By: Victor Olorunfemi

It seems the country gets increasingly more divided with each election, but there is one thing we can all agree on- no more podcasts from active professional athletes. 

I hate to admit it, but Laura Ingraham may have been cooking when she famously coined the term "shut up and dribble." While I vehemently disagree with the context in which she initially uttered the phrase, I increasingly find it is the best way to describe how I feel about the wave of podcasts from professional athletes.

We have all suffered from it. Whether it is your favorite team's best player saying controversial nonsensical things that bring negative attention to the locker room (looking at you, Micah Parsons) or running across a clip of some random player giving an insane take on a societal topic they know nothing about (looking at you Michael Porter Jr.). Bring back mysterious athletes, not these yappers who leave nothing to the imagination.

And, do not get me wrong, there are genuinely good ones out there from current athletes who are intelligent and articulate enough to run an engaging podcast, but I fear the damage from their peers is such that we must collect all mics.

They earn dozens, sometimes hundreds of millions of dollars, so why must the world be subjected to another awful podcast from a professional athlete convinced we care about his perspective?

The reality is that most athletes who make it to the highest level grew up in a bubble that constricted their perspective to whatever sport they dedicated their lives to. Save the podcast for when you retire and are something other than an athlete, finally gaining relevant perspectives on the world. Find a new hobby, spend time with your family, train, do whatever, but please, no more podcasts.

I do not know who needs to save the day by ending these podcasts. It may have to be the league/team adding no-podcast clauses to contracts. And while that is usually for offseason activities that could cause career-altering injuries, I would argue a bad podcast does as much damage to the locker room.

Maybe we need to collectively decide as a society to stop tuning in, but I doubt that would work since a lot of these guys seem to enjoy listening to themselves talk more than anything else.

The answer may have to come from the United States government. The newly elected president seems obsessed with signing Executive Orders. Can we get one in front of him about these podcasts?

This is an issue near and dear to me. I implore that you join me in my quest to ban all professional athletes from owning podcast equipment before it is too late and you too suffer from this growing epidemic.