As 2026 began, a new sports media controversy emerged. Main Street Sports Group, formerly Diamond Sports, missed a payment to the St. Louis Cardinals for their local TV rights. Days later, they missed payments to numerous NBA teams. Reports indicate that the streaming service DAZN wants to buy these embattled regional sports networks. If a deal to sell to DAZN does not go through, there is a strong possibility that Main Street folds, leaving dozens of NBA, NHL, and MLB teams in jeopardy.

Tom Friend reported this story for Sports Business Journal. He is a Feature Writer at Sports Business Journal, focusing primarily on the NBA. In this episode, Friend explains that the leagues want to create their own streaming packages using existing services such as Amazon, Peacock, Apple, and ESPN. He discusses both the short-term impact and the long-term future of regional broadcasts, acknowledging that some large markets find their RSN profitable and will not want to join any league-organized venture.

Friend also discusses the proposed NBA in Europe and the chances of expansion, specifically in Seattle and/or Las Vegas.

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This episode continues a long tradition that began eight years ago. Scott Seidenberg appeared on episode 177, which was released on Christmas. The following year, it continued with episode 229 and has continued every Christmas week since. The whole origin story of this tradition is explained in the first few minutes of the show. The rest of these episodes’ numbers are as follows:

Vol. 3Episode 280

Vol. 4Episode 332

Vol. 5Episode 383

Vol. 6Episode 435

Vol. 7Episode 485

Scott Seidenberg has launched a new gambling website and accompanying podcast, “Bettor Day.” Check out www.bettorday.com 

Topics in this episode include the NFL on Christmas, the College Football Playoff, the NBA Cup, and sports documentaries.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Sports with Friends! See you in 2026.

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Daryl Ruiter has been covering Cleveland sports for a quarter-century. Since 2011, he’s been the beat reporter for the Cleveland Browns on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland. The Ohio native also covers select Cavaliers and Guardians games.

Ruiter was a regular guest on the MLB Radio Stayin’ Hot with Seth & Bone as the “AL Central Correspondent” in the mid-2000s.

In this episode, Ruiter explains how it is covering the teams he grew up with. He describes how big the Browns are despite success in both baseball and basketball, with the Cavs winning the championship in 2016. He discusses the legacy of LeBron James in Ohio and the name change for the Guardians.

Aura Frames: Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/SWF Promo Code: SWF

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Longtime college football reporter Matt Baker has been with the Athletic since 2024. Before that, he was with the Tampa Bay Times, focusing on both the Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles. In December 2025, the 12-team college football playoff was revealed. This episode comes out after the regular season and before the bowl season and subsequent playoff.

In this episode, Baker explains why Notre Dame was passed over for the playoff in favor of Alabama and Miami. He discusses the rise of Indiana as a national power and why college postseasons are determined by a committee rather than by all pro team sports. He also discusses the potential of a super league and whether the Big 10/SEC are on a level playing field as the ACC/Big 12.

He also engages our host and discusses Syracuse football and whether this season or last was an anomaly.

Aura Frames: Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/SWF Promo Code: SWF

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Carlos Alcaraz, the #1 men’s tennis player in the world, is playing in a tennis exhibition at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on December 7th, 2025. Alcaraz will face off in a three-set match against two-time US Open Semifinalist Frances Tiafoe. There is also a women’s tennis match between 2025 Wimbledon and US Open finalist Amanda Anisimova from Freehold, New Jersey, and 2024 US Open finalist Jessica Pegula of Buffalo, New York.

Alcaraz won the 2025 US Open and Wimbledon, and at the time of this recording, had pulled out of the Davis Cup due to a hamstring injury.

This episode is part of a group media Zoom session, organized by the Prudential Center. It was recorded on November 18th, 2025.

In this episode, Alcaraz discusses his injury and assures fans that it is not serious. He discusses his friendship and rivalry with Tiafoe. He also discusses his epic finals matches with Jannik Sinner, whom he has faced in the last three majors, as well as countless other matches.

For ticket info: https://www.prucenter.com/events/a-racquet-at-the-rock

Aura Frames: Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/SWF Promo Code: SWF

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Kevin Ingram is a play-by-play announcer for Vanderbilt basketball, a sideline reporter for Vanderbilt football, and a play-by-play announcer for baseball on SEC+. He has been a sportscaster in the Nashville area for three decades.

From 2004 to 2020, Kevin was the host of the hugely successful morning show, “Wake-Up Zone” on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville. His co-host for all 16 years was acclaimed Nashville sportscaster Mark Howard. Former Titans player Frank Wycheck hosted the show from 2004 to 2017. Both Howard and Wycheck have passed away since the show ended.

