Sarah Spain Breaks Down Olympic Drama & Women’s Ice Hockey

Sarah Spain Breaks Down Olympic Drama & Women’s Ice Hockey

February 19, 2026 · 54 min · Episode 67

About this episode

Sarah Spain joins host Kavitha Davidson to discuss Olympic controversies and the growth of women's ice hockey.

This week on Sportly, Sarah Spain joins host Kavitha Davidson from the Winter Olympics to break down the biggest sports controversies of the past week, from viral outrage cycles to political optics, and what they reveal about media literacy in the age of social media. We unpack how misinformation spreads during global sporting events, why certain Olympic moments get amplified (and others distorted), and why it’s critical to separate fact from narrative, especially when politics, gender, and nationalism collide. Then we shift to what’s happening on the ice. Team USA women’s hockey has been dominant, but what does this moment actually mean for the long-term growth of women’s ice hockey? We analyze: The impact of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) How consistent elite competition is changing development pipelines Why league infrastructure, not just Olympic hype, sustains momentum What women’s hockey gets right that men’s leagues could learn from This episode connects breaking sports controversies, media accountability, and the evolution of women’s sports, especially ice hockey, into one essential conversation. Host: Kavitha A. Davison | Producer: Paroma Chakravarty I…

People in this episode

Host: Kavitha Davidson

Guest: Sarah Spain

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Organizations: Professional Women’s Hockey League, Sportly, Immigrantly Media, Epidemic Sound

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