Sage Steele joins me on The Charlie Kirk Show to talk about how she became a conservative voice on college campuses and how she got her start in the conservative movement. She talks about why she decided to go into politics and why she's always been a supporter of conservative causes. She also talks about her favorite conservative hero, Ronald Reagan, and how her family influenced her decision to vote for him in the 1988 presidential election. She also discusses how she was able to get her start as a college student and why it's important to have a voice on the political scene. She's a force to be reckoned with and I know you're going to love this one. Thanks for listening and Happy Manifesting! -Charlie Kirk Charlie Kirk is the founder of Turning Point USA, a powerful youth organization that fights for freedom on campuses across the country. Turning Point USA is one of the most impactful youth organizations I've ever seen and I can't wait to see what they do in the future! Thank you so much for being a part of this movement, and I hope you enjoy this powerful movement. - Charlie - Thank you for supporting the movement, turnpoint USA and thank you for being loud and proud of who you do it. . I love you, Charlie, I really do! Charlie, Charlie - The Charlie, Kristy, Kirk, I'm proud of you. Love ya. :D -Sage, Rachael, R.C. Steele, Raffy, and Rachie, Ralden, Rizzi, R& R.K. & R.B. and R. R.J., R.S. & RJK - R.P. ? -R.K . . R. BONUS EPISODES: R&R. , R.E. BOBBIE - - PRODUCER: R.A. & C. B. B. S. BORNER - THE PODCAST: THE PASTOR AND R. M. E. SANDY WELCOME? - CHEESE - CRYBLEHAPPY BABY BECAUSE I'S TALKING ABOUT IT? - RALLYING TO ME! - RACIST? - CRUCIAL? - JAY & RYAN KELLY?
00:00:41.000He's done an amazing job building one of the most powerful youth organizations ever created, Turning Point USA.
00:00:48.000We will not embrace the ideas that have destroyed countries, destroyed lives, and we are going to fight for freedom on campuses across the country.
00:00:59.000Noble Gold Investments is the official gold sponsor of The Charlie Kirk Show, a company that specializes in gold IRAs and physical delivery of precious metals.
00:01:09.000Learn how you could protect your wealth with Noble Gold Investments at noblegoldinvestments.com.
00:02:39.000I swear, you're so young, it's so annoying.
00:02:42.000I remember going to a high school civics, my high school civics class and then coming home right around election time in 88 and asking my parents, like, let's have a conversation, who are you voting for?
00:02:52.000And they looked at me and they said, none of your business.
00:02:55.000I kind of like that because they wanted me to go discover my why for whoever I chose to support, especially with college coming up.
00:03:02.000I graduated from high school in 1990, so the Bush years and Clinton and all that.
00:03:06.000So I went on my own and did my homework and research and just have had to be silent about it in order to keep a job.
00:04:47.000It was my dream job that I set out to do when I was 11 years old, to be a sportscaster.
00:04:51.000And there were no women doing that then, certainly no women who looked like me.
00:04:55.000And it was this crazy dream that I announced at the dinner table in 1984, literally this time ago, 40 years ago, when I was 11 years old, because it was the 84 Olympics in Los Angeles.
00:05:19.000No, it was, um, I just knew from a very young age that sports brought people together.
00:05:26.000I remember, you know, watching football games and on a football Sunday at any stadium across America, you have 70, 80,000 people that for three hours, it didn't matter your race, your gender, your socioeconomic status, your politics.
00:05:37.000You were just on the same page and rooting for that team and you're high-fiving strangers next to you.
00:05:43.000And then you leave and all hell breaks loose, you know?
00:05:46.000So I felt that, I don't know, camaraderie and just happiness with sports and I wanted to be a part of it.
00:05:51.000And then I wanted to also know about greatness and to be around some of the best athletes that, you know, that translates into every aspect of life.
00:05:59.000Your mental toughness, your ability to push through uncomfortable moments and fear when you're at the Olympics and you're on the starting line for the 100 meter dash.
00:06:06.000Like, I know that when I ran the 800 meters in junior high, I wanted to So I can't imagine being an Olympian.
00:06:13.000I wanted to know about that mental toughness.
00:07:26.000At this point, I've been out of it for almost a year, and I didn't, by the way, I didn't realize how much I needed a little bit of a break from sports when that's all you do.
00:08:16.000And I say that with respect because just because you are an expert in something and the GOAT Jerry Rice and a Hall of Famer doesn't mean that you can speak it and make that translate on television to millions of people when the cameras are on and live or taped.
00:08:33.000I feel like he's gotten better, though.
00:09:16.000So, it was incredible to see the best of the best struggle with that part of it.
00:09:22.000Because you can know how to do it, but can you explain it and make it in layman's terms?
00:09:26.000Especially, there's been the increase of women who have been interested in football and sports in general over the past 20 years.
00:09:33.000Those numbers have completely skyrocketed.
00:09:36.000Fantasy football, almost more women than men play fantasy football now.
00:09:40.000So, that's because You love sports, you see the benefits of it, but good analysis matters.
00:09:45.000And so it was just cool to kind of personalize those guys.
00:09:48.000And they would ask me for advice, which I was like, oh, what do I what do I say?
00:09:52.000But I will tell you, it did change, Charlie.
00:09:55.000Like ESPN from 07 until when I left, which is 11 months ago, changed dramatically and in a way that is so unfortunate, because I don't think anybody I know nobody does it better.
00:10:06.000No network does sports news better than ESPN, but they chose to take A turn.
00:13:05.000The problem is nobody calls them out on it in the sports world, and that's why I want to.
00:13:10.000Of all the places, though, and thank you for that, where you'd think that Like a hyper politically correct wokeism should be inconsistent with the value structure.
00:13:21.000It's highly competitive athletics because it's a pure meritocracy.
00:13:28.000It is market principles employed where you're not you don't have affirmative action in the NBA nor should you or in the NFL.
00:13:35.000So why is it that the sports world has been so open and accepting of this value system that is antithetical towards what makes sports so entertaining and excellent?
00:13:46.000I don't have... I have, trust me, I've racked my brain trying to figure out the why behind it.
00:13:50.000One thing I will say, I don't believe that they all believe what they're saying and what they're preaching.
00:14:06.000I actually think half of it's an act just to make people happy.
00:14:10.000And he's making, you know, 13, 15 million dollars a year salary, much less the other stuff.
00:14:15.000So, um, like I get it, to an extent, but it's also, and this is what has killed me through the years, once you make it to a certain level, um, like for instance, Shaquille O'Neal is a great example, who I love.
00:14:29.000And back to the blue and all those and he's an army kid as well.
00:14:32.000One time I was, I was at the NBA Finals and I I guess spoken out about a couple of things was right after Kaepernick kneeling like all that kind of stuff began and I spoke out and I got crushed for it and I got went back in my little shell because I was afraid and I have you know three kids to support and just as fearful for my like there's real fear it's legitimate and I see why people are fearful but he came up to me he's like Let me tell you something, and I won't continue because I'm bad at that.
00:15:08.000And why haven't you retweeted the hate and been like, guys, we're better than this?
00:15:13.000In particular, and this is controversial, but it's factual, in the black community, if you go off script, Your people will come after you quite, not all the time, quite often.
00:16:29.000But wait, here's another thing with that.
00:16:30.000Where are the women standing up for women?
00:16:32.000I don't expect... That's not going to happen.
00:16:33.000Like, I think that's... Well, listen, with the... I'm sorry, but I... You're probably right, but with this whole transgender sports thing, I've said this before... No, no, of course, I'm just like this... No, but I'm so mad because I'm like, if women... Just the female sports journalists across this country came together, literally, and were like, what are we doing, guys?
00:16:47.000Because we've been pushing Title IX and Billie Jean King.
00:17:57.000But it makes me mad because I'm like, why, why was I, and it didn't happen intentionally though, but why, why was I the only, the only one?
00:18:04.000These are, by the way, big, strong, tough men with a lot of money.
00:18:08.000No, but this is a, again, that's why I go back to the men of society should stand up against bullies and should say, OK, maybe you're going to cut my salary from college game day.
