Sparked by the conversation around football legend Lionel Messi leaving FC Barcelona after 21 years, Brenda Elsey, Shireen Ahmed and Lindsay Gibbs talk about gratitude, loyalty and the idea that athletes should owe anything to coaches, teams, organizations or fans. They discuss how the media demonizes athletes who leave teams and how often these stories are gendered and racialized. They also discuss player unions and labor organizing, how loyalty between an athlete and a team is not a two-way street and their favorite sports "fairytales" about loyalty.

Then, Shireen previews her interview with Diana Matheson, Canadian Women’s National Soccer Team stalwart. They discuss her recent retirement, the building of this program and a possible Canadian league and if, in fact, history was made right at the Olympics. 

Next, they burn all the garbage in sports this week on the Burn Pile. Then they celebrate those shining light and changing sports for the good, including Torchbearer's of the Week: Jewell Loyd, Sue Bird, and Breanna Stewart who won gold with Team USA in Tokyo on Saturday night, and then just 4 days later helped lead the Seattle Storm win the first-ever WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship. They wrap up the show with what's good in their lives and what they are watching in sports this week.

This episode was produced by Tressa Versteeg. Shelby Weldon is our social media and website specialist. Burn It All Down is part of the Blue Wire podcast network.

For show notes, transcripts, and more info about BIAD, check out our website: www.burnitalldownpod.com

To help support the Burn It All Down podcast, please consider becoming a patron: www.patreon.com/burnitalldown

For BIAD merchandise: https://www.bonfire.com/store/burn-it-all-down/

Find us on Twitter: twitter.com/BurnItDownPod; Facebook: www.facebook.com/BurnItAllDownPod/; and Instagram: www.instagram.com/burnitalldownpod/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices