EP 198 Guest Chris Harden

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Gigmar game on. This is your girl, that's self proclaimed
sports n said Carrie Thomas ed, I am back Happy Wednesday, Spirts,
lovely is Happy Wednesday. You're now locked into another episode.
Up Chicks into Sports Where were keep it fun? Feerce
and fabulous and unapologetically swarthy And today, Yes, Wednesday Home Day.

(00:33):
Today's episode is given a main character energy with the
sight of World Cup fever. Yes, I'm so super excited. Look,
the World Cup lives in Atlanta. Oh my goodness, FIFA
World Cup is here. In the ad, the jerseys are out,
the flags are waving, the fans are everywhere. And guess
what Atlanta traffic said, Oh, we're hosting the World bet

(00:58):
Let me act up right now and listen, sports lovelies
before we dive into some sports news, don't you forget
to catch us on iHeart Radio, Spotify, wherever you stream
your sports fits, follow us the fun on the Facebook,
the Twitter, the X and whatever they're calling these days,
and hit us up on the ground. So tag your besties,
drop a comment. Let's make the squad official. Sports lovelies. No,

(01:22):
guess what, sports Lovelies, we do have a special guess
that's coming up after the break. But listen, sports lovelies,
I know what you came here for. Here's the X
and the O's the game plan. You came here to do?
What talk sports. Let's get into it. Yes, FIFA gonna
throw out some fun FIFA facts before we kick this

(01:45):
thing off. Yes, sports lovelies, the twenty twenty sixtyfo World
Cup is the first tournament to feature forty eighteens instead
of thirty two. What does that mean? That means more countries,
more fans, more goals, more drama, and more chances for
somebody to become a global superstar all the night. Yes. Now, listen,

(02:06):
sports lovelies. I don't know if you heard already, but listen.
An all female officiating crew makes World Cup history. Yes, no, listen,
history was made at the FIFA World Cup twenty twenty six.
It was just happening right now. And this time it
wasn't about a gold, a save or a championship trophy.

(02:26):
It's all about it all American Trio women who behave
the first all female officiating crew to oversee a World
Cup match in the US. Yes, Terry Pencil served as
the center referee while Brick Mayo and Catherine Nesmitt worked
as assistant referee doing the Group A match up between
Chassia and South Africa. Their assignment marked a groundbreaking moment

(02:48):
not only for the World Cup, but for women's sports
as a whole. Never listen, sports, lovelies. For decades, women
have fought for opportunities at every level of sports, and
they were saying more doors open some of the biggest
stages in the world. Of course, the World Cup is
the pinnacle of international soccer, and these three women earn't
their place there through years of hard work, dedication and

(03:11):
of course excellence. Now listens worst lovely. It was about
a moment that we'll always be remembered in soccer here
street now look. Meanwhile, our US men national team, they
gave the fans plenty to celebrate. Just hours after defeating
Australia to NL ten, USA officially secured first place in

(03:31):
Group Deep things to Paraguay one in zero victory over
Turkey and Santa Clara, California. Now, the results locked up
the top spot in the group for Americans and gives
them momentum headed into the knockout stage. Now, through the
opening round of matches, ten, USA has looked poised, confident
and ready to make a deep tournament run. And right

(03:53):
here in the AA the excitement continues, Yes it does.
It keeps on going, keeps on going. Everywhere you look
there are jerseys, they're flats, they're soccer fans, and people
speaking every language imaginable. The energy downtown has been absolutely incredible.
And guess what, We're just getting started. Atlanta still has

(04:14):
some huge matches coming up for the Atlanta Stadium formerly
known as the Mercedes Benz Stadium. But listen. First up,
on Friday, June twenty seven, dr Congo tates sun Uzbekistan
at seven thirty pm in the final round of group
stage action. Now DNNIS States are gonna get even higher
because on July first, Atlanta hosts a round of thirty

(04:37):
two knockout matches featuring the winner of Gubell against one
of the tournament's best third place teams, and from there,
the road only gets bigger. Atlanta will also host a
round of sixteen matches on July seventh, and yes, we'st lovely,
it's one of the biggest games in the entire tournament.
The World Cup semis on July fifteenth. Yes, that's right,

(04:58):
A World Cup semi final right here in the a.
Think about that for a second. Some of the biggest
stars on the planet could be taking the pitch right
here in our city. Now, if you're weren't lucky enough
to get tickets, and I know how much tickets cost
right two, three four, Oh, if I did not say too,
I'm talking about the upwards three four to five thousands

(05:21):
plus range. But here's the thing. Don't worry, because the
FIFA Fan Festival at Centennial Olympic Park has become the
place to be yes for all the fans all over
the world. They're gathering to watch matches on giant screens,
enjoying live music, celebrating their country, and of course, creating
memories that will last a lifetime. Now, listen to. The

(05:42):
atmosphere has been absolutely electric. And one thing I do
want to mention, if you're heading downtown for any of
these matches, do yourself a favor and take Marder because
it is smarter, honey, it is smarter. Traffic has been
on a nets level, and with tens of thousands of
fans pouring into the city, public transportation is definitely your MVP.

