Phantom Island

Sometimes, Ryan Nanni becomes excessively intrigued by an oddball sports occurrence. On this episode, he's bringing one such instance to Steven Godfrey to discuss: the time Drew Brees and the Saints nearly finished a game perfect on third down. What made this feat possible, why is it unlikely to ever be surpassed, and how long does it take Steven to trash the Saints and Sean Payton? This is a prev...

Andy McGrath, freelance cycling journalist and author of Tadej Pogacar: Unstoppable joins Ryan Nanni to review four decades of French futility at cycling's biggest race. What explains the drought of French champions at the Tour de France? Will 19-year-old Paul Seixas end that losing streak? And how badly do the French want to see one of their own finish in the yellow jersey? Phantom Island is pres...

Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni review submissions from the Phantom Island audience focused on one topic: which team has the best narrative case to be the next to end a long championship absence? From division mates in the NFL to polar opposites in the NBA to a variety of baseball options, there are plenty of trophy-less teams to choose from. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available...

Ryan Nanni is joined by Ben Strauss, Sports Business Reporter for ESPN, to discuss the evolving art of measuring/promoting/analyzing sports viewership, but not before Steven Godfrey hops on to explain the dog-related weaknesses of the old Nielsen ratings. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey is joined by ESPN's Bill Connelly to discuss if Memphis or Navy or even UTSA can take advantage of an interesting year in the American, what North Dakota State will do in year one at the FBS level, how we should think of the reconstituted Pac-12, and whether Jim Mora has magic powers. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland...

Dan Devine, cohost of The Big Number and senior NBA writer for Yahoo, joins Ryan Nanni to discuss the persistent narrative of Jalen Brunson, The Most Unexpected Finals MVP. What makes Brunson different from other small guards before him? Why did the league seemingly undervalue a player who'd won so consistently in high school and college? And what might teams learn from watching Brunson lead the K...

Steven Godfrey takes the microphone for this edition of the Single Wing, answering listener questions about the Big 12's eject button, the school that reminds him of his 26-year-old truck, the theoretical basis behind It Just Means More, beverage rankings, and working with your friends. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign...

Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni have some fun exploring the cost of World Cup group stage tickets before Ryan is joined by Rachel Bachman, Senior Sports Reporter at the Wall Street Journal, who's written about the individual struggles of fans trying to get into the games of the 2026 tournament. How (and why) has FIFA changed its pricing structure for this World Cup? What was the whole deal with seat...

At the end of a week that began with Brendan Sorsby winning a temporary injunction against the NCAA and seemingly preserving his chance to play most of the 2026 season, Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni sat down to talk about what that injunction actually did and why many headlines don't describe the issues with sufficient precision. We also consider the philosophy behind the cardinal sin of sports -...

Ryan Nanni is joined by Jake Kring-Schreifels to discuss Jake's recent piece on a phenomenon popping up all over MLB stadiums : loud, omnipresent music and sound effects throughout baseball games. Why are stadiums cranking up the volume? How do fans feel about the change to the traditional baseball experience? And will this become the new normal for America's pastime? Phantom Island is presented b...

Steven Godfrey sits down with Ryan Nanni to discuss the untimely demise of Kyle Busch and examine how we react when athletes suffer unpredictable harm, why the circumstances of Busch's death affect us in a somewhat personal manner, and whether there are any lessons to learn from this tragedy. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show t...

Rodger Sherman, writer of the Sports! newsletter , joins Ryan Nanni for a discussion of the long and tortured history of the New York Knicks under James Dolan, the historic run the team has gone on to get to the NBA Finals, and why Knicks fans may have a multibillion dollar concert venue in the Las Vegas desert to thank. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber. We'r...

Steven Godfrey is joined by ESPN's Bill Connelly for an early 2026 snapshot of where things stand in the MAC, what possible upheaval of the pecking order looks like in Conference USA, and who you should keep an eye on in the Sun Belt. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield a...

Justin Ferguson of The Auburn Observer joins Ryan Nanni to discuss an incredibly tumultous year for Auburn's men's basketball team that ended with a championship victory in the NIT. What did the national perspective miss about Steven Pearl getting his dad's old job? How did a seemingly fine Auburn season fall to pieces? Will Bruce Pearl, Talking Head be good, bad, or both for the Tigers? And why d...

On this bonus episode, Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni examine Bear Bryant's 1970 loss to Sam Cunningham and an integrated USC team, a game mythologized as a watershed moment in the racial politics of college football in the South. Was this truly an unprecedented loss for Alabama? What efforts at integrating had Bryant and the Crimson Tide attempted before this? And did this game overshadow other tr...

Ryan Nanni sits down with Steven Godfrey to review a classic of offseason sportswriting: the coach profile. Examining the work Godfrey did interviewing coaches from James Franklin to Tom Herman to Geoff Collins, this episode explores how these pieces come together, what agendas they serve for both sides, whether you can get actual journalism from these stories, and why Godfrey eventually decided t...

Steven Godfrey accidentally starts a book club on Phantom Island, and entry one is American Men by Jordan Ritter Conn. Steven and Jordan discuss the economics that pop up across the four stories that make up the book, the role sports play in this examination of modern masculinity, and the closeness Jordan achieves in bringing readers to the four men of his book. Phantom Island is presented by Home...

Susannah Fuller, host of the Kickback Committee , joins Ryan Nanni to discuss Major League Soccer's motivation to align its schedule with the rest of the world in the men's game, why the National Women's Soccer League came to the opposite conclusion, and what the shift (and non-shift) will mean for both leagues. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

The Pete Carroll Seahawks gave their fans and the football world a seemingly endless supply of spectacle. More than a decade since their Super Bowl triumph over the Broncos and subsequent Super Bowl agony on the goal line against the Patriots, how do Seattle fans feel about the past, present, and future of their team? We talked to Mina Kimes, Jacson Bevens, and Natalie Weiner (before Seattle won a...

On this edition of the Single Wing, Steven Godfrey answers subscriber questions about alternative Nick Saban timelines, nostalgia for College GameDay, the Fuente and Pry eras at Virginia Tech, and how the new Pac-12 will sit in the eyes of the Playoff Committee. Oh, he also has some thoughts on That Lane Kiffin Profile. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers...

Ryan Nanni is joined by Sports Business Journal's Ben Portnoy to discuss how we can make sense of the steady trickle of news linking universities and conferences to private capital/equity, why investors think college sports are a good place to park millions of dollars, what schools actually plan to do with new capital, and whether this will close financial gaps between programs or widen them. Phan...

Former UNC football player and current TarHeel247 analyst Michael Felder joins Ryan Nanni to discuss the football failures of Bill Belichick's first year in Chapel Hill. Where did the defense find improvement over the course of the season? Was the offensive failure an issue of identity or execution? What's the case for optimism in year two? And what does Felder think is the root problem that will...

It's early May, which means it's the perfect time for Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni to sit down and scheme up a plan to build a Week 2 in college football that helps address realignment fatigue, geographic rivalries, and NFL creep. And we'll only need the cooperation of Oklahoma, Air Force, USC, Missouri, Miami, Baylor, Cal, Notre Dame, Maryland, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, and a few dozen others to...

Steven Godfrey is joined by Lindsay Crosby, host of Braves Today , to discuss The Battery, the mixed-use development that opened in 2017 with retail, office space, and residences that functions as one little mini economy all benefiting the fortunes of the Atlanta Braves. What did people think of The Battery when it was announced? Why do so many other teams want their own version? And could Cobb Co...

A Phantom Island subscriber asks Ryan Nanni and Steven Godfrey whether labor discussions in sports will change the way we think about the topic in the broader world, and that prompts a much longer conversation between the two about media work as advocacy, sports as an escape from the burdens of politics, and, yes, the Josh Pate interview of Trump. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produ...