Welcome back to Fast Friends with Kelley O'Hara and Lisa Leslie!
On today's special Halloween episode, our hosts show up to set dressed as the fastest of friends: race care drivers.
O'Hara and Leslie then dive into the USWNT's October friendlies, discussing the young talent on display as well as the way the team holds consistent focus even when falling behind on the score sheet.
"I think [that's] a testament to Emma's influence already on this team," O'Hara says, praising head coach Emma Hayes's ability to keep her players from getting rattled. "I get the sense that she has already [said], 'Shit's gonna happen. We stick to the game plan, we stick to what we're good at, and the goals will come.'"
"Soccer's about riding the wave, its ebbs and flows," O'Hara adds. "Sometimes you gotta weather the storm, but if you are confident and all on the same game plan, you're gonna be able to execute."
Then, the duo pivot to discuss all things WNBA. Leslie looks into the reasons why the WNBPA is opting out of their CBA from both the players' and league's perspective, before digging into a recent flood of head coach exits that have left seven of the league's 12 current teams without a leader.
Coming off the success of JWS's Olympic commentary show The Gold Standard, Fast Friends features two legendary athletes serving up insider insights and unique takes on the biggest stories in women's sports every week.
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Earlier this week, the WNBA Players Union (WNBPA) spoke up against controversial comments made by league commissioner Cathy Engelbert on CNBC's Power Lunch on Monday.
When asked to address concerning social media exchanges regarding superstar rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese "where race... where sexuality is sometimes introduced into the conversation," Engelbert dodged the question, choosing instead to frame what she described as a "rivalry" in a positive light.
"The one thing I know about sports, you need rivalry," said the commissioner, comparing Reese and Clark to Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. "That's what makes people watch. They want to watch games of consequence between rivals. They don't want everybody being nice to one another."
WNBPA calls out subjects WNBA comm'r Engelbert dodged
After players began calling Engelbert out online, the WNBPA issued a statement denouncing racism, homophobia, and misogyny.
"Here is the answer that the Commissioner should have provided to the very clear question regarding the racism, misogyny, and harassment experienced by the Players," the statement read.
There is absolutely no place in sport — or in life — for the vile hate, racist language, homophobic comments, and the misogynistic attacks our players are facing on social media.... Fandom should lift up the game, not tear down the very people who bring it to life."
WNBA stars address Engelbert's CNBC comments
Some of the league's top players took to the press to reinforce the WNBPA's words, including Aces forward Alysha Clark.
"It's taken a darker turn in terms of the types of comments and the vitriol that's coming through to the players, and it's not okay," Clark told ESPN. "I wish [Engelbert] would have just said that — 'It's not okay.'"
Liberty star Breanna Stewart echoed Clark's sentiments, saying "The way that the fans have surged, and especially behind Caitlin and Angel coming to this league, but also bringing a race aspect to a different level — you know, there's no place for that in our sport."
Engelbert later responded to the Players Union's statement in a post on X, writing "there is absolutely no place for hate or racism of any kind in the WNBA or anywhere else."
While traveling through the Dallas Fort-Worth International airport on Saturday morning, Brittney Griner and her Phoenix Mercury teammates were confronted and harassed by right-wing YouTuber Alex Stein.
Initial news of the confrontation was posted to Twitter by Mercury forward Brianna Turner, who wrote: “Player safety while traveling should be at the forefront. People following with cameras saying wild remarks is never acceptable. Excessive harassment. Our team nervously huddled in a corner unsure how to move about. We demand better.”
“As we gather additional information about today’s incident at the Dallas airport, it has come to our attention that this was orchestrated by a social media figure and provocateur. His actions were inappropriate and unfortunate,” the WNBA said in a statement. “The safety of Brittney Griner and all WNBA players is our top priority.”
Griner, who was detained in Russia for 10 months in 2022, made her return to the WNBA last month. Prior to the start of the 2023 season, concerns about her safety while traveling were raised as the league does not currently allow teams to charter flights for the majority of their games. In an April interview with the Associated Press, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the league was working with the Mercury and Griner’s team to establish a plan.
“We’ve been working with Brittney and Phoenix since she signed and our security experts,” Engelbert said at the time. “Working on a plan, but we want it to be confidential. She wants to travel with the team sometimes. Work as much as we can making sure we are following advice of our team. We have a very good plan, but I’m not going to share more specifics.”
In the WNBA’s statement on Saturday, the league noted that Griner’s established safety plan “included charter flights for WNBA games and assigned security personnel with her at all times.” But while Griner has been approved to fly charter, that exception does not apply to her Phoenix Mercury teammates.
Following Saturday’s incident, the WNBPA — the players’ union — called on the league to immediately change its policy on charter flights for all players.
“What BG and all of her PHX teammates experienced today was a calculated confrontation that left them feeling very unsafe,” the WNBPA said in a statement. “Everyone who was paying attention knew this would happen. We could have and should have been more proactive. Allowing teams to fly charter is ONLY about player health and safety, and until the league and teams take this issue seriously, situations like this will continue to occur.”
Griner’s agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas echoed that message on Twitter: “We cannot celebrate these women and their leadership without also protecting them. It’s past time for charters and enhanced security measures for all players.”
The WNBA expanded the use of charter flights for the 2023 season to include all postseason games and a handful of games on back-to-back nights. While some WNBA owners have publicly called for charter flights — with some even receiving fines for breaking the rules — the league has previously pushed back on the idea, citing the high cost and noting that it wasn’t a priority for players during their collective bargaining negotiations in 2020.