First things first: Indiana Hoosiers football are national champions. Beth will be mentioning this. Frequently. Go Hoosiers!

She grew up in a house where sports wasn’t just something you watched, it was the language everyone spoke. Her dad and brothers were die-hard fans, and somewhere between the living room debates and the highlight reels, she became one, too. She even played basketball and volleyball in high school. Not particularly well, she’ll be the first to admit, but she showed up. That counts.

Her mom, however, is a different story. The woman once genuinely considered whether it would be appropriate to bring a book to read at Yankee Stadium. It was not appropriate. The book did not come. The family still talks about it.

Growing up surrounded by sports — and one very literary mother — gave Beth a deep appreciation for what makes fandom special: the rituals, the arguments, the heartbreaks, the moments you remember for the rest of your life.

She’s been lucky enough to find a fellow female sports fan to share it with, and the two of them have already logged some serious miles watching live sporting events across basketball, football and volleyball. That friendship is what became this podcast.

FUN STAT: Beth is a die-hard Indiana Hoosiers fan. Her skin may break out in hives if she ever tried to wear another team’s gear.

Jenny Hoffman, AKA The “Rookie”

Jenny’s sports fandom started sometime in the mid-’90s, standing inside The Richfield Coliseum watching Mark Price and Brad Daugherty run the floor for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The spark was lit from that moment on.

While the Cavs have always held a special place in her heart, the Chicago Bulls 72-10 season was imprinted in Jenny’s memory forever…maybe it’s because she watched every one of their home games on TV that season almost always in her Chicago Bulls Looney Tunes t-shirt (you know, the one with Bugs and Taz on the front and back).

She didn’t just love watching sports, she played them. Softball (retired the day after trying to learn to slide into base), volleyball (too short to play the front row), tennis (had to play against boys because her high school didn’t have a girls’ team) — she tried it all growing up before eventually earning a spot as a Division III tennis player for the Purple Raiders of The University of Mount Union. Yes, it’s known as a football school. She’s aware.

What keeps her coming back to sports isn’t just the wins. It’s what sports teaches you when you’re not looking; how to work as a team, how to lead, how to keep showing up when you’re falling behind, and how to actually stop and celebrate when you win.

FUN STAT: Jenny has many bucket list goals. One of them is to visit all 30 MLB baseball stadiums to catch a game in each one. She’s been to 8 stadiums. If you’re doing the math, she’s a long way away from reaching her goal.