In this episode, Ingram discusses the legacy of that Wake-Up Zone show and the special connections he had there, including longtime producer Paul Bible. He speaks about the evolution of Nashville as a tourist destination and as a sports town. He talks about his time at both Vanderbilt and Belmont before that. Finally, he explains why Nashville is not a good candidate for an MLB expansion team.

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Longtime sportscaster Marc Malusis was recently featured on WPIX Channel 11 in New York. Malusis is best known for his time on-air at Sports Radio 66 WFAN, also in New York. Malusis graduated from Syracuse University, interned for WFAN, became a producer for the iconic Mike and the Mad Dog radio program, and then got his opportunity on the air.

Moose, as he is known, is also an adjunct professor at Iona College and the Radio Pre/Postgame Host for Rutgers Football.

In this episode, Malusis discusses his fantastic career and how Syracuse helped him get started. He talks about the famous WFAN internship program and his decision to remain in New York as he ascended in the business.

He also comments on recent allegations involving gambling and two major league baseball pitchers. He talks about the state of radio, given the availability of podcasts and other streaming options.

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Lawrence Moten, the leading scorer in Syracuse basketball history, died unexpectedly on September 30, 2025. He was 53. This episode is a tribute to the legendary Syracuse basketball player.

Nicknamed “Poetry in Moten,” he who played for the Orange from 1991-95. Moten was born in Washington, D.C., helped Syracuse reach the NCAA Tournament in three of his four seasons, and was named a Second-Team All-American during his senior year. Moten later played two seasons with the Vancouver Grizzlies in the NBA before playing overseas in Spain and Venezuela, and several seasons in the Continental Basketball Association and the American Basketball Association. Moten finished his college career with 2,334 points, averaging 19.3 per game.

This episode begins with 6 minutes of audio when Lawrence Moten joined Sports with Friends in 2019 on Episode 224. Then, his former Syracuse teammate, Lazarus Sims, joins the show. Then, former Syracuse center Etan Thomas discussed Moten’s legacy. Finally, longtime Syracuse beat reporter Mike Waters of Syracuse.com joined to discuss what it was like to cover Moten both as a player and in the years following.

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The National Hockey League recently began its 2025-2026 regular season. Greg Wyshynski is an ESPN senior NHL writer, podcaster, and insider. He is also a New Jersey native and a New Jersey Devils fan. This is NOT a Devils podcast, but rather a look at the main issues facing the league.

Topics include: the 2026 Winter Olympics, which will involve NHL players; the competitive balance in the league; the recent income tax debate and its impact on teams; and where Quinn, Jack, and Luke Hughes will wind up. Not in that order.

Wyshynski first gained notoriety when he launched the Puck Daddy blog on Yahoo Sports. He has been with ESPN since October 2017.

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Longtime sportswriter Gary Myers has written his seventh book. “Brady vs. Belichick: The Dynasty Debate” raises one of the great NFL debates among fans of both the New England Patriots and the entire NFL. Who meant more to the Patriots’ nine Super Bowl appearances and six championships? Myers discusses the origin of both coach and player, and makes a strong argument for both with insight, interviews, and analysis.

In this episode, Myers discusses how this became an idea for a book. He discusses the current situations for both Brady as a FOX commentator and minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, and Belichick, who is the new head coach at the University of North Carolina. He discusses controversies, Spygate, and Deflategate, and how they impact both Brady's and Belichick’s legacy.

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Art Shamsky is best known for being a member of the 1969 New York Mets, who won the World Series. Shamsky played Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1972 for the Cincinnati Reds, Mets, Chicago Cubs, and Oakland Athletics. In 1969, he hit .300 with 14 home runs, the second-highest total on the team. In the post-season, Shamsky hit .538 in both the newly created National League Championship Series and World Series vs. the Baltimore Orioles.

He recently released his third book, “Mets Stories I Only Tell My Friends.” The book offers a behind-the-scenes and first-hand account of that miracle 1969 Mets season. He discusses the leadership of Tom Seaver, the steady hand of manager Gil Hodges, and what it was like to share right field with charismatic Ron Swoboda.

In this episode, Shamsky explains why he wrote this third book. He details how not a day goes by that he isn’t reminded of that championship season. At the end of the episode, he explains why he has known Seth Everett for over twenty years.

Get “Mets Stories I Only Tell My Friends” here: https://tinyurl.com/3puhkrhc

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The 2025 US Open tennis tournament once again had record crowds and is being recapped after the final victories by men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz and women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka. The singles tournament took place over 15 days and featured the world’s best tennis players. 

The men’s final was marred by the appearance of Donald Trump in the crowd. The added security led to thousands of fans missing the beginning of the final waiting on lines to get in. The USTA also censored broadcasters from saying much about the President’s presence at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Russ Thaler is a broadcaster for US Open Radio and TV and is a longtime sportscaster. In this episode, Thaler explains the plight of Americans at this tournament, including Amanda Anisimova of New Jersey reaching her second major final. Thaler also discusses the resurgence of Naomi Osaka and whether anyone can challenge Alcaraz or #1 seed Jannik Sinner for a major title.

