September 16, 2025 • 32 mins
San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Marisa Ingemi joins Sarah to talk about covering the Golden State Valkyries’ inaugural season, how the team’s games have become a gathering place for queer folks in the Bay Area, and the keys to the Valks getting a win in Game 2 of their opening round playoff series with the Minnesota Lynx. Plus, Vegas rolls on, the NWSL makes a good call, and we welcome a new inductee into the Good Game Hall of Fame.
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Transcript
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 guessing
another gold medal as in Jordan Childs's future when she
debuts on Dancing.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
With the Stars tonight. Wait, do they give medals on
that show? Trophies, mirror balls.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
It's Tuesday, September sixteenth, and on today's show, we'll be
chatting with San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Marissa and Jemmy
about covering women's sports in the Bay Area. Her biggest
takeaways from the Golden State Valkyrie's inaugural season, the team's
opening round series with the Minnesota Links, and more, plus
Vegas rolls on. The NWSL makes a good call, and
we induct the latest member of the Good Game Hall
(00:35):
of Fame. It's all coming up right after this.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Welcome Max Slices. Here's what you need to know today.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Let's start with the NWSL and a scary incident that
occurred during Sunday night's match between Racing Louisville and.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
The Seattle Rain.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
During the first half of the contest, Racing midfielder and
friend of the Show, Savannah Dedmello, had a medical emergency
while on the pitch. She sat down on the field,
then collapsed and was quickly treated by medical staff. Demello
was then taken by ambulance to a local hospital for
further evaluation, with the team and league announcing that she
was alert and instable condition. The league suspended the match,
(01:16):
announcing that the remainder of the game will be played
at a later time. The decision to postpone the game
was applauded, especially given an incident earlier this year when
Angel City player Savvy King received life saving care on
the field, but the match was continued after she was
taken to the hospital. The NWSL Players Association released a
statement on Monday morning commending the league's decision to suspend
(01:36):
the match, saying, in part, quote, our hearts are with
Savannah Demello and her family following last night's game. Her
health and well being remain our top priority, and we're
relieved she is receiving the medical.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Attention she needs. End quote.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
While we haven't gotten any further updates on Demello's status,
it's worth noting that she previously left a match in
March after experiencing dizziness and chest tightness. She later revealed
in May that she's been diagnosed with Graves disease and hyperthyroidism,
which can result in symptoms including rapid heart rate. We're
sending Savannah our best, wishing her a very quick recovery,
(02:09):
and hoping to see her back whenever.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
She's ready to the WNBA.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
The Aces opened their playoff push with a seventeenth straight victory,
defeating the Seattle Storm one oh two seventy seven late
Sunday night. I guess my prediction of a close game
was wrong. If the Aces win again tonight in Game two,
they'll tie the league record for most consecutive wins. The
two thousand and one LA Sparks also won eighteen in
a row en route to that year's WNBA title. Also tonight,
(02:35):
game two of the Atlanta Dream Indiana Fever series, with
the Dream looking to lock up a spot in the
Semis with a win on the road in Indy. The
other two Round one series continue on Wednesday night. More
WNBA news On Monday, Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton
was named the twenty twenty five WNBA Most Improved Player.
Burton was the starting point guard in all forty four
regular season games for Golden State, averaging eleven point nine points,
(02:58):
four point four rebounds, six assists in one point one
steals per game, all of which were career highs. According
to The Valkyrie, she's the first player in WNBA history
to have a year over year improvement of eight plus
points per game, four plus assists per game, and two
plus rebounds per game.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
And the vote was nearly unanimous.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Burton received sixty eight of a possible seventy two first
place votes. Azare Stevens finished in second place with two votes,
and Ali Chagran Natisha hidem And tied for third with
one vote. Apiece to golf, Charlie Hull won the Kroger
Queens City Championship on Sunday, the third LPGA victory of
her career and first since twenty twenty two. Hall won
after world number one Gino Tittucul took four putts on
(03:39):
the eighteenth hole, including missing two that were fewer than
five feet from the hole. If not for her poor putting,
Titikoul would have become the first athlete to win two
LPGA titles this season. Instead, the LPGA has now seen
twenty five different athletes win this year, including Hull. And
while we certainly don't want to promote smoking, given Hull's
habit abum and a cigarette mid round. We just want
(04:00):
to know whether she's celebrating this win with a heater
or upgrading to a cigar. Finally to rugby, where the
semi finals of the Women's World Cup will take place
this Friday and Saturday. New Zealand, Canada, France, and England
all earned spots in the semifinals via wins in the
quarters this past weekend. In case you missed it, Team
USA was ousted following group play after the Eagles posted
(04:21):
one win, one draw, and one loss during the round
robin portion of the tournament.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Seems like their spirits are still high though.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Check out the fun dance video they made couple rugby
players couple soccer players, including their retired goalkeeper Mary ERPs.
You could find that on alone O mar and Mary
ERP's Instagram accounts. All right, we got to take a
quick break. When we come back, put your v's up.
It's Marissa and Jemmy. We caught up with her on
Monday following the Valks defeat in Game one, joining us now,
(04:56):
she covers the Golden State, Valkyrie, BFC Stanford and Cow
Women's Basta ball and more women's sports. Enterprise and investigative
stories for the San Francisco Chronicle. A New Hampshire native,
she's a Boston you grad former play by play broadcaster
for the now defunct National Women's Hockey League, and former
color commentator for BU Lacrosse. She's written for ESPN, Yahoo,
The New York Times, The Seattle Times, and more. She
(05:17):
was the twenty twenty four National Sports Media Association California
co Sports Writer of the Year, the twenty twenty four
US Basketball Writers Association Rising Star Award recipient, and a
finalist for the twenty twenty four AP Sports Editors Billy
Jean King Award for Women's Sports Reporting. I guess what
I'm saying is twenty twenty four was a good year
for her. It's Marissa and Jemmy. Hi, Marissa, Hi.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
There, Wow, Oh my gosh. She just like made me
feel so confident.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Well, I mean, you just want a bunch of stuff.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
All I did was read that you want a bunch
of stuff, which did happen, And I said investigative.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Every time I come across.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
That word, I choose whether I'm gonna say it a
different way, because sometimes I say investigative, but I feel
like investigative sounds more fun, right, It sounds like, I
don't know, mysterious and like scary. I like that, Yeah,
yet like British somehow, I don't know why. Anyway, Thanks
for joining us, especially during this very busy time on
the beat in the middle of the WNBA playoffs. You're
(06:08):
actually joining us the day after the Valkyrie's first ever
playoff game. Disappointing result losing to the Minnesota Links one
oh one seventy two, but an exciting opportunity for the
team to be in the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
At all in their inaugural year.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
We're going to get to that. We're going to get
to the whole series and everything else. But I want
to zoom out a little first, because you've covered this
team since day one, and I wonder what stands out
to about their entry into the WNBA.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
It's fascinating because we're at this moment where there are
other expansion teams coming in, So the Valkyries were always
kind of going to be that blueprint I used to
cover the NHL. So the comparison I keep getting to
is a Vegas school to Knights in the Seattle Kraken
and how the Knights kind of took everyone off guard,
and the Valkyries have kind of been in a similar spot.
There hasn't been expansion in the WNBA in a long time.
(06:52):
I think teams will be better equipped for expansion going forward,
and this year has just been kind of a fascinating
look at like why the best case scenario can look
like in this league. It's like across the board, like
this team has invested the resources, the crowd is there,
they have the practice facility that we've seen a lot
of other teams just like not invest into at all.
(07:14):
They didn't go out and get a star in free agency,
but they kind of developed like who they wanted. They
had a very intentional direction. And when you have an
expansion team that can be so hard, like it can
be so easy to just be like, oh I want
this person or this person and have a name. Everyone
they went and got was a very direct, intentional decision
for who they wanted to be. And early on I'm
(07:36):
not gonna lie, I was kind of like I don't understand,
like what they're doing. Why is Veronica? I was like,
why is Veronic a Britain's starting point guard? That's wild?
