ESPN Star Calls Travis Kelce's Podcast 'Stupid' — But 'First Take' Agrees

As a fan of both podcasts and sports, I often find myself wondering who actually listens to "New Heights" or watches "First Take." I've made an effort to tune in to both, repeatedly, and while I may be considered eccentric, I just can't seem to get through them for completely different reasons.

"First Take" is known for its hot takes, which are often seen as entertainment. Meanwhile, "New Heights" feels more like a public relations machine, driven by two charismatic brothers who manage to secure high-profile celebrity guests for casual interviews.

So when Travis Kelce appeared on the latest episode of "New Heights," it was not the discussion about his potential retirement that caught my attention, but rather his reaction to the devastating ACL injury of his Kansas City Chiefs teammate, Patrick Mahomes. What truly stood out was when Chris "Mad Dog" Russo from "First Take" took a sharp jab at the Kelce brothers.

Is "New Heights" a "stupid podcast"?

In one of his rants on "First Take," Chris "Mad Dog" Russo criticized Kelce for skipping out on his postgame media obligations once again. He also threw shade at "New Heights," stating, "I could care less about his stupid podcast… No serious sports fan listens to that nonsense anyway."

While Russo's grammar may have been off, defenders of "New Heights" can point to its ranking as the top sports podcast on Spotify. However, we don't know exactly how Spotify measures success for sports podcasts. It's worth noting that Kelce had his fiancée, Taylor Swift, on the show this year as part of a marketing masterclass to announce her new album, "The Life of the Showgirl."

That particular episode broke all podcast records, making it an outlier. It's also challenging to determine the loyal listening numbers for podcasts based on analytics alone.

Viral clips are the real commodity for both "New Heights" and "First Take."

The reason Travis Kelce and his older brother, Jason Kelce, received $100 million from Amazon for "New Heights" is primarily due to the consistent hit rate of viral clips from their PR-driven podcast. Jason also earns a significant income from ESPN as an NFL analyst on "Monday Night Countdown."

The same logic applies to Stephen A. Smith, who secured a $105 million deal with ESPN to lead the "First Take" franchise. This is also the reason why ESPN paid Pat McAfee $85 million. (To be fair, McAfee had already built up a loyal following, and ESPN does not own the rights to his show.)

If it's not the actual beachfront property of the sports themselves, the only way to stand out in the highly competitive world of sports media is through bite-sized clips that cater to social media algorithms. These clips help grow audience and build brand awareness.

So, while it can be argued that both "New Heights" and "First Take" are "stupid," those who succeed in this industry, like the Kelce brothers and Stephen A., are clearly reaping the financial rewards.

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