Slam Dunk: How Athlete Podcasts Are Scoring Big with Fans 🎧
Traditionally, rightsholders have focused on creating content that’s tied directly to the game. But The Roommates Show's Block Party demonstrates that fans will show up even when there is no game.
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BIG IDEA
This summer, Knicks fans packed out Central Park—but not for a game.
They came for The Roommates Show Block Party, a live podcast featuring Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.
Far from your typical recording, the event was designed to feel like a mix between a podcast and a concert.
"We partnered with Medium Rare," explained Drew Rauso, Strategy and Operations at Playmaker HQ, "and did this really fun experiment where we said, how could a live podcast episode feel if it had a baby with a festival?"
What followed was a unique, large-scale event at Central Park’s SummerStage, featuring special guests like Jon Stewart and Mikal Bridges. The atmosphere was electric as fans gathered to enjoy live music, podcast banter, and an opportunity to see their favourite athletes off the court.
“We had 5,000 people show up, which is insane,” Rauso shared, highlighting the event’s success.
However, the event marked more than just a successful live show. It also highlighted the growing appetite for more intimate connections between fans and athletes.
Increasingly, fans are seeking experiences beyond the game itself—opportunities to engage with their favourite players as people, not just athletes. And podcasts, with their conversational format, offer a perfect gateway.
The live event then enables you to further meet that desire, bringing people together around a shared interest.
As Rauso put it, “It was just a really cool way to see a podcast truly come to life in person.”
The Roommates Show’s Block Party also signals an opportunity for rightsholders.
Traditionally, they’ve focused on creating content that’s tied directly to the game—match previews, post-match analysis, or training footage. But what we’re seeing now is that fans will show up (literally) even when there’s no game on.
Content and events don’t have to be ‘shoulder content’ to matches—they can stand alone and still draw massive crowds. The Knicks weren’t involved in The Roommates Show directly, but it still attracted a huge turnout of (their) passionate fans.
This raises an interesting question: How could clubs or teams leverage this growing trend and use it to keep fans engaged year-round, even in the off-season?
While athletes, like those in Playmaker HQ’s roster, are among those leading the way, many rightsholders are still hesitant to fully embrace this format, particularly as non-game-related activities can be heavily scrutinised if performance dips. Not to mention that in-house teams are also balancing a host of other demands.
"Most clubs are juggling so much already," Rauso reflected, "and their focus is often on covering games, not producing something outside of that."
For athletes, jumping into the world of podcasting isn’t always without some of these risks, either.
When The Roommates Show first launched, Brunson and Hart faced criticism after the Knicks lost a few games, and there was a moment where they even considered shutting the whole thing down.
However, the duo has shown that for those willing to push through (and with the charisma, personality, and talent), the rewards can be significant.
Beyond fan engagement, athlete-led podcasts like theirs are creating valuable intellectual property (IP) that can be monetised.
The Roommates Show, which is sponsored by Bet365 among others, has turned into a revenue-generating asset for the players. Similar is true for The Big Podcast with Shaquille O’Neal, Unapologetically Angel with Angel Reese, and Marshawn Lynch’s Da Get Got Pod.
Though direct attribution is difficult, the increased media profile of Brunson and Hart isn’t likely to be hurting their personal prospects for future commercial partnerships, either.
We’re seeing similar rewards for the few rightsholders that have overcome potential pushbacks and been early to embrace the podcast format, too.
Chelsea Women, for example, have launched We Are Chelsea, a podcast featuring first-team players Hannah Hampton and Sjoeke Nusken, and its presented by high-profile partner Škoda. No live events yet (to my knowledge) but I’m sure it could be in the works.
It’s also interesting to see that Juventus, a club who so often lead the way off-the-field, has embraced podcasting.
The club recently announced the second series of Stories of Strength, a podcast focused on mental health, which has featured stars like Tim Weah and Samuel Illing Jr.
These clubs are using their talent and resources to create content that extends their brand beyond match days, strengthening the bond with their fan base. The example from Juventus in particular shows that it’s not just about the sport—it’s about building a deeper, more meaningful connection.
With the market already crowded, you might ask if there’s still room for growth.
The answer, for Rauso at least, is yes—because fans aren’t just looking for more match-day highlights. They want stories, connections, and a sense of community - and they’ve shown this appetite at every opportunity they’ve been given.
“I certainly was one person who believed that the landscape was quite saturated, and I was pretty much proven wrong,” he explained. “Everyone keeps consuming more and more shows from more and more athletes.”
So, perhaps the real question isn’t whether more athlete-led podcasts will emerge (they will) both from athletes directly as well as from rightsholders—instead we should be asking who will best seize the opportunity to create something that lasts.
THE PODCAST
Want to hear more from my conversation with Drew?
We discuss athlete-driven media, Playmaker HQ's distribution network, landing and navigating commercial deals, balancing politics and priorities, leveraging Better Collective's relationships, why streaming killed the group chat, and much much more.
Listen to the full podcast via the link below - and I’d love to hear what you think! 👇
Not yet a subscriber? Join over 2,500 sports business leaders, from Formula 1 to the Premier League, that read Sports Pundit every week to get impactful industry insights.