(06:06):
Right now, Now, let's talk about team ysl okay because
the United States man and national team again let's be clear,
is headed to the knockout round after winning Group D.
The Americans opened the tournament with the dominant four to
one victory over Paraguay before falling out with a two
to zero win over Australia. That strong start helped the

(06:27):
US claim the top spot in the group and of
course continue building momentum head into the win or go
home portion of the tournament. Now, even better, their strong
performance has helped move them up and feed for world
ranking from seventeen to fifteen. And that's not bad at all.
Because they finish first in Group D, the Americans have
positioned themselves on a favorable side of the brackets. Now

(06:50):
the round of thirty two matchups scheduled for July first
in San Francisco Bay Area against one of the tournament's
advancing third place teams, and now the real fun begins
because every match matters, every mistake is going to be magnified,
and every goal could be the difference between advancing and
going home. Now, sports Lovelace, that's what made the World

(07:12):
Cup so special. One moment can change everything, so you
better buckle up, push puppies, Atlanta is hosting some of
the biggest matches in sports. Team USA is still alive
in a countdown to the World Cup final on July
nineteenth in East Rutherford is officially on. The beautiful game
has taken over the world and right now Atlanta is
right in the middle of it. So congratulations again two

(07:36):
Team USA to Tory Pencil Brigmeo and of course Catherine,
that's been for making history. Now, Sports Lovelace, before we
hit the ice, here's a quick World Cup style sports
fat The fever World Cup trophy weighs what thirteen pounds?
And guess what the Stanley Cup is back in Carolina,

(08:00):
And guess how much that trophy weighs, fors lovelies, thirty
five pounds. Yes, thirty five wopping pounds is the Stanley Cup.
So here's the thing. So one trophy may say handle
me with care, and the other SAIDs I hope he
stretched out first, but no fun intend it. Speaking of
let's talk about championship hardware. Right, the Carolina Hurricanes are

(08:21):
Stanley Cup champions. That's right. For the first time since
two thousand six, Lord Stanley Cup is heading back to
North Carolina and listen. This weekend, Raleigh was the place
to be. The whole entire weekend, The whole entire state
showed up to celebrate. Over one hundred and fifty thousand
fans past the streets of downtown Raleigh for the championship parade.

(08:45):
And let me say this one more time, for the
people in the back, for the people in the back,
one hundred and fifty thousand people. The crowd stretch for
more than a mouth and created a sea of red
that seemed to go in forever. And if you saw
the aerial, it looked more like a music festival than
a hockey parade. But this celebration wasn't just about one championship.

(09:07):
It was about patients, perseverance, and it was about finally
getting over that hump. And the Hurricanes entered the postseason
for the eighth consecutive year proven they were one of
NHL's most consistent franchises. But consistency and championships aren't always
the same thing. This team had to earn it. Facing
the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final, Carolina

(09:31):
found itself trailing in the series two games to one.
At that point, many people, many people thought Vegas was
on its way to another championships. Now, the Hurricanes had
other plans, because guess what, Carolina responded by winning three
consecutive games to capture the series four games to two
and secure the second Stanley Cup championship franchise history. Now,

(09:55):
what is also impressive is what this run did for
hockey viewership. Any twenty six Stanley Cup playoffs average about
one point eight million viewers across ESPN, ABC, and TNT Sports,
the highest average on American television. Sis playoffs trackings begin
in nineteen eighty four. Now that tells me something, right,
It tells me hockey is growing. The stars are connecting

(10:15):
with the fans in the moments like this, whether a
lifelong Hurricanes fan or someone who just jumped on the
bandwagon during the playoffs. There's something special about seeing an
entire city come together to celebrate a championships, don't we know, right,
But for one day, Raleigh became the center of the
hockey universe. And for the Hurricane fans who waited twenty

(10:37):
years to celebrate another Stanley Cup, every second was worth it.
So congratulations again to the Hurricanes, their organization advance, who
never stopped believing Now listen, s words lovelace before we
get into another hot topic. Fun feef for fat, fun
fef for fat. Listen, sports lovelies. The World Cup Final

(10:59):
is considered one of the the most watched single sporting
event in the world. Yes, can you believe it? Yes,
of course you do. It's an internatural sport, goo ball sport. Right,
But here's the thing I want to say, take this
a little bit, you know, get a little serious for
a minute, because hot topic is mob is under investigation

(11:19):
over Giants Pride Night controversy. Now here's the thing. Billions
of people tune in, right, that's billions with the B
I said it.

Speaker 2 (11:29):
So.

Speaker 1 (11:29):
Yes, sports may start on the field, but they sometimes
I always have a way of just becoming a little
bit bigger conversation. And that just brings us to this story.
Now listen. The thing about it is, this is a
story that's going to be creating a lot of conversation,
both inside and outside the sports world. Major League Baseball

(11:50):
is reportedly facing scrutiny from the Department of Justice after
an incident involving members of the San Francisco Giants during
the team's Pride Night self aberation. According to reports three
Giant pitchers were hats that included Bible verses during the event.
MLB had previously instructed players not to alter or modify
the theme prior night uniforms in apparel. The league's position

(12:14):
was that uniforms should remain consistent across the team for
the event, right, And that's kind of typical for a
lot of leagues. But the situation now has sparred a
religious discrimination investigation by the Department of Justice. And this
is where the conversation gets to very interesting. They'll see,
on one side, MLB has policies regarding uniform standards leads

(12:36):
sponsored events. Of course, professional sports leagues have long regulated
what players can and cannot we're on the field now.
On the other side, supporters of players argue that especially
religious beliefs should be protected and that displaying of Bible
verse is a form of personal faith and expression. Now,

(12:56):
as a result, what started as a uniform policy issue
has now involved into a much larger conversation involving religious freedom,
work place policies, and how professional sports organization balance inclusion
efforts with individual expression. Now, this sort also highlights the

(13:17):
reality that sports today often intersects with broader cultural conversation,
whether it's social injustice initiatives, right faith, political viewpoints. So
community celebration leads are increasingly finding themselves navigating issues that
go beyond win and losses. Now the DOJ and investigation
will ultimately determine whether any federal protection were violated. But

(13:41):
regardless of where people stand on this issue, it raises
important questions like how much freedom should athletes have to
express personal beliefs during league sponsored events, where is the
line between league policy and individual expression? And can organizations
create spaces that are inclusive while also respecting different viewpoints.

(14:02):
As always, sports have a way reflecting larger conversations, Sports Loveliest,
and it's happening throughout the society, So we will definitely
continue to follow in the story as more details emerged,
and let me know your stand on this once Sports Loveliest,
this could be. Could it be a uniform policy issue

(14:22):
or is it a religious freedom issue? Or is it
a little bit of both? Let us know on social media.
Hit us up atcha in the sports you know, hit
us up on the ground, hit us up on the Twitter.
Let us know your thoughts on social media. Now, Sports
the Loveliest before we get onto the next topic. We

(14:44):
have some fun facts, fun facts, Yes, it's fun fef facts.
Now the fastest goal in World Cup issue was scored
in just catch it eleven seconds? Yes, those Serena Williams
set for woombled reunion with Venus. Uh try to make

(15:04):
that eleven seconds? So sorry for any that could have
been eleven seconds? Who's county all of them saying some
folks take longer than that to unlock their phones or
decide what snack they want. Now, speaking of legends, who look,
who know how to make an impact fast? Who would

(15:26):
it be? Sports celevelies. One of the biggest stories in
tennis right now. It's continued come back. The comeback is real,
The comeback is here. It's Serena. Yes, and while she's
suffered her first loss since returning to competition, the real
headline is what is coming next Serena Williams. Look, she

(15:49):
is doing her thing and she is coming back. Sports lovelies. Yes,
the tennis legend is now preparing for what could be
one of the most emotional and exciting moments of the year.
Serena and Venus Williams have officially received a wild card
entry into Wimbledon women's double draw. That's right, the Williams

(16:11):
sisters are back together now. The appearance will mark their
first time competing together at Wimbledon in ten years, and honestly,
that's something every sports fan can appreciate. Let's not forget
what these two have accomplished together. Serena and Venus on
own fourteen Grand Slam doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals.

(16:31):
They didn't just win, they changed the game and inspired
an entire generation of athletes around the world. Now they'll
have an opportunity to create another memorable chapter on the
sports most iconic stage. Now, whether it's Wrumbleton appearance turns
into a deep tournament run, or simply just gives fans
one more opportunity to watch the two legends share the court.

(16:52):
One thing is certain. When Serena and Venus Williams play together,
the sports roles pays attention and we'll be watching. We'll
be watching closely when the Wimbledon gets underway because history, nostalgia,
and greatness are all set to collide all at once.
So you better stay tuned and lessons sports lovelies before

(17:14):
we head to Flurry Branch for Football fund fun feefa fat,
fun feefa fat sports lovely, did you know the twenty
twenty six World Cup is being hosted across one, two,
three three countries? Sworts, salvelies. Do you know which countries?
That is? Huh? Anyone in the back and in front

(17:35):
on the side anyone? One? Of course, this is the US,
the second is Canada and the Nexus Nigel, Yes, that
is a whole international group of chat of football. Yes, now,
speaking of football, let's talk about football, right. The Atlanta
Falcons have officially wrapped a mandatory mini camp and now

(17:57):
the countdown to training camp is now. Head coach Cavin
Steffinski's squad completed its three day mini camp this week,
bringing an into the off the season program. Then the
team will now take a brief break before returning to
Flowery Branch when training camp opens on July twenty ninth.
One of the biggest storyline for two years to be
the quarterback competition. Altoa to the majority of the first

(18:19):
team reps during Mini caamp and looked sharp throughout the week.
He showed impressive accuracy, especially in the red zone drills,
while connecting with playmakers like Kyle Pitts and of course,
Ricky wide receiver Zachariah Branch. No, speaking of Branch, the
Ricky continues to turn heads to The third round draft
pick has earned valuable first team reps and has already

(18:39):
flashed the explosive playmaker ability that made him one of
the most exciting prospects this year's draft class. Now, one
of the highlights of Mini caamp was a touchdown catch
doing a seven on seven drill that coaches and teammates
took notice. Now, let's talk about Michael Pennich Junior. Now listen,
He's still recovering a falcous voter back continues to make

(19:01):
progress in this recovery from his ACL surgery. Pennants was
held out of the eleven on eleven teen drills during
the mini camp as a precaution, but he did participate
in individual work and remain confident he'll be ready when
training camp begins. Now. In fact, Pennant says he is
sposed to be in full participation when practice officially hits

(19:22):
off on July twenty nine. Now, the Falcons also made
a few roster moves at an additional death ahead of
the training camp. Of course, Atlanta signed UFL standout key
Shun Banks, the Funcia Matswell and wide receiver Antoine Wells Junior.
As the team continues to build competition across the roster
and for the Falcons fans everywhere, listen, dirty Bird fans,

(19:45):
so look at to get a first look at the team.
Training camp dates have been officially announced. That's right. Fans
will have ten opportunities to attend open practice at IBM
Performance Field and Flowery Branch, beginning with the Angle Back
Together Saturday event on August first. Now, there's still plenty

(20:06):
to sort out before we win by mini camp, gay
fans and early look at what this team could become
under Kevin Stefenski. Now, the quarterback competition is enough, young
talent is emerging, and training camp is right around the corner.
And so you got to stay tuned, sports lovelies, Sports lovelies,
we'll continue bringing you the latest Falcons news and updates
right here on Chicks in the Sports, and make sure

(20:29):
you stay locked in. Now, who else is locked in?
NBA Draft? Yes, NBA Draft has come and it's here.
And before we even hit the hardwood, fun, fat fun
feefa fat sports slevelies, I'm so sorry, Fun FEFA fat
Brazil as one bore Men's World Cup Championships to any

(20:53):
country with five. That is correct, one, two, three, We're five.
Now listens where it's loveliest talk about Hots draft night
recap last night, Right, it was wild. Last night was
one of the biggest nights of NBA offseason, as the
league gathered for the twenty twenty six NBA Draft, and
of course, Atlanta Hawks walked away with two players they

(21:14):
believe they can shape the future of the franchise. With
number eight overall pick, Atlanta selected Houston guard Keaston Flemings.
Then later they in the first round, Hawks added Saint
John's for Zoobie age of four with number twenty three
overall pick, and after hearing Hawk's president, a basketball version

(21:36):
Unse talk about both players, it's clear Atlanta got exactly
who they wanted. Right, I'm excited, Right, I'm super excited.
Doing the media availability, you know, Flemings talked about his
ability to play both on and off the ball and
how he believes he'll fit right into Atlanta's fast paced

(21:58):
style of play. He also mentioned that Hawks fans haven't
seen the full extent of his three point shooting abilities yet. Now,
sports lovelies, that's the kind of confidence you want from
your lottery pick. Right now, here's the thing, here's the thing.
I just feel something is special. Something is special. And

(22:19):
I can say this, nobody in the conference history has
ever done what the second draft pick, Zubie Ega four
did right the former Saint John star checks and a
lot of boxes. He averaged sixteen point three points, seven
point three rebounds, three point five assists, in two point

(22:41):
one blocks while helping lead the Red Storm to their
first Sweet sixteenth appearance since nineteen ninety nine. And here's
the part that really stood out. He became the first
player in Biggest history to win Player of the Year,
Defensive Player of the Year, Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and
Scholar Athlete of the Year all in the same season.

(23:02):
So here's the thing. That's production, you know, that's leadership,
that's versatility, and that's that's kind of exactly why Atlanta
was excited to bring him in. And we look at
these two selections together, there's a commonality, a common theme.
You know, you got competition, you got toughness, you got winning.
And Hawks didn't just draft talent last night. They definitely

(23:24):
drafted a culture now looks Sports Lovelies. The next step
is Summer League, where Hawks fans will get their first
glimpse of Fleming's and eg of four in Atlanta uniform.
And trust me, Sports se Lovelies will be covering and
we will definitely be covering and watching, so make sure
you stay too. So coming up after the break one

(23:46):
of the biggest names in sports. It's being accused of
taking millions of dollars for two blockbuster events that never happened. Yes,
did somebody say somebody got left hold in the bag
or is there more to the story than meets the eye.
Either way, we'll be Sports Tea when we come back.

(24:18):
Well out of the back level the back, Sports and
Lovelies is time for that sports Tea. So grab your coffee,
your tea, your energy during, your water bottle, whatever is
keeping you hydrated today because it's time for another edition
of Sports Tea and Sports and Lovelies. The tea is
coming in hotter than the Floyd Mayweather CounterPunch now. According

(24:41):
to TMZ Sports, Floyd Mayweather is being sued by a
boxing promoter over what could be millions and millions of
dollars in lost fight dells. Now y'all know floyd nickname
is it isn't money for nothing, right, But somebody is
saying they want their money back. And here's the tea.

(25:01):
A company called CSI claims they paid Floyd's teammate whopping
four point six million in advance money for two blockbuster
exhibition fights. And not just any fights. We're talking about
a showdown with none other than Iron Mike Tyson and
then a rematch with Many Pakia. Yeah, the same Many

(25:25):
Pakia that Floyd beat back in twenty fifteen and one
of the most anticipated fights in boxing history. But according
to the lawsuit, CSI says they paid a combined four
point five million two secure exclusive rights to these events,
and then later paid an additional one hundred and fifty
thousand for events. But here's where things get a little messy.

(25:47):
CSI claims that after receiving the money, Floyd announced he
would be fighting Greek kickboxing star Mike Xambatis instead of
Tyson and with a completely different promoter th Wort's lovely.
If somebody gave you five meal for one event and
then you went and did another, you can probably understand

(26:07):
why lawyers got involved. And wait, there's more. CSIE has
alleged that Floyd secretly made another agreement involving papiol event
that would have streamed on Netflix from the Spear in
Las Vegas. Now, the company says those moves essentially left
them holding the bag. Now, before we start picking sides,

(26:30):
let's remember this is currently a lawsuit, which means these
are allegations. No court has ruled on the claims. And
if your thought the drama stopped there plot twists, flood
Is reportedly are ready suing his former management company, Chris
Apax Ventures, and its former manager for a staggering one

(26:51):
hundred and seventy five million a legend front. So basically,
everybody getting suiting here, everybody At this point. The only
people guaranteed to win might be the attorneys. And listen,
I don't know about y'all, but a Tyson Mayweather exhibition,
I'm not gonna say what has sold out faster than

(27:13):
concert tickets, But I would have said a lot of
people would be watching, including meet But then again, you know,
it's that shibition. It's all for fun, you know. And
here's the thing, maybe more eyes could have been on
the pack. He I'll rematch, But even years later boxes.
Fans absolutely would tune in for that, right And the
real question is would you pay to watch Floyd versus

(27:34):
Tyson exhibition in twenty twenty six or are we past
the point of needing those nostalgia fights? Hit us up
on social media, let us know, because one thing about Floyd,
whether he's fighting in a ring or fighting the cord,
he always finds a way to stay in the headlines.
And that is your sports tee for the week. Stay fabulous,

(27:55):
stay in for him, and remember sometimes the biggest fights
don't happen between the brow Coming up nets is our
w NBA. Stay tuned, will be bad. Welcome back, Welcome back,
sports levelies. And before we talk dream basketball, fun fefa

(28:19):
fat fun feefa fat women soccer continues to break attendance
and viewership records are all around the world, and it's
prooved that when women get the stage, fans show of right,
yes they do and listen to sports celevelies. Speaking of fans,
that's showing up for w NBA games. The Dream held

(28:42):
off Temple and approved to twelve and four. And that's right,
sports lovelies. I'm talking about Atlanta Dream Basketball because the
Dream just keep finding ways to win. And on Monday
Night at State Farm Arena, sold out crowd. By the way,
Atlanta improved to twelve and four on this season after
defeating the Toronto Tempo ninety four to eighty seven. Now,

(29:04):
before we get into those numbers, let's talk about what
really stood out. The game was all about balance. This
wasn't when player carrying below. This was a complete team effort,
and that's what makes this team so dangerous. Atlanta came
out swinging from the opening tip and absolutely dominated the
first quarter. Now, the Dream exploded for thirty three points

(29:24):
in the opening frame while holding Toronto to twelve to
just fifteen. Now, so we're s lovelace.

Speaker 3 (29:31):
You know.

Speaker 1 (29:31):
I'll always say if you're going to make a statement,
you better make it early. And that's exactly what Atlanta did.
By halftime, the Dream had already put up fifty nine points,
their highest scoring first half of the season. Fifty nine
and one half. Listen, that's what I call putting pressure
on a defense. And now let's talk about the stars.

(29:52):
Because Ryan Howard, my little cousin, Yes, was doing Ryan. Thanks.
The Dream All Star finished with twenty points, knock down
five three pointers, five sword celevelies. Every time Toronto team
like they were going to get some momentor Ryan had
another answer. And meanwhile, Alicia Gray continued her incredible season.

(30:14):
Gray finished with eighteen points, three assists and five steals.
Five steals, and not only was she getting buckets, she
was taking things away on the defensive intil that's where clevelies.
That's called doing a little bit of everything. And can
we please give some love to Medina? Yes, because the
young lady had herself a night. Yes. Medina recorded a

(30:35):
career high eighteen points while shooting and efficient seven for
nine from the floor. She also added seven rebounds and
looked comfortable every time she touched the basketball. Growth we've
seen from her this season has been impressive. Now can
we talk about the engine that makes everything go? Jordan
and Canada. Canada posted her second street double double, finishing

(30:56):
with eleven points at thirteen assists. Thirteen assists. That's not
just running an office, that's conducting an orchestra, okay, And
she's making sure everybody gets involved, just keeping this dream
offense flowing. And of course Angel Reese was right in
the middle of the action and refinished with eleven points
and ninety rebounds, narrowly missing another double double. You can

(31:17):
always count on Angel to bring energy, toughness and physicality
every single game. And can we please bring out nos
Helman come on over here? Nods. She tipped in six
points in three rebounds as Atlanta started starting unit continue
its impressive run together. And in fact, the starting five
of Canada Gray Howard, Hillman and resapproved to twelve and

(31:39):
three when starting together. That chemistry is real. Now give
Rundos a little bit of credit.

Speaker 4 (31:45):
Just a little bit.

Speaker 1 (31:46):
They didn't quit right marb Report then a game high
of twenty three point Isabelle Harrison added a double double
with twenty one points. The Temple cut a twenty three
point deficient too, down to single digits late in the
fourth quarter. But here's the thing. Our Atlanta team had
built enough of a cushion and made enough place down
the stretch to close things out. And our dream team

(32:08):
also dominated in the paint, scoring fifty points inside while
getting twenty eight points from the bench. And here's another
start to jumped out at me. Atlanta outscort Torontol eighteen
to six, and in a second chance points And the
thing here, that's just effort that's a hustle, right, that's hustle.

(32:31):
That's what Ain't the basketball more than your opponent? And
that's the kind of basketball that win games. So where
does the dream go from here? We're well, there won't
be much time to celebrate because Atlanta is back on
the road. It's going down tonight for a matchup against
the Golden State Valkyries. Tip off his schedule for ten
o'clock Eastern Standard time. It's a leg game for us

(32:54):
in the East Coast, folks, sports celebies. But grab some coffee,
grab your snacks, and let's see if our dream can
keep the momentum rolling. At twelve and four, Atlanta is
proven they're one of the teams to watch in the WN. This,
of course, this group continues to play together the way
they have been over the last several weeks. The rest

(33:15):
of the lead better pay attention and guess what's sports Lovely?
Don't forget to subscribe, follow, share, and tele friend because
if it's sports, we're talking about it coming up after
the break, It's my smh Ong moment. Stay tuned, will
be better, Sports Lovely, Sports Loveliest. Check out atl Dreaming

(33:40):
the podcast. It proves the best Dreams Happen on the Hardwood,
hosted by my brother from another mother, Edwin Powell, and
of course your girl, the Suburgling Sports and Needs Toya
Kiri Thomas from TIPA to the Final Buzzer. We keep
the dream alive. We're bringing you highlights, hot takes, and
all the behind the singing vibes from aunt At O

(34:00):
Dream Team. So be sure to tune in and subscribe
to your favorite streaming platform because with Atlanta Dream Basketball,
we don't just cover the game. We live it, We
dream it and we talk about it. Don't miss it.
Atl Dreaming podcasts, Dreaming everywhere you get your podcasts. What

(34:26):
my god, Oh no she didn't, Oh no she didn't.
Oh oh no, This for Durny, that lovelies O Smat
dream of It is now upon us. Now, this one

(34:49):
has the swortst world talking right because farmer w NBA
star Angel mccartry, yes, another angel for the Atlanta Dream
Farmer that is, former w NBA star mccartree is speaking
out after UFC President Dana White explaining why the UFC
does not whole Pride Night.

Speaker 3 (35:09):
Now.

Speaker 1 (35:09):
Dana's position is pretty straightforward. He said he doesn't care
whether someone is gay or straight, and that everyone is
welcome in the UFC, But he also believes a person's
sexuality is personal and not something that needs to be
highlighted by the organization. Well well, Angel mccartree wasn't hearing it,

(35:31):
not even a little bit. While appearing on TMZ Live,
Angel argued that if sports organizations can recognize and celebrate
other groups, why not the LGBTQ plus community. Her point,
sports elites regularly spotlight military appreciation nights, heritage ce celebrations,
and of course community awareness initiatives, so why should this

(35:54):
be treated differently? And Jaa also said that visibility matters.
She believes having the kind representation could help athletes who
may not feel comfortable about being open about who they are.
And honestly, this is where the conversation gets interesting because
depending on who you ask, this isn't really about part
of night. It's about whether sports organizations should use their

(36:15):
platform to recognize specific communities are simply focused on competation
and lead personal identities out of it, you know what
I'm saying. So this it gets a little you know,
choppy there, But the comment session is probably already on fire,
right and this one of those topics where everybody seems
to have a strong opinion. Some fans will agree with

(36:36):
Dana and say sports should just be about sports. Other
fans might agree with Angel believe visibility and inclusion are
important parts of creating a welcoming environment. And what can't
be denied is this, the conversation is going It's never
it's not going to go away anytime soon. And whenever sports,
identity and culture collide, you already know social media is

(36:58):
going to have NITTI to say so sports c loveliest,
I'm tossing it to you this week SMH or on
G for you let me know where you stand because
this debate is definitely getting people talking, and that's my
ESMH on G moment for the week. Be sure to
check out chips into sports dot com for further sports news,

(37:19):
follow us on the Facebook, Twitter, or theswerever they're called
these days, and hit us up on the ground. And
if you're listening on iHeart Radio or Spotify, be sure
to give us five stars however wherever you do it,
and let us know your thoughts on social media. Coming
up after the race, it's my special guest. Stay tuned
We'll be back.

Speaker 3 (37:45):
Now.

Speaker 1 (37:46):
Welcome back, Welcome Back's where so loveliest. My next guest
is a husband, father of triplet's, attorney, small business owner,
and Democratic candidate for Georgia's eleven congressional district. He is
committed to ensuring that future generations have greater opportunities and
a stronger quality of life. Sports and evelest. Please welcome
Chris Harden to send us ball go Welcome, Welcome, Welcome

(38:11):
for two tips in the sports add For listeners who
may be here your name for the first time, just
tell us a little bit.

Speaker 4 (38:20):
About yourself and what inspired you to run for congress
in georgia eleven district.

Speaker 2 (38:26):
Well, thank you for having me.

Speaker 3 (38:27):
Yeah, I look, I grew up in a trailer park
here in North Georgia, and you know, thanks to the
public education system and the stud loan program, I was
able to become an attorney and for the past fourteen
years I've been defending parents and children and defects cases
throughout Georgia and my wife and I we own a
probate and state planning firm in Woodstock, and we are

(38:49):
also raising five year old triplets.

Speaker 2 (38:52):
Yep, let me say that again. I don't know that.
That's triplets that are five years old. So if you
want to talk about.

Speaker 3 (38:58):
Affordable you know, groceries in housing and childcare, we are
living in.

Speaker 2 (39:03):
So, you know, I what got me motivated or wanted.

Speaker 3 (39:07):
To do this is, you know, last year I was
watching He's now a trillionaire, got our government and safety
nets and you know, the education while giving himself no
big contracts. And I also watched, you know, ice violate
everyone's due process, and I looked around and I'm like,
I don't think anyone's coming to save us, you know,
So I decided to jump in because you know, if

(39:29):
you don't speak up, then you'll let anothers speak for you.
So you know, I've got a family now, and I've
got to do what I got to do to protect them.

Speaker 1 (39:38):
Absolutely, I'm so glad that you mentioned that because across
the country, you know, families are feeling the pressure of
these rising costs. What are just the top concernage you're
hearing from voters and what solution are you those in
just to help working families get ahead?

Speaker 2 (39:54):
Yeah, I mean, and that's that's the truth.

Speaker 3 (39:56):
Is when you know I'm going around to Cobb and
Cherokee and Barto Pickens, and everybody's feeling the same thing.

Speaker 2 (40:02):
They're they're everybody.

Speaker 3 (40:04):
There's a lot of people out there working hard, they're
doing what they're supposed to do, and they're not seeing
many results. You know. The corporations are getting all the
profits and and they're struggling to figure out.

Speaker 2 (40:13):
You know, can I afford t ball? Can I afford
you know, insurance?

Speaker 3 (40:18):
There's there's people that are choosing to just not go
to the hospital with a broken limb because they just
can't afford the medical bills, you know, and and and.

Speaker 2 (40:27):
It's out of control.

Speaker 3 (40:29):
You know, it's the biggest concerns are obviously the grocery
and the housing, healthcare. And people aren't looking for shortcuts
and they're not looking for handouts. They just want to
know that, you know, if you work hard and you're
doing the right things, that you can't afford all those things,
you know, that you can afford just a decent life.

Speaker 2 (40:47):
That's it. Nobody's wanting to be rich.

Speaker 3 (40:49):
They just don't want to have to worry about money anymore.
They want to be able to enjoy going to their
kids t ball game and not worrying about you know,
groceries or gas.

Speaker 2 (40:59):
Are how are we going to pay for these cleats?

Speaker 1 (41:01):
So these this glove, you know absolutely absolutely, you know,
I will be transparent because I want to kind of remain.

Speaker 4 (41:09):
On the healthcare topic for just a little bit.

