Religion of Sports Names Steve Nelson as Head of Talk, Furthering Rapid Expansion Into Audio

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Religion of Sports ("ROS"), the Emmy Award-winning sports media company founded by Gotham Chopra, Tom Brady, and Michael Strahan, today announced that Steve Nelson has joined the company as Head of Talk, beginning September 8.

In this role, Nelson will lead the development and growth of ROS' talk audio vertical, including the creation of new podcast and audio programming, identifying original talent, and leveraging mediums such as video, scripted, and branded content to build and develop strategic multi-platform partnerships.

Previously, Nelson was Senior Director of Programming at NPR, where he supported the development, launch, and acquisition of more than 20 podcasts since 2016, and worked on the team that launched "It's Been A Minute with Sam Sanders," the popular national radio show and podcast. Nelson advised public radio stations across the United States on programming best practices, and served as a content and business liaison to public radio programs such as "1A" and "Fresh Air," and to content partners such as SiriusXM. Prior to his time at NPR, Nelson was the Director of On-Demand Programming at American Public Media, where he helped launch the organization's first podcast network. Nelson has worked as Program Director at Minnesota Public Radio, for MPR News, and as the inaugural Program Director for the award-winning music station "The Current."

"Sports have the unique ability to transcend beyond on-field competition. They're part of the fabric of our life," says Nelson. "Religion of Sports tells stories that everyone can relate to, with podcasts that are well crafted and thought-provoking. I'm delighted to join this exceptionally talented team of creators, thinkers, and storytellers as we look to continue creating engaging narratives and push the boundaries of what we can do in the audio space." 

"One of our core philosophies is that sports test the limits of human potential, which might include greatness, failure, mindfulness, performance, or mental health," said Adam Schlossman, Co-Executive Producer of Audio at Religion of Sports. "We're thrilled for Steve to join us to help create new content tying together these threads while connecting the stories and wisdom found in sports in order to build community, connection, and personal growth among our audience. Steve is a thoughtful leader who excels at bringing teams together––he'll take ours to the next level."

Over the last year, Religion of Sports has put immense focus on developing a world-class audio vertical, building out a talented team of storytellers, producers and partners, and positioning itself to become the most prolific creator of narrative sports audio content by the end of 2021. In October 2020, ROS announced a podcast partnership with public media organization PRX. This spring, it released two new critically-acclaimed narrative podcasts: "Crushed", which recounted the 1998 MLB Home Run chase and delved deep into the league's 'steroid era', and "Lost In Sports", a show on a quest to solve sports' biggest untold mysteries. The company is also the producer of "Now For Tomorrow," hosted by bestselling author Deepak Chopra.  

Last year, Religion of Sports raised $10M in funding led by Elysian Park, Advancit Capital, co-founded by Shari Redstone, and Courtside Ventures. The company continues its commitment to empowering creators from around the world and exploring the spiritual dynamics between sports and human potential, across audio, video and scripted verticals.

About Religion of Sports
Religion of Sports is a 2x Emmy Award-winning sports media company co-founded by Tom Brady, Gotham Chopra and Michael Strahan, built on the thesis that sports are religion. The company produces content focused on a single narrative of 'Why Sports Matter' to explore greatness and human potential. Religion of Sports has produced hundreds of thousands of hours of content across mediums, from short-form video to podcasts to feature films, including its flagship Religion of Sports Series, Shut Up and Dribble, Tom vs. Time, and Greatness Code. For more information, visit religionofsports.com.

SOURCE Religion of Sports