for these 0:03:01.919 --> 0:03:04.840 young ladies, but I do want to remind people that 0:03:04.919 --> 0:03:07.720 they are just that young ladies. They were both born 0:03:07.960 --> 0:03:11.519 after the year two thousand, so when we're talking about them, 0:03:11.680 --> 0:03:14.440 and when we're talking about the relationship that Fud seems 0:03:14.440 --> 0:03:17.200 to have revealed to us, let's be mindful of their age, 0:03:17.560 --> 0:03:20.640 and let's try to be kind and offer grace to 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:23.799 not just them, but all the spoonworthy relationships that we 0:03:24.120 --> 0:03:26.720 like to stand. But in the meantime, we do have 0:03:26.760 --> 0:03:30.760 to figure out their couple name. Is it Bud, is 0:03:30.760 --> 0:03:34.960 it Paisy? Is it age? Or, like friend of the 0:03:35.000 --> 0:03:41.000 show er fight Masters said on their hilarious podcast Jocular First, Yeah, 0:03:41.760 --> 0:03:43.200 I think we're going to need to work on it. 0:03:43.360 --> 0:03:46.080 Send us some suggestions if you've got them so far. 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:49.240 I'm into Paisy more hoops. Remember last week when we 0:03:49.320 --> 0:03:52.200 told you about Chicago skystar Angel Reese trying to turn 0:03:52.240 --> 0:03:56.040 her trolls into some merch. Well she's done it. She's 0:03:56.080 --> 0:03:59.320 officially made merch with the word me bounds case you're 0:03:59.320 --> 0:04:01.760 wondering where the word comes from. Some trolls started to 0:04:01.840 --> 0:04:04.880 use mee bounds to describe Reese's boards because her critics 0:04:04.920 --> 0:04:07.480 like to claim that her rebounding stats are only impressive 0:04:07.680 --> 0:04:10.600 because she grabs her own misses, a theory that's been 0:04:10.640 --> 0:04:13.640 proven wrong. By the way, Yes, she does miss a 0:04:13.640 --> 0:04:16.159 few layups, and yes she does benefit from those, but 0:04:16.279 --> 0:04:18.880 she does plenty of work on the defensive boards too, 0:04:19.279 --> 0:04:22.000 And on Thursday, she officially released a new batch of 0:04:22.040 --> 0:04:25.479 merch on her website using the term me Bounds. The 0:04:25.520 --> 0:04:28.760 new line includes sweatshirts, t shirts, and hats with the 0:04:28.760 --> 0:04:32.360 Meebound slogan, and multiple pieces also include the line anything 0:04:32.400 --> 0:04:35.440 that comes off that board, It's mine the cherry. On 0:04:35.480 --> 0:04:37.640 top of all of this is that re shared that 0:04:37.680 --> 0:04:39.599 part of the proceeds from the merch sales will go 0:04:39.640 --> 0:04:42.920 to the Angel ce Reese Foundation to help fight cyberbowling. 0:04:43.520 --> 0:04:48.320 Talk about turning lemons into lemonade. Salute Angel. More w News. 0:04:48.320 --> 0:04:50.440 New York Liberty star John Qwell Jones is out for 0:04:50.560 --> 0:04:53.040 four to six weeks. She re entered a right ankle 0:04:53.080 --> 0:04:55.800 sprain in a contest against the Phoenix Mercurant Thursday, and 0:04:55.839 --> 0:04:58.320 the team confirmed that after evaluation, she'll have to sit 0:04:58.360 --> 0:05:01.080 out at least the next nine games, and that means 0:05:01.120 --> 0:05:03.960 she's likely missing the WNBA All Star Game in mid July. 0:05:04.320 --> 0:05:06.440 The Liberty are currently hold and strong at second in 0:05:06.480 --> 0:05:09.360 the league standings, and Jones is the team's top rebounder 0:05:09.400 --> 0:05:12.360 and third leading scorer. She had already missed two games 0:05:12.400 --> 0:05:15.360 previously due to an injury to the same ankle, so 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:17.560 never great to have a key piece on the sideline, 0:05:17.560 --> 0:05:19.200 but it does feel smart to make sure she has 0:05:19.240 --> 0:05:21.720 time to fully recover before the playoff push begins in 0:05:21.760 --> 0:05:24.920 the second half of the season. Speaking of the All 0:05:24.920 --> 0:05:27.280 Star Game in the second half, first returns are in 0:05:27.480 --> 0:05:30.440 on the fan All Star voting and per league announcement. 0:05:30.520 --> 0:05:33.840 Indiana feverstar Caitlin Clark leads all players with almost five 0:05:33.920 --> 0:05:38.200 hundred and sixteen thousand votes, no surprise. There also no surprise, 0:05:38.320 --> 0:05:41.279 the Minnesota Lynx's Novisa Collier is right behind her with 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:44.679 almost four hundred eighty five thousand. The Fevers Aliah Boston, 0:05:44.800 --> 0:05:47.520 Las Vegas Aces Asia Wilson and New York Liberties Brianna 0:05:47.560 --> 0:05:50.279 Stewart round out the top five, and Dallas Wings rookie 0:05:50.279 --> 0:05:53.600 Page Beckers is in sixth. Indiana's Gamebridge Fieldhouse is going 0:05:53.640 --> 0:05:56.560 to play host to the festivities July eighteenth to nineteenth, 0:05:56.600 --> 0:05:58.840 and with four Fever players in the top ten of 0:05:58.920 --> 0:06:02.000 voting right now and eight Fever players in the top forty, 0:06:02.320 --> 0:06:05.280 the home squad is looking to be very well represented 0:06:05.960 --> 0:06:09.720 and can you believe it even more. WNBA News the 0:06:09.800 --> 0:06:12.880 league filed trademarks last week for the Portland Fire name 0:06:13.200 --> 0:06:15.800 and one for a p logo, hinting that the league's 0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:18.839 next expansion franchise will revive the Fire name from the 0:06:18.880 --> 0:06:21.680 franchise that played back in two thousand to two thousand 0:06:21.680 --> 0:06:25.720 and two. Additionally, the official WNBA Portland Twitter slash x 0:06:25.760 --> 0:06:28.200 account released a post on Friday with the graphic that 0:06:28.240 --> 0:06:32.480 read quote July fifteenth, the countdown is on end quote. 0:06:32.760 --> 0:06:35.000 So putting two and two together looks like we'll be 0:06:35.000 --> 0:06:37.480 getting a name and a logo drop for the WNBA's 0:06:37.480 --> 0:06:41.080 fifteenth franchise in the coming weeks. WNBA Portland will start 0:06:41.080 --> 0:06:43.960 playing twenty twenty six, along with fellow expansion team, the 0:06:44.000 --> 0:06:47.679 Toronto Tempo. To the NWSL friend of the show, Megan 0:06:47.720 --> 0:06:51.400 Klingenberg finally did it. She officially retired from professional soccer 0:06:51.480 --> 0:06:54.560 last week via a post on Instagram. The caption red 0:06:54.600 --> 0:06:58.480 quote now available for charity matches, Sunday brunches, and pool parties, 0:06:58.560 --> 0:07:01.600 preferably all on the same day end quote. The post 0:07:01.680 --> 0:07:05.120 slides include a heartfelt goodbye letter which reads, in part quote, 0:07:05.320 --> 0:07:07.560 this isn't a surprise, but it still feels big to 0:07:07.560 --> 0:07:11.280 say it's time I'm retiring from football. It's taken me 0:07:11.280 --> 0:07:13.360 a lot of time and reflection to arrive at this place, 0:07:13.680 --> 0:07:16.360 but I've come to realize something important. For so long, 0:07:16.440 --> 0:07:19.200 I thought that soccer gave me purpose, joy and light. 