New podcast creates a safe space for athletes to share political opinions

Emily Austin has mastered the art of blending sports talk with politics in her career.

The 24-year-old has interviewed President Donald Trump and Galen Bronson, and she’s putting her expertise into her podcast, “The Emily Austin Show.”

the The podcast dropped on TuesdayHer first guest was former New York governor turned mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo. Other episodes will feature Mitchell Robinson, Ryan Garcia, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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“It was never my intention to be political, but sometimes, that’s what I tell people,” Austin said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.

This assignment was because she realized, while attending Hofstra University, that she “couldn’t live under another Biden presidency” while she was not allowed on campus because of her vaccination status. At the time, though, Austin already had a successful NBA podcast, “The Hoop Chat,” which she used to her advantage.

“I was really fed up. At that point, I had to do something about it, because I realized I had a platform, and what’s the point of having a platform if you’re not standing up for something you believe in?” Austin said.

So she decided to give up her love and experience in sports and become a political commentator, mixing with sports whenever necessary.

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“What I’m glad has come out of the podcast is everyone is asking me ‘How do you stay political and stay in sports?’ “What I’ve realized is that every sports person on my podcast has their own political opinion, too,” Austin said. “And a lot of them agree with me, and a lot of them don’t. But at least we have that relationship to have a dialogue about it.

“You don’t know how many NBA players I’ve interviewed that are MAGA, and they would never feel comfortable coming out. I try to encourage them, the way your teammates are accepting of you being a Democrat, you have to be okay with disagreeing with them and being a Republican. There should just be a safe space for people to express their political opinions.”

Highlighting the political views of athletes isn’t even Austin’s ultimate goal, she said. All you want is to feel comfortable so you can discuss issues, no matter which side the athlete or politician is on.

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“If the conversation stays limited to sports, so be it. But if, let’s just say, I have a guest coming who’s going to announce that he voted for Trump, and that’s going to break the Internet, that’s going to come, too,” Austin said. “So it’s really like a safe space for dialogue that covers everything without restrictions. I don’t want anyone to feel like there are any boundaries or any lines that can’t be crossed. Whatever needs to be said will be said on The Emily Austin Show.”

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