5 Interesting Podcasts at the Intersection of Sport, Entrepreneurship or Creativity

This article was originally published in March 2021 as Interested in Sport or Entrepreneurship? Here are 5 Business Podcasts You Don't Want to Miss on GamePlan A, an adidas digital publication about careers and creativity in sport. adidas has since retired GamePlan A in favor of inside3stripes, its brand magazine; the link above is an archived copy.

As an avid listener of podcasts for over a decade, I like to consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur. From true crime shows, to business news, to sports talk, there is no shortage of content available for anyone’s taste. Being a graphic designer and creative director by trade in the sports industry, I tend to gravitate towards narrative or interview shows that are entertaining, entrepreneurial, and educational. If a podcast or its collective of guests can touch on each aspect, it becomes a unicorn for me. In no particular order, here are five podcasts that I rarely miss episodes of.

Business Wars

A narrative podcast by the production company Wondery, Business Wars is an entertaining, series-based show that focuses on two competing companies at a time and their often contentious business history with one another. The show, hosted and voiced over by David Brown, dives deep into unauthorized stories of famous entrepreneurs and companies that shape modern culture through voice acting and storytelling.

How I Built This with Guy Raz

From National Public Radio (aka NPR) in the U.S., How I Built This is an interview show, hosted by Guy Raz, that goes behind-the-scenes with some of the world's greatest entrepreneurs as they share their own stories. Guy has an uncanny ability to empathize with his guests and draws out vulnerable commentary as they share emotional moments in their careers. You can oftentimes feel the emotion in the episodes as the story unfolds. I enjoy this show because it unveils that many entrepreneurs are trying to figure things out as they go and don't always have it together; however, they courageously persevere and take their companies to unimagined heights.

Indie Hackers

Indie Hackers podcast is an interview show hosted by Courtland Allen, Co-Founder of Indie Hackers, a community and forum-style website that was acquired by Stripe. The concept of Indie Hackers is to provide an avenue for founders of small, online businesses to discuss their products or services and to encourage others—with transparency—to become independent entrepreneurs. My favorite thing about this podcast is how transparent the entrepreneurs are with their numbers and tech stacks. It has me reminiscent of the Web 1.0 era when I'd scour web design forums online and people would openly share their ideas.

Total Soccer Show

With the three stripes being globally associated with The Beautiful Game, I'd be remiss not to mention one of my favorite soccer podcasts. Mostly discussing North American soccer with some European football sprinkled throughout, Total Soccer Show was founded in 2009 in Richmond, Virginia, USA by two freelance writers, English immigrant Daryl Grove and U.S. native Taylor Rockwell. For over a decade, Grove and Rockwell created the podcast independently before striking a deal with The Athletic in 2019. The show discusses everything from freelance soccer writing, to the USMNT, to fantasy soccer lineups. The beloved Mr. Grove unfortunately passed away from a battle with cancer in 2020 but Rockwell continues to host the show in his memory along with various guest co-hosts.

Makers of Sport®

I founded Makers of Sport® podcast in March of 2014 after looking for a design podcast that covered my broad creative interests in sport with a technological and entrepreneurial bend. The show, which became the first-ever design podcast to cover design, advertising, brands, and startups in the global sports business, was featured in Podcasts New & Noteworthy and is listened to by sports business professionals around the world. With 100+ episodes ranging from designers and creative directors in collegiate or professional sports, to filmmakers, sneaker industry analysts, and other #sportsbiz entrepreneurs, Makers of Sport® focuses on raw interviews bringing the creative professionals behind storytelling in sports to the forefront.

As with any form an educational content or entertainment, podcasts are subjective. Have a listen to the above recommendations or find your way through the iTunes or Spotify library to treat your own ears. Be sure to like, rate, subscribe or leave comments for podcasts you thoroughly enjoy.

Adam Martin is the Principal & Creative Director of T/A Martin Studio, a digital creative studio in Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.A. focused on providing design, creative direction and content strategy to clients sport and adjacent industries. In addition, he is the Founder & Host of Makers of Sport® podcast, a popular #sportsbiz show discussing design, advertising, brands and startups in sports.