Fandom

Conversations with Sports Fans – Birthday Bonanza

DouglasTHill2 Comments
Sports-themed Birthday Card
Our podcast, Conversations with Sports Fans, turns four today.

On June 9, 2022, when I first published a Conversation, it was just me, discussing in concept what I had in mind for this podcast.

At the time I had no idea what the future had in store. Would anyone whose last name wasn’t Hill listen? Would it last one more episode? One more month? A year, perhaps?

Well, Conversations with Sports Fans turns 4-years-old today, and while that birthday likely means it’s fully toilet trained, it means little else except for the fact that I’ve been blessed beyond belief to have published 268 of these with close to 250 different guests. It’s been listened to more than 10,000 times now which, I suppose, means more than just Hills are tuning in:-)

It also still brings me joy, which is probably the biggest reason I keep doing the show.

No matter the number of listeners or likes or comments, Conversations has always been about taking me to my happy place once a week; talking about being a sports fan.

So today, I celebrate with a gift for you (that’s really probably more for me) in the form of a bonus episode featuring a panel of five past guests who discuss what it’s like being a sports fan in the Year 2026. Regular listeners will recognize most of the names, if not the voices!

We touch on everything from the ever-splintering media landscape to the high cost of being a fan to the proliferation of sports gambling to continuing rise of women’s sports. And, as you might expect with six folks on one call at the same time, there are a few digressions:-)

Oh yeah, we also talk about the 2026 FIFA World Cup because Stephen Miller is one of our guests and, well, there might not be a bigger fan of the World Cup coming to North America than Stephen!

Further Reading – Interestingly, this piece from yahoo!sports was published a few days after recording. It’s both timely and illuminating.

The Panelists with Prior Appearance Links

This panel discussion helps celebrate Conversations’ fourth birthday.

Conversations with Sports Fans – Matthew Barry

DouglasTHillLeave a comment

Matthew Barry, creator and producer of Heart of a Fan is my guest on Conversations.

Matthew Barry and I shared a kindred spirit of sorts. We’re both fascinated by sports fans.

I love their stories and their experiences and how, for the time I’m able to spend with them each week, we’re able to reminisce about experiences from their past that have become, in many ways, core memories.

Matthew is fascinated by the communal nature of sport, how it brings people from various cultural and politcal backgrounds together for a shared purpose.

He’s minining his passion for fans in his project, Heart of a Fan. Matthew takes a fairly deep dive in each podcast episode to discover how communities come together, how they inter-relate, and how they often times provide a service to the greater community. It’s a fascinating concept and one that I’m delighted to have discovered.

I hope you enjoy our Conversation and give Heart of a Fan a listen to discover the terrific work Matthew is doing there.