00:18:45.000Gina, do you know how sick we got of saying, and number one, Do you know, you guys know this, right?
00:18:51.000That Mark Sanchez, who went to University of Southern California and played high school football at Mission Viejo High School, and was number six at USC, and then drafted by the New York Jets, had the worst play in American history on the Thanksgiving game, right?
00:19:05.000I think it was the Friday after the Thanksgiving, the butt fumble.
00:19:08.000So they would have the worst play, and it would always be, I think, voted by the internet or something, the worst play.
00:19:12.000And it was voted the worst play for like a year and a half straight.
00:20:01.000Which is the best, because they have I only watched one non-sports programming show on ESPN, and that's College Game Day, which I still think's a great show.
00:20:37.000I miss I don't miss 98% of what came with it and those pressures.
00:20:41.000And frankly, I said this to my actual leaders, the lack of leadership, like from the top down people that I had good relationships with until I didn't until I spoke out, you know, those same leaders who believe, as many people in this room do, but chose to remain silent and That to me is the problem because again, they're the same ones that are preaching all the DEI stuff, but then they stay silent for that.
00:21:38.000I agree with this or that, but you're afraid to go there.
00:21:40.000And what I've found is that people are kind even if they disagree.
00:21:46.000I think Twitter and the internet can be... Not in real life.
00:21:48.000It's not, but that's what's shoved down our throats.
00:21:51.000I do also, I know this, that like my decision to stand up when they silenced me, cancelled me, took me off my show, suspended me, took this, like all the things.
00:22:01.000It wasn't because, all I asked for was an apology.
00:22:04.000When I talked to my attorney, finally, who's the same attorney, by the way, that Megyn Kelly had, that Tucker Carlson currently has, even Don Lemon, Chris Harrison, one of my dear friends who hosted The Bachelor back in the day, we all have the same attorney.
00:22:15.000If you get kicked by your TV network, we all know who to call.
00:22:38.000Like, I didn't want to do any of that, but I knew that if I didn't do it at that moment, like, literally say goodbye to Frankly, my soul.
00:22:50.000And with three kids who are watching everything that I do, that was that moment.
00:22:54.000But when they chose to not, to not do that, to not apologize, then we went forward with it.
00:23:00.000But literally, if it hadn't been for the way they treated my peers, which was, you can go on NBA Countdown and talk about how upset you are that Roe vs. Wade was overturned.
00:23:48.000It's so weird, but I just, I think all we are asking for is consistency.
00:23:53.000So back to the leaders, at the end of the day, you can't crush me and punish me and literally blow up my career for what I said about my own opinion about being biracial and what has come with that.
00:24:05.000And I did not do it on your airwaves specifically, but then let all of my peers do just that to the nth degree.
00:24:12.000I just wanted consistency and I'm done with the hypocrisy.
00:24:15.000Otherwise I would never have sued and so I'm glad they made those decisions because I wouldn't be here today and no longer having that fear of being true to my... Listen, my daughter's in a high school, just graduated from high school, where you can be a girl today, a boy tomorrow, and a cat on Thursday.
00:24:30.000So like, I'm done with... So you're fine with that, but I can't...
00:25:50.000I was such a pleaser and firstborn and only girl and just perfectionist in every way and I still find myself doing that sometimes, which is why I don't read comments really good or bad anymore because it's just, it's such a waste of time and I am grateful for the good but I know that I'd focus on the one, right?
00:26:10.000And my mother, at one point, said to me, after the first time I got in trouble, like in 2017, and it was coming off of Trump being elected, and then all the players kneeling, and I'm like, wait, you're complaining about Trump being in there, and you didn't even vote!
00:26:23.000These are athletes, NFL athletes, and they, like, just vote, and then you can complain, but otherwise, shut up, I don't want to hear it.
00:26:29.000So I said something to that effect, a little bit more polite on Twitter, and that was when I first got in trouble, and it was bad.
00:26:36.000And my mother, called me and she's crying and she's tough and she's like, please just delete the comments, just go through, delete it.
00:26:44.000And I was like, mom, if I delete that, it makes it look like it didn't happen.
