The advancements in modern technology and all the different mediums that people can consume content from have led to a beautiful thing: fans of sports can now get direct insights from the players involved in them.
A pioneer in this movement has been The Players' Tribune -- a media company founded by Derek Jeter with the goal of giving athletes a platform to express themselves.
With podcasts like "Knuckleheads" (with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles), "Truss Levelz" (with Mark Ingram and Cam Jordan), and "Blindsided" (with Corey Hirsch), The Players' Tribune is no stranger to empowering current/former athletes to speak on the plight of those in their craft.
Recently, the media company has embarked on a new journey: to bring greater attention to women's basketball.
To embark on this crusade, The Players' Tribune teamed up with current Atlanta Dream wing Haley Jones in 2023 to create her own podcast (which is now 40 episodes old), "Sometimes I Hoop."
"I like sharing stories of my peers and serving as an advocate for girls in sports," Jones told me in an exclusive interview for Forbes. "As someone who has dedicated their life to playing basketball, I think it's important to shine a light on athletes beyond the game and share insight into who we are off of the court. The podcast provides a space for discussions that advance women's hoops and serves as a way for fans to connect with their favorite players and learn more about what makes them who they are."
"Sometimes I Hoop is a Players' Tribune original video podcast series where every week, I am joined by the top stars in both women's college and professional basketball to break down the biggest and latest news in hoops and in the basketball community. From hot takes and unpopular opinions to breaking down the X's and O's on the court, I cover it all with some of the most talented players set for monumental careers in the NCAAW and the big leagues."
Jones is currently gearing up for her third season as a WNBA player. Before that, she put together an esteemed college basketball career at Stanford -- leading them to a 2021 national championship (their first since 1992) and earning the Final Four Most Outstanding Player award in the process.
Given her status as a legendary college star and current WNBA player, Jones is the perfect candidate to host a podcast like this. But in a world where new podcasts are emerging every single day, you need to be more than qualified to command a viewer's attention.
Ashly Robinson, a former four-year basketball player at the University of Denver and current Head of Original Development and Production at The Players' Tribune, works directly with Jones on the production of the show, whether it be scheduling, coming up with creative ideas, or offering performance feedback, Robinson has a hand in all of it. And she believes that Jones is more than equipped to handle this highly competitive landscape.
"Yes, it is saturated, but if you have passion and you have a unique perspective, there will always be room for you in the space," Robinson explained to me. Jones came into this with her own unique vision of what the podcast could be, and that's why it is successful."
"Jones is a talker. She is naturally curious. She is very genuine and really wants to relate with people," Robinson said. "She's been on the receiving end of a lot of interviews. And there have been a lot of times when she felt disconnected from the interviewer. Jones doesn't want the people she's interviewing to feel that way. She wants to feel connected to them."
Robinson continued to explain why Jones' podcast offers something different than other podcasts: "People interview women, but they ask them what's in their bag or what clothes they wear. They don't ask them to break down the game."
"Jones' podcast gives you the best of both worlds. She gives you her personality, but she also lets you know that she can hoop, and she's here because she's one of the best basketball players on the planet."
Jones gives young women gearing up to go through the recruiting/college process a heads up on what to expect while also providing fans with analysis you can't get from two-minute postgame interviews or five-minute talk show segments.
With Jones, you always know you're going to get the best possible product. No matter what she does, Jones is an athlete at heart, meaning she's obsessed with being the absolute best she can be. Once an amateur podcast listener, Jones now binges them -- eager to pick up any subtle tricks that can improve her game.
"I didn't really listen to podcasts before The Players' Tribune brought the opportunity to me. Once they did, I started to listen to all podcasts -- ranging from murder mysteries to fashion to sports," Jones explained to me. "The Cutting Room Floor is a fashion podcast that I thoroughly enjoy really because of the interviewer (Recho Omondi). She does an amazing job of researching her clients to be prepared for the interview while also going with the flow of the guests' answers. I try to emulate her style in my own way by making my guests feel heard and taking the interview where they want to go while still keeping it conversational."
Outside of expanding the conversation around her beloved sport, Jones hopes to parlay her podcast into a full-time media career after her playing days are over -- following in the footsteps of her Tribune colleagues, Miles and Richardson.
"I want to play basketball for as long as I can, but I know that our playing days won't last forever. When earning my degree from Stanford, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in media not just after my playing career ends, but also while I'm playing in North America and overseas," Jones said. "My relationship with The Players' Tribune is incredibly important to me as it has given me the platform to begin my career in this space and learn from their talented team of producers and editors who I work with on the podcast."
Speaking of her game, don't fall into the lazy trap of thinking that just because Jones has passions outside of basketball, she's somehow neglecting her responsibilities as a player. In fact, one could argue that her experience with the podcast has made her a better player on the floor.
"I think it's just a normal criticism and sometimes low-hanging fruit for media and fans to use to justify someone who might not be playing their best. As professional athletes, I do believe that training, practice, and on-the-court performance should always be the priority," Jones told me. "However, that does not mean that athletes cannot and should not have other interests - it's all of our passions and interests that motivate us to be the best we can be overall. You just have to make the time and put in the work."
Jones continued, "In certain ways, podcasting has helped me understand more about chemistry and camaraderie with my fellow athletes. I think developing a relationship with each guest on the show is vital in creating episodes that are captivating and a great listen for the audience. I think those tools have helped me as a teammate and as I transition from my first two years in the pros into a veteran in this league. Developing relationships and rapport are key to success both on the court and in an interview."
Since Jones started her podcast, other former college icons have followed her lead (most notably, Angel Reese). But at the end of the day, Sometimes I Hoop isn't just a phase for Jones or The Players' Tribune or a way to get ahead of the curve. For them, the current rise in popularity of women's basketball isn't just a fab that will come and go. It is here to stay, and it deserves to be that way. "Women's basketball is at a surge. Coverage in women's basketball is at a surge. But it's not a moment," Robinson emphasized.
"We take that very seriously with the pod. We are finding the names that need to be highlighted. We are here to give these young women a platform to tell their stories. To let people know who they are on and off the court. It's not just because women's basketball is popping right now or that it's popular to support it right now. It's because these players' stories must get told."