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Speaker 1: Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we keep

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Speaker 1: hitting refresh on our browser waiting for the NWSL schedule

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Speaker 1: to drop so we can plan our footy watching trips

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Speaker 1: to beach cities, mountain cities, party cities. See you soon

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Speaker 1: in San Diego, Denver, and Boston. It's Thursday, January fifteenth,

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Speaker 1: Happy National Bagel Day, a fact I was reminded of

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Speaker 1: when I received producer Alex's Chris or New York National

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Speaker 1: Bagel Day card. If you know you Know. On today's show,

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Speaker 1: we'll be chatting with NWSL Players Association Executive Director Megan

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Speaker 1: Burke about the breaking news coming out of the NWSLPA,

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Speaker 1: the grievance they filed this week challenging the league's new

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Speaker 1: high Impact Player rule, also the ongoing uncertainty over Trinity

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Speaker 1: Rodman's status in the league, and whether the NWSL's handling

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Speaker 1: of recent issues might be a roading trust in leadership.

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Speaker 1: Plus the cooler is in for the long haul, making

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Speaker 1: it official with some city names, and wondering if there's

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Speaker 1: some tea we can dump in the harbor. It's all

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Speaker 1: coming up right after this welcome back slices. Here's what

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Speaker 1: you need to know. Today. Let's start with some news

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Speaker 1: from Washington, DC. On Tuesday, the US Supreme Court heard

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Speaker 1: arguments on two cases that could have big implications on

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Speaker 1: whether transgender athletes are allowed to compete in school sports

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Speaker 1: moving forward. The two cases Little versus. Heacocks out of

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Speaker 1: Idaho and West Virginia versus BPJ, relate to state laws

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Speaker 1: barring transgender girls and women from sports teams, and the

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Speaker 1: Court heard arguments on how the Equal Protection Clause of

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Speaker 1: the Fourteenth Amendment and Title nine should be applied. Now

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Speaker 1: Here are some details on the two cases, and we

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Speaker 1: want to shout out ESPN's Katie Barnes for their coverage

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Speaker 1: of this topic, which helped get us up to speed.

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Speaker 1: We'll be sure to link to Katie's reporting in the

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Speaker 1: show notes. Little versus. Heacock stems from the first state

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Speaker 1: law barring trans girls from sport, Idaho HB five hundred,

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Speaker 1: which was signed into law by Governor Brad Little in

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Speaker 1: March of twenty twenty. Weeks after that law was enacted,

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Speaker 1: Lindsay Heacock's, a transgender woman who was hoping to try

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Speaker 1: out for the Boise State Women's tracking cross country teams,

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Speaker 1: challenged it an injunction was issued and she was allowed

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Speaker 1: to try out, but ultimately didn't make the team. She

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Speaker 1: instead participated in two club sports, soccer and running, which

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Speaker 1: despite their non varsity status, were also impacted by the law.

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Speaker 1: Following a series of appeals, the Supreme Court agreed last

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Speaker 1: July to take the case, though it's worth noting that

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Speaker 1: when it was announced that the case would be brought

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Speaker 1: to the Supreme Court, Heacock's requested that it be dismissed,

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Speaker 1: saying it was now moot. Since filing her original challenge,

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Speaker 1: she stopped playing sports and, according to her lawyers, didn't

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Speaker 1: want to be subjected to quote extraordinary pressure of litigation

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Speaker 1: and related public scrutiny end quote, but the Supreme Court

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Speaker 1: indicated that it would not act on that request until

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Speaker 1: after oral arguments. The other case, West Virginia versus BPJ,

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Speaker 1: was brought after Becky Pepper Jackson wanted to play sports

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Speaker 1: in middle school but was told by the school principle

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Speaker 1: that West Virginia's law prevented her participation. Her family challenged

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Speaker 1: the law, and following her appeal, she was allowed to

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Speaker 1: participate on the track and cross country teams, while West

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Speaker 1: Virginia says her participation violates Title nine because her gender

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Speaker 1: does not align with her birth sex. Her attorneys have

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Speaker 1: argued that Title nine should guarantee her participation because of

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Speaker 1: her gender identity and the fact that she's undergone an

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Speaker 1: estrogen driven puberty. While there are two individuals at the

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Speaker 1: center of these cases, the Supreme Court's decision will likely

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Speaker 1: have a much broader impact. Given that the Court tilts

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Speaker 1: very far to the right, it seems unlikely that Tuesday's

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Speaker 1: oral arguments would sway the majority of justices to side

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Speaker 1: with Heecock's and BPJ, So the larger question at this

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Speaker 1: point might be the scope of what the ruling ends

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Speaker 1: up being. Idaho and West Virginia are currently two of

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Speaker 1: twenty seven states with some type of legislation barring trans

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Speaker 1: girls and women from women's sports, while twenty three states

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Speaker 1: have no such legislation. A broad ruling could have a

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Speaker 1: national impact and essentially outlaw transgender girls and women in

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Speaker 1: all states from playing school sports, while a narrow ruling

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Speaker 1: would have a smaller impact and keep the issue in

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Speaker 1: the hands of individual states. The Court is expected to

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Speaker 1: issue its decision in the spring or early summer, but

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Speaker 1: will of course keep you posted if we learn more

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Speaker 1: before then to the world of footy and what is

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Speaker 1: now officially the Second Revolutionary War. On Wednesday, it was

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Speaker 1: confirmed that Manchester City has indeed won the Battle of

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Speaker 1: Sam Coffee. Coffee, who played three seasons with the Portland

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Speaker 1: Thorns after being drafted by the team as the number

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Speaker 1: twelve overall pick in twenty twenty one, signed a three

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Speaker 1: and a half year deal with man City, with the

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Speaker 1: ESPN reporting that Portland was paid a transfer fee of

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Speaker 1: eight hundred and seventy five thousand dollars. We're midway through

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Speaker 1: the Women's Super League season, which runs from fall to spring,

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Speaker 1: and man City are currently at the top of the table,

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Speaker 1: six points clear from second place Chelsea and aiming for

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Speaker 1: their first WSL title since twenty sixteen. Regarding her decision

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Speaker 1: to cross the pond, Coffee told club media quote, I

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Speaker 1: think I'm at a place in my career where I

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Speaker 1: feel ready and settled in as a pro. It feels

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Speaker 1: like the right time to really challenge myself in this way.

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Speaker 1: End quote. Well, that's it. I'm boycotting fish and chips

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Speaker 1: and abstaining from tea until this kidnappery stops. Speaking of kidnappery.

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Speaker 1: The San Diego Wave have stolen my favorite local backflipper.

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Speaker 1: The Wave have announced that the club has acquired Brazilian

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Speaker 1: national team stand out Ludmila from the Chicago Color Neutral

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Speaker 1: Stars in exchange for an eight hundred thousand dollars transfer

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Speaker 1: fee with up to an additional two hundred thousand dollars

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Speaker 1: in conditional transfer fees. Ludmila's new contract with the Wave

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Speaker 1: runs for three years through twenty twenty eight. And I

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Speaker 1: hope you San Diego fans appreciate those backflips. More NWSL

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Speaker 1: and some good news for those of you who hated

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Speaker 1: those last two news items. Coach Laura Harvey is staying

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Speaker 1: put on her cooler in Seattle. On Tuesday, the Rain

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Speaker 1: announced that the club is signed the head coach to

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Speaker 1: a three year extension. Harvey is both the longest tenured

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Speaker 1: and winningest ANDWSL coach, with her most recent stint in

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Speaker 1: Seattle beginning in twenty twenty one. She also served as

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Speaker 1: the club's head coach from twenty thirteen to twenty seventeen,

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Speaker 1: before spending two seasons with the Utah Royals and as

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Speaker 1: head coach of the US Under twenty team In a statement,

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Speaker 1: Harvey said she is quote incredibly grateful for the opportunity

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Speaker 1: and trust the club is placed in me end quote

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Speaker 1: do you ever notice how there's no salary cap on

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Speaker 1: coaches and they're sticking around? Just something I noticed? Some

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Speaker 1: final footy news on Wednesday, the NWSLPA announced that on

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Speaker 1: Monday they filed a formal grievance challenging the NWSL's unilateral

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Speaker 1: implementation of the so called High Impact Player Rule HIP

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Speaker 1: or HIP. Per the PA's statement, quote on December twenty third,

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty five, the nwsl implemented the HIP rule without

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Speaker 1: bargaining with the players Association, despite repeated objections and a

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Speaker 1: clear demand to negotiate. The statement continues, quote, the NWSLPA

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Speaker 1: is seeking immediate recission of the HIP rule in order

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Speaker 1: requiring the league to bargain in good faith over any

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Speaker 1: proposed player compensation rules prior to implementation and to make

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Speaker 1: whole relief for any players impacted by the league's unilateral actions.

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Speaker 1: More from PA executive director Megan Burke on this later

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Speaker 1: in the show. To the ausl AKA the Athletes Unlimited

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Speaker 1: Softball League following its inaugural touring season in twenty twenty five.

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Speaker 1: The league will play traditional home and away games in

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Speaker 1: permanent cities beginning in year two, and this week they

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Speaker 1: announced the cities associated with each team head to Durham,

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Speaker 1: North Carolina. The Vaults will be based out of round Rock, Texas.

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Speaker 1: Salt Lake City is getting the Talons. Oklahoma City will

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Speaker 1: remain home to the expansion Spark. The other expansion team, Cascade,

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Speaker 1: will play in Portland, Oregon, And most importantly, the Chicago

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Speaker 1: Bandits are officially back. Baby. No surprise there, but I'm

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Speaker 1: still pumped to officially reinstate the Bandits. The twenty twenty

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Speaker 1: six regular season will begin on June ninth, with each

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Speaker 1: team playing twenty five games. We'll link to the full

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Speaker 1: list of home team stadiums in the show notes. Speaking

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Speaker 1: of cities. Ahead of the inaugural season for Project B

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Speaker 1: scheduled to run from November twenty twenty six through April

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty seven, the Pro Basketball League is announced the

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Speaker 1: first city in its global tour, Tokyo, for a stop

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Speaker 1: beginning in late March of twenty twenty seven. The Tokyo

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Speaker 1: Arena will host a ten day event that crowns a

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Speaker 1: local champion and is part of a season long championship race.

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Speaker 1: There will be seven global stops in total. The remaining

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Speaker 1: six are TBD at this point along with most of

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Speaker 1: the players, but sixty six athletes are to compete on

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Speaker 1: six different teams. Ten women have already signed on, including

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Speaker 1: neck Ogu McKay, John Quell Jones, and Kelsey Mitchell, and

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Speaker 1: along with the Tokyo Stop announcement, a Japanese star is

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Speaker 1: joining the Mix project be revealed. They've signed my Yamamoto,

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Speaker 1: who plays for the Tokyo Analopes of the Women's Japan

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Speaker 1: Basketball League for the Japan national three x three team

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Speaker 1: and spent training camp with the Dallas Wings last season

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Speaker 1: before being waived to the WNBA. The league and its

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Speaker 1: players Association have agreed to a moratorium on league business

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Speaker 1: following last Friday's missed deadline to agree to a new

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Speaker 1: collective bargaining agreement. Had the two sides not agreed to

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Speaker 1: this moratorium, the initial stages of free agency would have

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Speaker 1: gone ahead and teams would have been required to send

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Speaker 1: out qualifying offers based on the expired CBA. Wolling to

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Speaker 1: a good story from the Associated presses Doug Finberg, which

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Speaker 1: explains the moratorium process, as well as where both sides

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Speaker 1: currently stand on the key sticking points of revenue share

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Speaker 1: and salary to the winter sports world, and some good

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Speaker 1: news from US snowboarder Chloe Kim. On Tuesday, the two

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Speaker 1: time defending Olympic halfpipe gold medalists said she's good to

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Speaker 1: go for the upcoming Milan Courtina Olympics, sharing that she

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Speaker 1: did tear a labram in her shoulder during a training

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Speaker 1: crash last week. As part of her update, Kim said

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Speaker 1: she won't be able to snowboard again until right before

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Speaker 1: the Olympics, get underwag and that she has to wear

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Speaker 1: a quote unquote super sexy shoulder brace. We're not worried, Chloe.

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Speaker 1: That shoulder brace is going to become a statement accessory

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Speaker 1: at Milan Fashion Week moving forward. After you wear it,

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Speaker 1: just be sure you get your rest and actually wear it,

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Speaker 1: no matter how uncomfortable it is. Sorry, mom mode kicked in.

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Speaker 1: Chloe's post also featured a blink and you'll miss it

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Speaker 1: shot of her picking up boyfriend NFL player Miles Garrett

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Speaker 1: at the airport. Hopefully, as a fellow pro athlete, he'll

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Speaker 1: make sure she stays on track with her rehab. More

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Speaker 1: winter sports news, this time in alpine skiing. Competing at

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Speaker 1: a World Cup stop in Austria on Tuesday, Mikayla Schiffrin

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Speaker 1: won her sixth slalom in her seventh start of the season,

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Speaker 1: with teammate Paula Moltzen finishing second. The victory mark Schiffern's record,

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Speaker 1: extending one hundred and seventh overall World Cup win and

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Speaker 1: her seventieth in the slalom discipline, a good sign for

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Speaker 1: both Schiffrin and Moltson as the Olympics inch ever closer.

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Speaker 1: Tavibs where too much of a good thing can be

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Speaker 1: a bad thing, at least according to Madison Skinner on

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Speaker 1: a recent episode of Welcome to the Party, the podcast

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Speaker 1: hosted by Friends of the Show, Abi Wambach, Julie Foudy

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Speaker 1: and Billy Jean King, the opposite hitter who plays for

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Speaker 1: League One Volleyball Austin, said quote, it's dumb to have

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Speaker 1: multiple separate pro volleyball leagues in the US. At the

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Speaker 1: same time, Skinner is referring to the league she's part

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Speaker 1: of Love plus Major League Volleyball MLV, and there's also

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Speaker 1: a Pro Volleyball Division under Athletes Unlimited. Skinner said in

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Speaker 1: part quote if we're trying to work towards a common

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Speaker 1: goal of making volleyball one of the competitive and top

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Speaker 1: leagues in the US, why not work together? That part

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Speaker 1: doesn't really make much sense to me? End quote. Worth

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Speaker 1: noting that LOVE president Rosie Spalding recently said on our

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Speaker 1: show that LOVE actually partners with athletes unlimited and sees

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Speaker 1: themselves as working together and not in competition. AU volleyball

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Speaker 1: last just four weeks and is now calling itself an

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Speaker 1: event instead of a league. And of course, this isn't

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Speaker 1: the first time that there are competing leagues in women's

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Speaker 1: professional sports. We've seen it in basketball and hockey, and

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Speaker 1: usually eventually one league wins. Out to the trails where

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Speaker 1: distance runner Molly's Sidyl exploded onto the ultra marathon scene

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Speaker 1: over the weekend. In her ultra marathon debut, Sidel won

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Speaker 1: the Bandera fifty k in Texas on Sunday. And I

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Speaker 1: say she won, I mean she won the race outright,

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Speaker 1: finishing six minutes ahead of the first male finisher. She

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Speaker 1: finished the thirty one mile race in four hours and

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Speaker 1: nine minutes, averaging eight oh two per mile over thirty

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Speaker 1: three hundred feet of elevation and shattering the women's course record.

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Speaker 1: Now you might remember Sidle from twenty twenty one when

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Speaker 1: she became a household name overnight by winning bronze in

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Speaker 1: the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics. Since then, she's dealt

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Speaker 1: with some setbacks and injuries, but discovered a love for

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Speaker 1: trail running along the way, and she's now focused on

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Speaker 1: ultra marathons, which is basically any race longer than a

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Speaker 1: marathon and they're almost always on trails. After her winds,

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Speaker 1: Tidle crowned her girlfriend as Wag of the Year for

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Speaker 1: helping crew the race, which new producer Bianca suggested as

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Speaker 1: a good and very competitive slicy category for us to

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Speaker 1: add in December. Done, Molly is scheduled to again next

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Speaker 1: month at the Black Canyon one hundred k in Arizona.

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Speaker 1: That's sixty two miles of grit for those keeping track.

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Speaker 1: We got to take a break. When we come back,

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Speaker 1: we dive into the world of NWSL rules, contracts and grievances,

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Speaker 1: with Megan Burke joining us, now making her third appearance

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Speaker 1: on the show. She's an attorney and the executive director

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Speaker 1: of the NWSL Players Association, who led negotiations for the

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Speaker 1: league's first ever CBA in twenty twenty two and their

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Speaker 1: league and sport shifting CBA in twenty twenty four. A

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Speaker 1: former player in the WPSLWUSAWPS and in England, she played

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Speaker 1: college soccer for Saint Louis University, where she earned the

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Speaker 1: nickname the Burkeanader and was named the schools Player of

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Speaker 1: the Decade before going on to get a law degree

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Speaker 1: at Northeastern University. We're single handedly tasking her with saving

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Speaker 1: NWSL players from being kidnapped by the big rich bosses

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Speaker 1: and the Women's Super League. It's Megan Burke.

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Speaker 2: Hi, Megan, Hi, Sarah, you do the best introductions.

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Speaker 3: Thank you for that. That was amazing.

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Speaker 1: I do feel like I just realized that Women's Super

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Speaker 1: League does sound like they would be like battling Marvel

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Speaker 1: for supremacy, and they are sort of evilly kidnapping all

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Speaker 1: of our Americans. So you're like the big boss on

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Speaker 1: the other side.

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Speaker 2: I think this should be a high priority bargaining item

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Speaker 2: like WWF introductions pregame.

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Speaker 3: I'm here for it.

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Speaker 1: There we go lots to get to I know you're

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Speaker 1: super busy, so thank you for the time, we're really

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Speaker 1: going to tackle the issue that's dominated this NWSL offseason,

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Speaker 1: which is the league's attempts to keep their top player

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Speaker 1: stateside while still operating with the salary cap that limits

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Speaker 1: how much they can be paid. Naomi Germa and Alyssa

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Speaker 1: Thompson to Chelsea, We're seeing Sam Coffee to Manchester City.

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Speaker 1: Players are heading across the pond, and the league is

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Speaker 1: looking for solutions. We thought we had one, at least

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Speaker 1: somewhat of a solution with the Washington Spirit and Trinity

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Speaker 1: Rodman coming up with a kind of creatively structured deal

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Speaker 1: that the NWSL ultimately rejected. So before we get into

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Speaker 1: the next solution, the high impact player, let's briefly talk

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Speaker 1: about that first grievance that the NWSLP five with the

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Speaker 1: league because a resolution had been pushed back. You've both

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Speaker 1: agreed to a den the deadline. What's the latest on

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Speaker 1: that one? When can we expect to hear about it?

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Speaker 2: Well, thank you for running through the series of events,

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Speaker 2: and I think it is important to untether what's happening

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Speaker 2: with Trinity Radman's contract from the high impact player rule.

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Speaker 2: We do see them as kind of separate issues and

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Speaker 2: they can easily get conflated when we talk about these things.

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Speaker 3: So you are correct.

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Speaker 2: We filed aggrievance over the league's rejection of what we

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Speaker 2: contend was a validly negotiated agreement between Trinity and the

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Speaker 2: Washington Spirit.

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Speaker 3: We filed that. Gosh, with the holidays, it's all such

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Speaker 3: a blur over a month ago. I guess it's been

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Speaker 3: a month and a half.

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Speaker 2: Ish and the league has provided us with their response,

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Speaker 2: so the process will move forward. Of course, we do

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Speaker 2: not agree, so the next step is a grievance committee meeting,

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Speaker 2: and then from there the parties will need to schedule

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Speaker 2: an arbitration hearing because I anticipate and we could potentially

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Speaker 2: resolve it. You know, there are some ideas being discussed

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Speaker 2: that I won't get into, but we think it's important

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Speaker 2: for teams and players to know the rules of the

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Speaker 2: road when they're negotiating contracts, rather than thinking they struck

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Speaker 2: a deal and finding out it somehow did not comply.

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Speaker 2: So we think it's important to get that issue resolved,

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Speaker 2: regardless of whether and when Trinity strikes a new deal

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Speaker 2: with the Washington Spirit.

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Speaker 1: So that'll go to an arbitrator essentially to decide.

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Speaker 3: We anticipate that going to arbitration. Correct.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, quick question for you, because I know when every

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Speaker 1: single league contracts do have to be approved because they

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Speaker 1: have to be run through the CBA and everything else.

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Speaker 1: But is there any specific wrinkle here because in the NWSL,

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Speaker 1: players actually signed contracts with the league and not their

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Speaker 1: individual team. And why is that the case in the NWSL.

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Speaker 1: I've never quite understood or asked about that.

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Speaker 2: Well, my legal opinion of the single entity model is

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Speaker 2: that it's a legal fiction, especially when you've embraced free

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Speaker 2: agency in the way that we have. Every player's free

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Speaker 2: agency rights, are they reign supreme? If you will to

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Speaker 2: use the WWF contact let's roll with that. You know,

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Speaker 2: free agency rights supersede everything else, and so even if

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Speaker 2: the contract is with the league, players still have the

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Speaker 2: right to select a team with whom they'll negotiate a deal.

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Speaker 2: And that's all the more reason why we feel very

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Speaker 2: strongly we have to this issue because again, if the

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Speaker 2: league can interfere with Trinity Rodman's free agency rights, they

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Speaker 2: can do it to anyone.

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Speaker 3: We can't have that.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and I get that, but I'm also curious, like

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Speaker 1: the NWSL has owners for each different team. I was

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Speaker 1: unaware that they considered themselves a single entity owner.

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Speaker 2: It is an interesting feature of NWSL, and I often

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Speaker 2: have to explain this to agents who come from Europe

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Speaker 2: or South America and they're like, what is this? And

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Speaker 2: I'll leave out the middle words that are often used.

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Speaker 2: The contracts that players sign are with the NWSL, and

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Speaker 2: then playing rights are assigned.

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Speaker 3: Quote unquote to a team. We don't think that changes

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Speaker 3: our analysis year.

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Speaker 2: What's important is whether or not Washington complied with the

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Speaker 2: rules as they knew them to be at the time

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Speaker 2: they struck a deal with Trinity.

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Speaker 3: We think they did.

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Speaker 2: We also think there are some ways that things could

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Speaker 2: be done better, and that's one of the reasons we

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Speaker 2: remain optimistic that if NWSL would come to the table,

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Speaker 2: we could potentially resolve that issue.

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Speaker 1: I don't want to get bogged down in this, but

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Speaker 1: I have another follow up about that. Because we know

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Speaker 1: that something like the PWHL is a single entity owner,

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Speaker 1: how is the NWSL other than the players signing directly

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Speaker 1: with the league and then being assigned to their team,

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Speaker 1: How in any other way does it operate as a

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Speaker 1: single entity ownership.

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Speaker 2: This is why we think it's a legal fiction, because

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Speaker 2: teams compete for talent, they compete on the field, they

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Speaker 2: compete period, they compete.

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Speaker 1: And teams are being sold and they're being valued independently

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Speaker 1: of the larger Okay, we can get into it another time.

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Speaker 1: I'm early, you know what.

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Speaker 3: Let's do that.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, show for another day, and I invite anyone from

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Speaker 2: NWSL on to talk about it.

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Speaker 1: So I love that I formerly was an owner in

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Speaker 1: the league and had no idea that they considered themselves

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Speaker 1: in some ways a single Well that's interesting. Yeah, let's

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Speaker 1: talk about the league's solution to Trinity, Rodbin and all

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Speaker 1: these other players who need to get paid enough to

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Speaker 1: stick around. And this solution was approved by the NWSL board,

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Speaker 1: rejected by the players Association, and implemented by the league. Anyway,

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Speaker 1: this is the High Impact Player Rule, the hip rule,

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Speaker 1: that's what we're calling it. Can you explain what that

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Speaker 1: is to start out with?

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Speaker 3: First?

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Speaker 2: I think this is important because to the extent that

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Speaker 2: the league's position is that this was something they could

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Speaker 2: do after consultation with the NBSLPA, our position is that

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Speaker 2: there was not sufficient time or thought given to the

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Speaker 2: consultation process, particularly in the players off season, which is

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Speaker 2: shorter and shorter every year, and the limited amount of

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Speaker 2: time they have to go rest and be with their

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Speaker 2: families is not you know, we don't want to interfere

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Speaker 2: with that, particularly around issues that we think can be

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Speaker 2: dealt with four.

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Speaker 3: Years in advance, for example in Trinity's instance.

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Speaker 2: So we first learned of this rule, I guess you

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Speaker 2: know in some early conversations around the championship going into December,

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Speaker 2: or this concept, I'll say the idea, and our first

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Speaker 2: reaction was why would we do this? And I won't

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Speaker 2: get into the details of how it was presented, but

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Speaker 2: there was a version of this that right away did

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Speaker 2: not gain traction with our leadership. We did not receive

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Speaker 2: the actual formal proposal, meaning a deck, until I think

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Speaker 2: it was December eleventh. I was on a plane international flight.

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Speaker 2: Immediately send it to our team so that they could

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Speaker 2: review it and start assessing it out.

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Speaker 3: I'm aware of the deadline involving.

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Speaker 2: Trinity's negotiations, and we have every interest in seeing her

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Speaker 2: stay if that's what she wants to do, and I'm

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Speaker 2: not looking to put more pressure in that negotiation. But

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Speaker 2: you know, why wouldn't you left Trinity in wanted to stay,

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Speaker 2: so we moved quickly on it.

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Speaker 1: So the essential gist of it is teams would be

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Speaker 1: allowed to spend up to a million dollars outside of

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Speaker 1: their salary cap on a star player who meets a

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Speaker 1: certain criteria. Is it only one per team as of

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Speaker 1: right now?

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Speaker 2: It's an unlimited number of players as I understand their proposal,

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Speaker 2: although there are some details that seem like they're still

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Speaker 2: being worked out right, but.