And then like a few games in I was like, Oh,
I see the vision. I see what they're trying to do,
and even if it doesn't work, I just love to
see an expansion team be that intentional. So that's kind
of been my big takeaway from the season, is like,
they know what they're trying to be, and I think
(07:57):
that's so important.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Yeah, I mean, I think it's so interesting.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
In the past, it's been really a luxury to live
in a city with a w team, and so it's
been really cool to be able to just go see games.
And now I'm like, oh, I almost wish we didn't
have a team, so we could get a new team
that would know what the fuck they're doing and do
things in this modern, invested way and have a big
time facility and understand the stakes of the game. At
(08:23):
this point, some of the older franchises are struggling to
keep up because it was just a different economic proposal
when they started, and they've established certain traditions or habits
that aren't cool or a draw anymore for free agents,
and so watching the Valkyries build from the ground up
and do things right in so many ways has made
me super jealous. To be frank, but I think you're
(08:46):
right They've been intentional about everything, and it does seem
like they've benefited from their MNBA counterparts in the Warriors facilities, investment,
shared knowledge of the market. How important do you think
building off of what the Warriors started in the Bay
Area has been for this team.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
I think it.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Helped because the Warriors cared. I think we've seen, like
over the years, the assumption that like for a women's
sports team to succeed, they need like the male counterpart
to back them, and that's not always the case. Sometimes
you will see them being treated as secondary. I mean
you look at like the Liberty when they had the
Knick's ownership and all of that. It helps at the
(09:21):
Warriors and Valcie owner Joe Lakeup he previously owned the
ABL's San Jose Lasers in the late nineties, So like
this is someone who's understood the women's basketball landscape for
a long time. They've wanted to have a WNBA team
for a while. It wasn't just like, oh, we should
do this because like it'll help the Warriors or like
it'll be important. Like they've rebranded like the Golden State Warriors,
(09:44):
like the shop their academy into just like Golden State
because they're like we the Valkyries and Warriors are on
equal footing, and I just I don't think i've really
seen that like walk the walk in women's sports before. So, like,
without praising the MNBA too much, like I've been in
PRIs that they've like actually done it. Like I've been
surprised going to some of these markets and seeing like
(10:06):
a Minnesota or in New York or even Indiana where
it's like why is the Upper Bowl not open, or
like why isn't the energy there as much? And I'm like, Oh,
this investment is actually super unique.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
I think the Warriors have done a lot of things
well and right, and I think it does help not
only for ownership but for guys like Steph Corey to
have been on the side of support ever since, you know,
the WNBA has been an idea there, not to mention,
has been an actual team that existed. How has the
larger Bay Area sports space reacted to the Valkyrie's arrival.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Yeah, I mean it's kind of crazy because like we
went through this last year when I was covering AFC,
like how is this team going to fit in? And
it's been a little harder for them because soccer is
a little bit of a harder sell. The NWSL is
in a different place and they play in San Jose,
and I think that makes a big impact. With the
Valkyries being in San Francisco being a JA center, they
just kind of like were inserted into the Bay Area
sports system right away. Like at the Chronicle they are
(11:02):
like cemented as our number four team right now, Like
they're getting readership on par with Warriors. They are getting
subscriptions higher than some other men's sports teams because part
of it is they're new and people are excited, but
like they're just fitting in in a way I've never seen.
I mean, I've covered expansion NHL teams, I've covered the NWHL.
I've never seen a team just kind of like slot
(11:24):
in and it's like you are a part of this now.
And part of that is just like this moment for
the WNBA obviously, but the Bay Area also is just
such a women's sports market and such a basketball market, and.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
They're doing it right.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
I mean, Jess Smith Ohemma, the folks in charge over
there are Proveness in particular already did this with Angel
City and knows exactly what it means to make sure
that a place feels like a fit with the team
that you're bringing to it, to really understand the city,
the people, the fans, and I thought it was really
fascinating before the season started, ahead of the first game
(11:57):
which I attended, she talked about how they've got this.
You know, ten thousand season ticket holders on the Warriors side,
ten thousand season ticket holders on the Valkyrie side, and
only ten percent of those are crossover. Only ten percent
are just basketball fans who want season tickets for both.
There is a real market that wasn't served necessarily by
going to Warriors games that are now finding that the
(12:18):
Valkyries are their team and this space that they want
to be a part of. They set attendance records for
average home game attendants total attendance in a season for
an expansion team. To do that in the WNBA is
just incredible. Selling out every single home game at Chase Center.
How do you think they managed to capture the interest
of fans from day one? And what did you see
in terms of outreach and preparation in advance of them
(12:40):
actually starting play that helped contribute to people being ready
from day one to get on board.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
They've just done a great job knowing who their audience
is and that it's not just like also Warriors fans.
But also I think we've seen in women's sports historically,
like so much of the marketing be like inspiration of
like we're doing this for the little girls, and like
you're not advertising towards like who has a women's sports
historically it's been queer women, and they've done a terrific
job of just identifying like we are not going to
(13:08):
avoid that. I think we've seen the WNBA historically, like
there'd be a reluctant acceptance for a long time of
like we're not going to be the lesbian league. And
we're at a point now where I mean it's also
San Francisco, which helps, but they are not shying away
from that. Like I know so many people, just like
in the queer community in San Francisco who do not
care about sports, but they live and die by the
(13:29):
Valkyries because they're like, oh, this is like going to
an event curated for me, and I also care about
these people, and that's so huge because like you do
see the little girls, you do see I always joke
with people like my audience are like lesbians and seventy
year old girl dads like it's it's like such an
interesting combination of people who are just like, oh, I
love basketball, like I know ball, I don't care who
it is, and then to people who just love women's sports,
(13:50):
and then the people who are finding a genuine community.
And I think that's a really good blueprint for like
how to market your team, because, like I said, we've
seen so many any of these women's sports teams in
leagues just be like, bring your little girls, this is
who you're going to be someday. And like kind of
ended at that.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Well, and we know that the families will show up
if you make it cool. Kids will want to be there,
and so will people who think it's a cool event
to go to in their twenties and thirties and forties,
people with disposable income, people that want to spend on merch,
people that want to go and have a great community time.
If you make it for them, the families and the
kids will still show up. You mentioned the queer community.
(14:27):
The San Francisco Standard published a story and what they
called the Valkyries Lesissants and how queer fans are congregating
meeting and even dating at Valkyries games. Obviously, like you mentioned,
the Bay Area has quite a queer history. So is
it just inevitable for a women's sports team in the
city to have this or is there more to this
instant connection between the team and the queer community. Does
(14:47):
it feel like they noticed it and leaned in, or
that they set themselves up understanding that that's a lot
of the people that they would want to be appealing to.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
I think they've leaned in. I mean they won a
preseason they were doing put your visa as like an
ad and they have like altered out a little bit
after some of the TikTok's just about the name, right, No,
now they just say V for Valkyries, like very clearly,
and it makes me laugh every time because I'm just like, yeah, okay, sure,
But no, I do think it's very distinct effort because
I don't think we've seen the same from AFC. And again,
(15:16):
part of like the comparison isn't fair be cause here
in San Jose, which is forty five minutes away and
very difficult, but like they have not had the same
buy in from the queer community. Just talking to readers
and season ticket holders, the Valkyries like from day one
were making people feel seen. I've seen like queer proposals
at games. I've never seen that before. I've never seen
like they don't really kiss camb or anything like that,
(15:38):
but just like such a I don't know, like explicit
welcoming and not other ring. It's not just I mean
like they had like the Pride Night and whatever, but
like it doesn't end there.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
It's just like a Pride month. Really.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Yeah, they had a couple of games they had like
a drag show at halftime, which was like really cool,
but it's just so explicit, like you can't go to
a Valkyrie's game without noticing like they're so many lesbians here,
and it's not like and I mean it's been interesting
kind of going across the league and traveling and going
to like every market and seeing like how queer this
league's fandom is, but not everywhere is as like I
(16:14):
don't know, explicitly like this team's about you. Like you
go to Dallas and it's like you see the paid
Becker's girlies and you know what's up.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Yeah, you see Sydney.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
Colson jerseys in Indiana and you can kind of like
see what people are going for we're out here.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
It's just like the Valkyries are like woven into the
sports culture and also independently woven into the queer culture
of this community.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Yeah, there's a season ticket holder named Megan Doherty Baker
who is quoted in that story who started the val Queries,
which is a fan group which I just I just love. Yeah,
you mentioned you also cover BFC. It is interesting to
see how the vibes are different across NWSL versus WNBA,
and and it'll be it'll be interesting to see if
(16:57):
there's growth with those teams together despite the distance. You know,
I'm really excited for a place like Portland where they
are both playing in the city and sharing a facility
where there's a lot of opportunity for cultural sharing and crossover.
