Hey, what's up, everybody. I'm Jamel Hill and welcome to politics. And I heard podcasts and unbothered production time to get spolitical. At the time of this recording, we're just a few days away from the Super Bowl between Kansas City and Philadelphia. And for what it's worth, I've got Kansas City clinching the first three peat in NFL history.
But besides the game, what.
Millions of people are looking forward to is the Super Bowl halftime show, which this year features Kendrick Lamar, who is fresh off winning fifty eleven Grammys. Now, last year, Usher's Super Bowl halftime performance drew over one hundred and thirty million viewers. But believe it or not, there was a time where halftime shows, super Bowls or otherwise, weren't a thing at all, and certainly not any kind of
pop culture mega event. When halftime came, players just went to the locker room and that was kind of it. But that all changed in nineteen twenty two when the very first halftime show for a professional football game took place, and it wasn't some grand entertainer who performed for the fans.
It was dogs who were the main attraction. A man named Lawalter.
Lingo was one of the top breeders of Airdale Terriers, which were the most popular dogs in America at the time. Now Lingo became good friends with Jim Thorpe, the indigenous football icon who had been playing professional football for years. Lingo's big idea was to create a pro football team whose main function would be as an advertisement vehicle to sell his dogs, which were going for about one hundred
dollars a pop, big money in those days. The deal was Lingo Paithorp five hundred dollars a week to be a player, coach and to put together an all Native American team. But the players Thorpe recruited we didn't just played football. They would also work in Lingo's kennels. Lingo wanted the Oorang Indians, the name of the team, to pattern their games after the popular Wild Wild West shows
of the era. Lingo also noticed there was a lot of empty time before and during the game, so Lingo would have the players performed traditional Native American dances before the games and at various intervals during the game, but most importantly, when it was halftime, the players would perform tricks with the dogs, and Thorpe would also do dropkicking exhibitions, and those.
Were your early football halftime shows.
It wasn't until some forty years later that the first Super Bowl was played, a nineteen sixty seven matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, this was before the AFC and the NFC merged to become the NFL as we know it today, and that first Super Bowl halftime show also didn't feature some big
time celebrity. The halftime performers for the first Super Bowl were as follows, the University of Arizona, a symphonic marching band featuring renowned trumpeter Alhert whose nickname was the Round Mound of Sound, the Anaheim High School Drill Team, and the Grambling State Marching Band. Now, back then, the Super Bowl halftime show just wasn't a big deal. For years, it was dominated largely by college marching bands, with the
occasional celebrity popping up here and there. When you look at some of those halftime shows in the nineteen seventies and eighties, a lot of them come off like very cheesy game shows. Here's the nineteen seventy eight Super Bowl halftime show.
On Earth Earth one point on earth Point earth.
Point o Mine. I think you got to be kind of high to understand what that was. Then there was the nineteen eighty two Super Bowl halftime show, which featured cast members from Up with People.
The theme was an ode to the nineteen sixties.
Today, we're going to bring back some of those unforgettable songs and sounds of the nineteen sixties.
It was a time of.
Momentous change, and the musical was changing too, for so many exciting innovations and insta hudgens, from the Beach Boys to the Beatles, Circling to Soul, we Nanny to Motown and here are just a few of the highlights.
Well, isn't that swell?
But in nineteen ninety two, the NFL finally realized it had to stop trotting out these terrible, extremely forgettable halftime shows. A fire got lit under them, and it was all the black people's fault. In nineteen ninety two, the halftime performers for the Super Bowl were Gloria Estefan and Olympic skaters Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill.
The theme of the show was Winter Magic, How.
Everybody is come on a field, the hole, come a minute Winter's ahead of the time of the year Winter byd.
Now.
God blessed Gloria Estefan, who was a pop icon, but nobody he was watching her Brian Bortano or Dorothy Hammel on CBS.
Instead, everybody turned to Fox.
Because In Living Color decided to put on their own halftime show opposite of the Super Bowl.
Hey, I know you guys are thinking, you were thinking her.
These bozo's gonna make us miss any part of the second half.
That's where this comes in our super Bowl countdown clock. It'll be coming on later in the show to let you know when to switch back to the second half. You won't miss any of the senseless brutality.
But check this out. The Bad Boys and Comedy got a lot of action for you.
Right here find Marshall, Bill men On and calling me bad performing here live, and about two thousand censors ready to pull a plug at any moments.
So if you're ready, Hey, we're ready. So let's hang out with the home boys right now? What's up?
That In Living Color halftime show drew over twenty million viewers,
and the NFL decided I'm not on our watch. So in nineteen ninety three, for super Bowl twenty seven, after eleven months of negotiation with the King of Pop, the NFL changed the course of Super Bowl halftime shows forever when they brought out Michael Jackson, who apparently was finally convinced to do the show after the NFL mentioned to him that the super Bowl would air in one hundred and twenty countries so his performance could be seen in places he might not ever be able to perform in
concert and true deform, Michael Jackson, as he so often did, gave us a performance we would never forget. Michael Jackson stood on a stage for two full minutes, didn't move, didn't say nothing, and he damn near had everybody passing out. One hundred and thirty three million people watched that halftime show, a record at the time, but after that the NFL wasn't going back to their great value version of ice
capades again blamed the black people. The super Bowl halftime show grew to be such an iconic stage that the NFL was able to convince the biggest stars in the world to perform for free. The NFL pays the cost of the production and the artist travel fees, but that's it. For example, the NFL paid thirteen million to cover the costs of ciated with Usher's performance in twenty twenty four, and in some cases the NFL also has donated to the charity of the artist's choice, as was the case
with Michael Jackson. On top of paying his production costs, the NFL donated one hundred thousand dollars to Heal the World Foundation. In fact, super Bowl performers are only paid union wages, which might amount to a little over one thousand dollars per day, but they cash in on the exposure.
But even with the Super.
Bowl halftime show being as big as it is, that doesn't mean it has been impervious to criticism. In twenty nineteen, the NFL was having a difficult time finding a performer for the Super Bowl halftime show because of the widespread support for Colin Kaepernick, who when twenty sixteen, began protesting racial injustice and police brutality by taking a knee during.
