Athletes have a new job. One that they are taking very seriously. Podcasting. From LeBron James to Travis Kelce, big names have moved into the gig that was once reserved for media persons, bloggers, and fanboy-turned-celebrities. There are many reasons why you see LeBron James chatting with JJ Redick about NBA pros, tactics, and more. Some are obvious. Some are not so much. 

Why podcast? More than the obvious reason

You can trace the roots to the day the great ineffable Derek Jeter started a small website called Players’ Tribune with his characteristic modest goal: to let players talk. From Kobe Bryant to Kevin Durant, players have talked and more (Bryant actually wrote a poem). But Players’ Tribune offered a platform for players to tell their stories in their own way.

Forget about waiting till your twilight days to pen down an autobiography. Forget about sitting for a long interview. You can write and publish your thoughts on a platform established by one of your brethren. 

Then came the podcast. 

Athletes now have a platform where they can not just share their thoughts but also invite others to have a peer-to-peer discussion. Think of JJ Redick’s conversations with LeBron James. The flow and the depth of it were unmatched, nothing you find in your usual post-game shows. They were not just analysts; they were two of the sharpest minds in NBA deep-diving into the very minute details of the game. 

Or, think of the Hotboxin podcast of Mike Tyson. Although it had to be shut down, the legendary boxer brought in legends from different sports and from different industries (Eminem made an appearance) to his show. Then Ring Magazine’s The G.O.A.T. podcast brought together Tom Brady, Shaquille O’Neal, Canelo Alvarez, and Dana White. 

• All this offered athletes (and ex-athletes) an outlet for idea exchange on their own terms. 
• It helped them create their own narrative and their own brand presence on a different scale.
• For someone like Draymond Green, a podcast gave an option to sidestep the media to break news on his own show. 

The one big benefit of being an athlete-podcaster is access to the bigwigs in the industry. That, in turn, leads to more attention from the business side of things. 

Podcasts are opening doors for business opportunities

Make no mistake, podcasts are not just shows run by aspiring media professionals. The podcast market is growing and at a stride: 

• Market size: 30.81B USD in 2024. 
• Growth rate: CAGR of 26.7% during 2025–2034. 
• Projected growth: 327.83B by 2034.

Athletes are leveraging podcasts as a next career option after retirement, away from traditional media jobs. It’s a source of income and further brand collaborations: 

• Podcasts keep athletes relevant even after retirement. 
• It helps them network with relevant players in the industry. 
• Draws the attention of brands that are willing to sponsor an episode.

If you look further, via podcasts, athletes can launch a new merchandise line–another stream of revenue. Think of Good Good Golf, a YouTube show run by a bunch of 20-something golfers that has now turned into a leading start-up in Golf. They have launched their own apparel line and signed PGA Tour pros. Athletes, too, are not far behind: 

1. Travis and Jason Kelce’s podcast ‘New Heights’ has a merchandise shop.
2. The Old Man and the Three, a JJ Redick production, has its own merchandise as well. 
3. By some estimates, Joe Rogan’s merch sales bring in an estimated $5-$7M a year. 

So, yes, podcasts can be a source of revenue and also spawn multiple different streams of revenue. After all, podcasts have an outer shell of a media production, but the inner core is of a startup. And athletes are treating them as such.