November 26, 2025 • 34 mins
Bay FC forward Penelope Hocking joined Sarah as part of the iHeart Women’s Sports Strong Start event at the NWSL Championship in San Jose. She discusses scoring in the same legendary stadium as her baseball-playing dad, getting drafted into the NWSL on the same day as her twin sister, and an awkward trade ask that was well worth it, now that she’s playing pro soccer in her home state. Plus, adding a few more names to the group project, granting permission to take control of the remote, and an answer to what happens when a goat finds your phone.
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Follow Penelope on Instagram here
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Follow Cheeto the cat on Instagram here
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Check out Sarah's women's sports remix for "Greens Beans Potatoes" here
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The PWHL schedule can be found here
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The NCAA soccer bracket and schedule is here
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Watch a highlight of TCU’s late equalizer and shootout win here
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The full results from the MLV draft are here
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Read The Athletic’s story about the lawsuit against Mat Ishbia here
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Watch Sydney Leroux’s full video here
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Watch Gotham players get a warm welcome to USWNT camp here
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Watch Jaedyn Shaw show off her phone screen to Emma Hayes here
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Watch the full video Simone Biles left on the phone she found here
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Check out fundraiser set up by “A Bar of Their Own” here
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're running
into people we haven't seen since high school at the
local bar on Blackout Wednesday, Can you believe Dustin is
a dentist now? And Tara Mary chat what it's Wednesday,
November twenty sixth. Then on today's show you'll hear my
conversation with AFC forward Penelope Hawking from our nov artists
in Capital one Strong Start Brunch event last Friday. We
(00:22):
discussed scoring in the same legendary stadium as her baseball
playing dad, getting drafted into the NWSL on the same
day as her twin sister, and an awkward trade ask
that was well worth it now that she's playing pro
soccer in her home state. Plus adding a few more
names to the group project, turning a team into a
personal piggybank, and what happens when a goat finds your phone.
(00:44):
It's all coming up right after this welcome back slices.
Here's what you need to know today. Let's start with
college hoops. The latest a people came out on Monday,
and the Yukon Husk remain in the number one spot,
thanks in large part to their victory over number six
Michigan last Friday. The rest of the top six teams
(01:06):
are also unchanged, with South Carolina at number two, Ucla
at number three, Texas at number four, LSU at number five,
and Michigan setting at six. We've got a couple of
big games coming up in the next few days, especially
with South Carolina, UCLA, and Texas all competing in Las
Vegas as part of the Players Era Championship. At two
pm Eastern today, Ucla and Texas will tip off, followed
(01:28):
by South Carolina taking on the currently unranked Duke Blue
Devils at four thirty pm Eastern. Both games will be
on True TV and HBO Max. Then the winners of
those contests will meet tomorrow in a Thanksgiving Day showdown,
with the championship game getting underway at eight pm Eastern,
followed by the third place game at ten.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Thirty pm Eastern.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Should be a great set of games, so we give
you full permission to take control of the remote at
your Thanksgiving celebration and remind the family that everyone watches
women's sports to hockey.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
The PWHL will.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Also be in action over the long weekend, including tonight
when the Ottawa Charge hosts the Vancouver Goldeneyes. The Goldeneiser
already off to a strong start in their debut season.
They won their opening game last Friday against fellow expansion
team the Seattle Torrent with a packed crowd of nearly
fifteen thousand people in attendance at Pacific Coliseum to see
that four to three victory, and on Friday, Seattle has
(02:19):
an opportunity to secure its first win of the season
and a new American Pro Women's Hockey attendance record when
the team hosts the Minnesota Frost at Climate Pledge Arena.
The current US attendance record of fourteen thousand, two eighty
eight was set last year when Detroit held a takeover
Tour game. But with Climate Pledge boasting a capacity of
seventeen thy, one hundred and fifty one and tickets sell
(02:41):
them like hotcakes, the Torrent or on track to break
that mark. We'll link to the full PWHL schedule in
the show notes to the NCAA Soccer Tournament, where the
Elite eight is set, but only after quite a bit
of drama. In the Sweet sixteen, first unranked Ohio State
continued its run as spoiler, upsetting number five Baylor in
double over time in the third round. After besting number
(03:02):
one seed Notre Dame in the second round and taken
out number eight Georgia in the opening round, the Buckeyes
will look to continue their Cinderella run this Friday and
when they take on number three Florida State. Meantime, number
two TCU clinched its place in the Elite eight after
a thriller against North Carolina. Trailing one nothing to the
tar Heels and the dying moments of regulation, the horn
Frog secured the equalizer with just four seconds remaining. Now,
(03:25):
if you're wondering, college soccer uses a clock that counts down,
unlike the pro game, where the clock counts up.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
After two scoreless periods.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Of extra time, it went to a shootout, with TCU
prevailing four to three. We'll link to a highlight reel
the late equalizer and the shootout, a truly dramatic finish
to a tight match. Next up for TCU as a
meeting with number one Vanderbilt on Saturday. The other two quarterfinals,
both on Friday, will feature number two Duke taking on
number four Washington and number one Stanford matching up against
(03:52):
number two Michigan State. We'll link to the full bracket
and schedule in the show notes to Pro Hoops. Project
B has announced an full of additional signings in the
last week or so, with WNBA players Juwel Lloyd, Sophie Cunningham,
Camilla Cardoso, Kelsey Mitchell, and Janell Salon all committing to
the league, which is set to launch next year. They
also announced the addition of Li Meng, a pro player
(04:13):
in the Chinese Women's Basketball Association. Some internets loose have
noted that the league's Instagram page has a tendency to
start following players shortly before their signing is announced, raising
questions on whether's Dinat Tarasi, Candice Parker and others are.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
In the mix in some way.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
That said, the Project be account also follows me and
I can guarantee that I won't be suiting up in
twenty twenty six, so take that with a grain of salt.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
More hoops news.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Matt Ishbia, the majority owner of both the WNBA's Phoenix
Mercury and mnba's Phoenix Suns, has been accused of fraud
by two minority owners of the teams. In a laws
revealed on Monday. Ishbia is accused of using the organization
as a quote unquote personal piggy bank and mismanaging the
team's financial operations. A spokesperson for ESHBIA told multiple news outlets, quote,
(04:59):
this isn't a lot lawsuit. It's a shameless shakedown dressed
up as legal process. We'll link to a story from
The Athletic that includes more details on the lawsuit to volleyball.
Major League Volleyball held its draft on Monday, with the
Dallas Pulse using its number one overall pick to select
Wisconsin's Mimi Collier, who currently ranks third nationally and kills
(05:19):
per match. Thirty two players were drafted at all, with
the league's eight teams making one selection in each of
the four rounds. Will link to the full list of
draftees in the show notes. Back to the world of
college sports. Nc DOBA member schools have voted to rescind
a rule change that would have allowed athletes and athletic
department staff to bet on professional sports. The new rule
(05:40):
allowing gambling was initially set to go into effect on
November first, but it was paused by the NCAA and
then officially rescinded last Friday after more than two thirds
of Division I members schools voted against its enactment. Got
to send some big congrats to the US women's Deaf
national soccer team for winning a record fifth gold medal
at the Deaf Olympics on Tuesday, feeding Japan for nothing
(06:01):
in the championship game. With the victory, The US team
also continues an impressive win streak since it officially began
play in two thousand and five. The team hasn't lost
a game, recording forty four wins and one draw to
the NWSL And some news you might remember Friend at
the Show and Angel CITYFC forward Sidney LaRue announcing a
mental health break from the team back in March just
(06:23):
before Angel City's opening match, and though she did return
to practice, she didn't enter any games this season. On Tuesday,
she revealed she's been struggling with anorexia. Here's a bit
of what she shared.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
I have an update that I never really wanted to share.
I never really wanted to live through. I feel extremely vulnerable,
and I'm embarrassed, and I am disappointed in myself. I'm
(06:55):
mad at myself for disappointing other people and I and
I'm just scared. I'm actually terrified, actually, But I will
never let my fear be bigger than the possibility of
(07:17):
saving someone's life. I was diagnosed with anorexia. I have
been living with that for as long as I could remember.
