Raising the Game: Covering WNBA, NWSL, PWHL & More

Raising the Game Women's Sports Network | WNBA, NWSL, PWHL
  • 4.8 (6)
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Women’s Sports Podcast covering the WNBA, NWSL, PWHL, and NCAA. We explore the business, growth, and future of women's athletics. Hosted by Caitlin and Alex—a husband-and-wife team raising two young daughters. Each week, we highlight the economic impacts, key headlines, and rising stars in women's professional sports and collegiate athletics. We analyze these stories not just as fans, but as parents looking at how today's sports ecosystem is creating real career opportunities for the next generation Connect with us: Instagram/Threads/YouTube: @rtg_pod Email: raisingthegamepod@gmail.com

  1. 5d ago

    Episode 40 | The College Sports Bill's Title IX Loophole, Angel Reese's DPOY, WNBA Semis

    The Protect College Sports Act just cleared the Senate, and the fine print may hand universities a way around Title IX. The bill calls revenue sharing "compensation" rather than athletic benefits, and that one word swap could let schools sidestep the equal-opportunity obligations Title IX was written to enforce. The programs that get cut first are the ones that don't generate revenue, which means women's sports. Meanwhile the WNBA playoffs delivered the best basketball of the year, Angel Reese picked up Defensive Player of the Year, and the USWNT named a forward group nobody saw coming. This week we dig into: - The Protect College Sports Act: the Title IX language that got left out, NWSL Players Association director Meghan Burke's warning that the bill undermines the law it claims to protect, and why the collective bargaining restrictions look like union busting before a union exists. The House hasn't voted yet. - WNBA awards season: Angel Reese takes Defensive Player of the Year with 46 of 74 votes, the first in Atlanta Dream history, after a season that set the league's single-season rebounding record. Jessica Shepard wins Most Improved for Dallas, and Golden State's Janelle Salaün goes unanimous for Sixth Player of the Year. - WNBA playoffs: the Liberty become the first eight seed to knock off a one seed, Arike Ogunbowale drops a playoff-record 45 points, and the semifinals open with Atlanta beating New York 92-82 and the Valkyries holding the defending champion Aces to 60 points. - The fan problem at Gainbridge: the A'ja Wilson incident, Fever GM Amber Cox defending the fan base in her exit interview, Kelsey Mitchell saying the quiet part out loud, and why the league's player protection keeps falling short. - The Women's Sports Foundation's inaugural report on the youth pipeline: girls want to keep playing, access and belonging are what stop them, and under half of young girls surveyed could name a professional athlete. We also cover Unrivaled's $650 million valuation and Issa Rae joining as an investor, Project B's January launch in China, the PWHL's new conference alignment and playoff format, equal prize money coming to all combined WTA 1000 events in 2027, the Denver Summit stadium groundbreaking, the NWSL playoff race with four games to go, and Emma Hayes' roster for the USWNT's two-match set against Spain. Follow Raising the Game for weekly women's sports coverage. Instagram/Threads/YouTube: @rtg_pod Website: rtgpod.com Email: raisingthegamepod@gmail.com

  2. Sep 30

    Ep. 39 | The Lynx's Playoff Wake-Up Call, PWHL's First All-Star Game, NWSL Tiebreak Chaos

    WNBA playoffs are here, and game one already told us something uncomfortable about the Minnesota Lynx. The one seed dropped its opener to the New York Liberty 91-75, and Breanna Stewart looked unguardable doing it. Meanwhile the PWHL announced the first women's professional hockey all-star game in history, the NWSL playoff picture came down to a tiebreak system almost nobody has read, and the WPBL crowned its first champion behind one of the best pitching performances of the year. This week we dig into: WNBA playoff round one: the Lynx's second-half collapse against the Liberty (34.4% shooting, eight rebounds, eight turnovers), Golden State's record-low four-turnover game against Dallas, Las Vegas running past Indiana 102-85, and Atlanta turning 22 Washington turnovers into 27 pointsWNBA awards: Olivia Miles wins Rookie of the Year unanimously after leading the league's best team in scoring, and Cheryl Reeve picks up a record fifth Coach of the Year. Our picks for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved, and Sixth PlayerPWHL news dump: the December 5th opening weekend schedule, the first-ever PWHL All-Star Game at Scotiabank Arena in a 3v3 four-team format (USA, Canada, Rookies, International), and Hockey Night in Canada picking up a weekly PWHL broadcastNWSL playoff mechanics: why goal differential beats head-to-head as the first tiebreaker, who can clinch this weekend, and the Denver problem heading into the international breakWPBL's first championship: the LA Queens beat the San Francisco Firebelles 2-0 in game five, with Ayami Sato throwing the league's first complete game in playoff history and taking Championship MVP We also get into Atlanta City FC's underwhelming NWSL expansion name, Unrivaled adding San Francisco as a tour stop and switching to Adidas, a Vancouver ownership group eyeing a 2031 WNBA bid, Kori Cheverie taking over as Team Canada's head coach, and Jess Fishlock breaking Megan Rapinoe's Seattle Reign scoring record in what looks like a perfect final season. Plus why a three-game first round is bad for players and bad for the league's bottom line. Follow Raising the Game for weekly women's sports coverage.Instagram/Threads/YouTube: @rtg_podWebsite: rtgpod.comEmail: raisingthegamepod@gmail.com

  3. Sep 23

    Ep. 38 | WNBA's Playoff Bracket Is Pure Chaos, Miles Breaks the Record, NWSL's Transparency Problem

    The WNBA regular season ends Thursday and the playoff bracket from the four seed down is still completely unsettled, with six teams able to finish almost anywhere. Minnesota, Golden State and Las Vegas have the top three locked, but Atlanta, Indiana, New York, Washington and Dallas are all bunched together with two games left, and four of those teams are playing each other to close the season. We walk through the tiebreakers and the realistic seeding scenarios, including a few brackets where three of the four first-round matchups feature a lower seed that owns the season series against the higher seed. This week we dig into: WNBA playoff seeding scenarios: how Minnesota vs. Indiana and Atlanta vs. New York decide spots four through eight, what the WNBA tiebreakers actually are, and which first-round matchups are on the tableA good and bad breakdown for all eight WNBA playoff teams: the Lynx's shooting slump and their trouble with physical defense on Olivia Miles, Golden State's three-point reliance, A'ja Wilson's extra rest, Atlanta's record against playoff teams, Indiana's defensive problem, Dallas' injury pileup, New York's reliance on Breanna Stewart, and Washington's fearless young rosterRecords falling across the W: A'ja Wilson becomes the first player in league history with multiple 1,000-point seasons, Olivia Miles passes Caitlin Clark's rookie scoring record, Angel Reese keeps adding double-doubles, and the league is on pace for its most-attended season everThe NWSL misconduct report from Defector Media: eight complaints across at least four clubs in six months, how the post-Yates reporting requirements are actually being met, and why the redactions matterThe NWSL playoff race: Gotham clinched, Chicago is out, and fourth through tenth is separated by seven points with the schedule doing most of the decidingWe also get into Adam Silver's comments on more independence for the next WNBA commissioner and the names being floated for the job, Lisa Leslie's statue in Los Angeles, ESPN's Toronto Tempo docuseries, the WPBL championship series going to a winner-take-all game five, a monumental PWHL announcement coming Thursday, Unrivaled adding Minneapolis and Houston tour stops, and the NWSL golden boot race with 11 players already in double digits. Plus our What to Watch slate: the final day of the WNBA regular season, playoff openers on ABC and Prime, five NWSL matches, the LPGA in Northwest Arkansas, Oregon at Wisconsin volleyball, and the start of NCAA hockey. Follow Raising the Game for weekly women's sports coverage. Instagram/Threads/YouTube: @rtg_podWebsite: rtgpod.comEmail: raisingthegamepod@gmail.com

  4. Sep 16

    Ep. 37 | Team USA's Third-Quarter Takeover Wins FIBA Gold, WNBA Seeding Chaos, USWNT vs. Spain Roster Predictions

    Team USA won its fifth straight FIBA Women's World Cup gold in Berlin, and the whole thing turned on one quarter of basketball. France led 45-43 at halftime, shot the lights out from three, and looked like the more consistent team for most of the tournament. Then the U.S. won the third quarter 30-12 and closed it out 97-79. Breanna Stewart took home her second World Cup MVP, the first player ever to win two. We break down the Kara Lawson substitutions that swung the end of the first half, the role players who made it work, and why the loudest media narratives around this team were nonsense. This week we dig into: - FIBA World Cup final: the 30-12 third quarter, Stewart's double-double and MVP, Angel Reese leading the team in field goal percentage and blocks, Caitlin Clark playing freer off the bench, and Jackie Young becoming the first player ever to win a high school title, an NCAA championship, a WNBA championship, 3x3 Olympic gold, 5x5 Olympic gold, and a World Cup gold - WNBA playoff seeding: the Lynx sitting at a 96% chance to lock the one seed, the Valkyries, Aces, Fever, Dream, Liberty, Mystics, and Wings all fighting for position, and how the FIBA break changes who's rested and who's rusty heading into the September 27 playoff start - USWNT roster prediction for the October friendlies against world number one Spain, including the injury list (Emily Sonnett, Olivia Moultrie, Catarina Macario), Rose Lavelle's return from concussion protocol, and the case for Ashley Sanchez that we think Emma Hayes can't ignore - NWSL parity check: two million fans through the gate for the second time in league history, eight players already in double digits for goals to break the league record, Ashley Sanchez one goal off the single-season record, and Portland giving away two points in stoppage time to Chicago - PWHL finally landing a U.S. national broadcast deal with Scripps Sports, including a Saturday Game of the Week on ION and a reported first-ever All-Star Game in Toronto We also cover ESPN adding 11 more weeks of Women's Sports Sundays, Elena Rybakina's U.S. Open title and rise to world number one, Taylor Townsend completing her doubles career Grand Slam, new Unrivaled tour stops in Boston, Detroit, and Philadelphia, the WPBL championship series, and a setback segment about the media speculation neither of us has patience for. Follow Raising the Game for weekly women's sports coverage. Instagram/Threads/YouTube: @rtg_pod Website: rtgpod.com Email: raisingthegamepod@gmail.com

  5. Sep 11 ·  Bonus

    Interview | Jeff Goldberg on UConn's Dynasty Years & the Rivalry That Built Women's Hoops

    This bonus episode is our full conversation with Jeff Goldberg, the Hartford Courant writer who covered UConn women's basketball from 2001 to 2006 and whose books became source material for Apple TV's The Dynasty: UConn Huskies. If you already caught this week's regular episode, this is the same conversation pulled out on its own so you can share it or revisit it without the rest of the show. If you're new here, welcome: this one stands alone. Goldberg wrote Bird at the Buzzer, about the 2001 UConn-Notre Dame classic, and Unrivaled, about the UConn-Tennessee rivalry and the Geno Auriemma-Pat Summitt relationship it wrecked along the way. He was in the chair for seven hours of interviews for the Apple TV docuseries, and he brought stories we'd never heard even as longtime fans of the sport. In this conversation: - The blizzard game that introduced a freshman Diana Taurasi to the UConn-Tennessee rivalry, with the Connecticut governor sitting courtside after telling everyone else to stay home - The inside joke about baseball's "evil empire" that Pat Summitt took completely the wrong way, and how it soured her relationship with Geno for good - The 1998 Nykesha Sales scoring-record controversy, the Sports Center commentary it drew, and the death threat that followed - Muffet McGraw's account of the flight she was booked on out of Boston on September 11, 2001, and the phone call that kept her off it - Why Goldberg thinks the WNBA at 30 years old looks a lot like the NBA did in the late 1970s, and what that means for where the league goes from here Follow Raising the Game for weekly women's sports coverage. Instagram/Threads/YouTube: @rtg_pod Website: rtgpod.com Email: raisingthegamepod@gmail.com

