The Varsity

Jaksot

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  TV’s New Gatekeepers 16.09.2026 42min

  Super analyst Michael Nathanson returns to the pod to discuss the tectonic forces reshaping how America watches sports. He and John unpack the logic behind Fox’s bid for Roku, why YouTube TV could save cable, Charter’s streaming-bundle strategy, and Netflix’s “eventization” of everything. Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/
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  Peter Schrager’s Big Day 13.09.2026 43min

  ESPN's Peter Schrager joins John to discuss his winding road to hosting his own daytime show. The two also dig into the Rams’ rough Australia opener, the NFL’s flag football and international push, the next wave of team owners, and the NFL’s standoff with YouTube over live rights.Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/
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  Nick Khan's Plan to Let the Boxers Box 09.09.2026 43min

  WWE president and TKO board member Nick Khan joins John ahead of Saturday’s Ryan Garcia-Connor Benn welterweight title fight to lay out the Zuffa Boxing strategy. The two dig into why past boxing broadcasters bailed on the sport, WWE’s Netflix and ESPN Unlimited deals, the soaring valuations behind the Lakers and Commanders sales, and why Khan tunes out the noise on social media.Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/
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  Jim Gray’s History Lessons 06.09.2026 43min

  The Zelig-esque sportscaster joins John on the eve of a new NFL season to discuss why football has a stranglehold on the sports-watching public. Plus he recounts the backstories behind his memorable interviews with George W. Bush, Mike Tyson, Pete Rose, and more. Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/
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  Can Washington Actually Fix College Sports? 02.09.2026 43min

  Industry consultant Marc Ganis, a member of President Trump’s College Sports Council, joins John to break down the bipartisan Senate bill aimed at saving college athletics from itself. The two dig into runaway transfer chaos, the Lakers’ $12.5 billion sale, why the Seahawks fetched over $9 billion, Lachlan Murdoch’s risky bet on NFL media rights, the league’s flag football and international expansion push, and the never-ending saga of the Bears’ stadium search.Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/
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  The NFL’s Broadcasting Shake-Up 30.08.2026 43min

  The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand returns to the pod to break down the biggest storylines in sports media ahead of the NFL season. He and John weigh Tony Romo’s odds of returning to CBS’s top booth, Mike Tomlin’s early days in NBC’s studio, and whether Aaron Rodgers could follow the long line of star quarterbacks into broadcasting. They also dig into the NFL’s media rights leverage heading toward 2030, Netflix’s uneven push into live sports, and the economics behind Pat McAfee’s ballooning role at ESPN.Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/
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  NASCAR’s $7.7 Billion Bet 26.08.2026 43min

  Brian Herbst, the executive who negotiated the sport’s media rights deals, joins John to assess a landscape reshaped since he signed them. The two dig into the new Chase playoff format, the surprisingly loyal audience following NASCAR across five networks, Herbst’s beef with Nielsen's methodology, and the sport’s growing bet on original content, including the Days of Thunder sequel.Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/
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  Life After SI 23.08.2026 43min

  Longtime Sports Illustrated columnist Jimmy Traina joins the pod to discuss why he left the publication after 20-plus years and what to expect from his move to Underscore Media. Jimmy and John also highlight some of the sports media trends they’re monitoring and how they expect the business to evolve.Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/
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  Inside D.C.'s Sports Ownership Boom 19.08.2026 43min

  Mark Ein, a veteran investor with stakes in the Commanders, Orioles, and Leeds United, joins John to trace his path from World Team Tennis owner to NFL minority owner. Ein breaks down why franchise valuations keep shattering records (hint: AI wealth), where he sees real risk in sports' media-rights dependency, and what it'll take to make tennis a bigger deal in America.
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  How Iger Got the Lakers 16.08.2026 43min

  ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, who broke last week’s big news about the LA Lakers, joins John to walk through how the $12.5 billion deal came together practically overnight. The two dig into the NBA’s exploding franchise valuations, what kind of owner Iger is likely to be, why LeBron James really left for Philly, and the murky, slow-moving investigation into the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard.
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  Cable Bundles of Joy 12.08.2026 43min

