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Speaker 3: We should be supporting all women's sports, because women in

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Speaker 3: sport is just as exciting as Memon's renee.

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Speaker 1: This week on the podcast, we are taking a left

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Speaker 1: turn into the world of stage and screen and now

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Speaker 1: sports team ownership.

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Speaker 2: Tell us who we're talking to.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, we had the great pleasure. Well, I had the

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Speaker 4: great pleasure of talking to my friend us Aduba, who

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Speaker 4: of course is really mostly well known for her her

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Speaker 4: amazing Emmy winning role as Crazy Eyes from Orange is

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Speaker 4: the New Black.

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Speaker 2: Suzanne Warren aka Suzanne Warren.

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Speaker 4: Excuse me aka Susann Warren. Of course you would know that,

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Speaker 4: but the bottom line is just a superb human being

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Speaker 4: in every sense of the word. She talks about her

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Speaker 4: time at Boston University BU and you know, just her

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Speaker 4: going through having title nine, that ability to have that

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Speaker 4: to go to school get her she was on an

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Speaker 4: athletic scholarship, how she pivoted there and went into stage

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Speaker 4: and screen. I don't want to tell you too much

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Speaker 4: about sort of what we talked about, because it's so

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Speaker 4: fascinating and interesting. And obviously she's gone into this new

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Speaker 4: all of being a team owner with the angel City

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Speaker 4: Soccer Team, female all female owned soccer team in Los Angeles.

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Speaker 4: How important sports was her growing up, and of course

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Speaker 4: her amazing mom Okay, who's a tennis coach who grew

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Speaker 4: up in Nigeria, and her journey through her life and

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Speaker 4: her love of tennis obviously was instilled to her by

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Speaker 4: her mom. And yeah, it's just cool. She's just I

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Speaker 4: always say to her, you're just like joy, your joy.

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Speaker 4: She's just joyful.

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Speaker 1: You can feel the sort of energy and her enthusiasm

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Speaker 1: kind of jumping out at you when you listen to this.

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Speaker 1: And there's a few things right before we hear your

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Speaker 1: fantastic chat with her that I want to call listeners'

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Speaker 1: attention to because there's some really interesting threads and you

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Speaker 1: kind of mentioned some of them right there. Number one,

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Speaker 1: She's a Title nine kid. We talk about this a

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Speaker 1: little bit. As many of our listeners know, Title nine

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Speaker 1: was the landmark piece of legislation working towards equality between

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Speaker 1: genders in sports and colleges in high schools, and it

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Speaker 1: really created when it was passed in the seventies because

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Speaker 1: of the congressional testimony by Billy Jean King. It had

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Speaker 1: its roots in tennis, but affected sports across the board.

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Speaker 1: The Olympians we know of the ninety six gold medal

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Speaker 1: Olympic winning national soccer team Mia Ham, Brandy Chastain. This

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Speaker 1: is really a legacy of Title nine. And Uzzo talks

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Speaker 1: about being a child of Title nine, a daughter of

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Speaker 1: Title nine as am I, which is an incredibly important

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Speaker 1: sort of thing for women's athletics. And for her to

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Speaker 1: turn around and become part of this landmark ownership group

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Speaker 1: along with Serena Williams, along with Jessica Chastain.

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Speaker 5: Not Serena, Serena's daughter as well, the youngest sports franchise

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Speaker 5: part owner in history of Lexus Olympia is.

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Speaker 2: Now a part owner of the soccer team.

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Speaker 4: So great, Yeah, I just that a legacy in itself.

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Speaker 4: It's just amazing. It was just a conversation with these

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Speaker 4: amazing women to get to get and you know, basically

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Speaker 4: come together as a group and be ownership owners of

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Speaker 4: this team. And there's there's many There's not just three

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Speaker 4: or four, there's many, many, many, And we talk about

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Speaker 4: that and the importance of women supporting women's sports is

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Speaker 4: really important.

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Speaker 6: So if you're going to have success in the w

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Speaker 6: in the soccer league, and you're going to have success.

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Speaker 4: In the w NBA and various things, you've got to

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Speaker 4: have the support of other female viewership to go and

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Speaker 4: buy the tickets and go and watch the games. And

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Speaker 4: I think that's uber important. I think it's super important

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Speaker 4: that she's a part of this just to just to

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Speaker 4: give it some you know, advertisement in itself. But she's

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Speaker 4: she's awesome. She's so much fun. We hung out a

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Speaker 4: little bit at Wimbledon a couple of years ago when

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Speaker 4: her mom was there with her sister. It was a

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Speaker 4: bucket list thing for her mom to do. So there's

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Speaker 4: some funny stories that she that we get into about Wimbledon.

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Speaker 6: But overall, can I just say too Before I started

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Speaker 6: to do this interview.

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Speaker 4: She literally got nominated for another Emmy for Miss Americana,

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Speaker 4: Missus America, and just an amazing role that she did

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Speaker 4: at playing Shirley Chisholm, And you know, can you imagine,

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Speaker 4: I like found that out and now before I was

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Speaker 4: about to do the interview, so I knew that she

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Speaker 4: was going to be a little tied on time, as

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Speaker 4: she would have been getting calls and text messages like

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Speaker 4: out the wazoo on that particular day. So another incredible

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Speaker 4: acting performance from her.

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Speaker 1: Incredible for her also to make time because as you noted,

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Speaker 1: it was the morning that she had received this semi nomination.

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Speaker 1: And for people who don't know, Missus America is a

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Speaker 1: great series Camp Blate Kate Blanchette is in it, Rose Byrne,

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Speaker 1: and as you noted, Uzo plays Shirley Chisholm, the first

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Speaker 1: black woman elected to Congress and then of course the

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Speaker 1: first black woman who ran for president of the United

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Speaker 1: States on the Democratic tick in the eighties. And Uzo's

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Speaker 1: performance is amazing in this film. By the way, I mean,

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Speaker 1: Kate Blanchette, anything she does.

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Speaker 2: I will watch.

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Speaker 1: But it was just so cool that she is such

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Speaker 1: a multitudinous person, actor, thinker, leader, activist, a classically trained singer, singer,

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Speaker 1: and also you know, like as we noted, incredible athletes.

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Speaker 1: So it was a real privilege to listen to this episode.

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Speaker 1: And you know, here's hoping that we, you and I

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Speaker 1: can get some invitations to the new soccer team out

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Speaker 1: in La.

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Speaker 2: Well you can't. I'm going to ride your code tails

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Speaker 2: pre Usual.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, thankfully I know a few of those owners, so

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Speaker 4: that helps because there's a lot of them. So so anyway, everybody,

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Speaker 4: I know, this is not our usual, but she actually

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Speaker 4: technically is our second Orange is the new Black actor

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Speaker 4: because Jason Biggs was our first, and now we have,

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Speaker 4: of course the incredible Uzo a Duba And she does

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Speaker 4: mention and I want to throw it. Their executive producer

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Speaker 4: of owns the new Black Mary Tannenbaum, who is also

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Speaker 4: a friend of both Jason and of Uzzo's, is the biggest.

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Speaker 6: Tennis fan I know, and I know she's going to

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Speaker 6: be listening to this episode, So Mary, we're going to

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Speaker 6: get you one day as well. But everybody please enjoy

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Speaker 6: this because if there's ever been somebody who has more.

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Speaker 4: Light and joy in this world, it is this woman,

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Speaker 4: I thgure about it. So I want to welcome today

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Speaker 4: one of my really good friends at somebody that I

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Speaker 4: do so much, not typically in the tennis world, but

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Speaker 4: someone who loves tennis, and that is Usa Aduba, who is,

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Speaker 4: of course now just in the last half an hour

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Speaker 4: Emmy nominator for a Supporting Actress in a Limited Series

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Speaker 4: or Movie for her portrayal of Shirley Chisholm in Miss Americana,

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Speaker 4: which I love. USO, thank you for joining me today.

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Speaker 3: Oh my gosh, thank you, thank you so much for

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Speaker 3: having me. This is crazy crazy.

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Speaker 4: Who would have thought, first of all, that you would

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Speaker 4: be on a podcast talking about tennis, all things tennis.

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Speaker 4: But you, of course I know. I actually met you.

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Speaker 4: This is a great, great story. So I met you

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Speaker 4: at the US Open. I was coming down a flyer

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Speaker 4: stairs while I was working television. I was going up.

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Speaker 4: Actually you were coming down and you were very upset

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Speaker 4: about do you remember the moment. No, you were leaving

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Speaker 4: the Roger Federer match, and you were very upset about

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Speaker 4: the fact that you had to leave because the night

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Speaker 4: session was coming on. And I said, and you were

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Speaker 4: getting kicked out of your Emirates suite right, Yes, yes, yes,

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Speaker 4: And I said, come with me. We're going to go

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Speaker 4: up to the ESPN booth and watch it from up there.

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Speaker 4: And you got to meet somebody that you and I

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Speaker 4: introduced myself because they said, we have a mutual friend

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Speaker 4: in Morgan James, who you're on God's spell with.

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Speaker 3: I believe, yes, and.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, so you that's where we met. We met on

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Speaker 4: the stairwell at the US Open. And your love for

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Speaker 4: tennis was so obvious immediately. Why tennis for you? Because

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Speaker 4: I know you grew up doing a lot of sports,

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Speaker 4: But why tennis as a love.

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Speaker 3: I mean, definitely is because of my mom. My mom

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Speaker 3: is like die hard, die hard tennis fan who you

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Speaker 3: know also and she grew up playing tennis in Nigeria,

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Speaker 3: where my family is from, and it was always on.

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Speaker 3: I mean, it was always always on. I mean, and

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Speaker 3: my mom was always running around, you know, one of

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Speaker 3: five kids, she's always running around. But the world did

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Speaker 3: stop for tennis. You know, the world would stop for

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Speaker 3: tennis and she would be just so engulfed and it

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Speaker 3: was just I guess it was just something that we

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Speaker 3: did together. We would you know, would watch, you know,

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Speaker 3: just a little bonding time go into the bedroom. She'd

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Speaker 3: be in you know, her bed watching TV and be

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Speaker 3: watching a match and would be watching either you play

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Speaker 3: or watching Martina play or you know Chris. Yeah, she'd

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Speaker 3: be watching tennis. She'd be watching matches, and it was

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Speaker 3: like great bonding time. I was saying, you know, we'd

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Speaker 3: watch players. We'd see players like yourself like hitting double.

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Speaker 3: He'd see you know McEnroe play, see Martina play, see

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Speaker 3: Stuffy Gross play. And then you know, like as time

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Speaker 3: went on, I started like developed like it was like

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Speaker 3: I like loved her favorite players, you know when I

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Speaker 3: was younger, because she loved them and I didn't know

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Speaker 3: anything about it. And then it became like I started

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Speaker 3: to have my own players that I liked, and it

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Speaker 3: was like I really loved like Pete Sampress and you know,

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Speaker 3: the Williams sisters and Lindsay Davenports and yeah, so that

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Speaker 3: was just kind of like how my own affair for

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Speaker 3: tennis grew. And then the US Open was the first

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Speaker 3: Grand Slam I ever went to, and I went I

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Speaker 3: was in college, I had no money, Renee and my roommate,

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Speaker 3: my roommate from in college, one of my best friends

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Speaker 3: was a tennis player at the U and her high school,

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Speaker 3: her private you know, coach had tickets to go Rich

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Speaker 3: got Rich had tickets for the Open, and he had

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Speaker 3: tickets for the women's final. And it was because yeah,

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Speaker 3: it was Lindsay Davin for the Venus and yeah, and

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Speaker 3: I like, I don't even I think I borrowed the money.

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Speaker 3: Actually I think it borrowed the money. I'm actually sure

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Speaker 3: of it. Borrowed money for my best friend Prowley, who

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Speaker 3: I go to see, who we have annually we go

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Speaker 3: every year to the US Open, Like the money to

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Speaker 3: buy a bus ticket, my best friend from my hometown

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Speaker 3: to buy a bus ticket down to New York. And

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Speaker 3: I got these free tickets and we sat fourth throw

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Speaker 3: what court side, Yes, court side, because that wasn't you

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Speaker 3: know what? And it's like that wasn't actually the tickets

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Speaker 3: that we had. We had tickets that were further away.

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Speaker 3: And then as we were coming in like young kids,

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Speaker 3: there was some guy who was lead. I don't know

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Speaker 3: why he was not going to the match, to be

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Speaker 3: honest with you, I don't know why. Some emergency must

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Speaker 3: have come up in his life. And he's like, do

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Speaker 3: you want these tickets to the open, We're like, yes,

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Speaker 3: and we sat.

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Speaker 4: Did you were you boggaining on the fact that your

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Speaker 4: ones were kind of shitty and this guy's probably are

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Speaker 4: a little better than you us, So you were like

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Speaker 4: he told.

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Speaker 3: I think he told he told if you other told

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Speaker 3: us or told Rick, I don't know. He told. Somebody

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Speaker 3: knew that we were getting like a significant upgrade because

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Speaker 3: I had gone. I had gone maybe like the week previous,

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Speaker 3: and I had seen Leyton Hewitt. I don't even remember

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Speaker 3: who he was playing at the time, but we were

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Speaker 3: in the second to last row.

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Speaker 4: You told me such a great story of the fact

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Speaker 4: that your mom went from Nigeria, but didn't go from

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Speaker 4: Nigeria to the US. She went to Sweden to coach tennis.

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Speaker 2: Is that right?

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Speaker 3: She was in Sweden. No, she was in Sweden to live,

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Speaker 3: and then she came to the US and then she was, yes,

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Speaker 3: and she was coaching tennis there for a bit, and

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Speaker 3: then was teaching at some school in Connecticut, private school

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Speaker 3: in Connecticut where she was also coaching tennis.

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Speaker 4: Did you ever find out the story of like how

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Speaker 4: your mom, I mean, Nigeria is not like the hotbed

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Speaker 4: of a tennis mecca. So I'm just like wondering how

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Speaker 4: your mom even got into tennis.

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Speaker 3: To tell the honest truth, I don't. I honestly don't know,

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Speaker 3: And that's a really great question to ask her. I

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Speaker 3: don't know how her like entree began with that sport.

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Speaker 3: I'm guessing because my mom went to a boarding school

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Speaker 3: in Nigeria. I'm assuming I don't know this for a fact,

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Speaker 3: that it was like somewhere there that she discovered tennis.

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Speaker 3: As my guess, I don't actually know how she found it,

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Speaker 3: but similar to like my own like immediate I guess,

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Speaker 3: falling in love, like she talks about it and was

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Speaker 3: like she minute one loved it, like loved it, loved

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Speaker 3: the rules, love the the everything, like this whole quarantine.

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Speaker 3: You know, she is like Tennis channels, you know, biggest

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Speaker 3: fan right now because she likes all of it. She's

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Speaker 3: happy to watch reruns, she's happy to listen to the

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Speaker 3: like conversations like the Andy Roddicks and everybody at home,

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Speaker 3: you know, chatting about it anytime, anytime you call her.

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Speaker 3: It's like tennis. Her uh sister, my aunt is also

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Speaker 3: like a huge tennis fan, my auntie Daisy, and like

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Speaker 3: when it's no matter what the I mean? They just

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Speaker 3: both straight watched us all the time. That's her tennis buddy.

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Speaker 3: You know who she'll talk matches with if it doesn't

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Speaker 3: matter if it's Australian Open and it's happening in the

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Speaker 3: middle of the night, they are up watching it and

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Speaker 3: like dissecting it as if they're getting a check.

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Speaker 4: Like they are like they're getting a check. They're huge.

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Speaker 4: Your mom, your mom. When I introdew when you guys

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Speaker 4: all came to Wimbledon and you brought you brought your

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Speaker 4: mom to Wimbledon, which was the greatest thing ever. You

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Speaker 4: came with your sisters and your mom and you watched

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Speaker 4: I believe it was the Women's final that day, and

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Speaker 4: I remember walking over. You introduced me to your mom,

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Speaker 4: who was just like this lot know where you get

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Speaker 4: your personality from, there's no question. And I brought Martina

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Speaker 4: over to take a photo. Do you remember this? So

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Speaker 4: she just got a photo with Billy Jean King and

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Speaker 4: then she has a photo with Martina and she looks

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Speaker 4: up at Martina and says, do you remember what she said?

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Speaker 1: No?

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Speaker 3: What did she say?

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Speaker 4: She said, it's so nice to meet you, and then

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Speaker 4: she said, where's Chris.

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Speaker 3: I was gonna say.

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Speaker 4: She's like, Okay, I love you Martina, but where is Chris.

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Speaker 4: I love that. Your mom is like, yes, you're all amazing,

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Speaker 4: but where is my Chris?

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Speaker 3: E who I love? I do I remember? I was like,

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Speaker 3: oh mg, but you let me tell you a story. Also,

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Speaker 3: do you remember, well you might have might have been

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Speaker 3: when you were getting uh Billy Jeane King my mom,

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Speaker 3: you know my mom does. I was saying, my mom

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Speaker 3: so rarely gets like she does this thing when she's

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Speaker 3: excited to meet someone. She's very rarely like like shows

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Speaker 3: her fandom, you know what I mean, like a fan,

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Speaker 3: you know. But when she is she does this thing

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Speaker 3: where she starts like straightening up, like like she starts

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Speaker 3: like straightening up herself, you know. And I kid you

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Speaker 3: not like I've seen her do it maybe like all

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Speaker 3: of three times. Like the first time I remember was

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Speaker 3: like in high school. We were in London and she

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Speaker 3: was seeing meeting the Archbishop of Canterbury and she started

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Speaker 3: like straightening like up. She was like, how do I

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Speaker 3: look through it? And I was like, you look fine,

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Speaker 3: Like what are you doing? Like it's like you can't change.

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Speaker 3: We're here, you know what I mean like whatever. And

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Speaker 3: another time was at Wimbledon when we were going to

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Speaker 3: go meet Billy Jean King and my mom because we

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Speaker 3: were sitting you remember outside like at that where the

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Speaker 3: table where Martina had to come over, yah, and we

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Speaker 3: had been there and my mom started straightening up. She

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Speaker 3: started straightening up again and was like, how do I look?

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Speaker 3: And I was like, oh, she's nervous. It's like I've

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Speaker 3: rarely ever seen her nervous and certainly never seen her

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Speaker 3: nervous excited to meet someone, but for a few occasions.

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Speaker 3: And I was like, you look great, and she was

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Speaker 3: like okay, and like really exciting. I mean in the picture.

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Speaker 3: I have this pictures still forever. I will forever be

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Speaker 3: indebtity because it's like she was just being and all

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Speaker 3: these photos because it was like, my mom's only ever

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Speaker 3: had one bucket list. Yeah, and her one bucket list

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Speaker 3: was to go to every Grand Slam and she's since

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Speaker 3: been to all of them.

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Speaker 4: So what does she think about what you've been able

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Speaker 4: to achieve?

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Speaker 3: Now?

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Speaker 4: I mean what and what made you because you were

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Speaker 4: a track athlete I believe at Boston University, and what

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Speaker 4: what made you go into acting and singing? A lot

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Speaker 4: of people don't realize. They know, your role obviously is

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Speaker 4: crazy eyes on Oranges and you're black, and now you

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Speaker 4: know you're you're amazing rendition that you just got Emmy

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Speaker 4: nominated for Miss Americana with Shelley Chisholm. But what what

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Speaker 4: people don't realize that you're actually an incredible singer, You're

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Speaker 4: opera trained, you you were on Broadway, Like what made

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Speaker 4: you go into that.

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Speaker 3: Go into the arts? I mean I always loved to

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Speaker 3: do it when I was a kid. I just I

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Speaker 3: always loved it. I always thought it was so much fun.

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Speaker 3: I didn't know like the business or anything. I just

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Speaker 3: liked it. I just thought it was fun to do.

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Speaker 3: I enjoyed, I was loud, I talked a lot, you know,

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Speaker 3: like all of these things. And so when I was

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Speaker 3: in high school, going into or finishing my junior year

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Speaker 3: of high school, I guess my creative writing teacher, who

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Speaker 3: was my drama teacher also for the drama club, like

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Speaker 3: kept me after class one day and she said, asked

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Speaker 3: me what I was planning to do. And at that point,

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Speaker 3: I thought I was going to go to school and

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Speaker 3: become a lawyer. And so I was rattling off all

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Speaker 3: these colleges that I thought I was going to apply to,

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Speaker 3: you know, and this is what I want to do,

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Speaker 3: real dummy.

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Speaker 4: You up.

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Speaker 3: And she was like hmm, okay, okay, And she was

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Speaker 3: like ever thought about going into the arts? And I

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Speaker 3: was like, and I hadn't.

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Speaker 2: You know.

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Speaker 3: It's like, I'm a family. My parents are first generation.

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Speaker 3: My parents are from Nigeria.

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Speaker 4: It's not did you know you could sing? At that point?

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Speaker 3: I did know I I could sing? I didn't know

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Speaker 3: I could sing. I sang started singing like with the knowledge.