  6. Sep 9

    Ep. 36 | UConn's Dynasty With Jeff Goldberg, NWSL Race, FIBA Discussions

    Women's basketball has been so busy fighting for its future that it never learned to look after its past. That's Jeff Goldberg's line, and it anchors our first-ever RTG interview. Interview starts at 49 minutes. Goldberg covered UConn women's basketball for the Hartford Courant from 2001 to 2006, wrote Bird at the Buzzer and Unrivaled, and is featured as one of the main interviewees in "The Dynasty: UConn Huskies" on Apple TV (not to mention his books were also a lot of the source material). He walks us through the blizzard games, Diana Taurasi, the UConn-Tennessee rivalry, the Red Sox joke that accidentally blew up Geno Auriemma's relationship with Pat Summitt, the Nykesha Sales free basket that generated more mail than any story in his paper's history, and why he thinks the WNBA at 30 looks a lot like the NBA in 1977. Before that, a full slate of headlines from a loaded week in women's sports. Check out "The Dynasty: UConn Huskies" out now on Apple TV: Click HERE This week we dig into: - Cathy Engelbert announcing her retirement as WNBA commissioner, why the reaction split between celebration and dread, and our worry about who the NBA installs next - FIBA Women's World Cup in Berlin: Team USA smoking China 94-61, then surviving an ugly, physical grind against Italy, plus Kara Lawson calling out her veterans and Caitlin Clark's 14-point, 11-assist, zero-turnover night - A record 3.65 million girls competed in high school sports in 2025-26, the fifth straight year of growth, with girls flag football exploding past 100,000 participants and Nebraska offering 16 flag football scholarships - A wild NWSL weekend: three of the top five lost, Denver Summit swept Gotham, Washington won at Providence Park for the first time ever, and Ashley Sanchez's hat trick made her the highest-scoring American in a single NWSL season - Olivia Miles taking Rookie of the Month again, A'ja Wilson's MVP case, and Unrivaled fumbling the rollout of a bus tour announcing a tour We also get into the WSL kicking off in England with more than half its clubs led by women, Alexia Putellas buying the Spanish broadcast rights to WSL games, WPBL playoffs, Jordan Chiles aiming for LA 2028, and the US Open quarterfinals. Follow Raising the Game for weekly women's sports coverage. Instagram/Threads/YouTube: @rtg_pod Website: rtgpod.com Email: raisingthegamepod@gmail.com

  7. Sep 2

    Ep. 35 | NWSL's Playoff Scramble, WNBA's FIBA Break, and the Angel Reese Rebound Record Math

    Angel Reese just set the WNBA's single-game and single-season rebounding records, and the comment section already has its rebuttal loaded: they're all "me-bounds." So we ran the numbers. Alex pulled every rebound Reese has this season, stripped out the putbacks off her own miss, and the answer is not what the discourse wants it to be. We walk through the math, the league-average baseline, and what's actually left of the argument. From there it's the last week of WNBA basketball before the FIBA World Cup break, with all eight playoff teams locked in and the seeding still a real fight, plus an NWSL playoff race where five teams are scrapping over one spot. This week we dig into: - The Angel Reese "me-bounds" math: 26 rebounds in a game to break Chamique Holdsclaw's 23-year-old record, past A'ja Wilson's single-season mark, 29 double-doubles to pass Alyssa Thomas, and what her rebounding numbers look like with every putback off her own miss removed - WNBA playoff picture heading into the FIBA break: four games left for everybody, the odds each team holds the seed it's sitting in, and why the actual movement is all in the five-through-eight range - Kelsey Mitchell becoming the second player in WNBA history to score 1,000 points in a season, and Caitlin Clark's back-to-back 30-point, 10-assist games, a first in league history - Golden State's 10-2 August: a defense holding opponents under 45% from the floor, one of the deepest benches in the league, and why nobody wants to draw the Valkyries in a playoff series - NWSL playoff race with six match weeks left: Gotham's refusal to lose, the North Carolina Courage leading the league in goals from sixth place, and Seattle, Denver, LA, Houston, Orlando and Angel City fighting over the last spot We also get to Unrivaled's $650 million valuation after an oversubscribed Series C raise, A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum out of the FIBA World Cup with Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen called in, the Williams sisters' US Open doubles wild card, the 2027 National Soccer Hall of Fame ballot, the Global Alliance for Female Athletes expanding from four countries to nine, Boston Legacy FC's 2028 move into White Stadium, Masai Russell's 12.09 world record in Zurich, and the first Upshot League championship. Follow Raising the Game for weekly women's sports coverage. Instagram/Threads/YouTube: @rtg_pod Website: rtgpod.com Email: raisingthegamepod@gmail.com

