WEBVTT - Black History Year with Shea Butter FC 0:00:01.040 --> 0:00:02.880 Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're going 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:05.640 to need somebody to add the curb your Enthusiasm music 0:00:05.640 --> 0:00:09.280 to that zoom in on Kim Mulky's face from LSU Kentucky. 0:00:08.840 --> 0:00:12.520 The other day. It's Tuesday, February twenty fifth, and on today's. 0:00:12.200 --> 0:00:14.320 Show, we'll be chatting with Sky and Silves of Shade 0:00:14.320 --> 0:00:17.480 Butter FC about their podcast origin story, how to make 0:00:17.520 --> 0:00:19.640 sure black and brown players feel safe and welcome in 0:00:19.720 --> 0:00:23.040 the soccer space, what to expect from this NWSL season, 0:00:23.239 --> 0:00:26.280 and early takeaways from the She Believes Cup, plus at 0:00:26.280 --> 0:00:29.040 All Star Trade, a twenty one year returned to the top, 0:00:29.320 --> 0:00:32.000 and back to back moments of trans joy. It's all 0:00:32.000 --> 0:00:41.320 coming up right after this welcome back slices. Here's what 0:00:41.400 --> 0:00:45.479 you need to know today. Let's start with the WNBA, 0:00:45.520 --> 0:00:48.400 where we've got news of a major trade. The Washington 0:00:48.440 --> 0:00:51.080 Mystics are trading two time All Star Aeriel Atkins to 0:00:51.120 --> 0:00:53.720 the Chicago Sky in exchange for the number three pick 0:00:53.760 --> 0:00:56.960 in the twenty twenty five WNBA Draft. The Mystics also 0:00:57.040 --> 0:00:59.480 received the rights to swap first round picks with Chicago 0:00:59.520 --> 0:01:02.240 in the twenty time twenty seven WNBA Draft. As well 0:01:02.280 --> 0:01:04.839 as the Sky's second round pick in twenty twenty seven. 0:01:05.280 --> 0:01:08.240 This is the first major move we've seen the mystics 0:01:08.240 --> 0:01:11.039 new front office make since general manager Jamila Weideman and 0:01:11.080 --> 0:01:14.080 head coach Sidney Johnson were hired in December. Maybe they 0:01:14.200 --> 0:01:16.360 heard us talking about all the crickets we were hearing 0:01:16.400 --> 0:01:19.520 from the Mystics. Either way, Atkins was drafted to the 0:01:19.560 --> 0:01:21.880 Sticks out of Texas in twenty eighteen and was a 0:01:21.880 --> 0:01:24.360 member of the squad that won a championship a year later. 0:01:24.760 --> 0:01:27.600 There are now no more members of that Mystics title 0:01:27.640 --> 0:01:31.720 team left on the roster. Meish, Mystics are your squad? 0:01:31.840 --> 0:01:33.520 What's your reaction in three words or less? 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:35.560 My fucking chest? 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:42.479 Honestly, I as a sky fan, super psite for Ariel, 0:01:42.600 --> 0:01:44.880 but also a little bit concerned, but how much we're 0:01:44.880 --> 0:01:47.520 giving up to college hoops where we've got lots of 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:50.200 movement in the AP rankings and for the third time 0:01:50.320 --> 0:01:53.400 in three weeks, a different team in the number one spot. 0:01:53.800 --> 0:01:57.200 The team this week Texas, marking the Longhorns first time 0:01:57.240 --> 0:01:59.440 at the top of the AP women's basketball rankings list 0:01:59.720 --> 0:02:01.000 in twenty one years. 0:02:01.680 --> 0:02:03.400 And if you're shocked by them making it to the 0:02:03.400 --> 0:02:04.120 top this year. 0:02:04.400 --> 0:02:06.520 I guess you don't listen to our show enough because 0:02:06.560 --> 0:02:08.520 Friend of the Show and Around the Horn producer Josh 0:02:08.560 --> 0:02:11.800 Bard dropped this bit of knowledge very early in the season. 0:02:12.440 --> 0:02:14.960 The team that I am most I would take interested 0:02:14.960 --> 0:02:16.920 in that I don't here talked about at the time 0:02:17.120 --> 0:02:20.519 the Texas Longhorns. I really liked Madison book On the 0:02:20.520 --> 0:02:23.680 way she played last year. I'm super excited to see 0:02:23.680 --> 0:02:24.200 her back. 0:02:24.840 --> 0:02:27.240 If this were Around the Horn, you'd get a couple points, Josh, 0:02:27.320 --> 0:02:28.799 But this is our show, so we'll just give you 0:02:28.840 --> 0:02:31.720 a little salute. Elsewhere in the rankings, Notre Dame, previously 0:02:31.760 --> 0:02:34.160 in the top spot, dropped to number three after losing 0:02:34.160 --> 0:02:36.280 to NC State on Sunday one oh four to ninety 0:02:36.320 --> 0:02:38.880 five in double overtime that marked the end of the 0:02:38.960 --> 0:02:42.720 Irish's nineteen game winning streak. NC State moved up four 0:02:42.720 --> 0:02:46.120 spots to number nine after that upset. UCLA, which held 0:02:46.160 --> 0:02:48.480 the top spot in the rankings for twelve weeks earlier 0:02:48.520 --> 0:02:50.960 this season but had dropped to number three, moved up 0:02:50.960 --> 0:02:54.120 one spot to number two after barely defeating unranked iOS 0:02:54.160 --> 0:02:57.360 sixty seven sixty five. Another highlight from the weekend included 0:02:57.400 --> 0:03:01.200 number seven LSU defeating Kentucky sixty five fifty eight despite 0:03:01.240 --> 0:03:04.200 the Wildcats Georgia Amore slicing through the d and making 0:03:04.240 --> 0:03:06.600 a sweet pass to Clara Strack for a bucket that 0:03:06.680 --> 0:03:10.440 had Kim Moulke making a face we will never forget. Lord, 0:03:10.600 --> 0:03:12.720 Please never let me be on the receiving end of 0:03:12.720 --> 0:03:14.560 that face for any reason. 0:03:15.200 --> 0:03:16.679 To soccer and the She Believes Cup. 0:03:16.720 --> 0:03:19.280 Sunday saw the US women's national team top Australia two 0:03:19.280 --> 0:03:21.520 to one in Glendale, Arizona, behind a goal from Lynn 0:03:21.520 --> 0:03:24.960 Biandolo formerly Lynn Williams in the very first minute of 0:03:24.960 --> 0:03:27.560 the game and a second half tally from Michelle Cooper, 0:03:27.600 --> 0:03:29.080 her first international goal. 0:03:29.600 --> 0:03:31.519 Now EMA has made a bit of program history in 0:03:31.560 --> 0:03:31.919 this one. 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:34.200 She sent out a brand new eleven for the match, 0:03:34.400 --> 0:03:37.839 swapping out all eleven players who started the win over Columbia. 0:03:37.960 --> 0:03:40.560 It was just the sixth time in seven hundred and 0:03:40.560 --> 0:03:43.520 fifty eight all time matches and the first time since 0:03:43.520 --> 0:03:46.320 two thousand that the US women's national team starting lineup 0:03:46.320 --> 0:03:49.680 featured eleven changes in back to back outings. The US 0:03:49.720 --> 0:03:52.560 will face Japan for the She Believes Cup trophy on Wednesday. 0:03:52.800 --> 0:03:55.400 That'll be at snap Dragon Stadium in San Diego. We'll 0:03:55.400 --> 0:03:57.160 talk a little more, she believes cup later in the 0:03:57.200 --> 0:04:00.720 show with Silves in Sky to Tennis. We mentioned last 0:04:00.720 --> 0:04:02.800 week that Venus Williams was expected to play in her 0:04:02.800 --> 0:04:06.440 first WTA tournament in a year, the BNP Paribus Open 0:04:06.520 --> 0:04:09.680 in Indian Wells, California, after she was granted a wildcard 0:04:09.680 --> 0:04:13.880 for the event. Well not playing anymore or maybe not ever. 0:04:14.520 --> 0:04:17.040 During a speaking engagement in Denmark over the weekend, Williams 0:04:17.080 --> 0:04:18.799 told the crowd she wouldn't be playing in the event. 0:04:18.920 --> 0:04:21.120 Take a listen to what she said via audio captured 0:04:21.120 --> 0:04:22.680 by The Tennis Weekly podcast. 0:04:23.560 --> 0:04:29.480 Yeah. Actually I found the announcement super amusing because I. 0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:32.560 Don't know, people seem to be happy. 0:04:32.040 --> 0:04:33.440 So I was like, maybe I just want to go 0:04:33.600 --> 0:04:33.880 with it. 0:04:34.560 --> 0:04:37.360 I'm not sure not going, I'm going. I'm like, I'm 0:04:37.360 --> 0:04:39.920 going to be like in overseas, I'm not going to 0:04:39.960 --> 0:04:43.080 be here. So I watched it out here. 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:43.840 Thank you. 0:04:44.080 --> 0:04:46.160 I just got to play her texting today too. Can 0:04:46.200 --> 0:04:47.160 you play doubles? 0:04:51.320 --> 0:04:51.480 Uh? 0:04:51.600 --> 0:04:52.440 Yeah, yep. 0:04:52.480 --> 0:04:55.200 We sounded happy Venus because we were because we wanted 0:04:55.200 --> 0:04:59.039 to see you play again. Hilarious about someone texting her, Yeah, 0:04:59.040 --> 0:04:59.880 you want to have pop in on. 0:05:00.760 --> 0:05:02.480 No, I'm not going to be there to. 0:05:02.440 --> 0:05:04.640 The PWHL where we've got a battle between the top 0:05:04.640 --> 0:05:07.520 two teams tonight, the top ranked Montreal Victoire hosting the 0:05:07.560 --> 0:05:10.320 Toronto Scepters for what should be a good battle. When 0:05:10.360 --> 0:05:12.960 these two teams met last month, it went to a shootout, 0:05:12.960 --> 0:05:15.360 with Montreal going on to nab the win. Now, if 0:05:15.400 --> 0:05:17.839 Toronto pulls out the w in regulation, they'll move to 0:05:17.920 --> 0:05:20.599 the top of the standings, a huge turnaround after a 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:23.000 rough start to the season. That game gets underway at 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:25.279 seven thirty Eastern. We'll link to tune in info in 0:05:25.360 --> 0:05:28.960 the show. Notes to Track and Field. US Indoor Nationals 0:05:28.960 --> 0:05:30.919 were this past weekend, and friend of the show Nicki 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:33.440 Hilts ran away with both the fifteen hundred meters and 0:05:33.520 --> 0:05:36.200 three thousand meter titles. In doing so, they became the 0:05:36.200 --> 0:05:39.840 first American to win five consecutive fifteen hundred meter national titles, 0:05:40.040 --> 0:05:43.599 a record that includes both indoor and outdoor nationals. With 0:05:43.680 --> 0:05:46.680 the results, Hilts qualified for the upcoming Indoor World Champs 0:05:46.680 --> 0:05:49.599 in Nanjing, China, but the twenty twenty four Olympians said 0:05:49.600 --> 0:05:52.520 they'll skip that competition to focus on the outdoor season. 0:05:52.920 --> 0:05:55.719 Hilts dedicated their wins to the trans community, writing on 0:05:55.800 --> 0:05:58.760 Instagram quote, as a national champion of a country so 0:05:59.200 --> 0:06:02.279 hyper fixated on hurting trans people at the moment, I 0:06:02.320 --> 0:06:04.960 want to dedicate these winds to the trans community. I 0:06:04.960 --> 0:06:07.920 couldn't be more proud to be non binary. Knowing I'm 0:06:07.920 --> 0:06:10.000 a part of such a beautiful community of trans and 0:06:10.080 --> 0:06:12.840 queer resistance fills me with so much pride and gives 0:06:12.880 --> 0:06:15.359 me strength on the start line. May this weekend be 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:19.040 proof that we exist. We aren't going anywhere, and nobody 0:06:19.160 --> 0:06:23.279 can ban trans joy end quote. Way to go, Niki. 0:06:23.400 --> 0:06:26.000 We're taking so much joy from your winds too, especially 0:06:26.040 --> 0:06:27.040 when you cross the finish line. 0:06:27.080 --> 0:06:31.520 Muggin for the cameras. We love that, all right. We 0:06:31.560 --> 0:06:33.200 got to take a quick break when we come back. 0:06:33.240 --> 0:06:35.360 We caught it with Sky and Silves from Shade butter 0:06:35.440 --> 0:06:38.520 FC yesterday. Dot Combo is next to stick around slices. 0:06:46.240 --> 0:06:48.159 It's time for another group chat where we take the 0:06:48.200 --> 0:06:51.000 tea from the text and we put it on the airwaves. 