Meeting Billie Jean King and watching Serena Williams‘ last match in Canada

Imagine meeting one of the most influential sports people of all time, and then watching one of the greatest athletes ever play one of her final matches, all on the same day! That’s how James Sharman, Craig Forrest, Jimmy Brennan, Brendan Dunlop and producer Dan Wong spent their Wednesday. The crew attended Tennis Canada‘s inaugural UNMATCHED: Gender Equity in Sports Conference and listened to a series of panels featuring inspiring and progressive women in sports, which included Canada‘s Minister of Defense, Olympic gold medal winning goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé, and tennis icon Billie Jean King. They even got their picture taken with her and shared some laughs, before watching Serena Williams play in the National Bank Open, in what was her final match on Canadian soil.    That all lead to a considerably more thoughtful and deep hearted series of conversations than you’re used to hearing on our big midweek episode. Jimmy talked about his experiences as a modern day manager, wanting to prioritize the person over the player, and understanding why the practises that he and Craig experienced playing in England in the 1990s, largely driven by intimidation and fear, would not translate to today’s game.    The boys also react to the MLS All-Stars beating the Liga MX All-Stars in the 2022 MLS All-Star game in Minnesota. Unsurprisingly, Dunny is a big fan of the format. Barcelona‘s financial troubles and the potential free agency of new signings Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessié have the crew scratching their heads, and Craig & Jimmy try to imagine what it would be like to be in that situation. Chelsea’s potential double swoop of Frenkie de Jong and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is intriguing, and Craig admits he hates the transfer window.    The Premier League has a new home in Canada this season: FuboTV. Don't miss a second of the action! Subscribe at: fubotv.com/footyprime    Presenters: James Sharman, Craig Forrest, Jimmy Brennan, Brendan Dunlop and Dan Wong   Voice Over Talent: Jeff Cole    This podcast has content that may use words and share tales that offend, please feel free to use your best discretion. Parental discretion is advised. Be advised this episode includes explicit language. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.