transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:00] You know that feeling when there's a spark building inside of you, that you were meant for more? That's your own drive pushing you towards what's next. Capella University gets that. With their Flex Path Learning format, you can set the pace and earn your degree without putting life on pause. You've built experience and know what you're capable of. Now, this is your time to turn that momentum into more. The only real question is, what can't you do? Learn more at capella.edu.

Speaker 2:
[00:31] America's best network just got bigger. Switch to T-Mobile today and get built-in benefits the other guys leave out. Plus, our five-year price guarantee. Now, T-Mobile is available in US cellular stores.

Speaker 3:
[00:46] Best mobile network based on analysis by Ooculliff Speedtest Intelligence Data 2H 2025. Bigger network, the combination of T-Mobiles and US Cellular Network footprints will enhance the T-Mobile network's coverage. Price guarantee on top text and data. Exclusions like taxes and fees apply. ctmobile.com for details.

Speaker 1:
[01:00] Hey, Isabella, did you see that, well, why would you have? Did you see that Spain's most celebrated matador, Moranta de la Puebla, best known as King of the Bullfighters, was seriously injured on Monday after being gored up the rectum as he was running away from a bull at an event in Seville.

Speaker 4:
[01:22] And gored is Seville?

Speaker 1:
[01:24] Gore, yes. Stabbed? It went in, the big sharp horn went inside of him. Actually, there's a photo in the doc that we linked, if you want to click on that now. I'm scared to look at it. It's okay, it's not, it's somehow not gory while also being gore.

Speaker 5:
[01:42] Okay.

Speaker 1:
[01:42] Just click on it.

Speaker 5:
[01:43] All right.

Speaker 6:
[01:45] Oh! Oh my God! I don't know what I was expecting, but it still is a surprise.

Speaker 4:
[01:52] His legs are just like closed and, oh my God.

Speaker 1:
[01:56] He's sort of, and don't, if you, if you're squeamish, you can look this up.

Speaker 4:
[01:59] Yeah, there's no blood.

Speaker 1:
[02:00] I guess Brady, I should say if they Google this, will they be, are there other ones that are gory?

Speaker 7:
[02:07] No, I've seen, they're surprisingly clean photos of a literal bullseye.

Speaker 1:
[02:10] Yeah, I've only seen this one where the bull is, it has him up in the air and he's like perpendicular to the, and then I've seen the one where there's just a hand covering his butthole. He's laying on the ground and there's just, someone has their hand over his hole so as not to, I guess, open a portal into another realm.

Speaker 7:
[02:29] This one we've shown Isabella though, the bull has this man up like he's toasting a marshmallow. Yes.

Speaker 4:
[02:34] Yeah, he looks hung on it.

Speaker 1:
[02:36] I know. And honestly, I'm Team Bull.

Speaker 7:
[02:40] Team Bull all the way.

Speaker 1:
[02:42] I can't believe we're still doing this sport. This is what, also kind of impressive that, of all the places he could stick the horn, he chose a hole that was already made.

Speaker 4:
[02:52] Yeah, like I'm surprised that he-

Speaker 1:
[02:53] A pre-made hole. He didn't make a diff- You know when you need to move a picture, but you can't put the nail hole too close to the already existing nail hole? That's what I feel like.

Speaker 7:
[03:04] You had a pilot hole already drilled.

Speaker 1:
[03:06] Yeah.

Speaker 7:
[03:06] Oh my God. The bull's name should be in the headline. Shout out to this guy. It's the most accurate bull of all time.

Speaker 1:
[03:13] We don't even know who it is. No respect for the bulls. Morante required an hours long sphincter reconstruction thanks to the four inch gash left by the bull.

Speaker 7:
[03:29] I hate this sport so much.

Speaker 5:
[03:31] I'm sorry.

Speaker 1:
[03:33] I mean, this led me down a, we looked into what they do with the bulls after they win or lose these competitions. And it's, this is bad, you guys. We should stop doing this. If only just because they're gonna stick their horns up your holes.

Speaker 4:
[03:48] Yeah, sounds very risky.

Speaker 1:
[03:50] What was the, there's no other way this should end. But anyway, this is what we chose to start the podcast with. Maria Sharapova today. Let's get in. Hello, oh my god, hello. And welcome to Casuals, a sports podcast for anybody. Doesn't matter if you like them, you hate them. We talk sports with you, and we got a great guest today, which we will get to in a second. I'm Katie Nolan, the host. Joining me here at the top, we got the Casualties, it's the production crew. Here at SiriusXM, we have Isabella, our sports newbie. Hi, that's Chris, he edits. And then we got, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, Brady. Too many bees, hey. Over there as well. I thought that was a good amount of bees. Coming up, y'all, I mean, this is big. The energy in here is different. Isabella, our tennis fan, we've got a big guest coming in today. Maria Sharapova is here. Absolutely incredible. We're going to get into a wonderful interview that we have with her coming up in a little bit. She is a, she's one of only 10 women to complete a career Grand Slam. She's got an Olympic silver medal. She's Maria Sharapova, okay? Sugarpova. We're going to talk to her in a little bit. Very exciting. She's launching a new podcast that's coming out. I actually think it comes out today when we're recording this. So don't even worry about that. It's out. And you can go find it now, Pretty Tough. Before we get to Maria Sharapova, a couple of things we got to update on. And if I'm honest, it's too many things, as always. So we're going to kind of keep this super speed energy and try to get through all of these stories because we had to devote three minutes to a cold open about a bull putting his horn inside of a guy's butt. Didn't the guy come, didn't he come out of retirement to do that too? Yeah. And then just to, it's like maybe go back into.

Speaker 8:
[05:37] That bull's been waiting a long time to see that guy.

Speaker 1:
[05:39] You again. I didn't think I'd have the chance. Good for that bull. Really happy for him. Boston Marathon. I told you guys that was this past, that was this week. It's a big deal in Boston. We love the Boston Marathon. Brady, you found this story of a guy named, is it Tampa Terrence?

Speaker 7:
[05:57] This guy Tampa Terrence was all over the timelines. He ran the Boston Marathon on like 40 days of training. What? Which is crazy to me anyway, because marathons are crazy long and impossible to do. He ran at barefoot to raise money for charity. This is just a dude running a marathon barefoot in cargo shorts to raise money for this non-profit that does after school programs and helps at risk kids in and around Boston. He's from Boston originally, now he's Tampa Terrence. Raised over $13,000. This guy's just out there running the entire Boston marathon on the road, on gravel, just slapping his bare feet on the asphalt over and over.

Speaker 1:
[06:42] The charity refused to, nobody wanted to give money unless he took his shoes off. Why did he have to take off his shoes?

Speaker 7:
[06:50] I think it gets more attention by not having his shoes.

Speaker 1:
[06:52] I guess, I mean, I guess. Look at us. We're not talking about anybody else who ran the marathon.

Speaker 8:
[06:55] True.

Speaker 3:
[06:56] Insane to do.

Speaker 1:
[06:57] Well, the craziest part is I see here, is he trained by running on a spread of Lego bricks, kicking a watermelon until it burst and stabbing his feet repeatedly with a fork.

Speaker 8:
[07:07] Got to harden that up.

Speaker 1:
[07:10] Sick bastard.

Speaker 8:
[07:11] Got to harden that skin off.

Speaker 1:
[07:12] And he trained with only 40 days. So it's like, did he finish with a decent time?

Speaker 5:
[07:17] He's under four hours.

Speaker 1:
[07:18] Oh my God. What is going on?

Speaker 4:
[07:21] I'm sorry. Lego bricks? Yeah.

Speaker 7:
[07:24] Ow. That's painful.

Speaker 1:
[07:26] That's, this is sick.

Speaker 7:
[07:28] The whole time he's like recording videos, he's talking to people in the crowd, like as he's running by. At some point, someone just handed him a fish. He was like, what do I do with this? And they were like, take it. And he just ran like a mile carrying a fish.

Speaker 1:
[07:40] Ew.

Speaker 7:
[07:41] It's good content.

Speaker 1:
[07:42] On a Monday fish? I feel like, isn't that the day they tell you not to order fish?

Speaker 4:
[07:46] Was that cooked?

Speaker 1:
[07:47] At a restaurant? Oh, good question.

Speaker 4:
[07:49] If it was cooked, I'm eating that.

Speaker 7:
[07:50] No, just a whole, this was not like a fish filet.

Speaker 9:
[07:53] This was just a fish.

Speaker 1:
[07:54] What she order? Okay, so that's the Boston Marathon, right? Done. Great. Incredible.

Speaker 7:
[08:02] Before we go, shout out Jess McLean.

Speaker 1:
[08:03] That's right. Jess McLean, we talked to you guys about her a month ago. Remember we were talking about somebody was running and they followed a cop car that was the lead pace car and the car went the wrong way. And she just got absolutely screwed with, she had a huge lead and it ended up she finished, I think like third or whatever instead. That was a whole thing. She actually shattered the US course record for the Boston Marathon. She finished the marathon in two hours, what? Two hours, 20 minutes and 49 seconds?

Speaker 4:
[08:35] That's insanely impressive.

Speaker 1:
[08:37] That feels absurd. With shoes on, yes? With shoes on. Marcel Deschel, with shoes on. Breaking the previous record by a minute and, well when you do 113, she didn't break it by an hour, right? She broke it by a minute and 13 seconds. That would be crazy. I'm on more to talk about time.

Speaker 7:
[08:55] 26 miles in 140 minutes. It's crazy.

Speaker 1:
[08:58] That's, it doesn't even, it genuinely doesn't compute to me. So congratulations to Jess McLean, following what she knew to be the root and not listening to anybody else who might get in her way. We got the NBA playoffs going off in the NHL, the Stanley Cup playoffs as well. Sorry to do this Homer, but I'm gonna kind of focus on the Boston of it. The Celtics, Chris, dropped game two to the Sixers. What, you're our basketball expert. What the hell happened?

Speaker 8:
[09:32] They shot 26% from three.

Speaker 1:
[09:34] That's what happened. Whoa, that's bad, right?

Speaker 8:
[09:36] And equally didn't do a good job defending the three. So Philly was able to have a much better game from three than the Celtics did. And that was essentially the game. The first quarter looked okay. The second quarter was pretty bad and it never really recovered from there.

Speaker 1:
[09:54] Yeah. So the series is tied at one now. How about that?

Speaker 8:
[09:57] Yeah, that was an anomaly though. I can't see them doing this again in games three, four or five. So we'll see. But yeah, this is an outlier, I'd say.

Speaker 1:
[10:08] So this raises the question that I've seen debated online a lot, is a gentleman sweep, the phrase a gentleman sweep. I've seen people argue what the true definition of it is. I know technically it's like letting them, they win one game and then you basically win all of the other games. But there's debate about whether the game they win has to be a home game, or if it's any game. Where do we stand on this? What technically is a gentleman's sweep?

Speaker 8:
[10:43] A lot of people, we can't get complete consensus, but I think what most people seem to agree is that one particular team wins the first three games, hands the fourth game to the opposition, and then wins the fifth game.

Speaker 1:
[10:57] So this would not technically qualify if the Celtics were to win the next game.

Speaker 8:
[11:00] I always operated under the assumption that it was just 4-1, regardless of when that loss came. But most people, doing some digging, most people seem to suggest that it was specifically the fourth game of the series that you need to drop.

Speaker 1:
[11:12] Like a last gasp of...

Speaker 8:
[11:14] Yeah, just like, you know what? Here you go. We're gonna wrap it up in the next game. You take this one, we'll finish it in game five.

Speaker 1:
[11:19] Isabella, what do you think? Should it apply to any 4-1 final...

Speaker 4:
[11:24] I think so, because what is this? Great.

Speaker 1:
[11:27] That's exactly right.

Speaker 4:
[11:27] Like, what after? Wouldn't you say until the fourth game or third game?

Speaker 1:
[11:31] So it's like Boston, in order for it to be a gentlemen sweep, a lot of people think it's like, they win, they win, they win. And then the game that they could win to make it a sweep, the other team gets one in and then they finish off the sweep.

Speaker 4:
[11:42] That's not a gentleman sweep, that's a choke sweep. You choke the second to last game.

Speaker 1:
[11:49] She's got a little something.

Speaker 4:
[11:50] Okay.

Speaker 1:
[11:51] I like that.

Speaker 7:
[11:52] Find a way to tell somebody they choked while they still won the series.

Speaker 9:
[11:55] Right, right, right.

Speaker 4:
[11:57] So if the Knicks win this series, like, 4-1, I'll still call it a choke sweep because what the fuck was that recent game?

Speaker 1:
[12:03] I mean, you didn't like that.

Speaker 4:
[12:04] No, I cried.

Speaker 1:
[12:05] Oh, great.

Speaker 6:
[12:06] We haven't said this yet.

Speaker 1:
[12:07] We did this on the radio. Isabella shed her first sports tears.

Speaker 4:
[12:13] Oh, I felt really embarrassed afterwards.

Speaker 6:
[12:15] In the first round.

Speaker 1:
[12:16] But we're, but listen. Isabella. Chris, we have to encourage this. I told her, I was like, there's going to be plenty of opportunities for you to get those tears out. But she was like, I cried.

Speaker 4:
[12:28] I was so mad that I cried. I like stood up. I walked out of the room. I went to my bedroom. I shut the door. My boyfriend was like, babe. I was like, just leave me alone for a few seconds.

Speaker 1:
[12:38] This is incredible.

Speaker 7:
[12:40] One of us, one of us, one of us.

Speaker 1:
[12:43] You gotta throw your TV out the window or something. We gotta escalate that.

Speaker 4:
[12:47] I'll punch a hole through the wall.

Speaker 1:
[12:48] I'm so proud of you. Just absolutely so proud of you.

Speaker 7:
[12:51] Didn't help them up. The Mets had lost 12 straight.

Speaker 8:
[12:54] Shut up, Brady Leitcher.

Speaker 6:
[12:56] We're on NBA right now. We were talking about Boston.

Speaker 5:
[13:00] Why is this going up?

Speaker 1:
[13:02] We do have to mention Isabella's Mets specifically have lost 12 in a row.

Speaker 7:
[13:08] It's Wednesday. They've got the twins tonight.

Speaker 1:
[13:11] Okay. So it's possible where you're listening to this.

Speaker 8:
[13:12] One Soto's coming back soon there, right?

Speaker 7:
[13:14] Soto should be back.

Speaker 1:
[13:15] Tonight? He's coming back tonight?

Speaker 7:
[13:17] He should be back tonight. I think so.

Speaker 1:
[13:18] Okay. But they need him to not only just, he needs to come back and immediately be hot, which is tough to do. So I wouldn't get, don't put all your eggs in that basket.

Speaker 6:
[13:27] I won't.

Speaker 1:
[13:29] That whole basket, nobody's ever done that before. No one's ever gone on a 12-game losing streak and then made it into the postseason.

Speaker 6:
[13:35] I know, Katie. I just was making sure. I heard you say it on the radio.

Speaker 1:
[13:39] Just making sure you opened, as per my last email. The Trailblazers also evened up the series.

Speaker 6:
[13:46] Look, I came out on this podcast and said, we're not really going to talk about the NBA in the first round because it's pretty boring and then a bunch of these series evened up.

Speaker 8:
[13:55] Yeah, that one though has a lot to do with the fact that Wemby left pretty early on with the concussion. So when he only plays a handful of minutes, that's a big blow to the Spurs. And they still got within, I think, three points in that contest.

Speaker 1:
[14:10] Yeah, what quarter was that that they?

Speaker 7:
[14:12] Second.

Speaker 1:
[14:13] Yeah, that's tough.

Speaker 7:
[14:13] Where Wemby went out?

Speaker 1:
[14:14] That's tough. I saw a lot of doctors on Twitter going like, oh, he's definitely fractured his orbital bone. I'm like, you don't know anything. You don't know anything. What do we know as of right now? He's just in the concussion protocol, which is obviously something that's about player safety and it's got a number of steps to clear him before he's allowed to play again. And as frustrating as that is, we all have to be patient because it's about player safety. And when it comes to your brain, we don't mess around, okay? Correct. So that's all we know, right? That's the latest.

Speaker 8:
[14:41] Yeah, last I checked a couple of hours ago, it was still unsure when he'd make his return.

Speaker 1:
[14:45] Right. So 106-103, the Blazers ended up winning that game. What I'm interested in here, and we get into the Trailblazers of it all a little later, right? We got somebody called in to talk about it, so we will talk about that. In the game one of this series, did you see the pictures of all the colorful T-shirts they handed out? Awesome. It was awesome. It was perfectly color blocked, Isabella. It's like sometimes a tradition, they'll hand out a free T-shirt and everybody puts it on. This one was perfectly coordinated by section so that it was this beautiful, awesome thing and then during the game I loved, they would use the Jumbotron to put the camera on people who weren't wearing the shirts and bully them, have everybody go like, put your shirt on, putting it on. So it was awesome and everybody agreed that it was awesome, except, this is where I'll remind you we're doing a Boston theme here, except Bill Simmons. Let's play the clip.

Speaker 10:
[15:46] The color coordinated sections. I have some thoughts. You've won five titles as a franchise. It's not the time for gimmicks. Act like you've been there before. They won five titles. They had Tim Duncan. They were one of the 10 best players of all time. Who is there at the game? Probably wondering why everybody was in a different section wearing a different T-shirt. He wasn't wondering because they're the Fiesta colors. He was wearing the shirt.

Speaker 3:
[16:10] I get the Fiesta.

Speaker 1:
[16:11] I get it.

Speaker 10:
[16:12] You're like Kramer in the 8th one. You don't want to wear the ribbon.

Speaker 7:
[16:17] Just a horrible take.

Speaker 1:
[16:18] I don't always agree with him, but that is a horrible take. I didn't see a single other person, and this is rare in this day and age, say anything negative about what seems to be a cool, uniting fan thing. What the hell is this?

Speaker 8:
[16:38] It's definitely Old Man Yells at Cloud. But Bill Simmons isn't supposed to be.

Speaker 1:
[16:43] He can't already be Old Man Yells at Cloud. He was supposed to be the sports guy. He was supposed to be.

Speaker 8:
[16:48] And he was a long time ago.

Speaker 1:
[16:50] That's crazy. That's crazy.

Speaker 8:
[16:52] Wow.

Speaker 1:
[16:53] You heard it here first from Chris. Simmons, over. It's done. He's cooked. He's washed. He's what else are they saying? Chuggy. He's unk. He's chuggy. Crazy. But, hey, NBA playoffs.

Speaker 7:
[17:08] Ding. NBA playoffs not the place for gimmicks, apparently. We can't have fun.

Speaker 1:
[17:12] Act like you've been here. What do you mean?

Speaker 7:
[17:13] None of them have been there.

Speaker 1:
[17:15] It's crazy. Also, it wasn't tipped. They were wearing... The former players were participating in the...

Speaker 8:
[17:20] Tim Duncan, Manny Janobli. Just silly. They were wearing it. It was fun. It was just aesthetically pleasing to watch on TV.

Speaker 1:
[17:28] Beautiful. Stunning. NHL Playoffs, the Bruins. Thank God they won game two. I don't know who else is watching hockey as closely as me, specifically this game. Obviously, the Bruins I really root for. The last few post-seasons have been abysmal as a Bruins fan, all in different ways. Really fun. But this year, Panthers aren't in it, so I'm already happy. Then we come out and we lose in Buffalo, that first game in a remarkable fashion, holding a two-goal lead for... It was a slow build, but two-goal lead for a lot of the game, and with like six minutes and change left, we let them score four goals, we lost the game. I'm saying we. We don't have time, I'm in a rush. This game, game two, the Bruins had the lead again, it gets to like six minutes, and the Sabres score, and then they score again, and Dan looks at me and he goes, what's going on? I go, we just have to stay the course.

Speaker 6:
[18:26] We had a four-goal lead.

Speaker 1:
[18:28] I was like, this is different. We just have to calm down. Thank God they called the timeout this time. Swainman was like, forcing Sturm to call the timeout that we didn't call in the first game. But the energy in Buffalo for the first two games of this series has been fantastic. Did you guys see when they brought Josh Allen out? Oh, no. The place went nuts. I mean, this is a fan base, the Sabres that have been desperate for any sort of relevance in the postseason for their hockey team. And they are showing up and they are partying. I said last night, I would really be enjoying this energy if it wasn't contingent upon my sadness, that it wasn't actively opposing me and everything I stand for. This would be so fun. So if you're a casual who's looking for like an entry point, the series is shifting to Boston. But that Buffalo team hopefully doesn't make it out of the first round. But if they do, it's an exciting one to root for because their fans are going nuts. I will say shout out to Nessan, our regional sports network in Boston, that when Josh Allen came out to bang the drum to get everybody hyped up and the crowd went nuts. They were like, bringing Josh Allen to a playoff game? I don't think that's going to work the way you thought that it was going to.

Speaker 7:
[19:42] Josh is a two-week-old child. You have any excuse to get out of the house, you take it.

Speaker 1:
[19:45] Yeah, damn, that's true. And thank God the Bruins won, because if Nessan sends that tweet and then the Bruins lose, that would have been just the worst night for me on a personal level. While we're doing Boston, hey, Mike Vrabel's alive.

Speaker 7:
[19:58] Oh.

Speaker 1:
[19:59] Mike Vrabel's alive and he came out and he said something. Now, if you are a journalist going, why didn't I know that he was going to come out and say something? That's because the Patriots told everybody it was just going to be two players that had media availability, so as to keep the crowd low, I guess, and not have everybody who's curious about what Mike Vrabel is going to finally say, storm this press conference. So it was kind of a surprise. Do we have, I mean, I don't even know if it's worth airing. Do we have a clip of the words that Mike Vrabel put together and said at this little shindig? Let's play it.

Speaker 11:
[20:32] I've had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players, those have been positive and productive. We believe in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction. Those are comments and questions that I've answered for the team and with the team. We'll keep those private and to ourselves. I care deeply about this football team and I'm excited to coach them. What I can promise you is that my family, this organization, the team, the staff, the coaches, everybody, our fans most importantly, will get the best version of me going forward.

Speaker 1:
[21:23] Okay. Apparently, if we want to know more, we're going to have to sneak a camera in and take a picture of the conversations that he's having with the team. Otherwise, we just don't get any more information. You know? You think that's it? You think that's all we're going to get?

Speaker 7:
[21:39] I think this is a very standard, I did nothing wrong, but also I'm very sorry.

Speaker 1:
[21:42] I'm really, really sorry. I also saw people be like, did he walk back his... Because didn't he say laughable? The original adjective he used was that the pictures were laughable. I did see somebody asked and he said, I no longer think that they are a laughing matter. That's just going to be that. I know that people are going to be like, but he doesn't have to have journalistic integrity and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. For me, it's got a nuance that I've learned there's no room for here on the Internet. But we're really not going to make him answer for any of it, his role in it in any way. Which again, as a Patriots fan, I'm not even saying like I want... It's a real rock and a hard place these two have potentially, allegedly put certain fans in. And I'm not a huge fan of it. I would say it rubbed me the wrong way, but that was a whole other controversy we had with the owner. So I don't even think it's worth bringing up. I just look, that's going to be it. You know what it really has been bothering me lately is that remember the big deal we made about, you know, Mike Vrabel knows how hard it is for women in this business. And so he always opens his press conferences by calling on a female journalist. And now you're like, that hits different. You know, it's just like, that hits, like, P. Now I go like, do I actually not like Mike Vrabel the way I thought? It's like all these things that we're building this image, this all kind of goes pretty directly contradictory to it. And yet we don't really ever, we're not ever going to make him answer for it because nobody's really that mad at him, if that makes sense. So does anyone else want to say anything about this incredibly murky topic that everyone's got guns and knives out about? Does anyone else want to offer themselves and their opinions up to the hungry, hungry internet?

Speaker 7:
[23:33] Sure. The NFL came out and said, we're not investigating his actions. And they will investigate the dumbest, most minute things on the planet. For some reason, we're no longer, we're just not caring about the integrity here or just the flow of information, or just his relationship with people that you're credentialing. You gotta care. Pretend you care. Even if you're investigating, it does nothing to come out and say like, no, we're not even looking into investigating this or holding it accountable.

Speaker 1:
[24:00] I fear that where we're at as a society is that we've taught people that the best, the only way to like move on from a controversy is to like never answer for it and hope people forget. I like hate that that's the thing we've shown that if you cop to it in any way, take any sort of accountability for a mistake that you've made, it's really only just gonna be used against you as proof that you've done the wrong thing, whereas if you ignore it, no one can say you did it. So it's like I hate that. I think that's a sign of things being broken. I think we should hold people accountable for the things they do or don't do, but this seems to be the last we'll discuss this. So this is great. I feel good about that until we hear more.

Speaker 4:
[24:42] Hey Katie, you want to segue?

Speaker 1:
[24:43] Yeah, what do we got? Oh good, always fun, always feel good stories to hit that World Cup date. You know what that means? It's time for a World Cup date. Really, I can pretty much tell you what these stories are going to be, just based off of general vibes, but let's hit them anyway. FIFA struggling to sell tickets for the US Openers. So a document that was dated April 10th that was distributed to local organizers revealed that only 40,934 tickets to the USA Paraguay game had been sold up to that point, April 10th. The match, which is June 12th at SoFi Stadium in LA, is being undersold by multiple other matches taking place in the same building, including Iran, New Zealand. That has sold more tickets than the USA Paraguay match. Am I saying it wrong, Paraguay?

Speaker 7:
[25:35] Chris, who are you favoring in that one?

Speaker 8:
[25:38] New Zealand. I actually don't know the world. I think Iran is probably much higher ranked than New Zealand to be honest.

Speaker 7:
[25:44] It seems like the two most obscure countries could possibly be playing in the World Cup.

Speaker 1:
[25:47] Except Iran isn't necessarily obscure at the moment.

Speaker 6:
[25:51] They were thinking about them quite a bit.

Speaker 7:
[25:55] As of right now, they're still scheduled to play.

Speaker 6:
[25:57] They have RSVP'ed, yes, for sure?

Speaker 1:
[26:00] Or is it a maybe and they're going to indicate closer to the day?

Speaker 7:
[26:04] They selected the salmon.

Speaker 1:
[26:06] That's crazy. Okay, the capacity of SoFi Stadium, 69,650 49ers fans, from my experience. The Athletic reports that fewer than 40,000 tickets have been purchased for the US final group stage match, which is against Turkey. And Bosnia, Switzerland has sold 47,000 tickets. What is this? Not like our team is very good. I haven't heard a lot about how good we are. Have you? I don't...

Speaker 7:
[26:41] So, are just international fans really just attacking this ticket market more aggressively than people who aren't traveling?

Speaker 1:
[26:45] Are the tickets cheaper for the games that don't involve the United States? I would guess that. I don't know if the people who sell things seem to be aware of this. It's a tough time out here financially for a lot of people. It seems like something maybe the people who are selling these tickets need to hear. Because I don't think it's not clocking to them that we're standing on business. Okay? There's no... It's not clocking to you? It's not clocking to you because front category A, do you remember what that is? It was that they were selling these tickets to people. People were trying to buy these great tickets and then the front of that section they thought they were buying tickets in has been separated into its own even higher tier called front category A. Those tickets went on sale this morning, Wednesday morning? Wednesday morning. It's FIFA's new premium category and they are selling the tickets. I thought this was a typo. I said, Hey Brady, you got a typo in the doc. We got to fix that before we go. And he said, No, no, it's real. $10,990 for a ticket. Yes, exactly. Over seven times higher than the initial December pricing for what we thought was that section of these games.

Speaker 7:
[28:01] Do you feel confident that that is the most elite ticket that they will sell? Because you know damn well if they just turned category one into front category one, then we're getting front category one plus premium at some point.

Speaker 1:
[28:15] Because if they go, if some idiot, let's see if some idiot will spend $10,900. I mean, that is $11,000. Tack the extra $10 on, you know they will at least in fees.

Speaker 6:
[28:25] So that's $11,000.

Speaker 1:
[28:28] And once they, if they get a critical mass of people to agree to that, they'll go, let's try 14. What are they gonna do?

Speaker 7:
[28:35] They're gonna call the idiot who paid to sit at the WrestleMania commentary desk to make that point.

Speaker 1:
[28:41] Every crypto billionaire, keep your eye on your inbox because FIFA is coming through with an offer. A giant baby, Gianni Infantino, sliding into your DMs to try to get you to send over, what is that? Eight Bitcoin now? I'm not keeping up with the market. Oh, he said something, Infantino defended the prices. Hold on, let me burp first. Can you make it fart while I burp? We'll just do it at the same time. Sorry, I went first. Gorgeous, that's the Casuals difference. He said, quote, the main and so far, the only revenue generating event for FIFA is the World Cup. Oh, you guys are being really mean.

Speaker 6:
[29:19] This is our only chance to make any money. And God forbid we try to girl boss our way to making a little bit more money.

Speaker 1:
[29:27] The World Cup take, I'm quoting him again. That wasn't him, that was me. The World Cup takes place one month every four years. So we, well, every two, every one, the Women's is the year after.

Speaker 7:
[29:41] Yeah, Women's is next year.

Speaker 6:
[29:42] You could use the Women's World Cup.

Speaker 1:
[29:44] But let's not get any ideas. The World Cup takes place one month every four years, so we generate money in one month. The 47 months until the next World Cup, we spend that money. Okay, that is pacing down.

Speaker 7:
[29:54] I don't know, figure out some shit to make some more money. Sell some cookies or something.

Speaker 1:
[29:57] Also, where does the money from the merch go? Does it go to like US soccer? Does it go to like the Federations instead? I guess next episode, we'll dig into the finances of FIFA. We'll be the ones to figure it out. We'll get to the bottom of it. They solved racism a little while ago and then they gave Donald Trump a Peace Prize. So clearly these guys are on the up and up. I think we just have to trust them. It's really hard to make money. The blindness to the Women's World Cup there is kind of infuriating. Although I would then be arguing that they should jack up the prices on the Women's World Cup. I don't think that's not actually how I feel.

Speaker 8:
[30:32] You're arguing that they should bring them down for the men's because they're making additional money for the women's anyway.

Speaker 1:
[30:36] It's just insane to come out here and say there's 47 months until the next World Cup. You stupid fucking monster. But OK. Good news. Can we end it on good news? Is there a positive sounding fart? No, but here you go. Philadelphia, Philly fans getting free rides home from World Cup games. They're helping fans get home safely and affordably after the games. Regular fares still apply when traveling to the matches. But free rides are for trips home. And you might be going, whoa, FIFA stepped up. Why only in Philly? Well, because it's not FIFA. Airbnb is doing it. Oh, it's a different company doing a smart thing. It is smart. It's a good PR move. It's a good whatever they call that. I learned that as a PR major where you like it's worth investing in this because the headlines it'll get you and the positive will it will buy you with. I mean, Philly fans, very smart. They swooped in and said, we'll pay for this. All six FIFA World Cup matches in Philadelphia will give them free rides home on the SEPTA Broad Street line. So love that. They can run full speed into a pole and eat horse poop to their hearts content on their way to a free. Remember that? Those were the same celebration, right? Isabella, somebody was running to catch a train after they won the Super Bowl against the Patriots and ran, smacked into, you know, in the subway when there's like poles of...

Speaker 4:
[31:58] Oh, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1:
[31:58] It just ran right full speed.

Speaker 4:
[31:59] I thought you were going to say they like fell into the poop.

Speaker 1:
[32:02] No, that was separate. Somebody else voluntarily ate a giant pile of horse poop. I don't think they completed the whole pile. Ah, I'm done. Clean Plate Club. That was just wild. Sports are mass psychosis. Let's continue. Other soccer news that isn't World Cup. No more farts, but I can't make any promises about perps. Leicester City, relegated again. Tough, tough. If you're wondering how long ago was it when Leicester City was the big talk of the town and they won in the Premier League. It was 10 years ago, their historic Premier League triumph. That really hurt, but I'd say that so often, we got to just breeze past it. They are now down to the third division. They've been relegated down. It's real heartbreaking. They were initially relegated to the 2nd division in 2023. Then they went back to the Premier League in 24, and then they suffered another relegation the following season, and then they've now dropped to the 3rd tier. This is like me during a stretch of college where I moved every six months. That's what that feels like spiritually to me, where it's like they are not ever just staying in the same league. They're constantly like, got to move, got to move back up, down, down, down, up, up.

Speaker 7:
[33:16] They went below Wrexham.

Speaker 1:
[33:17] Yeah, it's tough.

Speaker 7:
[33:19] Wrexham started in the god knows like 5th tier when Ryan Reynolds bought that team in Leicester City who had just won the Premier League.

Speaker 1:
[33:26] You got to also mention Rob Mack.

Speaker 7:
[33:28] With Rob Mack.

Speaker 1:
[33:29] Who now goes by Rob Mack even though his wife and children have the confusing to pronounce name, McElhaney, the reason he changed it. He was sick of people mispronouncing it. They took that name and then he changed his. Yeah, is Wrexham knocking on the door of Premier League yet?

Speaker 7:
[33:47] They're sixth in the table in the second tier. They would need to get up to third, I believe. I think third is promotion.

Speaker 6:
[33:56] Then is Tottenham in trouble of getting relegated? I thought I saw.

Speaker 1:
[34:00] I know we don't talk a lot of sock.

Speaker 7:
[34:02] I don't think they're not there.

Speaker 3:
[34:05] I don't think but they have a chance.

Speaker 8:
[34:07] I think they're now the betting favorites to be relegated.

Speaker 1:
[34:10] Not that we do betting favorites here in Casuals, but it is to inform the discussion we sometimes mention. Gambling odds. I don't think we toot our own horn enough about the no gambling on this podcast. I gotta start being louder about that. Note to self, Isabella send me a text, remind me. I will.

Speaker 8:
[34:23] They're currently 18th out of 20 teams in the EPL. Bottom three get relegated, so they are in the relegation zone at the moment.

Speaker 1:
[34:30] How many matches left? I'm asking you a lot, so if you don't have it there, that's okay.

Speaker 8:
[34:35] We've played 33, let's see.

Speaker 1:
[34:36] This is sock talk, where we talk a lot of sock.

Speaker 4:
[34:39] Sounds like ZockDock.

Speaker 1:
[34:41] Yeah, who don't sponsor this podcast, so break that out. While he's looking that up, shout out to the new NWSL franchise we're going to get in Columbus. $205 million, the NWSL awarded an expansion franchise to Columbus, Ohio and an ownership consortium? Yeah, it's a group of people throwing their money in a hat. Am I saying consortium or consortium? It is consortium. It's just an expensive word. It doesn't spend a lot of time in my mouth. Led by the Haslam Sports Group, so they're Flying J, right? That's where their money comes from, those truck stops.

Speaker 7:
[35:15] Flying J and trading for Deshaun Watson.

Speaker 1:
[35:17] That's right. All those smart decisions.

Speaker 8:
[35:20] By the way, five games left for Tottenham.

Speaker 1:
[35:22] Yikes. Best of luck to Spurs. I get so nervous whenever I talk about Tottenham because it's like hot spur. You're not allowed to say the, and they get real mad. Back to Columbus, Haslam Sports Group. The new Columbus-based team will play in 2028. It's a record $205 million expansion fee being paid for the team. Obviously, they own the Browns, the Crew, that's the, I assume... That's the MLS. That's the MMS, yeah. And they have a controlling interest in the Milwaukee Bucks, and they have invested in the WNBA. And they're joining, the Columbus team will join the NWSL alongside a team in Atlanta, which also will begin in 2028, and that will bring the NWSL up to 18 total teams. Exciting times across women's sports. We're gonna start the conversation about what Columbus should name its franchise. And I saw a bunch of ideas in here that I don't know if anyone's feeling excited about. Who wants to get us started on things that Columbus could name their franchise?

Speaker 7:
[36:25] Right now, I was hoping Chris would say it first. So I knew nothing about the city of Columbus. I started this exercise and was like, all right, Ohio State's there, and I think I'm done. Famous people from Columbus, Beverly D'Angelo, Josh Radner, Jack Nicklaus, Simone Biles, Macho Man Randy Savage, Dave Thomas from Wendy's, RJ D2, Guy Fieri, and RL Stine, which I think this is the perfect time to celebrate RL Stine.

Speaker 1:
[36:53] The Columbus Goosebumps?

Speaker 7:
[36:54] The Columbus Goosebumps.

Speaker 1:
[36:55] Who's turning that down?

Speaker 12:
[36:57] I like that.

Speaker 1:
[36:58] Who's saying no to that?

Speaker 7:
[36:59] The kids could be amazing.

Speaker 1:
[37:00] The font on the jersey, that could be sick.

Speaker 7:
[37:04] You start doing like theme kids also, you have like a piano lessons can be murder jersey.

Speaker 12:
[37:09] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[37:10] I kind of really like this.

Speaker 7:
[37:12] All right, Chris, top that.

Speaker 8:
[37:15] So I sort of got two suggestions, but they're going to be named after the same person, either the Columbus Mocs or the Columbus Jerries.

Speaker 1:
[37:23] What is he saying?

Speaker 8:
[37:24] Named after Jerry Mock.

Speaker 1:
[37:26] Oh.

Speaker 8:
[37:26] Mocs?

Speaker 1:
[37:26] Yeah.

Speaker 8:
[37:27] Named after Jerry Mock, M-O-C-K.

Speaker 1:
[37:30] Okay, M-O-C-K.

Speaker 8:
[37:31] The first woman to fly solo around the world. She began her journey in Columbus and the aircraft that she flew was nicknamed the Spirit of Columbus and it currently hangs in the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution.

Speaker 1:
[37:43] Damn, you looked that up and you were hoping to be able to name it what the plane was called and then you were like, well, the Washington Spirit already exists, unfortunately. So we have to go with the Mocs.

Speaker 8:
[37:52] But it just shows how ingrained that aircraft is with the city of Columbus. So if you call it the Columbus Mocs or the Columbus Jerries, if you call it the Columbus Mocs, it almost sounds like you're saying Columbus Smocks and they have a big art scene too. And so it could be a nod to arts mocks.

Speaker 1:
[38:07] And I appreciate the effort, Chris. I think you're doing a really good job. And you are an ally and that is noted. Unfortunately, the Jerries and the Mocs, I can't get behind it. It's not... Jerries, if I'm playing against them, I'd go, we're playing the geriatrics this week. I would be using it against them too easily.

Speaker 4:
[38:25] Fair call.

Speaker 1:
[38:26] Isabella, you got anything? Any ideas?

Speaker 4:
[38:27] I'm going to be so honest, guys, I don't. Like I really was thinking so hard. I was thinking so hard. I was like, what can this be? And I really don't know that's going to sound like exciting. Like the Discovery.

Speaker 1:
[38:41] Aren't they the Discovery City? Isn't that their nickname? So the Columbus Discovery?

Speaker 7:
[38:47] Doesn't have an S on the end. Kind of bothers me.

Speaker 1:
[38:49] Did you see the story?

Speaker 4:
[38:50] It'll be controversial though.

Speaker 1:
[38:52] What would be, Discovery?

Speaker 4:
[38:53] Yeah, like with the whole like, you know, Christopher Columbus, discovering, like, you know what I mean?

Speaker 1:
[38:59] I don't know if everybody else would immediately, oh, I guess, yeah, Columbus.

Speaker 4:
[39:02] Well, isn't it, isn't like the history of Columbus? No, you're right.

Speaker 1:
[39:06] You're right. I just wasn't. I was still thinking about RL Stine, if I'm honest.

Speaker 13:
[39:11] I think that's the best one, honestly.

Speaker 7:
[39:13] Oh, the mascot would just be the evil puppet. Oh, man.

Speaker 1:
[39:16] Yeah, the ventriloquist. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 8:
[39:20] I say take it once that further call it the Columbus Purple Peanut Butters for the, from my favorite Goosebumps book. What's Purple Peanut Butter? Are you aware of the Purple Peanut Butter? It was the Choose Your Own Adventure Goosebumps book.

Speaker 1:
[39:31] I remember that. I specifically, but I do not remember anything about Purple Peanut Butter. I just remember flipping the pages, seeing that I had chosen the wrong thing and I was dead, and then going like, no, I didn't choose that one. I was only kidding. No, I was checking to see what an idiot would have chosen, but that wasn't the choice. I wasn't locked. I didn't say final answer, Regis, that hasn't been locked in. All right, if you got any ideas, listeners, you know our email. Oh, I actually didn't say it today, did I? Not yet. Casuals with Katie Nolan at gmail.com, and then I'm not looking at it. 646-801-0043?

Speaker 7:
[40:07] Hell yeah.

Speaker 12:
[40:07] Let's go!

Speaker 7:
[40:08] And now you just forgot the radiophone number.

Speaker 1:
[40:11] Oh no.

Speaker 12:
[40:13] Oh no. It's a whack-a-mole. One thing down and the next thing goes.

Speaker 1:
[40:18] All right, so let's come up with a good name for them. Email us, call us, let us know. Speaking of emails and calls, as it is our second episode of the week, we're going to get into some of your emails and calls. But all of this has to wait because up next, you guys, it's Maria Sharapova.

Speaker 6:
[40:34] Isabella, it's no secret we've recorded it already.

Speaker 1:
[40:38] It just happened.

Speaker 4:
[40:39] Yeah.

Speaker 6:
[40:41] How are you feeling? You met Maria Sharapova.

Speaker 4:
[40:42] I know. It was so cool. I was so giddy the entire time.

Speaker 1:
[40:46] You did a really good job.

Speaker 4:
[40:47] Thank you.

Speaker 1:
[40:48] We made sure to get a picture. I actually think for the episode, for the picture, we should post you and her first, and then the second picture can be me and her. Is that cool with everybody? Thank you very much. So yeah, coming up next, we're going to take a quick break. Coming up next, five-time major champion, International Tennis Hall of Famer, and host of her own new podcast. She's a colleague now. She's in the space, Pretty Tough. It's Maria Sharapova. We're going to take a quick break, and when we come back, we'll be with her. Hey, it's time to do a little spring cleaning and update your underwear drawer. And when it comes to leveling up your intimates, the Fits Everybody collection from Skims is like nothing you've ever tried before. The Fits Everybody thong is so comfortable, you'll forget you're wearing anything at all. And the Fits Everybody Triangle Bralette is supportive and comfortable without making you feel suffocated. It's the kind of bra that will actually make you like wearing bras. Once you replace your bras and underwear with Skims, you will not be able to go back. I recently just got my Fits Everybody Triangle Bralette. Truly, it's that perfect bra to wear when you're at home, when you're relaxed, when you don't want to deal with underwire but you do still want to have a nice fit and to feel put together. Shop Skims' Fits Everybody collection at skims.com. And after you place your order, be sure to let them know that we sent you. Select Podcast in the survey and be sure to select our show Casuals in the drop down menu that follows. That's skims.com.

Speaker 6:
[42:18] Hey ladies, you tired of sunglasses ripping your hair out?