I didn't think it was a problem. I just thought
that that was the way my body reacted to the
pressure I put on it, or being anxious or not
(07:41):
being able to do it all. That is not a
coping skill, but it became one for me.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
And I just.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Want to open this conversation up so that we can
talk about it more. Because it's in women's sports, it's
here to stay, and we don't talk about it, and
I want to change that. And I hope that this
message we just someone and like you know that you're
(08:21):
not alone and that there is hope and recovery and
I'm here for you.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
We're sending you lots of love and healing said, and
it's really powerful of you to share and try to
help others. Slices a couple of cute moments caught on
film that you need to check out. Do we still
say caught on film even if it's a digital camp anyway? First,
the US women's national team has gathered in Florida for
upcoming friendlies, and the team gave a special welcome to
(08:48):
the Gotham players coming straight from their NWSL Championship parade
celebrations on Monday, complete with cheers, hugs, flashing lights, and
chants of MVP for Rose Level.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
We'll link to the video in our s.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Along with the video of the moment, Jaden Shaw showed
manager Emma Hayes that she changed her phone background to
Hayes wearing the pink stud buds wig that Megan Rapido
was carrying around all NWSL Championship weekend.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Don't forget the team.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Plays Italy in Orlando on Friday and Fort Lauderdale on Monday. Also,
want to make sure you saw a hilarious what are
the odds? Moment here in Chicago as a birthday girl's
lost phone led to quite a gift.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Take a listen, yo. So my birthday was yesterday and
we went to tel in Chicago and Ma Mama lost
my phone. Look who found my phone?
Speaker 3 (09:36):
Hi?
Speaker 4 (09:36):
Girl friend, it's I just found your phone in the
restroom and so we're going to return it to.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
The lost room. Fam.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
I hope you are anything good?
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Help truly the goat. You can watch the video via
the link in our show notes. All right, we got
to take a quick break. When we come back, it's
my conversation with Penelope Hawkings from the Iheartwomen's Sports Strong
Start brunch on Friday. In just a heads up, this
event was held outside, so you might hear a rogue
plane or a bird in the background, all part of
the ambiance.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Stick around.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Joining us now. She's a forward for BAS. She played
a year of college soccer at Penn State after three
years at USC where she was a three time first
team All American and the program's all time leading scorer.
And Anaheim native, she and her twin were both drafted
into the NWSL and twenty twenty three on the same day,
and she and her dad both have scored at Wrigley Field.
(10:36):
We'll explain that one later. Her cat, mister Cheeto, has
his own Instagram page.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
It's been Albie Hawking.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
Hi Bienelbie, Hi everyone, Hi Sarah, thanks for having me
on the podcast today.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Thanks for being here.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
You were originally a Chicago color neutral star and you left.
But I don't blame you because look at where we
are in this beautiful sunny November day. I want to
start with your family because you seem all but destined
to be a superstar athlete. So tell us about your
pair of baller parents.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
Yeah, I mean I come from a very athletic family.
Whenever I tell people about my family, people are just
like astonished by how athletic our family is. My twin
sister and I we grew up together, playing soccer, basketball.
We did everything together, same friend group, same classes, everything.
Speaker 5 (11:23):
Was the same.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
And then we went to different colleges. She went to Arizona.
I went to USC. Put against each other for four
years in the Pac twelves. Heated rivalry every time. I'd
like to say that USC went four and oh against them,
so I have to put that on the record. But yeah,
then we got drafted, and you know, she went to
Gotham and played for a little bit, but unfortunately had
(11:44):
some injuries so she had stopped playing. And then my
brother currently goes to UCLA plays baseball. He's a senior
and he's a superstar. He's like probably like the most
level headed athlete I've ever met my life.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
He's just super confident.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
And I would just say that that's probably just a
big testament to my parents, you know, just I'm super
grateful for them because my dad played Major League baseball
for thirteen years. He played for the Twins for ten years,
and then Rockies and Royals for two and then one
with Kansas City his last year. And then my mom
played college basketball and was also just a superstar athlete volleyball, basketball,
(12:25):
a little bit of softball. Just I feel like, yeah,
destin to just be an athlete.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
In general, the genetics are strong, Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Yeah, but if there was just one nerdy engineer that was.
Speaker 5 (12:36):
Just I'm good, you don't like ball.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
What kind of sports parents were they? Were they screamers?
Were they note givers?
Speaker 4 (12:43):
So my dad he's very level headed until he gets
mad and kind of like me, I feel like I
take over that, Like I'm level headed until you pissed
me off, and I'm like, all right, it's game over,
you know, like yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Brandy said that, and that's it. Get him.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
So but yeah, no, I always told him, I was like,
if you say a word like you're like, I myself
will kick you out of the stadium. In high school
and club, I'm like, you're not gonna embarrass us. And
just there was like one time in college where he
said something to the referee, and I was like right
by the sideline and I literally told him to get
(13:22):
I was like, get out of the stadie. Like I
felt like I was the parent. I was like get
out of here.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
You know.
Speaker 5 (13:25):
It was like I was embarrassed.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
But then you know my mom, she's like just so
supportive and like my dad too. But you know, they'll
never like blow me up. You know, They're not like, oh,
you know, like you're the greatest of all time. You know,
like they're like, just put your head down, work and
you got to earn it. And I feel like that's
what I'm all about, like as a player, and I
feel like that's led me to where I am today
here and I'm just like super grateful that I had
(13:49):
those experiences because I wouldn't be here if it wasn't
for them.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
It sounds like a nice balance.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
I do have empathy the older I get now I
have nieces and nephew playing sports, and because I know
what I'm talking about and I have a lot to say,
I'm like, just be chill and like, I can't imagine
how hard it is for parents. And my mom didn't
really know much about sports, but she learned three seconds
when I played basketball because I was a center, So
she was the most angry if someone was violating that.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
So she would only.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Yell three sec ads and my dad would like move
away from her because he was so mortified.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
And she didn't know anything.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
So like the ones who do know in are actual athletes,
it must be just a constant test of their will
to be like, shut up, just just smile. You mentioned
your twin sister. I mean that's impressive. All your classes together,
all your friends, all your sports. Was it hard not
to be competitive with each other?
Speaker 5 (14:39):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
We were so competitive with each other. It was like
a constant battle. But you know, I think if we
were both forwards, it'd be a competition of like who
could go the most goals or you know, if we're
on defense, most tackles or whatever. But I would say,
like we were like the og dynamic duo and you know,
everything we did because we're so different. Shockingly, she was
(15:01):
a defensive minded player, like just winning every single header,
every single tackle, and she was a holy midfielder in college.
And every time I passed her, I was like, you know,
I just felt her like running down my back. I
was like, oh my gosh, like I got to read
the ball, she's gonna kill me. But yeah, like in
(15:21):
high school and in club, like she would always like
get give me the assist. Like she played like a
tech in the midfield, but she was like all over
the field. So yeah, Like we were very, very very
competitive on our respective teams, but I think like we
made each other better.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
At the end of the day, you both got drafted
on the very same day, the first set of sisters
to be drafted in the same year in NWSL history.
You went number seven, she went number forty four. An
incredible accomplishment, A great day for you both, but obviously
kind of different set of circumstances there and when you
were drafted, in your expectations in the league, how did
you handle that moment of like, we've been doing this
together this whole time and things might look a little
(15:56):
different now.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
Yeah, I was invited to the draft and I had
like a plus one and she was like talking to teams,
but she wasn't sure she was gonna get drafted. Like
I kind of knew I was going to get drafted,
whether it was in the first round, second, or third,
Like I knew I was going That was like kind
of communicated to me, like through like my agents and everything.
Speaker 5 (16:16):
And my sister she was like.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
Okay, if I don't get drafted, like I will go
try out for a team. And she was like, you know,
I don't. I don't want to not get I don't
want to go there with you. You get drafted and
it's like your night. And then like I'm sitting there
and you know, like that would be really hard for her,
and I remember like we you know, I got drafted,
and I stayed there for a little bit and then
I was like starving. We left and we didn't watch
(16:39):
the fourth round. And I'm sitting there and I'm scrolling
through my phone like, oh, like who got drafted, you know,
And I see my sister's name forty four like they
had just announced like forty four and forty five.
Speaker 5 (16:49):
I see my sister's name, and she's like.
Speaker 4 (16:51):
Blowing up my phone and I'm like, oh my god,
like this is incredible. Like we were so happy.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
I was with my mom.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
We were so happy. Like she heard her name and
she like got up off the couch and she's like,
oh my god, like just there's so like I had
so much excitement getting drafted and like I couldn't even imagine,
and she was like kind of bumped.
Speaker 5 (17:07):
She wasn't there with me celebrate.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
Together, but we were both just excited to be given
the opportunity to play in the league and our work
had had led us to that moment. I was very
proud of her and like myself too, But that was
like a really, really, really cool moment.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
But I just wish that she would have spent it, you.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Know, but maybe not disappointing then because it was like
above and beyond what she expected, so it allowed for
it to be really exciting. Yeah, you know, you actually
went to the Chicago Color Neutral Stars. You played in
the team's NWSL attendance record breaking game at Wrigley Field.
I was there. Would have been nice if it was
this weather, but we all powered through the rain. You
(17:47):
scored a goal and it was actually against visiting BFC,
which is kind of funny but perhaps the coolest stat
and weirdest stat ever. You and your baseball playing dad
both scored at Wrigley Field and we leave.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
It's the first father daughter duo ever to do.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
So did you go into the game knowing your dad
had scored a round or gotten a hit or whatever
it is there and you were like, okay, I got
to match that.
Speaker 5 (18:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (18:10):
My dad like right when I'm about to walk into
the stadium, he's like, oh, I scored here, so no pressure,
And I was like, are you kidding me?
Speaker 5 (18:16):
Right now?
Speaker 4 (18:17):
And I felt like it was like my purse. It's
like every time I step into a game as a forward,
you're like, I want to score, and like I always
want to go to a goal. So like that was
still there, but there was like an extra added pressure
and it was like the very end of the game,
and I was like feeling like a little bit of
like disappointment. It was to zero and there was probably
like five minutes left. We're already stoppage time, and the
(18:38):
ball just like comes to me in the eighteen yard
box and like just finished it. And right when I
saw it going the goals, like, oh my god, like
this is like the coolest thing ever. I was super excited,
but I did feel like a little bit of pressure,
But I was excited when I got to share that
moment with my dad, and you.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Gave us something to cheer for.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
They had fireworks that they got to shoot off, which
otherwise had it been a scoreless Stars side there, No.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
So you gave us something to be excited about.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
You played in Chicago for a season and a half
before you were traded to BFC, a trade that allowed
you to play closer to home. How did you go
about making that request and were you nervous about asking
out and taking that request to the Stars.
Speaker 4 (19:15):
You know, when you get drafted to a place like
Chicago with so much history, and I feel like every
great player.
Speaker 5 (19:22):
In the league comes through Chicago at one point.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
You know, like Kristin Press for example, She's been in Utah,
she's been in LA you know, she was in Chicago
and I saw her like in a Star's uniform.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Like on Pino.
Speaker 5 (19:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
I mean it's like you go back.
Speaker 5 (19:33):
To Sam Kerr.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
Yeah, Like there are so many Julie Ertz, Like, there
are so many players that like go through Chicago, and
I felt so blessed to.
Speaker 5 (19:39):
Like be an they leave and then they all leave
it kind of thing.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
Yeah, but no, like I felt so blessed to be there,
and like I was around so many great players and
so many established players in the league. Now I've learned
so much there, but it was hard to like kind
of make that request, I had kind of asked if it.
Speaker 5 (19:58):
Was possible to like go home.
Speaker 4 (20:00):
I saw what The Bay was doing here, and I
was super excited with what they're doing.
Speaker 5 (20:03):
And I think our management.
Speaker 4 (20:07):
Ownership was a little like reluctant to like let me leave,
per se. But I think it was like the best
move for for everyone.
Speaker 5 (20:16):
I mean, you know, when you make.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
A request like that, it's obviously your club wants your
former club wants to benefit also. So we made an agreement,
like the Bay and chicagoan agreement that benefited you know,
both of both of them.
Speaker 5 (20:31):
And I got to come home.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
And I'm super grateful for, you know, both my time
in Chicago, and you know, it holds a really special
place in my heart. And but I'm also super grateful
to be here, and you know, with what we're doing
right now, and I just think the future is super
right here and I'm super happy to be a part
of it.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
I mentioned when I was talking to Brandy, you got
an incredible founder's group here. How much are you going
to that quartet asking for advice, asking for tips anything.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
Yeah, With other clubs, I don't think that they have
the luxury of these ownership groups or people that are
investing in these teams to be such established players and
have so much knowledge about our league and women's soccer
and you know, building our brand. Like I think every
(21:18):
single person that Quarte and like our wider ownership group
can can offer something, and they have been like more
than willing to just help us out with life after
life during and yeah, like we always are talking to
Brandy and Leslie and Danielle and like.
Speaker 5 (21:35):
They're they're always they're always around.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
So I'm like super grateful that they have been as
involved as they are just because like they're they're living legends,
you know, like, yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
It's pretty wild that you can just text Brandy Chastain.
I know, Okay, I'm working on this thing. Can you help?
Speaker 5 (21:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (21:52):
You you know you were you were talking about like
all her all her achievements, and it just kind of
brought me back to when I was a kid, and
you know, I would wasn't born yet for the ninety
nine ers, youw, I know, I was born December ninety nine,
and I was like, yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
So at least it was still the nineties.
Speaker 4 (22:10):
I know, I know, right, but yeah, I think about that,
and I've you know, watched the nine nine ers documentary,
and you know, just being able to have someone like
Brandy like in my corner and helping me with whatever
I need. In our club too, I think they've just
been like a tremendous help for us, and I just
think that that's why I think our club is going
in the right direction, because we have people like are
(22:32):
founding for you know, kind of spearheading this this this club.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
I remember I went to see the US women's national
team at Soldier Field when I was in high school.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
I can't remember what year, what the occasion, And the.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Reason it doesn't stand out is because I I wasn't
getting like little lectures about what they meant. My parents
aren't super into sports, so usually if I was going
to a sporting event, it was with somebody else's family
and they would invite me along because they knew I
was like a little sporty spice and I was in
every single sport possible. But I wasn't being told like
this is special or this is unique. It was just
(23:06):
a part of the larger landscape of games I went to.
So I wonder when you were growing up, were you
aware of the activism of those players, were you aware
of what it meant when you learned about the ninety
nine ers later since you weren't alive, or is that
something that as you become a pro you've sort of
started to like try to be interested in the fights
(23:26):
that came before you.
Speaker 5 (23:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
I think you know, anyone who's like a women's soccer
player or like a female athlete in general, they should
know what came before them. You know, the history of
our league, the history of women's soccer. I think that's
super important. I think my parents did a good job of,
you know, sitting me down and showing me because you know,
(23:49):
they were obviously a live for the ninety nine ers,
and they watched and I think they didn't go to
the game, but they were in LA when you know,
they won at the Rose Bowl, And yeah, I my
mom and my dad they knew, like what like a
pivotal moment that was for women's sports, And my mom
and dad they tried to get me at any sort
(24:11):
of like women's sporting eve at possible. I went to
a bunch of Sparks games growing up, Like I went
to we were in Seattle, went to see the Seattle
storm too. We want to see the Seattle rain when
Sidney LaRue was on it. You know, like I remember
like Rippino all those people playing playing there, and then
our national team too. I had this like super awkward
picture with Julie Ertz and my sister like when she's
(24:33):
playing for the national team. So I just remember always
like being a fan, and it's super cool to say
that I play with and among these players that I
idolized when I was younger.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
We need to talk about your adorable cat, Cheeto, and
it was coming cheeto favorite food yogurt, second favorite food bacon. Yeah,
he's a model, he's a lager fan, he's a travel buddy.
How is this cat getting on commercial airplanes with you?
Is this like a sneaky therapy cat?
Speaker 5 (25:03):
So that's actually really funny.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
I feel like we should have like a slideshow, which
this was like a screen, and we could have like
a slideshow of Cheetah.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
I'll tell them Cheeto's Instagram handles so they can follow him.
Speaker 5 (25:11):
It's mister dot Cheeto dot the dot Kitten.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
I know it's super long, but yeah, I go follow him,
and yeah, I he posts every so often, So you
know you'll be lucky if you know you come across
a post of his. But yeah, he I actually got
him when I was in Chicago. Really funny story of
how I got him. I was not in the market
for a cat at all, and no, yeah, I would
(25:36):
just find you. Yeah, exactly the distribution system, the cat
distribution system. But yeah, one of my teammates who I
will not say, she adopted a kitten cheeto. His name
was Franklin at the time, and he was the size
of my palm. He was like six weeks old and
she had him for a week and then she announced
(25:57):
the locker room. She was like, hey, guys, like, Franklin's
going back to the shelter. And I was like, oh
my god, like, you cannot, you cannot do that. And
I just felt so bad because he was attached to her.
You know, he's out of the shelter, you know. It
just it felt horrible to me, and I took it
among upon myself to go over to her house and
literally take him from her. I was like, you're not
(26:19):
taking back to shelter. He's mine now, And yeah, I
was honestly the best decision I've ever made. I've had
like a built in best friend, and he's just he's
the best.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
He's so cute. You avoided the question. But how he
got on the plane?
Speaker 5 (26:31):
Now, I was, yeah, I got distracted, but yeah.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
So they went to Palm Springs for our like preseason trip,
and I we were there for two weeks, so I
need someone to lost Cheetoh. My mom and my dad
they drove up, took Cheetah, and they took him back
home to Orange County where I live.
Speaker 5 (26:48):
My parents live now.
Speaker 4 (26:50):
They had him for the two weeks, and then right
when we were going back, I asked our travel manager.
I was like, you know what, I don't really want
my parents to drive him up and I just feel like,
I feel like it's a hassle.
Speaker 5 (27:03):
Can he come on the plane with us home?
Speaker 4 (27:06):
And he was like, oh yeah, Like let's do it.
It's gonna be so fun. And ever since then, people
are like, once you do, gonna come on another another plane.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
And so was that a charter plane?
Speaker 5 (27:16):
No, it was a commercial plane.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
Oh you just managed to sneak him on.
Speaker 5 (27:19):
You managed to Yeah, well, I had to put the
form that makes.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
It sound like he's helping with anxiety or glock home
or whatever. Yeah, glockh homos for weed, Right, that's what
you say. You have not me, of course, any big
plans for the off season.
Speaker 4 (27:34):
I mean, just I had like my week of relaxing,
and I'm just like super antsy, so.
Speaker 5 (27:40):
I weak of relaxing like for the year.
Speaker 4 (27:43):
You know, season ended, and I'm like, oh, I'm so
excited to like just ress in the off season. And
I got super bored and I was like, I'm just
gonna go work out. I Am gonna stay home with
my family. I don't get to see them that much
during the season. You know, they come up to games,
but you know it's they're at the game and then
they go home. So I would see him that that often,
and I spend some time with them and my siblings,
(28:04):
so I don't get to see I've only seen my
brother twice this entire year.
Speaker 5 (28:08):
So I'll go home.
Speaker 4 (28:09):
He's a couple off season or posts or off season games.
Speaker 5 (28:14):
I don't even know what you call it, and call
it like spring baseball, yeah, yeah, like fall baseball.
Speaker 4 (28:18):
So I'll go to a couple of his games and
just you know, see my grandparents. I just do all
my rounds of my friend's family. So it's a really
good time of the year.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
All right, last question, good good or Goodest. Something's good,
something's good, or something's Goodest scoring in the same stadium
as your dad, getting drafted on the same day as
your twin getting home to pet Cheetoh after a game,
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 5 (28:45):
I would say good is.
Speaker 4 (28:49):
Petting Cheetah because sometimes, like I get home, he fits
me or something.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Yeah, because he's a cat.
Speaker 4 (28:53):
Yeah, that's why you should get dogs. I know, you
don't even want to see. My hands are all like
scratched up because we play, I know. Yeah, but he's
super cute, so it's fun. That's good. Gooder is getting
drafted with my twin and my best friend Ali. She like, oh,
we got drafted to the same same team, so that
(29:15):
was pretty awesome. That was a great day. That's Gooder.
And then Goodest is scoring in the same stadium as
my dad. That was a because I don't I really
don't think anyone else is going to do that, honestly.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
Yeah, it's a tough one to pull off.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
Also for me, like having gone to Wrigley Field my
whole life to watch the Cubs and watch men's sports.
To see a whole stadium full of people there watching
women play a professional sport was like incredibly moving. So
thank you for giving us something to cheer for, and
thank you for coming to sit down today.
Speaker 5 (29:44):
Yeah, thank you so much and I'll.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
Be hawking everyone.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Thanks again to Penelope for taking the time and to
Novartists in Capital One for presenting the event. I had
so much fun talking to both Penelope and Brandy, and
we really appreciate all the folk who came out to
watch beautiful venue and set up too. So shout out
the iHeart team for putting together such a gorgeous day.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
We have to take another break when we come back.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
Good Game gets a dispatch from our Minnesota Bureau chief.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Welcome back. SLICS.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
Want to give a quick shout out to super Slice
Aaron Raw for following orders and acting as one of
our on the ground reporters. She just let us know
that Women's Sports Bar, a bar of their own, was
named top Bar in Minneapolis for twenty twenty five in
Minnesota Monthly.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Aaron writes, quote.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
It was on my twenty twenty five to do list
to visit and it was awesome.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
They are the most welcoming bar.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
My eldest daughter and I went to watch softball and
the owner stopped to talk make sure the games we
wanted were on and so on. It was so cool.
The crew there is the best. And now she's working
on a fundraiser to make sure girls stay in sports
end quote. We'll link to that fundraiser in the show
notes if you want to check it out and support
Gillian and the crew in their efforts.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
We love that you're.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
Listing slices, but we want you to get in the
game every day too, So here's our good game play
of the day. Follow Penelope and her cat Cheeto on
social media.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
We'll link to both of their accounts in the show notes.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
And I made a special little Thanksgiving treat for women's
sports fans out there, including you slices. Every year, I
see the famous clip, I'm sure you've seen it, beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes,
and it's always edited with clips of male athletes like
dancing or playing or whatever, and I've never seen one
featuring stars from women's sports.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
So I made one. That's right. Behold my editing powers,
y'all look out for real.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
I'm starting to get good at this content creation shit,
and this video is proof.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
We'll link to it in the show notes. Go check
it out.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
And we always love to hear from you, so hit
us up on email Good game at Wondermedia network 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 easy watch Maybe not dying
so much? Rating one wild and Precious Life Saved review
(32:04):
at long Last. Women are getting a first edition copy
of Car Crashes for Dummies. The Federal Transportation Department has finally,
finally approved a new female crash test dummy actually built
like a female body. Per government data, female drivers in
the US are seventy three percent more likely than a
male driver to be severely injured in vehicle crashes and
(32:25):
seventeen percent more likely to die, in part because safety
features from seat belts to airbags have largely been designed
to protect the average man from the nineteen seventies five nine,
one hundred and seventy pounds go off. Short Kings of
the seventies also congrats on living longer as a result
of being.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
So fucking basic.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
While the new female dummies are good news, unfortunately, due
to the cost of production and roll out, there's no
promise that the new dummies will be quickly adopted or
made compulsory. The government might need that money to fund
more important things like boner pills and cash Ptel's trips
to see his girlfriend. Now, if that doesn't enrage you enough,
read the book Invisible Women, Data Bias in a World
(33:04):
Built for men. Nothing beats a rage. Read am I
Right now, it's your turn, y'all, rate and review. Thanks
for listening, and we'll see you tomorrow when we're bringing
you a special Thanksgiving episode featuring Little Citrus and a
whole bunch of NWSL players and friends of the show.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
It's a fun one.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Good game, Penelope, Good game, long holiday weekend. You still
making men and men's bodies the default for everything from
safety goggles to room temperature to speech recognition to health trackers.
It's almost twenty twenty six, for Pete's sake. Good Game
with Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports production in
partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find
(33:41):
us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
Wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are alex Azzie
Grace Lynch, Taylor Williamson, and Lucy Jones. Our executive producers
are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rudder.
Our editors are Emily Rudder, Britney Martinez and Gianna Palmer.
Diduction assistance from Avery Loftus and I'm Your Host Sarah
Spain
Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're running
into people we haven't seen since high school at the
local bar on Blackout Wednesday, Can you believe Dustin is
a dentist now? And Tara Mary chat what it's Wednesday,
November twenty sixth. Then on today's show you'll hear my
conversation with AFC forward Penelope Hawking from our nov artists
in Capital one Strong Start Brunch event last Friday. We
(00:22):
discussed scoring in the same legendary stadium as her baseball
playing dad, getting drafted into the NWSL on the same
day as her twin sister, and an awkward trade ask
that was well worth it now that she's playing pro
soccer in her home state. Plus adding a few more
names to the group project, turning a team into a
personal piggybank, and what happens when a goat finds your phone.
(00:44):
It's all coming up right after this welcome back slices.
Here's what you need to know today. Let's start with
college hoops. The latest a people came out on Monday,
and the Yukon Husk remain in the number one spot,
thanks in large part to their victory over number six
Michigan last Friday. The rest of the top six teams
(01:06):
are also unchanged, with South Carolina at number two, Ucla
at number three, Texas at number four, LSU at number five,
and Michigan setting at six. We've got a couple of
big games coming up in the next few days, especially
with South Carolina, UCLA, and Texas all competing in Las
Vegas as part of the Players Era Championship. At two
pm Eastern today, Ucla and Texas will tip off, followed
(01:28):
by South Carolina taking on the currently unranked Duke Blue
Devils at four thirty pm Eastern. Both games will be
on True TV and HBO Max. Then the winners of
those contests will meet tomorrow in a Thanksgiving Day showdown,
with the championship game getting underway at eight pm Eastern,
followed by the third place game at ten.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Thirty pm Eastern.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Should be a great set of games, so we give
you full permission to take control of the remote at
your Thanksgiving celebration and remind the family that everyone watches
women's sports to hockey.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
The PWHL will.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Also be in action over the long weekend, including tonight
when the Ottawa Charge hosts the Vancouver Goldeneyes. The Goldeneiser
already off to a strong start in their debut season.
They won their opening game last Friday against fellow expansion
team the Seattle Torrent with a packed crowd of nearly
fifteen thousand people in attendance at Pacific Coliseum to see
that four to three victory, and on Friday, Seattle has
(02:19):
an opportunity to secure its first win of the season
and a new American Pro Women's Hockey attendance record when
the team hosts the Minnesota Frost at Climate Pledge Arena.
The current US attendance record of fourteen thousand, two eighty
eight was set last year when Detroit held a takeover
Tour game. But with Climate Pledge boasting a capacity of
seventeen thy, one hundred and fifty one and tickets sell
(02:41):
them like hotcakes, the Torrent or on track to break
that mark. We'll link to the full PWHL schedule in
the show notes to the NCAA Soccer Tournament, where the
Elite eight is set, but only after quite a bit
of drama. In the Sweet sixteen, first unranked Ohio State
continued its run as spoiler, upsetting number five Baylor in
double over time in the third round. After besting number
(03:02):
one seed Notre Dame in the second round and taken
out number eight Georgia in the opening round, the Buckeyes
will look to continue their Cinderella run this Friday and
when they take on number three Florida State. Meantime, number
two TCU clinched its place in the Elite eight after
a thriller against North Carolina. Trailing one nothing to the
tar Heels and the dying moments of regulation, the horn
Frog secured the equalizer with just four seconds remaining. Now,
(03:25):
if you're wondering, college soccer uses a clock that counts down,
unlike the pro game, where the clock counts up.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
After two scoreless periods.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Of extra time, it went to a shootout, with TCU
prevailing four to three. We'll link to a highlight reel
the late equalizer and the shootout, a truly dramatic finish
to a tight match. Next up for TCU as a
meeting with number one Vanderbilt on Saturday. The other two quarterfinals,
both on Friday, will feature number two Duke taking on
number four Washington and number one Stanford matching up against
(03:52):
number two Michigan State. We'll link to the full bracket
and schedule in the show notes to Pro Hoops. Project
B has announced an full of additional signings in the
last week or so, with WNBA players Juwel Lloyd, Sophie Cunningham,
Camilla Cardoso, Kelsey Mitchell, and Janell Salon all committing to
the league, which is set to launch next year. They
also announced the addition of Li Meng, a pro player
(04:13):
in the Chinese Women's Basketball Association. Some internets loose have
noted that the league's Instagram page has a tendency to
start following players shortly before their signing is announced, raising
questions on whether's Dinat Tarasi, Candice Parker and others are.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
In the mix in some way.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
That said, the Project be account also follows me and
I can guarantee that I won't be suiting up in
twenty twenty six, so take that with a grain of salt.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
More hoops news.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Matt Ishbia, the majority owner of both the WNBA's Phoenix
Mercury and mnba's Phoenix Suns, has been accused of fraud
by two minority owners of the teams. In a laws
revealed on Monday. Ishbia is accused of using the organization
as a quote unquote personal piggy bank and mismanaging the
team's financial operations. A spokesperson for ESHBIA told multiple news outlets, quote,
(04:59):
this isn't a lot lawsuit. It's a shameless shakedown dressed
up as legal process. We'll link to a story from
The Athletic that includes more details on the lawsuit to volleyball.
Major League Volleyball held its draft on Monday, with the
Dallas Pulse using its number one overall pick to select
Wisconsin's Mimi Collier, who currently ranks third nationally and kills
(05:19):
per match. Thirty two players were drafted at all, with
the league's eight teams making one selection in each of
the four rounds. Will link to the full list of
draftees in the show notes. Back to the world of
college sports. Nc DOBA member schools have voted to rescind
a rule change that would have allowed athletes and athletic
department staff to bet on professional sports. The new rule
(05:40):
allowing gambling was initially set to go into effect on
November first, but it was paused by the NCAA and
then officially rescinded last Friday after more than two thirds
of Division I members schools voted against its enactment. Got
to send some big congrats to the US women's Deaf
national soccer team for winning a record fifth gold medal
at the Deaf Olympics on Tuesday, feeding Japan for nothing
(06:01):
in the championship game. With the victory, The US team
also continues an impressive win streak since it officially began
play in two thousand and five. The team hasn't lost
a game, recording forty four wins and one draw to
the NWSL And some news you might remember Friend at
the Show and Angel CITYFC forward Sidney LaRue announcing a
mental health break from the team back in March just
(06:23):
before Angel City's opening match, and though she did return
to practice, she didn't enter any games this season. On Tuesday,
she revealed she's been struggling with anorexia. Here's a bit
of what she shared.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
I have an update that I never really wanted to share.
I never really wanted to live through. I feel extremely vulnerable,
and I'm embarrassed, and I am disappointed in myself. I'm
(06:55):
mad at myself for disappointing other people and I and
I'm just scared. I'm actually terrified, actually, But I will
never let my fear be bigger than the possibility of
(07:17):
saving someone's life. I was diagnosed with anorexia. I have
been living with that for as long as I could remember.
I didn't think it was a problem. I just thought
that that was the way my body reacted to the
pressure I put on it, or being anxious or not
(07:41):
being able to do it all. That is not a
coping skill, but it became one for me.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
And I just.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Want to open this conversation up so that we can
talk about it more. Because it's in women's sports, it's
here to stay, and we don't talk about it, and
I want to change that. And I hope that this
message we just someone and like you know that you're
(08:21):
not alone and that there is hope and recovery and
I'm here for you.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
We're sending you lots of love and healing said, and
it's really powerful of you to share and try to
help others. Slices a couple of cute moments caught on
film that you need to check out. Do we still
say caught on film even if it's a digital camp anyway? First,
the US women's national team has gathered in Florida for
upcoming friendlies, and the team gave a special welcome to
(08:48):
the Gotham players coming straight from their NWSL Championship parade
celebrations on Monday, complete with cheers, hugs, flashing lights, and
chants of MVP for Rose Level.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
We'll link to the video in our s.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Along with the video of the moment, Jaden Shaw showed
manager Emma Hayes that she changed her phone background to
Hayes wearing the pink stud buds wig that Megan Rapido
was carrying around all NWSL Championship weekend.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Don't forget the team.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Plays Italy in Orlando on Friday and Fort Lauderdale on Monday. Also,
want to make sure you saw a hilarious what are
the odds? Moment here in Chicago as a birthday girl's
lost phone led to quite a gift.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Take a listen, yo. So my birthday was yesterday and
we went to tel in Chicago and Ma Mama lost
my phone. Look who found my phone?
Speaker 3 (09:36):
Hi?
Speaker 4 (09:36):
Girl friend, it's I just found your phone in the
restroom and so we're going to return it to.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
The lost room. Fam.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
I hope you are anything good?
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Help truly the goat. You can watch the video via
the link in our show notes. All right, we got
to take a quick break. When we come back, it's
my conversation with Penelope Hawkings from the Iheartwomen's Sports Strong
Start brunch on Friday. In just a heads up, this
event was held outside, so you might hear a rogue
plane or a bird in the background, all part of
the ambiance.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Stick around.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Joining us now. She's a forward for BAS. She played
a year of college soccer at Penn State after three
years at USC where she was a three time first
team All American and the program's all time leading scorer.
And Anaheim native, she and her twin were both drafted
into the NWSL and twenty twenty three on the same day,
and she and her dad both have scored at Wrigley Field.
(10:36):
We'll explain that one later. Her cat, mister Cheeto, has
his own Instagram page.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
It's been Albie Hawking.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
Hi Bienelbie, Hi everyone, Hi Sarah, thanks for having me
on the podcast today.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Thanks for being here.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
You were originally a Chicago color neutral star and you left.
But I don't blame you because look at where we
are in this beautiful sunny November day. I want to
start with your family because you seem all but destined
to be a superstar athlete. So tell us about your
pair of baller parents.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
Yeah, I mean I come from a very athletic family.
Whenever I tell people about my family, people are just
like astonished by how athletic our family is. My twin
sister and I we grew up together, playing soccer, basketball.
We did everything together, same friend group, same classes, everything.
Speaker 5 (11:23):
Was the same.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
And then we went to different colleges. She went to Arizona.
I went to USC. Put against each other for four
years in the Pac twelves. Heated rivalry every time. I'd
like to say that USC went four and oh against them,
so I have to put that on the record. But yeah,
then we got drafted, and you know, she went to
Gotham and played for a little bit, but unfortunately had
(11:44):
some injuries so she had stopped playing. And then my
brother currently goes to UCLA plays baseball. He's a senior
and he's a superstar. He's like probably like the most
level headed athlete I've ever met my life.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
He's just super confident.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
And I would just say that that's probably just a
big testament to my parents, you know, just I'm super
grateful for them because my dad played Major League baseball
for thirteen years. He played for the Twins for ten years,
and then Rockies and Royals for two and then one
with Kansas City his last year. And then my mom
played college basketball and was also just a superstar athlete volleyball, basketball,
(12:25):
a little bit of softball. Just I feel like, yeah,
destin to just be an athlete.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
In general, the genetics are strong, Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Yeah, but if there was just one nerdy engineer that was.
Speaker 5 (12:36):
Just I'm good, you don't like ball.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
What kind of sports parents were they? Were they screamers?
Were they note givers?
Speaker 4 (12:43):
So my dad he's very level headed until he gets
mad and kind of like me, I feel like I
take over that, Like I'm level headed until you pissed
me off, and I'm like, all right, it's game over,
you know, like yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Brandy said that, and that's it. Get him.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
So but yeah, no, I always told him, I was like,
if you say a word like you're like, I myself
will kick you out of the stadium. In high school
and club, I'm like, you're not gonna embarrass us. And
just there was like one time in college where he
said something to the referee, and I was like right
by the sideline and I literally told him to get
(13:22):
I was like, get out of the stadie. Like I
felt like I was the parent. I was like get
out of here.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
You know.
Speaker 5 (13:25):
It was like I was embarrassed.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
But then you know my mom, she's like just so
supportive and like my dad too. But you know, they'll
never like blow me up. You know, They're not like, oh,
you know, like you're the greatest of all time. You know,
like they're like, just put your head down, work and
you got to earn it. And I feel like that's
what I'm all about, like as a player, and I
feel like that's led me to where I am today
here and I'm just like super grateful that I had
(13:49):
those experiences because I wouldn't be here if it wasn't
for them.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
It sounds like a nice balance.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
I do have empathy the older I get now I
have nieces and nephew playing sports, and because I know
what I'm talking about and I have a lot to say,
I'm like, just be chill and like, I can't imagine
how hard it is for parents. And my mom didn't
really know much about sports, but she learned three seconds
when I played basketball because I was a center, So
she was the most angry if someone was violating that.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
So she would only.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Yell three sec ads and my dad would like move
away from her because he was so mortified.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
And she didn't know anything.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
So like the ones who do know in are actual athletes,
it must be just a constant test of their will
to be like, shut up, just just smile. You mentioned
your twin sister. I mean that's impressive. All your classes together,
all your friends, all your sports. Was it hard not
to be competitive with each other?
Speaker 5 (14:39):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
We were so competitive with each other. It was like
a constant battle. But you know, I think if we
were both forwards, it'd be a competition of like who
could go the most goals or you know, if we're
on defense, most tackles or whatever. But I would say,
like we were like the og dynamic duo and you know,
everything we did because we're so different. Shockingly, she was
(15:01):
a defensive minded player, like just winning every single header,
every single tackle, and she was a holy midfielder in college.
And every time I passed her, I was like, you know,
I just felt her like running down my back. I
was like, oh my gosh, like I got to read
the ball, she's gonna kill me. But yeah, like in
(15:21):
high school and in club, like she would always like
get give me the assist. Like she played like a
tech in the midfield, but she was like all over
the field. So yeah, Like we were very, very very
competitive on our respective teams, but I think like we
made each other better.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
At the end of the day, you both got drafted
on the very same day, the first set of sisters
to be drafted in the same year in NWSL history.
You went number seven, she went number forty four. An
incredible accomplishment, A great day for you both, but obviously
kind of different set of circumstances there and when you
were drafted, in your expectations in the league, how did
you handle that moment of like, we've been doing this
together this whole time and things might look a little
(15:56):
different now.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
Yeah, I was invited to the draft and I had
like a plus one and she was like talking to teams,
but she wasn't sure she was gonna get drafted. Like
I kind of knew I was going to get drafted,
whether it was in the first round, second, or third,
Like I knew I was going That was like kind
of communicated to me, like through like my agents and everything.
Speaker 5 (16:16):
And my sister she was like.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
Okay, if I don't get drafted, like I will go
try out for a team. And she was like, you know,
I don't. I don't want to not get I don't
want to go there with you. You get drafted and
it's like your night. And then like I'm sitting there
and you know, like that would be really hard for her,
and I remember like we you know, I got drafted,
and I stayed there for a little bit and then
I was like starving. We left and we didn't watch
(16:39):
the fourth round. And I'm sitting there and I'm scrolling
through my phone like, oh, like who got drafted, you know,
And I see my sister's name forty four like they
had just announced like forty four and forty five.
Speaker 5 (16:49):
I see my sister's name, and she's like.
Speaker 4 (16:51):
Blowing up my phone and I'm like, oh my god,
like this is incredible. Like we were so happy.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
I was with my mom.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
We were so happy. Like she heard her name and
she like got up off the couch and she's like,
oh my god, like just there's so like I had
so much excitement getting drafted and like I couldn't even imagine,
and she was like kind of bumped.
