Podcasts to Fuel Your Inner Competitor
A good podcast can drown out the buzz of the treadmill or liven up a summer road trip all while keeping you up-to-date on the latest developments in sports. There’s no shortage of material if you’re looking for the classic bro-style talk radio covering men’s football, basketball, baseball, hockey, or soccer. But, if you want a podcast that follows the exploits of female athletes, or a less-than-mainstream sport, you need to do a little digging. We made it easy to get started. Here’s our list of podcasts to fuel and inspire your inner competitor – stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon.
1. Burn It All Down – If you’re searching for a podcast that combines in-depth sports reporting with a feminist lens, look no further. Burn It All Down has spent a little over a year covering hard-hitting stories from the US and abroad. It examines the Larry Nassar sexual abuse case at Michigan State University and doping at the Olympics, and also provides regular coverage of major sporting events like the World Cup and WNBA draft. The most recent episode covers Pride Month and gendered violence in athletics, and new episodes are recorded weekly by a diverse, all-female broadcast team.
2. The Mixxed Zone – Still reveling in the glory of the USWNT World Cup win in 2015? Already gearing up for the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France? Howler Magazine, a U.S.-based soccer publication, brings you everything you need in The Mixxed Zone, recorded by former keeper Jen Cooper. In weekly, 50-minute episodes, Cooper interviews fellow journalists, players, coaches, and other stakeholders in the women’s soccer world. Though she has been posting “Retro Episodes” during World Cup season, a recent update covered the USWNT roster for 2019.
3. I’ll Have Another with Lindsey Hein – Chatting with big names like Kathrine Switzer, Molly Huddle, and Des Linden, Lindsey Hein’s podcast offers 60-90 minutes of high-quality running intel. She takes a conversational, casual tone and gives listeners a human perspective on elite athletes. For fun, listen to her interview with Olympic Steeplechaser Colleen Quigley in Episode 103, who competed with Mpowher Athlete Jocelyn Todd in high school.
4. She Explores – Host Gale Straub has recorded two years’ worth of episodes aimed at diversifying the conversation around outdoor activity. By sharing the mic with passionate adventurers from a variety of backgrounds, Straub is steadily shifting the way listeners relate to the natural world and the people who love to explore it. She Explores guests include athletes, entrepreneurs, and activists, among others. For those passionate about preserving parks, check out this episode about advocating for public land.