If you’ve been following sports talk for decades, you may have noticed that one of the biggest shifts in the business is taking place right now. Several of the top talkers are putting out content on networks not named ESPN, NBC, or Fox Sports. “The new place to find the best commentators seems to be on networks that the talkers started themselves, and they’re drawing audiences that would have seemed impossible a few years ago,” says longtime sports executive Jaime Horowitz. 

There are two companies that seemingly figured it out first — Bill Simmons’ sports and pop culture website and podcast network The Ringer and Dave Portnoy’s blog Barstool Sports. Simmons and Portnoy created brands that seemed too cool, perhaps too edgy, for traditional media. But now, someone who still works for conventional outlets has found a way to pull off the same feat. Colin Cowherd, the host of the popular sports talk show “The Herd,” which airs on FS1, founded sports media company The Volume two years ago and it’s been on a meteoric rise ever since. Cowherd is known for his thoughtful, bold, and sometimes unapologetic sports opinions. However, he’s now being recognized for his work as an executive.

“In just two years, The Volume has built a robust podcast, YouTube, and social media following,” points out Jaime Horowitz, who met Cowherd during Horowitz’s tenure at ESPN in 2009.  “Even fans who’ve followed Cowherd for years were surprised by how quickly it’s grown.” The publicly available numbers are astounding for such a young company — over 1 million YouTube subscribers, 30 million social followers, 40 million monthly podcast downloads, and 70 million monthly video views.

“In fact, the company has become so successful so quickly that it’s become a case study in how to build a successful insurgent media company,” adds Horowitz.

Four Reasons for The Volume’s Exponential Growth

While there are several factors behind the company’s rapid growth, there are four that immediately stand out says, Horowitz.

“First, and perhaps most obviously, Cowherd was able to bring his already massive listening and viewing audience to his new network, giving him solid numbers right off the bat. Second, the company leaned in to his ‘instant reactions,’ putting out content right after big games end or major news breaks, beating traditional networks to the punch. Third, The Volume forged partnerships with power players like iHeartRadio, Amazon, FanDuel, and the Action Network to further expand its reach.

“But the fourth reason is arguably the most impressive. Cowherd personally recruited athletes who share his fearless sensibilities and gave them a platform to become star podcasters while on his team.”

That roster includes Warriors power forward Draymond Green, Super Bowl champion Richard Sherman, the SEC’s all-time passing touchdown leader Aaron Murray, and UFC champion Daniel Cormier.

“The Draymond Green Show” became the flagship show of “the new media,” a term the basketball star coined himself to describe athletes who were creating their own content. The show immediately struck a chord and in the spring of 2022, it became an absolute juggernaut when the Warriors star gave his audience an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at his team’s journey to an NBA title. It also helped that Green had a natural gift for giving strong takes, which cut through and created a stir both online and on the morning sports talk show circuit. The show has already won the iHeart award for Sports Podcast of the Year and just received a Webby nomination for best sports podcast.

But while these star athletes have driven the rise of “the new media,” it’s clear where its origins lie and why Cowherd is such an important figure in this shift.

Says Horowitz: “When you pull back and look at how the industry has so radically changed in the past two decades, you see how Cowherd is the bridge between the old model and the new one.”

How Colin Cowherd Revolutionized Sports Talk

When Cowherd entered the sports talk business in the 1990s, it looked a whole lot different. The main sports opinionists were writing newspaper columns or sharing their opinions on ESPN’s “Sports Reporters” in the early morning only on Sundays. The big TV stars were either talking over highlights on “SportsCenter” or the 11 p.m. local news. 

Cowherd did try to fit within the existing model, working as a sports anchor in Las Vegas, Tampa, Florida, and Portland, Oregon. It was that final move that led to the sea change in his career. While in Portland, Cowherd made the switch to radio and started “The Herd,” where he began offering up his now-trademark bold commentary. His bosses at KFXX noticed the spike in ratings and quickly moved him from the afternoon slot to morning drive time. 

That’s when ESPN came calling. In 2003, Cowherd was selected to replace Tony Kornheiser in the late-morning slot on ESPN Radio. As the network shifted to more opinionated content, Cowherd quickly became one of its brightest radio stars.

In 2009, his career took another massive turn. That’s when he met with Horowitz, then-ESPN vice president of original content, and Kevin Wildes, who were creating original talk shows for ESPN. They wanted to help take all that made Cowherd great on radio and make a TV show that celebrated his point of view. 

Cowherd said at the time, “An executive named John Walsh said I was the company theorist, which I think was a compliment, but I am not sure. What I did know was that it was going to be incredibly hard for ESPN to find an existing TV show for the company theorist. I was lucky to meet Jamie, who realized we didn’t have to make me fit into an existing show but instead we could create a new show that allowed me to be me.”

Horowitz and Cowherd went looking for a co-host who would celebrate what made Cowherd unique. They found it in Michelle Beadle, who was doing local radio in New York. In July 2009, Cowherd was tapped to co-host “SportsNation” alongside Beadle, and his career would never be the same.

“SportsNation” turned Cowherd into a national TV star and changed ESPN’s programming landscape as the company pivoted to talk programming during the day.

In 2015, with his career rising fast, Cowherd had a big decision to make. Horowitz was now running Fox Sports, and both Fox and ESPN were engaged in a massive recruiting battle for him. Cowherd ultimately decided to reunite with Horowitz and bring “The Herd” to FS1. Cowherd’s move to Fox led to a titanic shift in programming at FS1. Buoyed by the success of Cowherd on the nascent network, Horowitz was able to recruit Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless (launching “Undisputed”) and grab rising radio star Nick Wright (launching “First Things First”). The Cowherd-led strategy paid off for Fox. Ratings have been growing steadily for the daily talk shows, and in Q1 2023, “The Herd” had its biggest numbers to date.

The Volume’s Rapid Rise

In 2020, with many sports on hold during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cowherd began thinking about his next step. He recently said he had spent his career as a “player but his entrepreneurial side told him he could have fun as an owner.” He decided he wanted to take his point of view on sports — fearless, unfiltered, and fun — and build a media company.

Cowherd’s first big hire was Logan Swaim, one of the most creative minds in sports content production, who had previously worked at DAZN and NFL Network, where he turned “Good Morning Football” into the channel’s most popular show. Cowherd tapped Swaim to become head of content for The Volume.

Cowherd and Swaim began recruiting experienced sports production veterans from ESPN, Fox Sports, Overtime, Activision Blizzard, and The XFL. Then they started building out their roster of shows, searching for new voices and making some innovative moves in the process.

When the NCAA introduced its new name, image, and likeness rules, Cowherd immediately jumped to sign several top athletes to podcasting deals, including Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young and four members of the Notre Dame football team who hosted their own show, “Inside the Garage.” He also hopped on the growing esports trend by signing Mayz, one of the top Madden gamers on YouTube. 

Currently, with 18 shows in production and a staff of more than 30, The Volume has solidified itself as one of the most popular companies in sports. In the past year, Front Office Sports honored the company by putting it on its Employer of the Year list, and Sports Business Journal placed Swaim on its distinguished 40 under 40 list.
Ultimately, it seems that Cowherd has set an example for others in his industry. The sports talk media business is always changing, and as it is in most fields, the key to success to adaptation.

“It’s fair to say that nobody has done a better job adapting to those changes and setting himself up for the future than Colin Cowherd. You could say that his success so far truly speaks volumes,” adds Horowitz.