WEBVTT - No Place Like Nebraska with Jen Karson-Strauss 0:00:00.720 --> 0:00:03.279 Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're wondering 0:00:03.320 --> 0:00:06.760 if the greatest love story Never told should have actually 0:00:06.760 --> 0:00:12.480 been you know, never told, Rip benefit Jafleck see you for. 0:00:12.480 --> 0:00:13.640 Around three in a couple of years. 0:00:14.320 --> 0:00:16.319 On today's show, we'll take you behind the scenes of 0:00:16.320 --> 0:00:19.720 the upcoming E sixty volleyball doc No Place Like Nebraska, 0:00:19.760 --> 0:00:23.400 with director and producer Jen Carson Strauss, plus a slew 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:26.360 of NWSL and WNBA games to keep an eye on 0:00:26.400 --> 0:00:29.680 this weekend, a super weird flex from producer Alex and 0:00:29.840 --> 0:00:32.400 we answer a great question from one of you little slices. 0:00:32.680 --> 0:00:34.040 It's all coming up right after this. 0:00:39.400 --> 0:00:41.280 Welcome back, my little Laune slices. 0:00:41.320 --> 0:00:42.640 Here's what you need to know today. 0:00:44.720 --> 0:00:48.360 The NWSL made a big announcement on Thursday, a historic 0:00:48.479 --> 0:00:51.800 new CBA extending the current deal through twenty thirty with 0:00:51.880 --> 0:00:53.560 some major new benefits for the players. 0:00:53.800 --> 0:00:55.160 Here's a couple of the highlights. 0:00:55.440 --> 0:00:59.960 One, the college Draft and much despised Expansion Draft both 0:01:00.120 --> 0:01:03.080 are gone. Instead, players will now have autonomy to decide 0:01:03.080 --> 0:01:06.000 which team is the best fit and negotiate with teams individually. 0:01:06.360 --> 0:01:09.200 Two free agency for all players used to have to 0:01:09.240 --> 0:01:12.240 play multiple seasons before earning the right to become free agents. 0:01:12.480 --> 0:01:14.720 Now all players will be free agents as soon as 0:01:14.720 --> 0:01:16.320 their current contract expires. 0:01:16.920 --> 0:01:17.320 Three. 0:01:17.680 --> 0:01:21.280 No more trades without player consent beginning next year. Just 0:01:21.319 --> 0:01:23.560 earlier this week, we told you about that Seattle Louisville 0:01:23.600 --> 0:01:26.840 trade that resulted in Bethany Balser and Jalen Howell needing 0:01:26.840 --> 0:01:30.639 to uproot their lives, both players expressing surprise over the news. 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:33.360 Will starting with next season, teams will no longer be 0:01:33.400 --> 0:01:36.680 able to make trades unless a player approves it. There's 0:01:36.760 --> 0:01:39.200 way more to it than that, from increases in minimum 0:01:39.200 --> 0:01:42.040 salaries to revenue sharing, So stay tuned for a deep 0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:44.759 dive next week with the folks who made the deal happen. 0:01:45.040 --> 0:01:48.080 That's going to be great meantime on the pitch. After 0:01:48.120 --> 0:01:52.800 a lengthy Olympic break, NWSL regular season games resume this weekend. 0:01:53.000 --> 0:01:55.400 Here are a couple to watch for tonight at seven 0:01:55.440 --> 0:01:59.320 pm Eastern on Prime Video Houston Dash versus Orlando Pride 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:01.320 The Pride or A eleven five and Oh can they 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:05.440 keep that success alive post Olympic break. Then Saturday, two 0:02:05.520 --> 0:02:08.200 thirty pm Eastern on CBS New York, New Jersey, Gotham 0:02:08.280 --> 0:02:12.080 FC versus Portland Thorns. Eight gold medal winning players from 0:02:12.120 --> 0:02:14.400 the Paris Olympics are expected to take the field in 0:02:14.440 --> 0:02:17.399 this matchup between two top five teams in the NWSL. 0:02:17.680 --> 0:02:18.840 This is a must watch. 