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Credit: The Compound, Music Box Theater<\/p>\nLAKEVIEW \u2014 \u201cThe Compound,\u201d the player-led sports podcast co-hosted by Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ and fellow professional ballplayer Dakota Mekkes, was born out of boredom.<\/p>\n
When the 2020 MLB season was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Happ was in Arizona with his spring training roommates Mekkes, Nico Hoerner and Zack Short, all looking for a creative outlet and a way to stay engaged with fans.<\/p>\n
Five years and hundreds of episodes later, the podcast they launched is still going strong. On Saturday, Happ, Mekkes and producer Tom Prizeman will be live at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., to record an episode of \u201cThe Compound\u201d with special guests, including Cubs breakout star Pete Crow-Armstrong.<\/p>\n
Credit: The Compound, Music Box Theater<\/p>\n
The name of the podcast comes from the name of the group chat the four players created when they were living in the same rental house a few blocks away from where the Cubs train in Arizona.<\/p>\n
Happ had been staying in the guest house, and after Mekkes, Hoerner and Short came over for dinner one night, they liked the setup so much they asked to move into the main house.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s literally the best of a bad situation, and we\u2019re thankful where we are right now,\u201d Short told the Des Moines Register in 2020.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe Compound\u201d is part of a growing trend<\/a> of athlete-first podcasts where players are able to take ownership of their stories and communicate with fans more directly.<\/p>\n Podcasts also create a way for professional athletes to speak on their own terms, providing a medium where they can have more autonomy in a space typically dominated by talking heads, hot takes, aggregated news and highlight reels.<\/p>\n In an age where social media and streaming platforms have reshaped the media landscape, active athlete-led shows<\/a> like \u201cNew Heights\u201d with Jason and Travis Kelce, Mookie Betts\u2019 \u201cOn Base,\u201d and Draymond Green\u2019s \u201cThe Draymond Green Show\u201d have all carved out massive audiences.<\/p>\n Happ and his co-hosts saw the same opportunity back in 2020.<\/p>\n \u201cI think players are hungry to connect with the fans,\u201d Happ told Forbes in 2021<\/a>. \u201cPlayers want to do a better job of promoting themselves and the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n Podcasting isn\u2019t the only off-field adventure Happ has explored since becoming a Cub. Over the past few years, he launched Quarantine Coffee with Connect Roasters<\/a> to support COVID-19 relief efforts, coordinated a $7,500 donation to Rush University Medical Center and partnered with Obvious Shirts on charitable merch.<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s podcast taping could not have come at a better time as the Cubs are playing exceptionally good baseball with a division-leading 35-21 record.<\/p>\n Crow-Armstrong, Saturday\u2019s podcast guest, is drawing early MVP buzz<\/a> and has been one of the highlights of the Cubs\u2019 season.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/6.19.24_ChicagoCubsWhiteSoxFans013-1024x683.jpg\")
River Skrbina, 10, attends a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field on Wednesday, June 19, 2024. Credit: Joel Angel Juarez\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n