Phantom Island

The map of college hockey champions and teams that claim titles in baseball and softball don't overlap very much, and that gives Steven some questions to bring to Ryan. Does the regional nature of these sports put a limit on their potential success? Should we live in a world with more Arizona States starting hockey teams? And will the traditional Big Ten teams ever take baseball seriously again? P...

On this edition of the show's mailbag, Steven Godfrey considers the future of Georgia Tech after losing their athletic director, how adding another triple option team changes things in the AAC, getting recruited as a specialist, whether Billy Napier is an FFC, and what recent moment of parenting has made him most proud. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers...

If you can get a head coaching job in the National Hockey League, there's a decent chance you'll have a shot at a second, third, and maybe even a fourth somewhere down the line. This isn't quite as true in the NFL, NBA, or Major League Baseball, so Steven and Ryan discuss their own theories for what makes retreads more prominent in hockey before asking an actual expert, ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, for...

The union of numbers and words continues as ESPN's Bill Connelly sits down with Steven to talk about the challenges of building experienced rosters in the MAC, whether Kirby Smart will find his next evolution, the potential of a USC-Illinois showdown, and a whole lot more. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Pha...

As two children of the 1990s, our hosts have an obligation to remember the teal-tinged days when the Charlotte Hornets, Carolina Panthers, and Florida Marlins first came into being. But this episode isn't just about Remembering Some Franchises. Steven and Ryan review the history of expansion in the four major men's sports in the US, put hockey to one side, and then ask where, when, and if we'll se...

After years of tumultuous relationships and mixed results in the Big 12, Texas moved to the SEC and things turned out...totally fine, with a national championship in softball, a run to the Final Four in women's basketball, and a football appearance in the SEC title game. But there's lots to unpack about the Longhorns all the same. How do they feel about the resumption of the A&M rivalry? Which...

Rodger Sherman joins Ryan Nanni on this episode to talk about FIFA's latest invention: the Club World Cup, a 32-team tournament thrown together to...well, move a lot of money around, for one thing. Why does this event exist in this form now, how do fans feel about it, and what is with the pronunciation of DAZN? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield Apparel and produced by Michael Surber.

Get ready to catch the bouquet, as the original marriage of numbers and words is back with special guest Bill Connelly. Topics include Rice’s move to the triple, Houston vs. Madison, an attempt to predict fortunes in the Big 12, and whether Godfrey can be talked back into Clay Helton. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign u...

Year 2 of the UFL – the merger of the USFL and the second edition of the XFL – has resulted in mixed TV ratings, shuffled coaching staffs, and less of The Rock. What does the UFL need to do in order to succeed, and how can they learn from past attempts at spring leagues? Steven and Ryan consult Justis Mosqueda, who worked with the XFL on player evaluation and roster management during the league's...

Steven tackles listener questions on three different ACC-related topics, considers an impossible Ohio State or Kent State theoretical, gives you a brief overview of his evolving habits as a moviegoer, and much more. Presented by Homefield Apparel and produced by Michael Surber.

In most professional leagues, rookies are prized possessions that can help teams effectively manage the salary cap, develop talent for the future, and show their superiority in scouting. So why do some women's basketball players get picked in the top 20 and wind up washing out before their first season even begins? This is the question that Ryan brings to Godfrey on this episode, with a special ap...

The Jordan Bulls dominated the NBA and the sports cultural landscape in the 1990s, but fans have spent the last 25 years watching an organization swinging between mismanagement, heartbreak, and mediocrity. Maggie Hendricks, Ricky O'Donnell, and Jack Silverstein join the show to share their favorite Bulls memories, explain the dreaded GarPax, and discuss where Bulls struggles fall in the general an...

The NFL schedule for 2025 is out, and Steven Godfrey is not happy with how many prime slots went to the Dallas Cowboys. So he and Ryan sat down, with some numbers, to figure out whether or not America's team actually gets more choice television placement than their record merits and uncover which team isn't getting the TV love that it should. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield Apparel and pr...

Steven returns to answer listener questions about expectation for Sonny Dykes, the future of Northern California's college football programs, the steady creep of gambling into sports coverage, and a whole lot more as The Single Wing makes its triumphant return. Presented by Homefield Apparel and produced by Michael Surber.

Early in the 2025 NCAA men's basketball tournament, Will Wade was connected with the open job at NC State. Critics complained this distraction was unfair to Wade's players at McNeese State – and then they beat five-seed Clemson. Steven and Ryan discuss the grudges still held against Wade, how the NFL restricts hiring during the playoffs, and evolving notions of etiquette. Phantom Island is present...

Welcome to the debut of "Numbers & Words," in which we take a single, anecdotal idea from sports and borrow a smart person to prove its empirical value. On this episode, Parker Fleming (@statsowar) stops by to help Godfrey walk through an idea about the newfound interchangeability of college football linemen in the NIL and portal era. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield Apparel and produc...

In 2022, a new competitor to the PGA emerged: LIV. Three years, many hundreds of millions of dollars, and a lot of bitter golf feelings later, has the alternative league succeeded as an entertainment product, a revolutionary force in the sport, or a sportswashing enterprise? Ryan presents these questions to Steven on the first episode of Phantom Island, presented by Homefield Apparel and produced...

Phantom Island, a new show from Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni, is coming to this feed soon, as our several other projects from Steven and Ryan. This, however, is not one of those projects, but merely a placeholder to give you a feed to subscribe to. REAL episodes will be longer than two minutes and usually have at least one word by Steven, unless you tell us you want no words from Steven. The mark...