November 20, 2025 • 31 mins
You already know A’ja Wilson is that girl.
And now, she’s chatting with us on The GIST of It. Co-host Ellen Hyslop sat down with the four-time WNBA MVP and forever Las Vegas Ace to discuss fashion, love and basketball, and of course, the ongoing collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players union. Don’t miss this one.
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🐦 X: @thegistpod
And now, she’s chatting with us on The GIST of It. Co-host Ellen Hyslop sat down with the four-time WNBA MVP and forever Las Vegas Ace to discuss fashion, love and basketball, and of course, the ongoing collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players union. Don’t miss this one.
Show notes:
Join The GIST Plus membership platform
Subscribe to The GIST
More on The GIST:
☎️ Leave us a voicemail! Call us at 1-437-564-5579 or hold down on this link
🎧 Subscribe: thegistsports.com/subscribepod
✉️ Email: pod@thegistsports.com
📷 Instagram: @thegistca @thegistusa
🐦 X: @thegistpod
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Hi there, gisters, Welcome, We welcome back to another episode
of the Gist of It. Today is Thursday, November twentieth.
We're your co hosts. I'm Lauren Tescala filling in for Ellen.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
And I'm Steph Rottz And have people landed birthday? Lauren,
I love that you're a scorpio.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
My gosh, thank you. Okay, when I tell people I'm scorpio,
I get sometimes a weird look like people are like,
that's a bad thing.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
I I think that every sign is great. I actually
don't hate any I think really for women, they're.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
All perfect, very stemfty.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
A scorpio man, question mark scope, you're a woman on
the other end, No, no, no, no, no, that's fantastic, And that
actually I think makes like is connecting a lot of
dots for me for you, Like there's just like there's
just like this energy that you bring that reminds me
of my other scorpio friend. And I'm just AnyWho, how
is your birth Did you have a good time?
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (01:02):
It was nice. This so I turned thirty last year,
so I feel like I did all the big fund STU.
I had a big party and this is like no
one care thirty one. No one cares anymore. It's like, okay.
So it was a nice, chill birthday. I had a
good time. I went out to dinner. My friend is
having a big birthday this weekend, so I'll latch onto
her party and that'll be my party as well. So
it was fantastic perfect.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
That sounds like the lovely week. And we're so honored
to have have you here on the podcast because we
have an extra special guest on today's podcast, the one,
the only, Asia Wilson.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Ellen, thank you in advance or thank you after the
fact for this great birthday gift to me for doing
this interview with Aga Wilson. How lucky are we to
have the Asia Wilson on the podcast. Another shout out
to ourpalsatbooking dot Com got us the interview, so thank
you so much. We had the four time WNBA MVP
and Las Vegas Aces superstar on the pod. Ellen sat
down with her before she went away on vacation, and
(01:56):
this conversation truly has everything. Wilson discusses the text that
infamous not infamous, that amazing text that she sent that
turned the Las Vegas Aces season around on route to
their Championship. She shares the latest updates on the Nike
A two's and yes, she does address the elephant in
the room that is the ongoing collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations
(02:17):
between the WNBA and the players Union. We asked her
about it, we got the hot take about the CBA.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
What a time to be alive. Truly, I'm so blessed,
like we are all so blessed to be living in
a time where Asia Wilson is here. And I'm also
so grateful for people like Ellen and you who interview
all of my faves so that I don't have to
be puking in a toilet because I get so nervous
doing these interviews, and it's so much more fun to
(02:43):
be able to just listen to either you or Ellen
after the fact doing these interviews for the podcast. So
thank you, You're welcome.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Actually, I got to interview Aga Wilson a few years ago.
You did, was also, yes, freaking out beforehand, but she
just I felt a mem I felt her presence, like
the way she was just there, she was herself, She
was personable and just so lovely, So she just brings
that comming out and dry so I'm sure Ellen was
a little bit nervous before, but I know Wilson's energy
(03:12):
was just perfect.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
It's truly a must listen interview with one of the
greatest athletes of our generation. But members of the Gist Plus,
our paid subscriber community, already knew that because they received
access to this interview a day before everyone else, so yesterday.
There are so many benefits, including extra podcast episodes when
you join the Gist Plus. Click on the link in
our show notes to learn more about the healthiest sports
(03:36):
community on the Internet and all of the good things
that come with it. So before we get to Ellen's
combo with Asia, we do. This is a This is
a regular scheduled podcast, so we do need to call
it an audible we do.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
And I want to talk about the PWHL because the
third season starts tomorrow, November twenty first, and I'm talking
to Steff, so I have to talk about the PWHL.
I'll go through the first two games, and I will
I want to hear everything you have to say. Stuff.
You are giddy with excitement right now, understandably. So first up,
the two time defending champ Minnesota Frost. They're going to
(04:13):
face the Toronto Septs at seven pm Eastern. That's the
first game of the season, and then the second game
at ten pm Eastern on Friday. We're going to see
the two expansion teams in action right away. It's Vancouver
Goldenknyes first the Seattle Torrent which is so cool to
make them go against each other for that first game,
so they will be on nice for their PWHL debuts.
Stack double Howder, Steph, how are you feeling about season three?
Speaker 2 (04:33):
My calendar is blocked. I am on the couch Friday.
I have half season tickets, so I'm not at Friday's game,
but that, you know what, it's for the best because
then I can really sit there and analyze and see
the first two expansion teams play afterwards at ten pm
without having the hustle home, so you know what it
all comes out in the wash.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
It was all meant to be.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
I am so excited for this year, having these two
expansion teams just like a jolt of energy in this league.
And I am so excited because there has been so
much redistribution of players to make these two PWHL expansion
teams happen that it's it does feel like a totally
new year to me and I of course there are
(05:16):
staples that haven't moved, but some big key players have
made some huge moves like Sarah Nurse from the Toronto
Scepters is now in Vancouver. Your Hillary Knight from the
Boston Fleet is now in Seattle. Like there has been
some some major shifts to these rosters, and I'm so
excited to see how this is gonna play out. And again,
I'm gonna talk about this over and over again, but
(05:37):
it is an Olympic year, and Women's Olympic hockey, straight
to my veins, that is like one of the best
things that we have on this planet Earth in my opinion,
so biased, but I'm just so excited for how this
is all going to play out with such a huge
year for the PWHL with these expansion teams, and is
an Olympic year, like ah stop.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
There's so much happening, and we have the Takeover Tour
expanding like this, it's gonna be Women's king, it's gonna
be everywhere, it's gonna be fantastic.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
So my other Scorpio friend, she lives in Halifax and
she couldn't get tickets sold out. They have two nights
there on the east coast of Nova Scotia in Canada,
any whosers, I should have given her my pre sell code.
In hindsight, I really hope she's not listening to this
because as a half season ticket member holder, I found
that in my inbox today from back when those went
on sale. So my bad, Elena, I'm so sorry. But yeah,
(06:28):
the Takeover Tour check out. They might be coming to
a city near you. If you're not one of those
original teams or two expansion teams, please check the PTERHL
Expansion Tour and you might be able to snake some
tickets for some other dates.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Check it out. There'll be more Peter Richel all over
the gist. We're doing a full season preview that'll be
in your inbox on Friday before the season starts. We'll
be covering the league all season long, and of course
we'll be covering the Olympic Women's hockey too, So follow
our newsletter and stay tuned and of course tuning into
the podcast because listening to stuff talk pe to Richel
is my favorite thing.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Yeah, oh, sim in a personal training SESSI about PBHLS,
I can talk abut bit more.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
Bye.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Okay, it is the time everyone has been waiting for her.
