Benched

Pride Cup
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Comedy

Sport is weird. We should probably talk about that. Hosted by Rudy Jean Rigg, Hannah Wilkinson and Mitch Brown, Benched is a sports and culture podcast unpacking the biggest moments in sport, from the stories everyone is talking about to the ones nobody is paying attention to. We dive into the conversations happening beyond the scoreboard: the culture, internet drama, politics, identity, fandoms and ridiculous moments that make sport so much more than a game. Expect sports news, athlete interviews, hot takes, internet rabbit holes, pop culture tangents and the stories traditional sports media misses. Benched brings a queer perspective to the biggest conversations in sport, without taking the fun out of it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

  1. Oct 27

    Benjamin Law: From Australian Survivor to Acrobatics at 44

    This week on Benched, we’re hanging out with the absolute icon Benjamin Law (The Family Law, Wellmania)! We dive straight into what sport looks like when you’re growing up queer and Asian-Australian on the Sunshine Coast; from dodging school PE trauma to taking on adult acrobatics classes at 44. Ben spills on what competing on Australian Survivor actually taught him, why he wrote a powerhouse Quarterly Essay on the Safe Schools program, and why writers and creatives secretly need to get out of their minds and move their bodies too. Hosted by Rudy Jean Rigg, Hannah Wilkinson and Mitch Brown, Benched brings together athletes, artists, fans and storytellers to unpack the weird, wonderful and unexpected corners of sport. Follow us @teambenched everywhere to join the team and make sure you chuck us a 5 star review. It helps out a bunch! Presented by Pride Cup Production - Humdinger Studios Design - Nat Gills Key Art Photography - Hailey Moroney, Archer Studios This podcast acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government. #sport #sportpodcast #australia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. Oct 13

    This Politician Found Love in a Hopeless Place

    This week on Benched, we’re ditching the script to sit down with Victoria’s Minister for Sport and Equality, Steve Dimopoulos MP. We chat through what it actually looks like to navigate life in the public eye as an out politician, how a sticky dancefloor meeting at The Peel led to his ultimate gay anthem, and whether grassroots sports clubs are genuinely safe for queer people…or if we just have better public marketing. Plus, we break down what it takes to rebuild trust and get queer adults back into the games they left behind. Hosted by Rudy Jean Rigg, Hannah Wilkinson and Mitch Brown, Benched brings together athletes, artists, fans and storytellers to unpack the weird, wonderful and unexpected corners of sport. Follow us @teambenched everywhere to join the team and make sure you chuck us a 5 star review. It helps out a bunch! Presented by Pride Cup Production - Humdinger Studios Design - Nat Gills Key Art Photography - Hailey Moroney, Archer Studios This podcast acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. Sep 29

    Inside Aussie Sports Media

    This week on Benched, we're going off the bench and behind the mic to unpack what it’s really like telling other people's queer stories for a living, while trying to live your own off the clock: what footy media actually looks like from the other side of the white line, whether sports journalism is genuinely safe to work in as a queer woman, visibility as a double-edged sword, and the untold queer AFLW stories that have never been covered properly. We're joined by multi-Quill-Award-winning ABC Sports journalist and co-host of The Footy with Broden Kelly Marnie Vinall, alongside retired AFLW All-Australian turned Channel 7 commentator Kate McCarthy, for an unmissable conversation about comebacks, community, commentary, and how being visible changes who trusts you with a story. Hosted by Rudy Jean Rigg, Hannah Wilkinson and Mitch Brown, Benched brings together athletes, artists, fans and storytellers to unpack the weird, wonderful and unexpected corners of sport. Follow us @teambenched everywhere to join the team and make sure you chuck us a 5 star review. It helps out a bunch! Presented by Pride Cup Production - Humdinger Studios Design - Nat Gills Key Art Photography - Hailey Moroney, Archer Studios This podcast acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  4. Sep 16

    Drones, North Korea & Boycotts, Oh My!

    Two Melbourne City teammates, two completely different roads to the top of international football, so what actually holds a team, a career, and a fight for better conditions together? This week on Benched, we're unpacking leadership, longevity and loyalty in the women's game: what Pride Round means to players at the elite level, the advocacy that reshaped conditions for the players who came after, Bubs' stories from playing international football in North Korea, and the full story behind the Paris Olympics drone-spying scandal; Stotty was the one who first clocked the noise that blew the whistle on Canada's staff spying on New Zealand's training session. We're joined by Matildas great and Melbourne City goalkeeper Melissa "Bubs" Barbieri, and Football Ferns centre-back and City captain Rebekah "Stotty" Stott, for a conversation about comebacks, captaincy, and the very different paths that brought two of their club's leaders to the international stage. Hosted by Rudy Jean Rigg, Hannah Wilkinson and Mitch Brown, Benched brings together athletes, artists, fans and storytellers to unpack the weird, wonderful and unexpected corners of sport. Follow us @teambenched everywhere to join the team and make sure you chuck us a 5 star review. It helps out a bunch! Presented by Pride Cup Production - Humdinger Studios Design - Nat Gills Key Art Photography - Hailey Moroney, Archer Studios This podcast acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  5. Sep 1

    The Strange World of the WWE Fandom

    Is professional wrestling the ultimate form of physical theatre? Where does sports performance end and improv comedy begin? And what happens when a fan’s obsession with the WWE crosses the line into a full-on existential crisis? This week on Benched, we’re unpacking the fine line between athletic competition and high-drama entertainment: kayfabe, when athleticism turns into performance, the mechanics of selling a hit, and why the sports world could probably learn a thing or two from the world of improv. We’re joined by actor, comedian, and improviser Barney Pollock (Thank God You’re Here, White Fever) to talk about his fascination with pro wrestling. Then, things take a sharp turn because we’ve secure an exclusive with our second guest of the episode: 'The Mirror'. He’s a hardcore WWE super-fan carrying a massive chip on his shoulder and a chaotic list of personal issues. He completely blows the doors open and spills an unhinged, deeply chaotic stream of personal secrets that leaves the entire desk stunned. Hosted by Rudy Jean Rigg, Hannah Wilkinson and Mitch Brown, Benched brings together athletes, artists, fans and storytellers to unpack the weird, wonderful and unexpected corners of sport. Follow us @teambenched everywhere to join the team and make sure you chuck us a 5 star review. It helps out a bunch! Presented by Pride Cup Production - Humdinger Studios Design - Nat Gills Key Art Photography - Hailey Moroney, Archer Studios This podcast acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  6. Aug 18

    WAGs Are Having a Moment

    What does it actually take to communicate with your teammates mid-game? What happens when your partner is also your teammate? And what exactly qualifies someone as a WAG? This week on Benched, we’re getting into the things you probably won’t hear in the post-game press conference: gossiping, dating within your team, reality TV, line dancing, AFLW pay and funding, and the surprisingly complex logistics of yelling at your teammates on the field. We’re joined by queer creator, actor, presenter and professional oversharer Kath Ebbs to talk about their very close relationship with AFLW, including being a WAG to Tilly Lucas-Rodd, the realities of dating someone in the same sporting world, and why sometimes the most important part of sport is simply knowing where your teammate is. Hosted by Rudy Jean Rigg, Hannah Wilkinson and Mitch Brown, Benched brings together athletes, artists, fans and storytellers to unpack the weird, wonderful and unexpected corners of sport. Follow us @teambenched everywhere to join the team and make sure you chuck us a 5 star review. It helps out a bunch! Presented by Pride Cup Production - Humdinger Studios Design - Nat Gills Key Art Photography - Hailey Moroney, Archer Studios This podcast acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  7. Aug 4

    Can Art Change the Way We See Sport?

    Sports podcasts usually ask the big questions. Who scored? Who won? Who’s making finals? We’re more interested in questions like: Why are sporting uniforms so often tragic? Are court moppers the unsung heroes of sport? Could Twilight secretly be a sports movie? And why do we all have a weird emotional attachment to our old team kits? Welcome to the first episode of Benched, a sports podcast from a queer perspective where we explore the culture, characters and chaos that make sport so much more than a game. Hosted by Rudy Jean Rigg, Hannah Wilkinson and Mitch Brown, Benched brings together athletes, artists, fans and storytellers to unpack the weird, wonderful and unexpected corners of sport. Our first episode features AFLW icon, artist and advocate Darcy Vescio, talking queer identity, creativity, activism and finding new ways to challenge the way we think about sport. Follow us @teambenched everywhere to join the team and make sure you chuck us a 5 star review - it helps out a bunch! Presented by Pride Cup Production - Humdinger Studios Design - Nat Gills Key Art Photography - Hailey Moroney, Archer Studios This podcast acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • 7 Episodes

About

Sport is weird. We should probably talk about that. Hosted by Rudy Jean Rigg, Hannah Wilkinson and Mitch Brown, Benched is a sports and culture podcast unpacking the biggest moments in sport, from the stories everyone is talking about to the ones nobody is paying attention to. We dive into the conversations happening beyond the scoreboard: the culture, internet drama, politics, identity, fandoms and ridiculous moments that make sport so much more than a game. Expect sports news, athlete interviews, hot takes, internet rabbit holes, pop culture tangents and the stories traditional sports media misses. Benched brings a queer perspective to the biggest conversations in sport, without taking the fun out of it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Pride Cup
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Pride Cup
  • Show Website
    Benched

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