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New York Times best-selling author Jane Leavy has written amazing biographies of some of baseball’s all-time iconic players. She’s written books about Sandy Koufax, Mickey Mantle, and the legendary Babe Ruth. When looking for a fourth biography, she found that the sport she had loved and covered for decades had undergone drastic changes. Rather than profile one particular subject, she interviewed countless baseball figures to get to the root of what’s gone wrong in baseball and offer solutions to restore its former glory.

“Make Me Commissioner: I Know What’s Wrong with Baseball and How to Fix It” includes interviews with such baseball luminaries as Joe Torre, Dave Roberts, Jim Palmer, Dusty Baker, and Buck Showalter. She spends equal time discussing what’s right with baseball, and how it illuminates characters, tells stories, and fires up the imagination of those who love it and everyone who could discover it anew.

In this episode, Leavy explains how the genesis of this book came about and who she considered writing a biography on. She also debates the challenges baseball is facing, and offers hope on why the game is still special.

Get Make Me Commissioner here: https://tinyurl.com/mrynz3cw

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This week marks week one in the 2025 college football season. The NFL season is a week away. As football takes center stage, Yahoo Sports senior writer Jay Busbee previews both seasons and tells us the teams to watch in 2025.

Busbee is an accomplished author. His latest book, “Iron in the Blood: How the Alabama vs. Auburn Rivalry Shaped the Soul of the South,” was released the week this podcast comes out.  

The book is a behind-the-scenes account of the Alabama vs. Auburn rivalry, one of the fiercest in American sports, detailing its rich history, celebrating the triumphs of both teams, and showcasing the larger-than-life power of football to break down barriers and shape an entire culture. Busbee traces the perpetual impact of football in Alabama, from the days of Reconstruction, through the Civil Rights era, to the hyper-partisan climate of the 2020s.

In this episode, Busbee explains Auburn’s place in the state of Alabama and how it competes with the University of Alabama. He also discusses the changing landscape of college football and how that will impact the games on the field. The episode concludes with a preview of the upcoming NFL season, including a focus on the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions.

Order “Iron in the Blood” here: https://tinyurl.com/fn9e8v28

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The week of this episode’s release is the same week that ESPN is launching its long-awaited streaming app, which is a direct-to-consumer product that does not require a cable subscription. Still, how many customers will pay for ESPN without bundling it with other streaming service options? On August 5th, 2025, ESPN acquired the NFL Network and other NFL media assets, including the linear rights to the league's popular RedZone channel, in a deal that will see the NFL get a 10% equity stake in the all-sports network.

Those titanic stories are the backdrop for Michael McCarthy’s return to the show. McCarthy is an award-winning Senior Writer for Front Office Sports.

McCarthy has won both Best News Story and Best Project reporting from the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE). His stories have appeared in The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, USA TODAY, Sporting News, Newsday, and Adweek. He’s also written for the official publications of the NFL and Major League Baseball. McCarthy has appeared on everything from CBS This Morning, NBC’s Today show, Fox & Friends, and Access Hollywood to CNBC, CNN, NPR, and the BBC. McCarthy has also served as a journalism professor at Rutgers University since 2015. He’s based in New Jersey.

In this episode, McCarthy discusses the ESPN NFL deal, the streaming app, and the network’s dropping of Major League Baseball. He also covers the NBA, NHL, and NCAA in this episode.

Front Office Sports is having its 2nd annual “Tuned In” seminar in Midtown Manhattan. On September 16th, 2025, leaders within the sports media space—ranging from athletes and on-air talent to media moguls and league executives who are instrumental in shaping the future of how fans view sports. Registration includes a full day of programming with leading names in sports media.

For more information: https://events.frontofficesports.com/tunedin2025.

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Hall of Fame baseball writer Bill Madden has covered the Yankees and Major League Baseball for over 50 years, including more than four decades with the New York Daily News. He is a bestselling author and the 2010 recipient of the Baseball Hall of Fame’s BBWAA Career Excellence Award. His new memoir is entitled Yankees, Typewriters, Scandals, and Cooperstown: A Baseball Memoir. Tracing through the timeline of Madden’s exceptional career, this book tells amazing stories of some wild times in the history of the New York Yankees and their bombastic owner, George Steinbrenner.

In this episode, Madden discusses the origin of the book idea. He tells incredible stories about covering the Yankees, specifically in the early 1980s at the height of the Steinbrenner circus. He comments on what newspapers were like in the past compared to online journalism today. He talked about the inner workings of the Yankees and the differences in player relationships today vs. when he traveled on team charters with the team.

Check out Yankees, Typewriters, Scandals, and Cooperstown: A Baseball Memoir by Bill Madden here: https://bit.ly/4lntjsY

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Longtime ESPN New York host Don La Greca is making his second appearance on the podcast. His first, Episode 336, came when he had two totally different jobs. In July 2025, La Greca was named the new television voice of the New Jersey Devils on MSG Network. He is also currently the host of afternoon drive on ESPN New York with Alan Hahn and Peter Rosenberg. In his first appearance, Don was a co-host on the Michael Kay Show on the YES Network and ESPN New York, and a backup radio play-by-play announcer for the New York Rangers.

La Greca has been a mainstay in New York sports for nearly two decades. He has always publicly revealed that he is a longtime fan of the Devils and that this is a dream job for him.

In this episode, La Greca tells the story of how this new Devils job came to be. He explains his lifelong fandom of the franchise and discusses the reactions he received from many broadcasting and sports dignitaries since the announcement was made. He also commented on the Devils' chances in 2025-2026, and what it means for him to have this opportunity.

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On July 31, 2025, for one night only in theaters, there is a new documentary entitled “Nothing But a Winner – The Alabama Football Story.” It chronicles the incredible history of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide Football Team. Alabama has dominated college football in the last century: 18 national championships, 30 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships, and 447 players drafted into the NFL. Well known for the greatest run in modern memory under legendary Coach Nick Saban, the origin story of this culture of winning was pioneered by Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.

Caleb Castille, an acclaimed actor, joined this episode to discuss being a producer for Nothing But a Winner. Castille played defensive back under Saban at Alabama. His father Jeremiah, who played defensive back under Bryant and later served as team chaplain for more than two decades, is a key feature in the film.

In this episode, Castille discusses the seminal moment at the beginning of the film, which describes the integration of Black players during the Civil Rights era into Alabama football. He also talks about Nick Saban’s unique legacy with the Crimson Tide, including his 2024 departure. Castille also discusses the changes in the college sports landscape and how Alabama needs to adapt to maintain its level of excellence.

Nothing But a Winner releases in theatres for a one-night showing on July 31, 2025. Go to http://www.nothingbutawinner.com/ for tickets.

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Longtime New England Patriots fullback James Develin is taking part in a fascinating swim challenge in the Hudson River. On Saturday, August 16, 2025, more than 350 participants will participate in the seventh annual New York City SEAL Swim, a demanding multi-sport challenge that spans 3.5 miles across the Hudson River. Starting at Liberty State Park in New Jersey and ending at the World Trade Center, this signature event honors fallen heroes and supports the mission of The Navy SEAL Foundation (NSF). The Navy SEAL Foundation (NSF) provides critical support for the warriors, veterans, and families of Naval Special Warfare (NSW).

The course includes three swim legs with stops at some of America’s most iconic landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. At each stop, participants will complete 100 push-ups and 22 pull-ups before continuing. The event concludes with each swimmer running with an American flag from Battery Park City to the World Trade Center, paying tribute to the lives lost on 9/11, the warriors of EXTORTION 17, and all Americans who serve our country in uniform.

In this episode, Develin explains how, in his post-football career, he is participating in the ultimate physical challenge and compares the training to when he played for the Patriots. He also offers a unique perspective on his former coach Bill Belichick’s new coaching job at North Carolina. He also offers insight on his former quarterback Tom Brady’s new role with FOX Television.

For more information on the New York City SEAL Swim, click here: https://impact.navysealfoundation.org/event/2025-nyc-seal-swim/e650865.

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On Saturday, July 19, 2025, the WNBA will hold its All-Star Game. The sport has seen exponential growth in audience and popularity since the emergence of second-year star Caitlin Clark. Still, when Clark missed time due to injury, ratings fell.

Dr. Tywanna Smith is a former pro basketball player and President of The Athletes’ Nexus. She, along with retired NBA star Sonny Weems, co-founded the Athletes Abroad Summit, a platform that empowers American athletes playing overseas to build sustainable success beyond the game.

They held a summit in Las Vegas during the NBA Summer League and will be in Indianapolis for WNBA All-Star Weekend. The activation brings together pro athletes, coaches, and executives to lead global conversations around business, branding, and legacy in sports.

Dr. Smith was a guest previously on Sports with Friends Episode 102.

In this episode, Smith details the Athletes Abroad Summit and what athletes need to know if they want to pursue playing outside the USA. She also discusses the impact of Clark on the WNBA ratings and discusses whether the league is too reliant on her for its success and whether the increased ratings are sustainable. She also discusses the overall appeal of Clark and the role race plays in it.

For more info: https://www.athletesabroadsummit.com/

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