Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're saying it out loud, over and over again, it is not normal for a government agency to murder an American citizen and then gaslight people about that murder, one that they saw with their own eyes.

It's Friday, January ninth, and on today's show, we are sending all of you love and strength during this increasingly terrifying and enraging time, and we hope this show gives you just a little break from the horrors of the news and reality.

Today's episode, thankfully, is a great one.

I'm going to be chatting with one of the winningest basketball players of all time, one of my faves, Brianna Stewart, about her role in founding Unrivaled and her goals for season two down in Miami, how the three on three league has played a role in setting a new standard for player experience and pay, and her best prediction for one the WNBACBA negotiations will.

Finally be done.

Plus a trip to the world's most famous arena, a roster drop of the young and unattached, and we introduce a new segment in the lead up to the On Courtina Games.

The Friday.

But so Figo, it's all coming up right after this Welcome back slices.

Here's what you need to know today.

Let's start with hoops.

The third deadline for the WNBA and its players Association to reach a new deal on a CBA is today, but all signs point to the sides still being very far apart as of this recording on Thursday afternoon, there's no official announcement as to whether there'll be another deadline extension, if they'll enter a period of quote unquote status quo.

Or if either side will declare a work stoppage.

When I talk to the New York Liberties Brianna Stewart on Thursday, an interview you'll hear in its entirety in just a few minutes, she told us.

Quote obviously it's not going to be done tomorrow.

She went on, quote, will continue to negotiate in good faith.

It doesn't mean on Saturday we're going to have a lockout unless the league does something we're not prepared for.

End.

Quote plenty more from Stewie on both the CBA negotiations and the second season unrivaled in just a few minutes.

Also, I highly recommend you read the latest take on the negotiations from friend to the show and economist David Barry over at Windsider.

In his latest piece, he draws a comparison between the WNBA today and the NBA in nineteen eighty one, explains the different ways the league and the paview revenue sharing in their latest offers, breaks down the approximate amount of future money the players have already conceded during negotiations by backing off their forty percent of total revenue demand.

Andy explains why.

The rallying cry pay us what you owe us is now looking more like just pay us closer to what you owe us.

We'll link to the story in the show notes to Unrivaled.

Season two of the three on three league continues tonight with a double header featuring Vinyl BC versus ROSEBC, followed by the first meeting between the two new expansion teams, Breeze BC and Hive BC.

Those games get underway at.

Seven thirty pm Eastern on TNT and True TV, and there's plenty more Unrivaled action through the weekend and into Monday.

This season.

To avoid back to backs, the league has fourced there eight nights of action instead of just three running Friday through Monday nights.

We'll link to the full schedule in the show notes.

Speaking of second seasons, Love Pro Volleyball Season two got underway Wednesday night, with last year's champion Love Austin picking up right where they left off, defeating Love Nebraska in five sets.

We'll link to the full weekend slate of Love games in the show Notes.

To soccer, the roster for the US national team's upcoming training camp was unveiled on Thursday, and it does include Trinity Rodman, who will rejoin the US women's national team for the first time since April twenty twenty five, after a series of injuries kept her away from the national team in recent months.

The January camp doesn't align with a FIFA windows, so international clubs aren't required to release their players.

As such, the twenty six player US roster includes only NWSL players and Rodman, who's technically currently not signed with any team.

Unattached is what it's listed as.

As a whole.

The roster skews young and lax international experience, and four players Matty Dollen, Raylan Turner, Riley Jackson, and Sally Mente have received their first US women's national team's senior team call up, while Rodman is the most capped player in the bunch, boasting forty seven international appearances.

As part of the training camp, the US will also host friendlies against Paraguay on January twenty fourth and Chile on January twenty seventh, both in Southern California.

We'll link to the full roster, as well as tickets to those friendlies in the show notes to the PWHL.

The New York Sirens announced on Thursday that the team will play at famed Madison Square Garden Arena in New York on April fourth, facing off against the Seattle Torrent.

While the Sirens play most of their home games at the Prudential Center in Newark, the one off contest at MSG offers the team a chance to compete in front of a new and hopefully very large set of fans.

The arena can hold more than nineteen thousand people and tickets are available now.

We'll link to the site in the show notes.

Speaking of the Seattle Torrent, by the way, Wednesday night saw Hillary Knight and her expansion Seattle team visit Boston for the first time since she parted ways with the Fleet and Boston earned the win on home ice two to one, snapping their two game losing skid and remaining perfect in their home games played in Massachusetts this season.

