Episode 85: Wilder Treadway (Returning guest)

🎙 This week on the Youth $ports Podcast: I welcome back Wilder Treadway for Round 2. Honestly, the best way to describe this episode is a complete smorgasbord of women’s sports, youth athletics, culture, Olympic talk, creativity, and some truly unhinged (but necessary) hot takes.

🔹 The WNBA’s current turmoil, as the league and players association head toward negotiations that feel increasingly unstable… with a potential lockout looming.

🔹 How the WNBA has had a 30-year head start, yet the new 3-on-3 league Unrivaled is already lapping it in buzz, innovation, and fan excitement.

🔹 Why Unrivaled’s creativity, from sellout crowds to viral social media moments, is exactly what modern sports leagues need to survive and thrive.

🔹 The brilliance of Unrivaled’s $200,000 one-on-one tournament, and how it exposed the NBA All-Star weekend’s growing problem: zero compelling storylines.

🔹 A bigger conversation about thinking outside the box in 2026… and why leagues can’t rely on tradition alone to hold attention anymore.

🔹 The frustrating reality that brands have missed opportunities for YEARS when it comes to investing in women’s sports and women athletes.

🔹 The lack of early-season excitement in women’s college basketball, and why the sport could learn from women’s volleyball: schedule big matchups early and build momentum.

🔹 The layered reasons behind the issue: cuts to sports journalism, coaches avoiding risky schedules, and a system that rewards playing it safe.

🔹 Wilder’s greatest passion makes an appearance: coach outfits. Covid is over. The spotlight is back. Dress like it matters.

🔹 A passionate plea to stop posting AI-generated caricatures of yourself, your family, or you hanging out with the Grinch… “AI is not telling you the truth, Becky.”

🔹 Wilder’s spiciest cultural hot take: it may be time to bring back… just a little bit of shame.

🔹 Olympic talk through a youth sports lens: how does a child even discover they’re destined for Skeleton or Curling?

🔹 A fascinating discussion of Norway’s youth sports model, and what the U.S. could learn from their long-term Olympic development pipeline.

🔹 The closing reminder: it’s okay to not have a strong opinion about everything… sometimes the healthiest choice is simply sitting one out.