Kamala Harris sports podcasts Edit via Liam McGuire.
ListsPodcastsBy Matt Yoder on

After an impressive debate performance this week, Vice President Kamala Harris is trying to capitalize on the momentum in her campaign as she seeks to win the 2024 Presidential Election against Donald Trump.

One way VP Harris hopes to do so is by opening the door to more media interviews after being called into question for not being accessible enough. Harris waited weeks into her candidacy to sit down for her first interview with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Although her sudden candidacy has seen a swift rise in the polls, there are plenty of opportunities for her to allow voters to get to know her better.

One of Harris’ allies, former South Carolina politician and current CNN analyst Bakari Sellers, suggested that Vice President Harris should appear on sports shows like The Bill Simmons Podcast or The Paul Finebaum Show and take a non-traditional route. Sellers also hosts a podcast at The Ringer, so it’s a great opportunity for cross-promotion.

Famously, Simmons tried to interview presidential candidate Barack Obama in 2008 before it was squashed by ESPN. He finally interviewed him after he was elected in 2012.

But it’s a different world now and there are more sports podcasts than there are stars in the sky. So with the idea floated out there, we wanted to do our part and open up a wider world of possibilities. If Kamala Harris (and Tim Walz) are really serious about expanding their reach and going on sports shows, here are the Top 10 sports podcasts they should engage. Most of these are serious… it’s up to you to figure out which ones.

10) Politickin’ with Gavin Newsom, Marshawn Lynch, and Doug Hendrickson

Gavin Newsom, Marshawn Lynch and Doug Hendrickson are teaming up for a new podcast called 'Politickin'.'
Credit: Adam Schefter on X

This is by far the newest podcast in our list with the unlikely trio combining to join forces since the summer time in a non-political politics show… if that makes sense. The connection here is obvious with Lynch and Harris both being Oakland natives. But the fireworks could be unlimited as we got a preview during the first episode released when Harris was being promoted as potentially replacing Biden as the Democratic nominee. That included the line from Lynch about Harris, “I wonder if she prosecuted my daddy.” Hello!

9) The Ryen Russillo Podcast, God Bless Football

The inclusion of these shows are simply for the memes. Because Ryen Russillo and Stugotz and the God Bless Football team are so zoned into their sports that they wouldn’t want to talk about anything else. Inflation? The border? National security? Please. Let’s get Harris’ thoughts on OKC adding Isaiah Hartenstein to boost their rebounding and Russillo’s workout regimen.

And as far as Stugotz goes, well, who else would you rather see interview a world leader from sports media?

8) Shutdown Fullcast

As the speculation grew about Harris potentially appearing on one of these shows, one marriage that came to mind that made too much sense not to happen – Tim Walz on Shutdown Fullcast.

Walz being able to talk about his famous defensive acumen while also having the Menards jingle memorized would find no better home than the off-beat college football podcast. And if we can get Kamala Harris’ thoughts on who else the Pac-12 should add in conference realignment and why it should be the triumphant return of Stanford and Cal, all the better.

7) Pardon My Take

There are few bigger sports podcasts out there than Pardon My Take so of course it should be in the Top 10 of the countdown. If anything, it shows how much the world has changed that a Barstool Sports show would be a great spot for a presidential candidate to land and speak to a nationwide audience. But PFT Commenter and Dan Katz are popular for a reason and despite Dave Portnoy’s endorsement of Donald Trump (and maybe because of it) this could be well worth it.

6) New Heights 

Jason and Travis Kelce during an episode of their 'New Heights' podcast.
Screengrab: ‘New Heights’

Speaking of big podcasts, there is none bigger right now than New Heights with Travis and Jason Kelce. And given Taylor Swift just endorsed Harris to her zillions of followers, this could represent pretty friendly ground for the Democratic nominee. Of course, there’s the awkward reality that Swift and Brittany Mahomes may not see eye-to-eye politically, but this is all about building a big tent, right? And if it leads to a cabinet-level position for Kylie Kelce, then America would be the true winner.

5) The Pat McAfee Show

We could write 1,000 words on the geopolitical implications of Kamala Harris appearing with Pat McAfee. But really, all we want is for A.J. Hawk to ask her a question. Just one. You know it would be a banger.

4) Mad Dog Sports Radio with Chris Russo

There are a lot of options we could go with here – Russo with Stephen A. Smith and Harris on First Take. A Russo reunion with Mike Francesa. Would those be as entertaining as a solo interview between the Vice President and the Mad Dog, though? Russo’s career renaissance is one of the great modern-day sports media stories. The possibilities are endless – sports betting, gummies, the 1961 New York Yankees, Bob Cousy vs Steph Curry for who is the better point guard. Everything could be on the table and it would be a must-listen.

3) The Paul Finebaum Show

Paul Finebaum
Credit: ESPN

PAWWWWLLLLLLLL… an appearance with Paul Finebaum would certainly allow Harris to address a voter base that might not exactly be deep blue in SEC country and win some new votes over to her side. If you’re looking to swing Georgia back your way, you could do worse than praising Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs and talking SEC football. An interview with Finebaum would be one thing, but what if Harris went the extra mile and took calls from the Finebaum audience it would be maybe the singular most important political event in our nation’s history.

2) Club Shay Shay

Shannon Sharpe is one of the biggest stars in sports media and that only got taken to new heights (sorry Kelces) when his Katt Williams interview went viral, got millions of views, and earned him millions of dollars. In all seriousness, an interview with Sharpe would be a really smart move for the campaign given his platform and his success as a proven commodity in podcasting. Of course, Sharpe was in the headlines this week for inadvertently streaming a sexual encounter on Instagram Live. So if the campaign were willing to not shy away from current events, Harris could go on Nightcap with Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco and really draw some headlines.

1) The Bill Simmons Show

Honestly, though, nobody else but The Sports Guy could be the top spot on the countdown. Even in 2024, Simmons is the biggest name in sports podcasting. And the memes that emerged from just the thought of a Harris-Simmons interview were incredible. We’ll let the tweets speak for themselves.

Please, if anyone from the Harris campaign is reading, let’s work together to make at least one of these happen. It’s in the country’s best interests.

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