Let's Talk Sports!

Hoping to express their love for sports, junior David Kuper and his father Richard Kuper release their sports podcast

BY DEEANNE MONTERO, STAFF WRITER

Introducing David "DAK" and Richard "Rick" Kuper, co-hosts of a father and son podcast called DAK and Rick’s Pod, where they talk about all things sports. Due to the cancelation of sporting events because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the junior created a podcast as an outlet to discuss his passion for sports.

Every Saturday, David uploads 30 minute podcasts on streaming platforms including Apple Music and Spotify. Although he covers all types of sports, Kuper primarily focuses on matches from his favorite teams, the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Heat.

“We try to cover everything sports and our tagline is “All Things Sports” because although we highly focus on Miami Sports [because] we are fans of the game, we also wanted to provide people who don’t know much about sports as a quick update so they can stay informed, [hence] why we started this podcast,” Kuper said.

because of their shared goal of sports reporting. Kuper intends to continue his podcast with his father even when the quarantine is over, hoping to further bond and expand their platform.

Kuper developed his passion for sports from his father who is an avid sports enthusiast. Kuper would accompany his dad to every football and basketball game they had tickets for and bonded with his father through conversations about sports games and news. His father was his main inspiration in starting the podcast and motivates Kuper to voice his thoughts about athletes and games

“Two viewpoints are always better than one as it allows there to be a bit of conflict and we can present everything from more angles which makes it more interesting to the viewer,” Kuper said.

Despite staying on track with his uploads, sports games being virtual have hindered the storytelling of a game and the ability to give live reactions. Of his current published works, Kuper’s favorite podcast is from when the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Baseball (MLB) were returning to action because it gave them the chance to talk about current sports rather than speculating about the future.

‘Quickfire News’ where he updates his listeners about what is going on in the sports world. As the sports world is slowly getting its rhythm again, Kuper’s goal is for his podcast to get recognition by professional athletes and the leagues they play for. He believes it will help him expand his audience by eventually featuring professional athletes on his podcast.

“I try to stay active and listen to a variety of sports podcasts, because at the end of the day we are trying to put the best product out there, so I try and use the best things to create an even better podcast,” Kuper said.

Kuper’s podcast has not only taught the public about sports but also about partnership and the skills involved with writing and creating content. Kuper’s podcast can be accessed on his Instagram, @DAKandRicksPod or on anchor.fm/dak-ricks-pod. In the meantime, Kuper hopes to become more knowledgeable in the media industry and become a more well-rounded person, alongside his father who hopes to grow the fanbase and teach others about sports.

“Having the opportunity to create something that is of interest and of value to my son and giving me the opportunity to spend quality time with him [helps create] a special bond and lasting memories with him,” Kuper said. h