Good Game with Sarah Spain

Jessica Bartley, the Senior Director of Psychological Services for the USOPC, joins Sarah from Milan to discuss working with Team USA’s athletes, the difference between mental health and mental performance, how different sports bring up different stressors, and how impactful it can be when big-name athletes speak up about mental health. Plus, Captain Clutch goes down, get to know the most el...

Sarah and producer Alex join the show from the Burton House in Livigno after a big day at women’s freeski slopestyle. They discuss their run-in with the two Maddy(ie)s at the media center, talk to slopestyle gold and silver medalists Mathilde Gremaud and Eileen Gu, and try to find a way to relate to a multi-millionaire model-slash-Olympian. Plus, the men are being hysterical about Lindsey Vo...

Sarah and producer Alex check in from stop #2 on their Italian adventure: a hotel near Livigno! On today’s show they’ve got tales to tell from a big weekend in Milan, including takeaways from Team Figure Skating and U.S. and Canada group stage hockey games, as well as their reaction to Lindsey Vonn’s crash and the new safety measures being taken in downhill skiing. Plus, there ca...

In this bonus episode, Sarah and producer Alex hop on the show right after attending the Opening Ceremony to share their limited knowledge of Italian composers, their thoughts on Mariah’s potentially piped-in vocals, and who got the loudest cheers and jeers (JD!). Plus, how they're trying to keep the Olympic spirit even though the world is on fire and PENIS GATE! Check out Sarah in Italian s...

Benvenuti in Italia! Sarah and producer Alex join the show from Milan to share behind the scenes of their visit to the athlete’s Olympic Village (highlights: a bin of condoms and the torch relay!) and their first in-person competition, US women’s hockey versus Czechia (lowlights: J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio). Plus, norovirus hits the Finnish hockey team, Lindsey Vonn hits the weights an...

U.S. nordic combined athlete Annika Malacinski joins Sarah to discuss her fight to make sure women have a future in the sport. Nordic combined is the only Olympic sport – winter or summer – in which women are still not allowed to compete at the Games. Malacinski shares what her battle has looked like, whether she’s seen support from male nordic combined athletes, and what it&rsqu...

Happy National Girls and Women in Sports Day! WNBA legend and the new president of the Women’s Sports Foundation Swin Cash joins Sarah to talk about why it’s more important than ever to recognize this special day, the leadership lessons she’s learned from previous Women’s Sports Foundation presidents, and what’s expected and required of athletes in the current politic...

Public Enemy legend, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Olympic benefactor Flavor Flav joins Sarah to talk about why he felt compelled to make gymnast Jordan Chiles a clock-medal, how he’s stepped in to help athletes fulfill their Olympic dreams, and how he feels about his fourth decade creating protest music with Chuck D. Speaking of music, he drops some breaking news about a new song in honor...

Olympic distance runners and co-hosts of the “Nobody Asked Us” podcast Kara Goucher and Des Linden join Sarah to give perspective on the Olympic experience from a safe distance, unburdened by the nerves of an upcoming competition. They share their advice for members of Team USA heading to Milan-Cortina, talk about how competing at the Games differs from other major championships, and s...

Big Citrus makes its triumphant return to the show! Today the new-look squad celebrates exactly one week until the Opening Ceremony of the Milan Cortina Olympics with a Good Game PowerPoint Party! Buckle up for a fact-packed, info-laden journey through all 16 Winter Olympic sports. Plus, a soccer legend retires, reputation rehab gone awry, and a few final Friday Fatto Figos!  Read Caitlin Mur...

Sports performance coach Susan King Borchardt, famous for extending the career of WNBA vet Sue Bird, joins Sarah to discuss how she keeps some of your favorite athletes healthy, why she thinks it’s important to include the off-court parts of life in her treatment plans, and how a kind word from Bird helped her gain the trust of other pro athletes. Plus, the wrong kind of ICE at the Winter Ol...

The college softball season is right around the corner! Two-time Olympic gold medalist and longtime ESPN softball analyst Michele Smith joined Sarah to discuss her big predictions heading into the 2026 NCAA season, the lessons from last year that inspired major transfer portal moves in the offseason, and how the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are bringing more resources to the...

Michigan hoops coach Kim Barnes Arico joins Sarah to discuss the Wolverines’ recent redemption win against USC, how she handled the hardest day of her coaching career, what 300 wins in Ann Arbor means to her, and the advice she got from Geno Auriemma early in her career. Plus, 6 teams 1 Cup, dreaming of Brazil, and a logo fit for a queen.  Watch Jordan Chiles’ perfect 10 on floor...

Ahead of the show's big field trip to the Milan Cortina Olympics producer Alex Azzi tells Sarah about her years traveling the globe as an Olympic researcher, shares her tips for covering the Games on the ground, tells tales of Naomi the Gnome, and offers some Winter Olympic fun facts that might impress your friends. Plus, dunking is a Breeze, go Frost yourself, and athletes speak out against I.C.E...

Olympic hockey legend Angela Ruggiero joins Sarah to discuss what hockey has given her on and off the ice, how she thinks the PWHL will impact U.S./Canada dynamics in Milan, and how she’s seen media coverage change since she helped Team USA win the first-ever Olympic hockey gold in 1998. Plus, Trin is IN, a college hoops win streak record could be switching hands, the Americans are going hea...

Bobsled legend Elana Meyers Taylor joins Sarah to discuss battling through her toughest season yet to qualify for her fifth Olympics and how she's approaching what might be her last chance at winning gold. They discuss why heptathletes make the best push athletes, how she’s recovering from the scariest crash of her career, and her concerns around the long-term sustainability of the sport of...

Boise State beach volleyball player Nora Hayd and Australian semi-pro hooper Caitlin Cunningham (a.k.a. Caitlin Dark) have gone viral around the world for being gothletes (goth athletes) and rocking a look not often seen on the court or the sand. Hayd and Cunningham join Sarah to discuss the attention they’ve received for their unique looks, dream makeup collabs, expanding the idea...

Multi-sport athlete and advocate for transgender rights Chris Mosier joins Sarah a few days after protesting outside the Supreme Court in D.C. He shares his thoughts on the Court hearing oral arguments regarding trans athletes participating in sports, how he approaches having conversations with people who are ignorant or uninformed, what he thinks of some of the proposed “solutions...

While folks everywhere are eating up the fictional TV series “Heated Rivalry,” we've got the real thing! Rivals-turned-wives Caroline Ouellette, four-time Olympic medalist with Team Canada hockey, and Julie Chu, four-time Olympic medalist with Team USA hockey, join Sarah to talk about navigating their relationship while captaining their respective national teams. Plus, handling the ten...

Let’s do that hockey! Specifically: the Women’s Beanpot and hockey at the Winter Olympics. Sarah spoke to Northeastern and team Switzerland player Alessia Baechler, as well as BU and Team Germany twin sisters Lilli and Luisa Welcke, about transitioning from their home countries to playing and living in the States, the moment they found out they made their team’s roster for n...

NWSL Players Association Executive Director Meghann Burke joins Sarah to discuss the PA’s decision to file a grievance challenging the league’s new High Impact Player rule, whether the NWSL’s handling of recent issues might be eroding trust in leadership, and the ongoing uncertainty over Trinity Rodman’s status in the league. Plus, the cooler is in for the long haul, making...

Big East Commissioner and former WNBA President Val Ackerman joins Sarah to discuss how her job has changed as a result of NIL, the transfer portal and House vs. NCAA, how her previous career stops influenced her work as commissioner of a conference, and how the disparity between the football haves and have-nots is growing every day.  RSVP to the 2026 Congressional College Athletics Summit&nb...

Former WNBA player Sonia Chase and former NBA Players Association Executive Director Tamika Tremaglio join Sarah to discuss the behind the scenes of the WNBA CBA negotiations, the revenue sharing specifics keeping the two sides apart, and whether a work stoppage is the only thing that will get a new deal done. Plus, a Denver homecoming, college hoops delivers streaks and slides, and a reminder tha...

Defector tennis writer Giri Nathan joins Sarah to discuss the Australian Open and the start of the 2026 tennis season, which players might push the trio that’s been at the top of the game for the last few years, and the pros and cons of a WTA/ATP merger. Plus, showing up with pride, a footy rumor we’re trying to ignore, and it’s deja vu all over again in Storrs, Connecticut. Foll...

WNBA superstar and Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart joins Sarah to discuss what she learned from Unrivaled’s inaugural season, her goals for season two, how the 3-on-3 league has played a role in setting a new standard for player experience and pay, and her best prediction for when the WNBA CBA negotiations will finally get done. Plus, a trip to the world’s most famous arena, a ros...