December 23, 2025 • 41 mins
Little Citrus is back for another holiday hot take speed round – Christmas edition!! Sarah and Alex share their opinions on artificial trees, gift cards as gifts, Hallmark movies, Die Hard and more. Then some hot takes from a few Slices and a couple of your favorite NWSL stars. Plus, a No. 3 pummels some No. 1s, when the student becomes the teacher, and protecting the money maker ahead of the big day.
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Vote for the Slice-ees here
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Check out Parity’s “wrapped” for women’s sports research here
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Read Eden Laase’s story about Sydni Summers here
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Watch the video of Cam Brink being fitted for a face mask here
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Watch the SNL sketch that references the reused gift bag here
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The NCAA basketball schedule can be found here
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The PWHL schedule can be found here
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The college gymnastics schedule can be found here
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The NCAA hockey schedule can be found here
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Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com
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Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com TikTok: @Spain.Sarah Instagram: @Spain2323
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to a good game with Sarah Spain, where we're
slamming our laptop shot until the New year. Holiday Hazy
lazy days here we come. It's Tuesday, December twenty third,
and on today Show, Little Citrus is back to serve
up some more holiday hot takes Christmas edition. We share
some takes from some of your favorite NWSL stars too,
and we start looking ahead to twenty twenty six plus
(00:22):
the number three pummels some number ones, when the student
becomes the teacher, and protecting the money maker ahead of
the big day. It's all coming up right after this
welcome back slices. Here's what you need to know today.
Let's start with college volleyball and Texas and M winning
(00:42):
the twenty twenty five NCAA Championship game on Sunday with
the number three seed teams sweeping Kentucky in the final
match of the season. The Aggies had to overcome three
number one seeds en route to taking home the trophy,
the undefeated Nebraska Huskers in the Elite eight, pitt in
the semi finals, and finally can Entucky in the championship game.
Redchard tophomore Kendall Stowers recorded ten kills and was named
(01:05):
most Outstanding Player of the match. You might recall that Stours,
a transfer from Baylor, had previously medically retired from volleyball
after sustaining multiple concussions, but she managed to make it
back to the court after a long rehab process. After
a regular season that had so many folks taken Nebraska
over the field, we were reminded again that anything can
happen come playoff time, even a program winning it all
(01:27):
for the very first time. Congrats to the Aggies and
congrats to Cavphos, the winner of our good Game with
Sarah Spain ESPN Bracket Challenge. No one in the group
had the Aggi's winning, but Cavpos did pick Kentucky, so
they win on an almost for the Wildcats to the WNBA.
ESPN has reported that the mnba's Houston Rockets ownership group
(01:48):
is in quote unquote substantive talks with the Connecticut Suns
ownership to potentially purchase and relocate the team. Now a
quick refresher on the ongoing saga involving the Sun's sale.
The team has been owned by the Mohegan Tribe since
two thousand and three, but over the summer the team
reached a deal with former Celtics minority owner Steve Paliuca,
who offered to buy the team for three hundred and
(02:09):
twenty five million dollars and relocate the franchise to Boston,
but the WNBA effectively blocked that sale, noting that it's
up to the league to approve relocation bids and adding
the cities that went through the recent expansion process had
priority over Boston. Now, the league went on to offer
to buy the Sun themselves for two hundred and fifty million,
the same amount expansion teams in Cleveland, Philly and Detroit
(02:30):
paid earlier this year, but seventy five million dollars less
than what Paleuca had offered. Now, we hadn't heard much
in recent months about where things stood till now. Per
ESPN story quote, the discussions have been described as positive,
and Rocket's ownership has improved its offer to a number
the Sun might find acceptable, a source close to the
situation said, end quote. Now, Connecticut fans would certainly be
(02:51):
devastated to see their team leave the area, but many
OGW fans would love to see the return of the
Houston Comets, the original dynasty in the WNA We're just
unclear as to the rules for this sale, rules that
the league appears to be making up as they go.
After the most recent trio of expansion teams were named,
Commission Kathy Engelbert said that Houston and owner Tillman Fertita
(03:13):
are quote unquote up next for an expansion team. But
does the league really have the authority to dictate sale
terms for an existing team sending them to an expansion market?
And is the WNBA really allowed to say that the
Rocket's ownership group can buy and relocate the team, but
a Boston based group can't. Even though the Sun agreed
to a deal with Palauka. We imagine the details of
(03:33):
the WNBA's involvement in this sale will continue to be
reported out and will keep you updated on how the
saga unfolds to the PWHL. Chicago played host to the
second stop of the PWHL's takeover Tour neutral site games
and cities that don't currently have a team. The Ottawa
Charge defeated the two time defending champion Minnesota Frost three
to two in overtime. The game was a rematch of
(03:55):
last year's PWHL Finals series, which saw the Frost defeat
the Charge in four games. I had the honor of
doing the ceremonial puck drop with two Illinois natives skating
to the center of the ice for it, Kendel QoD
Schofield of the Frost and Taylor House of the Charge. Now,
before I went on the ice, I asked, is there
going to be a cue for me to know that
the pictures are all taken and I should actually drop
the puck? And they were like, no, yield, just know
(04:16):
one and the que ended up being Kendall saying, Sarah,
you gotta actually drop it, So thanks for the assist front.
Speaking of friends, the atmosphere at the game was fantastic
and I ran into a handful of slices and friends,
including front of the Show Chris Moser. The game itself
was a great one. It was super chippy, full of
action and suspense, but there were a couple of things
to work out when it came to the league's big
(04:37):
Chicago debut, like struggles with the JumboTron and camera options,
so there were no goal replays and it really made
connecting with the crowd tough. For instance, the dance cam
couldn't actually feature dancing fans from around the stadium just
the prompt to dance. The announced crowd of two hundred
and thirty eight is one of the smaller crowds for
a Takeover Tour game, which is a bummer and it
(04:57):
does make me wonder how the league is going to
use Chicago a potential landing site for an expansion team.
I do wonder though, how the timing affected attendance. It
was the Sunday before Christmas, with lots of folks potentially
heading out of town for the week and many many
holiday activities in and around Chicago. Also, the site, All
State Arena isn't in the city and isn't the home
of an NHL team, so the PWHL couldn't use in
(05:20):
house ticket sales teams and other established apartments to help
with promotion and sales. Now Chicago has another shot to
show up and show out when the tour returns in March,
so we'll see if the crowd is bigger for that one.
Big thanks to the PWHL for including me. Either way,
I was so happy to be a part of the
inaugural Chicago game. More PWHL the Boston Fleet's undefeated run
(05:40):
to start the season ended on Friday with a five
to two loss to the aforementioned Frost, but on Sunday,
the Fleet got back in the win column with a
three to one victory over the Seattle Torrent Boston's first
meeting with former captain Hillary Knight, who's now leading Seattle
after Boston left her unprotected in the expansion draft. The
Fleet are sitting pretty without to America this season there
(06:01):
atop the PWHL standings at eighteen points, well ahead of
the next closest team, the Montreal Victoire, sitting at eleven.
Seattle currently in sixth place with seven points. To college hoops,
a few highlights from this weekend's slate of games, including
Saturday's Women's Champions Classic at the Barclay Center in New York.
Number sixteen Louisville routed seventeenth ranked Tennessee eighty nine to
(06:22):
sixty five in the first game of the doubleheader behind
eighteen points from Taj Roberts. Then number one Yukon continued
its dominance with a ninety to sixty four win over
number eleven Iowa, behind twenty seven points from Azy Fud
and twenty three points, seven rebounds and six deals from
Sarah strong More College Hoops. The nation's leading scorer, Audie Crooks,
returned to action on Sunday after missing a game to
(06:44):
an undisclosed injury. Crooks wasted no time in her return,
scoring forty one points to lead tenth ranked Iowa State
to a seventy nine seventy six win over Kansas Kenzi
Hare hit the game winning three pointer as time expired
for Iowa State, her only points of the game. More
College who Olivia Miles scored twenty nine points to lift
number nine TCU passed Kansas State seventy seven to fifty
(07:05):
five on Saturday. Miles had recorded three straight triple doubles
heading into the game, but came up short of a
record fourth, recording eight rebounds and four assists on the night.
The victory was the Horned Frog's thirty fourth consecutive home win,
so at least one streak is still alive. Still More
Hoops and the very unique story of Sydney Summers, a
junior hooper who transferred to UNLV from San Jose State
(07:28):
in the off season. During a doctor's appointment to receive
vaccines required to enroll at UNLV, Summers discovered she was
five and a half months pregnant. She gave birth to
baby Naziah Summers on September twenty eighth, and made her
debut for the Lady Rebels in their eighty nine to
seventy one win over New Mexico on Saturday. Summers played
just one minute in her return to the court, but
(07:48):
still had a big reason to celebrate with family after
the game, including her baby daughter. Six months ago, she
wasn't sure she'd ever play again. Ahead of her debut,
she told the Athletics Eden Loss quote, having a baby
doesn't have to ruin your life. It will be different,
and it will be hard, but it can also be
a blessing end quote. We'll link to that Athletic article
all about Summer's learning of her pregnancy, her worries about
(08:09):
losing her scholarship. We're going to get back out on
the court and more. One more piece of hoopsnoos I
saw ahead at the start of season two of Unrivaled
in early January. You might remember LA's Sparks standout Cameron
Brink broke her nose in the Spark's final game of
the season on September eleventh. Well after getting it fixed,
She's not taking any chances while playing with Breeze BC
and unrivaled, not with her wedding just three months away.
(08:32):
We'll link to a video Brink posted getting fitted for
a face mask to protect her face ahead of the
big day to alpine skiing, where Lindsay Vaughn was back
on the podium. Over the weekend, the forty one year
old competed in two races at the World Cup Stop
and Val de ser France, finishing third in the downhill
on Saturday, behind winter Cornelia Hooter of Austria, and third
in Sunday's Super G, this time behind her good friend
(08:55):
Italy Sophia Goggia, with New Zealand's Alice Robinson finishing second.
Actually has a fun connection with the twenty four year
old Robinson, who's had most of her success in the
giant slalom but has broken through this season in the
Super G as well. Vaughn's foundation sponsored Robinson when she
was just sixteen, and Von trained with her back in
the day after Sunday's podium finishing just behind Robinson, Von
(09:16):
joked that maybe she shouldn't have given her quite so
many tips back then to pro vibs Love announced at
the end of last week that the league is expanding
to San Francisco, as the number of teams is set
to increase to nine by twenty twenty seven, and you
can add the Bay Area to the ever growing list
of markets that will feature both a Love and a
Major League Volleyball team. You remember the MLV announced a
(09:36):
Nork Hall team earlier this month. The San Francisco Love
Team will have a woman led ownership group featuring a
lot of athletes and sport adjacent folks, including soccer legends
and friends of the show, Abby Wambach and Brandy Chastain,
and notably volleyball star Kelsey Robinson Cook, a founding Love
athlete who played for Atlanta in the league's inaugural season.
(09:57):
All right, slices, we're taking a much needed break for
the h holidays, but we're not going away entirely. We're
going to be bringing you some of our favorite episodes
of the year, And while you wait patiently for the
next Need to Know in twenty twenty six, here are a
few events to make sure you keep tabs on over
the next couple weeks. First, the PWHL will be playing
throughout the holidays, with at least one game almost every
(10:17):
day over the next few weeks. We'll link to the
full PWHL schedule in the show notes. There's also lots
of college hoops, college hockey, and just after the new year,
the college gymnastics season gets underway. We'll throw links to
all of those schedules in the show notes as well.
Then there's plenty to look forward to in January, including
the second season of both Unrivaled and Love. It's going
to be a very busy twenty twenty six. Don't forget.
(10:40):
Alex and I will also be traveling to Italy in
February to cover the Olympics in person. So psyched for that.
We got to take a quick break when we come back.
Christmas time, miss here, Time for some holiday hot takes.
(11:02):
All right, we're back for the Alex. That's Sarah Holiday
Hot Takes Speed Round the sequel, this time Christmas, Hanukah,
New Year's Eve, all of the holidays that we're celebrating
in the next two weeks. Alex, are you ready for this?
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Absolutely, let's do it.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Before we get to the speed Round. Are there any
just go to holiday takes that you always find yourself repeating.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
I just don't care about other people's holiday decorations. Like
nosy neighbors that get all up in other people's business
about the blow ups or how long they're up or
what hours they're on.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Just let people do their thing.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Like to me, it's just so joyful to see people
express themselves in different ways. Get out of here, hoa.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
I completely agree on the hoa things. I do have
to say that as I've gotten older, I've softened a
lot of my very hardest hot take stances, uh, because
I feel like when the world is on fire, if
somebody needs to bring join to their lives with Christmas
decorations in freaking September, just do it, like whatever you
need to do, is how I feel.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Now, we have a neighbor that leaves their holiday lights
up all year long in July, and it brings me
joy to drive by in July and see their tree
lit up in blue and pink lights.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
So fun. I'm not gonna lie to you that would
not bring me joy, but I'm glad it does for you.
That would infuriate me, and then I would keep my
opinion to myself. Okay, speaking of not keeping opinions to ourselves,
let's do a little hot take speed round and let's
start right there. Alex, When should the Christmas tree inside
the house go up?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
I'm worried that so many of my opinions on these
are going to be so lax. A days could because
I just literally don't care for my family. Any time
before Christmas Day is a win. I would say that
we actually struggle usually more with decorating the tree than
we do with getting it in the house. This year,
we are pretty early mid December, great for us, and
then it stays up through January.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
No regrets, Okay, I am glad you said that. I
thought last time you said it stays up through March
or that's just how long you want it to stay up.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
No, the candles in the windows stay up until March
in line with the beginning of daylight saving time. The
tree has to come down before that, only because it's
a fire hazard.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
Though.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
Yeah, yeah, that makes me I had an artificial tree,
I never get into this, then it would stay up longer.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
As for me, I always wait until after Thanksgiving to
put my tree up, and with each year the amount
of work I put into my Christmas decorations of always
like I should start doing this earlier so I can
enjoy them for more than one month. But I'm still
a stickler with tradition, and I right after Thanksgiving is
when my tree goes up, which every year up until
this year has been real. And I do have a
(13:32):
real tree this year that my husband still did take
a horse drawn sled out and chop down ourselves with
a saw, which is our go to tradition. But a
friend actually also had a company she was working with,
send me an artificial tree. And this thing is so
pretty and so easy that I think, from here and
I'm always gonna have two trees, Like I don't think
(13:53):
I could say goodbye to the real tree, but I'm
always just going to have two trees. And one of
them can be fake and very easy. One of them
can be a real bitch, but worth it for the
sake of tradition.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
I love it. I love it. You're simplifying but not
simplifying all at the same time.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
The story of my life. What about you?
Speaker 2 (14:10):
So I've always been a real tree girly.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
We actually used to go and cut our own down,
but kind of from like this realgue guy who lived
in town, and his trees were shit.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Like they literally the needles on the trees.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
I understand why they're called needles because I would cut
myself multiple times a year, so much so that I
refuse to decorate the thing. And then we started going
to like a legit tree cellar instead.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Yeah. Yeah, we don't want a shot in the tree. Yeah.
What about the lights on both the tree and on
the outside of the house. Do you have any preferences
on white or multicolored? Are there rules about tree versus
outside lights?
Speaker 3 (14:42):
So my tree always has to have multicolored lights on it,
but I would say more so than even the color
of the lights. Is the incandescent versus LED? I hardcore
stand incandescent lights. Yes, I know they use more energy,
but the LED lights still have a weird flicker to them.
They'd make my eyes hurt. They're also usually like a
cool blue temperature, and I want my environment during the
(15:05):
Christmas season to have that.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Like nice warm, yellowish white light. I don't want it
to feel cold.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
So yeah, I don't care if you have colorful lights
or white lights, but I really hope they're incandescent that.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Has very specific elks. I have to tell you, I've
never been walking around anywhere and been like, man, I
really wish these lights were incandescent, or I really wish
these lights were LEDs. I used to feel like multicolored
on the tree and white outside. I do think if
you have like a really dramatic, beautiful house with wreaths
and red bows and white lights, it just looks so
stunning and traditional. But I also feel like when you're
(15:40):
driving around and someone just blasts the out of their
house full of colored lights, it's also very joyful. So
once again in my old age, I am being much
less judgy than I used to be. These whatever color
you like? What about this when all presents should be
opened on Christmas Day or do you do one or
several the night before?
Speaker 2 (16:00):
Okay, so my family goes real rogue with this.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
If anyone is doubting my fucking weird upbringing this question
is surely going to shine a light on just how
weird it was. But we never open presents the day
before Christmas, and sometimes we didn't even open presents on
Christmas Day like we do like days after Christmas. Yes,
we had like a tradition where we would open like
it was almost like we were doing Hanukkah, but for Christmas.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Like we would open like one gift to day.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Are any of your family members Jewish?
Speaker 2 (16:29):
No?
Speaker 5 (16:30):
No.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
As I think I mentioned on the Thanksgiving episode, Thanksgiving
morning is usually us frantically cleaning to have people come over,
and Christmas morning is kind of the same way, and
so a lot of times, like I wake up to
people like cleaning and I'm like, hey, hello, let's sit
around open stockings.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
It's a little bit tough.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
I think COVID Year twenty twenty was the only time
we opened gifts on Christmas because like, we didn't have
to prepare the house for anyone.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
You're you need to write a book, Alex. You frankly,
I need to learn more about this quirky family of yours.
We usually used to when we were all in the
same place for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, do the
one present the night before. But my husband and I
are always running around now, going to Wisconsin for the
couple days before Christmas, and then Christmas Eve night we
leave his uncles, get together and drive back home to Illinois.
(17:18):
This year actually Michigan where my parents' weekend houses. So
we don't get to do both parts of Christmas with
my family. We just do the Christmas Day stuff, so
we save all of our gifts for Christmas Day. Now,
all right, this is a tough one. Is giving gift
cards a cop out that proves you don't really love
and care about someone? Or is it just like, hey,
I already know that this is what you want and
it's basically money, so.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Here, okay.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
So I think it very much depends on the relationship
between the two people and also the age. So I
think two adults giving gift cards to each other is weird, Like,
especially if they're generic gift cards, like I'm getting you
a thirty dollars Best Buy gift card and you're getting
me a thirty dollars Barnes and Noble gift card, Like
why are we even exchanging things if the same amount?
The money is just passing back and forth, except that
(18:02):
ultimately we're going to end up with five dollars on
the gift card, never use it, and we just lose
out on that money. So yeah, I think for adults,
unless it's somebody that like clearly needs something and you
want to treat them to something that they wouldn't treat themselves,
like if it's like a SPA gift card or like
an experienced gift card that to me is different versus
like a place where you go buy stuff. But I
(18:24):
do think for like teenagers, it's okay to buy them
a gift card because as a teen I remember getting
some weird Christmas gifts and being like, I don't know
how to say, I'm never gonna wear this or use this,
and so it was nice at an age when I
didn't have money.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Yeah, when you don't have any money, it's nice to
get the ability to get the thing you want instead
of having other people guess at it. Whereas when you
get to be an adult, it's like I can buy
what I want when I need it, so it's not
quite as bad. And I agree with you. So like
in my family, sometimes my parents run out of ideas
and they get me gift cards for the massage place,
dear me, and I love it because sometimes I wouldn't
(19:00):
go unless I have the gift card, and then it
reminds me or I think again, like you mentioned experiences,
it sort of is like, we have this thing, so
we need to use it and go do this, which
we otherwise might not make the time for. So I
agree with that. I do think sometimes it's a little
bit of a cop out. But also, if your brother's
fifth girlfriend that you've met in six years is showing
(19:22):
up and you're supposed to get her something and you
don't know goddamn thing about her, You're fine just getting
a gift card. Like that's just like it's gonna be
that or a candle every time, right, So mix it
up a little bit. Yeah, Okay, Hallmark movies terrible or
terribly good.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
In contemplating this question, I'm realizing I don't even know
if we get Hallmark Channel, and I feel like my
only association with Hallmark movies is like thirty Rocks interpretation
of Hallmark movies regurgitated, and so I don't know if
I can actually answer this based on that. I would
say terribly bad, but in a way that you have
to keep watching them because they're like reality TV in
(19:59):
that you can and look away.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
But that's an un educated opinion.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
I haven't watched enough of them to give an informed opinion,
but I will give one anyway, and it is that
they are terrible. I only like this satirical sketch comedy,
you know, send ups of them. Amy Schumer did a
great one. SNL has done them. I prefer the ones
that make fun of them to the real movies. But
I do have a friend that was in a Hallmark movie,
(20:24):
and I do have a friend's mom who loves them
so much she will go to conventions to meet the
stars that are repeatedly appearing on Hallmark movies, which is
a dedication that I don't understand, but tells me there
must be some sort of magic in them for some people.
And I guess it's probably that feeling of like the
(20:45):
idyllic sort of world where you could go back to
your hometown and fall in love with the local tree man,
as opposed to going back home and finding out that
everybody there is maga and you left for a good reason.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Yeah, which it is more likely.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Die hard Christmas movie.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Okay, So funny story about this question. The improv troup
that I'm in, we do a bunch of shows around
the holidays. We actually do our own version of a
Christmas Carol. We call it What the Dickens, But ahead
of that we do one half of short form and
then one half which is What the Dickens. And so
a couple weeks ago, I was at a show and
my prompt for the audience was I need somebody to
give me their holiday hot take, and someone shouts out,
(21:24):
die Hard is a Christmas movie, and I was like, yes,
thank you, let's go. And then I was like, I
know absolutely nothing about die Hard. I've never seen it.
My only references to it are Andy Samberg in Brooklyn
nine nine.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
And I was like, I really am so happy that I.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
Took this and cannot do the suggestion justice, but in
honor of that audience member, I'm gonna say yes.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
So that's funny that you ended up. I would have
liked to see the sketch that resulted from that where
you had no idea, probably even the most obvious of
things like welcome to the Party, pal. I will tell
you that Jake Tapper, the Newsman, once wrote a length
the poem about all the different connections to Christmas that
Diehard has, and it is a very impressive number of them.
(22:09):
There's references throughout the film all the time. But the
question is is a movie set at Christmas a Christmas movie?
Or do we think a Christmas movie must somehow have
the spirit of the season. And I think my answer
is very semantics, which is basically like Diehard is a
movie set at Christmas? But that doesn't make it a
Christmas movie.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
Yeah. Well, it almost reminds me.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Certain streaming platforms now give people the option where they
have like The Office and it's all of the Christmas
episodes of the Office, And I love that because sometimes
you just want to watch an episode of something but
still feel like you're in the spirit of the holiday.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Yeah. I watched every single Frasier Christmas episode, and my
husband and I watched two mad Men Christmas episodes, one
of which had almost nothing to do with Christmas but
was set during Christmas and there was a tree in
the background a couple of times. So it I do
that a lot pretty much every Christmas. I go find
some of my favorite episodes.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
It's like the Bechdel test, but for Christmas, Like, is
there the episode does it talk to anyone exactly?
Speaker 1 (23:10):
Nightmare before Christmas? Christmas movie or Halloween movie.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
Sarah, I don't even think I've seen Nightmare before Christmas.
I really should have done more homework before.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
The sash Alex get it together.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
I'm adding them all to the list based on like
the image. I'm gonna just say Halloween movie.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
I agree with you, but I've actually done the research
instead of looking at a photo and deciding.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
That if I've done the research, you mean you actually
watch the movie.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Watch the movie. Yes, I've watched the movie. The source
material for the question is something I have seen. It
is a Halloween movie, all right. Finally, telling your children
about Santa is teaching them to lie.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
No, it's not teaching them how to lie. Telling them
about Sanna is giving them a joy in this world
of possibility. But I will say that my parents, when
I was a kid, they hired some dude to come
and be Santa, Like he came to my house on
Christmas Eve twice WHOA And I have asked them in
(24:05):
the thirty years since then, Hey, who was that that
came to our house?
Speaker 2 (24:10):
And they will not tell me to this day.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Weird. Why won't they tell you?
Speaker 2 (24:15):
I think they just want to keep it a mystery.
They're like, it's Santa. They still sign some of my
gifts from Santa too.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
Yeah, my parents still sign things from Santa as well.
I understand the logic behind saying it is teaching your
children to lie. I think that there are white lies
as children that contribute to the joy of the season,
to fairy Santa, etc. I think The key is if
you feel like they're starting to pick up on it,
go ahead and tell them. Don't reject their instinct by
(24:46):
telling them they're wrong. If they start to figure it out,
even if it's earlier than you wish, you kind of
got to tell them what's going on because you don't
want them to stop trusting their gut and their instinct
about things and basically gaslight your children. So I think
you know, keep it going for as long as it'll stick,
all right, Alex, Are there any quirky, memorable or sweet
(25:07):
Christmas family traditions that your family has other than going
to the expense to pay for a Santa to come
and then not opening any gifts thereby rejecting regular traditions
in favor of weird ones.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
Well, we have a new tradition these last few years.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
We're planning to do it for a third straight year,
so it's officially in tradition territory where on Christmas Eve,
me and some of my cousins and there are kids,
we walk around this really beautiful farm that has millions
of Christmas lights and it's just a really lovely way
to get outside, spend some time with each other, drink
cut cocoa and look at Christmas lights.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
That sounds lovely. Have you ever seen those glasses you
can put on that make the lights look like different things?
Speaker 3 (25:45):
My god, that immediately makes me think I'd get really
emotion sick, like I can't watch three D movies, so
maybe I'll investigate it.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
You should give them to your cousins. But they're great.
There'll be anything from like little minisantas to stars to trees,
and it turns every single light that you see into
those and it's like extremely magical. You do not have
to drink or have a gummy, but I would say
that sometimes if you do those things and then you
wear the glasses and walk around your neighborhood, it's pretty fun.
(26:12):
But it works whether or not you are in an
altered state, and they are cheap and delightful.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
I'm like all the alternatives for trips here, like put
on the glasses, have a stigmatism.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
Squid a little bit. There you go have motion sickness.
There you go. That's great. We don't have any major traditions.
Back when we used to go to my aunt's and
there was a big group of people, there was always
a tool and so all the guys would get some
specific tool and then all the women would get in.
It was, you know, a little bit gendered, but in
a funny way. There was also a box that was
from a department store in the nineteen seventies and somebody's
(26:45):
grandma had gifted them something in the box, and the
next year they just reused it, and then the next
year that person reused it, and when they realized it
was this same box, it became tradition that somebody was
given the box with a gift and then they had
to protect it for the year before were wrapping something
else in it and giving it to someone else. And
then the box was trying to fall apart because it
was literally from the seventies. So my uncle, who does woodworking,
(27:08):
built a wood in the box that said the box
in it in wood and put the other box in
it to protect the nineteen seventies box. And now if
you get gifted the box, it's the box inside the
wooden box, and then you have to put another something
inside that is the gift, and again protect it for
the year until you can gift it again. And this
year we're getting that group together for the first time
in years since my aunt passed away, and so I'm
(27:28):
very interested to see if the box makes its triumphant returned.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
How many times during that history have you been gifted
the box?
Speaker 1 (27:36):
And I never got the box. I was never trusted
with the box. I think, I think though that's not
my side of the family. It's like my uncle's family
side that goes to this event. And technically I'm not
related to any of them because it was my aunt
that I was related to. So I think they trust
each other more with the box than you know us.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
You need to start dropping some hints.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
I know maybe this year, maybe it's my year.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Talk about the things in your life that you've owned
the longest.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
Yeah, exactly, I'm very good at keeping things.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
It reminds me of an SNL sketch about a baby
shower and it's seven women. It's called the cut. We'll
link to it in the show notes. But realizing that
there are only seven bags in the entire countess state
and they all just get passed from one place to another.
And while unloading Christmas decorations a couple of weeks ago,
I discovered just a bag full of bags and I
(28:29):
was like.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
We've been saving them, but not actually reusing them.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
So maybe that's how everyone's gift is going to ge
wrapped up this year.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
My garage is full of paper, ribbons, bags, all to
be reused. I refuse to buy a new paper every year.
I just reuse it unless I get the kind of
custom paper where like my dogs are on it or
my family members are put into scenes from famous movies,
and then it's worth the giggle and I'll buy a
little bit of it. So cash Yeah, Okay, speaking of traditions,
(28:57):
the Christmas movies that you rewatch every single year, no.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Exception, okay, Elf, Love Actually and a Christmas Story. I know,
Love Actually is problematic watching it these days. I'm like,
I can't believe I ever loved this on ironic and
yet there's still so much of it that I really love.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
Yeah, there's a lot of nostalgia connected to it. So
even though I watch it, I'm like, holy cow, how
did I not think this was problematic? I'm still like
and I'm still going to watch it every year, So
that's just the that's the way it goes. Mine are
the Holiday Home Alone, Love Actually, and National Lampoon's Christmas.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Vacation and Home Alone, The Original.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Home Alone the original. I still have not seen Home
Alone too. I would like to, but I would I
would have to fast forward through that one scene so
as to not ruin my Christmas.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
There are some good memes out right now where Trump
is redacted from Yes one, I've seen that, as he
is from other documents.
Speaker 1 (29:55):
Other documents and historical events. What are the top three
Christmas songs in your opinion?
Speaker 3 (30:04):
Okay, so number one has to be anything from the
Charlie Brown Christmas Album. I just think it's so beautiful
and nothing gets me in the spirit more than that.
Mariah Carey has to go up there, I think, especially
the longevity of that song, like it hit the number
one spot in the Billboard Top list like several years
in a row, and I just think, like, go Mariah.
And then because I have to be my weird self there.
(30:26):
There was a fun Christmas album that came out back
in the day, probably around two thousand and eight called
Jingle Spells, and it was a bunch of Harry Potter
Wizard rock bands doing Christmas songs and anything off of
that album immediately.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
Makes me feel nostalgic.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
What I was thinking the other day, like when you
turn on the radio and listen to Christmas music, like
there hasn't been a new Christmas song.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
I don't know, maybe in thirty years.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
That's not true. You're just not keeping up. There's some
great ones, okay, Brande Santa tell Me are You Relieve Me?
Speaker 5 (30:59):
Minute?
Speaker 1 (31:00):
And then Kelly Clarkson Underneath the Christmas Tree banger.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
Hey, I just don't think that those maybe have arrived
in New Hampshire. Like I've heard those songs, but not
on the Christmas radio station.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
They've not arrived in New Hampshire.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
It's like the same.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
My three are Darlene Love, Christmas Baby, Please Come Home.
I'm obsessed with Darling Love. But that song, in particular
Bing Crosby I'll be Home for Christmas is like the
most classic, like warming the cockles of your Heart. I
don't know what the cockles are, but they are warmed.
And then Mariah Carey all I Want for Christmas. And
I mentioned at a previous show that there is a
(31:36):
remix going around on TikTok with the sexy read lyrics
from Rich Baby Daddy remixed into it where she's like
and that ass over, let that koochie breathe, and it
is a new wrinkle to the Christmas spirit that I
feel when listening to Mariah Carey. I also always have
to mention that my honorable mention because it's a parody
song and not real, but it's still such a good song.
Is Darlene Love doing Christmas Time for the Jews for
(31:58):
SNL because it's just so well written and she sings
it so beautifully, and it's just a hilarious send up
of the idea that on Christmas Eve, when all the
you know, Christians are at home, the Jews get to
run the world. And the cartoon with it is the
Stop like clay Stop animation, and if you haven't seen it,
you need to go watch it. It's so so good.
Speaker 3 (32:18):
I feel like one of my core memories as a
child was Darlene Love's annual appearance on David Letterman, and
it was like my mom would yell from the other room, like.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
Come on, it's Darling in tradition, so special. All right,
what's something sports related you're looking forward to in twenty
twenty six.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe going to the Empics.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
That's mine too.
Speaker 3 (32:43):
Yeah, I'm really excited, I think, especially like I've been
to the Olympics before, I've covered a lot of them,
and yet come Olympics time, my job often just had
me like inside the studio at the broadcast center without windows,
and so I was watching things but not in person,
and I would be able to like make it out
(33:03):
of there sometimes to like catch a race or two,
but it wasn't part of my job that I was
then watching it for. And so I think to be
able to like go and see different stuff and actually
be able to define what we want to do and
what we want to cover during the games, I'm really
excited about that me too.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
And when I was watching Kendall Coy and Taylor Heisei
and all the other Olympians on the ice at the
PWHL game on Sunday, it was getting me really, really
really excited because the USA Canada hockey rival is one
of my favorite things in all of sports. So getting
the chance to hopefully see that in person in a
gold medal game just ooh, super pumped for that last
(33:40):
question for you. Since we're on twenty twenty six New
Year's Resolutions, helpful goal setting or guilt producing stressors, I.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
Think kind of a combination of two.
Speaker 3 (33:49):
I really like having some type of timed element to
like give yourself a goal as long as it's not
stress or guilt inducing. So like, for this, I tried
to do that thing where you like film one second
of each day and then compile it into a nice
long video. Back in the day, I used to do
like a journal entree every day, writing down at least
(34:10):
like one thing that I had done that day. That
one eventually became guilt inducing and stressful, so I gave
it up. I like having that fresh slate where you
can try something new.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
How about you?
Speaker 1 (34:21):
I completely agree. I do think that if you're the
kind of person that you know you'll make a resolution,
break it, and then be really hard on yourself, then
don't do that. Make a suggestion for yourself instead, or
try to figure out why is it that I keep
making the same intention or resolution and I'm never actually
doing it, and like really get down and like drill
down and figure out what's standing in your way. Because
(34:41):
if it's something that you care about enough that every
year you make an intention to change it or do
it and you never do, then like you got to
figure out what those barriers are and break through them,
or you have to find a way to like go
to therapy and figure out how to let go of
that desire for that thing if you're never going to
actually go after it. And I think that's like a
maturity and an awareness that comes with time, because in general,
(35:05):
I love setting goals and I tend to be a
fresh late person. I like a new week, a new month,
a new year. I like, you know, being able to
like pull out a new calendar or something to like
set goals, but I understand that the ones that actually
get done tend not to be linked to a specific
day or time. They tend to happen when you actually
put into place the everyday things that help you reach
(35:26):
that goal instead of like getting a new pretty notebook
in order to make that goal happen.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
One hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (35:32):
And I think too it is a prime example of
like blaming the person instead of the system. Like when
you have people who are like I want to save
more money, I want to get to the gym, I
want to get a new job, and yet don't have
the tools to be able to do those things and
instead have a lot of barriers that are placed in
their way. I kind of hate, like the marketing that's
associated with the holiday of New Year's where it's like
(35:54):
this is your year, like you better get your shit
together otherwise it's your fault.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
I mean I kind of agree, but I also think
there's endless examples of people who figure out, if they
really care about something, how to get it done despite
the barriers. And there are a lot of people who
will use barriers and as an excuse to not actually
be accountable for the thing that they want. So it's
always a bit of both. It's both systemic and individual,
depending on the goal. All Right, we got to take
(36:19):
a break when we come back. The Gift has opinions
welcome back slices. Alex and I aren't the only ones
with opinions about the holiday season. We actually asked a
few of our favorite soccer players for their takes during
media day at the NWSL Championship, and we got a
(36:40):
couple opinions about the Christmas season. First up, the Washington
Spirits Gift Monday has very strong thoughts about the Christmas meal.
Speaker 4 (36:49):
I mean, I grew up in Angilia and we said
it with most of I'm Christian, so every year we
said its Christmas. It's a big thing for us, and
it was especially dish. We always cook like norm rise
and we call it stew over Yeah, they call it
like tomato sauce. Yeah, but we call it stew because
(37:10):
there's a special way they make this stew.
Speaker 1 (37:12):
And then there is this chicken.
Speaker 4 (37:14):
So there's always a chicken because without the chicken, the
Christmas food is not complete.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
So yeah, so that's your heartache. You have to have
the chicken at Christmas. Is it jella rice or something else?
Speaker 4 (37:24):
Oh yeah, it's white rise and stew with chicken. Okay,
jellaflies can be maybe for Ista white vie for Christmas.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
Next up Gotham, I've seized Jayde and Shaw chimed in
with her take on Christmas decorations.
Speaker 5 (37:38):
You can put up your decorations as always you want you.
I love Christmas, so like put up that tree right
after Halloween for all I care. I feel like that's
like a thing. So yeah, I honestly don't think I
have a heartache. I'm like, do what you want.
Speaker 1 (37:52):
And Gotham's Emily Sonnet has the Ghost of Christmas music
past aka DJ Aubrey Kingsbury to blame for her version
to holiday tunes in Australia.
Speaker 6 (38:02):
I was roommate with Auby Bludsoe and she in the beginning,
I think it was all of November, no, starting December
one is just like only Christmas musuic in the car.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
It that was it.
Speaker 6 (38:12):
So I say my hot take after that three months
living with Aubrey Bloods was like, I don't do Christmas
music until maybe the week before, like maybe, and Mariah.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
I mean she even Mariah. Mariah is the only exception
on FI.
Speaker 6 (38:28):
But I would say I definitely dialed back after having
an incredible roommate experience with Aubie blood So in Australia.
But she's someone who cranks it out, loves it. That's
definitely not her hot take, but it is mine.
Speaker 1 (38:38):
We also had Slice Matt Hickey chime in with his
own musical hot take. He said, quote, wonderful Christmas time
is trash and I challenge myself every year to avoid
hearing it. The airport ruins it for me, as does
a miniature golf course or a restaurant. And super Slice
Amanda Vallo wrote in with several holiday hot takes quote,
I think the debate starter is diehard a Christmas movie
(38:59):
is the question what we should be asking is why
are they having a work holiday party on Christmas Eve?
White lights, blinking lights, colored lights. It doesn't matter. We
should all just be happy we're no longer putting lit
candles on live trees. And finally, the mule tide doesn't
have to be gay. Let it be curious in questioning
(39:20):
end quote, Amanda's got to have a side gig as
a comedy writer, right, or maybe a main gig. We
never really know what you slices are up to out there.
We do always love that you're listing, but we want
to get you in the game every day too, So
here's our good game play of the day. Vote for
the slices if you haven't already. We're going to link
to the voting form in the show notes and reveal
the winners in the new year. Also check out some
(39:42):
interesting women's sports research from the team at Parody. They
compiled their wrapped collection for the top women's sports research
of twenty twenty five, with reports that looked at everything
from sponsorship to fan behavior to investment across different leagues.
We've linked to the collection in the show notes, and
we always love to hear from you, so hit us
up on email. Game at wondermedianetwork dot com or leave
(40:02):
us a voicemail at eight seven two two four fifty seventy,
and don't forget to subscribe. Rate and review It's easy.
Watch a last minute Christmas gift for your favorite sports
fan rating ten out of ten. Side eyes from Uncle
Bart review. Want to get the family talking at Christmas
and give your favorite sports fan a gift that'll make
them a hit at every PWHL, WNBA and NWSL game
(40:26):
they attend. Well. Shouts to Gotham FCCFO carry Fleishower for
passing this one along. It's a hat from the Good
Shirts dot com that reads, I just hope both teams
have fun and that the two best players secretly kiss
each other after the game. Honestly, secretly or not secretly.
We're into it. Sports and gayshit forever. Speaking of have
(40:47):
y'all been watching Heated Rivalry? I have been hearing a
lot about this show and it is queued up and
ready for me during the Christmas to New Year lazy days.
I can't wait to chat about it with y'all in
the new year. Now it's your turn. Rate, Thanks for listening,
See you soon. Good game. Darlene Love Good Game doing
whatever the fuck you want at the holidays, as long
as it makes you happy. You every time they call
(41:10):
Natalie plumpy and love Actually. 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
(41:30):
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.
Production assistants from Avery Loftus and I'm Your Host Sarah
Spain
Welcome to a good game with Sarah Spain, where we're
slamming our laptop shot until the New year. Holiday Hazy
lazy days here we come. It's Tuesday, December twenty third,
and on today Show, Little Citrus is back to serve
up some more holiday hot takes Christmas edition. We share
some takes from some of your favorite NWSL stars too,
and we start looking ahead to twenty twenty six plus
(00:22):
the number three pummels some number ones, when the student
becomes the teacher, and protecting the money maker ahead of
the big day. It's all coming up right after this
welcome back slices. Here's what you need to know today.
Let's start with college volleyball and Texas and M winning
(00:42):
the twenty twenty five NCAA Championship game on Sunday with
the number three seed teams sweeping Kentucky in the final
match of the season. The Aggies had to overcome three
number one seeds en route to taking home the trophy,
the undefeated Nebraska Huskers in the Elite eight, pitt in
the semi finals, and finally can Entucky in the championship game.
Redchard tophomore Kendall Stowers recorded ten kills and was named
(01:05):
most Outstanding Player of the match. You might recall that Stours,
a transfer from Baylor, had previously medically retired from volleyball
after sustaining multiple concussions, but she managed to make it
back to the court after a long rehab process. After
a regular season that had so many folks taken Nebraska
over the field, we were reminded again that anything can
happen come playoff time, even a program winning it all
(01:27):
for the very first time. Congrats to the Aggies and
congrats to Cavphos, the winner of our good Game with
Sarah Spain ESPN Bracket Challenge. No one in the group
had the Aggi's winning, but Cavpos did pick Kentucky, so
they win on an almost for the Wildcats to the WNBA.
ESPN has reported that the mnba's Houston Rockets ownership group
(01:48):
is in quote unquote substantive talks with the Connecticut Suns
ownership to potentially purchase and relocate the team. Now a
quick refresher on the ongoing saga involving the Sun's sale.
The team has been owned by the Mohegan Tribe since
two thousand and three, but over the summer the team
reached a deal with former Celtics minority owner Steve Paliuca,
who offered to buy the team for three hundred and
(02:09):
twenty five million dollars and relocate the franchise to Boston,
but the WNBA effectively blocked that sale, noting that it's
up to the league to approve relocation bids and adding
the cities that went through the recent expansion process had
priority over Boston. Now, the league went on to offer
to buy the Sun themselves for two hundred and fifty million,
the same amount expansion teams in Cleveland, Philly and Detroit
(02:30):
paid earlier this year, but seventy five million dollars less
than what Paleuca had offered. Now, we hadn't heard much
in recent months about where things stood till now. Per
ESPN story quote, the discussions have been described as positive,
and Rocket's ownership has improved its offer to a number
the Sun might find acceptable, a source close to the
situation said, end quote. Now, Connecticut fans would certainly be
(02:51):
devastated to see their team leave the area, but many
OGW fans would love to see the return of the
Houston Comets, the original dynasty in the WNA We're just
unclear as to the rules for this sale, rules that
the league appears to be making up as they go.
After the most recent trio of expansion teams were named,
Commission Kathy Engelbert said that Houston and owner Tillman Fertita
(03:13):
are quote unquote up next for an expansion team. But
does the league really have the authority to dictate sale
terms for an existing team sending them to an expansion market?
And is the WNBA really allowed to say that the
Rocket's ownership group can buy and relocate the team, but
a Boston based group can't. Even though the Sun agreed
to a deal with Palauka. We imagine the details of
(03:33):
the WNBA's involvement in this sale will continue to be
reported out and will keep you updated on how the
saga unfolds to the PWHL. Chicago played host to the
second stop of the PWHL's takeover Tour neutral site games
and cities that don't currently have a team. The Ottawa
Charge defeated the two time defending champion Minnesota Frost three
to two in overtime. The game was a rematch of
(03:55):
last year's PWHL Finals series, which saw the Frost defeat
the Charge in four games. I had the honor of
doing the ceremonial puck drop with two Illinois natives skating
to the center of the ice for it, Kendel QoD
Schofield of the Frost and Taylor House of the Charge. Now,
before I went on the ice, I asked, is there
going to be a cue for me to know that
the pictures are all taken and I should actually drop
the puck? And they were like, no, yield, just know
(04:16):
one and the que ended up being Kendall saying, Sarah,
you gotta actually drop it, So thanks for the assist front.
Speaking of friends, the atmosphere at the game was fantastic
and I ran into a handful of slices and friends,
including front of the Show Chris Moser. The game itself
was a great one. It was super chippy, full of
action and suspense, but there were a couple of things
to work out when it came to the league's big
(04:37):
Chicago debut, like struggles with the JumboTron and camera options,
so there were no goal replays and it really made
connecting with the crowd tough. For instance, the dance cam
couldn't actually feature dancing fans from around the stadium just
the prompt to dance. The announced crowd of two hundred
and thirty eight is one of the smaller crowds for
a Takeover Tour game, which is a bummer and it
(04:57):
does make me wonder how the league is going to
use Chicago a potential landing site for an expansion team.
I do wonder though, how the timing affected attendance. It
was the Sunday before Christmas, with lots of folks potentially
heading out of town for the week and many many
holiday activities in and around Chicago. Also, the site, All
State Arena isn't in the city and isn't the home
of an NHL team, so the PWHL couldn't use in
(05:20):
house ticket sales teams and other established apartments to help
with promotion and sales. Now Chicago has another shot to
show up and show out when the tour returns in March,
so we'll see if the crowd is bigger for that one.
Big thanks to the PWHL for including me. Either way,
I was so happy to be a part of the
inaugural Chicago game. More PWHL the Boston Fleet's undefeated run
(05:40):
to start the season ended on Friday with a five
to two loss to the aforementioned Frost, but on Sunday,
the Fleet got back in the win column with a
three to one victory over the Seattle Torrent Boston's first
meeting with former captain Hillary Knight, who's now leading Seattle
after Boston left her unprotected in the expansion draft. The
Fleet are sitting pretty without to America this season there
(06:01):
atop the PWHL standings at eighteen points, well ahead of
the next closest team, the Montreal Victoire, sitting at eleven.
Seattle currently in sixth place with seven points. To college hoops,
a few highlights from this weekend's slate of games, including
Saturday's Women's Champions Classic at the Barclay Center in New York.
Number sixteen Louisville routed seventeenth ranked Tennessee eighty nine to
(06:22):
sixty five in the first game of the doubleheader behind
eighteen points from Taj Roberts. Then number one Yukon continued
its dominance with a ninety to sixty four win over
number eleven Iowa, behind twenty seven points from Azy Fud
and twenty three points, seven rebounds and six deals from
Sarah strong More College Hoops. The nation's leading scorer, Audie Crooks,
returned to action on Sunday after missing a game to
(06:44):
an undisclosed injury. Crooks wasted no time in her return,
scoring forty one points to lead tenth ranked Iowa State
to a seventy nine seventy six win over Kansas Kenzi
Hare hit the game winning three pointer as time expired
for Iowa State, her only points of the game. More
College who Olivia Miles scored twenty nine points to lift
number nine TCU passed Kansas State seventy seven to fifty
(07:05):
five on Saturday. Miles had recorded three straight triple doubles
heading into the game, but came up short of a
record fourth, recording eight rebounds and four assists on the night.
The victory was the Horned Frog's thirty fourth consecutive home win,
so at least one streak is still alive. Still More
Hoops and the very unique story of Sydney Summers, a
junior hooper who transferred to UNLV from San Jose State
(07:28):
in the off season. During a doctor's appointment to receive
vaccines required to enroll at UNLV, Summers discovered she was
five and a half months pregnant. She gave birth to
baby Naziah Summers on September twenty eighth, and made her
debut for the Lady Rebels in their eighty nine to
seventy one win over New Mexico on Saturday. Summers played
just one minute in her return to the court, but
(07:48):
still had a big reason to celebrate with family after
the game, including her baby daughter. Six months ago, she
wasn't sure she'd ever play again. Ahead of her debut,
she told the Athletics Eden Loss quote, having a baby
doesn't have to ruin your life. It will be different,
and it will be hard, but it can also be
a blessing end quote. We'll link to that Athletic article
all about Summer's learning of her pregnancy, her worries about
(08:09):
losing her scholarship. We're going to get back out on
the court and more. One more piece of hoopsnoos I
saw ahead at the start of season two of Unrivaled
in early January. You might remember LA's Sparks standout Cameron
Brink broke her nose in the Spark's final game of
the season on September eleventh. Well after getting it fixed,
She's not taking any chances while playing with Breeze BC
and unrivaled, not with her wedding just three months away.
(08:32):
We'll link to a video Brink posted getting fitted for
a face mask to protect her face ahead of the
big day to alpine skiing, where Lindsay Vaughn was back
on the podium. Over the weekend, the forty one year
old competed in two races at the World Cup Stop
and Val de ser France, finishing third in the downhill
on Saturday, behind winter Cornelia Hooter of Austria, and third
in Sunday's Super G, this time behind her good friend
(08:55):
Italy Sophia Goggia, with New Zealand's Alice Robinson finishing second.
Actually has a fun connection with the twenty four year
old Robinson, who's had most of her success in the
giant slalom but has broken through this season in the
Super G as well. Vaughn's foundation sponsored Robinson when she
was just sixteen, and Von trained with her back in
the day after Sunday's podium finishing just behind Robinson, Von
(09:16):
joked that maybe she shouldn't have given her quite so
many tips back then to pro vibs Love announced at
the end of last week that the league is expanding
to San Francisco, as the number of teams is set
to increase to nine by twenty twenty seven, and you
can add the Bay Area to the ever growing list
of markets that will feature both a Love and a
Major League Volleyball team. You remember the MLV announced a
(09:36):
Nork Hall team earlier this month. The San Francisco Love
Team will have a woman led ownership group featuring a
lot of athletes and sport adjacent folks, including soccer legends
and friends of the show, Abby Wambach and Brandy Chastain,
and notably volleyball star Kelsey Robinson Cook, a founding Love
athlete who played for Atlanta in the league's inaugural season.
(09:57):
All right, slices, we're taking a much needed break for
the h holidays, but we're not going away entirely. We're
going to be bringing you some of our favorite episodes
of the year, And while you wait patiently for the
next Need to Know in twenty twenty six, here are a
few events to make sure you keep tabs on over
the next couple weeks. First, the PWHL will be playing
throughout the holidays, with at least one game almost every
(10:17):
day over the next few weeks. We'll link to the
full PWHL schedule in the show notes. There's also lots
of college hoops, college hockey, and just after the new year,
the college gymnastics season gets underway. We'll throw links to
all of those schedules in the show notes as well.
Then there's plenty to look forward to in January, including
the second season of both Unrivaled and Love. It's going
to be a very busy twenty twenty six. Don't forget.
(10:40):
Alex and I will also be traveling to Italy in
February to cover the Olympics in person. So psyched for that.
We got to take a quick break when we come back.
Christmas time, miss here, Time for some holiday hot takes.
(11:02):
All right, we're back for the Alex. That's Sarah Holiday
Hot Takes Speed Round the sequel, this time Christmas, Hanukah,
New Year's Eve, all of the holidays that we're celebrating
in the next two weeks. Alex, are you ready for this?
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Absolutely, let's do it.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Before we get to the speed Round. Are there any
just go to holiday takes that you always find yourself repeating.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
I just don't care about other people's holiday decorations. Like
nosy neighbors that get all up in other people's business
about the blow ups or how long they're up or
what hours they're on.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Just let people do their thing.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Like to me, it's just so joyful to see people
express themselves in different ways. Get out of here, hoa.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
I completely agree on the hoa things. I do have
to say that as I've gotten older, I've softened a
lot of my very hardest hot take stances, uh, because
I feel like when the world is on fire, if
somebody needs to bring join to their lives with Christmas
decorations in freaking September, just do it, like whatever you
need to do, is how I feel.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Now, we have a neighbor that leaves their holiday lights
up all year long in July, and it brings me
joy to drive by in July and see their tree
lit up in blue and pink lights.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
So fun. I'm not gonna lie to you that would
not bring me joy, but I'm glad it does for you.
That would infuriate me, and then I would keep my
opinion to myself. Okay, speaking of not keeping opinions to ourselves,
let's do a little hot take speed round and let's
start right there. Alex, When should the Christmas tree inside
the house go up?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
I'm worried that so many of my opinions on these
are going to be so lax. A days could because
I just literally don't care for my family. Any time
before Christmas Day is a win. I would say that
we actually struggle usually more with decorating the tree than
we do with getting it in the house. This year,
we are pretty early mid December, great for us, and
then it stays up through January.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
No regrets, Okay, I am glad you said that. I
thought last time you said it stays up through March
or that's just how long you want it to stay up.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
No, the candles in the windows stay up until March
in line with the beginning of daylight saving time. The
tree has to come down before that, only because it's
a fire hazard.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
Though.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
Yeah, yeah, that makes me I had an artificial tree,
I never get into this, then it would stay up longer.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
As for me, I always wait until after Thanksgiving to
put my tree up, and with each year the amount
of work I put into my Christmas decorations of always
like I should start doing this earlier so I can
enjoy them for more than one month. But I'm still
a stickler with tradition, and I right after Thanksgiving is
when my tree goes up, which every year up until
this year has been real. And I do have a
(13:32):
real tree this year that my husband still did take
a horse drawn sled out and chop down ourselves with
a saw, which is our go to tradition. But a
friend actually also had a company she was working with,
send me an artificial tree. And this thing is so
pretty and so easy that I think, from here and
I'm always gonna have two trees, Like I don't think
(13:53):
I could say goodbye to the real tree, but I'm
always just going to have two trees. And one of
them can be fake and very easy. One of them
can be a real bitch, but worth it for the
sake of tradition.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
I love it. I love it. You're simplifying but not
simplifying all at the same time.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
The story of my life. What about you?
Speaker 2 (14:10):
So I've always been a real tree girly.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
We actually used to go and cut our own down,
but kind of from like this realgue guy who lived
in town, and his trees were shit.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Like they literally the needles on the trees.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
I understand why they're called needles because I would cut
myself multiple times a year, so much so that I
refuse to decorate the thing. And then we started going
to like a legit tree cellar instead.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Yeah. Yeah, we don't want a shot in the tree. Yeah.
What about the lights on both the tree and on
the outside of the house. Do you have any preferences
on white or multicolored? Are there rules about tree versus
outside lights?
Speaker 3 (14:42):
So my tree always has to have multicolored lights on it,
but I would say more so than even the color
of the lights. Is the incandescent versus LED? I hardcore
stand incandescent lights. Yes, I know they use more energy,
but the LED lights still have a weird flicker to them.
They'd make my eyes hurt. They're also usually like a
cool blue temperature, and I want my environment during the
(15:05):
Christmas season to have that.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Like nice warm, yellowish white light. I don't want it
to feel cold.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
So yeah, I don't care if you have colorful lights
or white lights, but I really hope they're incandescent that.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Has very specific elks. I have to tell you, I've
never been walking around anywhere and been like, man, I
really wish these lights were incandescent, or I really wish
these lights were LEDs. I used to feel like multicolored
on the tree and white outside. I do think if
you have like a really dramatic, beautiful house with wreaths
and red bows and white lights, it just looks so
stunning and traditional. But I also feel like when you're
(15:40):
driving around and someone just blasts the out of their
house full of colored lights, it's also very joyful. So
once again in my old age, I am being much
less judgy than I used to be. These whatever color
you like? What about this when all presents should be
opened on Christmas Day or do you do one or
several the night before?
Speaker 2 (16:00):
Okay, so my family goes real rogue with this.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
If anyone is doubting my fucking weird upbringing this question
is surely going to shine a light on just how
weird it was. But we never open presents the day
before Christmas, and sometimes we didn't even open presents on
Christmas Day like we do like days after Christmas. Yes,
we had like a tradition where we would open like
it was almost like we were doing Hanukkah, but for Christmas.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Like we would open like one gift to day.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Are any of your family members Jewish?
Speaker 2 (16:29):
No?
Speaker 5 (16:30):
No.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
As I think I mentioned on the Thanksgiving episode, Thanksgiving
morning is usually us frantically cleaning to have people come over,
and Christmas morning is kind of the same way, and
so a lot of times, like I wake up to
people like cleaning and I'm like, hey, hello, let's sit
around open stockings.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
It's a little bit tough.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
I think COVID Year twenty twenty was the only time
we opened gifts on Christmas because like, we didn't have
to prepare the house for anyone.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
You're you need to write a book, Alex. You frankly,
I need to learn more about this quirky family of yours.
We usually used to when we were all in the
same place for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, do the
one present the night before. But my husband and I
are always running around now, going to Wisconsin for the
couple days before Christmas, and then Christmas Eve night we
leave his uncles, get together and drive back home to Illinois.
(17:18):
This year actually Michigan where my parents' weekend houses. So
we don't get to do both parts of Christmas with
my family. We just do the Christmas Day stuff, so
we save all of our gifts for Christmas Day. Now,
all right, this is a tough one. Is giving gift
cards a cop out that proves you don't really love
and care about someone? Or is it just like, hey,
I already know that this is what you want and
it's basically money, so.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Here, okay.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
So I think it very much depends on the relationship
between the two people and also the age. So I
think two adults giving gift cards to each other is weird, Like,
especially if they're generic gift cards, like I'm getting you
a thirty dollars Best Buy gift card and you're getting
me a thirty dollars Barnes and Noble gift card, Like
why are we even exchanging things if the same amount?
The money is just passing back and forth, except that
(18:02):
ultimately we're going to end up with five dollars on
the gift card, never use it, and we just lose
out on that money. So yeah, I think for adults,
unless it's somebody that like clearly needs something and you
want to treat them to something that they wouldn't treat themselves,
like if it's like a SPA gift card or like
an experienced gift card that to me is different versus
like a place where you go buy stuff. But I
(18:24):
do think for like teenagers, it's okay to buy them
a gift card because as a teen I remember getting
some weird Christmas gifts and being like, I don't know
how to say, I'm never gonna wear this or use this,
and so it was nice at an age when I
didn't have money.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Yeah, when you don't have any money, it's nice to
get the ability to get the thing you want instead
of having other people guess at it. Whereas when you
get to be an adult, it's like I can buy
what I want when I need it, so it's not
quite as bad. And I agree with you. So like
in my family, sometimes my parents run out of ideas
and they get me gift cards for the massage place,
dear me, and I love it because sometimes I wouldn't
(19:00):
go unless I have the gift card, and then it
reminds me or I think again, like you mentioned experiences,
it sort of is like, we have this thing, so
we need to use it and go do this, which
we otherwise might not make the time for. So I
agree with that. I do think sometimes it's a little
bit of a cop out. But also, if your brother's
fifth girlfriend that you've met in six years is showing
(19:22):
up and you're supposed to get her something and you
don't know goddamn thing about her, You're fine just getting
a gift card. Like that's just like it's gonna be
that or a candle every time, right, So mix it
up a little bit. Yeah, Okay, Hallmark movies terrible or
terribly good.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
In contemplating this question, I'm realizing I don't even know
if we get Hallmark Channel, and I feel like my
only association with Hallmark movies is like thirty Rocks interpretation
of Hallmark movies regurgitated, and so I don't know if
I can actually answer this based on that. I would
say terribly bad, but in a way that you have
to keep watching them because they're like reality TV in
(19:59):
that you can and look away.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
But that's an un educated opinion.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
I haven't watched enough of them to give an informed opinion,
but I will give one anyway, and it is that
they are terrible. I only like this satirical sketch comedy,
you know, send ups of them. Amy Schumer did a
great one. SNL has done them. I prefer the ones
that make fun of them to the real movies. But
I do have a friend that was in a Hallmark movie,
(20:24):
and I do have a friend's mom who loves them
so much she will go to conventions to meet the
stars that are repeatedly appearing on Hallmark movies, which is
a dedication that I don't understand, but tells me there
must be some sort of magic in them for some people.
