Jody Avirgan (born 1980 or 1981)[1] is an American podcast host and producer known for his work around sports and politics. He currently hosts This Day in Esoteric Political History and previously hosted TED's Good Sport, ESPN's 30 for 30 Podcasts, and the FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast.
Jody Avirgan | |
|---|---|
 Avirgan in 2015 | |
| Born | 1980 or 1981 (age 43–44) |
| Alma mater | Wesleyan University (BA) |
| Occupation(s) | Podcast host and producer |
| Years active | 2008 – present |
| Notable work | This Day in Esoteric Political History 30 for 30 Podcasts FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast |
| Parent | Tony Avirgan and Martha Honey |
| Website | jodyavirgan |
Early life and education
editAvirgan grew up in Costa Rica. His parents are the journalists Tony Avirgan and Martha Honey.[2] He attended Sidwell Friends School, where he played soccer, football, and ultimate frisbee.[2][3] He continued to play ultimate frisbee at the college, club and professional levels, once making a catch that was featured on SportsCenter and later going on to coach youth teams.[3][4]
Avirgan majored in American studies at Wesleyan University, graduating in 2002. His senior thesis was a film and essay about the life of folk singer and labor activist Joe Hill. After he graduated, he spent a year building houses with Habitat for Humanity before beginning to explore documentary filmmaking and radio.[5]
Career
editIn 2008, Avirgan became a producer at WNYC, where he worked on shows including Freakonomics Radio and On the Media.[5][6]
In June 2015, Avirgan joined FiveThirtyEight as host of the podcast What's the Point, about the impacts of data science on daily life.[6][7] In 2016, he began hosting the site's flagship FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast.[5] In 2017, Avirgan became senior producer and host of ESPN's 30 for 30 Podcasts, a series of audio documentaries about sports history.[5][8]
On March 31, 2020, Avirgan began hosting the new Radiotopia podcast This Day in Esoteric Political History, which uses events from American political history to explore present-day issues. Avirgan co-hosts with political historians Kellie Carter Jackson and Nicole Hemmer.[9][10]
In January 2023, TED premiered the podcast Good Sport, hosted by Avirgan and featuring interviews with athletes and other professionals in the sports industry.[11][12]
Avirgan owns Roulette Productions, a podcast production company whose shows have included Oprahdemics and collaborations with the Audacy studio 2400Sports.[13][14]
Personal life
editAvirgan is married and lives in Brooklyn. He has a daughter.[3]
In 2016, while hiking Mount Roberts in Juneau, Alaska, Avirgan and his wife became stranded on steep terrain after exiting the main trail. The couple was rescued by helicopter.[1][7]
References
edit- ^ a b Hsieh, Jeremy (2016-08-18). "FiveThirtyEight podcaster rescued off Mount Roberts trail". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ a b Leiby, Richard (2024-01-06). "A Vacation at Club Red". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ a b c Duffy, Chris (2023-02-06). "Jody Avirgan learned everything from sports". How to Be a Better Human. TED. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ Avirgan, Jody (2015-08-12). "A Win for the Olympics if Ultimate Frisbee Stays Self-Officiated". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ a b c d Stagoff Belfort, Aaron (2017-01-26). "Jody Avirgan '02 is FiveThirtyEight's Communicator-in-Chief". The Wesleyan Argus. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ a b Avirgan, Jody (2015-06-24). "Introducing Our Newest Podcast: What's The Point". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ a b Kitchenman, Andrew (2016-08-23). "National podcaster discusses data and Alaska political climate". KTOO. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ "Podcasts about the love of the game with ESPN's Jody Avirgan". CBC Radio. 2019-04-11. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ Jarvey, Natalie (2020-03-24). "Jody Avirgan to Launch Political History Podcast With Radiotopia". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ Carpenter, Kate (2024-06-04). "Kellie Carter Jackson Puts Black People at the Center". Drafting the Past. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ Moore, Matthew (2023-02-17). "Curiosity and Sports Combine as Foundation for New Podcast". KUAF 91.3. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ "TED launches "Good Sport," new sports podcast with Jody Avirgan". TED Blog. 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ Stempel, Jonathan (2022-08-10). "Oprah Winfrey's company sues over 'Oprahdemics' podcast". Reuters. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "Audacy Unveils 2400Sports, New Sports-Centric Podcast Studio". Inside Radio. 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2024-08-29.