House of Strauss

In terms of sales, Ashlee Vance might be the most successful writer we’ve had on this podcast, not that it’s a competition. And you know what? Sometimes the market is correct. Vance, whose new best seller is titled When the Heavens Went on Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach, has a knack for identifying and distilling fascinating subjects. His Elon Musk biography, for example, is one of the most widely read biographies of the last decade. Have I read these books yet? Well, not exactly, to my great shame. And yet the conversation we had about these works, and related subjects, happened to be fantastic. The conversation includes but is not limited to…* The privatization of space is a huge thing. Major implications* Can space exploration actually make money though? * Elon Musk…what’s his deal, man? * How did Vance wear down Elon Musk* Is sending rockets into space easier than simply saying what you think? * Why did tech stop awing us? * British sports media has more class solidarity; America sports media sniffs jocks* Ashlee extends me some compliments and testimonials! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comSaam Esfandiari and Spike Eskin are, respectively, co-hosts of the Light Years podcast (Warriors) and The Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast (76ers). Both teams had their seasons end in searing disappointment over the weekend, which can be a tricky outcome to handle if you’re running a fan pod. Both guys handle failure expertly though, so we got into the nitty gritty of how that goes, plus some of their theories on players and media. Conversation topics include but aren’t limited to…* The Ricky fans are broken; The Warriors fans…less so* How to make fans characters in your pod universe* I hate being wrong about sports takes. Saam and Spike think it’s key to not fear this* Is “loser energy” real? Are certain highly paid, incredibly successful athletes…losers?* Can it be possible that the fans care more about the outcome than players?* Does Doc Rivers have loser energy?* Was Joel Embiid maliciously taken out of context when quoted saying, “Me and James, we can't win alone”?* Is the normie take correct and Draymond Green really did doom the Warriors’ season by punching Jordan Poole?* At 1:04:45 we discuss an accidentally hilarious article by an SF Gate writer who attended a Dave Chappelle show in San Francisco and was aghast.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comGreat to have the New Y Post’s Ryan Glasspiegel on because there’s so much sports media to discuss. And we get into it, from the uncomfortably seedy (Media’s treatment of the accused), to the hilariously bumbling (Mark Jackson treatment of Jokic). This conversation includes, but is not limited to:* Matt Araiza media coverage (why did almost everyone get the story so wrong?) * Mark Jackson and his MVP snub of Nikola Jokic. Accidental? Forgiveness time?* Kevin Durant’s legacy. Should I have opened my mouth about it on Cowherd?* The non apology apology form Pat McAfee to Brett Favre* Will Tucker Carlson on Twitter work? Or is Twitter just not TV? * Why Bud Light got hurt by a conservative boycott but Nike is impervious to red backlash

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comThe myth, the man, the Meadowlarker returns for more conversation and takes. This pod begins with my sincere compliment of a guy who’s become, in my opinion, essential to that LeBatard operation. So without further ado, this podcast includes but is not limited to the following topics:* A former NBA player told Amin he loves his HoS appearances; This makes Amin suspicious of said player* I LARP’d as Keith Olbermann in 2012 because my bosses kept treating me better after tantrums* We theorize what happened with the Glen Kuiper n-bomb error* I display my sociopathic PR skills, reveal how I would have saved Aziz Ansari in 2018* How players get over or underrated over time (Did Kobe’s tragic demise influence the way he’s discussed?)* Some NBA hipsters say Scottie Pippen was a top 2/3/4 1990s player. We start a list of guys we’d take over the admittedly great Pip.* Shawn Marion as another “hipster revisionism” guy* Amin talks about the time Marion was force fed the star role he always begged for* Did Amin and Ethan cry on recent podcasts? Or merely pause?* Amin reads his childhood diary entries.* We love the Cam'ron and Mase sports talk show

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comWe’ve ombuds’d with Spike. Can we ombuds’d with Mike? We tried to stay on topic with Mike Pesca, public radio/sports podcasting legend, but we ended up hitting so many subjects outside this here website. Subjects include, but aren’t limited to:* I just came back from Florida. What’s the deal? * There once was a banana that everyone ate and it was called The Big Mike. Now it’s extinct. * I went on Pesca’s podcast to discuss Giannis Antetokounmpo’s “there’s no failure in sports” moment. We analyze why his listeners hated our take. * Is it helpful to exaggerate certain societal threats? * Mike’s NBA vs. Senate salary comp became a random controversy * I’m trying to outsmart Elon Musk. Good luck to me.* Is, “Go Woke, Go Broke?” true or false?* Mike wonders why I didn’t cover certain stories, like Jon Gruden’s Raiders ouster* The conversation about women’s sports isn’t very nuanced* Mike asks for my most progressive sports media opinion

I found myself fascinated by Sarah Hepola’s memoir Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget, and so I reached out for a discussion. The book was a huge bestseller when it came out in 2015 and it keeps resonating with new readers. I am one of those readers. Though I’d never met Sarah in person, she was one of my bosses at Salon.com in 2009 and 2010, and I’d had no idea she was going through any of what was detailed in her book. In this pod, we talk about her enduring hit, and her unusually candid writing style, but also get into a lot more. As a pop culture obsessed young GenXer, Sarah has a particular perspective on the culture and how it’s moved over the last couple decades. We wanted to talk some sports, but got too wrapped up in the conversation at hand. Next time! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

As co-host of the successful Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast and Vice President of Programming at storied WFAN, Spike Eskin has some audio bonafides. Having been spellbound by his takes on what makes a radio show work, I wanted his advice on how to improve my operation. So here we go, no mercy, no malice. Spike’s here to improve whatever ails the HoS audio product. Discussion on this podcast includes, but is not limited to:* Kitchen myths* What I’m doing wrong* How I’m not a natural point guard* The magic of pausing* Spike has takes on Rogan’s recent podcasts* We try to break down what makes Red Scare a hit pod* We get into the media going crazy over Giannis’ “failure” speech * No Spike podcast would be complete without takes on JJ Redick’s ESPN heel act* Additionally, no Spike visit would be complete without takes on ESPN’s “appreciate LeBron” messaging This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comThe sports/econ/culture/whatever combo returns to HoS and boy do we have a good one for you. The launching pad topic is the NFL’s latest sports gambling scandal, but this podcast goes in a lot of NBA directions. This conversation with Wos and Nate touches on, but is not limited to…* Somehow we start on the past inaccessibility of porn * Young Nate Jones was a vice salesman * Is sports going all in on gambling bad for sports? * Can sports gambling make sports more popular?* Can players be tempted to throw games?* Phil Jackson had some comments about the NBA bubble* Is it unfair that people punish the NBA for political hypocrisy? * What’s up with the Blazers having so much admiration for Draymond Green?* Is Draymond the greatest defensive player, post Bill Russell?

Sherman Alexie has won many literary prizes and also played pickup basketball against John Stockton. In this pod, he humors all my questions about Native American life, riffs on Draymond Green’s situation and recounts how competitively angry the Utah Jazz legend gets in person. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comAnthony Slater has always been great at this job, to the point of changing it for everyone else. The cinematic Warriors-Kings (Or should it be Kings-Warriors?) series is a perfect excuse to have an in the weeds conversation with The Athletic veteran and now new father. This podcast discusses but is not limited to the following topics:* Who else? Draymond Green* Slater should write a book about what’s happening* What was it like being 23 years old and covering the Oklahoma City Thunder?* Why does Slater appreciate that Russell Westbrook is an asshole to every media member?* Warriors GM Bob Myers has more than one foot out the door* Did Myers sort of screw the Bay Area media by complimenting their soft coverage of Andrew Wiggins’ absence?* The difficulty of discussing a players’ personal issues* Covering Thunder GM Sam Presti vs. Warriors GM Bob Myers* How Slater changed the industry for everyone and quite suddenly

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comI kept hearing it from some unexpected sources in my life: You gotta get Grant Cohn on the pod. With the NFL Draft coming up, it was finally time. No person in the sports media appears to have more disdain for the sports media than Grant. And that makes sense, even if his father Lowell was a longtime local columnist. Cohn has made it outside the mainstream circuit, pitching his bold takes to a Youtube audience. He’s been publicly attacked by multiple 49ers players, dismissed by other media outlets and yet, his channel just keeps growing and going. We get into it all. This pod includes, but isn’t limited to discussion of: * Grant thinks I’m more controversial than he is?!* We recall a past lunch wherein Grant confessed he was struggling to make it professionally* What happened to turn his career around?* Why does Grant have disdain for the sports media of today? * The Javon Kinlaw incident* Why did the media take Kinlaw’s side? Why did they call Grant a “troll”?* 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan is a fascinating study in coach psychology * Why do the 49ers care so much about his takes?* Andrew Wiggins being rusty cost the Warriors in Game 1. What’s up with the absence of commentary?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comAmin is back and taking this 1 hour 47 minute podcast into unexpectedly fraught territory. Beyond examining however my persona has evolved, we touch on some landmine topics. Discussion in this podcast includes, but is not limited to: * We riff on whether it’s moral to eat lion* Amin has thoughts on my (political? apolitical?) persona and how people assess it* We reflect on how normies vs. extremely online types reacted to the Rachel Nichols situation * We talk about, yes, the trans sports issue* We hear what Amin would tell his daughter per that particular issue* The MOM Rule, which is different from the DADD rule* We honestly discuss Warriors GM Bob Myers’ foray into podcasting and whether it’s working

Matt Klinman is a) My best friend since Middle School and b) the Co-Star of High Science, a new show on HBO Max that features Paul Bettany as an educational talking bong. Matt’s also something of a tech critic, who’s gone viral with his explanations of how Facebook killed a once thriving digital comedy scene. Beyond his show premiering on 4/20, this was an ideal time for us to chat, given recent Musk vs. Substack machinations. We get into that, while also arguing a lot. This pod discussion touches on, but is not limited to:* High Science as the show where it’s fun to learn* Trippy marine science facts* Matt thinks Musk attacked Substack because he “does things that suck because he sucks.” I demand a more granular explanation and we argue* Glass Onion is the most salient Musk satire. It’s also highly annoying to me* Matt lashes out at Matt Taibbi for being Gen X* Matt thinks our artistic nadir is more related to economics than Wokeness. I think Matt’s onto something but also in denial* Will AI kill us all? Do the nerds want to make it kill us all? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

