Press Pause

Like it or not, the transfer portal has transformed college sports. Student-athletes across the country now have the ability to chart their own course — deciding when it's time to leave one school for another. In many ways, they've become free agents, as colleges and coaches fight for survival in an environment where players hold unprecedented power and NIL money is firmly on the table. Ayaz Hafee...

Pull up a chair and take notes — Emmy-winning director Kenan Kamwana Holley is in the building to discuss his latest masterpiece, Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association , a four-part docuseries that chronicles the ABA's nine-year run and its lasting influence on the modern game. You know Holley from Wendell Scott: A Race Story and from ESPN Films' acclaimed slate, including...

Press Pause welcomes Dr. Alison Thompson, founder and CEO of Third Wave Volunteers, a global humanitarian leader with decades of front‑line disaster response experience. Driven by her nine months volunteering at Ground Zero after 9/11, Dr. Thompson built Third Wave Volunteers into a network of more than 30,000 first responders delivering aid in crises from Syria and Ukraine to Afghanistan, and bey...

Developmental psychologist, educator, and author Dr. Biko Sankofa takes Press Pause to another dimension. Born in Trinidad and Tobago and shaped by his years at Howard University, Dr. Sankofa's journey—rooted in lived experience and spiritual inquiry—sets the stage for a thought-provoking conversation about his new book, Transcending the Human: An Alien's Guide to a Universe of Infinite Possibilit...

Patrick Agyemang admits that even he has to pinch himself when he reflects on how his life — his soccer life — have turned out. Just a few years ago, as a high schooler, his game garnered zero interest from colleges. It quickly became clear that if he was going to achieve his dream of playing professionally, his path to pro would need to take some unconventional turns. But with a strong family uni...

It may sound cliché, but Jay Harris approaches each day with the goal of being better. "It's a thing—I never want to feel like I've arrived... like I've conquered this," says Harris, who in February 2025 celebrates his 22nd year at ESPN, most of it spent hosting the network's flagship show, SportsCenter . Even with a shelf full of SportsCenter Emmy Awards, the Norfolk, Va., native remains driven b...

The Athletic 's NBA Deputy Editor, Rob Peterson , joins Press Pause (from chilly central Connecticut!) to discuss The Basketball 100 —the definitive ranking of the 100 greatest NBA players of all time—and his role in bringing this ambitious 737-page book to life. Rob played point guard on this effort, collaborating with The Athletic 's award-winning team of writers and analysts, including veteran...

Actor Sheldon Shepherd had never heard of Neville Garrick prior to reading for the part for the Bob Marley biopic Bob Marley: One Love . But after he googled Marley's longtime friend -- and creative director on his iconic albums -- Shepherd found himself drawn to Garrick, who served as historical advisor on the film which has   grossed upwards of $179 million worldwide. "In my opinion, I think I g...

Kevin Merida is brewing with optimism. The self-described "free agent" — who most recently served as executive editor of The Los Angeles Times — believes that despite the evolving media landscape, there are still stories to be told, and told in a variety of ways. The longtime media executive and newspaper veteran joined Press Pause and shared thoughts about the challenges newspapers face. "We now...

He was an all-state running back in his hometown of Greer, South Carolina. He followed that up with a record-setting career at North Carolina State, where his 3,553 rushing yards is still good for third all-time in Wolfpack history. Surely a long NFL career would follow. But by 27, Tremayne Stephens found himself out of the league after just four seasons. With no plan or prospects for his post-NFL...

Charmaine Wilkerson 's pie-in-the-sky aspiration for her debut novel -- Black Cake -- was simply to get it published. The former journalist whose award-winning short stories can be found in various UK and US anthologies and magazines may have sold herself short. In the two years since  Black Cake was published, Wilkerson's novel would land on President Barack Obama 's "Favorite Books of 2022" list...

When you stand on a stage — the President of the United States to your right and the Vice President to your left — with the most powerful and influential people in the world mean-muggin' you, it's understandable that even the most seasoned comedian might get nervous. And, Roy Wood Jr. admits to it. But his mentality, during any performance, remains the same. "This is the job, these are the jokes,...

ESPN soccer analyst and standout former soccer pro, Shaka Hislop, joins Press Pause to talk about "Show Racism the Red Card," the organization he co-founded in 1996 in the UK, and how it's impacted his life and the lives of millions around the world. The England-born "proud Trinbagonian" made history as the starting goalkeeper on the Trinidad & Tobago national team's first-ever World Cup match in...

Episode 10 features Jamaican-born filmmaker and actor Kaleb D'Aguilar whose film -- NO ENTRY -- caught Mark W. Wright 's eye while the Press Pause  host perused a list of free entertainment while on an American Airlines flight. D'Aguilar's film is set a gainst the backdrop of the Windrush scandal, which had become symbolic of the generation of Commonwealth citizens (from Jamaica, Trinidad and Toba...

When Clint Smith was 7 years old, he'd already decided how his life would turn out: He'd be a professional soccer player -- just like his hero Thierry Henry. The world would know his name. But it didn't work out that way. What he ended up achieving didn't even cross his mind. Fast forward three decades and the poet and #1  New York Times bestselling author of How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning Wi...

As the pandemic raged across the globe, NYU professor David Hollander had the audacity to think — to believe — that a class he would teach could explore society's ills through a single sport: Basketball. H ollander named the course "How Basketball Can Save the World," and posited that the sport, through its easy accessibility and global reach, offered distinct antidotes for modern issues. His clas...

Retired NFL pro turned ESPN football analyst Sam Acho tackles some tough topics -- including injustice, division and suffering -- in his latest book Change Starts With You: Following Your Fire to Heal a Broken World , and joins Wright Creative's Mark W. Wright in a candid discussion about what inspired him. " America is in a crucible right now -- and maybe you are, too," Acho explains. "The pandem...

There is no shortage of good content in October for Breast Cancer Awareness. It can seem a little overwhelming. If you or someone you care about is still putting off a mammogram out of fear or due to a lack of resources, here are the three things Heather—and all survivors—want you to know. Give it a quick listen.

Ten years, cancer-free -- and we outchea ! This episode of Press Pause is the first in a series of conversations we're having during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We kick off the series with Heather Keets Wright's own personal story. In successive episodes, Heather will introduce listeners to fellow survivors as well as one of the key medical professionals who was instrumental in her recovery. "I...

It sounds really cool to say you're going start a business with your spouse, partner or friend. It might actually make all the sense in the world. "It's more than a notion," says Heather Keets Wright, who co-founded Wright Creative with her husband Mark, in 2015. But ... it's hard, and it takes dedication and sacrifice. In this episode of Press Pause, the Wrights talk about venturing into business...

Heather Keets Wright's work life was chugging along just fine — running content agency Wright Creative with her co-founder and partner Mark W. Wright — when she got what can only be described as a one-of-a-kind career opportunity. The longtime journalist and marketer was tapped by Courageous Studios to be a creative consultant on the Milestone Initiative, a partnership with DC, Milestone Media and...

It's been a year since the NCAA's landmark rule change prohibiting college athletes from receiving benefits from their name, image, and likeness: N-I-L. But how are athletes at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) faring? Is the playing field truly level? Are HBCU athletes getting equal opportunities? Is too early to tell? PRESS PAUSE host Mark W. Wright leads the conversation with...