As the calendar turns to a new year, now is as good a time as any to look back at some of Just Women’s Sports’ best conversations of 2021.

Snacks, the Just Women’s Sports Podcast and Tea with A & Phee all welcomed some of the best athletes in sports to spill some secrets, relive their most iconic moments and share never-before-heard stories with the JWS fam.

Feed your ears during some holiday downtime with our 10 favorite podcast episodes from 2021:

10. Tea with A & Phee: Dawn Staley

When Dawn Staley stopped by the Tea with A & Phee podcast in August, the Team USA and South Carolina coach did not disappoint. Getting honest with Napheesa Collier and A’ja Wilson about NIL, interviewing for the Portland Trail Blazers job and her favorite Olympic memories, Staley spilled the tea with incredible candor and humor.

9. Snacks: Megan Rapinoe

Snacks kicked off their second season with guest Megan Rapinoe in an episode to remember. The USWNT star reminisced about the first time she met teammates Mewis and Williams, handed out some sage fashion advice and revealed Sue Bird’s famous breakfast sandwich recipe. The veteran forward also talked about how she learned to harness her voice as an activist and stand up for what she believes in.

8. Just Women’s Sports: Sasha Banks

At 29 years old, Sasha Banks is one of the most accomplished and decorated athletes in the WWE. She stopped by the JWS podcast in June, telling Kelley O’Hara what it was like coming up in a male-dominated field. “I just wanted to prove to the guys every single night that women can wrestle,” said Banks.

7. Tea with A & Phee: Jrue and Lauren Holiday

Power couple Jrue and Lauren Holiday swapped stories from their respective careers, with Jrue recounting his NBA championship and Olympic run, and Lauren sharing memories from her days with the USWNT. The duo also told Collier and Wilson what it’s like living in a household of elite athletes, including just how competitive things can get on and off the court.

6. Just Women’s Sports: Tina Charles

Tina Charles is a basketball legend, with three gold medals to her name and 11 seasons in the WNBA under her belt. The 33-year-old relives some of her favorite memories from her renowned career with O’Hara, telling the JWS host about winning her first gold in London, playing abroad and building a legacy that transcends sports.

5. Snacks: Midge Purce

Gotham FC and USWNT star Margaret Purce stopped by the Snacks podcast in October, giving listeners a behind-the-scenes look into the founding of the Black Women’s Player Collective. Purce explains that the group was born out of conversations between players during the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup around the issue of kneeling during the anthem.

“I think all the conversations and the responsibility that the Black players on all the teams were being given and delegated to explain the dynamic of race in America, and then their experiences, their challenges, and their privileges — it became a lot,” says Purce.

4. Just Women’s Sports: Lynn Williams

In an epic Just Women’s Sports crossover event, Snacks co-host Lynn Williams sat down with USWNT teammate Kelley O’Hara to discuss her unique and illustrious career for both club and country. Williams gives listeners an inside look into her rollercoaster ride with the national team: after falling off the 2019 World Cup roster, Williams returned to the team first as an alternate, then as a full member of the 2020 Olympic squad. The star forward certainly left her mark in Tokyo, scoring a game-saving goal in the quarterfinals.

3. Just Women’s Sports: Alyssa Naeher

Alyssa Naeher joined USWNT teammate Kelley O’Hara on the Just Women’s Sports podcast in September, chronicling her struggle to break into the national team. Training in Hope Solo’s shadow, Naeher spent years working toward the U.S. starting goalkeeper position. Finally, in 2019 Naeher was awarded the role, proving herself in the 2019 World Cup and the Tokyo Olympics with a number of iconic PK saves.

2. Tea with A & Phee: Team USA 3×3

Kelsey Plum, Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray and Jackie Young joined Wilson and Collier fresh off clinching an Olympic gold medal in 3×3 Basketball. The squad gives listeners a behind-the-scenes look into their Tokyo journey, shares the real story behind the team’s epic champagne celebration and talks about what’s next for the golden crew.

1. Snacks: Kristie Mewis

“Are you having an okay time?” The expression first uttered on the Snacks podcast started as a humorous moment between sisters Kristie and Sam Mewis and has since taken on a life of its own. With hilarious sibling stories and candid Olympic insights, Kristie’s appearance on Snacks was an instant classic.

The 2025 NWSL Championship claimed a major viewership milestone on Saturday, as Gotham FC's 1-0 title win over the Washington Spirit became the first-ever league match to record an average of more than one million viewers.

The CBS evening broadcast averaged an impressive 1.184 million fans and peaked at 1.55 million viewers, making it the most-watched NWSL match of all time.

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The 2025 final marked a 22% viewership increase over the 967,900 fans who watched 2024's Orlando Pride victory — the previous NWSL viewership record-holder — and a 45% ratings gain over Gotham's 2023 championship win, which averaged 816,800 viewers.

Saturday's gains both matched the 22% viewership increase the NWSL regular season saw this year and also far exceeded the 2025 postseason's pre-final year-over-year increase of 5%.

Calling the one-million viewer mark "an extraordinary achievement" in Tuesday's league statement, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman also noted that the "record-setting audience demonstrates the deepening connection fans have with our players, our clubs, and the world-class competition on the field, and it underscores the growing demand for women's soccer on the biggest stages."

"We're incredibly proud of what this moment represents for the NWSL and for everyone who continues to invest in and believe in the future of our game," Berman added.

Incoming offseason league Project B scored more major WNBA signings this week, as the upstart venture continues stacking its roster ahead of a planned November 2026 launch.

Indiana Fever guards Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham have both publicly signed on with Project B, joining already announced talent like Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones, and Las Vegas Aces guard Jewell Loyd.

Also inking deals to join the inaugural season of Project B are Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso, Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün, and Li Meng, a former Washington Mystics guard and current player in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association.

The multi-continent, Formula One-style traveling tournament circuit will ultimately sign 66 international stars, as Project B looks to field six 11-player teams in its debut 2026/2027 campaign.

Project B player signings will undoubtedly impact other offseason leagues like Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited, but the new venture is also looming large over the ongoing WNBA CBA talks.

With negotiations racing toward this Sunday's extended deadline, Project B is putting WNBA compensation offerings under increased pressure, as the new league is reportedly anteing up multimillion-dollar salaries to its signees — far exceeding the 2025 WNBA maximum as well as the $1.1 million-max currently on the negotiating table.

World No. 1 Spain will take aim at a second-straight UEFA Nations League title this week, as La Roja take on No. 5 Germany in the first leg of the 2025 tournament's final at 2:30 PM ET on Friday.

The defending Nations League champions booked their spot in the 2025 final by dismantling No. 3 Sweden 5-0 on aggregate in the semifinal round, while Germany advanced after a tense 3-2 aggregate win over No. 6 France.

Germany must also contend with availability issues during Friday's match, as 28-year-old Bayern Munich forward and senior national team leading scorer Lea Schüller will be out due to family reasons.

To overcome that disadvantage, German head coach Christian Wück is reinforcing the team's back line, adding Athletic Bilbao defender Bibi Schulze Solano to the roster on Wednesday.

Also aiming to shut down Spain's offensive firepower on Friday is new NWSL champion goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, who joined her German compatriots late following Gotham FC's title celebrations in New York this week.

While Spain and Germany will contend for the 2025 Nations League trophy this week, the pair — along with ousted semifinalists Sweden and France — have already booked spots in the top group of teams battling for tickets to the 2027 World Cup, with UEFA qualifying set to begin in 2026.

A full 19 months removed from their back-to-back Final Four runs, No. 11 Iowa basketball refuses to go away, with the Hawkeyes already notching one Top-25 win in the young 2025/26 NCAA campaign so far.

The still-unbeaten Hawkeyes took down No. 15 Baylor 57-52 last Thursday, with Iowa starting post players Hannah Stuelke and Ava Heiden combining for 28 points while guard Taylor Stremlow added another 12 off the bench in the marquee win.

"We have nice pieces," said Iowa head coach Jan Jensen this week. "But it's knowing when to play which pieces and with whom, and we're six games in."

The Hawkeyes have been finding their new identity under Jensen after a transformative period saw Iowa's longtime head coach Lisa Bluder retire while superstar guard Caitlin Clark joined the WNBA.

"Jan's been amazing," Stuelke told JWS at the Big Ten Media Day in October. "She stepped up like she needed to, and she's been growing every day since she's been the head coach, which it's really cool to see she cares. And it's a great environment for all of us."

"I have a year under my belt," Jensen echoed. "I know what this chair feels like now, and I have a little better of understanding of what that first road trip feels like, what that first big win feels like, or the tough loss feels like."

Iowa's season heats up with a ranked rivalry matchup against No. 10 Iowa State on Wednesday, December 10th.

The state rivals will tip off at 7 PM ET, with live coverage airing on ESPN.