The national anthem.
In twenty nineteen, the NFL reportedly wanted Rihanna, but she declined in support of Kaepernick's protests. Variety also reported the NFL reached out to Pink Andre three thousand, Mary J. Blige, Cardi b Usher. All of them said no.
Now.
Eventually, the NFL that year was able to convince Maroon Five, Travis Scott, and Big Boy to be performers, but that was met with severe backlash. People wondered if the NFL's biggest stage.
Was now tainted.
And then came along Jay Z, the NFL partner with Jay Z and Rod Nation, who took over the halftime show after twenty nineteen, and since then, the performers that we've seen have been The Weekend, Rihanna, Usher, Snoop, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Doctor Dre fifty Cent, j Low Shakir, and now Kendrick Lamar is the headliner for this year's Super Bowl. In the end, I guess what Jay Z said during the announcement of this partnership with the NFL turned out to be true.
Okay, I think we've passed kneeling. I'm Jamel Hill and I approve this message.
Coming up next on politics, my favorite reality show on television right now is.
Special Forces World's Toughest Test.
It airs on Fox, and the gist of it is you have sixteen celebrities from sports, social media, and entertainment who try to prove that they have what it takes to be a part of America's elite special forces unit. Now they're jumping off bridges, doing hand to hand combat
like some really wild shit, and enduring some truly crazy things. Well, my guest today is a contestant this season, and that couldn't be more fitting, because not only is she an elite athlete, but she knows what it's like to endure. She was once considered the world's fastest woman, but her Olympic career was destroyed after she was convicted for lying the federal investigators about her use of performance enhancing drugs. She served six months in prison and basically disappeared from
the Spotlight. But this show and a new podcast she's launching soon our Avenue, she's using to show people your worst moment doesn't have to be your defining one. This woman has a testimony one that she's eager to share. Coming up next on Politics, Marion Jones. So, Mary and I am going to start this podcast the way I start every podcast. I ask every guest that appears on Spolitics this question, Name a athlete or a sports moment that made you love sports.
I'm gonna give you two if that's okay. Sis. So, I'm originally from California, Los Angeles to be specific, And in nineteen eighty four, I was nine years old and this was way back in the day, and people listening to this watching this will remember that back in the day, the US used to parade their athletes in the Olympic city prior to the games, even starting right, so you had an opportunity to see the greats of sport, like
literally in a ticker tape parade in your city. And I knew, my mom knew, like we didn't have the resources to actually go to the events, but my mom was like the next best thing besides watching it on television is to go to the parade. And so I remember standing on the streets in Los Angeles and watching the Carl Lewis's, watching the Jackie Joyner Cursey's like parade in front of me, and then that summer at the age of nine, watching the Games for the first time,
and that being everything for me. I didn't specifically know at what sport I did, it didn't matter. I wanted to feel whatever they were exuding when they crossed that finish line first, like, tell me what I need to do, tell me where I need to go, how I need to train, how I need to be. That's what I want. So that's the first thing. The second moments, I suppose
is being a part of a team. So I've had the pleasure of not only being a part of an individual sport in the sport of track and field, where by you think it's individual, but it really does take a team to get these athletes ready and all that, but to actually be a part really of a team sport that has surpassed so many doubters and gain the respect like so so being a part of the ninety three national championship team at the University of North Carolina
and creating a bond with these women whom I consider my sisters, who like we are still like this to this day also ranks probably for me, one of one
of the greatest sports stories in all of sports. Besides just us winning the national championship at the point zero point seven seconds to go, like that of itself is an incredible story, but the bond that was created from at the beginning of the season, like nobody had us on any radar, like no radar, we were barely we might barely win a few games in the ACC, right when it was like the ACC is not like the ACC now, whereby you got teams from California coming to
North Carolina to play, which is again a whole other story that we can sit and talk about, which I don't understand. But those are probably the two greatest moments for me, right, They're very personal, and that that was my first summer introduction to the to the world of sport, and there was something about it that I knew.
I needed to Hatchell.
Coach, Sylvia Hatchell, you guys were thirty three and two. Yeah, Charlotte Smith.
Was the one who hit the buzzer beater, I believe, and you were a freshman.
I was a freshman, but I helped to get the jump ball that allowed us to get the pass into Charlotte. So, I mean I was the frozen freshman on the top of the key, right, Like they knew that I wouldn't. I wasn't hitting any three pointer, okay, So I was kind of a decoy at the top of the sheet.
They knew that I wasn't getting the ball, but hey, it was It was an incredible moment, and you know the fact that we just celebrated a few years back, like our thirtieth year anniversary, Like what, like, there's no way that it's been thirty years. Hey, it's amazing, So marry.
The first time I ever met you, it was I was living in North Carolina.
I was a reporter for the News and Observer And do you Oh.
I hope I was kind you were.
This was nineteen ninety seven or nineteen ninety eight. You were training at NC State, Okay, and I believe your coach was Trevor Graham yep. And they had dispatched me out to do a story on you because you were in prep moo for the two thousand Games. And you know, I have to be honest, like at that point, this was my first professional job out of college.
As a sports reporter.
I had not I was not familiar with you at all because I didn't follow track and field that closely.
But everybody around there.
Was like, no, no, no, this is going to be the next great track Olympian.
Be a How did I not know this?
If you went into the archives of the News and Observer, you will find that I wrote a story about you and your preparation for this because you probably remember this reporter because he was the Olympic track guy, Jean Cheerry. Oh yeah, yes, yes, Jean was the guy. But for
some reason he couldn't do the story on you. I don't know what it was, but they asked me to step in and go to n C State and talk to Trevor and talk to you and you were working out, and I was like, man, I don't know much about track, but she seems really good people, and they, you know, looking doing my research before I headed into the interview to ask you about your prep and everything. You know, you brought up with that moment in to you in
eighty four in high school. You were running Olympic level times in high school, which was crazy to me. And at the time in North Carolina, there was all this talk because you had decided not to continue your basketball career, and everybody was just like, did she make the right decision? I don't think she did. Like it was just so much, you know, dare I say controversy. I don't know if I'm being hyperbole, but like, you were probably one of my earliest moment in my career.
