I walk a lot. I run a lot. And if I’m interested in learning more about a topic, my go-to move is to download a bunch of popular podcasts about said subject and see if any of them stick. This is how I ended up spending several years listening to podcasts like Slate’s Political Gabfest and the Around the NFL podcast. But a relationship with a podcast is like any other. Sometimes it has to end, but it might be difficult to understand why.
Around the NFL is best described as the NFL equivalent of the Giant Bombcast. It features people in a room talking passionately about football, and importantly, they don’t pretend to be objective analysts. Sure, they love football, but each of them roots for a specific team and goes through the same cycle of hope and heartbreak that every irrational fan can sympathize with. It’s easy to feel like you're eavesdropping on a conversation between friends at the bar. And as my personal investment in understanding football beyond fandom grew into my 20s, so too did my bond with the hosts. I even started listening to a side project about music by one of the co-hosts, and I don't even really care about music.
(Boy, that sure sounds like an echo of a future me, starting a podcast about sports and home improvements...)
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