Ep. 536 — Michael Wilbon

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

CNN

News

4.6 • 7.7K Ratings

🗓️ 1 June 2023

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As a child, Michael Wilbon was allowed to argue about sports and politics at the dinner table—as long as he backed up his point. That early training helped launch Michael into a distinguished career as a sportswriter, columnist, and co-host of ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption.” Michael joined David to talk about growing up on Chicago’s South Side, joining the Washington Post in the afterglow of Watergate, the central role of sports figures in the civil rights movement, covering Michael Jordan, and his current favorites in the NBA.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Music
0:06.0	And now, from the University of Chicago Institute of Politics and CNN Audio, the Axe Files, with your host David Axelrod.
0:18.0	For four decades Michael Wilbon has been one of the major figures in American sports journalism, first at the Washington Post, and now of course at ESPN.
0:28.0	He's written and spoken incisively not just about games and athletes, but about the role sports plays in our society.
0:35.0	A native of the Southside of Chicago, Michael is also a brilliant storyteller, whose own story is well worth hearing.
0:44.0	We sat down last week, just as the NBA Finals were coming into focus. Here's our conversation.
0:58.0	Michael Wilbon, what a thrill to see you here, especially this podcast is going to drop the day the NBA Finals begin.
1:10.0	Oh wow.
1:11.0	So this is like getting the Pope on Christmas Eve.
1:15.0	Don't put the pressure on me.
1:17.0	Being that good, but it is, you know, it is to carry the analogy to a preposterous length.
1:24.0	It's a religious time for basketball for basketball.
1:28.0	It is.
1:29.0	You know, in terms of getting up on the finals and when the can ultimate, you know, a series sort of start.
1:35.0	It's great. It's just great to.
1:36.0	Although to me, you know, it's always a big letdown when the conference finals are over and you don't have a game every night.
1:42.0	Right.
1:43.0	That is heaven right there.
1:45.0	It is. It is. I like the early rounds of the playoffs just because of what you said, double headers.
1:50.0	Every night is sometimes double header for the second round.
1:53.0	But let me say we will get to that, but they can hear you talk about this stuff any day of the week.
1:59.0	And I want to talk about you for two reasons.
	...

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