If you are like me, you have way too many podcasts saved that you’ve been meaning to listen to, just to let them accumulate as you listen to the same song fifteen hundred times. Recently, I made a vow to myself to listen to all the podcasts I have saved on my Spotify in order to “clean” it out, because for some reason, having too many podcasts gives me anxiety. Anyways, here’s what I have been listening to.
Summer of gold
Summer of Gold is about the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, specifically the women’s basketball, softball, soccer, and gymnastics teams, and their success that would propel women’s sports forward for the next 25 years. The podcast, led by Michelle Quan, highlights the triumphs and defeats of the teams, specifically the soccer team’s loss to the Netherlands and Kerri Strug’s famous vault. It also highlights the hardships the team went through during the Olympics. Many times the women’s teams were not being taken seriously because according to the higher-ups at the Olympics and NBC, “no one watches women’s sports”. It highlights how the women of these teams had to fight to be taken seriously as athletes. The podcast is like listening to a sports movie, it has its highs and lows, but overall it is incredibly inspirational.
Listen to Summer of Gold here.
up first
Up First is a news podcast by NPR that gives you the top news stories in 15-minute episodes. If you’re super busy in the mornings or just don’t have time to watch or endlessly scroll on Twitter for the news, Up First is the perfect way to get your news. It’s perfect to listen to while you’re getting ready, walking/commuting or eating breakfast, the best part is that it doesn’t take up your time in the morning. Up First not only gives you news concerning the U.S, but it also talks about international news as well. Up First has cemented itself in my morning routine and it also kinda makes me feel like I have my life together.
Listen to Up First here.
embedded
Another podcast by NPR, Embedded takes a story from the news and does a deep dive into the story, getting the details that you might not get from a regular article or segment. Their most recent story that they have done was about the Yonkers police department, the abuse they’ve done against the Yonkers community, and their struggle to reform the department. This podcast was actually introduced to me when I was listening to Up First one morning. The first episode about the Yonkers police department was actually featured on Up First and it instantly hooked me. This series highlights the pain of the Yonkers community and the struggles the community goes through to hold the police department accountable. Embedded shows the many sides and nuances of police brutality and how it affects the community and the people that are being abused. The journalists involved are absolutely incredible and they were not afraid of asking hard questions and confronting the Yonkers police department about their past.
Listen to Embedded here.
alt. Latino
Alt. Latino is another podcast by NPR (I promise I am not sponsored by NPR, their podcasts are just really good). The show has recently had a rebranding but its purpose is the same: to discuss Latinx culture through music. Alt. Latino has recently interviewed artists like Omar Apollo and Rosalia, and they’ve interviewed many other artists in their past episodes. They also talk about and uplift queer and female artists; in one of my favorite episodes, they talk about Latinas in punk music and how they influenced the punk scene. Alt. Latino is a great way to get into Latin music, and, if you’re like me, someone who’s trying to reconnect with their culture, Alt. Latino is a great podcast for that.
Listen to Alt. Latino here.