It feels like maybe with AFC and the Valkyries, that's
going to be tough to pull off in two different cities.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Yeah, and I mean, I think BFC really wants to
be in San Francisco. It's just tough because the infrastructure
and everything. They are building a practice facility on Treasure Island,
which is just off of San Francisco and has one
exit to get there, so they can't really build an
arena there at the same time, but like that'll be
done in twenty twenty seven, and I'm like stressed out
thinking about how they're going to practice there and play
(17:37):
in San Jose, Like where are.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
They going to live?
Speaker 3 (17:40):
They played a game at Oracle Park this year, the
Giants field, and it went great, and you could just
tell like they they want to be in San Francisco,
Like that's where their audience is. Every season ticket holder
I know is coming from the city. So I think
it's almost essential for them to get there somehow. It's
just a matter of how effectively can they actually pull
that up. Like they have the money, they're owned by
(18:02):
private equity, they can build it. It's just like where
where does it fit the city?
Speaker 2 (18:06):
So full?
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Yeah, it's like the Chicago Stars dealing with the same
issue in Chicago. It would be way better in the city,
but where to put it. Let's talk game one of
the Valks series with the links. Could you find any
positives and how they performed.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
In the loss?
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Yeah, I really liked that first quarter. It looked a
lot different. And Thursday they ended a regular season in
Minnesota and it went pretty poorly. They could, They had
their work shooting performance of the season from behind the arc,
and just like overall, it was their lowest scoring game.
And then after that game, I was like, well, they
held Minnesota to seventy two points, so I do like
the defensive structure of how they handle this. What concerned
(18:43):
me coming out of this game was a little bit
of like the composure, like this was a quarter that
the Valkyries could have made Minnesota unravel a little bit.
They punched them first, and when Valkyries punched first are
usually pretty good, especially on the road, they can really
take the air out of it. That arena was dead
for a minute. But then after the game you hear
Natalie Nicassi, the head coach, talk about officiating and like
(19:06):
she's done that all a year. But when it's about
a series of offensive rebounds and fools on that early
in a second quarter and you just unravel from there,
that makes me worry a little bit about a team
that just hasn't been there before and the way Minnesota
was able to respond and Valkyries weren't. So they've done
a good job adjusting all year. So my hope for
them would be that they can adjust to this. But
(19:28):
Minnesota is the best team in the league. It's a
really bad matchup for them. I went into the series
kind of like, you know, if you can even go
into Game one and not win but be pretty competitive
there at the end, maybe you can take some momentum
going into Game two. But now I'm a little more apprehensive.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
Game two is Wednesday. Due to scheduling conflicts, it will
not be at the Chase Center. They'll play at the
SAP Center in San Jose, home with the NHL's San
Jose Sharks.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
So let's start there.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
What's lost with this team not being able to host
at their home arena, the place they've sold out every
single game to play, what they've established a really amazing
home court advantage and culture.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
It's a bummer. There's no way to sugarcuat it. They
tried everything in their power to not make it happen.
So like, this isn't a case of like in the
past where like Phoenix or Washington or Minnesota where like
move for Disney on ice or something. The Labor Cup
Tennis tournament like that was scheduled like almost three years ago.
That was before the Valkyries existed. And there's so much
money put into that day, we're just stuck. It's bad timing.
(20:26):
I don't think something like this would happen in this organization. Again,
they wanted to go to Oakland originally, but there was
a private event going on there, so they couldn't make
it happen. The good news, SAP Center is a great facility,
Like it's easy to get to the train, it's right
next to the cow train, there's a ton of parking.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
I'm Lake Chase Center.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
And they're bringing down like their floor, like all their
game day stuff. So from my understanding is it'll still
be sold out. I think the crowd is what matters,
So I don't think it'll be as bad as it
feels like it is. Like it's hard because I'm like,
this is a bummer, Like there's no way around it.
But I also don't think they will lose like the
crowd advantage off that makes sense.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
Right, well, And it's still a professional sports arena. It's
not like they're going down the street to like a
college facility and having to play somewhere that feels really
less than It's just kind of a bummer after a
whole season of setting marks, at the Chase Center to
not be able to have that opportunity.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
What do they need to do to pull off a
winning game two?
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Gosh, they need to shoot consistently. It was really tough
because like they're shot. When the Valkyrie shoot, they're really
hard to beat. But they go into these extended, long
slumps where they just don't shoot at all. So in
game one, they made nine field goals in the first quarter,
and they made eleven the rest of the game. They
cannot do that. They need to have a consistent shot,
(21:46):
and part of that is you've got to make those layups.
They were getting into the paint early on and they
just weren't executing. So they really need to execute. They
can't give away possessions. They love to let it fly,
but I think they need to be a little more
intentional about how they're shooting, and then they just can't
get frustrated. Like they do a pretty good I mean,
they give up one hundred and one point, but a
lot of those came late too. I think they do
(22:07):
a pretty good job defensively. On Minnesota. They weren't shooting
at all early. They were really frustrating their three point shot.
They were confusing them going into the zone a little bit.
They need to keep their composure and they need to
just take very intentional shots.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Yeah, we've seen throughout the season. I think what's really
impressed us. We shared your questions about the roster coming
into the season. We were surprised more big name free
agents weren't interested in being a part of this very
first season. Even though usually expansion teams don't have great success.
They out did expectations in terms of wins and losses,
in terms of attendance and everything else, and out did
expectations in terms of the.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Play of the folks on their roster.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
A lot of that having to do with Natalie Nicasse
and really feeling like she tells them what to do
and they execute it. What stands out to you about
her performance as a head coach in this first season
and what do you hear from the players about her.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
I like that she just is so direct, you know
what you're getting from her. She doesn't really beat around
the bush, if that makes sense, Like she's sure doesn't.
She's wanted to say what she wants. She's stuck to
her gun too. Early in the year, their three point
shooting was terrible and they never got away from it.
They went from being glass in the league tonight at
the end of the year, and a lot of that
(23:15):
is some roster adjustments, like to Chileo Xandalssini came back
from injury, Iliana Repair joined the team. But they stuck
to their guns the whole time. And that's Natalie. She
believed in her vision and stuck to it. And I
think that's impressive because early on they could have gotten
away from that, and would have had every reason to,
but she believed very specifically in what she was doing.
And the players respond to that.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
What do you expect from you? Or two of the valks.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
We're not gonna immediately assume that they're going to be
out in two but let's just say it's possible that
Wednesday could be the last game of the season for
this team, going up against the juggernaut that is the Links,
which will have us looking ahead so year two, especially
with so much player movement that's expected this offseason, when
and if the new CBA has agreed to do you
see a whole bunch of free agents now wanting to
(23:57):
come Do you see a lot of the players that
got us bablished in this first season returning.
Speaker 3 (24:02):
It's so hard to project next season in this league
because we don't know the CBA. We don't know what
the expansion draft is going to look like. I just
did a redd at Ama and the Valkyrie's subreddit, like
right before coming on here, and every question is just like,
what's the expansion draft look like? You know, like, girl,
I don't know. I've been asking every week.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
I don't even know if it's gonna happen on time.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
Right, So it's like it's hard to project. My expectation
is to lock in on keeping Veronica Burton, to lock
in on keeping Zandalasini. They have five UFAs and Kayla Thornton,
Monique Billings, Kyler Charles, Tiffany Hayes, and Timmy Fake Benley.
I don't know if Tip is looking at returning or not.
If she's been banged up all year, KT got hurt
(24:41):
at the end or in midway through the season. I
don't know where she's at. I would imagine they'd want
to bring back some of the young players, especially Carla
Lates under contract. You say the sites coming from overseas,
she was the first round pick from Lithuania. I think
this team could look a little bit younger maybe next year,
but it really and like who they want to swing for?
(25:02):
Who do they lose an expansion? Who do they protect?
Do they have to even participate in expansion? What does
a college draft look like? They're going to have the
number eight pick. It looks like, but I don't know
if they're going to change it up, So it's really
hard to project.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Yeah, and I think everybody feels that way.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
We're sort of imagining this insane free for all where
every player changes teams because there are so few that
are locked into deals beyond this season. But that isn't
necessarily going to be the case just because a new
CBA happens.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
If it does happen, and if it happens on time.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
Well, we've really enjoyed watching the Valkyries this season, and
we've really loved watching your coverage and very cool to
get to start your coverage of them from day one
and to really be there to witness this team starting out.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
So thanks to the time. Appreciate it. Yeah, thank you
so much.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Thanks again to Marissa for hanging out. We got to
take another break. When we come back, get out the
plaque engraver. It's time for another entry into the Good
Game Hall of Fame.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
Welcome backslices.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
It's time to introduce the latest addition to the Good
Game Hall of Fame. Yes, the Good Game Hall of Fame,
where we celebrate women's sports lore, the kind of legendary
stories we should all know by heart, just like we
know about Mike Tyson biting a vander Holyfield's ear or
Chris Saale going all Edward scissorhands on the White Sox
(26:25):
throwback jerseys. We got some catching up to do when
it comes to women's sports stories. So grab another plaque
and find a good place on the wall, because today
we've got another inductee. On yesterday's show, we told you
about Melissa Jefferson Wooden's one hundred meters win at the
World Track and Field Championships in Tokyo over the weekend.
Jefferson Woulden top the field with a time of ten
to sixty one, making her the fourth fastest woman in
(26:47):
history in the event. But it's not Melissa's speed that
earned her a spot in our hall. No, the Hall
is about so much more than winning. She's in it
for the journey she took to reach this moment. When
she was a junior in high school, Melissa's father was
diagnosed with Mielo dysplastic syndrome. Now you might recall Robin
Roberts talking about her having the same condition right here
on this show. In my interview with her, Roberts told
(27:09):
me about how her sister was the best match to
provide a bone marrow transplant. Well, when Melissa's father, Melvin,
was diagnosed, he was first placed on a donor list,
but when no matches were found, doctors tested Melvin's family
members and the best candidate ended up being Melissa, who
was seventeen at the time. In an interview with NBC
sportswriter Nick Sacrdi, Melvin recalled how Melissa responded to the news, saying, quote,
(27:33):
She's like, Okay, it's.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
My time to step up to the plate. And I
was like wow.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
So it did something to me and for me to
know that she doesn't even think about whatever it takes
when it comes to having to do something in order
to save someone much less her dad end quote. After
the successful transplant, Melissa returned to high school with the
goal of running track in college. She got a partial
scholarship to Coastal Carolina University, a school that isn't exactly
known for producing elite tre and field athletes, but by
(28:01):
her junior year of college in twenty twenty two, she
was winning races against athletes from the powerhouse programs, and
she turned pro soon after. We loved watching Melissa get
the dub at Worlds in Tokyo, and you know who
else did to her?
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Dad, Melvin.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
He's essentially been live streaming the competition on his Facebook
page and it's exactly as cute as you think it
would be. So welcome to the Good Game Hall of Fame, Melissa.
By the way, we'll be rooting around later this week too,
when she looks to add the two hundred meter world
title to her resume as well. And check out the
show notes for a link to Nick's great feature on
Melissa from earlier this month. We love that you're listening,
(28:39):
but we want you to get in the game every
day too, So here's our good game.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Play of the day.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Continue to reach out to your representatives to oppose the
Score Act and make it clear to the folks pushing
the bill that it wouldn't survive a vote. For those
who don't remember, the Score Act is a potential college
sports bill that would completely fail women athletes. We're grateful
to everyone who are already responded to our call to
get involved with Representative Lori Trahan's fight against it. Momentum
(29:05):
is growing with more women in sports speaking out, and
last Wednesday, the WNBPA and NWSLPA even sent out a
presser rejecting the bill, warning Congress of its negative outcomes
for women, wrote NWSLPA executive director and friend of the
Show Megan Burke. Quote, My message is simple. The Score
Act is the modern version of repealing Title nine. The
(29:25):
NCAA's attempts to move their responsibilities under the law outside
the purview of Title nine must be rejected. We have
come too far to lose Title nine now end quote.
Representative Trehan and the Democratic Women's Caucus have been gathering
folks to fight against SCORE. So I've been working with
a rep for Trehand's office to coordinate efforts, and he
reached out to me on Friday with a positive update.
(29:47):
The Republicans have delayed the vote on SCORE that was
planned for this week due to mounting opposition from a
majority of Democrats and lots of Republican knows. One of
the key arguments against the bill has been its total
failure to protect it strengthen women's sports. Good news is
hard to come by these days, so let's celebrate efforts
against this bill paying off and keep.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
The pressure on.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
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 O
four fifty seventy, and don't forget to subscribe, rate and review.
It's easy watch the gospel of good games spreading far
and wide. Rating seven out of seven continents covered. Review
(30:29):
shout out to Lunga Umbata who commented on my Cape
Town pick quote, the leader of the slices is in
my country. To my great surprise and joy, there are
slices in South Africa around the world.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Hell yeah, Lunga.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
Is just another sign of the complete good game of
Sara spain World takeover that is currently underway. If you
need more proof, just check out the new season of
The British Bakeoff episode two, where a contestant made orange
slice biscuits.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Coincidence, I think not.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
Or watch an Ohio State football game to see defensive
tackle Dominic Orange play his nickname Big Citrus, You're welcome.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
PS looks like Lunga.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
That fan in South Africa hosts a rugby show, so
if that's your damn go check out mapin.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Sala, a rugby show on YouTube. PPS.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
Don't go fact check in whether or not we have
listeners in truly all seven continents.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
We know we've got six covered.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
But as for Antarctica, if Trump can count penguins for tariffs,
we can count them for pod listens to PPPs. If
you're not a penguin and listening in Antarctica, send us
a message.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
We want to hear from you.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
And if you are a penguin who knows how to email,
we really want to hear from you. All right now
it's your turn, rate and review thanks to listening slices.
See you tomorrow. Good game, Marissa, Good game, Melissa. You
Emmy host Nate bar Gaisy for introducing our Gilmour Girls
Queen's Lauren and Alexis as the stars of Gilmour's Now.
(32:06):
I don't care if you read the prompt or wrong,
get that shit right on the occasion of the show's
twenty fifth anniversary.
Speaker 2 (32:11):
Two How Rude.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
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 Azzie and Misha Jones. Our executive
producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rudder.
