Locked On Mizzou
Podcaster is a ‘true son’ fan of all things MU athletics.
If you have ever searched for a video or podcast covering Mizzou sports, you might have heard the following phrase: “Hey all you true sons and daughters. I’m John Miller, your Mizzou Mafioso.”
Miller, a Columbia resident and University of Missouri graduate, hosts the sports podcast “Locked On Mizzou,” and releases new content several times each week. Miller says his passion for Mizzou stems from his father, who met his mother while they both went to MU.
“I’ve been a massive fan since I was a little boy,” he said. “Since as long as I can remember.”
Miller attended MU from 2001 to 2005 and has a background in journalism and sales. He first started with his own Mizzou sports podcast, having it for less than a year before joining the Locked On Podcast Network in 2019. Locked On is a podcast network with sports podcasts across the country, covering a range of sports at the collegiate and professional levels. According to its website, the company has some 207 sports team-focused podcasts and was founded in 2016 by David Locke, who is the radio voice of the Utah Jazz.
With Locked On, Miller usually creates five episodes per week. He says his podcasting has improved since 2019, partially due to repetition. Referring to his writing process, Miller explained that he mostly tries to read everything that he can relating to Missouri sports. However, he said that he can’t just “vomit back” what other people have reported, as providing his own take is what makes his content interesting. He tries to be fair with his opinions and not “super harsh.”
Miller described his idea process for his content as organic and constantly changing, with a lot of it simply coming down to creativity. He is always developing new ideas and regularly using the notes app on his phone to record any idea that pops into his head.
“I have a constantly rotating list of topics,” he said. “There is stuff I thought of three months ago that I haven’t even gotten to yet because other stuff comes up, or better stuff comes up. You know, I might not even get to it. That kind of deal.”
When Miller is not podcasting, he works as a trader. He also has a family — he and his wife, Melissa, a nurse at Boone Hospital — have two daughters, and he enjoys playing golf. Miller refers to his podcasting as his “side hustle,” though he is considering making it his full-time job.
Miller said he always wanted to share his opinions, giving credit to one of his high school teachers for giving him the freedom to write a column in the school paper. During his senior year of college, he wrote a sports column for The Columbia Missourian, recalling how he mostly wanted to write about his opinions, especially on Mizzou football. But his editors wanted him to write about other topics, making him feel “hamstrung.” So for Miller, the podcast is “the dream.”
“This (podcast) is kind of always what I wanted to do,” he said.
Miller’s podcast mainly covers MU football and basketball, though he occasionally covers additional sports. Specifically, Miller said that he owes a lot of his success as a podcaster to the 2023 season of Mizzou football.
“Because last summer, I was kind of getting burned out. Almost quit,” he said. “The fact that they followed up with this season just reinvigorated me … not only as a podcast but as a fan. I think that’s showing through right now in my work.”
Describing himself as an “affable weirdo,” Miller says he’s the perfect guy for that line of work.
“I’m an affable weirdo in that I’m weird enough that I can stay in a dark room and figure out a podcast five days a week,” he said. “But I think I’m likable enough that people keep listening to me, too. That’s what I’ve figured out.”
His podcast can be found on multiple podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcast, as well as YouTube and Amazon Music. According to his YouTube account, Locked On Mizzou has more than 3,000 subscribers with some 560 videos. His episode count is approaching 1,000.
Zac Blackerby, the host of “Locked On Auburn” and John’s supervisor within Locked On, says Miller is “very creative and bold in his takes as a sports podcaster.” Blackerby explained that John has a “measured” and “intentional” approach, where he can explain how he feels regarding Missouri sports and why.
“I don’t think he says things just so say them,” Blackerby said. “I think whenever he says something, it’s very measured. It’s very thought out. And there’s always a purpose behind it, which I think is pretty valuable.”
He also praised Miller’s passion for his subject.
“If there is somebody that cares about Missouri (sports),” Blackerby said, “there is no one better to check out than John, for sure.”
Check out the Locked on Mizzou podcast here.