Go World! Go Sports!

From the New York Knicks’ triumphant victory last week to the World Cup and Men’s U.S. Open this week, the power of sport is bringing the world together! Tracy Sandler and Nikki Kay discuss the stories coming out of the World Cup, on the pitch as well as in the stands and bars with fans. Then, they look ahead to this weekend’s Men’s U.S. Open at the notoriously difficult Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. 

Hosts: Tracy Sandler, Nikki Kay
Producer: Akua Murphy
BZZR.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:05

Hello, I'm Tracy Sandler. And I'm Nikki K. And you are listening to Slander and Slay on Buzzer, the home for true sports fans and creators with original shows, videos, live streams, and podcasts like this one. Make sure to download the app at buzzer.com. All right, Nikki, here we are on Buzzer. Slander and Slay, episode six. I feel like we have been through so many things in these first six episodes. We've had an entire NBA playoffs, we've had finals, we are into the World Cup, and maybe most importantly of all, we are coming up on the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey wedding.

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Or are we? Did it already happen? I don't we don't know anything I'm reading right now. And like, did you see the rumor that they were gonna be hosting it at MSG?

SPEAKER_02 0:53

Yes, and that one is holding strong. So I saw something though that the actual ceremony will be somewhere else, very intimate, very, very small, and then the reception will be at MSG. But I don't know. I just can't. I just don't know if I believe that that is true.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

Here's where I take the greatest umbrage with this rumor is that this is a woman who just spent what three years touring arenas and stadiums. And I just, well, I guess she had a stadium tour that that might be different than arenas. I just don't see her having her special day, the one that, you know, so many people dream about, right about since they're little girls or whatever, you know. I don't see it happening in a basketball arena at Madison Square Garden.

SPEAKER_02 1:46

And I saw there was this idea that the reason was is because there are no windows and people can't look in, but it also could be at a very private, undisclosed location. I also, for whatever reason, and I could be totally wrong about this too, it's not my wedding. The idea that they're gonna have a thousand people is also very off to me. It just doesn't feel like Taylor, not that I know Taylor Swift all that well, or at all for that matter, but it just doesn't feel like at least the Taylor Swift that's been presented to us over the years.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

A thousand people celebrating a love, right? I think she's had enough of that sort of mass adoration. You know, you wonder you wanna think about what goes into brainstorming an event of like your wedding and what would be meaningful and special. And I just think that she's had thousands of people, tens of thousands of people showing her love. So I don't know. That just it just seems off and not like the person who wrote folklore, you know, right?

SPEAKER_02 2:48

100%. And it feels like a good way to, you know, take people off the scent. Now, I also could see that they are a couple that can either have a wedding of 80 people or a thousand people. You know, there are some people when they get married, it's like we have such so many family and so many friends, like we had to keep it super, super small, or it was gonna be huge. But I also feel like there's a chance that it could be somewhere in between. So I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 3:14

Apparently, I'm calling slander on this. I'm calling slay.

SPEAKER_02 3:17

Okay, I will call slander with you because I want her wedding to slay. And I don't know if it slays at Madison Square Garden. Now I'm sure no matter where it is, it'll be beautiful. But I guess the rumor is also, if it hasn't already happened, is that it's over July 4th weekend. You know, I wouldn't be surprised. I'm throwing this out there, could be totally wrong, of course. If they are married and they did get married in a very small family-only ceremony, and then that weekend is all the celebration wherever it may be, and they come in with like surprise, we're already married, but thanks for coming to celebrate with us because we're Travis and Taylor. Yay!

SPEAKER_00 3:55

I mean, I don't think that's exactly how their speech will go, but I don't know. Well, yeah, there's there's so many possibilities, and the moving target and news leaks on something like this. I'm, you know, this is a woman who has her dancers in her music videos learn choreography without knowing the song because she doesn't want her music to be leaked. So I didn't know that. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. And like it happens on so many levels, whether it's at stage rehearsals for concerts or music videos. I think the fate of Ophelia was uh the recent one. The dancers are learning all the choreography and they've never even heard the song. And it's because she doesn't want any of her music to leak. So I think considering that vault uh uh that Taylor Swift can be, if she doesn't want news getting out about her wedding, it's not getting out. It hasn't gotten out. And we've had a moving target of dates, venues, blah, blah, blah. I don't know. I just think there's a myriad of possibilities this could go. I would be, it just seems weird if it's at MSG.

