Why do we like sportsmen's podcasts so much? And which are the best ones?
There is a podcast on every topic. After all, the original mission was to select a subject that would appeal to a niche group of enthusiasts and provide them with a curated, in-depth product that would validate their passion. It was the evolution of forums. If you wanted to be part of a community, you had to step away from the keyboard and put on your headphones. The success of the pioneers convinced journalists, bloggers, or simply enthusiastic individuals armed with initiative and a microphone to record their perspective on the subject of their choice. This was, and still is, the strength of podcasts: the ability to reach a potentially massive audience via internet streaming and later apps, while still being specific and recognizable. All of this while cultivating an intimate relationship with the listener, who tends to consume the product during a private moment in their day, which in turn aims to create a community. In the end, you're never truly alone when listening to a podcast. Much like with radio, you're certain that someone else is listening to the same things and feeling the same emotions. A tailored way of acting and thinking for the passionate sports audience, always hungry for new content.
Podcasts immediately captured the sports audience because they had a different vibe, as if hosts and guests had the freedom to say whatever they wanted without filters. No restrictions, no off-limits topics like you might find on television. One of the most famous examples involves Colt Cabana, a wrestler with a long career on the independent scene and host of “The Art of Wrestling,” the precursor of wrestling podcasts launched in 2010. The most famous episode of his series is number 226 from November 2014, the interview with CM Punk, the wrestler’s first public appearance after being fired by WWE a few months earlier. In that interview, Punk detailed the backstage disputes and events that led to his firing, which officially happened with WWE delivering the letter on his wedding day. For wrestling fans, this episode had the same impact as the "Curtain Call", the 1996 event when four of WWF’s biggest stars broke kayfabe by sharing a group hug, blurring the lines between heroes and villains. In Punk’s case, it was the first time a wrestler openly spoke about being mistreated by the company, specifically by Vince McMahon, before being let go.
The Best Podcasts
Today, the landscape has changed and sports podcasts have evolved. They’ve lost some of the raw edge of their early days and are no longer amateur productions. They’ve become mainstream content, aided by the addition of video and the evolution into vodcasts. Yet even in this professional context, podcasts maintain that “international waters” aura where anything goes. In recent years, the most successful shows have involved former professionals or active athletes. Both groups are drawn to the chance to speak directly to their fans, to control the narrative about themselves, and to enjoy the freedom of expression that podcasts allow, without having to follow the editorial lines of a network.
In football, there’s The Rest Is Football, hosted by Gary Lineker alongside Micah Richards and Alan Shearer, where the three former players discuss current events mainly related to English football and then the international scene, using a distinctly informal, and often humorous, tone. A similar editorial style is found in The Overlap, a Sky Sports production with Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Jill Scott, Ian Wright, and Roy Keane. In Germany, we have Einfach mal Luppen, hosted by Toni Kroos and his brother Felix, or Alleine ist schwer, hosted by Mats Hummels. In Italy, there was Bobo TV and later Viva el Fútbol, an editorial project that emerged after Daniele Adani, Antonio Cassano, and Nicola Ventola parted ways with Christian Vieri.
Each sport has its own examples. For the NBA, they’re countless: All the Smoke is hosted by Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, mixing bold commentary on current events with in-depth conversations and interviews with former players eager to share their version of key moments in their careers or reveal behind-the-scenes stories. Gilbert Arenas reinvented himself as a content creator with Gil's Arena. KG Certified is hosted by Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, and JJ Reddick, now the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, was previously a successful podcaster with The Old Man and the Three, and more recently with Mind the Game, co-hosted with LeBron James. LeBron’s evolution into a podcaster was the final confirmation of how attractive podcasts had become to active players, even if he followed in the footsteps of Paul George and Draymond Green, to name a few. These podcasts cater to both general audiences, with interviews, stories, and unfiltered opinions, and more niche fans interested in "X’s and O’s", that is, technical and tactical analysis full of detail and insights.
We also have examples in tennis, where Andy Roddick adapted JJ Reddick’s analytical style for Served, a weekly podcast in which the former player discusses every aspect of the sport, interviewing figures from both past and present. In the NFL, brothers Travis and Jason Kelce dominate the scene with their show New Heights. Surprisingly, there are no notable podcasts in F1 after the shutdown of Beyond Victory, once hosted by Nico Rosberg, although in recent weeks Guenther Steiner, former Team Principal of Haas and a cult figure among fans thanks to Drive to Survive, has been taking part in The Red Flags Podcast with increasing regularity. Meanwhile, in the world of motorcycle racing, MIGBabol is gaining traction — an Italian podcast where Andrea Migno interviews riders from past and present.
Interviews and Anecdotes
But why do we love podcasts hosted by former athletes so much? What makes them special? In theory, the arrival of mainstream personalities should have ruined the game. Instead, it has massively expanded the community of people who listen to podcasts on a daily basis. The starting point is that these personalities have an audience eager to hear their take on current topics, an audience made up of both fans and haters. Fans will view any comment or insight as genuine, coming from someone who lived that experience firsthand. Haters, on the other hand, will always assume bad faith, thinking that the bolder the statement, the more it’s meant to grab headlines and keep the podcast, and the athlete’s name, circulating in the media.
In terms of content, there are two main formats. The first is interviews, which tie into the freedom we mentioned earlier. Former players feel comfortable speaking with fellow former players because, quite simply, they’re not talking to a journalist, someone they often view as an adversary trying to trap them into saying something headline-worthy. They feel safe and relaxed, allowing themselves to open up on any topic. They answer all questions sincerely, and the listener can sense this authenticity. They understand that it’s less of an interview and more of a friendly chat, where the guest feels motivated to tell a good story to justify being there. These interviews are less formulaic than those conducted by traditional networks, making them more enjoyable. They can play in the background while you do something else, so you don't have to give them your full attention.
The second reason builds on everything we've said so far. In fact, it’s a direct consequence. Because guests feel free to speak, they often share anecdotes, the Holy Grail for social media teams planning their content calendars. Evergreen clips that never die and cycle through our Instagram and TikTok feeds or WhatsApp chats. Whether these stories are true, authentic, exaggerated, or outright false is impossible to know. To us, they feel genuine because they’re told in the first person by someone who experienced that moment. This creates a chain reaction: we eagerly await the next interview, hoping it will feature an even more important guest with even more entertaining and memorable stories than those who came before.