Where I was like I knew her win, that's dope.
I'm so glad that you shared that and I always like, I know, like character wise who I am and who I am to people, And regardless of if this was your like you know, first major, I always like was I was I cool? Because that was really actually looking back in ninety seven when I had made the decision to step away from basketball because I missed the sport of track and field, I loved it. People in that area though in North Carolina like knew me as a
basketball player. The rest of the world knew me and was surprised that I had gone to North Carolina to play basketball. But I just I just felt like it was time and yeah, that's that's just a cool story.
Things come full circle, it sure, yes, yeah, So it was just sort of amazing, like, oh my goodness. And when you went on and obviously all the things you did Sydney, it was just like even more remarkable, Like I sare like I remember, you know, I could always have that as a feather in the cap. But nevertheless, what I definitely want to get to because I know I don't have a ton of time with you, is we got to get to Special Forces World. Stuff is
tests its season three. It's on Fox at premiere January eighth, I am a stand.
Of this show. I've been watching since season one.
So what you when you announced on your Instagram that you were going to be a part of this, I was like, oh shit, like it's going down now for those who are not familiar, and you better get familiar.
You should watch the show.
And I agree with you. You got to watch it from season one, like you have to understand the story.
You know you can pilot in.
You can watch this season like that's fine, but like I think you really need to watch and see and really get a feel for it by watching it from season one. And it's it's an easy bitch, so folks don't worry about it. Yeah, But essentially what happens is they take sixteen celebrities, you go through I guess, uh special Forces type training.
That's yeah, which is which is for folks that don't know, it's like an elite military style of training, right, Like they only take for in the real world of this, They only take the best of the best to potentially be part of Special Forces. Right. So this is not Johnny who doesn't know what he wants to do with his life after high school and he signs up like that. That's not what we're talking about.
So this is more elevated than that, I should say, yeah.
And it's it's important to know that these are people whom attempt this type of training, who have been in the military for a number of years, right, and who have shown certain character traits physical, mental, emotional, and they are ready for this type of training. So so for people who are like, oh, no, you know this is just a show, I am here right to tell you that, yes,
you know. It's a show on Fox. Is also being streamed on Hulu by the way, for those that want to binge watch Heason one in season two and season three. But they put together sixteen of us from all walks of life, entertainment, social media, and of course sports to see who, in essence could last. It took tens supposed to take ten days, and they take us through. They take us through it. When I say that it's nothing just for TV, it is not the challenges they have
us going through. The things they have us doing, and not just have us doing, but things that for people who have no military background besides back in the day. And I'm telling all my age who binge watch.
Mash Okay, you're going to tell you in age, by the way, So like, okay, I did it, although you know I in another world in another time.
I one of the reasons, and there's a number of them that I'll get to in a moment, but one of the reasons I agreed to do it is because in another world, since I really think that like Navy Seals, like that world would have been for me, Like I have that type of mental toughness, like physically I'm elite. I mean, I'm not tiptoeing around that, right, and like I want to do good and I want to do right by my people, right, like that type of stuff.
So I could totally have seen in another world I'm a dick anything Navy Seals type training, like that's what I'm binge watching. So to be a part of this, like again, I want to try it, right, And you know, it checked a lot of boxes for me. I checked the need for a physical challenge because I'm at a point now I had taken a ten year hiatus from like the Spotlight, and I found that because of that.
I mean, do I train, do I work out? Yes? Yes, yes, But it's different, right, It's different to train like that compared to what I put my body through to get ready for the show. So I needed a physical challenge.
I needed a mental toughness type of challenge because we also find that as we get older, we start fitting into this world of comfort, right, Like, hey, it's part of it, right, But the moment that we do that, I'm learning, I'm tapping on the door of fifty years all this year that the more we get comfortable, the quicker it is to age, if that makes sense, right, Like I'm at a point where every year until the Good Lord calls me home, I am going to put
on my calendar something so far outside of my comfort zone, which will include in twenty twenty five a triathlon which we can touch on here in a little bit, right like swim bike right what? But I found I don't like like the comfort space. No, people misunder don't misunderstand it. Like like I like a good, warm, home cooked meal, right, and I like the warmth of my house and all those types of things. But you gotta do something that's
gonna challenge you or you're just gonna get stuck. So special forces check that boxes and then lastly, know I want I just want to continue for my kids to see that you get stuck. You have challenges, you have setbacks. You don't have to stay there, right, And me putting myself out there, stepping into this unknown world, and you know where I'm gonna be asked questions. I'm gonna be in the mirror room. It's the interrogation room. I'm gonna have to do things that are gonna like a challenge
me to no end. I needed them to see that. So that checked that box too. That's why I decided to do it.
And I want people out there who are listening to understand that the challenges that they put you all through, these are not just oh, you know, run one hundred yards no, no, no, no, no, no no no. This is some ship that like there is I don't know how you all would do it. And I'm like, how do you convince yourself to jump off this helicopter?
And then or even the episode where.
You you had to get the box, you had to untangle the box that from the sinking ship, right, and so let's.
Talk about it by the way you are.
So there are a few I was like, oh my god, right there, like you got it, but school the last group I think it was. There are a.
Few of the physical challenges like jumping on the helicopter, like like, really, that's just physical to me, right, Like, there are some people who were really thrown off by that. That's nothing you just the minute I saw them demo it, the the DS demo it, and I realized people, some of my my my cast meets, my team were say I'm gonna jump and hold on to it like this, and I'm thinking, okay, there are very few of these people here that can withstand their body weight naturally on a pull up.
Let alone.
You have a moving helicopter, let alone, it's cold, let alone, you got to Oh no, so I'm going to jump on and grab it by here because I can hold myself immediately I had made that. So the physical challenge is jumping off the bridge, all right, I mean, yeah, some people have a fear of heights oobia. Not me,
so it wasn't an issue. The challenge that you're referring to, I us call it the black box challenge, whereby you have to be in the water in the ocean and this boat is being submerged waters lifting the boats going down and you get the thumbs up from the DS to swim down unhook the black box, grab it, swim out of the boat, and it's a pass. Right. And when they're explaining this to us, this right like, they
do it purposefully, very quickly, right. They don't say, they don't take their time and you have to screw and you have to do this. They say, the mission is to get the black box out of the water.
Cool.
I can do that. So I find myself water going down is cold. I'm not a fan of the cold. I'm not a fan of the water, right, But again, I know how to get myself there and deal with it. So I swim down. I decided to interlock my fingers in the bottom of the boat right with my right hand, which is my first mistake. I'll tell you why. Because I am right handed, so I should have interlocked my hand with my left hand so I can use my right to manipulate, because naturally this is my my left
hand is my weekend. Anyways, I unscrew it and it seems to be moving cool. I just grabbed the thing.
I didn't know it was hooked up in the back and all that.
So you'll see me when I swim to the surface with the box. I am very confident that I did what I was supposed to do. I swim to the side, swim over to the DS and you'll see me. He'll say, you know number six, because they don't call you by your name, number six. How do you think you did well? I mean, I'm not feeling I'm a little cocky, but I don't want it to come across like that. And I say, hey, you know, I think I did well, and he goes, you fail the mission, right, You're not
supposed to grab the black box. And then and so I'm disappointed in that moment because I want to succeed. And then I think to myself, ah, it makes sense in this real environment because every moment you have to go back and say, this is a real thing. If I don't do this how it's supposed to be done, uh, the enemy can get information like you have to put yourself in how it really is. The enemy can get the information if you don't have the box right, all.
Kinds of things.
And realizing that, hmm, if I had maybe done some different things that you know, we would have failed, we would have I would have passed the mission. So frustration when it comes to that, but oh.
I was just like, she's right, there she a'll see us to do is unhooked as part of it.
And it was.
My friends and family they were joking, They're like, that is so you Marian, Like you will go. You're gonna do it fast, and you can do it strong, and you just gonna You're just gonna grab it and go. That's how I am in my house too, rite like I am when it comes to stuff like I want to get it done quick. You tell me how to get it done, I'm gonna do it. And sometimes you need a little more time.
Yeah, as they say, the devil is in the details. But nevertheless, now that you've had a chance to watch it back with the rest of America, what takeaways do you have? What strikes you as you watch? How you handle these different, very very stressful environments on this show.
Well, those were all expected, right, like not the particular like which challenges, but I knew going into the situation all of those would be some type of a challenge, and I was confident that I would be, you know,
do well in most of them. I think the part for me that was important was because now that I'm older, interviews, podcasts, different shows, I am so experienced in this what I do, knowing that most likely notin at least out of ten times, whomever I'm talking to is going to have an agenda, right, I mean, it's just natural, right, you have an agenda.
I have an agenda. Who Right, it's just natural. But going into it saying the show has an agenda, right, then me in the mirror room knowing that they already had an idea of how they thought they were going to portray me. And maybe thirty years ago, twenty years ago, I would have stepped in there very naives, thinking I'm just going to answer whatever question you want, Da da Dad. But now at this age knowing, okay, I have made the decision to be on this show show because I
also am creating my own narrative. So yes, I get it, you have an agenda, but I have one too, right, And it's like, let's see who's gonna win. Right. Am I gonna walk out of that mirror room feeling successful knowing that I said what I want the world to know, or am I gonna leave it saying, man, they dominated the conversation and I didn't really get across what I want.
I mean, that's to me that was would have been the biggest failed mission in all of this, and looking back now you also there's also a fierceis of how they edit things right, because after you sign the dotted line that you're gonna participate in it, you kind of like kind of just pray right, like the they do right, they do right by a sister, right. But I feel
that I was portrayed fairly on the show. I feel that it's my narrative and what I wanted to share and how was well represented, and so I'm proud of I'm proud of it all.
There.
I had an opportunity to chat with a good friend of mine, Cam Cam Newton, who was also on the show with me, and there are some particular like other opinions on how he was portrayed right and this narrative right, like the aggressive you know black athletes, right, And I mean, if you've ever I don't know, if you have the opportunity to chat with Cam, he is the nicest, like he wouldn't like me to say this, but really like he is just a wonderful, thoughtful individual businessman dad And
the idea that oh, they have an agenda, so anyways, to just kind of recap it all, I am proud of how I handled the situation. We only see small moments right of the show. I mean literally the mirror room for me was over an hour and we got to two and a half minutes. So I mean those are those are good numbers and that I feel that I was treated fairly in it all.
Yeah, I thought that you came off very very well. And this next part is going to be a bit of a spoiler alert. So if you have not watched the show, just hit you right now, and.
So no pun intended. Are you going there? Hit you right now? Are you talking about?
Yes, the way you left the show is what we will now discuss. First of all, are your ribs okay? So to set up real quick? To set up real quick as part of one of the challenges is hand to hand combat with another cast made and so they essentially, you know, they they say.
Okay you and you they go fight.
Of course you have on some kind of gear, but the whole point is that like you are fighting somebody else that you are on this show with and you took a rib shot and that too.
Ye oh I didn't see O.
Yeah, you're right because they only showed us one at home and so you took you took a rib shot and thus you had to medically exit from the show.
So what happened?
Yeah, so the challenge is called it is, you know, a hand to hand comment, but it's called in this world, it's called milling right, whereby what happens in real combat is if your bride, your brigade is captured right by the enemy. There have been instances where they would make them fight each other, and if you coast it right, if you're like bing bing bing, potentially everybody in your unit could be killed, right, So like you have to go after it, right, And so that's what the DS's
were asking us to do. And they usually will pair you up with somebody of similar heights, similar size, et cetera. And on the show, right, like there was some itty bitty women there right where they didn't even like pair me up, and Kayln Nicole, who is a rock star sister, social media influencer, it was about my size, my height,
and so they pair us up. Now, let's talk about the equipment really really quick, right, So you would think that they're the facial equipment was going to protect everything, Like no, No, I looked at it and I said wait, okay, so it's protecting my temples in my ears. But all of this is exposed what I made them like. I made a quick decisions, and this is what I said. I said, you know what, it's not like beauty paget ish, but I like it. I like it.
You got a face guard, married you've got a face guard about it.
Black, don't crack, And I'm gonna try to keep it like that. So in my head, I'm thinking, all right, I'm kind of light on my feet, I can move, but I got to protect this because the equipment that they provided is not protecting this. So if I was to get hit like Cam hit Nathan and blew up his nose, I didn't want that. So we started. I get a few jabs protecting this. But if there was
one thing, maybe a few things. But if there's one thing in particular that I wish I would have prepared for better, I would have taken some kickboxing type classes because in the previous seasons the milling was on there as well, right if you remember, I don't know if it was both seasons, but at least one of.
These was on there before. Well, if there's anything.
I could have done better, in terms of I don't have a background in boxing. Kayla Nicole. I mean, she's a fitness guru. She likes that world. She's taken boxing classes, and I haven't done a chance to actually like talk to her. I planned to about the details of it, but as I'm protecting my face, Kayln Nicole is got my rib right, and she got it one time really good. I went down, right, I've never had any type of
rib injuries. I'm a sprinter, y'all, like I and I played basketball and there is some physical contact, but an't nobody's hitting me like that? And I went down and the DS who's the drill sergeant came over again. You all don't see this part, but he had number six. Are you giving up? Right?
Like?
Those are fighting words to an athlete, right, Like for for decades a coach would say, are you Are you done? They're trying to like push and prode right, Are you done? Are you giving up? Are you weak? Of course not right. So I feel something's going on with here. I don't know what it is, specifically, but I'm like no, So I pulled myself up and again, for whatever reason, I'm protecting this face and what is came with the gold.
She went for the same side, the same rib, and when she connected there was I couldn't catch my breath. I went down and it felt like and I broke two broke two ribs, and that I didn't. I was a little bit in shock in that. I'm like, it's affecting everything, Like it's affecting how I catch my breath. It's affecting when I turned left, turn right, stand, oh, walk what? And so as I'm walking to the ambulance
right like I think they showed this part. I told the doctor I think these are broken, and she said, I think you're right. So we get to the emergency room. It was confirmed, took an MRI. I got two ribs broken. But you got to understand the show was filmed mid last year and it took me about six to eight weeks for them to recover, which which sucks. Like if you've ever had any have you ever any had any rib injuries?
I haven't, but I had an oblique injury, and trust me, I thought I was I moved.
I can only imagine it affects everything that.
Everything you sneeze, you cough, you gick up, you laugh, anything you pick up a fork. So the hardest part was, you know, you know, you can't wear a cast or anything like, you just have to deal with it for six to eight weeks. So I'm fine now, thankfully. But who what.
Caylen mccoone coming with the uh, the the rib shots and then though I hate to identify her as this, but this is, you know, obviously who was in a long term relationship with Travis Kelce. They broke up, and that's a part of the drama of the show, is just how she's recovering from the way she's been attacked online.
Yeah, I saw somebody, let me tell you.
It made me laugh when I defended Kayla Nicole on my Instagram one day, because I know her as whom she presented herself to me.
Rich is everything to me, right, like we all got stuff right, But who you are to me in that moment, and who Kaylen Nicole was for me for that amount of time and has been has been like an incredible little sister, right. She's focused. If anybody does any research on her, they know that she's a well seasoned journalist.
Right.
She went to a school down the street from where I grew up in Pepperdine University. So of course people only know one thing about cayleb. But anyways, I was looking at some of the comments. You talk about social media humbling, you really right, and I and I have I have been able to uh create a certain type of armor over the past few decades, right, like you've
had to right, especially to be somebody who's spotlighted. And then in the in the news and I posted about Kayla and somebody somebody says something like Kayla, you you shouldn't beat up on that old lady.
No, old lady.
Well, I mean, you know, I have like twenty years plus first senior. I was like, dang, I didn't even look at it like that. Dang.
They made the same my elder abuse, Like that's how cool.
So well, if I get another triple A advertisement in my mail, like y'all, I am not there yet, not making me get there, but non incredible experience, And people ask would I potentially do it again? And I want to say no, But girl, let me tell you, if I get that invitation and you I don't even got to blink, I will be there and try it again. Because I did walk away with the sense, with a sense of disappointment. I want to I want to just
crush everything I do. I think that after the milling and so many of us got kicked out, there was a slight pivot in what the show meant to do. Because you'll notice that a number of the challenges are a little less physical, like a little less physical from those first three or four days when I was on. And it has a lot to do with like leadership, right and mental toughness and right and like, yes, there are you know, certain things. But I think that there
was a slight pivot. I think the first part of the show, and we will see that, you know, the next episodes or whatever, but I want to say that first part was the physical. Man, if I would have gotten through that milling, I really really think that there would have been more success. So that I hold on to that.
Yeah, well, you know, I think that would be a potential thing for the show, is bringing back people who want to give it another.
Go to see if they can they can do it again.
My husband and I because again we watched this disappointment view where we love this show is you know, he's like, hey, if they ever asked you, would you do it?
And I was like, hell, no, I wouldn't do this show. But I don't know. I think maybe so.
But I feel like, y'all, for somebody who's watched all three seasons, what was the hardest season that's so far?
You can be honest with me, you know, I mean, the first one was the kind of no joke I would have. I got to see how the season plays out, but I would definitely say the second one, like the second one seemed to be very, very challenging.
We are all sixteen of us would disagree with you, sis, I'm gonna take well.
Like I said, I mean, but the early part, I do feel like you guys got stuck in the crazy shit earlier, like like they there was no warm up.
It was just like boom, here we go.
I mean from that when they pushed us off the boat into.
That role.
And for so many water challenges, which was probably my if there was any fear and all of this, that was my biggest fear because cold and water don't mix well with me. And so after we got pushed in the water, we were all amongst amongst ourselves were like, they can't really have too many more water challenges, right, And we were convinced that we were going to mainly be on Land.
So yeah, well before just to put a bowl on this because I definitely want to ask you about your new podcast.
Now.
We could go on and on.
Listen.
I told you I could do an hour alone just on this show because that's how much I love it.
And I'm just gonna volunteer. I know you guys did.
A reunion listen, fox y'all ever need somebody to host a reunion, I'm.
Your girl, trust me. I know you had any I'm your girl.
