Beyond the box score: Bethesda Magazine co-founder explores top sports stories in new podcast
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Jacqueline KalilApril 22, 2026 4:13 p.m.
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Make a ContributionMore than three decades before the first podcast episode aired, Steve Hull had already imagined the core idea behind what would become “Dynastic.” Back then, though, it wasn’t a podcast—it was a magazine.
Hull, a longtime Chevy Chase resident and the co-founder of Bethesda Magazine and Bethesda Today, said the concept began roughly 35 years ago with a plan for a publication called Sports Memories, a monthly magazine dedicated to the history of sports. Each issue would revisit iconic moments and eras—March Madness runs, legendary teams, for example—through a retrospective lens.
“I had a business plan, I had an editorial plan,” Hull said. “But life got in the way.”
Between a demanding career and raising a young family, the idea for Sports Memories never materialized. In hindsight, Hull believes that may have been for the best. The rise of the internet, he noted, likely would have disrupted the print concept before it could take hold.
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Still, the idea lingered.
It wasn’t until about two years ago, while listening to the long-form business podcast “Acquired,” that Hull saw a new path forward. The show—known for its marathon-length episodes dissecting the histories of major companies—inspired him to rethink how deep storytelling could work in another arena.
“I started to think, what else would that approach work for?” Hull said. “And one day, the sports memories idea and the ‘Acquired’ model came together.”
To bring the idea to life, Hull turned to Chuck Todd, a former colleague and veteran political journalist. The two had worked together years earlier at Atlantic Media and stayed in touch. Hull knew Todd’s passion for sports rivaled his well-known interest in politics.
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“He loved the idea,” Hull said. “So we became partners.”
They soon added another voice: sports journalist and academic J.A. Adande, a former writer for the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and The Miami Herald, and a longtime ESPN analyst. Adande now leads the sports writing program at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
The result is “Dynastic,” a podcast hosted by Todd and Adande that explores the in-depth histories of iconic professional and college sports teams, blending narrative storytelling with cultural context.
Todd told Bethesda Today his trust in Hull played a major role in his decision to join the project. “I’ve known Steve 25 to 30 years and have admired his entrepreneurial skills,” Todd said. “If there was anybody that I was willing to risk trying something like this with, it was Steve.”
Todd said the concept seemed like a winner but needed the right framework to succeed. “It just seemed like a really good idea,” he said, “and what was missing was the structure to pursue the idea—and I knew that Steve knew how to build structure to allow it a chance to succeed.”
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For Adande, the structure and intent of “Dynastic” were a major draw.
“The premise of doing deep-dive analysis rooted in history and the pacing—one per month—appealed to me,” Adande said in an interview with Bethesda Today. “I didn’t want to be churning out content multiple times per week regardless of whether there was anything to discuss.”
Hull said Adande stood out not only for his expertise, but for his ability to bring intellectual depth to sports storytelling. “Both Chuck and J.A. bring incredible knowledge of sports,” Hull said, “but also an understanding of how sports fit into society.”
That broader lens is central to “Dynastic.” While each episode focuses on a specific team, the podcast also explores how sports intersect with major social and cultural movements—from civil rights to shifting demographics in fan bases.
“We won’t be giving our takes—not even hopefully unique perspectives—on things everyone knows,” Adande said. “We’ll be teaching people things they didn’t know … because we’ll be learning them ourselves.”
The long-form approach
The podcast follows a structured format: one long-form episode each month dives deeply into a franchise’s history, followed by a shorter interview with a key figure connected to that story.
The debut episode, released March 24, examines the history of the Dodgers franchise, chosen in part for its role as a “barrier breaker” in baseball. From Jackie Robinson integrating Major League Baseball to the team’s move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles and its impact on the sport’s geographic reach, the episode traces how the Dodgers shaped—and reflected—broader societal change.
Todd said that while he enjoyed working on the Dodgers episode, he’s especially excited about exploring teams and stories that feel less familiar. “I’m more excited about things I don’t know than things I think I know,” he said. “I enjoyed doing the Dodgers episode, but I already knew a lot about the Dodgers.”
A companion interview features Jaime Jarrín, the legendary Spanish-language broadcaster for the Dodgers, whose career spanned more than six decades. Hull described the 93-year-old Hall of Famer as “sharp” and deeply engaging.
Future episodes will expand beyond baseball. The next installments will explore the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Golden State Warriors, with plans to include college sports and eventually thematic episodes tackling larger issues—such as racism in the NBA during the 1960s and 1970s.
Todd said he is particularly looking forward to the Warriors episode, noting the franchise’s deeper historical significance. “You may think of the Warriors just as a modern dynasty,” he said, “but it’s also the former team of Wilt Chamberlain. Telling the story of the Warriors is what I’m certainly looking forward to.”
Behind the scenes, Hull serves as executive producer, helping guide research, shape episode structure and coordinate the collaborative process.
“It’s very much a group effort,” he said. “We divvy up the research, come together, and build the story.”
That research can be extensive—Hull recently worked through a 400-page biography of legendary Steelers coach Chuck Noll—but he said the effort is essential to the show’s success.
Three elements, he noted, are critical: rigorous research, compelling storytelling and strong on-air chemistry.
The latter, he said, has quickly become a defining strength. Though Todd and Adande had not met in person before recording their first episode, Hull said their rapport was immediately evident—and listeners have noticed.
“Feedback on the first two episodes has focused a lot on their chemistry,” he said. “And that’s essential.”
For Adande, the appeal also is in watching the show evolve.
“I’m excited for the next one and then the one after that,” he said, “because I think they’ll keep getting better the more we get into this.”
“Dynastic” is available on major podcast platforms and YouTube.
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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine