WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.650 --> 00:00:01.150 align:middle line:90% [MUSIC FADES IN] 2 00:00:03.907 --> 00:00:07.417 align:middle line:90% This is "In Conversation," from Apple News. I'm David Greene, 3 00:00:07.417 --> 00:00:12.518 align:middle line:90% filling in for Shumita Basu. Today, the WNBA is building something, 4 00:00:12.820 --> 00:00:15.088 align:middle line:90% and it's not just a female version of the NBA. 5 00:00:15.652 --> 00:00:16.152 align:middle line:90% [MUSIC FADES OUT] 6 00:00:20.547 --> 00:00:24.197 align:middle line:90% It's a really exciting time to be a fan of women's basketball. 7 00:00:24.197 --> 00:00:24.697 align:middle line:90% [ENERGETIC MUSIC] 8 00:00:24.697 --> 00:00:28.735 align:middle line:90% From college to the pros, women ballers are on fire 9 00:00:28.735 --> 00:00:30.536 align:middle line:90% and fans are taking notice. 10 00:00:30.536 --> 00:00:31.036 align:middle line:90% [START ARCHIVAL CLIPS] 11 00:00:31.036 --> 00:00:31.536 align:middle line:90% [CROWD CHEERING, INDISTINCT ARENA CHATTER] 12 00:00:31.536 --> 00:00:36.509 align:middle line:90% Fulwiley! My goodness! A show-stopping highlight! 13 00:00:36.509 --> 00:00:39.550 align:middle line:90% Jonquel Jones, muscling her way inside. 14 00:00:39.550 --> 00:00:40.050 align:middle line:90% [INDISTINCT ARENA CHATTER] 15 00:00:40.050 --> 00:00:45.555 align:middle line:90% JuJu Watkins, 51. And everybody else on the Trojan team. 16 00:00:45.555 --> 00:00:46.055 align:middle line:90% [BUZZER SOUNDS, WHISTLE BLOWS] 17 00:00:46.055 --> 00:00:48.254 align:middle line:90% Sixteen points. What a night. 18 00:00:48.254 --> 00:00:48.754 align:middle line:90% [INDISTINCT ARENA CHATTER CONTINUES] 19 00:00:48.754 --> 00:00:52.204 align:middle line:90% This is incredible! Sabrina Ionescu! 20 00:00:52.204 --> 00:00:52.704 align:middle line:90% [CROWD CHEERING, SCREAMING] 21 00:00:52.704 --> 00:00:57.529 align:middle line:90% The greatest performance we have ever seen in this contest! 22 00:00:57.529 --> 00:00:59.410 align:middle line:90% [INDISCERNIBLE] 23 00:00:59.410 --> 00:01:01.632 align:middle line:90% A'ja Wilson looking for some space. 24 00:01:01.632 --> 00:01:02.632 align:middle line:90% Defense! 25 00:01:02.632 --> 00:01:03.132 align:middle line:90% [CROWD SCREAMING, CHEERING] 26 00:01:03.132 --> 00:01:04.849 align:middle line:90% There it is! 27 00:01:04.849 --> 00:01:09.190 align:middle line:90% The all-time leading scorer in women's college basketball. 28 00:01:09.190 --> 00:01:09.690 align:middle line:90% [INDISTINCT ARENA CHATTER] 29 00:01:09.690 --> 00:01:12.869 align:middle line:90% [INDISCERNIBLE] 30 00:01:12.869 --> 00:01:21.341 align:middle line:90% And for the first time in 21 years, the WNBA has a back-to-back champion. 31 00:01:21.341 --> 00:01:21.841 align:middle line:90% [END ARCHIVAL CLIPS] 32 00:01:21.841 --> 00:01:26.598 align:middle line:90% This past year, the WNBA had its most-watched regular season 33 00:01:26.598 --> 00:01:31.464 align:middle line:90% in more than two decades. Viewership was up 27%. And the league 34 00:01:31.464 --> 00:01:36.105 align:middle line:90% has never been more profitable, generating nearly $200 million in revenue. 35 00:01:36.105 --> 00:01:38.454 align:middle line:90% That's roughly double what it brought in just a few years ago. 36 00:01:38.454 --> 00:01:42.565 align:middle line:90% You know, I don't know if any of us when the league started 37 00:01:42.565 --> 00:01:47.679 align:middle line:90% back in '97 thought that we would someday see the attention 38 00:01:47.679 --> 00:01:51.099 align:middle line:90% that women's basketball everywhere is getting, not just the W. 39 00:01:51.099 --> 00:01:55.298 align:middle line:90% That is the voice of Sheryl Swoopes, a WNBA legend. 40 00:01:55.298 --> 00:02:00.109 align:middle line:90% She's a three-time WNBA MVP. She's won four national championships 41 00:02:00.109 --> 00:02:03.568 align:middle line:90% and three Olympic gold medals. Sheryl was also the first player 42 00:02:03.568 --> 00:02:06.358 align:middle line:90% signed to the WNBA when the league launched. 43 00:02:06.358 --> 00:02:10.619 align:middle line:90% I can tell you there's such a big difference in where we are today 44 00:02:10.619 --> 00:02:15.787 align:middle line:90% and where we were back in 1997. So, [CHUCKLES] I am super proud of the league. 45 00:02:15.787 --> 00:02:20.820 align:middle line:90% I'm, I'm proud of, of the players. I'm just proud of everything they're doing 46 00:02:20.820 --> 00:02:23.688 align:middle line:90% on the court, off the court. And just to see the league 47 00:02:23.688 --> 00:02:26.197 align:middle line:90% continue to grow every single day. 48 00:02:26.197 --> 00:02:31.141 align:middle line:90% A new documentary called "Shattered Glass" takes a look at how current players 49 00:02:31.141 --> 00:02:31.641 align:middle line:90% [MUSIC FADES, CONTINUES SOFTLY] 50 00:02:31.641 --> 00:02:35.281 align:middle line:90% are building on the foundation Sheryl and her generation laid 51 00:02:35.281 --> 00:02:40.077 align:middle line:90% for women's professional basketball, and what players say still needs to be done. 52 00:02:40.077 --> 00:02:44.812 align:middle line:90% Sheryl's story is featured in the film, which is directed by Andrea Buccilla. 53 00:02:44.812 --> 00:02:45.312 align:middle line:90% [ENERGETIC MUSIC RESUMES] 54 00:02:45.312 --> 00:02:49.966 align:middle line:90% I didn't think we could tell a story about today's WNBA and the success 55 00:02:49.966 --> 00:02:52.625 align:middle line:90% that they're seeing without acknowledging where it came from 56 00:02:52.625 --> 00:02:55.722 align:middle line:90% and acknowledging that that success is not brand-new. They were selling out 57 00:02:55.722 --> 00:02:57.962 align:middle line:90% NBA arenas back when Sheryl was playing. 58 00:02:57.962 --> 00:03:01.693 align:middle line:90% In fact, Sheryl was so good, that before she even went pro, 59 00:03:01.693 --> 00:03:06.032 align:middle line:90% she got a chance to go up against Michael Jordan. It was 1993. 60 00:03:06.032 --> 00:03:09.771 align:middle line:90% She had just wrapped up a wildly successful college ball career 61 00:03:09.771 --> 00:03:14.180 align:middle line:90% at Texas Tech, and Michael Jordan's people had asked her to come work 62 00:03:14.180 --> 00:03:16.020 align:middle line:90% at his basketball camp in Chicago. 63 00:03:16.020 --> 00:03:16.520 align:middle line:90% [MUSIC FADES OUT] 64 00:03:16.531 --> 00:03:20.118 align:middle line:90% I was, like, so super excited. My coach, Marsha Sharp, was like, 65 00:03:20.128 --> 00:03:23.148 align:middle line:90% hey, Michael's people want you to come work his camp, seriously. 66 00:03:23.433 --> 00:03:28.831 align:middle line:90% My response to her was, oh my gosh, like, how much do I have to pay? [LAUGHS] 67 00:03:28.831 --> 00:03:29.331 align:middle line:90% [DAVID GREENE LAUGHS] 68 00:03:29.331 --> 00:03:32.027 align:middle line:90% She was like, no, no, no, no, no. That's not how that works. 69 00:03:32.027 --> 00:03:34.759 align:middle line:90% Now mind you, I'm a small town girl. I've never really been anywhere. 70 00:03:34.911 --> 00:03:39.678 align:middle line:90% So I got a chance to go work his camp, and it was several of us. 71 00:03:39.769 --> 00:03:42.607 align:middle line:90% We were at the back of the gym waiting on Michael to come in. 72 00:03:42.652 --> 00:03:49.178 align:middle line:90% He had over, gosh, over three, four hundred campers there. So finally, 73 00:03:49.352 --> 00:03:54.135 align:middle line:90% Michael starts walking in the gym, and I immediately got so nervous… 74 00:03:54.851 --> 00:03:59.407 align:middle line:90% And out of nowhere, he says, where is Sheryl Swoopes? 75 00:03:59.441 --> 00:03:59.971 align:middle line:90% Oh my. 76 00:04:00.503 --> 00:04:02.038 align:middle line:90% And I-- I froze. 77 00:04:02.038 --> 00:04:02.538 align:middle line:90% [GREENE CHUCKLES] 78 00:04:02.601 --> 00:04:05.834 align:middle line:90% And the young lady that was next to me kind of elbowed [CHUCKLING] me like… 79 00:04:06.346 --> 00:04:11.718 align:middle line:90% [CHUCKLING] "I think he's talking to you." [LAUGHS] 80 00:04:11.718 --> 00:04:14.863 align:middle line:90% Yeah, she's like, that's you. I'm like, I know it's me, but why? 81 00:04:14.863 --> 00:04:16.658 align:middle line:90% Like, why is he asking? What do I say? 82 00:04:16.658 --> 00:04:17.158 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 83 00:04:17.158 --> 00:04:21.001 align:middle line:90% So I go out, and he actually had watched the Final Four 84 00:04:21.001 --> 00:04:26.681 align:middle line:90% the year we won it in 1993. And he said to me, watched the Final Four, 85 00:04:26.681 --> 00:04:30.323 align:middle line:90% love your game, mad respect. Right? And I was like, oh, thanks. 86 00:04:30.323 --> 00:04:32.956 align:middle line:90% So then he says, but one-on-one, me and you. 87 00:04:32.956 --> 00:04:33.692 align:middle line:90% My God. 88 00:04:33.692 --> 00:04:38.280 align:middle line:90% I was like, as in like, [LAUGHING] basketball? [LAUGHS] 89 00:04:38.280 --> 00:04:42.039 align:middle line:90% [LAUGHS] You're like, like a hot dog eating contest 90 00:04:42.039 --> 00:04:42.970 align:middle line:90% Yeah! Like, what? 91 00:04:42.970 --> 00:04:45.204 align:middle line:90% or what are we talking about here? [LAUGHS] 92 00:04:45.204 --> 00:04:47.397 align:middle line:90% Like a one-on-one conversation, or…? 93 00:04:47.397 --> 00:04:49.880 align:middle line:90% Yeah. Right? Like one-on-one… I don't know. Yeah. 94 00:04:49.880 --> 00:04:50.880 align:middle line:90% Yeah. [LAUGHS] 95 00:04:50.880 --> 00:04:52.157 align:middle line:90% We're talking right now, right? 96 00:04:52.157 --> 00:04:54.833 align:middle line:90% [CHUCKLING] Yeah. 97 00:04:54.833 --> 00:04:57.594 align:middle line:90% And so he's like, yeah, I hear, you know, people saying 98 00:04:57.594 --> 00:05:00.850 align:middle line:90% you're the female Michael Jordan, so one-on-one, me and you. And I said, 99 00:05:00.850 --> 00:05:04.697 align:middle line:90% wasn't me, like, I never said that, that's what other people have said. 100 00:05:04.697 --> 00:05:08.450 align:middle line:90% He said, yeah. He said, so one-on-one. So I was like, okay, like, 101 00:05:08.450 --> 00:05:10.160 align:middle line:90% how am I gonna say no? Right? 102 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:11.030 align:middle line:90% Yeah, you can't say no. 103 00:05:11.030 --> 00:05:14.282 align:middle line:90% So we start playing. It's a game to seven. I get the ball. 104 00:05:14.282 --> 00:05:16.591 align:middle line:90% My first shot was a big old air ball. 105 00:05:16.591 --> 00:05:17.091 align:middle line:90% [GREENE LAUGHS] 106 00:05:17.091 --> 00:05:19.542 align:middle line:90% And so, you know, the kids let me hear it, right? 107 00:05:19.542 --> 00:05:20.042 align:middle line:90% Uh-huh. 108 00:05:20.042 --> 00:05:24.795 align:middle line:90% They're like, air ball! So I was just like, okay, get it together. 109 00:05:24.795 --> 00:05:27.414 align:middle line:90% Right? He gets the ball, shoots, scores, whatever. 110 00:05:27.414 --> 00:05:32.065 align:middle line:90% I get the ball back. My second shot was like a brick. So finally, after this, 111 00:05:32.065 --> 00:05:35.049 align:middle line:90% right? I'm like, okay, listen. You're representing for all the women, 112 00:05:35.049 --> 00:05:39.713 align:middle line:90% like, get your you-know-what together. So I get the ball back. We start playing. 113 00:05:39.713 --> 00:05:44.177 align:middle line:90% I score. So we're going back and forth. Finally, Michael gets the ball 114 00:05:44.177 --> 00:05:48.915 align:middle line:90% and all of his campers are like, dunk it, dunk it! Right? And my pride, though, 115 00:05:48.915 --> 00:05:51.793 align:middle line:90% I'm like, there's no way I'm gonna let you dunk on me. 116 00:05:51.793 --> 00:05:52.402 align:middle line:90% Wow. 117 00:05:52.402 --> 00:05:56.309 align:middle line:90% So he goes in for a dunk. Just out of nowhere, I grab him, right? 118 00:05:56.309 --> 00:05:58.520 align:middle line:90% I pull him [CHUCKLING] out of the air [SPEAKING NORMALLY] I'm like, nope, 119 00:05:58.520 --> 00:06:02.416 align:middle line:90% you can't dunk. Uh, he had his favorite North Carolina T-shirt on. 120 00:06:02.416 --> 00:06:07.617 align:middle line:90% I'll remember this story until I die. I got lipstick all on the shirt. 121 00:06:07.617 --> 00:06:08.117 align:middle line:90% [GREENE CHUCKLES] 122 00:06:08.117 --> 00:06:11.502 align:middle line:90% He ended up giving me the shirt. To this day, I still have it. 123 00:06:11.502 --> 00:06:13.422 align:middle line:90% One of my most prized possessions. 124 00:06:13.422 --> 00:06:13.922 align:middle line:90% Wow. 125 00:06:13.922 --> 00:06:17.034 align:middle line:90% And, uh, it was just such a fun time. And, and I'll put this out there 126 00:06:17.034 --> 00:06:20.922 align:middle line:90% 'cause everybody had been asking before. Yes, he did win. We only went to seven. 127 00:06:20.922 --> 00:06:22.689 align:middle line:90% I think the score was, like, seven to four. 128 00:06:22.689 --> 00:06:24.519 align:middle line:90% Have you, have you, have you washed that shirt? 129 00:06:24.519 --> 00:06:27.562 align:middle line:90% No. I still have that shirt at home with lipstick on it. 130 00:06:27.562 --> 00:06:28.062 align:middle line:90% [THOUGHTFUL MUSIC] 131 00:06:28.062 --> 00:06:30.221 align:middle line:90% Not washed. [LAUGHS] 132 00:06:30.221 --> 00:06:30.726 align:middle line:90% Mm-mm. 133 00:06:30.726 --> 00:06:31.344 align:middle line:90% That's amazing. 134 00:06:31.344 --> 00:06:32.510 align:middle line:90% Like, I would never wash it. 135 00:06:32.510 --> 00:06:33.849 align:middle line:90% No, I mean, who, who would? 136 00:06:33.849 --> 00:06:37.357 align:middle line:90% Like, never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that would happen. Ever. 137 00:06:37.357 --> 00:06:41.672 align:middle line:90% A few years later, in 1996, the WNBA formed. 138 00:06:41.672 --> 00:06:44.078 align:middle line:90% Sheryl joined the Houston Comets. 139 00:06:44.078 --> 00:06:46.629 align:middle line:90% That first season was scrappy, 140 00:06:46.629 --> 00:06:48.631 align:middle line:90% but it generated a lot of buzz. 141 00:06:48.631 --> 00:06:52.711 align:middle line:90% The NBA got behind it and the WNBA inked a five-year contract 142 00:06:52.711 --> 00:06:57.273 align:middle line:90% with NBC. Behind the scenes, conditions for the players 143 00:06:57.273 --> 00:06:59.723 align:middle line:90% often didn't feel so pro. 144 00:06:59.723 --> 00:07:02.822 align:middle line:90% But, Sheryl said, they were just grateful to be playing. 145 00:07:02.822 --> 00:07:07.679 align:middle line:90% We didn't care that we had to share rooms with each other, didn't care that, 146 00:07:07.679 --> 00:07:11.546 align:middle line:90% you know, it was commercial flights. We had back-to-back games. 147 00:07:11.546 --> 00:07:15.029 align:middle line:90% Like, none of that stuff mattered because we were just happy to play. 148 00:07:15.029 --> 00:07:18.677 align:middle line:90% Teams only had a two-week training camp to prepare. 149 00:07:18.677 --> 00:07:21.186 align:middle line:90% Coaches say they had no basic equipment, 150 00:07:21.186 --> 00:07:23.958 align:middle line:90% and sometimes, they doubled as general managers. 151 00:07:23.958 --> 00:07:29.536 align:middle line:90% Base salaries for players were $15,000. And Sheryl actually had to miss 152 00:07:29.536 --> 00:07:33.808 align:middle line:90% the first-ever WNBA game because she was giving birth to her son. 153 00:07:33.808 --> 00:07:34.308 align:middle line:90% [MUSIC FADES OUT] 154 00:07:34.308 --> 00:07:37.269 align:middle line:90% I remember the very first game when the W started, 155 00:07:37.269 --> 00:07:40.135 align:middle line:90% it was the New York Liberty and the Los Angeles Sparks. 156 00:07:40.135 --> 00:07:43.426 align:middle line:90% I remember lying, literally lying in my hospital bed. 157 00:07:43.426 --> 00:07:47.331 align:middle line:90% I had just given birth. And I turned the TV on because I wanted to watch 158 00:07:47.331 --> 00:07:51.611 align:middle line:90% the tip of that game. It was history being made. And for me, 159 00:07:51.611 --> 00:07:54.900 align:middle line:90% it was all about the birth of two things. 160 00:07:54.900 --> 00:07:55.555 align:middle line:90% Mm-hmm. 161 00:07:55.555 --> 00:07:59.457 align:middle line:90% The birth of my son, the birth of the WNBA. And, when I watched the tip 162 00:07:59.457 --> 00:08:04.169 align:middle line:90% and it was like, this is really happening, because I don't think a lot of us really… 163 00:08:04.169 --> 00:08:07.274 align:middle line:90% Like, we knew it was gonna happen, but I don't think a lot of us 164 00:08:07.274 --> 00:08:10.696 align:middle line:90% really understood what that meant or what that was gonna look like. 165 00:08:10.696 --> 00:08:13.753 align:middle line:90% What was it like to miss out, though, when things just got started? 166 00:08:13.753 --> 00:08:15.232 align:middle line:90% You know, because you were becoming a mom. 167 00:08:15.232 --> 00:08:19.863 align:middle line:90% It was very important to me to be a part of the inaugural season. 168 00:08:19.863 --> 00:08:24.354 align:middle line:90% So… I remember just having a conversation with my doctor saying, you know, 169 00:08:24.354 --> 00:08:29.262 align:middle line:90% is my son okay? Is he healthy? Yes. Check. Am I okay? Am I healthy? Yes. Check. 170 00:08:29.262 --> 00:08:34.033 align:middle line:90% Can I go back to playing? And when he was like, I mean, yeah, 171 00:08:34.033 --> 00:08:35.987 align:middle line:90% you can, but you probably shouldn't. 172 00:08:35.987 --> 00:08:36.487 align:middle line:90% [GREENE CHUCKLES] 173 00:08:36.487 --> 00:08:41.002 align:middle line:90% So… [SIGHS] six weeks, maybe seven, six or seven… 174 00:08:41.002 --> 00:08:42.631 align:middle line:90% After giving birth, you're back on the court. 175 00:08:42.631 --> 00:08:46.005 align:middle line:90% After giving birth to my son, I was back out on the court. 176 00:08:46.005 --> 00:08:47.029 align:middle line:90% That's amazing. 177 00:08:47.029 --> 00:08:52.136 align:middle line:90% Because I really wanted to be a part of the inaugural WNBA season. 178 00:08:52.136 --> 00:08:56.172 align:middle line:90% And even though I didn't really play very much, I'd never really looked at it 179 00:08:56.172 --> 00:08:59.114 align:middle line:90% as if I was missing out, right? Because I was still there. 180 00:08:59.114 --> 00:09:03.083 align:middle line:90% I was still a part. I was still being the best teammate I could be 181 00:09:03.083 --> 00:09:09.764 align:middle line:90% and all the while, like, just… Like, being a mom in that moment and, 182 00:09:09.764 --> 00:09:14.107 align:middle line:90% and having my son around all these incredible, amazing women, 183 00:09:14.107 --> 00:09:15.508 align:middle line:90% was very important to me. 184 00:09:15.508 --> 00:09:16.008 align:middle line:90% [LIGHT, RHYTHMIC MUSIC] 185 00:09:16.008 --> 00:09:20.489 align:middle line:90% In the 28 years since Sheryl first stepped on a professional court, 186 00:09:20.489 --> 00:09:22.754 align:middle line:90% the WNBA has come so far. It's blown away revenue 187 00:09:22.754 --> 00:09:25.889 align:middle line:90% It's blown away revenue and attendance expectations. 188 00:09:25.889 --> 00:09:28.536 align:middle line:90% It has secured some major TV deals. 189 00:09:28.536 --> 00:09:31.390 align:middle line:90% There's more investment in the league than ever before. 190 00:09:31.390 --> 00:09:34.340 align:middle line:90% And the caliber of play has never been higher. 191 00:09:34.340 --> 00:09:38.102 align:middle line:90% In 2020, players and the league reached a collective bargaining agreement 192 00:09:38.102 --> 00:09:43.304 align:middle line:90% that secured better pay and benefits, like fully-paid maternity leave, 193 00:09:43.304 --> 00:09:46.543 align:middle line:90% a child care stipend and mental health services 194 00:09:46.543 --> 00:09:50.183 align:middle line:90% tailored to working moms. And even as players were thrilled 195 00:09:50.183 --> 00:09:54.152 align:middle line:90% to get these benefits, many say they don't go far enough. 196 00:09:54.152 --> 00:09:59.264 align:middle line:90% Take the league's advertised max salary of $700,000. 197 00:09:59.264 --> 00:10:02.022 align:middle line:90% As sports journalist Lindsay Gibbs explains in the documentary, 198 00:10:02.022 --> 00:10:05.100 align:middle line:90% actually earning that amount is a real long shot. 199 00:10:05.100 --> 00:10:05.600 align:middle line:90% [START DOCUMENTARY ARCHIVAL CLIP] 200 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:09.160 align:middle line:90% You have to make the All Star game. You have to be All Star MVP. 201 00:10:09.160 --> 00:10:10.858 align:middle line:90% Your team has to make it to the Commissioner's Cup. 202 00:10:10.858 --> 00:10:12.916 align:middle line:90% Win the Commissioner's Cup. Commissioner's Cup MVP. 203 00:10:12.916 --> 00:10:15.970 align:middle line:90% Become MVP of the league. Make it to the finals. Is that all? 204 00:10:15.970 --> 00:10:18.910 align:middle line:90% [CHUCKLES] It's pretty much impossible to [CHUCKLING] do 205 00:10:18.910 --> 00:10:23.658 align:middle line:90% all of these things, and even if you did, only one person 206 00:10:23.658 --> 00:10:25.984 align:middle line:90% could possibly do that. So that amount of money 207 00:10:25.984 --> 00:10:30.287 align:middle line:90% would only be available to one single player out of the 144. 208 00:10:30.287 --> 00:10:30.787 align:middle line:90% [MUSIC FADES OUT] 209 00:10:30.787 --> 00:10:31.287 align:middle line:90% [END DOCUMENTARY ARCHIVAL CLIP] 210 00:10:31.287 --> 00:10:31.787 align:middle line:90% [INTRIGUING MUSIC] 211 00:10:31.787 --> 00:10:37.557 align:middle line:90% Part of the reason why male players earn an average of nearly $10 million a year 212 00:10:37.557 --> 00:10:40.869 align:middle line:90% is because of how the NBA shares its revenue with its players. 213 00:10:40.869 --> 00:10:43.929 align:middle line:90% When a reporter for "Bloomberg News" crunched the numbers, 214 00:10:43.929 --> 00:10:49.818 align:middle line:90% they found NBA players receive about 50% of basketball-related revenue. 215 00:10:49.922 --> 00:10:52.972 align:middle line:90% For the WNBA, the share is closer to 20%. 216 00:10:53.794 --> 00:10:56.659 align:middle line:90% Here's the deal: For the average women's player, 217 00:10:56.669 --> 00:11:01.700 align:middle line:90% the salary is so low that nearly half opt to play abroad 218 00:11:01.710 --> 00:11:06.400 align:middle line:90% in the offseason. This pays good money, but it also comes with a lot of downsides. 219 00:11:06.559 --> 00:11:09.580 align:middle line:90% It's tough because you're in another country 220 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:12.309 align:middle line:90% where lots of times you don't speak the language, 221 00:11:12.320 --> 00:11:15.270 align:middle line:90% so you have to translate. Like, you're having to adjust 222 00:11:15.280 --> 00:11:21.440 align:middle line:90% to different culture, different lifestyle, different weather, different food. 223 00:11:21.700 --> 00:11:26.099 align:middle line:90% And of course, there's the risk of being in countries that are adversarial 224 00:11:26.109 --> 00:11:31.409 align:middle line:90% to the United States. For example, China and Russia are two major countries 225 00:11:31.419 --> 00:11:36.803 align:middle line:90% that historically recruited WNBA stars and paid them well in the offseason. 226 00:11:37.083 --> 00:11:37.583 align:middle line:90% [MUSIC FADES OUT] 227 00:11:37.918 --> 00:11:40.919 align:middle line:90% I can't help but to think about Brittney Griner's situation. 228 00:11:40.919 --> 00:11:41.419 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 229 00:11:41.419 --> 00:11:45.312 align:middle line:90% Right? And so when people say, well, if the women were making more money, 230 00:11:45.504 --> 00:11:51.896 align:middle line:90% she wouldn't have to go play in Russia or anywhere else. There are also-- 231 00:11:52.168 --> 00:11:56.520 align:middle line:90% and Dre, feel free to speak up-- there are also women who are making really, 232 00:11:56.530 --> 00:11:59.400 align:middle line:90% really, really good money. And not just from the W, 233 00:11:59.409 --> 00:12:03.169 align:middle line:90% but from brand deals and sponsorships and endorsements, 234 00:12:03.739 --> 00:12:06.616 align:middle line:90% that even though they're making good money, 235 00:12:06.616 --> 00:12:09.309 align:middle line:90% they still choose to go play overseas. 236 00:12:09.309 --> 00:12:12.309 align:middle line:90% Yeah, to capitalize those, you know, money-earning years, right? 237 00:12:12.309 --> 00:12:12.817 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 238 00:12:12.817 --> 00:12:17.080 align:middle line:90% J.J. said that. She was like, if I could make 80% of what I make overseas 239 00:12:17.080 --> 00:12:18.820 align:middle line:90% during the offseason back home, I would stay. 240 00:12:19.090 --> 00:12:22.320 align:middle line:90% But I have to stack my money now while I can. 241 00:12:22.320 --> 00:12:24.486 align:middle line:90% Yeah. While you can, because at some point 242 00:12:24.486 --> 00:12:26.111 align:middle line:90% you're not gonna be able to do that. 243 00:12:26.111 --> 00:12:26.611 align:middle line:90% [LAID-BACK, RHYTHMIC MUSIC] 244 00:12:26.611 --> 00:12:32.061 align:middle line:90% Let's be clear: Sheryl and other current and former pro players are not asking 245 00:12:32.061 --> 00:12:36.772 align:middle line:90% that the women make what the men do. What they want is more investment 246 00:12:36.772 --> 00:12:40.782 align:middle line:90% in their product, independent of how they perform compared to the men. 247 00:12:40.782 --> 00:12:41.282 align:middle line:90% [MUSIC FADES OUT] 248 00:12:41.282 --> 00:12:46.733 align:middle line:90% Well… [SIGHS] I think when you start talking about women's basketball 249 00:12:46.733 --> 00:12:50.592 align:middle line:90% versus men's basketball, or just women's sports versus men's sports, 250 00:12:51.179 --> 00:12:57.250 align:middle line:90% I do feel like there's different expectations for female athletes 251 00:12:57.260 --> 00:13:02.630 align:middle line:90% versus male athletes. And for myself personally, 252 00:13:02.960 --> 00:13:06.830 align:middle line:90% I've tried to get away from comparing the two, right? 253 00:13:06.830 --> 00:13:07.389 align:middle line:90% Mm-hmm. 254 00:13:07.669 --> 00:13:13.468 align:middle line:90% But what, what does kind of bother me from someone who's… 255 00:13:13.468 --> 00:13:15.581 align:middle line:90% I've been playing ball since I was seven years old. 256 00:13:16.079 --> 00:13:19.270 align:middle line:90% And even at the young age of seven, 257 00:13:19.559 --> 00:13:26.517 align:middle line:90% I felt the pressure of always wanting to prove people, 258 00:13:26.517 --> 00:13:28.579 align:middle line:90% in particular, to prove men, wrong. 259 00:13:28.997 --> 00:13:31.650 align:middle line:90% Right? Like, I belong in this space, 260 00:13:31.650 --> 00:13:35.450 align:middle line:90% and I'm good enough to be in this space, and I can do exactly what you can do, 261 00:13:35.460 --> 00:13:38.109 align:middle line:90% or maybe I can do better. I grew up with two older brothers 262 00:13:38.299 --> 00:13:41.393 align:middle line:90% who told me I wasn't good enough, right? Wouldn't let me play. 263 00:13:41.859 --> 00:13:47.770 align:middle line:90% And so, as I got older, I've just always felt like it was a responsibility of mine 264 00:13:48.274 --> 00:13:54.409 align:middle line:90% to represent for all women, right? To be able to prove to men that we belong, 265 00:13:54.419 --> 00:13:59.039 align:middle line:90% and the expectations that you have of us and the expectations that you put on us 266 00:13:59.049 --> 00:14:02.570 align:middle line:90% shouldn't be any different from the expectations that you have 267 00:14:02.580 --> 00:14:07.760 align:middle line:90% for male athletes. I look at women's college basketball today. 