Photo: Mind the Game Podcast via YouTube
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Before the Kelce brothers solidified their status as blue-chip podcasters, with Travis promoted to Lord of the Swifties, the Warriors press team weighed in on Draymond Green's poor performance in the 2022 playoffs. before briefly blaming it on his extracurricular podcasting activities; length Before the rise of the rest of the vast athlete sports podcast industrial complex that we know today, there was JJ Redick.
Redick, a former NBA sharpshooter and former college hoops bad boy, is something of an audio pioneer. His first achievements in the media date back to his 2016. That's when he became the first active player the NBA touted on a weekly podcast. This initiative was unique at the time, as previously the only athletes who had regular media engagement were retired athletes. Redick was playing for the Lob City-era Clippers at the time and was a huge part of what made his show. vertical podcastlater renamed Punny reddick chronicle — What's interesting is how quickly he approached life within the league. And you know what? He fulfilled his promise.
One of his early episodes was a candid look back at the 2016 All-Star Weekend, when the 3-point specialist was eliminated from the 3-point contest in the first round. The insight felt fresh and unique, and Reddick appeared to be a confident, if raw, presence behind the microphone. Perhaps stemming from his career as a utility player, he seemed content to be a sideshow whenever he was given the role of interviewer. It happened frequently because the main audience development strategy for shows of that nature tends to be booking other players. Reddick persevered and it paid off.by the time he starts old man and three people (Oddly enough) Reddick, who spent the summer of the pandemic with producer and collaborator Tommy Alter, evolved into a solid mic handler. In fact, he's so down-to-earth that he's become a key member of the ESPN-ABC broadcast team, appearing as a commentator at NBA games and participating in morning panel shows of world leaders.
This week brought another interesting development to JJ Redick's audio career. Tuesday is mind the gamewhere he pairs up with LeBron James A podcast where two knowledgeable NBA athletes, one a legend and one a respected hireling, discuss the basics of basketball strategy. This technical hook is interesting because it distinguishes the project from the traditional overarching structures and nostalgic dispensations that define much of this genre, plus Reddick's ability to grow as an analyst and interpreter for the masses. You can lean more towards it.
The fact that James, one of the greatest athletes to ever walk the planet, is boldly venturing into new territory in podcasting is something of a high water mark for a genre already making waves. . As you've probably noticed by now, we're neck-deep in pods hosted by current and retired athletes. This is true even if I limit my scope to his NBA, the subgenre I am most familiar with. To name just a few, current New Orleans Pelicans guard (journalism major) CJ McCollum hosts a show of the same name on ESPN. Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart are having an amazing time in New York. roommate showThis will almost certainly be the greatest success the Knicks franchise has experienced in the modern era. I'm technically a colleague of hosts Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner. point forward For SB Nation. (Even though it's owned by Vulture's parent company, Vox Media, you won't find him as Iggy or Evan on Slack.) Meanwhile, retired Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson will be running the show. all the smoke, is constantly blowing up across social media for mining hoops nostalgia through incredible guest bookings.There is something mentioned above draymond green show, pat beverly showPaul George does it too, and Kevin Durant himself, once a prolific tweeter, occasionally takes the mic, but his show's publication schedule is very erratic.
Of course, these podcasts aren't all good. In fact, most of them are moderate at best. But sometimes they can be really nice and thought-provoking. Jason Concepcion, a prominent basketball podcaster who is not an athlete, once told me, all the smoke: “You know what else I love about that podcast? A lot of players from the '80s and '90s generation are on that show, like Shaq, Magic, James Worthy, who's who? It's obvious that you're going to therapy.”
mind the game It represents a kind of escalation, which means reaching the limits of existence. too much technical. The first episode is structured around a loose discussion of what makes a good player, punctuated by very detailed breakdowns of specific plays. As an example, James said of the typical options that come from a “thumbs down” play: [through the] He has the ability to make midfield shots with his strong hands, make pocket passes with his left hand, and is able to throw forward as a left-handed player, as well as the ability to shake and throw back. (In the YouTube version, James' explanation is overlaid with a clip in which he explains the play he is talking about. This may indicate that: mind the game is a better video product than an audio product. ) Despite being a pretty avid NBA fan, there were times when I could barely keep up. But that in itself brings a certain kind of joy. At least as far as I'm concerned, I'm someone who likes to hear difficult stories. odd lot, Bloomberg's economics podcast despite having a nominal understanding of the field. For listeners who actually have experience playing high-level hoops, it may just be nirvana.
Please let's take a look mind the game Even if you commit to a bit or last more than a few episodes. Big names don't necessarily translate to big follow-through. In any case, since the video version of the first episode already depicts two men talking on a desk strewn with open wine bottles (James is a famous eosinophil), I think you can mark it already. mind the game It is recognized as an achievement in podcast aesthetics.
So JJ Reddick is now operating in the world he helped pioneer, and it's interesting to see how he's evolved as a podcaster within that context. In a sense, he has become something of a throwback. As Bomani Jones recently pointed out, the text of his genre of athlete podcasts can technically be identified as: Jalen & JacobyLaunched in 2011 and running for 11 years, it established a formula of pairing a pro athlete (in this case, the retired Jalen Rose) with a rando (David Jacoby, then an ESPN anchor in Bill Simmons' orbit). did. ). In this configuration, Rand primarily functions as a setup man. Former athlete's alley to oppu.upon Vertical Podcast, Reddick Chronicles; and old man and three people, Redick was the central figure as a professional athlete, and his co-host Tommy Alter served as Lando.and mind the game, Redick crosses to the other side. As he became more successful as a media operator, he now became even more entrenched in his position of setting up other people. This is probably the natural ending point for a successful athlete's podcast, or a professional athlete wanting to transition into a media career. If longevity is the end goal, the best outcome is for the pros to become randos. Specifically, decorated lands with a deep understanding of the nuances of thumb-down play.
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