Three University of Maryland alumni who met at the business school still prioritize talking Terrapins weekly. Only now, their conversations are broadcast over the airwaves of the Internet through a podcast called Shell Shocked Sports.
As the Terps men’s basketball team is vying for NCAA supremacy for the first time in recent years, the podcast is garnering more attention, a feat for the hosts, who started the passion project in a Caroline Hall dorm room.
Shell Shocked Logo
The podcasts are recorded on a semi-weekly basis, clocking in at about 30 to 45 minutes per episode, according to Nick Keninitz, Shell Shocked Sports’ director and founder.
“It’s just general sports talk,” said Keninitz. “We have some fun with it, and we break down the games and players. We talk about recruiting, but we joke around and talk about your non-sports-related stuff, too, to keep the audience flowing.”
Keninitz started Shell Shocked Sports through his work with the Ball Hogs Radio Network, an Internet sports radio network that covers Washington- and Baltimore-area sports. Keninitz started as a blogger for the website before Adam Bradley, the founder of the radio network and a Maryland alumnus, tasked him with creating a Terps-centric podcast and blog in spring 2012.
“We got mics and cords and a little soundboard and headphones and headsets that we got way back when we started back in the dorm in Caroline Hall, and we used to set it up right there on a little table,” Keninitz said.
Keninitz’s mobile studio traveled with him and his roommate Joe Bradshaw to their apartment in South Campus Commons and to the one they now share in Arlington, Virginia. Jeremy Lynn also became a part of the podcasting crew through his friendship with Keninitz and Bradshaw.
“One of the great things about our podcast is, since we’re friends, we have a lot of banter that we’re able to share on and off the air, and it really carries into our chemistry,” Lynn said.
Shell Shocked
The Shell Shocked Sports team prepares by putting together a show rundown on a Google Doc and setting up the equipment. But more crucially, said Keninitz, the crew closely follows happenings in Terps sports throughout the week to stimulate and add to the discussion.
The episodic format includes a discussion of hot topics regarding Maryland athletics, such as the latest football or basketball game.
“Usually [we] like to pose a lot of theoretical questions so we have a lot to talk about and, more importantly, things to disagree about because [that’s] where the fun really starts,” Lynn said.
The podcast has featured guests including San Diego Chargers and former Terps kicker Nick Novak and former Terps men’s basketball forward Travis Garrison, as well as bloggers covering other college athletic programs.
“We find that it’s tough to get some big-profile guests, but it’s really cool if you can get a writer from another blog or podcast on because then you’ve opened yourself up to new audiences,” Keninitz said.
Shell Shocked Sports also encompasses a blog, which features the work of contributing writers chiming in on everything from whether Dez Wells’ jersey should be hung from the rafters to the merits of court-storming.
“We really enjoy doing posts that are more unique and video-centric,” said Keninitz. “We approach the blog where I meet a ton of Terps fans that go to the games and stuff, and if they have an idea or something, I just say, ‘Hey, if you can shoot me over 300 to 500 words on it, and I’ll be happy to put it up on the site.’”
The blog, as well as the podcast, has received more attention given the Terps’ success in men’s basketball this season. The men’s team’s 26-win season has resulted in growth for Shell Shocked Sports, which is achieving 250 to 300 unique listens per episode and 10,000 to 12,000 unique visitors on the blog per month, according to Keninitz.
“People pay attention when you win, and they don’t really care when you’re losing,” Lynn explained.
And unlike other media companies covering the Terps, Shell Shocked Sports offers a fresher perspective on Maryland teams, given that the hosts are all recent graduates and have suffered through the Terps’ less triumphant seasons.
“We’ve kind of angled ourselves to not quite be like the beat writer-type, but to really have a lively show and joke around and really kind of share some opinions and be willing to make statements that maybe some of the other sites wouldn’t be able to do,” said Keninitz
“I think one of the big things is we want to become more personable … more involved in the community,” Lynn.
The Shell Shocked Sports team will begin this endeavor with a live Selection Sunday broadcast at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Gaithersburg, which will include discussion of the bracket reveal as well as giveaways and fan interaction.
“We’re not exactly sure where [Shell Shocked Sports] is going to go or how long it’ll last, but it’s been fun for us, and I think that’s key,” said Keninitz. “As long as we enjoy doing it, we’ll keep doing it.”
