Power Players

“Don’t be afraid to ask for it” - Danita Johnson, President and COO of the Los Angeles Sparks

A meteoric rise over 14 years in basketball to the office of president and COO of a major market professional organization, Danita offers a valuable, front-office perspective on a wide variety of pertinent topics in sports: the USWNT's fight for Equal Pay, the new WNBA CBA, the Sparks as a ‘multi-dimensional company', how revenue streams differ from her experience in an NBA front office to a WNBA front office, ways to increase the visibility of the game, and ways to increase star player marketability.

We'll also tackle:

• The Kobe Bryant Effect on women’s professional sports; is there an LA Sparks tribute in the works? 
• The impact of COVID-19 on the WNBA’s upcoming season: could the WNBA as a league, economically, sustain stretches of games without fannies in the seats?
• The absence of merchandise in sporting goods stores, especially those who take an active, PR-style role in the WNBA championship series.
• Kristi Toliver and Becky Hammon ‘infiltrating’ the NBA’s coaching ranks. What about Hammon being skipped over for the likes of Tim Duncan on Gregg Popovich's staff?

Featuring listener questions from:

Genna in Miami asks about Kobe's impact and which NBA player will take the reigns  in carrying out his goal to promote the women's game

“I never wanted to always wonder: ‘what if?’ - Danielle McCartan

How does a three sport high school athlete turned high school teacher and coach end up hosting a weekly show on our nation's original all-sports radio station? Well, I can tell you that I didn't go to school for this!

Here is the story of my journey... from the classroom at a small college in northern New Jersey to the studio at WFAN radio in Manhattan... and all of the stops in between. I'll talk about the importance of: networking, "knowing your stuff", and investing in yourself. 

You'll learn of the people who have served as signs on my highway: pointing me in the direction of a destination unknown.

Some acting as yellow cautionary signs

Some acting as red stop signs (I name four athletes that have ever tuned me down for an interview!)

Some acting as green lights, pushing me to keep my foot on the gas.

Some names you'll recognize, while others have been purposefully kept anonymous. Like Suzyn Waldman’s… my journey is far from over, and I’m excited to see where this road will take me!

LISTENER QUESTIONS:

Erika from New Jersey

Kevin from New Jersey

My life motto: “My confidence comes from my work ethic” - Hope Solo

“Tolerated but Not Accepted”- Suzyn Waldman

Receiving feces in the mail, getting bullied out of a clubhouse, receiving death threats... oh my! Suzyn Waldman discusses her beginning in sports media in New York City: from being the first voice heard on the first all-sports station in the country to splicing together her own highlight reel.  

We'll also tackle: 

• Forging a working relationship with the late George Steinbrenner: was he an ally or a detriment to her career?
• Why is there stagnant growth in female hires 'on the team side' across the MLB?
• Advice on how to cover convicted/punished domestic violence offenders

Featuring listener questions from:

Dorian from Little Rock: advice in dealing with contentious social media comments

Rachel from Washington, D.C.: Suzyn what events she'd put on career highlight reel