0:02:19.520 --> 0:02:22.720 San Diego Wave versus Angel CITYFC also Saturday, that at 0:02:22.720 --> 0:02:25.560 four thirty pm Eastern on CBS our first look at 0:02:25.600 --> 0:02:27.520 Landon Donovan as head coach of the Wave in a 0:02:27.560 --> 0:02:31.120 regular season game, and two teams tied with fifteen points 0:02:31.160 --> 0:02:34.800 battling for the final playoff spot. Finally, Washington Spirit versus 0:02:34.919 --> 0:02:38.400 KC Current Sunday at twelve eastern on CBS sports Net, 0:02:38.480 --> 0:02:41.359 number three and number two in the standings facing off 0:02:41.360 --> 0:02:44.960 in a blockbuster in DC on the Links. The LPGA 0:02:45.120 --> 0:02:49.200 AIG Women's Open began yesterday in Airshire, Scotland, with a 0:02:49.240 --> 0:02:51.200 massive amount of money on the line for the winner 0:02:51.280 --> 0:02:52.200 one point. 0:02:51.919 --> 0:02:54.359 Four to two five million dollars. 0:02:54.880 --> 0:02:56.920 You heard that right, That's the highest amount in the 0:02:56.919 --> 0:03:01.080 AIG Women's Open's forty eight year Historying Coughlin, the American 0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:03.320 who won the Scottish Open last week and has won 0:03:03.400 --> 0:03:06.040 two of her last three starts. She's in the field 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:08.440 of players looking to keep up her momentum, so as 0:03:08.520 --> 0:03:11.880 Paris twenty twenty four gold medalist Lydia Coe to hoops. 0:03:11.880 --> 0:03:14.639 On Wednesday night, Tina Charles became the second all time 0:03:14.680 --> 0:03:18.480 leading scorer in WNBA history. She's now at seven four 0:03:18.560 --> 0:03:21.880 hundred and ninety one points. Charles had twelve points, seventeen rebounds, 0:03:21.919 --> 0:03:23.839 and the Dreams win over the Mercury to pass Hall 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:27.040 of Famer Tina Thompson on the list. On the opposite 0:03:27.080 --> 0:03:29.440 side of the court that night, the woman who still 0:03:29.520 --> 0:03:32.760 leads the league, Diana Tarassi, by quite a margin too. 0:03:33.080 --> 0:03:36.160 Dt sits at ten five hundred points and she's adding 0:03:36.200 --> 0:03:39.080 to her total every game. Charles spoke of her admiration 0:03:39.200 --> 0:03:42.040 for fellow Yukon Husky Tarassi quote, just to hear my 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:45.160 name in the same sentence as Diana is just unimaginable. 0:03:45.400 --> 0:03:47.480 What she has meant to me personally and this league. 0:03:47.600 --> 0:03:48.240 Her impact. 0:03:48.520 --> 0:03:51.200 She's definitely the goat, and I'm just thankful. It was 0:03:51.320 --> 0:03:53.840 very cool to watch the two embrace and then compete 0:03:53.880 --> 0:03:57.240 on Wednesday. There's plenty of WNBA action on tap this weekend. 0:03:57.320 --> 0:03:59.520 We got some more matchups you should look for. First up, 0:03:59.840 --> 0:04:02.560 got the Las Vegas Aces at the Minnesota Lynks tonight 0:04:02.600 --> 0:04:06.000 at nine thirty Eastern. That's on Ion and League Pass. 0:04:06.400 --> 0:04:08.880 These teams squared off on Wednesday and Vegas Minnesota pulled 0:04:08.920 --> 0:04:11.560 away with a ninety eight eighty seven road win. Courtney 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:14.400 Williams was given the Aces nightmares with her mid range 0:04:14.440 --> 0:04:17.680 jumper and her near triple double, and Ace's head coach 0:04:17.720 --> 0:04:20.359 Becky Hammond was not pleased with her team defense in 0:04:20.400 --> 0:04:20.920 that one. 0:04:21.120 --> 0:04:22.280 Can they adjust tonight? 0:04:22.920 --> 0:04:24.720 Moving on, we got the New York Liberty hosting the 0:04:24.720 --> 0:04:28.480 Connecticut Suns Saturday, seven pm Eastern on League Pass. Their 0:04:28.560 --> 0:04:31.360 number one and number two respectively in the league standings, 0:04:31.560 --> 0:04:33.800 and New York has a three and a half game cushion. 