Speaker 1 (41:12):
I will say, my husband, you know, he been working
many many years, always had health care, and then with
diagnosed with panther medical bills were extremely high, even having insurance.
You know, it was like out if I get that,
I I it was just like almost bankrupting that. But

(41:33):
this is something that we had to do just to
keep him, you know, healthy and alive. So I want
to say, if we talk about health care just for
a little bit, it remains one of just the biggest
expenses for so many families. What changes would you like
to see to ensure people can access just that quality
care without breaking the bank.

Speaker 3 (41:54):
Well, just just to touch on on your situation, that's
a lot of people's situation is you know, I always
say I come from poverty, but I always feel like
it's just arms linked away, Like I'm just one accident
or one you know, health scare or health issue away
from being back to struggling again. I'm so fortunate that
you know, my wife and I we do have triplets

(42:16):
and they're five years old now and they're healthy, you know,
and there's a lot of situations where in that kind
of situation where the kids do have some special needs
or some type of issues, that does make a family struggle.
And you know, what I want to see in the
healthcare system is, you know, it shouldn't be a luxury
everybody's access to it, you know, and it shouldn't be

(42:38):
a situation where, you know, an accident happens, or an
injury happens, or some type of condition happens, and the
next thing you know, you're in poverty. It shouldn't be
especially if you've worked your entire life and worked hard
to build a life and then all of a sudden,
an accident happens and the next thing you know, you know,
you're you're struggling, you know, and maybe you have to
lose your job because you can't work because of the accident.

(43:00):
I mean, there's so many things that we need to
We need our safety nets, they're not waste, broad and abuse.

Speaker 2 (43:06):
You know.

Speaker 3 (43:06):
We need to expand our Medicaid and medicare. We need
to make sure that are with and snap are fully funded,
and we need to make sure that people have access
to their health care.

Speaker 1 (43:15):
Absolutely, I totally agree with you. And another concern, I
want to talk a little bit about education. You mentioned
your five year old triplets, right, let's stay on education.

Speaker 4 (43:26):
It's another major issue for parents and teachers.

Speaker 1 (43:29):
Are like, what are some of your priorities when it
comes to supporting schools, educators, and of course students in
our communities.

Speaker 3 (43:37):
Well, you know, my platform is so personal to me,
and you know, health care and education and women's reproductive rights,
those are so so personal to me, and education especially.
You know, like I said, I grew up in a
trailer park and I was fortunate enough to have a
really good educational public education that supported me. You know,
I was able to play sports and all of that.

(43:58):
Then I was able to go to college due to
student loans, and I was able to change, you know,
the direction of my family. And my brother is able
to do the same, and so, you know, education is huge,
and it seems like we're getting away from public education.
It seems like we're wanting to gut, you know, the
Department of Education and do away with public education. But

(44:20):
for so many people and so many children that that's
their opportunity, you know. And I'm looking at my kids
because we just finished pre k and and we're moving
into kindergarten and they're going to go to public education
because I believe that's there's so many benefits that come
from public education. You know. It's a lot of them

(44:43):
are social, you know, because you can get around and
access and experience so many different people from so many
different walks of life and social economic statues. So but
you know, I'm disheartened to see that there is a
big move to do away with public education. And I
think that is our future. If we're going to invest

(45:04):
in our future and we're going to stay competitive in
the in the global market, we need to invest in
our kids future and starts with education. And another thing,
I'm tired of hearing about teachers not being able or
our teachers having to pay for their own school supplies.

Speaker 2 (45:21):
That's a turd to me, like that, if we could
just get.

Speaker 3 (45:25):
That taken care of, that would be just a small
little raise. But teachers shouldn't have to come out of pocket.
And if they I also just found out that they
only get I think only get the right off like
three hundred dollars and their taxes for coming out of pocket,
and wow, that's that's absurd, that's absurd.

Speaker 2 (45:43):
We need to fix those kinds of things.

Speaker 3 (45:45):
We need to support our teachers in our education system
and our in our students.

Speaker 4 (45:49):
And that's the bottom line, absolutely, absolutely.

Speaker 1 (45:53):
Now many voters, of course, are saying they're tired tired
of just the political division. How would you work party
lines just to get things done and represent everyone in
the districts regardless of their political affiliation.

Speaker 3 (46:07):
Yeah, I am tired of the political division as well.
You know, this this election isn't going to be about
the d's and rs. It's it's about the haves and
the have nots, you know. And I don't care if
someone's a Republican, a Democrat, or a Space Alien.

Speaker 2 (46:22):
If they want to help me.

Speaker 3 (46:23):
Lower prices and invest in our infrastructure and support small businesses,
then I'm willing to work with them. It's time we
stop fighting over the things that we know we're never
going to see out of island and start focusing on
the things that we can actually fix, you know.

Speaker 2 (46:37):
And there's so many things.

Speaker 3 (46:39):
It's like I tell everybody, you know, Republicans and Democrats,
we don't shop at different stores. We go to the
same stores, We get our entrants from the same places.
We still have to come out of pocket for our
own child care.

Speaker 2 (46:50):
That's the same for everybody.

Speaker 3 (46:52):
And I think everybody is frustrated and filling that squeeze,
and I think that's something we can actually look at
and work to solve.

Speaker 2 (47:00):
That.

Speaker 3 (47:00):
Now.

Speaker 1 (47:00):
You know, I know you've been traveling throughout the district,
But is there like on one particular story or conversation
with a voter that stayed with you and kind of
reinforce why you were running.

Speaker 2 (47:11):
Oh goodness, there's so many of them.

Speaker 3 (47:13):
I will I will try to keep it just I
really have too that.

Speaker 2 (47:17):
I want to tell you, though.

Speaker 4 (47:18):
Okay, okay, there's so.

