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

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Speaker 1: if someone could pass us.

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Speaker 2: A bottle of red wine en route to the office.

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Speaker 1: All La Brienna Stewart at the New York Liberty Championship

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Speaker 1: Parade yesterday, anyone preferably a big bold Cabernet, but we're

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Speaker 1: not picky. On today's show, we're gonna be talking to women'

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Speaker 1: soccer writer Tamara Griffin about the upcoming NWSL playoffs, team rebrands,

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Speaker 1: the influx of African superstars into the league, and.

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Speaker 2: Her pick to win this year's championship.

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Speaker 1: Plus it's officially team name and rebrand week, the Liberty

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Speaker 1: Parade was lit and Misha's mowing gripe takes center stage.

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Speaker 1: It's all coming up right after this. Welcome Back Slices,

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Speaker 1: Happy Friday. Here's what you need to know today in

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Speaker 1: soccer news. Tonight's the night. Remember that NWSL times Lega

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Speaker 1: MX Feminile Summer Cup we told you about a few

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Speaker 1: months ago. In case you don't, here's a quick refresher.

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Speaker 1: It's a first of its kind turn that began back

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Speaker 1: in July and ran concurrently with the NWSL season, featuring

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Speaker 1: fourteen clubs from the NWSL and the top six teams

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Speaker 1: from LEGA MXFEMINIL of Mexico, and now it's championship time.

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Speaker 1: The KC Current and Gotham FC are the last squad

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Speaker 1: standing and they're going to play for the Cup's first

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Speaker 1: ever title tonight at eight pm Eastern on CBS Sportsnet

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Speaker 1: and streaming on Paramount Plus. Ahead of the championship, Gotham

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Speaker 1: announced that it signed seven players to national team replacement

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Speaker 1: player contracts for that game tonight.

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Speaker 2: Those players are Nicole.

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Speaker 1: Baxter, Sabrina Flores, Shana Matthews, Libby Moore, Mana Shim, Mack Wittham,

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Speaker 1: and Sekura Yoshida.

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Speaker 2: Shim headlines the group.

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Speaker 1: She was a member of Gotham's twenty twenty three championship

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Speaker 1: winning squad after joining on an injury replacement contract. Rest

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Speaker 1: of the NWSL is on break this weekend and will

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Speaker 1: close out regular season play next weekend. In Volleyball, Week

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Speaker 1: four of Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball Get started tonight at

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Speaker 1: seven pm Eastern on FanDuel Sports Network and streaming on

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Speaker 1: Volleyball World TV. Betty de la Cruz maye Iss Orange

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Speaker 1: team takes on Morganheats's Blue squad first. Those players are

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Speaker 1: second and third on the overall leaderboard entering the weekend.

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Speaker 1: We'll link to the full weekend schedule in our show notes.

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Speaker 1: And in college volleyball, fifteen of the top twenty five

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Speaker 1: teams in the nation are in action tonight, headlined by

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Speaker 1: number one Pit hosting number four Louisville at seven pm Eastern.

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Speaker 1: That's followed by number two Nebraska hosting Big ten fou

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Speaker 1: Illinois at eight pm Eastern. There's more action throughout this

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Speaker 1: weekend as well. We'll link to the full game schedule

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Speaker 1: in our show notes. In college soccer, we got a

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Speaker 1: Big ACC matchup on tap tonight between number four North

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Speaker 1: Carolina and number seventeen Florida State down in Tallahassee. Plus

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Speaker 1: a Big twelve showdown between TCU and Oklahoma State, two

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Speaker 1: teams with nearly identical overall records this season. You already

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Speaker 1: know the drill. We'll link to the weekend schedule in

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Speaker 1: our show notes. In college ice hockey, more elite teams

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Speaker 1: are in action. Eleven of the top fifteen programs take

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Speaker 1: the ice today. Number two Ohio State hosts stone Hill

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Speaker 1: in a matinee matchup at three pm Eastern, and unranked

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Speaker 1: Bmidgie State visits number one Wisconsin at eight pm Eastern.

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Speaker 1: There's a gaggle of games taking place all day, so

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Speaker 1: you know where we'll put them. Linked to the full

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Speaker 1: schedules in the show notes. Some basketball news into clurb.

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Speaker 1: We all fam what intoclurb?

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Speaker 3: We all sam in the club?

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Speaker 4: We are all family.

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Speaker 1: The Unrivaled League, co founded by Branda Stewart and a

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Speaker 1: Visa Collier, has finally dropped the names of its six

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Speaker 1: basketball clerbs. The names include Phantom BC, misst BC, Lunar

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Speaker 1: Owls BC, Lace's BC.

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Speaker 2: ROSEBC, and Vinyl BC. You heard it right, BC.

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Speaker 1: Kind of like FC and Soccer exactly. In a Twitter

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Speaker 1: explainer post back in August, a Visa Collier mentioned that

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Speaker 1: the league drew inspiration for the names from European football clubs.

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Speaker 1: Everybody wants to be like euro Football? Was the American

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Speaker 1: Revolution for naught? Why are we so beholden to our

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Speaker 1: British daddies? It's a conversation for another time anyway. Each

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Speaker 1: Unrivaled name drop was accompanied by a short trailer, video

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Speaker 1: and logo, so if you want to check those out,

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Speaker 1: we'll link to the unrivaled website. In our show notes,

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Speaker 1: more unrivaled news sources told Front Office Sports that the

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Speaker 1: league is reportedly throwing a bunch of money and other

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Speaker 1: benefits at Caitlin Clark to try to get her to participate.

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Speaker 1: The Front Office Sports writer quotes a source comparing the

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Speaker 1: push for Clark to Major League Soccer's push to bring

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Speaker 1: star Lionel Messi to enter MIAMCF. Per Sports Pro's annual

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Speaker 1: fifty Most Marketable Athletes ranking, Kaitlyn Clark comes in a

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Speaker 1: spot ahead of Messi.

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Speaker 2: She's number four, he's number five.

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Speaker 1: Messi's MLS season runs far longer than on rivals eight

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Speaker 1: week competition schedule, but with the league's six figure based

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Speaker 1: salary and a sliding scale compensation model based on individual

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Speaker 1: star power, Clark could really get her money's worth for

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Speaker 1: that short period of time. This is a developing story,

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Speaker 1: so we'll wait and see and keep you updated. In

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Speaker 1: the WNBA, the Seattle Storm made a different kind of

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Speaker 1: offseason move on Wednesday, using its Twitter account to issue

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Speaker 1: an official endorsement of presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her

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Speaker 1: running mate Tim Walls. Like a whole team endorsement, This

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Speaker 1: is the second election in a row that The Storm

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Speaker 1: has endorsed a presidential ticket. The org also endorsed Joe

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Speaker 1: Biden and Harris in twenty twenty. The team's announcement on

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Speaker 1: Twitter reads quote here, at the Storm, we are advocates

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Speaker 1: for equality and opportunity. We need leaders who fight for

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Speaker 1: us all all the time. Kamala Harris and Tim Walls

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Speaker 1: aligned strongly with our mission and values, and we proudly

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Speaker 1: endorse this presidential team.

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Speaker 2: End quote.

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Speaker 1: The Tweed also included a link for people to register

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Speaker 1: to vote, which will include in our show notes. Since

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Speaker 1: you know we've been telling you, please make your voting

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Speaker 1: plan and check your registration. Finally, the alpine skiing season

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Speaker 1: starts this weekend in Zolden, Austria, and US s Geer

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Speaker 1: Mikaela Shiffern has World Cup victory number one hundred in

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Speaker 1: her sits. Shiffrid is already the winningest alpine skier of

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Speaker 1: all time on the World Cup circuit, a record she

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Speaker 1: broke two years ago, and now she's just three wins

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Speaker 1: away from hitting one hundred. All right, orange slices, It's

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Speaker 1: time for another what the Fact.

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Speaker 2: Today's what the fact involves.

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Speaker 1: Nil payments there's a fantastic Washington Post story by Albert

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Speaker 1: Samaha and Emily Gimbalvo reporting some staggering stats showing how

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Speaker 1: payments for NIL, name, image, and likeness are divided along

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Speaker 1: gender lines. Reading from the story quote, the Post requested

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Speaker 1: records from every public university and major college sports conferences

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Speaker 1: across the country. Fifty six schools in all twenty four

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Speaker 1: states require athletes at public universities to disclose NIL deals

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Speaker 1: to their schools, as do many athletic departments in other states,

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Speaker 1: though few mechanisms exist to enforce those rules, leaving open

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Speaker 1: the possibility that some payments are unaccounted for. The majority

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Speaker 1: of schools declined to provide any records, claiming student privacy

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Speaker 1: laws exempted them from releasing NIL information. Some schools, though,

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Speaker 1: provided records listing every NIL deal their athletes have disclosed

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Speaker 1: with names redacted, while others supplied documents showing the total

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Speaker 1: disclosed NIL income across each sport. Those records reveal how,

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Speaker 1: fifty years after Title nine mandated equal treatment of men's

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Speaker 1: and women's sports, NIL has re established gender inequities across

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Speaker 1: college sports through a system that keeps funders officially independent

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Speaker 1: from the schools they support enduote so At the twelve

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Speaker 1: schools that provided NIL data categorized by sport or gender,

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Speaker 1: men out earned women ninety two million to nineteen million.

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Speaker 1: A couple more specific examples from the story, UCLA's official

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Speaker 1: Booster collective featured women's college basketball players on its website,

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Speaker 1: but all two million dollars of its disclosed NIL payments

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Speaker 1: from January of twenty three to May of twenty four

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Speaker 1: went to men's sports, including six hundred fifty six thousand,

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Speaker 1: five hundred to men's basketball and over a million dollars

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Speaker 1: to football. At Texas A and M, men received ninety

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Speaker 1: eight percent of all NIL dollars twenty five point two

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Speaker 1: million dollars, compared with just five hundred thirty four thousand

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Speaker 1: for women.

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Speaker 2: Those are in deals.

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Speaker 1: From July twenty twenty one to February of twenty four,

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Speaker 1: Texas Women's soopers earned a combined total of four hundred

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Speaker 1: thirty five thousand in NIL come from July twenty one

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Speaker 1: to July twenty four, the men's counterparts made a total

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Speaker 1: of four point eight million, even though the women won

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Speaker 1: more regular season and NCAA tournament games and had more

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Speaker 1: than twice as many social media followers on their personal accounts.

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Speaker 1: At the end of last year, the collective that Sports

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Speaker 1: University of Washington Sports paid athletes seven point four million

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Speaker 1: from August of twenty two to februs were of twenty

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Speaker 1: four and ninety four percent of it went to football

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Speaker 1: and men's basketball players. At the University of Colorado, the

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Speaker 1: Buffs for Life collective made four hundred and twenty one

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Speaker 1: payments of at least one thousand dollars to football and

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Speaker 1: men's basketball players from the end of twenty two to

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Speaker 1: July of twenty four, and just forty to athletes and

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Speaker 1: women's sports. During that time, eighty two percent of the

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Speaker 1: collective's funding went to football or men's basketball players. Now,

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Speaker 1: you might not be shocked to hear all this. Men's sports,

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Speaker 1: particularly football and basketball, have historically garnered more investment, more attention,

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Speaker 1: more TV coverage, more media coverage, and more support from

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Speaker 1: alums and boosters, whether above the table or below it.

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Speaker 2: But what stands out most.

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Speaker 1: Is that in college basketball, it's women players who have

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Speaker 1: bigger online profiles, more notable rivalries, and more compelling college careers.

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Speaker 1: Most top men's players go pro after a year or

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Speaker 1: two or skip college ball altogether. While it's the women's

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Speaker 1: players that are the ones we know, follow and watch,

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Speaker 1: you don't need more proof than the fact that the

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Speaker 1: women's national title game drew more viewers than the men's

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Speaker 1: championship game last year. So if the women have more

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Speaker 1: name recognition, more social media followers, better stories, and rivalries,

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Speaker 1: then why outside of two or three women players at

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Speaker 1: the top, are they getting underfunded compared to the men.

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Speaker 1: And when they do make money, it's usually for very

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Speaker 1: involved online posts and videos, and it really depends on

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Speaker 1: them keeping up their social following, while the men get

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Speaker 1: paid for signings or often to do nothing at all.

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Speaker 1: While it's great that women athletes, particularly those in sports

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Speaker 1: without robust professional leagues, can monetize their talents at the

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Speaker 1: college level, it's infuriating to be reminded that brands, sponsors,

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Speaker 1: and collectives continue to see men as an economic opportunity

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Speaker 1: and a worthy investment and not women, even when the

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Speaker 1: women have greater follower numbers, influence, and success. It's truly

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Speaker 1: a microcosm of the larger issues in women's sports and

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Speaker 1: investment until folks do the work to understand the product,

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Speaker 1: the analytics, and the reality of women's reach and power,

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Speaker 1: the default will still be to reward lesser achieving, lesser

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Speaker 1: known men. I highly recommend you read the full Washington

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Speaker 1: Post story by Albert Samaha and Emily Gimbalvo for a

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Speaker 1: comprehensive look at the landscape and the accompanying story with

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Speaker 1: more on how they did the research and some of

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Speaker 1: the numbers that they got. Some of the disparities that

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Speaker 1: they found are truly making me say, what the fact?

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Speaker 2: And here's another fact.

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Speaker 1: Did you know that eighty four percent of sports fans

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Speaker 1: are into women's sports, but they only get fifteen percent

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Speaker 1: of the media coverage.

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Speaker 2: That does not add up. As a founding.

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Speaker 1: Partner of iHeart Women's Sports, elf Beauty is serious about

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Speaker 1: changing the game and igniting conversations that will reshape the

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Speaker 1: future of sports. Join the movement now at elfbauty dot com.

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Speaker 1: We got to take a quick break when we come back.

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Speaker 1: We talked to soccer writer Tamara Griffin.

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Speaker 2: Joining us now.

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Speaker 1: She's the co host of Full Time with Meg Lenahan,

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Speaker 1: a podcast focusing on the US women's national team, the NWSL,

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Speaker 1: and the broader women's soccer landscape. Also a women's soccer

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Speaker 1: writer for The athletic and a freelance writer for andscape

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Speaker 1: Eater and others. She also writes about the intersections of fashion, style,

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Speaker 1: art and visual culture, and football in Divisa, the vertical

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Speaker 1: of football code that celebrates the women's game. She's got

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Speaker 1: a master's from NYU and did her undergrad at San

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Speaker 1: Francisco State, where she was small and scrappy defender on

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Speaker 1: the soccer team. She's not allowed to go on vacation

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Speaker 1: because too much shit goes down while she's gone. It's

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Speaker 1: Tamara Griffin, what's up tomorrow?

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Speaker 2: Oh?

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Speaker 3: What isn't up these days in the world of women's sports,

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Speaker 3: or even women's soccer specifically.

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Speaker 4: But you know I'm doing well, can't complain.

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Speaker 1: I feel like it's got to settle down now that

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Speaker 1: you're back from vacation, right, I mean, that's how.

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Speaker 4: I mean in theory.

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Speaker 3: But the chaos has ways of surprising you, even when

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Speaker 3: you think you're playing by its rules. But that's why

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Speaker 3: we're trying, is true.

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Speaker 1: Let's start with the chaos of the day slash week.

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Speaker 1: It feels like we're getting one every week now. This

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Speaker 1: time it's the Chicago Red Stars slash Stars FC. How

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Speaker 1: do you reconcile this team's desire to rebrand versus a

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Speaker 1: disruption of history sort of a brand that's one of

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Speaker 1: the longest running in American women's pro soccer history. How

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Speaker 1: do you balance sort of that desire versus maybe what

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Speaker 1: they're giving up with rebranding.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a tricky balance anytime you have a rebrand,

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Speaker 3: even when you aren't carrying painful, traumatic history, like the

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Speaker 3: Chicago Red Stars, which I guess we're still calling them

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Speaker 3: the Red Stars until the end of the season, which

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Speaker 3: is a whole other issue. But I personally am someone

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Speaker 3: who believes in recognizing and not trying to erase the

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Speaker 3: past because it informs your present and your future, and

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Speaker 3: so that I don't know how many people actually subscribe

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Speaker 3: to that, because putting that into action is a lot

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Speaker 3: more complicated than just saying that you're going to do it.

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Speaker 3: And so on the one hand, I completely appreciate and understand,

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Speaker 3: you know, with the new ownership wanting to symbolize and

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Speaker 3: sort of embody this new path, this new future that

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Speaker 3: you're taking the team. But you can also argue that

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Speaker 3: the reason why you're having new ownership is because of

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Speaker 3: what happened in the past and the resilience of players.

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Speaker 3: What does it mean to celebrate the resilience of players

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Speaker 3: who stuck around, you know, through the difficult times, through

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Speaker 3: the toxic abuse that was outlined in the Saliate's report

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Speaker 3: and the end of USL investigation. I think that it's

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Speaker 3: important to honor that. And just from what I've read

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Speaker 3: about sort of the ideology behind this redesign, the rebrand,

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Speaker 3: even when you think about the city of Chicago, I

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Speaker 3: was seeing a lot of you know, that sort of

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Speaker 3: like Midwest gritty, humble confidence, hard working, blue collar spirit

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Speaker 3: that I actually think like, I believe that there was

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Speaker 3: a way to sort of dovetail that with the specific

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Speaker 3: history of the Chicago Red Stars, And I personally was

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Speaker 3: a little bit disappointed to see that lack of creativity

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Speaker 3: in their approach.

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Speaker 4: So I do think it's possible.

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Speaker 3: I don't think that they nailed it when it came

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Speaker 3: to reckoning and that balance.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, you mentioned the timing.

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Speaker 1: Why announced Now you know you're right on the heels

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Speaker 1: of Boss Nation, which dealing with a crisis as a

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Speaker 1: result of their announcement, and it's right before the playoffs

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Speaker 1: where you're still going to be wearing Chicago Red Stars

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Speaker 1: gear and using that name. So if you're not switching

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Speaker 1: over immediately, why do it now?

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Speaker 4: That's a great question.

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Speaker 3: I wish I had an answer to that too, And

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Speaker 3: I had read that the team had slowly been sort

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Speaker 3: of retreating from the Red Stars.

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Speaker 1: They've been using hashtag with the Stars and kind of

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Speaker 1: dropping the Red a lot throughout the season. But again,

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Speaker 1: that's secondary. It was so subtle in the brand and

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Speaker 1: the logo. Yeah, you can still do that and then

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Speaker 1: lead up to an offseason change.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, And the timing is just as important as the messaging, right,

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Speaker 3: because you're telling a story with a rebrand, and if

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Speaker 3: you are wanting to start a new I mean some

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Speaker 3: people are saying they're starting a new book, not even

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Speaker 3: a new chapter. But if you are sort of hastily

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Speaker 3: beginning a new chapter when a story is still unfolding,

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Speaker 3: what else can you expect from people, I think other

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Speaker 3: than I mean, yes, people understand like the principle of

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Speaker 3: why this change needs to happen, and I don't think

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Speaker 3: anyone would disagree with that on principle, But if your

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Speaker 3: intentions and your principle are not in concert or like

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Speaker 3: harmonious conversation with your practice, then you end up sort

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Speaker 3: of doing yourself a disservice for the six plus months

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Speaker 3: that they'd spend right working on the great brand.

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Speaker 1: So Greed also like worth noting that I will continue

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Speaker 1: to not understand why if America is going to keep

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Speaker 1: calling it soccer, then why are our teams football clubs?

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Speaker 1: You got to pick one either year, change it and

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Speaker 1: you call it football all the time, and you don't

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Speaker 1: say it's a soccer ball representing soccer for our football club,

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Speaker 1: or you change the football full time and you could

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Speaker 1: be FC's That's just to be in my bonnet that

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Speaker 1: I will never understand. There's a lot that I'm coming

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Speaker 1: to grips with as the league is expanding, entering a

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Speaker 1: new era. Most of it is positive, right, Like you're

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Speaker 1: gonna have growing pains when you have new investment and

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Speaker 1: expansion and all this stuff, and most of it I'm

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Speaker 1: pretty excited about. But there are some moments that feel stuck.

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Speaker 1: And I wonder if you see teams adjusting to all

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Speaker 1: of this growth better than others, if there's any that

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Speaker 1: you're looking at and saying, oh, this seems like they've

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Speaker 1: got it right.

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Speaker 3: M I think the Washington Spirit have been doing a

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Speaker 3: phenomenal job and I owe a lot of that, honestly

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Speaker 3: to their community team DC. And the thing is, it's

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Speaker 3: not just DC, New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Bay Area,

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Speaker 3: Los Angeles. All of these major cosmopolitan metropolis cities across

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Speaker 3: the US have the benefit, in my opinion, of being

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Speaker 3: these rich, multicultural tapestries full of people. And because it's

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Speaker 3: a global game, I think that any team that isn't

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Speaker 3: doing everything they can to tap into that multiculturalism and

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Speaker 3: like that level of international diversity that they have in

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Speaker 3: bringing it into the club, incorporating it into the way,

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Speaker 3: into the design, into the way that they engage with

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Speaker 3: fans various fan groups, right, because some clubs have multiple

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Speaker 3: different fan groups. And I think for me what made

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Speaker 3: me start looking at the Washington Spirit differently in that

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Speaker 3: regard in a positive way was the way that they

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Speaker 3: approached Juneteenth. They engaged with black owned businesses. There were

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Speaker 3: educational aspects of their programming, there were celebratory aspects of

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Speaker 3: their programming. They were dancing and having fun, they were teaching,

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Speaker 3: they were reckoning with the past of how Juneteenth even

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Speaker 3: came to be as a holiday, and they showed that

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Speaker 3: it's possible to do all of those things, because when

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Speaker 3: you're black and living in America, that is what it means.

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Speaker 3: You're reckoning with the good and the bad all the time.

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Speaker 3: And the fact that they were able to tap into

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Speaker 3: that and create not just one event nothing that ever

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Speaker 3: felt like lip service. It felt engaged with the local community.

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Speaker 3: It brought fans in who maybe have been curious about

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Speaker 3: what's been going on with Juneteenth now that it's a

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Speaker 3: federal holiday, but didn't really know how to get into that.

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Speaker 3: Soccer can be used as a bridge into so many

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Speaker 3: different issues, and so I have to give snaps to

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Speaker 3: the Washington Spirit in particular comes to things like that,

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Speaker 3: and that's something that literally every single NWSL club can

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Speaker 3: and should be doing, not just with Black communities, but

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Speaker 3: with any community, because everyone watches and follows this game,

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Speaker 3: and so to the extent that you are centering only

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Speaker 3: one kind of narrative, you are automatically, of course, excluding

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Speaker 3: other people, not just from like filling your seats, but

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Speaker 3: from investing in the club.

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Speaker 1: You know, we're seeing this league expand to be much

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Speaker 1: more international, and that includes some very very talented new

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Speaker 1: players coming in. Can you put in perspective, what we've

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Speaker 1: seen from say tem Watchewinga and Barbara Banda in their

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Speaker 1: first seasons in the nwrself sitting atop the Golden Boot

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Speaker 1: race twenty goals for ten, well thirteen for Barbara, two

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Speaker 1: of a handful of African players coming in really making

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Speaker 1: a difference immediately.

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Speaker 3: International players already excites me. They're the impact that they've

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Speaker 3: had in this league, but African players specifically is very

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Speaker 3: dear and near to my heart because before I pivoted

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Speaker 3: to covering women's soccer, I was an international correspondent and

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Speaker 3: lived in Kenya for two and a half years, have

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Speaker 3: traveled across the continent pretty much every region of the

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Speaker 3: continent at this point, and even though I wasn't covering football,

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Speaker 3: I was able to see, you know, I was able

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Speaker 3: to absorb the culture. I learned so much, and I

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Speaker 3: honestly don't think I was ever anticipating African players coming

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Speaker 3: to the league and making the impact that they've had

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Speaker 3: this quickly, and as someone who was familiar with countries

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Speaker 3: like Zambia and Malawi, and of course you know your Nigeria,

387
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Speaker 3: your South Africa, your Kenya, your Moroccos, there's something so

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Speaker 3: gratifying about seeing American fans and let's be I mean

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Speaker 3: I am, I'm American, and I know that we are

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Speaker 3: ignorant when it comes to geography. And I'm based in

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Speaker 3: the Bay Area and so I've been to a ton

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Speaker 3: of BFC games this season and to see why American

393
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Speaker 3: girls holding up Rachel Kundananji's jersey flying like the Zambian flag,

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Speaker 3: screaming her name after games for autographs, to see, like

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Speaker 3: Zambian communities across the Bay Area come out when the

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Speaker 3: Orlando Pride is coming to town because now they get

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Speaker 3: to see Rachel and Barbara. To see Malawians like in

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Speaker 3: the diaspora coming out to Temwa's games is not something

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Speaker 3: that we've ever seen before in this league. And I

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Speaker 3: think that Temwa and her sister Tabitha, who plays for

401
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Speaker 3: Leon in France, They've got to be like the two

402
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Speaker 3: most famous Malawians maybe like ever in terms of like

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Speaker 3: their name recognition outside of the country and the fact

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Speaker 3: that they are doing this as footballers is mind blowing.

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Speaker 3: And when I realized that this was happening a couple

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Speaker 3: of years ago, that's actually what inspired me to start

407
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Speaker 3: covering this game as a journalist because I want to

408
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Speaker 3: read these stories too. I want to know how we

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Speaker 3: got here. I want to know what these players' lives

410
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Speaker 3: are like, what it's like adjusting. I know you had

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Speaker 3: that conversation with Temwan and Jericho about that, but it

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Speaker 3: is unprecedented. And this, even what we're seeing now is

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Speaker 3: just the beginning. Because I talk to people in Zambia

414
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Speaker 3: and Malawi and they're like, if you look at the

415
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Speaker 3: you seventeens, if you look at the you know at

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Speaker 3: the youth level, there are more coming. So people like

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Speaker 3: I love that people are getting sort of this education

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Speaker 3: now because it's the start of what I really think

419
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Speaker 3: is going to be an era of African women's football dominating,

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Speaker 3: not just in the NWSL but all over the world.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and it's so cool to get to see some

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Speaker 1: of the players that will inspire, hopefully some real systemic

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Speaker 1: change in those countries in terms of resources and investment

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Speaker 1: in girls playing. When you have these women that you

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Speaker 1: can hold up as great examples and great representations for

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Speaker 1: those countries, really really cool to watch. I want to

427
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Speaker 1: talk San Diego Wave. This is a team that was

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Speaker 1: an example of immediate expansion success on the field and

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Speaker 1: in terms of attendance when they join the NWSL in

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty two. But now they're plagued by accusations of

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Speaker 1: a toxic environment from former employees. They're in the middle

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Speaker 1: of a lawsuit with their president, Jill Ellis, they're in

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Speaker 1: need of a new full time head coach after they

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Speaker 1: fired a very successful coach and then made a very

435
00:21:57,080 --> 00:22:00,400
Speaker 1: curious selection of Landon Donovan as interim headman. And they're

436
00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:02,840
Speaker 1: on the outside looking in for the postseason. So what

437
00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:04,960
Speaker 1: do you make of what's been an arguably pretty terrible

438
00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:06,480
Speaker 1: season for a team in their third year.

439
00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:11,119
Speaker 3: I feel for the players, and you know what I

440
00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:14,399
Speaker 3: feel for the staff who have alleged this misconduct and

441
00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:17,879
Speaker 3: this toxic abuse too. I think when I first saw

442
00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:21,199
Speaker 3: the complaints, because even before the lawsuit, of course, for

443
00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:24,000
Speaker 3: those of you who are chronically online like me, unfortunately,

444
00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:27,280
Speaker 3: you have seen the complaints from individuals who are coming

445
00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:32,280
Speaker 3: forward about their experiences working for the club. And I

446
00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:35,600
Speaker 3: think about how a couple of years ago, when we

447
00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:39,000
Speaker 3: were talking about the rights and protections that needed to

448
00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:42,320
Speaker 3: be afforded to players, when we were thinking about labor

449
00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:45,439
Speaker 3: in the game, it made sense to focus first on

450
00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:47,679
Speaker 3: the people who were doing the bulk of the labor

451
00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:50,479
Speaker 3: the players. But now that the game is growing and

452
00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:55,240
Speaker 3: continuing to expand in the NWSL, as you mentioned, it

453
00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:58,119
Speaker 3: is time to also expand our understanding of the labor

454
00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:00,800
Speaker 3: going beyond the field, going beyond the players to the

455
00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:05,440
Speaker 3: people who are filming content as social media producers, video photography,

456
00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:08,199
Speaker 3: you know, operations. The people who are taking care of

457
00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:11,520
Speaker 3: players are labor as well, and if they are not

458
00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:14,120
Speaker 3: being treated well, how can they show up for the players?

459
00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:14,679
Speaker 3: You know?

460
00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:18,680
Speaker 4: And so I I it sucks.

461
00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:22,800
Speaker 3: It's so shitty, and I hope that people who have

462
00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:27,359
Speaker 3: been mistreated get the justice that they deserve. I really

463
00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:29,600
Speaker 3: feel for Naomi Germa. I mean, I feel for all

464
00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:32,360
Speaker 3: of the Wave players, but when I think about Naomi specifically,

465
00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:34,679
Speaker 3: I'm really glad you asked this question, because I've been

466
00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:37,400
Speaker 3: carrying this in my chest for a minute.

467
00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:39,600
Speaker 4: But haven't really had a chance to express it.

468
00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:42,520
Speaker 3: But when I think about the performances that she's had,

469
00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:45,720
Speaker 3: especially at the international level with this Olympics, even going

470
00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:48,520
Speaker 3: back to the World Cup, which obviously was historically terrible

471
00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:51,040
Speaker 3: for the team, but she was like the one bright

472
00:23:51,119 --> 00:23:55,520
Speaker 3: spot in that tournament, and she's going places and she's

473
00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:58,119
Speaker 3: you know, hopefully this is not necessarily the peak of

474
00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:00,960
Speaker 3: her career, but she needs to keep peak and this

475
00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:04,399
Speaker 3: club I think is holding her back this season, and

476
00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:07,560
Speaker 3: it's really unfortunate. I mean, every time I don't see

477
00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:11,520
Speaker 3: her nominated for some big global award, I wonder, I'm like,

478
00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:14,360
Speaker 3: this is the Wave's fault, you know, like, because if

479
00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:18,359
Speaker 3: she was and Casey Stony was so ready to pour

480
00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:21,119
Speaker 3: everything into her, it felt like the perfect pairing. I

481
00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:24,760
Speaker 3: still have no idea why they let her go. I mean,

482
00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:26,639
Speaker 3: it's hard to look at it now as anything but

483
00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:30,560
Speaker 3: a massive, massive mistake. And I know that we're going

484
00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:33,080
Speaker 3: to get more details about the fallout with that and

485
00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:35,080
Speaker 3: everything that's going on with the club in time, but

486
00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:39,480
Speaker 3: it is so unfortunate. As a California native, yes, Northern California,

487
00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:43,440
Speaker 3: but California. Nonetheless, it was so exciting to see the splash.

488
00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:46,560
Speaker 3: I'm sorry, no pun intended, I swear I cannot intend

489
00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:50,560
Speaker 3: that that the Wave made in their first season making

490
00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:53,200
Speaker 3: it to the playoffs, and of course hopefully AFC.

491
00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:56,120
Speaker 4: Does this crowd and it sucks. It sucks.

492
00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:58,960
Speaker 1: It was very cool to see a team establish itself

493
00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:02,520
Speaker 1: in a market so quickly with such incredible enthusiasm from fans,

494
00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:04,720
Speaker 1: and yeah, it does suck. It sucks to see so

495
00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:07,680
Speaker 1: many different levels that they're going to have to reconcile.

496
00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:10,800
Speaker 1: This new ownership group has their hands full as they

497
00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:13,320
Speaker 1: take this team on. You know, you talked about some

498
00:25:13,359 --> 00:25:15,960
Speaker 1: of the stories you've written that got you into the

499
00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:18,320
Speaker 1: soccer space, but now that you're here, you also still

500
00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:21,919
Speaker 1: look for interesting intersections of sport and other things like

501
00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:25,160
Speaker 1: beauty rituals. For instance, you've written about Ali Riley's rainbow nails,

502
00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:27,680
Speaker 1: You've written about Trinity Rodbin's pink braids. How did you

503
00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:30,240
Speaker 1: get interested in those intersections and what have you learned

504
00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:32,720
Speaker 1: from players about asking them about those kind of rituals.

505
00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:34,480
Speaker 4: Ooh, I love this question.

506
00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:37,199
Speaker 3: So the first kind of journalist I wanted to be

507
00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:40,880
Speaker 3: actually was a fashion journalist. This was like Devilwaar's Praduct era.

508
00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:44,960
Speaker 3: That was sort of my awakening. And so I made

509
00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:47,000
Speaker 3: sure to study French in high school because I'm like,

510
00:25:47,040 --> 00:25:49,080
Speaker 3: when I get sent to Paris Fashion Week, not if

511
00:25:49,119 --> 00:25:52,080
Speaker 3: when I'm gonna be able to navigate the streets of Paris,

512
00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:54,480
Speaker 3: Like like, I'm not even joking. And then you know,

513
00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:57,400
Speaker 3: I've made multiple pivots. I've pivoted to international journalism, found

514
00:25:57,440 --> 00:25:59,960
Speaker 3: myself in soccer. But you know, your loves are your love,

515
00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:04,400
Speaker 3: and fashion and style and artistic expression for me are

516
00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:07,280
Speaker 3: a lens. They're not just like an interest, and so

517
00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:10,040
Speaker 3: whatever I'm dealing with, I'm always going to be looking

518
00:26:10,119 --> 00:26:12,880
Speaker 3: at the ways in which style and like visual aesthetics

519
00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:16,600
Speaker 3: sort of impact whatever I'm experiencing. And I think that

520
00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:20,320
Speaker 3: as the women's game continues to expand, as even things

521
00:26:20,359 --> 00:26:22,720
Speaker 3: you know, like players are getting paid more so they're

522
00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:25,400
Speaker 3: able to, you know, get themselves an air mes bag

523
00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:28,080
Speaker 3: or some protestants. You know, that gives us more to

524
00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:30,480
Speaker 3: talk about. And it's been really really cool to see

525
00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:33,480
Speaker 3: the ways that players are choosing to express themselves. I

526
00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:37,399
Speaker 3: thought what Ali Riley did with a rainbow flag for

527
00:26:37,560 --> 00:26:39,719
Speaker 3: like the LGBT flag and the trans flag on her

528
00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:43,080
Speaker 3: nails at the World Cup last year was so smart

529
00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:46,280
Speaker 3: and it allows you to sort of explore who players

530
00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:49,600
Speaker 3: are beyond how they show up on the field. And

531
00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:51,800
Speaker 3: I think one of the things that I am most

532
00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:54,160
Speaker 3: proud of in terms of my contribution to this sort

533
00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:56,879
Speaker 3: of media landscape of women's soccer is the fact that

534
00:26:56,920 --> 00:26:58,120
Speaker 3: I used to play myself.

535
00:26:58,280 --> 00:26:59,359
Speaker 4: I played all the way through college.

536
00:26:59,359 --> 00:27:01,080
Speaker 3: I didn't go pro or anything, but I have a

537
00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:04,840
Speaker 3: sense of that experience and that informs the questions that

538
00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:08,040
Speaker 3: I ask. And I remember being at the World Cup

539
00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:12,359
Speaker 3: in Australia asking Ellie Carpenter, who plays for Australia for

540
00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:15,399
Speaker 3: the Matildas. She is another like big nail girly, and

541
00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:17,399
Speaker 3: I noticed those things because I'm always on the lookout

542
00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:19,760
Speaker 3: for things like that, being invested in it myself. And

543
00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:22,760
Speaker 3: I asked her in a match in Minus one press conference.

544
00:27:22,800 --> 00:27:25,040
Speaker 3: They were about to play France in the quarterfinals, but

545
00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:28,040
Speaker 3: I asked her about her manicures and she kind of

546
00:27:28,080 --> 00:27:29,879
Speaker 3: like smirked, and it just sort of felt like a

547
00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:33,359
Speaker 3: pressure valve release. I could tell she was not prepared

548
00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:34,919
Speaker 3: for a question like that. But then she told this

549
00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:38,520
Speaker 3: incredible anecdote about how she's the one on the Matilda's

550
00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:42,080
Speaker 3: who sort of like rallying the troops to do pregame manicures,

551
00:27:42,119 --> 00:27:45,119
Speaker 3: and how it's like a bonding time and it's rest

552
00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:48,080
Speaker 3: and it's self care and it's sort of doing something

553
00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:50,159
Speaker 3: that sort of unifies the team that doesn't have to

554
00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:52,399
Speaker 3: do with soccer, but just makes you feel a little

555
00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:54,959
Speaker 3: bit better when you step onto the field, so I

556
00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:56,320
Speaker 3: have a lot of fun with it. I like to

557
00:27:56,359 --> 00:27:59,919
Speaker 3: think that players enjoy entertaining these questions and I know

558
00:28:00,119 --> 00:28:03,480
Speaker 3: sort of who to pick out and ask because they're

559
00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:06,159
Speaker 3: intentional about their style, and I love that, so I

560
00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:08,760
Speaker 3: hope to do more of this. We're seeing more clubs

561
00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:13,200
Speaker 3: like GOTHAMFC recently announced a partnership with a UK fashion brand,

562
00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:15,199
Speaker 3: and I think that's just the beginning of things like that,

563
00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:18,000
Speaker 3: because we all want to look good, whether we're playing

564
00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:20,840
Speaker 3: or just showing up to a game. Look good, feel good,

565
00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:22,640
Speaker 3: play good, maybe win good for your team.

566
00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:23,480
Speaker 4: It's all connected.

567
00:28:24,119 --> 00:28:25,879
Speaker 1: Yeah, And I also think, you know, early on in

568
00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,280
Speaker 1: women's sports, there was this real fear of being perceived

569
00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:33,359
Speaker 1: as girly or that there couldn't be this balance of

570
00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:37,160
Speaker 1: feminine and masculine, or at least stereotypically feminine, caring about

571
00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:38,720
Speaker 1: your looks and your makeup and your hair and your

572
00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:40,959
Speaker 1: nails and your lashes and all that other stuff. And

573
00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:43,520
Speaker 1: not only has that transformed in the men's space, where

574
00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:45,880
Speaker 1: men are doing their you know, tunnel fits and they're

575
00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:47,880
Speaker 1: very into fashion and a lot of the men's sports

576
00:28:47,920 --> 00:28:50,840
Speaker 1: as well, but also on the women's side, we understand

577
00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:54,400
Speaker 1: the power that there is in connecting with these athletes

578
00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:56,719
Speaker 1: in a way that is more than just about sport,

579
00:28:57,280 --> 00:28:59,840
Speaker 1: That there is a tremendous amount of power in the

580
00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:04,320
Speaker 1: cultural and social and fashion intersections of sports and life,

581
00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:06,960
Speaker 1: and that the fan of women's sports wants to know

582
00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:09,120
Speaker 1: all those things about these players. They don't just want

583
00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:10,480
Speaker 1: to see them on the floor, they want to know

584
00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:13,120
Speaker 1: who they are off of it. And being able to

585
00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:18,560
Speaker 1: express an entire, complex, multifaceted, multi dimensional humanity as an

586
00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:22,480
Speaker 1: athlete only makes the sport part better as opposed to

587
00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:24,920
Speaker 1: before when we tried to one dimensionalize them as either

588
00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:28,000
Speaker 1: sexualized or and fantalized, and we missed all the other stuff,

589
00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:29,880
Speaker 1: and we thought that that was the direction to go

590
00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:31,880
Speaker 1: in to keep it about sports, and we were wrong.

591
00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:33,040
Speaker 2: We couldn't be more wrong.

592
00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:35,080
Speaker 1: So it's a much better place to be in now,

593
00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:37,040
Speaker 1: and your work really helps contribute to some of that,

594
00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:37,880
Speaker 1: which is very cool.

595
00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:41,280
Speaker 2: Let's quickly talk playoffs. I'm going to set the stage.

596
00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:43,400
Speaker 1: We've got six teams that have clinched a spot in

597
00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:47,040
Speaker 1: the postseason. We know the Orlando Pride, Washington Spirit, New

598
00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:49,360
Speaker 1: Jersey Gotham FC and the Kansas City Current are going

599
00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:52,680
Speaker 1: to host quarterfinals. Also that the Chicago Red Stars, Slash

600
00:29:52,680 --> 00:29:55,800
Speaker 1: Stars FC and the North Carolina Courage are in seventh

601
00:29:55,840 --> 00:29:58,240
Speaker 1: and eighth spots still up for grabs heading into the

602
00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:00,920
Speaker 1: final regular season match week, which isn't going to be

603
00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:04,600
Speaker 1: till November one through third. Why not this weekend the

604
00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:06,880
Speaker 1: league is on break for that championship game of the

605
00:30:06,920 --> 00:30:10,880
Speaker 1: inaugural NWSL Leaga MX Feminial Summer Cup. We mentioned that

606
00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:13,200
Speaker 1: earlier in the show That's tonight in San Antonio, Texas

607
00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:15,800
Speaker 1: Current versus Gotham. First, quickly, do you got a winner

608
00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:17,680
Speaker 1: in that one? I saw Gotham has signed a bunch

609
00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:19,480
Speaker 1: of players to play in it, so it feels like

610
00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:21,720
Speaker 1: a little bit of like a Gotham JV that might

611
00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:23,840
Speaker 1: be really hit in the field for that one.

612
00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:29,000
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm gonna lean Current. I think that powered by

613
00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:31,800
Speaker 3: Temwa and I don't even just mean her specifically, but

614
00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:35,040
Speaker 3: the way that she powers the rest of the team.

615
00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:38,880
Speaker 3: Given the sort of like wavering past couple of seasons

616
00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:40,760
Speaker 3: they've had, I think they want wins. I think they

617
00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:43,000
Speaker 3: want hardware, and I think that they're not going to

618
00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:45,880
Speaker 3: wait for an NWSL championship to really like push it

619
00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:46,480
Speaker 3: in that way.

620
00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:48,120
Speaker 4: Gotham.

621
00:30:48,160 --> 00:30:51,640
Speaker 3: I think because you know they are reigning champions, they

622
00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:55,360
Speaker 3: have a stellar coach who I think at this point

623
00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:57,800
Speaker 3: in the season is going to be really strategic. I

624
00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:00,680
Speaker 3: think that's why we're siting those kinds of substitute. I

625
00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:02,320
Speaker 3: don't think the current are going to do that. So

626
00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:04,080
Speaker 3: I'm going KC for that one.

627
00:31:03,920 --> 00:31:05,160
Speaker 2: All right, I love that pick.

628
00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:08,440
Speaker 1: Okay, final weekend of regular season action then will be

629
00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:12,120
Speaker 1: a week from this weekend. Louisville, BAFC, and Portland are

630
00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:14,240
Speaker 1: in the mix for the final two spots. Thornts have

631
00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:16,920
Speaker 1: only missed the playoffs once in their eleven year history,

632
00:31:17,120 --> 00:31:19,040
Speaker 1: Bay and Louisville both trying to make the postseason for

633
00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:21,280
Speaker 1: the first time. Do you see two of those three

634
00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:24,400
Speaker 1: as significantly better than the third or significantly more worthy

635
00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:25,040
Speaker 1: of qualifying.

636
00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:30,560
Speaker 3: Portland has been here before, and I think that that

637
00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:35,120
Speaker 3: experience could benefit them and in some ways give them

638
00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:39,280
Speaker 3: an edge over racing Louisville and BFC. At the same time,

639
00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,920
Speaker 3: I think Portland's stock is going down a bit at

640
00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:44,840
Speaker 3: this point in the season. Yes, they had that huge

641
00:31:44,880 --> 00:31:48,080
Speaker 3: win snapping the Orlando Pride on beaten streak, but they've

642
00:31:48,120 --> 00:31:50,920
Speaker 3: just been inconsistent, honestly from the start of the season,

643
00:31:51,080 --> 00:31:53,680
Speaker 3: and it's going to take a lot of grit that

644
00:31:53,840 --> 00:31:57,120
Speaker 3: I have not seen consistently applied from them to edge

645
00:31:57,160 --> 00:31:59,680
Speaker 3: the other two, Whereas you have Racing and BFC, who

646
00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:01,320
Speaker 3: I think are sort of on the up and up.

647
00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:05,160
Speaker 3: Two big wins from them this past weekend that will hopefully,

648
00:32:05,280 --> 00:32:08,240
Speaker 3: you know, hop over this international break and continue their momentum.

649
00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:11,560
Speaker 3: But for Chaos sake, for like a new story's sake,

650
00:32:12,320 --> 00:32:14,600
Speaker 3: I'm hoping for BAB. I mean, I'm biased because I'm

651
00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:17,440
Speaker 3: from the Bay Area, so of course I'm pushing for Bay,

652
00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:17,800
Speaker 3: but I'm.

653
00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:19,040
Speaker 4: Also pushing for Racing Louisville.

654
00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:23,040
Speaker 3: They have consistently finished their seasons in ninth place, just

655
00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:24,280
Speaker 3: outside of playoff contention.

656
00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:26,680
Speaker 2: Hurt it's their time.

657
00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:27,560
Speaker 4: It's their time.

658
00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:30,000
Speaker 3: I'm a big fan of their coach, Bevannes, and I

659
00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:32,120
Speaker 3: think she has what it takes to sort of see

660
00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:32,600
Speaker 3: them through.

661
00:32:34,160 --> 00:32:36,560
Speaker 1: It's a beautiful facility down there too, It's a fun

662
00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:39,480
Speaker 1: place to go to a game. If Bay clings on

663
00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:41,280
Speaker 1: too that final spot, by the way, they would become

664
00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:44,360
Speaker 1: the second ever NWSL expansion side to make the playoffs

665
00:32:44,360 --> 00:32:48,280
Speaker 1: in their first season following the aforementioned Wave. Who knows

666
00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:50,160
Speaker 1: if they'll want to follow in their footsteps beyond that,

667
00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:52,360
Speaker 1: but would be a good thing for them to make

668
00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:55,080
Speaker 1: the postseason this year. The top four teams are sort

669
00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:56,520
Speaker 1: of in a league of their own. There are just

670
00:32:56,600 --> 00:32:59,280
Speaker 1: five points separating the top team and the fourth team,

671
00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:02,560
Speaker 1: and then the Courage in fifth are thirteen points back

672
00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:04,640
Speaker 1: of the fourth spot. Do you see any of the

673
00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:06,600
Speaker 1: teams sitting in five through nine right now as being

674
00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:08,600
Speaker 1: capable of upsetting one of those top seats?

675
00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:12,760
Speaker 3: I can actually see North Carolina doing it. This is

676
00:33:12,840 --> 00:33:15,720
Speaker 3: another team that I have long enjoyed playing.

677
00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:16,560
Speaker 4: They play.

678
00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:20,280
Speaker 3: I'm an aesthetic I have a weak spot for esthetically

679
00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:25,160
Speaker 3: pleasing football, and North Carolina Courage definitely embraces that in

680
00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:28,800
Speaker 3: their identity and they're peaking at the right time, just

681
00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:32,680
Speaker 3: like Bay. Just like racing North Carolina, I think, though,

682
00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:37,240
Speaker 3: is anchored by players like Deniso Sullivan, super veteran and

683
00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:40,640
Speaker 3: still balls out consistently every game. They've got Carolyn back,

684
00:33:40,880 --> 00:33:45,000
Speaker 3: They've got Ashley Sanchez, who's had a fantastic season despite

685
00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:46,880
Speaker 3: this being her first with the Courage after being traded

686
00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:49,640
Speaker 3: from the Spirit. I don't know that they're gonna win

687
00:33:49,680 --> 00:33:53,080
Speaker 3: at all, but I definitely think that the Courage are

688
00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:56,680
Speaker 3: the team that the Pride, the Spirit the current those

689
00:33:57,200 --> 00:33:59,360
Speaker 3: top teams who have long sealed their spots are most

690
00:33:59,360 --> 00:33:59,880
Speaker 3: nervous about.

691
00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:00,480
Speaker 4: For sure.

692
00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:04,160
Speaker 1: Let's talk about the Pride. They went unbeaten in twenty

693
00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:07,160
Speaker 1: three straight games this season, they won the Shield and

694
00:34:07,200 --> 00:34:08,080
Speaker 1: then they dropped.

695
00:34:07,800 --> 00:34:08,640
Speaker 2: Back to back games.

696
00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:12,719
Speaker 1: Yay, just sort of an expected letdown plus some rest

697
00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:14,479
Speaker 1: being given to players, or do you think it's something

698
00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:16,960
Speaker 1: more so?

699
00:34:17,200 --> 00:34:19,479
Speaker 3: I think when they lost to the Thorns that first

700
00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:21,719
Speaker 3: game that snapped the unbeaten streak, I think it was

701
00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:24,560
Speaker 3: easier to attribute that to the fact that they rested

702
00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:27,799
Speaker 3: players like Barbara Banda, They rested players like Marta who

703
00:34:27,880 --> 00:34:30,319
Speaker 3: didn't come on until the second half. That was not

704
00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:34,000
Speaker 3: the case against Gotham, though. They were trying to win

705
00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:37,920
Speaker 3: that game and they did not. And I mean, I

706
00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:41,759
Speaker 3: think about the Pride's history, right and how they are

707
00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:44,520
Speaker 3: probably carrying a lot of that history even into this

708
00:34:44,920 --> 00:34:48,440
Speaker 3: extremely successful season that they've had. And we all know

709
00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:52,520
Speaker 3: this is an ultra competitive league. Every game has the

710
00:34:52,520 --> 00:34:55,439
Speaker 3: intensity of a championship game, and any game can really

711
00:34:55,440 --> 00:34:57,440
Speaker 3: go either way. That's always been the case, even with

712
00:34:57,520 --> 00:34:59,400
Speaker 3: the Pride, And who better to know that than a

713
00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:02,480
Speaker 3: team like them that has been struggling for several years

714
00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:05,319
Speaker 3: before this season. And so there's part of me that's like,

715
00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:07,640
Speaker 3: you know what, it's the end of the season, the

716
00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:11,440
Speaker 3: legs are fatigued, You've already got an eye toward playoffs. Mentally,

717
00:35:11,600 --> 00:35:13,600
Speaker 3: you know, like every player will always tell you one

718
00:35:13,600 --> 00:35:16,120
Speaker 3: game at a time, but we're all human. How much

719
00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:18,920
Speaker 3: can you really stay presant when you've had a season

720
00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:23,040
Speaker 3: like that? So it's not totally surprising. I suspect that

721
00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:26,680
Speaker 3: it was probably a bit rattling, especially when it happened

722
00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:32,160
Speaker 3: the next game with Gotham. But seb Hines has proven

723
00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:34,680
Speaker 3: himself to be one of the top coaches in this league,

724
00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:38,359
Speaker 3: and I know that I would. I wonder if there

725
00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:41,040
Speaker 3: was a part of him that was anticipating that this

726
00:35:41,120 --> 00:35:43,000
Speaker 3: might happen toward the end of the season. Maybe not

727
00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:45,080
Speaker 3: two games in a row, but I'm sure he has

728
00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:47,799
Speaker 3: a plan for it, and I expect that by the

729
00:35:47,800 --> 00:35:51,839
Speaker 3: time playoffs start, they'll have snapped back into their original form,

730
00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:53,040
Speaker 3: both mentally and physically.

731
00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:56,600
Speaker 1: And that's where we'll leave it. Is the Pride your

732
00:35:56,640 --> 00:35:58,000
Speaker 1: favorite to win it all this year?

733
00:36:00,600 --> 00:36:06,800
Speaker 3: For the story, yes, and I think when it comes

734
00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:09,560
Speaker 3: to like the technical aspects of the game, when it

735
00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:15,160
Speaker 3: comes to the form, yeah, I think that it's going

736
00:36:15,239 --> 00:36:18,239
Speaker 3: to be Pride and Current. For a second, I thought

737
00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:20,560
Speaker 3: the Spirit might break in, but unfortunately they've been racked

738
00:36:20,560 --> 00:36:23,000
Speaker 3: with so many injuries to keep players in the past

739
00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:23,760
Speaker 3: couple of weeks.

740
00:36:24,080 --> 00:36:25,240
Speaker 4: So I do think it's.

741
00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:27,360
Speaker 3: Going to be the Pride in the Current, and I

742
00:36:28,560 --> 00:36:32,040
Speaker 3: think the Pride are going to edge them. I can't

743
00:36:32,040 --> 00:36:34,600
Speaker 3: say that I even have a favorite, but if I

744
00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:36,200
Speaker 3: had to put money on a team.

745
00:36:36,480 --> 00:36:38,799
Speaker 4: It's going to be the Pride. They've been playing a

746
00:36:38,840 --> 00:36:39,480
Speaker 4: long game.

747
00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:42,120
Speaker 3: For several years, even before this season, and it's their

748
00:36:42,160 --> 00:36:44,319
Speaker 3: time for Marta if nobody else, you know.

749
00:36:44,680 --> 00:36:47,799
Speaker 1: Right right, And also again, because it's been such a

750
00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:49,719
Speaker 1: really cool turnaround for a team that used to be

751
00:36:49,760 --> 00:36:53,040
Speaker 1: a punchline, it'd be nice to see them actually, you know,

752
00:36:53,840 --> 00:36:57,839
Speaker 1: go the distance. We love listening to you, we love

753
00:36:58,080 --> 00:37:00,960
Speaker 1: reading your work and following on social so thanks so

754
00:37:01,040 --> 00:37:02,040
Speaker 1: much for giving us some time.

755
00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:02,719
Speaker 2: Appreciate it.

756
00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:04,680
Speaker 4: Thanks so much there, This was really fun.

757
00:37:06,800 --> 00:37:07,319
Speaker 2: Thanks so much.

758
00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:09,080
Speaker 1: To Tamara for joining us. We got to pay the

759
00:37:09,120 --> 00:37:19,680
Speaker 1: bills when we come back. Nisha Air's Aggrievance Welcome back slices.

760
00:37:19,760 --> 00:37:20,319
Speaker 2: First, I want to.

761
00:37:20,320 --> 00:37:22,319
Speaker 1: Say a huge thank you to everyone who filled out

762
00:37:22,360 --> 00:37:23,600
Speaker 1: our survey the past week or so.

763
00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:25,520
Speaker 2: You've all been super helpful.

764
00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:28,320
Speaker 1: We've loved reading them, and I will be randomly selecting

765
00:37:28,360 --> 00:37:30,239
Speaker 1: the winner of that sports prize pack real suitent.

766
00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:32,759
Speaker 2: So stay tuned. We love that you're listening, but we

767
00:37:32,760 --> 00:37:33,120
Speaker 2: want you.

768
00:37:33,080 --> 00:37:34,520
Speaker 1: To get in the game every day too. So here's

769
00:37:34,520 --> 00:37:37,080
Speaker 1: our good game play of the day. Go watch all

770
00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:41,120
Speaker 1: the incredible footage from the Liberty celebrations and parade shenanigans.

771
00:37:41,360 --> 00:37:43,440
Speaker 2: You got Stewie grabbing a bottle of red wine from

772
00:37:43,440 --> 00:37:43,759
Speaker 2: a fan.

773
00:37:43,800 --> 00:37:45,960
Speaker 1: You got Ellie and Chuck Schumer on a float together,

774
00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:49,160
Speaker 1: and the old mascot Maddie the Retriever back from that

775
00:37:49,280 --> 00:37:52,040
Speaker 1: farm up state. Check out Colbert's monologue for that joke.

776
00:37:52,280 --> 00:37:54,360
Speaker 1: You got Liberty legends like Teaspoon on a float. You

777
00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:56,880
Speaker 1: got clips of the official naming of New York Liberty

778
00:37:56,920 --> 00:38:00,239
Speaker 1: Day every October twentieth, the New York Going Forward. Plus

779
00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:02,600
Speaker 1: you gotta watch the girlies celebrate with Meg the Stallion

780
00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:05,680
Speaker 1: on Fallon. Let's hope those late night rounds continue. We're

781
00:38:05,680 --> 00:38:07,920
Speaker 1: looking at you, Kimmel. Get those players partying out in

782
00:38:08,040 --> 00:38:10,400
Speaker 1: LA too. We want to see that. In addition to

783
00:38:10,480 --> 00:38:12,600
Speaker 1: the great content you can find on the WNBA and

784
00:38:12,640 --> 00:38:15,320
Speaker 1: New York Liberty handles, there are some great independent journalists,

785
00:38:15,320 --> 00:38:17,480
Speaker 1: creators and outlets who were on the ground for the

786
00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:19,640
Speaker 1: parade and posting on x slash Twitter.

787
00:38:19,880 --> 00:38:21,799
Speaker 2: Make sure to follow at Black Rosie.

788
00:38:21,440 --> 00:38:25,520
Speaker 1: Media, at Holy Cow, It's Tal, That's Thhao at Miles

789
00:38:25,520 --> 00:38:29,000
Speaker 1: Earlik at Lewis Kaplan Underscore, and my fellow Iheartwomen's Sports

790
00:38:29,080 --> 00:38:32,879
Speaker 1: podcast hosts at Christina as well. Also today we got

791
00:38:32,880 --> 00:38:35,640
Speaker 1: a suggestion from certified Slice and the Queen of having

792
00:38:35,640 --> 00:38:39,239
Speaker 1: an attitude of gratitude one Amy Lists. Amy said quote,

793
00:38:39,280 --> 00:38:42,160
Speaker 1: thanks for sharing your fun from the Women's Sports Foundation Gala.

794
00:38:42,239 --> 00:38:44,680
Speaker 1: I think everyone should get in the game and read

795
00:38:44,719 --> 00:38:48,080
Speaker 1: Briana Scurry's book My Greatest Save, adding it to the

796
00:38:48,080 --> 00:38:51,080
Speaker 1: Good Game book Club list now, Amy, and we're dreaming

797
00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:53,520
Speaker 1: of some cozy fall and winter days with time to read.

798
00:38:53,960 --> 00:38:55,719
Speaker 2: Thanks for that. We love to hear from you.

799
00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:58,160
Speaker 1: Hit us up on email, Good Game at wondermedianetwork dot

800
00:38:58,200 --> 00:39:00,000
Speaker 1: com or leave us a voicemail at eight seven two

801
00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:03,879
Speaker 1: two four fifty seventy and don't forget to subscribe, rate

802
00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:06,560
Speaker 1: and review. And if you've already done your part, why

803
00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:07,920
Speaker 1: not tell a friend to do it?

804
00:39:07,920 --> 00:39:11,520
Speaker 2: It's easy. Watch. Hey, Mesh, can you leave a review.

805
00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:15,080
Speaker 5: That I can I've been waiting on this moment. Actually

806
00:39:16,239 --> 00:39:21,359
Speaker 5: lawnmowers five out of five untimely stars and zero out

807
00:39:21,360 --> 00:39:22,760
Speaker 5: of five helpful stars.

808
00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:25,200
Speaker 2: Review every time.

809
00:39:25,640 --> 00:39:28,840
Speaker 4: It gets me every time, without fail.

810
00:39:29,360 --> 00:39:32,720
Speaker 5: I am finally getting into a flow, answering emails, writing

811
00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:36,839
Speaker 5: some up and then bam, someone's cutting the grass right outside,

812
00:39:36,880 --> 00:39:38,760
Speaker 5: like it might as well be right outside my window.

813
00:39:39,120 --> 00:39:41,560
Speaker 5: I can't hate on folks because they're making sure their

814
00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:44,839
Speaker 5: yards are compliant with homeowners association rules and all that,

815
00:39:45,160 --> 00:39:49,240
Speaker 5: But damn, hasn't somebody invented a silent laser or something

816
00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:52,040
Speaker 5: we can use to trim lawns Now? It's twenty twenty

817
00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:54,279
Speaker 5: four and I don't want to work with earplugs in

818
00:39:54,320 --> 00:39:55,360
Speaker 5: my ears anymore.

819
00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:59,120
Speaker 1: In my city, folks world, it's car alarms in construction.

820
00:39:59,360 --> 00:40:01,239
Speaker 2: But I feel you, I really feel you.

821
00:40:01,600 --> 00:40:04,560
Speaker 1: Now it's your turn slices, Rate and Review. Thanks for listening,

822
00:40:04,640 --> 00:40:07,879
Speaker 1: See you next Week, Good Game, Tamara, Good Game, Unrivaled

823
00:40:08,360 --> 00:40:10,560
Speaker 1: HW anyone who got to skip work and go to

824
00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:11,240
Speaker 1: that parade.

825
00:40:11,239 --> 00:40:14,360
Speaker 2: We are Jellyfish.

826
00:40:14,920 --> 00:40:17,280
Speaker 1: Good Game with Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports

827
00:40:17,280 --> 00:40:20,319
Speaker 1: production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You

828
00:40:20,320 --> 00:40:23,000
Speaker 1: can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

829
00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:23,520
Speaker 1: wherever you.

830
00:40:23,440 --> 00:40:24,440
Speaker 2: Get your podcasts.

831
00:40:24,560 --> 00:40:27,920
Speaker 1: Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are Alex Azzie

832
00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:28,800
Speaker 1: and Misha Jones.

833
00:40:28,920 --> 00:40:30,200
Speaker 2: Our executive producers are.

834
00:40:30,160 --> 00:40:33,719
Speaker 1: Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan, and Emily Rudder. Our

835
00:40:33,840 --> 00:40:37,680
Speaker 1: editors are Emily Rudder, Britney Martinez, Grace Lynch, and Lindsay Crawdowell.

836
00:40:37,840 --> 00:40:40,880
Speaker 1: Production assistants from Lucy Jones and I'm Your Host Sarah

837
00:40:40,880 --> 00:40:41,160
Speaker 1: Spain