00:26:49.000People need to see what happens when you are on the wrong side.
00:26:54.000And so that was the beginning, you know.
00:26:59.000Letting go of the fear of being disliked.
00:27:02.000I imagine at ESPN, though, there are other people that are very unhappy millionaires, where they're being paid a lot of money, but they're being held captive by a woke corporation.
00:27:13.000And do they communicate with you without any names?
00:28:50.000I was one of the faces of the network.
00:28:52.000And now I'm in airports, you know, I always have been, but I look at it differently and I'm walking by every restaurant, every bar, every TV screen in every airport is maybe CNN, but otherwise it's all ESPN or ESPN2.
00:29:05.000And I'm like, gosh, that 12 to 2 Eastern, that was me for all of these years.
00:29:13.000And I just don't because I didn't realize how it had built up in here and because I feel like now I'm talking about things that are a lot more important, you know?
00:30:10.000I open my eyes in the shower and on the other side of the glass, there's this really ugly marble tile that I look at it every day, like thousands of times.
00:30:20.000I've looked at that area when I open my eyes, when I'm washing my hair and this marble was in the shape of an angel.
00:30:59.000The other moment that I want to share that I actually haven't talked about this much is, I didn't say this earlier, I took the shot, I did the podcast, I got in trouble, got suspended, and then I got COVID really bad.
00:31:16.000My kids and I had just gone through the divorce.
00:31:18.000It was a devastating time in general in my life.
00:31:22.000As a woman of faith, as a Catholic, where divorce is not okay, my own disappointment, like so much, and the pandemic and all of the things.
00:31:31.000And I was so sick, Charlie, and I My heart after getting that shot was racing so fast.
00:31:37.000I literally thought I was having a heart attack or I was dying with the COVID.
00:31:42.000And so I, it was three in the morning and I was alone.
00:32:00.000And so I got back in bed and prayed that I would wake up the next morning.
00:32:06.000And I did, obviously, but my lowest moments is when I've asked for just a sign, not do this for me or don't do this, just guide me, just lead me.
00:32:19.000And those times, and then when I had terrible headlines, terrible headlines, lies that were written about me.
00:32:26.000And I couldn't get off the ground and my mom and dad, who are now 78 and 75, this is three years ago, my dad has two kinds of cancer.
00:32:33.000He's not supposed to be around someone with COVID at the time, bad COVID.
00:32:36.000My mom and dad, doesn't matter how old you are, they got in their car and they drove up and they lifted Their 50-year-old daughter, little girl, off the ground to say, we've got you and we're doing this together.
00:32:48.000And every single day from the end of my suspension to the day I left ESPN, I pulled into the parking lot to go do the show.
00:32:54.000And my parents, we would say a prayer.
00:33:01.000Um, basically protecting you from the wickedness and snares of the devil.
00:33:04.000And I felt like I had a bubble around me every day when I went in there from people that hated me that I worked with, from all the fears I had to go be myself while I'm in an active lawsuit while on national TV with that company every single day.
00:33:17.000And literally, God got me through every ounce of it.
00:33:21.000And that's why I have this piece, even though I don't know what tomorrow brings.
00:33:26.000If I were still there, I would never have been allowed to sit with you, to meet so many kind people here at this summit conference for the weekend that you have poured your heart and soul into.
00:33:36.000There's so many blessings when you push through fear that I had no idea.
00:33:41.000And when I was filing the lawsuit, and I'll shut up, I promise.
00:33:44.000When I was filing the lawsuit the night before, I went to each one of my kids and said, listen, this is what's going to happen tomorrow.
00:33:52.000I don't want you to feel like you have to defend me.
00:34:18.000So, if we don't, if we live in this fear of trying to please, of trying to protect your kids from difficult things, of losing your job, of losing your money, of losing your status, losing all those things, Friends, my friends circle is like this big now because they left.
00:34:38.000But it's okay because they were there for a season and that taught me what?
00:34:42.000When you do have friends, you know who your people are and you are there for them when they need it too.
00:34:48.000So it's actually all of this and the cancellations and the hate is such a blessing and I wouldn't know that without my faith.