(32:36):
Our editors are Emily Rutter, Britney Martinez, Grace Lynch, and
Gianna Palmer.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
Our associate producer is Lucy Jones.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
Production assistants from Avery Loftist and I'm Your Host Sarah
Spain
Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're guessing
another gold medal as in Jordan Childs's future when she
debuts on Dancing.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
With the Stars tonight. Wait, do they give medals on
that show? Trophies, mirror balls.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
It's Tuesday, September sixteenth, and on today's show, we'll be
chatting with San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Marissa and Jemmy
about covering women's sports in the Bay Area. Her biggest
takeaways from the Golden State Valkyrie's inaugural season, the team's
opening round series with the Minnesota Links, and more, plus
Vegas rolls on. The NWSL makes a good call, and
we induct the latest member of the Good Game Hall
(00:35):
of Fame. It's all coming up right after this.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Welcome Max Slices. Here's what you need to know today.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Let's start with the NWSL and a scary incident that
occurred during Sunday night's match between Racing Louisville and.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
The Seattle Rain.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
During the first half of the contest, Racing midfielder and
friend of the Show, Savannah Dedmello, had a medical emergency
while on the pitch. She sat down on the field,
then collapsed and was quickly treated by medical staff. Demello
was then taken by ambulance to a local hospital for
further evaluation, with the team and league announcing that she
was alert and instable condition. The league suspended the match,
(01:16):
announcing that the remainder of the game will be played
at a later time. The decision to postpone the game
was applauded, especially given an incident earlier this year when
Angel City player Savvy King received life saving care on
the field, but the match was continued after she was
taken to the hospital. The NWSL Players Association released a
statement on Monday morning commending the league's decision to suspend
(01:36):
the match, saying, in part, quote, our hearts are with
Savannah Demello and her family following last night's game. Her
health and well being remain our top priority, and we're
relieved she is receiving the medical.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Attention she needs. End quote.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
While we haven't gotten any further updates on Demello's status,
it's worth noting that she previously left a match in
March after experiencing dizziness and chest tightness. She later revealed
in May that she's been diagnosed with Graves disease and hyperthyroidism,
which can result in symptoms including rapid heart rate. We're
sending Savannah our best, wishing her a very quick recovery,
(02:09):
and hoping to see her back whenever.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
She's ready to the WNBA.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
The Aces opened their playoff push with a seventeenth straight victory,
defeating the Seattle Storm one oh two seventy seven late
Sunday night. I guess my prediction of a close game
was wrong. If the Aces win again tonight in Game two,
they'll tie the league record for most consecutive wins. The
two thousand and one LA Sparks also won eighteen in
a row en route to that year's WNBA title. Also tonight,
(02:35):
game two of the Atlanta Dream Indiana Fever series, with
the Dream looking to lock up a spot in the
Semis with a win on the road in Indy. The
other two Round one series continue on Wednesday night. More
WNBA news On Monday, Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton
was named the twenty twenty five WNBA Most Improved Player.
Burton was the starting point guard in all forty four
regular season games for Golden State, averaging eleven point nine points,
(02:58):
four point four rebounds, six assists in one point one
steals per game, all of which were career highs. According
to The Valkyrie, she's the first player in WNBA history
to have a year over year improvement of eight plus
points per game, four plus assists per game, and two
plus rebounds per game.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
And the vote was nearly unanimous.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Burton received sixty eight of a possible seventy two first
place votes. Azare Stevens finished in second place with two votes,
and Ali Chagran Natisha hidem And tied for third with
one vote. Apiece to golf, Charlie Hull won the Kroger
Queens City Championship on Sunday, the third LPGA victory of
her career and first since twenty twenty two. Hall won
after world number one Gino Tittucul took four putts on
(03:39):
the eighteenth hole, including missing two that were fewer than
five feet from the hole. If not for her poor putting,
Titikoul would have become the first athlete to win two
LPGA titles this season. Instead, the LPGA has now seen
twenty five different athletes win this year, including Hull. And
while we certainly don't want to promote smoking, given Hull's
habit abum and a cigarette mid round. We just want
(04:00):
to know whether she's celebrating this win with a heater
or upgrading to a cigar. Finally to rugby, where the
semi finals of the Women's World Cup will take place
this Friday and Saturday. New Zealand, Canada, France, and England
all earned spots in the semifinals via wins in the
quarters this past weekend. In case you missed it, Team
USA was ousted following group play after the Eagles posted
(04:21):
one win, one draw, and one loss during the round
robin portion of the tournament.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Seems like their spirits are still high though.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Check out the fun dance video they made couple rugby
players couple soccer players, including their retired goalkeeper Mary ERPs.
You could find that on alone O mar and Mary
ERP's Instagram accounts. All right, we got to take a
quick break. When we come back, put your v's up.
It's Marissa and Jemmy. We caught up with her on
Monday following the Valks defeat in Game one, joining us now,
(04:56):
she covers the Golden State, Valkyrie, BFC Stanford and Cow
Women's Basta ball and more women's sports. Enterprise and investigative
stories for the San Francisco Chronicle. A New Hampshire native,
she's a Boston you grad former play by play broadcaster
for the now defunct National Women's Hockey League, and former
color commentator for BU Lacrosse. She's written for ESPN, Yahoo,
The New York Times, The Seattle Times, and more. She
(05:17):
was the twenty twenty four National Sports Media Association California
co Sports Writer of the Year, the twenty twenty four
US Basketball Writers Association Rising Star Award recipient, and a
finalist for the twenty twenty four AP Sports Editors Billy
Jean King Award for Women's Sports Reporting. I guess what
I'm saying is twenty twenty four was a good year
for her. It's Marissa and Jemmy. Hi, Marissa, Hi.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
There, Wow, Oh my gosh. She just like made me
feel so confident.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Well, I mean, you just want a bunch of stuff.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
All I did was read that you want a bunch
of stuff, which did happen, And I said investigative.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Every time I come across.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
That word, I choose whether I'm gonna say it a
different way, because sometimes I say investigative, but I feel
like investigative sounds more fun, right, It sounds like, I
don't know, mysterious and like scary. I like that, Yeah,
yet like British somehow, I don't know why. Anyway, Thanks
for joining us, especially during this very busy time on
the beat in the middle of the WNBA playoffs. You're
(06:08):
actually joining us the day after the Valkyrie's first ever
playoff game. Disappointing result losing to the Minnesota Links one
oh one seventy two, but an exciting opportunity for the
team to be in the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
At all in their inaugural year.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
We're going to get to that. We're going to get
to the whole series and everything else. But I want
to zoom out a little first, because you've covered this
team since day one, and I wonder what stands out
to about their entry into the WNBA.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
It's fascinating because we're at this moment where there are
other expansion teams coming in, So the Valkyries were always
kind of going to be that blueprint I used to
cover the NHL. So the comparison I keep getting to
is a Vegas school to Knights in the Seattle Kraken
and how the Knights kind of took everyone off guard,
and the Valkyries have kind of been in a similar spot.
There hasn't been expansion in the WNBA in a long time.
(06:52):
I think teams will be better equipped for expansion going forward,
and this year has just been kind of a fascinating
look at like why the best case scenario can look
like in this league. It's like across the board, like
this team has invested the resources, the crowd is there,
they have the practice facility that we've seen a lot
of other teams just like not invest into at all.
(07:14):
They didn't go out and get a star in free agency,
but they kind of developed like who they wanted. They
had a very intentional direction. And when you have an
expansion team that can be so hard, like it can
be so easy to just be like, oh I want
this person or this person and have a name. Everyone
they went and got was a very direct, intentional decision
for who they wanted to be. And early on I'm
(07:36):
not gonna lie, I was kind of like I don't understand,
like what they're doing. Why is Veronica? I was like,
why is Veronic a Britain's starting point guard? That's wild?
