It’s time for the third annual FTW Ultimate Podcast Bracket. For 2021, the For The Win staff selected 32 of the biggest, best and most beloved podcasts from multiple genres, from sports to news to crime, and seeded them based on a variety of factors, from longevity to audience size.
Come back to vote each day for your favorite podcasts. The voting period for the first round will open on Monday, and run until 9:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday. The winners will advance to the Sweet 16, and new polls will be opened.
Binge Mode enters the 2021 tournament as a two-time defending champion, but 2020 finalist The Pat McAfee Show is back as a No. 2 seed in the Sports region. Could this be the year a True Crime podcast takes the crown? You can see a larger version of the bracket here. Go vote!
True Crime region
No. 1 Crime Junkie vs. No. 8 The Opportunist
No. 4 Anatomy of Murder vs. No. 5 Dr. Death
No. 3 My Favorite Murder vs. No. 6 Criminal
No. 2 Your Own Backyard vs. No. 7 Up And Vanished
Sports region
No. 1 Bill Simmons Podcast vs. No. 8 Spinsters
No. 4 Talk is Jericho vs. No. 5 Takeline
No. 3 Men In Blazers vs. No. 6 Shutdown Fullcast
No. 2 The Pat McAfee Show vs. No. 7 Jalen & Jacoby
Culture/Comedy region
No. 1 Binge Mode vs. No. 8 Higher Learning
No. 4 You’re Wrong About vs. No. 5 Still Processing
No. 3 This American Life vs. No. 6 The Breakfast Club
No. 2 Stuff You Should Know vs. No. 7 Office Ladies
News/Science region
No. 1 The Daily vs. No. 8 The Argument
No. 4 Chapo Trap House vs. No. 5 Today, Explained
No. 3 Planet Money vs. No. 6 Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast
No. 2 Pod Save America vs. No. 7 Hidden Brain
