The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - GOOD FOLLOW - Center Back Sam Staab talks USWNT & NWSL + The US Open, WNBA & More

Episode Date: August 30, 2024

This week on Good Follow: Megan, Katie, and Logan discuss the dominance of Cailin Clark, where Coco Gauff ranks among US athletes, and Naomi Osaka’s return to the US Open. Then, Chicago Red Stars defender Sam Staabs joins the show to discuss the future of the USWNT and the NWSL playoff race. Finally, Megan shares her WNBA DraftKings picks of the week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does possible sound like for your business? It's having the spend to power your scale with no preset spending limit. Redefine possible with Business Platinum. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Terms and conditions apply. Visit amex.ca slash business platinum. Welcome to Good Follow presented by Draft Kings. I'm Megan Reyes and alongside me as always are Logan Hackett and Katie Navatney. Caitlin Clark continues to reach new fans and one way she's doing it is with her logo threes.

And it turns out she's hitting them from an average of six feet behind the arc. That is longer than the best shooters in the NBA and their three point line is a foot and a half further away. Is this the wildest WNBA stat that you have ever seen? I think it's one of the wildest basketball stats I've ever seen, period. Other than like, I don't know,

the only one that comes to mind is how tall Wembenyama, Wembenyama, whatever his name is, how tall he is. How many LeBron James is it? Like, do we know what like how far how long is it? It's like one and a half. It's like a little under one, right? Six, six feet. How tall is he? I don't even know. I have no idea. They're all over six foot to me, so they're all tall. And I also came from like for many years I worked at the Warriors,

so I got to firsthand witness the Steph Curry legacy and magic. And so to know that this stat exists in the WNBA, yeah, it's incredible. Absolutely. I feel like we all know Steph as like a shooter as well. So the fact that she's shooting in the WNBA, yeah, it's incredible. Absolutely. I feel like we all know Steph as like a shooter as well. So the fact that she's shooting better than Steph, it's like, how much better can you get at this point? Right, and his logo threes are exactly part of his brand.

So yes, if she's doing it much better and in her rookie year, that's everything we need to know. Try to buckle up. Well, Minnesota Lynx and Team USA head coach Cheryl Reeves said Kaitlyn is more than just a shooter. So here's what she had to say ahead of the Lynx fever matchup last weekend. The best thing that she does that young players don't do is she plays at an incredible pace. And pace can get you really, really far.

And there's great value in that. Pace and passing, I think, are her two greatest things. I know the sexier part is probably the logo three, but the pace and the passing is what makes her exceptional. So this is really interesting because Reeve infamously didn't want to discuss much of Caitlin when she was left off the US Olympic team.

But when she knew she had to face Caitlin, she changed her tune a bit. So do you think this was Cheryl being genuine or was she just trying to avoid any flack, given the Fever are now bulletin board material before their game? She was probably protecting something in the beginning, you know, probably the Olympic squad as is.

I want to believe it's genuine. I want to believe that she's proven herself and people are kind of seeing that she's more than just a headline. I think it's completely genuine to be honest, cause I feel like if it wasn't genuine, then she wouldn't have got up there and said what she said. Like there were so many other ways

that she could have gone about it. We've seen people try to like avoid questions about certain players. So I think it was genuine. And I mean, we'll still have to figure out why she was left off the roster, but it was all coming from the heart. Well, and I think when we had Roz on last week, she said it best. We're learning that she's not hype. She's very much well living up to everything that we knew she was going to be. And I think at this point in the season, a lot of

people are starting to accept that. Absolutely. Let's talk about her fellow rookie and now one of our sports media peers, Angel Reese. And we'll get into Angel's new podcast in a second. And hopefully her audience numbers are as prolific as her rebound numbers. Angel is the first rookie to have three consecutive 20 plus rebound games. And you might be wondering how she gets so many. Her critics are saying it's because she's only cleaning up her own misses. She's shooting just 32% since the Olympic break.

And those accusing of her padding her stats point to moments like this. Let's take a look. Is the criticism fair or are people just hating on Adel? Once again, Reese with the tap, another chance. Reese trying to put it back. Is the criticism fair or are people just hating on Edel? Honestly, I was really looking at all those videos. She's the only person in the paint. So who else is there to pick up her rebounds other than her? So she's a double player at this point. I just hear all my basketball coaches being like,

you have to get your own rebound. Like what are you, isn't that what we're supposed to do? Like why is that a problem? I don't know. I'm not a basketball expert but I think two things can be true. Sure, maybe she's not shooting as high of a percentage but also to Logan's point, she isn't, she is the only one in the pink grabbing the board. So what else is she supposed to do?

And at the end of the day, I feel like we don't see many players who are putting up as many rebounds as she is and also like shooting at a really high percentage. I feel like you kind of have to do one or the other, especially as a rookie, she still has so much time to work on her shot. So get the rebounds now, break the records,

and then maybe work on doing your Caitlyn shooting later. Well, I mentioned this earlier, on Tuesday, Angel announced her new podcast, Unapologetically Angel, launching September 5th. And she's hosting alongside my friend, Maya Reese. No relation, believe it or not. But this got me thinking if you could build your dream podcast with one analyst, one athlete and one wild card, who would be on it? Starting with you, Katie. OK, I have a couple ideas. And the first one, OK, I don't even know where to begin. I just got a rip. OK, I want Charles Barkley because I think he's

the funniest person in the entire world. I want I'm tied between two athletes of either Alona Mar or Abby Wambach because we know their personalities are so lovable and they would have, the two of them and Barclay, I feel like would be a grand slam. And then I think I want, okay, my wild card is the one of two comedians. One is a comedian who also plays rugby. Her name is Beth Stelling, and she's phenomenal. She was like she posted earlier this year, like she had to take a break

from touring because her rugby team got so good and was like about to go into the Olympics. So that would be like a really fun trio. But Tig Notaro as a comic and her dry delivery paired with the two big personalities of Barclay and Alona or an Abby, I think would be actual gold. And I'm very torn. I don't know.

I don't know which one to go for. So very well thought out and intentional lineup. Yes. Logan, who is on your lineup? I want to do Flage because I've been seeing her on the mic recently and she's incredibly good. As everyone knows, I love the drama. So put Stephen A in there because I want to go back

and forth with him. I want to fight, I want to bicker, and I want Flage to be like, whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm trying to think of a third, I really, hmm. Trinity Rodman, I feel like would be really fun. I know that's kind of an athlete still. Well, so I think Wild Card is almost like a, I don't know. Like anyone.

Yeah. I feel like, yeah, I really feel like Trinity would go well in there. We'd all kind of like vibe off of each other, and it would be like a 3v1, maybe sometimes, depending on what we're talking about. And then we're all like black too. So it's like black sports.

Yay. I love that. I truthfully didn't put much thought into this, but I'm going to just come up with one off the top of my head. I think I would want Diana Taurasi, just because when her and Sue are mic'd up and they're doing their like their broadcast, it's hilarious. Possibly inebriated, but that's, I think, to be disclosed at a different time or never.

But either Sue or Diana, because they're funny. One analyst, oh, that one's tough. I like Joy Taylor because I love Joy Taylor. I respect her a lot. I respect her as a woman in sport, as a black woman in sport, and also she is really exceptional at how she carries a conversation and her hosting duties.

And then I think one wild card would be, ooh. Gosh, I had it. Oh, okay, This is so random. And I would probably actually hate this because it's so many strong personalities and they would probably take over the conversation. I'm going to put in Drusky, just to put in Drusky. But I feel like that's going to be a lot of personalities

trying to carry the conversation. So I might backtrack on that one. I was actually going to put in Kaisenat and I had the exact same thought process. I was like, this would be absolutely chaotic. And it would just be like talking over each other the whole time. That's why I was like, Tig feels like a better for my rod car. She's like a lower key personality and she could balance them out

and come in with just amazing observations and jokes. I love it. Okay. Can't wait for our podcast to come out. But let's talk some tennis. The U.S. Open is well underway, and there are a ton of fun stories for us to follow. But let's start with the defending champion, Coco Goff. She's still fighting to get back to the finals at the time of this recording. She didn't have a great summer, but if she wins, she'll be the first back to back winner since the since the Serena Williams 3-peat from 2012 to 2014.

So Logan, where does Coco rank among the most important American athletes right now? Pretty high, especially out of all of tennis men's and women's. I mean, she's at the top of it. But I think doing a back-to-back is very difficult, especially on home soil. I'm really hoping she does it, but everybody just seems to be at the top of their game right now. So she's going to have to do her big ones. And then of course, we need to talk about Naomi Osaka, who returned to the U.S. Open

for the first time since 2022 after taking time off following the birth of her first child. And coming back has been difficult for her. She hasn't been at the top of her game, but she says, my biggest issue currently isn't losses. My biggest issue is I don't feel like I am in my body. Are you more impressed that she came back or that she's being so honest about how difficult it can be to return from childbirth to professional sports?

The latter for me, it is so, it's such a, I mean, I've never been pregnant or had a baby, but being a woman in your body and feeling good in it is so hard at a baseline. And after you go through a essentially traumatic experience and having to come back and having to fight for what you quote unquote, what once were, that is a mental challenge

that I think a lot of us experience on some level. And I think it's really refreshing that we're talking about something like this. Perfect. To be perfectly honest. Yeah, I've had so this is like I'm not even going to go on a whole tangent because we don't have that much time today. But my therapist and I have had conversations about this before. And it's completely unrelated.

But she specializes in helping. Well, it's not why we see each other, but she specializes in helping moms navigate motherhood, especially first time moms. And I mean, she says all the time, and when we've had these conversations about how it is really difficult for a woman to feel in tune with her body following a pregnancy, following childbirth, like you said, it is a traumatic experience. I think we have to label it as it is, giving birth is a traumatic experience for the body.

And so when players come back and play at a high level as a professional athlete, you have to give them a lot of credit because it's really difficult for your body to be in sync with your mind. Yeah, and like if you've ever had surgery, you know how hard it is to feel normal again, not anywhere on your body.

And I've seen my friends experience like anxiety for the first time and they're worried about everything. And I'm like, oh, you don't know what it's like to worry about every moment of every day. Welcome, buckle up baby. So I think I'm so glad she's saying it. I'm so glad she's saying it. Well, Naomi returned to the US Open and so did her style.

In her first match, she walked out in a lime green outfit full of bows and tulle. She says it's the best fit she's ever worn, but personally, I think it seems uncomfortable to compete in. I mean, I was a ballerina, so I know what it's like to be trying to move around in tulle and bow. So I don't play tennis. But when she was asked about it, she said,

I don't mind feeling uncomfortable just as long as it's stylish. Is this an example of look good, play good, or possibly doing a little too much? I think it's look good, play good. All the look good, play good, feel good. I mean, when you just have that feeling that like you're all put together, everything is amazing, it does help you play better rather than being like,

oh, I don't look great. And especially because all eyes are going to be on her. She knows that she's going to have to pop off with this fit. And she did just that. I would trip and fall and lose personally. But I think whatever works for you, make it work, you know? When people say things like, oh, how do track athletes run with the hair and the nails and the lashes? How do basketball players play with the lashes or soccer players play with the braids and the lashes?

It's, first of all, it doesn't matter. It doesn't affect you, but it helps them feel good. It helps them feel confident. So I personally don't believe in what a lot of people would label doing too much because that is what makes one person feel confident. And then that's not doing too much. That's just being themselves. But that's my opinion on it all.

So coming up, we talk some footy from both the U.S. Women's National Team and Chicago Red Stars center back Sam Stobb joins us. We'll be right back. Welcome back into Good Follow. Joining us today is US women's national team and NWSL defender Sam Staub. Sam, I'm very excited to have you on the show. How are you today? I'm good.

Thanks for having me. Well, we're thrilled to have you and I'm going to jump right into it. Back in June, I got to be in Denver to cover the U.S. Friendly against Korea, which also happened to be your first cap for the national team. So can you share with us what that experience was like for you? Yeah, it was really exciting. My whole family was there too, because I'm from California, so it wasn't too far. Yeah, it was really exciting.

I was so exhausted because we were playing at altitude. But yeah, it was just like a dream come true, obviously. So it was great. At altitude and it was so hot also. Yes, it was just a combination of things. It was the hardest 30 minutes I have ever played probably in my entire life. And adrenaline was just like out the door. Like it was crazy.

Were you guys training any differently for altitude? Um, no, not really. It was Emma's first camp, I think. So it was like all of us just trying to like figure her out too. So I don't think it was different. I don't know. I don't know any any different. Like it was my first camp. So yeah. And with all that, you were the first player to make their debut under Emma Hayes, who was the brand new coach at the time. She says she enjoys a high pressure of the US Women's National Team. What does she bring to the team as a coach? I would say that she just kind of like brings like this different like energy. She seems very calm, just like she knows what she's doing.

And I think she just wants everyone to be their best self, which I think is like a really refreshing thing. I don't know any different. So that was also like really interesting going in, like not knowing anything previously about the national team. But yeah, I was just like really excited to get my first cap and obviously very grateful to her for that. Once Emma was named head coach of the national team, there were some questions on whether the team would be able to come together with both a new coach

and then so many new faces, but then they went on and won gold in Paris anyways. So what do you think that says about the future of the national team? I think it's just exciting. Yeah, there's like no ceiling there for that group. So I think it's really exciting and obviously a really good start and just keep it going.

For this question, you're allowed to say yourself, but do you have your eye on any future stars of the team? I think the team is so young. I think there's like a core group of the team that's so young and I'm just really excited to see how they do and some of them are good friends of mine. So I'm just really excited to support them and hopefully play with them, obviously. But I think there's just like a lot, there's a lot of really young talent in the US and there's a lot of talent already there on the team. So I think it's just really exciting to see how everyone's going to fit in and

everyone's going to come together. I'm always really fascinated by the process of national team players getting their callups and going through camps and things like that. At what point in your career did it feel like a strong reality that being part of the national team could happen for you? And what was that process like? Never really. I obviously got my first cap and everything, but I think there's no reason to be complacent.

But it was pretty surreal, obviously, getting my first call in and everything. It also was kind of anticlimactic. I just got an email. So like that's all that happened. And I obviously like told my friends and family and that was like the really exciting part of it. But it's also like, I'm now injured and I'll have to like work all the way back into that. So I don't think that there's like really like the,

oh, I made it like feeling yet or probably ever. I always think it's funny because we see the videos, especially around World Cup where everyone's waiting for the FaceTime and the call with it. It sounds like a lot of times it is just an email that you're waiting to come into your inbox and then you get to celebrate that moment yourself and in your time. Yeah, yeah, basically. Yeah, I go and email and then I called my brother. Like that's basically what happens. Like that's basically what happens. Well, let's switch to NWSL for a bit. Your Red Stars are preparing for a match this weekend against Angel City,

and it has really big playoff implications. So what will be important for your teammates this weekend to get the three points? Yeah, I think just playing together. We're a team that's always done better when we play together, not really as like individuals. We need everyone on the field and everyone on the bench to get the job done. I think also LA is probably one of the most exciting and difficult places to play because it's so loud you almost can't even hear yourself think. So kind of like settling into the game

early and like overcoming all the like ruckus and noise and like Hollywood of that game will be like really, really important. Where have been your favorite places to play? What are some of your favorite road atmospheres? I think it's changed throughout my career. Obviously I'm from San Diego, so playing at San Diego is fun and special in a different way. And then I have a lot of family in New York, so it's always fun playing there and at Gotham.

I think Bay has a really cool stadium, so that was always fun playing there and at Gotham. I think Bay has like a really cool stadium, so that was like a really fun place to play this year. And Kansas City was really cool too, but I think like just the family aspect of like my family being at games is always my favorite. When talking about the end of your cell, we have to talk about the Orlando Pride, who haven't lost a game in 323 days.

They hold the longest unbeaten end of your cell streak and set a club record for most wins and points in a single season. Is there somebody who you think can knock them off or do you just kind of see them as unstoppable? I would say hopefully the Red Stars when we play them in like two weeks, I think. We did tie them. We didn't lose to them last time we played them. So we can do it.

Sam is manifesting this and so in two weeks we need to come back to this interview and see if Orlando gets their first loss. Yes, that would be fantastic. Well, besides the Red Stars, of course, do you think there is a team in the league that could be a surprise contender as we get closer to the playoffs? Like making the playoffs or are you saying beating Orlando? Oh gosh, let's do both. I don't know, I think like making the playoffs I feel like it's like totally dependent on momentum

I feel like it's like whatever team is kind of like feeling themselves at that time. I was like really impressed with how Louisville kind of like really beat us this last weekend so I think they could like potentially sneak in. They signed a bunch of new players. They feel like they're really just going for it. I think they're out of the playoff question right now. But I think they kind of like, if they're playing on momentum and everything, I think they could potentially get into the playoffs. As for anyone beating Orlando, I don't know who's played them like twice or what not or what's left, but I think anyone towards the top could potentially knock them off. Yeah, I don't really know.

I want the red stars. Like that's kind of all I'm really rooting for is the red stars. That's what's so exciting about the league is truly anything can happen. Yeah. And with still so many weeks left in the season, someone could absolutely come out of nowhere and you really can't predict it. Yeah, definitely. So I want to actually step away from soccer for a little bit.

I think the GoodFollow audience would love to get to know Sam a little bit more. Outside of soccer, how do you like to spend your time? Like, what are Sam's hobbies? It shifted a little bit because I am not super mobile at the moment, but I love to just like go for walks and like explore, try different foods. I love going to different restaurants. I love going out to eat. I love like skincare and makeup.

And even though I don't wear makeup that often, but when I do, I like love doing it. Yeah, I would say those are like some of my like favorite things to do. And dogs, even though I don't have a dog, but. You can tell me if he's got my dog whenever you have a free weekend. Whenever, whenever I'm free, I'm into it. I did see on your social media that you're super into skincare.

What is your holy grail of skincare routine? I wouldn't necessarily say I have one thing, but I just like, I love Aquaphor. I like to use it for everything. I went through Accutane like four or five years ago and Aquaphor was my holy grail during that whole thing and it still is my holy grail. I use it for like literally everything. And now that I just had surgery, I like use it on my scar and everyone tells me my scar

looks fantastic. So like Aquaphor just like keeps just like exceeding any sort of expectation. But yeah, I wouldn't say there's any like one product besides that that I just like exceeding any sort of expectation. But yeah, I wouldn't say there's any like one product besides that that I just like use and will always just be a hundred percent behind. Well, one, it sounds like you need an aqua four partnership if you haven't already. And two, what I really want to get into is Korean beauty

and Korean skincare. I've actually like kind of gotten into that. Like I use like, I think it's called like Innisfree that face um wash and like double cleansing with the like oil cleanser I've started doing. I do really like that so I will say I'm a fan of that. So when you're playing like after the games what does your skincare routine look like because as athletes like even when I was playing it was like I feel like I always had acne up here. And it was all because of just how it was sweating. I will say the like after training or something, if I'm not like

showering and changing right away or like after games and stuff, the like salt water spray, I'll do that on my skin. I feel like that's kind of like become really like a trend that people are doing. But I do really like that. And I have noticed like a difference that it like helps because it'll like kill the bacteria on your skin and whatnot. And it feels good when it's hot, like we're training in the summer, it feels good.

I don't know if you already make them, but if you don't, we're gonna need some Sam Stobbs skincare. Yeah, I know that's the thing I like. I don't have a TikTok, so like I can't like make the videos or anything. I'm also like very tech challenged. Like you guys saw how long it took me to set up my phone. Like I'm very tech challenged. So that's like part long it took me to set up my phone. Like I'm very tech challenged.

So that's like part of it. Like one of my friends actually works in PR and she's always like, you should do it. Like, I don't know why you don't do it. I'm like, you understand, like it would take me four days to make one video. Like that's embarrassing. You know, I actually am all for the,

don't let yourself get into the TikTok black hole unless you have to, because it's a slippery slope. Yeah, that's what I've heard. And I've never been on it or anything like that. So I've lasted this long. I might as well just not have it. Okay, one last question before I let Logan take us home. Where have been your favorite places to explore

and favorite places to eat since you've been in Chicago? I live in the West Loop area and I love walking around there. There's so many restaurants. There's just so much going on. It's very young. It's very fun. My favorite restaurant so far, I went to Ever last week and that was just like an experience. I also really like watching the bear. But it depends on like price point. Like that was like very, very fun but just like a whole different experience. I've really liked this place called Sunda. Alyssa and I went recently. It's like Asian

Fusion. That was good. I just like going out to eat with people. I feel like it's really fun to try new foods with people. I guess that's kind of like my love language, but yeah, I think there's like anywhere that someone wants to take me or that I really want to go. If like you go with someone, I think it's just like a really fun experience with people. And you're the perfect city for that. Yes, like very much to a food city and I lived in DC which doesn't get enough credit as also being a food city so that kind of like started my addiction and then now I'm in Chicago which is like a certified food city and it's just been great for everything but my bank account.

But that's okay, that's okay we're young. It's part of life, it's part of experience life. Logan, take us home. Last question before we let you go. A week ago, the NWSL and NWSL PA agreed to a new CBA, which included the elimination of the draft, free agency, all guaranteed contracts, and so much more. This is such a big deal for the league. Can you explain how it impacts you and your fellow players in a positive way? Yeah, I think it just gives like a lot more power to the league. Can you explain how it impacts you and your fellow players in a positive way? Yeah, I think it just gives like a lot more power to the players and I think that's something that we've been fighting for for a really long time and before I was even in the league. In my like five or six years, I've seen the league explode like dramatically and I think that this CBA kind of

like is finally starting to follow how successful women's sports has been recently and I think that this CBA kind of like is finally starting to follow how successful women's sports has been recently. And I think that's just like really exciting. But I think there's just like more power to the players, which is just like a really great thing. Well, Sam, it has been wonderful having you on Good Follow today. Thank you so much for joining us. Yeah, thanks so much for having me.

Coming up, Katie, Logan and I swipe right or left on other headlines across women's sports and pop culture. We'll be right back. Welcome back to Good Follow. It's probably not hard for New York Liberty fans to find a special someone to bring to the game. They're the favorites to win the title and Sabrina Yanescu is making shots from other states. But in case fans are looking, Bumble is now the official dating app sponsor of the Liberty. So in honor of the new sponsorship, we're going to do some swiping of our own.

I'm going to present two stories that have a common theme. Pick your favorite story to swipe right on and one to swipe left on. So let's stay on the conversation about branding. Pick a story to swipe right on. Angel Reese recently signed a deal with everyone's favorite candy or should be their favorite candy, Reese's. But Brianna Stewart released her new Puma Stewie 3 Harry Potter shoes. I'm clear if these shoes can be used in Quidditch, but which sponsor and player is the perfect match?