Speaker 1:
[42:21] I know I am. Meet Shady Ray's Tangle-Free Sunglasses, designed with smooth, no-snag nose pieces that glide through your hair. Not yank, not pull, and definitely not ruin your blowout. Throw them on your head, take them off mid-selfie or while you're chasing after your kid. No drama. They're lightweight, they're polarized, they're cute enough to wear with everything from a messy bun and athleisure to full glam brunch mode. And they're rated five stars by over 300,000 people because when something actually works, women talk about it. Plus, every pair is backed by lost and broken protection. Leave them at the beach, drop them in a parking lot, they will replace them. So upgrade your sunglasses and protect your hair. We've teamed up with Shady Rays here at Casuals to bring you an exclusive offer. Head to shadyrays.com and use code Casuals for 40 percent off two or more polarized sunglasses. Try for yourself the shades rated five stars by over 300,000 people. shadyrays.com. Use code Casuals. The road to the playoffs is here. Catch every NBA matchup on ESPN and every NHL showdown on ESPN and TNT with Sling. Sling is great. You customize a channel lineup and only pay for what actually gets watched. So no more wondering why random channels are there. No contracts, just flexibility. Choose a one-day pass starting at $4.99 for a big game, a seven-day pass for a playoff series, or you can go monthly for more. Pause anytime with no penalties and still enjoy over 600 free channels. You can even stream instantly on all devices at home or on the go with Sling. I know for me, what I love about Sling is that on my phone when I'm on the road, maybe in a green room that doesn't have any TV, I can watch on my phone and easily go between a hockey game that's on ESPN, and then I can switch over to an NBA matchup. So choose and customize your channel lineup or pause and watch for free. Sling lets you do that. Visit sling.com to learn more. When your company is growing fast, order fulfillment can make or break your success. ShipStation's intelligence-driven platform brings order management, rate shopping, inventory and returns, warehouse systems and comprehensive analytics all in one place, saving customers up to 15 hours per week on fulfillment. ShipStation compares rates across all major global carriers to find you the best shipping option on every order with discounts up to 90% off. Have negotiated carrier rates? Bring them. Keep your discounts, add ShipStation's automation and intelligent features. And you can set up time-saving automations with ShipStation, like picking the best carrier, printing labels in bulk and sending tracking updates. Try ShipStation free for 60 days with full access to all features, no credit card needed. Go to shipstation.com and use code CASUALS for 60 days for free. 60 days gives you plenty of time to see exactly how much time and money you're saving on every shipment. That's shipstation.com code CASUALS. shipstation.com code CASUALS. The problem with you, Maria Sharapova, is that there's so much I could ask you and there's so much to talk to you about.

Speaker 13:
[45:25] Well, let's get to it.

Speaker 1:
[45:25] We're going to dive right in. First thing I want to start with is that I believe we are members of an exclusive club.

Speaker 13:
[45:31] Which is what?

Speaker 1:
[45:32] Have you been engaged for a minute?

Speaker 13:
[45:33] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[45:34] Same.

Speaker 13:
[45:34] Not married?

Speaker 1:
[45:35] No.

Speaker 13:
[45:35] Yeah. How does it feel?

Speaker 1:
[45:37] So for me, it's like laziness. It's like not wanting to take that step to plan a wedding. But whenever I meet somebody else who's in the club, I have to ask what it's like for you. I don't know if you know this. We just lost a couple that was beloved in the forever engaged club was Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe. There seems to be some sort of a general thought that if you've been engaged for a long time, it's a bad sign and I think we got to break that stigma.

Speaker 13:
[46:01] Well, what about marriages?

Speaker 1:
[46:04] What a great point. What a fantastic point. Counterpoint marriages.

Speaker 13:
[46:11] Did you plan any of the wedding? No.

Speaker 1:
[46:13] Oh, you were 2020. That's why.

Speaker 13:
[46:14] Exactly.

Speaker 1:
[46:16] If that had happened to me, I would never plan it.

Speaker 13:
[46:18] We had a location. We had a plan in place and then we had a child and that is a wedding. Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[46:26] That kind of speeds up the process.

Speaker 13:
[46:27] Although I do call him my husband.

Speaker 1:
[46:30] Yeah, I kind of do too.

Speaker 13:
[46:32] And everyone gets very confused. They're like, did we not get an invite to the wedding?

Speaker 1:
[46:35] 100, exact same. They'll go like, why does this article say he's your husband? First of all, it's not a real article. Second of all, it's just I'm trying to not let myself do that because then I know I'll never get married. Are you going to eventually do it or you just don't care?

Speaker 13:
[46:49] We talk about it once in a while, but we just have not made the plan to.

Speaker 1:
[46:52] Yeah. Honestly, if I had started planning it.

Speaker 13:
[46:54] Do you have children?

Speaker 1:
[46:55] No. And we're not gonna, so it's not in the plan. So we're not really, that's, I think, the thing.

Speaker 13:
[46:59] I don't think you have an excuse, then.

Speaker 1:
[47:01] I know. I know.

Speaker 5:
[47:03] It's just so much.

Speaker 13:
[47:04] Not that my child is.

Speaker 1:
[47:05] It's just, no, I mean, that is, your child is a beautiful blessing, but also a good excuse to not ever have to get married.

Speaker 5:
[47:11] Yeah.

Speaker 13:
[47:12] After a certain point.

Speaker 14:
[47:13] Yeah. All right.

Speaker 1:
[47:14] Well, if you do do it, will you let me know? And then I can just piggyback off of your plan.

Speaker 13:
[47:18] Off of the expenses.

Speaker 1:
[47:19] Yes, please.

Speaker 13:
[47:20] Please. We can show the dress.

Speaker 1:
[47:22] Yeah.

Speaker 13:
[47:23] And the venue.

Speaker 1:
[47:24] I'm doing my first.

Speaker 13:
[47:25] And the tent.

Speaker 1:
[47:25] I'm trying on dresses this weekend. I've been engaged since 2022, I think. Oh, so it's been a long time. Well, I need to start. I don't know where to start.

Speaker 13:
[47:36] Not the dress.

Speaker 1:
[47:36] Well, that's where I'm starting. I was like, at least I know how to put a dress on. So that's where I'll start.

Speaker 15:
[47:41] It's the booking of the venue.

Speaker 13:
[47:42] What do I know? What do I know? I've never done it before.

Speaker 1:
[47:44] I'll let you know what I learned this weekend. How about that? Um, it's so cool that you're here. I feel like I can't stop saying that to you. You've got a new podcast coming out.

Speaker 13:
[47:53] I do. I'm in your space. I love it.

Speaker 1:
[47:56] I know. Are you excited to be a podcast host?

Speaker 13:
[47:59] I'm excited about this. You know, it's work. It's a business. It's what started as a concept and an idea has turned into a thing. And I'm pouring a lot of time and love into it. And I've, you know, I'm on the other side of asking questions. Like I used to be interviewed for a majority of my career. And it's a different, you know, I've had to unlearn and learn again. And I love the preparation. I love the people I've spoken to. We just launched with Zoe Saldana. I've loved its women to women conversation. The name is Pretty Tough. And it's the juxtaposition between being gritty and leading, not apologizing for it, but also being motherly and soft and elegant and vulnerable and not having to choose one or the other.

Speaker 1:
[48:46] That's amazing. The line that stood out to me in the description I saw was, it challenges how female ambition is defined and discussed. And I mean, you are no stranger to how female ambition is defined and discussed. And also as an athlete, no stranger for setting goals for yourself and hitting them. I wonder, with this podcast, what is your main goal?

Speaker 13:
[49:08] Well, Pretty Tough is about a steely mentality. It's about a mentality and choosing to have that as part of your lifestyle, as someone that goes through a very busy life of being a mother, an entrepreneur, and traveling all over the world, and having a lot of important responsibilities. You don't have to choose one or the other, and you don't have to be 100 percent at each, right? It's finding your own personal balance of that. But also understanding that, I mean, I come from, I mean, I was an athlete for over 20 years of my life, and now interviewing individuals in different walks of life that have had high-performing individuals in art and actresses and musicians and business leaders, league owners, and understanding, like we know they got there. But what is the story? What is the reality? What is the honest conversations? Because being an athlete, everything's on the line. It's pretty gritty. It's really sweaty. It's really honest. It's very vulnerable. I leaned into that for so long, for so much of my career. And now, I want to share the stories of individuals like a Genie Bus, like a Willow Bay, like incredible women that have gone to the peak of their careers. But I want to know what's behind the curtain, how they did it.

Speaker 1:
[50:29] It feels like an important time for something like that, too. I don't know how much into, like, how online you are as a person.

Speaker 13:
[50:36] I'm not online. Yeah. I think, look, I've lived it. I, from a young age, people ask me why Pretty Tough. And I say, well, from a young age, I was known for my fist pump. And the fist pump was quite aggressive for a few people. Like, it didn't go, you know, people wanted to kind of filter that version of me because it was tough. Like, I, and I honestly didn't apologize for it, you know, because I knew I had to be focused and I had to be determined. And the person across the net was getting in a way of a victory and a trophy. And, and I was really honest about it. But equally, I wanted to be appreciated for other aspects and other things that I thought I was good at and being in a boardroom and being in a business meeting and making important decisions, you know, working on a Nike contract, working with incredible brand partners. So I, I didn't always feel like I had the space and the breadth. People didn't really allow that. And, and as I speak to my friends now, to mothers, I feel like business leaders, they feel very much the same way.

Speaker 1:
[51:45] Yeah. It's like watching the growth of women's sports and seeing a lot of people be introduced to women's sports, new fans coming in every day across various sports. One thing that stands out to me is how strange people are about competitiveness in women. It just feels like they want to watch all the girls be friends. They want to tune in and have all the gals be nice to each other and braid each other's hair. And as soon as you see the competitive fierceness come out, they get very... protective isn't the word because protective feels kind. It's almost like... have you noticed this at all? That people just don't like when women compete. They go like, oh, well, that's not right. Everybody should be kind to each other. And I just feel like you've always kind of stood in opposition to that, as you should, because sports aren't about everybody getting along and holding hands all the time. They get competitive and intense. And I like that you've always sort of represented a woman that is both a woman in all of the ways that we think of, and you embody your femininity. But you're also like, yeah, I'm here to beat you.

Speaker 13:
[52:48] Yeah. Well, I think I stood up for what I believed in and I was tough and I was gritty and I wanted to win, you know, and I certainly didn't apologize for it. Yeah. I mean, you see it across women in board rooms, women in sport, women, you know, fighting for equality. Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[53:06] All the time. Let's start at the beginning because you turned pro at 14, which Maria, can I be honest? That is so insane to me. Your 14th birthday, you were like, I think I watched, my 14th birthday was probably like, Spice World came out and I went to a movie theater.

Speaker 13:
[53:24] I know it probably sounds like I played every single week but there was a limitation to how much. I think I played like seven tournaments in the year. But yeah, that was like officially.

Speaker 1:
[53:33] Yeah.

Speaker 13:
[53:34] How was that your 14th birthday? I end up playing, I don't remember that. I remember the tournament. I remember it was in a small town in Florida and I just, my father drove me up to the tournament. He was my coach and was my coach till I was 21 years old. And I don't remember how I did, but I do remember like it was official because you're like that's your first match as a professional. Yeah, you're in the big leagues.

Speaker 1:
[53:58] I mean at the age of 14, what is it like to start on a journey like that? How much of that are you conscious of, of like, whoa, my life's about to start happening. And how much of it is like the average 14 year old can go, I can relate to the fact that you maybe didn't even have that much awareness at the time of what was the scope of what was happening in your life.

Speaker 13:
[54:20] Yeah, I, I had, you know, I was an only child. I start with that because that was, it was important because my father was my coach for many years and my mother had nothing to do with sport. And so I think she kept me, she kept me normal in a way that education was really important to her. So when I'd come from training at home, I had a very normal home. It wasn't like I was studying tapes at 13 years old or doing, you know, something out of like when I come on the court, I'd work hard and I dedicated my time to the sport. But away from tennis, I was a normal girl and I had friends. And I know when you think of like a young prodigy, you think it's like 24-7. And I guess you're always thinking about it because it is your life and so much of everything you do revolves around tennis. But like I did boxing, you know, because I loved it. I did gymnastics. So I did all these different activities that kept me entertained and I studied and I studied art and, you know, I finished all. I finished high school online. So yeah, I did as much as I could away from the court to be somewhat normal.

Speaker 1:
[55:27] Yeah. And social media at that time, there wasn't much of it. Yeah, we're the same age. So I feel like 14 was when I was probably dialing up to like AOL.

Speaker 13:
[55:38] I was dialing up at my grandparents' house.

Speaker 1:
[55:40] Yeah. And you're kind of like at this fascinating time of being a famous athlete as social media is kind of coming into play. Over the course of your career, like how did it, was it a major factor for you? Because I don't, at a certain age, I assume is when you started being able to go on and see what everybody was saying. But at that point, you might have been so firmly rooted and you weren't checking for that.

Speaker 13:
[56:06] No, I remember when I first heard about it was my manager came up to me. We were having a meeting and he said, I want to start a Facebook page for you. I was like, What? A what? A what? He said, Will you just let me start it and I'll post some photos from tournaments and all that. I was like, Yeah, okay, sure. Little by little, I remember just getting a little more comfortable with each event and sharing more. Because I was so in the zone. When I played, I had horse blinders on. The definition of a fan didn't really resonate with me until I was a little bit older, probably like in my early 20s, where I understood how special a fan is. Just one, one by one. They'd wake up in the middle of the night. The way that I found out was through social media. I was very unaware that there are people that love what you do and that are admirers of you, and that wake there on the other side of the world, and they will follow your every word, your every step, your every move. And with social media, I started recognizing it. So that was the biggest gift for me, because the more that I saw that they engaged with my career, the more I wanted to give back to them, and the more comfortable I became. Huh.

Speaker 1:
[57:28] That's really fascinating. You were so locked in.

Speaker 13:
[57:31] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[57:31] You weren't like participating in fan culture of other. Were you a boy band girl?

Speaker 13:
[57:37] Well, at one point, I remember I had a really good friend, her name was Liberty, and we exchanged CDs during one Christmas.

Speaker 1:
[57:45] That's what music used to be on kids. I don't know if they know.

Speaker 13:
[57:48] And I gave her the NSYNC CD. She gave me the Backstreet Boys CD. Yep.

Speaker 12:
[57:53] I was an NSYNC girl.

Speaker 13:
[57:55] Yeah. I mean, I like them both. Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[57:57] I think we all do. It's not like I was going to not let them play my birthday party.

Speaker 13:
[58:01] I love the Spice Girls more than any of them. Same.

Speaker 1:
[58:04] I loved the Spice Girls.

Speaker 13:
[58:05] But in that particular moment, we exchanged those two CDs.

Speaker 1:
[58:08] And that is the mark of true friendship. True friendship.

Speaker 13:
[58:11] Same price.

Speaker 1:
[58:14] Yeah. What were they, like 1299 back then? So speaking of friendship, I feel like throughout your career, there was criticism that the media seemed to have for you about friendship, about that you didn't have a lot of friends amongst tennis players. Where do you stand on that narrative now with the perspective that you have, having retired, looking back at your career? Why do you think that was such a sticking point for some people? And how do you feel about it?

Speaker 13:
[58:45] Yeah. I think it was a sticking point because I was quite honest about it. Like my, the stadium and the arena, that was my office. Like that, anyone that was across the net was getting in the way of a trophy. And I didn't have that side of me that could go and have dinner with someone that I would play a Grand Slam final with. I knew that whoever I'm competing with, I wanted to beat. And so I think that's part of the reason why that, that, yeah, they said that.

Speaker 1:
[59:20] It's harder to beat your friends, theoretically.

Speaker 13:
[59:22] Yeah. And I just wouldn't play that well.

Speaker 12:
[59:25] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[59:26] It would like cross your wires a little.

Speaker 13:
[59:28] Yeah. You're like, well, why would I want to beat my friend?

Speaker 12:
[59:30] Yeah.

Speaker 13:
[59:30] We're friendly.

Speaker 1:
[59:31] Right. And like, I know some people are different. Other people are probably able to do that.

Speaker 13:
[59:35] I know many people that can do that, and they're able to have that boundary. I just, I couldn't. It's the same even with going to events, or having brand partnerships. Like, I couldn't be in that world. I couldn't go to this event with hundreds of people, and then the next day away from the courts, and then the next day go and play tournament. Like, I had to cut the line at some point. Like, there's certainly guardrails in place.

Speaker 1:
[60:04] Yeah, which is your job as an athlete, is to protect whatever you need to be in for this mindset to get out there and do what you do. And what you do is play amazing tennis. For anybody who doesn't know, 2004...

Speaker 13:
[60:16] Not anymore.

Speaker 1:
[60:17] Well, yeah, I bet you still would be pretty good at it.

Speaker 13:
[60:20] You'd probably beat me.

Speaker 1:
[60:23] In 2004, this was sort of the big first arrival, would you say, the Wimbledon win over Serena Williams. Just an incredible... You were how old for this?

Speaker 13:
[60:34] 17.

Speaker 1:
[60:35] Unbelievable.

Speaker 13:
[60:37] Thank you.

Speaker 1:
[60:37] To even fathom at 17. To be in such a huge... With so many eyeballs on you, so much attention and so much pressure. How the hell, respectfully, does a 17-year-old walk into that situation and come out on top?

Speaker 13:
[60:56] Well, I think I was fearless. I look back to that moment and it really... It doesn't... It resonates so much now than it ever did because I think I have now being retired for a few years and just having a zoomed out version and seeing... You know how when you're in something, you just... You don't really notice the details. Even like coming off of one match, you know, your coach says one thing, you're like, really? But I was in there. I didn't, you know, I didn't feel that. I didn't do that. And then you watch the tape and you're like, you know, they were right. And I look back at that moment and I didn't care where I was. I could have been on court number 18, you know, in Kentucky where I played one of my first junior tournaments. But I wasn't. I was on center court at Wimbledon and I was playing defending champion, a multi Grand Slam champion, Serena Williams. And it didn't faze me. And I think it's hard with today's world where there's constant opinion of how you do it, who you are, what you do. I didn't give a crap about any of that. I loved what I did. I love performing. I love competing and I love getting better. The idea that even as a young girl, like I loved every week you'd play junior tournament every weekend. And one day you'd lose to this person and then the next week you have to play them again. And when I beat them the next week, it was like a huge victory. Because I was like, I got better, I improved. And that mentality is what won me my first Grand Slam. It's what I think brought every Grand Slam, is that this element of fearlessness and going against all odds and I mean, back to what the podcast is about and why I created it. It's like I lived the identity of being pretty tough, like for any champion. It's impossible not to be tough, right? In a sporting world. Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[62:56] This obviously sort of kicked off a storyline people loved to follow, which was your relationship with Serena.

Speaker 13:
[63:03] Yes.

Speaker 1:
[63:05] So many.

Speaker 13:
[63:05] Which has a great ending.

Speaker 1:
[63:06] Yes. And a kind of like a surprise and fun ending.

Speaker 13:
[63:09] Yeah, we love a surprise.

Speaker 1:
[63:11] It was such a fun little twist. So much has been written and spoken and discussed about this relationship between the two of you. How would you best describe how it started, how it evolved, and where it stands now?

Speaker 13:
[63:31] Well, we were the greatest of competitors. I think if anyone asks like who is a tennis player, who is the greatest competitor in for years, I think Serena and I would be at the top of that list. And we didn't like to lose, whether it was against each other or anyone else, but especially against each other because we fought for the same titles, we fought for the same grand slams. You know, I at the biggest stage of her career and at the biggest stage of mine, you know, I won that match in London, and that was a tough match to lose, right, for her. And I think in some ways she was like, well, I'm going to step it up. And boy, did she, you know, every time that we played, she was so strong and so focused and played incredible tennis, as she always does. But there was another element of performance when we played against each other. So we went from having like the toughest, some of my biggest victories, some of the toughest losses, to acknowledging that at the end of the day, we have so much respect for each other. This like ultimate respect for a champion, right? For carrying a lot. I mean, every tournament internationally, every single event, showing up and not just playing, doing all the things, the responsibilities that comes with being an athlete. We had a lot on our backs for so many years. I think we always respected each other. But when we hung up the racket, I think we really recognized that we did this together. So when I got a chance, when the Hall of Fame asked me, is there someone that you would like to introduce you at the ceremony? Her name is the first name that came up. There's no one else. Now, whether she'd say yes or no is a whole other thing.

Speaker 1:
[65:35] Did you have to give yourself a pep talk to have that conversation with her? Or is it you that makes that call?

Speaker 13:
[65:41] Yeah, I called her. Yeah. We were in touch. So yeah, I sent her a note and I asked her and we spoke for over an hour and didn't even touch upon the Hall of Fame until the last. I was like, oh, wait, by the way. By the way, the reason I called. The reason I called. And then you realize, we spoke about children, we spoke about the way we're bringing up our girls. Because the way we grew up was very different. And I mean, our fathers have a very similar trajectory of doing everything, sacrificing so much for their daughters. So there's just so much common ground and respect. And yeah, that moment when she came on stage, I think was a surprise for everyone, even for my father, he didn't know.

Speaker 1:
[66:25] No way.

Speaker 13:
[66:26] Yeah, nobody knew, yeah.

Speaker 1:
[66:28] Wait, I love that.

Speaker 2:
[66:30] That's amazing.

Speaker 5:
[66:31] Why does anyone have to know?

Speaker 1:
[66:32] That's amazing. How do you keep a secret like that?

Speaker 13:
[66:37] You don't talk about it.

Speaker 12:
[66:38] Yeah, that is the key.

Speaker 1:
[66:39] That's where I keep screwing up. That's the part I keep forgetting. I'm over here just yapping all the time.

Speaker 13:
[66:44] That's why you have a podcast and you're good at your job.

Speaker 1:
[66:47] I guess. It was such a shock that I feel like, didn't she even forget to give you the-

Speaker 13:
[66:53] The trophy? Yeah, she didn't want to give me the trophy.

Speaker 1:
[66:58] But it is part of it.

Speaker 12:
[66:59] You do have to give it.

Speaker 13:
[67:00] The oohs and aahs when she walked out.

Speaker 1:
[67:02] I mean, people were like, gasp, something has happened.

Speaker 13:
[67:06] I don't want to see the stage. I want to see the crowd. There was a bird's-eye view and I was like, that is my favorite video of everyone. It's absolutely amazing. Just like everyone turning to each other and being like, what?

Speaker 1:
[67:17] It's amazing. It's nice to hear that the evolution of the relationship is that on the other side of it, you both can see with clearer eyes now how similar and how much of your life has been mirrored in each other's lives and etc. You guys are still friends?

Speaker 13:
[67:36] Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[67:37] That's good.

Speaker 13:
[67:38] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[67:39] Checkmarking, checking in, just to make sure. Look, one of the most fascinating things about tennis to me, as a person who struggles the most with, it was always a mental for me. Like I played softball in high school. Please, we're not talking about me. But just to set up this question, the struggle for me was always locking in. You are the literal opposite of that. Your ability to lock in, and correct me if I'm wrong, your ability to lock in seems to be like one of your biggest strengths is that you can sort of silence the noise and focus. And for tennis in general, I feel like that is crucial. Because more than most any other sport, it's just you alone, I know there's doubles, but for the sake of that, it's you by yourself, it's on a stage with a ton of people around you, but everybody's quiet and looking at you. And you're facing just you and the enemy. And there's like no, like teammate, there's no, I know the rules for interacting with your coach have changed in recent years.

Speaker 13:
[68:42] There's more of that now.

Speaker 1:
[68:43] But there is still barely any. And it just, how could you possibly mentally deal, how do you deal with that type of pressure?

Speaker 13:
[68:53] Well, it started in 2004, and I made it to the finals right before the final of Wimbledon. My coach came up to me because he was just noticing how many people would come in for a photo and an autograph, and they wanted to talk to me. And I mean, it was all new for us. Like, this is an entirely new experience. And he was kind of like, within a few minutes, he's like sick of it. And he comes over and, you know, I have a big final ahead of me. And he's like, from now on, you put on those horse blinders, and you don't see left or right, you just look straight ahead. And I felt like, and I felt like from that moment, I will never forget those words. Because that's what was required to not lose sight of the goal. Like as much as, you know, with more things you achieve, the more opportunities you get and the more distractions you have. And sometimes they're healthy distractions, and other times they're just taking you away from a bigger goal. And more so than not. And now, I mean, look at, you know, young athletes now. So I felt like I look back to that and I always remember it. When I felt a little out of place, when I felt like my head was, you know, a little too big. When I was doing a little too much away from the courts. And, you know, I had to dial it back in. And I just thought of those scores blinders. Because at the end of the day, like nothing gave me more satisfaction than like getting in bed after a really long training day. When you've given everything you could possibly give from your body and from your mind. And you're so exhausted, you're so depleted. But you're so proud of what you did. You gave everything you had. And that gave me more satisfaction than, than any photo shoot, than any appearance, than any event. And so I always thought of that, you know, I always went back to that feeling. That's what I'm most proud of.

Speaker 1:
[70:52] Did you ever have moments, do you have any like advice for anyone who's spiraling in like a negative self-talk? Because my thought is like, if that were me alone on a tennis court and one of those crept in, one of those like, they're right about you. You don't have it.

Speaker 13:
[71:09] But you see, it always goes back to other people.

Speaker 12:
[71:12] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[71:13] So that's the key.

Speaker 13:
[71:13] You see the things you reference is like, they, they, she, he, you know, my parents, my, it's not about them.

Speaker 12:
[71:20] Yeah.

Speaker 13:
[71:21] It's about you.

Speaker 1:
[71:22] Damn, you did that with ease. The way you just were like, it's, that's the issue. Yeah.

Speaker 13:
[71:26] It's always about other people.

Speaker 1:
[71:28] Yeah.

Speaker 13:
[71:29] Someone asked me to write down like a message to my younger self and I said, follow your instinct. Like your instinct most of the time is correct. Don't hesitate. Just make a decision, move on with it. And if there, and if it's the wrong one, you'll figure it out. But it's your mistake. You know, it's not, not anyone else's and you can't use that as an excuse.

Speaker 1:
[71:52] Damn.

Speaker 13:
[71:56] Did that feel a little bit like therapy? Uh-huh.

Speaker 1:
[71:58] A little bit.

Speaker 6:
[71:59] That really did work.

Speaker 1:
[72:00] Thank you very much for that.

Speaker 13:
[72:02] I mean, your posture really changed.

Speaker 1:
[72:03] I feel like I've got to get my shit together now. That was the best speech I've ever gotten.

Speaker 5:
[72:09] You mentioned before-

Speaker 13:
[72:10] Where do we go from here?

Speaker 1:
[72:12] We'll see. I mean, nowhere to go but up. You talked before about when your dad was your coach.

Speaker 5:
[72:17] Yes.

Speaker 1:
[72:19] And that when you were 21, your dad was no longer your coach. Is that a tough conversation? Not at all. No.

Speaker 13:
[72:26] Oh, with my dad?

Speaker 1:
[72:27] Yeah. Did you have to say like, hey dad, it's not working?

Speaker 13:
[72:31] No, it actually was working. I won my third Grand Slam.

Speaker 1:
[72:35] Yeah.

Speaker 13:
[72:37] And I knew that he was on this journey with me from when I was a young girl, and he was my coach for so many years, and he continued to be. But I just, I wanted to fly, and I wanted to show him that I could do it on my own. And I won my third Grand Slam, and that's not usually when you fire a team that's helped you get you to the peak of your career. And that was some of the best tennis that I played, but I was ready. I was ready to make, to do it on my own. Not on my own. I still, I had a phenomenal team, and he very much was part of that team, but just not at every match and not at every tournament.

Speaker 1:
[73:15] And he took that well.

Speaker 13:
[73:16] Yeah, he was actually quite happy. He's like, I can ski now and I can hike, and yeah, he's on a permanent vacation.

Speaker 1:
[73:23] He's like, I can live my life. This is exciting.

Speaker 13:
[73:25] While I'm still following her life.

Speaker 1:
[73:27] Yes, I mean, of course. There's no way any dad coach, even when they're not your coach anymore, they're still gonna be like, you noticed that thing you were doing with your wrist?

Speaker 13:
[73:35] And thank goodness. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1:
[73:38] You know, you weren't just an incredible tennis player. You also managed to have, and you sort of alluded to this before, like business interests that you participated in outside of. I remember one of the first things was that you were like an early investor in Supergoop.

Speaker 13:
[73:52] Yes.

Speaker 1:
[73:52] That amazing sunscreen. And it just, I keep, and then there was Sugarpova, which was the candy, which I know a lot of people were like, an athlete, candy.

Speaker 13:
[74:01] Yep, yep.

Speaker 1:
[74:02] And I was like, I think it makes sense, because you've got to.

Speaker 13:
[74:04] I love candy.

Speaker 1:
[74:04] You gotta treat yourself.

Speaker 13:
[74:05] I still eat candy.

Speaker 1:
[74:06] Yeah, athletes don't go, people always act so shocked when they're like, what? That guy eats McDonald's after a basketball game? And you're like, yeah, they need, you still are human.

Speaker 13:
[74:15] Yeah, you have to find your own personal balance.

Speaker 1:
[74:18] Exactly.

Speaker 13:
[74:19] Yeah. For me, it was sweets. I have a-

Speaker 1:
[74:21] You still got a sweet.

Speaker 13:
[74:22] I love sweets.

Speaker 1:
[74:23] What's your favorite candy?

Speaker 13:
[74:25] I love everything.

Speaker 1:
[74:26] Yeah, all of it.

Speaker 13:
[74:27] It's kind of-

Speaker 1:
[74:28] You don't turn any of it down.

Speaker 13:
[74:29] No, it's a problem. Liquorice? I just had a birthday and I was like- Oh, that's right. Happy birthday. How did I not start with that? I love cake.

Speaker 1:
[74:37] What kind of cake did you have?

Speaker 13:
[74:39] Well, it was kind of a disaster because I thought I was getting carrot cake because we love this particular bakery. And the cake comes and it is not a carrot cake. So I think I got someone else's cake. What was it?

Speaker 1:
[74:55] So you don't even know?

Speaker 13:
[74:56] It was vanilla. Oh. Yeah, no.

Speaker 1:
[74:58] So a little boring, but still good.

Speaker 13:
[75:01] It was a great lunch and the food was great, but it was not the cake that I had asked for.

Speaker 1:
[75:06] Vanilla with vanilla frosting or with chocolate frosting?

Speaker 13:
[75:08] No, it was vanilla.

Speaker 1:
[75:09] I mean, wow.

Speaker 13:
[75:10] Yeah, it was too vanilla.

Speaker 1:
[75:11] Yeah. Damn. It didn't really ruin the whole birthday, you said? That's what you just said? Is that it ruined your entire birthday?

Speaker 13:
[75:16] I did not say that. You did.

Speaker 1:
[75:19] Why was it important to you to have other, I don't know, like business ventures outside of tennis? And how did you choose which ones to take and which ones to pass on?

Speaker 13:
[75:30] Well, I recognize from an early age that as a female athlete, your time will come and it will come much sooner than if you were another profession. Right? If you're a business leader or an artist, you have many more years than a female athlete, whether it is because you no longer want to do it, whether your body gives up or because you want to start a family. Like there is a finish line that's a lot sooner than for other women. And in my early 20s, when I started making a little more money and felt more financially comfortable, where I could take chances with money and I could invest in things that didn't require that immediate return of investment, I started taking a few bets on people and companies that I was impressed with and Supergoop was one of them.

Speaker 1:
[76:20] Yeah. It feels like it was stuff that you interacted with as a consumer, which is really helpful in these situations. I feel like it's something you believed in because you used it.

Speaker 13:
[76:29] It's also somewhat of a philosophy that I followed ever since. I want to be a consumer myself, but equally I want to send it to my mom and my friends, and I want them to give me their feedback. Most of the time I do. My last investment is in a gummy supplement called Amulet, and it is lactoferrin with creatine, and I sent it to about 15, 20 of my friends, and I said, here's a survey, fill it out at the end, and I had incredible feedback. I was like, it's either me, but I love this product. I have it every day, and that's how I invested, because I recognized that you can be 20 years old, 45, 50, and it works for you.

Speaker 1:
[77:15] Not just business too, you had a reputation for being a style icon. Does that feel right to you? Does that sit well with your spirit? Ever since that little black dress, I feel like we've been talking about you as a...

Speaker 13:
[77:28] I don't know about spirit. I think it was a... I mean, tennis is one of the few sports where you can, if you have a sponsor and a brand that's able, that you're able to work with and has flexibility on creating looks for you, which I did with Nike. I mean, I had to earn my... I had to earn their trust. I had to win a few things before I got a custom look. Then it turns into something like is an extension of yourself and the look that you want to, I guess, showcase. But ultimately, it wasn't about showing something that's loud or... I don't know. It wasn't really about making noise. It was about anything that I wore was like my armor. It was like my uniform. And when I'm on the court, you do play better when you're wearing something that feels... in which you're confident and you're comfortable and you know that each seam is in the right place and each cutout is where it needs to be and the material is just effortless, right? Like it's just second skin. Yeah, so that's the feeling that I loved. I mean, I did love putting it on the locker room and everyone's like, great dress.

Speaker 1:
[78:43] Wow. And everyone said, wow. Also, this was fun. In my prep for this, I realized that you...

Speaker 13:
[78:49] There was prep?

Speaker 1:
[78:50] Yeah.

Speaker 5:
[78:51] What?

Speaker 1:
[78:51] Does it not feel like it?

Speaker 13:
[78:52] No, it's...

Speaker 5:
[78:53] Is this bad?

Speaker 1:
[78:54] Am I doing a bad job?

Speaker 13:
[78:55] No, I want to learn from you. I want to learn how you do your prep.

Speaker 1:
[78:59] This, I was just reading random stuff, anything I could find with your name on it. And I saw that you designed... At some point, you were doing designs for Cole Hawn.

Speaker 13:
[79:07] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[79:07] And that the shoe, I think it's a ballet flat, that you designed is one of their best selling articles to this day.

Speaker 13:
[79:16] Yes.

Speaker 1:
[79:17] How crazy is that?

Speaker 13:
[79:18] Well, that came about because Cole Hawn was owned by Nike. And I wanted to branch out. And when you're a Nike athlete, there's not a lot of other brand partnership you can have because of the deals that you have. They, well, I wouldn't go there. But there's certain limitations to what you can do. And because it was a Nike owned brand, they allowed me to create this line and this ballet flat ended up being one of their best selling skews.

Speaker 1:
[79:45] It's awesome. I'm actually going to get one if I still can.

Speaker 13:
[79:50] I might be on eBay.

Speaker 1:
[79:51] You mentioned, I'll find it. I'll track it down. That'll be my post-trap.

Speaker 13:
[79:54] I mean, you went on a rabbit hole of prep.

Speaker 1:
[79:56] I've got it all. I truly, if there's anything about you, you forget I have it in here.

Speaker 13:
[79:59] Oh, goodness.

Speaker 1:
[80:01] I want to talk about retirement. A lot of athletes, when they retire, it's a common theme we hear about, filling the hole that tennis used to fill. It was so much of your life. Like we said, you've been doing it since you were young. I think four was when you picked up a tennis racket. And so once you retired, what has filled that hole now in you? Where do you find that you can put the Maria Sharapova that was molded by this sport, this competitive, this fierce, this horse blinders, where does she show up now that you've retired from professional tennis?

Speaker 13:
[80:41] Well, it's hard to have horse blinders on for all of your life, right? Because tennis was very specific and it required it because as we spoke, you're this individual in this huge arena with millions of eyeballs. So even though the sport was a huge part of my identity, it wasn't me, like the attributes of it, like the adjectives, the fierceness, the competitiveness, that was... Funny, when I used to travel and you filled out those forms, like you're like, welcome to Australia, here's... What's your profession? I used to always write athlete. And I felt so proud writing that I am an athlete because it's like, that's who I am. And when you retire and you have to fill out those forms, but I still do it because the identity of that, it's a mentality. It's like, of course, there was, it was, I showcased that mentality and I had a platform to showcase in the arena. But it was like a spirit inside. And that doesn't go away. Like that, of course. And it's brought me, I know, I've always had a healthy relationship with understanding that this is not your entire life. And I think that's why I was, thank goodness that I was smart enough at a young age to recognize that you're going to have to, you might get injured. And I did. I had several surgeries on my shoulder. I had several opportunities where I could have just said, you know what, this is the end. And it may have come sooner than I wanted to. So I was always preparing, always getting ready, always, you know, educating myself, taking internships. You know, I remember going into Adam Silver's office and shadowing him for several days. And everyone's like, what is she doing here? And at the end of the day, learning. I mean, that's the beauty of who we are. It's like trying to get better. And now as a mother, I mean, every day, for better or worse, I get to learn about my son, about myself, and applying, I mean, many of the lessons, the patience.

Speaker 1:
[83:04] The patience I hear is huge.

Speaker 13:
[83:05] The patience. The perseverance.

Speaker 1:
[83:09] Speaking of which, he turns four this summer. Has he picked up a tennis racket?

Speaker 13:
[83:15] Yeah, he's not showing much interest.

Speaker 4:
[83:18] No.

Speaker 1:
[83:18] And that's fine.

Speaker 13:
[83:19] Totally.

Speaker 1:
[83:19] He's on his own journey. What's your approach to that? Are you going to just sort of softly nudge towards any type of sport in particular, or maybe tennis specifically? Or are you sort of just letting him decide?

Speaker 13:
[83:32] I don't know if softly is a word you can associate with.

Speaker 1:
[83:35] Yeah, true.

Speaker 13:
[83:38] So I, well, actually, it's something that Serena and I spoke about, is like, how do you navigate raising a child in the world today? Yeah. Like, how much do you push versus allow them to find their passion? And yeah, it's such a strange, I don't know yet. I don't know what my philosophy is.

Speaker 1:
[84:01] And how do you know?

Speaker 13:
[84:01] I don't know.

Speaker 1:
[84:02] I'm asking you because I'm fascinated by these thoughts you have to think.

Speaker 5:
[84:05] Well, there are a lot of opinions, right?

Speaker 13:
[84:08] And we have the World Wide Web and AI.

Speaker 1:
[84:12] You can read every opinion anyone's ever had on the subject.

Speaker 13:
[84:15] We have experts on every subject. But at the end of the day, I think you also have to listen to your gut. My mom didn't have much help. She certainly didn't have resources. She had her mother to help. And even though that's not... We have a lot more help now, but you still got to go back to your instinct.

Speaker 1:
[84:36] If you had your way, would he play tennis?

Speaker 13:
[84:40] I don't really have a certain way. I don't...

Speaker 5:
[84:42] You kind of have to...

Speaker 13:
[84:43] You recognize Pretty Earth, like, he's not into brackets or, like, when he sees a racket or a ball, he's not like, oh, yeah, let's go do it.

Speaker 1:
[84:51] What's his problem?

Speaker 13:
[84:52] No, I...

Speaker 5:
[84:53] Well...

Speaker 6:
[84:54] What's his deal?

Speaker 1:
[84:56] Why is he not... Doesn't he know the family business?

Speaker 13:
[84:59] Well, whose problem is it? Maybe it's my husband's.

Speaker 1:
[85:03] What if he came to you and he's like, I want to play baseball? Are you like...

Speaker 13:
[85:07] Well, I wouldn't know much about it, but yeah. Oh, yeah, no, I will be driving him to be a tennis player as long as it takes.

Speaker 1:
[85:12] And I think the skills of being a tennis player do apply to other... A lot of it's mentality stuff. And they... Growing up, they told us every sport I played, every youth sport, they were like, it's 90% mental. And so 90% of baseball you could help them with because it would just be about mentality.

Speaker 13:
[85:29] Well, I also think... Because I was like... I just had one lane, like I only... Anything I did was for tennis, really. But I also like the idea that, you know, you do maybe two or three things and then you learn certain skill sets. And as you get older, you start to understand where those skill sets can apply. I think the way that I grew up in just leaning into one thing, I don't know if it's right or wrong, it was my way, but I don't know if that's right for all kids. I'm still navigating it.

Speaker 1:
[85:59] Yeah. Well, and I...

Speaker 13:
[86:00] It's early.

Speaker 1:
[86:01] Yeah. You liking it?

Speaker 13:
[86:03] I love it.

Speaker 1:
[86:03] It's so rewarding, they say?

Speaker 13:
[86:05] Yeah, it's rewarding, but also it's such a reflection of the parents, like you just... You and your husband, it's right in front of you, it's just a lot younger.

Speaker 1:
[86:16] Is there anything from your childhood you see now through a different lens now that you're on the parent side where like moments you've had with your parents where you go like, I never even thought about this, and now that I'm the parent in this relationship, I understand them better now?

Speaker 13:
[86:30] I think just the constant worry, like you can either have like a little cough and you're like, is this the worst thing or is it nothing? Yeah. I was like, especially the first year, you're just, it's all so new. So anything is like is a big deal. But you know, and as they says, you have more children like you're at the third, you're probably like, okay, none of this is really a big deal. They're so resilient. But I don't know, there's you just kind of go with the flow. Yeah, but it's stressful.

Speaker 1:
[87:00] I guess. These are all the things you're saying are reasons I'm opting in.

Speaker 13:
[87:03] And especially if you choose as a mother to still work and or require to like that distance is full of guilt. I mean, having to leave your kid at the door that is tearful and that doesn't want you to leave is hard. It's really hard.

Speaker 1:
[87:24] How do you deal with that?

Speaker 13:
[87:27] I mean, I'm always someone that I don't I don't try to shy away from moments that make you feel challenged or make you feel hurt. And maybe perhaps that's because of what I did in my life is like, I lost so often, like, I had to feel it. I had to feel, you know, you lose and then you go into press conference and then you know, handling that and like being a professional about it. And then, you know, walking into the hotel where everyone's, you know, kind of feeling sad when you're like, no, no, no, no, you know, always having to show up for others while you're kind of hurting as well. But then, like, what do you do about it? You know, so I leave home with that guild, but I equally know that he is so supported and is comfortable and has amazing people around him. But also, I come back home feeling, like, invigorated and knowing that I work. I'm an ambitious woman and I, you know, I certainly, I don't feel bad about it, but I know that that makes me a better person, that makes me a better mother. When I commit to it, I do my work and then I come home and I'm able to be a mom.

Speaker 1:
[88:40] Yeah. And you're leading, you're showing him what a strong woman can do. You're leading by example.

Speaker 13:
[88:46] I mean, we'll see.

Speaker 1:
[88:48] Yeah.

Speaker 12:
[88:48] I mean, I think, I think you got it.

Speaker 13:
[88:50] I don't know if I can give myself that compliment.

Speaker 1:
[88:52] I will.

Speaker 12:
[88:53] I will.

Speaker 5:
[88:54] Can I ask?

Speaker 1:
[88:55] This one's kind of out of left field. Pickleball. What's up with that?

Speaker 5:
[88:58] Not a fan.

Speaker 1:
[88:58] No.

Speaker 13:
[88:59] No.

Speaker 1:
[88:59] Why not?

Speaker 13:
[89:00] Are you?

Speaker 1:
[89:00] No.

Speaker 13:
[89:02] I, I, well, I played once. I committed to this exhibition with John McEnroe.

Speaker 1:
[89:08] Just, you know, a pickup game. Yeah.

Speaker 13:
[89:09] Yeah. Well, it was, it was on TV and we decided to do this exhibition. And it was when it was all the rage, like the beginning of the rage and I gave it a shot. And I don't, it's just, I'd rather play something that I know, know better.

Speaker 1:
[89:26] Yeah. That's logical. That actually makes sense.

Speaker 13:
[89:28] I also think it's like a disaster for injuries.

Speaker 1:
[89:31] Is it?

Speaker 13:
[89:31] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[89:32] Because I always thought people were saying, oh, I love it because my parents can play it together and it's like a low impact. Maybe then all the kids can.

Speaker 13:
[89:39] You think it's low impact, but then you get really competitive and then you make a move that is, that your body is like, what, what are you doing? You're not, you're not meant to be doing this and you end up, yeah, hurting yourself and then you can't do anything. So I choose, yeah, I, it's kind of, I feel like since retiring, like anything you do workout wise, like if you go to a class, have you noticed where you don't really warm up?

