The IX Sports Podcast

Associated Press writer and contributor to The IX Sports Annie Peterson joined host Kathleen Gier for a wide-ranging conversation. The two talked about NWSL Media Day, storylines to watch this season and the USWNT's January camp.

How is the pro women’s basketball community feeling about the ICE raids in Minnesota? Jackie Powell and Howard Megdal spoke to Minnesota natives Paige Bueckers and Rachel Banham at an Unrivaled practice in Philadelphia about how they’ve been processing what’s going on in the country. Later Jackie and Howard sit down for an interview with Lexie Brown to discuss the upcoming season of Athletes Unlim...

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games begin on February 5, and 230 women's hockey players will head to Italy to begin the women's tournament. But first, the PWHL season wraps up before the Olympic break begins. The Vancouver Goldeneyes and Ottawa Charge made a big trade, sending three players each way. And, the Boston Fleet are having a fantastic season so far. Maya is joined by The Ice Garden&#39...

Host Kathleen Gier runs through a huge week for Trinity Rodman, which included signing a record-breaking new contract with the Washington Spirit and making her return to the U.S. women's national team in a 6-0 victory against Paraguay.

Correction, January 25, 2026, 3:00 PM EST: An earlier version of this podcast incorrectly stated that official Fatou Cissoko-Stephens was officiating Vanderbilt vs. Michigan on Monday January 19. The official working the game was Angelica Suffren. There isn’t a CBA but there’s a schedule??? That’s been the talk of the town in the WNBA, a topic that hosts Jackie Powell and Howard Megdal go over in...

Host Kathleen Gier runs through more NWSL free agency moves, including Sam Coffey's decision to play for Manchester City. She also talks about Gotham FC's upcoming appearance in the FIFA Women's Champions Cup and the U.S. women's national team's January friendlies.

On today's Women's Sports Daily, Chelsea recaps the Battle on Bay Street as Toronto takes their third straight victory in the event.

Unrivaled Season 2 has kicked off and what did Howard Megdal notice when he was on the ground in Miami this past week? He shares some of his findings with Jackie as the two discuss what the expectations are for this startup league in year 2. What is Unrivaled’s purpose in the women’s basketball space and why might some of those goals be at odds with one another?  Breanna Stewart and Kelsey Plum ex...

The PWHL Takeover Tour is in full swing with games all across North America. But, are there too many takeover games this season? Do the pros outweigh the cons? Plus, the PWHL standings are wild, with the Boston Fleet, Ottawa Charge, and New York Sirens all having great seasons so far. Did the top shelf prediction from last episode come true? Will the Vancouver Goldeneyes and Seattle Torrent go on...

Kathleen Gier interviews Howard Megdal, founder and editor in chief of The IX Sports, about the start of our new vertical, The IX Soccer. She also talked through Annie Peterson's interview with Lindsay Heaps about returning to Colorado and Kansas City, introducing new coach Chris Armas.

Tick-Tock! The WNBA and the WNBPA are running out of time before their latest deadline of January 9. Jackie Powell and Howard Megdal take you through what’s keeping both sides from coming to an agreement. What do revenue sharing models and expansion fees have to do with it all? Jackie has yet another powerpoint slide to explain a new number that was reported. And how could a certain salary cap num...

Kathleen Gier discusses big free agency moves, the new race to build team-specific performance centers across the league and where we stand with the NWSL's new high-impact player rule on the latest soccer edition of The IX Sports Podcast.

Welcome to our last podcast before 2026: the year of review in women’s sports! Join our hosts Howard Megdal, Jackie Powell, Kathleen Gier and Maya Smith for an episode where the quartet goes through the most important and their favorite stories across the women’s basketball, women’s soccer and women’s hockey universe that defined 2025. Later on, each of our hosts announces their fearless predictio...

At last Jackie Powell and Howard Megdal talk about women’s college basketball in this week’s IX Sports Podcast Basektball Edition. In the pair’s final women’s basketball show before the new year, the co-hosts take you inside what they noticed at Barclays Center during the second annual Shark Beauty Championship Classic. Why did defense stand out for both UConn and Iowa? And how exactly did Louisvi...

In this soccer edition of the IX Sports Podcast, Kathleen Gier breaks down the NWSL's new High Impact Player rule and the Players Association's reaction. She also talks about the return of Sophia Wilson and players to watch on the U.S. women's national team in 2026.

Editor’s note: This podcast was recorded prior to the WNBA’s 5:41 p.m. statement on Thursday responding to the WNBPA’s strike authorization vote. To find out more about what the WNBA’s statement entailed and the latest that the league has proposed, check out Sydney Wingfield’s latest story about the WNBPA’s recent vote here: https://www.thenexthoops.com/features/wnbpa-executive-committee-strike-wh...

This week on the IX Sports Podcast, Hockey Edition, we're talking about the 2025 Rivalry Series between Team Canada and Team USA, where Team USA swept the series. Plus, the PWHL heads to Halifax and Chicago for the takeover tour, so we'll hear from Maggie Connors and Allie Munroe about playing in Nova Scotia. We debut a new segment: Top Shelf Predictions, and hear from Hannah Miller about...

On this soccer edition of The IX Sports Podcast, Kathleen Gier runs through the NWSL's new roster mechanism and how that could make a difference in Trinity Rodman's decision. She also shines a light on Bunny Shaw and her big weekend in the WSL.

On Wednesday the New York Liberty introduced Chris DeMarco as the franchise’s 10th head coach in franchise history, and that is the focus of this week’s The IX Sports Podcast Baskteball Edition. Join our hosts Howard Medgal and Jackie Powell where they explain what they took away from DeMarco’s introductory press conference along with the sets of unique challenges that he will face as a first year...

Soccer Monday columnist and Associated Press reporter Annie Peterson joined host Kathleen Gier to talk about the latest developments in Trinity Rodman's negotiations with the Washington Spirit and the NWSL. Kathleen also recaps the 2025 College Cup, which Florida State won, and the San Diego Wave's big weekend at World Sevens.

What a week it is to launch a women’s basketball podcast. There’s been a flury of WNBA collective bargaining agreement (CBA) news that is the focus of our first ever The IX Sports Podcast Baskteball Edition. Join our hosts Howard Medgal and Jackie Powell where they break down some of the big picture storylines about the CBA including player housing, the WNBA’s calendar and footprint and salary and...

The Seattle Torrent broke both the US women's hockey record and the PWHL home record, plus, where each PWHL team stands after November. And, we discuss whether or not Vancouver Goldeneyes and Seattle Torrent fans and coaching staff should be worried about their play through the first three games. Maya Smith hosts the first-ever episode of The IX Sports Podcast Hockey Edition, and she's joi...

Howard Megdal, founder of The IX Sports, introduces The IX Sports Podcast. This show will have three different editions covering the latest news and headlines in women's soccer, hockey and basketball. This episode is the first women's soccer edition, hosted by Kathleen Gier. She talks about Catarina Macario's success with the national team, recaps the NWSL Finals and looks ahead to the...