And I guess it's probably that feeling of like the
(20:45):
idyllic sort of world where you could go back to
your hometown and fall in love with the local tree man,
as opposed to going back home and finding out that
everybody there is maga and you left for a good reason.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Yeah, which it is more likely.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Die hard Christmas movie.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Okay, So funny story about this question. The improv troup
that I'm in, we do a bunch of shows around
the holidays. We actually do our own version of a
Christmas Carol. We call it What the Dickens, But ahead
of that we do one half of short form and
then one half which is What the Dickens. And so
a couple weeks ago, I was at a show and
my prompt for the audience was I need somebody to
give me their holiday hot take, and someone shouts out,
(21:24):
die Hard is a Christmas movie, and I was like, yes,
thank you, let's go. And then I was like, I
know absolutely nothing about die Hard. I've never seen it.
My only references to it are Andy Samberg in Brooklyn
nine nine.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
And I was like, I really am so happy that I.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
Took this and cannot do the suggestion justice, but in
honor of that audience member, I'm gonna say yes.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
So that's funny that you ended up. I would have
liked to see the sketch that resulted from that where
you had no idea, probably even the most obvious of
things like welcome to the Party, pal. I will tell
you that Jake Tapper, the Newsman, once wrote a length
the poem about all the different connections to Christmas that
Diehard has, and it is a very impressive number of them.
(22:09):
There's references throughout the film all the time. But the
question is is a movie set at Christmas a Christmas movie?
Or do we think a Christmas movie must somehow have
the spirit of the season. And I think my answer
is very semantics, which is basically like Diehard is a
movie set at Christmas? But that doesn't make it a
Christmas movie.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
Yeah. Well, it almost reminds me.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Certain streaming platforms now give people the option where they
have like The Office and it's all of the Christmas
episodes of the Office, And I love that because sometimes
you just want to watch an episode of something but
still feel like you're in the spirit of the holiday.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Yeah. I watched every single Frasier Christmas episode, and my
husband and I watched two mad Men Christmas episodes, one
of which had almost nothing to do with Christmas but
was set during Christmas and there was a tree in
the background a couple of times. So it I do
that a lot pretty much every Christmas. I go find
some of my favorite episodes.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
It's like the Bechdel test, but for Christmas, Like, is
there the episode does it talk to anyone exactly?
Speaker 1 (23:10):
Nightmare before Christmas? Christmas movie or Halloween movie.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
Sarah, I don't even think I've seen Nightmare before Christmas.
I really should have done more homework before.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
The sash Alex get it together.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
I'm adding them all to the list based on like
the image. I'm gonna just say Halloween movie.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
I agree with you, but I've actually done the research
instead of looking at a photo and deciding.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
That if I've done the research, you mean you actually
watch the movie.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Watch the movie. Yes, I've watched the movie. The source
material for the question is something I have seen. It
is a Halloween movie, all right. Finally, telling your children
about Santa is teaching them to lie.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
No, it's not teaching them how to lie. Telling them
about Sanna is giving them a joy in this world
of possibility. But I will say that my parents, when
I was a kid, they hired some dude to come
and be Santa, Like he came to my house on
Christmas Eve twice WHOA And I have asked them in
(24:05):
the thirty years since then, Hey, who was that that
came to our house?
Speaker 2 (24:10):
And they will not tell me to this day.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Weird. Why won't they tell you?
Speaker 2 (24:15):
I think they just want to keep it a mystery.
They're like, it's Santa. They still sign some of my
gifts from Santa too.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
Yeah, my parents still sign things from Santa as well.
I understand the logic behind saying it is teaching your
children to lie. I think that there are white lies
as children that contribute to the joy of the season,
to fairy Santa, etc. I think The key is if
you feel like they're starting to pick up on it,
go ahead and tell them. Don't reject their instinct by
(24:46):
telling them they're wrong. If they start to figure it out,
even if it's earlier than you wish, you kind of
got to tell them what's going on because you don't
want them to stop trusting their gut and their instinct
about things and basically gaslight your children. So I think
you know, keep it going for as long as it'll stick,
all right, Alex, Are there any quirky, memorable or sweet
(25:07):
Christmas family traditions that your family has other than going
to the expense to pay for a Santa to come
and then not opening any gifts thereby rejecting regular traditions
in favor of weird ones.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
Well, we have a new tradition these last few years.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
We're planning to do it for a third straight year,
so it's officially in tradition territory where on Christmas Eve,
me and some of my cousins and there are kids,
we walk around this really beautiful farm that has millions
of Christmas lights and it's just a really lovely way
to get outside, spend some time with each other, drink
cut cocoa and look at Christmas lights.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
That sounds lovely. Have you ever seen those glasses you
can put on that make the lights look like different things?
Speaker 3 (25:45):
My god, that immediately makes me think I'd get really
emotion sick, like I can't watch three D movies, so
maybe I'll investigate it.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
You should give them to your cousins. But they're great.
There'll be anything from like little minisantas to stars to trees,
and it turns every single light that you see into
those and it's like extremely magical. You do not have
to drink or have a gummy, but I would say
that sometimes if you do those things and then you
wear the glasses and walk around your neighborhood, it's pretty fun.
(26:12):
But it works whether or not you are in an
altered state, and they are cheap and delightful.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
I'm like all the alternatives for trips here, like put
on the glasses, have a stigmatism.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
Squid a little bit. There you go have motion sickness.
There you go. That's great. We don't have any major traditions.
Back when we used to go to my aunt's and
there was a big group of people, there was always
a tool and so all the guys would get some
specific tool and then all the women would get in.
It was, you know, a little bit gendered, but in
a funny way. There was also a box that was
from a department store in the nineteen seventies and somebody's
(26:45):
grandma had gifted them something in the box, and the
next year they just reused it, and then the next
year that person reused it, and when they realized it
was this same box, it became tradition that somebody was
given the box with a gift and then they had
to protect it for the year before were wrapping something
else in it and giving it to someone else. And
then the box was trying to fall apart because it
was literally from the seventies. So my uncle, who does woodworking,
(27:08):
built a wood in the box that said the box
in it in wood and put the other box in
it to protect the nineteen seventies box. And now if
you get gifted the box, it's the box inside the
wooden box, and then you have to put another something
inside that is the gift, and again protect it for
the year until you can gift it again. And this
year we're getting that group together for the first time
in years since my aunt passed away, and so I'm
(27:28):
very interested to see if the box makes its triumphant returned.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
How many times during that history have you been gifted
the box?
Speaker 1 (27:36):
And I never got the box. I was never trusted
with the box. I think, I think though that's not
my side of the family. It's like my uncle's family
side that goes to this event. And technically I'm not
related to any of them because it was my aunt
that I was related to. So I think they trust
each other more with the box than you know us.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
You need to start dropping some hints.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
I know maybe this year, maybe it's my year.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Talk about the things in your life that you've owned
the longest.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
Yeah, exactly, I'm very good at keeping things.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
It reminds me of an SNL sketch about a baby
shower and it's seven women. It's called the cut. We'll
link to it in the show notes. But realizing that
there are only seven bags in the entire countess state
and they all just get passed from one place to another.
And while unloading Christmas decorations a couple of weeks ago,
I discovered just a bag full of bags and I
(28:29):
was like.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
We've been saving them, but not actually reusing them.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
So maybe that's how everyone's gift is going to ge
wrapped up this year.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
My garage is full of paper, ribbons, bags, all to
be reused. I refuse to buy a new paper every year.
I just reuse it unless I get the kind of
custom paper where like my dogs are on it or
my family members are put into scenes from famous movies,
and then it's worth the giggle and I'll buy a
little bit of it. So cash Yeah, Okay, speaking of traditions,
(28:57):
the Christmas movies that you rewatch every single year, no.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Exception, okay, Elf, Love Actually and a Christmas Story. I know,
Love Actually is problematic watching it these days. I'm like,
I can't believe I ever loved this on ironic and
yet there's still so much of it that I really love.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
Yeah, there's a lot of nostalgia connected to it. So
even though I watch it, I'm like, holy cow, how
did I not think this was problematic? I'm still like
and I'm still going to watch it every year, So
that's just the that's the way it goes. Mine are
the Holiday Home Alone, Love Actually, and National Lampoon's Christmas.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Vacation and Home Alone, The Original.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Home Alone the original. I still have not seen Home
Alone too. I would like to, but I would I
would have to fast forward through that one scene so
as to not ruin my Christmas.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
There are some good memes out right now where Trump
is redacted from Yes one, I've seen that, as he
is from other documents.
Speaker 1 (29:55):
Other documents and historical events. What are the top three
Christmas songs in your opinion?
Speaker 3 (30:04):
Okay, so number one has to be anything from the
Charlie Brown Christmas Album. I just think it's so beautiful
and nothing gets me in the spirit more than that.
Mariah Carey has to go up there, I think, especially
the longevity of that song, like it hit the number
one spot in the Billboard Top list like several years
in a row, and I just think, like, go Mariah.
And then because I have to be my weird self there.
(30:26):
There was a fun Christmas album that came out back
in the day, probably around two thousand and eight called
Jingle Spells, and it was a bunch of Harry Potter
Wizard rock bands doing Christmas songs and anything off of
that album immediately.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
Makes me feel nostalgic.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
What I was thinking the other day, like when you
turn on the radio and listen to Christmas music, like
there hasn't been a new Christmas song.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
I don't know, maybe in thirty years.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
That's not true. You're just not keeping up. There's some
great ones, okay, Brande Santa tell Me are You Relieve Me?
Speaker 5 (30:59):
Minute?
Speaker 1 (31:00):
And then Kelly Clarkson Underneath the Christmas Tree banger.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
Hey, I just don't think that those maybe have arrived
in New Hampshire. Like I've heard those songs, but not
on the Christmas radio station.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
They've not arrived in New Hampshire.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
It's like the same.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
My three are Darlene Love, Christmas Baby, Please Come Home.
I'm obsessed with Darling Love. But that song, in particular
Bing Crosby I'll be Home for Christmas is like the
most classic, like warming the cockles of your Heart. I
don't know what the cockles are, but they are warmed.
And then Mariah Carey all I Want for Christmas. And
I mentioned at a previous show that there is a
(31:36):
remix going around on TikTok with the sexy read lyrics
from Rich Baby Daddy remixed into it where she's like
and that ass over, let that koochie breathe, and it
is a new wrinkle to the Christmas spirit that I
feel when listening to Mariah Carey. I also always have
to mention that my honorable mention because it's a parody
song and not real, but it's still such a good song.
Is Darlene Love doing Christmas Time for the Jews for
(31:58):
SNL because it's just so well written and she sings
it so beautifully, and it's just a hilarious send up
of the idea that on Christmas Eve, when all the
you know, Christians are at home, the Jews get to
run the world. And the cartoon with it is the
Stop like clay Stop animation, and if you haven't seen it,
you need to go watch it. It's so so good.
Speaker 3 (32:18):
I feel like one of my core memories as a
child was Darlene Love's annual appearance on David Letterman, and
it was like my mom would yell from the other room, like.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
Come on, it's Darling in tradition, so special. All right,
what's something sports related you're looking forward to in twenty
twenty six.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe going to the Empics.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
That's mine too.
Speaker 3 (32:43):
Yeah, I'm really excited, I think, especially like I've been
to the Olympics before, I've covered a lot of them,
and yet come Olympics time, my job often just had
me like inside the studio at the broadcast center without windows,
and so I was watching things but not in person,
and I would be able to like make it out
(33:03):
of there sometimes to like catch a race or two,
but it wasn't part of my job that I was
then watching it for. And so I think to be
able to like go and see different stuff and actually
be able to define what we want to do and
what we want to cover during the games, I'm really
excited about that me too.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
And when I was watching Kendall Coy and Taylor Heisei
and all the other Olympians on the ice at the
PWHL game on Sunday, it was getting me really, really
really excited because the USA Canada hockey rival is one
of my favorite things in all of sports. So getting
the chance to hopefully see that in person in a
gold medal game just ooh, super pumped for that last
(33:40):
question for you. Since we're on twenty twenty six New
Year's Resolutions, helpful goal setting or guilt producing stressors, I.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
Think kind of a combination of two.
Speaker 3 (33:49):
I really like having some type of timed element to
like give yourself a goal as long as it's not
stress or guilt inducing. So like, for this, I tried
to do that thing where you like film one second
of each day and then compile it into a nice
long video. Back in the day, I used to do
like a journal entree every day, writing down at least
(34:10):
like one thing that I had done that day. That
one eventually became guilt inducing and stressful, so I gave
it up. I like having that fresh slate where you
can try something new.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
How about you?
Speaker 1 (34:21):
I completely agree. I do think that if you're the
kind of person that you know you'll make a resolution,
break it, and then be really hard on yourself, then
don't do that. Make a suggestion for yourself instead, or
try to figure out why is it that I keep
making the same intention or resolution and I'm never actually
doing it, and like really get down and like drill
down and figure out what's standing in your way. Because
(34:41):
if it's something that you care about enough that every
year you make an intention to change it or do
it and you never do, then like you got to
figure out what those barriers are and break through them,
or you have to find a way to like go
to therapy and figure out how to let go of
that desire for that thing if you're never going to
actually go after it. And I think that's like a
maturity and an awareness that comes with time, because in general,
(35:05):
I love setting goals and I tend to be a
fresh late person. I like a new week, a new month,
a new year. I like, you know, being able to
like pull out a new calendar or something to like
set goals, but I understand that the ones that actually
get done tend not to be linked to a specific
day or time. They tend to happen when you actually
put into place the everyday things that help you reach
(35:26):
that goal instead of like getting a new pretty notebook
in order to make that goal happen.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
One hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (35:32):
And I think too it is a prime example of
like blaming the person instead of the system. Like when
you have people who are like I want to save
more money, I want to get to the gym, I
want to get a new job, and yet don't have
the tools to be able to do those things and
instead have a lot of barriers that are placed in
their way. I kind of hate, like the marketing that's
associated with the holiday of New Year's where it's like
(35:54):
this is your year, like you better get your shit
together otherwise it's your fault.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
I mean I kind of agree, but I also think
there's endless examples of people who figure out, if they
really care about something, how to get it done despite
the barriers. And there are a lot of people who
will use barriers and as an excuse to not actually
be accountable for the thing that they want. So it's
always a bit of both. It's both systemic and individual,
depending on the goal. All Right, we got to take
(36:19):
a break when we come back. The Gift has opinions
welcome back slices. Alex and I aren't the only ones
with opinions about the holiday season. We actually asked a
few of our favorite soccer players for their takes during
media day at the NWSL Championship, and we got a
(36:40):
couple opinions about the Christmas season. First up, the Washington
Spirits Gift Monday has very strong thoughts about the Christmas meal.
Speaker 4 (36:49):
I mean, I grew up in Angilia and we said
it with most of I'm Christian, so every year we
said its Christmas. It's a big thing for us, and
it was especially dish. We always cook like norm rise
and we call it stew over Yeah, they call it
like tomato sauce. Yeah, but we call it stew because
(37:10):
there's a special way they make this stew.
Speaker 1 (37:12):
And then there is this chicken.
Speaker 4 (37:14):
So there's always a chicken because without the chicken, the
Christmas food is not complete.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
So yeah, so that's your heartache. You have to have
the chicken at Christmas. Is it jella rice or something else?
Speaker 4 (37:24):
Oh yeah, it's white rise and stew with chicken. Okay,
jellaflies can be maybe for Ista white vie for Christmas.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
Next up Gotham, I've seized Jayde and Shaw chimed in
with her take on Christmas decorations.
Speaker 5 (37:38):
You can put up your decorations as always you want you.
I love Christmas, so like put up that tree right
after Halloween for all I care. I feel like that's
like a thing. So yeah, I honestly don't think I
have a heartache. I'm like, do what you want.
Speaker 1 (37:52):
And Gotham's Emily Sonnet has the Ghost of Christmas music
past aka DJ Aubrey Kingsbury to blame for her version
to holiday tunes in Australia.
Speaker 6 (38:02):
I was roommate with Auby Bludsoe and she in the beginning,
I think it was all of November, no, starting December
one is just like only Christmas musuic in the car.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
It that was it.
Speaker 6 (38:12):
So I say my hot take after that three months
living with Aubrey Bloods was like, I don't do Christmas
music until maybe the week before, like maybe, and Mariah.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
I mean she even Mariah. Mariah is the only exception
on FI.
Speaker 6 (38:28):
But I would say I definitely dialed back after having
an incredible roommate experience with Aubie blood So in Australia.
But she's someone who cranks it out, loves it. That's
definitely not her hot take, but it is mine.
Speaker 1 (38:38):
We also had Slice Matt Hickey chime in with his
own musical hot take. He said, quote, wonderful Christmas time
is trash and I challenge myself every year to avoid
hearing it. The airport ruins it for me, as does
a miniature golf course or a restaurant. And super Slice
Amanda Vallo wrote in with several holiday hot takes quote,
I think the debate starter is diehard a Christmas movie
(38:59):
is the question what we should be asking is why
are they having a work holiday party on Christmas Eve?
White lights, blinking lights, colored lights. It doesn't matter. We
should all just be happy we're no longer putting lit
candles on live trees. And finally, the mule tide doesn't
have to be gay. Let it be curious in questioning
(39:20):
end quote, Amanda's got to have a side gig as
a comedy writer, right, or maybe a main gig. We
never really know what you slices are up to out there.
We do always love that you're listing, but we want
to get you in the game every day too, So
here's our good game play of the day. Vote for
the slices if you haven't already. We're going to link
to the voting form in the show notes and reveal
the winners in the new year. Also check out some
(39:42):
interesting women's sports research from the team at Parody. They
compiled their wrapped collection for the top women's sports research
of twenty twenty five, with reports that looked at everything
from sponsorship to fan behavior to investment across different leagues.
We've linked to the collection in the show notes, and
we always love to hear from you, so hit us
up on email. Game at wondermedianetwork dot com or leave
(40:02):
us a voicemail at eight seven two two four fifty seventy,
and don't forget to subscribe. Rate and review It's easy.
Watch a last minute Christmas gift for your favorite sports
fan rating ten out of ten. Side eyes from Uncle
Bart review. Want to get the family talking at Christmas
and give your favorite sports fan a gift that'll make
them a hit at every PWHL, WNBA and NWSL game
(40:26):
they attend. Well. Shouts to Gotham FCCFO carry Fleishower for
passing this one along. It's a hat from the Good
Shirts dot com that reads, I just hope both teams
have fun and that the two best players secretly kiss
each other after the game. Honestly, secretly or not secretly.
We're into it. Sports and gayshit forever. Speaking of have
(40:47):
y'all been watching Heated Rivalry? I have been hearing a
lot about this show and it is queued up and
ready for me during the Christmas to New Year lazy days.
I can't wait to chat about it with y'all in
the new year. Now it's your turn. Rate, Thanks for listening,
See you soon. Good game. Darlene Love Good Game doing
whatever the fuck you want at the holidays, as long
as it makes you happy. You every time they call
(41:10):
Natalie plumpy and love Actually. 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
(41:30):
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.
Production assistants from Avery Loftus and I'm Your Host Sarah
Spain
Host
Sarah Spain
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