Knuckleheads

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

The Knuckleheads podcast was created in order to give fans unique access to some of the biggest names in sports through authentic, honest, and raw audio storytelling. Featuring former NBA stars Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles—two life-long friends and bona fide truth-tellers—as well as an array of special guests including Derek Jeter, Steph Curry, CJ McCollum, Teresa Weatherspoon, Mark Cuban, Kevin Garnett, and more—Knuckleheads provides fans with a ‘fly on the wall’ experience as they listen to their favorite sports stars discuss everything from current events to untold stories from the golden era of sports and culture.

How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?

The sports industry is notoriously one of the most saturated markets in the world, and with easy access to thousands of sports podcasts, how does Knuckleheads stand out?

The main difference between Knuckleheads and all other sports and entertainment podcasts is its unfiltered approach and focus on deepening the connection between not only the hosts and special guests, but the public as well. Listeners get a true inside look into the lives, personalities, and perspectives of these athletes, creating a community with them based on honesty, trust and open communication.

Uninhibited by ad placements, forced conversation or other factors that are often at play with competing podcasts, Knuckleheads creates a safe space for athletes to share their true selves, thus creating a relationship with their fans unlike any other podcaster-listener scenario. It is this unique relationship that has enabled Knuckleheads to become one of the most successful sports podcasts in the market, leading the charge not only in audience engagement but in storytelling as a whole.

Other podcast shows in the industry may have their own set programming but TTW goes the extra mile to listen and incorporate the thoughts of those who have the greatest impact on the show’s success—the fans.

Objective

When The Players’ Tribune was first created, it had one goal in mind - to amplify the voice of the athlete without the added spin of traditional media. Since then, the brand has continued to live by this ethos and launch franchises with their athlete partners that allow athletes to share their personal stories with the world. One of the most successful of these franchises is their podcast Knuckleheads.

The Knuckleheads podcast was created in order to give fans unique access to some of the biggest names in sports through authentic, honest, and raw audio storytelling. Featuring former NBA stars Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles—two lifelong friends and bona fide truth-tellers— well as an array of special guests including Derek Jeter, Steph Curry, CJ McCollum, Teresa Weatherspoon, Mark Cuban, Kevin Garnett, and more—Knuckleheads provides fans with a ‘fly on the wall’ experience as they listen to their favorite sports stars discuss everything from current events to untold stories from the golden era of sports and culture.

Quentin and Darius are unapologetically themselves, and this unfiltered honesty brings out the ‘uncensored’ in their special guests creating a uniquely entertaining experience for audiences that is unlike any other podcast out there.

Strategy & Execution

Today’s sport fan is constantly looking to get closer to their favorite athletes, and through the open and honest storytelling The Players’ Tribune is famous for, Knuckleheads provides fans with that much sought-after inside look.

In addition to the content itself being geared towards the modern fan, The Players’ Tribune’s distribution strategy also reflects where today's audiences are accessing and engaging with podcast content. While Knuckleheads lives natively on The Players’ Tribune website in short editorial and audio format, it is also published across the most popular podcast channels including Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, and Pocketcasts. To add an additional layer of engagement, the podcast is also video recorded and posted across TPT’s YouTube channel and other social accounts (in teaser, audiogram, and social cutdown format).

TPT also leverages parent company Minute Media’s global scale to distribute Knuckleheads’ video content across their other O&O brands and network of partnered sites.

To further expand reach and fan engagement, the episodes are also shared across Quentin and Darius’ personal social networks, the official Knuckleheads accounts as well as being shared by the guests themselves.

Organizations

• The Players' Tribune

Credits

Quentin Richardson
Co-Host of Knuckleheads
The Players' Tribune

Darius Miles
Co-Host of Knuckleheads
The Players' Tribune