Good Game with Sarah Spain

It’s Unrivaled Team Draft Day! Sarah, Alex, and Mish debut a fool-proof points system to help you pick which Unrivaled club to root for in the league’s inaugural season! It’s part hoops draft, part Seventeen magazine quiz and part Buzzfeed personality test. Plus, WoSo wedding szn and super slices have us siced! Want to help contribute essentials to those impacted by the LA fires?...

Basketball analyst and former Notre Dame hoops head coach Muffet McGraw joins Sarah to talk about the incredible job her successor Niele Ivey is doing with the program, Hannah Hidalgo’s case for National Player of the Year, the pushback surrounding a post Hidalgo shared on social media last summer, and why the coaching landscape still doesn’t pass the gender bias test. Plus, Team Canad...

We nominated, you voted, and now the results of our first ever Slice-ee Awards are in! Plus, Sarah gets you caught up on the latest NWSL headlines, juiciest NCAA hoops upsets and favorites for the first tennis Slam of the year. Then, a PWHL “Good Game, Good Game, Fact You” featuring shattered records and the new iHeart Women’s Sports pods you should add to your rotation. Links to...

We close out our “New Year, New Leagues” series with a few more women’s sports leagues to keep tabs on in 2025 and beyond. Plus, Big Citrus convenes to review everything we learned this week, from what excites us most about these new leagues to some lingering questions and concerns.  You have one last chance to vote for the Slice-ees (aka our end-of-2024 women’s sports...

Women’s Elite Rugby (aka WER) is the focus of today’s edition of “New Year, New Leagues.” WER President Dr. Jessica Hammond-Graf and Chicago player Betty Nguyen join Sarah to discuss the inspiration for the league, the difference between 7s and 15s, and how each team filled out its roster. Plus, the stars, stakes, stats, and stories you need to know. Follow the WER on Insta...

Our “New Year, New Leagues” series continues! Pitching legend and GM of the AUSL Volts Cat Osterman joins Sarah to chat all things Athletes Unlimited Softball League. They talk how this league will differ from previous AU softball formats, its groundbreaking year-round insurance policy for athletes, and the stars, stakes, stats and stories to look out for. Follow the AUSL here Purchase...

League One Volleyball (aka LOVB) takes center stage for installment #2 of our “New Year, New Leagues” series. LOVB President Rosie Spaulding and Salt Lake City player Jordyn Poulter join Sarah to discuss how the league is prioritizing athlete experience and why in-game commentary will sound a little different. Plus, the stars, stakes, stats, and stories you need to know.  Wat...

We’re starting 2025 with our “New Year, New Leagues” series of shows, bringing you everything you need to know about the new professional women's leagues kickin' off, tippin' off, first pitchin' and first servin’ their way into our hearts in 2025. First up, Unrivaled Basketball president Alex Bazzell joins Sarah to talk about the stars, stakes, stats and stories in the new...

We’ve spent the week revisiting our favorite interviews of 2024, and last but not least is Sarah’s conversation with Rose Eveleth, host of the Tested podcast. They joined her back in August to talk gender verification testing, the binary categorization of humans, and the “dangers” that inexact sciences seek to protect women athletes from. Subscribe and listen to Rose Evelet...

As part of our “Best of 2024” series, here is Sarah’s conversation with USWNT legends Sam Mewis and Becky Sauerbrunn from August, right before the U.S.-Brazil gold medal game at the Paris Olympics. Sam and Becky discussed everything from the start of the Emma Hayes era to their favorite post-game eats.  Listen to Sam Mewis's podcast, "The Women's Game" here Make sure to chec...

We’re revisiting some of our favorite interviews of 2024! Today, we hit play on Sarah’s conversation with recently retired WNBA hooper Layshia Clarendon. Lay joined Sarah to talk grieving his career while honoring themself and their stillness, being the first out trans player in the W, and the Finals series between two of her former teams. Follow Layshia on IG here ! Leave us a voicema...

We’re revisiting some of our favorite interviews of 2024! Back in August, former pro cyclist and forever activist Kathryn Bertine joined Sarah to discuss the history of the Tour de France Femmes, and why equality in cycling is still a long way away. Read Kathryn Bertine’s memoir, Stand and watch her film, Half the Road Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@...

We’re revisiting some of our favorite interviews of 2024, starting with U.S. cross-country skiing star Jessie Diggins. Sarah originally caught up with Jessie in August during the Summer Olympics, but today we’re running back the interview as it’s the height of Jessie’s own competition season. Watch Jessie compete in the 2024-25 Tour d...

It’s time for the first annual Slice-ee Awards!! Sarah, Misha and Alex announce the nominees in each category and ask YOU to cast ballots. Plus, Jane McManus, editor of The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2024, joins Sarah to share her favorite pieces from this year, and chat about her upcoming book The Fast Track: Inside the Surging Business of Women's Sports. Then a *unique* In Memoriam,...

Jenny Nguyen, founder of The Sports Bra women’s sports bar in Portland, Oregon, joins Sarah to discuss her transition from chef to bar owner, betting her life savings on her vision, how opening the bar changed her relationship with her parents, and how to know a risk is worth taking.  Interested in starting your own Sports Bra franchise? Check it out here Follow the Sports Bra on social...

To celebrate the holidays, we present you with three nicely-wrapped segments. We kick off the festivities with a “Yes, And” about one of the best basketball players of all time before handing out a “Good Game, Fact You” and a “What The Fact” to the same recipient. Plus, it only took 112 episodes, but Sarah, Misha and Alex finally decided on a name for themselves...

Tessa Bonhomme and Julia Tocheri, hosts of the PWHL’s Jocks In Jills podcast, join Sarah to talk about using their pod to help fans connect with players, the Minnesota Frost’s rollercoaster offseason, Hilary Knight’s scoring resurgence, and Julia’s former summer job as a Historical Interpreter. Plus, it’s time for the NCAA Volleyball Final four, NWSL expansion news, a...

USC basketball superstar JuJu Watkins and head coach Lindsay Gottlieb join Sarah for a wide-ranging interview. JuJu talks about setting goals for her sophomore season, her recent investment in Unrivaled, and why she thinks the WNBA should change its eligibility rule, while Coach Gottlieb explains how she’s adapted during this time of NIL and dishes on the one surprising thing JuJu needs to w...

Group chat is BACK! Sarah is joined by actor, musician and podcast host E.R. Fightmaster and comedy writer and stand-up Erin Foley to talk about their respective podcasts, Caitlin Clark’s Time Magazine interview, marketing the modern female athlete, and the sports “F*** Yous” they’d like to deliver. Plus, the PWHL is back, the WNBA is going international - kind of - and a t...

It’s always a good time when Sarah, Mish & Alex are on the mic! Your fave Good Game trio tries to give themselves a name and catches up on a busy month of life, work and sports happenings. Plus, a few additions to the co-ed adults sports Etiquette Code, a gingerbread house review, Malort Carols and some favorite holiday traditions. What do you want us to cover or dig into in 2025? Leave...

Paralympic swimmer Anastasia Pagonis joins Sarah to discuss how she prepared for blindness, how her guide dog Radar gives her much-needed confidence, and what it’s like to work with brands to change how people see visually impaired folks. Plus, a What The Fact about moms who coach and Angel City's newest investment in the community. The full NCAA volleyball tournament schedule is here  ...

Chris Mosier, team USA athlete and founder of  transathlete.com , joins Sarah to discuss what’s keeping him positive and hopeful post-election, how transphobes are using bans and lawsuits in athletics to demonize trans people, and the ways anti-trans rhetoric is affecting cis women in sports, too. Plus, we take a moment to celebrate with you Slices, and ask for your favorite holiday tra...

Author Elise Hart Kipness joins Sarah to talk about her transition from journalism to writing fiction, what it’s like to live vicariously through her book’s main character, and the story behind her latest thriller, Dangerous Play , in which reporter Kate Green discovers a dead body in the locker room while covering the USWNT at the Olympics. Plus, Caitlin Clark adds another honor to he...

Sarah’s good pals Josh Bard, producer for ESPN’s Around The Horn, and Kelaine Conochan, VP of global sales for Legends, join her for another edition of Group Chat. This time, they talk all things college hoops, attempt to craft an official co-ed adult sports etiquette code, and choose which Unrivaled basketball clubs they’ll be rooting for in January. You heard our 5-rule officia...

Caroline Fitzgerald, CEO and founder of GOALS Sports and host of "The Business Case For Women's Sports" podcast, joins Sarah to discuss the “aha!” moment that pushed her to start her own marketing and consulting business, the immense economic opportunity in women’s sports, and what she’s learned from connecting brands and leagues. Plus, the PWHL is in the game, and Alyssa Naeher’s versatility gets...