June 17, 2020 • 39 mins
Since 1896, the modern Olympics have only been canceled four times - thanks to World War and now the COVID-19 pandemic. And Molly Solomon, the executive producer and president of NBC Olympics and the Golf Channel, now has the difficult task of overseeing the world’s biggest competition’s broadcast move from 2020 to 2021. Add in the fact that she’s raising 16 year-old triplets in a pandemic and you can’t help but feel like Solomon should just get all the gold medals NOW. Molly talks with Jensen about all the changes happening with moving the Olympics, what it means for the athletes competing, and how the PGA is returning with safety protocols (but minus heckling). Plus, in the latest installment of FANDEMIC, Jensen checks in with actor Luka Jones, from Hulu’s Shrill, about if KU would’ve won it all and why he’ll never give up on Andrew Wiggins. This episode and series supports FeedingAmerica.org. For more of The No-Sports Report, visit treefort.fm/the-no-sports-report
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the No Sports Report, a production of I
Heart Radio entry Fork Media. Small note. This episode was
recorded prior to the murder of George Floyd and the
resulting global reaction in protests, which is the only reason
it's not mentioned. Something to keep in mind while listening.
My name is Jensen Carp and I'm a sports fan.
(00:25):
But I'm also hesitant. Hesitant to really admit that sports
is back, because even though we're seeing some of our
favorites return to the field or racetrack or possibly even court,
I won't really believe until I see it. Sure, the
NBA says they'll be at Disney World, but then you
hear about a dozen players questioning how safe they'll be,
Which makes sense because I won't be going to see
Crude two or a shirtless Fete Davidson or whatever showing
(00:46):
in the theater until I know it's safe. I don't
expect the guy on the Brooklyn Nets to feel any differently.
Life is scary, man, I don't blame you for being nervous.
So to learn more, I'm talking to athletes and sports
industry professionals about what they're doing during this crazy time,
hoping to figure out a thing is competing as much
as I missed watching it. This is the no sports
report with some sports now. COVID nineteen caused a ripple
(01:11):
effect in sports broadcasting like we've never seen before, and
producer Molly Solomon was front and center to experience the damage.
The eleven time Emmy winner not only is the current
Executive VP of Content and executive producer for the Golf Channel,
which saw the sport in its name completely shut down,
but boy did she sign up for quite a gig.
As the president of NBC's presentation of Tokyo Olympics. She
(01:33):
had already helped push the coverage to its highest ratings
in twenty three years, leading Beijing and O eight, Vancouver
in two thousand ten, and London in two thousand twelve,
but nothing could have prepared her for a global audible.
We talked about what changes she'll have to implement with
the delay, how golf will be without people yelling, Howard
Stern catchphrases during tea off, and another challenge she's facing
raising sixteen year old triplets in a quarantine. And I
(01:54):
check in with actor Luca Jones from People of Earth
and Shrill to talk about missing seeing k you possibly
win it all, and we ramble about Andrew Wiggins a
bunch for another installment of Pandemic. It's all inching back, baby,
but I'm scared as hell. It's the no Sports Report
with some sports now. Molly Solomon, Hello, Well, I wanted
(02:23):
to start off by asking you where you are quarantining
and how you have been doing well. I am quarantining
in winter Park, Florida, which is um just outside of Orlando.
UM and Golf Channel is based in Orlando, so my
family and I've been living down here for eight years,
so UM when the pandemic hit, I was actually upstate
(02:45):
at the Players Championship in Jacksonville, but of course, you know,
they canceled the second round. We came back down here
and we've been here. Are we on week twelve or
week thirteen of quarantine. But I feel really lucky to
be quarantined in Florida with my family because you know,
I talked to my friends that are in New York City,
and you know, to be stuck in the studio apartment
(03:06):
would just be really, really tough. So we don't have
it tough. In the golf clubs are open down here. Well.
Number one you do have it tough. Do not let
people who are listening think you have it easy. You
are the mother of triplets sixteen year olds. Yeah, I
think my my triplets hit the they hit the quarantine
wall this week. They're like, I gotta get out, I
(03:27):
gotta go to the gym, I gotta get my nails done,
I gotta see my friends. And and you know, living
in home with them because my son goes to boarding school,
but he's home. The other two girls are here, and
oh my gosh, they're up to like three o'clock in
the morning. I forgot the circadian rhythms, change routines, Like
they are up so late, and they're they're just like
stocking each other and fighting, and it's it's a little
(03:50):
bit of a zoo here. I have to tell you.
Jensen's Yeah, I mean, how do you lock down a
sixteen year old, let let alone three of them? Are
you home schooling them? No? No, but I listen, we've
got an easing computer. I mean, all those parents out
there that have preschoolers and first graders and even third
graders in the middle, you know, in the northeast, or
you know, with bad weather and stuff, now they're good.
(04:10):
They're virtual learning. Although the irony of all this is right,
you've always tried for sixteen years to control the number
of hours they're on their phones. They're on their iPads,
and they we're like, go to it to get a
night at six for dinner. I have I have a
friend who had no computer rule for his I think
seven year old's a true no computer, no screens rule,
(04:31):
and it was completely thrown out the window. They now
have screens. That's how they learned. I mean, and they've
they've said they were pleasantly surprised by it. Uh yes,
And you know what my kids at times, you know,
it's just a different generation in that even their interaction
and they you know, they Google hang out all the time,
and that's how even when they're doing homework, they're talking
their friends. They're doing homework together via group chat um.
(04:53):
But it's all before they're not cheating. But you know,
even like the stress of my kids taking their Advanced
Placement u S History tests, you know, we had to
go through this whole rigamarole. Okay, how do you upload
your test? And you have to upload starting at this
time and then you know two percent of the kids
there four percent weren't able to upload their tests and
(05:13):
have to take it again in June. Like, there's also
stress associate with all this, But then there's also been
the times when UM, I rushed into the room and
UM kind of zoom bombed their classes by accident, and
they're just mortified because you know, sixteen year olds are
mortified by their parents anyway, So then you know I zoomed,
I zoom bombed their classes, and it's just awful. They're like, Mom,
(05:34):
now you're supposed to drop them off three blocks away.
You're not supposed to walk into the zoom no no,
and not wearing your your spandex from working on on
the peloton either not cool. Not cool for me, not
cool for them. Uh. Well, you make television, specifically live sports,
so consistently when the world is fully functional, that's what
(05:54):
you do. But what happens when everything you do professionally
just off. It's been fascinating, and you know when the
innovation that's happened at NBC Sports and all the networks
and what what we've done. I'll just putting the Olympics aside.
I'll talk about my job at Golf Channel, and you
know the first few weeks, we kind of went dormant
(06:16):
in that we immediately put replays on the air, and
then the second week we're like, wait a second, Um,
we coined a new phrase, watch along. Now let's enhance
the replays because there's no tournament, so let's have the
defending champion call in and let's incorporate that into the broadcast.
And I'm sure some of your listeners, you know, watched
UM The Masters with you know, Tiger calling in, or
(06:39):
we did the Augusta National Women'sameter where we had Maria
Fassi and Jennifer up Chow. And every week on the
PG tour, we're doing that. So every week we we
got creative. But the but the bigger point was that
we're doing this all from home because we immediately shut
down the facility because one, you know, we wanted it
to be pristine and ready and clean and quotes when
(07:00):
we did come back to work, But we also wanted
to protect the employees most of all, so we shut
down all production except for essential UM engineering folks that
need to go into the building, and our engineering team
built virtual control rooms UM and equally, so you know,
at NBC Sports, we're you know, we're editing features for
sports were editing shows from home, and everything takes a
(07:23):
lot longer. So all of our patients has been tested.
But I'm so darn proud of what everyone has done
in terms of leaning in, doing their job, working harder,
and also, you know, we've learned so many lessons about
producing content during the pandemic. Yeah, well, I mean, you
guys have done a great job. And truthfully, golf is
one of the few sports that is built for social distancing.
(07:45):
The PGA is set to return on June eleven. Are
you confident with the regulations that are being set for
this comeback? Like you're obviously very connected to it. Have
you felt pretty stable with the with the concepts golf
by nature can be socially distant. So you think about
the competition itself, is it's it's not a big pull
for any of us to figure out how to do that.
But I would say the harder part of all this
(08:08):
is UM golf production because we always say it's not
following one basketball or one hockey puck. Right, You have
um eighteen holes at times that are all ongoing and
have players on them. So how are you going to
cover that? Because the average PG tour. UM production and
engineering crew is closed to a hundred and forty people.
You can't have that many people together, not at this
(08:30):
stage of of what we're fighting. You've probably seen pictures
of all these packed production trucks. You've got to space
everybody out. You can't have that producer leaning into the
director and you know, talking about where they're going next
and what they're gonna do. You've got to space everybody out.
And so um, there there's a lot of planning that's
gonna go on. We're gonna learn a lot the first week. UM.
(08:51):
Golf Channel also has in June a developmental tour called
the corn Ferry Tour, which um, you know, we'll just
use eight cameras, but have to have a whole different
production plan, and you've got to be thermal screening everybody
that comes into that compound. And then you've got to
have a plan if someone gets ill. Um and I
think we're you know, a great part about being part
of the NBC Sports group is that you're learning from
(09:13):
every single sport as we go, Like they're doing the
Belmont in the coming weeks. We'll have learnings from this
so we can all lean in on on what everybody's doing.
But it's darn complicated. But um, you know, we've got
to get sports back on TV and we're all excited
to get back to work. And what difference is will
we see if you're just a golf watcher, not knowing
any of the production, do you know anything that we'll see?
Sort of just as viewers, that will seem different in
(09:36):
a post pandemic world. I think it's not what you're
gonna see, But what are you going to hear? Or
what are you not going to hear? Because without fans,
think about it, you're not going to hear the applause
when a puck goes in. How is a player going
to react? Um, without that, you know, goosing of the
applause of the fans as they walk up the eighteenth pole,
And so that's going to deal different, be different. You
(09:57):
know what audio can we hear from the players? Can
we the players who all those plans are being made?
How can we enhance and innovate the broadcast to make
up for the fact that it's going to sound different? Um,
but it just exactly we may have to pipe in
those birth sounds shows. But well, I'm I'm just happy
I'm just happy we're not going to hear people yelling
(10:17):
ba ba booe on drives. No mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes exactly.
But then the question is do you want to have
a Rider Cup without fans because there's such an integral
part of all this. So um, it's to be determined.
But I think we all want to see our favorite
players in all sports get back. Well, that's true. People
are clearly feeding for golf and the two charity events
(10:39):
that we've had, the match with Peyton and Tiger Woods
and Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson was the most watch
golfing event and cable history. If you're listening to Turner,
they said about six million viewers live. The tailor made
Driving Relief brought in more than ten million for charity. Uh,
it seems like this is a sport that's going to
lead the way. Uh did you see that happening? Did
(10:59):
you ever think you're of like, wow, we really will
see a bump here. I I think you're seeing it. Also,
you know, part of Golf Channel is golf Now, which
is a digital teatime service, and they're finding that their
numbers are through the roof that people want to get
outside after they've been cooped up for the last few
weeks and maybe you know, fingers class that colflight even
see resurgeons and participation because of this, because it's as
(11:22):
we talked about earlier, it's the perfect social distancing sport.
Were quarantine with your family and then go out as
a force and to get out and walk all those
things we haven't been able to do so um. You know,
I think golf with this new generation of stars has
been on the precipice of you know, really resonating and
Tiger coming back and playing well. It's been a shot
(11:42):
in the arm. And now we get this. I think
there's gonna be a lot of interest in in golf
this summer when it comes back. But also think about
this fall. You're gonna have this cluster of the FedEx
Playoffs and the major championships, So we're gonna also have
this goose in the fall, and then we're gonna come
right back out in the spring and how the Masters
both in November and April. So it's gonna be really fun.
(12:04):
So you're also going to get all the great players
playing a concentrated schedule. So that's what you always want
to see. You know, your favorite golfers playing every week,
and I think we're going to get more of that
because of the pandemic. Well, on the on the less
positive side for the pandemic, two very important women in
sports broadcasting passed away Phyllis, George Brown and more A Manned.
(12:25):
Two incredible people who really pioneered uh kind of women
in this sports journalism and broadcast world. I was wondering
if you could explain what either of these two women
meant to you or your dealings with either. Yeah, I
never knew more Um she worked at Yes Fan, but
I knew all of her friends, and I was a
big fan of her work and always heard about her
leadership on the SPS and just how passionate she was.
(12:47):
And when she passed away, I wanted to know more
about her. So I called a number of friends just
to tell me more about her, because I just wanted
to pay tribute to to what she had achieved, but
also what she meant to all these people and her
her pursuit of excellence. That was my takeaway, and her
passion was just unparalleled. And then on the Phillis George
Front never got to meet her, but she was the
(13:09):
reason I dreamed big. I remember in the seventies I
would sit down with my dad and all of a sudden,
in the NFL today there was this woman. I'd never
seen a woman covering sports before, and as we like
to say, if you can see it, you can be it.
And and all of a sudden, I was like, wait,
maybe I could have a career in sports. So um,
I look at her as as my first role model.
(13:31):
So um. I only wish I could have told her
that and I should have reached out. But um, Nonetheless,
I love all the tributes that have poured in for her.
That's great. After this more with the executive producer and
President of NBC Olympics and the Golf Channel, Molly Solomon.
Now let's get back to Molly. You were to be
the EP and president of NBC's Olympic presentation of Tokyo Games,
(13:53):
which is an incredible honor. It's now been postponed. We
can get into details in a second, but I figured
a large scale here one firework canon to a thousand
firework canons. How far were you into pre production at
that point? Very much so. I think when you get
into the spring before a summer Olympics you're probably you
know there, maybe even there, so we were ready to go,
(14:17):
and it was it was incredibly disappointing but understandable, and
it just seemed to happen so very fast. But when
you look at what's happened throughout the world, you know
how the athletes could have been ready. It just it
was inevitable. So disappointed, um disappointed for the athletes and
and for all the Olympics fans around the world. And
what was the timeline for you finding out things would
be pushed back? Because now it's very obvious, I think,
(14:39):
but at one time the Olympics were truly on the fence.
It was it was a almost a poll of emergency.
Oh you know, it's it's a it's a worldwide organization,
the IOC, so they're taking into account, you know, all
the athletes throughout the world, all the different countries, and
if you remember in March, what was happening was just
happening so fast. I remember being up at the Players Championship.
One day we're playing golf and then next day we've
(15:01):
we've canceled, you know, for the foreseeable future. So you know,
the i was taking all that into consideration. But once
you saw, once you saw what was happening in the
world over, it really was inevitable. And now I assume
you are deep in the adjusting phase, uh in what
has to be the most challenging part for you? What
is the thing that's the hardest, I mean, just the
easy question. What's the hardest for you? Now? The hardest
(15:21):
part is the weight. But I do think the anticipation
now for the Olympics UM is gonna is gonna be
even greater. I mean, the Summer Olympics is it's the
greatest event I think in sports. And now we're going
to have the world coming together next July for the
first time, you know, since the since this pandemic. So
(15:42):
really it's the re emergence of this global community together
in Tokyo. So I think the anticipation is going to
be incredible. UM on a on an NBC scale, I
find it exciting, energizing and terrifying the fact that we're
going to be producing two Olympics within UM within six months.
Because when we close UM the Tokyo Olympics, we have
(16:05):
a hundred and eighty days until the Beijing Winter and
we have a super Bowl in there. The first weekend
on NBC, so you can see where, um, this is
something we haven't done. NBC. ABC used to do UM
to Olympics every year, but it wasn't quite on this
man at the scale as we do these days with
cable television. But there's something kind of fun in parallel path.
(16:27):
One day, you know, from one meeting, I'll be going
through the Beijing you know, minute by minute schedule, and
then we turned to you know, um, the Tokyo venue plan.
So in the course of the day, you never know
what you're gonna be doing. UM. So to me, that's
that's energizing. But um, also we got a lot going
on between now and uh now in February. Well, is
(16:49):
this starting from scratch in certain certain cases or or
did the pre prep help you for this new date?
I mean that's what I was wondering. Yeah, definitely. You
know the first thing I said to to our team
when we finished and said, you know, we had everything
in place. We could have done this and we would
have done gangbusters. But now you've got the gift of time.
So when you look back at all your preparations, there
(17:10):
had to be a decision or two where you're like,
that's good enough, but could it be better? So we've
really taken that and you know, I'm not going to
spoil a surprise, but we've got you know, I think
we've got some new and innovoidive ways to energize the
coverage and we can pull it off, but you know,
use the gift of time. And frankly, you know, the
world's changed the way we we just talked about production
(17:30):
and how we produce things, so that's going to influence
the way we produced the Tokyo Games and the stories
of the Tokyo Games, and so much of your success
in your entire career has been with telling these athletes stories.
And I wonder are you going to be keeping in
touch with them throughout this pause in creating content with
them in quarantine or with them sort of building a
(17:50):
new schedule to get it done in one You know,
I assume someone who is clearly not very athletic. I
assume that these people who are Olympic athletes, you know,
these are incredible talents with a schedule that they were
sticking to. I mean, it has to be weird for them.
And I assume you're going to be, you know, following
them in that they're trying to stay in shape, because
(18:11):
it depending on who you are and what sport you're doing.
Like a new sport in Tokyo is called sport climbing,
and I was watching some of these videos of the
US sport climbers trying to stay in shape, climbing all
over you know, their staircases and things like that, and
other swimmers have created, you know, um pooled in their
backyard to to stay in shape. So there's been so
(18:32):
many things I'm sure you've seen with some mobile video videos.
So if it's part of their if it's part of
their story and overcoming adversity to get back there, um,
it sure is going to be part of our coverage.
