The Ringer is set to expand its podcast portfolio with a new sports and culture show featuring former ESPN commentator Max Kellerman and sports agent Rich Paul, founder Bill Simmons announced Monday. The show is slated to launch later this month as a three-times-a-week video podcast.
Simmons described the project as a “conversation show” that blends sports analysis, culture commentary, and special guest appearances. The Ringer founder said he has long wanted to collaborate with Kellerma. That the timing finally worked out after Kellerman’s departure from ESPN and his subsequent Netflix boxing project.
“I’ve wanted to work with Max for a long, long time,” Simmons said on his own podcast. “When his ESPN stuff went the way that it did, and he was basically on the sidelines there for almost a year and a half, I was waiting for him to potentially become available. When it finally happened, we started talking.”
The concept of the show grew out of Kellerman’s longstanding friendship with Paul. Who Simmons said initially surprised him as a potential co-host due to his busy schedule managing Clutch Sports and other business ventures.
“I met with them and we went out to lunch and talked for two hours,” Simmons said. “Just watching the way they interacted, I became convinced these guys should have a show.”
According to Simmons, the chemistry between Kellerman and Paul will be a key driver for the podcast’s success. “When people have chemistry, that’s usually what makes a podcast work,” he said. “Over and over again, we’ve seen it back at Grantland, at The Ringer, all these different places. This is one that I really think is going to be a cool podcast.”
Simmons emphasized that the program will offer thoughtful perspectives. Seeking to “flip the sports talk thing on its head a little bit and bring some real thought perspective on sports, business, people, all these different things.”
Simmons also expressed confidence in the hosts’ ability to balance the podcast with their other professional commitments.
“Rich has a lot of commitments, but there’s a perspective he brings. Especially with Max, that I think is really unique for a podcast,” Simmons said.
The announcement marks the latest expansion of The Ringer’s growing audio and video offerings. Following a series of new shows and high-profile host additions. Simmons framed the upcoming program as part of a broader strategy to combine informed sports commentary with cultural insight, delivered in a style that has become a hallmark of The Ringer’s productions.
Last month, Netflix and Spotify have announced a new partnership to bring some of the digital audio company’s biggest podcasts to the video streaming platform next year.
Many of the podcasts included in the deal are from The Ringer, which was launched by Bill Simmons in 2016 and purchased by Spotify in 2020 for $250 million. The network’s roster features more than 50 programs, with Kellerman and Paul’s as the latest beginning later this month.
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