First Things First - Top Ten Best New Sporting Goods with a SHOCK at #1 🤯 | BONUS

Episode Date: April 19, 2026

Kevin Wildes breaks down the top 10 new sporting goods items and explains why he recently made a switch at the #1 spot. From nostalgia to practicality, Wildes gives three undeniable reasons why baseball gloves are king… and even calls a friend to prove just how unforgettable they really are. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wow. Gianna, did you hear the news about the Kevin Wilde's podcast network? Danny Parkins is joining the Kevin Wilde's podcast network. Thank goodness. He said, do I get paid? I said, you get something better than money. Equity. And even though he has done the radio for, I think, decades, more experience. It sharpen the sword and an equity stake in the Kevin Wilde's podcast network. When it gets acquired, who knows? could be a big deal. Quick update on the podcast network schedules. We've got Parkins podcast that we have to schedule. We don't know when it's going to be.

That's Giannis Job, not mine. Our youth culture 6-7 podcast has been permanently canceled. My kids said, they don't really do 6-7 anymore. That one is over. Our current events podcast, hold on what? Is moving to three times a week now? And our sports podcast is just still going strong. Today's episode and a full...

behind the curtain moment. We had a few different ideas for this podcast. Gianna wanted me to do vibe meter for the teams. I didn't do the vibe meter. I might do it after next week. I was going to do a whole thing on my bike and comparing teams to parts of my bicycle. Again, I have to bake the idea.

I was like, the thunder or the helmet. If they don't succeed, it's a disaster. And it just kind of died. And then I listened to the What's Right podcast. He did a long podcast on the history of first things first and once we got nominated for an Emmy. And Nick is usually out there shooting hot takes, you know? And this was just him talking about the show. There's very little like sports in it.

If there was any sports in it, everybody loved it. It did very well. There's a plethora of takes out there in the world, all different temperatures, but not a ton of, just straight up just personal, hey, here's what's going on. Here's my thoughts on that. But I didn't want to be two because I can get a little saccharine. I've been accused of that. Next thing you know, I'm weeping about my son's baseball glove.

That's what I'm doing today. It's a little bit of my life, a little bit of sports, a little bit of a debate, a little bit of a take. Top 10, best new sporting goods. And there's been a change at one. And as you know, as your fans of the podcast, you know number 10, of course, fresh tennis balls. Do I play a ton of tennis? No. Are there many things on earth better than cracking open a fresh tennis ball canister smelling it and listening to it?

No. Tennis balls at number 10. Number nine, of course, a new football. Catch you out. I can throw a spiral with this even good. Even Nerf footballs that still counts. Football's coming in at nine. Number eight and number seven, very similar.

A new hockey stick and a new baseball bat. Have I ever played hockey? No. But shopping for hockey sticks, similar to shopping for baseball bat, it's the one thing you're really rocking with full time for a whole year. I should probably flip those. Hockey stick you've got all the time, half the time baseball bat you don't have it. But you've always got your hockey stick. Number six, and I never had this because I don't even think they were invented.

Football gloves. When kids get new football gloves, holy cow, you would think their hands don't work. It's like, oh, we got to turn around. I left my football gloves at home. Oh, we got to turn around. I have my, these are my old football gloves. I won't be able to catch the ball. You'll be fine, but football gloves coming in at six.

Number five, this is a wilds fave. Classic, thrilling moment once you get up there with this new thing. You bring it home, it's only $2.99. It's been $2.99. The whole world is going crazy on inflation, except this item. It's been maybe it was $1.99. Now it's $2.99. You can get it in white.

You can get it in red, white, and blue. You can get it in chain a basketball net. You can get it in neon, but no. Classic white or a little red, white and blue sometimes, a little ABA action. Put that up. How do you do it again? You're on a step ladder.

Just a joy. That first bucket. Oh, it's too tight. The ball stuck. got to get up there, hit it out. Just a blast. Number four, of course, the baseball bat for your foot, soccer cleats. Again, you're with it all the time.

It's more tactile than anything else. Soccer cleats coming in and four. Number three, this is funny. You go through your life buying a lot of these things. John, do you have an idea what this one is? Correct answer? A new basketball. Basketball coming in at number three.

