Raising the Game: A Women’s Sports Podcast

About Raising the Game: A Women’s Sports Podcast

Women’s Sports Podcast covering the WNBA, NWSL, PWHL, and NCAA. We explore the business, growth, and future of women's athletics. Hosted by Caitlin and Alex—a husband-and-wife team raising two young daughters. Each week, we highlight the economic impacts, key headlines, and rising stars in women's professional sports and collegiate athletics. We analyze these stories not just as fans, but as parents looking at how today's sports ecosystem is creating real career opportunities for the next generation Connect with us: Instagram/Threads/YouTube: @rtg_pod Email: raisingthegamepod@gmail.com

Publisher

Raising the Game Women's Sports Network | WNBA, NWSL, PWHL

Category

sports

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Jan 2026

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

41 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Episode 40 | The College Sports Bill's Title IX Loophole, Angel Reese's DPOY, WNBA Semis

   The Protect College Sports Act just cleared the Senate, and the fine print may hand universities a way around Title IX. The bill calls revenue sharing "compensation" rather than athletic benefits, and that one word swap could let schools sidestep the equal-opportunity obligations Title IX was written to enforce. The programs that get cut first are the ones that don't generate revenue, which means women's sports. Meanwhile the WNBA playoffs delivered the best basketball of the year, Angel Reese picked up Defensive Player of the Year, and the USWNT named a forward group nobody saw coming. This week we dig into: - The Protect College Sports Act: the Title IX language that got left out, NWSL Players Association director Meghan Burke's warning that the bill undermines the law it claims to protect, and why the collective bargaining restrictions look like union busting before a union exists. The House hasn't voted yet. - WNBA awards season: Angel Reese takes Defensive Player of the Year with 46 of 74 votes, the first in Atlanta Dream history, after a season that set the league's single-season rebounding record. Jessica Shepard wins Most Improved for Dallas, and Golden State's Janelle Salaün goes unanimous for Sixth Player of the Year. - WNBA playoffs: the Liberty become the first eight seed to knock off a one seed, Arike Ogunbowale drops a playoff-record 45 points, and the semifinals open with Atlanta beating New York 92-82 and the Valkyries holding the defending champion Aces to 60 points. - The fan problem at Gainbridge: the A'ja Wilson incident, Fever GM Amber Cox defending the fan base in her exit interview, Kelsey Mitchell saying the quiet part out loud, and why the league's player protection keeps falling short. - The Women's Sports Foundation's inaugural report on the youth pipeline: girls want to keep playing, access and belonging are what stop them, and under half of young girls surveyed could name a professional athlete. We also cover Unrivaled's $650 million valuation and Issa Rae joining as an investor, Project B's January launch in China, the PWHL's new conference alignment and playoff format, equal prize money coming to all combined WTA 1000 events in 2027, the Denver Summit stadium groundbreaking, the NWSL playoff race with four games to go, and Emma Hayes' roster for the USWNT's two-match set against Spain. Follow Raising the Game for weekly women's sports coverage. Instagram/Threads/YouTube: @rtg_pod Website: rtgpod.com Email: raisingthegamepod@gmail.com

2. 

   30 Sept 2026

   Ep. 39 | The Lynx's Playoff Wake-Up Call, PWHL's First All-Star Game, NWSL Tiebreak Chaos

   WNBA playoffs are here, and game one already told us something uncomfortable about the Minnesota Lynx. The one seed dropped its opener to the New York Liberty 91-75, and Breanna Stewart looked unguardable doing it. Meanwhile the PWHL announced the first women's professional hockey all-star game in history, the NWSL playoff picture came down to a tiebreak system almost nobody has read, and the WPBL crowned its first champion behind one of the best pitching performances of the year. This week we dig into: WNBA playoff round one: the Lynx's second-half collapse against the Liberty (34.4% shooting, eight rebounds, eight turnovers), Golden State's record-low four-turnover game against Dallas, Las Vegas running past Indiana 102-85, and Atlanta turning 22 Washington turnovers into 27 points WNBA awards: Olivia Miles wins Rookie of the Year unanimously after leading the league's best team in scoring, and Cheryl Reeve picks up a record fifth Coach of the Year. Our picks for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved, and Sixth Player PWHL news dump: the December 5th opening weekend schedule, the first-ever PWHL All-Star Game at Scotiabank Arena in a 3v3 four-team format (USA, Canada, Rookies, International), and Hockey Night in Canada picking up a weekly PWHL broadcast NWSL playoff mechanics: why goal differential beats head-to-head as the first tiebreaker, who can clinch this weekend, and the Denver problem heading into the international break WPBL's first championship: the LA Queens beat the San Francisco Firebelles 2-0 in game five, with Ayami Sato throwing the league's first complete game in playoff history and taking Championship MVP We also get into Atlanta City FC's underwhelming NWSL expansion name, Unrivaled adding San Francisco as a tour stop and switching to Adidas, a Vancouver ownership group eyeing a 2031 WNBA bid, Kori Cheverie taking over as Team Canada's head coach, and Jess Fishlock breaking Megan Rapinoe's Seattle Reign scoring record in what looks like a perfect final season. Plus why a three-game first round is bad for players and bad for the league's bottom line. Follow Raising the Game for weekly women's sports coverage.Instagram/Threads/YouTube: @rtg_podWebsite: rtgpod.comEmail: raisingthegamepod@gmail.com (mailto:raisingthegamepod@gmail.com)

3. 

   23 Sept 2026

   Ep. 38 | WNBA's Playoff Bracket Is Pure Chaos, Miles Breaks the Record, NWSL's Transparency Problem

   The WNBA regular season ends Thursday and the playoff bracket from the four seed down is still completely unsettled, with six teams able to finish almost anywhere. Minnesota, Golden State and Las Vegas have the top three locked, but Atlanta, Indiana, New York, Washington and Dallas are all bunched together with two games left, and four of those teams are playing each other to close the season. We walk through the tiebreakers and the realistic seeding scenarios, including a few brackets where three of the four first-round matchups feature a lower seed that owns the season series against the higher seed. This week we dig into: WNBA playoff seeding scenarios: how Minnesota vs. Indiana and Atlanta vs. New York decide spots four through eight, what the WNBA tiebreakers actually are, and which first-round matchups are on the table A good and bad breakdown for all eight WNBA playoff teams: the Lynx's shooting slump and their trouble with physical defense on Olivia Miles, Golden State's three-point reliance, A'ja Wilson's extra rest, Atlanta's record against playoff teams, Indiana's defensive problem, Dallas' injury pileup, New York's reliance on Breanna Stewart, and Washington's fearless young roster Records falling across the W: A'ja Wilson becomes the first player in league history with multiple 1,000-point seasons, Olivia Miles passes Caitlin Clark's rookie scoring record, Angel Reese keeps adding double-doubles, and the league is on pace for its most-attended season ever The NWSL misconduct report from Defector Media: eight complaints across at least four clubs in six months, how the post-Yates reporting requirements are actually being met, and why the redactions matter The NWSL playoff race: Gotham clinched, Chicago is out, and fourth through tenth is separated by seven points with the schedule doing most of the deciding We also get into Adam Silver's comments on more independence for the next WNBA commissioner and the names being floated for the job, Lisa Leslie's statue in Los Angeles, ESPN's Toronto Tempo docuseries, the WPBL championship series going to a winner-take-all game five, a monumental PWHL announcement coming Thursday, Unrivaled adding Minneapolis and Houston tour stops, and the NWSL golden boot race with 11 players already in double digits. Plus our What to Watch slate: the final day of the WNBA regular season, playoff openers on ABC and Prime, five NWSL matches, the LPGA in Northwest Arkansas, Oregon at Wisconsin volleyball, and the start of NCAA hockey. Follow Raising the Game for weekly women's sports coverage. Instagram/Threads/YouTube: @rtg_podWebsite: rtgpod.comEmail: raisingthegamepod@gmail.com (mailto:raisingthegamepod@gmail.com)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

5 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Contact Raising the Game: A Women’s Sports Podcast

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Shows with a similar audience

• 

  The Pick Up - A WNBA Podcast

• 

  The MidMajors

• 

  The Ringer WNBA Show

• 

  Locked On Women's Basketball – Daily Podcast On The WNBA

• 

  Let Her Shoot

• 

  Lynx Happy Hour Podcast