T Dog’s Think Tank: Who is Alex Cooper?

The podcaster who sang an atrocious version of the 7th Inning Stretch also has a SiriusXM channel

Who’s Alex Cooper, you ask? 

At first glance, you wouldn’t blame yourself if you thought she was part of Sheldon Cooper’s family from Young Sheldon. But if his mom ever listened to Alex Cooper’s Call Me Daddy podcast, Mary would try to haul her behind into church, lock the doors, and force her to stay there until she repents a thousand times.

So there she was Sunday night during the 7th Inning Stretch at the Cubs game as a guest conductor, singing an off-key version of the song Haray Caray made famous on both sides of town and did her best Roseanne Barr imitation. Needless to say, fans booed the hell out of her in a performance that went viral despite ESPN sparing us from watching this mess. Thank God for commercials, right? 

Alex Cooper @callherdaddy was booed through the entire 7th inning stretch for her Take me Out to the Ballgame rendition #wrigley #Cubs pic.twitter.com/eaug5RxXh0

— MBDChicago (@MBDChicago) July 7, 2025

The 30-year-old Cooper is an unlikely choice for such an assignment, given that the former Boston University soccer star created her Call Me Daddy podcast with her roommate in 2018. Later acquired by Barstool Sports, Call Me Daddy rocketed in popularity and shifted to Spotify in 2021 in a $60 million, three-year deal. At Spotify, she created The Unwell Network, which is not a Matchbox Twenty music portal. Last year, Cooper hopped to SiriusXM in a $125 million, three-year deal, replacing Spotify. According to Forbes, Cooper was the seventh highest-paid creator on their Top Earning Creators List, earning $32 million, and is the highest-paid female on the list. 

Her SiriusXM deal not only includes her on-demand Call Me Daddy podcast but two curated channels: Unwell On Air, which features the best moments from her podcast, and Unwell Music, blending music with her podcast content. 

Cooper had Kamala Harris on her show just before the 2024 Presidential Election, in what observers dubbed “the podcast election,” given its growing popularity as everyone seems to have one now. Unwell has become a destination for celebrities and public figures, but also has a reputation for risque content, as it discusses sexuality and dating and the explicit language that comes with it. 

Since Cooper grew up in the 2000s, it’s not surprising that her favorite show was Lizzie McGuire, at a time when cable TV was still relevant and young viewers were rushing in through the Disney Channel entrances to watch Hannah Montana in the pre-streaming era. She was also a Hillary Duff fan, as she was a member of the Radio Disney generation, which was popular at the time. Sean Ross of Radio Insight described Unwell Music as a Throwback CHR station, targeting Millennial and Gen Z female listeners who grew up listening to such fare. A similar station (in theory) in Chicago was launched in May 2024, when Hubbard rebranded WSHE-FM to Throwback 100.3, featuring pop hits from the 1990s through the early 2010s. However, it hasn’t found much of an audience, similar to the previous four formats the frequency hosted. 

Unwell Music is one of numerous SiriusXM celebrity-curated music channels, with others hosted by John Mayer, Eminem, and Kelly Clarkson. Think of it as their Jack FM, playing what they want. Here’s the PR touting the launch of Unwell Music February 11:

“Unwell Music” will debut on channel 3 described as “an ever-evolving mixtape featuring the songs that have scored her life, blending nostalgic pop anthems with contemporary hits. Listeners can expect to hear artists including Miley Cyrus, Tate McRae, Sabrina Carpenter, Beyoncé, Gracie Abrams and more. The channel offers a high-energy mix, providing the perfect, mood-based, soundtrack for listeners throughout their day, enhanced by Cooper’s personal commentary and behind-the-scenes stories.”

The linked article from Ross showed a Playlist from Unwell Music from February. So, let’s see what Cooper is deejaying on Unwell Music five months later: 

These songs were played during the 2-3 p.m. CT time frame on July 10, 2025:

Raise Your Glass – P!nk
Sorry – Justin Bieber
(Alex speaks in a pre-recorded bumper)
Ordinary Day – Vanessa Carlton
My First Kiss – 3OH3!/Kesha
1,2, Step – Ciara f. Missy Elliott
(bumper, with swearing and sexual content)
Decode – Paramore
(There’s Gotta Be) More To Life – Stacie Orrico
(Bumper with Cooper saying “f*** your boss”, or something)
Here (In Your Arms) – Hellogoodbye
Anywhere But Here – Hilary Duff
(Promo for Call Me Daddy podcast)
Good Girls Go Bad – Cobra Starship f. Leighton Meester
…Ready For It – Taylor Swift
Quit Playing Games With My Heart – Backstreet Boys
We Got The Party – Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus)
(Testimonials – “we love this channel…”)
Heart Attack – Demi Lovato
Crush – David Archuleta
(segment from Call Me Daddy featuring Avril Lavigne, leading into…)
Sk8erboi – Avril Lavigne

Most of these songs originally charted in the 2000s, at the height of Hannah Montana/Radio Disney fever when the Mouse was churning out stars faster than American Idol. The playlist isn’t exactly a trainwreck, as these were the songs that pop radio was playing at the time, so this is a good mix appealing to women currently in the 25-44 demo. There’s only one song from the ’90s (Quit Playing Games), and the latest is Taylor Swift’s song from 2017, so you won’t find contemporary music here. Aside from the Ciara song, you won’t find any crossover Hip-Hop here, either. By comparison, Throwback 100.3 had a scholock playlist during this same hour, with significantly more 1990s pop and Classic Hip-Hop, with Ace of Base and Natalie Imbruglia paired with 2Pac and Nelly. Unwell for the win. 

Some of the Unwell bumpers were racy and filled with vulgar language – and some of the music is uncensored, so if you are a Mom, this isn’t the fare you want to play with your young daughter in the car. 

So this begs the question…why was she chosen to do the stretch? My guess is the Cubs wanted someone to connect to the Millennial and Gen Z crowd, despite what older people say is “the flavor of the week.” Cooper clearly has no connection to baseball, and since the Cubs attract a family-friendly audience, one would be puzzled as to why they would hire someone to conduct the stretch who is anything but. She was at Wrigley to be seen, a constant problem with Cubs games, and in the past, Bulls games when Michael Jordan was in town (remember when Madonna was announced as a game DJ and the crowd booed her?) 

Similar to what we saw earlier this year when Dr. Phil barged his way into the Windy City with an ICE immigration unit to promote his now-bankrupt Merit Street network, most Chicagoans heard about Cooper for the first time, and you can thank the fragmentation of the current media landscape. Both got what they were looking for, good publicity or bad, and neither left a great impression.

Look, if baseball wants to attract a younger audience, I’m not sure if hiring a podcast host or TikTok influencer is the best approach. This is a person who is more familiar with Justin Bieber’s wardrobe and Hannah Montana’s hair coloring than Pete Crow-Armstrong or Kyle Tucker, let alone the Milwaukee Brewers.

Mary Cooper wouldn’t be proud.