7 Podcasts for the Sports Fan

Since its genesis in 2009, ESPN’s “30 for 30” series has established itself as the gold standard of modern sports documentaries, and its relatively new audio spinoff is no exception. Much like the original, the podcast shifts nimbly in tone from episode to episode, telling self-contained stories on subjects ranging from the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry to the first all-women’s expedition to the North Pole. Last year the show ventured into longer-form storytelling with a compelling five-part series about Bikram Choudhury, the hot-yoga guru who developed a cult following in the literal sense and has been accused of wielding his position to manipulate, bully and sexually abuse his followers.

Starter episode “Bikram Part 1: Arrival”

2. ‘Gladiator: AaronHernandez and Football Inc.’

One of the most haunting tragedies in modern sports is brought to life in this rigorously reported six-part series from Wondery, the network behind the true-crime hits “Dirty John” and “Dr. Death.” Two years on from the death of Aaron Hernandez, the NFL star who was convicted of murder and killed himself in prison, The Boston Globe’s Spotlight team examines his downfall in the context of the league’s corporate machine and the physical risks its players take in the name of glory. Through interviews with Hernandez’s former teammates and coach, and extraordinary audio of the phone calls he made from prison, Gladiator explores the thorny subject of CTE and the overuse of pain medication in the NFL.

Starter episode “Hail Mary”

3. ‘Men in Blazers’

For decades, it looked as though the most popular sport in the world was destined to never catch on in the United States. But now that soccer — particularly the British Premier League — is growing in popularity, it’s hard to imagine a better companion show than this one hosted by two dry-witted British expats who still prefer to call it football. The hosts, Michael Davies and Roger Bennett, meet once a week to discuss the game they’ve long declared “America’s sport of the future.” Recaps are the show’s bread and butter, there are also interviews with soccer stars.

Starter episode “USWNT World Cup Champion Instant Reax”

4. ‘Throwback’

After the United States team’s groundbreaking and much-watched victory at this summer’s World Cup, this Sports Illustrated podcast examined women’s soccer’s long journey to the mainstream. “Throwback,” which began earlier this year, dedicated its first season to the origin story of the national team, featuring the voices of pioneering players like Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy, who vividly describe their experiences leading up to the 1991 Women’s World Cup. Like all the best historical sports stories, this is a gripping and educational listen that speaks directly to the present moment.

Starter episode “The Tsunami Hitting the Shore”

5. ‘Crime in Sports’

Even a listener who doesn’t care about the World Series or the Super Bowl will find something to engage with in this irreverent two-hander, which is really a true-crime podcast using sports as its framework. The hosts James Pietragallo and Jimmie Whisman delight in delving into the sins of athletes who’ve committed, or been accused of committing, crimes — particularly “the dumbest ones, the ones who really threw it all away.” And though the duo’s often brutal black humor is an acquired taste, their affable chemistry takes the edge off.

Starter episode “He Did More Than That — The Historicalness of O.J. Simpson”

6. ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast’

There is no voice more prominent in sports journalism than Bill Simmons, who was also one of the earliest adopters of podcasting (he created his first show for ESPN in 2007). In its fifth year, “The Bill Simmons Podcast” shows off its host’s ability to straddle the line between sports and pop culture — with an array of conversations with celebrities like Bryan Cranston, Charlize Theron and Jimmy Kimmel, and cultural water-cooler chat on topics like the controversy around “Joker.” But sports fans won’t feel shortchanged: Each episode features a solid hour of analysis.

Starter episode “Could China Cancel the NBA? Plus, Fox’s ‘Smackdown’ and WWE vs. AEW With Jason Gay and David Shoemaker”

7. ‘Against the Rules With Michael Lewis’

Earlier this year, the long-running public radio show “This American Life” aired an episode about injustice, in which the writer Michael Lewis explored the concept through the prism of refereeing in the NBA That segment turned out to be an introduction of sorts to Lewis’s new podcast, “Against The Rules,” which delves further into the relationship between refs and the public. Though refs are statistically better than ever at getting it right, complaints about unfair calls steadily rise. This seeming contradiction, Lewis suggests, points to a trend of public distrust in authority. Using referees as a jumping-off point to explore “all the poorly refereed corners of life,” Lewis mounts a defense of the adjudicator that is thought-provoking and wry.

Starter episode “Ref, You Suck!”

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