Number two, and this is where the upset has happened. number one was always sneakers fresh sneakers throughout time have always been great even dating back to caveman times just a fresh stone and a strap was fantastic just fresh leaves like you watch those shows like oh that that should actually weigh into it when you're watching those survival shows and they get their like leaf shoe, they're thrilled. Otherwise, thorns. The sneaker buying experience has changed and there's a new number one that I've been experiencing for the past week. And that is a baseball glove. This is an ode to a new baseball glove. Why did I buy a new baseball glove? Well, of course, because I said, Billy, when's your next baseball game? He said, oh, on Tuesday. And then about

Two hours later, say, oh yeah, I have to remind you, I lost my glove. Bill, how did you lose your glove? I don't know. When did you last have it? I don't know. I saw you in the outfield. That was my friend's glove. Okay.

I immediately go to his baseball bag. There are, this is true story, two hats in there. I had him write his name as hat. Neither hat has his name on it. So he has two other kids hats and no baseball glove. So we have to go out and buy a new glove. And there's three reasons why this experience has been just a delight. Friendship, formation, and forever.

The three Fs are baseball. Oddly, fielding's like, what the heck? Didn't make it. First one. Friendship. This is like your relationship with your glove is unlike any other sporting good item. You have some good times with it. There was one time when I was 15.

I was in right field. A team had come back all the way. We had a huge lead. The team had come all the way back. But there's like a man on second or third. Fly ball to me. Thank goodness. We're going to win the game.

This nightmare is over. I put up my glove and the ball hits my glove. I do not catch it. The ball goes to the fence. I run back to the fence. I take my glove. I throw it over the fence. I'm furious.

Now I have to walk back to the dugout. Everyone's upset. And then I go to see my daddy. He's like, go get your gloves. It wasn't easy. I had to walk all the way around. Get my glom. Still had it.

My classic old school glove. But you can, you have fun. It's a true friend. You have good times. You have bad times. You blame it for stuff. It gets you out of jams a lot.

And you will. remember it. Number two, formation of it. This has been a disaster with Billy. Everything right now is trending easier. If you have a product, certainly you are in efficiency meetings saying how can we make this easier to get, easier to use, a more seamless experience for our customers? except that baseball glove corporations when they say you know what you're going to have to deal with this

stiff ass glove that is you're going to have to do all sorts of things to it we've been hitting it heating it dunking it in water I put shaving cream all over it so it smells like an old man barbassol I got barbizol all over the glove

the glove was like at a phone party He's like, what am I doing? I'm like, it's just shaving cream, dude. Guess what I ordered? Mink oil. I got mink oil coming. I don't even know if it's synthetic. I hope so.

I hope no minks are harmed. We're tying it up with a bungee rope. We're trying to have. I've taken a kettlebell. We're smashing it. Nobody knows how to do it. There's not one way to break in this glove. And the glove companies are just like heat.

Tell us not to heat it up. We have to break this glove in. But there's some real joy in the, in working for the glove and trying to make it your own. And me and Billy have played catch with it a handful of times, but he can't catch the ball. The ball just pops out of his glove. But we have spent a lot of time taking a kettlebell and smashing his glove with it. And it's been wonderful. And finally, the foreverness of it.

The foreverness of the glove is interesting because you'll buy, I don't even know, a hundred pair of shoes before you die, you'll buy several basketball nets. But you'll only get one or two gloves. And the fact that I still remember my glove and Billy will have this glove and hopefully play catch with his kid until, of course, he obviously loses it,

has made this whole process wonderful. And to prove this point, we are going to now do a random phone call to my friend. I'm going to call a random friend. that he played baseball. Calling your partner again? No, I'm doing a pod. No, this is the true Nick.

This is because I accidentally call my other buddy Nick. I'm on a live podcast that's being taped. I'm doing an experiment. Are you ready? Okay. Can you describe your Little League baseball glove? Yes. Well, you have to describe it.

It is a, which I would call it. Oh, boy, it's a gold glove one. It's got a little red emblem. on my right thumb. It had a little burnout spot where my pinky would go. Thank you. This proves the point. Nick, you did a great job.

All right. Well, thank you very much. I appreciate that. All right. I'll talk to you later. Perfect. It had a little burnout spot where as pinky was. Everybody loves their glove.

And that's why gloves have upset sneakers for top 10 sporting items of all time. Stay tuned for the Parkins podcast.