Professional athletes have a documented history of going into the sports media industry after they retire from their playing careers. In the mid-to-late 2010s, there were a growing amount of instances of players pursuing media ventures even during their playing careers. Often times, athletes utilize the podcast medium to disseminate their media output, with these podcasts covering the athletes' respective sport.
A. J. Hawk has been cited as the first active professional athlete to begin podcasting, having launched his Hawk Cast in 2014. [1] [2] JJ Redick was the first NBA player to launch a podcast while still an active player, hosting The Vertical on Yahoo! Sports in 2016. [3] [4] After punter Pat McAfee retired from the National Football League (NFL) in 2016, he launched his own eponymous show; it has been credited with "paving the way for fellow athletes to pursue a media career upon retirement". [5]
In the 2020s, the rise in players issuing statements or producing content through their own media ventures was dubbed the "new media" by National Basketball Association (NBA) player Draymond Green. [6] Players have been noted to invite and interview fellow players on their podcasts. [7] Sometimes, these podcasts are co-hosted by friends of the players who did not have professional sport careers. [8]
Reception of the podcasts vary from podcast to podcast, though media writers have also written about the broad concept and its increased prominence over the years. Writing about the increase of NBA players launching podcasts and other media pursuits, Alex Siquig of GQ stated "there's a sweetness to this sort of access. It's an unlocked door to brawny, garrulous NBA tenderness. Players talking through COVID with grace and honest introspection has been a boon, even when the topics veer from the sacred to the profane, from brilliance to bullshit." [9]
The New York Times writer Jeremy Gordon commented that "the premise of so many athlete-run podcasts" involves how the podcasts "demystify what these people do, allowing talented figures to break down their talent-utilization processes", citing examples including "Draymond [Green]'s, or The Old Man and the Three (in which the former NBA player JJ Redick and co-host Tommy Alter trade stories and discuss the modern league), or All the Smoke (the former NBA journeymen Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson trade stories and discuss the modern league), or I Am Athlete (the former NFL receivers Brandon Marshall and Chad Johnson trade stories and discuss the modern league). [10] Gordon criticized this concept, writing "But the demystification process can, at times, be too thorough", and adding that "it turns out to be deeply enervating to hear these athletes talk about [sports]". [10]
Denotes player was retired when podcast debuted ❧ |
Denotes non-professional athlete co-host ‡ |
Podcast | Host(s) | Debuted | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
The Hawk Cast | A. J. Hawk | 2014 | [2] |
Club Shay Shay | Shannon Sharpe ❧ | September 22, 2020 | [11] |
The Pivot Podcast |
Ryan Clark ❧ Channing Crowder ❧ Fred Taylor ❧ |
January 4, 2022 | [12] [13] |
New Heights |
Jason Kelce Travis Kelce |
September 8, 2022 | |
The Edge | Micah Parsons | September 11, 2023 | [14] [15] |
Nightcap |
Shannon Sharpe ❧ Chad Johnson ❧ Gilbert Arenas [a] ❧ |
September 11, 2023 | [17] [18] |
4th & 1 | Cam Newton | September 13, 2023 | [19] [20] |
Denotes player was retired when podcast debuted ❧ |
Denotes non-professional athlete co-host ‡ |
Podcast | Host(s) | Debuted | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
The Vertical Podcast | JJ Redick | February 1, 2016 | [3] [21] |
Road Trippin' |
Channing Frye Richard Jefferson Allie Clifton [b] ‡ |
January 17, 2017 | [22] [23] |
The Chronicles of Redick | JJ Redick | July 19, 2017 | [21] [24] |
The JJ Redick Podcast with Tommy Alter |
JJ Redick Tommy Alter ‡ |
November 29, 2017 | [25] [4] |
Knuckleheads with Quentin Richardson & Darius Miles |
Quentin Richardson ❧ Darius Miles ❧ |
February 19, 2019 | [9] [26] |
All The Smoke |
Matt Barnes ❧ Stephen Jackson ❧ |
October 21, 2019 | [27] [28] |
The Old Man and the Three |
JJ Redick Tommy Alter ‡ |
August 5, 2020 | [29] |
Curious Mike | Michael Porter Jr. | July 20, 2021 | [30] [31] |
The Draymond Green Show | Draymond Green | November 17, 2021 | [32] [33] |
The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone |
Patrick Beverley Adam Ferrone ‡ |
October 11, 2022 | [34] [35] |
Club 520 |
Jeff Teague ❧ DJ Wells ‡ Bishop B Henn ‡ |
January 31, 2023 | [36] [37] |
Podcast P with Paul George |
Paul George Jackie Long ‡ Dallas Rutherford ‡ |
March 6, 2023 | [38] [39] |
From the Point | Trae Young | June 1, 2023 | [6] |
The OGs |
Udonis Haslem ❧ Mike Miller ❧ |
December 19, 2023 | [40] [41] |
The Big Podcast with Shaq |
Shaquille O'Neal ❧ Adam Lefkoe ‡ |
December 21, 2023 | [42] [43] |
Roommates Show |
Jalen Brunson Josh Hart |
February 8, 2024 | [44] [45] |
The Underground Lounge |
Lou Williams ❧ Spank Horton ‡ |
February 14, 2024 | [46] |
Mind the Game |
LeBron James JJ Redick ❧ |
March 19, 2024 | [47] |
Professional athletes have a documented history of going into the sports media industry after they retire from their playing careers. In the mid-to-late 2010s, there were a growing amount of instances of players pursuing media ventures even during their playing careers. Often times, athletes utilize the podcast medium to disseminate their media output, with these podcasts covering the athletes' respective sport.
A. J. Hawk has been cited as the first active professional athlete to begin podcasting, having launched his Hawk Cast in 2014. [1] [2] JJ Redick was the first NBA player to launch a podcast while still an active player, hosting The Vertical on Yahoo! Sports in 2016. [3] [4] After punter Pat McAfee retired from the National Football League (NFL) in 2016, he launched his own eponymous show; it has been credited with "paving the way for fellow athletes to pursue a media career upon retirement". [5]
In the 2020s, the rise in players issuing statements or producing content through their own media ventures was dubbed the "new media" by National Basketball Association (NBA) player Draymond Green. [6] Players have been noted to invite and interview fellow players on their podcasts. [7] Sometimes, these podcasts are co-hosted by friends of the players who did not have professional sport careers. [8]
Reception of the podcasts vary from podcast to podcast, though media writers have also written about the broad concept and its increased prominence over the years. Writing about the increase of NBA players launching podcasts and other media pursuits, Alex Siquig of GQ stated "there's a sweetness to this sort of access. It's an unlocked door to brawny, garrulous NBA tenderness. Players talking through COVID with grace and honest introspection has been a boon, even when the topics veer from the sacred to the profane, from brilliance to bullshit." [9]
The New York Times writer Jeremy Gordon commented that "the premise of so many athlete-run podcasts" involves how the podcasts "demystify what these people do, allowing talented figures to break down their talent-utilization processes", citing examples including "Draymond [Green]'s, or The Old Man and the Three (in which the former NBA player JJ Redick and co-host Tommy Alter trade stories and discuss the modern league), or All the Smoke (the former NBA journeymen Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson trade stories and discuss the modern league), or I Am Athlete (the former NFL receivers Brandon Marshall and Chad Johnson trade stories and discuss the modern league). [10] Gordon criticized this concept, writing "But the demystification process can, at times, be too thorough", and adding that "it turns out to be deeply enervating to hear these athletes talk about [sports]". [10]
Denotes player was retired when podcast debuted ❧ |
Denotes non-professional athlete co-host ‡ |
Podcast | Host(s) | Debuted | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
The Hawk Cast | A. J. Hawk | 2014 | [2] |
Club Shay Shay | Shannon Sharpe ❧ | September 22, 2020 | [11] |
The Pivot Podcast |
Ryan Clark ❧ Channing Crowder ❧ Fred Taylor ❧ |
January 4, 2022 | [12] [13] |
New Heights |
Jason Kelce Travis Kelce |
September 8, 2022 | |
The Edge | Micah Parsons | September 11, 2023 | [14] [15] |
Nightcap |
Shannon Sharpe ❧ Chad Johnson ❧ Gilbert Arenas [a] ❧ |
September 11, 2023 | [17] [18] |
4th & 1 | Cam Newton | September 13, 2023 | [19] [20] |
Denotes player was retired when podcast debuted ❧ |
Denotes non-professional athlete co-host ‡ |
Podcast | Host(s) | Debuted | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
The Vertical Podcast | JJ Redick | February 1, 2016 | [3] [21] |
Road Trippin' |
Channing Frye Richard Jefferson Allie Clifton [b] ‡ |
January 17, 2017 | [22] [23] |
The Chronicles of Redick | JJ Redick | July 19, 2017 | [21] [24] |
The JJ Redick Podcast with Tommy Alter |
JJ Redick Tommy Alter ‡ |
November 29, 2017 | [25] [4] |
Knuckleheads with Quentin Richardson & Darius Miles |
Quentin Richardson ❧ Darius Miles ❧ |
February 19, 2019 | [9] [26] |
All The Smoke |
Matt Barnes ❧ Stephen Jackson ❧ |
October 21, 2019 | [27] [28] |
The Old Man and the Three |
JJ Redick Tommy Alter ‡ |
August 5, 2020 | [29] |
Curious Mike | Michael Porter Jr. | July 20, 2021 | [30] [31] |
The Draymond Green Show | Draymond Green | November 17, 2021 | [32] [33] |
The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone |
Patrick Beverley Adam Ferrone ‡ |
October 11, 2022 | [34] [35] |
Club 520 |
Jeff Teague ❧ DJ Wells ‡ Bishop B Henn ‡ |
January 31, 2023 | [36] [37] |
Podcast P with Paul George |
Paul George Jackie Long ‡ Dallas Rutherford ‡ |
March 6, 2023 | [38] [39] |
From the Point | Trae Young | June 1, 2023 | [6] |
The OGs |
Udonis Haslem ❧ Mike Miller ❧ |
December 19, 2023 | [40] [41] |
The Big Podcast with Shaq |
Shaquille O'Neal ❧ Adam Lefkoe ‡ |
December 21, 2023 | [42] [43] |
Roommates Show |
Jalen Brunson Josh Hart |
February 8, 2024 | [44] [45] |
The Underground Lounge |
Lou Williams ❧ Spank Horton ‡ |
February 14, 2024 | [46] |
Mind the Game |
LeBron James JJ Redick ❧ |
March 19, 2024 | [47] |