Good Game with Sarah Spain

WNBA superstar and Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart joins Sarah to discuss what she learned from Unrivaled’s inaugural season, her goals for season two, how the 3-on-3 league has played a role in setting a new standard for player experience and pay, and her best prediction for when the WNBA CBA negotiations will finally get done. Plus, a trip to the world’s most famous arena, a roster drop of the young and unattached, and a new segment in the lead-up to the Milan-Cortina Games: the Friday Fatto Figo!   SHOW NOTES:  Read David Berri’s story for Winsidr here The latest USWNT roster is here and tickets for the team’s friendlies against Paraguay and Chile are here  Get your tickets for the New York Sirens’ Madison Square Garden game here The Unrivaled schedule can be found here  The NCAA basketball schedule can be found here   The NCAA hockey schedule can be found here  The PWHL schedule can be found here  The LOVB schedule can be found here The full U.S. Figure Skating Championships schedule is here Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com  Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com TikTok: @Spain.Sarah Instagram: @Spain2323 Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WNBA-hooper-turned-team-owner, analyst, activist and all-around badass Renee Montgomery joins Sarah to discuss yet another new title she’s adding to her resume, and to give her thoughts on the start of Unrivaled Season 2 and the ongoing WNBA CBA negotiations. Plus, serving up acronym soup, a design worthy of a star, and shooting for a record.  Get your tickets to the 2026 Women’s Beanpot here Get your tickets for the 2026 SheBelieves Cup here The U.S. Figure Skating Championships schedule is here  Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com  Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com TikTok: @Spain.Sarah Instagram: @Spain2323 Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahead of season two of LOVB – aka League One Volleyball – league President Rosie Spaulding and LOVB Salt Lake player Jordyn Poulter join Sarah to discuss their roses and thorns from year one, the biggest changes the league has made for season two, the evolution of team ownership, and how LOVB views its main competitor Major League Volleyball (MLV). Watch the video of the prank on Orly, the Caitlin Clark doppelgänger here  The LOVB schedule and ticket info can be found here Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com  Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com TikTok: @Spain.Sarah Instagram: @Spain2323 Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time to announce the winners of the 2025 Slice-ees, the second annual Good Game with Sarah Spain awards for excellence, eminence, and embarrassment in women’s sports! Then, friends of the show return to put a button on our new year’s ponderings and talk about changing our minds in 2026. Plus, shuffling up and down the leaderboard and an Italian athlete we’re finding it im-pasta-ble not to love. Check out the behind-the-scenes video of Alessandra Fumagalli and her spaghetti here  The latest women’s basketball rankings can be found here  Follow sliding sports expert Ken Childs here and check out his website here Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com  Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com TikTok: @Spain.Sarah Instagram: @Spain2323 Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new year demands a look back and a look ahead, so we asked some friends of the show to share a memory from 2025 that’s sure to stick and to tell us their intentions - not resolutions, intentions! - for 2026. Plus, circling back on the biggest news from the holiday break, a Winter Olympic charcuterie board, and Unrivaled tips off without a co-founder.  The Unrivaled schedule can be found here  Check out Marta’s dancing skills here Follow Lyndsay Rush on Instagram here Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com  Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com TikTok: @Spain.Sarah Instagram: @Spain2323 Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To close out our "Best of 2025" series, we're revisiting Sarah's conversation with legendary coach and player Dawn Staley. Back in September, she joined Sarah for a candid conversation about leading in life, beyond just wins and losses. Staley, whose Hall of Fame career has shaped generations of athletes, discusses the pressure of coaching in the new NIL and House v. NCAA era, her advocacy for equity in women’s athletics, and the emotional strength required to support friends and family through health challenges — including breast cancer.  Follow Dawn on Instagram here Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com  Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com Instagram: @Spain2323 Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy 2026, slices! We're continuing our week of Best Ofs with Paige Jones, a member of the U.S. National Ski Jumping Team, who joined Sarah in August to share a concerning experience she had during inspections before the season began. Jones explained why a scandal involving altered ski jumping suits has resulted in more intense examinations, detailed just what the heck a crotch machine is, and asked her sport’s governing body to better prioritize athlete comfort and safety. Follow Paige on social media here Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com  Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com Instagram: @Spain2323 Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy New Year's Eve, Slices! We're continuing our week of Best Ofs with U.S. women’s national team legends Julie Foudy and Abby Wambach who sat down with Sarah for a live interview as part of the Women’s Sports Foundation's Athlete Leadership Connection back in October. They discuss how Abby and Julie handled the transition from pro athlete to post-soccer life, why women's sports are inherently political, learning how to enjoy the ordinary and not just the extraordinary, and how Julie and Abby’s new podcast with Billie Jean King, “Welcome to the Party,” adds another layer of radical joy to the women’s sports world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three-time Olympian and two-time World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe joined Sarah earlier this year to talk birthday celebrations, being on the good side of 40, finding joy post-retirement, what’s on her decade to-do list, co-hosting a podcast with her fiancée Sue Bird, what is lost when athletes don’t use their voices, and being a target for far-right foolishness.  Listen to A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe here Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com  Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com Instagram: @Spain2323 Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we're revisiting some of our favorite interviews of 2025, including this conversation with Erin Drake of the WNBA Players Association, and Meghann Burke and Tori Huster of the NWSL Players Association. The trio joined Sarah in late October to discuss what collective bargaining negotiations look like behind the scenes, what the two PAs have learned from each other, and how systems need to change in order for investment in women's sports to make it to the players that built the leagues.  Read the Guardian article about the NWSLPA and WNBPA collab here Follow the WNBPA here Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com  Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com Instagram: @Spain2323 Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork  Follow the NWSLPA here See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're revisiting some of our favorite interviews of 2025, starting with a conversation with Allyson Felix. The retired track star and mother-of-two spoke with Sarah over the summer about her legendary career and the joys and challenges of juggling parenthood and multiple business endeavors. They discussed her new management company Always Alpha, her new documentary "She Runs The World," and her longtime advocacy on behalf of women and mothers, from calling out Nike's pregnancy policies to pushing for the first-ever nursery in an Olympic Village.  Follow Allyson Felix on Instagram here Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com Instagram: @Spain2323 TikTok: spain.sarah Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Little Citrus is back for another holiday hot take speed round – Christmas edition!! Sarah and Alex share their opinions on artificial trees, gift cards as gifts, Hallmark movies, Die Hard and more. Then some hot takes from a few Slices and a couple of your favorite NWSL stars. Plus, a No. 3 pummels some No. 1s, when the student becomes the teacher, and protecting the money maker ahead of the big day.  Vote for the Slice-ees here Check out Parity’s “wrapped” for women’s sports research here Read Eden Laase’s story about Sydni Summers here Watch the video of Cam Brink being fitted for a face mask here Watch the SNL sketch that references the reused gift bag here  The NCAA basketball schedule can be found here   The PWHL schedule can be found here  The college gymnastics schedule can be found here  The NCAA hockey schedule can be found here  Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com  Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com TikTok: @Spain.Sarah Instagram: @Spain2323 Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2025 is (blessedly) almost over, which means it’s time for the 2025 Slice-ees (aka the Good Game with Sarah Spain End-of-Year Awards). Sarah and Alex present their nominees in categories including the “The Megan Rapinoe I F***ing Yeeted My Achilles in the Final Game Award" for the most unbelievable injury and the “Misha Jones Left You Brokenhearted Thanks Obama Award" for the athlete or coach whose departure to another team or league caused you the most distress. It's up to you to decide who were the best, most fashionable, and most socially influential athletes in the world of sports. Plus, an in memoriam for the athletes who nearly killed us this year with their retirement announcements. Submit your vote for the Slice-ees here Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com  Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com TikTok: @Spain.Sarah Instagram: @Spain2323 Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former head of Turner Broadcasting, now co-CEO and Founder of Horizon Sports & Experiences David Levy joins Sarah to discuss this weekend’s Shark Beauty Women's Champions Classic, what he learned about buying and selling sports in his 33 years at Turner, his advice for decision-makers when it comes to the changing media landscape, and why the women’s sports bubble isn't about to burst any time soon. Plus, an icy reunion, rejecting the mechanism, and a new inductee to the Good Game Hall of Fame. Follow Horizon Sports & Experiences on Instagram here Follow David Levy on Instagram here Learn more about the Shark Beauty Women's Champions Classic here Read about the WNBA strike authorization here  Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com  Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com Instagram: @Spain2323 Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Women’s volleyball reporter and host of the Side Out Society podcast Tiffany Oshinsky joins Sarah to preview this weekend’s NCAA volleyball Final Four in Kansas City, discuss the biggest upsets and surprises from the tournament, and take a pop quiz on city nicknames. Plus, tripling up the triple doubles, winning by a Mississippi, and we’ll take one year for one million, Alex.  