Live sports are cyclical. Sports fandom is not. When the final whistle blows and the confetti gets swept up, most advertisers go dark. They pull budgets, pause campaigns, and wait for the next season to kick off. But the fans they're trying to reach? They never left.

According to Audacy's 2026 State of Audio Sports Fandom report, 83% of fans follow news about their favorite teams year-round, and 72% continue monitoring trades and deals even in the offseason. But therein lies the rub: for avid sports fans, there isn’t a true “offseason”. The conversation doesn't stop; it just shifts. Draft speculation, coaching hires, free agent rumors, and "way-too-early" predictions fill the gap between seasons, and avid fans tune in for it.

This is the audience advertisers keep overlooking. And sports podcasts are the medium best positioned to capture their attention.

The Rise of the Always-On Fan

The old model of sports marketing was built around tentpole moments: the Big Game, the World Series, March Madness. Those moments still matter. But the modern fan journey doesn't start at kickoff and end at the final buzzer. It's a 24/7 cycle of analysis, debate, betting, fantasy leagues, and social commentary that plays out across many different platforms all year long.

This shift is especially pronounced among younger audiences. Gen Z sports fans are building what the Audacy report calls a "personalized sports universe", a carefully cultivated universe of personality-driven podcasts, social clips, forum posts, and sports talk curated by Gen Z sports fans. Avid fans under 34 index dramatically higher than older fans on podcast listening, sports betting, and posting sports content to social media. They don't just watch the game. They participate in the culture around it.

For these fans, the center of the sports universe often isn't a league or a network. It's a voice: the hosts, analysts, and creators who bring meaning and perspective to the game long after the lights go down.

Why Podcasts Win the Attention Game

Sports podcasts have seen extraordinary growth, with the share of sports listening via podcasts increasing 71% over the past five years, according to Edison Research. And it's not hard to see why. Podcasts deliver what avid fans crave most: insider knowledge, unfiltered analysis, and a sense of community that doesn't depend on a game being played.

Furthermore, 79% of avid fans who listen to sports podcasts say they love having "inside knowledge" about sports, compared to just 50% of non-listeners. Podcast listeners also represent one of the highest concentrations of avid fans across any media platform… higher than live TV viewers, social media followers, or highlight watchers. And critically, sports podcast listeners are 80% more likely than typical fans to trust brand sponsorships within that content.

That trust translates into action. Fans who hear from brands in the podcast environment aren't just passively absorbing a message. They feel that the brand is part of the conversation they care about, which drives measurably stronger results across the entire funnel from awareness to consideration to purchase.

The Offseason Is the Opportunity

The gap between seasons isn't dead air. It's prime real estate. It's when fans are most hungry for content, most open to new voices, and most engaged with the podcasts and creators that keep them connected to the sports they love.

For advertisers, the playbook is clear: stop going dark when the season ends. The most passionate and most valuable sports audiences are still listening. The only question is whether your brand is showing up alongside them.