The best sports podcasts to prevent lockdown boredom

We have come together at Platform to list our favourite sports podcasts to keep you entertained during lockdown.

Whether it be a podcast specifically for learning the backgrounds of football tactics or an in-depth focus on your favourite NFL team; there are so many podcasts available that no matter what you are looking for, you can discover it.

Tifo – The Athletic

When it comes to football, there are countless podcasts available to listen to; however, Tifo by the team at The Athletic is no ordinary pod.

Tifo takes an alternative look at football, discussing topics such as the evolution of football shirt numbers; how Tiki-Taka became a successful tactic as well as insight into the role of football recruitment teams and how one non-league manager balanced his job with Weymouth and being a coach at AFC Bournemouth.

With no fixed host, the podcast always delves into a topic you may not have necessarily thought of before; but with a perfect blend of comical, down-to-earth hosting and expert analysis from the writing team at The Athletic.

Flintoff, Savage and the Ping Pong Guy – BBC

Here is a pod which is not running currently but remains available on all good podcast providers. 

Hosted by a trio of characters – cricketer Freddie Flintoff, footballer Robbie Savage and former British table tennis number one Matthew Syed – this show is hilarious from start to finish but with a conversational approach to a huge range of topics in both sport and culture.

It is almost as though you are listening in to three blokes at the pub as their banter remains unmanufactured like some shows, yet they talk about topics such as mental health, the gap between youth and senior sports as well as the lessons learnt from their failures.

The Peter Crouch Podcast – BBC

Another podcast by the BBC but, yet again, it is one with plenty of humour and – thankfully – it is ongoing so there is plenty of content to keep you gagging for more.

Peter Crouch, the BBC’s Chief Sportswriter Tom Fordyce and Radio One presenter Chris Stark come together with a harmony that seems too natural to be true. Crouch, one of England’s most-loved football characters, lets out an unfiltered view into life as a professional footballer in this excellent podcast.

While some football podcasts focus on matches or perhaps current players’ lifestyles, this pod has an alternative viewpoint and a niche element in that Crouch is out of the game and so can ‘dish the dirt’ on his past life; including attitudes towards referees such as Andre ‘Dre’ Marriner and Mike Dean, what it was like as a player within the England camp at the 2006 World Cup and, as a macro-topic within the latest series, the player who received the nickname ‘Parched’ for his teacher’s pet-like attitude.

Tailenders – BBC 

So, if the fact that Gregg James “off the radio”, Felix White “off the Macabees” and James Anderson have a podcast together doesn’t immediately grab you attention; first of all, what is wrong with you, second of all here are some reasons as to why it should.

This slightly rag-tag team of presenters combines a pinch of cricket chat with interesting insight into the workings of a “professional” dressing room from England’s leading wicket taker. Once the serious cricket chat is over however there are plenty of anecdotes from Gregg and Felix regarding their own cricket geekery in their youth. 

Hearing the affection that these grown men still have for players like Alan Mullaly and Neil Fairbrother (not having played since the 90’s) will give you hope that you too are not so weird, if you had been harbouring obsessions with some of the more obscure names to have played cricket through the years. 

The Grade Cricketer

An amusing look at the inner “workings” of the grade cricket system in Australia from people who have seen its savagery first-hand (with varying degrees of success). With frequent guest appearances from famous cricket stars, such as Justin Langer, Michael Atherton and Marnus Labuschagne, there is something new every episode and since the next bizarre Australian cricket development is not far around the corner this keeps things fresh. 

I would also highly recommend this podcast for anyone wishing to learn some more niche Australian lingo only to have it creep frustratingly into your vocabulary. If you want to learn about the merits of “rig-based” selections, “alphadom”, scoring runs in a losing cause and seeking approval from a paternal role model, then this is the podcast for you. 

Wisden Cricket Weekly

A fantastic tie-in with the monthly magazine by legendary cricket publication Wisden. With frequent contributions from most of the staff writers involved on the magazine, this podcast gives an insightful and open-minded approach to all things cricket, from news to all-time lists to guest appearances from fan favourite players or pundits. 

The most recent of these being a sit-down with the amazing David Gower which I would highly recommend. 

This is my favourite podcast and, in my opinion, the best cricket podcast available now, if you are looking for interesting and entertaining discussion on current cricketing affairs, which is never too serious then you cannot go wrong with this podcast.

The Ringer NBA Show

Now first of all it is important to note that its crucial to take some US sporting media outlets with a pinch of salt due to the fact that hot takes and sensationalism can often be the order of the day.

You will not find much of this over at the Ringer, with generally reasoned discussions between close colleagues occasionally getting heated but never without full reasoning to back up hot takes. 

The debates between Kevin O’Connor and Chris Vernon are always very interesting to listen to. Often feeling as natural as sitting in between the two of them at a bar having an honest discussion about the merits or otherwise of various teams/players/coaches etc. without feeling unprofessional. 

There are plenty of different segments to enjoy each week, but I would particularly recommend anything with Hayley O’Shaughnessy on as she is always insightful and colourful in her analysis. 

The Bill Simmons Podcast/Book of Basketball

I have put both creations by the founder of the ringer network under one section as he hosts both shows. Bill Simmons has a lot of opinions, but unlike other media personalities with a lot of opinions, they are all well-reasoned and well explained. 

This means that even if you do not agree with the angle takes on a certain subject, you find yourself pulled into the discussion by his impressive framing of the subject and question. The book of basketball podcast is an entertaining sequel of sorts to 2009’s amazingly thorough Book of Basketball, covering major moments from the NBA’s history, re-watching famous encounters and deep-dives on the greatest players of all time.

Whilst the Bill Simmons Podcast is not purely a sports podcast but contains a huge amount of sports news and chat. If you want to skip the non-sporting parts, the good folks at the Ringer have included in the description time-marks for the beginning of each segment of chat.

By Matt Lee and Michael Vince