0:06:51.120 --> 0:06:54.120 Joining us from Shaye butter FC. She's an engineer from 0:06:54.120 --> 0:06:57.000 Southwest Atlanta who grew up playing soccer at the YMCA 0:06:57.080 --> 0:06:59.040 and in high school and continued to be a fan 0:06:59.120 --> 0:07:01.280 of soccer as a viewer, but didn't see too many 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:03.640 folks who look like her. She cares about amplifying the 0:07:03.680 --> 0:07:06.200 voices of marginalized folks, especially black women, and wants to 0:07:06.200 --> 0:07:08.920 help build community to dismantle the barriers that made it 0:07:08.960 --> 0:07:11.320 hard for her to flourish in soccer when she was younger. 0:07:11.480 --> 0:07:14.640 It's sky what's up, Sky Up? 0:07:15.160 --> 0:07:16.520 You've got the whole buyout? 0:07:16.640 --> 0:07:18.520 Oh, that's right. 0:07:19.600 --> 0:07:22.160 Joining her, She's a higher education professional who lives in 0:07:22.200 --> 0:07:23.120 the Pacific Northwest. 0:07:23.160 --> 0:07:24.560 She was raised in Central Virginia. 0:07:24.640 --> 0:07:26.720 She's a child of the ninety nine ers, and her 0:07:26.760 --> 0:07:28.440 goal is to give a voice to those that often 0:07:28.480 --> 0:07:30.720 go unheard in the game and to infuse soccer in 0:07:30.760 --> 0:07:33.720 the States with the culture it has often excluded. 0:07:33.840 --> 0:07:35.640 It's Silves, what's up selves? 0:07:36.000 --> 0:07:37.680 That's so nice? Thank you? What's up? 0:07:38.080 --> 0:07:38.320 Yeah? 0:07:38.360 --> 0:07:40.320 We got the Shade butter FC crew here. 0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:43.240 And I want to start by asking, like, how did 0:07:43.240 --> 0:07:45.080 you decide to create this podcast s? Guy? 0:07:45.120 --> 0:07:47.760 What was the impetus for it? Well? 0:07:47.800 --> 0:07:52.480 I think me and Silves met virtually online in twenty twenty, 0:07:52.520 --> 0:07:52.920 is that right? 0:07:52.920 --> 0:07:53.240 Soils? 0:07:53.320 --> 0:07:53.520 Yeah? 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:54.240 Oh good? 0:07:54.600 --> 0:07:58.480 Pandemic in Pandemic, and I know for me at the time, 0:07:59.080 --> 0:08:02.960 you know, I had just gotten back into like paying 0:08:03.080 --> 0:08:07.320 attention to soccer. I used to watch it ridiculously and 0:08:07.360 --> 0:08:10.120 like you said, like you pointed out and reading my bio. Uh, 0:08:10.400 --> 0:08:11.760 I didn't fall in love with the game until I 0:08:11.760 --> 0:08:13.680 got to college and I saw the game with people 0:08:14.480 --> 0:08:16.920 who look like me, and I could see the culture 0:08:17.000 --> 0:08:19.560 and the vibes. So you know, I was getting back 0:08:19.600 --> 0:08:22.440 into it pandemic stuck at home online all the time, 0:08:22.760 --> 0:08:26.040 and I ran and cross paths with Sells, and I know, 0:08:27.240 --> 0:08:29.480 you know, around the time we interacted, we were like, oh, 0:08:29.520 --> 0:08:31.680 this should potentially start a podcast, but we didn't know 0:08:31.680 --> 0:08:35.120 what that looked like. And then Lo and Behol we 0:08:35.120 --> 0:08:38.640 would talk have takes online back and forth. And then 0:08:39.040 --> 0:08:43.000 Grego from Florida Culture United, he saw us interacting and 0:08:43.040 --> 0:08:44.280 he like hopped in our dms and. 0:08:44.320 --> 0:08:45.319 Was like, do y'all know each other? 0:08:45.480 --> 0:08:48.600 Y'all just started podcast And so that's how it got started. 0:08:49.400 --> 0:08:50.800 Shout out to a meddling man. 0:08:51.400 --> 0:08:58.240 Yeah, I's yeah, and so suggested you know, we had 0:08:58.240 --> 0:09:01.960 talked about we could potentially do it this like put 0:09:02.000 --> 0:09:04.240 stuff together. We happed on a few shows and then 0:09:04.280 --> 0:09:07.360 we worked it out and then eventually the Farest podcast. 0:09:07.720 --> 0:09:09.800 Okay, so selves, how long did you guys do the 0:09:09.840 --> 0:09:11.120 podcast before you met in person? 0:09:11.160 --> 0:09:14.280 The first time was the first time we met the 0:09:14.600 --> 0:09:16.199 Seattle Courtly game. 0:09:16.720 --> 0:09:17.280 Yeah in person? 0:09:17.440 --> 0:09:21.120 Yeah, yeah, Seattle. We went to that doubleheader, So maybe 0:09:21.280 --> 0:09:23.640 we started in April. So that was like August. 