  8. Aug 26

    Ep. 34 | Portland's $150M Bet on Women's Sports, WNBA Top Performances & Playoff Predictions

    The Portland Thorns and Portland Fire just opened a $150 million training facility built for two professional women's teams, and it might be the clearest answer yet to the "nobody watches women's sports" crowd. The Kaiser Permanente Performance Center in Hillsboro, Oregon is 100,000 square feet on a 12-acre campus, and it's the first facility in the world designed to house two pro women's teams from two different sports under one roof. We use it as a jumping-off point to walk through what NWSL clubs are actually spending on training facilities right now, and the total is not small. Then we get into the WNBA playoff picture, our full bracket predictions, and the harassment that keeps hijacking games the league should be celebrating. This week we dig into: - Women's sports facility investment: inside the Thorns and Fire's new home, from two full-size pitches and a 17,000-square-foot practice gym to family lounges and full-service dining, plus a rundown of what Denver, Chicago, Gotham, Atlanta, Columbus and Manchester City are building. Alex's quick math on the NWSL projects alone lands somewhere north of $240 million. - WNBA playoff predictions: all but one spot is claimed, the seeding fight is really a home-court fight, and we give you our full bracket. Lynx over the Liberty in five, and we explain why NaLyssa Smith's knee injury may have flipped the Aces-Liberty series before it starts. - The harassment problem in the W: objects thrown onto courts, a man who walked onto the baseline to make himself the story, racist messages sent to Dearica Hamby, and our case for lifetime bans and actual leadership from the league office. - Standout performances: Angel Reese's 31 and 14 against the Mercury, Kelsey Mitchell's 20-point streak now at 23 straight games after passing A'ja Wilson's record, Natasha Cloud's career night against the Liberty, Awak Kuier's seven blocks, and Sydney Taylor's second game-winner of the month. - NWSL playoff race: eighth through eleventh separated by two points, Gotham's nine-game unbeaten run, Washington's winless August, and a game-by-game look at whose remaining schedule is actually survivable. We also get to Nneka Ogwumike's retirement after 15 seasons, Tobin Heath's jersey retirement in Portland, Georgia drawing an NCAA-record 25,433 for women's soccer, San Francisco landing the 2027 WNBA All-Star Game, Team USA's FIBA World Cup roster, Coco Gauff's Cincinnati title, Miyu Yamashita's record-tying nine-shot win in Canada, and 12-year-old Kinley Rasmus tying Mo'ne Davis' Little League World Series strikeout record. Follow Raising the Game for weekly women's sports coverage. Instagram/Threads/YouTube: @rtg_pod Website: rtgpod.com Substack: substack.com/@raisingthegamepodcast Email: raisingthegamepod@gmail.com

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Women’s Sports Podcast covering the WNBA, NWSL, PWHL, and NCAA. We explore the business, growth, and future of women's athletics. Hosted by Caitlin and Alex—a husband-and-wife team raising two young daughters. Each week, we highlight the economic impacts, key headlines, and rising stars in women's professional sports and collegiate athletics. We analyze these stories not just as fans, but as parents looking at how today's sports ecosystem is creating real career opportunities for the next generation Connect with us: Instagram/Threads/YouTube: @rtg_pod Email: raisingthegamepod@gmail.com

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