Podcast Summary: Welcome to the Party

Episode: Winter Games Diary: Women’s Hockey is Dominating & Abby’s Borrowing Euros
Date: February 17, 2026
Hosts: Abby Wambach & Julie Foudy
Specials Guests: Billie Jean King (via video), Marissa Tanden
Theme: Celebrating women’s sports, especially at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, with a mix of behind-the-scenes Olympic stories, highlights of sporting achievements, and a proud celebration of the US women’s teams.

Episode Overview

This high-energy episode is a celebration of women’s dominance at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, a deep-dive into standout athletes and emotional Olympic moments, plus signature party-style storytelling from hosts Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy. The show features special guest Marissa Tanden reporting live from Milan, Billie Jean King via video, honest discussion about inequities in women’s sports coverage and pay, as well as personal, often hilarious stories from the ground. Warm, candid, and community-driven, this episode anchors sports talk around empowerment—and fun.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Abby’s Olympic Experience & Borrowed Euros (00:53 – 07:40)

• Abby shares her excitement about attending her first Olympic event since retirement and her wonders at being in Milan for the Games.

• Story: Abby realizes she forgot her USA gear and balks at a $275 jersey:

  “I mean, last week I was trying to find a USA Hockey jersey, but they’re $275. And I was like, I have children that are going to college. I cannot spend $275 on a jersey.” — Abby Wambach (02:03)

• Touring Milan, Abby joins Sarah Nurse’s (Canadian hockey player) family for a Duomo tour but has no cash for the tip, leading Nurse’s family to spot her €10:

  “At the end of the tour... Sarah’s family ended up having to chip in my share of the tip because I didn’t have the euros on me. I asked the guide, ‘Do you do Venmo?’ and he said, ‘What is Venmo?’ in this hilarious Italian accent.” — Abby Wambach (06:47)

2. Women’s Hockey: Total Dominance at the Olympics (03:13 – 09:14)

• Abby and Julie rave about the US women’s hockey team’s performance:

  “The freaking hockey team… watching it in person. It’s so physical, and it’s so fun to watch them move their bodies on these little blades. It’s incredible. So hard. And they are so good and so young.” — Abby Wambach (06:01)

• USA vs Sweden Semifinal:

  • US beats Sweden 5–0, with a 31–1 aggregate over six teams; no goals allowed since Feb 5.
  • Shoutout to veterans (Kendall, Hilary Knight) and mixed with young talent.

• Billie Jean King’s appearance in the stands noted as a broadcast highlight; BJK’s role in founding the PWHL is acknowledged.

3. Highlights & Headlines Section (09:14 – 15:28)

a. Basketball — Unrivaled 1v1 Finals

• Chelsea Gray wins $200,000, more than her WNBA salary last season.

  “Chelsea Gray…keeps stacking wins… the $200,000 payday is more than Chelsea Gray made in the WNBA last season.” — Julie Foudy (11:14)

• Frustration at the wage gap:

  “That’s upsetting. That’s upsetting. But I’m very happy that she made that. Got that payday.” — Abby Wambach (11:52)

b. College Hoops Drama

• Coaches from Texas and Tennessee harshly criticize teams’ toughness.

  “Gosh, I just like, I just don’t think it ever works in the long run. Unless of course, you want to lose your teams fast.” — Abby Wambach (12:54)

• South Carolina beats LSU; Dawn Staley’s 500th win; Kim Mulkey’s heated sideline antics and decade-old refereeing grudges spark laughs.

  “Let it go, Kim. I’m trying to, I’m trying to.” — Julie Foudy (15:28)

c. Must-Watch Documentaries

• Premieres of documentaries on the PWHL’s inaugural season and Gold Medal Girls of X Games.

4. Special: Marissa Tanden’s Olympic Dispatches (26:02 – 45:39)

a. Atmosphere in Milan

• “The energy and just the fan base is just so, so cool. And watching people actually win medals in person… is just so different.” — Marissa Tanden (26:02)

b. Critique of Olympic Coverage

• NBC and the world feed focus too much on male athletes during women’s hockey, mic’ing up men instead of centering the record-breaking women.

  “We had the Tkachuk brothers mic’d up instead of really anyone else that was present that could have been mic’d up. A player. Or Billy [Jean King] or...” — Marissa Tanden (27:05)

c. Figure Skating Judging Controversy

• U.S. favorites Madison Chock & Evan Bates are edged out for gold by a French team amid suspect judging.

  “I think for me, I would probably use the word controversy…it is just like dance, which is completely subjective…there is this large gap where one judge—who obviously is scoring his own country’s pair—is able to influence the judging this much.” — Marissa Tanden (29:44) “This is what pisses me off about figure skating. Like, this happens. We had the skate gate in what, 2002?” — Julie Foudy (32:02)

d. Skiing: Triumphs and Heartbreaks

• Federica Brignone (Italy): Double golds after major injury, at age 35, with minimal pre-Olympic races.

  “She’s doing so at 35...I think 35 is pretty impressive.” — Marissa Tanden (34:01)

• Mikaela Shiffrin: Only two Olympic wins despite dominance; hopes rest on her final slalom.

e. The Upset Olympics

• Discussion about favorites not always clinching gold in high-stress Olympic environments.

f. Mother-Son First: Sarah Schleper & Lassie Giola

• First mother-son duo competing at the same Winter Olympics for Mexico.

  “This is actually Sarah’s seventh Olympics, which is insane...and now they’re the first mother and son to ever compete in the same one.” — Marissa Tanden (43:02)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On USA Hockey’s Physicality:

  “It’s just a totally different experience watching it in person. It’s so physical, and it’s so fun to watch them move their bodies on these, like, little blades.”
  — Abby Wambach (06:01)

• Confronting the Wage Gap:

  “She earned $196,267 with the championship-winning Las Vegas Aces and made more of that in her 1v1. Let’s go, Chelsea Gray.”
  — Julie Foudy (11:38)

• On Scholarships for Team Unity:

  “When we got it right, we got the medical staff right, we got the training staff right, we got the equipment manager right...Such a big family that becomes part of the team.”
  — Julie Foudy (18:57)

• On Figure Skating Scandal:

  “This is what pisses me off about figure skating. We had the skate gate in what, 2002?”
  — Julie Foudy (32:02)
  “There is this large gap where one judge—who obviously is scoring his own country’s pair—is able to influence the judging this much.”
  — Marissa Tanden (29:44)

• On Olympic Spirit:

  “Sometimes the Olympics are letting you rise to the occasion in a way that you normally wouldn’t.”
  — Marissa Tanden (35:57)

• On Sarah Schleper:

  “She’s 46 years old, doing, y’all, the Super G…she became the oldest alpine skier to compete at the Olympics. Finishing last. But God bless her, Sarah…”
  — Julie Foudy (44:31)

• Concluding with Celebration:

  “[Alana] Myers Taylor... She is now tied with Bonnie [Blair] and we also talked about that this is her fifth Olympics and she had never won an Olympic gold medal...She says, ‘I want to model for [my sons], that they can do anything they want to do in life and that a disability is not going to stop them.’”
  — Julie Foudy (46:55)

• Legendary Family Cheer:

  “On three—USA, USA, USA! Are you ready?” (Swaggy the dog included)
  — Julie, Abby & family (49:23)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Abby’s Milan Stories & Borrowed Euros: 00:53–07:40
• Women’s Hockey Semi & Olympic Atmosphere: 03:13–09:14
• Basketball & College Hoops Highlights: 09:14–15:28
• Marissa Tanden from Milan: 26:02–45:39
  • Broadcast inequities: 27:05
  • Figure skating judging controversy: 29:44
  • Italian skiing triumph: 33:00
  • Mother-son duo: 42:30
• Alana Meyers Taylor Wins Gold: 46:51–48:42
• Family USA Cheer: 49:19–49:34

Overall Tone & Takeaways

Celebratory, irreverent, and empowering, this episode is a love letter to women’s sports, the athletes, and their supporters. Abby’s and Julie’s warmth and candor welcome listeners to the “party,” while Marissa brings expert analysis and on-the-ground excitement. The hosts never shy from tough issues—like judging scandals or pay gaps—while keeping everything rooted in community and joy. And as always, they end with a literal cheer, rallying everyone around a USA chant.

This episode is essential listening for anyone following the Milan Olympics, passionate about women’s sports, or seeking the camaraderie and inside-view only legends like Abby and Julie can provide.

For more:
Full episode and extras available on the “Welcome to the Party” YouTube channel or wherever you get podcasts.