The Varsity

Julia Alexander joins John for a wide-ranging conversation on the high-stakes battle for sports streaming supremacy. She unpacks Peacock’s savvy regional sports play, ESPN’s multi-pronged strategy, and YouTube’s untapped advertising goldmine. Plus, she analyzes Netflix’s more experimental approach and why Apple TV+ is struggling to keep up. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practic...

MoffettNathanson’s Michael Nathanson and Robert Fishman join John for a deep dive into the world of streaming. They debate the brewing Netflix vs. YouTube streaming war, examine the fluctuating landscape of sports media rights, and explore what’s next for ESPN’s Flagship. Plus, they probe the broader implications of sports betting for the sports media industry. To learn more about listener data an...

Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright joins John for a candid chat about the evolution of his legendary career. He explains the moment he knew it was time to retire and discusses how the job changed over his 22 years helming Villanova, including two national championships. He also weighs into all the massive upheaval in college sports, the notorious transfer portal, and the murky future of the NCAA Tourna...

Luis Silberwasser, the C.E.O. and chairman of TNT Sports, joins John for a rollicking discussion about the state of his company in the aftermath of losing its rights to the NBA. Luis goes deep on how those negotiations unfolded, and breaks down TNT’s shifted focus on digital expansion and engaging a younger audience. He also dishes on their unique relationship with March Madness, and how he feels...

Golf Channel’s Eamon Lynch joins John for an in-depth breakdown of the chaos percolating professional golf. Eamon explains why the sport is facing a crisis of confidence and structure—and why the PGA Tour can’t just rely on its past glory anymore. He also dishes on the Tour's search for a C.E.O., calls out its history of arrogance and complacency, and takes a deep dive into the ever-controversial...

NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman joins John for a deep dive into the league’s burgeoning popularity, following a record-breaking season in attendance and TV viewership. She highlights the power of storytelling in building cultural relevance before pulling back the curtain on the league’s massive media rights deals with ESPN, CBS, and Amazon Prime—a game-changing 40-fold increase in game sales. Jes...

Axios’s Sara Fischer rejoins John to dig into the rapid decline of R.S.N.s, and in particular, the unraveling of MASN—once the home of the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles. With the Nationals walking away from the network entirely, could this move pave the way for Ted Leonsis to buy the team and create a D.C. sports monopoly? Plus, the duo forecast the fallout of the MLB-ESPN uncoupling...

Roger Bennett, founder of the Men in Blazers Media Network, joins John for an in-depth look at the highly anticipated 2026 World Cup in North America. He explores the challenges of building momentum and awareness leading up to the tournament, its potential to leave a lasting imprint on American soccer culture, and the significance of tentpole events in sports media. To learn more about listener da...

The Athletic’s Evan Drellich joins John to weigh into the imminent ESPN-MLB divorce, and offer a behind-the-scenes snapshot of how owners are coming to grips with the split. Evan also explains why he doesn’t think this is truly the end of the ESPN-MLB relationship, previews baseball’s upcoming labor negotiations, discusses the financial fallout from the R.S.N. collapse, and hints at potential rule...

Big East commissioner Val Ackerman joins John for a deep dive into the present and future of college sports. She lays out the Big East’s strategy for thriving in a football-dominated landscape, probes the possibility of a Big East-ACC merger, and breaks down the conference’s approach to revenue sharing. Val also reflects on her groundbreaking role as the WNBA’s first commissioner and explains why...

CNBC’s Alex Sherman joins John for a deep dive into how leagues can maximize profits from social media engagement in the streaming era. They also wade into the brewing media rights battles between traditional networks and streaming giants, with UFC and F1’s rights up for grabs, before Alex shares his personal insights on the overall state of sports media and the business behind the games. To learn...

NBA Hall of Famer Grant Hill joins John for a candid conversation about his pivot from the court to the sidelines, where’s he's become a standout broadcaster. Hill discusses his ownership stakes in various sports franchises, the health of the NBA, and the impact of their blockbuster media rights deal. He also reflects on leading Team USA to back-to-back gold medals and weighs in on ESPN’s evolving...

