The Playbook

Stacy Johns sits down with Haley to discuss all things WNBA, LA Sparks, and if Cathy Engelberg deserves all the criticism she gets.

On this episode of The Playbook, Olympic legend and women’s sports trailblazer Allyson Felix joins Cosette Chaput, CEO and co-founder of Always Alpha, to talk about why they launched the first talent management firm focused entirely on women’s sports.

Allyson opens up about what it takes to come back to the sport with LA 2028 on the horizon, what motivates her at this stage of her career, and why she believes there is still so much opportunity to change the way women athletes are represented.

Plus, Allyson and Cosette take us inside the creation of Always Alpha, the outdated models they wanted to challenge, and their vision for an agency built around the whole female athlete — not just what she does on the field.

This episode is presented by Justworks.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:20 Building the First Agency Focused on Women Athletes

09:38 How Always Alpha Is Changing Athlete Representation

17:17 What Brands Get Wrong About Women’s Sports

25:35 The Pressure on Women Athletes to Build a Brand

30:56 Allyson Felix’s Comeback for LA 2028

Haley Rosen sits down with Julie Uhrman to discuss the founding of Angel City, building one of the most successful clubs in women's sports, and how they built an organization that changed the course of women's sports forever.

The episode is presented by Justworks.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:05 Early Days of Angel City

13:35 Separate Identity for Women's Sports

18:21 Who Sets the Soccer Culture

23:14 Building ACFC

31:39 Toughest Calls

36:43 100 No's

47:09 Rapid Fire Questions

USWNT legend Sam Mewis joins Haley and John to discuss her transition from soccer superstar to media mogul.

Topics include: how retirement has shifted Sam’s responsibility and focus as a podcaster, whether women’s sports media is too celebratory today, how to overcome the negativity bias of algorithms, and what Sam wishes she’d done differently as a player when it came to the media.

Sam Mewis won the 2019 World Cup with the USWNT, as well as three NWSL Championships and three NWSL Shields. She now serves as the Editor-in-Chief of The Women’s Game.

Follow Sam:

https://x.com/sammymewy

Follow Haley:

https://x.com/HaleyRosen

Follow John:

https://x.com/JohnHealyMurray

The Playbook is produced by Parker Fenton and is a part of the Just Women’s Sports podcast network.

Hello, BOS Nation. This week, Haley and John break down the controversial brand launch campaign of the new NWSL Boston team. They also discuss changes coming to the WNBA next season, Unrivaled’s new TV deal, and what a new women’s sports hub says about the state of sports media today.

Follow Haley:

https://x.com/HaleyRosen

Follow John:

https://x.com/JohnHealyMurray

Referenced in the show:

https://x.com/NWSLBoston/status/1846589247492403293

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5846075/2024/10/16/bos-nation-fc-boston-nwsl-linehan/?campaign=5888993&source=dailyemail&userId=13874473

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5847849/2024/10/16/unrivaled-tnt-broadcasting-deal/

https://frontofficesports.com/unrivaled-preparing-full-court-press-to-recruit-caitlin-clark/

https://sports.yahoo.com/yahoo-sports-and-the-athletic-partner-to-launch-a-new-digital-destination-for-comprehensive-womens-sports-coverage-140505769.html

The Playbook is produced by Parker Fenton and is a part of the Just Women’s Sports podcast network.

Haley and John are back to chime in on the latest WNBA viewership numbers and what they mean for the league, Angel City’s fine and the NWSL salary cap, JuJu Watkins’ new deal with Nike and the women’s basketball renaissance, and why Kansas City is the new blueprint for building a soccer destination.

Follow Haley:

https://x.com/HaleyRosen

Follow John:

https://x.com/JohnHealyMurray

Referenced in the show:

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2024/10/wnba-playoff-ratings-viewership-strong-entering-finals/

https://x.com/ScoutRipley/status/1844413078148145287

https://www.nwslsoccer.com/news/nwsl-announces-disciplinary-action-against-angel-city-fc-for-salary-cap-violation

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/41089452/nwsl-gm-survey-league-execs-draft-uswnt-rule-breaking-more

https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/41684352/sources-usc-juju-watkins-nike-reach-lucrative-extension

https://www.kansascitycurrent.com/news/cpkc-stadium-wins-bids-for-multiple-ncaa-soccer-championship

Produced by Parker Fenton

Just Women’s Sports CEO and Founder Haley Rosen and Senior Director John Murray discuss the WNBA’s regular season, NWSL franchise valuations, and what Haley learned from maternity leave.

(0:00) Introducing “The Playbook”

(2:42) WNBA regular season recap: Wins and learnings

(9:43) NWSL franchise valuations and a potential sports bubble

(17:00) Learnings from maternity leave

Follow Haley:

https://x.com/HaleyRosen

Follow John:

https://x.com/John_H_Murray

Referenced in the episode:

https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-delivers-record-setting-2024-season

https://www.sportico.com/valuations/teams/2024/nwsl-team-values-angel-city-current-san-diego-1234798552/

https://www.sportico.com/business/team-sales/2024/miami-dolphins-sale-ares-private-equity-nfl-deal-1234798319/

Produced by: Parker Fenton