Date launched Feb, 2016
Date finished N/A
Still running? Yes
Number of series N/A
Number of episodes p/s 247
Length of each episode 2.5 hours
Summary of content – story? Theme? Topic?
Crime in sport provides another anthologized take on sports-related true crime. Each episode of this podcast has comedians Pietragallo and Whisman examine legendary sports figures who have (in the hosts’ words) “lost big games—with the law!” The episodes provide a well-researched deep dive investigation into the bizarre and awful crimes committed by American sports players. These episodes utilise the 3-hour length top provide an in-depth investigation into these stories and leaves no insignificant piece of detail out from the story being told.
When it comes to this podcast, variety is the name of the game. From baseball, football, and basketball to figure skating, MMA fighting, and cricket, Crime in Sports runs the gamut in terms of the kinds of sports covered. Over the course of 200 episodes (and counting!), Crime in Sports unspools the most unbelievable tales from the criminal underbelly that lurks just beneath the world of professional sports.
Most notable/funny/moving/shocking moments
– Ep. 105 The Smoothness of Aurelian Smith Jr, AKA Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts This is a story that begins with as much horror as possible, and kind of goes downhill from there. A genius at his profession, but an absolute dullard in the rest of his life. Drugs, arrogance, and bad decisions, cause a mountain of trouble that he somehow always seems to come out, standing on top of. A resilient, troubled, brilliant idiot. And a crazy, crazy tale about Jake Roberts an American Professional Wrestler. One story from this episode involved Jake’s signature pet snake on a road trip “Jake and his promoter would get fucked up sometimes obviously do a shitload of coke and he said one night they were in Detroit and it was winter and they went out that night and they came back, came out the next morning opened the trunk of their car to put the bags in and went ‘oh shit we forgot Damien’. He said the snake had frozen solid”.
– Ep. 165 He Did More Than That – The Historicalness of O.J. Simpson. This episode delves into the history of O.J.Simpson. Under the smiling facade, was a very flawed person, who also enjoyed cocaine, sleeping with various women, and rocky circumstances with his long-term relationships. His world crumbled amid early domestic violence, strong arm violence, robbery, and a long prison term. The episode spends little time talking about the trial and rather delves into his past. One of the guys in O.J’s team mentions in a book released prior to the murder convictions said “there’s only one guy in the NFL I’m afraid of and that’s O.J. Simpson. O.J. is a killer he has the eyes of a murderer. Everyone else when you tackle them they look like their pissed, when you tackle O.J. he makes my blood chill the way he looks at me. He looks at me like ‘I could kill you right fucking now, and I would love to’. He scares me”.
– Ep. 145 More Than Zero Tolerance – The Badness of Scott Hall AKA “Razor Ramon” Scott Hall AKA Razor Ramon was a man who had all the ability that you could have and used that ability to make it to the very top of the wrestling game. Big money, fame, and tons of alcohol, drugs, and pills to support that lifestyle. Not to mention violence, car wrecks, drunken insanity, and even a homicide. This episode explores all. “He’s like a Motley Crue song. A lot of these wrestlers were like that. A lot of them were bouncers at strip clubs. They’d meet wrestlers at the strip clubs or at the gym because they all had to be jacked to be bouncers and they would work the same shifts as these wrestlers and that’s what it is. That’s how a lot of them got into the business”
Host/presenters/journalist names and bio
– James Pietragallo is a Stand-up comic, filmmaker, co-host of Crime In Sports, Small Town Murder & PS I Hate This Movie podcasts.
– He is a producer and actor, known for No Room for Groceries (2006) and Showbiz AZ (2007).
– Jammie Whisman is a comedian and the co-host of the podcasts Small Town Murder and Crime in Sports. In this episode, Nate and Jimmie talk about what it’s actually like being in comedy (it’s not all laughs) and how he got started with his podcasts.
– Started comedy at 23 – did one open mic and it went horribly, so he quit for 7ish years
– Did a show with 25 other comedians and the booker of the club took a liking to him and then he met Jammie
Description of sound clips sent over
– In this clip the two hosts discuss the details released by police officers when Scott Hall (Razor Ramon) went on a drunken rampage at a night club in Florida and had to be detained.
Anything else interesting about the podcast worth noting? Has it won awards? Is it the “most listened to” in its category? Does someone famous love it? Any controversy? Any fun or quirky facts?
– Crime in sports was James and Jammie’s debut podcast and has been the longest running of all the series the comedic pair have worked on. Since the release of Crime In Sports the two comedians have worked on various other podcasts including “Small Town Murder”,
– The two hosts also have a website for their wildly successful podcast and have merchandise supporting it.
Opinion
Hilarious and enticing, Crime in Sports seems to be a must for sports fans and true crime fans alike. Whether you prefer to sit back and relax and have a laugh about the ridiculousness of all of the crime or like to get in the gritty details of it all, Crime in Sports provides all.
Sports in crime seems to have found a niche gap in the market for fans of both crime and sport and the two hosts have somehow managed to create a highly entertaining in-depth podcast that satisfies the needs for people interested in both of these topics. Much like the Small-town Murder podcast, I thoroughly enjoyed CIS. The two hosts bounce off each other and provide a flowing conversation that is both hilarious and informative.