Ranking The Top 5 National Sports Radio Shows

Super Bowl week comes with many traditions, including Radio Row. It’s the place where sports radio shows from all over the country come together to share guests, opinions, and excitement all at one location for the week.

Dating back to one year ago, Super Bowl LI, to the upcoming Super Bowl LII, here is a ranking of the top 5 national sports radio shows in the country of the past year.

Some things to consider:

• This is a ranking only from the beginning of Super Bowl LI week, January 30, 2017, to the beginning of Super Bowl LII week, January 29, 2018.
• The list is not just judging the shows on their NFL content, as many things have occurred in the past 12 months outside of the NFL.
• The list is not including weekly or weekend sports radio shows, only shows airing from Monday – Friday.
• The current ranking is not considering where the following shows will be in a year, however, there are predictions for select shows included. These rankings could look very different in a year, with many high-profile changes in the radio lineup recently. 

5. The Dan Patrick Show

There was once a time where Dan Patrick had the best sports radio show in the country after he snatched the title away from Jim Rome. That’s no longer the case, but Patrick’s radio show remains one of the best. From top athletes, celebrities, and reporters, DP’s guest list has been significantly better than what any his of competition was able to bring in since last January.

And who does not love the four Danettes?

4. Outkick the Coverage with Clay Travis

Clay Travis will always be better when not limited by FCC airwaves, this is demonstrated daily on his Periscope/Facebook show. With that said, his morning radio show has been tremendous this past year. The show has had discussions each day that literally no other sports radio show would ever touch. The show had branched off into politics, entertainment, and even ridiculed producer Jason Martin for being afraid to drive in the snow, as opposed to breaking down regular season NBA games.

Travis could really benefit from having his show on Sirius XM instead of FOX Sports Radio, but even now, he has the best sports radio show in the morning. One thing to keep in mind, his radio deal is up on June 30.

3. Mad Dog Unleashed

“Ahhhhhh… Good Afternoon, Everybody!” You better adjust your volume. There will never be a better opening in sports radio. Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo may have not received the individual recognition his former co-host Mike Francesca did after the split, despite, getting an entire channel named after him. Russo remains as electric as anyone in the genre coming off his best year as a solo act, and appears not be going anywhere anytime soon. In most cases, taking phone calls hurts the quality of a show, but very few argue with callers like the Dog. Talk (yell) about monologues to hype up this year’s Super Bowl:

2. The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Nobody has ever done solo sports radio better than Colin Cowherd. He has the most interesting takes daily and has made it nearly impossible to turn the dial in the midst of his monologues. Cowherd has adjusted to the times better than anyone, figuring out how to do popular weekly segments including The Blazing 5, Herd Hierarchy, Hunch or Lunch, and Where Colin Was Right, Where Colin Was Wrong. The Herd was one of the best radio shows in the country at ESPN, it is even better at FOX. At first glance, his theories always sound crazy, but then…

1. The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Was there ever a doubt? The best sports radio show from Super Bowl to Super Bowl is the one that talks the least amount about sports, and that is what makes it great. During the summer months when most shows are scratching and clawing for topics, Dan Le Batard and Stugotz just let it fly. Nobody has any idea where this show is going on a given day, which leads to the most entertaining, humorous, authentic discussions on the radio. Topics can range from mocking their colleagues, Le Batard’s weight, Stugotz in bed, and Twitter polls that can be, well, anything.

How many other shows force one of the hosts to get a haircut like Paul Finebaum on-air?

Not only are Le Batard and Stugotz fantastic, the Shipping Container Filled with Frightened Refugees (producers) add constant excitement to the show daily. As of now, no sports radio show is even close.