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Speaker 1: They would have to fit within certain criteria. So the

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Speaker 1: let's right, they're being many on one team is unlikely,

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Speaker 1: but if you had more than one on a team,

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Speaker 1: in theory, you could spend up two million dollars outside

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Speaker 1: the salary cap on each of those players who meet

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Speaker 1: that criteria. Before we move on and want to quickly

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Speaker 1: add this kind of sounds like allocation money, which the

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Speaker 1: NWSL introduced in twenty nineteen but then had planned to

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Speaker 1: phase out.

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Speaker 3: How is it different, Well, it is apparently different.

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Speaker 2: I will say though that when we had a board

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Speaker 2: meeting in the December late December, after we received the

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Speaker 2: proposal and so we were able to get our board

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Speaker 2: together to look at this and discuss it, and some

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Speaker 2: comparisons to allocation were made and I think that was

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Speaker 2: I think that's an important note. The player's perception of

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Speaker 2: this was that, listen, this is a system that we

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Speaker 2: thought we moved away from. We are very proud to

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Speaker 2: represent the US women's national team players. We were thrilled

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Speaker 2: when allocation went away amidst our negotiations. Of course, we

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Speaker 2: were working very closely with BECCARU and US Women's National

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Speaker 2: Team PA. We were where this was coming, and it's

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Speaker 2: a We think it's a great thing that the usmen's

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Speaker 2: national team players became full members of our union, employees

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Speaker 2: of the NWSL.

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Speaker 3: There's no difference for.

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Speaker 1: Those who don't know. Allocation money allowed for the US

436
00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:51,760
Speaker 1: women's national team to supplement incomes of national team players

437
00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:53,800
Speaker 1: for their NWSL teams so that they could be paid

438
00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:56,439
Speaker 1: enough to want to play for those NWSL teams. But

439
00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:58,239
Speaker 1: it muddied the water and where they stood as far

440
00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:01,439
Speaker 1: as their NWSL contracts and members. So the intent was

441
00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:03,320
Speaker 1: to get rid of it. Now we're bringing back the

442
00:21:03,359 --> 00:21:06,119
Speaker 1: same concept, which is to isolate individual players who are

443
00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:10,639
Speaker 1: operating in a sort of parallel path to everybody else

444
00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:12,920
Speaker 1: who's operating under the current CERA rules.

445
00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:15,119
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a great way to describe it, and I

446
00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:16,560
Speaker 2: just want to call this out. By the way, when

447
00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:19,280
Speaker 2: we got rid of allocation and the US one's National

448
00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:21,840
Speaker 2: team players became full members of our union and employees

449
00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:24,080
Speaker 2: of the NWSL, a lot of those players put their

450
00:21:24,119 --> 00:21:26,720
Speaker 2: hand up to volunteers leaders in our union, players like

451
00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:30,520
Speaker 2: a Listenaire Alex Morgan, Tierna Davidson, and the list goes on.

452
00:21:30,520 --> 00:21:33,040
Speaker 2: I'm leaving people at Jane Campbell. I mean, we have

453
00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:36,760
Speaker 2: a really incredible, thoughtful leadership that is looking at this

454
00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:40,000
Speaker 2: issue not just from the perspective of the minimum salaried player,

455
00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:43,080
Speaker 2: but also the US one's National team player and the

456
00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:46,440
Speaker 2: star player like an Alex Morgan. There are real flaws

457
00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:48,600
Speaker 2: with this framework, which is why it makes it difficult

458
00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:51,520
Speaker 2: for us to dabble in what criteria could work or not,

459
00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:53,920
Speaker 2: because this is a concept we've moved away from.

460
00:21:54,440 --> 00:21:58,399
Speaker 1: Yeah, so your solution is that the salary cap increases

461
00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:00,439
Speaker 1: for each team by the same amount that they'd be

462
00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:03,520
Speaker 1: spending on a high impact player a million dollars. Why

463
00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:06,760
Speaker 1: might the league reject the idea of an increased salary

464
00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:09,880
Speaker 1: cap if they are prepared to expect owners to pay

465
00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:12,399
Speaker 1: that same amount. It's clearly not about the dollar amount.

466
00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:14,960
Speaker 1: So what is it about a salary cap increasing as

467
00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:17,800
Speaker 1: opposed to the money increasing that's got them in a pickle.

468
00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:20,680
Speaker 2: As I understand their position, it's only for them to

469
00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:23,200
Speaker 2: articulate it. So I leave it to them to answer

470
00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:25,960
Speaker 2: your questions on this. But if I try to stand

471
00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:28,400
Speaker 2: in their shoes, which is on this issue a little

472
00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:29,840
Speaker 2: bit tough for me because I just think that the

473
00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:33,960
Speaker 2: increasing the salary cap is the far simpler, more effective

474
00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:37,800
Speaker 2: way to achieve a better result. Frankly, but in this instance,

475
00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:39,919
Speaker 2: I think the league's concerned that if they just increase

476
00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:42,600
Speaker 2: the cap by a million dollars per team, that those

477
00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:45,480
Speaker 2: dollars will be spread out across the roster rather than

478
00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:48,439
Speaker 2: being targeted towards some of the players who they perceive

479
00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:50,119
Speaker 2: to drive commercial value.

480
00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:52,480
Speaker 3: Clearly, this is about commercial interests.

481
00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:55,560
Speaker 2: It's not only about winning in sporting criteria and what

482
00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:57,480
Speaker 2: professional sports is fundamentally about.

483
00:22:57,560 --> 00:22:59,359
Speaker 3: They are concerned about their commercial interests.

484
00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:01,760
Speaker 2: I'll I'll say this, I'll put my hand up and

485
00:23:01,760 --> 00:23:04,280
Speaker 2: say I am I want the league to drive commercial

486
00:23:04,359 --> 00:23:06,439
Speaker 2: value and be the best league in the world on

487
00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:08,680
Speaker 2: the field. I don't think we have to choose. It's

488
00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:12,000
Speaker 2: both and for me, and they're symbiotic. We need to

489
00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:15,080
Speaker 2: have the best footballers in the world in order to

490
00:23:15,119 --> 00:23:17,320
Speaker 2: also drive our commercial value. But we can't lose sight

491
00:23:17,359 --> 00:23:19,920
Speaker 2: that it's about the football that is what fans watch

492
00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:23,480
Speaker 2: on TV and in stadiums and support, and it's players

493
00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:26,840
Speaker 2: that they're drawn to and interested in. I fundamentally disagree

494
00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:30,119
Speaker 2: with that viewpoint, and I think the best example is

495
00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:33,879
Speaker 2: Toorny Rodman herself. The whole reason this rule is being

496
00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:37,119
Speaker 2: pushed through is because they want to sign one player.

497
00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:40,040
Speaker 2: So I don't agree that increasing the salary cap is

498
00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:43,439
Speaker 2: going to result in cost spreading, if you will, and

499
00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:46,399
Speaker 2: rather than being used within the wise judgment discretion of

500
00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:49,120
Speaker 2: gms whose job is to build competitive rosters.

501
00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:52,919
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, you can understand their desire to hope

502
00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:56,760
Speaker 1: that owners will focus on big names sticking around, and

503
00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:58,439
Speaker 1: it is in the best interest of a lot of

504
00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:02,920
Speaker 1: owners to keep folks like Rodman on their rosters, selling tickets,

505
00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:06,439
Speaker 1: working with sponsors, etc. And so if that still remains

506
00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:08,600
Speaker 1: the best option for them, they will make that choice.

507
00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:11,240
Speaker 1: And if it doesn't, and instead they want to be

508
00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:14,720
Speaker 1: able to have more talent across the board, across their

509
00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:17,200
Speaker 1: entire roster. They should also be allowed to make that decision,

510
00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:19,600
Speaker 1: which is ultimately why you want the power to be

511
00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:24,280
Speaker 1: in the heads of soccer ops and gms and folks

512
00:24:24,359 --> 00:24:28,520
Speaker 1: paid to make those decisions instead of the somewhat arbitrary

513
00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:31,960
Speaker 1: nature of the criteria that goes into allowing which players

514
00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:35,000
Speaker 1: get this and also isolating those players to a point

515
00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:38,200
Speaker 1: that you've made on a path that is separate and

516
00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:40,119
Speaker 1: to the side of everybody else in the league. So

517
00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:42,719
Speaker 1: before we get into the grievance that you have filed

518
00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:45,640
Speaker 1: in response to this, I want to talk about, you know,

519
00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:48,879
Speaker 1: the flawed criteria because the league wants this high impact

520
00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:52,679
Speaker 1: player rule, but it prevents more players from benefiting and

521
00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:55,240
Speaker 1: instead gives the funds to just one and is based

522
00:24:55,280 --> 00:25:01,399
Speaker 1: on some very very sticky benchmarks sporting and commercial. That

523
00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:04,639
Speaker 1: includes ballandor rankings. It includes minutes played for the national

524
00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:06,240
Speaker 1: team in recent years, going back to sort of the

525
00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:10,000
Speaker 1: allocation thing, And I wonder where you see the biggest

526
00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:13,800
Speaker 1: potential issues for some players in the NWSL being able

527
00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:14,639
Speaker 1: to qualify for this.

528
00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:19,800
Speaker 2: Well, the criteria themselves are flawed and problematic, and that

529
00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:22,560
Speaker 2: is part of the basis of the grievance we filed

530
00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:25,800
Speaker 2: I'll point out that, you know, some of the best

531
00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:31,120
Speaker 2: players in this league come from places like Zambia, Malawi, Japan, Brazil.

532
00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:35,160
Speaker 2: We've been proudly been home to a large number of Brazilians,

533
00:25:36,040 --> 00:25:38,560
Speaker 2: and arguably the greatest of all time has built her

534
00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:42,240
Speaker 2: career here. Barbara Banda herself at the time that she

535
00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:44,920
Speaker 2: set the transfer fee record and signed with the Pride

536
00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:47,840
Speaker 2: a few years ago, would not have qualified under these criteria.

537
00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:49,760
Speaker 3: That tells you something's wrong.

538
00:25:50,119 --> 00:25:52,000
Speaker 2: And that's what we mean when we say we don't

539
00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:55,720
Speaker 2: think this this framework achieves the league's intended purpose, and

540
00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:59,080
Speaker 2: that's where gms and you know, soccer apps folks and

541
00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:03,000
Speaker 2: business folks our best positioned to make assessments about where

542
00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:05,239
Speaker 2: they're taking their team and how they're going to get

543
00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:05,960
Speaker 2: where they want to go.

544
00:26:06,119 --> 00:26:08,639
Speaker 3: They are incentivized to get this right. That's part of

545
00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:09,440
Speaker 3: the reason you hear.

546
00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:11,640
Speaker 2: The union kind of saying, look, we think the gms

547
00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:14,960
Speaker 2: and the business leaders at these teams our best position

548
00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:17,960
Speaker 2: to make these judgment calls and then assess fair market value.

549
00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:20,040
Speaker 3: The equalizer give them a shout out.

550
00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:22,040
Speaker 2: They did a nice job of putting together list of

551
00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:25,480
Speaker 2: players who would be eligible into these criteria. Players who

552
00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:28,560
Speaker 2: were not anytime you're excluding Sam Kerr, you might want

553
00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:31,640
Speaker 2: to scratch your head and wonder are we getting this right?

554
00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:35,120
Speaker 1: Yeah? Well, and you know, one of the things we've

555
00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:38,280
Speaker 1: talked about in the case of soccer being a global

556
00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:41,080
Speaker 1: sport and some of the awards, whether that's the ballon

557
00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:45,239
Speaker 1: d'Or or the Best Eleven, is that it tends to

558
00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:49,480
Speaker 1: skew European and so if you create a model whereby

559
00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:54,480
Speaker 1: judges voting on an international level are more likely to

560
00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:56,280
Speaker 1: probably we looked at the Best Eleven this year, it

561
00:26:56,359 --> 00:26:58,960
Speaker 1: was like almost entirely made up of teams from Spain

562
00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:03,200
Speaker 1: and England. Right, then you probably are going to reinforce

563
00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:07,000
Speaker 1: racist stereotypes in the sport and when you use it

564
00:27:07,080 --> 00:27:10,840
Speaker 1: for marketing benchmarks. Now we're really opening at can of worms,

565
00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:14,800
Speaker 1: because across every sport, not just soccer, across every gender,

566
00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:18,320
Speaker 1: across everything, we see the impact of homophobia and racism

567
00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:21,840
Speaker 1: on how sponsors deal with and interact with players, players

568
00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:24,560
Speaker 1: that are the best at what they do but don't

569
00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,280
Speaker 1: look like the cute blonde girl next door. Having that

570
00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:30,520
Speaker 1: impact your salary and not just your sponsorship dollars is

571
00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:33,720
Speaker 1: a double whammy. That's exactly right. I won't crawl inside

572
00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:34,919
Speaker 1: the heads of folks who drafted this.

573
00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:37,840
Speaker 2: I genuinely believe there are people with good intentions who

574
00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:39,439
Speaker 2: are trying to get it right. But we have to

575
00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:43,720
Speaker 2: look at the impact because that is the real that's

576
00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:46,199
Speaker 2: where the rubber hits the road on this question. We

577
00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:49,160
Speaker 2: know that the balluandor is voted on by French media.

578
00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:51,919
Speaker 2: It is bizarre to me that GMS can vote in

579
00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:53,920
Speaker 2: some of these. I think I don't know if it's ESPN.

580
00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:56,520
Speaker 2: I don't know how the Guardian works. Frankly, we obviously

581
00:27:56,520 --> 00:27:58,280
Speaker 2: have to learn about it. The Guardian is based in

582
00:27:58,320 --> 00:28:02,719
Speaker 2: the UK and others apparently do vote in the ESPN

583
00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:06,920
Speaker 2: Top Footballers lists, but aren't to be trusted with making

584
00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:10,480
Speaker 2: fair market value assessments on the negotiating contracts. So there's

585
00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:14,359
Speaker 2: a contradiction there and it does create disparate impact. We

586
00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:17,560
Speaker 2: have brought a claim that this violates the non discrimination

587
00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:20,520
Speaker 2: clause of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. That is, because we

588
00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:23,320
Speaker 2: owe a duty of fair representation to every single one

589
00:28:23,359 --> 00:28:26,240
Speaker 2: of the members of this union. The criteria that a

590
00:28:26,280 --> 00:28:30,400
Speaker 2: player might be eligible for additional dollars based on performance

591
00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:33,040
Speaker 2: for the US women's national team. We contend is national

592
00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:37,280
Speaker 2: origin discrimination basically just as it's written, and we do

593
00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:40,520
Speaker 2: believe there's an as applied challenge with a disparate impact

594
00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:42,360
Speaker 2: on players who are not European.

595
00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:44,880
Speaker 3: As it relates to the other criteria, it's.

596
00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:46,840
Speaker 1: Kind of a wild thing to not want your players

597
00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:48,840
Speaker 1: to go to leagues in other countries and then punish

598
00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:50,520
Speaker 1: the ones from other countries that come to play in

599
00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:53,360
Speaker 1: your league who aren't incapable of playing for the US

600
00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:59,680
Speaker 1: women's national team. Right, so you mentioned Sam Kerr, this

601
00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:02,120
Speaker 1: does feel like it's also a rule that could disadvantage

602
00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:04,560
Speaker 1: players who are out with long term injury or pregnancy.

603
00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:07,440
Speaker 1: Do you have concerns about that? Of course we do.

604
00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:09,720
Speaker 2: Again, this is why let me just kind of break

605
00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:11,760
Speaker 2: it down every single way you could look at this rule,

606
00:29:11,800 --> 00:29:13,880
Speaker 2: every way you could look at this criteria. If you

607
00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:16,920
Speaker 2: leave it to the discretion of GMS agents, players and

608
00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:20,400
Speaker 2: teams to figure out the right arrangements, we can get

609
00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:23,080
Speaker 2: to the right place. And it is an interesting world

610
00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:26,240
Speaker 2: where the union leader is advocating for the free market,

611
00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:29,320
Speaker 2: but that is what we collectively bargained for in this contract,

612
00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:30,960
Speaker 2: and we think that's the best solution here.

613
00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:33,960
Speaker 1: You mentioned it earlier, But let's talk about section eight

614
00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:36,800
Speaker 1: point one six of the CBA. It says nwsl may,

615
00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:40,320
Speaker 1: in its discretion, after consultation with the NWSLPA, reduce or

616
00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:44,280
Speaker 1: eliminate the salary cap charge for certain roster classifications. First,

617
00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:48,120
Speaker 1: before we get to anything else, Consultation is different than agreement.

618
00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:50,280
Speaker 1: So do you believe that that means that they can

619
00:29:50,360 --> 00:29:53,200
Speaker 1: move forward without agreement as long as there's consultation. Your

620
00:29:53,240 --> 00:29:55,000
Speaker 1: concern is that the consultation was too quick.

621
00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:55,920
Speaker 3: I agree with you.

622
00:29:55,920 --> 00:30:00,560
Speaker 2: That consultation is perhaps a lower bar than bargaining. Contend

623
00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:02,760
Speaker 2: that this far exceeds the language you just read in

624
00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:06,640
Speaker 2: section eight sixteen and must be collectively bargained. But to

625
00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:09,400
Speaker 2: the extent that consultation is what was required here, No,

626
00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:12,920
Speaker 2: we don't agree that inadequate consultation process.

627
00:30:12,560 --> 00:30:13,000
Speaker 1: Was had here.

628
00:30:13,240 --> 00:30:13,520
Speaker 3: Okay.

629
00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:16,360
Speaker 1: Second, and more importantly, is this rule something that falls

630
00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:18,520
Speaker 1: under quote unquote roster classification.

631
00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:19,920
Speaker 3: Our position is that it does not.

632
00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:23,040
Speaker 2: Roster Classification is not a phrase that's defined in the CBA.

633
00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:24,120
Speaker 3: There are defined terms.

634
00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:25,880
Speaker 2: Anyone who wants to nerd out and go read our

635
00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:28,400
Speaker 2: definition section. I love that people are reading our CBA

636
00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:30,120
Speaker 2: by the way results nerd.

637
00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:32,360
Speaker 3: In me just it delights my nerdy heart.

638
00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:35,720
Speaker 2: But I will say roster classification, in our view, you

639
00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:38,840
Speaker 2: need to apply common sense to how to understand this sentence.

640
00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:43,840
Speaker 2: Roster classifications deal with the availability or unavailability of players

641
00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:48,719
Speaker 2: for competition. That language appears in section eight sixteen precisely

642
00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:51,240
Speaker 2: because there will be timestraout the season where you have

643
00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:54,280
Speaker 2: a number of players out with injury, national team duty,

644
00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:57,800
Speaker 2: maternity leave, mental health leave, personal leave. You see it

645
00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:01,160
Speaker 2: on the availability reports that get issued to games. And

646
00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:03,320
Speaker 2: if a team is at their salary cap and does

647
00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:06,160
Speaker 2: not have enough players to field a team for competition,

648
00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:08,800
Speaker 2: they need room in the cap to be able to

649
00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:12,800
Speaker 2: sign players, and we have short term contracts in the

650
00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:15,880
Speaker 2: CBA in order to afford teams the ability to do that.

651
00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:19,200
Speaker 3: Our position is that's the policy rationale for that language.

652
00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:22,680
Speaker 3: It does not confer authority on ENDBSL.

653
00:31:22,240 --> 00:31:27,160
Speaker 2: To unilatterly create this wild criteria that sets an additional

654
00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:29,920
Speaker 2: pot of funds beyond what we negotiated that only some

655
00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:32,760
Speaker 2: players are eligible for. And our position is that it's

656
00:31:32,800 --> 00:31:35,920
Speaker 2: also violative of Article twenty four the CBA at.

657
00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:42,240
Speaker 1: That yeah classification meaning a previously established set of qualifications

658
00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:45,200
Speaker 1: for ability to play, not a new classification that you

659
00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:49,040
Speaker 1: just created called the high impact player that thereby superseds. Yeah,

660
00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:50,240
Speaker 1: you know previously bargains.

661
00:31:50,280 --> 00:31:52,080
Speaker 2: You can't just make something up, call it a roster

662
00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:54,360
Speaker 2: classification and say see it fits.

663
00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:54,800
Speaker 3: Yeah it does.

664
00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:57,520
Speaker 1: Have made a super player and they get to do

665
00:31:57,560 --> 00:31:59,520
Speaker 1: whatever they want. They're on a hoverboard.

666
00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:01,400
Speaker 3: Yeah. Look, I'll say this too.

667
00:32:01,680 --> 00:32:03,520
Speaker 2: You know a lot of people have made comparisons to

668
00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:07,160
Speaker 2: the Designated Player rule and MLS. We have two different

669
00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:09,880
Speaker 2: cbas and different frameworks. But I think this bears noting.

670
00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:12,280
Speaker 2: When the Designated Player rule came to pass back in

671
00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:14,480
Speaker 2: the David Beckham day's if you remember, I think it

672
00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:17,120
Speaker 2: was two thousand and seven, there was no limit on

673
00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:19,200
Speaker 2: the pot of funds. To my knowledge, this was sort

674
00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:22,840
Speaker 2: of an additional unlimited pot of funds that didn't come

675
00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:26,960
Speaker 2: with criteria or stipulations on things that David Beckham or

676
00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:29,040
Speaker 2: MESSI had to meet in order to be eligible for

677
00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:31,400
Speaker 2: those funds. It was left to the discretion of teams

678
00:32:31,760 --> 00:32:33,760
Speaker 2: and others. So we agree there are going to be

679
00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:36,000
Speaker 2: times when the league could reduce the cap charge for

680
00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:38,000
Speaker 2: certain roster classifications.

681
00:32:38,040 --> 00:32:39,960
Speaker 3: We contend this is not that.

682
00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:42,360
Speaker 2: But if they want to explore that had to have

683
00:32:42,440 --> 00:32:44,520
Speaker 2: that conversation, then they need to come to the table

684
00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:46,680
Speaker 2: with us, and that's something that has not happened yet either.

685
00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:50,280
Speaker 1: Okay, so you have filed a second grievance, the one

686
00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:53,120
Speaker 1: with Trinity's and or contract with the Washington Spirit is

687
00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:55,720
Speaker 1: you know you've received their response. Now will likely go

688
00:32:55,760 --> 00:32:59,280
Speaker 1: to arbitration. Now you filed this second grievance. I wonder

689
00:32:59,600 --> 00:33:01,560
Speaker 1: if you're likely to have to wait for their response

690
00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:04,080
Speaker 1: and then they might disagree, and then you wait for arbitration.

691
00:33:04,440 --> 00:33:07,040
Speaker 1: What happens to an agreement that someone makes now with

692
00:33:07,120 --> 00:33:09,920
Speaker 1: a team based on the high impact player rule? If

693
00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:12,520
Speaker 1: your agrievance is eventually heard by an arbitrator and they

694
00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:14,800
Speaker 1: side with you, what happens to that deal that was made.

695
00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:18,840
Speaker 2: So I'm a lawyer and I understand how courts and

696
00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:21,560
Speaker 2: laws work, and sports likes to think it's its own

697
00:33:21,560 --> 00:33:23,600
Speaker 2: special thing when it comes to the rule of law.

698
00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:24,840
Speaker 3: But it's not so.

699
00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:28,120
Speaker 2: These contracts that players are signing, our contracts. They are

700
00:33:28,240 --> 00:33:32,480
Speaker 2: enforceable contracts. There's no when a player signs a contract.

701
00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:35,520
Speaker 2: How a team manages their cap in order to meet

702
00:33:35,520 --> 00:33:38,440
Speaker 2: their obligations under the contract is sort of a them problem,

703
00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:41,560
Speaker 2: that's not a player problem. So these are valid and

704
00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:45,120
Speaker 2: enforceable contracts that players will sign. You will hopefully hear

705
00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:47,280
Speaker 2: about a number of big signings over the next several

706
00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:49,320
Speaker 2: weeks as we kick off the next preseason, which we're

707
00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:52,480
Speaker 2: really excited about. Those are all valid contracts, So if

708
00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:55,160
Speaker 2: we prevail at arbitration, it'll be up to an arbitrator

709
00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:58,719
Speaker 2: to decide, you know, what remedy is appropriate for the violation.

710
00:33:58,800 --> 00:34:02,120
Speaker 2: Assuming the arbitrator does fine one, but our position is

711
00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:04,880
Speaker 2: that there would still be opportunities for the league to

712
00:34:05,320 --> 00:34:07,920
Speaker 2: create a system that would comply with the CBA and

713
00:34:08,239 --> 00:34:11,160
Speaker 2: respect what's been agreed to in these standard player agreements.

714
00:34:11,560 --> 00:34:13,359
Speaker 1: So, ultimately, if a player does sign one of these

715
00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:16,279
Speaker 1: high impact player contracts and are being given a million

716
00:34:16,320 --> 00:34:19,120
Speaker 1: dollars outside the salary cap, an arbitrator sides with you,

717
00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:21,680
Speaker 1: there is no longer a high impact player rule. A

718
00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:23,880
Speaker 1: team will have to figure out how to accommodate paying

719
00:34:23,880 --> 00:34:27,280
Speaker 1: that player a million dollars with the salary cap, which

720
00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:29,920
Speaker 1: likely would result in the league trying to renegotiate the

721
00:34:29,920 --> 00:34:32,239
Speaker 1: whole idea of just increasing the entire salary cap.

722
00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:32,600
Speaker 3: Yes.

723
00:34:32,760 --> 00:34:36,520
Speaker 2: Alternatively, they could just increase the cap, yeah, which does

724
00:34:36,560 --> 00:34:39,640
Speaker 2: not require teams who don't want to spend those dollars

725
00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:41,000
Speaker 2: to spend them.

726
00:34:41,120 --> 00:34:43,359
Speaker 3: So it's just like spec it's a win win.

727
00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:47,040
Speaker 2: Yeah, it just increased the cap and it'll allow teams

728
00:34:47,080 --> 00:34:49,319
Speaker 2: to sign those players in the same way they're already doing.

729
00:34:49,800 --> 00:34:51,760
Speaker 1: Do you think this is slowing down any deals getting

730
00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:54,080
Speaker 1: done right now because either players or teams are unsure

731
00:34:54,080 --> 00:34:55,680
Speaker 1: of what the future looks like with these rules.

732
00:34:56,600 --> 00:34:57,960
Speaker 3: No, I don't, and I hope not.

733
00:34:58,160 --> 00:35:00,560
Speaker 2: I certainly you know, We've been int touch with our

734
00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:04,480
Speaker 2: folks with players with agents, and I have not heard

735
00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:07,320
Speaker 2: from anyone who disagrees with me that contracts are subject

736
00:35:07,400 --> 00:35:09,440
Speaker 2: to the same laws as any other contract, and if

737
00:35:09,440 --> 00:35:12,200
Speaker 2: the league or a team is committing to certain dollars,

738
00:35:12,239 --> 00:35:13,879
Speaker 2: than those are dollars that'll have to be paid out.

739
00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:16,320
Speaker 1: And I imagine if you're an owner you decide to

740
00:35:16,320 --> 00:35:17,960
Speaker 1: make a deal with a player on a high impact

741
00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:22,160
Speaker 1: player rule it ends up getting rejected, you would have

742
00:35:22,239 --> 00:35:24,560
Speaker 1: a pretty big argument to take to Jessica Berman and

743
00:35:24,640 --> 00:35:27,280
Speaker 1: company about how they need to make good on something

744
00:35:27,560 --> 00:35:29,640
Speaker 1: so that you're not just saddled with a million dollar

745
00:35:29,719 --> 00:35:32,040
Speaker 1: deal under the same existing salary cap. Like they're going

746
00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:34,840
Speaker 1: to have a pretty good fight against the league for

747
00:35:35,680 --> 00:35:36,719
Speaker 1: things not going their way.

748
00:35:37,200 --> 00:35:39,239
Speaker 2: It's all the more reason where we stand ready to

749
00:35:39,280 --> 00:35:41,880
Speaker 2: engage in good faith bargaining. We've made a proposal to

750
00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:43,879
Speaker 2: increase the cap a million dollars, and we stand ready

751
00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:45,680
Speaker 2: to engage with the league over our proposal.

752
00:35:46,440 --> 00:35:48,200
Speaker 1: Okay, I want to ask you this before we let

753
00:35:48,200 --> 00:35:51,080
Speaker 1: you go. How does this impact the relationship between the

754
00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:54,680
Speaker 1: league and Commission Jessica Berman and the players, especially considering

755
00:35:54,719 --> 00:35:57,200
Speaker 1: the trust that had to be earned post Yates investigation,

756
00:35:57,760 --> 00:36:00,880
Speaker 1: especially considering the pull and draw to potentially go to

757
00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:03,600
Speaker 1: other leagues. Do you think that this in any way

758
00:36:03,640 --> 00:36:06,600
Speaker 1: negatively impacts, particularly if they're telling you the union we

759
00:36:06,640 --> 00:36:08,560
Speaker 1: don't like this rule, and they went forward with it.

760
00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:11,480
Speaker 2: Anyway, I'll start by saying, you know, we have a

761
00:36:11,480 --> 00:36:14,120
Speaker 2: shared objective of growing this league and seeing the NBCL

762
00:36:14,239 --> 00:36:18,960
Speaker 2: be wildly successful and our players having wildly successful playing careers,

763
00:36:19,320 --> 00:36:21,440
Speaker 2: and we understand what they're trying to do. We have

764
00:36:21,520 --> 00:36:24,400
Speaker 2: an honest disagreement, and it's a strategic disagreement. It's a

765
00:36:24,480 --> 00:36:27,479
Speaker 2: legal disagreement. It is not personal in any way. Shape

766
00:36:27,560 --> 00:36:30,560
Speaker 2: or form. That being said, it's disappointing I have had,

767
00:36:31,040 --> 00:36:32,680
Speaker 2: you know, as a leader, this union had to do

768
00:36:32,719 --> 00:36:36,080
Speaker 2: some explaining, if you will, and management of the frustration

769
00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:39,600
Speaker 2: that there is a collectively bargained contract. Throughout all of

770
00:36:39,680 --> 00:36:43,600
Speaker 2: twenty twenty five, there were very frustrating violations of things

771
00:36:43,640 --> 00:36:46,440
Speaker 2: where there's no excuse. We get to the end of

772
00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:48,200
Speaker 2: the year, and then the league moves forward with what

773
00:36:48,239 --> 00:36:51,360
Speaker 2: we contend is a hastily constructed compensation role, not a

774
00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:55,720
Speaker 2: roster classification role, over the union's objection and without meaningful

775
00:36:55,719 --> 00:36:57,719
Speaker 2: consultation with the players who rejected it.

776
00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:00,319
Speaker 3: There is a lot of frustration on that.

777
00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:02,279
Speaker 2: It is my job to be the spokesperson for this

778
00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:05,239
Speaker 2: union so that players can enjoy their off seasons and

779
00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:09,120
Speaker 2: focus on preseason and getting about kicking off another season.

780
00:37:09,160 --> 00:37:12,600
Speaker 2: But I do anticipate we'll be hearing more from players

781
00:37:12,640 --> 00:37:13,920
Speaker 2: throughout the year on this issue.

782
00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:15,879
Speaker 1: Just one last thing, because I asked you earlier why

783
00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:19,200
Speaker 1: you think the league doesn't want an increased salary cap,

784
00:37:19,239 --> 00:37:22,520
Speaker 1: which seems like an easier solution, So let me phrase

785
00:37:22,560 --> 00:37:25,000
Speaker 1: the same similar question in a different way. And I

786
00:37:25,040 --> 00:37:26,800
Speaker 1: know I'm asking you to sort of argue the other side.

787
00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:29,680
Speaker 1: But why is this rule quote unquote strategic to the

788
00:37:29,760 --> 00:37:32,520
Speaker 1: NWSL Why do they like it, why do they want

789
00:37:32,560 --> 00:37:34,400
Speaker 1: to push for it.

790
00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:36,680
Speaker 2: It is a really hard question for me to answer, Sarah,

791
00:37:36,719 --> 00:37:40,399
Speaker 2: because I genuinely believe that the criteria does not meet

792
00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:43,680
Speaker 2: their intended purpose. It excludes far too many compelling players

793
00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:46,960
Speaker 2: to actually achieve their goal of bringing in the best

794
00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:49,440
Speaker 2: players in the world and the most marketable players in

795
00:37:49,440 --> 00:37:52,719
Speaker 2: the world. So it's hard for me to answer that

796
00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:55,560
Speaker 2: other than to say this was done on a very

797
00:37:55,560 --> 00:37:57,760
Speaker 2: short timeline, and my sincere.

798
00:37:57,400 --> 00:38:01,160
Speaker 3: Hope is that the board and es the league office

799
00:38:01,200 --> 00:38:01,960
Speaker 3: that as.

800
00:38:01,760 --> 00:38:03,640
Speaker 2: They spend time with this and think about it, we

801
00:38:03,680 --> 00:38:06,280
Speaker 2: can find better solutions, and we stand ready to engage

802
00:38:06,360 --> 00:38:07,800
Speaker 2: in that discussion with them.

803
00:38:08,239 --> 00:38:09,960
Speaker 1: It does feel like what you said before, which is

804
00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:12,320
Speaker 1: just a fundamental lack of trust in gms and soccer

805
00:38:12,320 --> 00:38:14,440
Speaker 1: ops people to make the decisions that will benefit the

806
00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:16,920
Speaker 1: teams and the league itself, and wanting to have that

807
00:38:16,960 --> 00:38:19,360
Speaker 1: sort of power be placed into the league and the

808
00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:22,600
Speaker 1: commission instead. One last question for you. We're talking to

809
00:38:22,600 --> 00:38:25,040
Speaker 1: you on Wednesday, one day before the NWSLS scheduled to

810
00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:28,920
Speaker 1: release the twenty twenty six regular season schedule. I assume

811
00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:30,000
Speaker 1: you got the schedule in advance.

812
00:38:30,800 --> 00:38:33,319
Speaker 3: We did, okay, so follow up.

813
00:38:34,040 --> 00:38:36,680
Speaker 1: Around this time last year, the PA was expressing concern

814
00:38:36,760 --> 00:38:38,840
Speaker 1: with the league scheduling a midday game in August and

815
00:38:38,920 --> 00:38:41,520
Speaker 1: Kansas City because of high temperatures, and sure enough, that game,

816
00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:44,000
Speaker 1: scheduled to kick at three, had to be delayed multiple times,

817
00:38:44,040 --> 00:38:46,480
Speaker 1: created a whole mess. Does it seem like based on

818
00:38:46,520 --> 00:38:49,640
Speaker 1: the schedule the league learned any lessons, Well, you know.

819
00:38:50,160 --> 00:38:52,839
Speaker 2: There are some concerns with the schedule that we're trying

820
00:38:52,840 --> 00:38:55,080
Speaker 2: to work out. I want to acknowledge that I do

821
00:38:55,160 --> 00:38:57,239
Speaker 2: not say this lightly. I think making the schedule is

822
00:38:57,320 --> 00:39:00,400
Speaker 2: probably the hardest task in the operations of the league,

823
00:39:00,560 --> 00:39:03,040
Speaker 2: and especially with the United States co hosting the Men's

824
00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:05,879
Speaker 2: World Cup this summer, we're pausing play for three weeks.

825
00:39:05,920 --> 00:39:08,839
Speaker 2: We've added to expansion teams, we have a Conka Calf

826
00:39:08,920 --> 00:39:12,960
Speaker 2: Champions Cup, a FIFA Champions Cup playoffs, of course, and

827
00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:15,360
Speaker 2: then you know, we're trying to optimize our opportunities to

828
00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:19,800
Speaker 2: be on broadcast slots, so there are concessions that get made.

829
00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:22,799
Speaker 2: This year's schedule was really, really tough, and there are

830
00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:24,560
Speaker 2: definitely going to be some pain points.

831
00:39:24,960 --> 00:39:27,200
Speaker 3: We've been in conversation with the league this week.

832
00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:31,040
Speaker 2: Had a great discussion yesterday where we're raising points and

833
00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:33,319
Speaker 2: asking questions and they're saying, let us go see what

834
00:39:33,320 --> 00:39:34,640
Speaker 2: we can do about that and get back to you.

835
00:39:34,680 --> 00:39:36,319
Speaker 3: So wherever it.

836
00:39:36,320 --> 00:39:38,400
Speaker 2: Lands, there's a lot of work going into trying to

837
00:39:38,400 --> 00:39:40,359
Speaker 2: get it right. It will not be ideal, and so

838
00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:42,600
Speaker 2: we will be watching closely to make sure player safety

839
00:39:42,640 --> 00:39:43,960
Speaker 2: is always the paramount priority.

840
00:39:44,080 --> 00:39:46,839
Speaker 1: And it does feel like and you know, only time

841
00:39:46,880 --> 00:39:49,840
Speaker 1: will tell. Having talked to Jessica Berman about that specific

842
00:39:49,880 --> 00:39:54,560
Speaker 1: incident and the incidents of player wellness when it comes

843
00:39:54,560 --> 00:39:58,000
Speaker 1: to you know, Savvy King and otherwise, that they hopefully

844
00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:00,000
Speaker 1: learned a lesson and we'll proceed a little bit differ.

845
00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:02,600
Speaker 1: As difficult as it is in those moments, you still

846
00:40:02,600 --> 00:40:04,359
Speaker 1: do have to be able to prepare for the next

847
00:40:04,360 --> 00:40:06,600
Speaker 1: moment by learning from what happened the first time. And

848
00:40:06,640 --> 00:40:08,640
Speaker 1: I hope that that's the case. Megan, we love you.

849
00:40:08,640 --> 00:40:10,439
Speaker 1: You basically are a co host on this show now

850
00:40:11,120 --> 00:40:12,960
Speaker 1: and on your show, Sarah.

851
00:40:13,280 --> 00:40:13,840
Speaker 3: It's fun.

852
00:40:13,920 --> 00:40:15,839
Speaker 1: We're so grateful for you to come on and help

853
00:40:15,880 --> 00:40:18,919
Speaker 1: elucidate all this stuff since it's tricky. Thanks so much,

854
00:40:19,360 --> 00:40:20,439
Speaker 1: Enjoy the rest of your.

855
00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:24,160
Speaker 2: Day my pleasure. Thanks for having me on Sarah.

856
00:40:24,840 --> 00:40:26,840
Speaker 1: Thanks again to Megan for hanging out with us. We

857
00:40:26,880 --> 00:40:29,680
Speaker 1: got to take another break when we return Name a woman,

858
00:40:36,960 --> 00:40:38,960
Speaker 1: Welcome back slices. We always love to hear from you,

859
00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:41,440
Speaker 1: so hit us up on email, good game at wondermedianetwork

860
00:40:41,440 --> 00:40:43,680
Speaker 1: dot com or leave us a voicemail at eight seven

861
00:40:43,719 --> 00:40:47,480
Speaker 1: two two o four fifty seventy. Don't forget to subscribe,

862
00:40:47,560 --> 00:40:50,239
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863
00:40:50,560 --> 00:40:52,439
Speaker 1: give us five stars. Tell us why you love us.

864
00:40:52,600 --> 00:40:56,480
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865
00:40:56,520 --> 00:41:00,440
Speaker 1: to know literally anything about women's sports. Rating five out

866
00:41:00,440 --> 00:41:03,920
Speaker 1: of five stars for putting transphobes on the spot. Review.

867
00:41:04,440 --> 00:41:06,959
Speaker 1: Women's sports content creator and friend of the show coach

868
00:41:07,080 --> 00:41:09,520
Speaker 1: Jackie knocked it out of the park on Tuesday when

869
00:41:09,520 --> 00:41:12,360
Speaker 1: she stood outside the Supreme Court and interviewed anti trans

870
00:41:12,400 --> 00:41:16,040
Speaker 1: protesters who claimed to be quote unquote protecting women's sports.

871
00:41:16,440 --> 00:41:19,719
Speaker 1: Coach Jackie and fellow content creator Ali O'Brien asked them

872
00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:23,000
Speaker 1: what should be an easy question, name five professional athletes

873
00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:25,440
Speaker 1: and women's sports, but the people shown in the video

874
00:41:25,440 --> 00:41:29,320
Speaker 1: could barely name a single current athlete. Many even admitted

875
00:41:29,440 --> 00:41:33,160
Speaker 1: they don't watch women's sports like at all. As coach

876
00:41:33,239 --> 00:41:35,400
Speaker 1: Jackie pointed out on Instagram, the only thing they know

877
00:41:35,440 --> 00:41:37,600
Speaker 1: about women's sports is that apparently it needs to be

878
00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:41,360
Speaker 1: quote unquote saved. Friends of the show, Clayton Connigan and

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00:41:41,440 --> 00:41:43,919
Speaker 1: Josh Bard recently instituted a rule on our group chat

880
00:41:43,960 --> 00:41:46,720
Speaker 1: that they're calling with tongue firmly in cheek, the Riley

881
00:41:46,760 --> 00:41:49,880
Speaker 1: Gaines Rule. Every person who feels strongly about quote unquote

882
00:41:49,920 --> 00:41:53,120
Speaker 1: protecting women's sports has to watch at least four hours

883
00:41:53,120 --> 00:41:56,359
Speaker 1: per month of college or professional women's sports. Someone better

884
00:41:56,360 --> 00:41:59,360
Speaker 1: get super slice Josh Maltinotto's women's sports calendar down to

885
00:41:59,400 --> 00:42:01,719
Speaker 1: those shitheads in DC because they got a lot of

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00:42:01,800 --> 00:42:04,960
Speaker 1: catching up to do. Now it's your turn, rate and review.

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00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:09,200
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, See you tomorrow. Good game, Megan, Good game,

888
00:42:09,239 --> 00:42:11,960
Speaker 1: folks who protested on behalf of trans writs this week.

889
00:42:12,520 --> 00:42:15,240
Speaker 1: You people who are loud wrong about issues you don't

890
00:42:15,239 --> 00:42:21,920
Speaker 1: know shit about. Good Game with Sarah Spain is an

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00:42:21,920 --> 00:42:25,000
Speaker 1: iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports

892
00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:27,879
Speaker 1: and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app,

893
00:42:27,920 --> 00:42:31,040
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Podcasts production by

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00:42:31,040 --> 00:42:34,560
Speaker 1: Wonder Media Network. Our producers are alex Azzie, Grace Lynch,

895
00:42:34,680 --> 00:42:38,880
Speaker 1: Taylor Williamson, and Lucy Jones. Our executive producers are Christina Everett,

896
00:42:38,960 --> 00:42:42,400
Speaker 1: Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rudder. Our editors are

897
00:42:42,440 --> 00:42:46,359
Speaker 1: Emily Rudder, Britney Martinez and Gianna Palmer. Production assistants from

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00:42:46,440 --> 00:42:49,200
Speaker 1: Avery Loftus and I'm Your Host Sarah Spain