But I do want to ask you about this particular moment that happened on the show that was not to do with any of the challenges.
As you mentioned, the mirror room.
They take you all into what is a confessional type of session, but you're in there with staff, you know, and these are the guys who are running the program, and they're trying to psychologically understand who you are.
And one of the.
Things that you said, and it was a very touching moment, was that, you know, you said, when I was sentenced, I had two young children. And this is going back to you know, obviously your you know, conviction for lyning the federal investigators you serve some time you're incarcerated.
I think for six months.
You said when I was sentenced, I had two young children, too young for them to understand knowing what I that I had done wrong to me, the hardest part was just knowing at some point they were going to have to deal with the reality of mom's choices.
Mary, that was such a moment.
And I think you know, through all the headlines and all the things that you've been through, that's a component of this that a lot of people don't even think about.
So you know, you have three wonderful children.
They're older now from when you went through your issues, and I'm wondering, like, for you, how did you approach that challenges of knowing like one day they gonna hit Google and one day this is going to happen. So how did you process how to explain what happened to your children?
Yeah, so it would be it would have been nice to have to have something to reference it all too, right, But because as the judge like to make sure that I knew when I was in the sentencing, I'm going to use you as an example Mary and Jones, there's nothing to compare it too, And so I made the decision after I served the six months and the forty nine days in solitary confinement. How am I going to go about preparing my kids for not only life? And as parents we all do that, but there's always a
little extra with me. The best way to do that is to be about it, to live about it, to be that person whom I'm telling them they should be honest, good, respectful, all those boxes that we want to check. And with the understanding that everybody, at some point in your life, you're gonna make poor choices. Right, It's just gonna happen, even with the even with the best parents, the best mentors, teachers, pastors, whomever.
At some point you're gonna try and do your own things, or you're gonna go along with the crowd, or you're gonna have to make a split decision and it turns out to be wrong, it happens that how are you gonna How are you going to handle it when it happens? Are you? And I remember? Of course, And of course
I don't. I don't communicate it in a way when they were young like this, But in essence, when you make a poor choice, whatever it is, you stole the candy, you lied about this, you did this, You come and you tell me right like you fess up, or you hey, I did it right now, you don't know what the consequence is gonna be. It depends on what you did.
Right.
The consequences could be kind of severe, right, you get your phone taken away, or you know you'll get spanked.
I'll say it right because hey, but you you get the consequences kind of over with and you move on right, And by doing that, you gain the respect of the people around you, because generally, if they're adults, say no, everybody's going to make a poor choice, or you can decide to try and cover it up or however long and it gets bigger and bigger and eventually worse, and then you lose the trust, which is the hardest thing to deal with. You lose the trust of your people.
And so that's how I tried to teach them right and then along the way, at different points, because every kid is different in how they approach life and obstacles, you say, all right, well, you know here's an example, right, and I when I'm when I'm looking at sports with I got three incredible athletes as kids, all in different levels and mindset like, this is where I was and this is what I did. I made a poor choice.
I was away remember that time where mommy had and so that's how you put it together to this point. Now you know they followly, know the story, and in their own way, they have created a community, a world, a village. I have helped with that, create a village of support. Also, I have been very, very cautious to not force certain things on them. My people ask like, did you make them run track? I did not. Right when they decide, if they decide, awesome. My oldest ran track.
He ran in school. He decided it wasn't for him anymore cool, right. My middle played basketballs up until his senior year in high school and then decided that he wanted to run track and it was great at it. Now it is at the University of Texas at Austin in as a freshman running track on a full scholarship. Right. My daughter is just a rock star. Everything she does, volleyball, soccer, track,
whatever it is. We'll see where she winds up. She's interested in IVY League, right, Like, she's an incredible student. So again, you just have to know your kid, right, and you have to know when the right time is to share certain things, and when they have questions. If
they have questions, you address it. You're up front, You're like, this is mom, right, that's this was my season of poor choices, and again there were consequences, and because of certain choices that I made in terms of trying to cover things up, my consequences are still like a part of my world now, meaning people don't necessarily believe what I say all the time, or or they constantly circle back to that one right, bad decision, like don't allow
that to happen to you. Thankfully now, right, Like, I've realized that you don't have to stay there, and I'm creating my narrative and I'm changing up the story and eventually, hopefully my legacy will not just be that poor decision, but it'll be you know, wow, Okay, she made a poor decision, but these are all the lives that she has affected positively since then, and teaching people like, hey, I'm the living example, right that once you make a
poor choice, it doesn't have to totally define you. Right, you can step in the room proud knowing that I'm doing what I'm supposed to right now, to help people live a better life, because everybody, not everybody says can understand being the fastest woman in the world, and they can't understand a lot of things, but everybody understands heartache, everybody understands poor decision, every youngbody understands a lie or just a dark space. How do you deal with it? Do
you know the tools on how to deal with it? Hey?
I do.
I'm here, I'm a shining example that you don't have to stay there even if the world at a certain time has knocked you down, continue to knock you down. No, it doesn't have to be the case.
So anybody who's followed you, you know, post all of that happening, like you are extremely accountable, You're very bored about the choices that you made, and you have not ducked the smoke, as the kids like to say. But at the same time, how was it, How were you able to not put yourself in a place of feeling a little bit bitter?
And maybe you went through that place and maybe that was part of it.
And the only reason why I say that it is like you said something earlier and it's true, is that the judge purposely wanted to make an example for you or you it was people involved that were the architects of.
What they were really after that did less time than you did.
And so how do you keep yourself or what did you have to do so that you wouldn't fall into a state of bitterness over what happened to you.
No, there's no way I'm sitting here and going to say I haven't experienced any dark space or any type of depression or any type of bitterness in all of it, because I had my moments, and to be honest, every so often, right, I'll sit in it, but I find that if I don't create small moments and things to pull me out of it, it can be I can
easily stay there for longer than I need to. And I also then know I go back to a story that I've shared a few times in that my family on my mother's side is from a small, beautiful country in Central America by the name of Billie Right, and my mom's father would travel to Guatemala when she was
growing up in Belize. We traveled to Guatemala to work right to send money back to the family, and one day he came across a what we would call a psychic right, and he sat down, he paid his little paysos right just to see what this lady would say. And my mom shares a story that the woman told her, mister Hall's somebody in your family is destined for greatness, right, someone right. She couldn't point pinpoint who which generation, but
some right, like keep that close to you. He shared that with my mother my mom and mother shares that with me. And the reason I tell you that story is because I have has been I truly feel that I've been brought into this world to be dare I say great, but a big thinker, right, meaning that I Am not going to settle for what somebody says that I am because I know right that like like my God has bigger plans for me than one judge or
one individual can ever create for me. Right. And so how I've been able to turn that around when I have these moments like you shared of bitterness, I say, you know what what I've been through for most people would have flatlined them, would have drove them in the ground, would have you know, you would have never ever heard
from them. And so I like to go back and say wow, like like like my God must think I am one bad system because he already knew my story right before I even walk through it, and he knew how strong he created me to be. And he knew that I was not going to fail, right. He knew there was going to be moments of failure, but he knew that my big picture was not going to have a big old f on it, right, And that's what I hold on too. I Mean, you talk about you know,
people work hard because they're living up to their parents' ideas. No, Right, Like, I know that I was built for greatness, right, and so if I allow myself to stay in that dark space, like what like what a waste of time that would be? Because I know he has a bigger, bigger, grander story than anybody can point and say, any judge, any coach, any of that. Right, So that puls me out of my dark space.
Right.
But again, I know everybody doesn't have that view. So how do they deal with their dark space? Right? Some of the tools that I teach now is create your plan, create your life for yourself. You're in your dark space. It could be a divorce, it could be a death. There could be a bankruptcy, it could be a loss, a career you thought you had, which you have no more. Right, what's your plan, what's your plan for tomorrow, what's your plan for next week, next year, five, ten years from now?
And you start doing what you need to behind the scenes. You don't have to tell anybody, right, right, you start taking those classes, right, you start researching different schools for your kids out of the ghetto, right where you know opportunities are less. Right. And I have a living example of a rock star mama who did that for me, right. We I was not affluent, but my mom made sure that I was in schools in elementary, in middle school, in high school, right that were in communities where she
knew they had resources. We lived, I mean, we were a destitute. Like, let's not take this where it doesn't need to go. But yeah, I was a in a small apartment. We had one bedroom. I was sleeping on a couch sometimes because it was in a neighborhood right at a high school or at a middle school or a junior high that had resources. So my mom was thinking beyond her circumstances. There's always a way, right, And I'm so fortunate to have a parent like as an
example like that that you don't have to stay there. Right, the world might say you have to stay there, and especially in this political climate.
Right, there's a whole nother podcast. We won't get to that one.
It's a whole oh goodness, but we can't. But even in all of that says, let me wrap it up with a nice vow, we do not have to stay stuff. Right. We can create our own narrative no matter what anybody says.
All right, And just want to mention real You also have a partnership with soul Cap where you're the official brand ambassador for people are like, what a so cap?
It is related to swimming, correct?
Right?
You know? So briefly I talked about every year you need to create a challenge, something out of your comfort zone, and I was like, what can that be. I've always greatly admired the work ethic of triathletes. Again, it was on my bucket list, but most things that I do, if I can't commit fully to doing it at this point in my life, I'm not going to do it
because I'm not going to have ass anything. And last year I watched my business partner in Susanna Evans, compete in her first triathlon after losing one hundred plus pounds right and did it. And I went and watched and I said to myself, you know what, this is my challenge for twenty twenty five. And so right after my birthday in October of last year, I hired a coach
and I started the process. So in May of this year, I'm traveling to Honolulu, Hawaii, and I'm going to compete in my first triathlon, and in that journey, so many little things that I would have never guessed would be a challenge. You don't see a lot of us, a lot of people of color in the sport of triathlon. I'm one of the reasons that I am so interested in if it's just to slowly introduce the sport to our community and the little things like putting a swim
cap on our hair right in the pool. And you think generally athletes make it look so easy, right, because you don't see a lot of us. So when I started this, when I'm starting to put these and they're popping and they're not big enough, and I'm trying to get all these locks up there, and it is a mess. I'm looking like a fool out there at the pool and I'm trying to keep it cool, right and kind
of blending. And I posted on my social media like, hey, y'all have any recommendations, and a lot of my followers like yet, like have you ever heard of this brand? Soul Cap with There are a UK based company that makes swim caps for people with a lot of hair, not just people of color, but people with a lot of hair. But one of the reasons why I partnered with them also is because they are interested in bringing the sport of swimming to everybody, right and not just
one genre of people. And so I'm excited to be doing a number of things with them in that world. But the idea of I know how I knew how to swim sif and I knew how to ride a bike, and I knew how to run, But it's different. Yeah, one thing to jump in the pool right in your community pool and like do a dive bomb and swim with kids, But it's a whole other thing to have to swim twenty five meters twenty five meters like NonStop,
Like that's a whole other world. So to learn technique at this age in your life, learn how to breathe learn how to not drown, has been a challenge, which is again what I was looking for. Then you talk about the biking aspect, because triathlon has three disciplines, run, the bike and swim. Do I know how to ride a bike?
Sure?
I know how to ride my BMX around the bike, around the block a lot of times and beat you from here to there. But in terms of on the bike for however many kilometers locked in on that bike with all of you know, fatigue, that's a whole other ballgame. And then you might say, persis you got the running part down? You know how I like to run or.
How I Yes, that's a big difference bigs.
From here today, all right, I am not circling in this block several several times for miles and miles. And there's a whole other ball game to understand this idea of endurance, But man, it short does relate. Thank you Lord for bringing opportunities my way because it's how I have to go about my life. Like with this endurance type paints we can't go part and fast with everything. You have to learn how to be consistent, how to withstand the time, how to do it for long term
so you can last. And so it's been not only applying to the physical challenges that I needed, but man, it's been like a such an eye open when it comes to applying it to my life. Thank you for bringing this opportunity to me, to opportunity to me. So that's what soul Cap is. I've partnered with them, and I'm excited that. You know, however many decades the world said she's done, she's disappeared, Like I posted last week, like yo, this is a personal partnership, like this is
a pantal. Now you'll want to watch out.
This is exactly intrinsically to who you are.
And for those who are interested in soul Cap, if you use the code marry in fifteen, you will get fifteen percent off your purchase.
And let me tell you, like I know a lot of your listeners, like you have such a diverse group of listeners, but like people with full hair, and you want to get in that pool, you don't want that chlorine all over it. These caps are amazing. They also have lots of weather products and goggles and swimsuits. Check them out. It's an incredible brand.
Let's do it good.
That's doing right.
That's doing good and doing right.
My mother is a lifeguard, so trust me, she she all about it. Mary, and I want to thank you for spending this time with me before I let you go go for real. I always ask every guest a messy question to end the podcast, and so my messy question for you Mary and Jones is, or should say Mary Jones Thompson correct?
That is your Jones? Because the show got it wrong Mary Jones.
Oh okay, all right, sure, yeah, all right, they did?
All right.
I was like, wait, are you hyping that?
Okay? I thought so.
I was like, did you drop it? Or I thought you did? But I was like, what sure?
Because listen, as somebody who got married five years ago, I fully understand now why people when they get divorced while women keep the name because it is a bitch to change it and coming out of it sucks.
Yeah. So a lot of reasons, a lot of reasons, a lot of reas.
So I get it.
If you have a rematch with Kayla Nicole and those in the gear, are you too peace in her this time?
Mary?
And I know you got some hands in there somewhere, yo.
Kayla and I and we joked about it like we're going at.
It there it is and she she would.
She would not, she would expect this answer from me, right, like we are not we are strong women of color, right, And I don't care. She's a friend, she's a sister, like I consider her sister. She knows that there's only one way that I go about it. I'll learn like like, Okay, make mistakes, but I learned from them. I ain't going in come on, Kaylen, protect the right. I might be the old lady, but this old lady she's gonna handle
her business. It's gonna it would be very, very fun to watch, all right.
I think we found the undercar for the next flat Netflix fight.
It is Mary and versus Kalin the go.
So anyway, Mary and good luck with a second win and most importantly the triathlone. I hope you continue to document your progress and your training on social media. I follow you on there. You're super inspirational. You always have a great positive word for everybody. So for those not following you on Instagram, y'all need to follow her to keep this daily positivity and motivation in your life.
So no, it's so good, and I mean, I know, let to get you at the final word, but it's such an honor to be able to chat with you like on this level. I'm a fan of yours as well, mainly because you just keep it real, right. I have the opportunity to talk with a lot of people, and you know, you got to do certain things and talk to certain people. But when you get a chance to connect with the real, real system, like somebody just puts
it out there, that's true inspiration. So thank you, Sis for just you being you.
All Right, we'll do take care. One more segment to go, and you guys know what that means.
I got questions to answer up next, your viewer slash listener questions, and I have plenty of answers coming up next on the final segment of Spolatives. Before I close out this week's episode, time for a question from the audience. This week's question comes from Anastasia via email. Anastasia writes, not familiar with the start of this conflict, but Hubby was explicit.
A little bit and I'm still lost.
Could you explain how and or why a franchise won't pay Jimmy because they believe that's his worth, but also won't trade him unless they get what he's worth. I'm so sorry if that doesn't make sense. I reworded it so many times, and fair warning, I am not well.
Versed in the world of sports analyzations.
So yeah, do me like the doctor had to do Detective Spooner and I Robot and thanks, no worries, Anastasia. I don't know much about this I Robot business, but I can tell you about Jimmy Butler in this situation with the Heat. Now, to understand how the situation got so on, you need to understand a little bit about the culture around the Miami Heat franchise. The NBA is a player's league, and on most teams, superstar players tend to get what they want.
But Miami is.
Different because it is run by pat Riley, who is known for being tough and hard knows and also a champion. Now, he doesn't cave with superstars, but according to reports, when it came to Jimmy Butler, he supposedly gave far more leeway than he ever did with stars Dwayne Wade and Lebron James, who also played for the Heat. Now, Jimmy Butler was allowed to fly private to stay in hotels separate from the team when they were on the road.
The Heat even hired a trainer.
Now, what's the number one reason most marriages end in divorce finances?
And this situation is no different.
Last summer, that Heat had an opportunity to give Butler a two year, one hundred and thirteen million dollar extension and they decided.
Not to do that.
Now, keep in mind that the Heat lost in the first round of the playoffs last year. Bear not pat Riley blamed Butler's lack of availability for why the Heat didn't make it further in the playoffs. According to the stats, Butler had only been available in sixty four percent of the team's regular season games. So now you have two levels of disrespect. The Heat didn't pay Jimmy Butler and Riley publicly threw a shot at his superstar. Now, some
would say, and this ain't wrong. Is this any way to treat a player that has taken you to two NBA finals.
I think both of these parties.
Though, have managed to look they're worst at different points during this drama. Jimmy Butler is pouting his way out of Miami, and the Heat are trying to teach him a lesson with these pointless suspensions when we all know the end result will be Jimmy Butler getting out of Miami.
Now, professionalism isn't too much to ask.
When you're getting paid fifty million dollars as Jimmy Butler is this season, And professionalism isn't too much to ask when this was once a player you felt like was the cornerstone of your franchise. Thank you, Anastasia, and I hope that clears some things up now. If you would like to ask me a question, I'm at Jamail Hill across all social media platforms Twitter, Instagram, Blue Sky, and threads,
please use the hashtags politics. You also have the option of emailing me at Politics twenty twenty four at gmail dot com. You can also send me a video of your question, but please make sure it's thirty seconds or less. Don't forget to follow and subscribe to Spolitics on iHeart and follows Politics pod on Instagram and TikTok.
Politics is spelled s p O l I t I c S.
A new episode of Politics drops every Thursday on iHeart Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This is politics where sports and politics don't just mix, they matter. Spolitics is the production of iHeart Podcasts and The Unbothered network, I'm Your Host Jamel Hill. Executive producer is Taylor Schakoigne. Lucas Hymen is head of Audio and executive producer. Megan Armstrong is associate producer. Original music for Spolitics provided by Kyle Visk from wiz FX