Caption: Pardon My Take co-hosts Big Cat (left) and PFT Commenter stand outside of their conversion van “Vanny Woodhead.” The duo has skyrocketed to the top of most major sports podcast charts since the show’s inception in 2016.
Image via Business Insider and Barstool Sports
One of the finest pairings of raw talent in the 2010’s did not happen on the basketball court or the boardroom, but rather in a smelly studio in New York City. Ladies and gentlemen, we need to take a moment to appreciate the creative geniuses behind Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take. Of course, if you are a listener of the show you know I am somewhat joking, but Pardon My Take is one of the biggest sports shows on Apple podcasts and has been streamed millions of times over. While Pardon My Take (PMT) is no doubt a successful enterprise, they are also in many ways the epitome of the working man’s podcast and truly a modern success story of melding your passions to your career.
The premise of Pardon of My Take is fairly simple in that it combines weekly recurring comedic segments along with guest interviews, usually in the arena of sports, but guests have also come from music, entertainment, and literature. However, what makes the show fantastic and unique is the chemistry between the two hosts: Dan Katz aka “Big Cat” and PFT Commenter aka “PFT”. Both men are in their mid-30’s and have found a way to combine their own special idiosyncrasies to make for a slew of unforgettable moments on the show and for a forgettable run on ESPN. Indeed this show is as if you and your best friend had a chance to interview your favorite entertainers growing up while also sharing a beer with them at the same time. Both Big Cat and PFT have referred to themselves as glorified bloggers throughout the show’s run, but they have made the profession a highly-desired one thanks to the show’s resounding success.
PMT, as mentioned before, is part of the larger Barstool Sports empire which recently sold to Penn National Gaming earlier this year for a reported $450 million. While Barstool has plenty of avenues beyond just podcasts, they originally started out as a newsletter and then a blog in Boston, their following has grown by the thousands over the years. Their impact is growing so quickly, the media company has ventured out into live event tours around the country to connect with their fans. However, still at the heart of it all is PMT which has stayed true to the show’s roots since it began in February 2016.
While PMT might not be perhaps your cup of tea, the next time you are looking to listen to a new podcast, give them a shot. It never fails to amaze me how much you can pick up in one episode beyond the crass humor. In fact, screenwriter/director Brian Koppelman was recently on the show and commended the whole crew (especially producers Hank and Liam) on their ability to grind and work through the creative process to find new ways to produce content. In the modern era of media being so accessible, PMT stands out as the standard bearer of combining the nostalgia of SportsCenter and the WWF in the 1990’s along with the modern era of social media.
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