SPEAKER_02 4:59

It does feel weird. And I'm not, I'm not judging because it's again not my wedding. It just feels not Taylor Swift if it's at MSG. I think that, and in some ways, that feels like, yes, people can't look in the windows and all of that, but it does feel like a little bit of a logistical nightmare for everyone involved. To get that, if it's that many people, to get everyone to MSG in MSG in the middle of New York, July 4th weekend, does kind of also sound, like I said, like a logistical nightmare. Now, my counterpoint to the music not leaking, it's not a great counterpoint, so I'm gonna warn you with that. But my counterpoint is she does like her songs to talk about the past loves and relationships, and she doesn't shy away from that. So there's this like two-part thing where she keeps a lot of things quiet and a lot of things not, but I still agree with you. There's, I just don't think those kind of details are getting leaked about her wedding. Right, right. Well, only time will tell. I'm I'm intrigued. You just said my favorite phrase of all time. Time will tell. Because you know why it's my favorite phrase? Because time will always tell. And it might be the one phrase in the entire world that no one could argue with.

SPEAKER_00 6:12

It's kind of like a dad phrase. My dad uses this one that had me so annoyed growing up. It was like six one half does another. Meaning, like you could go either way. Yeah. And yeah, I'd be like, just tell me. Tell me what to do.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

Yeah, time will tell. Time will tell.

SPEAKER_02 6:28

Time will tell. And that's it. You know, the tell me what to do is a tough one because you want to give good advice, but it's like we can never tell you what to do. Ultimately, let's make the decision. And like if you said to me, tell me what to do, I can talk it through with you, but whatever advice I give comes from my experience. And then I don't want to be responsible if you do what I tell you to do.

SPEAKER_00 6:52

Okay, therapist Tracy, I need I need direction, not okay, I need I need to be told what to do.

SPEAKER_02 6:59

Okay, so there. See, my mom used to say that I would be a great therapist, and maybe I would be based on this conversation.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

Maybe, maybe I would slay. No, I completely agree. We've had those discussions before where you just see from every lens of the kaleidoscope or through every, I don't even know if that's a fair saying or a right saying, but yeah, you you see everyone's views involved. Me as a Scorpio, on the other hand, I like to just ara react. Is that a Scorpio thing? I think we're moody. I think we're moody emotional, volcanic. But it's never that, it's never that like you'll know what we're feeling at all times.

SPEAKER_02 7:40

What sign is Taylor Swift? Do we know? Oh my gosh. We don't know. I mean, all I can think of my mind right now is Olivia Rodrigo, a Pisces, and a Gemini, and I think we might feel really nice together. But I'm gonna look up Taylor Swift astrological sign. I'm just curious. That is just my feeling. She is a Sagittarius.

SPEAKER_00 8:00

Yeah, she's right up, she's a couple weeks after me. I'm November, she's December.

SPEAKER_02 8:06

And I think her her birthday is pretty close to Travis Kelsey, too, relatively so. I think so. I cannot confirm or deny, just as I cannot confirm or deny the details of her wedding. But as you said, time will tell. And excited to see all of it. In the meantime, we have other things to keep us occupied. And one of those things is the World Cup, which so far, the World Cup has been fun. I think the World Cup fans have been even more fun.

SPEAKER_00 8:33

So I have a new term for you that I learned in it. Do you know when like the universe just sends you signs and you see those signs more frequently and frequently? Yes. Okay. So I posted a TikTok and someone commented when the collective effervescence hits. And it was of a scene of Mexico fans just cheering in unity and in synchronicity. Okay. I was watching the Knicks final, I was watching the Knicks win the NBA title at a bar in Santa Barbara, which turned into a somehow a Knicks sporting event in Santa Barbara, California. And at a table with a stranger, and he turned out to be a sociology professor at a university. And I go, it's just been so much fun watching these visuals of New York, the streets of New York aligning, World Cup fever, blah, blah, blah. And he goes, collective effervescence. And I immediately have locked into that as like what we're using throughout this summer, this magical sports run. It's the collective bonding of strangers over a shared experience that brings joy and spreads positive emotion. And you can feel it, you know, whether you're at a music festival, you can feel it at a sporting event. And I just think these worlds that's a long way of saying what these World Cup moments are bringing in terms of, you know, you see this South Koreans and the Mexican the Mexicans before their match, sharing tequila shots, doing Gangnam style together. You see the post- Gangnam style. Oh, that's from the past. Throwback. You see the Scots taking over Boston. And that was amazing. I I okay. But so this is just a moment we as a collective society, I think, need to lean into like bonding with strangers through the power of sport, sharing the love, connecting with people. And I gotta say, I have been on the train of the Scottish taking over Boston. At the end of those videos, this seems like matchmade on hinge. Like they just it really does.

SPEAKER_02 10:41

That's such a good one, but it is a matchmade on hinge. Like, I mean, at the Red Sox game, I mean, this is actually they bought out a section of the Red Sox game and they sang Flower of Scotland after the Star Skate sang Star Spangled Banner. Everyone was into it. Matchmade on Hinge, by the way, is amazing. And we're gonna be using that for Metal Turkey.

SPEAKER_00 11:02

There's rumors that Boston's running out of beer. And the Scots, the Tartan army. That is news. They have taken over the streets, marching with bagpipes and kilts. The local Bostonians are fully leaning into it. And what I love about Fenway Park, they hosted Scottish Heritage Night for the Red Sox. So talk about knowing, knowing, like, you know, those early date stages when you're like, I know you like this type of crazy. I'm gonna I'm gonna make a reservation here. That's what the Red Sox did for the Tartan Army. They're singing 500 miles. They're sing there's videos of them singing, uh, you know, da-da-da-da, Mr. Bright side. Like it's a good song. That's a Michigan song. Yay! Love it. And seeing all these comments on social media of people just being like, can we have more global sleepovers? You know, can we have more play dates?

SPEAKER_02 11:53

Like well, it's been the play that's amazing. And it actually, it's it's been fun. And maybe it's because the Olympics weren't here. Like the World Cup is here and it's all over the country. So we're seeing this everywhere. But seeing these fans, it's just it's really fun. Did you see speaking of Boston, Norway fans doing a Viking row? This is my Viking row of the escalator, and then they did it at the park. I hope that maybe they'll recruit me because I know my Viking row here is really good. But that also was amazing.

SPEAKER_00 12:23

It is so fantastic. And then if you want to be moved emotionally, all you have to do is look at what is happening in Lawrence, Kansas. Team Algeria, who played Argentina in their first match, uh, they chose Lawrence, Kansas as their base camp. Okay. So upon this team's arrival, we prior to this, Lawrence, Kansas has been preparing for Team Algeria. Local businesses have been learning Algerian customs. They've been making Algerian products to cater towards tourists. And then you see these videos of the buses pulling up the entire town of Lawrence, Kansas. I think hundreds of people, they're waiting in the dead of night to cheer on Algeria arrival. It's it is beautiful and it's moving on so many levels. And then, you know, the Japanese have this reputation of cleaning every stadium and every locker room that they're in. But I was getting a kick out of one man's tweets from Texas, who basically documented his first experience with free chips and salsa and said, you know, in Japan, it's it's not custom to be delivered, you know, free things before you ordered. And so he was like to the waiter, like, we didn't order these. And the guy's like, No, it comes, it comes as you sit down. And of course, as we all know, from time to time, this uh fan got a little over-eager and on the chips and salsa clear. Yeah. And he's like, I admit defeat to the free chips and salsa.

SPEAKER_02 13:59

The free chips and salsa are dangerous, especially if you sit down hungry, it's over.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

You eat that chips and salsa, over. Right. And once you start, like, I'll sit down and I'll hold out, get a little margarita. Like, I don't need me. And then you're like, oh, I need a little salty to go with my drink. And once you start, once you open the chip portal, there's no going back. And then they bring you another basket.

SPEAKER_02 14:23

They bring you another basket, and then you're like, Well, I have all these chips. Do you guys can I get the guacamole? Can I get the queso? And then, next thing you know, you are in a chip binge, happy, but a chip binge.

SPEAKER_00 14:36

So I had a very transformative experience when I lived in Oklahoma City. I'll never forget sitting down, much like the Japanese in Texas. And, you know, I grew up in Santa Barbara, so I get the chips and salsa deal.

SPEAKER_01 14:49

Right.

SPEAKER_00 14:50

I sit down and the waiter drops off this vat of like white stuff and a round container. And I go, I didn't order this. He goes, No, no, no, it's the tortillas and queso. I don't, I knew what queso, I knew queso meant cheese in Spanish. I didn't know that queso was a a trend like a thing that you did get for free at tables too. So then I learned about the whole text mech or and, you know, and yeah, once, once that's on the table, it's like, yeah, I you gotta order something to feel like you're, you know, you're giving back to the restaurant, but you might as well have a meal before it even arrives.

SPEAKER_02 15:28

And queso is interesting because I'm a funny person with texture. And so sometimes queso that's too, which most people like, that's too kind of runny for me isn't good. But speaking of text meth, what I learned once in Dallas, Texas, and then have found other places, is you can have really thick queso. And that to me is just a next level experience. It's like fondue, but really thick fondue. And it's so amazing. I didn't understand the chips and queso love until I had it once at brunch in Dallas. And I was like, where have you been all my life? And I love cheese. As a general rule, I could live on cheese with no problem whatsoever.

SPEAKER_00 16:07

Well, that's like the Europeans who are over in the States experiencing American culture, you know, in every shape and form. And there's one woman who was like, my gosh, ranch. I did not understand until now. And it, you know, Trace, you're going over to Europe. You know, when you ask for like ranch or any sort of American kind of seasoning, they look at you like you might as well be crazy.

SPEAKER_02 16:30

Well, I am gonna share something with you and our listeners today, and that is I don't like ranch. I think it's gross. I am one of those people who don't I don't like ranch. I'm not a big sauce person. So this is some uh this is a fun fact. I don't love sauces. Well, that's how you like ranch cheese then, because it's not as much of a sauce for you. I like what? Say that one more time. Thick cheese. Like, yes, that's that's like a fondue. But yeah, I'm not a ranch person. I have a friend that loves ranch so much that for the holidays one year, I got her a Hidden Valley Christmas ornament because yeah, and honestly, I'm not sure she's ever loved any gift more, unless I'd gotten her the actual ranch. Like, I am just not a ranch person. But you're right, if you're overseas, that happens now. Speaking of which, since you brought up Europe and we're talking World Cup, may I discuss the French team's bag game? They have killed it. The Chanel and the Hermes on point, all French designers, but their bag game, I mean, they should do some sort of collab with Jordan Woods because the bag games are bagging and it's amazing. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 17:48

Like, you couldn't bring their those bags into any stadium. No, they can, but you're right.

SPEAKER_02 17:53

And they're big, they don't even have like little ones. Like I saw one guy have this like big green, gorgeous green Chanel. Someone else had a Birkin. I didn't even know they made Birkins that big. It's like a piece of luggage. It was amazing. Like, oh, these guys, they know what's up. They're like Yoshinobu Yamamoto. His bag is also his bag game is also strong.

SPEAKER_00 18:10

It's beautiful because speaking of these World Cup teams and their arrivals, treating it like we're used to seeing in the States, um, you know, guys using their football walkups, NBA walk-ups as like a fashion show, right? I think these World Cup teams that literally hold my beer. Like, we're gonna show you how to deliver, not only in terms of Team France walking in, Jaw was on the floor with some of those bags. Like, I and that's you could argue Paris is the fashion capital of the world, right? I mean, I know there's yeah. And so they're paying homage to where to their national, and you're using French for look at you. I love that. They're paying homage. Considering I used to say the word as homage, I've come a long way. Well, in fairness, it sounds like Umbrage, so I could see how that would be though. But we really need to shine a spotlight on the Democratic Republic of Congo. Yes. Oh, they both first of all, their team mascot, Les Leopards. So if you might imagine where their style would lean towards, this Congolese designer absolutely killed it. They had leopard sashes, they had leopard bags, they had brooches in the shape of a cheetah. They were just, or leopard, I should say. Absolutely iconic. These men rocking it. And soccer has been a notorious sport where the athletes, I think they were kind of on the fashion game before it became popular in other sports as well.

SPEAKER_02 19:41

I like to say that leopard and or cheetah is a lifestyle and not a trend. And so I really appreciate I appreciate those outfits. They were fabulous.

SPEAKER_00 19:51

Now, I have an important one. Sorry, one more follow-up. No, please. I saw a woman wearing a leopard dress once, and I said to her, I love, love the leopard print. And she goes, Oh, yeah, it's my favorite neutral.

SPEAKER_02 20:05

It is a neutral. She's right. It is a hundred percent a neutral. You can be wearing anything and throw on a pair of leopard shoes. Neutral.

SPEAKER_00 20:13

Right. And then I had another woman once go, Oh, yeah, do you like, do you like the jaguar print? And I go, So we're not only doing leopard cheetah, we're now calling some things jaguar. We must.

SPEAKER_02 20:25

We must embrace we must embrace it all. I'm glad you brought that up as a neutral, though, because it is. And I am packing for a trip, and I brought a pair of leopard shoes because they will go with everything. And I thought there are people who would disagree with me, and they'd be wrong, by the way. 100% wrong. This isn't like I'm willing to listen to your opinion. They would be wrong, no doubt about it. But it is, it is fully, fully a neutral. So that woman and I are sympathy. I really, I wish I knew that woman. But a friend of mine, I have friends with similar ideas. So now it's all in the ethos. Leopard is a neutral. It is. It's now everywhere we go, we're gonna see it. It's also gonna show up on every one of our social media channels. We're gonna get article after article about how Leopard is a neutral. You know, you and I talked the other day, and we were talking about Team France and the bags, and I we hung up the phone and I opened my Instagram, and the first thing there was Vogue's post about Team France's arrivals and their bags. So we are about to be inundated with Leopard and Cheetah Concept. Yeah, me too. I'm very into it. But I I have a question. So when I've been talking about the World Cup, and you were just saying it earlier, we say soccer because it's hot soccer here. But should we be saying football?

SPEAKER_00 21:43

I I'm going back and forth on this. It's it's interesting because there's certain sports where the vernacular and the etiquette around it, if you say things incorrectly, not only will the diehards come at you, but the the it kind of explodes. You right? And first and foremost, baseball comes to mind. Golf is another one where it's it's very particular. Soccer is kind of underrated in that sense, with there's certain words for things and the way the games progress, or should I say matches progress, that it it does lend itself to a little bit of like, no, that's not how you how you talk about it. So I I interchange. I don't mind saying soccer, but I also know that fans of the game, like it's like if you're in Europe and what who's your club, who's your football club? You know, you don't it is a little confusing here in the States because we do have American football. I I've been leaning into it and saying football fever, you know, kind of like that building up to it. Yeah. But little little things that make you feel a little bit more in the know instead of saying games, say match, instead of saying field, say pitch. Instead of saying fans, you say supporters, manage.

SPEAKER_02 23:02

Yeah, I didn't know the last one. Really?

SPEAKER_00 23:04

Yeah. And then uh the soccer is a big manager sport. It's not a you can say coach because to be quite frank, when we grow up playing here at in AYSO, we say coach. You know, I know baseball's very strict about that. I've been corrected, but yeah, there those are little things that can kind of set you apart when you're discussing the beautiful game.

SPEAKER_02 23:28

So supporters. I'm gonna, that's gonna, that's gonna stick with me. I really like that. Which is funny because we say fans, which of course came from fanatics, and it's funny, supporters is is another word. It might even be like a nicer word, but uh that's very okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:46

Kind of like uh I I can't think of another sport at the moment um that you would maybe tennis. Well, no, tennis doesn't finish in ties ever, but you know, in the group stage with soccer, like you don't you're not going to overtime or penalty kits, but you can have a draw as a result, so that's a tie.

SPEAKER_02 24:06

Yes, I learned that actually the other day. Draw is a word I'd heard all the time with soccer, yeah, plush football, but I didn't entirely know what it meant, and then I learned that the other day because there was a big draw and the teams are escaping me at the moment.

SPEAKER_00 24:22

But I know you know what I you want me to fill you in. This is a little cute. Okay, please. It was Cape Verde versus Spain, which was the draw. And why this was so massive. Spain is one of the heavyweight favorites to win the entire World Cup. They might have the best young player on their team, and his name's Yamin Yama. Videos of him shopping in Walmart, iconic. He's just soaking it all in. Now, Spain coming in with a lot of horsepower, a lot of firepower. Their first match was against the tiny island nation of Cape Verde, which it looks like Cape Verde. I've learned that the locals call it Cape Verde or Cabo Verde.

unknown 25:03

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 25:04

Now, this is a tiny island nation off the coast of West Africa. It is the second smallest nation ever to compete in the World Cup. It is their first ever World Cup. They were supposed to be, you know, sometimes it is just about, hey, we're happy we're here. And that's kind of the whole mindset, right? They go toe-to-toe with Spain, hold them to a draw, and that was thanks to their heroic goalkeeper, Vizinho. Vizinha. He's 40 years old, Tracy. This is his first ever World Cup, and he was the man of the match, the the hero for this tiny island nation. And it's just proof that it's you're never too old, you're it's never too late. And guess this is this is insane. He started off with 50,000 followers before the match. Uh huh. As of yesterday, which was 24 hours after, he had 8 million. Oh my god. That's amazing. What a that's an iconic jump. I mean, we've seen big that's an iconic jump. I think he has more than like Jalen Brunson. He has more. I mean, like, name a sport star. He has more than them. Like, I think he has more than Shohei. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:19

That and Shohei has a lot of followers. That is, I could be wrong about that. I'm looking up Shohei's followers as we talk about this. Now I'm very curious. That is what a great story. And it's amazing. Right? It's truly a reminder. Shohei has 10 million.

SPEAKER_00 26:34

But close. It's very close. It's truly a reminder that the power of sport and connectivity and this World Cup is it's so global. It's so massive. And right now, like I think the US is kind of this was a big moment. It's not just in terms of how Team USA was going to hold up in terms of expectations, but the how our country was going to react. And I think so far, the visuals we're seeing of the camaraderie off the pitch just as much as the stories we're seeing on it is a true testament to the collective effervescence and the magic of the moment. Yes, it is.

SPEAKER_02 27:12

And the collective efferves effervescence of sports. And that is one of the things about sports that's so awesome. You walk into a stadium, an arena, a ballpark, and you surrounded by fans wearing the same team's hats, jersey, shirt as you are, and you don't really care about anything but the collective love of that team. And that is why it's a great unifier. And even when you see people in the other teams, paraphernalia, they're fans, supporters, as it might be. And there is something about that that brings people together. I mean, even in the World Series Blue Jays fans sitting next to me, you still had a thing. Your teams are in the World Series. And so you may be rooting for one and the others reading for the other, but there was this collective like, how cool is this? How lucky we are to be here, and we get to watch this together. That is the beauty of sports. Music has a similar type of thing because music, no matter where you are, your favorite artist, whether you understand the lyrics or not, you understand the lyrics and it brings brings you together. But sports is just such a unifier in that way. And we are really seeing it with the World Cup because we can appreciate and respect other fans and their fandom.

SPEAKER_00 28:34

That's that's something I'm coming more and more to love about these past couple of weeks. And it began with the streets of New York, just responding and showing so much love for a team that was making a you know run that hadn't been made in over half a century. And then it just the love has just continued and it's it's seeped into all of our existences here in the States as as this World Cup has gone on. And so I'm fully leaning into it. And I don't know I about you. I mean, you're going over to Europe, but I've been looking up like, where are the Australians hosting their watch parties? Where are, you know, where are the where are the cute boys? I'm I'm trying to I'm trying to go where the cute boys are watching football. The cute supporters. Yeah, the cute supporters. So I'm like kind of being like, Sweden has a match at five. I can I can find a bar a Swedish watch party.

SPEAKER_02 29:33

You should document this. You should go from watch party to watch party and document this. And I think that would be really fun. And all the customs you pick up and all of it, if you meet anyone from Norway, do the Viking row. Okay. And maybe look it up online and don't use the one I'm showing you right now because I don't I don't think it's gonna work in your favor. But do the Viking row.

SPEAKER_00 29:55

Learn the words to that Scottish song. I've had a couple of friends say, I have a feeling you're gonna meet your international boyfriend during the world.

SPEAKER_02 30:04

I'm always so into that. I love that. I actually I love that. Once again, sports is such a unifier. Hey sports, go sports. Oh, Nikki, document this. We need updates after the World Cup. I want to know all of the things, all of the people you've met, all of the things you've learned. The dances, the songs, all of it. Game on. I'm so excited about this. So everybody uh keep an eye on this. We'll be talking about on Slander and Say Slay and follow Nikki on social media as she documents her World Cup. It's your World Cup hinge tour. That's basically what it is. It's an IRL World Cup hinge tour of Los Angeles sports bars. You might have an app in there. You may you may at some point come up with a dating app. You may. That's kind of uh that's amazing. Someone told me about a dating app for people with dogs, and it will match you on your love of type of dog. Why? I don't know the details, and so I'm sharing information that someone told me that they saw somewhere. But I'm just saying, if that's a dating app, which I totally understand, because you know how much I love dogs, I think this is a dating app. The IRL World Cup Nikki Sports Barclay. I might have to work on the app the name for the app because it's a little long, but I still think I still think there's something here. Oh, this is amazing. I'm very excited about this. Okay. Well, that's fun. Cool. World Cup forever. We're in summer, as you know, and it becomes like a little bit of a slower sports time. We have the World Cup, which I think is gonna give us a lot over these next several weeks. Because usually at this point, it's like, well, now baseball reigns supreme. In my heart, baseball always reigns supreme, but for the rest of the world, baseball reigne. We've got the World Cup. But we've also got the men's U.S. Open in golf coming up, and that's fun and exciting, especially for people like golf. And you play golf, right?

SPEAKER_00 32:00

Yes, I play golf. I actually am wearing my US Open hat from when it was here in Los Angeles. Uh, it is, you know, one of the four majors. It is known to be the US Open is big. I think a lot of people, a lot of like if you're like, what major would you win? First and foremost, a lot of guys would it the casuals of the game would say, like, oh, the made uh the masters, but the U.S. Open is notorious, it's difficult. This year it's being played it at Shinnekock in Southampton, New York. So New York's kind of got it going on with World Cup coming off the Knicks title run. It is a sports mecca right now. It is a sports mecca. Yeah, yeah. And so just, you know, like a a couple of a couple of things. Shinnekoq is the US Open hasn't been played there since 2018. Okay. I did like a little detail about the course. They've got this type of grass because grass and golf is a big thing. And you've got like the Bermuda grass, you've got, I forget other different types of grasses that are really oh, the fescue that are notoriously difficult to play in and around when you're on a course as nasty as Shinnok. But then the term for the grass here, it's called the Schmutz or the Gunch, also known as knee-high wispy, heather, and fescue that sits one step further off the mark than the rough and will swallow both golf balls and US open championship hopes in one fell swoop. So I just thought that was so cute. Calling it the schmutz or the gunch.

SPEAKER_02 33:48

You know what? Something called the gunch sounds like something that would swallow a golf ball. And US open open hopes.

SPEAKER_00 33:55

Right. I've got a couple of guys that you know you can root for. I mean, Scotty Shuffle for World. He's world's number one. It's also his birthday on Sunday. And that's a His Day, yeah. But a good birthday present.

SPEAKER_02 34:07

And Father's Day present.

SPEAKER_00 34:09

That would be great. That would be remarkable. I also like Tommy Fleetwood, who set the course record at Shinekox uh with a 63 in the final round back in 2018. And he finished as a runner-up, but he's looking for his first ever major championship. So I don't know. I kind of like those two names. I'm I'm always just rooting for an epic Sunday. Like I want, I want all the world's top 10 golfers are gonna be play competing. I want to see like five of those names in contention on Sunday.

SPEAKER_02 34:42

When it comes to golf, I tend to root for whoever is in the lead on Sunday, which is probably pretty bandwagon of me. But part of it is also like if you're in the lead on Sunday, you're feeling pretty good. You're starting to think, okay, I'm I'm close. And golf is such a tough, as you well know, I don't play golf, but it's such a tough game. My dad plays golf, and so I've, you know, vicariously understood how tough it is. But you're starting to think, you're starting to think about it. And so, and I know professional athletes say, I'm only focused on, you know, focus in on each hole and all of that, but you are so I feel like I want the guy who's leading on Sunday to win, unless the guy who's in fifth place or sixth place is someone who barely made it and no one thought would be there. And if he just shoots this, he wins it all. Then I'm rooting for that guy. So I'm not totally bandwagoning. Right. And my reasoning is not totally bandwagon.

SPEAKER_00 35:43

Yeah, it's you just want a thriller or you want someone who's earned it to go to go all the way. I just want everyone to have fun. That's really what it is. I just want everyone to have fun. Sports.

SPEAKER_02 35:53

Does your dad have a rooting interest as someone who plays the game? Not necessarily. Not necessarily. He tends to also like a little bit of an underdog when it comes to this, but he doesn't necessarily have a big rooting interest. So I know he really likes Scottie Scheffler, and I think my mom really likes Scotty Scheffler as well.

SPEAKER_00 36:09

Scotty's such a good, just a good all-around character to root for. He's so even field father, you know. It it he's just, there's not nothing to not dislike about him. So that I tend to like the the come from behind stories on Sunday. I think the Masters or the PGA championship, I forget what what it was. One of the recent majors had, no, it wasn't the Masters, because Rory went back to back. But it was the PGA championship. There were a bunch of big names in the running in on Sunday, and then it just kind of was a dud. It wasn't as competitive as we thought it was gonna be. So I want, I want like, I want playoff holes. I want extra golf on Sunday. I think all the dad's there.

