The Lead Says Farewell

Summary

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The Lead Says Farewell

Podcast: The Lead
Hosts: Tiffany Oshinsky, Anders Kelto, Matt Stroup
Date: January 3, 2024

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Episode Overview

This heartfelt episode marks the end of "The Lead," Wondery's acclaimed narrative sports podcast. Hosts Anders Kelto, Tiffany Oshinsky, and Matt Stroup gather to announce the show’s conclusion, reflect on its legacy, and express profound gratitude to the team, contributors, and listeners who made its 900+ episodes possible. The tone is nostalgic yet celebratory, with emphasis on the meaningful stories told and connections forged throughout the show's run.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Announcement and Legacy ([00:10]–[00:48])

• Anders Kelto opens with the major announcement: "The Lead will not be continuing in 2024."
• He notes the show’s groundbreaking launch in September 2019 as the "first ever daily narrative sports podcast."
• Recognition of the show's consistent delivery: "Since then, we've published more than 900 episodes. We've won a bunch of awards."

2. Reflections and Gratitude to the Team ([00:48]–[01:30])

• Matt Stroup shares a personal memory: "I remember exactly where I was actually when I got that phone call." ([00:48])
• Matt recalls humorously resisting at first: "I also remember exactly where I was when I told you. No."
• Honors the production team: Ian Hurley (fact checks), Adrian Tapia & Daniel Gonzalez (production assistants), Aaron May & Joe Richardson (sound designers), and Matt Beagle (all-around support).
• Matt: "Thank you to everyone who worked on this production team over the years behind the scenes." ([01:14])

3. Appreciation for Co-hosts and Journalists ([01:30]–[02:11])

• Anders thanks Tiffany Oshinsky, who joined in 2021: "Thanks as well to you for all your excellent work over the years."
• Tiffany responds:

  "It's been an absolute joy and honor to work on the show, and I'm still extremely grateful that you guys made me part of this amazing team." ([01:37])

• Tiffany also acknowledges hundreds of journalists:

  "Their writing, their storytelling, their curiosity to learn and share other stories is what made this show possible." ([01:53])

4. Tribute to Wondery and Listeners ([02:11]–[02:52])

• Anders extends gratitude to Wondery for support:

  "There are a lot of unfortunate trends happening in sports media these days, but the lead has always risen above the noise... and delivered powerful and meaningful stories."

• Special shout out to Dave Easton and Marshall Louie for their instrumental roles.
• Anders encourages listeners:

  "Maybe the best thing you can do as a listener, if you've enjoyed the show, is to go back into our archive and share some of your favorite episodes with people you know." ([02:41])

5. Memorable Episodes and Next Steps ([02:52]–[03:00])

• Matt’s recommended episode:

  "Go back and listen to that Marvin Gaye national anthem episode. An absolute classic." ([02:55])

6. What’s Next: Continuation on Starting Five ([03:00]–[03:21])

• Anders reassures fans:

  "This isn't goodbye because you can continue to hear us, especially these two here on our other show, Starting Five. That is our fun 10 minute recap of the day's sports news." ([03:02])

7. Farewell and the Original Theme Song ([03:20]–[03:43])

• The hosts bid farewell by playing the original theme song—an emotional callback for "OG listeners."
• Notable lines from the theme:
  • Anders: "It felt like something great was happening." ([03:22])
  • Tiffany: "There was just something about the emotion in that moment." ([03:28])
  • Matt: "You gotta go faster. Faster." ([03:31])
  • Tiffany: "The failures of the past don't matter because we've got this guy. That's not good news." ([03:33])
  • Tiffany: "This isn't a story where you interview the athlete and go home."
  • Anders: "It stays with you." ([03:43])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Anders Kelto:

  "The lead will not be continuing in 2024... We launched the show in September of 2019, when it was the first ever daily narrative sports podcast." ([00:13])

• Matt Stroup:

  "I remember exactly where I was actually when I got that phone call. I also remember exactly where I was when I told you. No... but honestly, it's been a blast working on this show with you guys." ([00:48])

• Tiffany Oshinsky:

  "It's been an absolute joy and honor to work on the show, and I'm still extremely grateful that you guys made me part of this amazing team." ([01:37])

• Anders Kelto:

  "The Lead has always risen above the noise of hot takes and personalities and delivered powerful and meaningful stories." ([02:25])

• Matt Stroup:

  "Go back and listen to that Marvin Gaye national anthem episode. An absolute classic." ([02:55])

• Anders Kelto:

  "This isn't goodbye because you can continue to hear us, especially these two here, on our other show, Starting Five." ([03:00])

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Important Timestamps

• [00:13] – Announcement of the show ending & reflection on its launch
• [00:48] – Matt’s memories of the show’s beginnings
• [01:37] – Tiffany’s gratitude and acknowledgment of contributors
• [02:11] – Wondery’s instrumental support
• [02:52] – Listener call-to-action & recommended classic episode
• [03:00] – Introduction to their next project, Starting Five
• [03:20] – Farewell with the original theme song

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Final Thoughts

This farewell episode of The Lead is filled with warmth, gratitude, and camaraderie—a true retrospective on a pioneering sports journalism journey. The hosts celebrate their team, contributors, and listeners, point towards new projects like "Starting Five," and remind everyone of the value of storytelling in sports. The episode is a fitting tribute, encouraging ongoing engagement with the show’s rich archive and the enduring spirit of its community.

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Transcript

[A]

Foreign.

[B]

Hey, everyone, it's Anders here with co host Tiff Hoshinsky.

[C]

Hi.

[B]

And senior producer Matt Stroup.

[C]

Hello again.

[B]

And we are here with a rather sad announcement, which is that the lead will not be continuing in 2024. We launched the show in September of 2019, when it was the first ever daily narrative sports podcast. Since then, we've published more than 900 episodes. We've won a bunch of awards. So this is a rather sad day, but we are going to focus on gratitude and appreciation here. And I want to start by acknowledging the team that has worked on this incredible show for many years. Matt, you were the first person I reached out to when the idea for this show came up, and you've been with us from day one.

[A]

Yeah, I remember exactly where I was actually when I got that phone call. I also remember exactly where I was when I told you. No. But, no, honestly, it's been a blast working on this show with you guys and seeing this whole thing evolve over the years. And I'm also honored to have worked with our incredibly talented team. Ian Hurley, who produced a bunch of episodes and did countless late night fact checks. Adrian Tapia and Daniel Gonzalez are amazing production assistants.

[B]

You're here.

[A]

Aaron May and Joe Richardson, the incredible sound designers who helped bring these episodes to life, as well as the Swiss Army Knife himself, Matt Beagle, who did a little bit of everything on the show, plus everyone else who worked on this production team over the years behind the scenes. Thank you.

[B]

And Tiff, you joined us in 2021, I believe. So I want to say thanks as well to you for all your excellent work over the years.

[C]

It's been an absolute joy and honor to work on the show, and I'm still extremely grateful that you guys made me part of this amazing team. So thanks to you both and our whole team for everything the lead has accomplished. And we also want to thank the hundreds of amazing journalists we've had on the show. So just give me a moment while I list them all. I'm just kidding. Not going to do that right now. But seriously, this show's success was because of them. Their writing, their storytelling, their curiosity to learn and share other stories is what made this show possible.

[B]

I also want to thank Wondery for supporting the show and believing in the show for more than four years. There are a lot of unfortunate trends happening in sports media these days, but the lead has always risen above the noise of hot takes and personalities and delivered powerful and meaningful stories, and Wondery made that possible. There are too many people there to thank, but I do want to make sure to mention our current supervisor, Dave Easton, and Chief Content Officer Marshall Louie, who was the one who first reached out to me about this idea more than four years ago. And I want to thank all of our listeners for joining us on this incredible ride. Maybe the best thing you can do as a listener, if you've enjoyed the show, is to go back into our archive and share some of your favorite episodes with people you know.

[A]

Yeah. Thank you to all the listeners. Go back and listen to that Marvin Gaye national anthem episode. An absolute classic. That is where I'm going to start.

[B]

Should also say that this isn't goodbye because you can continue to hear us, especially these two here on our other show, starting five. That is our fun 10 minute recap of the day's sports news. Go check it out. Okay. Last thing, I think for our OG listeners, Matt and Tiff, should we hit that original theme song one more time?

[A]

Oh, yeah. Let's do it.

[C]

Roll the tape.

[B]

All right. It felt like something great was happening.

[C]

There was just something about the emotion and that moment.

[A]

You gotta go faster. Faster.

[C]

The failures of the past don't matter because we've got this guy. That's not good news. This isn't a story where you interview the athlete and go home.

[B]

It stays with you.