If you see the title of this podcast, you are
here for the Asia Wilson interview and she does not
need any introduction. So let's kick it to Ellen's all
encompassing conversation right now.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
Asia Wilson, thank you so much for returning to the
Gist of It podcast today.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Yes, thank you for having me again.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
Oh my gosh, We're so excited to have you. It
is always a pleasure. And also a big thanks to
our friends at booking dot com for setting up this conversation.
There's so much I want to talk to you about today,
but I know we only have fifteen to twenty minutes.
The time is ticking. I want to talk to you
about some on court stuff and some off court stuff,
but let's start off with some off court stuff. If
(07:54):
that sounds good to you, let's do it. Okay, you
recently went on the Jennifer Hudson's show and you met.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Your super fan, this young boy.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
I think it's my favorite clip of at least the
past week, probably the past two weeks. Truly the sweetest
thing ever for our gisters. For those who are listening.
If you haven't seen it, you can check it out
online go to Jennifer Hudson's Instagram page. But basically, this
young fan five years old basically is obsessed with you.
(08:24):
He got to meet you through the Jennifer Hudson Show,
snuggled up right on your lap and said, I love you,
I love you. Can you tell us about that moment?
Speaker 3 (08:35):
It was a huge moment.
Speaker 5 (08:36):
It was a moment that I knew I couldn't pass
by because young in mind he was. His mom posted
this video on social media and he was crying and
he was like, I want Asia to come to the house.
And his mom was like, you know, we don't know her,
Like we love her, we watch her, but we don't
know her. And so when Jennifer Hudson's team came to
my team, it was like, hey, we want to surprise
him and meeting you. I couldn't turn it down because
(08:58):
I felt like it was just perfect, Like that is
I love what I do. It's one of the reasons
why sports is so special. And I think the funniest
thing that turned out to me was like he was
just like, oh, I didn't know boys could play basketball,
and it's like, Wow, we're in a world where like
we're the focal point, like we are the focal point
to young kids for them to dream. And so to
see him and I thought he was gonna let me go.
(09:18):
He did not, and I'm just like, oh my goodness,
this is the cutest.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
Thing in the world, in the world.
Speaker 5 (09:23):
And I was telling his mom like she's raising a king,
like more boys and men should be like in mine
because he wears his emotions on his sleeve. He's vibrant,
he's special, and you just see as the sweetest soul.
So it was just a big moment that I was
so happy that I was able to share with him.
Speaker 4 (09:41):
He was so excited to see you and just him
even just sitting on your lap, Asia, snuggling right up.
He is going to remember that for the rest of
his life. I can't wait until he's a forty year
old man and it's like, oh my gosh, I can't
believe that I did that. You know, it's just so wholesome.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
Yes, it is. It's definitely a core memory for sure.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
And have you noticed speaking about kids, this five year
old And there's been so much data recently too, talking
about how many boys and men love the WNBA and
watch the WNBA. Have you seen an increase in the
number of kids, in the number of youths getting really into.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
The league for sure, Yes, And it makes my heart
so happy because I grew up in a space as
when I became kind of like a teenager and kind
of in high school, our numbers weren't like it was
like girls were dropping out. They didn't want to like
play the sport because it was hard or it just
didn't feel right. So now to see young kids that
are just so invested in us, to see them wanting
(10:38):
to like wear our jerseys. I mean this Halloween, I
saw so many young kids dress up as me, and.
Speaker 6 (10:42):
I'm like, like, never in a million years would.
Speaker 5 (10:44):
I've ever feel like I would be a Halloween costume.
So I think those are the little things that like
really warm my heart. Hence why I had to give
kids a shoe when it came to my signature shoe
with Nike, because I'm like, they're the world, like they're
our future. So if I can give them a voltes
for them to just beat themselves and play and enjoy,
I'm so down for that.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
But I love the kids. They warm my heart.
Speaker 6 (11:06):
Because they're just the purest thing ever, Like they're just
so innocent in.
Speaker 5 (11:10):
Anything that they say or do, Like you know, it's
coming from a youthful place, and I love that.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
It's so important for the future of fandom too, when
you could see what that next generation of fans is
going to look like and how they're engaging and everything
like that too. You mentioned fashion, so let's talk about
fashion for.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
A little bit.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
Of all of your colorways, which one is your favorite?
Speaker 5 (11:34):
Ooh, I'm so glad I can finally say this because
the Candy Corn colorway have been It's been my favorite
since I saw them, but I couldn't really say it
throughout the season because no one knew when it was dropping.
But my Candy Corn colorway is my favorite colorway only
because I just love the ombre into it and a
little agg lit on the shoelace is literally like a
(11:54):
little small candy corn and it's so cute and this
swoosh It's perfection.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Details on it were so good you could tell that
it had that Asia dash, that Asia personality in it.
Are you able to give us a sneak peek into
what's next with everything.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
That you're doing ooh, a sneak peek. I don't even
know how.
Speaker 5 (12:15):
I mean, obviously, I feel like a lot of people
will know that there will be an A two, So
that's obviously in the works, okay, and we're just doing
some big things. I've taken, you know, the comments and
concerns from the A one, and I'm pouring it into
the A two.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
So hopefully we can grow. But it's exciting. I love
the work.
Speaker 5 (12:33):
I love my team at Nike that we're coming together
and make a shoe for everybody.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
So it's gonna be fun.
Speaker 4 (12:38):
I like that little nugget of information.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
We'll take it.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
It's not exactly he's feeling any.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
Tea I too much.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
You chatted about Halloween costumes. I want to play a
quick game with you of kiss mary kill for some
of your looks this year, some of them you probably
would have seen during Halloween. So kiss mary kill one
the pink wig you wore for five media Day, two,
your classic white T shirt or three Bams Balenciaga shirt.
(13:08):
So what is kiss mary or kill?
Speaker 5 (13:12):
I gotta kill BAM's shirt because it's not it's not mine.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
So it's just like that was just a little spur
of the.
Speaker 5 (13:18):
Moment, Mary, I have to marry the White team because
I feel like it's a staple.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
It's like a thing now, which is pretty cool.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
And then obviously I got to kiss the pink wig
because it boomed this year, which was incredible.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
It was so fun. We had some of our social
media team at the finals and they were rocking the
one leg. They were rocking the pink wig. It was
so much fun and it was so fun seeing those
Also off the court, Asia, we chout about fashion, we
chatted about your fans, but also we have to talk
(13:53):
about your acting chops and the media. I have to
say your Booking dot Com commercial about being Afraid of
traveling is easily my favorite commercial of the year. It
was so smart and witty. I am so curious of
a where you got your acting shows and also be
what drew you to working with booking dot Com because
(14:13):
they're also an official partner.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Of the w Yes.
Speaker 5 (14:15):
Absolutely, I think I love my partnership with booking dot
Com because the type of humor that we use in
the commercials is like my type of humor.
Speaker 6 (14:22):
Like I love like the little dry humor, but it's
like if you get it you get it, and it's
just so much fun how they can bring that to
life out of just an athlete like myself, and we
enjoy just working on that partnership.
Speaker 5 (14:35):
And I think that's what I love the most, is
like obviously everyone knows the w's on a rise and
it's popping and everyone wants to come to.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Games like that is literally our lives.
Speaker 5 (14:44):
And I think also we're in a time where I'm
not trying to go through a lot of different things
and click a lot of different spaces, and Booking dot
Com just makes it easier for everyone to get it
all in one space, and I think that's perfect for
the time that we're in. It's like you get to
come see some of your favorite fans, I mean, of
your favorite players. Why just like doing the most simple
thing by booking through Booking dot Com. So I'm excited
for them to continue to help our fans and also myself,
(15:07):
like in the life and the busy travel that we
go through.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Just make it simple, but at the same time we have.
Speaker 5 (15:11):
Fun while doing it, and I'm so glad that people
can see it through like our commercials and stuff.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
It seems really intentional and authentic, which is great. Speaking
of traveling, it's the WNBA off season. What are the
chances we're going to see you in Miami soon, either
to cheer on some of your teammates and Unrivaled, or
potentially catch an NBA game here there.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
Yeah, it's a high percentage for sure. Obviously, some of
my teammates are playing in unrival so I got.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
To go support them.
Speaker 5 (15:38):
But at the same time, I train here in the
off season, so I'm pretty much kind of already dialing
into that space and just kind of regrouping from this
season that we just had. But yeah, it's a high
percentage chance that I'll be in Miami at some point.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
We'll be keeping our eyes out on the area and
in so Florida. I want to move on to the
basketball side of things too, because that is obviously very important.
A huge belated congratulations on the championship. How are you
basking in the afterglow of just.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
You know, I'm finally coming down.
Speaker 5 (16:08):
I'm finally kind of settling down and knowing that, wow,
we actually did that. But then I'll get to a
space where I'm just like, oh, that's amazing, and then
Becky will hit.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Me and she's like, can you believe we.
Speaker 5 (16:17):
Just did that and like yesterday made it a month,
So like, I think we all kind of got the
fields back because it was just an incredible season, like
one that we could never write. But I'm so glad
that it was written and we are just grateful. Obviously
our journey was not the easiest, but sometimes you need that.
So yeah, I'm in a good space right now, but
(16:38):
I'm sure as soon as I say that back, it's
gonna be like, oh, sitting me like clips of the game.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
It definitely didn't feel like it was a linear season,
I'd say from the ass side of things, which made
it really fun as a fan though too. I think
to see that journey and to see how it ended
up beyond the team win, you also clinched your fourth
MVP trophy the season, something that no one has ever
accomplished before you.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
How do you keep doing it?
Speaker 4 (17:06):
Because the WIBA is so good, there are so many
incredible players, you have so much competition. How are you
constantly I don't want to say reinventing yourself, but I
feel like every season it's almost like you come back
with a different skill that you've that you must have
worked on over the office.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
I mean the w is incredibly good. It's scary good,
and we're only getting greater, which is is what I love.
Speaker 5 (17:29):
But you know, every single year, I just want to
be the best. Like I go in with that mindset
of like I want to be better than what I
was last year. I never really complace it in my
play no matter what kind of season I've had, but
sometimes if I am pissed off, it kind of helps
me kind of.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Get a little bit motivated.
Speaker 5 (17:46):
But you know, I just try to work on the
little things, and I think the biggest thing for me
is making sure my teammates were on board.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
This year.
Speaker 5 (17:54):
It may have seemed like ooh historic and for MVP's
like wow, you did it, But my biggest thing and
like biggest trophy, I think, was just making sure my
teammates were all on board and making sure that they
never forgot who they were.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
And I think that is just like.
Speaker 5 (18:09):
The truth special and that's one of the reasons why
I can come back and reinvent myself because my teammates
make me, they make me get out of my show,
they make me want to be better for them, and
then that's when this basketball just kind of goes, it
goes with the blow of everything.
Speaker 4 (18:22):
You're such a leader, I feel like on and off
the court, and when you're talking about your teammates Asia too.
There was what felt like that turning point in that
infamous text message, walk us through, like what your thought
process was behind that and kind of what you saw
at the team and how they responded to that.
Speaker 5 (18:39):
After Yeah, obviously we lost the game by a lot,
and it was just like you lose games, but that
game was like an embarrassing loss, Like it was like
it was just like a butt cut, a good one.
And it was funny because that text message it kind
of like I was just my mind was racing and
it woke me up, and I felt like when things
(18:59):
make me up, I have to like speak on it.
And it also kind of was a text message that
I wanted to check my teammates temperature to see if,
like if am I crazy?
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Or are y'all crazy? Or are we crazy?
Speaker 5 (19:11):
And so that text message was just something that I'm like,
are we all on the same page? And the minute
I sent it, the response that I got from my teammates,
they understood the assignment. I knew exactly where we were
going to be and I think it kind of just
woke us all up, like, no, that wasn't us. We
need to get back to us.
Speaker 4 (19:28):
Very cool. You have such a special team and it
was so good to see that turn around. You've chatted
about working with Becky Hammond a little bit. You've also
had the privilege of being coached by Don Staley. How
would you compare their coaching styles?
Speaker 5 (19:43):
Ooh, it's crazy because they're so similar.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
Like it's really they are so.
Speaker 5 (19:48):
Similar as the way like they could communicate with their players,
but at the same time, they're like tenacity and their competitiveness.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
It's just like it makes you want to run through
a brick wall for them.
Speaker 5 (19:59):
It makes you want to win game for them because
I always like, I'm always like if they had like
great needs, they would.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
Like be practicing and playing.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
With us, Like the knees are the only thing that's
holding us back. So and like when you come into
work and you feel that energy, you're like, oh, yeah,
let's go, Like let's go, let's.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Work, let's do it.
Speaker 6 (20:17):
So they're so similar and it's crazy because I'm so
lucky to be coached by two phenomenal women, Hall of
Fame women.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
But like they're just children. They are kids.
Speaker 5 (20:29):
They're the most silliest people ever, but they make it fun.
But at the same time they know and it's time
to work. And so they'rey similar in that.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
That's so interesting that they're that they're really similar. And
I mean, look at their records, right and it speaks
for themselves looking at all of their story careers. Final
question for you, Asia. The Players Association, of course remains
in negotiations with the league, regarding the new CBA as
(20:57):
the best player in the league right now. But does
a supportive CBA look like for you? What are you
anticipating is going to happen in this offseason?
Speaker 5 (21:07):
Yeah, I think the biggest thing for me is just
the matching the revenue share.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
That's the biggest thing.
Speaker 5 (21:13):
Is like putting money in our pockets, the money that
we've worked so hard to get and earn, put.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
It in our pockets.
Speaker 5 (21:18):
And also having a great workspace for each team, Like
I'm blessed enough to be a part of the aces
where we had the first practice facility that made other
owners be like, Okay, come on, y'all, we gotta get
it because this is what this is how players are
supposed to be treated. So those key things are so
huge to me because that's how we continue to grow.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
Like, obviously these have been.
Speaker 5 (21:38):
Booming years for us, so why are we still back,
Like why are we still living in the past, Like
we need to start moving forward and keeping up for
what our talent is doing on the court. And obviously
we have the TV deals, so more eyes are going
to be on us, which means more people should be
seeing us, which means more money, more revenue.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Let's get this thing going.
Speaker 5 (21:57):
But then at the same time, I feel like it's
not just for us in the league. It has to
be for the vets that have been on that are
long gone but still on the retirement side of it,
but also the youngs that are.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
Coming in the league with us as well.
Speaker 5 (22:10):
So for me, I need a CBA that's going to
tackle all those boxes. And I think also for my
league is as well, Like it's a unified front. We
all want those things because it's bigger than us. But
at the same time, we know that the platform that
we have and we're going to stand down on it.
And I for us, I think when we're thinking about it,
we're not going to stop until we get what we
want and when I look at the women in this.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
League, we're stubborn and I don't care. I love it.
We're not backing down.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
I love that so much. We're rooting for you, following along,
watching everything play out. And I think when you're chatting
about to the investment that the ACES as an organization
have put in, it's just a really amazing case study
of when you invest in women, there's a massive ROI
on the other side of things, and so let that
be a case study I think for everyone who's ever
(22:58):
doubted women's for or female athletes forgetting what they what
they deserve. Asia, thank you so much for joining us today.
It's always so much fun chatting with you. Thanks again
to booking dot Com and your incredible acting career that
you are leading into as well.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
And we'll stay in touch.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Yes, thank you.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
All Right, it's time for our personal training Sash, the
last segment of the podcast. This is the segment of
the podcast where we want you involved. Please dm us,
email us, call us, leave us a voicemail and ask
us a good question, shi, a hot take, you have
anything that you want to get into the GIS conversation. Please,
this is your time.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
Yes, If you'd like to be featured on the future episode,
you can call and leave us a voicemail at one
four three seven five six four five five seven nine.
We will have that in the show notes. If you
want to give us a call, email us at pod
at thechisports dot com, or shoot us a message on Instagram.
Steph and Ellen are in their dms ready to hear
from you. We want to hear from you for this
segment and for today's personal training SESSH. Where're actually taking
(24:08):
inspiration from our discord channel. We mentioned the gis plus
at the top, and the just plus has been going
off about the Women's Pro Baseball League or WPBL. It's
been the topic of conversation. We started a new channel
in our discord to fully talk about Women's Pro Baseball League.
So people are popping off, and understandably so because today,
November twentieth is the first ever WPBL draft and we
(24:31):
want to talk about it. So we will also be
sending a newsletter to our members to talk about the WPBL.
So another plug for the g just Plus. If you
want to get that deep dive newsletter all about it,
check out the show notes. But we do have to
talk about it today because the draft is going down
tonight at eight pm Eastern.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
Oh my gosh, and you're here perfect, Yeah, I think
Lauren Tascla you know what I mean. So we got
to give you a sneak peek of the newsletter that
will be going out to subscribers, that full down of
the WPPL that's going to be in you're in box
today because we need to talk about it. We need
to save some space for Lauren task to talk to
(25:08):
talk baseball.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
So.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
In terms of how the draft will work, there will
be six rounds of the draft, and just going back
a little bit, there are four teams this season, in
the inaugural season, so it's San Francisco, LA, New York,
and Boston rightfully so, and players will be selected in
that order. That order was just decided entire entirely randomly,
So it's San Francisco first, LA, second, New York and
(25:33):
Boston to follow.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Do you know if it's a snake like, we'll get
you back.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
It is a snake draft. They set it up that
way to try to make it more competitive, keep the
talent spread out, So it is a snake draft. So
stuph Can you explain what snake draft means?
Speaker 2 (25:46):
It just goes backwards the other way, right, So like
Boston will get to pick twice in a row because
there last, and then I'll go to New York, La,
San Frsnisco, right exactly, So it loops like its like
a snake, orous, gorgeous. Do you want to know out
here that not all drafted players.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
Will make the team?
Speaker 2 (26:03):
That's pretty you know that happens, you know, and with
rosters expected to be about fifteen players, so we did
say twenty players were going to be drafted in this
particular setting, but fifteen will likely be the final cut.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
Right, that's the expectation looking ahead to next year. And
one more thing before we get into a couple of
the players to know. The WPBL did announce earlier this
week on Monday, that all of the games will be
played at a neutral site in year one. So the
teams are tied to those cities that we mentioned to
on the West coast in San Francisco and LA, and
too on the East coast in New York and Boston,
(26:38):
but they're going to play at a neutral site, which was
the expectation all along, and that neutral site is Springfield,
Illinois' smackdab in the middle of the country. They're playing
at Roberin Roberts Stadium with a seating capacity of six thousand,
so it's a minor league park that they'll be playing in.
And they said earlier today that the teams are spread
out on the coast, but this is a league for
all fans anywhere in the country, so I wanted to
(27:00):
have that neutral site in the middle to kind of
center everything. So I'm hopeful that there'll be some sort
of travel. Maybe I'll lla the takeover tour and there'll
be some games at least in Boston, but it seems
like the majority of those games are going to play
to that neutral site.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
I kind of love that, to be honest, for the
first for the first year, to just have one spot
for the athletes. I think that that does make sense
for his inception personally.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
So that's how.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
Everything's going to work, everything that we know so far
about the particular league. So let's go into a couple
names to know, because this is what the draft is
all about. It's about the players and who will certainly
go in the first round. And I want toss it
over to you Lauren as our resident baseball expert.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Yeah, thank you so much. The first name that we
have to talk about is Money Davis. You probably remember
Rene Davis from the Little League World Series in twenty fourteen.
She was the first ever girl to win a Little
League World Series game. She was a pitcher. She was
on the cover of Sports Illustrated. She was doing all
these she was pitching and hitting. She was incredible. She
(28:04):
ended up playing college softball at Hampton University. So she
played baseball when she was younger, switched to softball for college,
and now she's back to baseball, which is so so cool,
And she's going to join this historic league. I'm sure
she's going to be drafted first or second and make
such an impact and she's gonna have so much star power.
People people will fly to Illinois speak I'm people, people
will fly to Illinois to see Mona Davis in this league.
(28:26):
Like she she's talented, but she's also just such a
star that this league can center around.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Fantastic and then someone else that might go first or second.
Kelsey went Moore, a two way pitcher and field player,
expected to become the face of whatever franchise she is
drafted to Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
She's made a lot of history in baseball already. She
played in the Atlantic Division, which is a lower it's
connected to MLB, so she played for a team there
and it's just made a lot of historic first another time,
that's her, right, that's her. Yeah, So it's so cool
that there's so many names like that that you know, like, oh,
that was her, that was her, who did this thing.
So there's also a handful of players that are draft
(29:05):
eligible that have played with the Savannah Bananas, so they're
in front of a lot of you know, the Savanna
Bannas for people that don't know they're the team. They
do all the tricks, they do, the dancing before their pitches,
famous on TikTok, they're super fun to watch. So a
lot of the women that are eligible have played with
Savanna Bananas. So there's just so much recognition and fans
will know these players when they get drafted.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Such an exciting time for women's baseball. I'm so excited
to see how this all shakes out. And with that,
that marks the end of today's episode. Thank you so
much for tuning in, for being here, for being part
of the just community.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Thank you so much. We will be back in your
feed with a new podcast on Tuesday. In the meantime,
if you enjoyed today's episode, we would love for you
to rate, review, and subscribe.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
This episode was edited by Savannah Held and produced by
Alessandra Puccio and Lisa Minnutillo. Again, I'm Steph Rotts.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
And I'm Lauren Tuscala. I am going to go just
watch some Asia Wilson highlights, because why not? What I
wait to start the weekend. We will chat with you
again on Tuesday.
Hi there, gisters, Welcome, We welcome back to another episode
of the Gist of It. Today is Thursday, November twentieth.
We're your co hosts. I'm Lauren Tescala filling in for Ellen.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
And I'm Steph Rottz And have people landed birthday? Lauren,
I love that you're a scorpio.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
My gosh, thank you. Okay, when I tell people I'm scorpio,
I get sometimes a weird look like people are like,
that's a bad thing.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
I I think that every sign is great. I actually
don't hate any I think really for women, they're.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
All perfect, very stemfty.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
A scorpio man, question mark scope, you're a woman on
the other end, No, no, no, no, no, that's fantastic, And that
actually I think makes like is connecting a lot of
dots for me for you, Like there's just like there's
just like this energy that you bring that reminds me
of my other scorpio friend. And I'm just AnyWho, how
is your birth Did you have a good time?
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (01:02):
It was nice. This so I turned thirty last year,
so I feel like I did all the big fund STU.
I had a big party and this is like no
one care thirty one. No one cares anymore. It's like, okay.
So it was a nice, chill birthday. I had a
good time. I went out to dinner. My friend is
having a big birthday this weekend, so I'll latch onto
her party and that'll be my party as well. So
it was fantastic perfect.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
That sounds like the lovely week. And we're so honored
to have have you here on the podcast because we
have an extra special guest on today's podcast, the one,
the only, Asia Wilson.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Ellen, thank you in advance or thank you after the
fact for this great birthday gift to me for doing
this interview with Aga Wilson. How lucky are we to
have the Asia Wilson on the podcast. Another shout out
to ourpalsatbooking dot Com got us the interview, so thank
you so much. We had the four time WNBA MVP
and Las Vegas Aces superstar on the pod. Ellen sat
down with her before she went away on vacation, and
(01:56):
this conversation truly has everything. Wilson discusses the text that
infamous not infamous, that amazing text that she sent that
turned the Las Vegas Aces season around on route to
their Championship. She shares the latest updates on the Nike
A two's and yes, she does address the elephant in
the room that is the ongoing collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations
(02:17):
between the WNBA and the players Union. We asked her
about it, we got the hot take about the CBA.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
What a time to be alive. Truly, I'm so blessed,
like we are all so blessed to be living in
a time where Asia Wilson is here. And I'm also
so grateful for people like Ellen and you who interview
all of my faves so that I don't have to
be puking in a toilet because I get so nervous
doing these interviews, and it's so much more fun to
(02:43):
be able to just listen to either you or Ellen
after the fact doing these interviews for the podcast. So
thank you, You're welcome.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Actually, I got to interview Aga Wilson a few years ago.
You did, was also, yes, freaking out beforehand, but she
just I felt a mem I felt her presence, like
the way she was just there, she was herself, She
was personable and just so lovely, So she just brings
that comming out and dry so I'm sure Ellen was
a little bit nervous before, but I know Wilson's energy
(03:12):
was just perfect.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
It's truly a must listen interview with one of the
greatest athletes of our generation. But members of the Gist Plus,
our paid subscriber community, already knew that because they received
access to this interview a day before everyone else, so yesterday.
There are so many benefits, including extra podcast episodes when
you join the Gist Plus. Click on the link in
our show notes to learn more about the healthiest sports
(03:36):
community on the Internet and all of the good things
that come with it. So before we get to Ellen's
combo with Asia, we do. This is a This is
a regular scheduled podcast, so we do need to call
it an audible we do.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
And I want to talk about the PWHL because the
third season starts tomorrow, November twenty first, and I'm talking
to Steff, so I have to talk about the PWHL.
I'll go through the first two games, and I will
I want to hear everything you have to say. Stuff.
You are giddy with excitement right now, understandably. So first up,
the two time defending champ Minnesota Frost. They're going to
(04:13):
face the Toronto Septs at seven pm Eastern. That's the
first game of the season, and then the second game
at ten pm Eastern on Friday. We're going to see
the two expansion teams in action right away. It's Vancouver
Goldenknyes first the Seattle Torrent which is so cool to
make them go against each other for that first game,
so they will be on nice for their PWHL debuts.
Stack double Howder, Steph, how are you feeling about season three?
Speaker 2 (04:33):
My calendar is blocked. I am on the couch Friday.
I have half season tickets, so I'm not at Friday's game,
but that, you know what, it's for the best because
then I can really sit there and analyze and see
the first two expansion teams play afterwards at ten pm
without having the hustle home, so you know what it
all comes out in the wash.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
It was all meant to be.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
I am so excited for this year, having these two
expansion teams just like a jolt of energy in this league.
And I am so excited because there has been so
much redistribution of players to make these two PWHL expansion
teams happen that it's it does feel like a totally
new year to me and I of course there are
(05:16):
staples that haven't moved, but some big key players have
made some huge moves like Sarah Nurse from the Toronto
Scepters is now in Vancouver. Your Hillary Knight from the
Boston Fleet is now in Seattle. Like there has been
some some major shifts to these rosters, and I'm so
excited to see how this is gonna play out. And again,
I'm gonna talk about this over and over again, but
(05:37):
it is an Olympic year, and Women's Olympic hockey, straight
to my veins, that is like one of the best
things that we have on this planet Earth in my opinion,
so biased, but I'm just so excited for how this
is all going to play out with such a huge
year for the PWHL with these expansion teams, and is
an Olympic year, like ah stop.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
There's so much happening, and we have the Takeover Tour
expanding like this, it's gonna be Women's king, it's gonna
be everywhere, it's gonna be fantastic.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
So my other Scorpio friend, she lives in Halifax and
she couldn't get tickets sold out. They have two nights
there on the east coast of Nova Scotia in Canada,
any whosers, I should have given her my pre sell code.
In hindsight, I really hope she's not listening to this
because as a half season ticket member holder, I found
that in my inbox today from back when those went
on sale. So my bad, Elena, I'm so sorry. But yeah,
(06:28):
the Takeover Tour check out. They might be coming to
a city near you. If you're not one of those
original teams or two expansion teams, please check the PTERHL
Expansion Tour and you might be able to snake some
tickets for some other dates.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Check it out. There'll be more Peter Richel all over
the gist. We're doing a full season preview that'll be
in your inbox on Friday before the season starts. We'll
be covering the league all season long, and of course
we'll be covering the Olympic Women's hockey too, So follow
our newsletter and stay tuned and of course tuning into
the podcast because listening to stuff talk pe to Richel
is my favorite thing.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Yeah, oh, sim in a personal training SESSI about PBHLS,
I can talk abut bit more.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
Bye.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Okay, it is the time everyone has been waiting for her.