Speaker 5:
[90:04] Huh?

Speaker 13:
[90:04] Nobody warms up.

Speaker 1:
[90:05] What's up with that?

Speaker 5:
[90:07] I don't know.

Speaker 1:
[90:07] We've been warming up for centuries. You got to warm up. I mean, you do prep.

Speaker 6:
[90:11] Yeah, you've got to do the...

Speaker 13:
[90:13] You just go from like zero to a hundred. I mean, think of like hot yoga or a hit class or a cycling class. You arrive, within three minutes, your heartbeat is, I don't know, like 150s. That's unfamiliar territory to me.

Speaker 1:
[90:33] Yeah. All right, Pickleball, we're done with you.

Speaker 13:
[90:35] Yeah, no.

Speaker 1:
[90:36] No more. We can teach their own, if other people like it.

Speaker 13:
[90:38] Paddle is the thing now, Paddle, sorry.

Speaker 1:
[90:41] Oh, is that what it really is, Paddle?

Speaker 13:
[90:44] Paddle. What's that?

Speaker 1:
[90:46] Is that based off of something?

Speaker 13:
[90:47] They say it's like an intellectual version. I don't know.

Speaker 1:
[90:50] Come on.

Speaker 13:
[90:51] They do? That's the rumor.

Speaker 1:
[90:54] Paddle.

Speaker 13:
[90:55] I cannot confirm or deny.

Speaker 1:
[90:56] It just, what hurt Pickleball for me was that it got into one of those, like everybody was talking about it all the time. You know what I mean? Sort of like.

Speaker 13:
[91:05] Well, everyone was buying up teams.

Speaker 1:
[91:07] Yes. There was like this big and then there was a lot of like investment in this space.

Speaker 13:
[91:10] There's a lot of investment.

Speaker 1:
[91:11] It was just like a-

Speaker 13:
[91:12] And there still is.

Speaker 1:
[91:13] Yeah.

Speaker 13:
[91:13] There's still some of it.

Speaker 1:
[91:14] I bristled with that. Yeah.

Speaker 13:
[91:16] I don't think it's a- Well, it's not interesting on TV. It's hard to follow.

Speaker 1:
[91:20] Yeah.

Speaker 13:
[91:21] Which is always a big metric.

Speaker 1:
[91:23] Speaking of TV.

Speaker 13:
[91:24] Okay.

Speaker 1:
[91:24] Do you watch a lot of tennis now?

Speaker 13:
[91:27] I do, like I do for the majors.

Speaker 1:
[91:29] Yeah.

Speaker 13:
[91:29] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[91:31] And what's that experience?

Speaker 13:
[91:32] I love it.

Speaker 1:
[91:33] Yeah. You're still-

Speaker 13:
[91:34] I love watching.

Speaker 1:
[91:34] Yeah.

Speaker 13:
[91:35] Yeah. I still, I mean, I love following. I love having no responsibility, but just being a fan of something that I know so well, and following through this momentum changes, and when everyone's drinking their beer, I'm like, this is a big point. I hit them in the chest. But it's so much fun. I went to Wimbledon as a spectator and sat in a royal box, which is where everyone is beautifully dressed and just drinking Pimms and eating strawberries and cream.

Speaker 1:
[92:14] Much better experience than being down there, huh?

Speaker 13:
[92:16] I'm like, what have I been missing?

Speaker 1:
[92:19] What in the Fritj Riviera is this? I feel like I'm on vacation.

Speaker 13:
[92:23] Or when you're sitting in a suite at the US Open and everyone's just jumping and clapping and spilling beers all over the place and you're like, this is so much fun.

Speaker 1:
[92:34] Yeah. And so none of it doesn't stress you out. You don't go like, oh, I can't watch that. I miss it too much.

Speaker 13:
[92:41] No.

Speaker 1:
[92:42] You still just love it.

Speaker 13:
[92:43] From the day I said I'm done, is I've had a very familiar distance, comfortable distance.

Speaker 5:
[92:51] It feels so healthy.

Speaker 13:
[92:52] It feels like you've got a very healthy relationship with. I feel really good about it.

Speaker 12:
[92:55] It's really beautiful.

Speaker 13:
[92:57] If there's one thing I can brag about.

Speaker 1:
[92:59] It's that. What about you, but you don't want to work in tennis. You don't want to do commentating. You wouldn't want to do.

Speaker 13:
[93:05] I don't have the time. I think I've chosen my words wisely in the past. I'm not someone that just talks for the sake.

Speaker 1:
[93:16] Well, you're in the podcast space now, so welcome to it.

Speaker 13:
[93:18] That's what Chelsea Handler told me.

Speaker 6:
[93:19] She's like, you're going to say something, and then you're going to go, that's not what I meant.

Speaker 1:
[93:22] No, I'm talking too much.

Speaker 13:
[93:24] That's okay. I mean, that's the beauty of it. That's the fun of it. But when you ask me about commentating, it's like, I mean, you're on air for several hours just talking tennis. Yeah, I'm not sure if I'd be good at that. I don't know. Maybe. Never say never.

Speaker 3:
[93:43] You'd be very good at it.

Speaker 13:
[93:44] It'd be fun to try.

Speaker 1:
[93:45] I personally think you'd be very good at it.

Speaker 13:
[93:47] Let's do it together.

Speaker 1:
[93:48] Okay. Yeah, I can't. I'm so tennis dumb. I've made it through most of this interview without you noticing just how dumb I am about tennis. I came to tennis late. I find it thrilling. I also have to keep reminding myself how it's scored. It's really, it doesn't stick.

Speaker 13:
[94:03] The whole juice and add-in.

Speaker 1:
[94:04] It's very confused, but it's gorgeous.

Speaker 13:
[94:08] Yeah. And the guys, are they gorgeous too?

Speaker 1:
[94:11] I mean, sometimes, but let's not get, they've got enough going for them. They don't need to hear that from me. I actually can't believe I got this far without asking you about the grunting. Do you feel like that was, people made such a big deal about it all the time. It felt like the headline that they led with. I assume.

Speaker 13:
[94:28] We've covered a lot of headlines.

Speaker 1:
[94:29] I know. But that just, is that just like naturally, if you tried to stop, it would feel like you're holding yourself back.

Speaker 13:
[94:37] I still grunt if I play now.

Speaker 1:
[94:39] Yeah.

Speaker 13:
[94:39] Yeah. There just wouldn't be as much power behind the ball, but the ground would be just as loud.

Speaker 1:
[94:44] How does your body feel now that you're retired? Do the parts that hurt and were bothering you before still hurt?

Speaker 13:
[94:49] My shoulder is still not the same, but it's fine.

Speaker 1:
[94:51] But it's fine.

Speaker 13:
[94:51] I don't have to serve.

Speaker 1:
[94:52] Was it kind to you? Was it like, thank you for stopping?

Speaker 13:
[94:55] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[94:56] Was there a little bit where it was like, oh, I can actually just recover from everything you've done?

Speaker 13:
[95:01] I didn't know. I was on a total fitness kick right out because we went into COVID. That's right.

Speaker 1:
[95:09] Hold on. You announced that you were retiring in February of 2020.

Speaker 13:
[95:13] A couple of weeks before lockdown. I was so aware of, wait, I've just been working out for the entirety of my career. Workout was my job. How do I go from that to sitting on the sofa all day long? My husband doesn't allow me to say couch. He says sofa.

Speaker 1:
[95:31] What's that about?

Speaker 13:
[95:32] Because he's English.

Speaker 1:
[95:33] They don't say couch.

Speaker 13:
[95:34] I think they do, but it doesn't sound as good.

Speaker 1:
[95:36] He's also your fiance. If you can't say couch, he can't say husband. Ay-ay-ay.

Speaker 13:
[95:46] Anyway.

Speaker 1:
[95:47] All right. We had a little bit to wrap this up, something silly and stupid and fun. Okay. We were inspired by Sugarpova.

Speaker 13:
[95:53] Sure.

Speaker 1:
[95:53] Being a great pun. So we, the name of this game is Maria Sharapova. If you had to pick one person or a group of people, living or dead, with whom would you most want to share the following things?

Speaker 13:
[96:10] Okay.

Speaker 1:
[96:10] Does this make sense? Who would Maria Sharapova tennis court with? Of anybody in the world, alive or dead?

Speaker 13:
[96:23] Madonna.

Speaker 1:
[96:25] Just so you could smoke her. Just so you could absolutely just destroy her.

Speaker 13:
[96:30] It's just the first person that came to mind. There is no rhyme or reason for my answer. Okay. Perfect.

Speaker 1:
[96:35] Let's continue then under that guise. Who would Maria Sharapova basketball court with? You're tall, so that to us means you probably can ball.

Speaker 13:
[96:45] Oh, Luka Doncic. I'm so invested in the Laker season right now.

Speaker 1:
[96:48] You are.

Speaker 13:
[96:49] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[96:50] Big basketball fan.

Speaker 13:
[96:51] I mean, yes. Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[96:53] Didn't Luka-

Speaker 13:
[96:53] Since the trade, I've been-

Speaker 1:
[96:56] Didn't he buy a house from you? I don't know. What do you mean you don't know?

Speaker 13:
[97:00] You know.

Speaker 1:
[97:00] He bought a house from you.

Speaker 13:
[97:02] Did he?

Speaker 1:
[97:03] Yeah, I thought.

Speaker 13:
[97:04] I don't know.

Speaker 1:
[97:05] What's happening?

Speaker 13:
[97:05] Check your prep.

Speaker 12:
[97:06] Okay, shoot.

Speaker 1:
[97:08] Who would Maria share a boxing ring with?

Speaker 13:
[97:12] Oh, against each other?

Speaker 1:
[97:14] Who would you fight in a boxing ring?

Speaker 13:
[97:17] Oh, that is perhaps a journalist. I don't know. Okay.

Speaker 1:
[97:22] We'll just say just any of them, right?

Speaker 13:
[97:26] Yeah. Not one comes to mind.

Speaker 1:
[97:28] No. That's the most insulting thing you can say is like, I can't think of their name. Just who would Maria Sharapova karaoke mic with? Who would you sing a karaoke song with? There's your Madonna answer. We blew it too early. So you can't say it again.

Speaker 13:
[97:43] I can't say it.

Speaker 5:
[97:44] Wow.

Speaker 13:
[97:46] I'm Katie Perry.

Speaker 5:
[97:48] Okay. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 13:
[97:50] She's a lot of fun.

Speaker 5:
[97:51] What would you sing?

Speaker 13:
[97:52] Oh, well, I love. I love. It's been a while since I've done karaoke, but shares. Do you believe in love is my go to.

Speaker 1:
[98:00] That's a really good one.

Speaker 13:
[98:00] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[98:01] That's a tough getting up there and I can do it. No, it's okay.

Speaker 6:
[98:04] I believe you.

Speaker 1:
[98:07] Who would Maria share a 10-hour flight with? Sitting next to them, 10 hours in the air, no Wi-Fi.

Speaker 13:
[98:16] Chelsea Handler.

Speaker 1:
[98:17] That's a good one.

Speaker 13:
[98:19] I don't have to speak.

Speaker 1:
[98:20] Yeah.

Speaker 13:
[98:21] She'll fill it.

Speaker 1:
[98:23] She'll fill it and you'll laugh the whole time.

Speaker 13:
[98:24] Also, she will read a book within an hour and give you all of the Cliff Notes.

Speaker 1:
[98:29] Really?

Speaker 13:
[98:30] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[98:30] She's like a speed reader?

Speaker 13:
[98:32] Like so intellectually bright that she will give you complicated words and divide them and just let you know what they mean. You just feel so much smarter.

Speaker 1:
[98:43] That's amazing. A perfect use of a 10-hour flight. Yeah. Who would Maria share a milkshake with? Two straws. You get your own straw.

Speaker 12:
[98:51] But who are you sipping a milkshake with?

Speaker 13:
[98:55] Oh my goodness.

Speaker 5:
[98:58] Oh goodness.

Speaker 13:
[99:02] Can I say my son?

Speaker 12:
[99:03] Yes.

Speaker 5:
[99:03] Okay.

Speaker 12:
[99:04] Of course.

Speaker 13:
[99:04] Because that's like his favorite thing.

Speaker 1:
[99:06] A milkshake?

Speaker 5:
[99:07] Yeah.

Speaker 13:
[99:07] He loves strawberry, just like his mom.

Speaker 1:
[99:10] Yeah. Strawberry milkshake is underrated.

Speaker 13:
[99:12] It's the first thing that came to mind.

Speaker 1:
[99:14] You ever had a strawberry milkshake with Oreos in it?

Speaker 13:
[99:19] I used to go to this ice cream creamery called Cold Stone.

Speaker 5:
[99:22] Does that still exist?

Speaker 13:
[99:23] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[99:23] I thought you were going to say some little mom and pop show. A little place called Cold Stone, where you could order like it, love it, or you got to have it.

Speaker 5:
[99:31] I used to get them. I don't. Local creamery.

Speaker 13:
[99:37] I didn't say local creamery. I know. No, but I used to get strawberry with Snickers in it, and everyone would mock me for that combo. But I loved how cold the Snickers got. And then Snickers created an ice cream.

Speaker 1:
[99:51] And then you didn't have to cut out the middle.

Speaker 13:
[99:52] And then I should have gotten royalty for that.

Speaker 1:
[99:54] Yeah, you should have. It was your idea. She had it first. All right, last one. Who would Maria share an episode of Pretty Tough with? Who is your dream guest?

Speaker 13:
[100:05] Marina Abramovic.

Speaker 1:
[100:06] Beautiful.

Speaker 13:
[100:07] Do you know who she is?

Speaker 1:
[100:08] Yes.

Speaker 13:
[100:08] She's an incredible artist. She's from Serbia, an immigrant. Her art wasn't accepted for many. So kind of, I mean, she's a risky artist, right? She's a performance experience artist. I love her mind. She is one of the toughest ladies in the art space. So yeah, her.

Speaker 1:
[100:25] What a good answer. And that's a really good plug for Pretty Tough, Maria's new podcast, which is out now. First episode, Zoe Saldana, available on all major podcast platforms and on YouTube. Welcome to the mud kid.

Speaker 12:
[100:38] You're out here on YouTube.

Speaker 5:
[100:39] I'm here.

Speaker 1:
[100:40] At Maria Sharapova. You guys can find that weekly. Maria, thank you so much for being here.

Speaker 5:
[100:45] Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1:
[100:46] It's so cool to have met you and to have this conversation. You are incredible and it's very cool.

Speaker 13:
[100:51] Thank you for supporting us.

Speaker 1:
[100:56] When you're choosing dinner, you want to know it's worth it every time. Gorton's Seafood has been providing quality seafood for the whole family since 1849. Gorton's is the easy, dependable choice that takes the stress out of mealtime. And it has been for over 175 years. You know the fisherman guy in the yellow coat? Yeah, that's Gorton's. Gorton's products are great for the main meal, for snacks or for appetizers. From classics like coconut shrimp, I mean, who doesn't love coconut shrimp, to new innovative options like taco tenders. Choose Gorton's for uncompromising quality and reliable fresh taste. I love Gorton's because it's so easy. I can toss some shrimp or a filet right into my air fryer, and it's ready in minutes. It feels elevated because it's seafood, and honestly, it reminds me of when I was a kid, and my mom would make me some fish sticks after school. Visit gortons.com to learn more, find a store, and get recipe inspiration. This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Look, there's a lot going on in the world right now. Things are getting expensive, gas is expensive, food is expensive. All of this can have an effect on you emotionally and mentally. BetterHelp connects people with licensed therapists who can help them to manage the emotional weight that comes with financial stress. At the start of this year, 88 percent of Americans reported feeling some sort of financial stress. Money worries can disrupt your sleep, they can increase anxiety, create tension in your relationships. BetterHelp works with over 30,000 licensed therapists. A short questionnaire will match you with somebody based on your needs, so you can focus on your goals instead of navigating the search process, which can be a little lengthy and arduous. With more than 12 years of experience and an industry leading match rate, BetterHelp typically gets it right the first time. If it's not the right fit, you can switch at any time. They make it very easy to do so. BetterHelp has served over 6 million people globally and may help if financial stress is weighing on you. When life feels overwhelming, therapy can help. Sign up and get 10 percent off at betterhelp.com/katienolan. That's better, help.com/katienolan.

Speaker 16:
[102:57] You ever wonder how far an EV can take you on one charge? Well, most people drive about 40 miles a day, which means you can do all daily stuff no problem. Go to work, grab the kids at school, get the groceries, and still have enough charge to visit your in-laws in the next county. But they don't need to know that. And the best part, you won't have to buy gas at all. The way forward is electric. Explore EVs that fit your life at electricforall.org.

Speaker 2:
[103:27] America's best network just got bigger. Switch to T-Mobile today and get built-in benefits so the other guys leave out. Plus our five-year price guarantee. And now T-Mobile is available in US cellular stores.

Speaker 3:
[103:43] Best mobile network based on analysis by Oocliffe Speedtest Intelligence Data 2H2025. Bigger network. The combination of T-Mobiles and US. Cellular Network footprints will enhance the T-Mobile network's coverage. Price guarantee on talk, text and data. Exclusions like taxes and fees apply. See tmobile.com for details.

Speaker 1:
[103:57] Okay, we're back.

Speaker 3:
[103:57] Wow.

Speaker 1:
[103:58] Wow. Feeling good, feeling great. What a lovely... She's just great. She's so... She's awesome... .talented and pretty and tall. I have some... And doesn't think you do any prep...

Speaker 4:
[104:09] .wise things to say.

Speaker 1:
[104:10] Yes.

Speaker 4:
[104:11] It's about growth and...

Speaker 1:
[104:13] The thing about how often she's lost and how she has to face every loss... She's like, I lose all the time in front of people and have to answer for it. It's just like, yeah, that's again, as we were talking about before, not really something we're doing anymore in broader society. So to hear the effect that had on her, fascinating. Absolutely fascinating. We're so grateful for her, for being here and hope that her podcast is a smash hit. It was just great. Let's get into some of these. As always, this podcast is too long again. I don't know what to do. It gives me a headache every time. But I don't want to skip any of this. So we got a voicemail from Maria. We're going to answer some fan mail now. Let's start with this voicemail from Maria. Chris, can you play this for me?

Speaker 15:
[104:57] Hi, Katie in the Casuals. My name is Maria from Portland, Oregon. Long time listener, first time caller. I wanted to call to ask to help get some national attention because I think shame might be the only way this situation gets fixed in any capacity. I'm a big Portland Trailblazers fan and our team was recently sold. Previously owned by Paul Allen. He died. It had to be sold on a certain timeline and it's now been purchased by an ownership group led by Tom Dundon, who is apparently like a subprime mortgage guy. Okay, not great up top. He also owns the Carolina Hurricanes and I am not, I'm a total casual for the NHL. So when this all went down, no one really knew what to make of it. Mostly we were just concerned about a new owner potentially moving the team. So no one could really wrap their heads around what was going on. So now he officially owns the Blazers and things are immediately getting dicey. We are currently in San Antonio for our first round playoff series. We were not projected to make it past like nine or 10, so I'm taking it as a huge win. However, his cost-saving cheapskate techniques are already being so completely egregious. We are the only team in the NBA that is not sending their two-way players to attend their playoff series. Caleb Love was a two-way player for us, and we are not in the position we are in without Caleb Love being so clutch for us in the middle of the season when we had so many injuries. And instead of him getting to celebrate with the team that he is a member of and he helped us get to the playoff, he is sitting in Portland and watching it at home. Additionally, he did not send our reporter, our photographer, there is reports of forcing staff and hotels to have early checkouts. There is just all of these weird stories coming out and he apparently is notoriously a massive cheapskate. And here is the thing, he owns our team now. We as Portland Trailblazers fans have no level of recourse or anywhere to go with this. So I feel like the only thing that we can do is just ask national media to highlight what an absolute cheapskate he is. You can spend billions of dollars to buy an NBA franchise, but then you can't spend a couple of thousand dollars to make sure that the people that are members of your team, whether they are players or the beloved media that follows the team and gives us the fan experience of being there, even if we're not, he can't shell out for them to be part of this process. And it's also he can set, save a little bit of money. So anyway, we have no resource except Shane, so I'm just hoping that we can all just fame billionaires a little bit together. Love you, mean it.

Speaker 1:
[107:42] What, I mean, first call nailed it.

Speaker 8:
[107:46] Yeah, that's the longest voicemail we've ever played and I didn't want to cut a single second of it because it was so good.

Speaker 1:
[107:51] You can't early check out from that. You've got to stay for the entire thing. I mean, this story is absurd and I do not like the way that it feels. Just as somebody who recently reminded herself what happened really with the Sonics when they moved them out of Seattle and all the run around of the like, no, we're not going to go anywhere and then like the things you watched happen and the way you were like, oh, it looks like they're setting up to take this team away. I'm just, it's nothing new, but I'm really at critical mass with billionaires. I'm done. You've got the money to buy these things and then you get everybody else, the taxpayers to pay for all your expenses, and then you cut costs and then you, this sucks. Does anyone have anything smarter to do?

Speaker 7:
[108:42] Private equity ruining Panera is one thing. Don't ruin sports teams.

Speaker 1:
[108:45] Dude. I almost don't even want to say, because I don't want to admit how recently I've eaten Panera, but Dan and I got a Panera. It's almost like nostalgic, because it was one of the places that was open and would deliver food for the pandemic. I feel like we went back into Panera pretty heavy during the Demi. And so Dan and I got it like flashback, throwback, let's get a Panera. It was horrendous. Like the bread tasted, and I was like, this tastes like it was frozen and then microwaved. It was. They don't bake it in the house anymore. I know. And then I came across a story that was like, yeah, they got bought out or whatever, and now it's all different. And I was like, this is awful. At what point are they going to go like, oh, oops, you can't just always cut costs. You also have to provide something in exchange. You have to give people something. You can't just take, take, take, take, take.

Speaker 7:
[109:42] I mean, if you can do 60 percent of the business at 50 percent of the cost, I don't know, does that math work?

Speaker 1:
[109:47] But you can't. We can't keep letting them. No playoff t-shirts for fans. They're looking for to bring in a coach for a million dollars, which may be a million and a half. Maybe they'll really splurge. But that is about a quarter of the going rate for a coach. Isabella knows that. That's what she's asking for. You couldn't even get Isabella for a million and a half. You know, 54-year-old Texas billionaire who thrived in the auto loan business has collected pickleball assets.

Speaker 3:
[110:20] What the hell does that mean?

Speaker 1:
[110:21] It just means that when everybody's money was getting invested into pickleball, he was like, oh, cool, I'll do it too.

Speaker 7:
[110:26] When everybody blows their Achilles and they don't play anymore, he's like, I'll take your paddle.

Speaker 1:
[110:31] Paddle. Actually. When asked at his introductory news conference if he cared if he was liked, what is it? Tom Dundon? Is that his first name? Dundon. Law and Order said. Fuck this guy. In the list of things I care about, it's lower. Great. Sounds like a real winner. So sorry to Maria and Blazers. We'll keep our eyes on this story and we'll cover it as best we can because that really stinks and sucks. We got an email, Chris, from, is it Teppy?

Speaker 8:
[111:07] I think Teppy, yeah.

Speaker 1:
[111:08] Okay, Teppy, what do we got?

Speaker 8:
[111:09] Teppy said, did you see Emma Hayes wearing a Hello Kitty hat during the game the other week? This was during the USA Japan friendly that they had. What was that? A week and a half ago, I think.

Speaker 1:
[111:21] Something like that.

Speaker 8:
[111:23] Turns out it's a new line of US soccer merch. My first thought was letting Isabella know since she missed out on the Dodger giveaway. I think maybe the Hello Kitty of it all was swaying Isabella to being a Dodgers fan. I think if maybe she could scratch that itch with another team, she could forget about the Dodgers altogether, which I think we've clearly established that Isabella has. Yes, thank you. Which might be better for everyone because, frankly, the US women's national team is a way better team to support than the Dodgers. Sorry, actual Dodgers fans. I think with the World Cup coming up next year, thanks for reminding Joni Infantino about that one. We need to start getting Isabella familiar with the team and all the kick-ass women on it.

Speaker 4:
[111:56] All right. I'll take a look at that line.

Speaker 1:
[111:58] Yeah. There's no chance she's going to say no. The problem is this, whenever I see Hello Kitty plus sports or anything that reminds me of Isabella plus sports, I just buy it for her. I'm really spoiling this girl.

Speaker 6:
[112:10] Yeah. Look what she got me, guys.

Speaker 1:
[112:11] That is crazy. I was shopping a Betsey Johnson sale, and Betsey Johnson has a sports line. I didn't know about this, but I actually found out about it because Lisa Trager sent me a message on Instagram, and she was like, if anybody likes Betsey Johnson, she's selling her sports stuff. So I bumped into this tennis wallet that I thought, I was like, oh, Isabella likes tennis. This is so cute. I got myself the baseball one and I got Isabella the, but I'm like, I hope I'm not making a weird relationship where I just buy you stuff all the time. I'm just trying to feed your sports fandom. Okay, cool. But just like also at the same time, don't get used to it. You know what I mean? At some point this money is going to run out. So then you can buy it for me. Can we fit one more in or do we have to go? Can we do one more voicemail? Tightly.

Speaker 6:
[112:55] Please, dad.

Speaker 1:
[112:57] Okay, play Aviv's voicemail, please.

Speaker 14:
[113:00] Hi, Katie and the Casualties. So my name is Aviv and I'm calling from Pennsylvania. And I'm a teacher and I was thinking about becoming an official for the softball team. And I thought, well, if I have a question about softball, the first person I want to call is Katie Nolan famously. So when I was looking at the manual for officials, in the foreword, it says, unless one is willing to devote a large amount of time, energy and personal effort, it is best to find some other vocation and leave sports officiating to those whose dedication is total. So my question is, should I go for it, or should I leave officiating to those whose dedication is total? Let me know. Love you. I mean it.

Speaker 4:
[113:48] Now, this is to be a high school?

Speaker 6:
[113:51] An ump for high school softball?

Speaker 7:
[113:55] I was pretty sure it was a Scientology handbook.

Speaker 1:
[113:57] I mean, what in the going clear is this? I have to devote my life to be in a high school softball ump, or else it's not the gig for me? Is it even a paying gig?

Speaker 8:
[114:12] Good question.

Speaker 1:
[114:13] That is.

Speaker 8:
[114:14] Not sure.

Speaker 1:
[114:15] Look, Aviv, I hate to say it, but-

Speaker 8:
[114:17] Fascinating.

Speaker 1:
[114:17] It feels like you got no other option but to devote your life to balls and strikes. This is the who's more dedicated than you. That's crazy. Also, my experience with high school girls softball umps, they were not that into it. It was not- They didn't live-

Speaker 8:
[114:34] They didn't read the handbook clearly.

Speaker 1:
[114:36] I think they must have skipped that page because there were a couple of times that strike zone got real tiny. I was getting squeezed when that ump was clearly trying to wrap things up so we could get home in time to watch must see TV, which used to be a thing kids, you'll just have to believe me. You could only watch TV when it aired. So if you wanted to see it, you had to get home in time or record it on a tape, on a VHS tape maybe. These kids don't understand. I'm washed. That feels like a podcast. What is this? Six hours? What do you want me to do guys? What do you want me to do? We had Maria Sharapova. You want me to not ask her as many questions as humanly possible? Do you want me to not cover all the things we talked about? It's Casuals. We thank you for listening. We love you. We mean it. Send us emails, casualswithkatenolan.gmail.com. Here she goes again. She's going to say the phone number for our voicemail. It's 646-801-0043. You can leave a voicemail. And if it's as passionate and well informed as, let's say, Maria's was, we'll play the whole thing. We're here to help you get your whatever you got to get off your chest. On IG and TikTok, we are at Casuals, the podcast. I said we love you and we mean it, but I'm going to say it again. And we will see you back here next week.

Speaker 6:
[115:49] Bye. Bye.

Speaker 16:
[115:51] You ever wonder how far an EV can take you on one charge? Well, most people drive about 40 miles a day, which means you can do all daily stuff no problem. Go to work, grab the kids at school, get the groceries, and still have enough charge to visit your in-laws in the next county. But they don't need to know that. And the best part, you won't have to buy gas at all. The way forward is electric. Explore EVs that fit your life at electricforall.org.

Speaker 9:
[116:21] Why have I asked my electrician I found on angie.com to bury my pet hamster Nibbles in our yard for me? Because I was so moved by how carefully he buried my electrical wires, I knew I could trust him to bury my sweet Nibbles after his untimely end. Huh, Nibbles. Gone too soon. May he scurry in peace.

Speaker 10:
[116:38] Hey, sorry about your pet, but I just wire stuff.

Speaker 9:
[116:41] Nibbles would have loved you like a brother.

Speaker 15:
[116:43] Connecting homeowners with skilled pros for over 30 years.

Speaker 10:
[116:46] Angie.

Speaker 7:
[116:46] The one you trust to find the ones you trust.

Speaker 15:
[116:48] Find pros for all your home projects at angie.com.