On Wednesday, December 6, The Undefeated, ESPN’s multiplatform initiative focusing on the intersections of sports, race and culture, will launch The Plug (#theplugESPN) – a weekly podcast featuring authentic conversations on the hottest topics in sports, race and culture. The pod will also feature interviews with newsmakers in the pop-culture genre.
Weekly, #theplugESPN will tackle topical issues of interest to a younger audience. Audio versions of the podcast will post on Wednesdays. The 60-minute (approximate) conversation will live on www.TheUndefeated.com, the ESPN App and Apple podcasts.
A trio of emerging ESPN voices will host #theplugESPN: Chiney Ogwumike, Bristol, Conn.-based SportsCenter Africa host, who parlayed her experiences as a three-time All-American athlete at Stanford University and a WNBA All-Star into a burgeoning career and voice in sports media in the United States and English-speaking African countries. Justin Tinsley, The Undefeated’s critically acclaimed culture and sports writer, whose work includes a review of Jay Z’s 4:44 album, a look at Suge Knight’s brief football career, and more. Kayla Johnson, an ESPN social media producer and a contributor to The Undefeated, who is garnering public acclaim as an expert in topics at the confluence of sports and pop-culture.
#theplugESPN is produced by Tesfaye Negussie, a Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism graduate whose work has appeared on PBS NOW, The Grio, Voice of America, The Washington Post Magazine, NPR, and more. Negussie is associate producer of SportsCenter Africa.