Angel Reese. Swiping right on Angel Reese all day, every day. I love it. That's, it's a slam dunk. I keep using sports puns today. I don't know. I, it's so good. It just makes sense. It makes so much sense. It should have happened years ago. And I'm glad it's happening now. It's like, and there was a little bit of conversation

around this. Why, like, why did Wilson never partner with Asia? It was right there. It was right there. Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, swipe right on Angel, especially because she had that, it was either the tweet or the comment on social media

where she was like, Reese's, where are you all at? And then she manifested it. She had it come to life, which I'm all about manifesting. It's also really nicely timed with fall and Halloween coming. I like that. I like that. I like that a lot. I'm not the biggest fan of the style and design of the shoe, which I'm not knocking it. I'm supporting you. I just don't like the design. I don't want those on

my feet. And I'm also not a Slytherin, so I would need a Hufflepuff situation. I do appreciate how Angel has merged with her Reese's Pieces deal too, because they could have just done like a commercial or something like that. But the way it like incorporates too is just A1. Swipe right. Swipe right.

Maybe a super like, I don't know. I might give it a super like. Paying for the premium so that we can really push it to the top. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, next story. This past week, two goats had Jersey retirement ceremonies and you know they had to step out.

Megan Rapinoe wore colorful Nikes to her Jersey retirement in Seattle and Maya Moore was gifted metallic versions of her five most memorable Jordans during her retirement ceremony. So swipe right on a shoe game, Megan Rapinos or Maya Moore's. Dude, metallic is sick. I would go right. I'm going right on Maya Moore.

I think I am too, for sure. Especially because like she's the female Michael Jordan. It's all making sense. She deserves that. She deserves anything she wants at this point, but I think that's really good. Meghan's colorful Nikes are sick. Don't want to ignore that. But if I had to choose, I'm going with the metallics. That's a profile picture I'd be really excited about. I think the metallic shoes and it being five different versions of her most memorable Jordans, I think it has a little bit more thought and intention there. And so I'm swiping right on my as well.

I think we've seen Megan in her shoes before. I don't know why, or maybe it's like the Nike shocks or whatever that she's been in, but I don't know why. I feel like I've seen that color combo or with the vapor shocks on Megan before. Well, her and Sue have, I don't know if you've ever seen the pictures of their shoe closet. It looks like a store. I mean, it looks like a stadium good store.

And so they probably have five different versions of every shoe in every colorway. So we probably have seen this on her foot before. OK, my more swipe right. Next up, Shooter's Shoot. Three pointers are cool, but you know, what's even cooler swishing a contested logo three like Sabrina UNESCO And then on the other side the sky left too much time on the clock for reigning MVP Asia Wilson who called a game Let's take a look at this video. A tip.

Gray will take it out. 1.1, looking for Wilson to put it up. Beats the clock. Asia, the game winner, to walk it off for the Aces. Make sure. The card on the court is a made basket and it will stay a made basket. So who are we swiping right on?

Sabrina's three or Asia's game winner? I got Asia's game winner. I, it was a long shot, but not that long because there's nothing better than sealing the deal for your team at the buzzer. And you see from the celly and everything, like Sabrina, don't get me wrong, that's crazy, especially contested, but I'm going with Asia.

What about you, Katie? I mean, I agree with that. I think that feeling coming right under the gun is unbeatable across the board, but the other one just looks cooler. It just like, going that far just looks so sick. I love it. I like, I can't, I keep going back to when we were trying to shoot threes like a couple

of months ago and like everything I did from that spot was an air ball. Like I can't even get, I don't know how they do it. It's fascinating to me. I mean, it's a lot of strength. So when people like Sabrina can throw threes up like that and make it look so effortless, it's a lot of strength that it takes to shoot three-pointer with pointers,

especially from that far. But then what's really cool is the Asia bucket, it came right after Kennedy Carter made a three to tie the game with one second left. So there was a lot of back context to this as well. And I don't know, I think three pointers are super fun. I'm all about live by the three, die by the three. But yeah, there's nothing about a buzzer, Peter Gane winner. The shot right before to tie it. The pressure, the pressure you guys. The pressure! The pressure, you guys! That's why she's raining MVP.

Yeah. And why she will, baby, be a back-to-back MVP. Dot, dot, dot. Dot, dot, dot. Okay, next story. It's a big week for babies. Aces rookie Kate Martin and Tiffany Hayes were caught on camera singing along to Justin Bieber's Baby on the sidelines. Let's take a look.

