It’s been just over a year since the creation of 312 Sports, the Chicago-based digital podcast platform dedicated to sharp, personality-driven sports coverage rooted deeply in Chicago’s fan culture. Its launch coincided with the return of Dan Bernstein and Matt Abbatacola. Over the past year, the platform added Cody Delmendo and Jason Bernstein to its roster. Last month, another familiar voice joined 312 Sports when Jason Goff rejoined the Chicago sports media landscape.
“Dan Zampillo [Executive Producer, Gamut Podcast Network] joined the team at 312 Sports. He and I have a connection where he’s put me in positions before that he thought was best for me. I trust what his vision and direction would be best for me to go,” said Goff. “I congratulated him on getting the role with 312 Sports earlier this year, and he wanted to talk about things.”
The timing couldn’t have been better for Goff. In March, he announced that he would depart his role as host of The Full Go podcast on The Ringer. After 600 episodes and four years, the Chicago-based podcast ended when the company chose not to renew Goff’s contract.
Over the next four months, Goff had conversations with a number of different suitors inquiring about his services. Both in radio and digital media.
“I wanted to figure out my enjoyment when it came to podcasting opposed to terrestrial radio. It’s just a different vibe with podcasting,” said Goff. “It took a little bit longer than I was comfortable with because I’m used to things happening in rapid succession. But after some more meetings with Gamut, we signed the deal. I’m just glad to be back behind a microphone.”
Leaving The Ringer
Reflecting on his four years with The Ringer, Goff was thankful for the opportunity he received. He says it was the first place in his career where he felt supported enough to share his true, authentic self with the audience while having full control over the content on The Full Go.
Goff says he was disappointed when his contract expired, but he no longer laments departures like he once did.
“I was appreciative for the opportunity they gave me. I got a chance to do some fly s**t with The Ringer. Plus, I got a chance to live in a different zone with something that was foreign to me at the time,” said Goff. “The challenges it presented, it felt like an accomplishment. It was just the next stage, and I answered the bell.”
What The Full Go provided Goff was a roadmap for how to approach Jason Goff Unscripted with 312 Sports. The foundation will always be local sports, local teams and local flair. However, Goff also wants to add elements that separate the present from the past.
“I’m planning on discussing things that are more locally important. With The Full Go, it was more a Chicago vibe but more for a national point of view with Spotify,” noted Goff. “I’m going to have local lobbyists and comedians on this show, but more often. It’ll be more about what I’m interacting with on a day-to-day basis without even blinking… I’ve been sitting on things for months; I want to have some fun creatively.”
The Rear View Mirror
Because of his success with The Ringer, Goff had discussions about a number of different options during his time away. Those possibilities ranged from starting his own platform with Patreon to conversations about a potential return to his original radio home at 104.3 The Score.
Goff worked at The Score from 2000 until 2012 as a producer and host. He returned to the station three years later, but the company laid him off in 2018.
Goff says The Score will always be a special place for him, from his childhood spent listening to the brand to his days representing it across the city. However, as he navigated his search for the next step following The Ringer, Goff came to a realization he couldn’t comprehend before.
“Understanding that place [104.3 The Score] was not the end for me was the best thing that happened to me, to be honest. History has a decent chance of making me feel good about how I handled things,” said Goff. “At this point in my life, it [rejoining 104.3 The Score] really would have been me settling something inside me. Instead of it being the best decision for my new life and the new me.”
Despite the amount of time since Goff last hosted at The Score, he continues to be mentioned as a potential candidate for a return.
In 2024, Goff revealed that he was preparing to join Matt Spiegel in afternoons following the departure of Danny Parkins for FOX Sports. That opportunity fell through after Audacy prohibited Goff from hosting The Full Go, along with other points of contention. Despite the fallout from two years ago, conversations continued until this summer.
“Each time those conversations happened over the last couple of years, especially this last one. I’m not going to lie. There was a sour taste left in my mouth in some of the information that was or wasn’t received,” explains Goff. “I talked with my wife after it was settled that I was going to jump in with Gamut. She told me she was glad that part was over for me. It needed to be that way.”
Despite no longer having the same connection with The Score that he once had, Goff still roots for the success of some of his friends at the station. That includes new morning show co-host Jarrett Payton, with whom Goff has a long-standing relationship.
Reuniting With Dan Bernstein
However, Goff doesn’t fully run from his Score past in Chicago. He understands that his experience in the city created connections that have followed him throughout his career. Goff explained that he hopes to focus on what’s next. Keep things fresh and play as much new music as he can. Yet, he also remained connected to Dan Bernstein through that bond with the listening audience.
Goff grew up listening to Bernstein and eventually produced and co-hosted alongside him for a number of years at 104.3 The Score as a professional.
“Dan Bernstein is one of the most talented people I’ve ever heard. To get a chance to produce his show and then host with him, but also learn how nasty the business [can be] right next to him,” noted Goff. “I got him back in my rotation with this situation. Hearing him doing something new, you hear the jolt in his voice. There’s stuff I genuinely missed about hearing him that I got back with this situation at 312 Sports.”
Following Bernstein’s exit from 104.3 The Score, Goff believed it was a humbling moment for the long-standing host. It also gave Bernstein an opportunity to step back and survey the larger possibilities available outside of what terrestrial radio provided.
Goff sees a different person today than the one he knew previously and feels Bernstein’s adaptation to digital content has reinvigorated him for a lasting second act.
“If you’re anywhere too long, that means you’re saying just the right things. But after a while, I’m not interested. You having to pop up and put on is impressive to me. Especially when it isn’t part of the DNA of people. Now you’re having to grab new ears. Dan Bernstein is fucking terrific at this,” explained Goff. “I’m looking forward to hearing this new Dan Bernstein. He has a different energy and vibe to him.”
For Goff, that evolution is part of what makes his return to Chicago sports media feel different this time around. He isn’t returning to recreate what he had at The Score, nor is he attempting to duplicate what worked at The Ringer. He’s entering a new chapter with the freedom to take everything he has learned along the way and build something that feels uniquely his.
That may be the opportunity 312 Sports provides best. Familiar voices are returning to a familiar market, but they aren’t being asked to recreate the past. Instead, Goff sees a platform where he, Bernstein and the rest of the roster can experiment, evolve and find out what comes next.
“I’m now to a point in my life where I realize how okay it is for me to be exactly who the f**k I am,” says Goff. “In the end, the things you have, you may not have them for a long time. I don’t know how long I’ll be doing this, but I want to enjoy the s**t out of it.”
For Goff, that next thing begins with a microphone, a new audience to reach and the opportunity to have some fun again. After spending years navigating the expectations of terrestrial radio and national digital media, he has arrived at a place where the destination matters less than the freedom to create.
And perhaps that is the biggest difference between Jason Goff then and Jason Goff now. He isn’t looking backward at what he lost. He’s looking forward to what he can build once again.
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