Matter of Sports

It is, without question, the biggest sporting event in the world...that's probably why they call it the World Cup. Unlike the World Series of Baseball, this event is truly world wide and has almost the whole world tuning in to watch. This year, the games are being hosted by North America: Mexico, Canada and the United States, a place where soccer, or football as its known around the world, is...

Depending on who you are, this was the greatest NBA Finals in recent memory, which seems like most of the country and every celebrity out there...or if you are from San Antonio, then not so much. This could easily have been the Spurs year except for one thing: The Knicks, who just seemed to want it more, and the City of New York who really seemed to need it. In this episode, Kent Koen and Jon Mada...

Well, here we are again. Our two hosts, Kent Koen and Jon Madani are not able to bring you a show this week for personal and professional reasons that have intersected and made it impossible to record a new episode. We ask that you please stay tuned next week for a new episode and well, basketball season has to end sometime. Thanks for listening and we will talk to you soon. For information about...

Think of a number. Any number. What does it mean to you? Is it the age of your youngest child? Is it the number of chicken wings you ate last night? Or, is it the number worn by your favorite athlete when he, or she, made their way into your personal Hall of Fame? In this episode, Kent Koen and Jon Madani take a look at the numbers 1 through 10 and decide which athletes were the greatest of all ti...

Well, it happens to the best of us. Time gets away and we have to put off some things that we couldn't get to. Being right in the middle of NBA Playoffs and the beginnings of the MLB season, work and travel have gotten in the way of us recording an episode this week, but Kent Koen and Jon Madani will be back very soon with another deep dive into the world of sports. We'll see you soon... F...

Do you remember the fable about the Tortoise and the Hare? The ultimate lesson of that fable was that slow and steady wins the race. The the world of college sports, that may be a thing of the past. Coaches used to have 5 years at least to turn a program around but now its all about RIGHT NOW! With NIL and the transfer portal, coaches are expected to get it done in just a couple of years...and som...

It has always been said that change is inevitable, but does it really have to be in America's Pastime? This season, Major League Baseball is rolling out an automatic balls and strikes machine that acts as a check on the human umpires who have been calling the game since it started. Will this improve the game or bog it down with replay after replay? How about the other changes that have come in...

Okay, so we don't even know if this is a word, but how do you feel about the Netflixification of Sports? Are you affected by the plethora of sports documentaries available on nearly every streaming platform? How about the dramas set in the world of sports? Do they make you want to start rooting for a new team? In this episode, Kent Koen and Jon Madani discuss this new phenomenon and if it actu...

Between every NFL season, the folks in charge take a look at the rules of the game and decide if anything needs to be changed to improve the game or make the game safer. Some of those changes are minor but every now and then, they can be...game changing. Remember the change to the kickoffs? Sometimes these changes come from looking at how other leagues are doing things. This coming season, the UFL...

Two of the biggest spectacles in all of sports just happened pretty much back to back. Superbowl LX and the 2026 Winter Olympic Games both had incredible moments, controversies, some absolute craziness and a whole lot of people watching. In this episode, Kent Koen and Jon Madani give their thoughts on these 2 iconic events and ask the enduring question..."what exactly is skeleton?" For i...

Hello sports fans! Due to work travel and some health issues (Ah-choo!) there will not be a new episode of the Matter of Sports podcast this weekend...but never fear! Kent Koen and Jon Madani will be back next weekend with a new episode to tickle your sports fancy. In the meantime, we encourage you to re-visit our last episode with Chris Plonsky and her take on the state of college sports. You won...

There is an old curse that says, "May you live in interesting times..." and in the world of college athletics, these are certainly interesting times. The question is, is it a curse or is it the beginning of a bright future? In this episode, Kent Koen and Jon Madani sit down for a conversation with our good friend Chris Plonsky who has done just about as much as anybody in shaping the present and f...

Congratulations to the Indiana Hoosiers on winning the College Football National Championship for the first time in their history! It was an amazing game that lived up to the hype and now its time to get ready for next season, and in this episode, Kent Koen and Jon Madani, wrap it all up and examine the state of college football today and where it's all going...oh and there might be a little b...

As we head into the NFL playoffs, this season will be unlike any of the others in the last several years. In this episode, Kent Koen and Jon Madani talk about all the differences, how we got here and maybe who's gonna win it all. Oh, and there will be a little bit of College Football talk too. For information about the podcast and links to further details on the issues we discuss, go to matter...

Its almost a new year and Kent Koen and Jon Madani have some sports New Years Resolutions that they want you to hear. No, these are not their resolutions....these are the resolutions they think other people (or even teams or organizations) should make. Oh, and they start off talking about the College Football Playoff (you didn't think they could leave that one alone, did you?). Enjoy the show...

The 2025 College Football Playoffs are set, and....wait, what? Who didn't get in? Surely you don't mean...wow. Well, hey at least they will get to play in a cool bowl game and....what? Really. And other teams too? Ouch. I think we have all had this conversation over the last several days, and Kent Koen and Jon Madani are no exception. Listen in as they try to make sense of it all, and mayb...

It's that time of year again where we take a look at life and give thanks for all our blessings...and stuff ourselves silly. On this episode, Kent Koen and Jon Madani share what they are thankful for in the world of sports. Oh, and just so you don't think it's all just sappy stuff, they spend a little time on the Kiffin of it all. For information about the podcast and links to further...

Once again we have come to that time of the year when all thoughts turn to one thing...okay maybe a few things...but a big one is the College Football Playoff. Its a time when everyone has an opinion about which teams should be there and and which teams shouldn't be, but the question is...how do they get there? What is The Process? Kent Koen and Jon Madani talk about the way it is and maybe th...

Gambling has been around as long as sports has been around. In many ways, gambling is as much a part of sports as the athlete is, but there have been long standing rules about who could place a bet on a sporting event and for most of known history, the athletes were not allowed. That will most likely be changing. In this episode, Kent Koen and Jon Madani discuss whether or not college athletes sho...

Seven head college football coaches have been fired since the start of the season. That's right...seven. Could there be more? Is this the right thing to be doing. In the episode, Jon Madani takes a look at this trend (?) through the lens of one particular coach firing that may not have been the best idea ever. Is Jon right or do these universities know something we don't? For information a...

It seems this week that we couldn't decide what to talk about...So we're bringing you two topics for the price of one! In this episode, Kent Koen and Jon Madani first talk about the College Football Playoff and whether or not the committee is listening to Jon, and then its baseball and the soon to be standard robot umpires which are there to make sure that the strikes and balls are really...

Remember the days when you got up in the morning and went outside to grab the morning paper and read the sports section with your coffee and toast? Or remember when you turned on the evening news and waited til the end when the sportscaster gave you the scores and the latest on your favorite team? Well, some of you are old enough to remember that...but a lot of you only remember getting that stuff...

Its hard to find a football fan these days who doesn't take part in Fantasy Football. Whether its to try and win some money, to feel more involved in the fandom or just to get together with friends and drink a lot, Fantasy Football has become a huge part of modern football fandom. In this episode, Kent Koen and Jon Madani talk about their fantasy leagues and how to put together a winning team....

We've kept you waiting long enough... Its time now to answer the question that everyone is talking about: how do we expand the College Football Playoff in a way that makes sense and won't make everybody crazy? Kent Koen and Jon Madani present the "Jon Madani Solution" or whatever we decided to call it. How do you think they did? For information about the podcast and links to further details on the...

Is there any topic more controversial than the College Football Playoff? Okay, yeah probably...but not in this episode! Kent Koen and Jon Madani delve into the CFP and discuss how its been going, what will happen in the future and what SHOULD happen in the future. Is a 12 team playoff okay, should it be more, should we go back to 4? How do we choose the teams? Should it be only the SEC and Big 10?...