Are You Having A Draft‪?‬ Bradley James, Marcus Ellard

Honestly, I only started listening to AYHAD because I’m a Bradley James fan (something nobody’s mentioned so far, I’m sure), and I expected to get bored and stop listening in a few minutes... BUT it’s turned out to be really, really fun!

It is so interesting and entertaining to listen in as the guys chat about and share their draft with us, even when you have minimal knowledge of the game and/or players. I’m a La Liga girl (HALA MADRID!!!), so I know maybe 3 Premier League players by name, but I still wait for and look forward to every new episode.

As far as who I’m rooting for - I decided I wouldn’t root for anyone for now... I plan to just watch and wait and see what happens. That said, Meds just sounded like the sweetest person in the Draft Day interviews, so I’d love to see him make his way up the table. Everyone else’s reactions to that would be pretty fun too, I think! And, of course, the fan in me would be just a bit happier if Bradley took home the Abdo again :)

I love the podcast, y’all! Can’t wait for more!

I completely forgot the specific questions you wanted answered in the review so I am just going to wing it, lol. In any event, I absolutely love listening to the podcast. Marcus is dramatically hilarious and Bradley is just classic. I love the brainpower that he brings to the table. He is quite astute in all things soccer…ranging from the refs to the vars to the players and teams themselves. I have learned quite a bit just from listening to their podcast.

I am staunchly supporting Mendel (ck spllg) because he is exceptionally wise. He can literally fart in the room and tell everyone that it was just his lower intestine blowing them a kiss and all of the drafters would believe him, lol. He does not boast about the various players or his strategy, he simply listens and gleans any information he can from the other drafters and deciphers between pure rubbish and useful nuggets of knowledge, which he uses to his advantage. When Mendel speaks, all the drafters hang on his every word as if it’s golden and he’s spewing out nothing but pure poppycock at it’s best! I absolutely love it! If he is a poker player, I’m pretty sure he’s fantastic at it.

First, I’m American. I don’t follow Premiere League. Second, I don’t even particularly like football (ahem, soccer). While I’m familiar with fantasy sports through my husband, I’ve never had any interest in participating myself. So naturally - why on earth am I listening?

Well, truthfully? I follow Bradley James on Twitter, bc I like his acting and like to watch projects he’s been involved with. When the podcast dropped the first episode, I had literally just finished an audiobook and needed some background noise during a repetitive task at work. A British actor I like qualifies. But perhaps the bigger question is why I’m still listening and so involved that I can’t listen at work bc I need to pay attention.

That is because this is an excellent podcast hosted by two friends who are very funny and very passionate about their hobby (can it be a hobby when it’s so much of their lives?). They have opened a window into a tight group of friends who are extremely competitive and revel in combining their competitive natures against each other for the glory of lording it over each other or the shame of having to literally cater for each other.

Bradley and Marcus break down fantasy football and drafting options and then explain their system. They then jump into psychoanalysis as they introduce all the drafters and their drafting styles, then give us glimpses into this year’s draft. They review progress week to week and invite other drafters in to expand their views. Suddenly, without meaning to, I’ve become invested in watching from afar, looking forward each week to seeing who has risen and fallen in the table and listening to surprisingly cogent analysis of what is happening within the draft that we may not have seen.

From the beginning, in which I rooted for Brummit on the basis of a shared love for a good spreadsheet and a foul mouth, to appreciation of Andy O’Neill’s clear eyed view of the draft as a closed economy and a deep appreciation of Nick Morgan’s shocking rookie rise to the top, I can’t say for certain whom I support. I’m inclined to take Pete’s line and support anyone but Bradley, based on the automatic support he sees from his fan base and the sheer delighted smugness that seeps through the post-draft analysis. But even there, I can’t root against him bc Bradley is honest about the limitations of his drafting ability and his progress, and is annoyingly insightful about the ways to win. So mostly, rather than picking a team, I’m rooting for everyone and most of all for the lads to continue making the podcast through the season and beyond.

It’s light hearted, it’s funny. It features fantastic accents from
all over the U.K. and has become a highlight of my Mondays. I laugh out loud through ever episode and am always left with a smile on my face. Some days you just need a laugh and an escape from world and Are You Having A Draft delivers in spades.