Speaker 1: In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams is an
Speaker 1: iheartwomen's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.
Speaker 1: Welcome to another episode of In Case You Missed It
Speaker 1: with Christina Williams, and I'm super excited about this week's guests.
Speaker 1: She is the newly named Chief Operating Officer and general
Speaker 1: manager of the Indiana Fever. Please welcome to the show,
Speaker 1: Amber Cox, Amber, how are you.
Speaker 2: I'm so good, Thank you so much for having me,
Speaker 2: such a fan of the pod. Just feel honored to
Speaker 2: be here today with you.
Speaker 1: We are excited to have you here this week. Firstly,
Speaker 1: congratulations on your new role with the Indiana Fever. Can
Speaker 1: you tell us how did that opportunity come across your
Speaker 1: desk and why was Indiana that landing spot for you? Yeah?
Speaker 2: Obviously I was with the Dallas Wings previously. Really enjoyed
Speaker 2: my time with Dallas there as the COO, very happy
Speaker 2: with you know, the direction we were headed. And then
Speaker 2: I got a call from Kelly Crosscoff, who you know,
Speaker 2: had moved from obviously the architect of the Fever, the
Speaker 2: original architect of the Fever had moved to the Pacers
Speaker 2: for several seasons and had come back over to be
Speaker 2: the president of the Fever. Kelly and I have known
Speaker 2: each other for, you know, twenty years. She's been a
Speaker 2: great mentor of mine throughout my career. I've leaned on
Speaker 2: her as I'd made different decisions, both personally and professionally.
Speaker 2: So when she called and asked me to come over
Speaker 2: and be a part of what was going on in Indiana,
Speaker 2: it was a no brainer. So the opportunity to be
Speaker 2: back in the Midwest I'm from Missouri, and then also
Speaker 2: to work alongside Kelly and the great leadership in Indiana,
Speaker 2: I just couldn't pass it up.
Speaker 1: Your resume in sports span over two decades, you had
Speaker 1: several stops within the w NBA. You just mentioned Dallas
Speaker 1: being your previous spot. When you think about the span
Speaker 1: of your journey in your career, what's one of the
Speaker 1: most surreal moments on your journey so far?
Speaker 2: I mean, I think we're in it right, Like I
Speaker 2: started in two thousand and five with the Mercury and
Speaker 2: was there nine seasons, and we had a lot of success,
Speaker 2: and you know, we've had inflection points in the league right,
Speaker 2: whether it's winning championships or you know, drafting Britain Griner
Speaker 2: and then in Connecticut going to the finals and that
Speaker 2: great fan base. So there have been these inflection points,
Speaker 2: but certainly over the last season, really seeing the consistency
Speaker 2: across our league in the rise in fandom, viewership, just
Speaker 2: all the metrics trending in such a positive way has
Speaker 2: really been fulfilling. After being on this journey for so long,
Speaker 2: I live in a bit of you know, I won't
Speaker 2: say pessimism, but you know, you've been in this a
Speaker 2: long time, right, and we want to keep this moving
Speaker 2: in the right direction. So I think really staying through
Speaker 2: to the processes that we've been utilizing for twenty years
Speaker 2: to lay the foundation of this league is going to
Speaker 2: be critically important. I mean, we've still got a lot
Speaker 2: of people out there to reach, a lot of people
Speaker 2: to get in the building, to be tuning in. This
Speaker 2: thing can really continue to be a rocket ship. So
Speaker 2: really excited about obviously the direction that the league is heading.
Speaker 2: The way the Indiana Fever has exploded here over the
Speaker 2: last couple of seasons, so it's been a lot of fun,
Speaker 2: but it's certainly been surreal after all these years in
Speaker 2: the league.
Speaker 1: You're stopping Phoenix, and that franchise during your tenure had
Speaker 1: won two championships. So how did being a part of
Speaker 1: that organization winning those two championships help shape your approach
Speaker 1: to wanting to build a winning culture, a championship culture.
Speaker 1: Now with the Indiana.
Speaker 2: Fever, I've said many times that every step in my
Speaker 2: journey in the WNBA and out has really prepared me,
Speaker 2: I think for this opportunity. And both in Phoenix and Connecticut,
Speaker 2: I had the opportunity to be involved more on the
Speaker 2: basketball side. I was not in Dallas. It was just
Speaker 2: on the business side of things. So towards the end
Speaker 2: of my tenure, really stepping into that role working closely
Speaker 2: with our players. I mean, when you work alongside somebody
Speaker 2: like Diana Tarassi every single day and you see the
Speaker 2: work ethic and the commitment and how dialed in she
Speaker 2: is to the success and committed to the organization. And
Speaker 2: there were a lot of people that came through there
Speaker 2: that had that same mentality, whether it's Penny Taylor or
Speaker 2: you know, Dowana Bonner, Candas Dupree. So we had a
Speaker 2: lot of great veteran leadership through the years when I
Speaker 2: was there, and I learned a lot from listening to them,
Speaker 2: and I think that's really critical. That's not going to change.
Speaker 2: I mean, we have to be have great transparent communication
Speaker 2: with our players. Obviously with the coaching staff. We want
Speaker 2: to be in lockstep with them to make sure that
Speaker 2: what we're doing in terms of player acquisition and draft
Speaker 2: really fits the style of play that your coach wants
Speaker 2: to play. So that was really such an incredible experience,
Speaker 2: starting as a dire vector of marketing, and by the
Speaker 2: time I left was the president of business and basketball operations,
Speaker 2: really you know, running both sides. So you know, it
Speaker 2: was I started with the training wheels and by the
Speaker 2: end I felt like I was a pretty seasoned veteran
Speaker 2: and ready to go out into the world. For sure.
Speaker 1: One of your first moves in your new role with
Speaker 1: the Indiana Fevers front office was acquiring the head coach
Speaker 1: in Stephanie White. Why was that important for you to
Speaker 1: have that first piece in this new building block, Bie,
Speaker 1: Stephanie White.
Speaker 2: Well, look like Stephanie is Indiana Basketball royalty as a player,
Speaker 2: as a coach, I mean, what she did here at
Speaker 2: every what she's done here at every level, including with
Speaker 2: the Fever in her first stint as the head coach
Speaker 2: just made a lot of sense for us. I think
Speaker 2: where we are in our journey, you know, bringing in
Speaker 2: somebody that has experience sitting in that lead seat and
Speaker 2: has obviously had a lot of success in this league
Speaker 2: was critically important. So, you know, just bringing Stephan, I've
Speaker 2: been a long admirer of her work, never had the
Speaker 2: opportunity to work with her. Obviously, Kelly Crosscoff and Lynn
Speaker 2: Dunn have worked with Steph. So it just made a
Speaker 2: lot of sense for our franchise on so many levels.
Speaker 2: So thrilled to have her, and as she's building her
Speaker 2: staff those additions as well coming in and being a
Speaker 2: part of the Snatch chapter.
Speaker 1: There are some specific areas that you think Steph will
Speaker 1: make the biggest impact with the roster that you're building now.
Speaker 2: I think she understands the style of play we need
Speaker 2: to play with, you know, Caitlin at the Helm obviously,
Speaker 2: the speed that we want to play. We want to
Speaker 2: play fast, and I think, you know, that's who Steph
Speaker 2: was as a player, and you know what I've seen
Speaker 2: from her through the years is she finds, you know,
Speaker 2: no matter what the roster look looks like, She's going
Speaker 2: to put players in the best position to be successful,
Speaker 2: and she's going to mix it up right, So I
Speaker 2: think just her experience coming in, she's going to be
Speaker 2: able to really think about things through a different lens
Speaker 2: put our our players in great positions to be successful
Speaker 2: on both sides of the ball. We had, especially the
Speaker 2: second half of the season, a lot of success offensively.
Speaker 2: When you talk about Caitlin and Kelsey and that backcourt,
Speaker 2: it's just lethal, right, and then you add Alah in
Speaker 2: the mix, who continues to evolve her game and step
Speaker 2: out and she's a great passer. But I think, you know,
Speaker 2: thinking about the defensive end of the ball, and you
Speaker 2: know the type of player and coach Steph as always
Speaker 2: will see some improvement on that side as well, and
Speaker 2: we'll certainly think about that as we go into free
Speaker 2: agency in the draft too. How do we bolster with
Speaker 2: some players that really have a great focus on that
Speaker 2: side of the ball.
Speaker 1: I know, Van, we're super excited to see that small
Speaker 1: glimpse of stuff in Kaitlyn working out over the last
Speaker 1: couple of days, So that was very exciting to be
Speaker 1: able to just get a little sneak peek into what
Speaker 1: you guys are working with in Indiana. From a general
Speaker 1: manager's perspective, what traits make Caitlyn Clark an ideal building
Speaker 1: block for the Fevers future success.
