Podcasts hosted by professional athletes

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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.

Contents

History

JJ Redick was the first active NBA player to launch a podcast J. J. Redick.jpg
JJ Redick was the first active NBA player to launch a podcast

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

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]

List of podcasts hosted by professional athletes

American football players

Denotes player was retired when podcast debuted ❧
Denotes non-professional athlete co-host
PodcastHost(s)DebutedRef.
The Hawk Cast A. J. Hawk 2014 [2]
Club Shay Shay Shannon SharpeSeptember 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 [lower-alpha 1]
September 11, 2023 [17] [18]
4th & 1 Cam Newton September 13, 2023 [19] [20]

Sport of athletics competitors

Denotes player was retired when podcast debuted ❧
Denotes non-professional athlete co-host
PodcastHost(s)DebutedRef.
Coffee Club Podcast Geordie Beamish
Olli Hoare
Morgan McDonald
2021 [21]
Lactic Acid Dominique Smith
Laura Thweatt
October 2021 [22] [23]
Running: State of the Sport Amby Burfoot
George Hirsch
August 2023 [24]
Sit & Kick Josh Kerr
David Ribich
January 2020 [25] [26]
Nobody Asked Us Des Linden
Kara Goucher
January 2023 [27]
Ready Set Go Justin Gatlin
Rodney Green
January 2023 [28]
Running Things Donovan Bailey
Jason Portuondo
July 2021 [29]
MarathonTalk Deena Kastor
Martin Yelling
January 2010 [30] [31]
Out of the Blocks Jasmine Todd
Katelyn Hutchinson
January 2022 [32]
Unconventional Voices of Track & Field Jade Johnson
Anson Henry
May 2021 [33]
Showrunners Scott Fauble June 2019 [34]

Basketball players

Denotes player was retired when podcast debuted ❧
Denotes non-professional athlete co-host
PodcastHost(s)DebutedRef.
The Vertical Podcast JJ Redick February 1, 2016 [3] [35]
Road Trippin' Channing Frye
Richard Jefferson
Allie Clifton [lower-alpha 2]
January 17, 2017 [36] [37]
The Chronicles of Redick JJ Redick July 19, 2017 [35] [38]
The JJ Redick Podcast with Tommy Alter JJ Redick
Tommy Alter
November 29, 2017 [39] [4]
Knuckleheads with Quentin Richardson & Darius Miles Quentin Richardson
Darius Miles
February 19, 2019 [9] [40]
All The Smoke Matt Barnes
Stephen Jackson
October 21, 2019 [41] [42]
The Old Man and the Three JJ Redick
Tommy Alter
August 5, 2020 [43]
The ETCs Kevin Durant May 16, 2021 [44]

(Citation needed for date)

Curious Mike Michael Porter Jr. July 20, 2021 [45] [46]
The Draymond Green Show Draymond Green November 17, 2021 [47] [48]
KG Certified Kevin Garnett

Paul Pierce

January 18, 2022 [44]

(Citation needed for date)

The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone Patrick Beverley
Adam Ferrone
October 11, 2022 [49] [50]
Club 520 Jeff Teague
DJ Wells
Bishop B Henn
January 31, 2023 [51] [52]
Podcast P with Paul George Paul George
Jackie Long
Dallas Rutherford
March 6, 2023 [53] [54]
From the Point Trae Young June 1, 2023 [6]
The OGs Udonis Haslem
Mike Miller
December 19, 2023 [55] [56]
The Big Podcast with Shaq Shaquille O'Neal
Adam Lefkoe
December 21, 2023 [57] [58]
Roommates Show Jalen Brunson
Josh Hart
February 8, 2024 [59] [60]
The Underground Lounge Lou Williams
Spank Horton
February 14, 2024 [61]
Mind the Game LeBron James
JJ Redick
March 19, 2024 [62]

Notes

  1. Arenas, a former professional basketball player, joined Sharpe and Johnson as a co-host in December 2023. [16]
  2. Though not a former professional athlete, Clifton did play at the collegiate level for Toledo.

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Club Shay Shay is an American podcast hosted by sports analyst and former NFL player Shannon Sharpe. It is co-produced by The Volume and Shay Shay media, and airs once a week. On the podcast, Sharpe interviews athletes and celebrities about current events, sports, and pop culture. Episodes of the podcast are filmed, and the video format is released on the show's YouTube channel.

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Nightcap is a nighttime podcast produced by The Volume and Shay Shay Media. It is hosted by former NFL players Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco Johnson, along with former NBA player Gilbert Arenas. The podcast is live streamed on YouTube and the audio is available on podcast platforms.

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