Jemele Hill on what’s next for ESPN and Fabian Ardaya on covering Shohei Ohtani

Episode 151 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Jemele Hill, a contributing writer for The Atlantic, the host of the “Jemele Hill is Unbothered” podcast for Spotify, and a creative adviser for Meadowlark Media. She is followed by Fabian Ardaya who covers the Dodgers for The Athletic but up until May covered the Angels and Shohei Ohtani.

In this podcast, Hill discusses the impact of the New York Times story that focused on Rachel Nichols saying Maria Taylor earned the job to host 2020 NBA finals coverage because ESPN was “feeling pressure” on diversity; what she expects Taylor do when her ESPN contract expires before the end of this month; whether you can work for management you don’t trust; how this chapter impacts people of color working at ESPN and particular black women in front of and behind the cameras; the ESPN future for Nichols; Hill’s podcast network to elevate the voices and stories of Black women, and more. 

Ardaya discusses his experience covering Ohtani; how the Angels handle media access for him; his first time interacting with him; what; his desire to market himself; interacting with Japanese media on the beat; misconceptions about Mike Trout as a front-facing person in baseball; what he thought about Stephen A. Smith’s comments on Ohtani and the conversation afterward, and more.

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