Speaker 2: Well, first of all, she loves the game. I mean,
Speaker 2: she's a gym rat. She's constantly working on getting better,
Speaker 2: and that's obviously on the court, but that's in the
Speaker 2: weight room, she's that's watching film. So I think she's inquisitive.
Speaker 2: She's very curious about how to continue to get better
Speaker 2: and obviously had an incredible rookie season, but is not satisfied.
Speaker 2: And it's it's really interesting again, like how this feels
Speaker 2: a little deja vous because I came in with Diana
Speaker 2: in year two and I'm coming in in year two
Speaker 2: with Caitlin, and I see a lot of similarities just
Speaker 2: in the way that they work, how they communicate, how
Speaker 2: invested they are in their respective franchises. Caitlyn is very
Speaker 2: similar and she's a lot of fun. I mean, I
Speaker 2: tell you, I think as I've gotten to know her,
Speaker 2: just a great person to be around. So I think
Speaker 2: that ability to be a great teammate people, that someone
Speaker 2: that people and players want to come play with. We're
Speaker 2: going to continue to see that more and more as
Speaker 2: we get were of Caitlin Clark off the court and
Speaker 2: who she is as a person. She's truly a great
Speaker 2: human being.
Speaker 1: Specifically stood out to you about her during your first
Speaker 1: meeting with her, Like, what was that first impression like,
Speaker 1: because since then you've been looking kind of from afar
Speaker 1: when you were with the Dallas Wings, but now you're
Speaker 1: in to think of it with the fever. What was
Speaker 1: that first meeting like with her?
Speaker 2: She's really down to earth, you know, she wants to
Speaker 2: be a part of the Annapolis community. You know, she's
Speaker 2: willing to and excited to get out and be a
Speaker 2: part of what we're doing through our community efforts. Again,
Speaker 2: very inquisitive in terms of, you know, my thoughts, what
Speaker 2: do you think always wanted to talk about players? Constantly
Speaker 2: watching basketball. I mean, you know, doesn't matter if we're
Speaker 2: talking nda women's college, men's college. I mean, she's tuned
Speaker 2: into all of it. So it's just really fun to
Speaker 2: be around her because she is a student of the
Speaker 2: game and is constantly wanting to grow and talk about
Speaker 2: you know, different opportunities and with this work and what
Speaker 2: about this player. So it's a lot of fun. It's
Speaker 2: been fun getting to know her.
Speaker 1: All right, y'all, We're gonna take a quick pause right
Speaker 1: now and then when we get back more from this
Speaker 1: conversation with Indiana Feaver chief operating officer and general manager Ambercox,
Speaker 1: Hanna is having a star like Caitlin Clark on the
Speaker 1: roster impact the way that you approach that coming up.
Speaker 1: And also you have an unrestricted free agent and Kelsey Mitchell,
Speaker 1: who has publicly expressed you know she will explore all
Speaker 1: of her options. But from a general manager's perspective, how
Speaker 1: do you approach that going into the next season.
Speaker 2: Well, look, we want Kelsey back. She had an incredible
Speaker 2: career here and I've said many times that you know,
Speaker 2: she's been through some rough years with the fever. You know,
Speaker 2: in terms of a rebuild and being the placed from
Speaker 2: gamebridge Field House, no one deserves this opportunity to be
Speaker 2: a part of this success more than Kelsey. I've been
Speaker 2: a fan of hers for many years. I think she's
Speaker 2: a great person and you hear other players around the
Speaker 2: league talk about what a wonderful human being she is.
Speaker 2: So obviously want her back and to be a part
Speaker 2: of to be a part of this, and I'll put
Speaker 2: you know, I'll put Aliyah in there with Caitlin as well.
