Jemele Hill Debuts A New Race, Sports, and Politics Podcast - “SPOLITICS”

   When I read that a new podcast claims to be "an intersection of sports, race, gender, sexuality and politics," I roll my eyes and take my ears somewhere else. Typically, that marketing phrase means the podcast host will talk about anything they damn well please.

Yet, there is an exception to every rule. When I read that phrase when iHeart was promoting its new podcast, SPOLITICS, with Jemele Hill, I was intrigued.

Why? Because of Jemele Hill. 

An Emmy Award-winning journalist, Jemele Hill is the Co-founder of Lodge Freeway Media and a contributing writer for The Atlantic.

Hill’s 20-plus year journalism career has included stops at the biggest sports media network and several reputable newspapers. She originally joined ESPN in 2006 as a national columnist for espn.com.  Her profile gradually rose as she began to make appearances on television, including SportsCenter, First Take, Around the Horn, The Sports Reporters and Outside the Lines. She also spent a season as a sideline reporter for ESPN college football games. 

When iHeartPodcasts and Jemele Hill announced SPOLITICS, I was intrigued. Her new series aims to spark important political and cultural conversations that challenge the narratives surrounding these critical issues in the world of sports.

According to Hill, “SPOLITICS” will feature sharp commentary, in-depth discussions and pressing conversations with athletes, prominent sports figures and politicians including sports personality Dan Le Batard, Former NFL player Lesean McCoy, Michigan Lt. Gov Garlin Gilchrist, Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian and more. Each week, Hill will tackle topics such as immigration, reproductive rights, affordable housing and gender equity.

In episode one, Hill will sit down with Dan Le Batard to discuss his career as a sports media personality, his life growing up as the child of Cuban exiles and how it shaped his perspective on politics. Hil will also be joined by Bill Rhoden, author of “Forty Million Dollar Slaves,” to discuss the history of sports and politics dating back to George Washington’s presidency in the 1700s. 

 "I’m very excited to join iHeartPodcasts during this critical time in American politics," says Hill. "Sports and politics have always been connected and on this podcast, I’ll be exploring that deep connection with important newsmakers and smart people. The goal is to use the unifying element of sports as a lens to make people better understand that politics touches every corner of our lives.”

I first spotted Hill as a reporter on ESPN's legacy show, The Sports Reporters, which was a Sunday morning show reviewing the week's sports news. With the steady hand of host John Saunders (who died suddenly in 2016) at the helm, the show found an intersection between sports and racial injustice, and Saunders changed the tone and color of the panelists with Hill being joined more and more by well-known Black sports reporters such as Howard Bryant, Bryan Bursell, Roy Johnson, and Jason Whitlock.

 The August 28, 2016, episode of the show made history with an all-female edition of The Sports Reporters, with Hill as the moderator and fellow ESPN reporters Sarah Spain, Kate Fagan, and Jane McManus on the panel. It was a refreshing and overdue change for two reasons. First, it proved that sports discussions are not the sole province of men such as Mike Lupica, whose opinions and voice sounded like a dental drill. Second, women can offer incisive sports commentary that is often different from that of their male counterparts and, at times, more insightful.

 Hill is also stretching her muscles behind the camera. She is executive producer of former NFL quarterback and civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick’s documentary, which will air on ESPN and is directed by legendary filmmaker Spike Lee. She also is currently developing a comedy series with acclaimed actress Gabrielle Union.

SPOLITICS premieres on October 17. New episodes will publish on Thursdays. Check out the show. Jemele Hill is one of those hosts / journalists worthy of your ear time. She's thoughtful yet opinionated, fearless yet mindful, and incisive yet impulsive.