Comedian Bill Maher is well known for his hard takes on political issues, which you can see each week on his HBO show, Real Time With Bill Maher.
But he’s also a huge sports fan, which you can get more of sense for with his podcast, Club Random With Bill Maher, which announced Monday that it is joining The Arena Group’s platform and will have new episodes every Sunday night. Maher has had some great episodes already with Aaron Rodgers, Mike Tyson and other sports stars and famous broadcasters, and he has some more big-name folks from the sports world coming up on future shows.
Sports Illustrated chatted with Maher last week about some of the things he loves about sports and some of the things that annoy him about sports.
Sports Illustrated: You’re a fan of new rules, so what’s your take on MLB’s new rules?
Bill Maher: I’m usually against f------ with the game. But it was necessary. It had to happen, and it just sort of restored the balance. I especially like the one about no shifts because that look, I mean, I look at the box scores and batting averages are just bad.
SI: Do you like how the pitch clock has sped up the game?
BM: There is too much scratching your ass in baseball. So, you know, I think [the pitch clock] is good. I like it way better than the designated hitter rule—I’ve never gotten behind the designated hitter rule and still think that ruined the game.
SI: What do you say to those old-school fans who get mad over controversial pitch-clock violation calls?
BM: I understand what they’re seeing, but I think the good outweighs the bad in this case. It doesn’t essentially change the game. The designated hitter rule essentially changed the game. For the worse. I think this does not essentially change the game. It just speeds it up.
SI: What annoys you the most about sports?
BM: Reffing when it’s bad, and it’s bad a lot.
It’s just like, I’m invested in this game. And then at the Super Bowl last year, didn't that end on a s--- call? A terrible call that basically gave the game away. I'm seeing it now in the basketball playoffs.
And what’s doubly annoying is that we also have to put up with all this Zapruder film rewatching of plays. So yeah, it’s the worst of both worlds. We have to constantly interrupt the game to rewatch plays, and you don’t even get them right after all that time.
SI: What do you love the most about sports?
BM: It’s a drug, you know. You get hooked when you’re a kid. I guess what I love about it is that it’s mindless, in that it takes you away from your life.
If I counted up all the hours I’ve spent watching games, I’d probably have another decade of life to do something else. But, you know, life’s for enjoying and living and sports is enjoyable and, you know, I’m glad it’s still around.
SI: Who’s your all-time favorite athlete?
BM: Oh, that’s a great question. My all-time favorite athlete is probably somebody on the 1986 New York Giants.
I just say that for sentimental reasons because I took my father to that [Giants-Broncos Super Bowl in Pasadena]. I did not have the money for it, and yet I found the money to get a ticket. It cost me a thousand bucks. And it wasn’t even a good seat. I flew my father out here. It was kind of my way of like thanking him for teaching me how to swing a bat and being a little league coach and all that. And he had been a Giants fan since their inception. I remember watching football, learning it, all while literally sitting on his knee.
So for my favorite player I’d say it’s a tie between either Lawrence Taylor or Phil Simms, because that’s who won that game for them.
SI: Which athlete in the history of all athletes alive or dead would you most love to have on your podcast?
Muhammad Ali. I think he’d be pretty interesting. Although I do have mixed feelings. I do not like the way he treated Joe Frazier. He was horrible to Joe Frazier. In a way he did not need to be.
