NBC’s Mike Florio returns to the pod for a wide-ranging NFL season preview, tackling the biggest off-the-field questions facing the league: the NFL's in-house justice system, the league’s potential 10% ownership stake in ESPN and its impact on coverage, the NFLPA's leadership issues, the potential expansion to 18 games, and much, much more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fox Sports’ lead college football analyst Joel Klatt joins John to make sense of the sport’s ongoing upheaval—from playoff expansion madness and conference realignment to N.I.L. and the huge debates over the transfer portal. They also delve into ESPN’s continued GameDay supremacy over Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff (even after the Portnoy stunt), plus the Bill Belichick of it all. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ryan Spoon, president of Yahoo Media Group, joins John to announce the launch of the Yahoo Sports Network. He outlines the company’s strategy to serve content across mobile, web, YouTube, and FAST channels like Samsung TV Plus and Fubo. Spoon also discusses partnerships, the shift from linear to streaming, and Yahoo’s collaborative approach in a competitive sports media market. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ESPN’s Jeff Passan joins John to discuss the deepening tensions between MLB owners and the players union, highlighted by Bryce Harper’s recent altercation with commissioner Rob Manfred. Passan weighs the odds of a potential work stoppage and explains how a salary cap could reshape the future of baseball. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Axios’s Sara Fischer returns to the pod to help make sense of the biggest sports media plot lines from the past few weeks: Paramount’s $7.7 billion deal with UFC, ESPN’s respective bombshell pacts with the NFL and WWE, the network’s forthcoming D.T.C. product, and much, much more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Josh Pate, college football’s favorite late-night philosopher, joins the pod to break down his new distribution deal with On3/Rivals and Yahoo. Josh also retraces his winding path through the sports media ecosystem, and addresses a host of other topics affecting the college sports business. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nick Khan, president of WWE, joins John for an exclusive interview about the company’s blockbuster deal with ESPN to bring WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and its other premium live events to the network’s forthcoming streaming platform. They dig into what makes WWE such a coveted media property, the company's ongoing international expansion strategies, their partnerships with Netflix and Peacock, and much, much more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sally Jenkins, perhaps the best sports columnist in the business, joins John for a candid conversation about her decision to leave The Washington Post after 25 years and join The Atlantic. She reflects on her rise through the ranks, Bezos’s generous buyout offer, the uncertain future of The Post, what she hopes to tackle in her next chapter—and much, much more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Puck’s resident art market expert Marion Maneker swings by the pod for a rollicking conversation about the growing market for sports collectibles, from a recent $660,000 Caitlin Clark rookie card sale to the many ways auction houses are elevating collectibles into high art. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ESPN’s Don Van Natta joins the pod to break down the widespread dysfunction rocking the NFLPA—from sexual harassment claims to collusion accusations and more—that led to the abrupt resignation of executive director Lloyd Howell. They explore the myriad implications for the future of one of the most powerful labor organizations in sports. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sports Business Journal’s Bret McCormick joins John to chart the shifting priorities in sports ownership, from media rights deals to the increased focus on real estate development. They dig into how organizations across professional leagues are leveraging real estate for steady income, touch on the myriad challenges of financing new stadiums, predict whether the Washington Commanders will return to R.F.K. Stadium, and much more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michael Nathanson joins John for a rollicking conversation about the future of sports media. They dig into the R.S.N. slow bleed, CBS’s shocking cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, ESPN’s forthcoming D.T.C. service, which potential streamers will bid on NFL rights—and much, much more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps joins John Ourand for a candid conversation about the sport’s evolving media ecosystem, including new deals with Fox, NBC, and Amazon Prime. Phelps also outlines NASCAR’s experimental growth strategy; explains why he’s not in competition with F1 and IndyCar; and weighs in on the simmering legal standoff with Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan—while making the case for why polarizing personalities like Hamlin are important for increasing fan engagement. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NBC Sports’ Matthew Berry returns to the pod to share the growth story behind his fantasy sports startup, Fantasy Life. He explains how he attracted heavyweight investors like LeBron James, Maverick Carter, and Jeff Shell, and how the company has carved out a niche in an oversaturated space—boasting 1.5 million daily users and a 73 percent jump in revenue since last year. Matthew also weighs in on how leagues are adapting to fantasy and wagering—and how fantasy sports continues to reshape the relationship between fans, leagues, and gambling. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Puck’s A.I. expert Ian Krietzberg joins John for a deep dive into the growing influence of artificial intelligence in sports. Ian discusses the promise and pitfalls of A.I. in sports, from computer vision models to predictive analytics—and stresses the importance of deploying A.I. with intent, solving real-world problems rather than embracing the technology for novelty’s sake. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christine Brennan, the pioneering sports columnist, joins the pod to discuss her new book, “On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports.” She unpacks the WNBA’s struggle to match the moment of Caitlin’s rise, the financial implications of Caitlin’s ascent, the league’s perpetual lack of media attention and support, and much more. Christine also reflects on her own trailblazing career pushing through sports journalism’s glass ceiling. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Axios’s Sara Fischer returns to the pod for a sweeping tour of the most urgent issues in the sports media landscape—from the looming Trump–CBS settlement (and what a Skydance-Paramount merger portends for CBS Sports) to the College Football Playoff’s potential expansion, the growing leverage of live sports in ad markets, the possibility of a new NFL stadium in D.C., and much, much more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim—America’s preeminent tennis sage—joins the pod to explore the sport’s cultural resurgence, driven in large part by breakout stars like Coco Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannick Sinner. Jon makes a strong case for unifying the men’s and women’s tours, weighs into tennis’s global business dilemma, touches on growing interest from Saudi investors—and much, much more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paul Rabil, co-founder of the Premier Lacrosse League, joins John for a deep dive into the PLL’s new five-year media rights deal with ESPN, which includes an equity stake from the network. Rabil charts the PLL’s growth trajectory, teases expansion plans, and explains why the 2028 Olympics could be a turning point for lacrosse as a global sport. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alexi Lalas, Fox Sports analyst and former American soccer star, swings by the pod for a wide-ranging discussion about the accelerated growth of soccer in the U.S. Alexis lays out the MLS roadmap to global relevance, celebrates the rise of the NWSL, and explains why he’s bullish on the 2026 World Cup—and what this all means for the future of the sport in the U.S. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices