12 Sports Podcasts The Big Lead Staff Is Digging Right Now
By The Big Lead
The ideal way to go through life in 2019 is with headphones on, engrossed and bathing in the warm softness of a podcast. Unscientifically, there are now 1.7 pods for every American. Some of those are of the sports and pop culture variety. Here are some very popular ones — and some lesser-known ones — that you should be listening to instead of the rest. They are in no particular order.
I got into professional wrestling via WCW right before Hulk Hogan joined the NWO, and this podcast delves deep into topics big and small on the rise and fall of WCW from the perspective of Eric Bischoff. Host Conrad Thompson does an excellent job of weaving in and out of intricacies, pushing Bischoff to be more candid when he is coy or does not remember details, and also sprinkling in humor.
–Ryan Glasspiegel
This podcast, which comes out on Tuesdays and Thursdays, is my favorite to download before a flight. Bomani has smart conversations with interesting guests — like Billions co-creator Brian Koppelman — and also covers sports on a granular level that makes you think about various nuances you hadn’t previously considered.
-Ryan Glasspiegel
On this weekend edition of Colin Cowherd’s podcast, he brings on smart guests and discusses business topics in sports and sports media. Every time you listen to it, you learn new perspectives, and it’s a great change of pace in that it gets released in a pocket where there’s just not as much flow of podcasts and sports talk radio.
-Ryan Glasspiegel
Pardon My Take has been the biggest and best sports podcast really since it launched. Big Cat and PFT are two rising stars in sports media and are the internet version of Mike Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser. The show is at its best during football season when, unlike most of the media, the two talk about the games like actual fans. Well, crazy obsessed, weird guy fans. The podcast also features the best interviews. And based on the numbers, you all know this already.
-Bobby Burack
I really don’t like the name of this show. I would recommend Adam Schefter changes this during his downtime. Anyway, Schefter is a great interviewer and this podcast is a must-listen if you are a football fan. It includes a lot of information but isn’t not too serious. Still waiting for him to do a movie episode, however. Not exactly satisfied with the answer he gave us trying to defend Shawshank Redemption as the best movie ever. But seriously, this is one of the better podcasts.
Some names suggestions:
- Scoops with Schefter
- The Scheftershank Redemption
- The Adam Schefter Experience
- The Adam Schefter Show
- Inside the Insider with Insider Adam Schefter
- Schefter
-Bobby Burack
Not much has changed from the old Tony Kornheiser Show that aired on radio to this one. TK and the crew discuss a variety of topics and are their best when talking about things outside of sports, like movies. We all know Kornheiser’s hidden sense of humor from PTI, and that is in full force during the podcast. Many of the guests have a relationship with him and it gives the show a Le Batard-ish type feel to it. Worth your time.
-Bobby Burack
Bill Simmons made sports podcasting cool. Never forget that. The Ringer version inherited the flow and vibe of the old B.S. Report. Simmons’ podcast brings on marquee guests that major television shows can’t even get. It is the closest thing to a sport version of Joe Rogan’s podcast that has begun to pull away from the rest of the medium.
Simmons’ show can get a little too NBA-centric at times, I must say. But we all have our flaws.
-Bobby Burack
ESPN’s fantasy football podcast is a major success and has more of an influence on its viewers than any other show in the game. Matthew Berry, Field Yates, and Stephania Bell have as good of chemistry as three hosts can have. They have also masted blending fun with informative discussion.
But could this all change now that Berry had a cameo in the Avengers: Endgame?
-Bobby Burack
I’ve said it before and will say it again: Bryan Curtis is the best working sportswriter in America. He and co-host David Shoemaker offer up a weekly look at the biggest stories in sports and political media and are ingenious at finding ways to make the insights fresh, even when the source material has aged. It’s tough to make nuance and firm-footed takes resonate in 2019, but this duo accomplishes it in an intensely breezy listen. Staring at the navels of others can quickly turn into a know-it-all-ism, yet The Press Box toes the line of authority without crossing over into Voice of God territory.
-Kyle Koster
OK, OK, it’s another sports media podcast. Hand up, I’m a niche guy. What this one lacks in production value it more than makes up for in unfiltered takes. There is no double-speak and no sacred cows as Robert Seidman talks to fellow enthusiasts about what’s really going on.
-Kyle Koster
Jon Weiner’s brain is one of our greatest natural resources. He’s part madman, part genius and his dedication to producing greatness through aggressive laziness has no equal. This is the podcast for those of you out there who watch ESPN’s best radio show and wish it were somehow more chaotic. One could see this becoming the most popular podcast in the world or just ending without ceremony when the guest loses interest. Truly something to behold. This podcast is part of the bourgeoning Le Batard and Friends podcast group that also includes pods from Dan Le Batard, Sarah Spain, and Mina Kimes.
-Kyle Koster
The Yahoo! Sports NBA reporter not only gets current star players on his podcast, but gets them to open up and even make news. Guests have included Jimmy Butler, Rudy Gobert, Damian Lillard, Kevin Durant, Trae Young, and De’Aaron Fox.
–Ryan Glasspiegel