Four games on the Slate and the PWHL this weekend will link to the schedule in the show notes.

To college hoops.

Iowa State suffered a second straight loss on Wednesday night, falling to unranked Cincinnati seventy one sixty three, following a seventy two to seventy loss to Baylor on Sunday.

Audie Crooks had twenty three points and ten rebounds in the loss, but it wasn't.

Enough to secure the win for Iowa State.

Crooks, who leads the nation in points per game, did continue or streak for most consecutive games with double digit points by an active player nationally with her eighty second straight up next to Iowa State will look to get back in the win column when they face West Virginia this Sunday.

Few more big games to keep tabs on this weekend.

Notre Dame, unranked for the first time since twenty twenty one, will look to get back on track when they faced number two UNC on Sunday at one pm Eastern Also on Sunday, number two Texas heads to number twelve LSU.

The Longhorns are one of four remaining undefeated teams in Division One, while the LSU Tigers are looking a rebound f stumbling to start their conference schedule.

The game will help kick off the SEC's week long We Backpat initiative, with teams raising money to fight Alzheimer's disease in support of the Late Pat Summit.

That game tips off at.

Three pm Eastern, and Sunday is going to require a second and third screen because at four pm Eastern, number five Oklahoma travels to number six Kentucky, will number eight Maryland host number nineteen Ohio State.

Then at seven Eastern, it's number four UCLA taken on number twenty five Nebraska, and also in action on Sunday, number one yukon number three South Carolina, number seven Vanderbilt, and so many more.

So let's just say there's going to be a lot of good hoops on Sunday.

We'll link to the full schedule in the show notes, so you can start planning now to call it hockey where there are also a bunch of big games this weekend, kicking off with this afternoon's meeting at four pm Eastern between number one Wisconsin and number eight Minnesota Duluth, followed by a seven pm contest featuring number two Ohio State and number fifteen Saint Cloud State.

Those two games alone will feature five members of the US team for the upcoming Milan Coarte games, with Wisconsin boasting four players on Team USA and Ohio State boasting one plus another seven athletes from those four schools are going to compete for other teams at the Winter Olympics, so if you're looking for folks to cheer four in Milan, be sure to tune in.

We'll link to the full college hockey schedule in the show notes.

Sticking on ice, but to figure skating.

Amber Glenn took a commanding lead at US Championships on Wednesday night, earning eighty three point oh five points for her short program, the highest short program score ever recorded by a woman at US Nationals.

Skating to Madonna's Like a Prayer.

She was wearing the iconic red dress one Slice nominated for Fit of the Year for the Slices, and now Glenn is on track to win her third straight US Women's Singles title, MB one of three skaters selected to represent the US at next month's Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Twenty twenty five World champion Alyssa Lu plays second in the short program, with Isabelle Lovito coming in third.

For folks lest familiar with the world of figure skating, the final result is the sum of an athlete score from the short program, which is about two minutes and forty seconds long, and their free skate, which is about four men.

The women's title at the US Championships will be awarded following the free skate tonight, and the Olympic team will be unveiled on Sunday.

We'll link to the full broadcast schedule in the show notes.

We got to take a break.

When we come back.

It's the one and only Brienna Stewart.

Joining US now one of the winningest basketball players of all time, with a resume longer than a CVS receipt.

We'll try to sum it up.

In high school, a National Gatoraid Player of the Year, Gateoraide Female Outlet, a year a McDonald's All American.

In college, a four time national champion and final Foremost Outstanding Player, A record four times at Yukon first overall pick in the WNBA Rookie of the Year, a three time champion, two time League MVP, two time Finals MVP, seven time All Star, a three time Olympic Gold medalist, and the co founder of the Unrivaled League, A twenty twenty five SI Innovator of the Year, and Time one hundred donree.

She said the league into a tizzy with her free agency emojis, got wine hand delivered tour at the Liberty Championship Parade, and her literal WTF moment at Oppressor turned her into a meme.

It's Stewie, Brianna Stewart.

Hi, Hi, thanks for having me.

Thanks for coming on.

Oh my god, We've been so excited to have you on and talk to you.

And there is so much going on.

Let's start with the game winner and you're missed BC season opener.

I couldn't have scripted it any better, huh.

Honestly, it was like, it's a little bit weird because I was in early at the start of the third and then I came out and then I did an interview with ros so then my rhythm was kind of off, and it was like, all right, let that group keep playing.

