In April of this year, iHeartMedia and Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment announced they would be launching the Women’s Sports Audio Network (WSAN). Deep Blue is led by Founder/CEO Laura Correnti and former WNBA star Sue Bird as Chief Strategy Officer. One of the first shows announced for the network is a daily women’s sports podcast hosted by former ESPN personality Sarah Spain. That podcast, Good Game with Sarah Spain, launched this week and I eavesdropped in on the first episode.
The Women’s Sports Audio Network is described as the first-ever audio platform dedicated exclusively to women’s sports podcasts, daily sports reports, spotlights and audio vignettes, social content, promotion and industry event presence. Any network such as this needs a flagship show and Spain’s Good Game gets the platform off to a great start.
The initial episode was a 25-minute introduction of what to expect. It all started with the words, “Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, the daily women’s sports show you’ve always wanted, even more than Coach Cheryl Reeve wants us all to stop asking about the Olympics roster at Lynx games.”
And with that the show and the network were off and running. Spain explained to the audience, “We start every show by giving you ‘What you need to know today.'”
The news portion of the show focused on topics such as the U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball team, the new episode of the Serena Williams documentary, L.A. Sparks rookie Cameron Brink’s interview and layout in Flaunt Magazine and the new 3×3 Unrivaled Basketball League created by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier that will start in January 2025 and will offer all the WNBA players the chance to stay in the United States and play in the offseason. Spain also talked about the WNBA schedule before Olympic break and mentioned some injuries to key players that could keep them out of the All-Star Game and Olympics.
About what Brink did with Flaunt Magazine, Spain said, “This is just another example of the incredible versatility of all these WNBA athletes, and especially this rookie class. They’re bringing so much flavor and so much personality and really handling the bright spotlight so well. If you just remember the early days of the W, where players looked like they were exclusively allowed to shop at Ann Taylor, it feels like things are just really different now.”
Once the news of the day was delivered, Spain went into her background and the reason for the show. It is only a few minutes into the new venture, but the way the news was delivered and how Spain introduced everything gives you a good idea of what you will get from the show – information, passion, strong takes and humor.
“There’s never been a daily women’s sports podcast, and if you know of one definitely do not write in and tell me about it,” Spain says. “I don’t want to know. I really want to consider myself your first.”
Spain goes through her background with ESPN, SportsCenter, The Dan Le Batard Show, her radio shows and her old podcast. “Maybe we even met at a bar in L.A. in my 20s,” she quipped. “The point is I’ve been at this for a while, like 20 years, and I think that’s included spending the last 14 covering both men’s and women’s sports for ESPN. I’m looking around as we start this show and thinking about how I’ve really dreamed of the kind of women’s sports landscape that we have today and I know that we still have a ways to go, but it is really awesome watching the rest of the world catch up to those of us who knew the product was great and that the audience would be there if we just gave it a chance.
“I’ve watched the media and just America at large slowly stop requiring that women leave their identities at the door in order to be welcomed into sports…It was never about being one of the guys or trying to copy men’s sports. It was about being authentic and genuine and just letting women’s sports be their own thing, and that’s what we want to do here on Good Game.”
Spain also talked about some future content pieces such as discussing things that only happen in women’s sports, including relationships where players are dating or had dated in the past. She mentioned talking about key games in the history of women’s sports and recognizing them the way we do with historical games in men’s sports. She also mentioned doing something called ‘Yes, and…” and used the example of ‘Yes, women’s sports are getting more attention, and we want more’ and ‘Yes, we’ve been here for decades, and welcome aboard we are so glad that you’re here now, too.'”
Spain took time to introduce her producers, Misha Jones and Alex Azzi, both former college athletes, who she said she will lean on more and more as the show goes on but already seems to have strong rapport with. Alex interned at the Olympics in 2012 and Spain said she will play a big role in the show’s coverage of the Summer Olympics starting next week.
In the second segment of the show, Spain teases her Friday interview with her “boss,” Sue Bird. They play a clip of Bird talking about a new TV show she and her wife Megan Rapinoe are executive producing. The show will adapt Meryl Wilsner’s best-selling novel, Cleat Cute, into a TV series.
The two talk about Bird’s 20 years in the WNBA and where the league is today. It was a good preview of what is to come on the show and a good driver back to the Friday episode.
Before wrapping up the maiden voyage, Spain talked about the growth of the WNBA and that with it comes some pain for the fans in the way of higher ticket prices. While noting it is hard to have one without the other, Spain also didn’t try and sugar coat the issue. I thought it was important that right off the bat Spain showed the audience the show wouldn’t be all puppy dogs, rainbows and ice cream by addressing the topic and not shying away from it.
Spain finished the episode by asking the audience to get involved. With the Serena Williams documentary airing, she asked listeners to send in the name of a female athlete they would most like to see a documentary about as well as any guest or topic suggestions for the show.
Episode two of the show featured an interview with ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo before the episode three interview with Bird.
It will be fun to check back in a few months from now and see what the show has turned into but the first three shows in week one have set expectations of a fast-paced, fun show filled with topical discussion, big name guests and several laughs.