If you see the title of this podcast, you are
here for the Asia Wilson interview and she does not
need any introduction. So let's kick it to Ellen's all
encompassing conversation right now.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
Asia Wilson, thank you so much for returning to the
Gist of It podcast today.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Yes, thank you for having me again.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
Oh my gosh, We're so excited to have you. It
is always a pleasure. And also a big thanks to
our friends at booking dot com for setting up this conversation.
There's so much I want to talk to you about today,
but I know we only have fifteen to twenty minutes.
The time is ticking. I want to talk to you
about some on court stuff and some off court stuff,
but let's start off with some off court stuff. If
(07:54):
that sounds good to you, let's do it. Okay, you
recently went on the Jennifer Hudson's show and you met.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Your super fan, this young boy.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
I think it's my favorite clip of at least the
past week, probably the past two weeks. Truly the sweetest
thing ever for our gisters. For those who are listening.
If you haven't seen it, you can check it out
online go to Jennifer Hudson's Instagram page. But basically, this
young fan five years old basically is obsessed with you.
(08:24):
He got to meet you through the Jennifer Hudson Show,
snuggled up right on your lap and said, I love you,
I love you. Can you tell us about that moment?
Speaker 3 (08:35):
It was a huge moment.
Speaker 5 (08:36):
It was a moment that I knew I couldn't pass
by because young in mind he was. His mom posted
this video on social media and he was crying and
he was like, I want Asia to come to the house.
And his mom was like, you know, we don't know her,
Like we love her, we watch her, but we don't
know her. And so when Jennifer Hudson's team came to
my team, it was like, hey, we want to surprise
him and meeting you. I couldn't turn it down because
(08:58):
I felt like it was just perfect, Like that is
I love what I do. It's one of the reasons
why sports is so special. And I think the funniest
thing that turned out to me was like he was
just like, oh, I didn't know boys could play basketball,
and it's like, Wow, we're in a world where like
we're the focal point, like we are the focal point
to young kids for them to dream. And so to
see him and I thought he was gonna let me go.
(09:18):
He did not, and I'm just like, oh my goodness,
this is the cutest.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
Thing in the world, in the world.
Speaker 5 (09:23):
And I was telling his mom like she's raising a king,
like more boys and men should be like in mine
because he wears his emotions on his sleeve. He's vibrant,
he's special, and you just see as the sweetest soul.
So it was just a big moment that I was
so happy that I was able to share with him.
Speaker 4 (09:41):
He was so excited to see you and just him
even just sitting on your lap, Asia, snuggling right up.
He is going to remember that for the rest of
his life. I can't wait until he's a forty year
old man and it's like, oh my gosh, I can't
believe that I did that. You know, it's just so wholesome.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
Yes, it is. It's definitely a core memory for sure.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
And have you noticed speaking about kids, this five year
old And there's been so much data recently too, talking
about how many boys and men love the WNBA and
watch the WNBA. Have you seen an increase in the
number of kids, in the number of youths getting really into.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
The league for sure, Yes, And it makes my heart
so happy because I grew up in a space as
when I became kind of like a teenager and kind
of in high school, our numbers weren't like it was
like girls were dropping out. They didn't want to like
play the sport because it was hard or it just
didn't feel right. So now to see young kids that
are just so invested in us, to see them wanting
(10:38):
to like wear our jerseys. I mean this Halloween, I
saw so many young kids dress up as me, and.
Speaker 6 (10:42):
I'm like, like, never in a million years would.
Speaker 5 (10:44):
I've ever feel like I would be a Halloween costume.
So I think those are the little things that like
really warm my heart. Hence why I had to give
kids a shoe when it came to my signature shoe
with Nike, because I'm like, they're the world, like they're
our future. So if I can give them a voltes
for them to just beat themselves and play and enjoy,
I'm so down for that.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
But I love the kids. They warm my heart.
Speaker 6 (11:06):
Because they're just the purest thing ever, Like they're just
so innocent in.
Speaker 5 (11:10):
Anything that they say or do, Like you know, it's
coming from a youthful place, and I love that.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
It's so important for the future of fandom too, when
you could see what that next generation of fans is
going to look like and how they're engaging and everything
like that too. You mentioned fashion, so let's talk about
fashion for.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
A little bit.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
Of all of your colorways, which one is your favorite?
Speaker 5 (11:34):
Ooh, I'm so glad I can finally say this because
the Candy Corn colorway have been It's been my favorite
since I saw them, but I couldn't really say it
throughout the season because no one knew when it was dropping.
But my Candy Corn colorway is my favorite colorway only
because I just love the ombre into it and a
little agg lit on the shoelace is literally like a
(11:54):
little small candy corn and it's so cute and this
swoosh It's perfection.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Details on it were so good you could tell that
it had that Asia dash, that Asia personality in it.
Are you able to give us a sneak peek into
what's next with everything.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
That you're doing ooh, a sneak peek. I don't even
know how.
Speaker 5 (12:15):
I mean, obviously, I feel like a lot of people
will know that there will be an A two, So
that's obviously in the works, okay, and we're just doing
some big things. I've taken, you know, the comments and
concerns from the A one, and I'm pouring it into
the A two.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
So hopefully we can grow. But it's exciting. I love
the work.
Speaker 5 (12:33):
I love my team at Nike that we're coming together
and make a shoe for everybody.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
So it's gonna be fun.
Speaker 4 (12:38):
I like that little nugget of information.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
We'll take it.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
It's not exactly he's feeling any.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
Tea I too much.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
You chatted about Halloween costumes. I want to play a
quick game with you of kiss mary kill for some
of your looks this year, some of them you probably
would have seen during Halloween. So kiss mary kill one
the pink wig you wore for five media Day, two,
your classic white T shirt or three Bams Balenciaga shirt.
(13:08):
So what is kiss mary or kill?
Speaker 5 (13:12):
I gotta kill BAM's shirt because it's not it's not mine.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
So it's just like that was just a little spur
of the.
Speaker 5 (13:18):
Moment, Mary, I have to marry the White team because
I feel like it's a staple.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
It's like a thing now, which is pretty cool.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
And then obviously I got to kiss the pink wig
because it boomed this year, which was incredible.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
It was so fun. We had some of our social
media team at the finals and they were rocking the
one leg. They were rocking the pink wig. It was
so much fun and it was so fun seeing those
Also off the court, Asia, we chout about fashion, we
chatted about your fans, but also we have to talk
(13:53):
about your acting chops and the media. I have to
say your Booking dot Com commercial about being Afraid of
traveling is easily my favorite commercial of the year. It
was so smart and witty. I am so curious of
a where you got your acting shows and also be
what drew you to working with booking dot Com because
(14:13):
they're also an official partner.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Of the w Yes.
Speaker 5 (14:15):
Absolutely, I think I love my partnership with booking dot
Com because the type of humor that we use in
the commercials is like my type of humor.
Speaker 6 (14:22):
Like I love like the little dry humor, but it's
like if you get it you get it, and it's
just so much fun how they can bring that to
life out of just an athlete like myself, and we
enjoy just working on that partnership.
Speaker 5 (14:35):
And I think that's what I love the most, is
like obviously everyone knows the w's on a rise and
it's popping and everyone wants to come to.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Games like that is literally our lives.