And in the fourth after they got tired and stuff.

Zach made some subs and I went in and I was like, you know what, let me get to my spot.

Like, let's just get to my spot and see what we could do.

Everybody knows I like the right shoulder fade, but I got a little bit close to the baseline and I was I was like, all right, just don't hit the backboard, and it was well.

As the founder, I'm sure you get to script those things, which is nice for you.

You get to.

Make sure everybody else hits their mark, and then you get to be the champion.

We're talking to you on Thursday, after the first full day of Unrivaled Season two action, but the first weekend slate is coming up.

I'm excited to kind of look back at year one and then look ahead to year two.

So let's start with the lead up to last year's inaugural season.

The player reveals, the name and logo drops, the partnership and sponsorship reveals like it was a master class in launching a new league.

Why were those elements so important to you and to Fee and everybody else involved when you were launching the league.

Honestly, I feel like the elements of dropping players, you know, weekly or one day at a time, but then also dropping the partners was really important because it kind of created a little bit of suspense, you know, for everybody that didn't know what was happening, how this league was going to function or performer all these things, and we're telling fans and also just viewers like day by day who's coming here.

Was really exciting, and I think that obviously for year one, we definitely exceeded expectations with what was going on and what we wanted to happen.

But really, like I can't say enough about appreciation for the players that first believed and what we had going here, because now you see, as we you know, are just getting into year two, tons of excitement.

Yeah, you're creating not just a new league, but an ecosystem with teams and affiliations and a brand new style of play.

Obviously, people watch.

Three x three in Olympic play, but it's not the way we usually watch basketball.

So I wonder in the early planning stages if you did get any pushback from players you reached out to, or sponsors or business partners about the format and whether there'd be interest in watching.

A league like this really not the sponsors or business partners.

I think that they were excited to have something different.

And the one thing about our format is that it's so fast paced, like you're going to get so many highlights in the game.

Sometimes you miss them.

Sometimes you realize that highlight happened until you see it later.

And then as far as the players, it was like, you know, adaptable, We played everything, and when we're able to show them that we're going to be in market, we're gonna be in Miami, We're going to try something new and you're gonna get paid a lot to do it.

Everybody everybody's willing to to kind of test it out.

But I will say, like those first few days of that beginning practice, it was like when you when you're told to like sprint the lane or like run wide.

You're not used to having four steps and then being at the next three point line.

So like trying to figure out, like, all right, where's my space, saying how far do I have to run before like looking up and and that type of thing was funny for sure.

But everybody, everybody caught on pretty quickly.

Yeah, it's not just like playing pick up.

The court size is different, and the style of play because you're working with just three players are different.

But I remember talking to Nafisa Callier's husband Alex for the show last year and he talked about how so many actions in basketball are three player related and it would actually be such a useful tool for players in the off season to work on things.

And if you're like, that's a really good selling point for a lot of people you're trying to bring in.

Before we move on to season two, I want to talk roses and thorns from season one.

A couple of highlights for you, A couple of low lights.

Ooh.

I think highlights for me was like just having everything being success, like looking at the overall like from a co founder from a business standpoint that everyone came in and they and they loved it.

I had a great time with my missies.

But at the same time, that's my low light, is like we really struggle to kind of get some wins.

But you know, sometimes that happens.

You know, that's happened throughout w seasons and stuff like that.

You never know.

And what I really enjoyed was just getting to know and play with different kind of people and we made the most out of it.

You know, every night we competed and we made sure that we were in those situations, but sometimes we just couldn't get over the hump.

And happy to say that now the season two missies we started off with a win, so I'm happy about that.

It's nice to be healthy, I'm sure for you too.

Yeah, yeah, I guess that was also thorn.

My side was just like I was playing through like a partial minuscus tear, and when you have to play through injury, it's just like a different type of mental and then also trying to like be great at the same time can be frustrating.

But I'm happy to be like feeling back to myself, you know, feeling healthy and just being able to be the player that I that I am.

What did you learn from season one that you knew you wanted to change for season two?

I think what I learned from season one was that we needed more space overall, Like there's all the facilities and the amenities.

I don't know if you ever had a chance to like come down and actually haven't, ye, well, you gotta come down.

They're all like top notch.

But there was a lot of there was only two courts last year.

So you got to think like there's like three blocks of practices happening a day, and we just needed another court.

So now we have three courts.