And then like a few games in I was like, Oh,
I see the vision. I see what they're trying to do,
and even if it doesn't work, I just love to
see an expansion team be that intentional. So that's kind
of been my big takeaway from the season, is like,
they know what they're trying to be, and I think
(07:57):
that's so important.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Yeah, I mean, I think it's so interesting.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
In the past, it's been really a luxury to live
in a city with a w team, and so it's
been really cool to be able to just go see games.
And now I'm like, oh, I almost wish we didn't
have a team, so we could get a new team
that would know what the fuck they're doing and do
things in this modern, invested way and have a big
time facility and understand the stakes of the game. At
(08:23):
this point, some of the older franchises are struggling to
keep up because it was just a different economic proposal
when they started, and they've established certain traditions or habits
that aren't cool or a draw anymore for free agents,
and so watching the Valkyries build from the ground up
and do things right in so many ways has made
me super jealous. To be frank, but I think you're
(08:46):
right They've been intentional about everything, and it does seem
like they've benefited from their MNBA counterparts in the Warriors facilities, investment,
shared knowledge of the market. How important do you think
building off of what the Warriors started in the Bay
Area has been for this team.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
I think it.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Helped because the Warriors cared. I think we've seen, like
over the years, the assumption that like for a women's
sports team to succeed, they need like the male counterpart
to back them, and that's not always the case. Sometimes
you will see them being treated as secondary. I mean
you look at like the Liberty when they had the
Knick's ownership and all of that. It helps at the
(09:21):
Warriors and Valcie owner Joe Lakeup he previously owned the
ABL's San Jose Lasers in the late nineties, So like
this is someone who's understood the women's basketball landscape for
a long time. They've wanted to have a WNBA team
for a while. It wasn't just like, oh, we should
do this because like it'll help the Warriors or like
it'll be important. Like they've rebranded like the Golden State Warriors,
(09:44):
like the shop their academy into just like Golden State
because they're like we the Valkyries and Warriors are on
equal footing, and I just I don't think i've really
seen that like walk the walk in women's sports before. So, like,
without praising the MNBA too much, like I've been in
PRIs that they've like actually done it. Like I've been
surprised going to some of these markets and seeing like
(10:06):
a Minnesota or in New York or even Indiana where
it's like why is the Upper Bowl not open, or
like why isn't the energy there as much? And I'm like, Oh,
this investment is actually super unique.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
I think the Warriors have done a lot of things
well and right, and I think it does help not
only for ownership but for guys like Steph Corey to
have been on the side of support ever since, you know,
the WNBA has been an idea there, not to mention,
has been an actual team that existed. How has the
larger Bay Area sports space reacted to the Valkyrie's arrival.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Yeah, I mean it's kind of crazy because like we
went through this last year when I was covering AFC,
like how is this team going to fit in? And
it's been a little harder for them because soccer is
a little bit of a harder sell. The NWSL is
in a different place and they play in San Jose,
and I think that makes a big impact. With the
Valkyries being in San Francisco being a JA center, they
just kind of like were inserted into the Bay Area
sports system right away. Like at the Chronicle they are
(11:02):
like cemented as our number four team right now, Like
they're getting readership on par with Warriors. They are getting
subscriptions higher than some other men's sports teams because part
of it is they're new and people are excited, but
like they're just fitting in in a way I've never seen.
I mean, I've covered expansion NHL teams, I've covered the NWHL.
I've never seen a team just kind of like slot
(11:24):
in and it's like you are a part of this now.
And part of that is just like this moment for
the WNBA obviously, but the Bay Area also is just
such a women's sports market and such a basketball market, and.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
They're doing it right.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
I mean, Jess Smith Ohemma, the folks in charge over
there are Proveness in particular already did this with Angel
City and knows exactly what it means to make sure
that a place feels like a fit with the team
that you're bringing to it, to really understand the city,
the people, the fans, and I thought it was really
fascinating before the season started, ahead of the first game
(11:57):
which I attended, she talked about how they've got this.
You know, ten thousand season ticket holders on the Warriors side,
ten thousand season ticket holders on the Valkyrie side, and
only ten percent of those are crossover. Only ten percent
are just basketball fans who want season tickets for both.
There is a real market that wasn't served necessarily by
going to Warriors games that are now finding that the
(12:18):
Valkyries are their team and this space that they want
to be a part of. They set attendance records for
average home game attendants total attendance in a season for
an expansion team. To do that in the WNBA is
just incredible. Selling out every single home game at Chase Center.
How do you think they managed to capture the interest
of fans from day one? And what did you see
in terms of outreach and preparation in advance of them
(12:40):
actually starting play that helped contribute to people being ready
from day one to get on board.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
They've just done a great job knowing who their audience
is and that it's not just like also Warriors fans.
But also I think we've seen in women's sports historically,
like so much of the marketing be like inspiration of
like we're doing this for the little girls, and like
you're not advertising towards like who has a women's sports
historically it's been queer women, and they've done a terrific
job of just identifying like we are not going to
(13:08):
avoid that. I think we've seen the WNBA historically, like
there'd be a reluctant acceptance for a long time of
like we're not going to be the lesbian league. And
we're at a point now where I mean it's also
San Francisco, which helps, but they are not shying away
from that. Like I know so many people, just like
in the queer community in San Francisco who do not
care about sports, but they live and die by the
(13:29):
Valkyries because they're like, oh, this is like going to
an event curated for me, and I also care about
these people, and that's so huge because like you do
see the little girls, you do see I always joke
with people like my audience are like lesbians and seventy
year old girl dads like it's it's like such an
interesting combination of people who are just like, oh, I
love basketball, like I know ball, I don't care who
it is, and then to people who just love women's sports,
(13:50):
and then the people who are finding a genuine community.
And I think that's a really good blueprint for like
how to market your team, because, like I said, we've
seen so many any of these women's sports teams in
leagues just be like, bring your little girls, this is
who you're going to be someday. And like kind of
ended at that.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Well, and we know that the families will show up
if you make it cool. Kids will want to be there,
and so will people who think it's a cool event
to go to in their twenties and thirties and forties,
people with disposable income, people that want to spend on merch,
people that want to go and have a great community time.
If you make it for them, the families and the
kids will still show up. You mentioned the queer community.
(14:27):
The San Francisco Standard published a story and what they
called the Valkyries Lesissants and how queer fans are congregating
meeting and even dating at Valkyries games. Obviously, like you mentioned,
the Bay Area has quite a queer history. So is
it just inevitable for a women's sports team in the
city to have this or is there more to this
instant connection between the team and the queer community. Does
(14:47):
it feel like they noticed it and leaned in, or
that they set themselves up understanding that that's a lot
of the people that they would want to be appealing to.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
I think they've leaned in. I mean they won a
preseason they were doing put your visa as like an
ad and they have like altered out a little bit
after some of the TikTok's just about the name, right, No,
now they just say V for Valkyries, like very clearly,
and it makes me laugh every time because I'm just like, yeah, okay, sure,
But no, I do think it's very distinct effort because
I don't think we've seen the same from AFC. And again,
(15:16):
part of like the comparison isn't fair be cause here
in San Jose, which is forty five minutes away and
very difficult, but like they have not had the same
buy in from the queer community. Just talking to readers
and season ticket holders, the Valkyries like from day one
were making people feel seen. I've seen like queer proposals
at games. I've never seen that before. I've never seen
like they don't really kiss camb or anything like that,
(15:38):
but just like such a I don't know, like explicit
welcoming and not other ring. It's not just I mean
like they had like the Pride Night and whatever, but
like it doesn't end there.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
It's just like a Pride month. Really.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Yeah, they had a couple of games they had like
a drag show at halftime, which was like really cool,
but it's just so explicit, like you can't go to
a Valkyrie's game without noticing like they're so many lesbians here,
and it's not like and I mean it's been interesting
kind of going across the league and traveling and going
to like every market and seeing like how queer this
league's fandom is, but not everywhere is as like I
(16:14):
don't know, explicitly like this team's about you. Like you
go to Dallas and it's like you see the paid
Becker's girlies and you know what's up.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Yeah, you see Sydney.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
Colson jerseys in Indiana and you can kind of like
see what people are going for we're out here.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
It's just like the Valkyries are like woven into the
sports culture and also independently woven into the queer culture
of this community.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Yeah, there's a season ticket holder named Megan Doherty Baker
who is quoted in that story who started the val Queries,
which is a fan group which I just I just love. Yeah,
you mentioned you also cover BFC. It is interesting to
see how the vibes are different across NWSL versus WNBA,
and and it'll be it'll be interesting to see if
(16:57):
there's growth with those teams together despite the distance. You know,
I'm really excited for a place like Portland where they
are both playing in the city and sharing a facility
where there's a lot of opportunity for cultural sharing and crossover.
