Chasing the End of Unrivaled

On this very delayed episode, Bon and Amanda recap the Unrivaled Playoffs and go on a tangent about Survivor. Finally, the official Chasing the W Bracket Challenge is now live!

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:07

Welcome back to another episode of Chasing the W. I'm Amanda. And I'm Bonnie. And we're here honestly to wrap up our unrivaled segments because season's over.

SPEAKER_01 0:20

Season's over. Ended on free three.

SPEAKER_03 0:23

There's no more, there's no more women's basketball until this year. March Menace is about to start. That's true. It's just right this second. It's just like the high stakes hoops are not really a thing. But before we get into unrivaled, what have you been up to?

SPEAKER_01 0:40

What have I been up to? It's been the busy week with work and life stuff. And basketball. And cats. The cats. The cats, the lamp. They're really keeping us up at night. One of them has a lamp. And it's really hard to get her to stop running around. It's impossible, actually.

SPEAKER_03 1:03

She's just a girl. She just wants to have fun.

SPEAKER_01 1:07

But yeah, we haven't really, I mean, this winter I feel like we've been sort of like hibernating. I'm ready for the sun to come out, for the weather to get nicer, and then we'll start doing more activities.

SPEAKER_03 1:18

I feel that. I feel like I've been like busting my ass. I've been doing a lot of work. And so by the time I get home, I'm not really ready to do anything.

SPEAKER_01 1:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:31

And so I feel like I was really lazy this last week. Oh, I think the last episode we were talking about how Brenda and I were gonna do date day. We did do that. The Whitney was great, but like several floors were closed, so we're we're gonna have to go back. But we did this thing actually where Brenda was taking like pictures of a certain color, like of things we saw outside, and I did the same thing. What colors did you? We'll have to show you. Brenda did purple, okay, and I did red. And I did I did say that she should maybe pick a color that's like more common.

SPEAKER_01 2:05

But purple's my favorite color.

SPEAKER_03 2:07

Yeah, I think it's hers too, yeah. But I mean, to be fair, there was a lot of purple.

SPEAKER_01 2:12

There you go.

SPEAKER_03 2:13

There was a lot of purple. So she actually had more pictures than I did, and I was just like, what the fuck? But I gave myself a limit because I did red, and I was like, okay, so I'm not gonna do stop signs. I won't do the no standing zone. Yeah. So that just felt like a cop-out. But that was really fun. And then we went to this Cuban place in the lower rear. Well, I guess they're calling it Nolita. Is that a thing? Is that like a new neighborhood thing or has it? Is that one of the OGs?

SPEAKER_01 2:38

I think it's been around, I don't know about OG, but it's been around.

SPEAKER_03 2:41

It's just like, do you remember a couple years ago they tried to make Dime Square?

SPEAKER_01 2:44

Yeah, I think that is.

SPEAKER_03 2:45

Yeah, no, that's what I mean. That's why I'm just like, I don't want to call it Nolita. Where is Dime Square? Where is that supposed to be? I don't know. I've never even heard of it. They're just trying to make Fetch happen.

SPEAKER_01 2:53

Yeah. Not gonna happen.

SPEAKER_03 2:54

It's not gonna happen. But anyway, yeah, that was date day. It was super fun. And then a friend came over at the conclusion of Date Day outside, and then we just hung out, watched Survivor.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

Oh yeah, I watched it too. I caught up. I like Survivor. Is the third episode out?

SPEAKER_03 3:11

No. No, just two. I think it's out on Wednesday nights. Okay. Which is kind of throwing me because I was used to our Thursday night show. Yeah. And now it's a Wednesday, a Wednesday night show.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

It's intense already. No spoilers on the podcast.

SPEAKER_03 3:23

No, no spoilers. I've never watched like a full season either. I mostly watched here and there. Even as a kid, I remember like it was so big.

SPEAKER_01 3:31

It's crazy that it's been going on for so long. Like literally 20 years at least. 25. 20.

SPEAKER_03 3:36

It might be 25 because I think they do two seasons a year. This is season 50, as they won't stop reminding us.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

Right.

SPEAKER_03 3:42

They're like, No, there's the contestants have been like, I just can't go out like that on Survivor 50. Nobody can't. That doesn't make like what are you talking about?

SPEAKER_01 3:51

Right. It's just the the same thing. It's the same show, yeah. Season.

SPEAKER_03 3:56

It's just like it's gonna be more embarrassing to leave earlier on Survivor 50 than it is on any other season. I guess. It's it's not true. It's embarrassing to leave first, regardless of the season.

SPEAKER_01 4:05

It is kind of cool that they had like so much fan involvement, I guess. I don't really get it. Like Billie Eilish, which is like I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 4:12

That's it's kind of irking me. Like she's been mentioned twice, and I'm just like, I get it. She's a fan.

SPEAKER_01 4:16

I wonder if any other famous fans will like it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:19

I'm just like, I I I mean, again, I haven't watched this show, but I'm like, I don't know that I want to hear about the outside world when they're on the island. It does feel weird. You know what I mean? Like an ad. Like break, yes, like breaking the fourth wall, like really intentional product placement.

SPEAKER_01 4:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:35

Like like in the Truman show. I was just about to say that. That's one of my favorite movies. Fun crack.

SPEAKER_01 4:40

It is kind of cool that they had like so much fan involvement, I guess.

SPEAKER_03 4:44

Yeah. But anyway.

SPEAKER_01 4:45

Anyway.

SPEAKER_03 4:46

Unrivaled, unrivaled, unrivaled. Okay, so as we mentioned on an earlier podcast episode, we went and got tickets to Unrivaled semifinals at uh Barclay Center in Brooklyn, the Mecca, the lesbian Mecca specifically, of New York City, I think. Uh, and it was really fun. We had incredible seats. Shout out to Eliza for impulse buying four tickets.

SPEAKER_01 5:09

Worth it.

SPEAKER_03 5:10

Very worth it. We were sat pretty much the third row next to the player tunnel entrance near the Liberty, what is typically the Liberty home bench. That was really cool. We've got really good looks at Marina, even though she wasn't playing. She looked fly. We saw like a lot of we saw Sue Bird. Yeah, celebrities.

SPEAKER_01 5:33

Chelsea Green has been Chelsea Green.

SPEAKER_03 5:36

Who I mean, oh, and Carmelo. Yeah, we saw Carmelo Anthony, Black Puerto Rican King. Uh, yeah, Ted Lasso was there. Uh Jason Sidakis.

SPEAKER_01 5:45

He's a big Liberty guy. Tara Wack was there.

SPEAKER_03 5:48

Tara Wack is, I feel like, always there.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:51

And the Philadelphia sister. What up, Wanda Sykes? They were there and we spotted them immediately. The sister girls, you know. But that was really fun. A lot of a lot of support. They sold it out just like they did Philly, but Philly had more seats in it, so Philly was the higher record. Um, shout out to Philly.

SPEAKER_01 6:12

I like that they did the um the intros from up in the yes.

SPEAKER_03 6:16

They did the under. They did that in um in Philly too. That was really good.

SPEAKER_01 6:19

I feel like they should do that everywhere. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 6:22

So, so, so sick. Like, and the pictures that always come after just make it seem and feel as electric as it was in the stadium. Yeah. The lighting in the stadium, I feel like they like were changing it to match the same colors. Surprisingly good. Did Barkley's got a new jumbotron? I think that's new. It's like really fancy. I don't remember that treatment for the Liberty. Yeah, they the Liberty definitely funded that because we the Lord knows the nuts ain't doing shit with that. So that's that was really cool too. And I think there was one other like notable thing. Oh, they did like New York specific merch for Unrivaled, but transparently, I thought it was just okay. Also, the lines for the merch were so long.

SPEAKER_01 7:13

They did like an early during the day, like from three to seven. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 7:17

But yeah, it was something crazy like that.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

Yeah, but then I think even then that line was long.

SPEAKER_03 7:22

I mean, that was also crazy because like, what do you mean at three o'clock you're opening the doors? I have to work.

SPEAKER_01 7:26

I was like, I can't be there at three.

SPEAKER_03 7:28

That's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_01 7:28

Crazy. Someone we know waited in line for like an hour. Yeah, like a full. That's wild. I mean it didn't really help.

SPEAKER_03 7:38

But if it's being run by the same people who like run the Liberty and Barclays and stuff, like that to me is not very surprising because I remember we went to get our season ticket holder gift. Not this off season. Yeah, the fucking jacket from last season. We were there for so long. It was so poorly managed. Like by the time this one person got to the front of the line. I remember this. Yeah, he was having a fucking meltdown.

SPEAKER_01 8:01

Were we near each other?

SPEAKER_03 8:03

Maybe we see this one. I didn't know I feel like I've blacked out. Were we together?

SPEAKER_01 8:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:07

Yeah, maybe. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:08

I mean, I feel for him because it was like what do you mean I'm gonna wait for two and a half hours and then you don't have my size?

SPEAKER_03 8:15

No, it was totally, totally fair. It's just like just send me the fucking jacket, brother. Like just mail me. And then it sounds like they learned because they did send the season ticket holder gifts early. Yeah. This year. So also I spent points from that my Brooklyn Rewards app, and I never went to go pick up my gifts. So I guess fuck me.

SPEAKER_01 8:36

What was it?

SPEAKER_03 8:37

I don't know. I think maybe I got like a jump rope or something in a mug. Because they were gonna expire. Everything, everything on there was like a hundred million points.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

And I was just like, well, I don't have enough money. I always forget about that.

SPEAKER_03 8:49

Well, yeah, I don't know. I just like also half the time the app wasn't whatever. That's not what we're here to talk about.

SPEAKER_01 8:53

But anyway, back to unrivaled.

SPEAKER_03 8:55

Yes, back to Unrivaled. So the semifinals were crazy.

SPEAKER_01 8:58

Both games were really, really good.

SPEAKER_03 8:59

First, it was Phantom and uh vinyl. And that game, wow, back and forth, back and forth.

SPEAKER_01 9:07

Hambi with the team on her back.

SPEAKER_03 9:08

That teammate shit without Derek Hambi.

SPEAKER_01 9:11

I know, literally, because like I've said before, Ryan is unreliable.

SPEAKER_03 9:15

No, and we okay, but also did we not low-key kind of peep that when they were doing the player intros, and Ryan just like didn't give a shit. Like she was in such a bad mood, and I was just like, that doesn't bode well. She was just like, I don't know. I just feel like she was on the bench because I mean she was just like, I'm trying to think of how to say this in English, but she's like she was like Sinani mode, like without like I don't know, like she didn't even want to be there.

SPEAKER_01 9:42

Like in a low, low energy.

SPEAKER_03 9:45

Like girly pop, this is the semifinals. Oh, Azy Fudd was also there. Sorry, I just remembered.

SPEAKER_01 9:50

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_03 9:50

And she looked great, and she looked incredible.

SPEAKER_01 9:53

Someone texted me the other day. This is a little bit off topic, but still kind of. Someone texted me the other day and said that there's a rumor that her and Paige broke up.

SPEAKER_03 10:00

Stop.

SPEAKER_00 10:01

No, she was there.

SPEAKER_03 10:02

She was at the game. She wouldn't have been at the game if it was.

SPEAKER_01 10:05

But they did play UConn Played at MSG the night before.

SPEAKER_03 10:09

Yeah. I just feel like I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

I'm gonna say that rumor is just a rumor.

SPEAKER_03 10:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:16

Not true.

SPEAKER_03 10:17

Yeah, and I know that obviously Aisy has a partnership with Unrivaled too, so could she have been True? But I just don't think that she would be contractually obligated to go to that if you know I don't know. I just don't think that that would be a requirement considering like she's in school right now. So but it was cool, it was cool that she was there. Okay, so Phantom, Phantom and Vinyl, back and forth game. You know who's that fucking girl? Kelsey Plum.

SPEAKER_01 10:51

It's really true.

SPEAKER_03 10:52

Like, and it's erk some. Like she's so good that it's annoying. Remember, she she hit the game winning shot, which that shot actually put her uh as the leader in Unrivaled for most game-winning shots.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

Damn.

SPEAKER_03 11:07

Yeah, like she was tied, I I want to say, with maybe Chelsea Gray. And yeah, Kelsey, Kelsey took, she's just so like I really feel like she leveled up. Yeah, and it was it was on a step back three that she ended the game. It was incredible. I also like something to note too, though, is that Kelsey Plum has been on Team USA's three-on-three roster for a minute.

SPEAKER_01 11:30

She's used to that.

SPEAKER_03 11:31

Like she was doing this shit before Unrivaled. So I kind of thought it was surprising that last season she didn't play, but maybe there was a scheduling conflict or something.

SPEAKER_01 11:42

I think it was also a divorce conflict.

SPEAKER_03 11:45

Uh yeah, with that fucking loser, Darren Waller.

SPEAKER_01 11:49

Yeah. He made a music video.

SPEAKER_03 11:50

Loser. Yeah, it's really bad. Yeah. So bad. It's really She can do so much better. It's so bad. Yeah. It's like the biggest fucking ick. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 12:03

Yeah, yeah. She needs to come out too. Come on, Kelsey. We're waiting for you.

SPEAKER_02 12:07

Yeah, we're waiting with open arms. Open arms. Open arms.

SPEAKER_01 12:10

Red Rover, Red Rover. Sing Kelsey Ride Rover.

SPEAKER_03 12:13

I'm trying to oh, the other notable thing for the phantom for the Phantom game was that Aaliyah Boston is out because of a lower leg injury or a lower whatever extremity injury. They were super vague about it, which a lot of people are speculating is because of the WNBA rules about getting injured offseason, like playing basketball, but who fucking knows, really.

SPEAKER_01 12:35

Well, okay, so vinyl and vinyl ended up losing, which, like we said, really, really good game. It could have been anyone's game. It was anyone's game. Like I was rooting, we were both kind of Eliza and I were both rooting for the underdogs a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 12:51

I guess oh, I guess I'm just like, I feel like no team can really be an underdog because they're all so good. It's true. But yeah, okay, so that game was incredible. Honestly, it could have gone either way. I did want the Phantom to win because I've been very supportive of Kelsey and I was wearing my Phantom hoodie. And so it just felt like that we needed to have a little rivalry, you know, between the pods. So yeah, that was great, great game. And then next up was Breeze and Mist. A misty breeze.

SPEAKER_01 13:22

Which is just like a little light drizzle. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:25

Like a little the two puffs of cotton candy playing against each other.

SPEAKER_01 13:31

The gender reveal clouds.

SPEAKER_03 13:33

Oh my gosh. First of all, that game was a roller coaster. It started, I'm fairly certain. I think it was 16-0. Yeah. To start the game. The breeze. The first like five minutes. The breeze were cooking and they were powered by Rikia Jackson. Like she, man, it's like she came out a woman possessed. She said, This is my shit, actually.

SPEAKER_01 13:52

It was the lineup was her Cam and Paige, right? Which I love that lineup.

SPEAKER_03 13:56

No, I think it was Dom. I think Dom started over Cam and then Cam came off the bench. One thing about Cam, she has like a like foul trouble issue.

SPEAKER_01 14:03

She does. She really does.

SPEAKER_03 14:04

But sometimes I'm just like, okay, I feel like they're tripping. Like, not everything is a fucking foul.

SPEAKER_01 14:09

Literally, it's just because she's tall.

SPEAKER_03 14:10

Yeah, she can't help being tall as fuck, you know?

SPEAKER_01 14:12

She did have some really nice blocks.

SPEAKER_03 14:14

Oh man, it was a block party. It was a Cam Brink uh block party. She blocked Stewie so many times, and I was just like, oh get that shit out of here. I couldn't believe I was rooting against Stewie.

SPEAKER_01 14:27

I know it was tough. Like our whole section was like Tosh for the Phantom and Stewie for the Mist, and I was and I was rooting against both of them.

SPEAKER_03 14:36

Yes. There was um there was someone uh sat behind us that had like a little mini whiteboard, and which was like really funny because it was the teeniest tiny little thing, and I was just like, girl, they can't see that from where we're set. Look familiar to you. Yeah, they did actually. Where do we know? I don't know. Okay. There was a couple people that I was in games, you think? Probably. Yeah, I'm not sure, but I remember at some point there was like she was behind us being like, Oh, come on, Stu, that's what I'm talking about. Whole time I was like, nah, fuck Stew. I know. Fuck Stu. But only only in the context of that matchup, Stewie, okay. We are, of course, your fans through and through.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

Yeah, I think they ended the first quarter like 22 to 8.

SPEAKER_03 15:19

It was an ass beating the whole time. Like they were up 10, like the whole fucking game. It was crazy.

SPEAKER_00 15:26

And then Stewie went to the bench and said, We're not losing this fucking game. And period said that in that playoff game.

SPEAKER_03 15:31

Honestly, she needed to say that though, in that situation with the Liberty, because first of all, wake the fuck up, Sabrina. One, wake up, bitch. Okay. And then Stewie, I mean, I think Stewie just has like that veteran mentality.

SPEAKER_01 15:44

I think that's what it was. Yeah. That's what showed in that game.

SPEAKER_03 15:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:49

In the end, like ultimately the vets have that playoff um experience that the rookies just don't have yet. It just takes time. But they've looking, they did great.

SPEAKER_03 15:59

Okay, wait. Also, let's just so proud of them. Like Paige also Paige didn't have a bad game, but I wanna I think Rakia shot better from like from an efficiency standpoint. She just missed the case.

SPEAKER_01 16:10

I think that they were also like trying to shut down Paige more.

SPEAKER_03 16:13

Yeah, I think so. But that's why it's like really good to recognize that you know you're being the attention's on you, and you gotta swing that rock.

SPEAKER_01 16:21

Like, and it's great to have like people like Rakia on your team.

SPEAKER_03 16:24

Yeah, honestly, I feel like people too were just like holding their breath, trying to see if Dom was finna dunk on them. Oh my god, that's why they lost, probably, because she didn't dunk. Yeah, it's it's like a it's like a vibe changer.

SPEAKER_01 16:39

You you gotta I mean not Arika. Wait, let me back up. Arike. Um that was good. Thank you. Uh that winning three, like she broke Dom's ankles over that little. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_03 16:54

It's just man, what a comeback. Honestly, the fourth quarter, the Mist were playing possessed, and I would be remiss if we didn't mention Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.

SPEAKER_01 17:06

Alana, she did oi, oi, oi. She had an amazing game.

SPEAKER_03 17:10

It was pissing me off because like she was just standing at the three, and Dom was just looking at her like, oh I dare you. And she was like, Okay, little girl. Yeah. Oh my gosh, what an incredible game from Anna Smith. Incredible. And then she and then she did the shoey after the game.

SPEAKER_01 17:28

And then she had to.

SPEAKER_03 17:29

And it looked like I know, but it looked like it looked like it was a shoe she wore for the whole game.

SPEAKER_01 17:34

Oh my god, can you it has to be a stinky shoe? No, stop. Explain what a shoey is, please. Okay, a shoey is when you take the shoe you're wearing off your foot, pour a whole beer into it, and then drink it, chug it from the shoe. Just absolutely disgusting.