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Speaker 3: I guess that I could sing in about sixth grade

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Speaker 3: and I was doing the musicals and things. But I

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Speaker 3: just didn't know that it was a job. I just

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Speaker 3: didn't know there was a a I didn't know. Not

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Speaker 3: only I didn't know it was the job, and I

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Speaker 3: didn't know there was a pathway of study to get

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Speaker 3: to it, you know. And I think that's just being

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Speaker 3: first gen that just didn't exist in Nigeria, you know

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Speaker 3: what I mean. It's not that they were My parents

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Speaker 3: are actually very supportive. It's not that they weren't supportive

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Speaker 3: of it. It just I don't think they just I

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Speaker 3: just don't think they knew.

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Speaker 4: Like, It's funny how people asked me the question about

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Speaker 4: how did you know you wanted to be a tennis planner?

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Speaker 4: So I didn't really know it was a path. It

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Speaker 4: wasn't a pathway for me that I didn't think, oh,

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Speaker 4: I'm gonna make money doing this. I just did it

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Speaker 4: because I loved it. And then you find yourself or

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Speaker 4: who you are like standing up for. Was this your

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Speaker 4: third Emmy nomination I believe, or more than that probably.

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Speaker 4: So one of the things I wanted to ask you

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Speaker 4: about was, you know this part ownership now with the

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Speaker 4: LA Angels in the Women's Soccer League.

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Speaker 3: How was that?

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Speaker 4: Because of your love of sports and obviously know that

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Speaker 4: you're such a fighter for equality in every respect, how

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Speaker 4: did that come about? Who contacted you about that? And

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Speaker 4: and and and I guess why.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, that came about through Natalie Important. You know, wanting

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Speaker 3: We had already been wanting to support women's sports, so

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Speaker 3: we went to a match in LA a year and

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Speaker 3: change ago, and in support and then in supporting women's teams,

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Speaker 3: and you know, of course the inequity that they're experiencing

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Speaker 3: in terms of equal pay currently. And so she had

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Speaker 3: reached out about this, and it just felt like it

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00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:52,919
Speaker 3: did feel like a no brainer, you know, I, you know,

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Speaker 3: I am a beneficiary, a product of chapter nine, you

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00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:02,840
Speaker 3: know what I mean, like from athletic scholarship at Boston

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00:22:02,960 --> 00:22:07,960
Speaker 3: University for track and field, as is my younger sister,

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Speaker 3: Chi Chi. And you know, again, my mom was an

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Speaker 3: athlete her whole life. My older sister was a softball player.

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Speaker 3: Like so, I grew up in a women's sports house

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Speaker 3: and in fact, more sports between my siblings, girls and

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Speaker 3: boys than the arts. You know. The arts was there present,

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Speaker 3: but it was We were a very heavy leaning sports

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Speaker 3: family and so and my family was one that celebrated

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Speaker 3: girls and women in sports, but there weren't enough examples

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Speaker 3: of it in a wide ranging number of sports, at

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Speaker 3: least professionally. It felt like always growing up that it

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00:22:53,119 --> 00:22:56,800
Speaker 3: was like tennis, figure skating, and then it really felt

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Speaker 3: like tennis only all the time of women being celebrated,

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Speaker 3: you know what I mean, level at a professional level.

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Speaker 3: And then it just kind of felt like every four years,

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Speaker 3: for two weeks during the Olympics, you got to see

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Speaker 3: these incredible female athletes and that didn't seem like the

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Speaker 3: way vision I wanted life to continue. And I have

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Speaker 3: a young niece who is an exceptional soccer player who

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00:23:26,359 --> 00:23:29,199
Speaker 3: I wanted just something different for her, you know, like

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00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:33,040
Speaker 3: I think our lives are to be used as examples,

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Speaker 3: and I wanted her to see more examples of women

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Speaker 3: participating in sports at the highest level. And I just thought,

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00:23:41,359 --> 00:23:47,119
Speaker 3: what better way than to help support these women and

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00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:52,080
Speaker 3: support this club and try and build that out for

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00:23:52,119 --> 00:23:56,480
Speaker 3: more and more examples both on the field of women

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00:23:56,680 --> 00:24:01,080
Speaker 3: but also women off the field leading as well, which

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Speaker 3: I think is also important. And I think we're in

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Speaker 3: a really critical time right now where people have to

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Speaker 3: support the things that we want to see change.

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Speaker 1: This episode of the Racket Magazine podcast is brought to

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Speaker 1: you by Sergio Tucchini, revitalizing and disrupting the status quots

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Speaker 1: and its nineteen sixty six. Follow them on Instagram at

435
00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:33,480
Speaker 1: Sergio Tucchini Underscore Official and go to Sergio Tucchini dot

436
00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:36,439
Speaker 1: com for more. Enter the promo code Racket mag at

437
00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:46,240
Speaker 1: checkout and you'll get thirty percent off your order. Yeah.

438
00:24:46,320 --> 00:24:49,960
Speaker 4: I agree, I think that and more power to you

439
00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:52,560
Speaker 4: and all the women that supported that. And it's obviously

440
00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:54,720
Speaker 4: every person that owns is a part ownership of that

441
00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:57,000
Speaker 4: team is female, and I think that's important. It's one

442
00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:00,280
Speaker 4: of the things that I say about, you know, the

443
00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:04,439
Speaker 4: women even the WNBA, the soccer league obviously with tennis,

444
00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:07,080
Speaker 4: but it's really important for women to support women's sports.

445
00:25:07,119 --> 00:25:08,959
Speaker 3: I think that's.

446
00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:11,840
Speaker 4: Something that we fall behind in is that, you know,

447
00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:15,000
Speaker 4: sports are seen as a dude thing, right, but women

448
00:25:15,119 --> 00:25:17,040
Speaker 4: like to watch sports, but they don't usually go to

449
00:25:17,119 --> 00:25:19,320
Speaker 4: a sporting event unless it's football. They're dragged there by

450
00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:21,040
Speaker 4: their boyfriend or their husband. So I think it's really

451
00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:23,240
Speaker 4: important for women say, hey, let's go and support these

452
00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:27,159
Speaker 4: women's sports events. If we want a quality, we have

453
00:25:27,240 --> 00:25:30,679
Speaker 4: to support the women playing sports and actually go and

454
00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:33,320
Speaker 4: attend and pay money to go and see them instead

455
00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:34,240
Speaker 4: of watching them on the TV.

456
00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:37,320
Speaker 3: That's exactly right, and like really show up for them.

457
00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:39,240
Speaker 3: It's like, and I think all those things are important

458
00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:42,520
Speaker 3: in terms of like action and social actions, and all

459
00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:44,880
Speaker 3: of those things are very powerful and I think they matter.

460
00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:46,760
Speaker 3: But I also think it's like, you know, you have

461
00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:49,840
Speaker 3: to put your money where your action is too sometimes

462
00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:52,639
Speaker 3: so that that can also drive change in really really

463
00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:57,199
Speaker 3: effective ways. So and it's and women's sports, you know,

464
00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:01,560
Speaker 3: like here's the thing. How excited women's sports are is

465
00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:04,720
Speaker 3: something that gets lost, you know, like when you think

466
00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:09,280
Speaker 3: about it. Every year during the Olympics, we're captivated by

467
00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:13,679
Speaker 3: women's gymnastics. We're captivated by women's track and field, there

468
00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:16,600
Speaker 3: are some we're captivated by women's tennis. Again, you know

469
00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:20,760
Speaker 3: there we're watching women's We watch women's tennis now totally

470
00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:24,760
Speaker 3: a thrilling sport. From A to Z. We see women's

471
00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:27,280
Speaker 3: that are exciting players across the board. Look at how

472
00:26:27,560 --> 00:26:30,679
Speaker 3: you know a cocoa goth has captured the world's attention.

473
00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:34,160
Speaker 3: You know what I'm saying. So it's we should be

474
00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:38,239
Speaker 3: supporting all women's sports because women in sport is just

475
00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:39,800
Speaker 3: as exciting as men's sports.

476
00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:42,960
Speaker 4: So absolutely, some of the best stories, you know, even

477
00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:45,560
Speaker 4: the women's ice hookey team from the Lost Times perhaps

478
00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:50,560
Speaker 4: one of the most fun like incredible thrilling exactly was

479
00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:55,040
Speaker 4: was you know your appearance in Miss Americana is Shirley

480
00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:59,840
Speaker 4: playing Sholey, whch is such a iconic figure in female

481
00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:03,399
Speaker 4: in politics in this country? Was that interesting for you

482
00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:06,040
Speaker 4: to like get to know every ins and outs of

483
00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:08,840
Speaker 4: like her life and having to actually feel that and

484
00:27:09,359 --> 00:27:11,760
Speaker 4: you know, your constant fight for equality. But was that

485
00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:14,120
Speaker 4: even like wow, a while moment for you to sort

486
00:27:14,119 --> 00:27:15,480
Speaker 4: of step into that body per se.

487
00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:20,000
Speaker 3: Absolutely. I mean, she's a figure who I had come

488
00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:22,600
Speaker 3: to discover, you know when I first moved to New

489
00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:25,080
Speaker 3: York after reading a book that she was in, and

490
00:27:25,119 --> 00:27:31,160
Speaker 3: I was so shocked that I didn't know as much

491
00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:35,680
Speaker 3: about her as I should have. Frankly, you know, I

492
00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:38,640
Speaker 3: knew her name, mostly because, like my mom, was part

493
00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:44,280
Speaker 3: of that era, but I didn't know the ins and outs,

494
00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:46,919
Speaker 3: so I didn't certainly didn't know that she was the

495
00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:49,520
Speaker 3: first woman, the first black person to have ever run

496
00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:52,159
Speaker 3: for president. I did not know that, and I was

497
00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:55,959
Speaker 3: shocked to know that. And I was just so thankful

498
00:27:56,440 --> 00:28:05,719
Speaker 3: and honored to be able to step into her choose

499
00:28:06,040 --> 00:28:10,120
Speaker 3: her life, and try my very best to tell her

500
00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:16,040
Speaker 3: story and tell it well with the fullness of her existence,

501
00:28:16,359 --> 00:28:18,960
Speaker 3: you know, and try and go just to touch further

502
00:28:19,040 --> 00:28:21,720
Speaker 3: than just you know, what we see in her speeches,

503
00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:24,159
Speaker 3: And I'm glad. I was glad to see it, and

504
00:28:24,200 --> 00:28:27,520
Speaker 3: I was glad to see her story along with all

505
00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:30,760
Speaker 3: the other women's stories who some of which have been

506
00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:34,040
Speaker 3: lost over time. Frankly, you know, there are a lot

507
00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:37,080
Speaker 3: of those women who we haven't we haven't seen or

508
00:28:37,160 --> 00:28:40,800
Speaker 3: known and understood that were the giants who made it

509
00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:44,720
Speaker 3: possible for all of us to experience a different line.

510
00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:47,160
Speaker 4: Well, I guess two things on that. One, it has

511
00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:49,080
Speaker 4: to be taught in school. As you said, you didn't

512
00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:50,880
Speaker 4: get taught that. It needs to be taught in school.

