Three Martinis with Michele Tafoya: Her Life in Sports, Politics in Sports, Trans Athletes, Gov. Walz

Join Jim and Greg as they welcome longtime, Emmy-winning sports reporter Michele Tafoya. Best known for her work as a sideline reporter on Monday Night Football and Sunday Night Football, Tafoya is now a political commentator and host of the Michele Tafoya Podcast. In this episode, they dive into her most memorable sports moments, her views on the intersection of politics and sports, the controversy surrounding transgender athletes, her experience living in Minnesota under Gov. Tim Walz and more.

First, the conversation kicks off with Tafoya’s rise in sports journalism. From her major career breakthroughs to the challenges of interviewing uncooperative coaches and players, Tafoya shares insights from her time as a sports reporter. She recounts some of her favorite on-field moments, the sports personalities who were easy and tough to work with, and a hilarious story from an NCAA tournament game she was covering in the 1990s.

Next, they focus on politics, including how Tafoya evolved from a left-leaning graduate of Cal Berkeley to a conservative. She also touches on the impact of politics getting injected into sports coverage and how some members of the sports media see themselves as political and cultural activists.

Finally, Tafoya speaks out against the participation of biological men in women's sports. She shares her thoughts on how this is affecting female athletes and the integrity of women’s sports. In addition, Tafoya opens up about living under the leadership of Gov. Tim Walz in Minnesota and her perspective on the political expectation that she should support Kamala Harris simply because she is a woman.