What was your inspiration for this piece? And, or, what made you want to create it?

Some inspiration–and I can’t say this for everybody–came from the push to try and win awards from podcasts and the rest I’d say was a blend of that with seeing it accomplished. 2021 Mercer Island graduate Jared Marcus won honorable mention for the New York Times Podcast Competition by telling the wild story that was disco demolition night at Comiskey Park in 1979. When I saw that you could win by telling a compelling story with great writing, I was all in on trying it. Despite not winning anything with Home of the Brave, I’m proud of trying it out at an early point in high school and gaining that experience.

Hi! My name is Dylan Shobe and this is my podcast Home of the Brave. This piece tells the story of the 1968 black power salute that happened at the Olympics in the context of the American sports world where African American athletes have struggled towards equality. Decades after this salute happened, the story then draws attention to Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling during the national anthem where he made a similar protest that athletes aren’t just paid to play, but rather to have a say in societal issues such as racism. Home of the Brave was made to also point out how the national anthem in its nature is key to understanding the context of why Colin Kaepernick knelt.

What was your biggest challenge in creating this piece?

The biggest struggle in creating this podcast was learning how to package the story. Figuring out how to connect the two stories together in a way that was simple, yet powerful was my biggest challenge and where I think I lacked in the end. I also think I tried to go in too many directions linking the story to more things than the viewer needed in the end to get the grasp of the essentials. 

What was the most rewarding part about the finished product, and or creating this?

Ironically I think the most rewarding part is finishing. You stare down a five minute long design of a story and think “Oh man how am I going to finish this” and if you get past that you start to judge yourself by asking “Is this good?” On the other hand I also did enjoy the rough challenge that was bridging Colin Kaepernick with Tommie Smith and John Carlos–specifically retelling a story (that being the 1968 Olympics) that’s often forgotten.