Q&A: Haley O'Shaugnessy
What I love about Spinsters—the basketball pod from Jordan Ligons and Haley O’Shaugnessy—is that they remember that basketball is supposed to be fun. The online basketball discourse got too far in the weeds with advanced stats, to the point where people were literally arguing with Kevin Durant about what a good shot was, and Spinsters is an antidote to that sort of conversation.
To be fair, Jordan and Haley don’t skip serious conversations. There’s just an air of levity to the proceedings, and as the show’s gotten more and more steam, it’s only gotten better. I miss Haley’s writing—she always found the good angles—but Spinsters is definitely a can’t-miss project that has quickly risen to be one of the best basketball pods around.
Recently, I e-mailed with Haley O’Shaugnessy about Spinsters and we talked NBA, Louisville basketball, her favorite hoops writers and more.
First of all—Spinsters is incredible. What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from doing it, or the most surprising thing you’ve encountered? And what’s your favorite episode of Spinsters?
There have been two huge lessons for me so far, which are 1) translating written reporting skills to audio, what that takes, and the subtle tonal differences (I'm so lucky to have four super talented producers working on the show—Isabelle Jocelyn, Alex Ward, Harry Krinsky, and Jon Yales—who have patiently held my hand through that learning process), and 2) what people do/don't want to hear. I
t took Jordan and I a couple of months to understand that our comfortable and casual conversations were more appealing than us trying to feign a sense of professionalism that didn't fit our personalities or serve the podcast. I swapped saying "shit" and "y'all" for any mention of defensive rating and there's been no looking back for us.
Building it from scratch was a whirlwind that took more cold brew than I've ever had in my life. Without our EPs Jon and Peter Moses, this show wouldn't exist or be worth listening to. Having people who backed our ideas and poured themselves into making this weird hodgepodge show of our dreams was essential in getting it off the ground.
I have so many favorite episodes. That's the best part of working with Jordan and having people we admire tell stories on the pod. She brings so much to every conversation, and the contributors who have (for some reason) agreed to do episodes for us bring a variety of voices and perspectives to Spinsters that we couldn't ever achieve on our own. It's been fun to see which episodes resonate with people and why.
A couple favorites are The Rare Bird That Was Rodman with Zach Stafford, What It Feels Like To Be Traded with Katie Heindl, Why Don't People Think Women Can Dunk with Natalie Weiner, Hungry To Like The Wolf with Hanif Abdurraqib, and Basketball Doesn't Always Love You Back. Jordan was so so so fantastic in that last episode, and it was very cathartic to yell into the void with her.
What’s your favorite basketball-related memory?
It's a basic answer, but my forever favorite, LeBron's chase-down block. I screamed and cried and ran around the room I was watching in and all those emotions come back every time I see that play. But I'm a huge Louisville fan as well -- I watched the 2013 championship game against Michigan in person (cried) and will never forget countless Francisco Garcia moments (cried).
On the pod, you’ve introduced yourself as a “recovering basketball writer.” How has doing the pod changed your perspective on basketball writing? Who is the most exciting basketball writer right now?
Even before the pod, I felt like basketball reporting was stagnant and repetitive in some areas. That's what made Jordan and me want to do more under-covered stories or ones that wouldn't fit at other publications. Basketball is fun. Sometimes the stories don't reflect that.
I love love love Paolo Uggetti's reporting, of course, and think Katie Heindl is one of the most unique voices in sports writing.
Is there a current or past basketball (NBA, WNBA or college, doesn’t matter) narrative that you wish you could do an eight-episode breakout pod on? What is it and why?
All I can say is stay tuned!!!
Listen to Spinsters on Blue Wire or wherever you get your podcasts.