And what's interesting about another year, It's gonna affect different
people in different ways. Right, You're gonna have these these
teenagers that may not have been there, they get the
(18:52):
gift of time, they get another year that are going
to show up at trials and make that team. And
there's others that are fighting against father time and will
they make the team. So everybody's gonna have it's gonna
be it'll be interesting to see if it's helping, is
it hurting. But it's definitely gonna affect the teams. And
you know, I say um a prayer every night per
Simone Biles, hamstrings obliques everything that she can. She can
(19:16):
keep it together for one more year. I feel really
confident in her, in Katie Lideckie. But you know, you
just you just hope for the best for all these
people that we're peaking at just the right time in
and can they be at their best in With Olympic covered,
you guys spend so much time and resources and money
knowing who the stars are going to be, even ahead
(19:37):
of time. Obviously there's always there's always some underdogs that
pop up. But are you concerned at losing stars? You
know in the way that you guys have set up coverage, Like,
is that is that a concern for you? You know,
you always you always lose somebody during the Olympic trial,
somebody that was supposed to make the team has a
bad day or has a bad week. Um, you just
(19:59):
have to you have to hope for the best. But
you know there's a number of stories going into the
Olympics and it's going to be okay. But remember is
this too old for you? Dan and David? I think
By the way, I think I still have a Dan
and Dave Nike shirt somewhere, right. I mean, so those
are the kind of things that happened. But that's also
the beauty of the trials, right that someone known has
(20:21):
this amazing race and gets to go to the Olympics
and and you know, fulfills the lifelong dream. But sure
that's the problem. But like I said, you you hope
for the best for some of these really terrific stories,
these people that are kind of finishing their career, and
you want them to go up out on top. I know,
I want Alison Felix, the the sprinter, to make the
(20:41):
team and compete in front of her child and see
if she can she can win some more metals. So
there's so many great stories. And now as a mom,
you know, there's so many moms like a Carrie carry Jennings,
you know, go back again and see what they can
do in their in their forties. It's amazing. Well, as
we start wrapping up, we like to end these podcasts
(21:02):
with something positive and then some dumb suggestions I have
for you. But first, is there is there anything that
you feel that we've adapted to during the pandemic that
you know, you hope we take with us once everything
is clear, something that we found in a crisis, but
we should have forever. No, I want to go back
to phone calls, Jensen, what's with all the zoom in
the team calls. I don't want to be seen on
(21:24):
all these calls. I want to go back to old
fashioned phone calls. I agree with you. I read an
article about how plastic surgeons are getting more requests through email,
and they think it's because we're seeing ourselves in the zooms.
I mean, right, don't you not want to look at
yourself in the corner like you want to look at
everybody and then you look at yourself and like, oh
(21:44):
my gosh, I forgot to but makeup on. And then
you go back and then you realize you forgot to
put on pants, but thank god they can't see. Yeah,
the whole the whole thing is messed up. I love
that answer. Okay, so we will wrap it up with
some suggestions. I know you don't need any help at
the golf channel, come on one of my thinking here,
but I did think, who knows, maybe I'll say something
and it can stick with you. So I had three ideas,
(22:05):
maybe Golf Channel moving forward if you want to hear them, yes, sir, alright, great,
no fans. Maybe some people are gonna miss the hooting
and hollering from the gallery. I'm not sure I will,
but I want to suggest you that if you're looking
for sounds, I want you to incorporate one guy. He
can obviously stay very far away from any players or
any cameraman or whatever, and he'll still get his yells heard.
(22:26):
It's character actor Joe Flaherty. Do you know him? Okay,
Joe Flairty, best known as the guy who yells you're
not going to sink that? Put Jackass and Happy Gilmore
and you can employ him. He's he's obviously very open.
You know, he'll take work. It's it's a great pop
culture little wink. I mean it might get annoying after one.
We could just have him standing unlike the tense hole
(22:47):
and he could say that, what do you think that's
a great idea. It's kind of like a cameo. It
came right, Joe flat Okay, that's okay, Joe Clarity, thank you.
I didn't know his name. After first one, let's say
a second wave hits God forbid, god forbid a second
wave hits. We don't even want to think about it,
but it's something that's been thrown out there, and we
have sports canceling all over again. I'm thinking, would you
(23:11):
televise golfers playing a golf video game? We we actually
have thought about that, and and there's if you go online,
it's actually been happening. The LPGA has been doing a
lot of it, and they've had their you know, it's
a very international tour and they've had you know, players
on four continents playing video games. So yes, and in
(23:31):
simulators were also working on a simulator game even better,
see I see like Jordan's Speef and Justin Rose. Maybe
maybe Adam Scott like a Buffalo wild Wings with a
company credit card. Let him go with Golden Tea. I'm
on board, all right, good, I'm two for two. Here's
the last one. A lot of attention on ESPN is
the Last Dance, and for good reason, six million people
(23:52):
watching it live or whatever. I think a second screen
experience for the PGA and Golf Channel could really capitalize
on the popularity ring tournaments or really any round of
golf that you're televising live. Right, you can have a
small screen pop up in the corner and it's modern
day Michael Jordan's and he's just actively making bets on
every hole. You know what, somebody said he should be
(24:13):
the next the next match guest, right, he should play
with Tiger and maybe Berkeley's with you know now where
you are and I'm talking about Buffalo wild Wings with
golf video, Molly. Thank you so much for talking to me,
and be safe and healthy and can't wait to see
your work in both golf and the Olympics when we're
(24:35):
all safe and ready. Thanks for the invitation, gents, and
I appreciate it. After this break in the latest installment
of Pandemic, will check in with Jayhawk's Diehard and fellow
Clipper's head Luca Jones from Hulu's Shrill Right now. Feeding
America is working tirelessly to ensure our most vulnerable populations,
like students who are out of school, the elderly individuals
(24:56):
whose jobs are impacted, and low income families continue to
have access to food and other needed resources during the
COVID nineteen pandemic. The Feeding America Food Bank Network is
committed to serving communities and people facing hunger in America
and their greatest need is donations and support of local
food banks. This podcast is committed to donating a portion
of the proceeds from the show to Feeding America, and
(25:17):
we hope that you can join us in this effort
to find out how you can help. But Feeding America
dot org backslash covid nineteen. Now my check in with
Luca Jones from Hulu Shrill and die Hard Rock Chalk Jayhawk. Hello, Luca,
(25:38):
I'm doing I guess as well as I can. I
have been doing this podcast mostly about the pandemic, but
we now seem to be facing even larger global problems.
It truly has become that part at the end of
some city where like it's an earthquake and a tornado
and Godzilla and all the things at once. Yeah, that's
what it fails like, right, It's brutal. But I wanted
(26:01):
first to check in with you see how your quarantine
has been going and what it's like for you, because you,
like I sports fan in comedy and acting, we don't
have sports to to even look at what has it
been like for you. It's just been a little bit
of a different life temporarily, and not that it's the
most important thing in the world. But like it's really
(26:21):
shown me how oddly dependent on sports watching I am.
When they canceled the seasons at Posit the season that
was like that, really that's when quarantine really And I
do feel too like it does, especially the NBA season,
which I know you and I were both uber fans of,
but like it's like if I picked up a book
(26:41):
and got to like the eighth chapter and there were
twelve of them, and I just went, can you burn this?
Like I don't want to know how it ends at all? Yeah,
I don't know. Yeah, I guess to. Like there's these
rumors flying around the city that like the Clippers are
practicing and that the Lakers are practicing, you know, like
sort of secretly, and I just it was supposed to be,
especially as an l A guy myself, it's like it
(27:02):
was supposed to be really this huge Western Conference battle
and I don't even know if they come back, will
it mean anything to me. I think it'll mean something
to me, but it'll be more like something that's comforting, right, Um,
that's all, Whereas like before it would have been something
like you could project out like oh yeah, we can
have the Western conference finals all on Staples Center, And
(27:24):
so for that to like keep looking like it's probably
going to happen up until the suspension of the season,
it was like really exciting and it would have been
like such a fun l a thing. And if they
play against each other in Orlando or whatever happens, if
anything happens, like obviously, that's like just not as interesting. Yeah,
the Clippers with Kauai trying to break the curse, the
(27:45):
Lakers with Lebron in the season where Kobe Bryant passes
away will be in Orlando with no fans. Yeah, not
as cool, not as cool at all. And you went
to a big sports college, right. I went the University
of Kansas for college. That was a big basketball fan.
I mean we went to the football games. It was
(28:05):
all about basketball there. And then I went to grad
school at USC, and even though grad school is not
the same as college, I did go to like a
bunch of USC football games, but mostly I'm like a
Kansas basketball game like that. That was like a religion there. Yeah,
and now and now with no March madness, I mean
that is still to me, that feels honest. That's actually
(28:27):
the worst thing because as excited as I was to
have like the Clippers. I think definitely go to the
conference finals. Not that it matters. Again, I can keep
saying that it doesn't matter compared to everything that's happening.
It feels silly to act like it matters. You know,
you just remind yourself like whenever something actually big and
important and horrible or whatever is happening. But they're different.
(28:50):
But I wonder, I wonder, not not the Devil's advocated,
but it is something that I thought about a few times. Right,
So I thought about this a lot, and we've looked
to right. So we obviously why everyone watched the last dance,
and we were a lot of dumbfounded reaction from people
who didn't know how Michael Jordan had said the Republicans
buy shoes and didn't want to put himself on the
front line of social justice. And you know, having Lebron
(29:13):
not have the kind of eyes on him that we
would have near the finals or playoffs when this whole
thing is going down. And I mean we look to
athletes nowadays and and and it used to be kind
of like, oh, don't do that. Now I feel like
I need Lebron, like I need you know, I need
Chris Paul and these guys who have who have become
very vocal. I almost feel like pulling athletes out of
(29:34):
this equation has actually affected us when dealing with these
race issues. That's a good point. And one of the
things I've learned from doing the podcast too is like
talking to athletes and then also just sort of like
talking to people about what I'm doing in the last
you know, a few months and talking to everybody is
it has become. And I know you and I both
have watched you know, sports since we were kids, and
(29:55):
and I was a huge Mets guy and a Dodgers
guy growing up, and especially with the Mets he years,
my parents were like scared that Dwight Gooden and Darryl
Strawberry We're going to become role models of mine, and
not because of their race, but because we kept being
told like those athletes are addicts or whatever it is.
And then even even in cases like players that I
really like, like Will Clark, seemed like a real kind
(30:17):
of douche bag, and my parents were like, oh, don't
don't love Will Clark, And so I wonder now, I mean,
I would love my son's turning one. I would love
if he looked to Lebron James as as an idol
or or you know any of these basketball players who
who have been incredible role models. Who were your guys
growing up? Did you have athletes that you were like
(30:37):
your favorites? I did. I mean, I've always been like
a Canvas fan because my parents went there, and I
wanted to say, like the cancelation of the n C
Double A tournament was like we were number one with
the animous number one, we were gonna win the national
championship and it's over now, So I still think we
should get a banner, but whatever. So uh, like Danny
(30:57):
Manning was this guy that like, I know he's not superstar,
but like he was a superstar to me in college
in nineteen National championship with Kambas and happened to play
for the Clippers, who I ended up, you know, being
a fian of after moving year. When I was a
little kid, I was in Chicago and the suburbs and
like I was a Cubs fan. My dad would bring
(31:19):
me there and like I was like Ryan Singenberg guy,
and then a bunch of people Rick Sutcliffe and Leon
Durham and the Bowl or whatever, and that I was
a Shawn and Dunstan guy. Oh yeah, oh yeah, I
love them at short Stunt, Yeah right, yeah, he was
a baller. Between him and Mark Grace, there was like
a great late eighties kind of connection in the infield.
(31:40):
And that connects with like the two teams you're talking about,
like the Mats. I obviously hated of that era and
that was like the mid eighties, and like the and
also the Giants with Little Clark beat them in the
eighty nine Division series. I love those guys. I mean
I was a big Jordans fan because I was from
Chicago originally before we had to move to Denver. You
(32:01):
brought up Makoda Roof. I was a huge fan of
Chris Jackson, and I remember like getting pretty fired up
for him when there was a controversy over whether or
not he was about of prey during the national anthem.
But also he was just like a beautiful shooter and
a beautiful player. Yeah, I've been vocal because he was.
(32:22):
And it's so weird what you pick up on as
a kid, but like I had even heard, you know,
during the Chris Jackson days that he suffered from obsessive
compulsive disorder and I had it, and I was like, oh, man,
that's the only person in sports. There was a couple
of guys like I think maybe Jim Eisenright had some
sort of tick or something, and I remember them saying
it was tight end O c D. And I was like,
tell me more like screaming from my seat. But mac
(32:46):
mood for some reason was very open, and he would
like it would take like thirty minutes from the tie
shoes and like you heard that he couldn't leave the
gym until it left his fingertips perfectly. So sometimes he
was there to like two am, and I was like, Oh,
that's that's why I love him. He's I'm actually relating
to him. And when he was a kid, I mean,
I think I most certainly had O c D tendencies.
I don't know if I had the disorders like clinically defined,
(33:09):
but I had like a lot of things I had
to like touch them a certain amount of times or
like you know, evans or odds, and that was you know,
I didn't like talk to people about that. But like
when I read his story, like he'd sometimes decrying when
he was growing up, like just trying to make a
certain amount of like swishes right like, and he like
he couldn't leave the psychologically, like couldn't leave the court
(33:32):
and go home until he got it right. And I
definitely related to that, and I thought, it's not quite
that extreme to the sort of like compulsion. And it's
too bad that we weren't able to talk more about
that then, not that they didn't cover it in some
of the stories about him. And then he found some
peace with religion and that was interesting too, But I
just realized as a Kansas fan, that means you had
(33:54):
an embiede fandom in college. Oh yeah, oh yeah, that's
so lucky. And the indeed Wiggins year, because they both
only played their freshman year, that was like definitely a
possible national championship team and like the main reason they
didn't get to the final four was because Impeed already
had back problems and he very understandably sat the tournament out. Yeah,
(34:18):
and that's why I didn't really know him that well,
because I depend on the tournament to sort of get
me up on at least the top ten picks. If
it's not you know, if it's not Wiggins or you know,
obviously like a Zion or something I have to the
guy from Cameroon isn't necessarily on my radar as much
as it should be. So he grew so much in
his freshman year. He was like all of a sudden
you saw like, oh, this guy, he would have been
the number one pick if his back wasn't, you know,
(34:41):
instead of Wiggans not that Wiggins, And I mean maybe
he didn't. I don't know, but like you know what
I mean, like I think I think the right people
knew how good he could be even back then, and
it was just about like, but is he going to
stay healthy? Like you know, like it is now kind
of he's amazing. Oh, he's amazing Wiggins. It's so funny
too because we because Clippers fans Olover Candy was always
(35:02):
right up top for everyone being like for the worst
first pick. It's like Wiggins truly may have taken I mean,
I guess Bend it also, but like Bennett was so
bad and Wiggins obviously hasn't lived up to his potential
as much as he should. But I don't think Wiggins
is all I mean, I don't like to talk too
much about people. Maybe just me being a like a whim,
you know, like I'm happy for my goal of Candy
(35:23):
that he got to like to be the first thing.
And like I I get you know, and Greg Odin
and all that, you know, and I'm glad they got
their money and everything's fine. But like I think Wiggins
is better than both of those guys. But he's definitely
didn't live up to the number one pick. I'm glad
for him that he's I think on the Warriors now, yeah,
he's he's currently on Golden State. Yeah yeah, And so
(35:43):
like I think once they get their team back and
they've got like Curry back, and you know, I mean
he's just gonna be the second, third, third option, third option, yeah, third, Yeah,
So that's like a better place for him. And under
cur I think he could still have a Like there's
there's this guy that I really loved. This guy. That's
(36:04):
a weird way to start this. Like Chauncey Billips I
really loved as a kid because he grew up in Denver,
where again like I partially grew up and I saw
him playing at high school and then I saw him
playing college when he played for Colorado and came to
Kansas and and then like he got picked really hot
by the Celtics with Patino and I just didn't like
to work out. And then he bounced around a little bit.
(36:25):
I think he went to Denver for a second, but
then he ended up in Detroit. It was like three
places though it looked like his career might not work out,
and then he ended up in Detroit. Was Larry Brown,
who I love Kansas and he you know, he was
the Finals MVP when they did the Lakers and then
I had like a great run there and then had
a great like a couple of years or whatever with Mellow,
(36:45):
very good couple of years with Mellow in Denver when
he replaced Iverson and brought them to the Western Conference final.
He uh, He's an example of somebody in my mind,
it was like a really good college player like Wiggins
was and have like a little bit of trouble at
the beginning of his career because he just for whatever reason.
And I hope that Wiggans is like that in this
(37:06):
new situation. I think sometimes we forget, I mean, what
chanced out will Candy have not not that he was
doing great somewhere else, but you know what I mean, like, yeah,
he wasn't in the greatest organization and I love the Clippers. Yeah,
I love the Clippers, but he wasn't. Yeah, And at
the end of the day, I think Wiggans still averages
like just under twenty points. I think it just people
have such high expectations for him, and you know, he
(37:28):
was the number one pig. He was the number one
thing I mean, but people also have to like remember
Ordon was the third thing, I mean, the number one
picking the number like three picks. They're like, I think
I don't want to draft anywhere. Basically it's all uh,
crazy achievements. I always that's the thing during draft days
and like that guy got picked number eight in the
world for his class. Yeah, still congratulation no matter what. Well, dude,
(37:54):
I hope to see you at a Clippers game soon.
I don't know when in life will all be back
at at actual stadium or arena watching something, But I dude,
stay healthy and and uh and keep your eye out
for sports. Thank you you too, and thanks for having me.
The No Sports Report is produced and distributed by Treeport Media.
(38:18):
The show was executive produced by Kelly Garner, Lisa Ammerman,
Matthew Coogler, and me Jensen Cart Tom Monahan is our
senior audio engineer and sound supervisor, with production and editing
by Jasper Leak. Additional production help from Tim Shower, June Rosen,
and Hayley Mandelberg. Our theme music is composed by s Focus.
If you've enjoyed what you've heard, please subscribe, rate us
(38:39):
and review us on the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast,
or wherever you listen to podcasts, and please visit Feeding
America dot org if you're able to make a donation,
any amount makes a difference, and you can learn more
about other ways you can help on their website. For
more information on the No Sports Report, links to the socials,
and for show transcripts for our hearing impaired listeners, go
to tree Fort dot fm. Be Safe and Be Well.
(39:04):
The No Sports Report is a production of I Heart
Radio and tree Fort Media. For more podcasts from my
heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to the No Sports Report, a production of I
Heart Radio entry Fork Media. Small note. This episode was
recorded prior to the murder of George Floyd and the
resulting global reaction in protests, which is the only reason
it's not mentioned. Something to keep in mind while listening.
My name is Jensen Carp and I'm a sports fan.
(00:25):
But I'm also hesitant. Hesitant to really admit that sports
is back, because even though we're seeing some of our
favorites return to the field or racetrack or possibly even court,
I won't really believe until I see it. Sure, the
NBA says they'll be at Disney World, but then you
hear about a dozen players questioning how safe they'll be,
Which makes sense because I won't be going to see
Crude two or a shirtless Fete Davidson or whatever showing
(00:46):
in the theater until I know it's safe. I don't
expect the guy on the Brooklyn Nets to feel any differently.
Life is scary, man, I don't blame you for being nervous.
So to learn more, I'm talking to athletes and sports
industry professionals about what they're doing during this crazy time,
hoping to figure out a thing is competing as much
as I missed watching it. This is the no sports
report with some sports now. COVID nineteen caused a ripple
(01:11):
effect in sports broadcasting like we've never seen before, and
producer Molly Solomon was front and center to experience the damage.
The eleven time Emmy winner not only is the current
Executive VP of Content and executive producer for the Golf Channel,
which saw the sport in its name completely shut down,
but boy did she sign up for quite a gig.
As the president of NBC's presentation of Tokyo Olympics. She
(01:33):
had already helped push the coverage to its highest ratings
in twenty three years, leading Beijing and O eight, Vancouver
in two thousand ten, and London in two thousand twelve,
but nothing could have prepared her for a global audible.
We talked about what changes she'll have to implement with
the delay, how golf will be without people yelling, Howard
Stern catchphrases during tea off, and another challenge she's facing
raising sixteen year old triplets in a quarantine. And I
(01:54):
check in with actor Luca Jones from People of Earth
and Shrill to talk about missing seeing k you possibly
win it all, and we ramble about Andrew Wiggins a
bunch for another installment of Pandemic. It's all inching back, baby,
but I'm scared as hell. It's the no Sports Report
with some sports now. Molly Solomon, Hello, Well, I wanted
(02:23):
to start off by asking you where you are quarantining
and how you have been doing well. I am quarantining
in winter Park, Florida, which is um just outside of Orlando.
UM and Golf Channel is based in Orlando, so my
family and I've been living down here for eight years,
so UM when the pandemic hit, I was actually upstate
(02:45):
at the Players Championship in Jacksonville, but of course, you know,
they canceled the second round. We came back down here
and we've been here. Are we on week twelve or
week thirteen of quarantine. But I feel really lucky to
be quarantined in Florida with my family because you know,
I talked to my friends that are in New York City,
and you know, to be stuck in the studio apartment
(03:06):
would just be really, really tough. So we don't have
it tough. In the golf clubs are open down here. Well.
Number one you do have it tough. Do not let
people who are listening think you have it easy. You
are the mother of triplets sixteen year olds. Yeah, I
think my my triplets hit the they hit the quarantine
wall this week. They're like, I gotta get out, I
(03:27):
gotta go to the gym, I gotta get my nails done,
I gotta see my friends. And and you know, living
in home with them because my son goes to boarding school,
but he's home. The other two girls are here, and
oh my gosh, they're up to like three o'clock in
the morning. I forgot the circadian rhythms, change routines, Like
they are up so late, and they're they're just like
stocking each other and fighting, and it's it's a little
(03:50):
bit of a zoo here. I have to tell you.
Jensen's Yeah, I mean, how do you lock down a
sixteen year old, let let alone three of them? Are
you home schooling them? No? No, but I listen, we've
got an easing computer. I mean, all those parents out
there that have preschoolers and first graders and even third
graders in the middle, you know, in the northeast, or
you know, with bad weather and stuff, now they're good.
(04:10):
They're virtual learning. Although the irony of all this is right,
you've always tried for sixteen years to control the number
of hours they're on their phones. They're on their iPads,
and they we're like, go to it to get a
night at six for dinner. I have I have a
friend who had no computer rule for his I think
seven year old's a true no computer, no screens rule,
(04:31):
and it was completely thrown out the window. They now
have screens. That's how they learned. I mean, and they've
they've said they were pleasantly surprised by it. Uh yes,
And you know what my kids at times, you know,
it's just a different generation in that even their interaction
and they you know, they Google hang out all the time,
and that's how even when they're doing homework, they're talking
their friends. They're doing homework together via group chat um.
(04:53):
But it's all before they're not cheating. But you know,
even like the stress of my kids taking their Advanced
Placement u S History tests, you know, we had to
go through this whole rigamarole. Okay, how do you upload
your test? And you have to upload starting at this
time and then you know two percent of the kids
there four percent weren't able to upload their tests and
(05:13):
have to take it again in June. Like, there's also
stress associate with all this, But then there's also been
the times when UM, I rushed into the room and
UM kind of zoom bombed their classes by accident, and
they're just mortified because you know, sixteen year olds are
mortified by their parents anyway, So then you know I zoomed,
I zoom bombed their classes, and it's just awful. They're like, Mom,
(05:34):
now you're supposed to drop them off three blocks away.
You're not supposed to walk into the zoom no no,
and not wearing your your spandex from working on on
the peloton either not cool. Not cool for me, not
cool for them. Uh. Well, you make television, specifically live sports,
so consistently when the world is fully functional, that's what
(05:54):
you do. But what happens when everything you do professionally
just off. It's been fascinating, and you know when the
innovation that's happened at NBC Sports and all the networks
and what what we've done. I'll just putting the Olympics aside.
I'll talk about my job at Golf Channel, and you
know the first few weeks, we kind of went dormant
(06:16):
in that we immediately put replays on the air, and
then the second week we're like, wait a second, Um,
we coined a new phrase, watch along. Now let's enhance
the replays because there's no tournament, so let's have the
defending champion call in and let's incorporate that into the broadcast.
And I'm sure some of your listeners, you know, watched
UM The Masters with you know, Tiger calling in, or
(06:39):
we did the Augusta National Women'sameter where we had Maria
Fassi and Jennifer up Chow. And every week on the
PG tour, we're doing that. So every week we we
got creative. But the but the bigger point was that
we're doing this all from home because we immediately shut
down the facility because one, you know, we wanted it
to be pristine and ready and clean and quotes when
(07:00):
we did come back to work, But we also wanted
to protect the employees most of all, so we shut
down all production except for essential UM engineering folks that
need to go into the building, and our engineering team
built virtual control rooms UM and equally, so you know,
at NBC Sports, we're you know, we're editing features for
sports were editing shows from home, and everything takes a
(07:23):
lot longer. So all of our patients has been tested.
But I'm so darn proud of what everyone has done
in terms of leaning in, doing their job, working harder,
and also, you know, we've learned so many lessons about
producing content during the pandemic. Yeah, well, I mean, you
guys have done a great job. And truthfully, golf is
one of the few sports that is built for social distancing.
(07:45):
The PGA is set to return on June eleven. Are
you confident with the regulations that are being set for
this comeback? Like you're obviously very connected to it. Have
you felt pretty stable with the with the concepts golf
by nature can be socially distant. So you think about
the competition itself, is it's it's not a big pull
for any of us to figure out how to do that.
But I would say the harder part of all this
(08:08):
is UM golf production because we always say it's not
following one basketball or one hockey puck. Right, You have
um eighteen holes at times that are all ongoing and
have players on them. So how are you going to
cover that? Because the average PG tour. UM production and
engineering crew is closed to a hundred and forty people.
You can't have that many people together, not at this
(08:30):
stage of of what we're fighting. You've probably seen pictures
of all these packed production trucks. You've got to space
everybody out. You can't have that producer leaning into the
director and you know, talking about where they're going next
and what they're gonna do. You've got to space everybody out.
And so um, there there's a lot of planning that's
gonna go on. We're gonna learn a lot the first week. UM.
(08:51):
Golf Channel also has in June a developmental tour called
the corn Ferry Tour, which um, you know, we'll just
use eight cameras, but have to have a whole different
production plan, and you've got to be thermal screening everybody
that comes into that compound. And then you've got to
have a plan if someone gets ill. Um and I
think we're you know, a great part about being part
of the NBC Sports group is that you're learning from
(09:13):
every single sport as we go, Like they're doing the
Belmont in the coming weeks. We'll have learnings from this
so we can all lean in on on what everybody's doing.
But it's darn complicated. But um, you know, we've got
to get sports back on TV and we're all excited
to get back to work. And what difference is will
we see if you're just a golf watcher, not knowing
any of the production, do you know anything that we'll see?
Sort of just as viewers, that will seem different in
(09:36):
a post pandemic world. I think it's not what you're
gonna see, But what are you going to hear? Or
what are you not going to hear? Because without fans,
think about it, you're not going to hear the applause
when a puck goes in. How is a player going
to react? Um, without that, you know, goosing of the
applause of the fans as they walk up the eighteenth pole,
And so that's going to deal different, be different. You
(09:57):
know what audio can we hear from the players? Can
we the players who all those plans are being made?
How can we enhance and innovate the broadcast to make
up for the fact that it's going to sound different? Um,
but it just exactly we may have to pipe in
those birth sounds shows. But well, I'm I'm just happy
I'm just happy we're not going to hear people yelling
(10:17):
ba ba booe on drives. No mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes exactly.
But then the question is do you want to have
a Rider Cup without fans because there's such an integral
part of all this. So um, it's to be determined.
But I think we all want to see our favorite
players in all sports get back. Well, that's true. People
are clearly feeding for golf and the two charity events
(10:39):
that we've had, the match with Peyton and Tiger Woods
and Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson was the most watch
golfing event and cable history. If you're listening to Turner,
they said about six million viewers live. The tailor made
Driving Relief brought in more than ten million for charity. Uh,
it seems like this is a sport that's going to
lead the way. Uh did you see that happening? Did
(10:59):
you ever think you're of like, wow, we really will
see a bump here. I I think you're seeing it. Also,
you know, part of Golf Channel is golf Now, which
is a digital teatime service, and they're finding that their
numbers are through the roof that people want to get
outside after they've been cooped up for the last few
weeks and maybe you know, fingers class that colflight even
see resurgeons and participation because of this, because it's as
(11:22):
we talked about earlier, it's the perfect social distancing sport.
Were quarantine with your family and then go out as
a force and to get out and walk all those
things we haven't been able to do so um. You know,
I think golf with this new generation of stars has
been on the precipice of you know, really resonating and
Tiger coming back and playing well. It's been a shot
(11:42):
in the arm. And now we get this. I think
there's gonna be a lot of interest in in golf
this summer when it comes back. But also think about
this fall. You're gonna have this cluster of the FedEx
Playoffs and the major championships, So we're gonna also have
this goose in the fall, and then we're gonna come
right back out in the spring and how the Masters
both in November and April. So it's gonna be really fun.
(12:04):
So you're also going to get all the great players
playing a concentrated schedule. So that's what you always want
to see. You know, your favorite golfers playing every week,
and I think we're going to get more of that
because of the pandemic. Well, on the on the less
positive side for the pandemic, two very important women in
sports broadcasting passed away Phyllis, George Brown and more A Manned.
(12:25):
Two incredible people who really pioneered uh kind of women
in this sports journalism and broadcast world. I was wondering
if you could explain what either of these two women
meant to you or your dealings with either. Yeah, I
never knew more Um she worked at Yes Fan, but
I knew all of her friends, and I was a
big fan of her work and always heard about her
leadership on the SPS and just how passionate she was.
(12:47):
And when she passed away, I wanted to know more
about her. So I called a number of friends just
to tell me more about her, because I just wanted
to pay tribute to to what she had achieved, but
also what she meant to all these people and her
her pursuit of excellence. That was my takeaway, and her
passion was just unparalleled. And then on the Phillis George
Front never got to meet her, but she was the
(13:09):
reason I dreamed big. I remember in the seventies I
would sit down with my dad and all of a sudden,
in the NFL today there was this woman. I'd never
seen a woman covering sports before, and as we like
to say, if you can see it, you can be it.
And and all of a sudden, I was like, wait,
maybe I could have a career in sports. So um,
I look at her as as my first role model.
(13:31):
So um. I only wish I could have told her
that and I should have reached out. But um, Nonetheless,
I love all the tributes that have poured in for her.
That's great. After this more with the executive producer and
President of NBC Olympics and the Golf Channel, Molly Solomon.
Now let's get back to Molly. You were to be
the EP and president of NBC's Olympic presentation of Tokyo Games,
(13:53):
which is an incredible honor. It's now been postponed. We
can get into details in a second, but I figured
a large scale here one firework canon to a thousand
firework canons. How far were you into pre production at
that point? Very much so. I think when you get
into the spring before a summer Olympics you're probably you
know there, maybe even there, so we were ready to go,
(14:17):
and it was it was incredibly disappointing but understandable, and
it just seemed to happen so very fast. But when
you look at what's happened throughout the world, you know
how the athletes could have been ready. It just it
was inevitable. So disappointed, um disappointed for the athletes and
and for all the Olympics fans around the world. And
what was the timeline for you finding out things would
be pushed back? Because now it's very obvious, I think,
(14:39):
but at one time the Olympics were truly on the fence.
It was it was a almost a poll of emergency.
Oh you know, it's it's a it's a worldwide organization,
the IOC, so they're taking into account, you know, all
the athletes throughout the world, all the different countries, and
if you remember in March, what was happening was just
happening so fast. I remember being up at the Players Championship.
One day we're playing golf and then next day we've
(15:01):
we've canceled, you know, for the foreseeable future. So you know,
the i was taking all that into consideration. But once
you saw, once you saw what was happening in the
world over, it really was inevitable. And now I assume
you are deep in the adjusting phase, uh in what
has to be the most challenging part for you? What
is the thing that's the hardest, I mean, just the
easy question. What's the hardest for you? Now? The hardest
(15:21):
part is the weight. But I do think the anticipation
now for the Olympics UM is gonna is gonna be
even greater. I mean, the Summer Olympics is it's the
greatest event I think in sports. And now we're going
to have the world coming together next July for the
first time, you know, since the since this pandemic. So
(15:42):
really it's the re emergence of this global community together
in Tokyo. So I think the anticipation is going to
be incredible. UM on a on an NBC scale, I
find it exciting, energizing and terrifying the fact that we're
going to be producing two Olympics within UM within six months.
Because when we close UM the Tokyo Olympics, we have
(16:05):
a hundred and eighty days until the Beijing Winter and
we have a super Bowl in there. The first weekend
on NBC, so you can see where, um, this is
something we haven't done. NBC. ABC used to do UM
to Olympics every year, but it wasn't quite on this
man at the scale as we do these days with
cable television. But there's something kind of fun in parallel path.
(16:27):
One day, you know, from one meeting, I'll be going
through the Beijing you know, minute by minute schedule, and
then we turned to you know, um, the Tokyo venue plan.
So in the course of the day, you never know
what you're gonna be doing. UM. So to me, that's
that's energizing. But um, also we got a lot going
on between now and uh now in February. Well, is
(16:49):
this starting from scratch in certain certain cases or or
did the pre prep help you for this new date?
I mean that's what I was wondering. Yeah, definitely. You
know the first thing I said to to our team
when we finished and said, you know, we had everything
in place. We could have done this and we would
have done gangbusters. But now you've got the gift of time.
So when you look back at all your preparations, there
(17:10):
had to be a decision or two where you're like,
that's good enough, but could it be better? So we've
really taken that and you know, I'm not going to
spoil a surprise, but we've got you know, I think
we've got some new and innovoidive ways to energize the
coverage and we can pull it off, but you know,
use the gift of time. And frankly, you know, the
world's changed the way we we just talked about production
(17:30):
and how we produce things, so that's going to influence
the way we produced the Tokyo Games and the stories
of the Tokyo Games, and so much of your success
in your entire career has been with telling these athletes stories.
And I wonder are you going to be keeping in
touch with them throughout this pause in creating content with
them in quarantine or with them sort of building a
(17:50):
new schedule to get it done in one You know,
I assume someone who is clearly not very athletic. I
assume that these people who are Olympic athletes, you know,
these are incredible talents with a schedule that they were
sticking to. I mean, it has to be weird for them.
And I assume you're going to be, you know, following
them in that they're trying to stay in shape, because
(18:11):
it depending on who you are and what sport you're doing.
Like a new sport in Tokyo is called sport climbing,
and I was watching some of these videos of the
US sport climbers trying to stay in shape, climbing all
over you know, their staircases and things like that, and
other swimmers have created, you know, um pooled in their
backyard to to stay in shape. So there's been so
(18:32):
many things I'm sure you've seen with some mobile video videos.
So if it's part of their if it's part of
their story and overcoming adversity to get back there, um,
it sure is going to be part of our coverage.
And what's interesting about another year, It's gonna affect different
people in different ways. Right, You're gonna have these these
teenagers that may not have been there, they get the
(18:52):
gift of time, they get another year that are going
to show up at trials and make that team. And
there's others that are fighting against father time and will
they make the team. So everybody's gonna have it's gonna
be it'll be interesting to see if it's helping, is
it hurting. But it's definitely gonna affect the teams. And
you know, I say um a prayer every night per
Simone Biles, hamstrings obliques everything that she can. She can
(19:16):
keep it together for one more year. I feel really
confident in her, in Katie Lideckie. But you know, you
just you just hope for the best for all these
people that we're peaking at just the right time in
and can they be at their best in With Olympic covered,
you guys spend so much time and resources and money
knowing who the stars are going to be, even ahead
(19:37):
of time. Obviously there's always there's always some underdogs that
pop up. But are you concerned at losing stars? You
know in the way that you guys have set up coverage, Like,
is that is that a concern for you? You know,
you always you always lose somebody during the Olympic trial,
somebody that was supposed to make the team has a
bad day or has a bad week. Um, you just
(19:59):
have to you have to hope for the best. But
you know there's a number of stories going into the
Olympics and it's going to be okay. But remember is
this too old for you? Dan and David? I think
By the way, I think I still have a Dan
and Dave Nike shirt somewhere, right. I mean, so those
are the kind of things that happened. But that's also
the beauty of the trials, right that someone known has
(20:21):
this amazing race and gets to go to the Olympics
and and you know, fulfills the lifelong dream. But sure
that's the problem. But like I said, you you hope
for the best for some of these really terrific stories,
these people that are kind of finishing their career, and
you want them to go up out on top. I know,
I want Alison Felix, the the sprinter, to make the
(20:41):
team and compete in front of her child and see
if she can she can win some more metals. So
there's so many great stories. And now as a mom,
you know, there's so many moms like a Carrie carry Jennings,
you know, go back again and see what they can
do in their in their forties. It's amazing. Well, as
we start wrapping up, we like to end these podcasts
(21:02):
with something positive and then some dumb suggestions I have
for you. But first, is there is there anything that
you feel that we've adapted to during the pandemic that
you know, you hope we take with us once everything
is clear, something that we found in a crisis, but
we should have forever. No, I want to go back
to phone calls, Jensen, what's with all the zoom in
the team calls. I don't want to be seen on
(21:24):
all these calls. I want to go back to old
fashioned phone calls. I agree with you. I read an
article about how plastic surgeons are getting more requests through email,
and they think it's because we're seeing ourselves in the zooms.
I mean, right, don't you not want to look at
yourself in the corner like you want to look at
everybody and then you look at yourself and like, oh
(21:44):
my gosh, I forgot to but makeup on. And then
you go back and then you realize you forgot to
put on pants, but thank god they can't see. Yeah,
the whole the whole thing is messed up. I love
that answer. Okay, so we will wrap it up with
some suggestions. I know you don't need any help at
the golf channel, come on one of my thinking here,
but I did think, who knows, maybe I'll say something
and it can stick with you. So I had three ideas,
(22:05):
maybe Golf Channel moving forward if you want to hear them, yes, sir, alright, great,
no fans. Maybe some people are gonna miss the hooting
and hollering from the gallery. I'm not sure I will,
but I want to suggest you that if you're looking
for sounds, I want you to incorporate one guy. He
can obviously stay very far away from any players or
any cameraman or whatever, and he'll still get his yells heard.
(22:26):
It's character actor Joe Flaherty. Do you know him? Okay,
Joe Flairty, best known as the guy who yells you're
not going to sink that? Put Jackass and Happy Gilmore
and you can employ him. He's he's obviously very open.
You know, he'll take work. It's it's a great pop
culture little wink. I mean it might get annoying after one.
We could just have him standing unlike the tense hole
(22:47):
and he could say that, what do you think that's
a great idea. It's kind of like a cameo. It
came right, Joe flat Okay, that's okay, Joe Clarity, thank you.
I didn't know his name. After first one, let's say
a second wave hits God forbid, god forbid a second
wave hits. We don't even want to think about it,
but it's something that's been thrown out there, and we
have sports canceling all over again. I'm thinking, would you
(23:11):
televise golfers playing a golf video game? We we actually
have thought about that, and and there's if you go online,
it's actually been happening. The LPGA has been doing a
lot of it, and they've had their you know, it's
a very international tour and they've had you know, players
on four continents playing video games. So yes, and in
(23:31):
simulators were also working on a simulator game even better,
see I see like Jordan's Speef and Justin Rose. Maybe
maybe Adam Scott like a Buffalo wild Wings with a
company credit card. Let him go with Golden Tea. I'm
on board, all right, good, I'm two for two. Here's
the last one. A lot of attention on ESPN is
the Last Dance, and for good reason, six million people
(23:52):
watching it live or whatever. I think a second screen
experience for the PGA and Golf Channel could really capitalize
on the popularity ring tournaments or really any round of
golf that you're televising live. Right, you can have a
small screen pop up in the corner and it's modern
day Michael Jordan's and he's just actively making bets on
every hole. You know what, somebody said he should be
(24:13):
the next the next match guest, right, he should play
with Tiger and maybe Berkeley's with you know now where
you are and I'm talking about Buffalo wild Wings with
golf video, Molly. Thank you so much for talking to me,
and be safe and healthy and can't wait to see
your work in both golf and the Olympics when we're
(24:35):
all safe and ready. Thanks for the invitation, gents, and
I appreciate it. After this break in the latest installment
of Pandemic, will check in with Jayhawk's Diehard and fellow
Clipper's head Luca Jones from Hulu's Shrill Right now. Feeding
America is working tirelessly to ensure our most vulnerable populations,
like students who are out of school, the elderly individuals
(24:56):
whose jobs are impacted, and low income families continue to
have access to food and other needed resources during the
COVID nineteen pandemic. The Feeding America Food Bank Network is
committed to serving communities and people facing hunger in America
and their greatest need is donations and support of local
food banks. This podcast is committed to donating a portion
of the proceeds from the show to Feeding America, and
(25:17):
we hope that you can join us in this effort
to find out how you can help. But Feeding America
dot org backslash covid nineteen. Now my check in with
Luca Jones from Hulu Shrill and die Hard Rock Chalk Jayhawk. Hello, Luca,
(25:38):
I'm doing I guess as well as I can. I
have been doing this podcast mostly about the pandemic, but
we now seem to be facing even larger global problems.
It truly has become that part at the end of
some city where like it's an earthquake and a tornado
and Godzilla and all the things at once. Yeah, that's
what it fails like, right, It's brutal. But I wanted
(26:01):
first to check in with you see how your quarantine
has been going and what it's like for you, because you,
like I sports fan in comedy and acting, we don't
have sports to to even look at what has it
been like for you. It's just been a little bit
of a different life temporarily, and not that it's the
most important thing in the world. But like it's really
(26:21):
shown me how oddly dependent on sports watching I am.
When they canceled the seasons at Posit the season that
was like that, really that's when quarantine really And I
do feel too like it does, especially the NBA season,
which I know you and I were both uber fans of,
but like it's like if I picked up a book
(26:41):
and got to like the eighth chapter and there were
twelve of them, and I just went, can you burn this?
Like I don't want to know how it ends at all? Yeah,
I don't know. Yeah, I guess to. Like there's these
rumors flying around the city that like the Clippers are
practicing and that the Lakers are practicing, you know, like
sort of secretly, and I just it was supposed to be,
especially as an l A guy myself, it's like it
(27:02):
was supposed to be really this huge Western Conference battle
and I don't even know if they come back, will
it mean anything to me. I think it'll mean something
to me, but it'll be more like something that's comforting, right, Um,
that's all, Whereas like before it would have been something
like you could project out like oh yeah, we can
have the Western conference finals all on Staples Center, And
(27:24):
so for that to like keep looking like it's probably
going to happen up until the suspension of the season,
it was like really exciting and it would have been
like such a fun l a thing. And if they
play against each other in Orlando or whatever happens, if
anything happens, like obviously, that's like just not as interesting. Yeah,
the Clippers with Kauai trying to break the curse, the
(27:45):
Lakers with Lebron in the season where Kobe Bryant passes
away will be in Orlando with no fans. Yeah, not
as cool, not as cool at all. And you went
to a big sports college, right. I went the University
of Kansas for college. That was a big basketball fan.
I mean we went to the football games. It was
(28:05):
all about basketball there. And then I went to grad
school at USC, and even though grad school is not
the same as college, I did go to like a
bunch of USC football games, but mostly I'm like a
Kansas basketball game like that. That was like a religion there. Yeah,
and now and now with no March madness, I mean
that is still to me, that feels honest. That's actually
(28:27):
the worst thing because as excited as I was to
have like the Clippers. I think definitely go to the
conference finals. Not that it matters. Again, I can keep
saying that it doesn't matter compared to everything that's happening.
It feels silly to act like it matters. You know,
you just remind yourself like whenever something actually big and
important and horrible or whatever is happening. But they're different.
(28:50):
But I wonder, I wonder, not not the Devil's advocated,
but it is something that I thought about a few times. Right,
So I thought about this a lot, and we've looked
to right. So we obviously why everyone watched the last dance,
and we were a lot of dumbfounded reaction from people
who didn't know how Michael Jordan had said the Republicans
buy shoes and didn't want to put himself on the
front line of social justice. And you know, having Lebron
(29:13):
not have the kind of eyes on him that we
would have near the finals or playoffs when this whole
thing is going down. And I mean we look to
athletes nowadays and and and it used to be kind
of like, oh, don't do that. Now I feel like
I need Lebron, like I need you know, I need
Chris Paul and these guys who have who have become
very vocal. I almost feel like pulling athletes out of
(29:34):
this equation has actually affected us when dealing with these
race issues. That's a good point. And one of the
things I've learned from doing the podcast too is like
talking to athletes and then also just sort of like
talking to people about what I'm doing in the last
you know, a few months and talking to everybody is
it has become. And I know you and I both
have watched you know, sports since we were kids, and
(29:55):
and I was a huge Mets guy and a Dodgers
guy growing up, and especially with the Mets he years,
my parents were like scared that Dwight Gooden and Darryl
Strawberry We're going to become role models of mine, and
not because of their race, but because we kept being
told like those athletes are addicts or whatever it is.
