All four No. 1 seeds in our Ultimate Podcast Bracket are still alive, but there were a couple notable upsets in the first round. In the True Crime region, 7-seed Up And Vanished toppled 2-seed Your Own Backyard, and could be a tough out for the rest of the crime pods as the tournament progresses.
For 2021, the For The Win staff selected 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 second round will open on Tuesday, and run until 9:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday. The winners will advance to the Elite Eight, and new polls will be opened.
You can see a larger version of the bracket here. Go vote!
True Crime region
No. 1 Crime Junkie vs. No. 4 Anatomy of Murder
No. 3 My Favorite Murder vs. No. 7 Up And Vanished
Sports region
No. 1 Bill Simmons Podcast vs. No. 4 Talk Is Jericho
No. 3 Men In Blazers vs. No. 2 The Pat McAfee Show
Culture/Comedy region
No. 1 Binge Mode vs. No. 4 You’re Wrong About
No. 3 This American Life vs. No. 2 Stuff You Should Know
News/Science region
No. 1 The Daily vs. No. 5 Today, Explained
No. 3 Planet Money vs. No. 2 Pod Save America