We have like basically three weight rooms and two training rooms, so it's like you're not running over every ady trying to get on a table or you're able to get everything that you need.

So that's the biggest improvement is just like more space and more people.

Now called Sophora Arena, which got those updates, those upgrades, more player treatment options and things like that, as well more seating too, which I think that's exciting to know that after year one more people want to come and you need to make more space for them.

Yeah, definitely.

I mean I think just like really adapting, figuring out what works, what's inn't it, how we can change it.

And one of the really cool touch points was just like even when I was warming up last game, It's like I warm off at the sixty minute mark, so that's when the fans are let in and they were just like screaming, just like of happiness just to be back in the arena.

So I was like, this is great, this is perfect.

Yeah, the ones that were screaming watching you and the ones that were screaming because pagebackers jersey was already sold out, exactly, it was already not on the wall anymore.

That's cool too, the jerseys on the merch and everything that's available right away.

And then you've got the development player pool, which feels really important something that you might have learned from last year in terms of like injuries and availability.

So tell us about that.

Yeah, absolutely, I mean I think that last year we were kind of like trying to figure out what's the perfect number, you know, when you play three and three, what's the perfect number to have on your team, and we found that to be six, you know, six healthy people, but also wanting to bring in the developmental team to come here and get better, you know.

So it's the pros that you know, are still waiting to be their best and still waiting to like make their mark in any league that they're in, and we have them so that they're they're ready.

You know, if someone goes down, they're ready to come in and fill that position.

And I think it's an incredible opportunity for them just to get reps in and really get the work in.

And you know, that's that's also like the One of the bigger changes that we've made is like we're making making sure that there's developmental time.

You know, there's time to get that PD work where it's like all right after we practice together.

For example, we practice together for seventy five minutes today, and then the last forty five minutes your team has you to get what you need, which is really cool.

So then you don't have to like come back or like to make double sessions and that's everything.

You get it all done right away.

I don't have the number in front of me, but allegedly every player that played and Unrivaled and then got back to w play in twenty twenty five improved statistically, which says something about the ability to, like I said, use those three person actions and then translate them to five on five, but also to use the time with other great players and coaches to get better.

I remember we saw a lot of clips of like Angel Reese working with Lisa Leslie down in the post and folks like that trying to improve parts of their game that they wanted to, which was really cool.

This season and Unrivaled, we're also seeing a couple of games on the road outside of the Miami home.

How did you choose Philly for that?

Well, we chose Philly because we wanted it to We wanted to basically go to a market that didn't have W team.

And honestly, it's interesting because we announced that we were going to Philly and then shortly after they announced that they were getting a W team, so it kind of worked out perfectly.

But I think that's like our top priority is like places where you're not normally playing, and we have four teams going.

My team is not going to Philly, which I am a little bit upset about.

Isn't that to you?

You're in charge.

You know, there's a lot of people in the room, so they wanted to to keep it a pleasant or not so pleasant surprise for me.

I guess.

Are there plans to eventually take games to other cities?

Yeah, obviously not this year where we're just doing a one stop shop in Philly.

But I think as we continue to evolve to year three and year four, it's it's kind of like, all right, where do we want to go next?

You know?

And I know that a big part of the figuring that out and the business side of it is seeing, well, where is the merch being bought most from and that type of thing, and like who's really engaging in watching this and from what cities and how can we make the most of it for them?

Yeah, is the plan eventually to have teams attached markets and owned by unique ownership groups.

Oh, honestly, we haven't.

We haven't gotten too that that far.

I think that.

It's it's definitely a possibility, you know.

It's like, as you continue to expand, it's like, well, what's the perfect number of teams?

First of all, now we have eight?

Do we expand more than that?

Or do we keep it like that?

But I think it would be really cool to like have individual ownership come in and you know, just handle a team they would any other league.

Just to have that kind of attachment and that kind of pride, we'll really make the fans have just and even more teams to root for.

I guess.

Yeah.

So basically I said, I don't know, but I think we should.

Yeah.

Well, and also, like there's a difference between individual ownership versus actually moving a team to a place and then turning it into a league that travels.

Obviously there's way more cost that goes into that, and it's such a short league that to have it involve a lot of going to and from doesn't feel as realistic.

And also, no, no, there seems like there's a lot of value in having everyone in one place.

Yeah.

No, we definitely will not be like spreading the teams out.

We will all be in one market.

But there might be a point where we have individual ownerships kind of come in and make their team, you know, will you have an individual owner and then a GM and then like everybody kind of handles business, there's themselves that way.

Do you imagine that every year the teams will shake up a little like they have with the ability to kind of do the same thing with an expansion draft or is that specific to the fact that you were adding two new teams this year.

I think that's specific to adding two new teams.

You know, we have meetings and it's like, do we do like a free agency type of situation where you can you can keep or you can tag franchise tag a certain amount of players.

But I think, honestly, I'm not sure if we're adding more teams.

I don't think we are right now, but if we did, we would definitely have to do an expansion draft again.

Yeah, because it's interesting.

There's excitement around seeing different players play together, but there's also like an allegiance like no offense.

But I'm ghost Gang and I have been ghost Gang for two years running, and I do it on a random We do an.

Unrivaled draft on the show You How You Got.

So both seasons we've done an unrivaled draft and we do it like a fun quiz form where we have multiple categories and you rank the teams one through eight based on just that category, and then at the end you assigned the number of points based on how many times they were first, second, whatever, and the lowest number of points.

So the team that was most often near the top of your ranks ends up being your team.

And both years have ended up with Phantom.

So it wasn't a choice that they chose me.

Ghost Gang chose me.

Missed Real High in the crest.

I love the mountains, Real low in the name.

It just reminds me of a feminine product.

But respect.

But did you see our new jerseys?

Because those yes, they come up for that has been so.

Good, so good.

Uh yeah, I was very torn because also the hive vibes were really good this year.

They made a fight for.

But yeah, I've been ghostanging two years in a row.

So the question is whether you want to keep the allegiance of people who are rooting for one team or keep you know, switching it up because it is exciting to see different players play together.

You know, you talked about having to evolve every year as you're growing or figuring out like what fans are looking for and what they want.

How do you see competition?

You've got a league like Project B that's supposed to start in December of this year.

It could potentially and has already stolen away a couple of players that are not unrivaled anymore.

How do you deal with that?

Honestly, I think the biggest way that we deal with it is we continue to make sure that we're we're becoming bigger and better, and that means like adding more partnership dollars, making sure that our sponsors Turner and T and T like they're really important in what we do, and signing players long term.

I think that we have like thirty I don't quote me on this number, but like at least half of our players I believe are signed through twenty twenty eighth, which is a huge deal and showing that they know what we're doing here and making sure that we're giving them everything that they need to be successful.

Yeah, and the nil players is great too, because you're grabbing that talent before they're even a free agent really for the off season market.

Really smart.

You mentioned it.

Unrivaled made a really powerful statement last year about the value of prioritizing player experience, paying players what they're worth, showing players, this is where you want to be and we're going to treat you right so you could feel comfortable signing a multi year deal.

It was really useful before CBA negotiations really heated up to have that model, and it is being rightfully weaponized in interviews right now as an example of a league that is both financially successful and pays fair wages.

How is it felt to.

Be the co founder and kind of a spokesperson for something that not only supports and funds so many of your fellow players, but also has clearly impacted those negotiations in the WNBA, And probably when all shakes out will result in even more meaningful change in the financial solutions of an entire league like you will be a massive push for whatever does get done in your other league.

Yeah, I mean, I'm just really proud I think that.

You know, obviously, it's it's almost like comparing apples and oranges between Unrivaled in the WNBA because the league the w has been around for twenty eight twenty nine years, and like their model, they started with a different model than the one that we're starting with Unrivaled.

But I think that's important too, just because costs are so different.

Exactly.

I love, I think there's so much value in talking about what Unrivaled doing, but I also think it's disingenuous not to point out that you don't have to pay for flights and you don't have all the other restrictions that come with being a thirty year organization that has a tide of the NBA and everything.

Else, but exactly exactly, so like we're very aware of that.

I'm very aware of that, and like that's that's kind of why it's like it's really hard when people are like, oh, you compared this to that, and.

It just doesn't it doesn't work.

So I will say that, like, you know, what I am really proud of it Unrivaled is the fact that we are able to have the highest average salary in women's sports, that we are able to make sure that players don't have to go because that's that's really the competition is, like, you know, you would go overseas and you would have to be away from home, and it's like, now we'll be here and build brands because now the partnerships, endorsements, all these people behind me are really invested in this sport.

And obviously there's been an explosion within the last however many years, pretty much after COVID and taking advantage of that.

You know, I think that ninety eight percent of the players here are making more than what they made in the WNBA.

And that's what we want.