ESPN’s Shams Charania, the consummate NBA insider and veritable scoop machine, joins John to probe some of the biggest business stories ahead of NBA All-Star Weekend: the impacts of sports betting, Maverick Carter’s attempt to jumpstart an NBA-adjacent international rival, and the league’s evolving trade dynamics. Plus, Shams explains the bizarre Luka-A.D. trade—and how he broke the story. To lear...

NBC Sports president Rick Cordella joins John from Super Bowl weekend in New Orleans for an in-depth conversation on the business of the NFL and the evolving landscape of sports media, breaking down the NFL’s unparalleled ability to draw massive viewership and the complexities of media rights negotiations. Then he offers a preview at what’s in store for NBC’s NBA coverage and a look at next year’s...

ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. joins John for a wide-ranging conversation on the NFL’s booming business, where soaring ratings and sponsorship deals underscore the league’s financial dominance—highlighted by the Dallas Cowboys’ staggering $10 billion valuation. They also tackle some of the league’s prime concerns, including the perceived officiating problems, before discussing the power dynamics of owne...

TNT analyst and former NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy joins John for a broad-spectrum chat about the overall health of the league. The duo address potential scheduling and rule changes, the realities of player empowerment, the influx of 3-point shooting, and much more. Plus, Stan shares his insights on the turbulence in college basketball, and offers his take on how to mitigate the instability surr...

Fox Sports and NFL Network analyst Peter Schrager joins John for an in-depth look at the business trends shaping the NFL as the Super Bowl approaches. They explore the league’s media opportunities, the growing influence of streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon, and what it all means for traditional broadcasters. Then they debunk the idea of “Chiefs fatigue,” before Peter explains why relying on...

Michael Nathanson rejoins John to dissect the most pressing sports media topics of 2025: Netflix’s potential bid for UFC rights, the challenge of building a sustainable PPV business model, the viability of ESPN’s streaming strategy (and Fox Sports’ need to develop one), and so much more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Lea...

NBC Sports’ college football insider Nicole Auerbach reunites with John for an all-encompassing deep dive on the new-and-improved 12-team CFP. Nicole discusses the biggest successes like increased fan engagement throughout the regular season; shortcomings like the problematic seeding issue; potential tweaks like further expanding the field to 14 teams; and much, much more. To learn more about list...

ESPN studio host Laura Rutledge joins John for an exuberant wide-ranging conversation about the future of the sports media business. Having recently signed an extension with ESPN, Laura discusses what drove her decision to stay put, before diving into the challenges of cord-cutting, the potential impact of streaming services like Netflix and YouTube TV, the CFP’s expansion, the NFL going abroad, a...

Axios’s Sara Fischer joins John for a wide-ranging conversation covering the latest trends transforming the sports media landscape: the striking Disney-Fubo merger, DirecTV’s new $70/month sports package, the potential ripple effects of a TikTok ban on sports media, and the murky future of R.S.N.s in major markets like Chicago and New York. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practic...

C.E.O. of TMRW Sports Mike McCarley sits down with John to dish about the launch of TGL, the semi-virtual, made-for-TV indoor golf series co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory Mcllroy. After nearly a million viewers tuned in for its ESPN debut, McCarley opens up about the league’s innovative format, his strategic partnership with Disney, how TGL is shaking up the traditional golf world, and whether t...

Puck’s legal expert Eriq Gardner joins John to break down the year’s first huge M&A earthquake: Disney cutting a deal to merge its Hulu + Live TV with Fubo. What does the combination mean for ESPN’s own planned streaming service, Flagship? And what’s next for Venu Sports? Then Eriq and John turn to how a combined Hulu + Fubo product might actually work… To learn more about listener data and our pr...

Rich Clark, executive director of CFP, joins John for a candid conversation about this year’s College Football Playoff and the state of college sports in the NIL era. They discuss the early successes of the inaugural 12-team format, CFP going head-to-head with the NFL, potential changes we could see down the line, the New Orleans act of terrorism that caused the Sugar Bowl to be delayed, and much...

The Office co-stars and best friends, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, are doing the ultimate Office-lovers podcast for you. Each week Jenna and Angela will dive deeper into The Office giving you access to even more behind the scene details, interviews and lots of stories that only two best friends who were there, can tell you. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: htt...