Earlier this year, we started what will be a periodic What's The Frequency look at the broader world of college, professional and other sports with a Sioux City native who works as a television basketball analyst.
I am very enthused that Sioux City Native Jacqui Kalin is joining What’s The Frequency for a third time this year for a discussion on some of the biggest trends and happenings in sports.
In our most recent show in July, Kalin discussed the impact of travel teams and AAU type leagues, and how those impact the skills and readiness of young athletes.
Kalin said she's troubled by the demise of free play outside with friends, as now the big trends is that parents, coaches and leagues having oversight of what they do.
Our new discussion comes on the heels of the conclusion of the NAIA college women’s volleyball national tournament in Sioux City. Indiana Wesleyan won the title at the Tyson Events Center on Tuesday evening, to finish the weeklong tourney.
The 2025 championships were held in Sioux City for an 18th consecutive year. The 24 teams and fans gave an economic jolt to the metro area over the week.
One other NAIA women's national tourney also has been played in Sioux City for more than 20 years, as the national basketball is played here in March.
Kalin has seen that NAIA hoops tourney, and she sees that as a great thing for the metro.
Moreover in this show, she discusses what good sports analysts should do to help viewers and listeners, plus digs into a sea change in major college sports, with student players able to get paid — sometimes in hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars — for what is called their NIL, or Name Image and Likeness, and the attendant transfer portal.
With so many college athletes playing for multiple colleges, Kalin asked, "What is the price of loyalty?"
Concerning women's basketball, we also discuss how the last few years has seen a new level of fan support, driven in large part by the Caitlin Clark effect, who played for the Iowa Hawkeyes and now in the WNBA for the Indiana Fever. Kalin has thoughts on how media generally cover women's sports compared to men's sports.
She also looks at the season ahead for the Iowa Hawkeyes, Iowa State Cyclones, who have a highly skilled player in Audi Crooks, whom is something of a folk hero, and UNI Panthers. Kalin also references a fellow Sioux City native in Brittni Donaldson, who has had high roles with WNBA and NBA teams, including in analytics and coachig.
Additionally, the show also includes discussion of another Siouxland-roots sports analyst, with Ben Leber of Vermillion, South Dakota.
Leber was a standout football player at Vermillion (S.D.) High School, then played 10 seasons in the NFL, and for many years has been a reporter covering the Minnesota Vikings.
*Click on the audio link above to hear the entire show.
What's The Frequency, Episode 87