Speaker 2: To have these two back to back number one picks
Speaker 2: is really special. And I think the two of them
Speaker 2: and what they can accomplish over the next you know,
Speaker 2: decade plus if you're like Diana, I'm playing multiple decades
Speaker 2: can really just be record setting. It can be like
Speaker 2: nothing we've ever seen. So I'm excited for the two
Speaker 2: of them to build together. And then when we get
Speaker 2: to free agency. I mean, you saw when we got
Speaker 2: to the playoffs last year and we're playing Connecticut. They
Speaker 2: kept putting the graphic up that was like, you know,
Speaker 2: I think it was single digit or maybe you know,
Speaker 2: in the ten number of playoff games compared to whatever
Speaker 2: Connecticut's number was. So I think thinking about that, you know,
Speaker 2: adding veteran leadership that has some of that playoff experience
Speaker 2: that can really come in and provide, you know, guidance
Speaker 2: for our younger players who haven't been there yet. It's
Speaker 2: really our focus. I think. You know, again, we talked
Speaker 2: about the defensive end of the ball that's going to
Speaker 2: be really important. And then and then back to Steph's system,
Speaker 2: wanting to run and really play with pace, you know,
Speaker 2: fitting into that as well is going to be important,
Speaker 2: so a lot of factors. Obviously, we want great people
Speaker 2: coming into the organization, but I would think any free
Speaker 2: agent would be really excited to come in here and
Speaker 2: play with these two cornerstone players that have so much
Speaker 2: talent and are just ready to, you know, take things
Speaker 2: to the next level.
Speaker 1: I think the entire world was shocked, or the w
Speaker 1: NBA expands in draft when Timmy Fatminlay became available, especially
Speaker 1: because when you look at last season, she played a
Speaker 1: really huge part in the Fever's success in terms of
Speaker 1: getting to that point where you all were able to
Speaker 1: make the playoffs, but also her ability to run the
Speaker 1: floor with Caitlyn Clark and how their games complimented each other.
Speaker 1: And we think about, you know, that expansion draft, what
Speaker 1: was the thought process in making her available.
Speaker 2: You know, it's really part of an overall plan which
Speaker 2: hopefully everyone will see unfold throughout the off season. The
Speaker 2: expansion draft is difficult. It's hard to lose a player.
Speaker 2: You know, six is not very many when you think
Speaker 2: about protecting protecting anybody on your roster, and this group
Speaker 2: obviously built great camaraderie the second half of the season,
Speaker 2: so that was not an easy decision, but again part
Speaker 2: of a bigger plan that I hope everyone will see
Speaker 2: get to see unfold as we get into the rest
Speaker 2: of the off season.
Speaker 1: What would you say is the identity of the team
Speaker 1: that you want to build with this fever roster and
Speaker 1: what specific needs do you see being that missing piece
Speaker 1: to getting you all into that championship contending team.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think we're still developing the identity. You know,
Speaker 2: I think these young players are really still figuring out
Speaker 2: who they want to be. I mean, to a person,
Speaker 2: I think what's wonderful about this roster is they truly
Speaker 2: love the game right and the second half of the
Speaker 2: season you saw it really come together. They loved playing
Speaker 2: for and with each other. That is just I mean,
Speaker 2: you've been around and at a long time and the
Speaker 2: great teams that isn't the foundation is that culture, that
Speaker 2: locker room. They're in it for each other. So I
Speaker 2: think you've got that. But I think we're still developing
Speaker 2: the identity. And when you think about again, we talked
Speaker 2: about you know, veteran leadership, getting better on the defensive
Speaker 2: side of the ball. You know, some of those things
Speaker 2: I think will help shape who we've become over the
Speaker 2: next year or two, so thinking about that as we
Speaker 2: head into free agency as well.
Speaker 1: Kaitlyn Clark was recently named Times Athlete of the Year
Speaker 1: and Washington Mystic's co owner Shayla Johnson, you know, responded
Speaker 1: to that by saying, I think the w n B
Speaker 1: A and its entirety should have been featured. How do
Speaker 1: you respond to those comments and do you think this
Speaker 1: should the ward should have been given to the entire
Speaker 1: w NBA rather than Kaitlyn Clark individually.
Speaker 2: I think Kaitlyn Clark deserved that award. And here's my
Speaker 2: here's my experience as I've as I've thought about this, right,
Speaker 2: like through the years, dating back to the beginning of
Speaker 2: the league, right there have been incredible players, incredible basketball.
Speaker 2: We all know that. There have been great people working
Speaker 2: on the front office side as well, trying to build
Speaker 2: the foundation, build the fandom around it. Sports to me
Speaker 2: is generational. You know, we've been at this not very long,
Speaker 2: less than thirty years, right comparatively when you're talking about
Speaker 2: other leagues, and you know, like I'm a Saint Louis
Speaker 2: Cardinals baseball fan because my grandpa was, you know, we
Speaker 2: have not really we've been through like one generation. So
Speaker 2: we're still growing in that regard, and there have been
Speaker 2: a lot of like I said, great players, great people
Speaker 2: working on the business. We've had a lot of incredible
Speaker 2: inflection points. I mean, I think about again my days
Speaker 2: in Phoenix, my days in Connecticut, even you know when
Speaker 2: we Dallas went to the semifinals a couple of years ago,
Speaker 2: and what that those crowds look like. And we always
Speaker 2: talk about and since the beginning, what I you know,
Speaker 2: have learned since the beginning of my tenure with Phoenix
Speaker 2: is you get people in the door the first time
Speaker 2: and they're going to come back because the basketball is great,
Speaker 2: the entertainment is second to none. The community of w
Speaker 2: fans is so inclusive and embracing, and we've been able
Speaker 2: to do that as we've built the league, right the
Speaker 2: numbers have come up, there have been like different again,
Speaker 2: inflection points. I'd say like drafting the three to see
Speaker 2: was a big moment, right and drafting Brittany and Phoenix
Speaker 2: is a good example of that what Caitlyn Clark did
Speaker 2: because so many eyeballs were on her. She is a
Speaker 2: huge multiplier effect of that because she has so many
Speaker 2: fans and you saw it across arenas. I mean, people
Speaker 2: are moving games because so many people wanted to see
Speaker 2: her play. And I'll give you an example. This happened
Speaker 2: to me in Dallas last year. I'm sitting in my seats.
Speaker 2: It's Dallas versus Indiana, and I've got some sponsor seats
Speaker 2: next to me, and this gentleman, his wife and I
Speaker 2: think it was his sister, come and sit there from Dallas.
Speaker 2: Never been to a game. He's like, somebody gave me,
Speaker 2: you know, these seats and it's a part of this
Speaker 2: partnership package. It's Caitlin Clark. I'm gonna come out. I
Speaker 2: thought I wanted to see. In the third quarter, this
Speaker 2: gentleman leaned over to me and he said, where has
Speaker 2: this been all my life? And proceeded to then go
Speaker 2: up and try to buy season tickets for the Dallas Wings.
Speaker 2: He became immediately a fan of the Dallas Wings. So
Speaker 2: that to me, I mean, that's what we've been doing
Speaker 2: for years. By the tens, by the twenties, Caitlin made
Speaker 2: that by the thousands, and look like, I don't take
Speaker 2: anything away from other players that brought more eyeballs. Angel
Speaker 2: Cameron right, like the identity and how much brand recognition
Speaker 2: these players now have in college absolutely helped the WNBA.
Speaker 2: But we've never seen anything like Kayln Clark. We've never
Speaker 2: seen anything like that, and it's truly been transcendent for
Speaker 2: our league. And for that reason, I believe she deserved
Speaker 2: the award one hundred percent. Not to mention Rookie of
Speaker 2: the Year record breaking, you know, all the things she
Speaker 2: did on the court, but this, this award was truly
Speaker 2: about the difference and the impact she had on women's basketball,
Speaker 2: the WNBA, and women's sport.
Speaker 1: From the chief operating officer perspective, how do you leverage
Speaker 1: Cleitlan Clark's platform and popularity to continue to grow the
Speaker 1: interest not only of you know, the community in Indiana,
Speaker 1: but also the league.
Speaker 2: That's a great question, you know, I think when you
Speaker 2: think about you know, arenas being sold out, you know,
Speaker 2: we need to continue being really creative about providing access.
Speaker 2: So whether that's through content, whether that's through merchandise, whether
Speaker 2: that's through you know, more access through broadcast ancillary programming.
Speaker 2: I mean, we're starting to see that, right not only
Speaker 2: the broad the game is being broadcast, We've got a
Speaker 2: pregame show, We've got a postgame show, like finally. We
Speaker 2: know we've deserved that for years. But you know, as
Speaker 2: now the ratings continue to grow and consistently across all
Speaker 2: of our various platforms, We're going to continue to see
Speaker 2: more of that, and people are so hungry for it, right,
Speaker 2: So it's just continuing. And you mentioned the workout clip
Speaker 2: that we had of of Caitlyn and Staph Like small
Speaker 2: things like that. People just want to peek behind the curtains.
Speaker 2: So continuing to provide opportunities in the off season. I
Speaker 2: think it's great that we've got you know, more players
Speaker 2: here doing things in the community, playing in some of
Speaker 2: these other domestic leagues, and you know, I think just
Speaker 2: continuing to storytell. One of the things I've always said
Speaker 2: is one through twelve every player has a unique, wonderful
Speaker 2: story to tell that will connect with somebody that's never
Speaker 2: been connected with in the WNBA. So this platform that
Speaker 2: we now have allows us to expand what we're doing
Speaker 2: to not only focus on top three four players, right,
Speaker 2: it is about one through twelve figuring out, you know,
Speaker 2: talking to them about what's important to them in the community,
Speaker 2: what they want their brand to be. I mean, that's
Speaker 2: why I love this role so much because because it
Speaker 2: allows me to marry you know, the business and the
Speaker 2: basketball and think about our players from a really holistic
Speaker 2: point of view and make sure when they come to
Speaker 2: Indiana we're talking about all those things. Because that's really
Speaker 2: at the heart of why I love this league. Why
Speaker 2: I keep coming back, I tried to leave, I keep
Speaker 2: coming back, is giving these women a platform, a platform
Speaker 2: to talk about what they care about. Because you know,
Speaker 2: if we do that, I think the world's going to
Speaker 2: be a better place.
Speaker 1: Yeah, in twenty twenty five, I think everyone is super
Speaker 1: excited about Indiana hosting the w NBA All Star Game.
Speaker 1: What opportunities do you see presenting itself for the All
Speaker 1: Star Game to continue to keep the community engaged and
Speaker 1: just further that outreach.
Speaker 2: Well, you know, the NBA All Star Game was just here,
Speaker 2: so we've got this incredible community support, We've got amazing
Speaker 2: people working in the front office. So it was, you know,
Speaker 2: great to see coming off of NBA All Starlight. Let's
Speaker 2: just do it again in a few months, right, and
Speaker 2: do it at that level. And I think when you
Speaker 2: think about indian Napolis and one of the things I've
Speaker 2: really been impressed with is just how every community leader
Speaker 2: is ready to raise their hand to make it a
Speaker 2: wonderful experience. I have very quickly fallen in love with Indy.
Speaker 2: There's so much to offer, you know, in and around downtown.
Speaker 2: So I'm excited for fans who haven't been here to
Speaker 2: come in and really get to experience the community, see
Speaker 2: all that Indy has to offer, and then you know,
Speaker 2: continue to build on what All Star just you know,
Speaker 2: every year it's bigger and better, right, And that's what
Speaker 2: we want to see is more opportunities, more showcase things
Speaker 2: to be able to you know, for players, whether they're
Speaker 2: in the game or not, other media platforms to be
Speaker 2: a part of it. So I think as we put
Speaker 2: it together, you're going to see an All Star weekend
Speaker 2: like you've never seen before in Indie.
Speaker 1: The w NBA has built a reputation on delivering high
Speaker 1: energy entertainment during the All Star Weekend, especially the halftime performance.
Speaker 1: Season it was in Phoenix, they had Pitbull and all
Speaker 1: the lights and stuff. If you could choose any performer
Speaker 1: for the twenty twenty five WNBA All Star Game, who
Speaker 1: would you like to see on that big stage?
Speaker 2: Now, Christina, the problem is, I'm I've been around, right,
Speaker 2: so I'm like nineties hip hop era, So I'm gonna
Speaker 2: for you know, like I'm a I'm like, give me
Speaker 2: some TLC and some Nelly, And that's probably the direction
Speaker 2: I'm going with it. I think we'll, you know, obviously,
Speaker 2: do a wide suite to really think about, you know,
Speaker 2: what our fans, what the players would love to see.
Speaker 2: But we've got some incredible people working on that, and
Speaker 2: I know when that announcement does come out, people are
Speaker 2: gonna be excited about it.
Speaker 1: So I'm super excited to hear Who's boring at the
Speaker 1: twenty twenty five WNBA All Star because I feel like
Speaker 1: every year it's just getting better and better and better
Speaker 1: with the performance performances at All Star. All Right, So,
Speaker 1: in your dual role as a chief operating officer and
Speaker 1: general manager, how do you find balance with those two
Speaker 1: different roles because we've seen over the years that a
Speaker 1: lot of organizations have kind of went the opposite direction
Speaker 1: of having one person do two things. So how are
Speaker 1: you finding balance between the two end? How is being
Speaker 1: in those two roles helping you, I guess, to get
Speaker 1: things done?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's very similar to how I finish
Speaker 2: my time in Phoenix, you know, in terms of working
Speaker 2: on both sides of the business. And then in Connecticut,
Speaker 2: Kurt Miller was the head coach in GM, but I was,
Speaker 2: you know, working a lot on the basketball side as well,
Speaker 2: so similar in that regard. But it's a great question.