0:04:34.120 --> 0:04:36.320 Both teams are playing well, but Connecticut has struggled on 0:04:36.320 --> 0:04:38.480 the road a bit this season. Will their road woes 0:04:38.560 --> 0:04:41.680 continue in that one? Saturday at eight pm Eastern onn 0:04:41.760 --> 0:04:44.520 League Pass, we got Indiana Fever at the Minnesota Lynks, 0:04:44.839 --> 0:04:47.520 and one of the greatest players in WNBA history will 0:04:47.560 --> 0:04:49.720 be honored during the game. The Links are going to 0:04:49.760 --> 0:04:52.719 retire Maya Moore's number twenty three jersey at Target Center. 0:04:52.960 --> 0:04:55.039 She'll be the fifth player in Link's history to have 0:04:55.080 --> 0:04:58.760 her number retired, joining Lindsay Waylan, Rebecca Brunson, Simone Augustus, 0:04:58.800 --> 0:05:02.600 and Sylvia Fowls. It's super poetic that Caitlin Clark and 0:05:02.640 --> 0:05:04.240 the Fever are going to be in the arena for 0:05:04.279 --> 0:05:07.640 this one because Clark grew up idolizing Maya Moore. This 0:05:07.680 --> 0:05:10.400 is a perfect time for a little mini yes and moment. 0:05:10.640 --> 0:05:16.320 Yes and Yes, Caitlin Clark is incredible and helps draw 0:05:16.440 --> 0:05:19.839 enormous crowds and attention to the WNBA. Yes, she is 0:05:19.839 --> 0:05:21.880 one of the best rookies this league has ever seen, 0:05:22.520 --> 0:05:27.080 and Maya Moore is simply her the blueprint. She helped 0:05:27.120 --> 0:05:29.520 lead Minnesota to a championship her very first year in 0:05:29.560 --> 0:05:31.960 the league and one Rookie of the Year, and then 0:05:32.000 --> 0:05:35.440 proceeded to win three more rings League MVP Finals MVP. 0:05:35.960 --> 0:05:38.360 Oh and by the way, she helped exonerate her now husband, 0:05:38.440 --> 0:05:40.640 who is incarcerated for more than two decades on a 0:05:40.640 --> 0:05:41.440 wrongful conviction. 0:05:41.880 --> 0:05:43.960 I mean, what can't she do? I could list stuff 0:05:44.000 --> 0:05:44.480 all day. 0:05:44.960 --> 0:05:48.520 So Yes, let's keep celebrating the amazing performance Kitlyn is 0:05:48.560 --> 0:05:52.200 putting together. And let's remember she's not the first rookie 0:05:52.200 --> 0:05:57.719 phenom this league has ever seen. Yes, and while we're talking, 0:05:57.880 --> 0:06:01.000 WNBA pretty cool. The Sky sent few players to the 0:06:01.080 --> 0:06:04.600 DNC in Chicago this week. Team owner Michael Alter coordinated 0:06:04.600 --> 0:06:07.279 passes for Elizabeth Williams, Brianna Turner, and MICHAELA. 0:06:07.279 --> 0:06:08.520 Oyanwere to attend. 0:06:08.800 --> 0:06:11.479 They saw speeches from Barack and Michelle Obama, they saw 0:06:11.520 --> 0:06:14.680 the official confirmation of a black woman as the Democratic 0:06:14.720 --> 0:06:18.680 presidential nominee, and they were moved by the experience. Oyanwere 0:06:18.760 --> 0:06:22.159 told the Chicago Tribunes Julia Poe quote, it meant everything. 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:25.320 I'm not an emotional person like at all, but just 0:06:25.320 --> 0:06:27.920 to see the emotions from different people, from people who 0:06:27.960 --> 0:06:31.240 look like me, it's just so important seeing somebody who 0:06:31.279 --> 0:06:33.320 is in that light do what you can do as well. 0:06:33.440 --> 0:06:36.080 I can't even put it into words. It's so powerful, 0:06:36.200 --> 0:06:39.800 so inspiring. It's just everything for young black girls and boys. 0:06:40.040 --> 0:06:40.640 End quote. 0:06:42.800 --> 0:06:45.480 All right, sliceas mark your calendars because this Sunday at 0:06:45.480 --> 0:06:48.400 five pm Eastern, ESPN is airing a new E sixty 0:06:48.640 --> 0:06:52.159 that goes behind the scenes of Nebraska Volleyball. It's titled 0:06:52.160 --> 0:06:54.400 No Place Like Nebraska, and it covers the team over 0:06:54.440 --> 0:06:57.600 the last year, beginning with a historic volleyball Day in 0:06:57.680 --> 0:07:01.159 Nebraska in August of last year when record breaking ninety 0:07:01.160 --> 0:07:04.240 two thousand and three fans crammed into Huscar Stadium to 0:07:04.279 --> 0:07:08.120 watch Nebraska defeat Omaha three sets to none. Yeah, if 0:07:08.120 --> 0:07:10.760 you didn't see it, it was ninety two thousand people 0:07:10.760 --> 0:07:13.240 in a football stadium to watch a volleyball game. But 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:15.400 the doc isn't just about that game or just about 0:07:15.480 --> 0:07:18.360 volleyball in particular. It shines a light on outside hitter 0:07:18.440 --> 0:07:21.360 Harper Murray, the heartbreaking death of her father when she 0:07:21.440 --> 0:07:23.480 was just a child, and her desire to find her 0:07:23.520 --> 0:07:25.600 own success wearing his number. 0:07:25.800 --> 0:07:26.680 While Murray had. 0:07:26.520 --> 0:07:29.960 One of the best ever freshman seasons in Nebraska volleyball history, 0:07:30.000 --> 0:07:33.160 last year, she had a turbulent spring, including being charged 0:07:33.160 --> 0:07:35.760 with driving under the influence following an April traffic stop. 0:07:36.000 --> 0:07:38.280 She was sentenced to nine months of probation in July, 0:07:38.400 --> 0:07:40.440 but she will be allowed to play this fall. 0:07:40.720 --> 0:07:42.320 We caught up with one of the co directors and 0:07:42.400 --> 0:07:45.160 producers of the film, Jen Carson Strauss, to learn more 0:07:45.160 --> 0:07:47.440 about how the film came to be, why she decided 0:07:47.440 --> 0:07:49.560 to cover Nebraska, and why she decided to focus a 0:07:49.560 --> 0:07:52.120 bit on Murray's story. It's all coming up right after 0:07:52.160 --> 0:08:00.360 this break, joining us now former Pepperdine soccer player turned 0:08:00.360 --> 0:08:03.880 documentary director and producer for E sixty on ESPN. She's 0:08:03.880 --> 0:08:06.000 a diehard football fan, but she missed the twenty twenty 0:08:06.000 --> 0:08:08.280 three Super Bowl, and Baby Number two decided to arrive 0:08:08.440 --> 0:08:10.440 just in time to keep her from watching the epic 0:08:10.520 --> 0:08:13.400 Chiefs Eagles battle. And that's why I stick with dogs. 0:08:13.600 --> 0:08:16.600 It's Jen Carson strauss ten. Thanks for joining us. 0:08:17.160 --> 0:08:21.080 What an amazing intro. Sara Spain, Thank you so much 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:22.400 for having me on. So good to see you. 0:08:22.720 --> 0:08:25.720 Always something to remember Baby number two by the Super Bowl. 0:08:25.800 --> 0:08:26.120 Baby. 0:08:26.560 --> 0:08:29.400 Your new doc No Place Like Nebraska, which documents the 0:08:29.440 --> 0:08:32.000 journey of the twenty twenty three Nebraska women's volleyball team, 0:08:32.040 --> 0:08:35.559 premieres August twenty fifth, five pm on ESPN and ESPN Plus. 0:08:35.760 --> 0:08:37.959 I was lucky enough to get a screener, so I'll 0:08:38.000 --> 0:08:41.240 try not to give anything away while also enticing people 0:08:41.280 --> 0:08:43.520 to watch it because it's really good, and I have 0:08:43.600 --> 0:08:46.120 to admit as much of a women's sports fan as 0:08:46.160 --> 0:08:47.439 I am, I don't know that I would see it 0:08:47.480 --> 0:08:49.120 and just be like, oh, sure, I'm into this, and 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:51.200 I'm so glad that I watch it, and I want 0:08:51.240 --> 0:08:53.800 everybody else to give it a shot. And I'm curious 0:08:53.880 --> 0:08:56.560 why Nebraska volleyball, what made you decide to follow them 0:08:56.559 --> 0:08:57.160 for that season? 0:08:57.640 --> 0:08:58.320 Yeah, sir, sorry. 0:08:58.720 --> 0:09:02.600 Co directed this with Mattie run at ESPN, and I 0:09:02.679 --> 0:09:05.679 was looking into some other women's sports stories and at 0:09:05.720 --> 0:09:10.880 the time volleyball Day was had come on to her radar, 0:09:11.320 --> 0:09:13.240 and so I give her credit. She was the one 0:09:13.440 --> 0:09:16.199 that was like, Hey, this massive event is going to 0:09:16.200 --> 0:09:19.160 be happening. And I think for everybody else in America, 0:09:19.360 --> 0:09:21.680 our stay in you know where we're at in Connecticut. 0:09:21.720 --> 0:09:25.760 This was a shock that, you know, ninety plus thousand 0:09:25.840 --> 0:09:27.880 fans were going to be at a volleyball game in 0:09:27.920 --> 0:09:31.240 the middle of the country. And so I think that's 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:33.319 kind of where the jumping off point was. 0:09:33.040 --> 0:09:35.400 Was, Hey, this is this is insane. 0:09:35.800 --> 0:09:39.360 How can we peel back how this came to be 0:09:39.760 --> 0:09:41.000 and why is it that way? 0:09:41.800 --> 0:09:45.800 Yeah, and I've been hearing about Nebraska volleyball from AFAR 0:09:45.960 --> 0:09:49.319 for years, and that ninety thousand plus person game really 0:09:49.320 --> 0:09:51.360 put it all on our radar. And seeing people in 0:09:51.400 --> 0:09:53.640 the farthest reaches of a football stadium where they couldn't 0:09:53.640 --> 0:09:56.160 even barely see that there was a volleyball not to 0:09:56.200 --> 0:09:58.840 mention a game going on really opened my eyes. And 0:09:58.840 --> 0:10:02.199 then this story he told me, the legacy that footage 0:10:02.240 --> 0:10:05.360 from the nineteen seventies, a coach that's twenty plus years 0:10:05.360 --> 0:10:08.000 at the helm handing on to another coach that's twenty 0:10:08.000 --> 0:10:10.480 plus years at the helm. There is so much history 0:10:10.520 --> 0:10:12.959 there of how you build something like this, and it's 0:10:13.000 --> 0:10:15.520 particularly interesting in women's sports, how it seems to often 0:10:15.559 --> 0:10:18.679 happen in places that aren't dominated by a ton of 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:22.280 pro men's teams that pull all the focus. This feels 0:10:22.320 --> 0:10:26.280 like the whole state of Nebraska gets behind this team, right. 0:10:27.000 --> 0:10:28.280 I mean that's one of the things. 0:10:28.320 --> 0:10:30.960 I mean, up until this last year in Nebraska has 0:10:31.080 --> 0:10:34.520 no professional sports teams, no professional football, no professional basketball, 0:10:34.559 --> 0:10:36.800 and that's in men and women's and so. 0:10:38.360 --> 0:10:40.559 The Cornhuskers are their professional team. 0:10:40.760 --> 0:10:43.560 I mean when I have been there to film and 0:10:43.600 --> 0:10:45.800 I'm in the ubers like they're listening to the radio 0:10:46.040 --> 0:10:49.000 to you know, hear what's happening with their sports teams. 0:10:49.040 --> 0:10:51.440 I mean people that went to the university, but people 0:10:51.440 --> 0:10:54.800 that didn't go to the university, farmers, girls, men, women, 0:10:55.040 --> 0:10:58.640 people of all ages and types, and so we really 0:10:58.679 --> 0:11:03.320 got an authentic taste of like this touches the entire 0:11:03.480 --> 0:11:06.760 state and everybody is so invested in the coren Oskers. 0:11:07.040 --> 0:11:09.360 It's a cool story too, of a team that's very young, 0:11:09.440 --> 0:11:11.680 that's had a ton of success, but maybe had some 0:11:11.760 --> 0:11:14.200 doubts coming into the twenty twenty three season because there 0:11:14.200 --> 0:11:16.800 were no seniors, a couple freshmen and a transfer that 0:11:16.840 --> 0:11:19.040 we're going to play big roles. How did you gain 0:11:19.120 --> 0:11:21.960 the trust of young players with tough stories. I'm thinking 0:11:21.960 --> 0:11:25.040 particularly of Harper Murray, whose father passed away when she 0:11:25.120 --> 0:11:27.880 was very young, who carries his legacy, wears his number 0:11:27.880 --> 0:11:30.400 from when he was in the NFL, and it's a 0:11:30.520 --> 0:11:32.960 very hard story for anyone to talk about a tragedy 0:11:33.000 --> 0:11:33.200 like that. 0:11:33.280 --> 0:11:34.280 But you got her and. 0:11:34.200 --> 0:11:37.800 Her mom, and she's so young and so new, she 0:11:37.960 --> 0:11:40.040 was just getting into the college game. How did you 0:11:40.800 --> 0:11:43.199 convince her to go public and to talk about something 0:11:43.240 --> 0:11:43.840 so difficult? 