Speaker 3 (47:20):
Many that I want to say, but there's there's two,
and I'll start with. You know, there was this one lady,
she was she we were talking about healthcare and she
got so upset. It was a private we call them
Christian at their meet and greet, and I love those
because you get these kind of stories. And she was
upset because her insurance premiums just went up and she

(47:41):
could no longer afford them, and she was going through
some medical issues, and that emotion was real, those tears
were real, that fear in her face was real, and
there was the helplessness that I was feeling because I'm
a candidate and I couldn't do anything about it. You know.
It's one of those where that's why I'm running and
so I can help these people, especially in those kind

(48:02):
of situations. And then, you know, the other one is
part of my major platform, which is women's reproductive rights.
There have been so many women that it came up
to me privately and told me that I could use
their story and it's the same story, and unfortunately they
were able to tell me the story. And the story is,
you know, they had a miscarriage and weren't able to

(48:22):
get the help that they needed, so they had to
carry the you know, the non vital fetus, you know,
until it came out. And those women are are lucky
because they were able to tell the story. There's so
many women that are in the same situation where they
have a miscarriage and have to carry the fetus around
and then they end up getting you know, infections and

(48:44):
dying of sepsis. When Georgia's number two and maternal death rates,
that's nothing to be proud of. That's not it's not
something you want to say.

Speaker 2 (48:53):
Yeah, number two. No, And what's really sad is knowing
that eighty five.

Speaker 3 (48:57):
Percent of the women who die from miscarriages could have
been prevented.

Speaker 2 (49:02):
Absolutely, And you know, I want to change that.

Speaker 3 (49:05):
Argument right there, but you know, those are those are
just you know, two of the conversations that I've had
that really really touched me and stuck with me, and
it reminds me while I'm fighting absolutely now.

Speaker 4 (49:19):
Finally, if voters remember one thing about Chris Harden after
today's conversation, what would you want the message.

Speaker 2 (49:27):
To do.

Speaker 3 (49:29):
That he genuine cares that that I and I care
about everybody, not just those were going to vote for me,
and not that I want to make a difference in.

Speaker 2 (49:36):
All of our lives.

Speaker 3 (49:38):
That I you know, I realized how fortunate I am
to have lived the American dream. I'm a I'm a
kid from a trailer who turned into an attorney and
made made good, you know, and I'm seeing that that
dream slip away, and I want to make sure that
everyone is able to follow their own dreams, you know,
and get the same opportunities regardless of what they can

(50:00):
afford it or not.

Speaker 4 (50:01):
Absolutely. I love that.

Speaker 1 (50:03):
Thank you so much Christopher chatting with me today. But
I want to ask you one more questions question. FIFA
World Cup is here in Georgia. Is such a major event?
Traffic is mad? I know everybody's excited about this experience,
even though you know it's happening in our city. Could
you just talk about just how a big impact it

(50:24):
is for just a community as a whole. I think
we last seen this big event was what the nineteen
ninety six Olympics.

Speaker 4 (50:31):
Right that was the time. So here we are again
with a major sporting event. Just talk about the impact
on the communities.

Speaker 3 (50:37):
Well, you know, it's amazing and not just an economics
which you know that's great for Georgia and America that
we are able to host and get the financial benefits
that comes from that, but it's also sharing of the cultures.
You know, we get to see all these foreign countries
come in and we experience.

Speaker 2 (50:54):
Their crowds and their things, and they get to experience us.

Speaker 3 (50:57):
I know there's one I think he's a German soccer player,
I can't remember, but he's traveling and he's doing this
blog where he's you know, talking about going to ahap
and uh waffle house and these during these different American experiences,
which is which is the part of the cool thing
about these kind of events anyway, is that we do
get to share our cultures. And it's kind of a

(51:17):
reminder that we are a nation of of immigrants, right
and that and that the part about America is that
we are a melting part and that these kind of
cultures can't come together and make something great like America.
And uh but yes, you know, obviously there's gonna be
traffic and then and then and you can those things
are benefits as well. But I like to look at

(51:39):
the other side of it, you know, the positive. Plus,
you know, we've we're we're crazy about our sports. We
love our sports so and soccer fans are are wild
and I love the chance so.

Speaker 4 (51:52):
Yes, I do. I love it too. It's a figure,
it's major.

Speaker 1 (51:58):
But yet one last I do have one more final
press Okay, so one more Chris again, A less to
day is approaching. It's going to be your message to
just the family, small business owners, seniors, veterans, yellow people
throut Georgia's eleventh district who are still deciding.

Speaker 4 (52:17):
Who deserves their vote. What is your final message?

Speaker 3 (52:21):
So, look, I know that it feels like we're going
through some dark times and that we could be at
the verge of losing our democracy. But America is built
for these kind of stress tests. If you look over
our two hundred and fifty year history, We've had so
many of these kind of stress tests. We've had, you know,

(52:42):
civil wars, great depressions, great wars, civil rights, you know,
And through all of those tests we've made it through.
And on the other side is when we make the
most progress. I have no doubt that we are going
to make it through this stress test, and on the
other side we will be a better nation for it.

(53:02):
But I want to say, make no mistake, the American
dream is on the ballad in November, and I'm gonna
fight for it, and I need you to help me
fight for it.

Speaker 2 (53:10):
So please join me and let's do something different together.

Speaker 3 (53:14):
Ye.

Speaker 1 (53:14):
So it's time for our motivational moment, new beginnings, new season.
Some chapters closed, some doors open, and some stories are
just getting started. Atlanta sports is evolving, and so are we.

(53:39):
Every loss teaches, every win inspires, every moment on the court,
on the ice, or on the field is another chance
to rise, to grow, to leave your march. The game
will never be the same game, ma