Rapaport said he wants listeners to hear the truth of what he thinks or feels, whether he's incorrect or correctGETTY IMAGES
In the saturated field of sports podcasting, Michael Rapaport has "orchestrated something of an unexpected success with 'I Am Rapaport,' a show built on unfiltered emotional responses and a 'no fact-checking' mantra in pursuit of the best sports and culture trash talk on the internet," according to Timothy Bella of the N.Y. TIMES. Ranked as one of the "top sports and recreation podcasts by Podbay, the four-year-old show is averaging one and a half million to two million monthly downloads across multiple platforms." Rapaport said, “It’s art, and it’s a performance. I’m not trying to polish myself or make myself look smarter than what I am. I want you to hear the genuine truth of what I think or feel, whether I’m incorrect or correct.” Show producers Miles Davis and Jordan Winter said that they "knew there was a chance for him to convert his runs on radio shows and podcasts into something different from the work of other sports personalities." Rapaport’s brand of "disses and diatribes has not been solely for athletes or celebrities." A few of his "most stinging commentaries have been reserved for some of the more prominent names in sports media." Rapaport in October "publicly ripped" The Ringer's Bill Simmons. Rapaport said, "I don’t take anything back, but I want to mend the fence with him." In February, Rapaport had his "most acrimonious beef yet, with Barstool Sports, his former employer," and company President Dave Portnoy. Portnoy said, “It’s tough to work with somebody who doesn’t seem to be a rational human being." But the "split from Barstool provided, if nothing else, more fodder for Rapaport’s podcast" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/23).
