Editor’s note: What activities and practices have gotten us through the pandemic? What have we learned about ourselves during this dismal time? Baltimore Watchdog reporters wrote personal essays and interviewed people on this topic. Here’s what they found.
By Isaac Donsky
On a Wednesday evening in January, Noam Adashak sits at his computer desk. He’s deep in conversation with his two friends about the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
“I just think that T.J. Watt should have gotten it,” Solomon Bilai said.
“Watt has the stats,” Adashak responds, “but Aaron Donald was getting double teamed every down. Watt wasn’t.”
“So, we’re just going to ignore Watt’s accomplishments?”
“No, but it’s clear that it’s clear to me that offenses saw Donald as the bigger threat.”
The conversation dies down, and Adashak turns back to his script.
“Well, we’ll let our listeners decide who’s right in this scenario,” he said. “Let’s move on to our next award, Offensive Player of the Year.”
For the past few months, Adashak has spent his Wednesday evenings recording the Sports Fax Podcast, which he founded with his co-worker, Kylee Sullenberger, in October 2020.
“It was really her idea,” Adashak said. “Kylee wants to have a career working in team sports and thought it would be a good idea to start somewhere. I wasn’t on board at first because it seemed like it would be a ton of work. Turns out I was right.”
Adashak said he eventually came around to the idea when he thought about how he could use the podcast to help casual football fans understand the game.
“You have these independent podcasters and analysts who spend hours every day watching film that can tell you everything about a certain play,” Adashak said. “But that’s for hardcore fans. There isn’t really anything for casual fans that goes into that level of detail. The Sports Fax Podcast is for those that want to know more about football without overwhelming them.”
Adashak and Sullenberger are coworkers at Ledo’s Pizza in Derwood, Maryland. During their shifts, the two would talk about nothing but sports, which led them to think about recording their conversations. The original plan was to talk about many different sports, but as the NFL season began, football became the main topic of each episode.
Each week, Adashak, Sullenberger and their co-host, Bilai, prepare for the podcast by watching highlights and game film from every NFL game played over the prior week. They then write a script, record the podcast via the Anchor platform and edit it down to under an hour. This process usually takes six to eight hours.
What makes this process all the more difficult is the COVID-19 pandemic. Adashak has yet to meet Bilai in person because of restrictions. And technology issues interfered with the trio’s early episodes.
“We can only take audio cues from each other,” Adashak said. “You have to estimate when someone is going to stop talking so you can get your points in.”
That explains why the Sports Fax Podcast works off a script. Adashak and his co-hosts use Google Docs to plan out what they are going to say and when to avoid talking over one another. According to Adashak, this wouldn’t be necessary if it wasn’t for COVID-19.
“We plan to get an in-person studio when this is all over,” he said.
For Adashak, the podcast has helped him overcome some of his fears, which include public speaking. Prior to hosting the podcast for the first time, Adashak was reminded of his time doing the morning announcements in grade school.
“We always did the announcements live, so when you had to present, you knew that everybody in the school was watching you,” Adashak said. “When it was my turn to present, I was freaking out. I just stared at the camera. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think. All I could do was read my script.”
Adashak said he felt that feeling when he hosted the first time, even though only two other people were listening in.
“The first time I hosted I was a blubbering mess,” Adashak said. “I think my voice cracked eight or nine times. But as we’ve continued the podcast, that fear has lessened a bit. It’s gone from talking in front of group to feeling like we’re just a group of friends talking about sports.”
For Adashak, his podcast has been an escape from the horrors of COVID-19. When his sister tested positive in early 2021, the podcast was there to help him not lose his mind.
“The pandemic is a terrible thing,” Adashak said. “But now is the perfect opportunity for everyone to look inwardly and find something that they’ve always wanted to do. And just go do it. For me, it was this podcast.”
By Jared Pinder
Podcasting has helped me get through this pandemic. Some people unwind by watching television or reading. I do it by recording podcasts. It helps me relax and allows me to talk about something I love. And it helps me gain skills I can use in the future.
Recording the podcast is often something I do at night when my day is over. There are a couple of reasons for this, but the main reason is that I can feel relaxed going into a new day. It also helps because after a long day of Zoom classes and dealing with the world we live in, recording the podcast helps me calm down from a long, stressful day. There is another reason why I record at night: my co-hosts, Damon and Noah, live on the west coast, three hours behind me. They like to record in the afternoon, and I prefer night recordings, anyway.
The podcast is focused on Minor League Baseball, and the discussion is about minor league players and prospects. We make lists and opinions based upon what we think about, and we share them on the podcast. The most important thing we do, however, is getting interviews with the prospects because they help grow the podcast audience. When we meet up, we do it through Zoom, and once we are done recording, we edit the podcast and post it to Anchor and Apple Podcasts. We take turns editing the podcast, so no one is doing more work than the other.
A memorable moment I had with the podcast was when I got the opportunity to interview Garrett Stallings, a prospect in the Baltimore Orioles system. This is so memorable because one of my dreams is to become a sports journalist, and interviewing athletes can only help me from here. Secondly, one of my goals was to interview a player associated with the Orioles, so it was such a surreal moment.
When it is time to record, either one of the three of us will send out a Zoom link. We will join together at a specific time and record our topic over Zoom for the night. Once we are done recording, one of us will edit the file from Zoom and post the audio. We rotate who edits to keep the workload fair. During the recording, the topics we go into are usually about are baseball minor leaguers, and we make a list and talk about them on the podcast. I also get involved with video editing and enhance my communication skills as I talk to my co-hosts.
This activity is vital to me because it not only gives me a way to talk about what I love, but I also get a chance at using this podcast as a resume builder. The main reason why this activity is essential is that the development of what I do on this podcast will shape how I will communicate with people and with athletes, which is my dream.
During this pandemic, it has been vital for me to stay occupied with something that is about doing something I love and something that can help me improve in the future.
By Ryan Leshko
The thing that has most helped me get through COVID-19 has been recording my podcast, the Hoop Talk Podcast with Jalon Dixon and Ryan Leshko. A professor at Towson University asked me in May 2020 what I was doing for the summer. I had recently lost my job due to the pandemic and considered starting a podcast. I asked him questions about what I needed to do to start a podcast. This was because I was not an avid podcast listener at the time and I occasionally listened to some podcasts, such as Pardon My Take.
First, I ordered my microphone online from Amazon. Then, I decided on what I wanted to talk about, which was basketball. I wanted to cover as much basketball as I could, ranging from covering professional leagues, like the NBA and WNBA, to college basketball. The main reason is because I wanted to learn more about basketball, considering I did not follow basketball as much as I did football. The next thing I needed to do was to find a co-host. Around the same time, I reached out to Jalon Dixon, a friend of mine I met at Towson while taking sports journalism in my junior year.
I reached out to see how he was and to congratulate him on graduating from Towson. During our conversation, I realized that I should ask him to be my co-host. I asked him to be my co-host because I thought he could help me learn more about basketball and thought he bring a couple of different skills to the table, like video editing and having a strong presence on social media. When he wanted to co-host, I was excited. I was finally going to do something that I had put off for nearly two years. Being at home because of pandemic gave me a reason to start my podcast.
When we had our first planning session for our podcast, we had a lot of ideas. We never considered other sports; we stuck to basketball. We started with the NBA, which included the return of NBA basketball and throwback topics, like underrated players from the 2000s. In addition, we were debating recording one episode with multiple topics or covering one topic per episode. Ultimately, we decided on covering one topic per episode. We thought of future plans, like starting a line of merchandise and future topics, which consisted of talking about college basketball, high school basketball and the WNBA.
When we first recorded on June 3, 2020, we were both nervous. It was first time recording since my college radio show, No Filter, on XTSR, which is Towson’s radio station. We thought the first three episodes on the NBAs return went well, as we were beginning to develop a good rapport and feel more at ease. Soon after, we developed an intro, an outro and a catchphrase (by fans, for fans). After we hit some of our milestones, we would try to improve on something different or create something new. For example, after 50 episodes, we made our social media account on Instagram (@thehooptalkpod). Eight months and 142 episodes later, we are still recording content to upload to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts and iHeartRadio, as well as uploading graphics and snippets of our episodes to our social media page.
Jalon and I are the only two people involved with the podcast. We aim to record three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 2 p.m.) and we record all our episodes at our homes over Zoom. One of my favorite moments is when I tried to defend LaMelo Ball going to the New York Knicks and poorly executed the take. In the take, I made a case that Ball was not a top three pick and listed why I believed he shouldn’t be drafted by other teams ahead of the Knicks. The take was problematic because I mentioned that Chicago and Detroit would take him when it would not make sense for them to take him, given that I had Ball going to the Knicks with the eighth pick. We both laughed about it afterwards and thought about adding it to the blooper reel. I like to think of podcasting as my escape. It’s my creative outlet and I enjoy expressing my opinion on basketball on a platform for the world to hear.
When I wake up, I have a routine that I usually stick to, I wake up, brush my teeth, eat breakfast, hope onto my zoom sessions for that day, do my work, etc. However, one activity has gotten me through this Pandemic, and that is making podcasts. Everyone has that one activity that has gotten them through this tough time. Sometimes, it is watching T.V. or cooking because these activities usually take your mind off the mess around the world. I love to record podcast because it takes the sense of my problems and helps me relax, but it also helps me talk about something I love, and it helps become more skilled in the future.
Recording the podcast is often something I do at night when my day is over. There are a couple of reasons for this, but the main reason is that I can feel relaxed going into a new day. It also helps because after a long day of zoom classes and dealing with the world we live in, recording the podcast helps me calm down from a long stressful day and wind down before I go to bed. There is another reason why I register at night; however, my co-host for the podcast live on the west coast. West coast time is three hours behind Eastern Time, and my co-host, Damon and Noah, like to record in the late afternoon. This lines up entirely, though, as I prefer to record later in the night anyway.
The podcast is focused on Minor League Baseball, and the discussion is about minor leaguers and prospects. We make lists and opinions based upon what we think about, and we share them on the podcast. The most important thing we do, however, is getting interviews with the prospects because they help grow the podcast the most. When we meet up, we do it through Zoom, and once we are done recording, we edit the podcast and post it to Anchor and Apple Podcast. We take turns editing the podcast, so no one is doing more work than the other.
A memorable moment I had with the podcast was when I got the opportunity to interview Garret Stallings, A prospect in the Baltimore Orioles system. This is so memorable because one of my dreams is to become a Sports journalist, and interviewing athletes can only help me from here. Secondly, one of my goals was to interview a player associated with the Orioles, so it was such a surreal moment.
When it is time to record, either one of the three of us will send out a zoom link, we will join together at a specific time and record our topic over zoom for the night. Once we are done recording, one of us will edit the file from zoom and post the audio to Anchor and Apple podcast. We rotate who edits to keep the workload fair. During the recording, the topics we go into are usually about are baseball minor leaguers, and we make a list and talk about them on the podcast. We also get the unique opportunity to interview other minor leaguers to make the podcast better. I also get involved with video editing and enhance my communication skills as I talk to my host.
This activity is vital to me because it not only gives me a way to talk about what I love, but I also get a chance at using this podcast as a resume builder. The main reason why this activity is essential is that the development of what I do on this podcast will shape how I will communicate with people and with athletes, which is my dream.
During this Pandemic, it has been vital for me to stay occupied with something that is about doing something I love and something that can help me improve in the future.
By Ryan Leshko
It’s 2 p.m. on a snowy afternoon in February. Another episode of the Hoop Talk Podcast is just under way. Jalon Dixon is one of the co-hosts and I’m the other. We have our rundowns pulled up on our screens and stats from basketballreference.com pulled up on our phones. Jalon hits record as I start the timer. We begin the first of three episodes for the day. We prepared our notes on our own for the topics. We’re on Zoom, as I start the countdown to begin: 3, 2, 1, go. “Welcome to another episode of the Hoop Talk Podcast, by fans for fans, I’m Ryan there’s my guy Jalon, “What’s up everybody!”
The Hoop Talk Podcast is one of three podcasts he hosts or co-hosts. The other two podcasts are the Buckets Only Podcast that started in late June and the Culture Blitz: Football Podcast that started in late August. The Buckets Only Podcast covers the biggest stories in the NBA, while the Culture Blitz: Football Podcast covers the biggest stories in the NFL.
Dixon is from Towson, Maryland, and graduated from Towson University in May 2020. He is a fan of the Washington Wizards and the Chicago Bulls. Outside of podcasting, he works for the overnight shift for Planet Fitness, where he works 40 hours a week. He helps run social media for all three podcasts and he writes for two sports publications on the side (The Baltimore Sports & Life and RazzBall Fantasy Sports). Before podcasting, one of Dixon’s biggest fears was hearing himself talk. He hated the idea of anybody recording him on camera or recording his voice. He has since been able to overcome his fear, mainly by getting used to hearing himself speak.
The planning sessions for all three of his podcasts are different. For our podcast, we look at the things going on in the basketball world. Then, we type out our ideas on a Google doc and place each topic on a day that we record. Because we record three times a week, it is important for us to have content. For the other two podcasts, Dixon comes up with the ideas based on the podcasts that he listens to and what he watches on YouTube. They record once a week, so it tends to be a bit easier because the ideas are based off of a week-to-week basis.
When the pandemic first began, Dixon had the time to brainstorm new ideas, record new episodes and create new concepts. However, he is working the overnight shifts at Planet Fitness, which has made podcasting difficult, but he has been able to maintain his availability to attend all of the recording schedules of all three podcasts. He records in the afternoons and, on some days, he records and then goes straight to work. In order to stay informed about the biggest news in basketball, Dixon likes to use his free time to gather notes. He also uses this time to research how he can grow his podcasts.
“The biggest thing though is my preparation,” he said. “I usually look into things to talk about on the podcast and type in little ideas that come to my head on my phone when there is downtime at work as a way of always trying to improve the content.”
Dixon said podcasting has taught him a lot about how he’s creative. He has become more creative with ways to showcase his podcasts to the world. His passion for podcasting has allowed him to explore new outlets, like starting a basketball blog, where he can share his thoughts on things taking place in the NBA and WNBA. He has learned different things for each podcast, ranging from audio and video editing to graphic design. He shows up to each planning session a surplus of ideas. Lastly, his creativity relies on his importance to separate himself from the pack and try new things to make his podcasts stand out from the rest.
Although his podcasts are tough to maintain, especially while he is balancing work, being in a relationship and other endeavors, he has found a way to make it work. He hopes that one day, his podcasting hobby could become his job title. This is what he believes makes him unique.
“I think how much stuff I juggle on a day-to-day basis is what makes my experience so unique and it also what makes me feel prepared for the day when I get to finally call all this content creation my profession rather than my hobby,” he said.