Hoops Off

This week Liz chats about sports and gossip with special guest Madeline Hill, writer behind Impersonal Foul, a 2023 Featured Substack described as: "If Bravo and ESPN had a baby, it would be 'Impersonal Foul.'" Hill describes her 3-year journey writing her Substack, her long-time love of both Googling the personal lives of athletes, and chatting about her juiciest stories. We also find out the backstory of her awesome profile photo on "Impersonal Foul," more about what Hill predicts for the future of Substack, and who would be her ultimate interview get. Also on this episode: With the WNBA season ready to start on May 14, Liz and Karen discuss the breaking news that the WNBA athletes will now have charter flights, and other news about team roster cuts, and soaring ticket prices for the 2024-25 season. They also discuss the state of the NBA second round playoffs, including shocking developments in the Denver Nuggets vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves game and the exciting game one of the New York Knicks vs. the Indiana Pacers. Lastly, hoops come off!Mentions:Madeline Hill's Impersonal Foul: https://www.impersonalfoul.com/ WNBA Charter Flights: https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/40102075/wnba-begin-full-charter-flights WNBA Roster Cuts: https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/wnba-2024-roster-tracker-a-look-at-all-12-teams-players-as-final-cuts-opening-night-approach/

This week Liz gets some relief knowing her Los Angeles Lakers have ended their playoff run. And while others are already speculating about LeBron James' future with the Lakers, she is going to sit back with Karen and start looking ahead to the 2024 WNBA season, which kicks off on May 14th. In the NBA analysis this week, the anticipation meter cranks up a notch as Liz and Karen discuss the new era for the league, which includes rising stars Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, and Shai Gilgious-Alexander and his whole OKC squad. Transition from the old to the new is not always easy, but Liz and Karen feel the excitement. Speaking of transitions, Candace Parker announced, via Instagram, her retirement from the WNBA after 16 impactful seasons on and off the court. Liz and Karen process this startling news and give the GOAT Candace Parker all the flowers. They also discuss 2024 Hall of Fame inductees and reflect on Diana Taurasi calling the new fans "a little too sensitive." And, as always, L. and K. take their hoops off.MENTIONS:Candace Parker retirement news:https://apnews.com/article/candace-parker-retires-wnba-6b28339cc1e21731760e6c0c1902d1b9 LeBron James future:https://www.si.com/nba/2024/04/30/lebron-james-statement-future-varying-reports End of an Era and Superteams: https://www.essentiallysports.com/nba-active-basketball-news-suns-may-have-killed-it-stephen-a-smith-foresees-the-end-of-super-team-era-started-by-lebron-d-wade-chris-bosh/Diana Taurasi new fans: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10119282-wnbas-diana-taurasi-calls-out-really-sensitive-fans-after-caitlin-clark-analysis#:~:text=Phoenix%20Mercury%20star%20Diana%20Taurasi,All%2DStar%20told%20reporters%20Sunday Nike's Olympic track and field women's kits: https://theathletic.com/5410677/2024/04/12/nike-olympic-track-field-team-usa/

This week is one Mega Millions Hoops Off as Liz and Karen deep dive into the money bags of the WNBA and beyond. They discuss the investment to women's sports, including Alexis Ohanian supporting franchise growth of The Sports Bra, an iconic Portland, OR, sports-viewing destination, plus the 776 Women’s-Only Track Invitational with the biggest purse in the history of that sport. Also discussed: a breakdown of who gets WNBA signature shoes and who doesn’t, including A'ja Wilson, whose on-the-court accolades and off-the-court accomplishments should make her a shoe-in for a featured piece of footwear. Plus: Karen adjusts to her Warriors not being in the playoffs (end of an era?) and Liz shares some takes from her latest playoff-series watching.

Thanks to the length, the D, and the penetration.... the NCAA Women's basketball champions are the South Carolina Gamecocks! Liz and Karen share their excitement for ~women in sports ~ in general, and the satisfaction of the SC win with Louis Vuitton Dawn as the coach of the year. They also talk about how the women's coverage by Elle Duncan, Andraya Carter, Chiney Ogwumike and Carolyn Peck has elevated the game throughout the tourney. In addition, they take a look at the NBA Play-off picture; discuss the Lakers and Warriors odds to make it to the playoffs; and take a look forward to the WNBA draft with top picks of Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink, Rickea Johnson, Kamilla Cardosa, Aaliyah Edwards and Angel Reese up for grabs. Lastly, get ready to fuck up your algorithm with the first Hoops off Shaq review - his workout playlist on Apple Music which successfully made a child carsick, made Liz want to enter her pug Lola into a dog fight, and had Karen re-living her rave days.Links & Mentions:- Kyndall Freer (Social @ Yahoo Sports): https://www.instagram.com/kyndallfreer - NBA Playoff Picture: https://www.nba.com/standings - Shaq Playlist - DIESEL: Music That Move Me Apple Music Fitness: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/diesel-music-that-moves-me/pl.52b620ddc6654b73a4e74d4fb703c67e - UP NEXT Shaq Review: ICY HOT: https://www.icyhot.com/en-us/icy-hot-squad

The NCAA Women's basketball tournament is moving fast and furious into the Final Four. Liz and Karen give shout outs to players in the WBB, spotlighting Asian and Latinx representation. They also follow up on the Kim Mulkey/Washington Post story as well as the latest sexist narrative that was published in a L.A. Times sports column by a staff writer for the news organization that pitted LSU as "dirty debutantes" vs UCLA as "milk and cookies." Liz and Karen also recap the Sweet 16 and Elite 8, make predictions for the Final Four, check the bracket status, and of course, give us their hoops off.Mentioned:CNN Report: https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/01/sport/la-times-kim-mulkey-lsu-article-spt-intl/index.htmlMake sure to send voice notes to hoopsoffpod@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram @thehoopsoff https://www.instagram.com/thehoopsoff/

The first and second rounds of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament is in the books, and the Sweet 16 has been set. Liz and Karen discuss their brackets, game winners and losers, highlights, thrillers, upsets, and players who balled out! They also make their picks for the winners in the Sweet 16 round with the LSU vs. UCLA game as the one to watch. In addition to tournament talk, they also unpack the Kim Mulkey statement at the press conference about the "hit piece" she alleges the WaPo is going to publish on her, and how she will sue for defamation; Dawn Staley's 7-year, $22.4M contract extension; and former NBA Player Matt Barnes vs. a Possum.Mentions:Pepper Persley was a guest in Season 1, Ep 73.Her book "Not Too Anything" https://www.museinc.net/product/not-too-anythingALSO:Make sure to send voice notes to hoopsoffpod@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram @thehoopsoff https://www.instagram.com/thehoopsoff/

Let's Dance! The NCAA Basketball has begun and we all have a touch of March Madness. Liz and Karen go over the brackets they have put together for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tourney. They discuss methods to bracket building, potential game upsets, Cinderella teams, and their Final Four picks. Along with the tourney talk, they give flowers to players in the women's game who are making big strides, reflect on how Sports Illustrated magazine is making a comeback in print, and share thoughts on Lebron's new "Mind of the Game" podcast. Plus, breaking show news: The new Hoops Off gmail account for listener voice notes is live! Make sure to send voice notes to hoopsoffpod@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram @thehoopsoff

In preparation of NCAA March Madness, Liz and Karen do an overview of NCAA Basketball and March Madness bracket building methods, including the ESPN app, Yahoo Sports app and the NCAA printable bracket. They also give the first Hoops Off Podcast recommendation of which method they will be using. Also in this episode they take a look at the NBA standings for the East and West teams, discuss Steph and Ayesha Curry's new member of the starting lineup, and the substack described as "If the Bravo Cinematic Universe and ESPN had a baby."Follow us on Instagram @thehoopsoff, or take YOUR hoops off by recording a voice note and emailing it to hoopoffpod@gmail.com 💋