Speaker 2: I think having Kelly in the president's role, you know,
Speaker 2: we both have the basketball and the business background, so
Speaker 2: that really lends itself to us being able to tag
Speaker 2: seam on various projects depending on what they are. It's
Speaker 2: a collaborative effort on the basketball side when you talk
Speaker 2: about the incredible coach staff that we have, when you
Speaker 2: have Kelly, We've still got Lyn Dunn as a senior advisor,
Speaker 2: so it really is just carving out the time with
Speaker 2: that group to make sure we're all aligned and on
Speaker 2: the same page. And then on the business side, I mean, again,
Speaker 2: I've just been blown away by the staff here in
Speaker 2: Indianapolis on in every vertical of the business, from our
Speaker 2: digital marketing team to our ticket sales team. I mean,
Speaker 2: the resources that are dedicated to the Fever and how
Speaker 2: many people are working across both properties at the same
Speaker 2: time and really giving it incredible attention and focus. Is
Speaker 2: like nothing I've ever seen. So it really allows me
Speaker 2: to be strategic on that side and not get into
Speaker 2: the weeds too much because those folks know what they're
Speaker 2: doing and I'm not going to get in their way.
Speaker 2: They're doing a fantastic job for us. So it is
Speaker 2: really a balance. But I think again my experience through
Speaker 2: the years, I've learned how to really balance both and
Speaker 2: be able to do both effectively.
Speaker 1: So I'm thinking about, like how like the game day
Speaker 1: value in each organization's like when I go to different
Speaker 1: arenas and just experience the game day presence. I think
Speaker 1: about Ellie in New York, Ellie the Elephant and the mascot,
Speaker 1: just all the different dance teams and things like that.
Speaker 1: Why should fans be excited outside of Kitlyn Clark and
Speaker 1: everything that she brings in the star Power be excited
Speaker 1: to attend Fever games in twenty twenty five, Like, what
Speaker 1: do you guys have in your bag that fans should
Speaker 1: get ready for?
Speaker 2: I mean Freddie Fever. Freddie Fever became an icon during
Speaker 2: the last season, like he's an original, an original with
Speaker 2: the Fever, And I think at one point Caitlin voiced
Speaker 2: her love for Little Freddie. So we've got Little Freddie
Speaker 2: and Big Freddie. You know, I can see them being
Speaker 2: incorporated more into the show. We've got incredible dance team,
Speaker 2: The Inferno, And again I just I actually had last
Speaker 2: week a fantastic meeting with our entire game presentation team
Speaker 2: and it's just blown away at what they were already
Speaker 2: thinking about headed into the Fever season. But it's such
Speaker 2: an incredible building too. You know that plaza area, there's
Speaker 2: so much opportunity for programming there. Obviously Indianapolis it's hot,
Speaker 2: but it's not too hot, so you can do a
Speaker 2: lot outside. We've got a great basketball court that I've
Speaker 2: heard is, you know, activated almost every game, and kids
Speaker 2: are out playing, so there's a lot when you think
Speaker 2: about coming down for the game and coming early. The
Speaker 2: retail is a huge hit. Obviously, the lines are long,
Speaker 2: so we'll continue to look for opportunities to expand on
Speaker 2: all of those. But I love that you asked that
Speaker 2: question because I think it's so much of what makes
Speaker 2: the w unique is that experience around the game itself
Speaker 2: and the energy that the fan brings and listen like,
Speaker 2: I think that's key to that too. We've got an
Speaker 2: engaged excited fan base that from the from tip off,
Speaker 2: you know, is on their feet, they're cheering, and after
Speaker 2: you know, years of rebuilding, are so excited to be
Speaker 2: back to the glory years of you know, when Catch
Speaker 2: was here and they were winning championships and consistently going
Speaker 2: to the playoffs. So you always want it for the
Speaker 2: fans because those are the people that are showing up
Speaker 2: and have been showing up since day one.
Speaker 1: One of the things that obviously we all notice is
Speaker 1: how the fever was intentional about putting women in these
Speaker 1: front office roles in the head coaching positions. Why should
Speaker 1: organizations continue to fill these rules with women and what
Speaker 1: advice do you have for people who may want to
Speaker 1: be in front offices or on the bench as a
Speaker 1: head coach in the future who may be listening to
Speaker 1: this podcast.
Speaker 2: I think another thing you're seeing just because of our league,
Speaker 2: you know, again becoming more mature, is former players. You know,
Speaker 2: Steph is obviously an example of that. You know, you've
Speaker 2: got Becky and others around the league. So that's a
Speaker 2: great friend that we're seeing also. But you know, I
Speaker 2: think we've now got more opportunities with expansion, right to
Speaker 2: create pipeline. I think the trend I've really seen that
Speaker 2: excites me the most. When I started, people were getting
Speaker 2: into the w as a stepping stone. So it's like,
Speaker 2: I want to be a ticket seller. I want to
Speaker 2: be on the community side so that I can move
Speaker 2: over to the NBA or I can go to the NFL. Now,
Speaker 2: to a person, almost everyone that reaches out to me says,
Speaker 2: I want a career in women's sports. I want a
Speaker 2: career in the WNBA. I want to be a part
Speaker 2: of it. So I think just being really intentional about that,
Speaker 2: and nothing has changed, Christy, and I mean, it is
Speaker 2: about networking. It's about you know. I try to answer
Speaker 2: almost every LinkedIn request and take as many of those
Speaker 2: phone calls because you know, somebody gave me an opportunity.
Speaker 2: J Perry gave me an opportunity in Phoenix when I
Speaker 2: didn't know much about anything and taught me and brought
Speaker 2: me up through the ranks. So I think we all
Speaker 2: have to have those people behind us, and I try
Speaker 2: to be that and pay it forward as much as possible.
Speaker 2: So I think that's really it. It's just being intentional,
Speaker 2: being intentional about having those conversations, whether it's on the
Speaker 2: business side, the basketball side, creating those opportunities. As our
Speaker 2: staffs continue to grow, that creates more opportunities too, whether
Speaker 2: that's on the basketball or business side, and that's from
Speaker 2: intern all the way up to senior executive position. So
Speaker 2: I think you'll continue to see, you know, again, more
Speaker 2: women stepping into these roles and hopefully staying in it
Speaker 2: for the entirety of their career.
Speaker 1: We're certainly looking forward to all the Fever has to
Speaker 1: offer in twenty twenty five WNBA season and especially w
Speaker 1: and be All Star. Super excited about getting out there
Speaker 1: for that. Amber, thank you so much for joining us
Speaker 1: this week on the show.
Speaker 2: So great to be here again. Continued success. Such a
Speaker 2: fan of everything that you do, so I just appreciate
Speaker 2: you having having me on today.
Speaker 1: Thank you and best of luck.
Speaker 2: Thank you.
Speaker 1: Okay, we're going to take another quick break and when
Speaker 1: we get back, we're going to do the things that
Speaker 1: I love this week more from In Case you missed
Speaker 1: It with Christina Williams when we get back, welcome back
Speaker 1: to In Case you missed It with Christina Williams. I
Speaker 1: just want to thank Ambercox again for coming through to
Speaker 1: the show this week. Had so much fun chatting with her,
Speaker 1: and now it's time for my favorite segment, the Things
Speaker 1: that I Love this Week. Honestly, this week has been
Speaker 1: a little kookie, but I guess I'll say this one
Speaker 1: of my favorite things that happened this week is that
Speaker 1: my nephew, he had like a homecoming game yesterday. He
Speaker 1: plays basketball, but it was just a surreal moment as
Speaker 1: an auntie I guess to go and see him play
Speaker 1: one of his senior games because I remember when he
Speaker 1: was born and was kind of still in high school,
Speaker 1: so it's just so crazy. So witness that his team
Speaker 1: won by like thirty points. But we had an auntie
Speaker 1: nephew kind of day, took him out to dinner, and
Speaker 1: it was just great to just see him fall in
Speaker 1: love with the game of basketball because basketball has done
Speaker 1: so much for me in my life, and obviously I
Speaker 1: work in the sports media space, but to chill with
Speaker 1: my nephew, Jalen, it was such a blast to be
Speaker 1: able to do that shout out to Jay and shout
Speaker 1: out to his team, his high school team. They won
Speaker 1: by thirty points, so it was such a blast to
Speaker 1: be able to do that, And that was the thing
Speaker 1: that I loved this week, and that's going to do
Speaker 1: it For this week's show, don't forget to rate, review,
Speaker 1: and subscribe to the podcast. And on next week's show,
Speaker 1: we're counting down the top fifteen moments of twenty twenty
Speaker 1: four in women's basketball and I have a special crew
Speaker 1: joining me, so you're not gonna want.
Speaker 2: To miss it, PA.
Speaker 1: In case you missed it, with Christina Williams is an
Speaker 1: iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
Speaker 1: and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app,
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.