Production company Religion of Sports, founded by Tom Brady, Michael Strahan and Gotham Chopra, has a new deal with Public Radio Exchange to move into the podcasting space, Deadline reported on Oct. 6.
The company, known for its sports documentaries, is going to launch “a slate of shows” in 2021. According to Deadline, those will include longform narrative series around a variety of topics as well as shows “tackling topics such as sports and spirituality, and how athletes push the limits of human potential to reach peak mental and physical performance.”
Former Sports Illustrated staff writer Tim Rohan tweeted that he’s joined the company as a senior writer and podcast host, and that fellow former SI staffers Ben Baskin and Joan Niesen are also on board, as well as producers from ESPN and NPR.
PRX is the company behind hit podcast “This American Life” as well as “The Moth Radio Hour.” It will be Religion of Sports’ distribution partner and provide “sponsorship services and promotion, as well as editorial and production collaboration,” according to Deadline.
“Three years ago, Tom, Michael, and I started Religion of Sports to tell stories that answered a central question: why do sports matter? We had a vision to tell these stories about how sports test the limits of human potential, change the fabric of our society and culture, and are a prism by which we can better understand ourselves and the world,” Chopra, Religion of Sports’ chief creative officer, said.
“Our video projects have captured the attention and imagination of hundreds of millions of people, and we are so excited to bring the same vision, intensity, and mission to audio,” he added. “There is no better partner to do that with than PRX. We couldn’t be more excited for you to hear what we have in store.”
Some Religion of Sports’ prior film and television projects include “Tom vs. Time,” “The Greatness Code,” “Shut Up and Dribble” and “Kobe Bryant’s Muse.” In July, the company announced it had raised $10 million in new funding.
“Man in the Arena,” a nine-part docuseries that will showcase Brady’s takes on peak moments of his career — announced shortly after the conclusion of ESPN’s hit 10-part Michael Jordan docuseries “The Last Dance” — is also set to premiere in 2021.
