These Athlete Mamas Are Making Things Happen

(Podcast length 4:31 - summary is below)

Need proof moms are superheros? Look no further than these athletes.

Sports Curious presented by Last Night's Game, is here to take the awkward out of conversation and help you join the sports conversation, even if you don't know the first thing about sports. We breakdown 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 a 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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1. We’re seeing the progress in women’s sports in adopting maternity policies for their players. Before these policies were put into place you had stars like Skylar Diggins-Smith, who played an entire WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) season while pregnant and didn’t tell anyone. In fact, was such a great season for her that she was named to the all-star team. After the birth of her son, she was criticized for taking two months off from the season due to postpartum depression. CUT THE GAL SOME SLACK

2. Olympic track star Allyson Felix made an impact on the track, winning six Olympic gold medals but it’s what she did off the track that has shaped her legacy. The NIKE sponsored athlete took on the company saying per her contract, she would be financially penalized for having a child. (Her daughter was born via emergency c-section in 2018). She was so fed up with their lack of support for female athletes that she left NIKE for Athleta. NIKE has since changed their polices and they will not apply any performance-related reductions for 18 months if an athlete becomes pregnant. CHANGE MAKER 

3. When Candace Parker was drafted, everyone thought she’d be the Michael Jordan of the WNBA, and she was, winning attention from big sponsors like Gatorade and Adidas. After her rookie season where she was named rookie of the year and MVP, she returned to the court just 53 days after having her daughter. She did whatever it took to make the best of fitting her new role as a mom in with her career, including nursing at halftime. Parker played 12 seasons in the WNBA. Like many of her peers, during that time she played basketball overseas in the off-season where she earned a bigger paycheck. BRINGING HOME THE BACON

Side note – Parker was the first female to dunk in an NCAA Tournament game. What can’t she do?

4. Serena Williams hasn’t let a life shift like motherhood slow her down. You might remember when she won her 23rd Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open while pregnant. (The record is 24 wins). After serious medical complications resulting from a c-section birth of her daughter, she’s continued to be a force to be reckoned with on the court. She has launched a clothing line and stays active as a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador, with Serena Ventures where she invests in businesses with diverse founders and doing charity work that benefits causes around the world. GIRL ON FIRE

5. U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team co-captain Alex Morgan is ready to give birth any minute but don’t think that has stopped her from sneaking in impressive workouts to keep her skills game day ready. She was prepared to represent her country in the Tokyo Olympics just three months after having her baby. But with the Olympics being rescheduled it’s a silver lining for Morgan who will have a chance to recover from childbirth and spend some time adjusting to her new role as mom. Although there’s no rest for the weary as she and her teammates continue to fight U.S. Soccer in a legal battle over fair pay. THE GOOD WORK IS NEVER DONE

The Top 5 Sports Power Couples

Here’s to five stellar athletic duos who share the same craft and we don’t mean beer.

Sports Curious presented by Last Night's Game, is here to take the awkward out of conversation and help you join the sports conversation, even if you don't know the first thing about sports. We breakdown 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 a 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.

[Transcript]

1. Aaron Rodgers and Danica Patrick became friends first when they met at the 2012 ESPYs but then became a hot item in 2018. They may be one of the best-looking couples around but they don’t take themselves too seriously. Like when a Green Bay Packers (NFL - National Football League) fan posted a video of her professing her love for Rodgers while under anesthesia for tonsil surgery. The couple sent her 400 popsicles to heal her ailment and clearly her broken heart since he’s already taken. CONSOLATION PRIZE  

2. Tennis greats Steffi Graff and Andre Agassi started dating after the French Open in 1999 but their story goes back years before that. In 1992 both Graff and Agassi (who tried to pick up Graff the year before at the French Open) were winners at Wimbledon. It used to be tradition for the two winners of Wimbledon to dance with each other at the Wimbledon Champions’ Ball. But as luck would have it, that was the year they decided to cancel the dance due to “lukewarm receptions from modern players.” It all worked out in the end as the two married in 2001 and are still together. TIMING IS EVERYTHING

3. We’re all for bad pickup lines and they’re even better when they work. After a very public relationship with golfer Tiger Woods, skier Lindsey Vonn was introduced to NHL (National Hockey League) player P.K. Subban at the ESPYs. It was at that event that he told a reporter "It's hotter outside than Lindsey Vonn looks today, which is pretty hot." Well, the line worked. The two, who started dating in 2018, were engaged in the summer of 2019. The couple’s passion for each other and their charitable efforts are something to admire. HEART EMOJI

4. Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe are the unofficial first couple of women’s sports. The two have been dating since 2016 and are a fixture in the Seattle sports scene. They’ve been featured on the cover of InStyle Magazine and were the first same-sex couple to grace the cover of ESPN’s Body Issue. The outspoken and seriously fashionable duo seem to have it all including a plethora of championships and safety deposit boxes for all their gold medals. They also have each other’s backs. During the Women’s World Cup, Bird, who plays in the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association), came to Rapinoe’s defense in her battle with President Trump, penning an essay titled “So the President F—ing Hates My Girlfriend.” ROM-COM WRITTEN ALL OVER IT

5. Together Julie and Zach Ertz have a Super Bowl championship, two World Cup victories and what do they have to prove it? A Visa commercial. The Philadelphia Eagles tight end (NFL) and the soccer star met at a Stanford baseball game in 2012 when he offered her sunflower seeds. They had their first date was at Chipotle and the rest is history. Married since 2017, together they too have bared it all for ESPN’s Body Issue. With both of them being at the pinnacles of their careers, they live the saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” They say they’re lucky to have three months a year in the same city. WHEN FACETIME IS YOUR FRIEND

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5 Times Sports Imitated An Episode Of Real Housewives

You didn’t think Bravo was the only one with all the drama?

