Matt Jones makes 2025 Awful Announcing sports podcast power list

Bill Simmons, Pablo Torre, Dave Portnoy, Colin Cowherd… Matt Jones? This is not a game of one of these things is not like the others — they all belong together on the 2025 Awful Announcing sports podcast power list.

It’s the second year of the outlet’s compilation of the powerhouses, and wouldn’t you know it, KSR‘s own founder made the cut alongside the biggest national names in sports media.

“No longer merely a niche, sports podcasts are quickly becoming the primary delivery mechanism of sports content,” Awful Announcing’s Brendon Kleen wrote.

Jones is featured for his work with Kentucky Sports Radio, obviously, but also his new ventures Interrupted by Matt Jones and NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin. They single out KSR as the “biggest local sports podcast in America.”

“Peer at the sports podcast charts on Apple or Spotify in any given week, and you just might see Kentucky Sports Radio, which just might be able to lay claim as the biggest local sports podcast in America,” they said. “As recently as last year, Jones told me it was the biggest local sports show on iHeart’s roster. This year, Jones rose to new heights with a larger deal at iHeart, which landed him his own news-making interview show and a weekly NFL podcast.

“Jones is simply one of the most successful yet widely unknown hosts in the space.”

Good territory to live in, right?

Included in the feature: Jones’ take on the current state of sports podcasting.

“Some of the irreverence of the industry has melted into self-importance by some hosts that can be irritating,” he said. “Most of us got into this space because it’s fun and authentic. But that doesn’t all of a sudden make us the people that should be solving all of the world’s problems every day.”

His prediction for the future? A level playing field for team broadcasts and outside outlets, similar to KSR’s Rapid Reactions and live shows compared to traditional pregame and postgame shows.

Ready or not, the next generation of sports media is here.

“The role that radio has long had with pregame and postgame shows will eventually be equaled by pregame and postgame live podcasts and streaming, which will give more voices and allow a true meritocracy of event broadcasting rather than the tapping from on high of the official voices of all events,” he continued.

The full sports podcast power list:

• Bill Simmons – Founder, The Ringer
• Pablo Torre & Chris Tumminello – Host & Executive Producer, Meadowlark Media
• Gilbert Arenas – Host, Underdog
• Dave Portnoy – Owner, Barstool Sports
• Andy Roddick & Jon Wertheim – Founder & Host, Served Media
• Cam Newton & Omari Collins – Host & Executive Producer, Iconic Saga
• Kylie Kelce – Host, Not Gonna Lie
• Will Compton & Taylor Lewan – Hosts, Bussin’ With the Boys
• Jason Gallagher – Producer, Mind the Game, Bird’s Eye View, Young Man & the Three
• Josh Pate – Host, Josh Pate’s College Football Show
• Madeline Hill & Charlotte Wilder – Hosts, The Sports Gossip Show
• Ryen Russillo & Steve Ceruti – Host & Executive Producer, Barstool Sports
• Colin Cowherd & Logan Swaim – Owner & Chief Content Officer, The Volume
• Matt Sandler – General Manager, Amazon Creator Services
• Jay Danahy – Head of Advertising Revenue & Content Strategy, DraftKings
• Kevin Jones – Founder, Blue Wire
• Jared Fox & Marissa Rives – SVP of Sports Programming & Senior Director of Sports Programming, SiriusXM
• Sebastian Tomich, Jesse Burton & Craig Custance – The Athletic
• Sarah Spain – Content Director, iHeartMedia
• Ike Zhang – Creators Agent, United Talent Agency
• Matt Jones – Host, Kentucky Sports Radio
• Steve Dangle – Co-CEO, Steve Dangle Podcast Network

Sources Say, 11 Personnel, Zoom Action, Here Comes The Boom and The Memorial Memo will be on this list next year, mark my words. Until then, congrats, Matt!

Go Cats.