Casuals with Katie Nolan

Episode: Field Hockey, Bleaching It, and End-of-the-World Smokes | with Beth Stelling
Date: November 20, 2025
Host: Katie Nolan
Guest: Beth Stelling

Episode Overview

This lively episode of Casuals centers on the intersection of sports and comedy, with an emphasis on women’s field hockey through the lens of comedian (and surprisingly competitive player) Beth Stelling. Katie, Beth, and friends explore competitiveness later in life, authenticity in sports (and in comedy), the peculiarities of sports fandom, and moments of cultural oddity from the week in sports and beyond. The conversation bounces between serious discussion and irreverent banter—delivering both laughs and thoughtful takes on what it means to be a fan, an athlete, or just someone trying to keep up with it all.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sports World Oddities & Hot Takes (00:41–16:13)

• Guinness World Record in Sweden: The crew jokes about a man who shoved 81 matches up his nose, sparking confessions about childhood shenanigans.
  • “Just 'cause you can do it doesn’t mean you should.” – Isabella (01:46)
  • Katie shares a story about shoving a bead up her nose as a kid, setting the “laugh so you don’t cry” tone for the show.
• Upcoming Holiday Episode: Katie announces a Thanksgiving episode featuring stars of the new Hallmark football romance, Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story (05:00–05:08).
  • Fun clip: the cast shares about Buffalo tailgates and bowling ball shots.
  • “It’s fun when rom-coms look over at sports and acknowledge that we’re here too.” – Katie (05:25)
• Luis Rubiales “Egged” Scandal: Katie revisits the controversy over the ex–Spanish Soccer Federation head and his public humiliation—“His own uncle threw an egg at him” (06:36).
• Rapid-fire Sports & Culture Updates: Brief mentions of Bryce Harper’s new look (“he was a raw milk guy”), Justin Herbert’s surprise brother, fake Matthew McConaughey-for-governor rumors, and odd viral moments.
• NFLPA Report Cards Debate: Katie gets fired up about the NFL trying to halt player “report cards” rating team facilities (15:57–16:14).
  • “Get your effing facilities up to snuff ... quit bitching, get good!” – Katie (16:14)

2. Guest Deep Dive: Beth Stelling (22:15–60:57)

Comedy, Career, & Relatability

• Beth’s Comedy Specials: Landlord Special (YouTube), Girl Daddy (HBO), If You Didn’t Want Me Then (releasing on YouTube, Dec 18).
  • “If you follow me and I reach millions of followers, maybe I’ll get another special someday … that I don’t have to pay for and put on YouTube.” – Beth (72:19)
• The State of Standup: Both lament the pressure on comedians to create crowdwork clips for social media, burning material, and the tricky transition of “short clip funny” to full-hour acts (34:08–37:14).
  • “I personally don’t love crowd work … but I get why people do it for the internet.” – Beth (37:14)
  • “Every set is a wave over a rock … it’s getting smoother and smoother.” – Beth (62:00)

Field Hockey - New Beginnings and Lifelong Competition

• Beth as Athlete: Surprising to many, Beth plays field hockey competitively in her late 30s for the US Women’s Masters—while balancing her comedy career.
  • “I could get popped in the face and then have to perform.” – Beth (25:46)
  • “I started in 3rd grade … now playing for the US Women’s Masters.” (27:00–28:17)
  • “Ideally into my 60s and 70s.” (38:22) on how long she’ll keep playing
• On Not Playing D1: Beth chose theatre over college field hockey, but acknowledges her skills might have carried her; she was all-Ohio in high school (29:23–30:02).
  • “I think you’re probably good. I think you could probably do it.” – Katie (29:23)
• Field Hockey 101: Explains the game's similarities to soccer over ice hockey, re: field positions, sticks, and physicality (29:54–32:01).
• Team Experience vs. Youth: Insights on how experience and mental acuity can, at times, outplay youth and speed in sports (44:07–45:47).
  • “Sometimes that can win over youth and strength and speed.” – Beth (45:40)
• Watching Tape: Beth reflects on how watching herself play is “brutal,” but also invaluable for self-improvement (57:58–60:13).
  • “This is a good advertisement for watching tape.” – Katie (60:09)
  • “I’m a pinball machine in a lot of ways … but if I was able to maybe watch more and see myself, I would have fixed things sooner.” – Beth (59:15)

Late-Blooming Competitiveness (42:12–45:47)

• Beth and Katie discuss the phenomenon of athletes peaking and intensely competing well into their thirties and forties, with Beth describing how she achieved her “best shape of [her] life” just last year at 40.

The Matson Controversy: Team USA Field Hockey (54:57–60:33)

• UNC’s Erin Matson was denied a late tryout for Team USA before the 2024 Olympics. Beth, surprised by the story, feels it's likely the right call for chemistry, fairness, and team prep.
  • “You can drop a star in, but if the team’s been training together, it matters.” – Beth (60:34)

Bonus Segments & Pop Culture

Sports Fan Life, Tickets, & Parking Woes

• Story about throwing out a first pitch with her mom—leading to classic family fights over parking (52:19–53:39).
  • “It shouldn’t be that way … kids should go free to a baseball game.” – Katie (53:49)

Dodgers and Baseball Fandom

(48:28–50:56)

• Beth is a casual but real Dodgers fan, stayed up for an 18-inning World Series classic.
  • “You stayed up for all the innings… and you’re gonna say you’re not a fan.” – Katie (49:15)

Smoking, Soda, and End-of-the-World Smokes (40:40–42:07)

• Beth and Katie joke about old vices making a comeback, specifically Camel Crushes and soda, and what cigarettes might mean at the end of the world.
  • “If we’re both finding out we only have a few [days], I just want to make sure we got cigarettes.” – Katie (41:53)

Bill Belichick's New Girlfriend and Cheerleading (64:19–70:09)

• Katie recounts Belichick, post-NFL, dating a 27-year-old competitive cheerleader and attending her adult cheer competition, resulting in anecdotal jokes and a critique of modern cheerleading aesthetics.
  • “It’s uncanny valley because it’s adult cheer, but they look like toddlers in tiaras.” – Katie (66:49)
  • “Could be her dad. Could be her grandpa.” – Beth (69:18)

“Bleaching It” & The State of Reality TV (75:56–76:21)

• The pair riff on the pressure women face on reality TV to appear flawless, pushing extreme beauty standards.
  • “When you have a microscope in your anus, yeah, you’d start bleaching your butt too.” – Beth (75:57)

Reality TV & Representation (73:20–75:00)

• Beth highlights themes from reality TV: skin journeys, trauma expression, and LGBTQ+ inclusion in Utah.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On crowdwork and internet comedy:
  “There’s a lot of people that show up that don’t have an act because they're popular for their short videos … I’m not trying to put value on one or the other.” — Beth, (35:17)

• On field hockey and aging:
  “Ideally into my 60s and 70s.” — Beth, on how long she hopes to keep playing (38:24)

• On parking at games:
  “It should all be free. Let people take their family. Kids should go free to a baseball game.” — Katie (53:49)

• On competitive drive in later life:
  “There’s something to be said about brain power as you get older … sometimes that can win over youth and speed.” — Beth (43:53–45:40)

Important Timestamps & Sections

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:41 | Kicking off with Guinness World Records oddity | | 05:00 | Hallmark “Bills Love Story” movie preview; Buffalo tailgating | | 06:36 | The Luis Rubiales “egged” incident & family conflict at holidays | | 09:32 | Heated Rivals: Spicy hockey romance novel, crossover fandom | | 16:14 | NFL vs. Players’ Report Cards Rant | | 22:22 | Beth Stelling joins: comedy specials & credits | | 27:00 | Beth’s field hockey trajectory, club life, Masters competition | | 38:22 | Competing at 40+: Inspiration and concerns | | 44:07 | Wisdom/experience vs. youth in sports | | 54:57 | Erin Matson/Team USA Olympics “snub” controversy discussion | | 62:00 | On crafting comedy and the pain of watching yourself perform | | 66:02 | Belichick’s cheerleader girlfriend “adult cheer” segment | | 73:20 | Reality TV, representation, and “skin journeys” | | 75:56 | Pressure on appearance in reality TV, “bleaching it” |

Summary Table: Beth Stelling “Cheat Sheet”

• Field Hockey: Started in 3rd grade, US Masters, defender (loves “flow state”), best shape ever in her 40s.
• Comedy: Landlord Special (YouTube), Girl Daddy (HBO), If You Didn’t Want Me Then (YouTube Dec 18), Standups (Netflix).
• Hot Takes: Kids should go free to ballgames, crowdwork is overrated, experience sometimes beats youth in sports, and “End-of-the-world cigarettes” are real.
• Pop Culture: Watches Mormon Housewives, comments on real-life and reality TV controversies
• Socials: @BethStelling

For New Listeners: Why Tune In?

This episode delivers a perfect mix of genuine sports passion and comic relief—whether you’re a lifelong fan or a genuine “casual.” Beth Stelling is a revelation as both a comic and a late-blooming athlete; you’ll learn about field hockey’s quirks, reminisce about tailgates gone wrong, and laugh at how the sports world overlaps, sometimes awkwardly, with real life. Plus: cheeky (and sometimes profound) takes on the NFL, Hallmark movies, and the pain of self-perfection in comedy and sport.

Further Listening

• Beth's picks: Look up "Beth Stelling Melbourne International Comedy Festival" or her 2017 Netflix Standups half hour for a definitive intro.
• Upcoming: If You Didn’t Want Me Then (YouTube, Dec. 18), live at Bell House in Brooklyn.

Final Word

Beth’s blend of candor, humility, and humor makes for a highly relatable and inspiring episode, no matter your relationship with sports. Katie and Beth together are a reminder that sometimes the best sports podcast is barely about sports at all—but about the joy and weirdness of living, competing, and laughing all the way through.