Sports Curious presented by Last Night's Game, is here to help you join the sports conversation, even if you don't know the first thing about sports. We breakdown 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 a networking event switches to sports.

You can always catch us between podcasts at www.lastnightsgame.com.

[Transcript]

1. The “Malice at the Palace” makes the infamous Teresa table flip look like child’s play. A 2004 tussle on the court led to a fan throwing a beer on Detroit Pistons’ Ron Artest (NBA – National Basketball Association). Instead of having security take care of it, Artest charged up into the stands and beat the crap out of said beer thrower. As you can imagine, the league didn’t think highly of this and Artest was suspended for the rest of the season (and the incident was about four weeks into the season). THERE’S NO “I” IN TEAM

2. “The Scum Bunch” might be how fans feel about some of the men on the series, but they had nothing on the dastardly deeds of the 1986 New York Mets team. (“The Scum Bunch” was the nicest thing that was said about the team that we could put in print). There were tales of members of the team destroying airplanes by throwing cake and steaks (different flights), doing performance enhancing drugs and massive lines of cocaine, drinking, chasing women, fighting and the list goes on. Somehow they still managed to get their butts on the field, play baseball and win a World Series. HEATHER DUBROW COULD TEACH THEM A THING OR TWO ABOUT CLASS

3. From diva behavior to seriously expensive cars to an extensive sneaker collection that even Lisa Vanderpump would envy, Antonio Brown is in a league of his own. The now member of the Oakland Raiders (NFL – National Football League) his former team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, had no choice but to trade him. He was benched for one of the most important games of the season last year for his antics. He secretly recorded locker room talk, battled with his quarterback and in the off-season posted puzzling, cryptic Facebook posts like the one asking fans to call him “Mr. Big Chest.” He recently had a run in with the law for throwing furniture out of a high rise condo building balcony. SAVE THE DRAMA FOR YOUR MAMA

4. John McEnroe (tennis) was once described as “Pablo Picasso using a tennis racquet instead of a paintbrush.” While talented, he had a short fuse and was known for breaking rackets, massive fights with the umpires and a mouth that spouted obscenities like a fountain. Enter the McEnroe of this generation, Australian Nick Kyrgios, who doesn’t quite have the trophies McEnroe had to back it up. Known for his hot head, he stirred up controversy at Wimbledon by refusing to apologize for nailing his opponent, Rafael Nadal, with a forehand. Kyrgios later admitted he was trying to hit him but wouldn't apologize. (Kyrgios lost to Nadal). FOR BETTER OR WORSE, AT LEAST IT WASN’T A PROSTHETIC LEG

5. The 1985 Chicago Bears team was ahead of their time. They were essentially the love child of an Andy Cohen baby shower and "Animal House." It started a dominant defense, flamboyant and outspoken quarterback, Jim McMahon, a coaching staff with egos the size of Texas and then there was the partying. They were so sure of their Super Bowl win, that they spent the week before the game partying as hard as they could in New Orleans. They wrapped that season up with the infamous Super Bowl Shuffle rap song. (If you don’t know what we’re talking about, you have to watch this). AT LEAST THERE WE’RE NO CELLPHONE VIDEOS THEN

ACE THIS - THE 5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WIMBLEDON

Because wearing your Wimbledon whites without the fear of bird poop is where it’s at. 

Sports Curious presented by Last Night's Game, is here to help you join the sports conversation, even if you don't know the first thing about sports. We breakdown 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 a networking event switches to sports.

You can always catch us between podcasts at www.lastnightsgame.com.

[Transcript]

1. The oldest tennis tournament in the world, Wimbledon, starts on July 1. It’s the only Grand Slam Tournament (one of four during the season) that takes place on a grass court. GET OFF MY LAWN

2. While the tourney isn’t generous with their trophies, they are progressive when it comes to equal pay. For the eighth year in a row, the prize money has increased with both the men’s and women’s winner taking home a check for $3.06 million. Although they don’t get the keep the trophy – the winner receives a replica. WIN SOME, LOSE SOME

3. There’s a strict dress code at the prestigious tournament, requiring players to wear all white. And we all know that nothing ruins your summer whites like bird poop. Luckily you don’t have to worry about that at Wimbledon. Rufus is a specially trained hawk that keeps other birds off of the courts. (Seriously, have they thought of everything)? EYES LIKE A HAWK

4. The tennis balls are replaced every seven to nine games to make sure they’re kept in perfect shape. It’s no wonder more than 54,000 tennis balls are used during the two week tournament. But did you know that tennis balls used to be white or black, not yellow. They were changed to yellow to make it easier for the TV viewer to see the ball, but Wimbledon was a late adopter to the color change, waiting until the 80s.  HOLY BALLS

5. Grunting is something no longer left to gremlins and grumpy old men. Even the classiest of tennis players vocalize their play. While you may think this is a new thing, Monica Seles and Jimmy Connors are known as the original creators of the tennis grunt. The loudest one on the court? Russia’s Maria Sharapova at 105 decibels – the equivalent of standing next to an accelerating motorcycle. THAT’S NOT AWKWARD AT ALL

Want to be able to dive into the details? Here’s how to speak tennis like the pros and keep score.