The Ringer cancels ‘Against All Odds with Cousin Sal’ podcast

When it comes to sports gambling coverage at The Ringer, Cousin Sal Iacono has been one of the outlet’s most prominent voices.

So it certainly came as a surprise when Bill Simmons’ good friend announced that his Against All Odds with Cousin Sal podcast has been canceled as a part of a recent reshuffling by The Ringer and its parent company, Spotify.

“Well guys, as you know, today is a special episode because it’s our last one,” Iacaono told his cohosts at the start of Wednesday’s episode. “I wish I was kidding. But I’m not. Spotify made a decision and Taylor Swift is getting her own podcast replacing us… no seriously though, this is our final episode together. The Ringer and Spotify have shuffled the deck and our podcast was not renewed.”

Iacono added that he’ll continue in his roles as Simmons’ co-host on “guess the lines” episodes of The Bill Simmons Show on Sunday nights throughout the NFL season, as well as continuing as a panelist of The Ringer’s Sunday pregame show.

Reading between the line of Iacono’s comments, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see other cancellations follow as it doesn’t sound like The Ringer’s lineup changes are specific to Against All Odds. It’s also worth noting that The Ringer and Spotify have pivoted to an emphasis on video podcasts in recent months and that Against All Odds was primarily an audio product.

Without knowing how the show was performing, its cancellation seems to say more about the medium than the content itself. Between shows like The Ringer Gambling Show and Simmons’ eponymous podcast, as well as talents such as Anthony Dabbundo and Raheem Palmer, the Spotify platform will still have plenty of gambling coverage — which one would imagine will primarily be produced in video form moving forward.