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

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Speaker 1: percent Pym's Cup and fifty percent Purple Drink, but we

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Speaker 1: still haven't gotten our hands on a ben yet. It's Friday,

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Speaker 1: February seventh, and on today's show, we'll be kicking it

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Speaker 1: with Callie Bronson, former Cleveland Brown's assistant coach now senior

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Speaker 1: director of High Performance and USA National Football Operations. We'll

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Speaker 1: talk about getting the US ready for flag football in

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Speaker 1: the Olympics, getting to contribute to a global movement, what

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Speaker 1: she learned from the NFL, and how she handled being

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Speaker 1: on a staff with a problematic, high profile player, plus

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Speaker 1: how not to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports

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Speaker 1: Day and NWSL WNBA crossover in the Rose City, and

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Speaker 1: bracket season is back, Baby, It's all coming up right

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Speaker 1: after this Welcome back slices, Happy Friday. Here's what you

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Speaker 1: need to know today in idiotic news. Trump signed an

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Speaker 1: executive order on Wednesday banning transgender athletes from participating in

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Speaker 1: Girls in Women's sports. The quote keeping Men Out of

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Speaker 1: Women's Sports order mandates that schools and institutions receiving federal

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Speaker 1: funding must abide by the new administration's interpretation of Title

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Speaker 1: nin where quote unquote, sex is defined as the gender

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Speaker 1: a person is assigned at birth, worth noting. On his

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Speaker 1: first day in office, Trump issued an executive order declaring

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Speaker 1: that the US government would only recognize two sexes, limiting

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Speaker 1: the definition of a male or female to a person's

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Speaker 1: reproductive cells at conception, and requiring that the federal government

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Speaker 1: used the term sex instead of gender. Trump will allegedly

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Speaker 1: lean on the Department of Education to help investigate and

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Speaker 1: enforce this new executive order, presumably the same Department of

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Speaker 1: Education he's seeking to dismantle. Also no word yet on

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Speaker 1: how they plan to investigate whether someone is a girl

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Speaker 1: or a boy and how to enforce that. In a

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Speaker 1: statement about the executive order, NCAA President Charlie Baker said, quote,

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Speaker 1: we strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards

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Speaker 1: would best serve today's student athletes instead of a patchwork

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Speaker 1: of conflicting state laws and court decisions. To that end,

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Speaker 1: President Trump's order provides a clear national standard.

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Speaker 2: Baker continued.

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Speaker 1: The NCAA Board of Governors is reviewing the executive order

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Speaker 1: and will take necessary steps to align NCAA policy in

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Speaker 1: the coming days. Subject to further guidance from the administration,

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Speaker 1: the Association will continue to help foster welcoming environments on

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Speaker 1: campuses for all student athletes.

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Speaker 2: We stand ready to assist.

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Speaker 1: Schools as they look for ways to support any student

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Speaker 1: athletes affected by changes in the policy.

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Speaker 2: End quote.

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Speaker 1: It's not lost on us, y'all that Trump announced this

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Speaker 1: executive order on National Girls and Women in Sports Day.

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Speaker 2: The cruelty is the point.

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Speaker 1: Even though we had a feeling this was coming, even

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Speaker 1: though we dreaded that this might be coming, it is

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Speaker 1: still extremely upsetting. We're sending love to all the athletes

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Speaker 1: and all the families affected, and we will certainly still

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Speaker 1: be covering this issue more in the future. Trans Girls

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Speaker 1: and Women in Sport are girls and women in Sport.

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Speaker 1: In NWSL news, the Denver expansion franchise has become the

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Speaker 1: fastest new side in league history to reach five thousand

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Speaker 1: season ticket deposits. Denver received fifty two hundred and eighty

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Speaker 1: deposits only three days after being named the NWSL's sixteenth

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Speaker 1: team on January thirtieth. That's a huge show of support

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Speaker 1: and further proof that fans in the Mile High City

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Speaker 1: were eager for their first women's pro sports team in

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Speaker 1: a major national league.

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Speaker 2: Do you live in the Denver area?

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Speaker 1: We'll link to the site where you can sign up

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Speaker 1: for season tickets in our show notes in NWSL and

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Speaker 1: WNBA news, it was announced on Thursday that the Portland

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Speaker 1: Thorns and the Cities yet to be named WNBA expansion

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Speaker 1: team will train together at a brand new seventy five

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Speaker 1: million dollar training facility that's expected to open ahead of

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Speaker 1: the twenty twenty six WNBA season, part of a larger

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Speaker 1: one hundred and fifty million dollar project. Both teams are

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Speaker 1: owned by the Bethal family, who purchased the Thorns in

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Speaker 1: January of twenty twenty four and then won the bid

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Speaker 1: for the WNBA's fifteenth team in September of the same year.

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Speaker 1: Struction will take place in stages, with the training facility

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Speaker 1: coming first, but eventually the family hopes to build out

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Speaker 1: a broader campus that will function as a dedicated center

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Speaker 1: for women's sports performance and recovery. Per Thorn's release, the

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Speaker 1: completed twelve acre campus will include a sixty three thousand

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Speaker 1: square foot training facility, a seventeen thousand square foot practice

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Speaker 1: gym with two full sized basketball courts, two full sized

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Speaker 1: soccer pitches with an outdoor training zone, a five thousand

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Speaker 1: square foot strength and training facility with top of the

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Speaker 1: line equipment, an outdoor turf zone and a yoga pilate's room.

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Speaker 1: Dedicated dressing rooms for THORNSFC and WNBA Portland, a dining

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Speaker 1: room with a full time chef and nutritionist, dedicated rooms

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Speaker 1: for players, families and team meeting rooms and social media.

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Speaker 2: Content rooms, and more.

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Speaker 1: One other cool tidbit, the Bethals are working with Workspace

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Speaker 1: Property Trust to repurpose a former Nike office complex west

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Speaker 1: of Portland in order to minimize environmental impact While building

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Speaker 1: out this vision, We'll link to the Thorns release and

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Speaker 1: mockups for the facility in our show notes. We love

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Speaker 1: these facility wars. Y'all keep battling to be the best teams.

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Speaker 1: We love to see it more. WNBA News free agent

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Speaker 1: Tiffany Hayes is headed to the Golden State Valkyries. The

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty four to sixth Woman of the Year signed

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Speaker 1: with the WNBA's thirteenth team and will rock Valkyrie Violet

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Speaker 1: this upcoming season. After coming out of WNBA retirement last

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Speaker 1: year to join the Las Vegas Aces. She's a twelve

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Speaker 1: year vet and is currently hooping in the Unrivaled Basketball

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Speaker 1: three on three League with former Aces teammate Kate Martin,

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Speaker 1: who also moved from Vegas to the Bay this offseason.

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Speaker 1: Hayes brings flat out scoring ability and a veteran presence

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Speaker 1: to a team that's mostly composed of youngsters and some

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Speaker 1: excellent glue players, led by first time WNBA head coach

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Speaker 1: Natalie Nicasse. In Unrivaled News, the bracket for the league's

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Speaker 1: Won on one tournament dropped, and mile my, there are

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Speaker 1: some intriguing matchups coming our way. Kaylea McBride versus d

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Speaker 1: Jna Carrington, Jackie Young versus Rakia Jackson, Tiffany Hayes versus

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Speaker 1: Courtney Williams, and those are all just the first round.

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Speaker 1: We can't wait to see where this tournament goes. It

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Speaker 1: starts on Monday, and while originally it was billed as

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Speaker 1: a winner take all, the site now reads that the

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Speaker 1: winner will earn two hundred thousand dollars for them sols

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Speaker 1: and ten thousand dollars for each player on their basketball club,

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Speaker 1: plus runner up gets fifty k and semi finalists get

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Speaker 1: twenty five thousand. Of course, because the folks behind the

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Speaker 1: scenes know we welcome the possibility of maximum chaos. Co

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Speaker 1: founders Defisa Collier and Brianna Stewart are on opposite sides

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Speaker 1: of the bracket. And get this, there's even a bracket challenge,

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Speaker 1: just like in college hoops, but with a twist. We'll

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Speaker 1: link to the instructions on how to fill yours out

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Speaker 1: in our show notes. We happen to notice that the

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Speaker 1: version on the Unrivaled website has a super dark background,

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Speaker 1: so if you print it out, you're not gonna be

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Speaker 1: able to see what you write. But thankfully, super Slice

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Speaker 1: Joey Maldonado saves the day again. He independently of the

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Speaker 1: Unrivaled one being posted, made one himself and it has

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Speaker 1: a white background, So if you go to My Blue

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Speaker 1: Sky you'll find it, or we'll put the link in

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Speaker 1: my show notes. That's an easier one to print and

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Speaker 1: fill out and share. Some Unrivaled games tonight two. We

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Speaker 1: love these Friday night faceoffs. First up, it's the six

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Speaker 1: and zero Lunar Owls versus My Phantom BC at seven

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Speaker 1: to fifteen pm Eastern, followed by roseby C versus Miss BC.

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Speaker 1: More games Saturday too, we'll link to the schedule in

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Speaker 1: our show notes. The college softball season kicked off yesterday,

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Speaker 1: so there are a bunch of teams ranked and unranked

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Speaker 1: hitting the diamond today. Too many to preview, so we'll

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Speaker 1: link to the day's full schedule. You guessed it in

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Speaker 1: our show notes to pro Vibes. League one Volleyball is

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Speaker 1: back tonight. Love Atlanta faces Love Salt Lake at nine

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Speaker 1: pm Eastern at Maverick Center in Salt Lake City. You

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Speaker 1: can watch that live on Love dot com and Dezone.

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Speaker 1: Love's got two other games tomorrow as well. We'll link

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Speaker 1: to the schedule in our show notes. And don't forget

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Speaker 1: it's Love with the BLOVB. Don't be don't be googling

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Speaker 1: Love dot com. I don't know what's on that site.

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Speaker 1: More vibes. The Pro Volleyball Federation's got two games tonight.

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Speaker 1: First up is Grand Rapids Rise versus Club is Fury

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Speaker 1: at seven Eastern, streaming live on YouTube. Then it's Vegas

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Speaker 1: Thrill at San Diego Mojo, starting at ten oh five

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Speaker 1: pm Eastern on Volleyball World TV.

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Speaker 2: PVF has two other games tomorrow.

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Speaker 1: We'll link to the schedule in our show notes elsewhere

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Speaker 1: in the sport adjacent sphere, The met Gala's reviving its

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Speaker 1: host committee tradition this year, and a few of our

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Speaker 1: faves were tapped to service members. Team USA gymnasts Simone Biles,

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Speaker 1: wnba U, Unrivaled player Angel Reese, and Team USA sprinter

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Speaker 1: Shkari Richardson all made the list, which also includes folks

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Speaker 1: like mister Biles, Regina King, Jenell Money and Moore.

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Speaker 2: Lebron James is the honorary chair.

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Speaker 1: The committee will support the evening's festivities and help set

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Speaker 1: the tone for this year's dress code. Tailored for You

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Speaker 1: a nod to the museum's super fine tailoring Black Style

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Speaker 1: Costume Institute exhibit. Can't wait to see what looks they

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Speaker 1: put together. Finally, in college hoops, a couple of big matchups

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Speaker 1: going down this weekend. On Saturday, number eight Ohio State

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Speaker 1: tries to bounce back from a sixty five fifty two

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Speaker 1: loss to.

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Speaker 2: Top ranked UCLA the other night.

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Speaker 1: They traveled just a few more miles to play number

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Speaker 1: seven USC and then on Sunday, Number four Texas host

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Speaker 1: number two South Carolina for an SEC showdown. We'll link

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Speaker 1: to the full weekend schedule in our show notes finished

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Speaker 1: up Day two of Radio Row Slices, and I have

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Speaker 1: to say I'm leaving the ick behind and finding just joy.

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Speaker 1: So many old friends and colleagues, athletes that I've covered

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Speaker 1: in the past, and people that I am so glad

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Speaker 1: to finally meet in person. As long as I steer

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Speaker 1: clear of that outkickstage, just joy the rest of the

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Speaker 1: way out. Also, I got to quickly chat with Sabrina

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Speaker 1: and Escu. We talked unrivaled in Phantom BC as she

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Speaker 1: hustled between interviews.

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Speaker 2: Try to get her. We'll be sure to grab.

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Speaker 1: Her for the show soon when she's not hawking products

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Speaker 1: and overscheduled. As for last night, I continued to take

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Speaker 1: all the res and bop around the French Quarter, heading

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Speaker 1: back to see my guy at Aaron Rose for another

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Speaker 1: frozen Irish coffee, then off to the Davenport Lounge at

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Speaker 1: the Ritz for a Pims cup that's a New Orleans specialty.

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Speaker 1: That's the spot where the chiefs are stay in this year,

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Speaker 1: and listen to some jazz from local legend trumpeter Jeremy Davenport.

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Speaker 1: Then it was off to hear some live piano at

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Speaker 1: Lafitte's blacksmith's shop built in nearly seventeen hundreds. It's alleged

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Speaker 1: to be the oldest structure used as a bar in

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Speaker 1: the US. Good times always there. I took a risk.

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Speaker 1: I ordered the frozen foodoo Dackery, which is called Purple Drink.

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Speaker 1: It is made with bourbon and ever Clear, but somehow

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Speaker 1: just tastes like a purple jolly rancher.

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Speaker 2: Very dangerous. Just had one.

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Speaker 1: I did some sightseeing on Bourbon Street. Always some good

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Speaker 1: people watching there, grab some food, hung out with some friends.

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Speaker 1: Enjoyed the scene and things are only going to get

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Speaker 1: hotter and busier and crazier as we get closer to

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Speaker 1: the weekend and the big game.

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Speaker 2: And speaking of the big game, quick props.

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Speaker 1: Two former Cornell football players are facing off on Sunday,

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Speaker 1: Hunter Nours out of the Chiefs and Jalx Hunt of

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Speaker 1: the Eagles, both in their rookie NFL season. So either

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Speaker 1: way this weekend Cornell wins. Hope y'all enjoyed the game.

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Speaker 1: We're going to take a quick break and when we

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Speaker 1: come back. Callie Bronson joined me on Radio Row to

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Speaker 1: talk about what she learned from the NFL that she's

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Speaker 1: brought with her to the world of women's flag football.

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Speaker 3: Joining US now.

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Speaker 1: She's a barrier breaking coach at the college and professional

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Speaker 1: levels who just joined USA Football as the Senior Director

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Speaker 1: of High Performance and National Team Operations after spending five

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Speaker 1: seasons with the Cleveland Browns in the NFL, acting as

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Speaker 1: chief of staff and assistant wide receivers coach. She's the

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Speaker 1: first woman ever to coach an NFL position group in

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Speaker 1: a regular season game. She was a two time champion

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Speaker 1: with the DC Divas in the Women's Football Alliance as

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Speaker 1: a free safety and running back, and a two time

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Speaker 1: gold medalist with the US women's National American Football team.

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Speaker 3: It's Calie Bronson. What's up, Callie?

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Speaker 1: Well, that's a lot DC Divas. Yeah, how'd you feel

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Speaker 1: about that?

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Speaker 4: Name?

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Speaker 3: Was favorite?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, let's just say I wasn't on a lot of

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Speaker 4: the advertisements. I didn't fit the Diva mold, but I

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Speaker 4: still repped when I had to.

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Speaker 1: You know. Is that the same league that had the

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Speaker 1: Philadelphia Lady Bells.

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Speaker 4: Or that Yeah, a long time for two years. Yeah,

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Speaker 4: and now they're the fansoms I believe.

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Speaker 1: Okay, Well, shout out to my sister. Katie always weasel

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Speaker 1: it in. I don't think she talks enough about how

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Speaker 1: cool it was that she played professional football for two years. Okay,

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Speaker 1: I want to first start with this new gig because

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Speaker 1: you're overseeing USA Football's US national team program.

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Speaker 3: What does that mean?

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Speaker 2: What do they do?

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Speaker 3: Yeah?

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Speaker 4: Okay, Well, so obviously the big news that came out

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Speaker 4: was flag footballs in the Olympics. I think to preface

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Speaker 4: that and rewind like there's always been We've always had

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Speaker 4: national teams. I played for the women's sacle national team,

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Speaker 4: and obviously in the past few years we fielded flag

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Speaker 4: national teams both men and women, adult and junior national teams. Well,

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Speaker 4: obviously now it's in the Olympics. Everybody's talking about it.

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Speaker 3: Big deal. Men and women adult national teams are in

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Speaker 3: the Olympics.

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Speaker 4: So with that happening, we're seeing such a shift and

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Speaker 4: a growth in the sport. So really my job is

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Speaker 4: to figure out our process, both player evaluations, to player selection,

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Speaker 4: to coach selection, to how we practice, how we train.

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Speaker 4: So we're really kind of taking our operation and souping

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Speaker 4: it up to get to the point where over the

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Speaker 4: next few years we're putting together the perfect operation for

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Speaker 4: our national teams.

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Speaker 3: To go and win gold in LA.

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Speaker 1: And You're coming from the NFL, so they want someone

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Speaker 1: that knows how things run at the very highest level

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Speaker 1: of football and to bring those standards to flag exactly.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, you know, and I always I've already done it,

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Speaker 4: you know, I'm in week three. So I go back

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Speaker 4: to a lot of the stuff I dealt with as

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Speaker 4: a chief of staff, you know, putting these processes in place,

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Speaker 4: and understanding what's going to be the best and really

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Speaker 4: like the role all of us, everybody on the high

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Speaker 4: performance team, our job is to just create the best

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Speaker 4: possible environment for our players and our coaches.

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Speaker 3: That's sick.

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Speaker 1: How do you feel about the timing of the Olympics,

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Speaker 1: Because whenever I talk to women athletes, like you know,

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Speaker 1: Sue Bird is like, of course, I'm jealous that right

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Speaker 1: now people are making millions of dollars and they have

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Speaker 1: the best resources that they're flying charter and they're you know,

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Speaker 1: do you wish that you would have had a shot

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Speaker 1: at it.

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Speaker 3: At the Olympics. I think about it all the time.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, you know, just just in general, I think about

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Speaker 4: sports for women right now and how amazing it is.

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Speaker 4: I mean, what an awesome time to be a female athlete,

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Speaker 4: Like whether it be Olympic level or even what we're

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Speaker 4: seeing in a WNBA, Like, it's so cool to see.

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Speaker 4: So yeah, I mean, of course those of us who

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Speaker 4: are competitors and put our bodies on the line are

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Speaker 4: a little jealous, but I'm also so excited. It's so

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Speaker 4: cool to see how this has grown. And it's late,

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Speaker 4: it's overdue, but it's happening, and we have to keep

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Speaker 4: driving that momentum.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm definitely a little bittersweet.

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Speaker 1: I also like to convince myself that if all these

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Speaker 1: things had been around when I was a kid, I

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Speaker 1: would have worked harder and then I would have been

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Speaker 1: at the level of being in the Olympics, even though yeah,

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Speaker 1: probably isn't true. Okay, tell me about this Champions Rising documentary.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, so obviously they followed our national teams last year,

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Speaker 4: going through the whole process. I love it because it's

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Speaker 4: going to be a great way for the random person

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Speaker 4: who wants to learn more about what the national teams

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Speaker 4: are because it follows the whole journey from trials to

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Speaker 4: training camp all the way through competition, so you get

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Speaker 4: such a great view of what it is to be

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Speaker 4: a national team player, but also what our process is.

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Speaker 4: I get so many questions, especially since I took this job,

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Speaker 4: on what our operation is all about, and hey, I

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Speaker 4: never heard of this. This like gives such concrete legitimacy

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Speaker 4: to what we do and how it works. You watch that,

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Speaker 4: you're like, this is a full on operation, and it is.

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Speaker 4: We're the national team. So I think it's awesome. It's

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Speaker 4: coming out. It'll be on the YouTube channel. The trailer

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Speaker 4: came out, I encourage everybody to watch the trailer because

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Speaker 4: I think that's a great little snippet of what it's

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Speaker 4: going to be about. But when it comes out on

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Speaker 4: YouTube channels and through USA Football, I encourage everybody to

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Speaker 4: watch it.

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Speaker 3: I think if you have any.

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Speaker 4: Questions about what we're about and what it is, it's

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Speaker 4: a great foundation for what the national team is and

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Speaker 4: you get to see the sport from some pretty cool

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Speaker 4: angles too.

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Speaker 3: So yeah, I mean, it.

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Speaker 1: Just feels like the ability to film in places and

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Speaker 1: have more documentaries of every kind has allowed us to

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Speaker 1: see the legitimacy and value of things that previously weren't

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Speaker 1: given that treatment because it was primarily focused on men's

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Speaker 1: sports and also goes documentary is much rare, and also

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Speaker 1: with streaming there's more space to put.

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Speaker 3: Them, yep, and I'm looking forward to watching that.

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Speaker 1: Okay, I want to I want to ask you what

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Speaker 1: you find most exciting about the current moment for women's

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Speaker 1: slag football.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, a lot, to be honest, I'm excited about a lot.

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Speaker 4: But the biggest thing is like where we are and

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Speaker 4: how competitive it is, you know, watching these women play

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Speaker 4: and even even the girls on the junior national team.

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Speaker 4: It's come such a long way and it's it's only growing.

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Speaker 4: So what I'm most excited about is being at this

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Speaker 4: point and looking back in a couple of years and

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Speaker 4: then looking back as we go to LA and being like, wow,

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Speaker 4: we we just built.

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Speaker 3: Something very special.

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Speaker 4: Because the other thing that's being that I take as

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Speaker 4: a task of mine is yeah, we need to go

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Speaker 4: win gold, right, and we need to take it. You know,

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Speaker 4: a great two great teams to LA, but we want

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Speaker 4: to grow this for globally. We want every team that

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Speaker 4: shows up in LA to be competitive. We want every

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Speaker 4: game to be you know, close and competitive in this

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Speaker 4: display of the amazing athletes that are part of it.

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Speaker 4: So part of our approach these next couple of years

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Speaker 4: is to continue to grow the game and help in

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Speaker 4: our capacity to do that and help these other countries

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Speaker 4: get to a point where when we go to La

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Speaker 4: everybody who watches.

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Speaker 3: Flag football is like, wow, I have to tell you.

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Speaker 1: The only flag football name I know men's are women's

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Speaker 1: is Deanna Flores.

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Speaker 3: Freaking badass. She's a friend.

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Speaker 1: We were on the Gatoray Women's Advisory Board together, Mexican

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Speaker 1: national team quarterback. Okay, so I'm like, Okay, Mexico's got

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Speaker 1: to be great because they've got Tana.

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Speaker 3: Is that true?

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Speaker 4: Oh yeah, great, they got a good team and they

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Speaker 4: have they have done a great job with the sport

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Speaker 4: of football too, because I know when when I both

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Speaker 4: coached and played on the on the tackle team, the

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Speaker 4: national team have a great women's tackle team too. I mean, yeah,

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Speaker 4: they definitely deserve their flowers and their respect in that regard.

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Speaker 4: And it's always a pretty competitive matchup anytime the US

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Speaker 4: national teams team up with with Team Mexico.

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Speaker 3: So it's the win, of course. Great. Good to know

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Speaker 3: it's right.

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Speaker 1: You know a lot of times, when say, for instance,

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Speaker 1: there's developments in the softball world, softball players are excited,

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Speaker 1: but also men who play baseball don't necessarily want to

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Speaker 1: be diverted to something if baseball is their love.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: How do you feel about flag football being the thing

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Speaker 1: that's getting pushed for women and what it might mean

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Speaker 1: for tackle football for women.

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Speaker 4: Yeah. Well, so one of the things I like to

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Speaker 4: say when when when this comes up is they're vastly

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Speaker 4: different sports, so I mean vastly tackle versus flag.

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Speaker 3: So it's not gonna be for everybody, right, there are.

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Speaker 4: Gonna be plenty of women who currently play in the

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Speaker 4: in the tackle leagues around the US and even around

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Speaker 4: the world who don't need to venture into the space.

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Speaker 1: Now.

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Speaker 4: I know it's a feeling because it's in the Olympics,

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Speaker 4: but they're vastly different sports, not going to be for everybody.

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Speaker 3: But what we're we're.

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Speaker 4: Looking at is the transition of athletes from every sport,

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Speaker 4: so men and women, you know, basketball players, Like what

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Speaker 4: are the translatable skills that make a successful flag football

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Speaker 4: player that exists in other sports? I mean, that's where

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Speaker 4: a lot of that talent pool is going to come from.

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Speaker 4: So we've we've kind of started looking into all those

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Speaker 4: things and it's been really exciting because you know, to

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Speaker 4: that point, it's not going to be for everybody, and

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Speaker 4: that's okay. You know, well, tackle football have resources still Yeah,

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Speaker 4: of course, yeah, absolutely, and and and tackle still falls

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Speaker 4: under us at USA Football. You know, we are the

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Speaker 4: governing body of football in the In the US, it's

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Speaker 4: flag and tackle. So we have not forgotten about tackle.

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Speaker 4: It's near and dear to my heart, so I certainly

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Speaker 4: haven't forgotten about it. But we're very invested in all

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Speaker 4: those things.

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Speaker 1: You're very small, were you always very small? I can't

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Speaker 1: picture you're wrapping someone up and taking him down.

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Speaker 4: I have some perfect form, I have some pictures, and

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Speaker 4: yes I worked on my form, but I was a

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Speaker 4: little beef heer back then, in a good way, like

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Speaker 4: I think. I think when I was playing, I was

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Speaker 4: one fifty five, one sixty on this frame. I had

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Speaker 4: some muscles I've leaned out in my retired years.

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Speaker 3: None of the sports I played allowed tackling.

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Speaker 1: It didn't always stop me, though, and I don't wish

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Speaker 1: I'd had more opportunity, don't doubt that.

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Speaker 3: I want to ask how you first got into football. Yeah.

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Speaker 4: I grew up loving the game because my dad loved

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Speaker 4: the game, so he went to University of Miami, and

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Speaker 4: so I grew up watching like the glory days of Miami,

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Speaker 4: like Larry Kocher was the head coach, and all those

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Speaker 4: guys come through the Hurricane program, and so that's what

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Speaker 4: we did on Saturdays. We watched Miami Hurricane football and

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Speaker 4: we used to go to games, and we used to

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Speaker 4: go down for spring practice because we still he still

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Speaker 4: had a house down there in Coral Gables.

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Speaker 3: So it was kind of ingrained in me from the

438
00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:02,719
Speaker 3: jump to love football.

439
00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:04,680
Speaker 4: I mean, baseball was my first love because I grew

440
00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:07,439
Speaker 4: up watching Cal Ripken in Baltimore and that was hard.

441
00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:09,520
Speaker 4: It's hard to shy away from that kind of stuff.

442
00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:12,040
Speaker 4: But football always like had a different pool on me.

443
00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:13,919
Speaker 1: And then you got into soopta because they wouldn't let

444
00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:15,240
Speaker 1: you play fastball, let me play football.

445
00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:16,920
Speaker 3: And you don't have to answer this if it's sensitive.

446
00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:19,480
Speaker 1: You were raised by your dad, Yeah, solo dad?

447
00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:22,479
Speaker 3: Yeah, how come? Well? My parents got divorced early on.

448
00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:25,119
Speaker 4: My mom was kind of going through some stuff personally,

449
00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:28,400
Speaker 4: and it was just the right decision. And I tip

450
00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:30,880
Speaker 4: my hat to my dad every day for making hard

451
00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:33,119
Speaker 4: decisions like that. But it really made me who I

452
00:19:33,119 --> 00:19:35,840
Speaker 4: am today, and I'm so grateful for him. Tough things

453
00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:39,040
Speaker 4: for families to go through but necessary things and I'm

454
00:19:39,119 --> 00:19:41,160
Speaker 4: just I'm so happy to call him dad.

455
00:19:41,359 --> 00:19:43,800
Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, so you play softball in college, but then

456
00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:45,160
Speaker 1: you get back into football.

457
00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:46,639
Speaker 3: You've always had this like love of it.

458
00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:48,800
Speaker 1: And in twenty nineteen, you became the first woman to

459
00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:51,040
Speaker 1: coach full time in Division one college football as an

460
00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:54,040
Speaker 1: offensive quality control coach for Dartmouth. Yep, that was my

461
00:19:54,119 --> 00:19:56,120
Speaker 1: number one choice. I did not get in, but that's okay.

462
00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:58,359
Speaker 1: I really enjoyed where I went. Will not hold it

463
00:19:58,359 --> 00:19:59,760
Speaker 1: against them for the rest of my life, even though

464
00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:02,879
Speaker 1: I saw to him. What do you think coach Buddy

465
00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:04,920
Speaker 1: Teven saw in you back then? Yeah?

466
00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:06,880
Speaker 4: I remember when we met. We met at the Manning

467
00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:09,159
Speaker 4: Passing Academy. They're doing a clinic for women and girls

468
00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:11,760
Speaker 4: down in Thibodaux, Louisiana at Nicols State University.

469
00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:13,920
Speaker 3: It was like early August. It was so hot.

470
00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:16,320
Speaker 4: I just I remember that part, and I remember Buddy.

471
00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:18,160
Speaker 4: We just clicked.

472
00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:18,520
Speaker 1: Like.

473
00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:21,080
Speaker 4: We sat there the night before the camp with a

474
00:20:21,119 --> 00:20:23,520
Speaker 4: whiteboard and he and I went through. He had never

475
00:20:23,560 --> 00:20:25,240
Speaker 4: really done a camp for women and girls before. She

476
00:20:25,359 --> 00:20:26,520
Speaker 4: was like, how advanced did we go?

477
00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:26,879
Speaker 3: Whatever?

478
00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:29,400
Speaker 4: So I sat there in the locker room with him,

479
00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:32,400
Speaker 4: and we were writing everything, all the stations down on

480
00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:34,840
Speaker 4: a whiteboard and it was just one of those things

481
00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:37,840
Speaker 4: that felt so organic and so easy, like we saw

482
00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:41,360
Speaker 4: things the same way, we communicated the same way. He

483
00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:43,160
Speaker 4: was a very like organized I need to know what's

484
00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:43,960
Speaker 4: happening at all times.

485
00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:45,000
Speaker 3: That's how I operate.

486
00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:47,639
Speaker 4: And so then the next day at the camp, just

487
00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:49,720
Speaker 4: rolling around, he could see how much fun I was having.

488
00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:51,560
Speaker 4: And a week later I got a call and he said,

489
00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:53,720
Speaker 4: I don't know what it is, but I I want

490
00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:55,200
Speaker 4: you to be a part of our football program. Could

491
00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:57,240
Speaker 4: come up in intern for us during camp, and I

492
00:20:57,240 --> 00:20:59,200
Speaker 4: told him, I said, I share the sentence, the sentiment,

493
00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:01,560
Speaker 4: you know I I I was so honored to work

494
00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:03,399
Speaker 4: with you. And even in those two days what I

495
00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:05,920
Speaker 4: learned was incredible. So kind of took off from there

496
00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:09,280
Speaker 4: and even when I left Dartmouth, but he was one

497
00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:12,800
Speaker 4: of my closest friends. We didn't stop talking and we

498
00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:14,880
Speaker 4: were always in touch and somebody had considered a really

499
00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:15,320
Speaker 4: close front.

500
00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:18,080
Speaker 1: Yeah, he tragically passed away in a bike accident, but

501
00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:22,480
Speaker 1: had a great, great resume of helping make the sport

502
00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:26,679
Speaker 1: more safe, yes, and more equitable and divorse absolutely and

503
00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:28,920
Speaker 1: So the reason you were ready for that job is

504
00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:31,520
Speaker 1: you played college softball and then you transferred to George Mason.

505
00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:33,560
Speaker 1: And while at George Mason, that's when you started playing

506
00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:36,280
Speaker 1: with the DCDA. So you're playing alongside women in their

507
00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:38,480
Speaker 1: twenties with full time jobs while you're at college. Yeah,

508
00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:40,080
Speaker 1: that's how much you wanted to get back into football.

509
00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:43,840
Speaker 1: How did you translate playing to being ready for an

510
00:21:43,880 --> 00:21:47,359
Speaker 1: opportunity at Dartmouth when that opportunity presented itself.

511
00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:49,240
Speaker 4: It's a great question, and I think it's something that

512
00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:53,320
Speaker 4: a lot of former players can can attest to. But

513
00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:56,919
Speaker 4: when I was playing, I was such an analytical I

514
00:21:56,960 --> 00:21:58,520
Speaker 4: saw the game from a way that I wanted to

515
00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:01,720
Speaker 4: learn every facet of it was as a film study nerd.

516
00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:04,840
Speaker 4: I really wanted to learn the game schematically. And I

517
00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:06,840
Speaker 4: played both sides of the ball, so that really helped me.

518
00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:09,679
Speaker 4: Understanding defense has made me a better wide receiver, you know,

519
00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:12,320
Speaker 4: understanding the wide receiver position and the specifics that going

520
00:22:12,359 --> 00:22:14,000
Speaker 4: too that made me a better defensive back.

521
00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:16,679
Speaker 3: So I just I was like a football junkie. I

522
00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:17,080
Speaker 3: loved it.

523
00:22:17,119 --> 00:22:19,359
Speaker 4: And even on the field, you know, the resources in

524
00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:21,520
Speaker 4: women's stockle are not where they need to be, so

525
00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:23,639
Speaker 4: some of us had to step up and be coaches

526
00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:26,119
Speaker 4: during practice, you know. And I just always had a

527
00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:28,960
Speaker 4: knack for it. I was coaching high school softball at

528
00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:30,399
Speaker 4: the time, trying to make some money while I was

529
00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:32,000
Speaker 4: in school and all so forth, and so I loved

530
00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:35,280
Speaker 4: coaching because coaching is just teaching, And to me, coaching

531
00:22:35,359 --> 00:22:38,160
Speaker 4: is teaching on something that you're like massively passionate about,

532
00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:40,840
Speaker 4: Like that's coaching. So I was like, I love football,

533
00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:44,560
Speaker 4: I love the coach, and that's kind of how it intertwined.

534
00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:46,800
Speaker 3: And it's amazing. Yeah, it's really cool.

535
00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:49,919
Speaker 1: How do you decide when you're with the Browns and

536
00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:52,080
Speaker 1: you're getting a lot of publicity as one of the

537
00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:54,760
Speaker 1: few coaches in the NFL women coaches, how do you

538
00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:57,320
Speaker 1: decide whether to just do the work or to lean

539
00:22:57,359 --> 00:22:59,680
Speaker 1: into what representation means for other women and how you're

540
00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:02,760
Speaker 1: in flos might impact future generations.

541
00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:05,000
Speaker 4: I think it's important to find the balance because at

542
00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:06,719
Speaker 4: the end of the day, you're not gonna be in

543
00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:08,720
Speaker 4: that position of influence if you're not doing the work

544
00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:11,840
Speaker 4: and you're not doing your job, you know, So so

545
00:23:11,920 --> 00:23:13,800
Speaker 4: I think it's a balance. It's like I always say,

546
00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:15,199
Speaker 4: like with some of the women who jump in there,

547
00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:17,040
Speaker 4: it's like finding a way to be passive and aggressive

548
00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:17,800
Speaker 4: at the same time.

549
00:23:18,119 --> 00:23:22,440
Speaker 3: So knowing I'm very passive aggressive as joking, I will

550
00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:25,520
Speaker 3: I'm gonna that's my follow up. I'll be asking no.

551
00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:27,760
Speaker 4: But it's it's it's one of those things where you

552
00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:30,159
Speaker 4: do need to use your platform. I always tell like

553
00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:31,480
Speaker 4: some of the women who come in, like when you

554
00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:33,240
Speaker 4: get asked a question when you do something, if you

555
00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:35,000
Speaker 4: do a podcast, if you do an event, are you

556
00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:36,359
Speaker 4: doing it for yourself or you're doing it for the

557
00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:38,360
Speaker 4: greater good. If you're going to answer that question you're

558
00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:39,920
Speaker 4: doing it for the greater good, then it's worth your time.

559
00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:41,840
Speaker 4: If you're doing it for yourself and your self promotion,

560
00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:44,439
Speaker 4: go back to work, like pick up something to do,

561
00:23:45,359 --> 00:23:47,159
Speaker 4: because I think that that's that's where you have to

562
00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:49,119
Speaker 4: get really careful. But I think anything you do to

563
00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:52,159
Speaker 4: promote women in football, and it's for the benefit of

564
00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:54,000
Speaker 4: anybody else who wants to get in or who is

565
00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:55,159
Speaker 4: currently in, you should do it.

566
00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:56,480
Speaker 3: Absolutely use your platform.

567
00:23:56,680 --> 00:23:58,800
Speaker 1: I've talked to coach Low about this Lori Locust, and

568
00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:01,240
Speaker 1: she said the problem is like if you're getting a

569
00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:04,000
Speaker 1: ton of attention that other people around the same position

570
00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:06,840
Speaker 1: aren't getting. It can isolate you, and it can make

571
00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:08,800
Speaker 1: you feel othered in a way that doesn't bring you

572
00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:09,400
Speaker 1: to the team.

573
00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:11,880
Speaker 3: And a huge part of being one of the only women.

574
00:24:11,720 --> 00:24:14,080
Speaker 1: On the staff is to make sure that you can

575
00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:16,399
Speaker 1: be a part of the squad and not always on

576
00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:19,280
Speaker 1: the outside. And so she was very careful and continues

577
00:24:19,280 --> 00:24:21,159
Speaker 1: to be very careful about what publicity she does do

578
00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:23,080
Speaker 1: and how she uses her platform, and then also not

579
00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:24,479
Speaker 1: othering herself.

580
00:24:24,520 --> 00:24:25,760
Speaker 4: And I agree, and I think you just have to

581
00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:27,919
Speaker 4: be selective in the things you do. You know, at

582
00:24:27,920 --> 00:24:29,080
Speaker 4: the end of the day, you got hired to do

583
00:24:29,119 --> 00:24:30,840
Speaker 4: a job. It's cool that it created this platform for you.

584
00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:33,720
Speaker 4: It's actually great that it did. But I always found

585
00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:36,520
Speaker 4: too like doing a really good job at what you

586
00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:40,199
Speaker 4: do and then getting promoted, that's a bigger message than

587
00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:40,720
Speaker 4: anything else.

588
00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:45,359
Speaker 3: So always choose job and work first, and it's okay

589
00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:47,000
Speaker 3: to say no to things. Yeah.

590
00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:50,080
Speaker 1: While you're with Cleveland, the team acquired quarterback to Shan

591
00:24:50,119 --> 00:24:52,520
Speaker 1: Watson after he was sued by more than two dozen

592
00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:55,359
Speaker 1: female massage therapists for sexual arrassment and sexual assault. He's

593
00:24:55,359 --> 00:24:58,600
Speaker 1: settled twenty claims of sexual misconduct. I often find that

594
00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:01,239
Speaker 1: marginalized groups are expected to a advocate for themselves and

595
00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:04,280
Speaker 1: their peers, while members of the offending group aren't taken

596
00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:07,040
Speaker 1: to the path for their silence and their complicity. I

597
00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:09,359
Speaker 1: don't expect you to talk specifically about Watson. I just

598
00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:12,679
Speaker 1: wonder whether you felt a particular burden as a female

599
00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:14,919
Speaker 1: member of that coaching staff, either to speak out or

600
00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:19,240
Speaker 1: express or displeasure or or otherwise. Did people demand something

601
00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:20,399
Speaker 1: of you they didn't demand of others.

602
00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:24,960
Speaker 4: I would say this, I have so much respect for

603
00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:29,560
Speaker 4: Kevin and Andrew Berry already. How they handled that situation

604
00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:34,399
Speaker 4: internally was even more respectable. You know, I didn't. I

605
00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:37,240
Speaker 4: didn't feel marginalized. I didn't feel like I couldn't, you know,

606
00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:39,560
Speaker 4: say my piece. I didn't, you know, I never felt

607
00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:42,400
Speaker 4: that way. I think between the two of them, internally

608
00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:44,960
Speaker 4: they hand you tell our lesteners who they are. Andrew

609
00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:47,840
Speaker 4: Berry is the general manager of the Cleveland Browns and

610
00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:50,119
Speaker 4: Kevin Stefanski's the head coach, and you know, I think,

611
00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:52,240
Speaker 4: you know, they really care about the people around them,

612
00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:55,359
Speaker 4: and they understand, you know, certain decisions and there's controversy

613
00:25:55,359 --> 00:25:55,760
Speaker 4: behind them.

614
00:25:56,160 --> 00:25:58,399
Speaker 3: I would say I never felt isolated.

615
00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:01,480
Speaker 4: I never felt not supported, I never felt unheard, and

616
00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:03,000
Speaker 4: that's a credit to them as leaders.

617
00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:07,800
Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure, I feel like it's frustrating when I've

618
00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:10,120
Speaker 1: been in the space of speaking out about issues like that,

619
00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:12,440
Speaker 1: or even when there were issues at ESPN, people would

620
00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:14,080
Speaker 1: come to me and be like, how do you keep working.

621
00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:15,000
Speaker 3: There when this guy did this?

622
00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:16,959
Speaker 1: Sure, and I'm like, are you asking all the men

623
00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:20,719
Speaker 1: why you're not? And we can't be the ones being

624
00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:23,520
Speaker 1: victimized and also the ones expected to put our next

625
00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:25,479
Speaker 1: on the line, our jobs on the line, and have

626
00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:26,560
Speaker 1: nobody else step.

627
00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:27,080
Speaker 3: Up, so and I will.

628
00:26:27,119 --> 00:26:30,960
Speaker 4: I'll say this too about those two I and continue

629
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:33,719
Speaker 4: to still have so much faith in their leadership and

630
00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:35,719
Speaker 4: what they would do that at the end of it all,

631
00:26:35,760 --> 00:26:37,680
Speaker 4: if they felt it was the right thing for the organization,

632
00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:39,280
Speaker 4: I was with them, you know. And that's how I

633
00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:42,760
Speaker 4: feel about them as individuals and leaders. I would run

634
00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:44,199
Speaker 4: through a brick wall for both of them. So if

635
00:26:44,240 --> 00:26:46,080
Speaker 4: it's a direction they wanted to go, I'm right there.

636
00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:48,639
Speaker 3: I'm with you. Then why did you know it was

637
00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:49,240
Speaker 3: time to leave?

638
00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:55,040
Speaker 4: Honestly, this opportunity is what made me start considering it.

639
00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:56,840
Speaker 4: I didn't really have any you know, it's gonna be

640
00:26:56,880 --> 00:27:00,000
Speaker 4: the NFL forever. And you know, other people had expected

641
00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:01,679
Speaker 4: for what the next five to ten years of my

642
00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:04,239
Speaker 4: life were supposed to be in the NFL. When this

643
00:27:04,280 --> 00:27:06,800
Speaker 4: opportunity came up, I just saw this as an incredible

644
00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:08,040
Speaker 4: opportunity that.

645
00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:09,040
Speaker 3: Was once in a lifetime.

646
00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:10,600
Speaker 4: And as I continue to talk to the people that

647
00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:12,680
Speaker 4: you say football and what they envisioned for this role,

648
00:27:13,119 --> 00:27:14,600
Speaker 4: I had to ask myself, like, if I look back

649
00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:16,000
Speaker 4: in a year or two years or three years and

650
00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:18,159
Speaker 4: pass this up, would I be okay with it? And

651
00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:20,840
Speaker 4: I didn't feel like I would be. This is something

652
00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:23,080
Speaker 4: really special and it's going to change. You know, it's

653
00:27:23,119 --> 00:27:25,000
Speaker 4: not just the Olympics. It's going to change the nature

654
00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:27,280
Speaker 4: of American football in the United States and in the world,

655
00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:29,600
Speaker 4: like American football is in the Olympics, which makes a

656
00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:33,480
Speaker 4: big statement. And we at this point have the opportunity

657
00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:35,440
Speaker 4: to build it how we want it to be, and

658
00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:36,919
Speaker 4: open it up how we want it to be, and

659
00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:39,040
Speaker 4: educate people on how we wanted to be and get

660
00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:41,240
Speaker 4: coaches up to speed. Like it's such a special thing

661
00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:43,000
Speaker 4: that when I do look back in five or ten

662
00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:45,199
Speaker 4: years and we get past the Olympics. It's something that

663
00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:47,159
Speaker 4: you can literally say like, I'm so proud I was

664
00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:48,639
Speaker 4: a part of that. So it was hard for me

665
00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:50,360
Speaker 4: to say no, like honestly.

666
00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:52,840
Speaker 1: And you've got the talent that if you change your

667
00:27:52,840 --> 00:27:54,879
Speaker 1: mind on the NFL it's calling again, you can always

668
00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:56,359
Speaker 1: go back. Of course, what was the biggest lesson you

669
00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:57,560
Speaker 1: learn from your time in Cleveland?

670
00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:03,159
Speaker 4: I learned a lot, But I would say one of

671
00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:06,120
Speaker 4: the things I really respected about coach Stefanski is he's

672
00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:08,640
Speaker 4: so cool, calm and collected through everything. And I said

673
00:28:08,640 --> 00:28:09,639
Speaker 4: this to him he or two when I was the

674
00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:11,600
Speaker 4: chief of staff. I was like, I need to learn

675
00:28:11,680 --> 00:28:15,240
Speaker 4: composure from you because as chief of staff, you have

676
00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:17,359
Speaker 4: so much going on, and I always, you know, I

677
00:28:17,359 --> 00:28:19,679
Speaker 4: would let myself. Biggest thing I took away was that

678
00:28:19,760 --> 00:28:22,080
Speaker 4: part you got overwhelmed a lot. It was it was

679
00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:23,520
Speaker 4: just a lot, you know, and you didn't want to

680
00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:24,520
Speaker 4: always react to things.

681
00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:24,760
Speaker 1: You know.

682
00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:26,840
Speaker 3: It's like it's like in the game when the.

683
00:28:26,880 --> 00:28:29,040
Speaker 4: Quarterback throws an interception and they immediately zoom in on

684
00:28:29,040 --> 00:28:31,200
Speaker 4: the head coach, yeah, you know, And I was like, Okay,

685
00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:32,360
Speaker 4: who would I be in that situation?

686
00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:36,240
Speaker 3: And so I literally I told him, you know.

687
00:28:36,359 --> 00:28:38,000
Speaker 4: Year two, I was like, that's what I'm gonna work

688
00:28:38,040 --> 00:28:40,040
Speaker 4: on this year because I think in order to lead people,

689
00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:42,720
Speaker 4: they need to see that, even in times of trial,

690
00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:43,640
Speaker 4: you're unshaken.

691
00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:44,959
Speaker 3: And that's who he is.

692
00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:46,760
Speaker 4: So I really worked on that with him, and I

693
00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:48,240
Speaker 4: mean we saw it all the way through I mean

694
00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:49,160
Speaker 4: twenty twenty three season.

695
00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:49,920
Speaker 3: Everything, We went.

696
00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:53,040
Speaker 4: Through four or five quarterbacks, all this stuff, and Kevin

697
00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:56,600
Speaker 4: every meeting, even behind closed doors, unshaken. So I've really

698
00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:58,520
Speaker 4: tasked myself with that. That's the biggest thing I took away.

699
00:28:58,520 --> 00:28:59,760
Speaker 4: It is like, how can I be a leader that

700
00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:02,240
Speaker 4: went things go awry and the boat starts to rock.

701
00:29:02,440 --> 00:29:05,720
Speaker 4: Everybody's looking like she's cool, So I'm cool. Yeah, Okay.

702
00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:11,280
Speaker 1: Final two questions honest answer, no bias. Who will win

703
00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:15,480
Speaker 1: the first Olympics and women's flag football the US?

704
00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:18,600
Speaker 3: Okay? Who will win a Super Bowl? First? The Chicago

705
00:29:18,640 --> 00:29:19,880
Speaker 3: Bears or the Cleveland Browns.

706
00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:23,800
Speaker 1: The Cleveland Browns, God damn it bias that there was

707
00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:26,840
Speaker 1: a ton of bias. Clean honest answer, y'all don't even

708
00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:28,440
Speaker 1: have a quarterback situation figured out.

709
00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:31,120
Speaker 3: The Cleveland Browns figured out, oh we do dog pound.

710
00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:33,160
Speaker 1: The Leeland Browns figure out is what the fans have

711
00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:35,360
Speaker 1: been saying for literally decade, and they'll do it again

712
00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:39,120
Speaker 1: this year. It's fine. They've been telling the Bears that too. Callie,

713
00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:40,440
Speaker 1: thanks so much for the time. We're looking forward to

714
00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:40,960
Speaker 1: seeing everything.

715
00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:41,920
Speaker 3: Thank you so much.

716
00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:46,040
Speaker 2: We have to take another quick break. When we come back.

717
00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:48,760
Speaker 1: We celebrate Black History Month by introducing you to a

718
00:29:48,800 --> 00:29:50,120
Speaker 1: pioneering softball player.

719
00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:00,560
Speaker 2: Welcome back, Slices.

720
00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:02,920
Speaker 1: It's Black History Month, and throughout February, we're going to

721
00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:05,560
Speaker 1: shine a spotlight on some black women's sports pioneers you

722
00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:09,560
Speaker 1: might not know about. Since college softball season just got underway, feels.

723
00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:10,160
Speaker 2: Fitting to start there.

724
00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:11,640
Speaker 3: Now.

725
00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:14,040
Speaker 1: We're certain you've heard of Jackie Robinson, the man who

726
00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:15,840
Speaker 1: broke Major League Baseball's color.

727
00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:17,640
Speaker 2: Barrier, but who led the way in softball.

728
00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:19,840
Speaker 1: One of the women who took the field first was

729
00:30:19,880 --> 00:30:22,080
Speaker 1: Billy Harris. If you've seen a League of their Own,

730
00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:24,360
Speaker 1: Harris as one of the real life players that inspired

731
00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:27,160
Speaker 1: some of the show's characters. According to an excellent article

732
00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:30,760
Speaker 1: by Veronica Wells in Essence magazine, Harris discovered softball through

733
00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:32,840
Speaker 1: a piece she read about a couple of local Arizona

734
00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:36,120
Speaker 1: softball teams back in nineteen forty seven. From there, she

735
00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:38,800
Speaker 1: started working on her skills. As she practiced on the

736
00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:40,640
Speaker 1: side of the road. One day, a stranger came up

737
00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:42,120
Speaker 1: to her and asked if she'd like to try out

738
00:30:42,120 --> 00:30:43,920
Speaker 1: for a team called the Sunshine Girls.

739
00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:46,240
Speaker 2: She made the team and the rest was history.

740
00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:49,440
Speaker 1: In her long career, which lasted until she was seventy

741
00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:52,880
Speaker 1: four years old, she threw seventy no hitters, pitched four

742
00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:55,600
Speaker 1: perfect games, and scored one hundred and twenty three runs.

743
00:30:55,920 --> 00:30:58,600
Speaker 1: Some folks even called her the Jackie Robinson of softball.

744
00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:00,920
Speaker 2: Of course, it wasn't all peaches and cream.

745
00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:03,000
Speaker 1: During the time she played, she was often the only

746
00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:05,960
Speaker 1: black woman on her team. Segregation meant she was mistreated

747
00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:08,680
Speaker 1: commared to her white teammates, and sometimes her teammates were

748
00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:12,320
Speaker 1: the ones being racist and showing hostility toward her. Despite

749
00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:14,520
Speaker 1: that and so much more, she went on to become

750
00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:17,760
Speaker 1: the first African American woman inducted into the USA Softball

751
00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:21,200
Speaker 1: Hall of Fame. Fast forward to present day, and we've

752
00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:25,600
Speaker 1: got so many talented black softballers to cheer on, like Ottissi, Alexander,

753
00:31:25,720 --> 00:31:27,360
Speaker 1: Nijerie Kennedy, and MICHAELA.

754
00:31:27,480 --> 00:31:28,840
Speaker 2: Edenfield, just to name a few.

755
00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:31,040
Speaker 1: But there's still work to be done to ensure that

756
00:31:31,120 --> 00:31:33,840
Speaker 1: young black kids are welcomed in the sport, believe it

757
00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:36,920
Speaker 1: or not, In the year twenty twenty four, Olivia Madkins,

758
00:31:37,240 --> 00:31:41,959
Speaker 1: Columbia Softball's first ever black softball player, took the field. Now,

759
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:44,920
Speaker 1: does that mean Columbia softball has been intentionally biased since

760
00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:47,160
Speaker 1: the program's first team was formed in nineteen ninety eight.

761
00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:49,800
Speaker 1: Not necessarily, but it just goes to show that there

762
00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:51,200
Speaker 1: have always been opportunities that.

763
00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:52,840
Speaker 2: Could have gone to black players and didn't.

764
00:31:53,200 --> 00:31:55,120
Speaker 1: So hats off to Billy forgetting in the game back

765
00:31:55,120 --> 00:31:57,720
Speaker 1: in the late forties, and more power to Olivia and

766
00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:06,120
Speaker 1: other athletes still breaking down barrier today. We always love

767
00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:07,520
Speaker 1: that you're listening, but we want you to get in

768
00:32:07,560 --> 00:32:09,440
Speaker 1: the game every day too, So here's our good game

769
00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:12,120
Speaker 1: play of the day. Fill out your unrivaled one on

770
00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:14,520
Speaker 1: one tournament bracket and give us your logic as to

771
00:32:14,560 --> 00:32:16,480
Speaker 1: why you picked the way you did. We'd love to

772
00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:18,640
Speaker 1: know who you got and see if any slices can

773
00:32:18,720 --> 00:32:21,680
Speaker 1: correctly pick the last couple players standing. Find the bracket

774
00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:23,520
Speaker 1: in our show notes, and let us dot your thoughts

775
00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:26,720
Speaker 1: by hitting us up on email. Good game at wondermedianetwork

776
00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:29,440
Speaker 1: dot com or leave us a voicemail talking about it

777
00:32:29,560 --> 00:32:32,480
Speaker 1: eight seven two two oh four fifty seventy. Don't forget

778
00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:34,800
Speaker 1: to subscribe, rate and review too, everybody.

779
00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:36,040
Speaker 2: It's real easy.

780
00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:41,280
Speaker 1: Watch the WNBA and O Pill partnership rating five out

781
00:32:41,280 --> 00:32:45,160
Speaker 1: of five. Keep doing the damn work review with so

782
00:32:45,200 --> 00:32:48,360
Speaker 1: many companies already bowing down to the dictatorial directives and

783
00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:51,000
Speaker 1: threats from above that are trying to erase progress. Shouts

784
00:32:51,040 --> 00:32:55,080
Speaker 1: to the WNBA for pushing ahead with important initiatives like

785
00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:57,960
Speaker 1: the one with over the counter daily oral contraceptive OPILL

786
00:32:58,120 --> 00:33:01,960
Speaker 1: and nonprofit organization Black Women's Health Imperative Level the Court,

787
00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:05,320
Speaker 1: which launched on Tuesday, kicks off with a spring campus tour,

788
00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:07,960
Speaker 1: stopping at the University of Texas at San Antonio and

789
00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:11,040
Speaker 1: then three historically black colleges and universities. A rep for

790
00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:14,600
Speaker 1: OPEL told Despnsri Chambers that the Black Women's Health Imperative

791
00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:17,600
Speaker 1: chose schools end quote states where there is more restricted

792
00:33:17,680 --> 00:33:20,800
Speaker 1: access and restrictive laws surrounding what girls, women and those

793
00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:23,920
Speaker 1: who can become pregnant can and cannot do unquote. The

794
00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:26,000
Speaker 1: tour is just the first of several planned events and

795
00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:29,400
Speaker 1: opportunities to provide Black women with more information and options

796
00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:33,680
Speaker 1: surrounding their reproductive healthcare. WNBA Chief Growth Officer Coley Edison

797
00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:37,120
Speaker 1: told Chambers, quote, the WNBA has always said that women's

798
00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:40,280
Speaker 1: health is society's health. We're really trying to mirror the

799
00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:41,880
Speaker 1: work our players are already doing.

800
00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:43,880
Speaker 2: End quote. Now it's your.

801
00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:46,920
Speaker 1: Turn to rate and review. Thanks for listening, Have a

802
00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:50,720
Speaker 1: great weekend, See you next week. Good Game, Cali, Good Game,

803
00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:55,760
Speaker 1: Billy Harris. You anti science, anti intellectual, anti common sense,

804
00:33:55,800 --> 00:34:02,640
Speaker 1: anti humanity policies. Good Game with Sarah Spain is an

805
00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:05,959
Speaker 1: iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports

806
00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:08,719
Speaker 1: and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app,

807
00:34:08,800 --> 00:34:12,120
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Production by

808
00:34:12,160 --> 00:34:15,640
Speaker 1: Wonder Media Network, our producers are Alex Azzie and Misha Jones.

809
00:34:15,800 --> 00:34:19,280
Speaker 1: Our executive producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan,

810
00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:22,640
Speaker 1: and Emily Rudder. Our editors are Emily Rutterer, Britney Martinez,

811
00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:25,920
Speaker 1: and Grace Lynch. Our associate producer is Lucy Jones and

812
00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:27,520
Speaker 1: I'm your host Sarah Spain