We want to have a place where people can come, they can work hard, they can play, they can be they get better, and they make money.

Yeah, I think your point is a really valuable one.

Obviously, globally things are more accessible than ever before because of streaming and the Internet and whatever.

But I remember listening to a great episode of A Touch More with Sue Bird and Meghan Rapino, and they talked about how much value there is in a domestic legacy, not just that you get more endorsement deals when you've got brands that see you playing, and that some of their deals actually required you to be in America playing in order for those activations and sponsorships to pay out, but also that your legacy is affected by where people watch you and against whom and Project B might be great, but like, what, how do we decide what value there is to playing in that league in those places with the other players on it, And that's yet to be seen.

But there's a great amount of value added in having this incredible off season opportunity that you've created with unrivaled, which is fantastic.

I'm wondering how you do it all because I'm looking at your Insta with your little kiddos and your beautiful family and your matching pj's and your trips to Disneyland, and then at the same time you're planning for season two of this.

You're one of seven.

WNBA players that's on the union executive committee, so you're trying to manage your responsibilities as CBA negotiations have unfolded while you're getting ready for Miami, Like, how have you?

How do you do it?

Honestly?

Sometimes like I don't know.

I literally saw this thing yesterday.

It was like I swear Stuie has like sixty hours in her day, Like how does she.

Make it work?

But I think like, especially in the months leading up to Unrivaled, Martin and I and the fam we were in Spain and it was a lot of fun just to get to kind of reset like R and R.

I took some time off from basketball.

But at the same time, it's like, while I am now six hours ahead, that means I do have midnight one am calls with the EC or getting updated with Unrivaled.

So it's really just kind of like being ready for anything.

Definitely being prepared, Like I had a I went to to Vegas on Tuesday there and back Tuesday to accept the SI Innovator of the Year Award for fun I, which was really cool.

It's just like, you know, night, my schedule is just like right busy.

Yeah, it's hard to carve out time to get all the awards.

I understand relatable.

Last year we called Unrivaled Tampa Bay even though it's in Miami, and even more so this year because nearly every vet in the WNBA is a free agent, So how much are the players talking about the free agent frenzy that could occur?

Once the CBA actually gets done.

I think people are definitely aware that free agency has the potential to be.

Very, very wild.

The only thing that people that we don't know is like the expansion draft, because that's gonna happen, Like how many players can the team protect?

The rumor has it that they say five and that type of thing.

But where do you go from from here?

Are you?

Are you protected or are you not?

Like can you get picked up by these two other teams?

But we're gonna make the most out of it, you know, hopefully we'll have a CBA contract done sooner than later, just so things aren't going to be extremely late, like they're gonna be late already because as you know, like free agency would have started.

But when that does happen, we'll definitely have to check back in and see the vibes, you know, see see how the hallways are looking or going here, yeah, sending what?

Yeah, there's gonna be a lot of care packages and gifts sent from room to room for I feel bad for the expansion teams who can't plan for their first home game.

I feel bad for new coaches that are trying to figure out how to work with players that they haven't really met yet.

Yeah, all right, last two questions were you, what are your goals for season two of Unrivaled?

What does success look like?

Success for season two of Unrivaled?

For me, like Missy's making the playoffs, We're we wanna, we wanna fight for a championship.

And I think that with this group, it's a group that I've really never played with any of these players individually before, so I'm excited to to kind of learn from them, you know, share a lot, and help them as as they grow throughout their careers.

And then also it's just like making sure that we have a sold out, packed house every single night here in Miami but also in Philly, and making sure the fan experience is top notch.

Like that's that's.

One of my biggest measures is when you go places and you're not playing games, but you see people having the gear, you know, after we won and when we had the ticker tape parade and it was like, you know, you don't know how it's gonna be when you're driving down fit that, but then we turned the corner and everybody had the gear, you know, So now people are able to get that and support players here.

It unrivaled and honestly, whether they're in person or watching from.

Before, realistic goal for the CBA to be done.

Realistic goal like a timeline.

Mm hmm.

What do you actually think will happen?

I mean, I think like, obviously it's not going to be done tomorrow, which the.

Third deadline, exactly.

The third deadline, which sucks for sure, it sucks for everyone involved.

But at the same time, will we'll continue to negotiating good faith, Like there's it doesn't mean on Saturday we're going to have a lockout, right unless the league does something that we're not prepared for, Like that's not going to happen.

But hopefully everything can be done by February one, because it's like, even if we agree, we still have to wait for like contracts to be written.

