Cinematic Underdogs is a joyful, intellectual, and nostalgic look at sports movies of all forms, shapes, and sizes. Hosted by Jordan Puga and Paul Keelan, this overlooked genre is re-evaluated with the sincerity that it deserves.
We're back after a long impromptu hiatus with a discussion of The Smashing Machine. Enjoy!
15 Feb 2026
136. Marty Supreme
Matt Belenky joins the pod to chat Josh Safdie's ping-pong hit, Marty Supreme. Enjoy!
21 Jan 2026
135. Shaun White: The Last Run
Just in time for the '26 Olympics, we're back with a doc we should have covered the last round.
Shaun White’s final Olympic run wasn’t really about winning; it was about giving it one more shot; it was about being in the halfpipe long enough to know the hard truth that greatness doesn’t last forever; it was about coming to terms with decline and age and the way a legacy is as defined by a timely retirement as it is by being the best.
The Last Run captures this rare moment, when legend gives way to vulnerability, and competition becomes confrontation with time itself. And it does so by contrasting White’s curtain call with a retrospective look at his life and career as the chief pioneer and face of modern snowboarding. From family sacrifices to brutal injuries to years of training and discipline, White’s ride at the top is unrivaled in the sport.
But no ending is ever easy to fully embrace. And no legendary athletic career fades quietly and without some degree of doubt and anxiety. On Cinematic Underdogs, we’re drawn to such existential pickles — and we love moments where victory is secured by the decision to drop in one last time, against all odds. This doc captures this denouement with clarity and poignance and nostalgic precision.
Enjoy our conversation.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.9 / 5
12 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
15 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 58 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
95
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
51
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