Newcomers: Sports, with Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus - Podcast Rankings and reviews

This has been one of my favorite podcasts to listen to since I first found it a few years ago. It always makes me laugh out loud, even when I re-listen to it. One of my favorite memories is putting it on for my mom on a late night road trip, knowing that Lauren and Nicole’s opinions on Star Wars would infuriate her into staying awake. She did indeed yell at them…and we stayed awake. Best decision ever.

These two are hilarious! The best laughter - like listening to your friends chat about movies they've just seen for the first time. Their general lack of previous knowledge of the movies adds to the enjoyment, and is the whole conceit. So glad I heard Lauren on Fly on the Wall promote this at the end of her episode. Thank you and keep up the laughs!!

I have loved this podcast from the beginning, but I was truly so upset by how the episode on Bend it Like Beckham was handled. It was pretty shocking to me that they wouldn’t have a South Asian guest to talk about what this movie meant not just for queer sports loving women & femmes, but for children of immigrants who saw themselves in this struggle to be true to themselves within family/cultural expectations. I tried to listen even though the tone was so dismissive of things that spoke directly to being an immigrant kid among non-immigrant kids (the locker room change scene was less about queer anxiety and more the anxiety of coming from a very conservative culture and suddenly being surrounded by women who had no qualms about showing their bodies) but it got to be too much, there seemed to be no knowledge or awareness from the hosts or guests about immigrant attitudes, anxieties, and dynamics. They were laughing at “why would this aunty know her horoscope” but didn’t know that in South Asian culture, astrology is very prevalent and its extremely common for children’s natal charts to be recorded and used in the family. There also was so discussion of the fact that this movie came out in the 2000s, when attitudes toward queerness were extremely different and taboo, and there was so situating of the character’s queer codedness in the context of immigration and cultural difference. I love this podcast but this was such a missed opportunity and such a letdown that came off as seriously culturally insensitive.

Every time I get the urge to rewatch one of the marvel movies I just turn on an episode of this pod! I’ve listened to all the episodes multiple times, imagine how long that would have taken if I had watched the movies instead, yikes!! PLEASE do another season filling in the Marvel gaps and watching new ones. I knowww that you guys don’t like these movies but do it for us, your fans. I love your takes and I love you hating on the films. I don’t want you to suffer but I neeeeed to know your opinions on all of these marvel movies!

I love both of these women in so many ways and in so many other performances and capacities, but this podcast gives me agita. When they’re recapping movies they ask questions about the movies because they don’t understand some portion which is fine. If you don’t understand you should ask. Except 3/4 of the time the movies literally spell out for you the answer to their questions and somehow they miss it. I thought I would get used to it but I just can’t. I love podcasts about movies, and I love how funny these two are in general but it’s like they aren’t paying attention to the movie. I mean, maybe I’m just old…maybe I’m just too familiar with the movies. It could be me. Honestly, this podcast is maddening for me. 2 stars