Speaker 5 (17:07):
She wasn't there with me celebrate.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
Together, but we were both just excited to be given
the opportunity to play in the league and our work
had had led us to that moment. I was very
proud of her and like myself too, But that was
like a really, really, really cool moment.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
But I just wish that she would have spent it, you.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Know, but maybe not disappointing then because it was like
above and beyond what she expected, so it allowed for
it to be really exciting. Yeah, you know, you actually
went to the Chicago Color Neutral Stars. You played in
the team's NWSL attendance record breaking game at Wrigley Field.
I was there. Would have been nice if it was
this weather, but we all powered through the rain. You
(17:47):
scored a goal and it was actually against visiting BFC,
which is kind of funny but perhaps the coolest stat
and weirdest stat ever. You and your baseball playing dad
both scored at Wrigley Field and we leave.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
It's the first father daughter duo ever to do.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
So did you go into the game knowing your dad
had scored a round or gotten a hit or whatever
it is there and you were like, okay, I got
to match that.
Speaker 5 (18:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (18:10):
My dad like right when I'm about to walk into
the stadium, he's like, oh, I scored here, so no pressure,
And I was like, are you kidding me?
Speaker 5 (18:16):
Right now?
Speaker 4 (18:17):
And I felt like it was like my purse. It's
like every time I step into a game as a forward,
you're like, I want to score, and like I always
want to go to a goal. So like that was
still there, but there was like an extra added pressure
and it was like the very end of the game,
and I was like feeling like a little bit of
like disappointment. It was to zero and there was probably
like five minutes left. We're already stoppage time, and the
(18:38):
ball just like comes to me in the eighteen yard
box and like just finished it. And right when I
saw it going the goals, like, oh my god, like
this is like the coolest thing ever. I was super excited,
but I did feel like a little bit of pressure,
But I was excited when I got to share that
moment with my dad, and you.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Gave us something to cheer for.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
They had fireworks that they got to shoot off, which
otherwise had it been a scoreless Stars side there, No.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
So you gave us something to be excited about.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
You played in Chicago for a season and a half
before you were traded to BFC, a trade that allowed
you to play closer to home. How did you go
about making that request and were you nervous about asking
out and taking that request to the Stars.
Speaker 4 (19:15):
You know, when you get drafted to a place like
Chicago with so much history, and I feel like every
great player.
Speaker 5 (19:22):
In the league comes through Chicago at one point.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
You know, like Kristin Press for example, She's been in Utah,
she's been in LA you know, she was in Chicago
and I saw her like in a Star's uniform.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Like on Pino.
Speaker 5 (19:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
I mean it's like you go back.
Speaker 5 (19:33):
To Sam Kerr.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
Yeah, Like there are so many Julie Ertz, Like, there
are so many players that like go through Chicago, and
I felt so blessed to.
Speaker 5 (19:39):
Like be an they leave and then they all leave
it kind of thing.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
Yeah, but no, like I felt so blessed to be there,
and like I was around so many great players and
so many established players in the league. Now I've learned
so much there, but it was hard to like kind
of make that request, I had kind of asked if it.
Speaker 5 (19:58):
Was possible to like go home.
Speaker 4 (20:00):
I saw what The Bay was doing here, and I
was super excited with what they're doing.
Speaker 5 (20:03):
And I think our management.
Speaker 4 (20:07):
Ownership was a little like reluctant to like let me leave,
per se. But I think it was like the best
move for for everyone.
Speaker 5 (20:16):
I mean, you know, when you make.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
A request like that, it's obviously your club wants your
former club wants to benefit also. So we made an agreement,
like the Bay and chicagoan agreement that benefited you know,
both of both of them.
Speaker 5 (20:31):
And I got to come home.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
And I'm super grateful for, you know, both my time
in Chicago, and you know, it holds a really special
place in my heart. And but I'm also super grateful
to be here, and you know, with what we're doing
right now, and I just think the future is super
right here and I'm super happy to be a part
of it.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
I mentioned when I was talking to Brandy, you got
an incredible founder's group here. How much are you going
to that quartet asking for advice, asking for tips anything.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
Yeah, With other clubs, I don't think that they have
the luxury of these ownership groups or people that are
investing in these teams to be such established players and
have so much knowledge about our league and women's soccer
and you know, building our brand. Like I think every
(21:18):
single person that Quarte and like our wider ownership group
can can offer something, and they have been like more
than willing to just help us out with life after
life during and yeah, like we always are talking to
Brandy and Leslie and Danielle and like.
Speaker 5 (21:35):
They're they're always they're always around.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
So I'm like super grateful that they have been as
involved as they are just because like they're they're living legends,
you know, like, yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
It's pretty wild that you can just text Brandy Chastain.
I know, Okay, I'm working on this thing. Can you help?
Speaker 5 (21:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (21:52):
You you know you were you were talking about like
all her all her achievements, and it just kind of
brought me back to when I was a kid, and
you know, I would wasn't born yet for the ninety
nine ers, youw, I know, I was born December ninety nine,
and I was like, yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
So at least it was still the nineties.
Speaker 4 (22:10):
I know, I know, right, but yeah, I think about that,
and I've you know, watched the nine nine ers documentary,
and you know, just being able to have someone like
Brandy like in my corner and helping me with whatever
I need. In our club too, I think they've just
been like a tremendous help for us, and I just
think that that's why I think our club is going
in the right direction, because we have people like are
(22:32):
founding for you know, kind of spearheading this this this club.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
I remember I went to see the US women's national
team at Soldier Field when I was in high school.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
I can't remember what year, what the occasion, And the.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Reason it doesn't stand out is because I I wasn't
getting like little lectures about what they meant. My parents
aren't super into sports, so usually if I was going
to a sporting event, it was with somebody else's family
and they would invite me along because they knew I
was like a little sporty spice and I was in
every single sport possible. But I wasn't being told like
this is special or this is unique. It was just
(23:06):
a part of the larger landscape of games I went to.
So I wonder when you were growing up, were you
aware of the activism of those players, were you aware
of what it meant when you learned about the ninety
nine ers later since you weren't alive, or is that
something that as you become a pro you've sort of
started to like try to be interested in the fights
(23:26):
that came before you.
Speaker 5 (23:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
I think you know, anyone who's like a women's soccer
player or like a female athlete in general, they should
know what came before them. You know, the history of
our league, the history of women's soccer. I think that's
super important. I think my parents did a good job of,
you know, sitting me down and showing me because you know,
(23:49):
they were obviously a live for the ninety nine ers,
and they watched and I think they didn't go to
the game, but they were in LA when you know,
they won at the Rose Bowl, And yeah, I my
mom and my dad they knew, like what like a
pivotal moment that was for women's sports, And my mom
and dad they tried to get me at any sort
(24:11):
of like women's sporting eve at possible. I went to
a bunch of Sparks games growing up, Like I went
to we were in Seattle, went to see the Seattle
storm too. We want to see the Seattle rain when
Sidney LaRue was on it. You know, like I remember
like Rippino all those people playing playing there, and then
our national team too. I had this like super awkward
picture with Julie Ertz and my sister like when she's
(24:33):
playing for the national team. So I just remember always
like being a fan, and it's super cool to say
that I play with and among these players that I
idolized when I was younger.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
We need to talk about your adorable cat, Cheeto, and
it was coming cheeto favorite food yogurt, second favorite food bacon. Yeah,
he's a model, he's a lager fan, he's a travel buddy.
How is this cat getting on commercial airplanes with you?
Is this like a sneaky therapy cat?
Speaker 5 (25:03):
So that's actually really funny.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
I feel like we should have like a slideshow, which
this was like a screen, and we could have like
a slideshow of Cheetah.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
I'll tell them Cheeto's Instagram handles so they can follow him.
Speaker 5 (25:11):
It's mister dot Cheeto dot the dot Kitten.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
I know it's super long, but yeah, I go follow him,
and yeah, I he posts every so often, So you
know you'll be lucky if you know you come across
a post of his. But yeah, he I actually got
him when I was in Chicago. Really funny story of
how I got him. I was not in the market
for a cat at all, and no, yeah, I would
(25:36):
just find you. Yeah, exactly the distribution system, the cat
distribution system. But yeah, one of my teammates who I
will not say, she adopted a kitten cheeto. His name
was Franklin at the time, and he was the size
of my palm. He was like six weeks old and
she had him for a week and then she announced
(25:57):
the locker room. She was like, hey, guys, like, Franklin's
going back to the shelter. And I was like, oh
my god, like, you cannot, you cannot do that. And
I just felt so bad because he was attached to her.
You know, he's out of the shelter, you know. It
just it felt horrible to me, and I took it
among upon myself to go over to her house and
literally take him from her. I was like, you're not
(26:19):
taking back to shelter. He's mine now, And yeah, I
was honestly the best decision I've ever made. I've had
like a built in best friend, and he's just he's
the best.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
He's so cute. You avoided the question. But how he
got on the plane?
Speaker 5 (26:31):
Now, I was, yeah, I got distracted, but yeah.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
So they went to Palm Springs for our like preseason trip,
and I we were there for two weeks, so I
need someone to lost Cheetoh. My mom and my dad
they drove up, took Cheetah, and they took him back
home to Orange County where I live.
Speaker 5 (26:48):
My parents live now.
Speaker 4 (26:50):
They had him for the two weeks, and then right
when we were going back, I asked our travel manager.
I was like, you know what, I don't really want
my parents to drive him up and I just feel like,
I feel like it's a hassle.
Speaker 5 (27:03):
Can he come on the plane with us home?
Speaker 4 (27:06):
And he was like, oh yeah, Like let's do it.
It's gonna be so fun. And ever since then, people
are like, once you do, gonna come on another another plane.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
And so was that a charter plane?
Speaker 5 (27:16):
No, it was a commercial plane.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
Oh you just managed to sneak him on.
Speaker 5 (27:19):
You managed to Yeah, well, I had to put the
form that makes.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
It sound like he's helping with anxiety or glock home
or whatever. Yeah, glockh homos for weed, Right, that's what
you say. You have not me, of course, any big
plans for the off season.
Speaker 4 (27:34):
I mean, just I had like my week of relaxing,
and I'm just like super antsy, so.
Speaker 5 (27:40):
I weak of relaxing like for the year.
Speaker 4 (27:43):
You know, season ended, and I'm like, oh, I'm so
excited to like just ress in the off season. And
I got super bored and I was like, I'm just
gonna go work out. I Am gonna stay home with
my family. I don't get to see them that much
during the season. You know, they come up to games,
but you know it's they're at the game and then
they go home. So I would see him that that often,
and I spend some time with them and my siblings,
(28:04):
so I don't get to see I've only seen my
brother twice this entire year.
Speaker 5 (28:08):
So I'll go home.
Speaker 4 (28:09):
He's a couple off season or posts or off season games.
Speaker 5 (28:14):
I don't even know what you call it, and call
it like spring baseball, yeah, yeah, like fall baseball.
Speaker 4 (28:18):
So I'll go to a couple of his games and
just you know, see my grandparents. I just do all
my rounds of my friend's family. So it's a really
good time of the year.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
All right, last question, good good or Goodest. Something's good,
something's good, or something's Goodest scoring in the same stadium
as your dad, getting drafted on the same day as
your twin getting home to pet Cheetoh after a game,
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 5 (28:45):
I would say good is.
Speaker 4 (28:49):
Petting Cheetah because sometimes, like I get home, he fits
me or something.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Yeah, because he's a cat.
Speaker 4 (28:53):
Yeah, that's why you should get dogs. I know, you
don't even want to see. My hands are all like
scratched up because we play, I know. Yeah, but he's
super cute, so it's fun. That's good. Gooder is getting
drafted with my twin and my best friend Ali. She like, oh,
we got drafted to the same same team, so that
(29:15):
was pretty awesome. That was a great day. That's Gooder.
And then Goodest is scoring in the same stadium as
my dad. That was a because I don't I really
don't think anyone else is going to do that, honestly.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
Yeah, it's a tough one to pull off.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
Also for me, like having gone to Wrigley Field my
whole life to watch the Cubs and watch men's sports.
To see a whole stadium full of people there watching
women play a professional sport was like incredibly moving. So
thank you for giving us something to cheer for, and
thank you for coming to sit down today.
Speaker 5 (29:44):
Yeah, thank you so much and I'll.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
Be hawking everyone.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Thanks again to Penelope for taking the time and to
Novartists in Capital One for presenting the event. I had
so much fun talking to both Penelope and Brandy, and
we really appreciate all the folk who came out to
watch beautiful venue and set up too. So shout out
the iHeart team for putting together such a gorgeous day.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
We have to take another break when we come back.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
Good Game gets a dispatch from our Minnesota Bureau chief.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Welcome back. SLICS.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
Want to give a quick shout out to super Slice
Aaron Raw for following orders and acting as one of
our on the ground reporters. She just let us know
that Women's Sports Bar, a bar of their own, was
named top Bar in Minneapolis for twenty twenty five in
Minnesota Monthly.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Aaron writes, quote.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
It was on my twenty twenty five to do list
to visit and it was awesome.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
They are the most welcoming bar.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
My eldest daughter and I went to watch softball and
the owner stopped to talk make sure the games we
wanted were on and so on. It was so cool.
The crew there is the best. And now she's working
on a fundraiser to make sure girls stay in sports
end quote. We'll link to that fundraiser in the show
notes if you want to check it out and support
Gillian and the crew in their efforts.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
We love that you're.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
Listing slices, but we want you to get in the
game every day too, So here's our good game play
of the day. Follow Penelope and her cat Cheeto on
social media.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
We'll link to both of their accounts in the show notes.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
And I made a special little Thanksgiving treat for women's
sports fans out there, including you slices. Every year, I
see the famous clip, I'm sure you've seen it, beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes,
and it's always edited with clips of male athletes like
dancing or playing or whatever, and I've never seen one
featuring stars from women's sports.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
So I made one. That's right. Behold my editing powers,
y'all look out for real.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
I'm starting to get good at this content creation shit,
and this video is proof.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
We'll link to it in the show notes. Go check
it out.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
And we always love to hear from you, so hit
us up on email Good game at Wondermedia network 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 easy watch Maybe not dying
so much? Rating one wild and Precious Life Saved review
(32:04):
at long Last. Women are getting a first edition copy
of Car Crashes for Dummies. The Federal Transportation Department has finally,
finally approved a new female crash test dummy actually built
like a female body. Per government data, female drivers in
the US are seventy three percent more likely than a
male driver to be severely injured in vehicle crashes and
(32:25):
seventeen percent more likely to die, in part because safety
features from seat belts to airbags have largely been designed
to protect the average man from the nineteen seventies five nine,
one hundred and seventy pounds go off. Short Kings of
the seventies also congrats on living longer as a result
of being.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
So fucking basic.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
While the new female dummies are good news, unfortunately, due
to the cost of production and roll out, there's no
promise that the new dummies will be quickly adopted or
made compulsory. The government might need that money to fund
more important things like boner pills and cash Ptel's trips
to see his girlfriend. Now, if that doesn't enrage you enough,
read the book Invisible Women, Data Bias in a World
(33:04):
Built for men. Nothing beats a rage. Read am I
Right now, it's your turn, y'all, rate and review. Thanks
for listening, and we'll see you tomorrow when we're bringing
you a special Thanksgiving episode featuring Little Citrus and a
whole bunch of NWSL players and friends of the show.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
It's a fun one.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Good game, Penelope, Good game, long holiday weekend. You still
making men and men's bodies the default for everything from
safety goggles to room temperature to speech recognition to health trackers.
It's almost twenty twenty six, for Pete's sake. Good Game
with Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports production in
partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find
(33:41):
us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
Wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are alex Azzie
Grace Lynch, Taylor Williamson, and Lucy Jones. Our executive producers
are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rudder.
Our editors are Emily Rudder, Britney Martinez and Gianna Palmer.
Diduction assistance from Avery Loftus and I'm Your Host Sarah
Spain
Host
Sarah Spain
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