Photo: Instagram/billiejeanking
(Podcast length 5:13 mins)
These legends have made sports more accessible to the next generation.
Transcript
1. Thanks to athletes like Simone Biles (gymnastics) and Naomi Osaka (tennis), mental health became a dinner table topic. Osaka withdrew from the French Open and Wimbledon to focus on her well-being. But the world saw just how the pressure impacted an athlete when Simone Biles battled the "twisties" in the Summer Olympics. She put her safety and her team first, withdrawing from the Olympic women's gymnastics all-around competition. BRAINS > BRAWN
2. Billie Jean King has advocated for women's sports for more than five decades. King was a part of the Original 9, a group of trailblazing women who put their tennis careers on hold to push for equal pay among men and women. Did you know that she was the first woman in sports history to win $100,000 in a single year? King continues her advocacy work and frequently uses her social media to promote and celebrate women breaking the glass ceiling. Most recently, she conducted the coin toss ahead of the 2022 Super Bowl to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, which provides equal funding for men and women at high schools, colleges and universities. ALL HAIL THE QUEEN
3. Track and field star Allyson Felix is the most decorated US track and field athlete in history, winning 11 Olympic medals, but it's what she did off the track that has shaped her legacy. The formerly Nike-sponsored athlete took on the company, saying that she would be financially penalized for having a child per her contract. (Her daughter was born via emergency c-section in 2018). She was so fed up with NIKE’s lack of support for female athletes that she left NIKE for Athleta. (Simone Biles is also an Athleta sponsored athlete). Felix isn't the only athlete worried about being dropped for having a child – it's a far too common practice. NIKE has since changed its performance-related reduction policies for its pregnant athletes. A FORCE FOR CHANGE
4. Move over Jerry Maguire; Nicole Lynn is here. Lynn, 33, became the first black woman to represent a top-five NFL (National Football League) draft pick. Before the draft, she took to the internet to figure out what other women agents have worn and found no inspiration because only two women have ever represented players in the draft previously. Lynn continues to grow her roster of clients and has even written a book to inspire women to become their most effective advocates. In addition, Lynn serves as the President of Football Operations for Klutch Sports Group, led by basketball agent Rich Paul (aka Adele's beau). TAKE YOUR SEAT AT THE TABLE
5. Doris Burke has long inspired the next generation of sports broadcasters. Burke is the first woman to be awarded the Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Basketball Hall of Fame. She is also the first woman to be a full-time NBA TV analyst on ESPN and ABC and the first woman to serve as a game analyst for the NBA (National Basketball Association) Finals on network television or radio broadcast. She paved the way for so many in the broadcast world, like Jessica Mendoza. Medoza was the first woman to have a full-time baseball analyst role and call a World Series game on a national broadcast. STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS
6. Our last honor goes to the loudest voices of this generation. The US Women’s National Team has four World Cup titles and six Olympic medals (four gold). In 2019, they filed a class-action lawsuit against US Soccer seeking equal pay and working conditions. In February 2022, the two finally reached a historic agreement for women's soccer and women's sports. The agreement states that US Soccer will pay the US women's and men's national teams an equal pay rate for all friendlies and tournaments, including the World Cup. US Soccer will also pay $22 million to the players included in the case as well as an "additional $2 million into an account to benefit the USWNT players in their post-career goals and charitable efforts related to women's and girls' soccer." STICK TO YOUR GUNS
Sports Curious, presented by Last Night's Game, is here to take the awkward out of the conversation and help you join the sports conversation, even if you don't know the first thing about sports. We break down what's happening in sports in an easy-to-understand, fun way without all of the statistics and jargon, so you never have to exit stage left when the chatter at the office, dinner table or networking event switches to sports.
You can always catch us between podcasts at www.lastnightsgame.com or on social media. If you love us, make sure to leave us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts.
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