268 00:14:07.929 --> 00:14:12.169 align:middle line:90% Some of the best players that are playing today, to me, 269 00:14:12.179 --> 00:14:15.840 align:middle line:90% are more exciting and more entertaining to watch 270 00:14:16.200 --> 00:14:19.270 align:middle line:90% than a lot of the male basketball players right now. 271 00:14:19.280 --> 00:14:21.222 align:middle line:90% We just saw Caitlin Clark from, from Iowa 272 00:14:21.222 --> 00:14:23.179 align:middle line:90% break the NCAA women's basketball scoring record. 273 00:14:23.179 --> 00:14:23.797 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 274 00:14:23.797 --> 00:14:25.148 align:middle line:90% [CHUCKLING] It was incredible. It was incredible. 275 00:14:25.148 --> 00:14:25.821 align:middle line:90% I mean, yeah. 276 00:14:25.821 --> 00:14:29.966 align:middle line:90% No doubt, right? You, you got Caitlin. You got Juju Watkins. 277 00:14:29.966 --> 00:14:34.016 align:middle line:90% You have Hannah Hidalgo, who's just a freshman at Notre Dame. 278 00:14:34.016 --> 00:14:35.890 align:middle line:90% Like, I could go on and on and on. 279 00:14:35.890 --> 00:14:39.587 align:middle line:90% But when you see that a lot of people are saying, 280 00:14:39.609 --> 00:14:41.840 align:middle line:90% yeah, well, she's doing that 'cause she's a girl. 281 00:14:41.849 --> 00:14:42.710 align:middle line:90% Do you know what I mean? 282 00:14:42.710 --> 00:14:43.280 align:middle line:90% Mm-hmm. 283 00:14:43.280 --> 00:14:47.270 align:middle line:90% And I'm like, no. Like, she's good. It's not about her being a girl 284 00:14:47.270 --> 00:14:51.939 align:middle line:90% playing against other young girls or, or women. Why can't we just 285 00:14:51.940 --> 00:14:55.979 align:middle line:90% give her the credit of being really, really good and really talented 286 00:14:55.989 --> 00:14:56.966 align:middle line:90% at what she does? 287 00:14:56.966 --> 00:15:00.976 align:middle line:90% Can we just say, Sheryl, that I was enraged 288 00:15:00.976 --> 00:15:03.931 align:middle line:90% when people came for you for the take that you had on… 289 00:15:03.931 --> 00:15:04.977 align:middle line:90% You can say it. 290 00:15:04.977 --> 00:15:08.034 align:middle line:90% …you know, rookies coming into the league? Did you see that, David? 291 00:15:08.034 --> 00:15:10.235 align:middle line:90% No, t-- tell me what, what did you say Sheryl, 292 00:15:10.235 --> 00:15:11.219 align:middle line:90% about rookies coming in? 293 00:15:11.219 --> 00:15:14.462 align:middle line:90% Oh, Sheryl said the most reasonable thing, which was just like, you know, 294 00:15:14.462 --> 00:15:15.681 align:middle line:90% when you're a rookie coming into the league, 295 00:15:15.681 --> 00:15:17.852 align:middle line:90% you can't really expect to dominate immediately. 296 00:15:17.852 --> 00:15:18.953 align:middle line:90% That seems reasonable! 297 00:15:18.953 --> 00:15:22.282 align:middle line:90% First of all, she's speaking from experience, and it's also just 298 00:15:22.282 --> 00:15:24.642 align:middle line:90% a human opinion she's allowed to have. People were so mad. 299 00:15:24.642 --> 00:15:25.144 align:middle line:90% Why? 300 00:15:25.144 --> 00:15:28.514 align:middle line:90% Well, it's not just about Caitlin. 301 00:15:28.514 --> 00:15:31.119 align:middle line:90% You know, I said the same thing about Angel, and… 302 00:15:31.119 --> 00:15:32.177 align:middle line:90% Angel Reese, yeah. 303 00:15:32.177 --> 00:15:37.131 align:middle line:90% But also, I mean, history speaks for itself. You can look at, 304 00:15:37.131 --> 00:15:41.321 align:middle line:90% you know, Sabrina coming out of Oregon, didn't have the type of rookie season 305 00:15:41.321 --> 00:15:45.550 align:middle line:90% that everybody thought she would. My thing is this: The expectations 306 00:15:45.550 --> 00:15:52.993 align:middle line:90% that media, fans put on these young ladies in college, in thinking they're gonna 307 00:15:52.993 --> 00:15:55.680 align:middle line:90% go to the pro and do exactly what they're doing in college, 308 00:15:55.680 --> 00:15:59.831 align:middle line:90% I think you're doing them a disservice because you're putting all this pressure 309 00:15:59.831 --> 00:16:01.863 align:middle line:90% on them, and then when they get to the league 310 00:16:01.863 --> 00:16:04.192 align:middle line:90% and they don't dominate right away… 311 00:16:04.192 --> 00:16:05.646 align:middle line:90% You're like, they-- they've failed. 312 00:16:05.646 --> 00:16:09.726 align:middle line:90% Yes. Now it becomes, well, she was a bust, or she was a flop, 313 00:16:09.726 --> 00:16:10.886 align:middle line:90% or she wasn't that good. 314 00:16:10.886 --> 00:16:11.386 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 315 00:16:11.386 --> 00:16:15.412 align:middle line:90% When you go from being a college student athlete to a pro, 316 00:16:15.412 --> 00:16:20.298 align:middle line:90% everything changes. Right? Your schedule changes. No one is there 317 00:16:20.298 --> 00:16:22.780 align:middle line:90% saying, get up, go to class. Like, [CHUCKLING] all those things. 318 00:16:22.780 --> 00:16:25.807 align:middle line:90% Like, it's an adjustment. And then you throw the talent in. 319 00:16:25.807 --> 00:16:28.226 align:middle line:90% Like, that's a whole different ball game. 320 00:16:29.229 --> 00:16:33.270 align:middle line:90% Well, Sheryl, I wanna, I wanna kind of have a, a step back moment with you. 321 00:16:33.749 --> 00:16:41.260 align:middle line:90% I mean the, the WNBA, 27% increase in viewers from 2022 to 2023. 322 00:16:41.260 --> 00:16:42.010 align:middle line:90% That's pretty good. 323 00:16:42.010 --> 00:16:45.810 align:middle line:90% And women's sports expected for the first time overall 324 00:16:45.810 --> 00:16:50.991 align:middle line:90% to top a billion dollars this year, driven by basketball and by soccer. 325 00:16:51.239 --> 00:16:56.979 align:middle line:90% It feels like this moment when the WNBA has basically said, this is who we are. 326 00:16:57.489 --> 00:17:00.929 align:middle line:90% We're getting more and more fans. Let's celebrate this. 327 00:17:00.940 --> 00:17:04.575 align:middle line:90% Let's market this well. The teams, the players, their stories. 328 00:17:04.735 --> 00:17:11.180 align:middle line:90% And maybe not be so stuck in some sort of historic battle to be equal 329 00:17:11.189 --> 00:17:14.317 align:middle line:90% or not equal with men. Let's just be who we are, celebrate it and, 330 00:17:14.317 --> 00:17:17.958 align:middle line:90% and have swagger. Is that what you're… were trying to portray? 331 00:17:18.089 --> 00:17:21.471 align:middle line:90% Yeah, well, I think that it's such a trap to get caught up in the comparison. 332 00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:25.390 align:middle line:90% I wanted to portray these women as ballplayers, pure and simple. 333 00:17:25.390 --> 00:17:25.890 align:middle line:90% Mm. 334 00:17:25.930 --> 00:17:28.212 align:middle line:90% You don't have to say, like, oh, they're good for a woman. 335 00:17:28.212 --> 00:17:28.755 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 336 00:17:28.755 --> 00:17:32.361 align:middle line:90% Or they are women's basketball players. No, they're just ballplayers. 337 00:17:32.361 --> 00:17:32.861 align:middle line:90% Mm. 338 00:17:32.861 --> 00:17:33.814 align:middle line:90% They're just hoopers. 339 00:17:33.814 --> 00:17:34.824 align:middle line:90% Just ballers. 340 00:17:34.824 --> 00:17:35.324 align:middle line:90% [GREENE CHUCKLES] 341 00:17:35.324 --> 00:17:36.555 align:middle line:90% Yeah. Yeah. 342 00:17:36.555 --> 00:17:37.055 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 343 00:17:37.055 --> 00:17:40.497 align:middle line:90% It's part of why we got, you know, Jaren Jackson Jr. to do the baller scene. 344 00:17:40.497 --> 00:17:40.997 align:middle line:90% [EMOTIONAL STRING MUSIC] 345 00:17:40.997 --> 00:17:41.497 align:middle line:90% [START DOCUMENTARY ARCHIVAL CLIP] 346 00:17:41.497 --> 00:17:47.669 align:middle line:90% A baller. Let me tell you something about ball players. Hoopers. Ballers. 347 00:17:47.669 --> 00:17:48.169 align:middle line:90% [CROWD CHEERING, CAMERAS FLASHING] 348 00:17:48.169 --> 00:17:51.970 align:middle line:90% The women of the W, never be fooled by them. They are ballers. 349 00:17:51.970 --> 00:17:55.399 align:middle line:90% They are born with it. They come with it every single night. You should tune in. 350 00:17:55.399 --> 00:17:55.899 align:middle line:90% [END DOCUMENTARY ARCHIVAL CLIP] 351 00:17:55.899 --> 00:17:56.399 align:middle line:90% [MUSIC FADES OUT] 352 00:17:56.399 --> 00:17:59.536 align:middle line:90% I actually thought it was important for a respected male athlete 353 00:17:59.619 --> 00:18:04.141 align:middle line:90% to sort of speak directly to the haters, the male haters, you know, that say things 354 00:18:04.141 --> 00:18:08.469 align:middle line:90% like, well, it's just too slow for me, women's games. I think people think 355 00:18:08.479 --> 00:18:11.989 align:middle line:90% the women's game is slower than it is because it's not shot the same way. 356 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:15.452 align:middle line:90% The media is not covering those games with the same techniques… 357 00:18:15.452 --> 00:18:15.986 align:middle line:90% Mm. 358 00:18:15.986 --> 00:18:18.476 align:middle line:90% …and quality camera operators, um… 359 00:18:18.476 --> 00:18:19.470 align:middle line:90% Oh, interesting. 360 00:18:19.470 --> 00:18:22.340 align:middle line:90% …and just money behind it, so when you watch, you know, 361 00:18:22.340 --> 00:18:26.058 align:middle line:90% the WNBA finals this year, and it was shot like an NBA game, 362 00:18:26.058 --> 00:18:28.751 align:middle line:90% you're like, oh man, these women are fast. 363 00:18:28.751 --> 00:18:30.954 align:middle line:90% Crazy. Crazy. 364 00:18:30.954 --> 00:18:34.973 align:middle line:90% These women are strong. Yeah. And, like, of course it was more exciting. 365 00:18:34.973 --> 00:18:37.404 align:middle line:90% That's amazing that the camera shots and the number of cameras 366 00:18:37.404 --> 00:18:40.202 align:middle line:90% can totally change the perception of, of what's happening. 367 00:18:40.202 --> 00:18:41.314 align:middle line:90% I-- I never thought about that. 368 00:18:41.314 --> 00:18:43.224 align:middle line:90% Right? Yeah. Yeah. 369 00:18:43.224 --> 00:18:43.762 align:middle line:90% Wow. 370 00:18:43.762 --> 00:18:46.376 align:middle line:90% Well, it's interesting because it, I think it's… 371 00:18:46.376 --> 00:18:49.653 align:middle line:90% Even if you are fighting, you know, like I feel like I am, for-- 372 00:18:49.653 --> 00:18:54.342 align:middle line:90% for people to watch and get into the WNBA because it's so fabulous. 373 00:18:54.342 --> 00:18:58.619 align:middle line:90% Like, I fall into this place of, well, it should be equal, like, you know, 374 00:18:58.619 --> 00:19:02.432 align:middle line:90% WNBA players should be getting the same kinds of benefits and money 375 00:19:02.432 --> 00:19:05.612 align:middle line:90% as NBA players, but then that risks falling into the trap of 376 00:19:05.612 --> 00:19:10.211 align:middle line:90% that the blueprint for women's basketball should be men's basketball. 377 00:19:10.211 --> 00:19:12.820 align:middle line:90% So it's a hard thing. It's like you almost… you don't want to compare, 378 00:19:12.820 --> 00:19:16.961 align:middle line:90% but as your film showed, there are things that the players in this league deserve 379 00:19:16.961 --> 00:19:17.991 align:middle line:90% that they're not getting right now. 380 00:19:17.991 --> 00:19:19.996 align:middle line:90% Yeah. Well, I think it's a matter of ROI. 381 00:19:19.996 --> 00:19:20.669 align:middle line:90% Mm-hmm. 382 00:19:20.669 --> 00:19:23.523 align:middle line:90% Return on investment. I don't think… I don't want anybody to think 383 00:19:23.523 --> 00:19:26.973 align:middle line:90% that any of us, either filmmakers or women of the W 384 00:19:26.973 --> 00:19:30.646 align:middle line:90% or the leadership at the PA, think that women should make 385 00:19:30.646 --> 00:19:32.575 align:middle line:90% the same amount of money as NBA players. 386 00:19:32.575 --> 00:19:33.193 align:middle line:90% Right. 387 00:19:33.193 --> 00:19:37.039 align:middle line:90% The NBA brings in more money and that is why their salaries are higher. 388 00:19:37.039 --> 00:19:37.657 align:middle line:90% Yes. 389 00:19:37.657 --> 00:19:41.368 align:middle line:90% What I want people to look at is why the NBA brings in 390 00:19:41.368 --> 00:19:45.907 align:middle line:90% so much more money. It's because brands and investors were willing to delay 391 00:19:45.907 --> 00:19:51.353 align:middle line:90% an ROI or not have a sure-thing return on their money for a long time. 392 00:19:51.353 --> 00:19:53.970 align:middle line:90% But when people think about investing in women's sports, 393 00:19:53.970 --> 00:19:56.640 align:middle line:90% they're too afraid to take the risk. They're not willing to take the risk. 394 00:19:56.640 --> 00:19:59.221 align:middle line:90% And now we're finally seeing that brands are seeing 395 00:19:59.221 --> 00:20:00.626 align:middle line:90% that this is a good investment. 396 00:20:00.626 --> 00:20:02.380 align:middle line:90% And it's why these women are getting paid more. 397 00:20:02.380 --> 00:20:04.087 align:middle line:90% It's why they're getting more brand deals. 398 00:20:04.087 --> 00:20:06.717 align:middle line:90% I mean, thank God that brands are finally getting it. 399 00:20:06.717 --> 00:20:07.217 align:middle line:90% Yep. 400 00:20:07.217 --> 00:20:09.847 align:middle line:90% So we're not saying, oh, pay them the same as the men 401 00:20:09.847 --> 00:20:11.357 align:middle line:90% just because equality. 402 00:20:11.357 --> 00:20:11.866 align:middle line:90% Hmm. 403 00:20:11.866 --> 00:20:15.436 align:middle line:90% We're saying invest in them the same way that you're willing to invest in men. 404 00:20:15.436 --> 00:20:19.129 align:middle line:90% And we promise you the product is good enough to give you an ROI. 405 00:20:19.129 --> 00:20:19.629 align:middle line:90% Yep. 406 00:20:19.629 --> 00:20:24.890 align:middle line:90% I-- I want to ask, I mean, I think about my own sports fandom. 407 00:20:24.890 --> 00:20:30.772 align:middle line:90% And when I think about the Pittsburgh Steelers, and I think about 408 00:20:30.772 --> 00:20:34.275 align:middle line:90% my love of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and I'm a Philadelphia 76ers fan… 409 00:20:34.275 --> 00:20:39.501 align:middle line:90% There are generations in my family of rooting for teams like that. 410 00:20:39.501 --> 00:20:43.768 align:middle line:90% Like, my Pittsburgh fandom is so linked to my mom and, like, 411 00:20:43.768 --> 00:20:47.461 align:middle line:90% the history of Pittsburgh. And, and that's so much part of it. Like, 412 00:20:47.461 --> 00:20:52.394 align:middle line:90% this league is young. [CHUCKLES] I mean, this, this league hasn't had time 413 00:20:52.394 --> 00:20:56.615 align:middle line:90% to generate generations of fans being passed down from one to the other, 414 00:20:56.615 --> 00:21:00.375 align:middle line:90% and I, I just wanna note that, like, we're celebrating a moment of success here 415 00:21:00.375 --> 00:21:03.268 align:middle line:90% in this league that you helped build, Sheryl, 416 00:21:03.268 --> 00:21:04.745 align:middle line:90% and it feels like we need to remember 417 00:21:04.745 --> 00:21:08.326 align:middle line:90% this has just been a small, small part of what's gonna hopefully be 418 00:21:08.326 --> 00:21:09.335 align:middle line:90% a very long journey. 419 00:21:09.335 --> 00:21:10.752 align:middle line:90% You know, AND I'm so glad you brought that up 420 00:21:10.752 --> 00:21:12.939 align:middle line:90% because I think people tend to forget… 421 00:21:12.939 --> 00:21:16.692 align:middle line:90% the NBA, they didn't get successful overnight. 422 00:21:16.692 --> 00:21:19.763 align:middle line:90% No, at the 27-year mark, they weren't, they hadn't, didn't, 423 00:21:19.763 --> 00:21:22.571 align:middle line:90% [LAUGHS] No. No. 424 00:21:22.571 --> 00:21:24.002 align:middle line:90% had not experienced this much growth. 425 00:21:24.002 --> 00:21:24.502 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 426 00:21:24.502 --> 00:21:30.568 align:middle line:90% So it is. It's a very, very young league that is only continuing to grow and, 427 00:21:30.568 --> 00:21:35.680 align:middle line:90% and only continuing to get better. You know, I want people who truly… 428 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:38.770 align:middle line:90% Well, you know what? Even if you don't know the game or even if you don't watch, 429 00:21:38.770 --> 00:21:41.387 align:middle line:90% one, you should start watching, um… 430 00:21:41.387 --> 00:21:41.887 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 431 00:21:41.887 --> 00:21:45.164 align:middle line:90% 'Cause, 'cause it's good. Like, it's great entertainment. 432 00:21:45.164 --> 00:21:50.834 align:middle line:90% It's great competition. And we even have, you know, I know people like to watch, 433 00:21:50.834 --> 00:21:54.735 align:middle line:90% like… Well, when Detroit had the Bad Boys, right? Like, a lot of people tune in 434 00:21:54.735 --> 00:21:58.255 align:middle line:90% because they wanna see the bad boys. Well, we have bad girls 435 00:21:58.255 --> 00:21:58.755 align:middle line:90% [LIGHT, PLAYFUL MUSIC] 436 00:21:58.755 --> 00:22:00.848 align:middle line:90% in the [LAUGHING] league. We do! 437 00:22:00.848 --> 00:22:01.348 align:middle line:90% [GREENE LAUGHS] 438 00:22:01.348 --> 00:22:01.909 align:middle line:90% Mm-hmm. 439 00:22:01.909 --> 00:22:04.645 align:middle line:90% But if you don't watch it, you're never gonna, gonna know that. 440 00:22:04.645 --> 00:22:08.868 align:middle line:90% I'm so excited to see how far the, the league has come, 441 00:22:08.868 --> 00:22:11.648 align:middle line:90% and absolutely where the league is going 'cause I think it's headed 442 00:22:11.648 --> 00:22:12.549 align:middle line:90% in the right direction. 443 00:22:12.549 --> 00:22:16.279 align:middle line:90% So now players are gearing up for a potential new round 444 00:22:16.279 --> 00:22:18.729 align:middle line:90% of bargaining negotiations with the league. 445 00:22:18.729 --> 00:22:19.229 align:middle line:90% [MUSIC FADES OUT] 446 00:22:19.229 --> 00:22:22.029 align:middle line:90% They're asking for pensions for retired players. 447 00:22:22.029 --> 00:22:26.306 align:middle line:90% Chartered flights to ensure player safety and promote physical recovery. 448 00:22:26.306 --> 00:22:28.422 align:middle line:90% Also, compensation high enough 449 00:22:28.422 --> 00:22:31.228 align:middle line:90% that offseason play abroad isn't necessary. 450 00:22:31.228 --> 00:22:33.986 align:middle line:90% I asked Sheryl what some of this would mean for the players. 451 00:22:33.986 --> 00:22:40.545 align:middle line:90% When I say there's more work to be done, I look at the new CBA, and I look at how 452 00:22:40.545 --> 00:22:44.703 align:middle line:90% it's changed and how things have gotten much better. 453 00:22:44.703 --> 00:22:49.925 align:middle line:90% When you look at maternity leave and players who are taking time off 454 00:22:49.925 --> 00:22:54.394 align:middle line:90% because they're having kids and, and the whole mental aspect of it, 455 00:22:54.394 --> 00:22:58.463 align:middle line:90% having mental health days and having people there to help you, 456 00:22:58.463 --> 00:23:02.493 align:middle line:90% like, we didn't have any of that stuff. So when I say there is still work 457 00:23:02.493 --> 00:23:05.143 align:middle line:90% to be done, those are the types of things that I talk about 458 00:23:05.143 --> 00:23:07.773 align:middle line:90% and things that I think about when I say there's more work to be done. 459 00:23:07.773 --> 00:23:12.074 align:middle line:90% I just think, when, when more people decide that, you know what, 460 00:23:12.074 --> 00:23:16.074 align:middle line:90% we want to be a part of this, when more brands and more sponsors say, 461 00:23:16.074 --> 00:23:20.752 align:middle line:90% we want to be a part of, of this because women's basketball is great, 462 00:23:20.752 --> 00:23:23.151 align:middle line:90% then the money will come. I really do believe that. 463 00:23:23.151 --> 00:23:27.262 align:middle line:90% I think it's a lot of the other stuff that these players are talking about 464 00:23:27.262 --> 00:23:30.441 align:middle line:90% that these players need. And, and I think it's just a matter of time 465 00:23:30.441 --> 00:23:31.473 align:middle line:90% before we get there. 466 00:23:31.473 --> 00:23:33.511 align:middle line:90% Sheryl had a great quote in the film, David. 467 00:23:33.511 --> 00:23:34.011 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 468 00:23:34.011 --> 00:23:37.812 align:middle line:90% It was, "I think it's important to be grateful for what you have, 469 00:23:37.812 --> 00:23:40.562 align:middle line:90% but I also believe in asking for what you want." 470 00:23:40.562 --> 00:23:41.358 align:middle line:90% I remember that. 471 00:23:41.358 --> 00:23:44.940 align:middle line:90% And I just don't want people to think that these women are not grateful. 472 00:23:44.940 --> 00:23:47.573 align:middle line:90% They, they understand that they get to do their dream every day for a living. 473 00:23:47.573 --> 00:23:51.300 align:middle line:90% They, they get it. But it's okay to ask for more as well, 474 00:23:51.300 --> 00:23:52.451 align:middle line:90% and they're willing to work for that. 475 00:23:52.451 --> 00:23:55.676 align:middle line:90% Yeah. Because it's not, like, we're not asking anyone to, 476 00:23:55.676 --> 00:23:57.010 align:middle line:90% just give us something. 477 00:23:57.010 --> 00:23:57.510 align:middle line:90% Right. 478 00:23:57.510 --> 00:24:00.319 align:middle line:90% You know? Like, we absolutely wanna work for it. 479 00:24:00.319 --> 00:24:02.290 align:middle line:90% And I just wanna end with this. 480 00:24:02.290 --> 00:24:02.790 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 481 00:24:02.790 --> 00:24:06.450 align:middle line:90% It's basketball. Like, I-- I started playing ball when I was seven. 482 00:24:06.450 --> 00:24:08.519 align:middle line:90% I'm gonna say this without getting emotional. 483 00:24:08.519 --> 00:24:10.319 align:middle line:90% You can, you can take all the time you need. 484 00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:16.420 align:middle line:90% Basketball has, and it continues to change my life, like, every single day. 485 00:24:16.420 --> 00:24:19.629 align:middle line:90% So when, when I say grateful for what we have, every day 486 00:24:19.629 --> 00:24:24.820 align:middle line:90% when I wake up, I am grateful for all the opportunities that basketball 487 00:24:24.820 --> 00:24:27.700 align:middle line:90% has afforded me. You know, to travel the world, 488 00:24:27.700 --> 00:24:31.729 align:middle line:90% to meet amazing people, to build lifelong friendships 489 00:24:31.729 --> 00:24:34.352 align:middle line:90% and relationships, because of basketball. 490 00:24:34.352 --> 00:24:37.449 align:middle line:90% And I say it like that because it's supposed to be fun. 491 00:24:37.449 --> 00:24:39.501 align:middle line:90% It's not supposed to be stressful. 492 00:24:39.501 --> 00:24:41.932 align:middle line:90% You know, we're not trying to save someone's life. 493 00:24:41.932 --> 00:24:47.841 align:middle line:90% That's what's stressful, right? But at the same time, just because 494 00:24:47.841 --> 00:24:50.492 align:middle line:90% we're grateful and, and we're happy that we're in this space 495 00:24:50.492 --> 00:24:53.961 align:middle line:90% and we have this opportunity, it doesn't mean 496 00:24:53.961 --> 00:24:57.410 align:middle line:90% that we don't deserve more. And we also know that we're willing 497 00:24:57.410 --> 00:25:01.025 align:middle line:90% to work for more. And, and that's from every single player 498 00:25:01.025 --> 00:25:04.035 align:middle line:90% that is currently playing, every player that has played, 499 00:25:04.035 --> 00:25:07.525 align:middle line:90% and every player that, that will play. I think it's important 500 00:25:07.525 --> 00:25:12.096 align:middle line:90% that we not lose sight of what we're trying to do 501 00:25:12.096 --> 00:25:17.587 align:middle line:90% or what we're trying to achieve. And the story that Dre tells in, 502 00:25:17.587 --> 00:25:23.318 align:middle line:90% in the film of Nneka and Stewie and J.J., I hope everyone will tune in and watch 503 00:25:23.318 --> 00:25:27.768 align:middle line:90% because each one of them, they all have their own individual stories, 504 00:25:27.768 --> 00:25:28.268 align:middle line:90% [MUSIC FADES IN] 505 00:25:28.268 --> 00:25:33.138 align:middle line:90% and they're all three incredible women who happen to be a part 506 00:25:33.138 --> 00:25:36.528 align:middle line:90% of 144 amazing women. 507 00:25:36.925 --> 00:25:39.589 align:middle line:90% Sheryl, what an honor talking to you. I really appreciate it. 508 00:25:39.599 --> 00:25:42.854 align:middle line:90% Dre, absolute pleasure and, and wonderful film and, uh, 509 00:25:42.854 --> 00:25:44.750 align:middle line:90% really, really, really appreciate meeting you both. 510 00:25:44.750 --> 00:25:46.166 align:middle line:90% Thank you, appreciate your time. 511 00:25:46.166 --> 00:25:47.676 align:middle line:90% Thank you so much for having us. 512 00:25:48.500 --> 00:25:52.466 align:middle line:90% The documentary "Shattered Glass" is streaming now on Tubi, 513 00:25:52.466 --> 00:25:54.479 align:middle line:90% and we will link to it in our show notes. 514 00:25:54.670 --> 00:25:57.400 align:middle line:90% Hey, I wanna thank you all for listening to these last few episodes. 515 00:25:57.410 --> 00:26:01.359 align:middle line:90% It has been a real pleasure and honor filling in for Shumita this past month. 516 00:26:01.369 --> 00:26:04.800 align:middle line:90% There is nothing better than the power of conversation, 517 00:26:04.810 --> 00:26:07.979 align:middle line:90% and this show showcases that time and time again. 518 00:26:07.989 --> 00:26:09.579 align:middle line:90% Hope to be back here sometime soon. 519 00:26:09.589 --> 00:26:14.250 align:middle line:90% Up next in the host seat is Brian Stelter. He's the former chief media correspondent 520 00:26:14.260 --> 00:26:18.599 align:middle line:90% for CNN, and for his first episode, Brian is talking with Susan Glasser, 521 00:26:18.609 --> 00:26:22.630 align:middle line:90% Evan Osnos, and Jane Mayer, staff writers at "The New Yorker" 522 00:26:22.719 --> 00:26:25.650 align:middle line:90% and co-hosts of "The Political Scene" podcast. 523 00:26:25.660 --> 00:26:29.750 align:middle line:90% This trio is answering the questions that everyone has right now 524 00:26:29.760 --> 00:26:31.838 align:middle line:90% about the 2024 presidential election. 525 00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:35.000 align:middle line:90% If not Trump, who could the Republican nominee be? 526 00:26:35.010 --> 00:26:38.518 align:middle line:90% Is there any world where there's gonna be a contested convention 527 00:26:38.711 --> 00:26:41.290 align:middle line:90% or some other X factor happens on the Republican side? 528 00:26:41.290 --> 00:26:41.790 align:middle line:90% No. 529 00:26:41.790 --> 00:26:42.339 align:middle line:90% Really? 530 00:26:42.437 --> 00:26:42.937 align:middle line:90% [JANE MAYER LAUGHS] 531 00:26:43.739 --> 00:26:44.469 align:middle line:90% You know… 532 00:26:44.469 --> 00:26:45.020 align:middle line:90% Really? 533 00:26:45.020 --> 00:26:45.520 align:middle line:90% [SUSAN GLASSER LAUGHS] 534 00:26:45.520 --> 00:26:48.189 align:middle line:90% Well, we've all learned never say never, but no. 535 00:26:48.233 --> 00:26:51.287 align:middle line:90% Hope you enjoy that next episode, and I really appreciate you listening. 536 00:26:55.407 --> 00:26:55.907 align:middle line:90% [MUSIC FADES OUT]