And then even even in cases like players that I
really like, like Will Clark, seemed like a real kind
(30:17):
of douche bag, and my parents were like, oh, don't
don't love Will Clark, And so I wonder now, I mean,
I would love my son's turning one. I would love
if he looked to Lebron James as as an idol
or or you know any of these basketball players who
who have been incredible role models. Who were your guys
growing up? Did you have athletes that you were like
(30:37):
your favorites? I did. I mean, I've always been like
a Canvas fan because my parents went there, and I
wanted to say, like the cancelation of the n C
Double A tournament was like we were number one with
the animous number one, we were gonna win the national
championship and it's over now, So I still think we
should get a banner, but whatever. So uh, like Danny
(30:57):
Manning was this guy that like, I know he's not superstar,
but like he was a superstar to me in college
in nineteen National championship with Kambas and happened to play
for the Clippers, who I ended up, you know, being
a fian of after moving year. When I was a
little kid, I was in Chicago and the suburbs and
like I was a Cubs fan. My dad would bring
(31:19):
me there and like I was like Ryan Singenberg guy,
and then a bunch of people Rick Sutcliffe and Leon
Durham and the Bowl or whatever, and that I was
a Shawn and Dunstan guy. Oh yeah, oh yeah, I
love them at short Stunt, Yeah right, yeah, he was
a baller. Between him and Mark Grace, there was like
a great late eighties kind of connection in the infield.
(31:40):
And that connects with like the two teams you're talking about,
like the Mats. I obviously hated of that era and
that was like the mid eighties, and like the and
also the Giants with Little Clark beat them in the
eighty nine Division series. I love those guys. I mean
I was a big Jordans fan because I was from
Chicago originally before we had to move to Denver. You
(32:01):
brought up Makoda Roof. I was a huge fan of
Chris Jackson, and I remember like getting pretty fired up
for him when there was a controversy over whether or
not he was about of prey during the national anthem.
But also he was just like a beautiful shooter and
a beautiful player. Yeah, I've been vocal because he was.
(32:22):
And it's so weird what you pick up on as
a kid, but like I had even heard, you know,
during the Chris Jackson days that he suffered from obsessive
compulsive disorder and I had it, and I was like, oh, man,
that's the only person in sports. There was a couple
of guys like I think maybe Jim Eisenright had some
sort of tick or something, and I remember them saying
it was tight end O c D. And I was like,
tell me more like screaming from my seat. But mac
(32:46):
mood for some reason was very open, and he would
like it would take like thirty minutes from the tie
shoes and like you heard that he couldn't leave the
gym until it left his fingertips perfectly. So sometimes he
was there to like two am, and I was like, Oh,
that's that's why I love him. He's I'm actually relating
to him. And when he was a kid, I mean,
I think I most certainly had O c D tendencies.
I don't know if I had the disorders like clinically defined,
(33:09):
but I had like a lot of things I had
to like touch them a certain amount of times or
like you know, evans or odds, and that was you know,
I didn't like talk to people about that. But like
when I read his story, like he'd sometimes decrying when
he was growing up, like just trying to make a
certain amount of like swishes right like, and he like
he couldn't leave the psychologically, like couldn't leave the court
(33:32):
and go home until he got it right. And I
definitely related to that, and I thought, it's not quite
that extreme to the sort of like compulsion. And it's
too bad that we weren't able to talk more about
that then, not that they didn't cover it in some
of the stories about him. And then he found some
peace with religion and that was interesting too, But I
just realized as a Kansas fan, that means you had
(33:54):
an embiede fandom in college. Oh yeah, oh yeah, that's
so lucky. And the indeed Wiggins year, because they both
only played their freshman year, that was like definitely a
possible national championship team and like the main reason they
didn't get to the final four was because Impeed already
had back problems and he very understandably sat the tournament out. Yeah,
(34:18):
and that's why I didn't really know him that well,
because I depend on the tournament to sort of get
me up on at least the top ten picks. If
it's not you know, if it's not Wiggins or you know,
obviously like a Zion or something I have to the
guy from Cameroon isn't necessarily on my radar as much
as it should be. So he grew so much in
his freshman year. He was like all of a sudden
you saw like, oh, this guy, he would have been
the number one pick if his back wasn't, you know,
(34:41):
instead of Wiggans not that Wiggins, And I mean maybe
he didn't. I don't know, but like you know what
I mean, like I think I think the right people
knew how good he could be even back then, and
it was just about like, but is he going to
stay healthy? Like you know, like it is now kind
of he's amazing. Oh, he's amazing Wiggins. It's so funny
too because we because Clippers fans Olover Candy was always
(35:02):
right up top for everyone being like for the worst
first pick. It's like Wiggins truly may have taken I mean,
I guess Bend it also, but like Bennett was so
bad and Wiggins obviously hasn't lived up to his potential
as much as he should. But I don't think Wiggins
is all I mean, I don't like to talk too
much about people. Maybe just me being a like a whim,
you know, like I'm happy for my goal of Candy
(35:23):
that he got to like to be the first thing.
And like I I get you know, and Greg Odin
and all that, you know, and I'm glad they got
their money and everything's fine. But like I think Wiggins
is better than both of those guys. But he's definitely
didn't live up to the number one pick. I'm glad
for him that he's I think on the Warriors now, yeah,
he's he's currently on Golden State. Yeah yeah, And so
(35:43):
like I think once they get their team back and
they've got like Curry back, and you know, I mean
he's just gonna be the second, third, third option, third option, yeah, third, Yeah,
So that's like a better place for him. And under
cur I think he could still have a Like there's
there's this guy that I really loved. This guy. That's
(36:04):
a weird way to start this. Like Chauncey Billips I
really loved as a kid because he grew up in Denver,
where again like I partially grew up and I saw
him playing at high school and then I saw him
playing college when he played for Colorado and came to
Kansas and and then like he got picked really hot
by the Celtics with Patino and I just didn't like
to work out. And then he bounced around a little bit.
(36:25):
I think he went to Denver for a second, but
then he ended up in Detroit. It was like three
places though it looked like his career might not work out,
and then he ended up in Detroit. Was Larry Brown,
who I love Kansas and he you know, he was
the Finals MVP when they did the Lakers and then
I had like a great run there and then had
a great like a couple of years or whatever with Mellow,
(36:45):
very good couple of years with Mellow in Denver when
he replaced Iverson and brought them to the Western Conference final.
He uh, He's an example of somebody in my mind,
it was like a really good college player like Wiggins
was and have like a little bit of trouble at
the beginning of his career because he just for whatever reason.
And I hope that Wiggans is like that in this
(37:06):
new situation. I think sometimes we forget, I mean, what
chanced out will Candy have not not that he was
doing great somewhere else, but you know what I mean, like, yeah,
he wasn't in the greatest organization and I love the Clippers. Yeah,
I love the Clippers, but he wasn't. Yeah, And at
the end of the day, I think Wiggans still averages
like just under twenty points. I think it just people
have such high expectations for him, and you know, he
(37:28):
was the number one pig. He was the number one
thing I mean, but people also have to like remember
Ordon was the third thing, I mean, the number one
picking the number like three picks. They're like, I think
I don't want to draft anywhere. Basically it's all uh,
crazy achievements. I always that's the thing during draft days
and like that guy got picked number eight in the
world for his class. Yeah, still congratulation no matter what. Well, dude,
(37:54):
I hope to see you at a Clippers game soon.
I don't know when in life will all be back
at at actual stadium or arena watching something, But I dude,
stay healthy and and uh and keep your eye out
for sports. Thank you you too, and thanks for having me.
The No Sports Report is produced and distributed by Treeport Media.
(38:18):
The show was executive produced by Kelly Garner, Lisa Ammerman,
Matthew Coogler, and me Jensen Cart Tom Monahan is our
senior audio engineer and sound supervisor, with production and editing
by Jasper Leak. Additional production help from Tim Shower, June Rosen,
and Hayley Mandelberg. Our theme music is composed by s Focus.
If you've enjoyed what you've heard, please subscribe, rate us
(38:39):
and review us on the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast,
or wherever you listen to podcasts, and please visit Feeding
America dot org if you're able to make a donation,
any amount makes a difference, and you can learn more
about other ways you can help on their website. For
more information on the No Sports Report, links to the socials,
and for show transcripts for our hearing impaired listeners, go
to tree Fort dot fm. Be Safe and Be Well.
(39:04):
The No Sports Report is a production of I Heart
Radio and tree Fort Media. For more podcasts from my
heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!