The Jacobin Sports Show

What do FDR and the current alleged president have in common? What gubernatorial candidate promised voters to make their "wet dreams" come true? It all comes to light in my interview with writer/comedienne/farmer/TN State House candidate Ali Simpson (44:28) on why she's running for office for the first time, what that process is like & what are the main concerns of her & her...

We open with the significance -- light & dark -- of Pablo Torre breaking the Kawhi/Ballmer scandal, juxtapose Angel Reese's recent comments with another star who said virtually the same thing with no controversy and find more evidence Jim Ratcliffe just straight-up hates the Manchester United women. Manchester United's men's soccer club has been struggling for a while now. Is there...

Who will win Game 7 of the NBA Finals? Who won the KD trade? On a scale of Three Mile Island to Chernobyl, how much of a disaster is the Club World Cup? Why are tennis players who aren't doping still getting marks against them? Find the answers in this episode!

In which we welcome our favorite sportswriter and ask her: how historically shocking would a Pacers' title rank? After some Finals talk, it's NY, NY the rest of the way -- why we weren't sure the Knicks would fire Tom Thibodeau & why it's encouraging they did. Is Ranger goalie Igor Shesterkin *that* good? Is Ranger GM Chris Drury *that* bad? Also: the new Mets, what one thing w...

The Ringer's Howard Beck talks whether Cleveland should make a move or stay the course, if KD or Giannis are more likely to be traded, whether teams can still plan for 3-5 year runs under the current CBA, if Tyrese Haliburton a bully or a killer & more

Seth Rosenthal (The Secret Base) and Matthew talk about the ways working in sports media has changed over the years, how it hasn't, some of the behind-the-scenes truths of that world and what it's like caring about sports as all the world crashes and burns. We also talk about the greatness of this year's Knicks!

In this episode, how Sacramento's firing of Mike Brown pretty much bounces off him while reflecting poorly on owner Vivek Ranadive; how Minnesota put Julius Randle in position not only to fail, but to be scapegoated; why James McAllister was right to slur Spurs fans; why Aaron Rodgers isn't merely a bad QB; and the intersection of chess, pantaloons and sex toys.

Women's college gymnastics coach Diana Gallagher joins the show to talk about the marvel and the madness that was infamous Olympic coach Béla Károlyi. Plus when is your favorite team signing an icon still problematic , how are college football coaches pissing away millions of dollars in salary, why might Paige Bueckers want anything but to be the 1st pick of next year's WNBA draft, and more!

The Ringer's Howard Beck on the KAT/Julius Randle trade, is the new CBA is more restrictive for players than its priors, whether the Bulls or Pistons are sadder, more NBA questions & what instrument he used to play. And in part 1 of a new series, we explore some of the similarities between Michael Jordan & J.S. Bach.

The WNBA owners & players are at a critical point in the league's evolution; how can the workers make sure their demands for dignity are enshrined and ensured? Plus: a 34-year playing career nears its end, Yankees talk with Joe Flynn & Dominick Duthel on growing up a Black baseball player during the time Black players are rarer and rarer.

Japanese baseballers push for more rights. The National Women's Soccer League implements the most humane CBA in all of sports. Caitlin Clark is the most impactful rookie since?? And Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea . . .

From Imane Khelif's joyful light to Simone Biles' endless exceptionality to Manizha Talash's selfless sacrifice, there are Olympic stories worth celebrating . . . and castigating. Also, Dearica Hamby's calls out the WNBA as unjust -- will its media do the same? Finally, a few days after a gay baseball icon dies, bigotry in Boston.

This episode features all things Kings hoops with Sacramento icon Jrue. How do fans there feel after two turnaround regular seasons without playoff success? What key offseason issues does the team face? How is it that the "small-town" Kings and the big-city Knicks are such perfect spiritual cousins? This was a fun one!

Man City's four-peat and the Knicks in a Game 7 lead to questions about the WNBA's direction. Then Alford Corriette (HerHoopStats) breaks down half the league plus questions about charter flights, the in-season tournament and if the W would welcome a young star pushing for early draft eligibility.

One of sportswriting's brightest minds & clearest communicators, Caitlin Cooper talks transitioning from covering sports for a corporation to starting her own supporter-based site & the challenges and rewards that brings. Then we talk Knicks/Pacers playoffs -- what happens when a team that struggles with switches meets one that hates switching? Which player in the series is like a pebb...

How are the Mat Ishbia Suns like the Jonestown cult? Why doesn't Reggie Bush's retro-Heisman matter? Also: NBA playoff talk, Candace Parker leaves the WNBA, Jurgen Klopp nears the end at Liverpool and somber numbers regarding death and boxing.

Matthew on when losing is like fish sauce, the NBA's 3-body problem and how the Atlanta Hawks are Swedenborg's Hell. Kris Pursiainen talks today's sports media landscape as well as NBA play-in/playoff topics.

In this very special episode, part 1 discusses LSU/Iowa's Elite 8 blockbuster, the Minnesota T'Wolves fussin' billionaires, the EPL's 3-horse home stretch and the tsunami of sports gambling red flags. In part 2 Matthew interviews a very special guest and announces the show's new name.

The 99th episode centers on the impacts #99 has had on Matthew over the years.

Chris Herring talks Usher, a little NBA and Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. Sometimes titles are throwaways, but this episode's really did cover it all.

In this episode we visit four stories that highlight the age-old truth that $$$ isn't everything: why Malcolm Brogdon may rightfully refuse to be traded to a better team; how the NBAPA appears to have failed Joel Embiid and the rest of its members; Tony Snell gaining sympathies before losing them; and Michael Jordan making on octogenarian widow cry.

The Oakland A's are pure evil. Trevor Bauer thinks casual sex was the problem. Reminders that sometimes Draymond and Kyrie are a story's objects and not its subjects. Crina Mustafa touches on the impact of Canada's RJ Barrett returning home before diving into the structural WTFery of professional tennis today.

Quis ipsos custodes Draymond? How does Shohei Ohtani's record-setting contract reveal MLB stars are being short-changed financially? How could a QB as accurate as Patrick Mahomes be so off the mark with a failed apology? Then Noa Dalzell joins to talk Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Joe Mazzulla and all things Celtics, plus we explore how, why and where the NBA must show the fans it cares mo...

Today's show centers on reminders of the sports world of the past (Florida State victimized by college football's corruption), the present (the NBA's In-Season Tournament & load-management hypocrisy shows the league couldn't care less about harming bodies) and the future (Juan Soto to the Yankees & Ed Cooley's righteous reaction after a tough Georgetown loss both offer...

In which big news about the potential futures of the podcast arrives, and then it's on to stories from the world of sports (and one that isn't) that remind us some traditions are worth keeping in our lives, while others should be discarded as soon as possible with extreme prejudice.