Perfect timing because Justin and Hailey Bieber just announced the birth of their first baby, Jack Blues Bieber. And it sparked some conversations about celebrity baby names. So which baby are you calling mine? You know, what's funny is my producers had it in here. I think they wanted me to sing baby, but I'm not doing that. So which baby are you calling mine? Kate and Tiffany singing on the sidelines or Jack Blues Bieber?

I'm going the sidelines. They're just like me. Like, I've always thought that. I don't know how professional athletes do it because I'm like in my seat watching them like singing along to the songs. I feel like you know everyone. Like, I would not be able to focus on the game. Even when I was playing, we'd have songs come on. It was so hard to like pay attention to the coach but also be like jamming out in your head.

I was in a workout class this morning and Insync came on and I was like, I'm going full volume on this. So this is, they are speaking my love language. Jack Blues to me, it feels like a brewery somewhere in like Asheville. I, the celebrity stuff never really gets me that excited. So I would go left on that, right on sidelines.

So I have multiple thoughts on this. I feel like when Justin Bieber baby comes on, it's just like inherent, like it was built in my brain to know every word. I think I was a freshman in college when it came out. So we were very much into that song. Know every word to Ludacris's verse, which it's not easy to know Ludacris's verses to any of your songs, but this song is a part of me. So I'm going to swipe right on that. And also this is my hot take and has absolutely nothing to do with women's sports. But while we're having the conversation, I believe we might need to de-influence Hailey Bieber just a tiny bit. And this is my hot

take. I am. She's trendy. She has influence. And I think too, I also stand on the side of where some of her trends that people are like, oh, the Hailey Bieber trend, especially when she was doing like the dark lip and the slick black and the gold. And it was the trend that a lot of people in the Latina culture were like, we used to get made fun of for this, but because Hailey Bieber does it and it's cool, now it's trendy. So you know what? I'm going to digress. The Aeroon smoothie sent me over the edge. The smoothie I couldn't handle. I couldn't handle it.

I will say she ate with that nail combo. It was really good. I love the smoothie. I'm sorry. I love the smoothie. And I embarrassingly, when I go to Aeroon, I'm like, can I get the strawberry glaze smoothie? I don't even call it the Hailey Bieber smoothie.

I say, can I please get the strawberry glaze smoothie? You could make a smoothie at home for like four dollars. I'll teach you guys. It's super interesting. I've tried to make the Haley Bieber smoothie at home, and it's not the same when you're not paying twenty five dollars for it. But, um, yeah, this is besides the point. Swiping right on Kate and Tiffany on the sidelines.

Coming up, we talk more WNBA. I reveal my DraftKings picks of the week and Katie shares her latest good follow. We'll be right back. Welcome back to Good Follow. Before we get into our weekly picks, our partners at DraftKings have an offer that's perfect for any gameday. Right now, new customers who bet $5 will instantly get $250 in bonus bets. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and sign up using promo code GOODFOLLOW.

That's $250 in bonus bets instantly after betting just $5. And if sports betting is not yet available in your state, you can still join in on all the fun with DraftKings Daily Fantasy and have the shot to win cash prizes. Again, download the DraftKings Sportsbook app now and use promo code GOODFOLLOW for $250 in bonus bets instantly after betting just $5, only at DraftKings Sportsbook. OK, now it's time for this week's DraftKings Sportsbook picks. We're in week nine of the WNBA regular season.

In New York, Connecticut, and Minnesota have clinched playoff spots. But with enough time in the regular season, the final five spots are a toss-up. Futures for the 2024 WNBA champions are on DraftKings Sportsbook, and the Connecticut Sun are tied with the Lynx at plus 550, while Seattle Storms sit at plus 1100. Look out for yet Seattle star guard Jewel Lloyd, who is a big piece of the puzzle that could help the Storm leave Connecticut with a win this weekend. Lloyd is a consistent scoring leader for her team, which is why she's my player to pick in this matchup. But despite

the offensive help around Jewel, I think the Sun's triple threat of Alyssa Thomas, Delana Bonner and Brianna Jones might be too much for the storm. So I'm picking Connecticut to come out on top this Sunday. Logan, what do you think about this matchup between the sun and the storm? I think it's gonna be really interesting, especially given the past few games that the storm have had and the role that the sun are on. It's like what is it the sun before the storm? Maybe I'm thinking calm before the storm. The sun comes up after the storm. I don't know, but I have Connecticut winning all the way. But I think Juleelade is gonna be an asset.

Okay, and so right before the Olympic break, Connecticut acquired shooter Marina Mabry in a rare mid-season trade. How important has she been to the Sun? She's been such an asset. I love it, and I love her on the team, especially given there was some tea between her and Dijonais previously, but.

