POWER COUPLE: Tobin Heath & Christen Press Join Us LIVE + What’s Next for Trinity Rodman?
This week on A Touch More, we’re live from San Jose, talking to NWSL legends Tobin Heath and Christen Press about the league’s growth, why Trinity Rodman shouldn’t go abroad and what they really think about soccer playoffs deciding the league champion.
Megan and Sue take a look at the NWSL viewership numbers and clear up some of the noise about a “dip” in attendance: the league is booming and we tell you why. And we answer some crowd-sourced questions, including a special bench/start/cut of Megan’s hairstyles over the years.
Plus, Megan hands out a Meggie for the NWSL’s greatest celebrator.
A Touch More: The Podcast is produced in partnership with VOX MEDIA and TOGETHXR.
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1:05:24
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NWSL FINAL PREVIEW: Gotham FC, Washington Spirit & What a Win Means for Both Clubs
The NWSL finals are set between Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit, and in this episode Megan diagnoses what a win or loss means for the clubs and their futures, and what to watch out for heading into the finals.
And with the end of the NWSL regular season, we have another MVP debate. Should a team’s performance in the absence of their best player impact (for better or worse) that player’s chances to be named MVP?
PLUS: Another women’s basketball league is in the works. Project B will premiere sometime next year, promising international tournaments and the biggest salaries women basketball players have ever seen. We discuss what is and isn’t known about Project B’s sources of funding, its relationship to the WNBA, and whether it will impact the current CBA negotiations.
Plus, Paige Bueckers is set to star in a new sports movie being developed by Apple, so Megan and Sue take a walk down memory lane about the best women's basketball player cameos of all time – and their own brushes with Hollywood.
A Touch More: The Podcast is produced in partnership with VOX MEDIA and TOGETHXR.
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1:10:42
Your Burning Questions for Megan and Sue, Answered
We’re opening up the mailbag this week to answer your burning questions about sports, Sue and Megan’s relationship, and everything in between, like what are Megan and Sue’s biggest regrets from their careers? Should women’s soccer balls be a different size than men’s? And how do Megan and Sue prefer to be approached in public?
Plus, we play a couple of rounds of 14-questions, TikTok style, to see how much Megan and Sue agree on each other’s strengths (and weaknesses). Who’s grumpier in the morning? Who requires more attention?
Also in this episode: Megan and Sue discuss what Landon Donovan’s experience of getting new hair can teach us about the importance of trans rights and ensuring everyone can live in the body they choose.
A Touch More: The Podcast is produced in partnership with VOX MEDIA and TOGETHXR.
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Inside USA Basketball’s Gold-Standard Mindset with Elena Delle Donne and the WNBA's Booming Business
We’re nearly a month out from the WNBA Finals, but we still have a lot to discuss.
We start with the WNBA’s booming business, its growth in viewership, and some of the new demographics tuning in. But we also look at the historic ways in which WNBA viewership was suppressed despite the demand for women’s basketball. (For those who want to learn more, the quotes we reference during this discussion come from Those Guys Have All the Fun, by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales).
Also on the agenda: how past CBA negotiations are playing out in the league today, including prioritization and playoff bonus money.
Then we welcome WNBA legend Elena Delle Donne, who helped grow the league when she joined in 2013 as part of the “The Three to See,” along with Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins. Elena Delle Donne talks about what she misses and doesn’t miss about playing pro, how she built a life off the court during her career, and what it was like to practice in a local rec center.
Plus, she describes the nerve-wracking achievement of being the first WNBA player to enter the 50-40-90 club, and what it was like to welcome Napheesa Collier to the exclusive club.
A Touch More: The Podcast is produced in partnership with VOX MEDIA and TOGETHXR.
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SEASON OF FIRSTS: Natalie Nakase on Breaking Barriers and Paving the Way for What’s Next + CBA talks
The WNBA season is over, but on A Touch More we’re still playing games: we’re checking out the tug of war between the players and the league as the CBA is about to expire, while five teams play a round of musical chairs to fill their empty head coaching slots.
We’re also talking to Golden State Valkyries’ head coach Natalie Nakase about her epic first season, the biggest risks she took during this year, and what it’s like to play in Ballhalla.
On a more serious note: Millions of Americans are losing their SNAP benefits due to the federal government shutdown and the Trump Administration’s refusal to tap emergency funds to keep the program going. We want to encourage our listeners to consider helping by contributing to your local food back: check out Feeding America to find one in your community. For those in the New York City or Seattle, here are a few organizations we recommend:
NYC:
Food Bank for NYC - https://www.foodbanknyc.org/
West Side Campaign Against Hunger - https://www.wscah.org/
Seattle:
Rainier Valley Food Bank - https://www.rvfb.org/
North Helpline - https://northhelpline.org/
Northwest Harvest - https://www.northwestharvest.org/
A Touch More: The Podcast is produced in partnership with VOX MEDIA and TOGETHXR.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Acerca de A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe
Everyone watches women's sports—and now, there's a podcast for that.
Take a front row seat with world champion athletes Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe, as they invite both new and longtime women's sports fans to join them in obsessing over the newest headlines and breaking down the sports landscape.
Every week, they'll share deep cut stories from their experiences as athletes, and illuminate the intersection of sports and pop culture. Their energy is contagious, their guests are boldfaced names in sports and entertainment, and, bonus: you'll get a touch more insight into their lives together, too.
From A Touch More and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
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