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Speaker 1: Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're still

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Speaker 1: stuck on step one of grieving Niche's departure from the

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Speaker 1: show Denial. It's Tuesday, October fourteenth, and on today's show,

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Speaker 1: we'll be skipping the need to note and getting right

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Speaker 1: to my conversation with WNBA vet Alicia Clark. We sat

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Speaker 1: down at IHEARTHQ in New York City last Wednesday as

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Speaker 1: part of a larger WNBA Finals celebration. It was part

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Speaker 1: of a whirlwind forty eight hours of events in the

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Speaker 1: Big Apple for me, so keep an ear out for me.

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Speaker 1: Flubbin Alisha's name sleep deprivation is real, y'all. Anyway, we

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Speaker 1: had a great conversation. We talked about why she requested

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Speaker 1: a mid season trade from the Seattle Storm, her mentoring

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Speaker 1: the youth of the Washington Mystics, resetting expectations for her

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Speaker 1: final years in the league, and how she's had to

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Speaker 1: evolve with age. Great conversation. It's coming up right after this.

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Speaker 1: She's the WNBA's wiliest vet, and that's a really nice

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Speaker 1: way of saying she's the oldest.

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Speaker 2: Player in the league.

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Speaker 1: She is old enough to have been drafted a team

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Speaker 1: that no longer exists the San Antonio Silver Stars, currently

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Speaker 1: on the Washington Mystics. She's also played for the Seattle Storm,

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Speaker 1: the Las Vegas Aces, and pro teams in Israel, Turkey, Poland,

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Speaker 1: and France. A three time WNBA Champion, Polish League Champion,

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Speaker 1: French League champion, she played her college ball at Belmont

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Speaker 1: and Middle Tennessee, leading the NCAA and scoring two years

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Speaker 1: in a row and becoming the only player male or

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Speaker 1: female ever to be Conference Player of the Year all

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Speaker 1: four years of college in two different conferences. Her cooking

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Speaker 1: reels are professh and her tunnel fits are so fresh

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Speaker 1: it's Alicia Clark. Come on, Alisha. I just said Alicia

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Speaker 1: because I said fresh, I was like profesh and so fresh, Alish,

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Speaker 1: that's not your name, Alisha Clark, come on down. So

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Speaker 1: proud of my rhyming for real though, with the tunnel fits,

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Speaker 1: because I went on a deep dive in that Instagram. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: that's a whole job right there finding those right.

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Speaker 3: No, honestly shout out to my style as Kiara Logan.

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Speaker 2: So it is a whole job. Yeah, she takes her down.

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Speaker 3: That's all I have to do is show up and

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Speaker 3: play basketball.

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Speaker 1: Alicia, we were at dinner together like two years ago,

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Speaker 1: right before all of iHeart Women's Sports Network launched and

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Speaker 1: you were getting ready for your season. You were talking

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Speaker 1: about being a vet and all the prep that goes

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Speaker 1: into it.

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Speaker 2: So I want to.

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Speaker 1: Talk about that quickly because you started this year in

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Speaker 1: Seattle in August. You get traded to the Mystics. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: how do you find that out? And what's your response?

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Speaker 1: Thirteen years in? Like, man, where am I going? When?

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Speaker 2: Honestly, it was kind of crazy.

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Speaker 3: So I knew because I'm the one who requested the

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Speaker 3: trade and that was the first time ever in my

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Speaker 3: career and it's pretty nerve wracking, but a big thing

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Speaker 3: with sports just in general. It doesn't matter how talented

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Speaker 3: you are, it doesn't.

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Speaker 2: Matter what you've done. It's all about fit.

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Speaker 3: And you know, I went in and we as the

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Speaker 3: Storm and coaching staff, like we went into the season thinking,

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Speaker 3: you know one thing, like Okay, this is what it's

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Speaker 3: gonna be.

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Speaker 2: This is you know how we view this going. And

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Speaker 2: in my mind I had all of this.

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Speaker 3: Oh, I'm going back to where I won my first

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Speaker 3: two championships. You know where I got my first you

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Speaker 3: know opportunity in this league, and I just had all

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Speaker 3: these thoughts and emotions and it just didn't pan out

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Speaker 3: that way. And so I had a really difficult decision

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Speaker 3: to make, honestly, and like the split, I'm like, you're

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Speaker 3: either gonna be okay with this and you know what's

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Speaker 3: what your role has been, what it's become, or you're

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Speaker 3: gonna make a change. And so I'm somebody that like,

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Speaker 3: if you're gonna sit around and complain about something and

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Speaker 3: not do anything about it, like I don't want to

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Speaker 3: hear it. And so I was like, you gotta make

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Speaker 3: a change, home girl.

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Speaker 1: Well and you got to hope that they're like, sure,

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Speaker 1: we'll help you with that instead of like, well, now

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Speaker 1: we hate you.

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Speaker 2: But you're here. Yeah. Is that awkward? Yeah? That was

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Speaker 2: a reality.

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Speaker 3: And so I was like, they don't have to honor

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Speaker 3: my trade, you know request. But I have a really

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Speaker 3: really great relationship with that organization, with the ownership and

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Speaker 3: they you know, the coaching staff, and they understood.

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Speaker 2: Where I was coming from.

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Speaker 3: It sucked just all around because we all envisioned it

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Speaker 3: being something completely different, but they were really respectful of

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Speaker 3: my wishes and made something happen.

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Speaker 2: So I was super grateful for that.

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Speaker 1: You know, we hear so much about trades in the

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Speaker 1: media business, and we sort of are used to just

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Speaker 1: breaking news and talking about people switching teams, but we

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Speaker 1: sometimes don't really think about it's people with like stuff

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Speaker 1: and lives. Yeah, you knew this was coming at least,

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Speaker 1: but take us through that actual process of like how

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Speaker 1: do I move my life and what's actually important right

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Speaker 1: now when I still have to switch teams, get to

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Speaker 1: know a team, learn my teammates, and keep playing this season.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 3: So it's actually really crazy because the trade deadline I

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Speaker 3: think was five days away, because up until that point,

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Speaker 3: I was like, we're here, we're gonna thug it out.

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Speaker 2: We're just gonna make the best of it.

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Speaker 3: And trade deadline was five days away, and I hit

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Speaker 3: my agent and I was like, listen, this is not

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Speaker 3: what I want. I don't you know, as the oldest

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Speaker 3: player in the league. You know, as older athletes, the

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Speaker 3: narrative comes around trying to like create this narrative for you.

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Speaker 2: Oh, she's the oldest player in the league. Oh she's wash.

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Speaker 3: She hasn't hit a shot, she's not doing this, And

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Speaker 3: it's like, well, you come, do your job when you're

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Speaker 3: not feeling good and you're not confident in what's happening,

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Speaker 3: you know. And so for me, I text her and

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Speaker 3: I was like request the trade. So I literally had

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Speaker 3: five days to try to a if I'm going to

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Speaker 3: actually be traded, and then if I am, when and

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Speaker 3: where am I going? So when I found out, so

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Speaker 3: that was a Friday night, So when I found out Monday,

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Speaker 3: I had to meet my team and I had to

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Speaker 3: meet DC in Minnesota on Wednesday. So I literally had

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Speaker 3: forty eight hours to do everything myself and pack up

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Speaker 3: my life because my again my intention was being in

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Speaker 3: Seattle through the entire season, off season being around, so

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Speaker 3: I moved my life.

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Speaker 2: I have two dogs and to have to.

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Speaker 3: Pack up my entire apartment figure out what I'm gonna

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Speaker 3: do with them because I had and timing, it was

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Speaker 3: like okay, So I hired movers to come pack up

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Speaker 3: my apartment that next day, made travel arrangements to get

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Speaker 3: to meet the team in Minnesota, get the dogs situated,

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Speaker 3: and then take all my crap to FedEx to ship

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Speaker 3: both to DC. At home, because again I knew I

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Speaker 3: was gonna be in DC for a month. It's the

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Speaker 3: end of the season, so it was it was really hectic,

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Speaker 3: and it didn't really hit me until I went back

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Speaker 3: to get my dogs after the road trip that I

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Speaker 3: was on with the team, and I just sat in

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Speaker 3: my empty apartment and.

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Speaker 2: It just like I was flooded with emotion.

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Speaker 3: And it was just really hard because I'm like, all

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Speaker 3: of these things that I envisioned, what Seattle meant, just

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Speaker 3: the pressure of all of it, I was like, holy shit,

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Speaker 3: I don't know if I can say that, sorry, but

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Speaker 3: you know.

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Speaker 1: We can always swear okay.

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Speaker 3: But it just like it was, it was so much.

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Speaker 3: And then not only are you mourning that part of

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Speaker 3: what you thought, now you have to recreate and pick up.

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Speaker 3: And so it's like where am I gonna take my

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Speaker 3: Where who's gonna be my dog sitter?

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Speaker 2: Where am I going to grocery shop?

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Speaker 3: And so I'm grateful that it was DC because I

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Speaker 3: had spending two years there, you know, a couple of

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Speaker 3: years ago. I had some familiarity, but it was still

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Speaker 3: a lot. It was a lot.

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Speaker 1: So I don't know if you're ready to talk about

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Speaker 1: this yet, but I think part of the emotions there

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Speaker 1: are as you are getting older, trying to figure out

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Speaker 1: when does my career end?

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Speaker 2: And where does it end?

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Speaker 1: And it certainly sounds like you were thinking full circle.

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Speaker 1: Let me go back to the place that I won

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Speaker 1: two championships, let me go back to the place that

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Speaker 1: I spent eight years early in my career. When that

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Speaker 1: doesn't feel right? Are you trying to rewrite a storybook ending?

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Speaker 1: Now that feels okay? If that wasn't it.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I think I got to a place finally after

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Speaker 3: dealing with all of the emotion from it all. And

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Speaker 3: it's funny because I was like, I'm just going to

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Speaker 3: stop saying I'm going to retire somewhere, because every time

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Speaker 3: I've done that, I've either a not been wanted to

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Speaker 3: be back. I've been you know, left, and then you know,

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Speaker 3: asked for as right. So I'm like, let me just

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Speaker 3: shut up, just be where I am. So I think

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Speaker 3: I've come to terms with just being like wherever I

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Speaker 3: do finish whatever.

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Speaker 2: That looks like I'm just gonna be okay with.

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Speaker 3: And you know, for me, I'm somebody that I look

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Speaker 3: for signs and I'm you know, a believer, So I

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Speaker 3: feel like things happen for a reason. But when I

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Speaker 3: look back at that opportunity to be back in Seattle

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Speaker 3: when I left after we were in the bubble in

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Speaker 3: twenty twenty, so the last time I was actually in

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Speaker 3: the city was twenty nineteen. So I never had the

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Speaker 3: opportunity to have an in person goodbye to the organization,

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Speaker 3: to the fan base that was there and had supported me,

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Speaker 3: and ooh, I'm getting emotional.

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Speaker 1: Ooh.

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Speaker 3: So for me, like when I processed it all, I

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Speaker 3: was like, that was God's way of giving you the

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Speaker 3: opportunity to do that, and so I'm grateful, regardless of

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Speaker 3: how it turned out, I'm grateful that I had that

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Speaker 3: opportunity in person.

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Speaker 1: Well, and then you go to DC and there's this

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Speaker 1: incredible role for you there because that's a young team

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Speaker 1: and there are some superstars looking for a vet looking.

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Speaker 1: We just saw in that preview of Fastest six Weeks

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Speaker 1: and Sport how much those youngsters need someone to take

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Speaker 1: them under their wing and say here's how this goes.

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Speaker 1: You've got two incredible rookies and Sonya Citron and Kiki

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Speaker 1: Eriefen there. How did you feel like your role shifted

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Speaker 1: from maybe this is for me when you were choosing Seattle,

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Speaker 1: so this is for them? Or what's next in this

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Speaker 1: league when you got to DC.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, Fortunately for me, I've I've always been

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Speaker 3: a leader where it's whatever is needed with the team first,

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Speaker 3: and so I was really grateful to walk into this

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Speaker 3: situation where I now got to pay forward what my

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Speaker 3: vets did for me, and so being able to be

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Speaker 3: around this young group like, they're amazing. They were so

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Speaker 3: fun to show up to work with every day. They

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Speaker 3: were sponges. And you know, with these new classes that

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Speaker 3: have come in, you have some classes that they just

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Speaker 3: are super entitled and they don't want to listen and

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Speaker 3: they think they know more than they do. But then

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Speaker 3: you have a crop that like comes in and they

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Speaker 3: want to learn, they want to be great, and that

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Speaker 3: was what I was around in DC.

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Speaker 2: So was Sonya and Keiky in particular.

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Speaker 3: They just they loved to compete, They want to be great,

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Speaker 3: and you know, they want to do whatever it takes

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Speaker 3: to do that. And so for me, it was super

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Speaker 3: easy to pour into them because they were receptive to it.

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Speaker 3: Like Keith and I were talking after our game in

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Speaker 3: Baltimore and I was just telling them, like, I'm so

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Speaker 3: grateful that I got to finish the season here with

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Speaker 3: you guys.

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Speaker 2: You guys have been amazing.

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Speaker 3: It was everything that I needed, And Keithy was like, no,

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Speaker 3: it's the same for us. She's like, even from the

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Speaker 3: time when you met us in Minnesota, She's like, when

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Speaker 3: you came out for practice and you were tuning stuff

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Speaker 3: you were doing, She's like, I was like, oh my gosh,

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Speaker 3: there's levels to this.

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Speaker 2: But in my mind, I'm like, this is normal. This

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Speaker 2: is what you're supposed to do as bro.

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Speaker 3: You activate and get ready so you can go out

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Speaker 3: here in practice. But that's the norm for me that

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Speaker 3: they haven't seen. So being able to just show them

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Speaker 3: what being a professional looks like, showing them how to

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Speaker 3: build good habits, because if you want to chase greatness

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Speaker 3: and championships and all of those things, it starts in

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Speaker 3: your daily habits. It starts in how you prepare every

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Speaker 3: single day at practice. And so to be able to

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Speaker 3: show them and kind of help lay that foundation was

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Speaker 3: really amazing.

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Speaker 1: It takes a lot of work to stick around for

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Speaker 1: thirteen years in professional sports, So let's give her a

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Speaker 1: hand for that. And we do we hear from the

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Speaker 1: ogs later in their careers, like I had to get

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Speaker 1: a different plan for my eating, for my working out

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Speaker 1: for my warm ups. Even I'm sure they were watching

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Speaker 1: you warming up and thinking like, dang, you gotta spend

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Speaker 1: twenty minutes doing plios before you even start practice, and

255
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Speaker 1: you're like, just wait, youngsters.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, but it was cool.

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Speaker 1: This year, four of the five all rookie class members

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Speaker 1: were the top four picks in the drafty So this

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Speaker 1: rookie class showed up.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, which is incredible. Yeah, it's an amazing class. The

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Speaker 3: league is definitely in good hands. Yeah, so don't say that, Like,

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Speaker 3: don't say that. Listen, I got more years behind me

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Speaker 3: than I do in front.

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Speaker 2: Okay, we know.

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Speaker 1: I mean truly, you would be a miracle if you

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Speaker 1: had more ears in front or do them. But you're

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Speaker 1: literally a pro athlete born in the eighties, which is

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Speaker 1: like amazing. When I see nineteen eighty, I'm like, yes,

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Speaker 1: got one, because now they're born in the two thousands

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Speaker 1: and that's legal. That's not even child labor. Somehow, I know,

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Speaker 1: it's insane, like gross.

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Speaker 3: There are so many moments when I got to DC

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Speaker 3: that I would make a joke. I mean even something

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Speaker 3: were like Talladega Knights. That's not that old of a movie,

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Speaker 3: but I made like a reference to it and everyone

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Speaker 3: was like no, and I was like, you don't, nobody no,

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Speaker 3: And they were.

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Speaker 2: Like sorry, ac No. I was like, go home and

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Speaker 2: watch Talladega nights.

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Speaker 1: Right now, rubbing is racing girls.

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Speaker 2: You know.

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Speaker 1: I just sold someone on the show about Blackstar, like

283
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Speaker 1: most stuff and telip Quali and she had no idea

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Speaker 1: about any of it. And then she goes, were they

285
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Speaker 1: like before two thousand? I go, yeah, but I know

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Speaker 1: about stuff that happened before I was born. Like, expand

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Speaker 1: your horizons, kiddo, let's talk about that whole conversation. Thirteen

288
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Speaker 1: years in the league, you'll be thirty eight next July.

289
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Speaker 1: We'll only get to talk about women's ages in sports

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Speaker 1: because it's literally on the internet.

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Speaker 2: I'm gonna be thirty nine.

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Speaker 1: I'm thirty nine in July.

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Speaker 2: I'm thirty eight now.

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Speaker 1: Dang that with a badge on, Honey, That's.

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Speaker 2: Actually what I have written down.

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Speaker 1: I was just doing what I do for myself and

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Speaker 1: going backwards around. So how long do you see yourself

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Speaker 1: playing after this? And what's left for you to prove

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Speaker 1: or do that will help you figure out when it's

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Speaker 1: time to be done.

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Speaker 3: I don't know the exact answer to that it'll depend on,

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Speaker 3: you know, what these free agency conversations look like. I

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Speaker 3: would always joking back, I don't want to be forty

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Speaker 3: playing basketball, because like that's wild.

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Speaker 2: But okay, Diana, here we are. Oh, I definitely will

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Speaker 2: not be.

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Speaker 3: One thing I can promise is you will not see

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Speaker 3: me above forty. I can promise you that. Okay, maybe

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Speaker 3: like a couple of days or months, but no. But

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Speaker 3: it'll depend on what these free agency conversations look like

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Speaker 3: in my mind, and you know, it just will see.

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Speaker 3: But I feel great, my body feels great. I'm grateful

313
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Speaker 3: that I was able to walk away from another season healthy.

314
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Speaker 3: But for me, I just like I want to be

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Speaker 3: able to walk away on my own terms. As athletes,

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Speaker 3: we don't always get that opportunity. A lot of the

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Speaker 3: time the game is taken away from you, and you know,

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Speaker 3: I want to be able to say that, yeah, I

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Speaker 3: could have probably kept going, but I wanted to walk

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Speaker 3: away and start the next chapter of my life. This

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00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:17,559
Speaker 3: has been an amazing It's been better than I could

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Speaker 3: have ever dreamt or even imagined that this would have

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Speaker 3: turned out to be. So for me, it's just about

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Speaker 3: going somewhere again, just being somewhere where I'm valued, I'm utilized.

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Speaker 3: At the end of the day, I'm always trying to

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Speaker 3: compete and win. I'm selfish. I want as many championships

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Speaker 3: walking away from year as I can. I'm highly competitive

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Speaker 3: and driven, and.

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Speaker 2: So we're gonna see.

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Speaker 3: I don't I don't know what is out there for me,

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Speaker 3: but hopefully you know a great situation to close out

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Speaker 3: this chapter well.

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Speaker 1: And with the CBA negotiations and with I believe it's

334
00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:54,440
Speaker 1: like two veterans are currently under contract for next season.

335
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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's not an exaggeration.

336
00:14:56,480 --> 00:14:59,560
Speaker 1: It's like, literally, two veteran players have a contract for

337
00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:02,520
Speaker 1: next year. Everybody else made sure their contracts ended this

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00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:04,560
Speaker 1: season so they could take advantage of what should be

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Speaker 1: a big salary bump next year.

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Speaker 2: And I want that for you before you leave.

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Speaker 1: I want you to taste some of the good stuff

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Speaker 1: that you helped work this league for before you get

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Speaker 1: out of here. So there's gonna be a whole lot

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Speaker 1: of different looking teams, it feels like next year. That

345
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Speaker 1: plus the expansion drafts for Toronto and Portland, so there's

346
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Speaker 1: going to be a lot of shakeups this offseason, assuming

347
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Speaker 1: the deal gets done. Yeah, I want to talk about

348
00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:27,080
Speaker 1: that in a second, But I first want to ask you.

349
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Speaker 1: You went pro in twenty ten, but you didn't play

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Speaker 1: with the W till twenty twelve. So when you look

351
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Speaker 1: back at that twenty twelve season and you compare it

352
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Speaker 1: to this season, what stands out to you the most

353
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Speaker 1: about how different that league was from the W you're

354
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Speaker 1: playing in now.

355
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Speaker 3: Oh gosh, there's everything, for incident, like for starters, the

356
00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:48,960
Speaker 3: average age in the league. When I got into the league,

357
00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:52,280
Speaker 3: it was such a heavy veteran league. Everybody was in

358
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Speaker 3: their thirties, like there you could, I mean, rookies were

359
00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:58,600
Speaker 3: barely making rosters. I remember, you know at the time

360
00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:01,360
Speaker 3: in Seattle, Shikina Strickland the number two draft pick out

361
00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:04,400
Speaker 3: at Tennessee, and you know, I was a twenty five

362
00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:08,200
Speaker 3: year old rookie, and so we brought our average age

363
00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:11,160
Speaker 3: of our team down by like six years because just

364
00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:14,320
Speaker 3: the two of us. So I think just that it

365
00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:17,880
Speaker 3: that is the biggest difference. But two, I think you

366
00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:20,600
Speaker 3: just see a lot more like the pace of the game,

367
00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:25,400
Speaker 3: the skills of the players. It's also different obviously having

368
00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:29,040
Speaker 3: your own practice facilities and you know, more investment, being

369
00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:32,200
Speaker 3: able to watch back then, like you could barely find

370
00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:34,240
Speaker 3: our games anywhere, and if you're lucky, if it was

371
00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:38,000
Speaker 3: like you know, the Links and the Sparks at the time,

372
00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:40,120
Speaker 3: or the Links and somebody else, like they were the

373
00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:45,200
Speaker 3: primetime games, but that was it wasn't very often. And

374
00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:47,280
Speaker 3: so yeah, there's there's been a whole lot of change.

375
00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:49,760
Speaker 3: I mean just even the interest in it, the way

376
00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:52,520
Speaker 3: people are following it. They're like voicing their opinions about

377
00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:54,760
Speaker 3: not being able to find the games, and they're wanting

378
00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:59,640
Speaker 3: merchandise and having something as simple as having jerseys of

379
00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:03,080
Speaker 3: replayer on the team. I didn't have my own jersey

380
00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:06,040
Speaker 3: in a team store until I got to DC, which

381
00:17:06,080 --> 00:17:08,679
Speaker 3: was in twenty twenty one. You know, outside of that,

382
00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:10,600
Speaker 3: it was like a special made shirt, a special to

383
00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:12,359
Speaker 3: made order shirt, or if you know, if you're the

384
00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:15,119
Speaker 3: top players on the team, you had your jersey.

385
00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:16,000
Speaker 2: But it wasn't like that.

386
00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:18,560
Speaker 3: And so to be able to have access, to be

387
00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:20,520
Speaker 3: able to follow all your players, because at the end

388
00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:22,320
Speaker 3: of the day, somebody on that roster is going to

389
00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:25,040
Speaker 3: resonate with somebody watching, and to not be able to

390
00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:28,000
Speaker 3: support and you know, rep that player or follow along

391
00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:31,000
Speaker 3: with them was really disheartening and so to be able

392
00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:33,520
Speaker 3: to see that now it's been it's been amazing.

393
00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:36,160
Speaker 1: And y'all got jets now, you know.

394
00:17:36,119 --> 00:17:38,600
Speaker 3: It's don't have to sleep on airpoint but on the

395
00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:41,080
Speaker 3: court floors anymore. I don't have to, you know, worry

396
00:17:41,119 --> 00:17:44,080
Speaker 3: about getting stuck and having to go to McDonald's because

397
00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:45,920
Speaker 3: you got to lay over and there's nothing else to eat.

398
00:17:46,040 --> 00:17:47,359
Speaker 2: Like it's it's so different.

399
00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:50,879
Speaker 1: What's something you'd still like to see improve in the

400
00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:53,320
Speaker 1: W Is something that still needs to professionalize?

401
00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:54,800
Speaker 2: Oh?

402
00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:55,120
Speaker 1: Man.

403
00:17:55,880 --> 00:17:59,399
Speaker 3: I think the biggest part is just investment in player

404
00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:03,399
Speaker 3: health and safe d from you know, organizations. It shouldn't

405
00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:07,080
Speaker 3: be every every organization should have their own practice facility,

406
00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:13,040
Speaker 3: should have properly and adequately equipped medical staff. There shouldn't

407
00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:15,600
Speaker 3: I shouldn't be sharing, We shouldn't be having to share

408
00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:18,760
Speaker 3: a trainer and not have a PT on staff.

409
00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:18,919
Speaker 1: Like.

410
00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:22,680
Speaker 3: These are things that help players show up and play

411
00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:24,280
Speaker 3: the best and be the best product that's out on

412
00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:26,080
Speaker 3: the floor. And so I think when you have that

413
00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:28,800
Speaker 3: across the league, the uniform across the league, it's only

414
00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:30,760
Speaker 3: going to help raise the product. But I think starting

415
00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:33,959
Speaker 3: there with just investing in making sure that you know

416
00:18:34,119 --> 00:18:37,199
Speaker 3: our facilities and all the things that encumbas for us

417
00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:39,680
Speaker 3: to show up and be professional athletes. I think, once

418
00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:42,159
Speaker 3: that's uniform across the league, that's that's what I want

419
00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:42,720
Speaker 3: to see the most.

420
00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:45,120
Speaker 1: Right now, we got to take a quick break more

421
00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:56,480
Speaker 1: with Alicia Clark right after this. I mentioned those CBA negotiations.

422
00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:59,840
Speaker 1: A lot of conversation right now because of NFISA, Collier's comments,

423
00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:03,080
Speaker 1: the Engelbert's press or a lot of others speaking up,

424
00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:05,439
Speaker 1: and there's a lot of media who have been digging

425
00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:07,560
Speaker 1: into this story for a few months. But of course

426
00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:10,560
Speaker 1: I think those statements have ratcheted up a bit. What

427
00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:14,520
Speaker 1: do you wish people knew about the CBA negotiations that

428
00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:15,760
Speaker 1: you don't think most people do.

429
00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:21,520
Speaker 3: I think, just for starters, I wish people understood, like

430
00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:24,800
Speaker 3: what it is that we're actually fighting for. You know,

431
00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:28,480
Speaker 3: there's a lot of wordiness going on about salaries and

432
00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:31,000
Speaker 3: it's like, yeah, we're wanting to give them bigger salaries

433
00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:33,560
Speaker 3: and all these different things, but it's like, what we're

434
00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:37,000
Speaker 3: actually fighting for is a revenue share model in the

435
00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:40,640
Speaker 3: business that we are helping grow, and you know, it's

436
00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:44,360
Speaker 3: not tied to a fixed percentage that's you know, right now,

437
00:19:44,560 --> 00:19:48,879
Speaker 3: it's three percent, Like that's insane. And the fact that

438
00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:51,800
Speaker 3: we don't have a revenue sharing model, but like men's

439
00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:54,640
Speaker 3: leagues do, why haven't.

440
00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:56,679
Speaker 2: We been able to do that?

441
00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:58,560
Speaker 3: And so that's what we're really after right now, is

442
00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:03,280
Speaker 3: just really transforming the CBA into what is more than

443
00:20:03,359 --> 00:20:06,280
Speaker 3: deserved and what's overdue, Like we deserve to be able

444
00:20:06,320 --> 00:20:08,760
Speaker 3: to share in the revenue that we are helping drive

445
00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:11,679
Speaker 3: fans and play and people showing up to games and

446
00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:14,520
Speaker 3: tuning into games, are showing up to watch us, you

447
00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:16,119
Speaker 3: know what I mean. And so we are here and

448
00:20:16,119 --> 00:20:18,119
Speaker 3: that's something that we've been standing on since we opted

449
00:20:18,119 --> 00:20:19,919
Speaker 3: out last year, and we're not budging on it, like

450
00:20:19,960 --> 00:20:21,800
Speaker 3: that is what we are after and we're gonna fight

451
00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:22,560
Speaker 3: until we get it.

452
00:20:28,359 --> 00:20:32,880
Speaker 1: Yeah, the current system and the previous CBA, because of COVID,

453
00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:39,720
Speaker 1: it was a cumulative goal post hitting system that because

454
00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:42,199
Speaker 1: COVID hit and then the year after also was limited

455
00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:44,719
Speaker 1: in terms of attendance and otherwise, y'all are so far

456
00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:46,240
Speaker 1: behind the eight ball that they can't catch up. And

457
00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:48,399
Speaker 1: so then that doesn't kick in. You don't get the

458
00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:51,359
Speaker 1: revenue percentage, and even the revenue you were going to

459
00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:53,480
Speaker 1: be awarded as a result of that was very little.

460
00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:56,600
Speaker 1: There's a Nobel Prize winning economist, Claudia Golden who wrote

461
00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:58,080
Speaker 1: an op ed for The New York Times where she

462
00:20:58,119 --> 00:21:00,840
Speaker 1: actually dug into all the data and said that based

463
00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:05,160
Speaker 1: on attendance and TV rights deals and dollars per minute

464
00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:08,440
Speaker 1: of games, et cetera, and so on, WNBA players should

465
00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:10,520
Speaker 1: make about a third or a quarter of what NBA

466
00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:13,760
Speaker 1: players make, and y'all make an adth.

467
00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:14,400
Speaker 2: Insane, right.

468
00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:16,600
Speaker 1: So if you actually have the numbers and the data

469
00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:18,560
Speaker 1: and you can bring that to the table, and the

470
00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:21,359
Speaker 1: argument still is that you're asking for too much or

471
00:21:21,359 --> 00:21:24,880
Speaker 1: you're demanding something that isn't okay, I think it's it's

472
00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:28,600
Speaker 1: gonna be real hard for them and the public. The

473
00:21:28,640 --> 00:21:30,959
Speaker 1: public is very clearly on your side, which is great too,

474
00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:33,520
Speaker 1: because in a lot of ways, the public often will

475
00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:37,920
Speaker 1: be critical of professional athletes asking for more. Somehow they're

476
00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:41,080
Speaker 1: able to not relate to a millionaire player and they

477
00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:44,159
Speaker 1: side with a billionaire owner. But in the case of

478
00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:46,520
Speaker 1: women athletes, I think they recognize that for such a

479
00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:49,280
Speaker 1: long time, y'all have not been getting paid what you're owed,

480
00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:51,760
Speaker 1: and real hard to say rocket ship growth out of

481
00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:53,399
Speaker 1: one side of your mouth and not enough money for

482
00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:54,119
Speaker 1: the players out of.

483
00:21:54,119 --> 00:21:54,840
Speaker 2: The other side.

484
00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:58,240
Speaker 1: Welcome, very interesting to see what happens. Do you think

485
00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:00,840
Speaker 1: that they, the league and the play players would benefit

486
00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:03,359
Speaker 1: from more transparency when it comes to the finances because

487
00:22:03,359 --> 00:22:06,600
Speaker 1: I find that media coverage it is very difficult to

488
00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:11,359
Speaker 1: talk about league revenue, league profit, league spending because the

489
00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:14,320
Speaker 1: complicated nature of the NBA owning forty two percent, the

490
00:22:14,359 --> 00:22:17,400
Speaker 1: sixteen percent private equity share, the WNBA owning the rest,

491
00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:20,919
Speaker 1: all of that gets basically muddied up. They won't report

492
00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:23,960
Speaker 1: anything except for right before CBA negotiations when they talk

493
00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:26,679
Speaker 1: about losses. Do you think that there needs to be

494
00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:28,800
Speaker 1: a demand for more of that to be made public?

495
00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:35,400
Speaker 3: Short answers Yes, But I do think because, like for instance,

496
00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:38,520
Speaker 3: with fees Com with her comments the other day, everybody

497
00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:41,080
Speaker 3: was like oh wow, you know, and when the young

498
00:22:41,119 --> 00:22:43,919
Speaker 3: players came into the league and people understanding like what

499
00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:46,200
Speaker 3: the salary that they were going to make, everyone was.

500
00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:47,040
Speaker 2: Like oh wow.

501
00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:52,080
Speaker 3: And I think until people really understand what it actually

502
00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:54,399
Speaker 3: is for us as players, it's hard for them to

503
00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:56,200
Speaker 3: get around. So they're looking at us like, oh, you

504
00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:58,960
Speaker 3: guys make x amount of dollars you're fine, Like you're

505
00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:00,840
Speaker 3: asking for too much. But that's what we've been told

506
00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:03,640
Speaker 3: this entire time, is like, be grateful that you have

507
00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:05,800
Speaker 3: a platform, be grateful that there is a league, be

508
00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:08,840
Speaker 3: grateful that you're getting anything. And it's like, Okay, well,

509
00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:11,159
Speaker 3: we're supposed to be the best in the world. We

510
00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:14,639
Speaker 3: should be, we should be compensated as such. And so

511
00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:17,399
Speaker 3: I think, yes, there should be some transparency so that

512
00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:20,439
Speaker 3: way you can see where you know, costs are actually,

513
00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:23,400
Speaker 3: where expenses actually are, where there needs to be more investment,

514
00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:26,560
Speaker 3: because it, like you said, every time they want to

515
00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:29,160
Speaker 3: talk about it, it's always about the losses, But any other

516
00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:31,159
Speaker 3: time it's about, oh, look at the expansion fees, look

517
00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:33,399
Speaker 3: at this media rights deal, look at how much merchandise,

518
00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:35,960
Speaker 3: look at ticket sales, and it's like cool, but where's

519
00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:36,480
Speaker 3: all that going?

520
00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:40,200
Speaker 1: Yeah, all these NBA owners fighting to get an expansion

521
00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:42,760
Speaker 1: team because it's terrible business. They're not going to make

522
00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:47,800
Speaker 1: any money. Yeah, okay, I want to talk quickly about

523
00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:50,080
Speaker 1: your work with Voice and Sport. We've had some folks

524
00:23:50,119 --> 00:23:52,760
Speaker 1: from that organization on our show. They do a ton

525
00:23:52,800 --> 00:23:54,800
Speaker 1: of mentoring, they do a lot of activism, around things

526
00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:57,760
Speaker 1: like Title nine rights and things like that. But I

527
00:23:57,840 --> 00:23:59,800
Speaker 1: was reading your bio and it's a very short bio,

528
00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:03,760
Speaker 1: but you said you're never too late. You're not the

529
00:24:03,840 --> 00:24:06,840
Speaker 1: limitations others place on you, and your authentic self is

530
00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:09,720
Speaker 1: more than enough. Why was that the message you wanted

531
00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:12,119
Speaker 1: in your very short bio to tell players, you know,

532
00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:13,359
Speaker 1: come to me for mentorship.

533
00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:17,440
Speaker 3: Yeah. One, I think just because like a tension span

534
00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:19,159
Speaker 3: of everyone. If I had a really long bio, they

535
00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:23,000
Speaker 3: probably be like, oh, next, But I wanted them to

536
00:24:23,119 --> 00:24:25,320
Speaker 3: just kind of get a grasp of, in a very

537
00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:28,520
Speaker 3: short span of words, like what they could come and

538
00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:31,520
Speaker 3: expect from me in my sessions. And I'm somebody that

539
00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:34,399
Speaker 3: you know, this journey that I've been on, the lessons

540
00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:36,399
Speaker 3: that I've learned, I want to be able to share.

541
00:24:37,280 --> 00:24:39,399
Speaker 3: And I was like, Okay, how can I put this

542
00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:42,080
Speaker 3: in a way that they can understand, like the broad

543
00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:45,800
Speaker 3: spectrum of topics that I'll talk about, while also still

544
00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:48,000
Speaker 3: captivating their attention from the beginning. I think when you

545
00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:51,960
Speaker 3: talk to young you know, young people, helping them understand

546
00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:55,359
Speaker 3: and be the best version of themselves, showing up as

547
00:24:55,359 --> 00:24:58,440
Speaker 3: their authentic selves and letting them know because I mean,

548
00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:03,359
Speaker 3: we live in such a microwave society and insane beauty

549
00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:06,240
Speaker 3: standards of things that are so accessible at your fingertips

550
00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:08,359
Speaker 3: that you aren't enough. You aren't enough, And I'm like,

551
00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:09,800
Speaker 3: I want you to know that this is a safe

552
00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:11,679
Speaker 3: space for me to continue to encourage you that you

553
00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:14,240
Speaker 3: are enough, because that was something that I had to

554
00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:16,399
Speaker 3: go through and grow through to be able to be

555
00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:18,960
Speaker 3: in a place now where I'm confident in whom the

556
00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:21,000
Speaker 3: woman that I am, and confident to be able to

557
00:25:21,359 --> 00:25:23,199
Speaker 3: speak as who I am and not feel like I

558
00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:26,000
Speaker 3: have to change up to fit into certain rooms or

559
00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:29,479
Speaker 3: different scenarios. It's like, cool, if I show up as

560
00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:31,800
Speaker 3: myself and you don't like me, that's okay, Like we

561
00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:34,359
Speaker 3: weren't meant to be in each other's space. But if

562
00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:36,960
Speaker 3: I show up as myself, I feel like you gravitate

563
00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:40,000
Speaker 3: more towards things that are in alignment for who you are.

564
00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:41,960
Speaker 3: And I want to be able to showcase that to

565
00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:42,920
Speaker 3: this younger generation.

566
00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:45,520
Speaker 1: Well, and you put in there that you're not just

567
00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:47,960
Speaker 1: there to talk about basketball and on the court stuff,

568
00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:51,359
Speaker 1: but loving your body, fueling your body, dealing with grief

569
00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:55,560
Speaker 1: like things that are just life. Yeah, what makes you

570
00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:58,080
Speaker 1: want to be that person for young players. Did you

571
00:25:58,119 --> 00:26:00,359
Speaker 1: have that when you got into the league or do

572
00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:04,520
Speaker 1: you feel like that's something where it's too often like bifurcated,

573
00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:06,520
Speaker 1: like here's your basketball people and here's the people to

574
00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:08,640
Speaker 1: talk to other stuff about that you want to bring together.

575
00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:11,840
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think for me, I've always been somebody that

576
00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:14,639
Speaker 3: understands life outside of sport. Because I was such a

577
00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:18,760
Speaker 3: late comer to sports, I had an identity outside of

578
00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:21,680
Speaker 3: basketball in the sports that I played, And so.

579
00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:24,080
Speaker 1: When I started basketball in seventh grade, yeah, that was.

580
00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:26,320
Speaker 3: The first time I ever touched a basketball And the

581
00:26:26,359 --> 00:26:28,720
Speaker 3: first time I ever like tried out for a team

582
00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:31,560
Speaker 3: and actually was like trained to learn was freshman year

583
00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:35,240
Speaker 3: of high school, so very late compared to a lot

584
00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:39,000
Speaker 3: of people. But because of that, you know, and I

585
00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:41,560
Speaker 3: was fortunate enough to grow up in a household where

586
00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:47,040
Speaker 3: you know, you treated people for people. You know, you

587
00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:49,639
Speaker 3: didn't see them as their career, you didn't see them

588
00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:52,439
Speaker 3: as you know, their title, whatever it was. They were

589
00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:55,080
Speaker 3: a human being first. And so that's something that I've

590
00:26:55,119 --> 00:26:59,000
Speaker 3: always been really proud of as I've gone through this journey,

591
00:26:59,119 --> 00:27:01,399
Speaker 3: is I've never forgotten that I'm a human and a

592
00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:05,600
Speaker 3: person first, and so yeah, life life's like just because

593
00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:08,399
Speaker 3: I'm a basketball player doesn't mean I'm not dealing with

594
00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:10,199
Speaker 3: other things, you know what I mean. So I just

595
00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:12,159
Speaker 3: wanted to be able to give the tools to be

596
00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:14,440
Speaker 3: able to navigate different areas because at the end of

597
00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:16,960
Speaker 3: the day, everybody's going to lose somebody that they love,

598
00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:19,119
Speaker 3: you know what I mean. Everybody's going to have to

599
00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:22,320
Speaker 3: go through Yes, especially as like young women, we're going

600
00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:25,200
Speaker 3: to we go through body changes. It's normal, you know

601
00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:27,000
Speaker 3: what I mean, But it's not talked about in that way.

602
00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:29,640
Speaker 3: So I wanted to help normalize those conversations and help

603
00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:32,600
Speaker 3: people understand and have the tools to be able to

604
00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:35,680
Speaker 3: navigate through life's ups and downs.

605
00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:36,120
Speaker 2: Everybody.

606
00:27:36,119 --> 00:27:37,640
Speaker 1: Alicia Clark, thank you so much.

607
00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:38,040
Speaker 2: Thank you.

608
00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:42,440
Speaker 1: Thanks again to Alicia for taking the time. We got

609
00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:44,399
Speaker 1: to take another break when we come back. What a

610
00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:49,000
Speaker 1: WNBA broadcaster an NYU professor at a bouncy Castle can

611
00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:57,359
Speaker 1: teach us about sports discourse welcome back slices. With the

612
00:27:57,359 --> 00:27:59,879
Speaker 1: twenty twenty five WNBA season coming to an end, I

613
00:28:00,119 --> 00:28:02,119
Speaker 1: just wanted to briefly touch on something that's sort of

614
00:28:02,160 --> 00:28:04,280
Speaker 1: been knocking around in my brain the last few weeks

615
00:28:04,560 --> 00:28:07,320
Speaker 1: and something that I realized the other day others in

616
00:28:07,359 --> 00:28:10,600
Speaker 1: the sports biz are thinking about too. So you remember

617
00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:13,200
Speaker 1: my conversation with Annie Costable about Angel Reese a couple

618
00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:15,960
Speaker 1: weeks ago, a conversation in which I paraphrased one of

619
00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:18,520
Speaker 1: Angel's comments in a newspaper article, and a lot of

620
00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:21,040
Speaker 1: folks accused me of malicious intent, some sort of like

621
00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:24,879
Speaker 1: desire to slander or smear Angel. Now, I apologized and

622
00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:27,919
Speaker 1: acknowledged that there was laziness in paraphrasing instead of directly

623
00:28:27,960 --> 00:28:30,320
Speaker 1: quoting her, But I couldn't stop thinking about how many

624
00:28:30,359 --> 00:28:33,560
Speaker 1: people said I'd been influenced by articles or online debates

625
00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:36,600
Speaker 1: or opinions that I hadn't even seen. I couldn't stop

626
00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:38,840
Speaker 1: thinking about how many people were certain that there was

627
00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:42,840
Speaker 1: intention behind my paraphrasing that wasn't there. So I started

628
00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:46,000
Speaker 1: to wonder if I could actually do this job of

629
00:28:46,040 --> 00:28:49,320
Speaker 1: a daily women's sports show without getting into the weeds

630
00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:53,440
Speaker 1: on Reddit threads, Twitter debates and Instagram comment sections, Like

631
00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:55,440
Speaker 1: what I need to be in those spaces every single

632
00:28:55,520 --> 00:28:58,320
Speaker 1: day to know what ideas or opinions I might be

633
00:28:58,360 --> 00:29:01,320
Speaker 1: accused of agreeing with or ideas and opinions I might

634
00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:03,800
Speaker 1: be accused of putting a spotlight on did I need

635
00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:07,080
Speaker 1: to know what w fans were debating about and disagreeing

636
00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:10,080
Speaker 1: about at all times so that I could quote unquote

637
00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:12,880
Speaker 1: pick a side, or at least know if a side

638
00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:15,280
Speaker 1: might be ascribed to me. Now, I don't really want

639
00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:18,160
Speaker 1: to do that, not just because I'm tired of that shit,

640
00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:22,440
Speaker 1: having been in this business, and specifically in the flaming

641
00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:25,400
Speaker 1: hot holes of the healthscape that is social media for

642
00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:28,640
Speaker 1: two decades watching it descend from a sort of reasonable

643
00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:33,040
Speaker 1: place to gather into a literal tool for fascism and dissension,

644
00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:36,560
Speaker 1: and not just because the existential dread of living in

645
00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:39,160
Speaker 1: the current times makes me think multiple times a day

646
00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:42,480
Speaker 1: how I should just like be outside in nature or

647
00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:46,560
Speaker 1: donating my time to a worthy cause, or helping kids

648
00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:49,560
Speaker 1: leave their school safely without being scooped up and kidnapped

649
00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:52,560
Speaker 1: by ice, Like how can I be worried about online

650
00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:55,520
Speaker 1: debates or sports opinions while the world is going up

651
00:29:55,560 --> 00:29:58,800
Speaker 1: in flames around me? Yes, those are all good reasons

652
00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:01,240
Speaker 1: not to want to be the Reddit threads, but also

653
00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:03,920
Speaker 1: because I want to talk about what's real, like the

654
00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:07,600
Speaker 1: games and players and stories and actual quotes, not what's

655
00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:12,400
Speaker 1: being invented or concocted, or supposed or alleged online. And

656
00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:14,720
Speaker 1: it's really hard to tell what's real when your knee

657
00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:17,920
Speaker 1: deep in online misinformation and opinion all the time. And

658
00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:19,840
Speaker 1: the other day I realized that I'm not the only

659
00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:22,640
Speaker 1: one kind of thinking about how much WNBA conversation is

660
00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:26,360
Speaker 1: online right now. WNBA broadcaster Ryan Ruco was on Sue

661
00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:29,840
Speaker 1: Bird's Bird's Eye View podcast recently. It's a really fantastic,

662
00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:34,080
Speaker 1: wide ranging conversation that I highly recommend, and he compared

663
00:30:34,120 --> 00:30:37,000
Speaker 1: social media to a bouncy house. He said, we can't

664
00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:41,240
Speaker 1: be surprised when online WNBA discourse is heated and outrageous

665
00:30:41,320 --> 00:30:43,280
Speaker 1: any more than we can be surprised when kids playing

666
00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:45,240
Speaker 1: in a bouncy house are flying around it sort of

667
00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:48,080
Speaker 1: out of control. Both the social media app and the

668
00:30:48,120 --> 00:30:52,360
Speaker 1: bouncy house are doing what they're built for. So shortly

669
00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:55,320
Speaker 1: before listening to this Ryan and Sue conversation, I had

670
00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:59,239
Speaker 1: seen NYU professor, speaker and podcaster Scott Galloway speak at

671
00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:01,800
Speaker 1: the Atlantic Best and he had talked about how this

672
00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:03,720
Speaker 1: is what social media is built for. He had talked

673
00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:07,320
Speaker 1: about how brands used to thrive knowing that sex sells,

674
00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:09,840
Speaker 1: and now they thrive knowing the only thing that sells

675
00:31:09,840 --> 00:31:13,760
Speaker 1: more than sex is anger in rage to engage. And

676
00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:16,480
Speaker 1: I guess Ruko has moved hearing the same kind of

677
00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:19,080
Speaker 1: message from Galloway recently because he connected it to the

678
00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:21,160
Speaker 1: WNBA conversation take a lessen.

679
00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:24,440
Speaker 4: But like, if you think about it, there has been

680
00:31:25,240 --> 00:31:31,440
Speaker 4: endless amounts of brain science research poured into these apps

681
00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:35,840
Speaker 4: which control our narratives and our motions and our days.

682
00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:39,440
Speaker 4: Right is what have they figured out? And you know,

683
00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:43,280
Speaker 4: someone who I love listening to, Scott Galloway, talks about

684
00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:46,440
Speaker 4: this all the time. They figured out the thing that

685
00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:50,440
Speaker 4: you know sells better than anything is rage. Right, So

686
00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:56,120
Speaker 4: the platform you are you're on is literally formatted to

687
00:31:56,320 --> 00:32:01,280
Speaker 4: induce rage. It upregulates in your feed things that are

688
00:32:01,320 --> 00:32:05,400
Speaker 4: going to create conflict and you know, stir emotions up

689
00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:09,360
Speaker 4: in you. And so if you're using that as like

690
00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:13,800
Speaker 4: your kind of truth window into all narratives, like I

691
00:32:13,840 --> 00:32:17,040
Speaker 4: think that you're forgetting, there's there's a massive glaze on

692
00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:20,360
Speaker 4: it that is trying to create a level of controversy,

693
00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:22,719
Speaker 4: you know, And so where I think social media has

694
00:32:22,720 --> 00:32:26,440
Speaker 4: been incredibly useful for women's basketball. Is it has become

695
00:32:26,520 --> 00:32:28,360
Speaker 4: kind of like a billboard to take people to the

696
00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:32,040
Speaker 4: games in a way that you know, maybe is unique.

697
00:32:32,320 --> 00:32:32,640
Speaker 2: Uh.

698
00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:35,240
Speaker 4: And I think has helped grow the audience quite significantly

699
00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:39,160
Speaker 4: because there is such a fervent online presence. And where

700
00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:42,720
Speaker 4: I think it's hurt a little bit is it's allowed

701
00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:46,600
Speaker 4: the discourse to become you know, super toxic at times,

702
00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:50,000
Speaker 4: and then for people to think like this is these

703
00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:53,120
Speaker 4: are the only real conversations happening right now, when really

704
00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:55,640
Speaker 4: it's like, well, no, these are these are kind of

705
00:32:55,680 --> 00:32:59,520
Speaker 4: like neurologically engineered conversations that you just happen to be

706
00:32:59,560 --> 00:33:02,680
Speaker 4: in the middle love, you know. And and and that's

707
00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:05,600
Speaker 4: where I also think, like it's on all of us,

708
00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:08,560
Speaker 4: you know, whether you know, whether we're in the media,

709
00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:11,120
Speaker 4: whether we cover the sport, whether we play the sport, whatever,

710
00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:14,920
Speaker 4: or we're just consumers like these companies, and this is

711
00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:17,160
Speaker 4: like a broader conversation a little bit. And I know,

712
00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:18,800
Speaker 4: you know, I feel this way about these things, but

713
00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:22,400
Speaker 4: like these companies, they are not going to do this

714
00:33:22,520 --> 00:33:26,440
Speaker 4: for us, right like, unless we have some you know,

715
00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:33,000
Speaker 4: unbelievably altruistic you know, multi billionaire who is able to

716
00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:35,840
Speaker 4: buy these platforms and say, hey, I'm going to make

717
00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:39,000
Speaker 4: things right. You know, it's really on us. You know,

718
00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:41,440
Speaker 4: we have to be our own gatekeepers when it comes

719
00:33:41,480 --> 00:33:46,680
Speaker 4: to you know, technological intelligence, right, and media awareness and

720
00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:50,960
Speaker 4: like we all have to just like have media literacy

721
00:33:51,040 --> 00:33:52,720
Speaker 4: is really the term. We have to have some level

722
00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:55,040
Speaker 4: of media literacy when we go into all of this

723
00:33:55,680 --> 00:33:58,880
Speaker 4: and use that to help inform our conversations of what's

724
00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:01,240
Speaker 4: real and what's not, what should be real and what's not.

725
00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:05,120
Speaker 1: I just couldn't agree more with how Ryan put all

726
00:34:05,120 --> 00:34:08,239
Speaker 1: those things together and the conclusion he came to. It

727
00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:10,960
Speaker 1: is on us to keep the conversation productive and to

728
00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:15,719
Speaker 1: keep our spaces as free of toxicity as possible. And

729
00:34:15,760 --> 00:34:17,840
Speaker 1: I'm just gonna have to accept it if occasionally the

730
00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:21,160
Speaker 1: very very online assume that I'm pushing a narrative that

731
00:34:21,200 --> 00:34:23,440
Speaker 1: I've never even seen, Like, I want you all to

732
00:34:23,480 --> 00:34:25,920
Speaker 1: keep me honest. If you see actual important stuff that

733
00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:29,279
Speaker 1: I miss, please send it, Like Alex and.

734
00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:30,920
Speaker 2: Whoever replaces me should.

735
00:34:30,920 --> 00:34:33,600
Speaker 1: I are going to keep trying to keep up with everything,

736
00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:36,000
Speaker 1: but if it's important stuff and we're missing it, send

737
00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:37,400
Speaker 1: it to us. We want to know, we want to

738
00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:39,879
Speaker 1: be good, Like, I'm still trying to do the best

739
00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:42,040
Speaker 1: show I can do, and I'm trying to read up

740
00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:43,840
Speaker 1: and study up and know as much as I can,

741
00:34:44,640 --> 00:34:47,880
Speaker 1: but not if it requires spending my one, wild and

742
00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:52,080
Speaker 1: precious life buried in angry reddit threads. So I don't

743
00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:54,080
Speaker 1: know if I feel the urge to say this as

744
00:34:54,120 --> 00:34:57,440
Speaker 1: a preventative measure in case it happens again, but I

745
00:34:57,440 --> 00:35:02,640
Speaker 1: guess yeah, just I'm doing my But if y'all want

746
00:35:02,640 --> 00:35:06,040
Speaker 1: to get in those threads, godspeed, It couldn't be me.

747
00:35:06,880 --> 00:35:08,480
Speaker 1: We love that you're listening, but we want you to

748
00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:10,040
Speaker 1: get in the game every day too. So here's our

749
00:35:10,040 --> 00:35:12,520
Speaker 1: good gameplay of the day. It's a simple one. Follow

750
00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:15,040
Speaker 1: Alicia on social media. Yeah, the social media I just

751
00:35:15,040 --> 00:35:17,800
Speaker 1: told you is a hellscape. Parts of it are okay,

752
00:35:17,840 --> 00:35:21,000
Speaker 1: and her social media is more than okay, especially the

753
00:35:21,040 --> 00:35:23,960
Speaker 1: cooking reels so good. We'll link to her bio in

754
00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:26,120
Speaker 1: the show notes and go back and check out that

755
00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:28,600
Speaker 1: full conversation with Ryan Ruco and Sue Bird. There's so

756
00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:31,280
Speaker 1: much good stuff in there, including what Sue Bird hopes

757
00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:33,800
Speaker 1: will be introduced as the Sue Bird Rule, where players

758
00:35:33,840 --> 00:35:36,480
Speaker 1: will only get five fouls instead of six.

759
00:35:36,719 --> 00:35:37,320
Speaker 2: Per game.

760
00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:39,400
Speaker 1: There's a lot of good stuff in there about officiating

761
00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:41,200
Speaker 1: at other things, so we'll link to that full interview

762
00:35:41,239 --> 00:35:43,520
Speaker 1: in the show notes. We always love to hear from you.

763
00:35:43,719 --> 00:35:46,480
Speaker 1: Hit us up on email good game at wondermedianetwork dot com,

764
00:35:46,600 --> 00:35:48,520
Speaker 1: or leave us a voicemail at eight seven two two

765
00:35:48,600 --> 00:35:52,000
Speaker 1: oh four fifty seventy and don't forget to subscribe, rate

766
00:35:52,040 --> 00:35:57,080
Speaker 1: and review. It's easy watch octagenarian Feats of Strength rating

767
00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:03,240
Speaker 1: eighty years of badassory review. Congratulations going out to eighty

768
00:36:03,320 --> 00:36:06,520
Speaker 1: year old Natalie Graybow, who became the first woman in

769
00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:10,000
Speaker 1: the forty seven year history of the Kona Ironman ever

770
00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:12,239
Speaker 1: to compete in the eighty to eighty.

771
00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:13,200
Speaker 2: Four year old age group.

772
00:36:13,719 --> 00:36:15,959
Speaker 1: And when she crossed the finish line of the two

773
00:36:15,960 --> 00:36:19,520
Speaker 1: point four mile swim, one hundred and twelve mile bike ride,

774
00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:22,520
Speaker 1: and twenty six point two mile run last weekend with

775
00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:25,399
Speaker 1: a time of sixteen hours forty five minutes, she became

776
00:36:25,440 --> 00:36:28,440
Speaker 1: the oldest woman ever to cross the finish line at Kona.

777
00:36:29,239 --> 00:36:33,480
Speaker 1: Just like Alicia Clark said, never too old, never too late, y'all,

778
00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:36,200
Speaker 1: let's all remember that when we're feeling too tired, we're

779
00:36:36,239 --> 00:36:38,120
Speaker 1: too lazy to get our asses up out of bed

780
00:36:38,120 --> 00:36:40,440
Speaker 1: to get to the gym, to play pick up, or

781
00:36:40,480 --> 00:36:43,240
Speaker 1: to run around with our kids or our dogs. Also

782
00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:45,960
Speaker 1: want to give a shout out to Norwegian Solveg Loveseeth

783
00:36:46,040 --> 00:36:49,000
Speaker 1: on winning that race in eight hours, twenty eight minutes,

784
00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:51,680
Speaker 1: twenty seven seconds, and shout out to front of the

785
00:36:51,680 --> 00:36:54,839
Speaker 1: show Hailey Chura who finished twentieth, and also to friend

786
00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:57,800
Speaker 1: at the show Chelsea Sodaro, who was among several top

787
00:36:57,840 --> 00:37:01,080
Speaker 1: competitors that were unable to complete that race in part

788
00:37:01,160 --> 00:37:05,600
Speaker 1: due to brutal heat and humidity. Showing up is impressive enough,

789
00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:07,480
Speaker 1: and we know you're going to show up again next

790
00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:10,800
Speaker 1: time to Chelsea. Now it's your turn. Y'all rate and review,

791
00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:15,160
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, See you tomorrow. Good game, Alicia, Good game,

792
00:37:15,239 --> 00:37:18,960
Speaker 1: Ryan Ruco. Cue to the very tired part of my

793
00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:21,080
Speaker 1: brain that said Alicia.

794
00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:22,680
Speaker 2: Never going to live that down.

795
00:37:23,239 --> 00:37:27,520
Speaker 1: Never. Good Game with Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's

796
00:37:27,520 --> 00:37:30,680
Speaker 1: sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.

797
00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:34,000
Speaker 1: You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

798
00:37:34,120 --> 00:37:37,840
Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts. Production by Wonder Media Network,

799
00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:41,520
Speaker 1: our producers are Alex Azzie and Misha Jones. Our executive

800
00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:45,960
Speaker 1: producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rudder.

801
00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:49,799
Speaker 1: Our editors are Emily Rutter, Britney Martinez, Grace Lynch and

802
00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:54,120
Speaker 1: Gianna Palmer. Our associate producer is Lucy Jones. Production assistance

803
00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:57,120
Speaker 1: from Avery Loftist and I'm Your Host Sarah Spain