SPEAKER_02 37:00

I think I can I can get behind that. We love we love a bottom of the ninth game seven, we love any game seven. I I can get behind that. What I don't want to see on a Sunday is an epic collapse. I think that's part of my I want the guy who's leading up. I like collapses. I like that. See, I like the comeback, but collapses make me sad.

SPEAKER_00 37:21

Fair. But you gotta, you can't have one with the out the other. You can't have a guy, you know. That's a good point.

SPEAKER_02 37:27

I guess I just look at it from the other lens. Yeah, fair. But you do make a very good point. I want to know your best round of golf you've ever shot.

SPEAKER_00 37:35

Well, see, Tracy, I'm like the personality hire in a golf warsome. I know how to play the game. I know the etiquette and rules of the game. When it comes to keeping score, that's above my pay grade. That's I am not bothered with. But listen, I will be there to make you feel good about your shots. I will be there to get drinks for the group. I will be there to to curate light music throughout the round. Okay. Okay. When it comes to I'm asking my handicap and I just kind of shh, I make it up sometimes. What do you what what do you say when you make it up? What's the best you've made up? Well, I always ask my like my friends when I'm playing on that. I'm like, what's a just uh a good handicap where people know that I'm not good, but I also can play. And normally they're like 21, 22, so it's okay. I don't even know what that means, you know.

SPEAKER_02 38:31

It is I don't I don't know what that means either, but sure. Yeah, I think it's great.

unknown 38:35

Sure.

SPEAKER_02 38:36

So you just want everyone to have fun. Like when you're playing in a four sub, you just want everybody to have fun.

SPEAKER_00 38:42

Absolutely. I love there's nothing better than being out on the golf course, just vibing, having a silly time in the sun, working on your game. It's I I I'm here for a good time.

SPEAKER_02 38:55

I love it. I absolutely love it. You know what else a good time? K-pop. You know that segues are my passion, and that was not my best, but it was not terrible.

SPEAKER_00 39:08

No, I just I I I to be quite honest, my K-pop has been consumed by World Cup lore this entire this entire week, and it keeps getting better and better. And uh my algorithm is feeding me all of the Scots in Boston content. Apparently they were going down a slide at some park and they're kilts. Saw that saw that I'm trying to think of other nations we haven't necessarily touched upon, but no, I think that that's the whole essence of this show, right? And this moment is that in a time where we have become very individualistic and self-centered, this has really just brought the world to our doorstep. And I've been really pleased with the way I'm seeing people react and celebrate all at once.

SPEAKER_02 39:59

I agree with you. It's been really fun. Really starting with the Knicks and their fans all over New York and bleeding into the World Cup. I'm hoping this keeps going throughout the summer because you're right, we are a society that's become very individualistic and self-centered, and this is kind of brought out, it's actually brought out the best in people. And sometimes sports fandom slash supporterness doesn't bring out the best in people. And thus far, we've really seen it bring out the best in people. So I'm very excited to see what happens in the next several weeks. Yeah, let's see. Let's see how it goes. Yeah, Go World, Go Sports. Go world, go sports. I have a Go Sports sweatshirt, and I think I might have to start donning that. Oh my gosh, I love yeah, Go Sports because I do, in fact, love sports. You guys, this has been another very fun episode of Slander and Slay on Buzzer. Nikki, please tell everybody where they can find you on social and your documenting of your IRL hand sports bars.

SPEAKER_00 41:01

Yeah, we're gonna call it maybe we call my quest the pitch. Meet me on the pitch. I'm look.nikki.k on Instagram and TikTok. And yay, can't wait for a really fun summer, Trace. I'm gonna miss you when you're in Europe. I know.

SPEAKER_02 41:16

I'm not gone, I'm gone two weeks, which is a very long time for me. And so I'm gonna miss you, and I'm gonna miss my dogs. And I'm gonna miss watching the Dodgers every day, and I'm gonna miss my friends and family. And I'm gonna stop now because otherwise I'm gonna have a very long thing to people I'm gonna miss because I don't want to offend everybody since I put you, the dogs, and basically show Hey Otani a bun above basically every single other person. But you being with the dogs is like maybe the greatest compliment of all time. So congratulations on that. I'm so honored. You should be. You definitely should be. I'm Tracy Sandler. You can find me at Tracy Sandler on Instagram, Instagram, TikTok, and Buzzer. Don't forget to download buzzerbzr.com. Also, don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, slander, and slay. We will talk to you guys next time. Love you.