The IX Sports Podcast

Host Kathleen Gier talks about the Denver Summit's home opener, the latest USWNT roster, which includes Sophia Wilson and Tierna Davidson, and the latest movement in the NWSL standings. LINKS: Sophia Wilson, Tierna Davidson return to USWNT roster ahead of Japan friendlies  After scoring their first goal, the Boston Legacy FC are making strides Denver smashes records and heavyweights free fall:...

Howard Megdal and Jackie Powell are back to preview what might be the most action packed Friday women’s basketball has seen in a long time. The pair first previews the NCAA Women’s Final Four featuring Texas vs. UCLA and UConn vs. South Carolina. And then Jackie shares an interview she did with Emily Adler and Lincoln Shafer where Adler and Shafer explain the rules of the double WNBA expansion dra...

Authors of new book Court Queens Emma Baccellieri & Jordan Robinson join Howard Megdal and Jackie Powell for a very special episode of The IX Sports Podcast Women’s Basketball Edition. Jackie begins by asking Emma and Jordan about why they needed to embark on Court Queens, what their research process was like and how the book mirrors American women’s history. Then Howard asks Jordan and Emma a...

The Wisconsin Badgers are back-to-back NCAA national champions! They met the Ohio State Buckeyes in the finals for the fourth straight time and won 3-2. Caroline Harvey, who plays for Wisconsin, took home the Patty Kazmaier Award for player of the year. Maya Smith and Dylan Nazareth talk about what this championship and award mean for the PWHL next season and the tank for Harvey conversations. The...

Host Kathleen Gier runs through the last week of NWSL results, which include a short-handed 2-0 victory by Portland over Seattle. Andi Sullivan, Tierna Davidson and Savy King also made their returns to the league, and Denver Summit picked up the club's first victory. She also talks about the UWCL Quarter-Finals, where Arsenal beat Chelsea in Leg 1. Red cards, upsets, and rivalries: NWSL week 2...

It's that time of year, NCAA Women's Hockey championship season! The Ohio State, Wisconsin, Northeastern, and Penn State will all compete for the top prize at the Frozen Four. NCAA reporters Giselle Valazquez and Emma Sullivan join host Maya Smith to break down the tournament, each school, and how they think the championship will shake out. Then, they break down the Patty Kazmaier Award fo...

Kathleen Gier, host of the weekly soccer show, recaps the opening weekend of the NWSL season, which included some high-profile debuts and returns as well as an expansion team's home opener. Catarina Macario also made history, signing a huge multi-year deal with the San Diego Wave and Chelsea picked up another club title.

It is now day 8 of the marathon WNBA CBA negotiations and Jackie Powell is *still* on the ground and feeling exhausted. But first Howard Megdal fills out his bracket region by region and explains who he believes makes it to the Women’s Final Four and then wins the national championship. Later on Jackie explains where we are now on Day 8 of these 12-15 hour bargaining sessions. She provides insight...

The IX’s Jackie Powell has been covering the WNBA and WNBPA’s marathon bargaining sessions that have been occurring inside The Langham Hotel in midtown New York City. Howard Megdal asks her about what she learned and the two react to and analyze comments she collected on the ground from people on the players side including WNBPA Executive Director Terri Jackson, Nneka Ogwumike and on the league’s...

If you build it, they will come! The PWHL has seen a great attendance boost from the Olympics, with the New York Sirens and Toronto Sceptres setting attendance highs this past week. Plus, the games at Madison Square Garden and TD Garden are already sold out for April. Maya Smith and Natalia Rachman break down the attendance increase and what it means for the league. Then, they dive into the NCAA t...

Host Kathleen Gier recaps the USWNT's run at the 2026 SheBelieves Cup, where they defeated Argentina, Canada and Colombia. She also talks through some of the top stories at The IX Soccer this week and breaks down the NWSL's opening weekend schedule.

The IX Sports has obtained the full WNBPA player survey about the current WNBA collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations that was sent out last week and was due on Tuesday March 3, just two days after the WNBA’s latest proposal from March 1. In this episode of The IX Sports podcast Women's Basketball Edition, hosts Howard Megdal and Jackie Powell walk through every question players we...

The PWHL is back and Hilary Knight and Megan Keller were on SNL. Maya Smith and Melissa Burgess discuss the SNL appearance and how the Olympics are helping grow the PWHL. Plus, the season is back underway and the Toronto Sceptres and Montréal Victoire are off to a strong start. Melissa Burgess breaks down what she's seen covering the team this season. Then, Maya and Melissa talk about the Olym...

No matter where you look, it feels like the United States and Canada are competing for something! This week, it's the women's soccer teams meeting at the 2026 SheBelieves Cup. Host Kathleen Gier recaps the USWNT's 2-0 victory against Argentina, sets up the next match against Canada and shares some quotes from North Carolina's introduction of coach Mak Lind. Video credit: US Soccer...

How did the WNBPA smartly put together an emergency war chest for a time like right now in the middle of a contentious CBA negotiation with the WNBA? Howard Megdal and Jackie Powell show you official financial documents, take you inside new reporting and show you where over $17 Million came from. Later Michelle Smith joins the show to promote her new book Life's Work: How Tara VanDerveer and S...

The 2026 Olympics in Milan are over, and Team USA is victorious. Canada got Silver, Switzerland took home bronze, and there's lots to discuss about the success of the Americans and the downfall of the Canadians. Alyssa and Maya discuss the need for an independent coaching staff as Team Canada moves on from this loss. They also discuss the best American team ever created, and how Canada didn&#3...

The USWNT is preparing to face Canada, Colombia and Argentina in the annual SheBelieves Cup. Host Kathleen Gier runs through the schedule, the roster and other women's soccer headlines.

In yet another jam-packed show, Howard Megdal and Jackie Powell update listeners on the latest CBA proposal the WNBPA sent the WNBA. And then Howard shares what he’s heard around the league when it comes to the lack of time that’s left to come to an agreement. Later Hunter Cruse hops onto the show to provide analysis on the trends of prospects in the 2026 WNBA draft class, along with his risers, f...

The 2026 Winter Olympics are coming to an end, which means it's time for the medal games in women's hockey. Sweden and Switzerland will play first for the bronze medal. Then, the biggest rivalry in sports, Canada and the US, will play for gold. Can the Canadians bounce back from six losses against the Americans? Or is the Gold medal already in the hands of the US? Silvia and Maya break dow...

Host Kathleen Gier talks about two blockbuster NWSL moves involving Croix Bethune and Claire Hutton. She also discusses the Coachella Valley Invitational and the USWNT's roster for the SheBelieves Cup.

It’s the Aneesah Morrow show! No, just kidding. But this episode does focus on the rising WNBA sophomore quite a bit. The IX Sports Podcast Women’s Basketball Edition has a pair of guests on this week’s show. First Conneticut Sun beat reporter Deyscha Smith joins to discuss a one-on-one interview she had with Sun rising star Morrow. She just signed with Reebok and has been shining at Athletes Unli...

It's the mid-way point of the PWHL season, so Maya and Reid revisit their pre-season predictions for the Minnesota Frost, the Vancouver Goldeneyes and the PWHL. First, they recap the Olympic Games thus far and talk about Team Italy's surprising quarterfinal birth. And, they discuss Team Canada's 5-0 loss to Team USA in the preliminary round, what happened, and how Canada can fix things...

Host Kathleen Gier celebrates one month of work at The IX Soccer, running through some of the recent stories you might have missed. She also shares some insight from Annie Peterson's interview with Mallory Swanson about her return to soccer, previews the UWCL Playoffs and talks about Denver's record-setting sales.

In a jam packed episode, Jackie Powell first breaks some news about two of the former WNBA players who are joining Chris DeMarco’s New York Liberty coaching staff in ex-Sky assistant Courtney Paris and now former Sun Manager of Basketball Development Kristen Mann. She and Howard inform the listeners on what they learned following the first in-person CBA meeting between the players and owners in mo...

The 2026 Winter Olympics Women's hockey tournament starts today, February 5, and Maya catches you up on everything there is to know about teams not named Canada or the US. Then, she discusses how the PWHL is affected by these Olympic Games and how the Olympic Games will affect the PWHL. Lastly, she breaks down the PWHL standings going into the Olympic Break. The IX Sports Podcast, Hockey Editi...