It’s apt that Cari Champion has the surname she does when her career has been devoted to covering the upper echelon of talent in competitive sports. After an early role at the assignment desk of a local news station taught her how to look for and break a story, her now nearly 25-year-long career has encompassed covering Venus and Serena Williams while reporting for the Tennis Channel, hosting ESPN2’s First Take, and exclusive sit-down interviews with the likes of former NFL quarterback Cam Newton and Sacramento Kings player DeMar DeRozan. Across her TV ventures—and now, with her podcast, “Naked Sports”—her mission is clear: to highlight sports’ impact on culture and politics, and uplift marginalized voices in the process.

With interest in women’s sports at an all-time high with record viewership, engagement, and ad spends, Champion’s POV on the relationship between sports and the world has never been more relevant; from her eponymous Amazon Prime show to her regular contributions to CNN, she’s tackled everything from the impact of NCAA eligibility rules on college athletes and their earnings to the media’s coverage of Caitlin Clark. Here, in her own words, she shares the past, present, and future of her vision for helping voices, that otherwise don’t have a platform, be heard—and why the stories we choose to tell, and listen to, should have impact and meaning.  

I remember it like it was yesterday. When I was a kid, I saw Oprah Winfrey on TV and I was just energized. I said, “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.” I knew I wanted to be speaking for those who couldn’t speak for themselves. Seeing someone who looked like me, it made me realize how important it was to have representation. That’s why I’ve found myself speaking out for women and on behalf of marginalized people and adding nuance to conversations that, quite frankly, this country does not want to have. 

My grandmother played basketball in the segregated South and she was a die-hard Laker fan, which I am, too. I would always hang out with her and watch the Lakers; that really put me on this trajectory. I started my career at the Tennis Channel, then I went to ESPN. To me, sports is the great unifier. But what I was really interested in was the intersection of sports with culture and politics. I’ve been able to create a niche for myself that allows me to live in these different worlds. My friend Jemele [Hill] and I had a show on Vice called Stick to Sports in 2020. It was a running theme for conservatives that there should be no politics in sports. But what about the National Anthem or military flyovers? Sports is political in a lot of ways.

I did an interview for my podcast, “Naked Sports,” [in 2021] with former basketball player Stephen Jackson, who was close friends was George Floyd. In fact, they looked alike and used to call each other “brother.” I remember him saying that athletes often don’t find people interested in their opinion. But during that time, there was a lot of upheaval in our world, and athletes were able to find their voice: LeBron [James] was really vocal; WNBA players were—and always have been—very vocal. 2020 was really our year to take stock and realize these athletes have something to say; they are affected; they come from these communities; they come from places where their family members and friends can be marginalized.

Whatever I wear on TV, or out with my friends, it’s mandatory that I’m comfortable. I don’t want to tug on my shirt or pull on my pants; if I’m adjusting myself, I’m upset. My normal look is a mix of comfy, sexy, and chic; something that makes me feel like a woman, but can be casual enough for after work. My style is mine. I own it. I’m not trying to be like anyone else.

I’m working on a podcast series with the WNBA on what’s happening between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, and what women do when they have the world’s attention. We show off and we redefine the archaic stereotypes of how women should play sports. There are people who are watching and—oh, clutches pearls—but quite boldly and quite loudly these athletes are saying: “I am an athlete first and foremost; yes I am a woman, but I am an athlete, I am a competitor.” 

It’s been a long time coming, and we’re seeing the benefits of Title IX in real life—why it is so important for women to have equal rights and play sports at every level. Sooner than later, all women’s professional sports will catch up with compensation, and then we’re really going to have something to hang our hats on. 

I want to be remembered for being] authentically myself, that I told stories that mattered to the culture and community and had impact. We’re supposed to hold the door open for the next generation and show people it can be done. You don’t have to let society define what your role should be. We can do all things, we can do all jobs, and we can redefine what the roles are and make them ourselves.