The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2023: The Port-A-Potty and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

Episode 338 of the Sports Media Podcast features two writers who were selected for The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2023 analogy. They are Ryen Hockensmith of ESPN and Sarah Hepola of Texas Monthly. In this podcast Hockensmith discusses his story (“The Secret MVP of Sports? The Port-A-Potty”) and how it came to be; the importance of the Port-a-Potty at sporting events; the challenges of reporting and writing this piece; his piece on the life of a sports gambling help worker, which was an Honorable Mention selection, and more. Hepola discusses her piece (“A Half Century of High Kicks and Hot Pants”) and how it came to be; the culture importance and history of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders; the financial exploitation of the women who were part of the group; how she came to the story; how the cheerleaders are viewed today and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more.