00:00 So, Carrie, I've been talking to several black women in sports for Essence all week.
00:04 You were actually on the list, but I think you were busy, so here we are today.
00:07 But I do want to ask you, when it comes to diversifying, having us in front of this camera,
00:12 as we are doing now, in sports like football, what needs to happen?
00:17 Having more of us in front of the camera, you mean?
00:21 That's interesting, because I feel as if we are at the point where we are getting more
00:26 opportunities and I think the opportunities are starting at the podcast level, the "I'll
00:32 do it myself, start from scratch" level, get it from the mud, if you will.
00:37 But in terms of these coveted positions, morning shows, ESPN, I think there needs to be more
00:45 attention to what we offer that is more unique.
00:49 Black women have such a beautiful way of telling a story that resonates with not only the actual
00:55 entity that you're discussing, which is sports, but we bring in the family, we bring in the
00:59 culture, we bring in the love, we bring in the important activism, and I think that oftentimes
01:06 that's overlooked when we are telling simple, what people think are simple sports stories.
01:11 So we just need to stay on everybody's head to make sure that they honor what we do best.
01:16 No one does it like us.
01:17 I want to talk a little football, and I've been asking this throughout the week.
01:21 I feel like the Patrick Mahomes/Gulp conversation is a tad bit premature, but I would like to
01:26 get your opinion on that.
01:28 What are your thoughts?
01:29 I am a part of the premature party.
01:32 Call me a preemie.
01:34 I have to say, when we are watching greatness in real time, there is something about our
01:41 society that can't appreciate it in real time.
01:45 And in real time, Patrick Mahomes is doing things that we haven't seen done before in
01:51 terms of his athleticism, how flexible he is.
01:53 I watched him do a ballerina backflip on the field the other day.
01:57 I'm like, wait, what do you do to do that?
02:00 What's the research said workout for you to do that?
02:04 And he's so young, and he has so much more to go, and he plays through pain.
02:08 We watched him play through pain last year just to win another chip, and I just have
02:12 to respect it.
02:14 You just have to respect it.
02:15 Now listen, he's not Tom Brady, but Tom Brady's like, I see him coming.
02:19 I see seven rings, maybe eight for him.
02:22 I see him on the horizon of being the GOAT.
02:25 But in real time, we have to appreciate it.
02:27 We did that with LeBron.
02:28 We shouldn't do this with Patrick Mahomes.
02:30 Word of caution, a couple more questions for you.
02:32 I do want to ask you, you've been at a lot of award shows, participated in them and all
02:37 of that, but what makes NFL honors so special to you?
02:40 What's the separator?
02:41 I think it's a nice time for the athletes that we don't get to see.
02:45 And what I mean by that is, football is a sport where your face is covered.
02:49 And unless you're the tight end or the wide out or the quarterback, there's a lot of times
02:53 we don't know who these people are.
02:55 And then there's another part of this that they don't just do these great things on the
02:58 field, they do so many amazing things off the field.
03:01 So it's the night where they can come together, their helmets are off, we can see their faces,
03:05 they can dress up, outside of a draft night, right?
03:08 This is their night to be honored for what they do all season long, on and off the field.
03:13 And it really is a celebration of those who don't get to be celebrated as much.
03:16 And so I love NFL honors for that.
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