Welcome to Should I Listen To This?, where we deep-dive into a podcast to find out what it’s about, what works, what doesn’t, and whether or not you need to make the all-important decision to hit subscribe and add it to your rotation.
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Should I Listen To This?
Network: NBC Sports
What Is It?: Not to be confused with their radio show of the same name, it’s a weekly podcast hosted by two of the Dan Patrick Show’s “Danettes.” It’s as much a guy culture show as it is a sports talk show.
Who’s The Host?: If you watch/listen to the Dan Patrick Show, you’ll recognize Paul “Paulie” Pabst and Andrew “McLovin” Perloff from there. They have a fantastic rapport from spending years working together in the Milford Man Cave.
What’s a Normal Episode Like?: There have only been nine episodes of the podcast, so the show is still evolving.
The hosts go over issues of the week, both in sports and in their own lives. For example, they talked about dad problems last week and have spent plenty of time discussing beer. Each episode only lasts around 30-40 minutes, so they never spend an inordinate amount of time on any one topic.
Even though the show is distributed under the NBC Sports banner, only one guest has been an NBC personality: NFL Draft expert Josh Norris. In March, they had @OldTakesExposed and former Xavier big man Matt Stainbrook on the show, to name two guests. Their first episode featured La La Land producer Mike Jackson. Even if you don’t have much interest in all of these guests, there has to be at least one here you’ll want to listen to.
Who Is It For?: It’s for sports fans who don’t take life too seriously. They won’t get into DVOA or the minutiae of NBA two-minute reports. But they will talk about how star draft picks will be overpublicized, how to grill a good burger, and craft beer. Note to readers: the proper way to listen to The Leisuremen is while throwing back a cold one.
The latest
Can I Jump Right In?: Most of the time, yes. Obviously, a show released on Wednesday that discusses the NFL draft won’t have a lengthy shelf life. That was a recurring topic over the last few weeks, so I suggest you start with next week’s episode. If you don’t have time to listen to it until the weekend, you should still be okay.
What’s Not Great?: Pabst and Perloff are sports talk veterans, so my only issue with the show is one I have with sports talk as a whole. It’s a show by men and for men. While I don’t think The Leisuremen is any more sexist than other sports talk shows, the title kind of boxes it in. Not to mention, complaining about your daughter’s friends’ moms on the show won’t win you a female listenership. By no means will it stop me from tuning in, but it is something about the show that isn’t great.
So, Should I Listen To This?: If you have a similar outlook on life, The Leisuremen is a good show to listen to while sitting on the deck in your backyard. It’s perfect for people who grill out on Sundays and don’t want their sports “ruined” because analytics have replaced the eye test. I highly recommend it to people who want a calmer sports podcast to listen to in an era of Screamin’ A and Sweaty Skip.
If people want to be taught by a sports podcast, they can find sport-specific shows. For 40 minutes, once a week, we should all take a break from the anger and intensity around us. If you want more, there’s always the weekly radio show, but the podcast lets you commit to a mid-week appetizer.
Bottom Line – TL;DR: If you don’t want to think too hard while listening to a sports podcast, then The Leisuremen is perfect for you.
