Top 10 Best Sports Podcasts
Podcasting has taken the world by storm, and sports fanatics were sure not to miss out on the trend. From Barstool Sports to professional athletes, it seems that everyone has a sports audio show these days. In this list we’ll discuss the 10 best sports podcasts as of right now.
What Are The Best Sports Podcasts Right Now?
- Pardon My Take
- The Bill Simmons Podcast
- The Draymond Green Show
- The Pat McAfee Show 2.0
- New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce
- Fantasy Footballers - Fantasy Football Podcast
- The Lowe Post
- The Old Man and the Three with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter
- Spittin’ Chiclets
- The Herd
1. Pardon My Take
Pardon My Take (often abbreviated as “PMT”) is a sports podcast affiliated with Barstool Sports. Barstool releases three episodes a week of PMT. The show is hosted by Dan Katz, often nicknamed “Big Cat.”
The show typically consists of three parts:
- Recent news in the sports world
- Interview with a sports personality
- Special segment, such as “Hot Seat, Cool Throne” or “Fyre Fest of the Week”
Pardon My Take first aired February 29, 2016. It was immediately popular, topping the US iTunes charts just over a month after its initial release. Pardon My Take is the top sports podcast on most lists, and is generally the most popular sports podcast.
2. The Bill Simmons Podcast
Bill Simmons founded and created The Ringer, which is a sports website and podcast network. Simmons, a passionate sports fan from Massachusetts, worked for ESPN from 2001 to 2015, before launching his own personal brand.
People like Simmons because he is knowledgeable both about sports and pop culture. He also is easy for sports fans to relate to, because he is a huge sports fan himself. Unlike other sports writers, Simmons claimed that he “will never write a traditional sports column.” He prides himself on his uniqueness, and for his ability to understand the everyday sports fan.
Within The Ringer, there are many sports podcasts. The Bill Simmons Podcast is the most popular such podcast, and it is the one which most heavily features Bill Simmons.
3. The Draymond Green Show
The Draymond Green Show is the first show on this list which is run by a current professional sports player. Draymond Green, born in 1990, is an NBA player for the Golden State Warriors. Green is highly decorated: he has four NBA Championships, has been an NBA All-Star four times, and was the NBA defensive player of the year in 2017.
Draymond Green started his podcast in November of 2021. He balances being an NBA athlete and a broadcaster, often posting segments right after an NBA game. Throughout the Warriors’ 2022 Championship run, Green would often upload episodes just hours after the games.
4. The Pat McAfee Show 2.0
Pat McAfee has done a little bit of everything in the sports world: he has been a football punter, a wrestler, a sports analyst, and a professional wrestling color commentator.
Lately, McAfee has been best known for his work as a podcast host. After working with Barstool sports, McAfee launched Pat MacAfee Inc., or PMI. PMI originally published four podcasts: The Pat McAfee Show 2.0, That’s Hockey Talk, Heartland Radio 2.0, and Good Bettor Bets.
The Pat McAfee Show 2.0 is the most successful of his podcasts. It can be found on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify, and used to also be on Sirius XM. McAfee often brings on Aaron Rodgers, or other prominent sports stars.
5. New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce
New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce is the number one sports podcast on Spotify. Like the Draymond Green Show, this podcast is run by professional athletes: brothers Jason and Travis Kelce. Jason plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, and Travis plays for the Kansas City Chiefs, both in the NFL.
During the show, the two brothers share their experiences from their most recent NFL games. They also discuss news around the league, and react to rumors and headlines.
New Heights debuted on September 8th, 2022. The show was met with immediate interest from NFL fans, thanks to the colorful personalities of the Kelce brothers. Never before had such famous NFL’ers released podcasts while still playing.
6. Fantasy Footballers - Fantasy Football Podcast
The Fantasy Footballers is an independent fantasy football podcast that releases content related to fantasy football throughout the year, even during the offseason. The show has been running since 2014. The Fantasy Footballers has three hosts, who also act as owners: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright. On their website, the Footballers have 13 members credited for the podcast, and 15 employees listed as staff writers.
The Fantasy Footballers website has a ton of pages, including various tools to use for fantasy: rankings by position, a start/sit tool, and premium content for subscribers. While they are best known for their podcast, The Fantasy Footballers’ website is just as impressive.
7. The Lowe Post
The Lowe Post is a basketball podcast run by Zach Lowe. Lowe comes out with weekly articles for ESPN in addition to his weekly podcast.
Lowe got his start as a criminal justice journalist. From 2004 to 2008 Lowe worked for the Stamford Advocate, reporting on government, court, and criminal issues. He also worked as a beat writer for the Celtics on the side, before breaking into the sports scene full time.
Lowe has a special interest in analytics, and has always preferred fact-based reporting over speculatory and opinionated pieces. Lowe credits his analytical approach to Rob Neyer.
8. The Old Man and the Three with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter
Former NBA player JJ Redick hosts this podcast with assistant Tommy Alter. Redick and Alter cover a little bit of everything: the NBA, player interviews, other sports, and even politics.
Redick and Alter come out with new episodes about every week, sometimes taking longer breaks in between. They feature a new interviewee each week, typically an NBA player. They have also been known to interview icons in the basketball world, such as Sue Bird who appeared on The Old Man and the Three on May 27, 2022.
This podcast has a strong balance thanks to its hosts: a former NBA player and a producer. The two are said to have good chemistry, and Redick’s successful basketball career helps draw people in for interviews.
9. Spittin’ Chiclets
Spittin’ Chiclets is the number-one hockey podcast in the world, hosted by former NHL players Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Whitney. Hockey blogger Brian McGonagle, nicknamed “RA,” also helps host and produce the show., Spittin’ Chiclets first aired in 2016, but really took off after Bissonnette was added in 2018.,
Spittin’ Chiclets features two episodes a week, typically an hour-and-a-half to two hours in length. Bissonnette and Whitney have both benefited greatly from the show, each launching careers in NHL television.
Spittin’ Chiclets may be the only sports podcast with its own alcoholic beverage: Pink Whitney. This strawberry-flavored vodka is wildly popular in the hockey community, thanks to the popularity of this podcast.
10. The Herd
The Herd is a sports podcast led by Colin Cowherd, hence the name “The Herd.” Cowherd is an opinionated sports reporter who focuses on the sports world as a whole, rather than any one specific team.,
Cowherd may be best known for his segments on the NFL, but he also covers the NBA and college football.
The Herd has a strong presence on TikTok, a social media app popular with the younger generations. Minute-long snippets of Colin Cowherd’s shows are uploaded several times a day to @theherd on Tiktok.,
The Herd airs on Fox Sports 1 and the Fox Sports Radio Network, as well as over 250 television channels. The Herd podcast originally came out in 2018.
Honorable Mentions
- All the Smoke
- The Dan Patrick Show
- RapSheet and Friends
- The Athletic NBA Show
- The Mina Kimes Show
- Sports? With Kate Nolan
- Fantasy Focus Football
- Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson
- Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc