The sports calendar heats up around the holidays, and so does our need for sweet, sweet content. Whether you’re flying to visit family, getting some extra work done around the house, or simply dreading the breaks that many sports TV shows take this time of year, sports podcasts can hold you over.
The biggest sports podcasts are probably already on most fans’ radars. From Nightcap to New Heights to The Bill Simmons Podcast, they are popular for a reason.
But with the NFL stretch run in full swing, the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff moving to the quarterfinals, and the NBA season’s unofficial start coming on Christmas Day, enough is never enough.
In hopes of giving sports fans something new to try out, I surveyed eight people within the digital sports content space — from producers to executives to talent — about the less-heralded sports podcasts they are loving heading into 2025.
Here are the sports podcasts you should check out right now.
Green Light with Chris Long
The football binge from two-time Super Bowl champion defensive lineman Chris Long received two separate votes from digital sports insiders. The main event is its two-to-three-hour Monday show, which recaps every game of the NFL weekend.
Long recruited former teammates Beau Allen and Nate Collins to become co-hosts a la Pat McAfee, and their chemistry is undeniable. Yet Long remains a confident shepherd of the show, with a knack for when to drop smart analysis or a great joke. Green Light is most importantly a great hang, but leaves the audience with a deep understanding of all 32 teams as well.
4th&1 with Cam Newton
Most football lovers have probably seen Newton’s Friday appearances on First Take this NFL season or seen his podcast clips go viral. Maybe his interviews have even made their way onto your algorithm.
But Newton’s weekly podcast is another entry into the Long/McAfee cluster, driven by his personality and chemistry with his crew. If you want a strong point of view and authenticity on-camera, there’s no better guy for it than Newton. His entry into sports media was a long time coming, and the podcast is the most fully baked version of the Cam Newton Experience.
What’s Wright with Nick Wright
Even compared with the former NFL stars on this list, Wright may be the most in-your-face of any host here. Not only does he do two hours on First Things First daily, Wright is also game to appear on just about any sports podcast that asks him on.
That doesn’t mean you should overlook Wright’s daily live podcast. Co-hosted with his son, Wright puts clear thought into not only producing a watchable, smooth podcast but also distinguishing it from his work on FS1.
On What’s Wright, expect to hear Wright weigh in on bigger-picture sports stories, tell personal stories, and drill deeper on his beloved Chiefs or his pet takes on the NFL, NBA, and beyond.
At its core, every aspect of the Deshaun Watson story is about one thing & one thing only: A total lack of regard for woman as a true equal class of humanity, and that’s why the defense of him Sunday was so appalling. pic.twitter.com/THP5dJHYCe
— nick wright (@getnickwright) October 23, 2024
Numbers On the Board
No, I didn’t get this rec from Peyton Manning, whose Omaha Productions brought this longstanding show to its co-produced network at ESPN. Previously called Through the Wire, the star is OG NBA YouTuber Kenny Beecham, and it is one of the only ESPN-affiliated entities truly digging deep into the ins and outs of pro hoops.
NOTB is one of the pods that got the bump to ESPN2 earlier this year, giving it a pretty sizable platform. But compared with other ESPN shows as well as other indie NBA pods, NOTB still flies under the radar. Like every show on this list, it carries the flow and mood of a great podcast while also serving as a great download to keep up with the NBA.
The Ripple Effect
The Ringer made a big investment in soccer in 2023, and commentator James Lawrence Alcott has carved out a cool niche as a big-picture thinker in what is the most crowded niche in sports media beyond the U.S.
TRE asks questions, makes predictions, and zooms out to understand the broad world of soccer with The Ringer’s signature curiosity and clear structure.
The Front Office with Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette
This is technically a SiriusXM radio show, but subscribers can get it on-demand for a daily dish on baseball from two former general managers. With Bowden’s double duty as a former MLB exec and longtime writer and broadcaster, he makes for the perfect host for a show like this.
MLB does a quietly great job of programming its television network and satellite radio station, and this gem provides a unique perspective to track the chaotic web of baseball teams and personnel.
P1 with Matt and Tommy
If you’re already a gearhead, this is hardly an under-the-radar podcast. P1 boasts more than a half-million YouTube subscribers and thousands of ratings across Apple and Spotify. Since F1 broke out as a bigger U.S. sports property in 2020, it has kept a cult fan base. P1 serves them well.
What is overlooked about P1 is that its Brit co-hosts Matt Gallagher and Tom Bellingham have fantastic chemistry and a nerdy obsession with the technically complex and structurally unique sport. Many F1 podcasts sprouted over the past half-decade within major American sports media companies, but this indie gem has staying power for a reason.
Snarp & SHAWSTRENGTH
We’re going away from sports podcasts and onto YouTube for the final items, where these two channels are doing some of the more captivating and creative sports videos on the platform these days.
Snarp puts out weekly prank videos from sporting events, where he stands in for one fanbase and messes with rival fans outside big games. Prank content is among the oldest forms on YouTube and you would think Snarp would tire of the similar format each week, but so far, no problem.
Brian Shaw’s channel is quite different. The four-time World’s Strongest Man has funneled his popularity in strength sports onto YouTube, where his most recent content has focused on arm wrestling. If you ever want to watch two of the strongest men in the world arm wrestle, SHAWSPORTS on YouTube is the place.
