On the latest episode of “Listen In With KNN” sports talk podcast and radio show with host Kelsey Nicole Nelson, special guest Ashley Baker joined the show to discuss the latest sports news, touching on everything from the slippery situation with CeeDee Lamb in Dallas to Simone Biles’ continued historic feats in the Paris Olympics.
Along with Nelson, Baker is a reporter for Fox Sports Radio 96.9 FM/1340 AM. She is also the creator of “Sports After Dark,” an X Space with over three thousand followers. For background on the origin of her platform, Baker set the stage in a society longing for interaction following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The world was kind of coming back to being normal but again…people were still looking to have that sports talk, debate, have that barber-shop kind of vibe.”
X Spaces gave Baker and other sports fans a convenient (and safe) outlet to connect with like-minded sports enthusiasts in an environment that was as close to face-to-face interaction as possible. Nelson also noted the comfortable and unifying nature of talking sports with friends online.
“I think there’s a special sports culture we have on X, that makes it so special. And to be able to have these connections with folks again, from anywhere, just based off a love of sports.”
Now, that fortified foundation of weekly debates and top-10 lists has graduated from the virtual sphere and transcended into real life. Baker shared that the regular participants of “Sports After Dark,” had a chance to meet up at the NFL Draft in Kansas City. She shared that since then, many in the tight-knit group have become like a “second family.”
“We were able to link up with those individuals that we met via [X], and it was almost like we didn’t miss a beat. It was almost like we knew them forever despite it being the first time ever hanging out…in the physical realm. And it was just all love,” said Baker.
After talking about the birth and subsequent growth of “Sports After Dark,” Baker and Nelson did what they do best — break down the top storylines around the sports world.
First, the duo unpacked the ongoing contract negotiations between the Dallas Cowboys organization and their star wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb. When Nelson asked Baker to share her thoughts, Baker was confident that the two parties would come to an agreement eventually.
“At the end of the day, [the Cowboys’] logo or their slogan of ‘we love our guys,’ that does ring true. So I don’t have any doubt in my mind that they’re going to find a way to pay CeeDee Lamb,” said Baker.
However, she also acknowledged that paying Lamb has looming implications on another franchise cornerstone. That is QB1 Dak Prescott. He’s entering the final year of his contract with a potential extension on the table, and infamous Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has an important decision to make. Baker expressed her concerns about the lofty salaries of other, less accomplished quarterbacks and explained their significance for Prescott.
“Now we’ve kind of gotten into a situation or a tight spot with Dak where he’s going to want his bag, not only because he deserves it, but it’s also because it’s what the market demands.”
Moving on from her personal favorite Cowboys and considering their NFC East rivals, Baker first gave credit to the hometown Washington Commanders as a dark horse team.
As she looks ahead to the regular season, Baker said, “With Dan Quinn being in the building now, you’re going to see [Washington’s] defense elevate throughout the next couple of years. They’re going to be a thorn in the side of the Cowboys, the Eagles, and the Giants…There’s a lot of individuals that believe that the Commanders are going to finish second and the Eagles are going to finish third.”
Speaking of the Eagles, and the NFC East, Nelson and Baker discussed some of the inner turmoil brewing in Philadelphia’s locker room between head coach Nick Sirianni and star quarterback Jalen Hurts, according to sources.
“There are a lot of individuals in that locker room that do not care for Nick Sirianni. And my hot take is if the Eagles are sitting anywhere around .500 by the middle of the season, I think he’s out the door in the middle of the season.”
After talking through top NFL storylines, the pair transitioned from predicting to recapping. With the 2024 Paris Olympics drawing to a close last week, Baker and Nelson shared some of their favorite events from this year’s games. They gave a quick shoutout to the USA Basketball Women’s National Team, who won their gold medal game against France on Aug. 11, extending their Olympic win streak to 61 games.
On the topic of Team USA’s dominance, Nelson declared, “I don’t know why that’s not the biggest storyline in sports right now.”
The conversation then shifted to another incredible Team USA performance from the women’s gymnastics team, and more specifically, Simone Biles. After adding three gold medals and one silver medal to her historic resume this year, Nelson referred to Biles as being “in a class of her own.”
Although her effortless performances wouldn’t suggest it, Biles’ Olympic run has been shadowed by outside drama involving her former teammate, MyKayla Skinner, and her husband, Jonathan Owens. Baker and Nelson weighed in on both controversies and praised Biles for her remarkable poise in “ignor[ing] the noise.”
“I mean, she’s representing our country here and for those attacks to come from the individuals in our country, it’s just completely unacceptable. But shoutout to her for keeping a brave face on, shoutout to her for brushing it off, shoutout to her for winning those gold medals,” proclaimed Baker.
As the two wrapped up their conversation, they commended each other’s shows and bonded over being colleagues in the sports media industry. Baker concluded with a message of solidarity and positivity, reminding listeners of the episode’s theme — Black girl sports magic.
“I know that it’s not easy, of course, being a woman in this space, being a Black woman in this space…Let’s keep building, and let’s keep doing this.”
Listen to the full show below.
