The Press Box

Bryan is joined by ‘ESPN Daily’ host Pablo Torre to talk through his career, starting at Sports Illustrated fact-checking and covering basketball star Jeremy Lin and Linsanity, before then moving to ESPN to become a full-time writer. Later, they touch on his transition to podcasting and discuss working on his former show, 'High Noon,' and his current podcast, 'ESPN Daily.' Host: Bryan Curtis Guest...

Bryan and David discuss the Supreme Court’s ruling to reverse the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and address the policies within newsrooms that prohibit journalists from speaking out on behalf of the issue (9:11). Later, they weigh in on the comment, “I’m not reporting this but…” where reporters and podcasters express their opinions whilst not being held accountable (29:14). Plus, the Overworked Twitte...

Bryan Curtis is joined by longtime sports radio host Angelo Cataldi to talk through his career in media, which has lasted over three decades. They discuss transitioning from print journalism to radio, how to grow an audience while keeping your fan base, the format and schedule behind each show, the impact WIP has had on Philadelphia, and his upcoming retirement. Host: Bryan Curtis Guest: Angelo Ca...

Bryan and David are back to discuss the last of the 2022 NBA Finals after the Golden State Warriors took home the championship. They revisit the NBA bumper music and highlight Game 6’s playlist, recap the Steph Curry debate, and touch on the biggest winner of the Finals—Draymond Green (5:36). Later, they weigh in on Jemele Hill’s tweet discussing the transition from music to podcasts and audiobook...

Bryan is joined by play-by-play announcer Mike Breen to discuss his career transitioning from radio to television, the differences between calling regular-season and postseason NBA games, working in a three-man booth alongside Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy, and the responsibility that comes with calling the Finals. Host: Bryan Curtis Guest: Mike Breen Associate Producer: Erika Cervantes Learn mo...

Bryan and David break down the dispute between 'Washington Post' staffers on social media that resulted in the firing of reporter Felicia Sonmez. They discuss the repercussions of the situation, and how this affects the 'Post' and other newsrooms (7:39). Later, they touch on all the tweets following Game 4 of the NBA Finals, from Steph Curry doubters to Draymond Green's podcasting (26:09). Plus, t...

As drama swirls around the PGA and the new LIV Golf Tournament, ESPN’s Kevin Van Valkenburg joins from London to get Bryan Curtis caught up to speed on all the action. They discuss how the LIV Golf Tournament came to be, why this story matters, why the PGA is facing an “existential threat,” and why LIV Golf is financed by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. Host: Bryan Curtis Producer: Troy...

With the absence of Mike Breen from the past few NBA games, Bryan and David have some audio fun and highlight different broadcast styles (4:16). Then, they are joined by sports columnist Dieter Kurtenbach to discuss covering the NBA Finals and reporting on the Golden State Warriors (29:05). Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline. Hosts:...

Bryan is joined by Boston Celtics radio play-by-play announcer Sean Grande to discuss his career in broadcasting, covering basketball compared to other sports, the difference between TV and radio, and what it’s like covering the NBA Finals. Host: Bryan Curtis Guest: Sean Grande Associate Producers: Erika Cervantes and Isaiah Blakely Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoi...

Bryan and David are joined by KOC to discuss covering the NBA, his Boston Celtics fandom, favorite analysts, and the two Finals contenders (11:06). Later, they discuss Chris Russo's statements on the recent mass shootings in the U.S. (35:41). Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker Guest: Kevin O'Connor Associate Producer: Erika Cervantes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/...

Bryan is joined by Bill Simmons to discuss his journey in podcasting, his writing career, favorite moments, and what he sees next for media. Hosts: Bryan Curtis Guest: Bill Simmons Associate Producer: Stefan Anderson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bryan is joined by ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series novelist George R.R. Martin to discuss his career as a journalist at Northwestern, his view on the media and the impact of the internet, and takeaways from the 2022 NFL draft and his New York Jets and New York Giants fandom. Host: Bryan Curtis Guest: George R.R. Martin Associate Producer: Erika Cervantes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit pod...

Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker are joined by the 'Wall Street Journal'’s Jason Gay to remember the great writer Roger Angell. They reflect on his style of writing, longevity, and discuss some of their favorite stories (5:16). Then, Bryan talks about his experience at the PGA Championship in Tulsa (31:46). After that, Jason comes back to join David in trying to guess the Strained Pun Headline of...

Reporting from the 2022 PGA Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma Bryan is joined by CBS announcer Jim Nantz. They run through four past championships called by Nantz and discuss the most memorable moments, including John Daly’s remarkable win in 1991, the golf ball that may have been “kicked” during Tiger Woods’s run at the 2000 Championship, Rory McIlroy’s win in 2014, and finally, Phil Mickelson’s co...

Bryan and David are joined by Turner Sports and Bleacher Report host Adam Lefkoe to discuss his career in media, working in funny references, and what he saw coming prior to this season’s conference finals (7:28). Later, they rehash the NBA bumper music, hand out the 'Press Box' Total Pro of the Week award, and touch on the Drew Brees broadcasting narrative and Phil Mickelson sitting out the PGA C...

Bryan and David are back to discuss the news that Fox Sports hired Tom Brady as an NFL analyst after he retires. They discuss the Fox announcement, how this contract compares to others in the industry, and when Brady might make the transition. Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker Associate Producer: Erika Cervantes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bryan and David discuss the jam-packed weekend in sports, and highlight Martin Brundle’s F1 grid walk interviews with celebrities such as David Beckham, Serena Williams, and not Patrick Mahomes. Then, they discuss calling NBA buzzer-beaters, ESPN’s choice in bumper music, and Turner Sports deciding on their no. 1 announcing team (6:17). Later, they weigh in on Politico’s Supreme Court scoop that d...

Bryan is joined by sportscaster Scott Van Pelt to discuss his tribute to his late dog, Otis, his career with the golf channel and eventually 'SportsCenter' on ESPN, his relationship with Tiger Woods, and the skills that go into calling golf ahead of the PGA Championship. Host: Bryan Curtis Guest: Scott Van Pelt Associate Producer: Erika Cervantes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoi...

Bryan and David are joined by Kevin Clark to break down Formula One coverage ahead of the first U.S. race, the Miami Grand Prix (4:58). Later, they recap media moments from the 2022 NFL draft from tipping picks to guest announcers (34:57), and then wrap things up with a conversation about ESPN’s Mike Greenberg (50:15). Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week, and David Shoemaker Guesses the...

Bryan is joined by author Don Winslow to preview the new novel in his ‘City on Fire’ trilogy. They discuss the writing process and the influence the ‘Iliad’ had on this particular novel, touch on the impact smartphones have on crime novels, and later, Winslow shares news of his retirement and what the future holds. Host: Bryan Curtis Guest: Don Winslow Associate Producer: Erika Cervantes Learn mor...

Bryan and David discuss the three-day-long NFL draft, starting with what we saw at the combine, the increase in media coverage, and they weigh in on prospect Kayvon Thibodeaux and the recruiting process (13:31). Later, they break down the news that Elon Musk will be buying Twitter for $44 billion, examine Jerry West’s case against the HBO producers of ‘Winning Time,’ and wrap things up with a fare...

Bryan is joined by sports announcer Kevin Harlan to discuss his journey working in the sports media industry. They touch on Kevin’s first job out of college for the Kansas City Kings, discuss the opportunities that calling an NBA game provides compared to calling other sports, talk about the importance of watching your own film, and weigh in on the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs. Host: Bryan...

Bryan and David react to the first round of the NBA playoffs and discuss the Kyrie Irving drama, buzzer-beaters and replay reviews, and the play-in tournament’s impact on the sport (7:47). Then, they break down the USFL’s return, highlight another Media Piss Test, and weigh in on the Announcer Voice (35:42). Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun...

In advance of the 2022 NFL draft, Bryan is joined by Peter Schrager to break down his career in sports media, his transition to television, the NFL draft coverage, and media draft cliches (1:38). Later, Dan Woike joins to discuss reporting on this season’s Los Angeles Lakers, from Russell Westbrook joining the team to the post-game interactions between reporters and athletes (44:02). Host: Bryan C...

Bryan and David break down Tiger Woods’s return to golf, the discourse surrounding his career, and interesting TV moments from the 2022 Masters (10:46). Later, they discuss the awful death of Dwayne Haskins, former NFL quarterback, and weigh in on Adam Schefter’s tweets that broke the news (30:44). Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline....