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

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Speaker 1: Aubrey Plaza spreading the gospel of attending the WNBA draft

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Speaker 1: as a fan. On Late Night with Seth Myers, It's Thursday,

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Speaker 1: April twenty third, and on Today Show, the GM and

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Speaker 1: COO of the WNBA's Indiana Fever, Amber Cox joins us

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Speaker 1: to talk about the opportunities and challenges of managing a

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Speaker 1: player like Caitlin Clark, hosting fans from around the world,

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Speaker 1: the Fevers entry into the WNBA's facility, wars, and how

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Speaker 1: her GM job looks a little different as a result

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Speaker 1: of the new CBA, plus silencing the Sirens. The NWSL

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Speaker 1: is on a need to know basis, and you gotta

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Speaker 1: start somewhere. It's all coming up right after this Welcome

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Speaker 1: back slices. Here's what you need to know today. Let's

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Speaker 1: start with soccer. On Tuesday, the NWSL announced its latest

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Speaker 1: expansion side, a Columbus, Ohio team that will be the

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Speaker 1: league's eighteenth franchise. The club, set to begin play in

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty eight, will be owned by Haslam Sports Group,

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Speaker 1: owners of the NFL's Cleveland Browns, MLS's Columbus Crew and

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Speaker 1: co owners of the mnba's Milwaukee Bucks. Also in the

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Speaker 1: ownership group, the Nationwide Corporation, a league wide NWSL sponsor,

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Speaker 1: and minority owners of the Crew, doctors Christine and Pete Edwards.

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Speaker 1: The ownership group will pay a record two hundred and

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Speaker 1: five million dollar expansion fee for the team, and the

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Speaker 1: team will play in downtown Columbus at Scott's Miracle Grove Field,

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Speaker 1: the home field of the Columbus Crew. The stadium will

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Speaker 1: be renovated to add a custom locker room for the

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Speaker 1: NWSL club, and there's also a plan to build a

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Speaker 1: bespoke training facility for the women's side on the southwest

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Speaker 1: side of the city. We'll link to a story about

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Speaker 1: the controversial acquisition of the park they plan to build

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Speaker 1: that facility on and community backlash to the build in

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Speaker 1: the show notes. I'll also have plenty more to say

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Speaker 1: about this team's ownership a little later in the show.

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Speaker 1: More in WSL. The League and the Players Association announced

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Speaker 1: on Wednesday they've joined Project ACL, a UK based initiative

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Speaker 1: focused on reducing ACL injuries in women's professional soccer. Now

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Speaker 1: we often talk about this on the show, but it's

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Speaker 1: wild just how few resources have actually been devoted to

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Speaker 1: tackling this issue. According to Project ACL organizers, only eight

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Speaker 1: percent of all sports research is conducted on women, and

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Speaker 1: a lot of that focuses on amateur athletes. The project

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Speaker 1: started in twenty twenty four as a collaboration between Nike

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Speaker 1: England's Leeds Beckett University and Fiefpro, the Global Players Association.

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Speaker 1: For the past two years, they've studied players in England's

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Speaker 1: Women's Super League, interviewing athletes and tracking their overall workload. Now,

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Speaker 1: Project DACL will spend three years, starting in June, focusing

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Speaker 1: on players in the NWSL. It's the first study of

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Speaker 1: its kind that looks at professional women's football across multiple leagues.

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Speaker 1: Super interested to see what the data reveals and how

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Speaker 1: it could benefit not just the league, but eventually players

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Speaker 1: at all levels. One more piece of NWSL news, the

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Speaker 1: Seattle Rains Jess Fishlock, announced on Tuesdays she'll retire at

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Speaker 1: the end of this season. The thirty nine year old

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Speaker 1: has suited up for the Rain ever since the league

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Speaker 1: launched in twenty five thirteen. In fact, Phishlock is one

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Speaker 1: of just three remaining active players from the league's inaugural

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Speaker 1: season and the only player to spend all fourteen seasons

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Speaker 1: with one club. Chicago Stars goalkeeper Alissenaire started her career

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Speaker 1: with the Boston Breakers before getting to Chicago, while Angel

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Speaker 1: City FC forward Sydney LaRue played for several teams before

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Speaker 1: landing in LA. Fishlock's thirty assists ranked first all time

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Speaker 1: for the franchise and her forty nine goals our second

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Speaker 1: all time for the Rain the twenty twenty one NWSLMVP

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Speaker 1: and seven time All League selection. She announced her retirement

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Speaker 1: from Welsh international duties last year, after playing nearly twenty

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Speaker 1: years for her home country. To hockey where Tuesday night

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Speaker 1: was a bittersweet one for the PWHL's New York Sirens.

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Speaker 1: They got a win, beating the Toronto Scepters one nil,

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Speaker 1: but the game winning goal came in overtime, and the

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Speaker 1: Sirens needed a regulation win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

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Speaker 1: New York now joins the Vancouver Golden Eyes and the

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Speaker 1: Seattle torrent out of playoff contention and in the hunt

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Speaker 1: for points to get a good draft spot. The Scepters,

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Speaker 1: for their part, left the game with the L, but

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Speaker 1: still have a path to the playoffs. It's just very

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Speaker 1: narrow and very much out of their control. Their fate

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Speaker 1: depends on how Wednesday Nights Outawa Charge Boston Fleet game goes.

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Speaker 1: We're recording this before the puck drops on that one

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Speaker 1: to the WNBA. In a statement on Tuesday, the Minnesota

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Speaker 1: Links revealed that Nafisa Collier's ankle rehab is progressing as

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Speaker 1: expected and she's likely to return to on court basketball

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Speaker 1: activities in early June. With the Links opening their regular

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Speaker 1: season May tenth. That means Callier will miss at least

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Speaker 1: the first month of games, possibly more depending how long

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Speaker 1: the ramp up period is once she's back on the court.

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Speaker 1: The five time All Star had surgery on her left

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Speaker 1: ankle March twenty fourth, preparing an injury suffered in last

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Speaker 1: year's playoffs, and also had surgery on her right ankle

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Speaker 1: in early January for an injury suffered late last regular season.

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Speaker 1: To college hoops, the twenty twenty six NCAA transfer portal

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Speaker 1: closed Monday night, meaning no new players can enter, but

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Speaker 1: players already in the portal can still commit to new schools.

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Speaker 1: James opted to stay put as Virginia guard Kumora Johnson

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Speaker 1: announced Shell Eggs Ait the Portal and returned to the

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Speaker 1: Cavaliers under new coach Aaron Russell. Now we already mentioned

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Speaker 1: Audie Crooks's decision to transfer to Oklahoma State from Iowa State.

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Speaker 1: She'll be joined there by Florida's Liv McGill. Some other

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Speaker 1: big names on the move include Texas guard Jordan Lee

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Speaker 1: committing to South Carolina, Iowa State guard Jada Williams joining LSU,

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Speaker 1: Georgia guard Danny Carnegie moving to Iowa, and Tennessee guard

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Speaker 1: Talaisha Cooper landing at Ole miss to Golf. The first

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Speaker 1: major of the twenty twenty six LPGA Tour has arrived

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Speaker 1: as the Chevron Championship tees off today in Houston with

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Speaker 1: an elite field playing for a nine million dollar prize pool.

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Speaker 1: Japan's Mouse Igo won the tournament last year and is

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Speaker 1: back to try to defend her title, but she'll face

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Speaker 1: tough competition in world number one Gino Titskun, number two

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Speaker 1: Nelly Corda, and number three Hugh ju Kim. The action

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Speaker 1: starts today at eight fifteen a m. Eastern on Golf Channel,

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Speaker 1: with the final round taking place on Sunday. We'll keep

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Speaker 1: you posted as players make their way through the competition

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Speaker 1: to cycling, where the Tour de France Femme is leaving

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Speaker 1: France for the UK at least to start. Race organizers

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Speaker 1: announced plants on Monday to put next year's opening three

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Speaker 1: stages in England. The women's event has started outside of

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Speaker 1: France just once before. In twenty twenty four, cyclists began

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Speaker 1: in the Netherlands and this year twenty twenty six, the

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Speaker 1: race will start in Switzerland, but twenty twenty seven will

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Speaker 1: be the first time the women will start in the UK,

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Speaker 1: with the first stage running from Leeds to Manchester and

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Speaker 1: the second going from Manchester to Sheffield. The third stage,

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Speaker 1: a team time trial, will take place in London and

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Speaker 1: finish on the famous Mall in front of Buckingham Palace.

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Speaker 1: The twenty twenty seven men's Tour de France will also

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Speaker 1: start in England, marking the first time that both tours

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Speaker 1: start in the same country outside France. To tennis, the

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Speaker 1: Madrid Open WTA one thousand tournament, so one level below

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Speaker 1: the majors in the WTA Finals, is under way in Spain.

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Speaker 1: Defending champ Arena Sabalanca is looking to continue her twenty

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Speaker 1: twenty six wins streak with a victory on clay, the

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Speaker 1: Belarussian world number one faces a stacked field and with

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Speaker 1: every player in the world top five competing for the trophy.

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Speaker 1: Number two Elena Rebakina, number three Coco Golf, number four

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Speaker 1: Egas Fiontec, and number five Jessica Pagoula. They'll all make

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Speaker 1: their way through the first three rounds by Sunday and

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Speaker 1: the competition will really heat up next week. We'll link

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Speaker 1: to the schedule in the show notes and keep you

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Speaker 1: posted as the matches go on. Finally, today a Title

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Speaker 1: nine win in southern California. A federal judge approved a

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Speaker 1: landmark settlement on Monday that will pay former female athletes

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Speaker 1: at San Diego State University three hundred thousand dollars in

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Speaker 1: damages after they sued the school and accused it of

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Speaker 1: violating Title nine. SDSU must also pay one point three

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Speaker 1: million to the plaintiffs attorneys who brought this class action

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Speaker 1: suit on behalf of the women. The three hundred thousand

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Speaker 1: dollars in damages will be split among a class of

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Speaker 1: seven hundred ninety eight former athletes at SDSU, with each

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Speaker 1: woman receiving between one hundred and seventy two dollars and

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Speaker 1: eight hundred and sixty dollars, depending on the number of

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Speaker 1: years they were a student athlete. The plaintiffs also made

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Speaker 1: some gains for current female athletes at the university, including

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Speaker 1: a promise to repair the track, place the turf for

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Speaker 1: the women's across team, professional photography services, and overall publicity

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Speaker 1: that's equal to what the men's teams get. Plaintiff's attorney

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Speaker 1: Arthur Bryant told USA Today, quote, this is the first

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Speaker 1: case ever in which a school is going to pay

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Speaker 1: damages to women athletes for depriving them of equal athletic

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Speaker 1: financial aid. It is definitely not going to be the

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Speaker 1: last end quote. He also added that for the women,

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Speaker 1: the money awarded was secondary to the terms SDSU promised

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Speaker 1: to implement moving forward, ensuring that quote current and former

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Speaker 1: female student athletes will be treated equally to their male

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Speaker 1: counterparts end quote. Now this is great news, but we

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Speaker 1: do have a few questions about the financial numbers in

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Speaker 1: this settlement, mainly the difference between the payout to the

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Speaker 1: athletes and the payout to the attorneys, especially given that

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Speaker 1: the case alleged San Diego State deprived its female athletes

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Speaker 1: of more than five point three six million between twenty

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Speaker 1: ten and twenty twenty. Still, we'll take a win where

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Speaker 1: we can get one slices. I'm going to need you

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Speaker 1: to give me a minute on this Columbus NWSL expansion

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Speaker 1: team news. Let me start by saying the Cleveland Browns

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Speaker 1: org has done some surprisingly good things, including hiring and

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Speaker 1: elevating the fantastic coach Callie Bronson, who has since moved

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Speaker 1: on the team's owners. Though the Haslams are also responsible

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Speaker 1: for trading for quarterback to Shaan Watson and signing him

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Speaker 1: to the richest contract in NFL history, despite twenty two

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Speaker 1: different women accusing him of sexual misconduct and assault. And

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Speaker 1: now the Haslams are NWSL owners. You remember I mentioned

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Speaker 1: a couple weeks ago the NWSL's social media account gleefully

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Speaker 1: spotlight incredibly accused rapist Jamis Winston, who was also separately

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Speaker 1: suspended for groping an uber driver. Well, he was on

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Speaker 1: the sidelines that had got them FC game earlier this season,

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Speaker 1: and everyone was giddy about it. And now the league

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Speaker 1: is welcoming the Haslms as owners of their new Columbus

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Speaker 1: expansion side. And I guess I have to say it again.

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Speaker 1: Women's sports We do not have to prop up, be

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Speaker 1: polite to, or do business with problematic people just because

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Speaker 1: they're rich or famous. We don't need the support or

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Speaker 1: money of problematic people. We don't need to be in

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Speaker 1: business or led by problematic people. We don't need to

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Speaker 1: prioritize proximity to power over core values, player staff, and

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Speaker 1: fan experience, and we certainly shouldn't allow ourselves to be

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Speaker 1: used by problematic people to repair their reputations. Partnering with

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Speaker 1: owners who are willing to put their staff, front office

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Speaker 1: and players families in a difficult position having to both

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Speaker 1: coexist with someone like Deshaun Watson and defend and explain

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Speaker 1: the trade for him. The Hasms have made clear that

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Speaker 1: the safety, peace of mind, and happiness of the women

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Speaker 1: in the Browns franchise matter far less than the potential

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Speaker 1: to win more games, which they haven't by the way,

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Speaker 1: Watson has been a complete bust. Has the NWSL learned

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Speaker 1: nothing from its past in the rush to expand and

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Speaker 1: make money. They're putting women in the care of people

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Speaker 1: who have proven that they won't protect or consider the safety,

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Speaker 1: piece or dignity of the women who work for them.

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Speaker 1: People who are telling you that women's sports are special

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Speaker 1: that the values that its core must be protected are

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Speaker 1: simultaneously partnering with as many owners from the most corrupt,

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Speaker 1: controversy ridden league we've got, the NFL. You want to

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Speaker 1: know how women's sports loses its progressive, inclusive magic, follow

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Speaker 1: the money. Speaking of money, the HASLM spent close to

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Speaker 1: one hundred thousand dollars to back Jade Vance's Ohio senator

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Speaker 1: bid in twenty twenty two, and while Jimmy Haslam has

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Speaker 1: criticized Donald Trump at times, he and his wife and

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Speaker 1: his company, Pilot Flying Jay combined to contribute five hundred

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Speaker 1: thousand dollars to Trump's twenty seventeen inauguration. Now, the NWSL

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Speaker 1: choosing to pick the richest potential owners with ties to

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Speaker 1: men's pro sports over also rich folks who are aligned

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Speaker 1: with the women's space, the fan base and the larger

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Speaker 1: mission is a choice. And if league culture and player

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Speaker 1: experience is harmed, it'll be clear why disappointed doesn't begin

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Speaker 1: to cover it. We got to take a break when

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Speaker 1: we come back. Indiana Fever GM Ambercox joining us now

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Speaker 1: she's the COO and GM of the Indiana Fever. Former

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Speaker 1: gigs run the gamut in the sports world, including front

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Speaker 1: office gigs with the Dallas Wings, the NWSLS, Casey Current,

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Speaker 1: the Connecticut Sun, the Houston Dynamo of the MLS, Associate

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Speaker 1: Commissioner of Women's Basketball at the Big East under friend

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Speaker 1: of the show, Val Ackerman, and the job that started

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Speaker 1: it all twenty years ago, President and COO of the

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Speaker 1: Phoenix Mercury. She's a William Woods alum. Chiefs fan will

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Speaker 1: agree to agree that Brandy Carlyle is the best, and

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Speaker 1: will agree to disagree on the merits of the Saint

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Speaker 1: Louis Cardinals. It's Amber Cox, Hi, Amber Oh, so happy

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Speaker 1: to be here.

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Speaker 2: I'm such a fangirl.

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Speaker 1: Sarah Oh, I love that. That's so fun to hear.

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Speaker 2: Just thrilled to be here. Yeah, I love everything about

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Speaker 2: the pod.

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Speaker 1: I appreciate you making the time because I know it

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Speaker 1: is a busy time. So I wanted to ask quickly

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Speaker 1: before we even got into this, how did you best

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Speaker 1: try to make use of your time waiting for the

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Speaker 1: new CBA agreement to get done? Because I know you

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Speaker 1: knew you were going to have to hit the ground

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Speaker 1: running in full sprint whenever it was finalized.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, there's still a lot of preparation to

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Speaker 2: be done. You know, we did a lot of modeling

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Speaker 2: with you know, how free agency could look, you know,

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Speaker 2: again making some assumptions there to just get as prepared

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Speaker 2: as possible. We said from the beginning, Kelsey Mitchell was

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Speaker 2: our priority. We wanted to bring back some of those

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Speaker 2: core pieces in Lexi Hull and Sophie Cunningham, and then

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Speaker 2: you know, I think looking at free agents, and you know,

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Speaker 2: we had the luxury of knowing most of the league

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Speaker 2: was a free agent to find those complimentary pieces that

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Speaker 2: made a lot of sense so that whenever free agency

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Speaker 2: opened up, we were ready to go and actively recruit

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Speaker 2: those those folks to the Fever. And then you know,

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Speaker 2: we're preparing for the draft as well, so watching college games.

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Speaker 2: We have scouts that are domestic and international, So there

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Speaker 2: was still a lot of work being done.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's like waiting, waiting, way fire here, fire there,

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Speaker 1: like get this one going. You know, friend of the show,

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Speaker 1: Jay Perry, who we had on to talk about hosting

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Speaker 1: the final Foign Phoenix, was actually the one who hired

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Speaker 1: you with the Mercury back in the day and told

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Speaker 1: us that you wanted to come on the show, which

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Speaker 1: we were so excited about. But you have said in

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Speaker 1: previous interviews that she really helped you get a good

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Speaker 1: footing in the sports world. So what were some of

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Speaker 1: the lasting pieces of advice when you took on that

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Speaker 1: first gig as president and COO of the Mercury.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Jay really got me started in the business. I

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Speaker 2: was working at small college athletics. I was a small

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Speaker 2: college athlete. So when I came into the WNBA, I

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Speaker 2: was with the Mercury for nine seasons. And when I started,

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Speaker 2: I was the director of marketing and really didn't know

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Speaker 2: much about the business of sports at all. And this

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Speaker 2: is two thousand and five, so it was still it

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Speaker 2: felt like we were kind of like into it in

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Speaker 2: the WS like year ten, but we really weren't now

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Speaker 2: looking back, and we were still really hustlers and scrappers

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Speaker 2: in every sense of the word. So Jay really taught

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Speaker 2: me all those fundamentals in terms of what we need

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Speaker 2: to do to continue to grow the business. You know,

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Speaker 2: how do we continue to think about and be innovative

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Speaker 2: around revenue streams to continue to grow the business. We

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Speaker 2: had to be really creative. We were the first team

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Speaker 2: to ever do the marquee partnership across the Jersey with LifeLock.

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Speaker 2: So you know, Jay was just a tremendous mentor. She

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Speaker 2: is to this day. She really set me up for success,

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Speaker 2: the most amazing thing. I've been doing the job for

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Speaker 2: probably gosh, four or five years, and she took me

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Speaker 2: down to coffee one day and said, Okay, you're taking over.

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Speaker 2: And I was like, no, no, no, no, you're not

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Speaker 2: leaving me. But she knew I was ready. And I

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Speaker 2: think great leaders know when they can turn sort of

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Speaker 2: their mentees loose. She turned me loose. Luckily she stayed

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Speaker 2: with the Suns, so she was literally up the stairs

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Speaker 2: and I ran those stairs several times, running back and

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Speaker 2: forth to ask for advice. But yeah, she's an incredible

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Speaker 2: mentor and somebody I still lean on to this day.

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Speaker 1: That's great. You've bounced around a lot in the sports world.

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Speaker 1: You said nine seasons in Phoenix, but then two years

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Speaker 1: and a few places, four or five years and a

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Speaker 1: few places. Has that been intentional sort of a desire

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Speaker 1: to experience different team cultures or was it just sort

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Speaker 1: of you wanted to leave here or someone wanted you

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Speaker 1: to leave.

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Speaker 2: By the time I was done with my tenure at

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Speaker 2: the Mercury, I was running the business in the basketball

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Speaker 2: so I, you know, for the last couple of years

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Speaker 2: was doing roster construction, serving in that you know, quote

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Speaker 2: unquote GM role, and I was still heavily entrenched in

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Speaker 2: the business side as well. We had won a couple

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Speaker 2: of championships, we had just drafted Britney Griner, so I

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Speaker 2: felt like it was time to take a different approach.

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Speaker 2: I was turning forty, and Val Ackerman very appropriate that,

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Speaker 2: you know, I'm telling this story with the announcement of

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Speaker 2: VAL's retirement, was just taking over the Big East and

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Speaker 2: I had just missed Val in the w and I

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Speaker 2: was just completely enamored by everything about Val. I read

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Speaker 2: the white Paper like, you know, cover to cover, and

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Speaker 2: when she took over the Big East, she really said, Okay,

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Speaker 2: we don't have football, and women's basketball is really going

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Speaker 2: to be you know, we're going to put a big

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Speaker 2: focus on it and try to build women's basketball to

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Speaker 2: be a business. So I was really excited about that.

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Speaker 2: I was excited about the opportunity to move to New

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Speaker 2: York worked for Val. I got all the great original

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Speaker 2: WNBA stories while I was there and learned a lot

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Speaker 2: about working in major college sports. Nothing is no move

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Speaker 2: has ever really been like I'm going to go for

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Speaker 2: two years in the leave or go for four years.

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Speaker 2: Other opportunities have presented themselves. I think the consistent theme

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Speaker 2: is that I keep coming back to the w When

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Speaker 2: I left the Big East, I really decided college sports

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Speaker 2: was not really my jam. I wanted to be in

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Speaker 2: professional sports, and I think at the time, we were

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Speaker 2: really taught that your next step was men's sports. You know,

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Speaker 2: you need to move up the ladder to men's sports.

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Speaker 2: So I was like, Okay, I'm going to take this

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Speaker 2: step into MLS, who was also a very emerging league.

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Speaker 2: And I got there and we had the NWSL team

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Speaker 2: as well the DASH, and I just so happened to

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Speaker 2: sort of align with Carly Lloyd being there scoring three

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Speaker 2: goals in the World Cup, and the DASH was taking off,

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Speaker 2: and I found myself spending like eighty percent of my

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Speaker 2: time focused on the Dash. So it's like, Okay, this

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Speaker 2: is the universe telling me something.

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Speaker 1: That's a sign.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a sign. And then you know, I did

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Speaker 2: that for a couple of years. It was great experience,

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Speaker 2: but that was sort of again, it was a lesson

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Speaker 2: that I wanted to spend my time working in women's sports,

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Speaker 2: And funny enough, Kelly Crosscoff, who is now the president

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Speaker 2: of the Fever, another mentor of mine since day one,

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Speaker 2: actually recommended me for the job in Connecticut to go

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Speaker 2: run the Sun and so I was like, I missed

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Speaker 2: the W. I'm going to go back to the W

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Speaker 2: and that was my step back into the WNBA.

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Speaker 1: Selfishly, there's some teams in Chicago that have struggled for

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Speaker 1: long stretches, and I've asked people outside of the space,

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Speaker 1: like who have played for the Cubs and elsewhere, or

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Speaker 1: have played for the Bears and elsewhere. Is there something

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Speaker 1: you can feel or tell about other places that help

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Speaker 1: explain why they have continued to success across different coaches

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Speaker 1: and quarterbacks and years and what doesn't work other places

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Speaker 1: that I wonder for you if you've gained important perspective

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Speaker 1: from witnessing different team or league cultures and how they operate,

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Speaker 1: and that informs how you want to run things with Indiana.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I think consistency really helps. I'll just

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Speaker 2: talk a little bit about the Mercury for example. I

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Speaker 2: think on the business side, there has been a very

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Speaker 2: consistent thread in terms of passing the torch to the

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Speaker 2: next person. Jay passed the torch to me. Vince Kozar

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Speaker 2: has now been a mainstay with the Mercury for a

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Speaker 2: long time. Vince and I worked together for a while.

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Speaker 2: He had just come back to the Mercury when I

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Speaker 2: left and ended up taking the reins. So you know,

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Speaker 2: there's a common thread there, and I think the same

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Speaker 2: can be said on the basketball side as well, or

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Speaker 2: the sports side of things. You look at the Fever

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Speaker 2: for example, one of the really unique things about the

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Speaker 2: basketball culture here is just the the you know, you

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Speaker 2: see Steph White coming back, and you look at our

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Speaker 2: coaching staff, Championships, Pond January, Kareema Christmas, even Austin Kelly

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Speaker 2: was on the practice squad. So you know, there's a

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Speaker 2: common thread and understanding of what the identity is and

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Speaker 2: who we want to be and how we want to

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Speaker 2: represent ourselves. So I think that consistency in some form.

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Speaker 2: You know, you might have short time frames where it's

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Speaker 2: not there, but coming back to that always seems to

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Speaker 2: bring you back to sort of your origin.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, you were COO of the Wings when the Fever

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Speaker 1: drafted Kaitlyn Clark in April of twenty twenty four. How

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Speaker 1: long after that did you get the offer to join

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Speaker 1: the Indiana front office and how much was that acquisition

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Speaker 1: part of your decision to make the move.

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Speaker 2: Well, I'll tell you a funny story about Caitlin and

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Speaker 2: the Fever played their very first pre season game in Dallas,

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Speaker 2: and you know, again, the demand was just through the roof,

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Speaker 2: and I had some really interesting experiences. And I'll never

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Speaker 2: forget sitting in my seats in Dallas sitting next to

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Speaker 2: a gentleman who had come in on sponsor tickets and

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Speaker 2: he had never been to a game, he didn't even

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Speaker 2: know Dallas had a team, And by the third quarter

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Speaker 2: he was so enamored by arique A Gumbawalle that he

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Speaker 2: went up and bought season tickets for the Wings. So,

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Speaker 2: in addition to just the visibility and everything Caitlin has

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Speaker 2: personally brought to the league and what she means, she

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Speaker 2: has exposed so many people to all of the other

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Speaker 2: great players in our league and that has been a

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Speaker 2: significant impact around the league for the other teams as well.

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Speaker 2: So again, something I personally experienced. You know, I got

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Speaker 2: to the end of the twenty twenty four season is

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Speaker 2: that right? Twenty twenty four season, and again Kelly Crosscoff

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Speaker 2: had been called back to be the president of the Fever.

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Speaker 2: She had moved over to work on the Pacers side

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Speaker 2: for a few years, came back and again that's a

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Speaker 2: relationship that's been there for a long time. With the Wings,

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Speaker 2: I was not on the basketball side of things. I

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Speaker 2: was only working on the business and at every other

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Speaker 2: stop in the WNBA, I had been heavily involved on

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Speaker 2: roster construction, helping with free agents, working closely with players.

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Speaker 2: I worked very closely with Kurt Miller when we were

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Speaker 2: in Connecticut, and I missed that. And so when Kelly

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Speaker 2: called me and said, hey, I'd like you to come

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Speaker 2: back and help me with this be the general manager.

432
00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:17,960
Speaker 2: Also have you know some input on the business side

433
00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:21,160
Speaker 2: as well, giving your experience, I jumped at that opportunity.

434
00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:25,439
Speaker 2: And certainly a young roster that includes Caitlyn Clark and

435
00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:28,119
Speaker 2: Aleiah Boston was very very attractive as part of that.

436
00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:31,360
Speaker 2: And oh, by the way, Kelsey Mitchell so very excited

437
00:22:31,400 --> 00:22:32,080
Speaker 2: about that. Core.

438
00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:33,840
Speaker 1: Yeah, not bad, pretty good.

439
00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:34,800
Speaker 2: Yeah.

440
00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:37,640
Speaker 1: What are some of the opportunities afforded to a team

441
00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:41,040
Speaker 1: with a generational talent? Game changing name and draw like

442
00:22:41,119 --> 00:22:43,399
Speaker 1: Caitlin that maybe aren't the most obvious ones we already know.

443
00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:46,399
Speaker 2: I think the thing that has been really phenomenal to

444
00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:49,800
Speaker 2: see and still just strikes me every home game is

445
00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:52,840
Speaker 2: the people coming from out of count This is becoming

446
00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:55,720
Speaker 2: such a bucket list for people not only in our

447
00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:59,040
Speaker 2: country but all over the world. And so, you know,

448
00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:02,280
Speaker 2: it's really afforded the opportunity to think about not only

449
00:23:02,760 --> 00:23:05,680
Speaker 2: our experience, our game day experience and what that looks

450
00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:08,919
Speaker 2: like around the game, but how we are showcasing our city.

451
00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:12,840
Speaker 2: I mean, people are spending their vacations, their vacation dollars

452
00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:16,520
Speaker 2: to come to Indianapolis to see a Fever game. That's

453
00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:19,040
Speaker 2: at the center of what they're doing. And you know,

454
00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:22,080
Speaker 2: now living here over a year, I really love this city.

455
00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:25,760
Speaker 2: I love everything it has to offer. The restaurants are great,

456
00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:27,280
Speaker 2: there are a lot of attractions, a lot of things

457
00:23:27,359 --> 00:23:29,399
Speaker 2: you can do if you're bringing your family. So I

458
00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:32,639
Speaker 2: love that opportunity to showcase our city. So that's something

459
00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:35,080
Speaker 2: we talk about a lot, is you know, how do

460
00:23:35,119 --> 00:23:39,080
Speaker 2: we continue to build out the experience beyond just the game.

461
00:23:39,200 --> 00:23:42,199
Speaker 2: We know the game is the focal point. It is

462
00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:44,719
Speaker 2: has the spotlight. The play on the court is what

463
00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:47,520
Speaker 2: it's all about. But you know the entertainment value and

464
00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:50,040
Speaker 2: what we're doing in arena, everything from F and B

465
00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:53,800
Speaker 2: to our retail again, you know everything around the game

466
00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:55,359
Speaker 2: as well in the days leading up.

467
00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:58,520
Speaker 1: Yeah, make it worth folks coming all this way to

468
00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:00,640
Speaker 1: see the game and then also have the variances around

469
00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:03,320
Speaker 1: the game. But also means that you, maybe more so

470
00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:05,680
Speaker 1: than any other team in the w have to consider

471
00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:08,120
Speaker 1: the widespread nature of your fan base. It's a great

472
00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:10,880
Speaker 1: problem to have. But your fans aren't just local. Your

473
00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:13,840
Speaker 1: fans are national, and how do you serve them both

474
00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:16,199
Speaker 1: in the arena and just in general thinking about your

475
00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:19,879
Speaker 1: fan base as being a much more geographically spread out group.

476
00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:23,119
Speaker 2: Yeah, our digital platforms are really important. We talk a

477
00:24:23,119 --> 00:24:26,959
Speaker 2: lot about how do we storytell around that. You know,

478
00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:29,879
Speaker 2: last year was a really interesting case study with Caitlin

479
00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:34,119
Speaker 2: only playing thirteen games and you really still saw the

480
00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:36,640
Speaker 2: fans show up in a big way. And I think

481
00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:38,800
Speaker 2: that is a true testament to a lot of the

482
00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:41,960
Speaker 2: storytelling that we were doing on our platforms to put

483
00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:44,040
Speaker 2: a spotlight on each and every one of our players.

484
00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:47,320
Speaker 2: I mean, we have people coming in you know, late

485
00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:50,800
Speaker 2: August into September because of our injuries, and each one

486
00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:53,280
Speaker 2: of those players was embraced and we really took the

487
00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:57,840
Speaker 2: opportunity to tell their story, what they were about, and

488
00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:00,399
Speaker 2: certainly when they would have those big mom it's on

489
00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:03,880
Speaker 2: the court, really highlight those and again that's a way

490
00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:06,240
Speaker 2: that fans all over the world can stay really really

491
00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:08,200
Speaker 2: connected to what we're doing.

492
00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:10,320
Speaker 1: What are some of the challenges that come with an

493
00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:14,560
Speaker 1: opportunity like having Caitlin Clark because obviously the talent is insane,

494
00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:18,680
Speaker 1: but her ability to draw in fans and attract attention

495
00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:22,359
Speaker 1: good and bad is Unlike most things we've seen in

496
00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:23,160
Speaker 1: women's sports.

497
00:25:23,560 --> 00:25:26,840
Speaker 2: It feels mainstream, right like you're a mainstream sports fan.

498
00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:30,240
Speaker 2: You're a Cubs fan, I'm a Chiefs fan. You see

499
00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:34,399
Speaker 2: what happens when somebody misses a field goal or you know,

500
00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:37,680
Speaker 2: doesn't get the last out and they should. The attention

501
00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:41,680
Speaker 2: that draws, especially online, is at a different level, and

502
00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:45,760
Speaker 2: certainly I think we see a lot of that. Absolutely.

503
00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:49,280
Speaker 2: I mean the spotlight is really really bright, and you know,

504
00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:52,760
Speaker 2: with that comes the criticism or the feedback or the

505
00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:56,560
Speaker 2: opinions of you know, fans, right, a bigger fan base.

506
00:25:57,280 --> 00:25:59,080
Speaker 2: I mean I remember the days when you could make

507
00:25:59,119 --> 00:26:02,360
Speaker 2: a transaction, you would trade a player, and it would

508
00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:06,080
Speaker 2: even like register on local news in the local paper,

509
00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:09,479
Speaker 2: and certainly not online. So it's a new day, and

510
00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:12,199
Speaker 2: certainly we understand that we have the biggest spotlight in

511
00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:15,520
Speaker 2: all of women's sports, and with that comes, you know,

512
00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:17,400
Speaker 2: some of the criticism as well.

513
00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:22,080
Speaker 1: Yeah, with great power comes great responsibilities. Said Spider Man

514
00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:24,520
Speaker 1: or Spider Man's uncle or something you mentioned. All the

515
00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:27,240
Speaker 1: conversation around Caitlyn. It's a great thing. I mean, teams

516
00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:30,080
Speaker 1: are looking for that, but also it's sometimes a tough thing,

517
00:26:30,160 --> 00:26:33,120
Speaker 1: especially if folks aren't projecting their own social and political

518
00:26:33,119 --> 00:26:36,200
Speaker 1: beliefs onto Caitlin, especially if she's being quoted or often

519
00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:39,879
Speaker 1: misquoted or quoted without nuance. What role, if any, do

520
00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:42,680
Speaker 1: you think the team should play in managing or responding

521
00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:43,320
Speaker 1: to any of that.

522
00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:47,120
Speaker 2: She's incredibly smart, she has an incredible team around her.

523
00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:51,480
Speaker 2: I think, you know, when she feels strongly about something,

524
00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:54,560
Speaker 2: she's going to say it. I don't think that is

525
00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:58,720
Speaker 2: our responsibility for any player, quite frankly, to project anything

526
00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:02,400
Speaker 2: onto them or make assumptions one way or the other.

527
00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:05,760
Speaker 2: So we're just there to really support do what we

528
00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:08,879
Speaker 2: can Whenever, you know, she says hey I need XYZ

529
00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:11,040
Speaker 2: or I need support here, we're happy to do that.

530
00:27:11,359 --> 00:27:14,400
Speaker 2: But again, she's incredibly smart. She's going to say what's

531
00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:16,439
Speaker 2: on her mind when she feels that it's time to

532
00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:19,080
Speaker 2: do so, and we're behind her one hundred percent when

533
00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:19,480
Speaker 2: she does.

534
00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:23,840
Speaker 1: Yeah, teams have a very new challenge in that it's

535
00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:27,040
Speaker 1: great that players want to be on social media communicating

536
00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:29,639
Speaker 1: with fans, that they'll have their own brand teams and

537
00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:31,640
Speaker 1: things like that. That's been the case on the men's

538
00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:34,320
Speaker 1: side for a while, but even just maybe fifteen years ago,

539
00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:36,960
Speaker 1: most things still went through a team to get to

540
00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:39,640
Speaker 1: a player, and now players can communicate freely and openly

541
00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:42,280
Speaker 1: without any regulation. So you've got a player like Sophie Cunningham,

542
00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:44,080
Speaker 1: for instance, she makes her voice heard on a lot

543
00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:46,919
Speaker 1: of things, from officiating to her one year deal with

544
00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:49,360
Speaker 1: the team and maybe wanting a little bit more. We

545
00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:51,919
Speaker 1: love a player that leans into things and wants to

546
00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:54,520
Speaker 1: share with the fans. But also you know, she's drawn

547
00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:57,720
Speaker 1: some negative responses and finds at times from the league

548
00:27:57,760 --> 00:28:01,280
Speaker 1: for talking about things like officiating. So what conversations do

549
00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:04,200
Speaker 1: you have with your players about their brands or their

550
00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:07,080
Speaker 1: off court activities. Are there any guardrails or rules in

551
00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:10,280
Speaker 1: place in terms of their content their partners otherwise?

552
00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:12,960
Speaker 2: No, I mean, these are grown women. They're going to

553
00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:16,320
Speaker 2: do what is best for them, and again we're going

554
00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:20,240
Speaker 2: to support that when it's representing them and not necessarily

555
00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:22,199
Speaker 2: the brand. I think that's different. I mean, you know,

556
00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,560
Speaker 2: if Sophie's going to say something about the officials, I'm

557
00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:26,880
Speaker 2: the one that has to deliver the message that hey,

558
00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:28,960
Speaker 2: you've been fined. I think she told that story on

559
00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:29,560
Speaker 2: her podcast.

560
00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:32,040
Speaker 1: The fines are going to go off too now that they're.

561
00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:35,760
Speaker 2: Getting paid for I know. So you know again, they

562
00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:38,960
Speaker 2: all have platforms. They're going to use their voice. We

563
00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:42,520
Speaker 2: have to understand that comes with the territory as these players.

564
00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:45,160
Speaker 2: It's what we've always wanted, right, We've wanted them to

565
00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:46,920
Speaker 2: have a voice, and it's why I love this league.

566
00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:51,040
Speaker 2: These women deserve a platform to say what's on their mind,

567
00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:55,120
Speaker 2: give their opinions on things, and we support them to

568
00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:55,840
Speaker 2: be themselves.

569
00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:58,600
Speaker 1: Speaking of like content and partnerships, how do you lean

570
00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:02,840
Speaker 1: into marketing and highlight Caitlin without alienating or frustrating the

571
00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:05,080
Speaker 1: rest of your players? It's obvious there's a bit of

572
00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:07,560
Speaker 1: a divide between her and literally everyone else in the league.

573
00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:11,800
Speaker 1: But also you've got great, marketable, really interesting players. I

574
00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:15,800
Speaker 1: wonder even if sometimes the partners you work with demand

575
00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:19,000
Speaker 1: a certain amount of buying from her or time or

576
00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:22,160
Speaker 1: image usage and things like that that you have to balance.

577
00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:25,360
Speaker 2: No, there's really never We've never really run into that.

578
00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:27,920
Speaker 2: I think, you know, Caitlyn is a team person above all,

579
00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:30,880
Speaker 2: and so that's what we're here to do on our

580
00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:34,000
Speaker 2: channels is focus on the team, and she's a part

581
00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:36,040
Speaker 2: of that. And we want to show, you know, the

582
00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:39,000
Speaker 2: good culture that we have, that she's a great teammate,

583
00:29:39,080 --> 00:29:41,440
Speaker 2: that her you know, Eliah Buston is a great teammate,

584
00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:44,920
Speaker 2: and obviously show the great play on the court. You know,

585
00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:49,080
Speaker 2: our our brand partners understand that they're partnering with the

586
00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:53,160
Speaker 2: Indiana Fever. She's obviously got her own separate deals. Some

587
00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:57,800
Speaker 2: of those overlap. That's great, we love that. But when

588
00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:00,680
Speaker 2: you're partnering with us, you're coming on were to support

589
00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:01,280
Speaker 2: the whole team.

590
00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:04,880
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, you mentioned Caitlyn just thirteen games last season.

591
00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:08,600
Speaker 1: Last season was frustrating for the Fever, for the fans,

592
00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:11,200
Speaker 1: not just Caitlyn injuries, but a ton of injuries. You

593
00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:14,560
Speaker 1: went wounded Warriors into the playoffs, which was so impressive

594
00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:17,680
Speaker 1: and still got some big wins. Kelsey Mitchell literally like

595
00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:20,520
Speaker 1: went out dying to stay out there for as many

596
00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:22,520
Speaker 1: minutes as she couldn't do what she could. You know,

597
00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:26,080
Speaker 1: I think basketball wise and awareness wise, there were some

598
00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:29,040
Speaker 1: opportunities lost because of all those injuries and Kaitlin being out,

599
00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:31,400
Speaker 1: especially with the All Star Game in your city that

600
00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:36,240
Speaker 1: was so disappointing internally, where there's some activations or events

601
00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:39,000
Speaker 1: that you rolled over to this year, financial projections that

602
00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:41,880
Speaker 1: you had to recalibrate, like how did you see what?

603
00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:44,040
Speaker 1: To me from AFAR felt like maybe like we might

604
00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:46,160
Speaker 1: have to put a little pause on some stuff and

605
00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:48,080
Speaker 1: pick it back up when we can get our team

606
00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:49,680
Speaker 1: back to full strength next season.

607
00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:53,640
Speaker 2: I mean incredibly like we didn't feel any real drop

608
00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:54,200
Speaker 2: off at all.

609
00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:54,719
Speaker 1: Wow.

610
00:30:54,880 --> 00:30:57,760
Speaker 2: It was unbelievable the way our fan base showed up

611
00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:02,000
Speaker 2: and got behind this team. Obviously Caitlin was incredible from

612
00:31:02,080 --> 00:31:05,680
Speaker 2: just being a great teammate, and on the sideline, I

613
00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:10,760
Speaker 2: think the resiliency of this team last year resonated with people.

614
00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:14,000
Speaker 2: I got so many messages and still here from fans.

615
00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:16,840
Speaker 2: That team kept me going. I was going through something

616
00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:19,360
Speaker 2: hard in my life, but I saw that the fever

617
00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:22,200
Speaker 2: just kept kept on. It didn't matter who was on

618
00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:24,560
Speaker 2: the team, they were going to continue to be resilient

619
00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:24,920
Speaker 2: in fight.

620
00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:25,600
Speaker 1: So I am too.

621
00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:28,840
Speaker 2: I mean dozens and dozens of stories like that. So

622
00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:33,640
Speaker 2: it actually was a pretty tremendous year, given you know

623
00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:37,800
Speaker 2: that she only played thirteen games and people just kept

624
00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:41,040
Speaker 2: showing up. I think the Studbuds at the All Star

625
00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:45,360
Speaker 2: Game being front and center, we love the Studbuds gave

626
00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:47,840
Speaker 2: a great behind the scenes and kept the activations rolling

627
00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:48,480
Speaker 2: there for sure.

628
00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:52,200
Speaker 1: Well, and Indianapolis is such a great place for events

629
00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:55,080
Speaker 1: like that. Everything is so close and walkable, and it

630
00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:57,600
Speaker 1: feels like it's easy for things to be accessible for

631
00:31:57,640 --> 00:31:59,560
Speaker 1: everybody who wants to participate. I mean, you guys did

632
00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:00,200
Speaker 1: a great job.

633
00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:00,600
Speaker 2: Thank you.

634
00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:02,720
Speaker 1: You've got a fresh start coming up very soon. Season

635
00:32:02,760 --> 00:32:05,000
Speaker 1: tips off on May eighth. A lot of familiar faces

636
00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:08,760
Speaker 1: you mentioned, Caitlin Clark, Leaboston, Kelsey Mitchell, also some new faces.

637
00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:11,800
Speaker 1: Your top draft pick Raven Johnson, a fan fave out

638
00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:14,160
Speaker 1: of South Carolina. What did you say in her Why

639
00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:15,240
Speaker 1: did you want to add her to the mix.

640
00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:18,320
Speaker 2: To me, she's the best defender in the draft. I

641
00:32:18,360 --> 00:32:21,680
Speaker 2: mean we've seen it already in training camp. I mean,

642
00:32:21,760 --> 00:32:23,920
Speaker 2: she just will get up in you and if she

643
00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:26,520
Speaker 2: is going to defend, and it doesn't matter, she's going

644
00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:28,920
Speaker 2: to get switched off on a big and she's down

645
00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:31,760
Speaker 2: there defending a Leah Boston if she has to. We

646
00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:35,000
Speaker 2: saw that in the tournament. Unbelievable, we did. Yeah, it

647
00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:38,560
Speaker 2: really is. She has so much tenacity. She plays with

648
00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:42,520
Speaker 2: great pace, She defends without fouling, which we were not

649
00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:46,520
Speaker 2: great at that last year from an analytics standpoint. So

650
00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:48,400
Speaker 2: we're just really excited to add her to the mix.

651
00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:50,480
Speaker 2: And she is just I got to tell you. I mean,

652
00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:53,520
Speaker 2: she is a bright light. She is so happy to

653
00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:55,640
Speaker 2: be here. She comes to practice with a smile on

654
00:32:55,680 --> 00:32:58,280
Speaker 2: her face. After the first day, I said, how you doing.

655
00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:01,920
Speaker 2: You know, it's a lot coming at you terminology. You know,

656
00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:04,640
Speaker 2: things are moving really quickly, and she said, I just

657
00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:07,200
Speaker 2: had the best time. I had so much fun. So

658
00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:10,720
Speaker 2: she is acclimating really quickly. She asked tons of questions.

659
00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:14,320
Speaker 2: She's a total sponge. So we're just thrilled, thrilled. I

660
00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:16,960
Speaker 2: could not believe she was there at ten. Frankly, yeh,

661
00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:19,960
Speaker 2: so just really excited that we were able to add

662
00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:20,640
Speaker 2: her to the roster.

663
00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:23,880
Speaker 1: As I'm sure you know, w fans and maybe some

664
00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:27,360
Speaker 1: trolls as well love stirring things up, and they've been

665
00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:30,480
Speaker 1: stirring up the Raven Caitlin beef from their college days.

666
00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:32,160
Speaker 1: Did you have to think about that at all when

667
00:33:32,200 --> 00:33:32,840
Speaker 1: making the pick?

668
00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:35,920
Speaker 2: No way, no way. I mean, I think Galiah said

669
00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:39,200
Speaker 2: this earlier this week on her podcast, like fans make

670
00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:42,280
Speaker 2: more of those things than players do. I mean, all

671
00:33:42,320 --> 00:33:45,240
Speaker 2: of these guys at some point were competitors in college

672
00:33:45,720 --> 00:33:47,800
Speaker 2: and then they come together in their teammates. I mean

673
00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:50,840
Speaker 2: there was also a clip circulating of Sophie and Heinz

674
00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:55,000
Speaker 2: Allen from you know, Washington Phoenix, and none of that

675
00:33:55,080 --> 00:33:57,080
Speaker 2: matters when your teammates when you come in and you

676
00:33:57,120 --> 00:34:00,400
Speaker 2: put on the same jersey. These are professional women, they

677
00:34:00,440 --> 00:34:03,280
Speaker 2: want to win. They're all in it together. So no,

678
00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:05,880
Speaker 2: we absolutely didn't give that one second of thought.

679
00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:09,120
Speaker 1: The best example of that was Colliat Copper and Sophie

680
00:34:09,200 --> 00:34:11,480
Speaker 1: from back when they were on opposite teams when Kyle

681
00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:13,000
Speaker 1: is still with the Sky, and then they were on

682
00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:14,680
Speaker 1: the murky room. You're like, oh my god, oh my god,

683
00:34:14,680 --> 00:34:16,279
Speaker 1: oh my god. And then they were besties. They are

684
00:34:16,320 --> 00:34:18,120
Speaker 1: having a great time there, or at least it looked

685
00:34:18,160 --> 00:34:19,719
Speaker 1: like it from Afar, And I think that's part of

686
00:34:19,760 --> 00:34:21,600
Speaker 1: it too, is like so much judgment is made from

687
00:34:21,640 --> 00:34:24,480
Speaker 1: Afar and also the limited amount of information, so people

688
00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:26,799
Speaker 1: have no idea what's going on except for what they

689
00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:29,839
Speaker 1: saw during the game, and so then that becomes blown up. Oh,

690
00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:32,280
Speaker 1: this is the only thing we know about Raven and Caitlin,

691
00:34:32,360 --> 00:34:34,000
Speaker 1: So this is what we're going to assume is going on,

692
00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:37,080
Speaker 1: and you know, there's so much else that fans don't know.

693
00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:38,759
Speaker 1: Do you ever feel like you do want to talk

694
00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:41,920
Speaker 1: to existing players on your roster about relationships or opinions

695
00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:44,640
Speaker 1: about draftees or potential free agent signings, just to see

696
00:34:44,640 --> 00:34:46,680
Speaker 1: if there are any chemistry issues or something you might

697
00:34:46,719 --> 00:34:47,280
Speaker 1: not know about.

698
00:34:47,560 --> 00:34:50,040
Speaker 2: No, like, look, we get input from our players. I

699
00:34:50,080 --> 00:34:52,560
Speaker 2: mean that goes back to when I was in Phoenix

700
00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:56,040
Speaker 2: with Diana. You know, these guys know the ins and

701
00:34:56,120 --> 00:34:59,920
Speaker 2: outs of the people that they're competing against. You know

702
00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:03,399
Speaker 2: better than anybody, and you know, especially when you're talking

703
00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:06,440
Speaker 2: about the cornerstones of your franchise. You want to have

704
00:35:06,520 --> 00:35:09,040
Speaker 2: that dialogue, you want to have that open communication. But

705
00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:12,239
Speaker 2: it's it's the basketball. It's what you're talking about, you know,

706
00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:15,680
Speaker 2: the fit. How does this person you know fit with

707
00:35:15,719 --> 00:35:18,040
Speaker 2: you and how we want to play. And again it's

708
00:35:18,080 --> 00:35:21,080
Speaker 2: just feedback that they're giving us to that goes into

709
00:35:21,120 --> 00:35:25,040
Speaker 2: sort of the collective. But we absolutely take into consideration,

710
00:35:26,239 --> 00:35:27,440
Speaker 2: you know, with their opinions.

711
00:35:27,760 --> 00:35:30,280
Speaker 1: Yeah, you were on stage at the Business of Women's

712
00:35:30,320 --> 00:35:33,280
Speaker 1: Sports Summit along with Eliah Buston and some other reps

713
00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:36,480
Speaker 1: for the Fever talking about the new performance center. Man,

714
00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:40,160
Speaker 1: it looks fantastic. It looks like somewhere players might want

715
00:35:40,160 --> 00:35:42,880
Speaker 1: to live. Forget the housing stipend that they get, they

716
00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:45,320
Speaker 1: could just hole up in the facility. Twenty four to seven.

717
00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:49,080
Speaker 1: How important is it these days for talent retention and

718
00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:52,800
Speaker 1: for free agency recruiting to have a center piece facility

719
00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:53,160
Speaker 1: like that.

720
00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:55,880
Speaker 2: It's really important, And we know more of these players

721
00:35:55,920 --> 00:35:59,600
Speaker 2: are around full time, so we want not only during

722
00:35:59,640 --> 00:36:02,440
Speaker 2: the season and players to feel really comfortable coming in

723
00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:04,759
Speaker 2: and be able to get not only their you know,

724
00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:06,960
Speaker 2: basketball business done, but be able to take care of

725
00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:09,520
Speaker 2: some of their off the court things as well. We

726
00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:13,040
Speaker 2: try to consider many many things there to cover that

727
00:36:13,840 --> 00:36:14,640
Speaker 2: portion of their.

728
00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:18,040
Speaker 1: Lives, like the podcast studio, the podcast studio, letting a

729
00:36:18,120 --> 00:36:20,840
Speaker 1: Leah Boston make that post moves right from practice.

730
00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:23,120
Speaker 2: That's right, she can just pop downstairs and then get

731
00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:24,239
Speaker 2: her nails done next door.

732
00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:26,359
Speaker 1: Oh nice, I know, right.

733
00:36:26,719 --> 00:36:28,759
Speaker 2: But you know in the off season too, we want

734
00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:31,600
Speaker 2: people to have a consistent home, our players to feel

735
00:36:31,600 --> 00:36:34,360
Speaker 2: like they can come to Indy, work out with our coaches,

736
00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:37,319
Speaker 2: and continue to get better in the off season. It's

737
00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:41,040
Speaker 2: really really important. Again, we were really thoughtful about the

738
00:36:41,080 --> 00:36:44,880
Speaker 2: holistic player experience, you know from moms that may be

739
00:36:45,040 --> 00:36:48,880
Speaker 2: coming in to again the podcast studio and content studio,

740
00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:51,080
Speaker 2: given how important that has become for so many of

741
00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:53,640
Speaker 2: our players, to just make sure that they could have

742
00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:55,880
Speaker 2: sort of a one stop shop when they came to

743
00:36:55,880 --> 00:36:56,920
Speaker 2: the practice facility.

744
00:36:57,040 --> 00:37:00,160
Speaker 1: It looks gorgeous and it certainly will be a selling

745
00:37:00,160 --> 00:37:02,400
Speaker 1: for the team as you're trying to keep top talent

746
00:37:02,520 --> 00:37:04,600
Speaker 1: like Aliah, who you just signed to the first epic

747
00:37:04,680 --> 00:37:08,680
Speaker 1: contract in WNBA history. Caitlin obviously top priority. I imagine

748
00:37:08,680 --> 00:37:11,920
Speaker 1: I can think about the other teams circling like Sharks

749
00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:14,480
Speaker 1: when her contract is up, how much pressure do you

750
00:37:14,520 --> 00:37:17,520
Speaker 1: feel on an everyday basis in creating the kind of

751
00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:22,520
Speaker 1: culture community support wins to make sure that someone like

752
00:37:22,520 --> 00:37:24,160
Speaker 1: a Caitlin Clark wants to stick around.

753
00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:26,400
Speaker 2: You know, I don't think it's pressure. I think we

754
00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:28,920
Speaker 2: were all competitors in this business. We want to be

755
00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:33,520
Speaker 2: the very best, and we want to have the best facilities,

756
00:37:33,960 --> 00:37:38,200
Speaker 2: the very best player experience. Obviously, we want to be

757
00:37:38,239 --> 00:37:41,000
Speaker 2: great on the floor, so that is the driving force

758
00:37:41,040 --> 00:37:43,200
Speaker 2: behind everything that we do. And we know that great

759
00:37:43,239 --> 00:37:46,200
Speaker 2: players want to play with great players, and we feel

760
00:37:46,200 --> 00:37:48,280
Speaker 2: like if we can check all those boxes and control

761
00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:50,759
Speaker 2: the controllables, then the great players are going to want

762
00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:53,279
Speaker 2: to be here, and that includes Caitlin. And obviously a

763
00:37:53,280 --> 00:37:57,439
Speaker 2: commitment like ab just gave us gives us a real

764
00:37:57,480 --> 00:38:00,279
Speaker 2: indication that we're doing it the right way. So we're

765
00:38:00,320 --> 00:38:03,360
Speaker 2: just so thrilled to have those two as cornerstones. And again,

766
00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:06,440
Speaker 2: you know, they've just meant so much to this franchise

767
00:38:06,520 --> 00:38:08,799
Speaker 2: already and we expect that to continue.

768
00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:11,200
Speaker 1: You mentioned controlling the controllables. There are some things that

769
00:38:11,239 --> 00:38:13,560
Speaker 1: are tougher to control. One of those is you know,

770
00:38:13,560 --> 00:38:15,239
Speaker 1: over the last two years, some of the players in

771
00:38:15,280 --> 00:38:18,720
Speaker 1: the w visiting Indiana have said they've experienced an increase

772
00:38:18,760 --> 00:38:21,799
Speaker 1: in racist remarks citing fever fans or that it's been

773
00:38:21,960 --> 00:38:25,960
Speaker 1: more difficult to play in Indianapolis, also comments online, which

774
00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:27,800
Speaker 1: I know the league has tried to put forth a

775
00:38:27,840 --> 00:38:30,160
Speaker 1: couple different programs or at least one big program to

776
00:38:30,160 --> 00:38:32,440
Speaker 1: try to combat that. Is that something that you as

777
00:38:32,440 --> 00:38:34,440
Speaker 1: a team have looked into. And do you worry at

778
00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:37,080
Speaker 1: all about recruiting because of a fear that there becomes

779
00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:39,960
Speaker 1: some sort of you know, narrative around the experience of

780
00:38:39,960 --> 00:38:41,080
Speaker 1: playing in Indianapolis.

781
00:38:41,360 --> 00:38:44,040
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, look, we have so many incredible fans

782
00:38:44,080 --> 00:38:46,200
Speaker 2: that show up night in and night out, and they

783
00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:50,000
Speaker 2: are great WNBA fans that not only support our team,

784
00:38:50,040 --> 00:38:52,719
Speaker 2: but they're here because they believe in this league and

785
00:38:52,760 --> 00:38:55,040
Speaker 2: what it stands for, and that includes every player in

786
00:38:55,080 --> 00:38:59,400
Speaker 2: the league. You know, what we will not tolerate is

787
00:38:59,560 --> 00:39:04,759
Speaker 2: any of harassment towards players or racism or homophobia. And

788
00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:08,080
Speaker 2: we definitely have action items in place. We have a

789
00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:11,920
Speaker 2: cybersecurity team. We've obviously got security out our games, We've

790
00:39:11,920 --> 00:39:15,160
Speaker 2: got security that travels with us, and you know, we

791
00:39:15,239 --> 00:39:17,560
Speaker 2: expect to know and we want to know if anyone

792
00:39:17,640 --> 00:39:20,759
Speaker 2: crosses a line and are ready to take action. We

793
00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:23,960
Speaker 2: definitely don't want that to be the experience for anyone.

794
00:39:24,239 --> 00:39:28,319
Speaker 2: And again, we believe ninety nine point nine percent of

795
00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:32,040
Speaker 2: the people coming in the building online are here for

796
00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:35,440
Speaker 2: the right reasons. But again we don't tolerate any of that.

797
00:39:35,640 --> 00:39:38,160
Speaker 2: We never want that to be the experience for anyone.

798
00:39:38,360 --> 00:39:40,160
Speaker 1: I can't believe you just said ninety nine point nine

799
00:39:40,239 --> 00:39:44,320
Speaker 1: percent of people online are are I don't think that's.

800
00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:45,800
Speaker 2: Are they real though, Sarah?

801
00:39:45,840 --> 00:39:48,400
Speaker 1: Are they're the real people? Maybe? Are?

802
00:39:48,840 --> 00:39:50,880
Speaker 2: I never know what's a troll? What's abot?

803
00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:51,919
Speaker 1: I nobody knows.

804
00:39:52,239 --> 00:39:53,200
Speaker 2: Nobody knows anymore.

805
00:39:53,320 --> 00:39:56,120
Speaker 1: You know, you have this dual role as GM and COO,

806
00:39:56,239 --> 00:39:58,759
Speaker 1: So the basketball and the business roles oftentimes we'll probably

807
00:39:58,800 --> 00:40:00,279
Speaker 1: go hand in hand, but are the there are other

808
00:40:00,320 --> 00:40:02,640
Speaker 1: times when you recognize the need to very clearly be

809
00:40:02,719 --> 00:40:04,320
Speaker 1: wearing just one of those hats.

810
00:40:04,520 --> 00:40:06,359
Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, you know, when we're going through free

811
00:40:06,360 --> 00:40:10,640
Speaker 2: agency and we're in that time period, I'm very focused

812
00:40:10,640 --> 00:40:14,360
Speaker 2: on the basketball side of the house. We are really

813
00:40:14,400 --> 00:40:16,719
Speaker 2: fortunate we've got a lot of tenured people here on

814
00:40:16,760 --> 00:40:19,799
Speaker 2: the business side. So again, I feel like in a

815
00:40:19,840 --> 00:40:22,319
Speaker 2: lot of ways it goes hand in hand. It is

816
00:40:22,360 --> 00:40:25,680
Speaker 2: beneficial to understand and have a pulse on what's happening

817
00:40:25,680 --> 00:40:28,319
Speaker 2: in the business because that does impact, you know, the

818
00:40:28,360 --> 00:40:31,160
Speaker 2: player experience and how we want to do certain things.

819
00:40:31,680 --> 00:40:33,719
Speaker 2: But we have a lot of great people that are

820
00:40:33,920 --> 00:40:35,800
Speaker 2: really hands on. I don't have to be in the

821
00:40:35,840 --> 00:40:38,600
Speaker 2: weeds in that space. It really just allows me to

822
00:40:38,680 --> 00:40:41,720
Speaker 2: keep a finger on the pulse of everything that's happening

823
00:40:41,760 --> 00:40:44,200
Speaker 2: on the business side. But they're definitely you know, like

824
00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:46,200
Speaker 2: we'll have breaks in the off season where I can

825
00:40:46,239 --> 00:40:49,640
Speaker 2: spend more time talking about things like the brand or

826
00:40:49,960 --> 00:40:53,080
Speaker 2: the brand campaign. But then when we switch over into

827
00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:56,080
Speaker 2: free agency, like I said earlier, I'll just put my

828
00:40:56,160 --> 00:40:58,200
Speaker 2: GM hat and I'm spending the majority of my time

829
00:40:58,239 --> 00:40:58,960
Speaker 2: on that side.

830
00:40:59,080 --> 00:41:01,120
Speaker 1: It feels from the outside too, that there's a great

831
00:41:01,160 --> 00:41:03,920
Speaker 1: relationship with the Pacers being a part of Pacer Sports

832
00:41:03,960 --> 00:41:06,719
Speaker 1: and entertainment, the players going back and forth, Caitlin and

833
00:41:06,760 --> 00:41:09,560
Speaker 1: the players sitting courtside, the Pacers players coming to support

834
00:41:09,560 --> 00:41:12,319
Speaker 1: the women. So that's nice to have, and obviously a

835
00:41:12,440 --> 00:41:16,400
Speaker 1: very very very clear, deeply rooted love of basketball in

836
00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:19,040
Speaker 1: the area that you get to build off of, which

837
00:41:19,120 --> 00:41:21,240
Speaker 1: is nice. I'm wondering how much you think your GM

838
00:41:21,360 --> 00:41:24,560
Speaker 1: gig has already changed or will change with this new CBA,

839
00:41:24,920 --> 00:41:28,040
Speaker 1: new rules to learn, new standards of pay, lots of

840
00:41:28,080 --> 00:41:30,760
Speaker 1: movement from players that are looking to grab a max

841
00:41:30,840 --> 00:41:33,800
Speaker 1: or a near max. And you know, the difference between

842
00:41:33,840 --> 00:41:36,040
Speaker 1: a really big contract in the league and not is

843
00:41:36,239 --> 00:41:38,160
Speaker 1: a lot more now than it used to be, which

844
00:41:38,560 --> 00:41:41,279
Speaker 1: might cause players to do a lot more moving than

845
00:41:41,320 --> 00:41:43,160
Speaker 1: they used to. How will that impact your role?

846
00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:46,960
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think there are unknowns right like

847
00:41:47,440 --> 00:41:50,880
Speaker 2: this all happens so quickly. We were all learning on

848
00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:53,880
Speaker 2: the fly, just trying to get this season off the ground,

849
00:41:54,840 --> 00:41:56,680
Speaker 2: so you know, all of us will have to dig

850
00:41:56,719 --> 00:42:00,840
Speaker 2: in and really have a deeper understanding of the impact

851
00:42:00,840 --> 00:42:02,560
Speaker 2: of some of those things and what it's going to

852
00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:06,160
Speaker 2: look like moving forward, you know. So I think time

853
00:42:06,200 --> 00:42:09,080
Speaker 2: will tell on some of that, how things level out,

854
00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:12,160
Speaker 2: whether people are still signing long term deals or people

855
00:42:12,239 --> 00:42:15,319
Speaker 2: are opting for shorter term deals. Again, it's a new

856
00:42:15,400 --> 00:42:18,359
Speaker 2: day with a different type of a payday, and we're

857
00:42:18,400 --> 00:42:20,520
Speaker 2: so happy about that for every one of these players.

858
00:42:20,520 --> 00:42:21,839
Speaker 2: They absolutely deserve it.

859
00:42:21,960 --> 00:42:24,080
Speaker 1: Yeah, And it's so different for you being in this

860
00:42:24,200 --> 00:42:27,400
Speaker 1: role than when you were high ranking with the Mercury

861
00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:31,880
Speaker 1: twenty years ago. What's the thing that stands out to

862
00:42:31,920 --> 00:42:35,160
Speaker 1: you most about the difference between the job then and

863
00:42:35,239 --> 00:42:35,879
Speaker 1: the job now.

864
00:42:36,040 --> 00:42:38,799
Speaker 2: Oh Man, Can I say Diana Tarassi.

865
00:42:40,880 --> 00:42:44,000
Speaker 1: Just not having to deal with her? Oh Man, It's

866
00:42:44,080 --> 00:42:45,680
Speaker 1: kind of what Jay Perry said too.

867
00:42:46,040 --> 00:42:48,080
Speaker 2: I've got to go to the bench, Sarah, I really

868
00:42:48,080 --> 00:42:49,799
Speaker 2: want to go to the bench and sit on it.

869
00:42:50,480 --> 00:42:52,960
Speaker 2: You know, you don't have to worry as much about

870
00:42:53,480 --> 00:42:56,919
Speaker 2: I mean, frankly, like there were some scary times there

871
00:42:57,000 --> 00:43:00,080
Speaker 2: where you know, you knew you had to hit a

872
00:43:00,200 --> 00:43:04,160
Speaker 2: certain thresholds or sell a certain amount of tickets, and

873
00:43:04,200 --> 00:43:07,480
Speaker 2: we felt like we were constantly scrambling for those last

874
00:43:07,480 --> 00:43:10,239
Speaker 2: thousand tickets because it's TV game and you wanted it

875
00:43:10,560 --> 00:43:13,080
Speaker 2: to look really good on TV. And again, it just

876
00:43:13,080 --> 00:43:15,799
Speaker 2: felt like you were constantly begging people to come in

877
00:43:15,840 --> 00:43:17,600
Speaker 2: and try it. And again, we knew they were going

878
00:43:17,680 --> 00:43:20,120
Speaker 2: to love it once they came in. But and I

879
00:43:20,120 --> 00:43:22,799
Speaker 2: think Sue Bird said this many years ago, like we

880
00:43:22,800 --> 00:43:26,200
Speaker 2: were lacking like this cool factor that now the switch

881
00:43:26,719 --> 00:43:30,960
Speaker 2: has flipped and we are the cool kids in the

882
00:43:31,440 --> 00:43:35,080
Speaker 2: sports world. We don't have to be constantly thinking about

883
00:43:35,200 --> 00:43:39,560
Speaker 2: and struggling for, you know, a small sponsorship here or there,

884
00:43:39,760 --> 00:43:42,520
Speaker 2: or the last thousand tickets. On the business side of things,

885
00:43:43,120 --> 00:43:47,440
Speaker 2: we can focus on bigger strategy thinking globally, you know

886
00:43:47,520 --> 00:43:49,840
Speaker 2: how we're doing things on a scale that does impact

887
00:43:49,920 --> 00:43:53,440
Speaker 2: our players and help us storytell for our players in

888
00:43:53,480 --> 00:43:56,440
Speaker 2: a bigger way. So I think it just allows we

889
00:43:56,480 --> 00:43:58,440
Speaker 2: don't have to be in the weeds so much on

890
00:43:58,520 --> 00:44:02,480
Speaker 2: the really small things. We can really focus on big,

891
00:44:02,600 --> 00:44:04,840
Speaker 2: bold ideas moving forward.

892
00:44:04,960 --> 00:44:07,080
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think Sue was speaking to and this was

893
00:44:07,080 --> 00:44:09,000
Speaker 1: something that was so frustrating for such a long time,

894
00:44:09,120 --> 00:44:11,719
Speaker 1: was the poisoning of the well unnecessarily. It doesn't have

895
00:44:11,800 --> 00:44:13,800
Speaker 1: to be your favorite thing, but why are you wasting

896
00:44:13,920 --> 00:44:16,680
Speaker 1: your time dogging it or talking about it, making it

897
00:44:16,719 --> 00:44:18,640
Speaker 1: the butt of a joke. Especially there were high profile

898
00:44:18,680 --> 00:44:21,480
Speaker 1: folks on like ESPN who had the rights to w

899
00:44:21,480 --> 00:44:25,040
Speaker 1: while some of their lead male voices we were mocking it.

900
00:44:25,040 --> 00:44:28,600
Speaker 1: It was really frustrating. I'm excited for the thirtieth season.

901
00:44:29,120 --> 00:44:32,080
Speaker 1: I'm excited for the changes to come. My Chicago Sky

902
00:44:32,200 --> 00:44:34,520
Speaker 1: made some huge changes in the off season, and it

903
00:44:34,520 --> 00:44:36,440
Speaker 1: feels like some of the signings we're seeing from this

904
00:44:36,520 --> 00:44:39,640
Speaker 1: new free agency it's just going to challenge maybe our

905
00:44:39,680 --> 00:44:43,759
Speaker 1: expectations of how long people stay maybe even to parody. Right,

906
00:44:44,040 --> 00:44:45,960
Speaker 1: instead of taking five hundred thousand dollars to be a

907
00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:47,919
Speaker 1: small star on a great team, maybe you get paid

908
00:44:47,920 --> 00:44:51,160
Speaker 1: a million to go somewhere else and that could change

909
00:44:51,200 --> 00:44:53,600
Speaker 1: the landscape. And do you have to consider that too

910
00:44:53,600 --> 00:44:58,040
Speaker 1: when you're looking at this upcoming season not really knowing

911
00:44:58,080 --> 00:45:00,600
Speaker 1: which teams to circle on the calend or you might

912
00:45:00,640 --> 00:45:02,239
Speaker 1: have to just circle all of them for now to

913
00:45:02,239 --> 00:45:04,480
Speaker 1: figure out who's going to be bringing you the biggest challenges.

914
00:45:04,800 --> 00:45:07,440
Speaker 2: I mean, look, I think every night is challenging in

915
00:45:07,520 --> 00:45:10,400
Speaker 2: the W. I mean even the two expansion teams are

916
00:45:10,960 --> 00:45:13,759
Speaker 2: going to be competitive with the staffs they brought in,

917
00:45:14,360 --> 00:45:16,719
Speaker 2: with the players that they've picked up, and some big

918
00:45:16,800 --> 00:45:19,200
Speaker 2: names that have decided to go there. To your point,

919
00:45:19,719 --> 00:45:22,239
Speaker 2: so every night in the W is a challenge. I

920
00:45:22,280 --> 00:45:25,600
Speaker 2: think that parody is what makes this league so great.

921
00:45:26,400 --> 00:45:28,520
Speaker 2: Every single night you're going to get the very best

922
00:45:28,840 --> 00:45:32,160
Speaker 2: of everybody. These women show up and compete so hard.

923
00:45:32,600 --> 00:45:34,600
Speaker 2: But I you know, some of the long term stuff

924
00:45:34,640 --> 00:45:37,359
Speaker 2: are just, to your point, unknowns, and I think that's

925
00:45:37,400 --> 00:45:40,600
Speaker 2: the fun part of it. As we learn and try

926
00:45:40,640 --> 00:45:42,160
Speaker 2: to predict, there are going to be things that we

927
00:45:42,280 --> 00:45:43,080
Speaker 2: just can't.

928
00:45:42,960 --> 00:45:45,520
Speaker 1: Well, I'm super excited to get out to some games.

929
00:45:45,560 --> 00:45:47,760
Speaker 1: I got to get out to Indy for a home

930
00:45:47,920 --> 00:45:50,360
Speaker 1: Fever game. I've only been out there for All Star stuff.

931
00:45:50,680 --> 00:45:52,799
Speaker 1: You know, this doing a whole daily show thing and

932
00:45:52,840 --> 00:45:55,120
Speaker 1: trying to get to all the events is really snagging

933
00:45:55,160 --> 00:45:57,279
Speaker 1: my style. I got to figure out how to do

934
00:45:57,320 --> 00:45:58,920
Speaker 1: both at the same time. So maybe we'll do a

935
00:45:58,960 --> 00:46:01,920
Speaker 1: live show from Bridge or something like that. Amber, thanks

936
00:46:01,960 --> 00:46:03,440
Speaker 1: so much for taking the time to come on. It

937
00:46:03,440 --> 00:46:04,319
Speaker 1: was so great to talk to you.

938
00:46:04,560 --> 00:46:05,799
Speaker 2: Thank you, Sarah, appreciate you.

939
00:46:08,239 --> 00:46:10,600
Speaker 1: Thanks again to Amber for the time, and don't forget

940
00:46:10,600 --> 00:46:13,120
Speaker 1: you can now watch full length good game interviews on

941
00:46:13,160 --> 00:46:16,400
Speaker 1: the Iheartwomen's Sports YouTube channel. We got to take another

942
00:46:16,400 --> 00:46:19,200
Speaker 1: break when we return a Metal and a Ring in

943
00:46:19,280 --> 00:46:29,520
Speaker 1: one day. Welcome back Slices. We love that you're listening,

944
00:46:29,560 --> 00:46:30,799
Speaker 1: but we want you to get in the game every

945
00:46:30,840 --> 00:46:33,000
Speaker 1: day too, So here's our good game play of the day.

946
00:46:33,640 --> 00:46:37,759
Speaker 1: Get yourself a real dog, like literally a dog, but

947
00:46:38,239 --> 00:46:41,719
Speaker 1: named after a dog. Michigan Women's Soups head coach and

948
00:46:41,800 --> 00:46:44,640
Speaker 1: friend of the show, Kim Barnes Arico is the inspiration

949
00:46:44,719 --> 00:46:46,920
Speaker 1: for a cute little mutt at the Humane Society of

950
00:46:46,960 --> 00:46:52,040
Speaker 1: Huron Valley and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Kim bones Arico arrived

951
00:46:52,080 --> 00:46:54,120
Speaker 1: with more than thirty other pups thanks to the help

952
00:46:54,160 --> 00:46:56,600
Speaker 1: of tight End on the Michigan football team Zach Marshall,

953
00:46:56,800 --> 00:46:59,800
Speaker 1: who sponsored the pups transport. Kim will be available to

954
00:46:59,840 --> 00:47:03,080
Speaker 1: a this weekend, so someone go get her. If the

955
00:47:03,120 --> 00:47:05,520
Speaker 1: real Kim doesn't get to her first, we'll link to

956
00:47:05,560 --> 00:47:08,400
Speaker 1: the pups profile in the show notes. We always love

957
00:47:08,440 --> 00:47:10,000
Speaker 1: to hear from you, so hit us up on email

958
00:47:10,080 --> 00:47:12,880
Speaker 1: good game at wondermedianetwork dot com or leave us a

959
00:47:12,920 --> 00:47:16,040
Speaker 1: voicemail at eight seven two two oh four fifty seventy

960
00:47:16,719 --> 00:47:19,399
Speaker 1: and don't forget to subscribe a rate and review. It's

961
00:47:19,440 --> 00:47:23,000
Speaker 1: so easy watch just take it from producer Bianca.

962
00:47:23,200 --> 00:47:27,120
Speaker 3: The twenty twenty six Boston Marathon rating the best day

963
00:47:27,160 --> 00:47:30,480
Speaker 3: of the year in Beantown Review. The twenty twenty six

964
00:47:30,560 --> 00:47:34,160
Speaker 3: Boston Marathon was on Monday, and guys, it was just

965
00:47:34,280 --> 00:47:37,160
Speaker 3: about as perfect of a day as you could ask for.

966
00:47:37,520 --> 00:47:40,040
Speaker 3: It was partly sunny with times in the forties, which

967
00:47:40,080 --> 00:47:43,080
Speaker 3: is ideal for running twenty six point two miles, and

968
00:47:43,160 --> 00:47:45,239
Speaker 3: I was out there on the course cheering all day

969
00:47:45,280 --> 00:47:47,680
Speaker 3: long with my friends with my cow bell in one

970
00:47:47,719 --> 00:47:50,799
Speaker 3: hand and my good game sign in the other. It said,

971
00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:54,720
Speaker 3: good game runners, Good game volunteers. You hitting the wall,

972
00:47:54,920 --> 00:47:56,920
Speaker 3: which is what it's called when you hit about the

973
00:47:56,920 --> 00:47:59,319
Speaker 3: twenty mile mark and you feel like you can't go

974
00:47:59,400 --> 00:48:02,960
Speaker 3: any further. But I was cheering and screaming as over

975
00:48:03,040 --> 00:48:06,279
Speaker 3: twenty nine thousand people finish the race. And if you've

976
00:48:06,280 --> 00:48:09,160
Speaker 3: never gone to watch a marathon, no matter what size

977
00:48:09,200 --> 00:48:12,600
Speaker 3: it is, I cannot recommend it enough. Watching the pros

978
00:48:12,880 --> 00:48:17,719
Speaker 3: is astounding, but watching normal people everyday, people push themselves

979
00:48:17,760 --> 00:48:22,120
Speaker 3: and support each other, is so emotional. I posted some

980
00:48:22,239 --> 00:48:25,960
Speaker 3: updates from the day on my Blue Sky, including catching

981
00:48:26,000 --> 00:48:29,120
Speaker 3: a man proposing to his girlfriend at mile twenty three

982
00:48:29,280 --> 00:48:30,880
Speaker 3: while she was running the marathon.

983
00:48:31,320 --> 00:48:33,279
Speaker 1: Okay, this is quite a controversial move.

984
00:48:33,440 --> 00:48:36,359
Speaker 3: To some people, it sounds like fun and celebratory, and

985
00:48:36,440 --> 00:48:39,560
Speaker 3: to others it sounds totally selfish. It would be a

986
00:48:39,640 --> 00:48:43,040
Speaker 3: no for me personally, but honestly, this woman looked like

987
00:48:43,080 --> 00:48:45,359
Speaker 3: she enjoyed it, and all of her friends were there

988
00:48:45,400 --> 00:48:47,720
Speaker 3: to celebrate, and I'd like to think that the friends

989
00:48:47,760 --> 00:48:49,640
Speaker 3: would have told the guy, you know, do it at

990
00:48:49,680 --> 00:48:52,040
Speaker 3: a different time if they thought that this woman would

991
00:48:52,120 --> 00:48:54,040
Speaker 3: hate the mid race gesture.

992
00:48:53,719 --> 00:48:55,479
Speaker 2: So it looked like a great time.

993
00:48:55,600 --> 00:49:00,000
Speaker 3: Congrats to the couple and another absolutely banner marathon Monday.

994
00:49:00,239 --> 00:49:03,640
Speaker 1: I'm already looking forward to next year. Thanks Pianka. Now

995
00:49:03,640 --> 00:49:06,720
Speaker 1: it's your turn rate and review. Thanks for listening, slices,

996
00:49:06,760 --> 00:49:10,320
Speaker 1: See you tomorrow. Good game, Amber, Good game, Zach Marshall.

997
00:49:11,200 --> 00:49:14,759
Speaker 1: You repeating the same mistakes over and over again when

998
00:49:14,800 --> 00:49:23,719
Speaker 1: it comes to problematic ownership in sports. Good Game with

999
00:49:23,760 --> 00:49:26,759
Speaker 1: Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership

1000
00:49:26,760 --> 00:49:29,359
Speaker 1: with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us

1001
00:49:29,360 --> 00:49:32,399
Speaker 1: on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get

1002
00:49:32,440 --> 00:49:36,080
Speaker 1: your podcasts. Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are

1003
00:49:36,120 --> 00:49:40,080
Speaker 1: Alex Azzi and Bianca Hillier. Our executive producers are Christina Everett,

1004
00:49:40,160 --> 00:49:43,319
Speaker 1: Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rudder. Our editors are

1005
00:49:43,320 --> 00:49:46,840
Speaker 1: Emily Rudder, Lucy Jones, Britney Martinez and Gianna Palmer. Production

1006
00:49:46,880 --> 00:49:50,120
Speaker 1: assistant from Avery Loftus and I'm your host, Sarah Spain