Sue Bird

Episode 374 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sue Bird, the five-time Olympic gold medalist, four-time WNBA champion, and the host of “Sue’s Places,” an ESPN+ original series that features Bird exploring the history and traditions of college basketball. The series is currently in the middle of a 10-episode run. In this podcast, Bird discusses athlete-owned media and the production company she and her fiancee, the soccer great Megan Rapinoe, recently formed; the influence of LeBron James on athlete-owned media production companies; how she views the traditional sports press; the Steph Curry versus Sabrina Ionescu 3-point shooting contest and Kenny Smith’s comments; why it was important for Ionescu to shoot from the NBA 3-point line;  how “Sue’s Places” became a series; traveling to meet Caitlin Clark, Dawn Staley, Natasha Cloud, and The Hawk at St. Joe’s; the future of “The Bird and Taurasi Show” at the Women’s Final Four; why Clark captured the public’s attention from her perspective; how Bird projects Clark in the WNBA; what Bird would do if she had Clark’s decision; being marketed as a straight girl next-door in her 20s; whether an openly gay star basketball player in college can have the same endorsement potential as someone who is marketed as the girl next door; playing in Russia; potential replacements for UConn coach Geno Auriemma; where she hops her media companies are in five years and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more.