SPEAKER_00 17:52

Skull is what they say. Skull it.

SPEAKER_03 17:54

Oh, that's like um that's like a Nordic thing, isn't it? Like skull, skull. S-K-O-L, I think.

SPEAKER_01 18:00

But you you spell S-K-U-L-L, like to the skull? I don't know how to spell it. It might be skull. It might be skull. It might be skull.

SPEAKER_03 18:06

I think it's skull, yeah, because that's what you yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I think that's like a Nordic thing.

SPEAKER_04 18:10

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 18:10

Yeah. I only know because I played a Nordic video game. Um, yeah, and they yell, skull, skull, yeah, skull, while you chug from the fucking horn. From the oh my god, from the horn, this shoe horn. Is that it?

SPEAKER_01 18:23

Oh, okay. It's all making sense.

SPEAKER_03 18:25

Yep, okay. Shout out to Norway. Shout out to y'all. Culture really goes beyond borders.

SPEAKER_01 18:30

Literally, from like the North Pole to the fucking South Pole.

SPEAKER_03 18:35

Okay, wait. So I I like kind of like spoiled, but at this point, if you don't know who won, what the fuck are y'all doing? Yeah. But honestly, the mist of powered really by Stewie's complete determination to not fucking lose. Because I'm not gonna lie to you, in the fourth quarter, Cam blocked so many of Stewie's attempts that I was just like, oh, she's not even embarrassed. Like she said, and I'm finna keep going.

SPEAKER_01 19:00

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 19:00

And they did.

SPEAKER_01 19:02

Honestly, Stewie's a great athlete.

SPEAKER_03 19:04

Stewie, Stewie can play every single position.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

She can. And she may not be as like strong, like muscular as some of the other players, but she's like shifty. She's like, I mean, she's the reason they won.

SPEAKER_03 19:18

She's the reason they won that game, even down to the last possession. She took a board. First of all, Arique tried to do one of her crazy shots, bricked it. Yep. Which she can make those shots, like obviously. But then Stewie ripped the rebound down, beat Dom for it, and then kicked it. Or no, not beat Dom. I think she maybe beat Cam for it. And then trusted and yeah, and then chucked it back over to Arique, and Arique snapped ankles. She snapped some French ankles over there in a corner.

SPEAKER_01 19:45

Felt a little bad.

SPEAKER_03 19:46

It was a fadeaway three, like a leaner. It was so crazy. It was good. I couldn't believe it. And the whole time in the fourth quarter, y'all, the breeze only needed like one more shot. And they just like they got locked up. I just know Paige as a competitor was pissed. Because you're telling me we only had to make one more bucket and we couldn't even get a shot up. It was like a bunch of shot clock violations. No, it's embarrassing.

SPEAKER_01 20:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:15

Like you couldn't even like they just needed one more shot. Like that's crazy. So crazy. That's how pissed. I would be pissed.

SPEAKER_01 20:23

I would say that next year they're gonna Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:26

That's a tough loss, and our prediction almost came through. We predicted that Breeze would go on and and win the whole thing.

SPEAKER_01 20:32

Yeah. So okay, semifinals, chef's kiss. And then the final was back in Miami, Phantom vs. Miss. And what's interesting about that is last season they were the worst. This season was the first. Both, right? Yeah. They were on the bottom, Phantom and Miss.

SPEAKER_03 20:48

I remember because Sabrina, Sabrina and Satu were on Phantom, and it's not that they didn't have chemistry, but like Sabrina had an injury, and then Satu doing Satu things because Satu likes to just put shots up even if she's bricking them. That's probably like my biggest critique of Satu in general.

SPEAKER_01 21:09

Don't get me wrong, but I don't know. Sometimes I don't see it.

SPEAKER_03 21:15

Yeah, I don't disagree. No, I don't disagree. Like sometimes I'm watching, I'm just like, girl, like pass the fucking ball. Yeah. You haven't hit a bucket. I know you need to see one go in, and it's fine if you're open to take that shot, but you don't have to force it.

SPEAKER_01 21:28

Right, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 21:29

Like, let's just slow down because basketball's a team sport, and there's four other girly pops out there with you. Like, come on. But yeah, I mean, same with Mess. I mean, we've talked about Stewie. I feel like at nauseum. She was smoking layups left and right last season. She was just chilling last season, is what happened.

SPEAKER_01 21:45

So I think she was low key injured.

SPEAKER_03 21:48

Yeah. That's probably part of it. She's probably tired too. You think about how much they played last year alone. Like they did they started the WNBA season, had the Olympics. That was last summer, wasn't it? Oh, yeah. And then went Right back to WNBA season and then maybe like had a month or two off and then went to Unrivaled and then only had like a month or two off and then had the W again. Yeah. But the FIBA World Cup is coming up too. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 22:13

I kind of want to watch that somehow.

SPEAKER_03 22:15

Yeah, it's actually gonna be on TV.

SPEAKER_01 22:17

It's gonna be in Party Co TV.

SPEAKER_03 22:18

Yeah, in September. Yeah, that'll be really fun to watch. The championship game, though, this year for Unrivaled. I thought it was a pretty neck and neck game. In fact, Brenda and I originally were going to miss it because we had tickets to a concert, and then I just I felt incredible FOMO. I was just like, I don't want to like miss it live. And so we decided to let the universe pick for us. And we said we'll list the tickets, and if they get bought, then we don't go, and it was a sign. And if we list the tickets and nobody buys them, then we go to the show. So someone bought them pretty quickly, and so then we were able to.

SPEAKER_01 22:57

I'm glad you were able to sell them.

SPEAKER_03 22:58

Me too. I think it I think it was worth it. We were also kind of just like already not really feeling like it.

SPEAKER_04 23:04

So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:05

But we watched the game was pretty back and forth. It was really good. The one qualm I have officiating is just absolutely fucking terrible. I think it actually might be worse than the WNBA.

SPEAKER_01 23:16

And as I want to call I want to talk about the last call.

SPEAKER_03 23:19

Yeah, the last that's that's exactly where I was going with it because I was just I like can't believe. Okay, so the last the last call of the game, which I'm interested to hear what Bonnie has to say about it because she is not a fan of Tiffany Hayes. But first of all, all game. Honestly, I feel like at this point Tiffany Hayes irks me too because she wasn't having like a spectacular game, but then the shots that she was hitting, she was like flexing and shit and like showing her grin. I'm just like, if you don't get back on defense, like realistic, bro. Like, also that shot wasn't even that tough. Like, play defense, like shut up and get off the floor.

SPEAKER_01 23:58

Get off the floor is my biggest thing.

SPEAKER_03 24:00

Okay, she's such a flopper. She's a flopper, and I also feel like the refs were not officiating the game evenly, like it felt very one-sided, and that was giving you know bias towards the end of the game because Stewie was trying to drive. I think I think Tiffany Hayes, I think her feet were set. I think she got there, did not move, and I think that was an offensive foul. And the refs, I think, I don't know if they reviewed it or if Missed Challenged. Missed challenged, yeah. Okay, yeah, missed challenged, and then they overturned it, and then Stewie went to the line to end the game.

SPEAKER_01 24:37

On a free throw, which is ridiculous.

SPEAKER_03 24:40

That was an offensive foul, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_01 24:43

So uh here's what I don't know. Because maybe she had her feet set, but she did like throw her arms into Stewie.

SPEAKER_03 24:56

The rule the rule is about feet.

SPEAKER_01 24:58

Yeah, so I I your feet have to be planted.

SPEAKER_03 25:01

I it was close, I think. I think it was a very close call, but I mean if you're gonna spend the time reviewing it, like I think they changed the rules every time they go to review a fucking call.

SPEAKER_01 25:11

I wanna watch it again. Okay, we just watched it and we think that her feet were set. She did throw her elbows into Stewie's chest or stomach, but that's that wasn't the ruling on the floor.

SPEAKER_03 25:24

Yeah, if they had mentioned that, then fine, sure. Foul. But that's not what they said.

SPEAKER_01 25:28

That's not what they said.

SPEAKER_03 25:28

Also, I'm kind of curious how the officiating rules um like what they are compared to the WNBA, because I'm just like they're really not allowed to like they're not allowed to say it was a different foul in the WNBA. You can only review what's happening. But actually, it's I feel like I vaguely remember them changing in unrivaled, so I guess never mind that answered my question. But yeah, super controversial. I think you can't end the game on a free throw.

SPEAKER_01 25:58

We've been saying this since you can't end the season on a free throw, you can't end anything on a free throw.

SPEAKER_03 26:02

That shit is corny.

SPEAKER_01 26:05

Corny. Um okay. Well, reflections on the overall season.

SPEAKER_03 26:10

Yeah, I I mean it was a really entertaining season, transparently. I like that they did the stops because I could not afford to do the whole Miami thing again this year.

SPEAKER_01 26:18

And I think that that should be something they carry over in next uh season. We can talk about it next time.

SPEAKER_03 26:24

I think they would wonder if they'll like change the locations. I think they would probably continue to do New York. I wouldn't be surprised if they they did um Minnesota because of Fee. That would be really interesting, assuming that Fee is still on the links, which I can't imagine that she would go anywhere else. But it'll be it'll be interesting. I I said it before, they should go to the cities that don't currently have WNBA teams. And that's how yes, yes, that don't have the teams and are about to get them already. Like don't have the teams already because Detroit? Yeah, Detroit. Uh I think Boston would be good. It's close enough to kind of.

SPEAKER_01 27:02

I really doubt that they would sell out in Detroit, though. That's the only thing. Maybe LA. LA would be sick. Maybe LA.

SPEAKER_03 27:09

So that could be cool. Oh, actually, maybe San Francisco. Valhalla. Oh yeah. I really want to go to Balhalla. That would be really cool. If they do a San Francisco stop, I would be down to go. Yeah, I would be down to go. But yeah, that's that's the arrivaled season. And I think next season will be interesting. They won't be introducing new teams according to Mr. Phi. He said that there were so many trades this season because of the expansion, but they're not adding new teams, so that shouldn't be an issue next season. So I'm interested to see how the the teams continue to build chemistry after playing a full season together. And I'm interested to see how they do should we get a WNBA season. Which I think brings us to a really quick update on WNBA, which is that there really is no update. There have been a couple more exchanges of the proposal, but today is March 7th. That's the day we're recording, and their deadline is the 10th.

SPEAKER_01 28:00

Three days away. So I really wonder what's gonna happen. They also like everybody wants us to think that there's drama inside the union. And there's not. And there's not.

SPEAKER_03 28:11

Yeah, it's because it's they're trying to break up the union. Yeah, Kelsey and Stewie wrote a letter and signed it just with their name saying that they want more transparency, and then people took that and ran with it and was just like, well, the executive committee is not on the same page, and then they had to come up with a statement saying, actually, we are we are, and in the cert they do like players surveys from time to time, and 84% of them agreed with the union's trajectory.

SPEAKER_01 28:33

So it's like stop trying to stir the pot. Yeah, there's really not much else to talk about there. They're still fucking arguing over the same shit. They have been for like a year now, it feels like. And the strike is still on the table.

SPEAKER_03 28:49

I don't understand what the holdup is because Unrivaled has made so much money, like just in this season alone. I think it was like a 66% increase in revenue, like just from New York alone. From I think from ticket sales, they made a million. Yeah. Which is like fucking, it's like it's just critical. So it's just open the books, Kathy. Give them their fucking money.

SPEAKER_01 29:09

Somebody figure it the fuck out. I don't understand.

SPEAKER_03 29:11

Yeah, just chill, bro. Like, just pay them, or you're not gonna have a job, girly pop. How are you gonna make money if the player's not playing?

SPEAKER_01 29:17

I imagine that she will be unemployed pretty soon. Yeah. All right. Well, that's that for the CBA. Should we talk about overtime? Yeah, I think it's it's overtime. Overtime and then a 24 second. 24 seconds shak like. Yeah. Okay, I just wanted to talk about quickly um in overtime since March Madness is happening. We're like a week away. We posted on our page that we're gonna do a bracket challenge. So you'll see more of that after a link to sign up after selection Sunday, which is March 15th. And I think we should like add some money in the mix. Maybe it's like five, ten buy-in, and then winner takes all.

SPEAKER_03 29:54

I think so. I think we should do it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:56

Each week we give the rundown of the standings and the challenge and who's up, who's down, and whose brackets already busted.

SPEAKER_03 30:02

I actually won last year. Damn. I won our bracket challenge last year. Damn. Like, I think it was between me and Adri, and then I we both I think had SC.

SPEAKER_01 30:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:13

Or we had SC in the final. And obviously Juju went down and so did their hopes. But then mathematically speaking, I knew that I won the whole thing, like before. I've never won. I've never won anything. I mean, I was still really upset. I mean, I have won things, guys. I'm a fucking winner. Just so just to be clear. But I'm just thinking nobody get it twisted. Yeah, don't get it twisted. I was just thinking about the fantasy basketball league we did and how I literally could not win a fucking game.

SPEAKER_01 30:42

Well, I feel like you're gonna be better this season because I think so. You weren't really it was your first one. You weren't really like I wasn't like Bonnie was literally texting me like every day, like, hey, you didn't update your roster. Like you better update your roster before the games tonight. You got like four people sitting on the bench. Oh shit. Okay. So we're doing a bracket challenge, more to come, but sign up. And then last thing I wanted to say about March Madness is I wanted to talk about just some quick facts about Don Staley, our queen. Okay, Philly sister.

SPEAKER_03 31:12

Okay, she's a Philly sister, not I don't well actually she's from North Philly. I forgot if she was associated with the Philly sister, with the official Philly sister. Um but otherwise she's too much. She's a Philly sister, you know, by the way. So she is a sister for Philly in some regard. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 31:31

Anyway, so well, I thought she was in that group, but maybe not. You know better than.

SPEAKER_03 31:35

No, that's what I mean. She might be. That's what I was like. Is she or isn't she? The producers are doing because they're on the hunter, it's on the Philly sisters.

SPEAKER_01 31:42

Okay, some hot, quick, fun facts. She's the first person in USA basketball history to have won Olympic medals as a player and a coach.

SPEAKER_02 31:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 31:52

She also was the first and only woman to in person uh no man's doing this. Um, early in her career, she was coaching at Temple University and playing in the W.

SPEAKER_03 32:05

That's actually crazy.

SPEAKER_01 32:06

Yeah. She's coaching and playing.

SPEAKER_03 32:08

That woman talks and breathes basketball. Ball is life.

SPEAKER_01 32:11

She really does. Um, from 1989 to 1992, she played basketball for the University of Virginia and she finished her career um with over 2,000 points. Her number 24 was retired, and she had over 700 assists. Wow. She also, um at the University of South Carolina, she helps marginalized and underrepresented students with academic expenses. She has like a Don's Daily Fund that provides scholarships for for gent and economics. I know. She's just like the fucking best. She once helped Asia get through a breakup. And she loves candy.

SPEAKER_03 32:50

She does love candy.

SPEAKER_01 32:52

Her players.

SPEAKER_03 32:53

Yeah, she's just like uh just like me. Just like me, another Philly sister.

SPEAKER_01 32:59

It's true. Um, her players say that she's like always yelling at them with a mouthful of lifesavers. And she's a sneakerhead, which I feel like we Yeah. She's also like Louis Vuitton Dom.

SPEAKER_03 33:11

She is Louis V'ed out all the time.

SPEAKER_01 33:12

She was at Paris Fashion Week last year. She got, you know, Travis Scott handed her some autographed kicks. Yeah, she's our queen. She's our merchantness queen. So she's a winner. She's an all-around winner.

SPEAKER_03 33:24

That's all she that's all she knows how to do. She don't know how to fucking lose. She doesn't. She's like me a winner. She probably wins. Yeah, except for fantasy basketball. Probably.

SPEAKER_01 33:34

She's probably not that good either at fantasy.

SPEAKER_03 33:36

Yeah, I'm gonna be honest, like, I'm I'm not dreading it, but I really need to lock in because I'm not finna. I just I was talking shit all last season and I was talking shit to Eliza, and then I like got completely decimated. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:48

But you know what? It's enough.

SPEAKER_03 33:50

You learned some lessons. No more tall girl dubs here.

SPEAKER_01 33:54

Honestly, the final came down to me and Christy, and I think we were in Australia at the time, so I couldn't with the time change, I like couldn't keep up.

SPEAKER_03 34:03

It's a sacrifice. Actually, were you sabotaged by Eliza by Tall Girls? She said, let's go to Australia. I lost it now. It's your turn. Yeah. I think that's true. Diabolical going down under.

SPEAKER_01 34:18

I can't wait till we start doing video because your face was really funny just then.

SPEAKER_03 34:22

I had to really lock into the accent, is what happened. Okay, wait. I have I do have something for 24 seconds. I know.

SPEAKER_01 34:26

Let me put 24 seconds on the clock. Please.

SPEAKER_03 34:29

And I will be quick about it. And I feel like I'm gonna do it this way. Yeah, do it that way. No practice round, just off the dome.

SPEAKER_01 34:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 34:38

And 24 seconds are on the clock.

SPEAKER_01 34:40

Go.

SPEAKER_03 34:41

Arika Gumwali was arrested right after they won the championship in Miami for punching a man in the club. And I'm gonna be honest, he probably deserved it because I just know that she was out with her booting, and he probably was just like, Oh, I can probably turn you straight because that's what men like to do to lesbians. And so rightfully so, Arika probably knocked the shit out of him. She decked him, and you know what? I hope it hurt, and I know that she's innocent because it was a hundred percent not her fault.

SPEAKER_01 35:05

Boom, baby. She said, Mama said knock you out.

SPEAKER_03 35:09

And period. Yeah. And you know what? If if she swung on somebody in the club and she needed support, I would swing on them with her. I know, same. And she tall as shit too, which is crazy. Like, I just know she's probably like the same height as a dude, if not taller, probably knocked a shit. He probably was feeling emasculated as men do because they're fragile. Like, and that you know what? That's just how it goes. You get around strong, beautiful, powerful women who are more athletic than you, and then you start to feel a certain way. Not me though, not me though, because I'm athletic and also a woman and beautiful. Wow, you guys can't see, but I'm tucking my hair behind me. Thank you so much, Bonnie. That was so kind. Okay, so that is this episode of Chasing the W. I feel like we touched on a lot of things. Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully, crossing all of our fingers that we have a positive episode. Let's get this deal done post-March 10th. Let's really fucking hope. And like Bonnie said, please take a look at our Instagram for more information on the ESPN bracket challenge. We're planning to create the group and open it to the public on March 15th.

SPEAKER_01 36:17

That's right. And then next week we're gonna talk about predictions for 2027, Unrivaled, like WNBA starting, and March Madness starts. So let's go.

SPEAKER_03 36:30

We're gonna have a lot of content, you guys.

SPEAKER_01 36:31

Yeah. Basketball never stops.

SPEAKER_03 36:33

It never stops. It's year-round, and we'll definitely obviously be talking about the FIBA, basketball championship, and uh any other relevant basketball games that we can get our hands and ears on and eyes, everything. Our bodies, our whole bodies. Sorry. And and that's been another episode of Chasing the World.