Speaker 5 (14:44):
And I think also we're in a time where I'm
not trying to go through a lot of different things
and click a lot of different spaces, and Booking dot
Com just makes it easier for everyone to get it
all in one space, and I think that's perfect for
the time that we're in. It's like you get to
come see some of your favorite fans, I mean, of
your favorite players. Why just like doing the most simple
thing by booking through Booking dot Com. So I'm excited
for them to continue to help our fans and also myself,
(15:07):
like in the life and the busy travel that we
go through.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Just make it simple, but at the same time we have.
Speaker 5 (15:11):
Fun while doing it, and I'm so glad that people
can see it through like our commercials and stuff.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
It seems really intentional and authentic, which is great. Speaking
of traveling, it's the WNBA off season. What are the
chances we're going to see you in Miami soon, either
to cheer on some of your teammates and Unrivaled, or
potentially catch an NBA game here there.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
Yeah, it's a high percentage for sure. Obviously, some of
my teammates are playing in unrival so I got.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
To go support them.
Speaker 5 (15:38):
But at the same time, I train here in the
off season, so I'm pretty much kind of already dialing
into that space and just kind of regrouping from this
season that we just had. But yeah, it's a high
percentage chance that I'll be in Miami at some point.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
We'll be keeping our eyes out on the area and
in so Florida. I want to move on to the
basketball side of things too, because that is obviously very important.
A huge belated congratulations on the championship. How are you
basking in the afterglow of just.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
You know, I'm finally coming down.
Speaker 5 (16:08):
I'm finally kind of settling down and knowing that, wow,
we actually did that. But then I'll get to a
space where I'm just like, oh, that's amazing, and then
Becky will hit.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Me and she's like, can you believe we.
Speaker 5 (16:17):
Just did that and like yesterday made it a month,
So like, I think we all kind of got the
fields back because it was just an incredible season, like
one that we could never write. But I'm so glad
that it was written and we are just grateful. Obviously
our journey was not the easiest, but sometimes you need that.
So yeah, I'm in a good space right now, but
(16:38):
I'm sure as soon as I say that back, it's
gonna be like, oh, sitting me like clips of the game.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
It definitely didn't feel like it was a linear season,
I'd say from the ass side of things, which made
it really fun as a fan though too. I think
to see that journey and to see how it ended
up beyond the team win, you also clinched your fourth
MVP trophy the season, something that no one has ever
accomplished before you.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
How do you keep doing it?
Speaker 4 (17:06):
Because the WIBA is so good, there are so many
incredible players, you have so much competition. How are you
constantly I don't want to say reinventing yourself, but I
feel like every season it's almost like you come back
with a different skill that you've that you must have
worked on over the office.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
I mean the w is incredibly good. It's scary good,
and we're only getting greater, which is is what I love.
Speaker 5 (17:29):
But you know, every single year, I just want to
be the best. Like I go in with that mindset
of like I want to be better than what I
was last year. I never really complace it in my
play no matter what kind of season I've had, but
sometimes if I am pissed off, it kind of helps
me kind of.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Get a little bit motivated.
Speaker 5 (17:46):
But you know, I just try to work on the
little things, and I think the biggest thing for me
is making sure my teammates were on board.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
This year.
Speaker 5 (17:54):
It may have seemed like ooh historic and for MVP's
like wow, you did it, But my biggest thing and
like biggest trophy, I think, was just making sure my
teammates were all on board and making sure that they
never forgot who they were.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
And I think that is just like.
Speaker 5 (18:09):
The truth special and that's one of the reasons why
I can come back and reinvent myself because my teammates
make me, they make me get out of my show,
they make me want to be better for them, and
then that's when this basketball just kind of goes, it
goes with the blow of everything.
Speaker 4 (18:22):
You're such a leader, I feel like on and off
the court, and when you're talking about your teammates Asia too.
There was what felt like that turning point in that
infamous text message, walk us through, like what your thought
process was behind that and kind of what you saw
at the team and how they responded to that.
Speaker 5 (18:39):
After Yeah, obviously we lost the game by a lot,
and it was just like you lose games, but that
game was like an embarrassing loss, Like it was like
it was just like a butt cut, a good one.
And it was funny because that text message it kind
of like I was just my mind was racing and
it woke me up, and I felt like when things
(18:59):
make me up, I have to like speak on it.
And it also kind of was a text message that
I wanted to check my teammates temperature to see if,
like if am I crazy?
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Or are y'all crazy? Or are we crazy?
Speaker 5 (19:11):
And so that text message was just something that I'm like,
are we all on the same page? And the minute
I sent it, the response that I got from my teammates,
they understood the assignment. I knew exactly where we were
going to be and I think it kind of just
woke us all up, like, no, that wasn't us. We
need to get back to us.
Speaker 4 (19:28):
Very cool. You have such a special team and it
was so good to see that turn around. You've chatted
about working with Becky Hammond a little bit. You've also
had the privilege of being coached by Don Staley. How
would you compare their coaching styles?
Speaker 5 (19:43):
Ooh, it's crazy because they're so similar.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
Like it's really they are so.
Speaker 5 (19:48):
Similar as the way like they could communicate with their players,
but at the same time, they're like tenacity and their competitiveness.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
It's just like it makes you want to run through
a brick wall for them.
Speaker 5 (19:59):
It makes you want to win game for them because
I always like, I'm always like if they had like
great needs, they would.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
Like be practicing and playing.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
With us, Like the knees are the only thing that's
holding us back. So and like when you come into
work and you feel that energy, you're like, oh, yeah,
let's go, Like let's go, let's.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Work, let's do it.
Speaker 6 (20:17):
So they're so similar and it's crazy because I'm so
lucky to be coached by two phenomenal women, Hall of
Fame women.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
But like they're just children. They are kids.
Speaker 5 (20:29):
They're the most silliest people ever, but they make it fun.
But at the same time they know and it's time
to work. And so they'rey similar in that.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
That's so interesting that they're that they're really similar. And
I mean, look at their records, right and it speaks
for themselves looking at all of their story careers. Final
question for you, Asia. The Players Association, of course remains
in negotiations with the league, regarding the new CBA as
(20:57):
the best player in the league right now. But does
a supportive CBA look like for you? What are you
anticipating is going to happen in this offseason?
Speaker 5 (21:07):
Yeah, I think the biggest thing for me is just
the matching the revenue share.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
That's the biggest thing.
Speaker 5 (21:13):
Is like putting money in our pockets, the money that
we've worked so hard to get and earn, put.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
It in our pockets.
Speaker 5 (21:18):
And also having a great workspace for each team, Like
I'm blessed enough to be a part of the aces
where we had the first practice facility that made other
owners be like, Okay, come on, y'all, we gotta get
it because this is what this is how players are
supposed to be treated. So those key things are so
huge to me because that's how we continue to grow.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
Like, obviously these have been.
Speaker 5 (21:38):
Booming years for us, so why are we still back,
Like why are we still living in the past, Like
we need to start moving forward and keeping up for
what our talent is doing on the court. And obviously
we have the TV deals, so more eyes are going
to be on us, which means more people should be
seeing us, which means more money, more revenue.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Let's get this thing going.
Speaker 5 (21:57):
But then at the same time, I feel like it's
not just for us in the league. It has to
be for the vets that have been on that are
long gone but still on the retirement side of it,
but also the youngs that are.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
Coming in the league with us as well.
Speaker 5 (22:10):
So for me, I need a CBA that's going to
tackle all those boxes. And I think also for my
league is as well, Like it's a unified front. We
all want those things because it's bigger than us. But
at the same time, we know that the platform that
we have and we're going to stand down on it.
And I for us, I think when we're thinking about it,
we're not going to stop until we get what we
want and when I look at the women in this.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
League, we're stubborn and I don't care. I love it.
We're not backing down.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
I love that so much. We're rooting for you, following along,
watching everything play out. And I think when you're chatting
about to the investment that the ACES as an organization
have put in, it's just a really amazing case study
of when you invest in women, there's a massive ROI
on the other side of things, and so let that
be a case study I think for everyone who's ever
(22:58):
doubted women's for or female athletes forgetting what they what
they deserve. Asia, thank you so much for joining us today.
It's always so much fun chatting with you. Thanks again
to booking dot Com and your incredible acting career that
you are leading into as well.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
And we'll stay in touch.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Yes, thank you.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
All Right, it's time for our personal training Sash, the
last segment of the podcast. This is the segment of
the podcast where we want you involved. Please dm us,
email us, call us, leave us a voicemail and ask
us a good question, shi, a hot take, you have
anything that you want to get into the GIS conversation. Please,
this is your time.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
Yes, If you'd like to be featured on the future episode,
you can call and leave us a voicemail at one
four three seven five six four five five seven nine.
We will have that in the show notes. If you
want to give us a call, email us at pod
at thechisports dot com, or shoot us a message on Instagram.
Steph and Ellen are in their dms ready to hear
from you. We want to hear from you for this
segment and for today's personal training SESSH. Where're actually taking
(24:08):
inspiration from our discord channel. We mentioned the gis plus
at the top, and the just plus has been going
off about the Women's Pro Baseball League or WPBL. It's
been the topic of conversation. We started a new channel
in our discord to fully talk about Women's Pro Baseball League.
So people are popping off, and understandably so because today,
November twentieth is the first ever WPBL draft and we
(24:31):
want to talk about it. So we will also be
sending a newsletter to our members to talk about the WPBL.
So another plug for the g just Plus. If you
want to get that deep dive newsletter all about it,
check out the show notes. But we do have to
talk about it today because the draft is going down
tonight at eight pm Eastern.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
Oh my gosh, and you're here perfect, Yeah, I think
Lauren Tascla you know what I mean. So we got
to give you a sneak peek of the newsletter that
will be going out to subscribers, that full down of
the WPPL that's going to be in you're in box
today because we need to talk about it. We need
to save some space for Lauren task to talk to
(25:08):
talk baseball.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
So.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
In terms of how the draft will work, there will
be six rounds of the draft, and just going back
a little bit, there are four teams this season, in
the inaugural season, so it's San Francisco, LA, New York,
and Boston rightfully so, and players will be selected in
that order. That order was just decided entire entirely randomly,
So it's San Francisco first, LA, second, New York and
(25:33):
Boston to follow.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Do you know if it's a snake like, we'll get
you back.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
It is a snake draft. They set it up that
way to try to make it more competitive, keep the
talent spread out, So it is a snake draft. So
stuph Can you explain what snake draft means?
Speaker 2 (25:46):
It just goes backwards the other way, right, So like
Boston will get to pick twice in a row because
there last, and then I'll go to New York, La,
San Frsnisco, right exactly, So it loops like its like
a snake, orous, gorgeous. Do you want to know out
here that not all drafted players.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
Will make the team?
Speaker 2 (26:03):
That's pretty you know that happens, you know, and with
rosters expected to be about fifteen players, so we did
say twenty players were going to be drafted in this
particular setting, but fifteen will likely be the final cut.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
Right, that's the expectation looking ahead to next year. And
one more thing before we get into a couple of
the players to know. The WPBL did announce earlier this
week on Monday, that all of the games will be
played at a neutral site in year one. So the
teams are tied to those cities that we mentioned to
on the West coast in San Francisco and LA, and
too on the East coast in New York and Boston,
(26:38):
but they're going to play at a neutral site, which was
the expectation all along, and that neutral site is Springfield,
Illinois' smackdab in the middle of the country. They're playing
at Roberin Roberts Stadium with a seating capacity of six thousand,
so it's a minor league park that they'll be playing in.
And they said earlier today that the teams are spread
out on the coast, but this is a league for
all fans anywhere in the country, so I wanted to
(27:00):
have that neutral site in the middle to kind of
center everything. So I'm hopeful that there'll be some sort
of travel. Maybe I'll lla the takeover tour and there'll
be some games at least in Boston, but it seems
like the majority of those games are going to play
to that neutral site.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
I kind of love that, to be honest, for the
first for the first year, to just have one spot
for the athletes. I think that that does make sense
for his inception personally.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
So that's how.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
Everything's going to work, everything that we know so far
about the particular league. So let's go into a couple
names to know, because this is what the draft is
all about. It's about the players and who will certainly
go in the first round. And I want toss it
over to you Lauren as our resident baseball expert.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Yeah, thank you so much. The first name that we
have to talk about is Money Davis. You probably remember
Rene Davis from the Little League World Series in twenty fourteen.
She was the first ever girl to win a Little
League World Series game. She was a pitcher. She was
on the cover of Sports Illustrated. She was doing all
these she was pitching and hitting. She was incredible. She
(28:04):
ended up playing college softball at Hampton University. So she
played baseball when she was younger, switched to softball for college,
and now she's back to baseball, which is so so cool,
And she's going to join this historic league. I'm sure
she's going to be drafted first or second and make
such an impact and she's gonna have so much star power.
People people will fly to Illinois speak I'm people, people
will fly to Illinois to see Mona Davis in this league.
(28:26):
Like she she's talented, but she's also just such a
star that this league can center around.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Fantastic and then someone else that might go first or second.
Kelsey went Moore, a two way pitcher and field player,
expected to become the face of whatever franchise she is
drafted to Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
She's made a lot of history in baseball already. She
played in the Atlantic Division, which is a lower it's
connected to MLB, so she played for a team there
and it's just made a lot of historic first another time,
that's her, right, that's her. Yeah, So it's so cool
that there's so many names like that that you know, like, oh,
that was her, that was her, who did this thing.
So there's also a handful of players that are draft
(29:05):
eligible that have played with the Savannah Bananas, so they're
in front of a lot of you know, the Savanna
Bannas for people that don't know they're the team. They
do all the tricks, they do, the dancing before their pitches,
famous on TikTok, they're super fun to watch. So a
lot of the women that are eligible have played with
Savanna Bananas. So there's just so much recognition and fans
will know these players when they get drafted.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Such an exciting time for women's baseball. I'm so excited
to see how this all shakes out. And with that,
that marks the end of today's episode. Thank you so
much for tuning in, for being here, for being part
of the just community.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Thank you so much. We will be back in your
feed with a new podcast on Tuesday. In the meantime,
if you enjoyed today's episode, we would love for you
to rate, review, and subscribe.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
This episode was edited by Savannah Held and produced by
Alessandra Puccio and Lisa Minnutillo. Again, I'm Steph Rotts.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
And I'm Lauren Tuscala. I am going to go just
watch some Asia Wilson highlights, because why not? What I
wait to start the weekend. We will chat with you
again on Tuesday.
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