513
00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:54,680
Speaker 4: And certainly there's no question that we've figured out finally

514
00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:57,600
Speaker 4: that we need to find out about the history of

515
00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:01,400
Speaker 4: African Americans is come and where it stems from and

516
00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:03,000
Speaker 4: where it comes from, and it needs to be taught

517
00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:05,160
Speaker 4: to all the kids in school from the beginning. So

518
00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:06,960
Speaker 4: that'll harp. But second of all, I did text you

519
00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:08,840
Speaker 4: when I was watching the show, and I did ask

520
00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:11,200
Speaker 4: you if you could keep the jewelry that you were

521
00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:12,160
Speaker 4: wearing on the show.

522
00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:14,000
Speaker 3: I know you were like really into the.

523
00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:19,000
Speaker 4: Jewel so into the jewelry. So you and I have

524
00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:23,960
Speaker 4: a mutual friend Nary Tanneball, who's like basically was executive

525
00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:26,280
Speaker 4: producer of Orons is a New Black And I said

526
00:29:26,280 --> 00:29:29,040
Speaker 4: to her last night, I said, I'm interviewing, so tell

527
00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:31,280
Speaker 4: me some funny stories. She goes, oh, you have to

528
00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:33,680
Speaker 4: ask her. We missed a big match at the French

529
00:29:33,760 --> 00:29:37,840
Speaker 4: Open because we got caught in the Moway ten.

530
00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:45,600
Speaker 3: Well, Mary, who we I discovered on set. I discovered

531
00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:48,160
Speaker 3: on set. We had like just as deep a love

532
00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:51,800
Speaker 3: of tennis as I do. She is my like tennis buddy.

533
00:29:51,840 --> 00:29:57,360
Speaker 3: We will text during match in the tournament, text over everything.

534
00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:00,040
Speaker 3: And when we went to France, I think she he

535
00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:06,040
Speaker 3: was originally already going. I can't remember, but we made it.

536
00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:09,120
Speaker 3: We and and then I decided to go, or vice versa.

537
00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:12,719
Speaker 3: But we were like we're going, We're definitely when we

538
00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:14,920
Speaker 3: scheduled it to make sure we were like there at

539
00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:18,680
Speaker 3: the same time, and because we'd taken our love for tennis,

540
00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:22,280
Speaker 3: you know, from uh going together at the US Open

541
00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:25,040
Speaker 3: to now like now we're going tennis abroad. We're at

542
00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:27,719
Speaker 3: the French Open, you know, like our tennis adventures are

543
00:30:27,760 --> 00:30:32,280
Speaker 3: taking us overseas. And it was just such a great time,

544
00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:35,520
Speaker 3: like you know, you know, tennis is like to watch

545
00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:37,640
Speaker 3: is so fun. It's like the thrill of it. But

546
00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:39,520
Speaker 3: then there's also like the behind the scenes, like so

547
00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:42,760
Speaker 3: much like excite and joy, partying, having a good time.

548
00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:48,960
Speaker 3: And so we discovered right right right, right right right,

549
00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:52,080
Speaker 3: Well you've seen it. You've seen it, though, I see it. Yeah, yeah,

550
00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:54,960
Speaker 3: you know what's happening. But yeah, we found that they

551
00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:58,680
Speaker 3: had this whole tent just like all they were serving

552
00:30:58,840 --> 00:31:01,440
Speaker 3: was like Moet and you know, champagne will catch up

553
00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:03,920
Speaker 3: with you if you're not careful, and it did that day.

554
00:31:04,200 --> 00:31:07,480
Speaker 3: So did that day, and we just lost track of time.

555
00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:10,479
Speaker 3: We were talking about our time there, what we've been doing,

556
00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:13,280
Speaker 3: what matches we had scheduled to see. But it was

557
00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:15,760
Speaker 3: such a great time. And Neery, who is just one

558
00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:18,840
Speaker 3: of the one of the you know, she's just one

559
00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:21,760
Speaker 3: of the best people, just like such a great spirit,

560
00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:26,480
Speaker 3: such great energy, such a talent too at what she

561
00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:29,560
Speaker 3: does it. She's she's just the best. You can talk

562
00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:31,640
Speaker 3: to her for hours, you know, she's just such a

563
00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:32,120
Speaker 3: good time.

564
00:31:33,040 --> 00:31:35,880
Speaker 4: Yeah. I don't want to keep you any longer because

565
00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:37,720
Speaker 4: I know that you know you just as I said,

566
00:31:37,800 --> 00:31:40,840
Speaker 4: being nominated for an Emmy, So you're gonna I'm sure

567
00:31:40,880 --> 00:31:45,440
Speaker 4: your phone is ringing up, the book, everything's blowing up,

568
00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:49,320
Speaker 4: texting your PR agents, who I also know is probably like,

569
00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:51,840
Speaker 4: what are you doing, where are you? Where are you?

570
00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:54,880
Speaker 4: You blame it all on me, But I want one

571
00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:58,600
Speaker 4: last story from you about the best moment that you

572
00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:01,880
Speaker 4: had at a tennis event that you can recall other

573
00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:03,880
Speaker 4: than I'm going to take away the Wimbledon moment with

574
00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:06,600
Speaker 4: your mom because I think that's a family thing that

575
00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:09,360
Speaker 4: you had. But was if there one special moment at

576
00:32:09,600 --> 00:32:11,880
Speaker 4: a Grand Slam that you just you're so thankful that

577
00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:13,160
Speaker 4: you were there to witness.

578
00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:17,320
Speaker 3: I mean, I think I have to always go back

579
00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:24,160
Speaker 3: to that first final women's final. I mean, that's like

580
00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:30,160
Speaker 3: seared in my memory watching Venus Williams win, and that

581
00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:37,240
Speaker 3: was two thousand and one, I believe, and I had

582
00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:40,440
Speaker 3: been you know that they were the Williams sisters were

583
00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:44,800
Speaker 3: really you know how I started my own personal love

584
00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:48,920
Speaker 3: affair with tennis and watching them play with such power

585
00:32:49,720 --> 00:33:03,120
Speaker 3: and energy and athleticism and skill, and that was something

586
00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:06,800
Speaker 3: that I loved watching when I was growing up because

587
00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:10,840
Speaker 3: you know, I think as an athlete as well, seeing

588
00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:16,200
Speaker 3: that form of athleticism Black women being celebrated with that

589
00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:19,360
Speaker 3: level of athleticism was such a rare thing to see,

590
00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:23,520
Speaker 3: but to see it done so remarkably in them was

591
00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:26,479
Speaker 3: just awesome. I could see myself in them, you know,

592
00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:30,320
Speaker 3: down to the beaded hair, all of it. I could

593
00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:33,520
Speaker 3: see myself in them, and like my existence being validated

594
00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:37,320
Speaker 3: in them, and so that was like the start of it.

595
00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:40,360
Speaker 3: And so then to just be able to sit there

596
00:33:40,560 --> 00:33:46,560
Speaker 3: in the front at the stadium to watch it for myself,

597
00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:49,360
Speaker 3: like I said, with the same energy that I just

598
00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:57,360
Speaker 3: imagined existed there was just unbelievable. It was just truly unbelievable.

599
00:33:57,360 --> 00:34:02,840
Speaker 3: And then it's just consu distantly rolled into more exciting times,

600
00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:10,120
Speaker 3: whether that's watching Serena when countless times after that, it's

601
00:34:10,200 --> 00:34:11,879
Speaker 3: just that that's been my greatest thrill.

602
00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:16,320
Speaker 4: Well, on that note, it was actually two thousand Venus

603
00:34:16,360 --> 00:34:19,000
Speaker 4: beat Lindsay, it was six four seventy five, and then

604
00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:22,719
Speaker 4: Venus beat Serena the following year. The Williams sisters at

605
00:34:22,719 --> 00:34:25,160
Speaker 4: that moment had been in the final four years. They

606
00:34:25,200 --> 00:34:27,040
Speaker 4: were in the final four years in a row, back

607
00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:28,040
Speaker 4: to back to back those years.

608
00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:29,120
Speaker 2: So it was.

609
00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:31,839
Speaker 4: Incredible, and they've done an amazing job of inspiring all

610
00:34:31,840 --> 00:34:36,239
Speaker 4: the very very especially young African American tennis players from

611
00:34:36,239 --> 00:34:38,960
Speaker 4: this country to come forward, including Sloan Stevens who won

612
00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:42,439
Speaker 4: the US Open herself. All these incredible now Coca goth

613
00:34:42,520 --> 00:34:46,040
Speaker 4: So anyway, I on that note, I know that you

614
00:34:46,360 --> 00:34:49,759
Speaker 4: are going to inspire millions of young girls that look

615
00:34:49,800 --> 00:34:51,960
Speaker 4: as you say, just like you to come forward and

616
00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:56,839
Speaker 4: be incredible actors and win Emmy's. And thanks so much

617
00:34:56,840 --> 00:34:58,759
Speaker 4: for joining me. I'm going to put myself back on

618
00:34:58,880 --> 00:35:02,640
Speaker 4: video and say goodbye to and congrats again. Amazing day

619
00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:05,839
Speaker 4: for you. I know, so so much love. I hope

620
00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:08,520
Speaker 4: we get together sooner rather than later. Yes, I know,

621
00:35:09,440 --> 00:35:12,239
Speaker 4: because what people don't realize is how good a cook

622
00:35:12,320 --> 00:35:16,640
Speaker 4: you are as well. I'll be over for anything.

623
00:35:17,800 --> 00:35:19,760
Speaker 3: Yes, grilling again. We're another.

624
00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:22,799
Speaker 4: We can go outside now, I can actually see you

625
00:35:22,840 --> 00:35:23,719
Speaker 4: from afar.

626
00:35:25,719 --> 00:35:26,080
Speaker 1: All right.

627
00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:28,799
Speaker 3: You love you so much, love you to thank you

628
00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:30,759
Speaker 3: for having me on, and thank you for being such

629
00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:32,120
Speaker 3: a champion for women always.

630
00:35:34,640 --> 00:35:37,400
Speaker 1: And that's it for this episode of the Racket Magazine podcast.

631
00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:40,759
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening. Our host is Renee Stubbs. Our co

632
00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:44,520
Speaker 1: host and producer is me Caitlin Thompson. Music by internationally

633
00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:47,840
Speaker 1: renowned DJ Stretch Armstrong. Thanks to Tim or Jerry and

634
00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:50,839
Speaker 1: then the team at acast. Find us at racketmag dot com,

635
00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:53,920
Speaker 1: slash podcast and subscribe to us at any of your

636
00:35:53,960 --> 00:35:55,080
Speaker 1: favorite podcatchers.

637
00:36:00,560 --> 00:36:00,759
Speaker 3: Yeah