0:11:44.320 --> 0:11:46.840 I mean, as you know, Sarah, trust is so important, 0:11:47.000 --> 0:11:51.240 especially when you know we don't give editorial control to 0:11:51.320 --> 0:11:53.880 our subjects. We don't let them see it beforehand, we 0:11:53.880 --> 0:11:56.360 don't pay them to be involved in these documentaries, So 0:11:56.400 --> 0:12:00.200 you really do have to establish that trust. And so 0:12:00.280 --> 0:12:02.440 one thing that we did was we had you know, 0:12:02.559 --> 0:12:05.600 zoom meetings with Harper early before we even met her, 0:12:06.000 --> 0:12:09.200 to really get to know her as a person. Not hey, 0:12:09.200 --> 0:12:10.800 this is what we need out of you, but just 0:12:10.920 --> 0:12:13.040 get to know her and meet her where she was 0:12:13.080 --> 0:12:17.199 and introduce ourselves and tell her, you know, what we 0:12:17.200 --> 0:12:20.120 were looking to do with the story, but just taking 0:12:20.120 --> 0:12:20.800 a really. 0:12:21.120 --> 0:12:22.360 Natural interest in her. 0:12:23.200 --> 0:12:25.800 We were honest about the fact that we wanted to 0:12:25.840 --> 0:12:28.600 know about her family and about her backstory and why 0:12:28.640 --> 0:12:31.000 she wears number twenty seven. I mean, that was something 0:12:31.000 --> 0:12:33.880 that people knew, but she hadn't really ever talked about 0:12:33.880 --> 0:12:34.559 it before. 0:12:34.960 --> 0:12:35.360 And so. 0:12:36.960 --> 0:12:40.400 When we sat down, though, was when really the layers 0:12:41.600 --> 0:12:46.080 like started to come and she was really open and 0:12:46.480 --> 0:12:51.800 raw and honestly Sarah like is one of the interviews 0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:55.160 I think that I've like, it felt. 0:12:55.000 --> 0:12:56.040 Like there were no cameras there. 0:12:56.120 --> 0:12:58.000 I don't know if Pember would say that too, but 0:12:58.080 --> 0:13:00.720 it got to that point where it was just the 0:13:00.760 --> 0:13:05.599 two of us talking. She tested me afterwards, and like 0:13:05.640 --> 0:13:09.040 a therapy session, just because it got to that point 0:13:09.160 --> 0:13:11.880 of things that you know, even her mom and her 0:13:11.880 --> 0:13:15.079 teammates and her coach haven't seen that side of Harper, 0:13:15.760 --> 0:13:18.600 and so I think it was a really therapeutic experience 0:13:18.600 --> 0:13:21.680 for her, and that first one allowed her to really 0:13:21.720 --> 0:13:24.280 have that trust with us that carried on even to 0:13:24.800 --> 0:13:25.800 you know, post filming. 0:13:26.200 --> 0:13:30.520 She's one of those women's athletes that you picture if 0:13:30.559 --> 0:13:32.880 they're in a big market or on a men's team, 0:13:33.040 --> 0:13:35.520 with all the same factors, they would be a massive star. 0:13:35.720 --> 0:13:39.120 I mean, she just feels like a natural star, not 0:13:39.320 --> 0:13:42.880 just for her explosive play, her dynamic. You know how 0:13:42.920 --> 0:13:45.600 fun she is to watch. She's gorgeous, she's got an 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:50.920 interesting story, but she's also flawed and complicated and has 0:13:51.400 --> 0:13:54.520 so much simmering under the surface that you can see 0:13:54.559 --> 0:13:57.200 in her that makes her all the more interesting to 0:13:57.280 --> 0:14:00.160 want to follow and watch. And then, of course, so 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:04.080 twist happens when that season that you covered is over. 0:14:04.280 --> 0:14:06.319 You told me that you intended to keep covering the 0:14:06.360 --> 0:14:08.880 team through a spring game. They always pick a small 0:14:08.880 --> 0:14:10.800 town in Nebraska to play a game in, which is 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:13.040 so cool and so smart. Like when I heard the 0:14:13.040 --> 0:14:15.400 coach saying that they've been doing it for years and years, 0:14:15.400 --> 0:14:18.079 it felt like such a no brainer to drop into 0:14:18.120 --> 0:14:20.200 somewhere and create a whole new fan base of young 0:14:20.240 --> 0:14:22.240 people and families that are excited to. 0:14:22.240 --> 0:14:23.360 Watch Nebraska volleyball. 0:14:23.400 --> 0:14:27.080 But how different was the story you came in hoping 0:14:27.160 --> 0:14:29.400 to tell from the story that you ended up telling, 0:14:29.440 --> 0:14:32.240 not just because of the twist involving Harper Murray, which 0:14:32.240 --> 0:14:34.240 everyone will see or maybe have already heard about in 0:14:34.280 --> 0:14:37.080 the news, but just overall. Was it what you thought 0:14:37.120 --> 0:14:38.840 you were going to find when you got there? 0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:39.680 No? 0:14:39.960 --> 0:14:44.840 I mean, honestly, I think what this started as for 0:14:44.880 --> 0:14:47.440 me was like, Okay, this is a new type of 0:14:47.480 --> 0:14:52.120 storytelling for me, I hadn't done really a follow type 0:14:52.160 --> 0:14:54.600 of documentary before where we were going to get as 0:14:54.680 --> 0:14:57.960 much access as we were going to get, and with 0:14:58.080 --> 0:15:03.160 players that most America doesn't really know. And so I 0:15:03.240 --> 0:15:07.120 started off with maybe some low expectations. And I think 0:15:07.160 --> 0:15:10.480 it was after we did those interviews that I remember 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:13.800 walking away being like, holy crap, and I'm not going 0:15:13.880 --> 0:15:17.160 to tell anybody about this because I want to. 0:15:17.680 --> 0:15:19.400 I want to just press play. 0:15:19.320 --> 0:15:22.680 Internally when we screen it front everybody, because I felt 0:15:22.720 --> 0:15:25.280 like and Maddie and the co director, we felt like, 0:15:25.920 --> 0:15:29.240 you know, we had something really special with people who, 0:15:30.520 --> 0:15:32.760 as you know, like this this wasn't just about volleyball, 0:15:33.280 --> 0:15:36.480 and this isn't just about a record breaking game. 0:15:37.360 --> 0:15:40.360 It's about the pressure and expectations that. 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:46.560 Come with one plane for the University of Nebraska and 0:15:46.600 --> 0:15:48.800 that fan base. But also I mean, these you have 0:15:48.840 --> 0:15:52.120 to remind yourself, these are nineteen twenty year old kids, 0:15:52.720 --> 0:15:57.120 and social media is insane now in NIL and all 0:15:57.120 --> 0:15:59.760 the things that go into the things that affect their 0:15:59.800 --> 0:16:02.960 mindntal health that wasn't even a thing five years ago. 0:16:03.600 --> 0:16:05.840 And so that part was really interesting. 0:16:05.400 --> 0:16:08.560 For us and we wanted to really dive deeper into that. 0:16:08.760 --> 0:16:10.520 Yeah, it becomes a big part of the story. 0:16:11.640 --> 0:16:14.600 I really encourage everyone to watch at premieres August twenty fifth, 0:16:14.640 --> 0:16:18.800 five pm on ESPN and ESPN Plus. No place like Nebraska, 0:16:18.960 --> 0:16:22.040 even if you're not into volleyball or Nebraska, which I 0:16:22.080 --> 0:16:24.840 loved seeing the shots of and the storytelling around even 0:16:24.880 --> 0:16:28.640 the place in which it all happens. I really recommend 0:16:28.640 --> 0:16:31.240 watching it. I wanted to ask, as you were researching 0:16:31.520 --> 0:16:35.120 and doing the background for this, we have a segment 0:16:35.200 --> 0:16:37.440 on our show called Yes And where we say, yes, 0:16:37.560 --> 0:16:40.280 this is awesome and did you know that twenty years 0:16:40.280 --> 0:16:42.680 ago this happened or this athlete did this? Helping to 0:16:42.880 --> 0:16:46.000 kind of create mythology and history around women's sports. In 0:16:46.080 --> 0:16:49.520 ways we haven't before. There was a game in nineteen 0:16:49.560 --> 0:16:52.200 seventy one. Did you read about this in Mexico? One 0:16:52.240 --> 0:16:56.000 hundred and twelve five hundred spectators for a women's soccer tournament. 0:16:56.320 --> 0:16:59.680 The attendance figure isn't exactly official. It was not tracked 0:16:59.720 --> 0:17:01.200 as Did. 0:17:01.040 --> 0:17:02.120 You see that at all? 0:17:02.200 --> 0:17:04.560 Did anyone think about that in dealing with the ambiguity 0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:08.040 around this sort of Nebraska record of the most to 0:17:08.119 --> 0:17:09.359 attend to women's sports event. 0:17:09.720 --> 0:17:12.919 We did see it, and I think, you know, I 0:17:12.960 --> 0:17:16.520 think because it was unofficial, we felt confident enough and 0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:18.360 everybody else SA said it too, so we're like, okay, 0:17:18.440 --> 0:17:21.000 we're not you know, we felt like we were in 0:17:21.000 --> 0:17:23.119 an okay place. I think the other thing that was 0:17:23.119 --> 0:17:25.560 just interesting, Sarah, is that like this was the only 0:17:25.920 --> 0:17:28.920 this is the only game within the things that we're 0:17:28.960 --> 0:17:32.119 talking about that is not soccer. I mean, the was 0:17:32.160 --> 0:17:36.520 a soccer game, Barcelona was. It's a soccer game, and 0:17:36.560 --> 0:17:37.800 so I think that was. 0:17:37.720 --> 0:17:39.480 One of the interesting parts. I mean, you talked about it. 0:17:39.520 --> 0:17:42.560 You can't even see the volleyball court on this field. 0:17:43.160 --> 0:17:46.320 You're not supposed to play volleyball outside, you know, unless 0:17:46.320 --> 0:17:48.600 it's beach volleyball, So there were all these other interesting 0:17:48.680 --> 0:17:51.359 layers to it that made it interesting from our perspective 0:17:51.600 --> 0:17:52.919 beyond just the crowd. 0:17:53.440 --> 0:17:53.880 Yeah. 0:17:54.000 --> 0:17:56.760 Yeah, I mean both incredible numbers, and that's why we 0:17:56.800 --> 0:18:00.200 love a little yes, and because it's worthy of talking 0:18:00.600 --> 0:18:03.160 about both of them. This is such a great documentary. 0:18:03.200 --> 0:18:05.719 Congrats on the excellent work. I look forward to everyone 0:18:05.800 --> 0:18:08.880 seeing it and getting to talk about it, and particularly 0:18:09.240 --> 0:18:11.720 being able to reflect on all the great storytelling you 0:18:11.760 --> 0:18:14.000 did before everything went down with Harper Murray. That will 0:18:14.000 --> 0:18:16.480 really help people put into perspective some of the stuff 0:18:16.480 --> 0:18:17.120 she's going through. 0:18:17.200 --> 0:18:18.800 So thanks for giving us some time. 0:18:19.200 --> 0:18:20.680 Thank you so much. I appreciate it. 0:18:20.920 --> 0:18:22.920 We got to take another break when we come back. 0:18:23.280 --> 0:18:29.800 Producer Alex has been keeping something from us. 0:18:33.200 --> 0:18:34.280 Welcome back Slices. 0:18:34.359 --> 0:18:36.480 It's time for the debut of a news segment we 0:18:36.680 --> 0:18:41.359 like to call weird flex. But okay, in this inaugural edition, 0:18:41.480 --> 0:18:43.480 we got to put producer Alex on the hot seat 0:18:43.800 --> 0:18:46.120 weird flex al, But why didn't you. 0:18:46.040 --> 0:18:48.440 Tell us you're pro hockey player? Wait what? 0:18:48.920 --> 0:18:51.879 There's a story about the women's pro hockey leagues that 0:18:51.960 --> 0:18:56.080 existed before the current PWHL was formed. On a blog 0:18:56.160 --> 0:19:00.440 that shall remain nameless, but would probably be well served 0:19:00.440 --> 0:19:03.760 by checking their names before they hit published, because when 0:19:03.800 --> 0:19:07.960 discussing the PHF, it reads, in part quote, while it 0:19:08.040 --> 0:19:10.920 seemed as though everything was growing and chugging along smoothly, 0:19:10.960 --> 0:19:14.600 there were things attempting to derail it. Some professional players 0:19:14.680 --> 0:19:18.200 opposed the idea and voice their displeasure. Among those players 0:19:18.320 --> 0:19:21.800 was alex Asie or Hillary Knight, who won the inaugural 0:19:21.880 --> 0:19:25.800 league championship with the Boston Pride but never returned Alex. 0:19:25.960 --> 0:19:28.200 It even links to one of your tweets, so it's 0:19:28.280 --> 0:19:29.639