Best Podcast Reviews

The Man Behind “Game of Our Lives”: David Goldblatt

April 17, 2018 7:31 am

It’s pretty special when a passion turns into a lifelong career. David Goldblatt, host of Jetty’s second podcast, Game of Our Lives, which was released on March 15th, is a man of many ventures but one obsession has been woven through them all.

“In previous lives I’ve been a medical student, a labour party researcher and a lecturer in politics and sociology….and then there was football,” said Goldblatt.

His passion for football (soccer), though, has given him an opportunity to use his expertise and work in radio, scholarship, writing and more.

Goldblatt has written two acclaimed books on soccer, among others, including “The Ball is Round: A Global History of Football” and “The Game of Our Lives.”

The podcast, Game of Our Lives, however, is not based on the book, he said, other than his point of view which remains the same, that “football is a fabulously complex social, cultural and political phenomenon.”

He’s also been able to share this message not only through writing but through broadcast as well through a few different positions he held as a contributor, reporter and presenter on BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 3 and BBC World Service. In addition, he has shared his knowledge of the sport at different universities as a visiting professor, lecturer and more.

He has been invested in the game in more ways than one since he was a kid.

“I was the kind of kid who stuck graph paper together to make wall size charts plotting spurs (inherited from my father) and Arsenal relative league positions in the early 1970s,” said Goldblatt.

He said that he did play soccer himself as well, with gusto, though badly. He was more suited to rugby but his love for the game continued.

How he got into radio, he claimed, was through a stroke of luck.

“I got a call one day from David Edmonds at the BBC World Service asking if I would like to have a go at making a few short pieces about corruption and match-fixing in European football,” said Goldblatt. “And then they gave me a spin making longer 25 minute documentaries – the politics of football in jerusalem, Nairobi’s Mathare United, the anti-corruption kings of African football.”

Having a background in radio has proven useful to his current undertaking: his podcast, which he started upon request.

“Jetty approached me and asked what I might do and it was kind of obvious,” said Goldblatt. “World football, world politics, world culture.”

The description of the podcast reads:

“Whether you call it football or soccer, you can’t understand it without understanding the modern world — and you can’t understand the modern world without understanding its most popular sport. Join host David Goldblatt for conversations about politics, culture, economics, immigration, religion, cinema — and of course, some all-time favorite goals.”

Goldblatt said he’s enjoyed not only talking to guests and getting to ask nearly all of the questions (his favorite part) but also the travel that has come with the podcast.

“Our episode about Liverpool was a lot of fun to a make as I spent a long weekend in the city, and met a lot of amazing fans from both Everton and Liverpool,” said Goldblatt.

The hardest part, he said, has been knowing when the audience might need help or a little background knowledge while he’s in the middle of a conversation with a guest on the show.

With guests like film director Werner Herzog, church sporting director Godwin Enakhena and others, listeners will get a full picture of soccer and the modern world through Game of Our Lives— and Goldblatt is well-equipped to tie it all together as the host.

Right now the series is set to last for seven episodes released weekly this year. The second season will run during the World Cup and the third next fall as the European football season gets underway.