Jason and guest briefly covered the womens soccer euros but said, “we haven’t watched any games until the semifinals, but like you should supports women’s soccer.” Their argument was the tournament lacks parity. But they cover MLS like it’s EPL and don’t acknowledge that MLS has crap parity. If this just a men’s sports podcast then be that, don’t pretend interest in women's sports but not do your homework. The concept for this podcast is too broad and yet painfully narrow in all the worst ways.

Jason is engaging, endearing, and in depth. Just needs more take survivor!

One of the guys says “Excetera” all the time, which is very painful

Excited for Takeline 2.0. Hopefully Jason gets a good co-host this time around.

I appreciate how Renee & Jason blend sports fandom with real world discussions! Can’t wait to see what you do next Renee!

Engergy is incredible. Fantastic!

I like the vibe and the shows format. Super talented team!!

Love you Jason, but this isn’t for me.

I’m available when you don’t have a let’s go person.

There’s a lot of reviews on here sharing the same sentiment…it’s just okay at it’s best, and it’s bad at it’s worst. Been a big fan of Jason’s since his time at Grantland and because of that I so badly wanted this to become one of my favorite podcasts. Though after months of trying, I’m finally giving up and unsubscribing. Nothing about the show or the topics covered are interesting and Rene brings nothing of substance to the conversation. You could literally replace her with 1 of 50 ,or so, similar media personalities and the show would be entirely unchanged. For people like me that miss Jason talking about actual interesting things, and not just whatever political conversation can be awkwardly tied to an NBA story - check out his twitch channel. He streams at least once a week and they’re about a million times better than this show.

Had to give up on this unfortunately. I love Jason and he is a delight but I think Renee is unfortunately a weak link here. I stuck with it for several months but I just didn’t feel like it got better over time so I had to unsubscribe. I hope I see Jason branch out into other things and I’ll follow him on anything else.

Let me start by saying I really do wish these guys all the best and hope they can make the show something special one day. Ok now the review: I’m a huge fan of Jason’s work from The Ringer. Binge mode with Malory was lightning in a bottle. It captured heartfelt passion, deep dive analysis, and genuine friendship between Jason and Malory. I obviously respect Jason for getting the bag and making his own way over at Takeline, but unfortunately this podcast feels extremely contrived - forced - *peak industry*. There’s not even very much chemistry between Renee and Jason. Jason does all of the heavy lifting as far as providing thoughtful analysis and an entertaining perspective. However, it pains me to say that Renee’s involvement falls flat at best and pulls the show down at worst. I appreciate her perspective as a woman of color, professional athlete, and WNBA team owner, but all of her contributions on the pod feel so basic! Like, anyone could have written her takes for her because they are completely uninspired. She feels like a mouthpiece for those ideas instead of a person with unique thoughts. She tries to inject some hype into the show by saying “let’s goooo!” during every segue, but it just comes off as performative instead of genuine. The boring ideas I’m talking about are like “… and as a female professional athlete of color who has broken into an ownership role I think ___” fill in the blank - it’s exactly what you expect. Stuff like “athletes are people too” and “we need more athletes to stand up for social issues” and “there should be more minority owners in sports”. Like yeah, obviously! You’re not even wrong, just boring! Please take those ideas one step further and provide more detailed personal experiences from your own life if that’s what you care about. Name names if you have to, throw shade, shake things up! Talk about what concrete strategies and plans we can implement to work toward a better future in sports and in society. Champion specific ideas and bring them up repeatedly with dogged determination. You’re talking about social issues on a high school level when Jason is capable of talking about them on a super high, socially relevant, cutting edge level. He talks about the same issues but goes beyond the surface level to deliver poignant commentary which makes Renee’s comments feel so hollow. I really don’t mean to bash Renee as a person or athlete either - I just don’t like her work as a podcaster so far. Sadly, I unsubscribed today. I was excited to put this podcast in my weekly rotation, but I found that when I woke up every Tuesday to an automatic Takeline download, I actively did not want to listen to it because so many moments feel contrived. This podcast is just merely ok. Good not great. And there are so many great podcasts and other forms of content out there that I just can’t justify adding this one to my listening schedule. You hate to hear it! Jason and Renee, I really do wish you all the best and I hope my criticism here is constructive instead of hurtful. I hope you prove me wrong and turn this into a really refreshing program! I would love to come back and listen if you can turn this one around.

2 for Rene. I’m not sure why anyone would listen to Concepcion’s voice on purpose.

This show is breaking my heart a little. I have been an enormous fan of Jason’s throughout all of his endeavors. His voice has been coming through my headphones for literally hundreds of hours. But this show is trash, to use a phrase he likes to use. It’s like cable access First Take. Not that He and Renee are screaming, but it’s just uninformed, lack of analysis opinions that I would expect to hear from Perk or some worn out take jockey. Just really, really disappointing.

Jason and Renee are crushing it; long live Takeline

Lazy analysis of games. Everything is based on feeling and bias rather than actually looking at the numbers.

Every week I listen and love Jason who always brings it but I expected more from Renee. She cloaks herself with “I played and have all these rings” and then uncorks takes that are worse than skip bayless. Hate seeing a ex player regress to being a casual. Hopefully when the playoffs end and her bias disappears and she gets better.

Renee and Jason are making a good decision to focus on what they’re passionate and knowledgeable about, because that will lead to a better show. But they’re the only sports podcast Crooked is putting out right now, and their most recent episode didn’t cover: UEFA ordering Manuel Neuer not to wear a rainbow armband when his team played Hungary in the Euros The Copa America moving to Brazil despite its high numbers of COVID cases A 9-0 Supreme Court decision that could pave the way for the disintegration of the NCAA’s amateurism model Instead they spent the lion’s share of the show on the NBA playoffs. If you want a fun NBA podcast, you could do a lot worse than this; if you’re looking for a wider focus on the conjunction of politics and sports, you might feel underserved.

Listened to one episode of this podcast on a whim and it was so good that I watch sports now

I love Renee and what she brings to this podcast which is knowledge of the game, humor, and sensitivity to the numerous issues of these times. Thank you, Renee

Jason and Renee are so entertaining that I subscribed just for them and I’m learning more about sports as a result. Love the show!

Binge Mode had to die for this to live?

It helps to like sports

Now we know where Jason gets his quick wit and sense of humor. As a binge mode crossover fan and follow Jason’s content, hearing them interact is a gift! What a guy, bringing on mom for a take.

If you’re gonna wade into the crowded world of sports media, you better have a hook: either wide-ranging knowledge or deep knowledge of one specific thing—this show has neither. Jason seems to have a greater breadth of knowledge, whereas Renee is just a passenger on any discussion of anything beside basketball. Then, their analysis of basketball really isn’t particularly insightful. I really love most of the Crooked shows, but this one is a miss.

I love this show but not one single mention of the WNBA today - disappointed. This is a great platform to promote women in sport, and especially basketball. Please don’t become like all the other shows.

So fun, but filled with facts, takes on the good, bad, ugly. Great personalities for hosts. Love survival game. A podcast I’d recommend for 17+ kids. I am a grandma!

Love the whole thing. Never would have thought a sports podcast could be truly different and a way to learn. Really well done.

Brilliant - funny - entertaining - thank u

I listen because I want inclusive content . I found the take that the perception of American sports fan is more player specific than team specific very interesting and not even close to the experience of my life as a fan of Buffalo sports. If you need to see passion for a team on American soil come to Orchard Park post pandemic restrictions and witness #BillsMafia

It kills me slightly when Renee doesn’t say “Let’s go!” in a high pitch at the start.. Other than that, big fan!

The hosts are high energy and fun. They are both very knowledgeable. I will listen to this while exercising not while I’m trying to fall asleep.I had to write another review because I think the show is getting better and better. This is my favorite take on basketball. I also think basketball is it interesting way of looking at mini parts of our society. They are covering a lot of political topics we are all interested in from a unique perspective.

Really bummed because I wanted to love this show but it’s not a sports podcast, it’s a basketball podcast. I was hoping for more well rounded content but as a sports fan who doesn’t love the NBA, this missed the Mark for me.

Like the breadth of topics covered. Appreciate strong representation for women’s sports from Renee.

I would give this podcast 6 stars if I could. Thoroughly entertaining from start to stop with a perfect blend of sports, pop culture, and politics. Renee and Jason have incredible chemistry as hosts and bring on excellent guests. And the SEGMENTS!! Take Survivor and Sad, Mad, or Bad are ingenious. This is the perfect podcast.

I am a huge Jason Conception fan from his time on Binge Mode, The Connect, Desktop, & his occasional appearances on the other Ringer podcasts. Unfortunately Renee Montgomery is just not ready for prime time. Renee has a lot of basketball knowledge, but not much else. She has a morning drive sports radio vibe where she relies more on energy and inflection than on original ideas. Sadly she seems out of her depth when talking about other topics. In the last episode Jason had to literally explain to her the Super League fiasco, and she came up with her reactions on the fly. I know she has a lot going on, but a little preparation for the show would be nice. It is a stark contrast from Jason’s former cohost Mal, who would come in so prepared they would consistently go way over the time because they had so much to say. Probably should have given a 3 rating because this show falls into the average basketball podcast quality, but when I think about how much Jason is being underutilized it takes the show down to a 2 for me.

It’s like sitting in on some great sports conversation, with tangents on entertainment or world news, and always with an eye on inclusion. Representation matters, and hearing a knowledgeable and energetic FEMALE voice makes this my favorite sports pod.

Really good shoe. Where can we buy them Takeline hoodies

I love the energy and chemistry Jason and Renee have. They perfectly blend sports culture and politics!

This was the nba podcast I’ve been craving. Funny and informative as well as engaging and bold when approaching the difficult topics. Check it out!

Amazing mix of sports, culture and politics. It’s fun, serious, informative and hilarious, and if you don’t listen, there will be a bat in your house when you come home.

I have been listening to podcasts for about ten years and have been a big fan and subscriber to all Crooked Media podcasts and yet, have no bothered to review a single one until now. Takeline is what happens when you build a show around two great personalities which elevates the product to be greater than the sum of its parts. For me, i became tremendously more emotionally vested in sports since the pandemic. I went from a casual basketball fan to an obsessive. This is the podcast i have been looking for- an incredibly sharp and informed perspective on sports grounded in social consciousness and a broader cultural awareness. Segments are well defined, unique and super fun. It’s difficult to create distinction within the podcast format but Takeline pulls it off. Listen, subscribe, patronize the sponsors, and support the show! Takeline forever!

Worst voice ever. I hear these dumb commercials on another podcast I listen to. You couldn’t pay me to listen to this dudes voice for more than 30 seconds

I love the energy and dynamic between Renee and Jason. They are awesome together. Jason is straight up hilarious. I love Renee’s energy and passion, she always gets me pumped up when I listen to her! Letssssss Gooooooooo!

I love how they talk about important issues, but balance it out nicely with fun and jokes! I don’t normally care about sports much at all, but this podcast makes me want to get into basketball now! 😊

Can I have her “Let’s go!!!” as my phone ringtone?? Nothing gets me more hype — and her career is the most inspiring ever. She and Jason are the perfect team

I am a huge fan of Jason and I will listen to anything he puts out. It is so funny to hear him talk politics and trash republicans, after years of just sports and media. I love every second

Great Podcast! Must listen.

Jason is my all time fave podcaster, and Renee seems great. So far so good!

I just binge listened to the first 3 episodes and Renee and Jason are great together. I love the way they are able to mix thoughtful discussions about big issues with fun things like Take Survivor. The podcast already feels so solid like they’ve been working together forever and I’m excited for more.