0:09:24.000 --> 0:09:26.559 Oh, that's not bad people who literally are at it 0:09:26.600 --> 0:09:28.680 for a couple of years before they they end up 0:09:28.679 --> 0:09:30.679 in the same place selves, What did you think was 0:09:30.760 --> 0:09:34.080 missing in the space, Like, obviously during the whole twenty 0:09:34.160 --> 0:09:36.480 twenty lockdown, it didn't take much to get people to 0:09:36.559 --> 0:09:40.000 feel like content was needed from their mouths, but I 0:09:40.120 --> 0:09:42.160 think you guys probably had a little. 0:09:41.920 --> 0:09:44.520 Bit more intention with what you wanted to create that 0:09:44.679 --> 0:09:46.520 there was something missing. What was it? 0:09:47.120 --> 0:09:51.600 I think us right, just the the culture, the culture 0:09:51.640 --> 0:09:54.240 of sports that I grew up around. I you know, 0:09:54.320 --> 0:09:57.199 went to a probably black high school. I didn't have soccer, 0:09:57.320 --> 0:10:00.200 we didn't have money, so it was very much much 0:10:00.240 --> 0:10:02.559 considered an affluent sport. It's not something that we did. 0:10:02.679 --> 0:10:04.800 And so when I looked around, I just didn't see 0:10:04.840 --> 0:10:06.959 a lot of people that looked like me. And like 0:10:07.040 --> 0:10:09.079 you said, it not my bio. I'm a child of 0:10:09.160 --> 0:10:11.680 the ninety nine ers, right, like the summer of ninety 0:10:11.760 --> 0:10:14.280 nine in general changed my life. Between that and Serena 0:10:14.320 --> 0:10:17.079 winning her first major, you know, it was sort of 0:10:17.120 --> 0:10:20.720 like you could be it as a teenager. But sincerely, 0:10:20.720 --> 0:10:22.280 we didn't see a lot of players that looked like us, 0:10:22.320 --> 0:10:24.880 and if we did, they were very much pigeonholed into 0:10:24.960 --> 0:10:27.120 pace and power to a phrase to get to used 0:10:27.120 --> 0:10:29.840 a lot, and just sort of acknowledge for their athleticism 0:10:29.880 --> 0:10:31.960 and not their intelligence. And there was just so few 0:10:32.600 --> 0:10:35.120 that there wasn't a diversity of opinion, and people couldn't 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:38.280 see these different talents. And you know, I knew working 0:10:38.480 --> 0:10:40.760 with younger people. I had worked with student athletes, I 0:10:40.800 --> 0:10:43.319 had worked with young lack women who played soccer, and 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:48.520 just sort of seeing what was missing from the explanation 0:10:48.600 --> 0:10:50.959 of their game and what it meant to them and us. 0:10:51.120 --> 0:10:54.160 The rhythm of us, the movement of us, how we 0:10:54.240 --> 0:10:56.280 talk about sports, all of it was just missing, and 0:10:56.360 --> 0:10:59.000 so we wanted to bring that to the game if 0:10:59.040 --> 0:10:59.320 we could. 0:11:00.160 --> 0:11:02.360 Yeah, I mean, it feels very clear that the way 0:11:02.400 --> 0:11:05.080 we talk about sports with predominantly black athletes is very 0:11:05.120 --> 0:11:08.560 different than sports with predominantly white athletes across the men's 0:11:08.600 --> 0:11:11.079 and women's space. You talk about pace and power in 0:11:11.200 --> 0:11:15.600 a sport like baseball, it's always a very different way 0:11:15.640 --> 0:11:17.559 you talk about the white players and the black players. 0:11:17.600 --> 0:11:18.679 In a sport like football. 0:11:18.760 --> 0:11:21.760 The white guys that are fast are always like scrappy, Yes, 0:11:21.960 --> 0:11:28.199 scrappy and surprisingly athletic a Belichick receiver, right, Yeah, So 0:11:28.600 --> 0:11:31.120 you know sky with more players of color in US soccer, 0:11:31.200 --> 0:11:34.480 from the US one's national team to the NWSL, do 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:37.480 you feel like the soccer culture has changed with the 0:11:37.600 --> 0:11:41.640 changing rosters or if it hasn't, what work still needs 0:11:41.640 --> 0:11:44.120 to be done to reflect the diversity that now exists 0:11:44.160 --> 0:11:45.680 that maybe wasn't there when you were growing up. 0:11:46.600 --> 0:11:48.400 I think it still has a long way to go. 0:11:48.800 --> 0:11:52.640 While you know there's now more exposure in the syst 0:11:52.679 --> 0:11:55.000 that you have stuff on TV, but you still have 0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:57.720 to pay for TV. I think we as a country 0:11:57.920 --> 0:12:00.760 miss the reality that soccer's bason can unity and culture, 0:12:01.160 --> 0:12:03.120 and so it's still coming from a place of affluence, 0:12:04.440 --> 0:12:07.520 and the barriers of access help have effectively impacted what 0:12:07.600 --> 0:12:10.920 the infrastructure is, whether it's media, whether it's how people 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:14.160 are protected to like even how people ingested, right, you know, 0:12:14.720 --> 0:12:17.400 going to all I'm always reminded of a couple of things. 0:12:17.400 --> 0:12:21.360 When we went to championships, that NWSL championship games, people 0:12:21.360 --> 0:12:22.440 are always like, you know. 0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:24.640 Why are you supporting? 0:12:24.760 --> 0:12:26.240 Why are you why do you have a podcast for 0:12:26.280 --> 0:12:29.880 a white sport, a predominantly rich white people sport. And 0:12:29.960 --> 0:12:32.280 then you know there's this when you have that, when 0:12:32.320 --> 0:12:35.400 you've had like this barrier of access for hundreds of years, 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:39.439 people have like this like visceral reaction of like I'm 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:40.880 not gonna touch that sport because it's not for me, 0:12:41.080 --> 0:12:43.920 including white people. And so it's like, I think a 0:12:44.000 --> 0:12:46.480 big part of this is, you know, how do we 0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:49.080 make it more accessible, How do we get people empowered 0:12:49.160 --> 0:12:51.439 to feel connected to the game, and how are we 0:12:51.480 --> 0:12:55.199 welcoming the cultures different people and even get into the 0:12:55.240 --> 0:12:57.840 mindset of soccer's gonna look different when everybody can access 0:12:57.840 --> 0:12:58.280 it and touch it. 0:12:59.520 --> 0:13:01.640 So in that vein, I think we still have a 0:13:01.720 --> 0:13:02.199 long way to go. 0:13:02.920 --> 0:13:05.319 There has to be we can't like not have conversations 0:13:05.320 --> 0:13:07.240 about growing the game and just have it based in 0:13:07.320 --> 0:13:11.080 feminism and dismantling sexism. I mean, we got to talk 0:13:11.080 --> 0:13:13.640 about whit supremacy, and then coming back to racism, because 0:13:13.679 --> 0:13:16.400 that's all in the grains of the sport, right, and 0:13:16.520 --> 0:13:19.640 that's impacted everything in the process. So we still have 0:13:19.760 --> 0:13:22.439 a long way to go in terms of like making 0:13:22.520 --> 0:13:27.079 it welcoming so that people feel included. You know, are you, 0:13:27.200 --> 0:13:29.679 even as a team, marketing the players, I mean not 0:13:29.840 --> 0:13:32.240 beyond the players, but are you marketing the fans? Are 0:13:32.320 --> 0:13:35.080 you marketing to the different people in the communities you playing, 0:13:35.920 --> 0:13:38.600 particularly as a lot of NWSL teams playing in either 0:13:38.840 --> 0:13:41.960 pronominally black cities are largely black cities. Are you connecting 0:13:42.000 --> 0:13:45.920 with those different communities and cultures For people who aren't 0:13:45.920 --> 0:13:47.679 connected to the game, what are you doing to try 0:13:47.720 --> 0:13:49.640 to get them connected to people who look like them 0:13:50.200 --> 0:13:51.199 and feel in love the game? 0:13:51.280 --> 0:13:52.040 To get them connected? 0:13:52.080 --> 0:13:53.840 That's how I got fell in love with the game, 0:13:53.880 --> 0:13:58.640 you know, And so that those aspects in terms of 0:13:58.800 --> 0:14:02.120 like including culture and race and being real about those 0:14:02.160 --> 0:14:04.720 conversations and not just patting ourselves on the back because 0:14:05.160 --> 0:14:08.319 we got a deal or renown on TV taking those 0:14:08.400 --> 0:14:12.199 next steps. But then also as we're having more people 0:14:12.240 --> 0:14:15.240 of color, more black players, more brown players on teams, 0:14:15.840 --> 0:14:17.920 what are we doing to help them and protect them? 0:14:18.120 --> 0:14:21.440 Because a lot of the sport is still predominantly white, right, 0:14:22.040 --> 0:14:25.200 And are people being real about, you know, doing the 0:14:25.280 --> 0:14:28.280 work and make sure they're being real about their unconscious 0:14:28.280 --> 0:14:31.040 and conscious biases. Are they having the conversations and being 0:14:31.080 --> 0:14:34.480 welcoming or are people having to coast which I fumbled 0:14:34.520 --> 0:14:36.560 their way through the game that just exists. 0:14:36.800 --> 0:14:39.080 So yeah, yeah, I mean I think obviously that goes 0:14:39.160 --> 0:14:43.760 beyond just like media coverage or things like that. It 0:14:43.840 --> 0:14:46.280 also goes to leadership, right, And we've seen some teams 0:14:46.360 --> 0:14:48.160 that seem to be aware of that from the jump. 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:50.440 Like I thought Angel City did a really nice job 0:14:50.680 --> 0:14:53.000 before they had a single player on their roster, they 0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:57.560 already had supporters groups for different backgrounds in Los Angeles, 0:14:57.720 --> 0:15:00.480 understanding that they might reach out differently to the Latin community. 0:15:00.800 --> 0:15:04.080 Then the mothers bringing their kids to the game community, right, 0:15:04.120 --> 0:15:07.360 And they did a really smart job of finding those 0:15:07.400 --> 0:15:09.960 spaces before they ever had a game. And then there's 0:15:09.960 --> 0:15:12.440 other teams where it feels like they're really not understanding 0:15:12.520 --> 0:15:15.000 the potential for growth, the opportunity to bring in a 0:15:15.080 --> 0:15:15.440 new fan. 0:15:15.920 --> 0:15:17.400 They figure if they're not there yet. 0:15:17.400 --> 0:15:19.240 I remember being with the Red Stars and asking like, 0:15:19.360 --> 0:15:22.960 do we have any intentional outreach for the Latin community 0:15:23.040 --> 0:15:25.840 in Chicago, and they would show statistics and say that 0:15:25.880 --> 0:15:27.960 there was a high percentage of those fans that went 0:15:28.000 --> 0:15:31.480 to Chicago Fire games and were MLS fans, but weren't 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:33.080 fans of the women's side, and they chalked it up 0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:37.560 to a cultural opinion about women versus men in sport. 0:15:37.680 --> 0:15:40.280 And it felt like such a cop out to say 0:15:40.440 --> 0:15:42.280 we can't go get them or find a way to 0:15:42.320 --> 0:15:43.040 appeal to them. 0:15:43.040 --> 0:15:46.000 They just aren't interested. It felt like every possible excuse 0:15:46.040 --> 0:15:47.440 for like why aren't there any women here? Oh, they 0:15:47.440 --> 0:15:48.280 don't want these jobs? 0:15:48.280 --> 0:15:49.920 And it's like, wait a minute, hold on, let's see 0:15:49.920 --> 0:15:53.200 where this pipeline slash outreach is failing. So Silves, does 0:15:53.280 --> 0:15:56.040 it feel like it's easy for y'all, particularly because this 0:15:56.200 --> 0:15:58.040 is such an intentional part of what you do in 0:15:58.120 --> 0:16:01.600 your podcast and your social commentary to look at different 0:16:01.600 --> 0:16:04.440 teams across the NWSL and say like they get it 0:16:04.640 --> 0:16:05.760 or they're not even trying. 0:16:07.240 --> 0:16:11.280 Yes, right, I So everything I've done sort of outside 0:16:11.320 --> 0:16:14.280 of this space, lets me talk about the space in 0:16:14.320 --> 0:16:16.560 a different way. I'm coming. I'm coming from sort of 0:16:16.600 --> 0:16:20.240 a social sciences and educators perspective. I've worked with young 0:16:20.320 --> 0:16:23.720 black students for over a decade, so this is the 0:16:23.800 --> 0:16:25.920 age group. There's so many young players coming and I'm like, 0:16:25.960 --> 0:16:27.680 those are the kids I've worked with all the time, 0:16:27.720 --> 0:16:31.560 and I say kids, I'm sorry, young adults, but I 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:34.680 feel older every day because the players are getting younger. 0:16:34.800 --> 0:16:37.640 But yeah, I think you can definitely pinpoint. I think 0:16:37.920 --> 0:16:39.520 to your point, I am in Los Angeles, but I 0:16:39.560 --> 0:16:43.280 think they've done very well in terms of reaching out 0:16:43.320 --> 0:16:46.640 to those diverse communities, and it's consistent and it takes 0:16:47.400 --> 0:16:50.320 you know, work and building around that and building you know, 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:53.720 positions around that, understanding from the top down, this is 0:16:53.800 --> 0:16:55.360 what you want, this is the buy and you want. 0:16:55.440 --> 0:16:57.560 And I will say that for them, they've done a 0:16:57.640 --> 0:16:59.400 really good job. I think there's a handful of teams 0:16:59.440 --> 0:17:01.240 I see DC you really kind of step it up 0:17:01.920 --> 0:17:03.840 in the past year or two and really doing fan 0:17:03.960 --> 0:17:06.639 outreach and trying to be more intentional and diverse. I 0:17:06.680 --> 0:17:09.280 think they had like an HBCU ban Night, like those 0:17:09.400 --> 0:17:12.280 kind of things that really I think are easy wins. 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:14.400 And I think for a lot of the teams, they're 0:17:14.440 --> 0:17:17.040 in those markets where you can find those easy wins. 0:17:17.119 --> 0:17:20.320 We went to Kansas City, obviously for a championship weekend, 0:17:20.440 --> 0:17:22.680 and look at all the black history there. Right, we 0:17:22.800 --> 0:17:25.000 got to go to the you know, for me, one 0:17:25.040 --> 0:17:26.560 of the highlights of my life. I got to go 0:17:26.600 --> 0:17:29.080 to the Negro League Baseball Museum. I'm a baseball girl 0:17:29.720 --> 0:17:32.280 at heart, and so really going there and just kind 0:17:32.320 --> 0:17:34.200 of geeking out. But having all of those things be 0:17:34.320 --> 0:17:37.399 connected to this event, I think moments like that are 0:17:37.440 --> 0:17:40.760 a really good chance for teams and the league itself, right. 0:17:41.560 --> 0:17:43.560 I think the league has work to do, right. I 0:17:43.680 --> 0:17:46.359 think when you talk about both of the reports that 0:17:46.400 --> 0:17:48.560 came out, both the Gates report and then the combined 0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:52.360 report with the League and the PA, racism, particularly anti 0:17:52.400 --> 0:17:55.520 black racism, was a point of emphasis in those reports 0:17:55.600 --> 0:17:59.600 and how it's not being handled well, and part of 0:17:59.680 --> 0:18:03.439 that is reaching out to those communities. Being inclusive. Soccer 0:18:03.600 --> 0:18:05.480 is for everyone, or football if you want to do 0:18:05.520 --> 0:18:08.200 it though, way, it's for everyone. Right, It's not supposed 0:18:08.200 --> 0:18:10.119 to be an exclusive sport. It's supposed to be an 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:13.000 inclusive sport. And so what are we doing day in 0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:16.560 and day out, team to team, but also across the 0:18:16.680 --> 0:18:19.320 league and across even our federation, what are we doing 0:18:19.800 --> 0:18:22.359 to make sure that that's the case. And I still 0:18:22.400 --> 0:18:24.520 think there's way more work to be done. But you know, 0:18:24.640 --> 0:18:26.800