So there's a lot to be thinking about.

It's not just like, oh, you're done now, it'll work.

If we can get by February one, we'll all be in a good place, all right.

The final thing, it's like bench start cut, but you don't have to cut anything.

It's good, gooder, gooddest, something's good, something's gooder, and the best one is goodest.

So the Stewie one, Quiet Fire, the Stewie two Ruby, and the Stewie four night Vision.

Start with good Oh, Okay, good is the Stuie four night Vision.

Okay, Gooder is the next one?

Right, Yep, this is tough for me.

Gooder is the Ruby two, even though I want to make that my number one.

Named after your daughter.

Yeah, Goodest.

Goodest is the Stewie one Quiet Fire, first signature shoe in ten years, really kind of starting a domino effect and getting that backed so that people are able to see their shoes in market and you know, share their stories and be relatable so that young girls and young boys can grow up and be like they want to get the Stewies or they want to get the Asians in store.

Because we didn't have that.

You know, we had the Kadis and the Lebronze and that type of thing, and now you have everything.

So I'm really excited to be able to to kind of be a part of that that shared space and know that we're really making a big change.

Yeah we didn't have that, but I have the quiet Fires now that I wear to not play basketball in because I'm not allowed to play anyth nickle ball or what well, like literally nothing.

My body is trash, but I wear I'm gonna look good and that's.

One part of the battle.

We love Stewie, thanks so much for coming on.

It's always so great to.

Talk to you.

Absolutely, thank you for having me.

Thanks again to Stewway for hanging out with us.

We got to take another break when we return.

It's the first edition of our new Olympic segment, Friday, Hey fat to Figo, stick around welcome backslices or should I say ben Tornado specy derancia?

Okay, my Italian sticks, but that's supposed to be welcome orange slices.

Anyway, I always slip into French when I try to speak Italian, or I sound like an over the top stereotypical waiter, so I won't do it too often.

But I am going to give it one more go because I want to introduce a new weekly segment we're doing as we ramp up for our trip to the Milan Cortina Games, Friday Fato Figo, which loosely translates by me to Friday fun facts.

Now, is this an official Italian term?

Absolutely not, but it's alliterative and it sounds good.

Jess, be sure if you say it you say Fato figo and not fato figa, because figa is a highly vulgar term for female anatomy.

Anyway, Today, with exactly four weeks until the Olympic opening ceremony on February six, We're going to take a big picture look at the twenty twenty six Winter Games, focusing on Italy's history with the Olympics and how the country's unique flame and flavor will be a part of this year's extravaganza.

Now, Italy has hosted three previous Olympic Games.

Cortino Dampezo hosted in the winter of nineteen fifty six, Rome in the summer of nineteen sixty and Tourin in the winter of two thousand and six.

Fato Figo about that first Winter Games at Courtina.

It was the last time the figure skating competition was held outdoors at the Olympics.

Now, seventy years later, returning to Courtina as one of the Olympic competition sites, Metal events have increased from just twenty four at that nineteen fifty six Games to one hundred and fourteen this year.

Now Italy has won one hundred and forty one Winter Olympic medals to date, combining men's, women's and mixed events, taking home forty two golds, forty three silvers and fifty six bronze.

The first Italian woman ever to compete in the modern Olympics was equestrian competitor Alvira Guera at the nineteen hundred Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

Meantime, it wasn't until nineteen thirty six that Italy set women to the Winter Games.

More than ninety percent of the venues that are going to be used this year already existed or will be temporary, and these games are going to make history as the most geographically widespread Olympic Winter Games in history.

So hello, long bus trips to and from the mountains for me and Alex and everyone else attending.

It's going to be the first Olympic Games to be officially hosted in two cities, Milan and Cortina, two regions Lombardia and Veneto, and two autonomous provinces Trento and Bolzano.

Now we're going to have more on the cities and the areas in which events will be competed and our personal plans for travel and event coverage in a future Friday to Figo.

That's really fun to say.

By the way, you should try it now.

Before Alex and I even begin our travels, the Olympic Torch has already seen many miles, beginning November twenty sixth in Olympia, Greece, arriving in Rome on December fourth, and ever since traveling through every region of Italy.

It'll eventually arrive in Milan on.

February fifth, in time for the next day's opening ceremony.

Oh and speaking of Milan, you may also hear the city referred to as Milano.

The Italian name for the city.

Most of the rest of the world cuts it short with just Milan, so sometimes you'll hear Milano Cortina and sometimes just Milan Cortina.

The official model for the Games, whatever you're calling them, is It's your Vibe Capital.

It for Italy, and the official mascots of the Games are two cheerful stoats named Tina for Cortina and Milo for Milano.

The lighter colored.

Tina is the mascot for the Olympics, and her younger brother, Milo, the darker colored stoat, who was born without one paw, is the representative for the Paralympics.

Now, I know what you're thinking.

What is a stoat?

Great question?

My brain said, large rodent, but the internet said no ermine weasel family.

But y'all, stoats are really cute, especially the snow white kind.

So cute they almost look made up.

Promise you google white stoat right now, perfect winter mascot in my opinion, so adorable.

And then joining Tina and Milo are allegedly six little anthropomorphized snowdrops called the Flow.

What is a snowdrop?

Is it a snowflake that's more water based?

Is it just a drop of water in snow?

I don't know, but the flow is now and I assume not to be confused with ant flow or flow from Progressive.

Per the website, these snowdrops are quote six curious and irresistible little flowers, symbol of rebirth.

They never leave their friends and love to have fun, even if this sometimes gets them into trouble.

End quote.

Sounds like me and al trapesing around Italy, right, Alex yeah, no, we need hell yeah, hell yeah.

A couple other Italian touches include the introduction of Olympic rings Pasta, also a short film that's supposed to get viewers to fall in love with Italy set to the song Tamo, which means I Love you.

There's an official anthem, an official soundtrack, and I guess one would assume official toilet paper energy during condoms everything.

I'm excited to see all the ways Italian culture is incorporated into the games, both in person and in the coverage that folks will be watching on television.

I've been to Italy a bunch of times and it is a really beautiful, fashionable, remarkable, culturally rich, culinarily delightful place.

So I'm excited for nearly three weeks of Buona partita in Italy.

That's it for today's Friday fat to fie Ego, seriously say it's really fun fat to fijigo slices.

We love that you're listening, but we want you to get in the game every day too, So here's our good game play of the day.

Watch a little unrivaled this weekend.

Check out our girl Brianna.

As a reminder, we've.

Linked to the full schedule in the show notes so you can find all the games.

And we always love to hear from you, so hit us up on email.

Good game at wondermedianetwork dot com or leave us a voicemail at eight seven two two oh four fifty seventy and don't forget to subscribe, rate and review slices.

It's really easy watch beauty brands pouring into the women's sports space.

Rating ten out of ten for finally seeing the light review.

For a long time, beauty brands didn't see women's sports as a natural fit for their sponsorships and promotions.

Surely the sports girlies didn't care about giving good face right wrong.

There is no better ad for a foundation, mascara or lipcolor than an athlete playing a full four quarters of hoops and then looking fresh as a daisy when the final buzzer sounds.

So shouts to Sephora for the previously mentioned Sephora arena at the unrivaled facility and they're brilliant Sephora branded.

Ref uniforms to elf who are all over.

The place in women's sports, Tennis soup soccer had a spectacular skydiver activation at the NWSL Championships that Alan I saw in person.

Also Cover Girls new sponsorship with three time Olympic medals Gabby Thomas.

She's putting the brand's new mascare to the test on the track in a new campaign.

There are just countless smart clabs between beauty brands and athletes and leagues popping up all over, and it's about damn time.

I said it yesterday, but it bears repeating look good, feel good, play good.

And speaking of looking good, y'all, I'm doing okay with my eyebrow intention.

I have to admit that there was one day that I left not only with no eyebrows on, but two ZiT stickers on that I forgot to take off.

So I wouldn't say I'm nailing it in twenty twenty six.

But you know what, as I said before, I don't know if it's my turn to get better or the year's turn to get better.

And I'll tell you what, this year is not nailing it either, So I guess we're even.

Now it's your turn, y'all, Rate and review, thanks for listening, See you next week.

Good game, Brianna, good game, Miss BC.

I guess ghost gang you ie forever and ever and always.

Good game with Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.

You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts.

Or wherever you get your podcasts.

Production by Wonder Media Network.

Our producers are alex.

Azie, Grace Lynch, Taylor Williamson and Lucy Jones.

Our executive producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny.

Kaplan and Emily Rudder.

Our editors are Emily Rutterer, Britney Martinez and Gianna Palmer.

Production assistants from Avery Loftus and I'm Your Host Sarah Spain