0:07:19.640 --> 0:07:22.880 But it was never soccer. It comes from within because joy, 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:25.880 purpose and fulfillment aren't found in what you do. They're 0:07:25.920 --> 0:07:28.640 rooted in who you are. Soccer simply gave me the 0:07:28.680 --> 0:07:32.520 space to live it. End quote. Kling's letter continues later quote, 0:07:32.560 --> 0:07:35.280 I've played with fire, with grit, and most of all, 0:07:35.280 --> 0:07:37.560 with joy, and through it all, I've grown into a 0:07:37.560 --> 0:07:41.120 person I'm proud to be Now. I feel full, grateful, 0:07:41.440 --> 0:07:44.080 at peace. It's time for something new to excite me 0:07:44.160 --> 0:07:47.240 the way soccer always has, because the purpose hasn't changed, 0:07:47.600 --> 0:07:51.440 just the stage. End quote. Klingenberg had quite the career 0:07:51.480 --> 0:07:54.800 on the domestic and international level. She amassed seventy five 0:07:54.880 --> 0:07:57.840 caps with the US women's national team, played every minute 0:07:57.840 --> 0:08:00.240 in the squad's quest to win the twenty fifteen World Cup. 0:08:00.720 --> 0:08:03.600 Is a two time NWSL Shield winner and won the 0:08:03.680 --> 0:08:07.200 NWSL Championship with the Portland Thorns twice. Twenty seventeen and 0:08:07.240 --> 0:08:09.960 twenty twenty two. She is sticking around the game, though. 0:08:10.000 --> 0:08:11.440 She was named one of the hosts of the US 0:08:11.440 --> 0:08:14.080 Soccer podcast earlier this month. We'll link to where you 0:08:14.080 --> 0:08:16.640 can listen to the first couple episodes, including an interview 0:08:16.680 --> 0:08:19.080 with Becky Soarer, Brunn and Lindsay Heaps. You can find 0:08:19.160 --> 0:08:21.240 him in our show notes. We'll miss Ciena out on 0:08:21.280 --> 0:08:24.520 the field kling, but congratulations and if you didn't hear it, 0:08:24.560 --> 0:08:26.160 go back and listen to our interview with her a 0:08:26.160 --> 0:08:29.920 couple weeks ago. She was great to Hockey. PWHL Seattle 0:08:29.960 --> 0:08:33.439 has named its first head coach, Steve O'Rourke. O'Rourke has 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:36.880 got over fifteen years of coaching experience, most recently spending 0:08:36.920 --> 0:08:39.199 two and a half seasons with the Ontario Hockey Leagues 0:08:39.280 --> 0:08:42.920 Oshawa Generals. In a team statement, O'Rourke said, in part quote, 0:08:42.960 --> 0:08:46.120 I'm incredibly excited to be joining the Professional Women's Hockey League. 0:08:46.280 --> 0:08:48.240 This is something I've thought about since the league was 0:08:48.280 --> 0:08:50.880 first announced. To now be given the opportunity to work 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:52.600 with the best players in the world and be part 0:08:52.600 --> 0:08:54.800 of a professional league that is thriving both on and 0:08:54.840 --> 0:08:57.520 off the ice is truly amazing. Being from the West 0:08:57.520 --> 0:09:00.600 and having played hockey in Washington State, I've seen firsthand 0:09:00.640 --> 0:09:02.680 how much the game has grown in this region. The 0:09:02.720 --> 0:09:05.160 passion and support for hockey here is real, and I'm 0:09:05.200 --> 0:09:07.160 proud to now be part of it in a new way. 0:09:07.440 --> 0:09:10.720 End quote. Finally, in softball, the first trade and athletes 0:09:10.760 --> 0:09:14.200 Unlimited Softball League history has happened as Volts outfielder Mackenzie 0:09:14.200 --> 0:09:16.640 Clark has been sent to the Blaze in exchange for 0:09:16.720 --> 0:09:19.960 outfielder Sierra Briggs. Clark has started all ten games for 0:09:20.000 --> 0:09:22.320 the Volts this season, hitting two home runs with five 0:09:22.400 --> 0:09:25.120 runs batted in and five runs scored. Briggs has started 0:09:25.160 --> 0:09:27.720 in five games and appeared in ten for the Blaze. 0:09:27.880 --> 0:09:30.199 Back at LSU, she was the first player in college 0:09:30.200 --> 0:09:35.440 softball history to win back to back Gold Clubs all 0:09:35.520 --> 0:09:38.760 Right Slices. Today marks the fifty third anniversary of Title nine, 0:09:38.880 --> 0:09:43.760 and Accelerate Equity founder and certified Slice Pamela Seideman shared 0:09:43.760 --> 0:09:47.640 some disappointing truths about compliance more than a half century 0:09:47.720 --> 0:09:52.400 into the law's life. Pamela rodas quote Accelerate Equity analyzed 0:09:52.440 --> 0:09:55.000 newly released data from the Department of Education for twenty 0:09:55.040 --> 0:09:58.760 twenty three twenty twenty four and found that nationwide, colleges 0:09:58.800 --> 0:10:03.040 provided five hundred million dollars less in athletic aid to 0:10:03.120 --> 0:10:06.439 women than they did to men. In addition, only fourteen 0:10:06.520 --> 0:10:09.800 percent of colleges and universities and less than eleven percent 0:10:09.800 --> 0:10:13.560 of NCAA schools comply with the law. Our Gender Equity 0:10:13.640 --> 0:10:16.120 Dashboard is a free public resource that shows how every 0:10:16.120 --> 0:10:18.840 college is doing it providing equal treatment to women athletes. 0:10:19.240 --> 0:10:22.000 We launch the Gender Equity Dashboard to bring visibility to 0:10:22.040 --> 0:10:24.520 the issue of ongoing and equity in college sports, which 0:10:24.559 --> 0:10:27.280 will get worse if the House versus NCAA settlement is 0:10:27.280 --> 0:10:30.240 allowed to stand. The dashboard makes it easy for users 0:10:30.240 --> 0:10:32.120 to see if women are getting an equitable number of 0:10:32.200 --> 0:10:35.760 roster spots and athletic scholarships at any college as the 0:10:35.840 --> 0:10:38.960 law requires. Users can also see how spending on men's 0:10:38.960 --> 0:10:41.920 and women's sports and on recruiting compares at any school. 0:10:42.320 --> 0:10:46.360 End quote, Pamela, this is exceedingly useful. Thank you. We'll 0:10:46.360 --> 0:10:48.160 link to the dashboard in our show notes so you 0:10:48.200 --> 0:10:51.120 can see if your college is in compliance. We got 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:52.880 to take a quick break when we come back. My 0:10:52.920 --> 0:10:54.480 conversation with Lindsay. 0:10:54.160 --> 0:11:04.680 Gibbs joining us now. 0:11:04.720 --> 0:11:07.400 She's the woman behind the Power Plays newsletter. She's a 0:11:07.400 --> 0:11:10.040 sports reporter who writes about the intersection of sports, culture 0:11:10.080 --> 0:11:12.480 and politics. In the past, she's worked as the sports 0:11:12.480 --> 0:11:14.440 reporter for Think Progress, as one of the co hosts 0:11:14.440 --> 0:11:16.960 of the Bernard all Down Pod, and as a freelancer 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:20.439 for outlets including USA Today, Vice, Sports, Bleacher Report, Tennis Magazine, 0:11:20.440 --> 0:11:22.840 and Sports on Earth. A graduate of NY used Tish 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:24.680 School of the Arts. Along the way, she's worked at 0:11:24.720 --> 0:11:28.520 America's Next Top Model, taught screenwriting, nannied and wrote a 0:11:28.600 --> 0:11:31.000 historical fiction novel about real life Hall of Fame tennis 0:11:31.000 --> 0:11:33.920 players who survived the singing of the Titanic. Mama Tamo 0:11:34.040 --> 0:11:38.959 the Dog recent tattoo getter. It's Lindsay Gibbs. Hi, Lindsey, Hi, Sarah, 0:11:39.000 --> 0:11:40.000 how are you. I'm good. 0:11:40.080 --> 0:11:42.800 I feel like you made my life sound very exciting, so. 0:11:43.320 --> 0:11:46.680 I mean it is. When we spoke for my old podcast, 0:11:46.679 --> 0:11:49.120 I remember getting a deep dive into the America's Next 0:11:49.200 --> 0:11:52.360 Top Model a portion of your resume, which is always 0:11:52.400 --> 0:11:53.000 exciting to me. 0:11:53.080 --> 0:11:56.040 Yeah, it's always It's a fun card to pull out, 0:11:56.160 --> 0:11:59.000 you know, very randomly. There are a lot of people 0:11:59.000 --> 0:12:01.520 who've known me for a very very long time, who 0:12:01.800 --> 0:12:02.840 know nothing about that. 0:12:03.600 --> 0:12:06.640 Yeah, period of mind, I'm still regularly telling people to smile. 0:12:06.920 --> 0:12:08.720 So it had a deep impact on me and my 0:12:08.800 --> 0:12:12.280 life forever, forever and ever. I want to start with 0:12:12.360 --> 0:12:15.079 Bernad all down Pod really quick, because I have noticed 0:12:15.080 --> 0:12:18.040 that you've twice recently united with your co host to 0:12:18.080 --> 0:12:20.960 do live podcasts. Is there any chance that's coming back 0:12:21.000 --> 0:12:21.440 for good? 0:12:21.679 --> 0:12:25.800 Oh man, we would absolutely love it. You know, if 0:12:25.840 --> 0:12:28.280 somebody wants to pay us good money to come back. 0:12:28.360 --> 0:12:33.200 We are here for conversations. For now, we're doing the 0:12:33.240 --> 0:12:38.080 one off live events when people want to have us 0:12:38.080 --> 0:12:40.880 come to their conference, I think we've still got it. 0:12:40.960 --> 0:12:44.160 But you know, we also are really busy in our 0:12:44.200 --> 0:12:47.000 careers and I think unfortunately got to a point where 0:12:47.040 --> 0:12:49.280 we couldn't do the weekly show anymore unless it made 0:12:49.280 --> 0:12:52.840 a little bit more since financially. So if they're financial 0:12:52.880 --> 0:12:54.760 backers out there, come fine. 0:12:54.760 --> 0:12:57.640 All right, Well this is it. iHeart Women's Sports network, 0:12:57.720 --> 0:13:00.840 full of shows about women's sports. You know, maybe we. 0:13:00.800 --> 0:13:05.600 Know someone, maybe someone's listening once, you know, a pretty 0:13:05.640 --> 0:13:07.400 trailblazing show if I do say so much. 0:13:07.600 --> 0:13:10.760 Yeah, well let's talk about that because when the show 0:13:10.840 --> 0:13:13.200 was out there, there wasn't nearly as much content around 0:13:13.240 --> 0:13:16.599 women's sports. There wasn't nearly as much coverage. What have 0:13:16.720 --> 0:13:18.880 you talked about in those live shows when it comes 0:13:18.880 --> 0:13:21.199 to trying to recap the last few years, I mean, 0:13:21.240 --> 0:13:24.600 the current landscape of women's sports journalism and women's sports 0:13:24.640 --> 0:13:28.920 in general has skyrocketed when compared to when you were 0:13:28.920 --> 0:13:32.160 doing that show the first time around. What stands out 0:13:32.160 --> 0:13:34.280 to you about what's changed, both in the sports world 0:13:34.320 --> 0:13:35.400 and also in the coverage of it. 0:13:35.800 --> 0:13:39.920 Yeah, I mean absolutely things have changed as far as 0:13:40.240 --> 0:13:44.920 a lot of ratings valuations. Team valuations is the biggest 0:13:44.960 --> 0:13:48.280 thing that's changed. If you look