Oh, tell us. They've just like always been getting into little like spats. And she when she played on Dallas, they got into it in front of John Morant. It was like a big thing. And then when she was on Chicago this year, they got into it twice. And Dijonais was like flipping her hair in her face. Marina told her to f off like it was always just on site for both of them. And now they're teammates of literally passing to each other and winning games together,

which is really cool. But I really love Marina on this team and her stats since joining are actually, she's averaging just a few more points than she was with Chicago, which is really cool because that means she just integrated immediately. And normally you don't really see that. Normally they have to get used to being on the team

and the plays and everything. So she's doing really well. So do you think the sun were smart and picking her up? Absolutely. Okay. So we have another game this weekend, Aces at Mercury and Aces sit in fifth, Phoenix sit in six. What will Phoenix have to do to close the gap in the playoff standings? I'm so keen to see what the heck happens in this game

because the Aces have not been in a, they're kind of in a slump right now and they just beat Chicago. And so if they wouldn't have done that, they'd be 0-4 in their past four games. But then you also have Phoenix who I feel like they're still trying to buckle up and make that run. I think they'll really have to come together offensively,

but also more defensively. Against the Aces, they're'll really have to come together offensively, but also more defensively against the aces. They're really going to have to be on lock and they're going to have to shut Asia down because she is the main asset and just hope that nobody else is going to have like an amazing day, which is very hard with the aces. Katie, I'm going to ask you something I know that you probably really want to talk about. There's a there's a new mascot in town. Can you tell me what you think about Ellie, the elephant's new bestie slash rival, her sister? I'm so excited to see what she's going to do on the sky.

I like are there going to be competitions like are we going to be competitions? Like, are we going to get elevated halftime shows? I feel like yes. I was a huge fan of the Bulls, like Chicago Bulls mascot when I was younger. So I have a very high bar. So I need it to be here And I feel like Ellie is here. So we

have we have some room to grow. I think there's like there's some big shoes to fill. But I'm really excited to see what happens. I think this just further solidifies that as far as your WNBA fandom, it has to be the Chicago sky for obvious reasons. Being from Chicago. But now, you know, they have another they have a mascot. So yeah, when I saw that, I was like, we're reluctant. We're locked in. All right. She's locked in.

She's picked a theme. I love this. Well, moving on. The foundation of this show is that communities get built one good follow at a time. And each week, one of us will highlight a person, page or brand as our good follow at a time. And each week, one of us will highlight a person, page, or brand as our good follow of the week.

So Katie, you can't pick the Chicago sky mascot because we already talked about her, but who is your good follow of the week? She's actually another fellow Chicagoan or native napervillian. Her name is Sarah Adam and she is a Paralympian on Instagram at Adams0122, which I'm guessing is her birthday or something, but she's the first woman on the wheelchair rugby team. And she was diagnosed with MS in 2018.

So I automatically, she has two things for me. Like she's from my hometown. She has MS which is similar to what my mom has. I know the disease very well. My uncle had it too. So pretty sick for our family. But she was volunteering at a wheelchair rugby team when she was in grad school, when she was going for her OT. And so like that's how she got into wheelchair rugby in general. And then once she got diagnosed, she started filling in on the team.

And she was like playing with them when they needed extra players in practice. So she already had like a really good sense of the game. And in the last couple of years, she was, she led the team to gold and silver in like these bigger tournaments that were leading up to the Olympics. And Chuck Aoki, who we featured last week, he's the team to gold and silver and like these bigger tournaments that were leading up to the Olympics and Chuck Aoki, who we featured last week, uh, he's a team captain and he said that she is one of the fiercest players that he

has ever seen. And I love that he said this specifically because of the wording, because it's players, not female players, just players. And something that she said in a couple of her interviews was, she loves wheelchair rugby so much because you just get to be an athlete. You get to be seen as a person and an athlete first, not the disability first. And she's like, you're expected to show up. They call it murder ball because these people are ramming into each other, like full on bumper cars.

And it's like, are you going to do the strength and conditioning? Like you're going to be smashing into other people's wheelchairs at full speed. Can you handle it? And I think that's so badass. And it just shows us what we are capable of. And I am a big, big fan of her. And I think I'm excited. This is so unhinged that I'm about to say this,

but I'm excited to see her follower count grow after these Olympics, because I think she's gonna catch a lot of people's attention, especially with how she plays. Well, I think this is also a great reminder for everyone to watch the Paralympics, which have kicked off this week. And Katie, that's an incredible good follow.

Everyone go follow her at Adam S 0122. We need to look it up, but it probably is her birthday. And we want to hear from our fans. Who is your good follow? Send your nominations to at Good Follow Show and tell us why your good follow should be featured on our show. Good Follow is brought to you by DraftKings. We will see you next week. So So So So So So So So So So So So Thanks for watching!