Ambition, *NSYNC, and Making Friends with Serena | with Maria Sharapova

Hello! It's the podcast that's officially petitioning for an RL Stine-themed NWSL squad. Today, Katie and the Casualties talk about Spanish bullfighting for probably the only time ever, and only because the bull won, and get into barefoot heroics at the Boston Marathon, a new American women's record for an old friend, the Celtics dropping Game Two, Bill Simmons dropping the boomer-est take of the NBA Playoffs, a potential gentleman's sweep, the Bruins bouncing back, Mike Vrabel's surprise press conference and his quasi-apology for the thing he said he didn't do, an update to the World Cup, FIFA's ticket sales, and a bit of good news for fans in Philly, Leicester City being relegated AGAIN, Tottenham being on the brink, and potential names for the brand new $205 million NWSL squad in Columbus. Then, Tennis Hall of Famer Maria Sharapova joins the show [40:18] to talk about being part of the long engagement club, her new podcast "Pretty Tough" (Available now on all major platforms and YouTube!) talking to top performers across industries and its celebration of female ambition, what she's learned about how hard it can be for some people to acknowledge competitiveness in women, starting her professional career at 14, growing up in the public eye and staying centered, her first social media page, when she first started to understand the power of her fans, her boy band preferences, criticisms of her inability to be friends with other tennis players, winning Wimbledon at 17, her relationship with Serena Williams and going from fierce rivals to then asking her to speak at her Hall of Fame induction, and the respect that persisted through it all, the isolation and pressure of being alone on a tennis court, her coaches, her father, her love of candy, eating someone else's birthday cake, owning her sense of style, her business ventures, her competitiveness, parenting and the advice she's traded with Serena, pickleball, and finally getting to be a tennis fan. And finally, Katie and the team wrap with your e-mails and voicemails from the week, with a particular focus on Portland Trailblazers ownership.   Watch "Pretty Tough" today: www.youtube.com/@mariasharapova Casuals merch! Now available - Click here Follow the show:Instagram - @CasualsThePodcastTikTok - @casualsthepodcastYouTube - @KatieNolan Voicemail: ‪(646) 801-0043‬E-Mail: [email protected] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.