{"id":360028,"date":"2025-12-20T13:51:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T13:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/360028\/"},"modified":"2025-12-20T13:51:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T13:51:11","slug":"the-best-in-sports-media-docs-podcasts-radio-and-influencers-of-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/360028\/","title":{"rendered":"The best in sports media docs, podcasts, radio, and influencers of 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week, we\u2019re celebrating the highs, the lows, the best, and the worst of the year with\u00a0The Awfulies<\/a>.\u00a0As we\u2019ve done for the past four years, the Awful Announcing staff has cast its votes for who we think should take home the coveted golden microphone in a wide variety of categories across the sports media industry.<\/p>\n

The announcers, broadcasters, and TV shows receive much of the attention, but the sports media landscape is broad and diverse. It\u2019s also expanding with the ascention of content creators and influencers. Today, we honor those on the cutting edge of the industry and leading it into the next decade, as well as the sports-related entertainment that commanded our attention this year.<\/p>\n

Best Sports Media Podcast of 2025: The Press Box<\/p>\n

After the Laura Rutledge-Justin Herbert incident, it\u2019s time to reinvent the postgame interview.@byjoelanderson<\/a> and I discuss: https:\/\/t.co\/SRKXLv1LJx<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/90VrdJpK2z<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Bryan Curtis (@bryancurtis) December 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Calling\u00a0The Press Box<\/a> a \u201csports media podcast\u201d is honestly a disservice to the work host Bryan Curtis has put in to building the show into a must-listen for both sports media observers and non-sports media observers alike. While sports often serve as the North Star for Curtis and his rotating co-hosts David Shoemaker and Joel Anderson,\u00a0The Press Box is at its best when it veers outside the lines into politics and culture.<\/p>\n

2025 was a banner year for the show. While other podcasts in the shockingly oversaturated sports media genre have grown stale, The Press Box continues to iterate and innovate. The year-long feature \u201c25 for 25\u201d featured everything from news-making interviews with ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro to an episode on the future of physical media to a discussion with Zohran Mamdani\u2019s comms strategist. Along those lines, the show does an impressive job of talking both about the stories you want to hear about (looking at you, Olivia Nuzzi) and the stories you didn\u2019t know you wanted to hear about (Texas Monthly\u2018s definitive\u00a0barbecue rankings).<\/p>\n

For the sports media junkie that might\u00a0have gasp listened to enough interviews with the same five play-by-play announcers on those other podcasts, The Press Box can scratch that media nerd itch in ways few other shows are capable of. \u2013 Drew Lerner<\/p>\n

Best Sports Media Content Creator\/Influencer of 2025: Katie Feeney<\/p>\n

One of ESPN\u2019s most polarizing hires of the past year was Katie Feeney<\/a>, a recent Penn State graduate who has made her name in social media. But while she may not fit the previous mold at the Worldwide Leader in Sports, she\u2019s clearly a big part of the network\u2019s future, as evidenced by the support she\u2019s received from some of its most powerful executives.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve thrown her right into the fire and this is, I guess, the poise that she gathered by building her own profile independently on her own at such a young age, but she\u2019s already been on-location at\u00a0College GameDay, at\u00a0Monday Night Football, at\u00a0Sunday and Monday Countdowns,\u201d ESPN content president Burke Magnus\u00a0told The Athletic\u2019s Richard Deitsch<\/a>.\u00a0\u201cShe\u2019s essentially curating\u00a0SportsCenter on Snapchat for us\u2026 She\u2019s been great. This is the world we live in.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Magnus noted, Feeney\u2019s been everywhere, and based on her output, it\u2019s easy to see why ESPN was drawn to her content as it turns toward the future. It\u2019s also worth noting that Magnus told Deitsch the network is already considering hiring another influencer, which could further intensify competition in this category next year. \u2013 Ben Axelrod<\/p>\n

Best Sports Documentary\/Docuseries: \u2018America\u2019s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys\u2019<\/p>\n

The official trailer for America\u2019s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys.<\/p>\n

Coming to Netflix on August 19. pic.twitter.com\/ks6jFWfZzW<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) June 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Although it was an admittedly weak year for the calendar, Netflix\u2019s eight-part docuseries on the 1990s Dallas Cowboys<\/a> is a worthy winner.<\/p>\n

Are the criticisms of it being a Jerry Jones vanity project fair? Perhaps. Still, America\u2019s Team remained plenty entertaining and more journalistically sound than most hagiographies.<\/p>\n

Moving forward, we\u2019d like to see this category become more competitive again. For now, we\u2019ll have to settle for an engaging piece of 90s nostalgia. \u2013 Ben Axelrod<\/p>\n

Best Sports Radio Show of 2025: The Rich Eisen Show<\/p>\n

The college football world was shocked Wednesday by the firing of #Michigan<\/a> head coach Sherrone Moore \u2014 @richeisen<\/a> reacts to the news and what happens now for his beloved alma mater: pic.twitter.com\/EJvZeqIKGB<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) December 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Sports radio is in a precarious place in 2025. The format remains effective, especially when hosts understand what makes someone want to tune in for 2-3 hours at a time, in a world that pulls our attention in 12 different directions at once.<\/p>\n

It would be easy to take The Rich Eisen Show for granted. Host Rich Eisen isn\u2019t larger-than-life or in it for the hot takes. He\u2019s amiable and personable, and seems like a good hang. He knows how to get something interesting out of his guests, whether they\u2019re a professional athlete<\/a>, a broadcaster<\/a>, or a Hollywood actor<\/a>. He\u2019s also able to roll with the punches<\/a>. And when the situation calls for it, he can handle a serious conversation with a sober sensibility and touch of grace<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While the show bounced around for years, it found its natural home earlier this year when Eisen returned to the ESPN fold<\/a> as an anchor for ESPN Radio<\/a>. As for whether Eisen\u2019s show is also ESPN\u2019s backup plan if Pat McAfee<\/a> ever takes his ball and goes home, that\u2019s a conversation for another day.<\/p>\n

After hosting SportsCenter<\/a> for the first time in 22 years, Eisen\u2019s discussion about what it was like and how his tribute to Stuart Scott came together<\/a> was the perfect bit of entertainment synergy. \u2013 Sean Keeley<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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