at we did a 0:13:48.320 --> 0:13:50.600 live show in Portland a few years ago that was 0:13:50.840 --> 0:13:54.840 in the middle of the sale of The Spirit to 0:13:55.000 --> 0:13:57.560 Michelle Kang. I remember we got the news during that 0:13:57.600 --> 0:14:01.800 live show. It was at a soccer supporters group that 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:04.360 that scale had gone through for thirty million dollars, and 0:14:04.400 --> 0:14:07.040 everyone during that live show was just like, that was 0:14:07.120 --> 0:14:11.360 an astronomical number. And here we are three years later, 0:14:11.720 --> 0:14:14.920 you know, with two hundred and fifty million dollar valuations 0:14:14.960 --> 0:14:20.920 for NWSL clubs and WNBA clubs. So that's the biggest thing. 0:14:21.040 --> 0:14:26.280 But I think, honestly, what strikes us is how much 0:14:26.440 --> 0:14:29.880 things are the same as far as so many of 0:14:29.880 --> 0:14:33.400 those conversations that we had. I mean, in our very 0:14:33.440 --> 0:14:39.480 first episodes of Burn It All Down, we talked about racism, 0:14:39.600 --> 0:14:43.640 intersectional coverage of athletes in the WNBA. We talked about 0:14:44.000 --> 0:14:49.600 the anti trans legislation and transphobia and the threat that 0:14:49.760 --> 0:14:54.880 was posing. You know, we've been covering these issues, so 0:14:54.880 --> 0:14:59.840 I think what's what's striking is that the spotlight is bigger, 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:06.120 the checks are bigger, but this has all been here, 0:15:06.240 --> 0:15:09.840 it's all been happening, and I think that's something we're 0:15:09.840 --> 0:15:12.400 both proud of. And it can be a little frustrating 0:15:12.600 --> 0:15:16.400 as well. And you know, you feel like you, just 0:15:17.160 --> 0:15:18.880 as I'm sure you do on this show, you just 0:15:18.960 --> 0:15:22.160 want to yell out every single day like I told 0:15:22.200 --> 0:15:24.160 you so? Like can I just get a T shirt 0:15:24.200 --> 0:15:26.360 that just says I told you so? But that doesn't 0:15:26.360 --> 0:15:28.280 really do any good, but it might make me feel better. 0:15:28.480 --> 0:15:31.680 Okay, So tell everyone about the power Plays newsletter. What 0:15:31.840 --> 0:15:34.360 first inspired you to launch it and what was your 0:15:34.400 --> 0:15:35.960 goal in creating it? Yeah? 0:15:36.000 --> 0:15:40.120 So I had been working at a psite called think Progress, 0:15:40.120 --> 0:15:42.880 where I covered the intersection of sports and politics. Lived 0:15:42.880 --> 0:15:47.000 in Washington, DC. You know, during this was during the 0:15:47.000 --> 0:15:49.240 first Trump administration. It was quite a time to be 0:15:49.280 --> 0:15:53.840 covering that beat. And during my free time, I also 0:15:53.920 --> 0:15:59.080 freelanced in women's sports, primarily on the Washington Mystics beat. 0:16:00.080 --> 0:16:03.560 But what became more and more part of my job 0:16:04.120 --> 0:16:07.000 and what I pushed to cover more and more at 0:16:07.040 --> 0:16:12.320 think Progress was women's sports and the ways that women's 0:16:12.320 --> 0:16:16.120 sports in general just covered every single political issue that 0:16:16.240 --> 0:16:20.160 you needed a lens through, right, It all kind of 0:16:20.240 --> 0:16:25.520 intersected at this point, and since there were fewer people 0:16:25.960 --> 0:16:29.240 covering it, it just became more and more a part 0:16:29.480 --> 0:16:32.160 of what I was doing on a day to day basis. 0:16:32.440 --> 0:16:36.760 When Think Progress was shut down, I got an opportunity 0:16:37.000 --> 0:16:42.400 through substack to launch a newsletter. And when I was 0:16:42.520 --> 0:16:44.560 asked what I wanted to be about, I just wanted 0:16:44.560 --> 0:16:47.320 it to be about women's sports, but it it was 0:16:47.400 --> 0:16:51.760 you know, that's it's a niche, but it's very broadly yes, 0:16:51.840 --> 0:16:55.240 as you know, right, we know that, yes, like people 0:16:55.280 --> 0:16:57.320 true we started, people were like, well enough to talk 0:16:57.360 --> 0:16:57.640 about it. 0:16:57.680 --> 0:17:00.760 I'm like, uh, excuse me, will there'd be enough of 0:17:00.840 --> 0:17:03.360 us and time and minutes to like cover all the 0:17:03.400 --> 0:17:04.200 things that are to talk. 0:17:04.119 --> 0:17:07.960 About, right, Yeah, it's you know, there's so many different 0:17:08.200 --> 0:17:11.800 you know, sections of women's sports. But what really interests 0:17:11.880 --> 0:17:19.520 me is the power dynamics at play, both interpersonal and societal. 0:17:20.600 --> 0:17:22.320 I think sports, at the end of the day, are 0:17:22.440 --> 0:17:26.800 about power, right, They're about attention, about money, about advertising, 0:17:27.800 --> 0:17:32.240 about community, and all of these things are sources of power. 0:17:32.880 --> 0:17:39.520 Why have historically women's sports been so marginalized and you know, 0:17:39.640 --> 0:17:44.359 to the extremes banned by governments for women because they 0:17:44.359 --> 0:17:48.280 were afraid of the power it would give to women. 0:17:49.000 --> 0:17:51.240 And so that's where kind of the name power plays 0:17:51.280 --> 0:17:56.639 came from. And it became my hope to kind of 0:17:56.680 --> 0:18:00.600 look at history of women's sports, the present day of 0:18:00.600 --> 0:18:03.600 women's sports, and the power structures and media coverage of 0:18:03.640 --> 0:18:06.440 that and try and take a big picture of view 0:18:06.760 --> 0:18:08.880 of the growth that was happening. 0:18:09.080 --> 0:18:11.560 What's your process when you're choosing topics to write about? 0:18:11.840 --> 0:18:13.880 Such a good question. The past two months have been 0:18:14.000 --> 0:18:17.600 very slow in the newsletter. I like on the way, 0:18:17.640 --> 0:18:20.080 but we're about to get really going for the summer. 0:18:20.320 --> 0:18:22.640 There's gonna be some specials, There's gonna be a lot 0:18:22.640 --> 0:18:25.639 of news for my loyal subscribers, so stay tuned and 0:18:25.680 --> 0:18:28.120 hopefully some new people to come on board. But it's 0:18:28.200 --> 0:18:32.240 really hard. I have to admit I have ADHD and 0:18:31.359 --> 0:18:38.320 I do not work well by myself. I need infrastructure 0:18:38.480 --> 0:18:40.640 to be really successful, and you don't have that as 0:18:40.640 --> 0:18:43.760 an individual. So a lot of my life is about 0:18:43.880 --> 0:18:47.679 creating infrastructure. It's about working on my mental health and 0:18:47.760 --> 0:18:51.520 physical health. When you work for people and you go 0:18:51.600 --> 0:18:54.000 to an office every day and you have people tell 0:18:54.040 --> 0:18:56.879 you what to do, and the kind of the executive 0:18:56.880 --> 0:18:59.919 functioning part of your job is outsourced a little bit, 0:19:00.440 --> 0:19:03.800 I find that I can be more tired and unhealthy 0:19:04.160 --> 0:19:07.119 and get through the day. But when it's just me, 0:19:08.320 --> 0:19:10.880 I really have to take care of myself in ways 0:19:10.960 --> 0:19:13.639 that I've never had to take care of myself before, 0:19:13.840 --> 0:19:17.399 and so that's interesting to find. But I'm five and 0:19:17.400 --> 0:19:19.080 a half years in this and I don't have the 0:19:19.119 --> 0:19:21.359 exact answers of what my process is, which is probably 0:19:21.359 --> 0:19:24.480 the problem. But I'm always working on three or four 0:19:24.520 --> 0:19:28.800 reported stories at a time. I'm always following all the 0:19:28.840 --> 0:19:33.800 current things that are happening when things are at their peak. 0:19:34.520 --> 0:19:38.119 I'm also doing one or two historical posts per month. 0:19:38.240 --> 0:19:41.199 So I'm you know, keeping up with the calendar of 0:19:41.200 --> 0:19:43.040 the women's sports which is you know, is a full 0:19:43.080 --> 0:19:48.800 time job itself, and looking at what, you know, what 0:19:48.960 --> 0:19:52.720 history I can tie in and what big picture stories 0:19:52.840 --> 0:19:56.080 I can kind of connect together, whether that's through original 0:19:56.119 --> 0:20:00.800 reporting like some pieces I'm working on maybe about the 0:20:00.800 --> 0:20:03.280 North Carolina Courage and kind of what they've been going 0:20:03.320 --> 0:20:07.000 through the past few years, or other stories that are 0:20:07.000 --> 0:20:08.200 in the in the mix that don't want. 0:20:08.040 --> 0:20:11.040 To really talk okay yet you're well, you're welcome to 0:20:11.080 --> 0:20:13.320 break that news here on what you're working for, or. 0:20:13.280 --> 0:20:19.360 Whether it's monitoring media coverage right and adding some context 0:20:19.440 --> 0:20:23.000 to that, whether it's using history, like uh, you know, 0:20:23.080 --> 0:20:25.560 during the Women's Final Four, was really excited that he 0:20:25.680 --> 0:20:28.600 get my friend and Burn All Down co host Jessica 0:20:28.680 --> 0:20:31.719 Luther to share some of her dissertation on Texas women's 0:20:31.760 --> 0:20:34.880 basketball in the History of Texas Women's Basketball, and that's 0:20:34.880 --> 0:20:39.320 when Texas was in the Final four. And so I 0:20:39.359 --> 0:20:47.919 think in that way, I'm always hoping that Power Plays 0:20:48.440 --> 0:20:50.800 isn't going to keep you up to date with everything, 0:20:51.040 --> 0:20:54.320 but I hope it adds context to the biggest women's 0:20:54.359 --> 0:20:57.000 sports stories of the day, and that's the word I 0:20:57.119 --> 0:21:02.040 keep coming back to as my my beacon is context. 0:21:02.400 --> 0:21:05.600 What context can I add that I think is missing 0:21:05.840 --> 0:21:10.320 from the telling of this story. And I think now 0:21:10.359 --> 0:21:14.720 with the way women's sports media coverage is boomy but 0:21:14.960 --> 0:21:19.640 also taking on lives of its own, that isn't always productive, 0:21:21.040 --> 0:21:24.439 I think that context. Although I have doubts about where 0:21:24.680 --> 0:21:28.200 my place in the media ecosystem falls with all the 0:21:28.280 --> 0:21:30.840 changes we've seen, I do think that context is more 0:21:30.840 --> 0:21:31.840 important than ever. 0:21:32.520 --> 0:21:35.119 One thousand percent, and it leads me perfectly to my 0:21:35.160 --> 0:21:37.000 next question, which was about that. One of the things 0:21:37.000 --> 0:21:39.480 that I've respected so much about your work and value 0:21:39.520 --> 0:21:42.200 so much about your work, especially things you dive into 0:21:42.240 --> 0:21:44.239 that I'm not as familiar with, is you're one of 0:21:44.280 --> 0:21:47.040 the couple people that I really follow their work to 0:21:47.160 --> 0:21:53.000