  John sits down with Guggenheim's Mike Morris to unpack the NFL's media rights maze and outline some worst case scenarios for the Sunday Ticket lawsuit. The pair dig into why the cable bundle still prints money, Netflix's math on Sunday football, and why the NFL's leverage, for all its power, isn't quite as bulletproof as it looks.
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  A ’26 NFL Off-Field Season Preview 09.08.2026 42min

  NBC Sports’ Mike Florio returns to the pod to preview the upcoming NFL season and the biggest off-field intrigue. He and John dig into the Sunday Ticket legal drama, Tony Romo’s arrest and indefinite CBS Sports suspension, the implications of NFL’s new ownership stake in ESPN, the enduring 18th-game chatter, and much more.
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  Netflix’s NFL Booth & CBS’s Romo Conundrum 05.08.2026 43min

  Athletes First executive Gideon Cohen joins John to take the temperature of a broadcasting market undergoing sweeping change alongside the rest of the sports media industry. The duo chew over the slow death of the studio show, Netflix’s new NFL booth, the Tony Romo suspension, and why the future of the business increasingly runs through an iPhone.
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  Can the WNBA Survive Its Own Success? 02.08.2026 43min

  Annie Costabile of The Athletic, who covers the WNBA and women’s basketball at large, joins John to discuss the league’s growing pains as it makes the leap from niche product to mainstream juggernaut. Annie explains why, despite record TV ratings, attendance, and sponsorships, the WNBA remains mired in internal conflict—from online harassment to the breakdown in communication between star players and commissioner Cathy Engelbert, whose future in the role is very much in question.
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  Is the A.I. Arms Race Coming for Sports? 29.07.2026 43min

  Analyst Michael Nathanson joins John to break down some of the biggest storylines in sports media right now—from the implications of Paramount pausing its Warner Bros. deal to the way the A.I. capex arms race has reshaped how streamers approach sports rights. He also gets into Netflix’s sports strategy, Apple’s sports rights appetite, and more.
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  What ESPN’s Layoffs Really Signal 26.07.2026 43min

  The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand rejoins John to break down ESPN’s recent layoffs, which hit more than 100 employees. They explain why the NFL Network acquisition—and the massive salaries commanded by the likes of Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee—set the stage for the cuts. They also discuss the SEC’s stance on the Protect College Sports Act, streaming’s growing influence over NFL rights, the future of NFL Network under ESPN, and more.
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  Has the U.S. Finally Fallen in Love with Soccer? 22.07.2026 43min

  JT Batson, C.E.O. of the U.S. Soccer Federation, joins John to lay out his vision for “the American soccer movement”—a five-year push toward two marquee moments: the 2028 L.A. Olympics and the 2031 Women’s World Cup. Batson makes the case for building the sport at the grade-school level, explains why corporate dollars are suddenly lining up behind soccer, and argues why MLS 3.0’s success is imperative to the sport’s broader rise in America.
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  Can MLB Surpass the NBA? 19.07.2026 43min

  The Athletic’s Evan Drellich joins John to discuss MLB’s looming labor war. Evan puts the odds of a 2027 lockout at 100 percent and the chance of missed games at 75—all while baseball is enjoying a banner season with increased ratings, attendance, and sponsorships. They also explore the sport’s real potential to surpass basketball, the challenges facing its next media deal, and more.
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  Presenting: Fantasy Football Today 17.07.2026 11min

  Want to dominate your league and earn Fantasy Football bragging rights? Join the crew at Fantasy Football Today. Adam Aizer, analysts Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, Heath Cummings have everything you need. Start or Sit, Waiver Wire, Buy or Sell, Grade the Trade, and Fantasy Cops to settle your league disputes and answer all your listener questions. It’s like hanging out with your buddies and talking football—if your buddies actually knew how to win you a championship.
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  Caught Stealing… The View? 15.07.2026 43min

  Puck’s legal expert Eriq Gardner joins John to work through a docket’s worth of sports media legal battles—from the looming challenges to the Paramount-WBD merger to the NFL’s ongoing antitrust case. Plus, a long-simmering dispute between the Chicago Cubs and the rooftop owners over sightlines into Wrigley.