The last few years have seen quite the rise for “I Am Athlete,” which started as a podcast in April 2020 with former NFLers Brandon Marshall (the receiver, not the linebacker), Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, Fred Taylor and others and has since turned into a multiplatform media brand with merchandise, a wine deal and more. Taylor left earlier this year to launch his own podcast, but Marshall, Johnson and others are still involved, and they’ve now signed a deal with SiriusXM. That deal will include new nightly show “I Am Athlete Tonight,” plus other projects and global ad sales rights for I Am Athlete properties. Here’s more from a SiriusXM release:
SiriusXM and I Am Athlete, the athlete-led media network founded by former NFL All-Pro receiver Brandon Marshall, announced today they have joined forces in a new expansive content deal that includes a live nightly radio show and other game-changing projects.
The new agreement will expand the already popular I Am Athlete platform by delivering new innovative programming to more fans who want an authentic “locker room” perspective on sports and pop culture directly from those who played the game.
I Am Athlete and SiriusXM will produce a new nightly show that will air nationwide on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio (channel 82 on SiriusXM radios and on the SXM App). Debuting this Wednesday, April 27, I Am Athlete Tonight will air live every weekday from 7-9 pm ET/4-6 pm PT.
Former NFL defensive end Leger Douzable will lead a cast of rotating co-hosts that will feature Marshall, former NFL players LeSean McCoy, Brandon Flowers and Adam “Pacman” Jones, former NBA player Antoine Walker, former WNBA player Chantel Tremitiere and journalist Omar Kelly as they engage in the type of thoughtful, unfiltered discussions that the I Am Athlete podcast is known for. I Am Athlete Tonight episodes will also be available as podcasts after they air on SiriusXM.
Part of what’s helped the “I Am Athlete” shows gain attention is not just the prominent hosts, but the prominent guests. And that’s led to the show being a forum for some notable comments, such as Colin Kaepernick’s pitch to NFL owners on why they should sign him. We’ll see if the nightly show winds up doing the same, but there’s definitely an interesting cast of people involved. (And this adds to the media success Marshall has had; he was on Inside The NFL during his playing career, partnered with NBC Sports Regional Networks and Religion of Sports for a mental health series, and was on FS1’s First Things First from 2020 to 2021).
Beyond the nightly show, this deal will also see SiriusXM and I Am Athlete form a developmental partnership for future content. And SiriusXM’s advertising sales group, SXM Media, will now be I Am Athlete’s global ad representative; that may wind up being even a bigger deal than the nightly show. So these companies are working together quite closely indeed, and we’ll see how that partnership works out for them.
[PR Newswire; image from I Am Athlete’s website]