It feels like maybe with AFC and the Valkyries, that's
going to be tough to pull off in two different cities.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Yeah, and I mean, I think BFC really wants to
be in San Francisco. It's just tough because the infrastructure
and everything. They are building a practice facility on Treasure Island,
which is just off of San Francisco and has one
exit to get there, so they can't really build an
arena there at the same time, but like that'll be
done in twenty twenty seven, and I'm like stressed out
thinking about how they're going to practice there and play
(17:37):
in San Jose, Like where are.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
They going to live?
Speaker 3 (17:40):
They played a game at Oracle Park this year, the
Giants field, and it went great, and you could just
tell like they they want to be in San Francisco,
Like that's where their audience is. Every season ticket holder
I know is coming from the city. So I think
it's almost essential for them to get there somehow. It's
just a matter of how effectively can they actually pull
that up. Like they have the money, they're owned by
(18:02):
private equity, they can build it. It's just like where
where does it fit the city?
Speaker 2 (18:06):
So full?
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Yeah, it's like the Chicago Stars dealing with the same
issue in Chicago. It would be way better in the city,
but where to put it. Let's talk game one of
the Valks series with the links. Could you find any
positives and how they performed.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
In the loss?
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Yeah, I really liked that first quarter. It looked a
lot different. And Thursday they ended a regular season in
Minnesota and it went pretty poorly. They could, They had
their work shooting performance of the season from behind the arc,
and just like overall, it was their lowest scoring game.
And then after that game, I was like, well, they
held Minnesota to seventy two points, so I do like
the defensive structure of how they handle this. What concerned
(18:43):
me coming out of this game was a little bit
of like the composure, like this was a quarter that
the Valkyries could have made Minnesota unravel a little bit.
They punched them first, and when Valkyries punched first are
usually pretty good, especially on the road, they can really
take the air out of it. That arena was dead
for a minute. But then after the game you hear
Natalie Nicassi, the head coach, talk about officiating and like
(19:06):
she's done that all a year. But when it's about
a series of offensive rebounds and fools on that early
in a second quarter and you just unravel from there,
that makes me worry a little bit about a team
that just hasn't been there before and the way Minnesota
was able to respond and Valkyries weren't. So they've done
a good job adjusting all year. So my hope for
them would be that they can adjust to this. But
(19:28):
Minnesota is the best team in the league. It's a
really bad matchup for them. I went into the series
kind of like, you know, if you can even go
into Game one and not win but be pretty competitive
there at the end, maybe you can take some momentum
going into Game two. But now I'm a little more apprehensive.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
Game two is Wednesday. Due to scheduling conflicts, it will
not be at the Chase Center. They'll play at the
SAP Center in San Jose, home with the NHL's San
Jose Sharks.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
So let's start there.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
What's lost with this team not being able to host
at their home arena, the place they've sold out every
single game to play, what they've established a really amazing
home court advantage and culture.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
It's a bummer. There's no way to sugarcuat it. They
tried everything in their power to not make it happen.
So like, this isn't a case of like in the
past where like Phoenix or Washington or Minnesota where like
move for Disney on ice or something. The Labor Cup
Tennis tournament like that was scheduled like almost three years ago.
That was before the Valkyries existed. And there's so much
money put into that day, we're just stuck. It's bad timing.
(20:26):
I don't think something like this would happen in this organization. Again,
they wanted to go to Oakland originally, but there was
a private event going on there, so they couldn't make
it happen. The good news, SAP Center is a great facility,
Like it's easy to get to the train, it's right
next to the cow train, there's a ton of parking.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
I'm Lake Chase Center.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
And they're bringing down like their floor, like all their
game day stuff. So from my understanding is it'll still
be sold out. I think the crowd is what matters,
So I don't think it'll be as bad as it
feels like it is. Like it's hard because I'm like,
this is a bummer, Like there's no way around it.
But I also don't think they will lose like the
crowd advantage off that makes sense.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
Right, well, And it's still a professional sports arena. It's
not like they're going down the street to like a
college facility and having to play somewhere that feels really
less than It's just kind of a bummer after a
whole season of setting marks, at the Chase Center to
not be able to have that opportunity.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
What do they need to do to pull off a
winning game two?
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Gosh, they need to shoot consistently. It was really tough
because like they're shot. When the Valkyrie shoot, they're really
hard to beat. But they go into these extended, long
slumps where they just don't shoot at all. So in
game one, they made nine field goals in the first quarter,
and they made eleven the rest of the game. They
cannot do that. They need to have a consistent shot,
(21:46):
and part of that is you've got to make those layups.
They were getting into the paint early on and they
just weren't executing. So they really need to execute. They
can't give away possessions. They love to let it fly,
but I think they need to be a little more
intentional about how they're shooting, and then they just can't
get frustrated. Like they do a pretty good I mean,
they give up one hundred and one point, but a
lot of those came late too. I think they do
(22:07):
a pretty good job defensively. On Minnesota. They weren't shooting
at all early. They were really frustrating their three point shot.
They were confusing them going into the zone a little bit.
They need to keep their composure and they need to
just take very intentional shots.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Yeah, we've seen throughout the season. I think what's really
impressed us. We shared your questions about the roster coming
into the season. We were surprised more big name free
agents weren't interested in being a part of this very
first season. Even though usually expansion teams don't have great success.
They out did expectations in terms of wins and losses,
in terms of attendance and everything else, and out did
expectations in terms of the.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Play of the folks on their roster.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
A lot of that having to do with Natalie Nicasse
and really feeling like she tells them what to do
and they execute it. What stands out to you about
her performance as a head coach in this first season
and what do you hear from the players about her.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
I like that she just is so direct, you know
what you're getting from her. She doesn't really beat around
the bush, if that makes sense, Like she's sure doesn't.
She's wanted to say what she wants. She's stuck to
her gun too. Early in the year, their three point
shooting was terrible and they never got away from it.
They went from being glass in the league tonight at
the end of the year, and a lot of that
(23:15):
is some roster adjustments, like to Chileo Xandalssini came back
from injury, Iliana Repair joined the team. But they stuck
to their guns the whole time. And that's Natalie. She
believed in her vision and stuck to it. And I
think that's impressive because early on they could have gotten
away from that, and would have had every reason to,
but she believed very specifically in what she was doing.
And the players respond to that.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
What do you expect from you? Or two of the valks.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
We're not gonna immediately assume that they're going to be
out in two but let's just say it's possible that
Wednesday could be the last game of the season for
this team, going up against the juggernaut that is the Links,
which will have us looking ahead so year two, especially
with so much player movement that's expected this offseason, when
and if the new CBA has agreed to do you
see a whole bunch of free agents now wanting to
(23:57):
come Do you see a lot of the players that
got us bablished in this first season returning.
Speaker 3 (24:02):
It's so hard to project next season in this league
because we don't know the CBA. We don't know what
the expansion draft is going to look like. I just
did a redd at Ama and the Valkyrie's subreddit, like
right before coming on here, and every question is just like,
what's the expansion draft look like? You know, like, girl,
I don't know. I've been asking every week.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
I don't even know if it's gonna happen on time.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
Right, So it's like it's hard to project. My expectation
is to lock in on keeping Veronica Burton, to lock
in on keeping Zandalasini. They have five UFAs and Kayla Thornton,
Monique Billings, Kyler Charles, Tiffany Hayes, and Timmy Fake Benley.
I don't know if Tip is looking at returning or not.
If she's been banged up all year, KT got hurt
(24:41):
at the end or in midway through the season. I
don't know where she's at. I would imagine they'd want
to bring back some of the young players, especially Carla
Lates under contract. You say the sites coming from overseas,
she was the first round pick from Lithuania. I think
this team could look a little bit younger maybe next year,
but it really and like who they want to swing for?
(25:02):
Who do they lose an expansion? Who do they protect?
Do they have to even participate in expansion? What does
a college draft look like? They're going to have the
number eight pick. It looks like, but I don't know
if they're going to change it up, So it's really
hard to project.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Yeah, and I think everybody feels that way.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
We're sort of imagining this insane free for all where
every player changes teams because there are so few that
are locked into deals beyond this season. But that isn't
necessarily going to be the case just because a new
CBA happens.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
If it does happen, and if it happens on time.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
Well, we've really enjoyed watching the Valkyries this season, and
we've really loved watching your coverage and very cool to
get to start your coverage of them from day one
and to really be there to witness this team starting out.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
So thanks to the time. Appreciate it. Yeah, thank you
so much.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Thanks again to Marissa for hanging out. We got to
take another break. When we come back, get out the
plaque engraver. It's time for another entry into the Good
Game Hall of Fame.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
Welcome backslices.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
It's time to introduce the latest addition to the Good
Game Hall of Fame. Yes, the Good Game Hall of Fame,
where we celebrate women's sports lore, the kind of legendary
stories we should all know by heart, just like we
know about Mike Tyson biting a vander Holyfield's ear or
Chris Saale going all Edward scissorhands on the White Sox
(26:25):
throwback jerseys. We got some catching up to do when
it comes to women's sports stories. So grab another plaque
and find a good place on the wall, because today
we've got another inductee. On yesterday's show, we told you
about Melissa Jefferson Wooden's one hundred meters win at the
World Track and Field Championships in Tokyo over the weekend.
Jefferson Woulden top the field with a time of ten
to sixty one, making her the fourth fastest woman in
(26:47):
history in the event. But it's not Melissa's speed that
earned her a spot in our hall. No, the Hall
is about so much more than winning. She's in it
for the journey she took to reach this moment. When
she was a junior in high school, Melissa's father was
diagnosed with Mielo dysplastic syndrome. Now you might recall Robin
Roberts talking about her having the same condition right here
on this show. In my interview with her, Roberts told
(27:09):
me about how her sister was the best match to
provide a bone marrow transplant. Well, when Melissa's father, Melvin,
was diagnosed, he was first placed on a donor list,
but when no matches were found, doctors tested Melvin's family
members and the best candidate ended up being Melissa, who
was seventeen at the time. In an interview with NBC
sportswriter Nick Sacrdi, Melvin recalled how Melissa responded to the news, saying, quote,
(27:33):
She's like, Okay, it's.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
My time to step up to the plate. And I
was like wow.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
So it did something to me and for me to
know that she doesn't even think about whatever it takes
when it comes to having to do something in order
to save someone much less her dad end quote. After
the successful transplant, Melissa returned to high school with the
goal of running track in college. She got a partial
scholarship to Coastal Carolina University, a school that isn't exactly
known for producing elite tre and field athletes, but by
(28:01):
her junior year of college in twenty twenty two, she
was winning races against athletes from the powerhouse programs, and
she turned pro soon after. We loved watching Melissa get
the dub at Worlds in Tokyo, and you know who
else did to her?
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Dad, Melvin.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
He's essentially been live streaming the competition on his Facebook
page and it's exactly as cute as you think it
would be. So welcome to the Good Game Hall of Fame, Melissa.
By the way, we'll be rooting around later this week too,
when she looks to add the two hundred meter world
title to her resume as well. And check out the
show notes for a link to Nick's great feature on
Melissa from earlier this month. We love that you're listening,
(28:39):
but we want you to get in the game every
day too, So here's our good game.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Play of the day.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Continue to reach out to your representatives to oppose the
Score Act and make it clear to the folks pushing
the bill that it wouldn't survive a vote. For those
who don't remember, the Score Act is a potential college
sports bill that would completely fail women athletes. We're grateful
to everyone who are already responded to our call to
get involved with Representative Lori Trahan's fight against it. Momentum
(29:05):
is growing with more women in sports speaking out, and
last Wednesday, the WNBPA and NWSLPA even sent out a
presser rejecting the bill, warning Congress of its negative outcomes
for women, wrote NWSLPA executive director and friend of the
Show Megan Burke. Quote, My message is simple. The Score
Act is the modern version of repealing Title nine. The
(29:25):
NCAA's attempts to move their responsibilities under the law outside
the purview of Title nine must be rejected. We have
come too far to lose Title nine now end quote.
Representative Trehan and the Democratic Women's Caucus have been gathering
folks to fight against SCORE. So I've been working with
a rep for Trehand's office to coordinate efforts, and he
reached out to me on Friday with a positive update.
(29:47):
The Republicans have delayed the vote on SCORE that was
planned for this week due to mounting opposition from a
majority of Democrats and lots of Republican knows. One of
the key arguments against the bill has been its total
failure to protect it strengthen women's sports. Good news is
hard to come by these days, so let's celebrate efforts
against this bill paying off and keep.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
The pressure on.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
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 O
four fifty seventy, and don't forget to subscribe, rate and review.
It's easy watch the gospel of good games spreading far
and wide. Rating seven out of seven continents covered. Review
(30:29):
shout out to Lunga Umbata who commented on my Cape
Town pick quote, the leader of the slices is in
my country. To my great surprise and joy, there are
slices in South Africa around the world.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Hell yeah, Lunga.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
Is just another sign of the complete good game of
Sara spain World takeover that is currently underway. If you
need more proof, just check out the new season of
The British Bakeoff episode two, where a contestant made orange
slice biscuits.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Coincidence, I think not.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
Or watch an Ohio State football game to see defensive
tackle Dominic Orange play his nickname Big Citrus, You're welcome.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
PS looks like Lunga.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
That fan in South Africa hosts a rugby show, so
if that's your damn go check out mapin.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Sala, a rugby show on YouTube. PPS.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
Don't go fact check in whether or not we have
listeners in truly all seven continents.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
We know we've got six covered.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
But as for Antarctica, if Trump can count penguins for tariffs,
we can count them for pod listens to PPPs. If
you're not a penguin and listening in Antarctica, send us
a message.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
We want to hear from you.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
And if you are a penguin who knows how to email,
we really want to hear from you. All right now
it's your turn, rate and review thanks to listening slices.
See you tomorrow. Good game, Marissa, Good game, Melissa. You
Emmy host Nate bar Gaisy for introducing our Gilmour Girls
Queen's Lauren and Alexis as the stars of Gilmour's Now.
(32:06):
I don't care if you read the prompt or wrong,
get that shit right on the occasion of the show's
twenty fifth anniversary.
Speaker 2 (32:11):
Two How Rude.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
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 Azzie and Misha Jones. Our executive
producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rudder.
(32:36):
Our editors are Emily Rutter, Britney Martinez, Grace Lynch, and
Gianna Palmer.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
Our associate producer is Lucy Jones.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
Production assistants from Avery Loftist and I'm Your Host Sarah
Spain
Host
Sarah Spain
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