Follow Side Out Society on Instagram here  Listen to the Side Out Society podcast here Watch Lauren Betts’ reaction to sister Sienna’s first bucket here  Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com  Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com TikTok: @Spain.Sarah Instagram: @Spain2323 Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahead of the Milan-Cortina Paralympics, multi-sport phenom Oksana Masters sat down with producer Alex to discuss how she’s persevered through dozens of injuries and surgeries to become the most decorated Winter Paralympian in U.S. history, her caffeine-fueled goals for life after competition, and the advice she'd give up-and-coming competitors (but never follow herself). Plus, labor divisions expand, a trophy-worthy flick and kick, and a coach we'd never play for.  Follow Oksana on Instagram here Pick up a copy of Oksana’s memoir here Read Ben Pickman’s reporting on the latest in WNBA CBA negotiations here Read more about the dismissal of Dearica Hamby’s lawsuit against the Las Vegas Aces here Check out the Toronto Tempo’s uniforms here Read more about the collapse of Grand Slam Track here Watch Jacqueline Ovalle’s award-winning goal here And watch all 11 nominated goals here The PWHL schedule can be found here  Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com  Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com Instagram: @Spain2323 Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Legendary soccer player Michelle Akers joins Sarah to talk about Origin Story: The 85ers, a new podcast documenting the first U.S. Women's National Team, the topless surf outing that resulted in a lasting nickname, and the joy, injuries and heartbreak that came with setting into motion 40 years of U.S. women’s soccer dominance. Plus, the field beats the favorite, a caucus teams up with a union, and a quicker-than-quick quadragenarian. Read Jeff Kassouf’s story on the NWSL's "High Impact Player" mechanism here Read the feature on Midge Purce in Women’s Health here Find the ever-updating list of NWSL free agent signings here Learn more out the podcast Origin Story: The 85ers here Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com  Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com Instagram: @Spain2323 TikTok: @Spain.Sarah Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Justine Siegel and Assia Grazioli-Venier of the soon-to-launch Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) joined Sarah to discuss the behind-the-scenes process of getting the league up and running, the decision to start with four teams in coastal cities but play the inaugural season in the Midwest, and the emotions they expect to feel when they witness the first pitch of the first women’s pro baseball league in 70 years. Plus, the long-awaited return of “What the Fact" -- and it's one that's sure to get your blood boiling. Read Alex’s 2020 story about women’s baseball here Follow the WPBL on Instagram here, on Facebook here, and on TikTok here Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com  Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com Instagram: @Spain2323 Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former WNBA player, coach and sometime reality star Ty Young joins Sarah to discuss all the offseason options now available to players, the reality of being on reality TV, working under Teresa Weatherspoon, and her shock at the WNBA legend getting just one year at the helm in Chicago. Plus, is it possible that winning too much is a bad thing?  SHOW NOTES:  Read Jeff Kassouf’s reporting the NWSL’s latest salary proposal here  The NCAA volleyball tournament schedule and bracket can be found here The NCAA basketball schedule can be found here Check out photos from Christen Westphal & Maddie Pogarsh’s wedding here  Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com  Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com Instagram: @Spain2323 Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Beth Mowins, longtime play-by-play announcer and OG women’s hoops broadcaster, joins Sarah to discuss the most memorable moments from her legendary career, the changes she’s seen in the women’s college basketball landscape over the years, the biggest winners, losers, surprises and disappointments of this NCAA hoops season so far, and her advice to those looking to follow in her footsteps. Plus, a timely celebration, a hot ‘n spicy Hoops And Gay Shit dispatch, and eat up — its pancake season! Get your tickets for the USWNT’s January friendlies here Read the full TIME “Athlete of the Year” story on A’ja Wilson here The NCAA volleyball tournament schedule and bracket can be found here Follow Pattie Gonia on TikTok here Check out the photos of Kahleah Copper and Michaela Mabrey via WagTalk here Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com  Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com Instagram: @Spain2323 TikTok: Spain.Sarah Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.