HoS pod is quite happy to welcome Blocked and Reported co-host Katie Herzog. I’m a big BAR fan and believe it to be somewhat misunderstood, especially at this juncture. We get into how the podcast has evolved into a more journalistic and narrative driven product, plus touch on the ways an Old Public Radio golden age fell apart. This discussion touches on, but is not limited to: * Katie allegedly knows nothing about sports but somehow knows the relevant details of Meyers Leonard saying “kike” while gaming. * Shouldn’t the dumb jock defense help Leonard here? * White American NBA player politics * How Prestige 2000s Radio fell apart and why those carrying its torch are the people public radio hates * When you realize that the truth won’t set you free, what happens next?* Katie’s lost friends over what she’s written but I, oddly, don’t seem to have?* The challenge of sports with a lot of homophobia among players trying to advance Pride Nights* The Bon Appetit vs. Reply All Latinx Standoff Ouroboros* The Great Katie vs. Jesse debate about his leaving Twitter This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

Rob Perez, otherwise known as World Wide Wob, has a million Twitter followers based on his ability to share viral content fast. That means always being on the job, including the segment we’d blocked out to record this podcast. In this case we were delayed because, stop me if you’ve heard this excuse before, Rob had to Twitch stream a car chase involving a stolen police vehicle. Coming off the high of that police chase wrapping up, we got into how Rob does what he does and why. Discussion on this pod includes, but is not limited to:* What’s a “fur missile”?* Moral issues in doing play by play of car chases* Rob regularly watches up to nine NBA games simultaneously, at full volume. How?* Why the International NBA fans are getting burnt out on the sport’s controversies* What the hell was NBA Top Shot? * What specific NBA stories did Rob turn viral? * Is Rob the pig, or is he Gwyneth Paltrow? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

Damon Bruce and Ray Ratto were delivering great ratings in drive time at 95.7 The Game when, boom, they were fired out of nowhere. Nobody seemed to see this coming and it speaks to an overall instability in the radio industry. I had Damon on to discuss this shocker, look at his career in the Bay, talk about the radio industry and give us an indication of how he’s going to move forward. Discussion includes, but is not limited to:* What’s with the surprise firing? * Does Damon miss solo hosting?* Going toe-to-toe with Steve Kerr on James Wiseman* Damon vs. Gary Radnich, what happened there?* Talking about the long arc of Warriors success* How did having a stroke save Damon’s life?* Would Damon ever go back to KNBR? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comWe welcome back Big Wos and Nate Jones, two of my favorites in the NBA business/culture space. Today we discuss a range of hot button issues, including this forbidden zone that is the Andrew Wiggins situation. * Air fryers? A perfect life hack or a monstrosity? * Wos “Žižek” Lambre on why sports ceasing to care about fans is, indeed, capitalism* Wos with a take on the cringe/fake way LeBron becoming an owner would be advertised as representationism * Nate speaks on how the surrounding NBA organizational pressure is why players miss games that fans want them in * We get into the Andrew Wiggins situation with the Warriors. What expectations are fair and under what circumstances? * Are the NCAA women’s players more famous now than the men’s players? * Nate with a theory on how the NCAA women overtook the men* We get into how NIL changed the women’s game* Is the selling of sex appeal a problem for the NCAA? Or a benefit to those sports?* The “hoop dollar” vs. the “horny dollar”* Nate talks about what recruiting athletes for NIL is like.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comI once worked with expert NBA writer Rob Mahoney in what felt like impossible circumstances. Looking back, I want to know: Did he really handle it as easily as it looked from the outside? We get into that, take a look back on the industry and discuss his burgeoning podcast power. The episode touches on but is not limited to:* How did NBA writing become Rob’s life?* Why does he still do it?* Our insane experience of working at Bleacher Report in 2012* When the robots demanded that we say LeBron and D-Wade “choke because they’re mentally weak”* Did we experience the Chat GPT future in 2012?* How Sports Illustrated fumbled the bag* Who is the new Al Horford?* Can Rob explain Denver Nuggets title contention to a normie?* Rob’s Top 3 TV shows* Is Rob a nerd or a cowboy?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comMy old friend Tom Haberstroh stops by to break an NBA omerta or two. We get into his viral thread on how he ranked NBA referees and get deeper into one of the more protected subjects in sports. Podcast discussion includes, but is not limited to:* I saved my dog’s life, right before we started recording* Clearly I’m a hero* How did Tom figure out which referees the NBA favors most? * The NBA says they want half the refs to be female, but doesn’t appear to trust anyone in this cohort with big games* What’s up with players going after the refs in public?* Why did the refs submit a cringe apology to LeBron?* A lot more is known about the the Tim Donaghy scandal than is typically discussed* How Donaghy fixed games and how he helped the NBA by being an unreliable narrator* The scale of all the money that was chasing Donaghy’s picks around the world

Nick stops by for another round of unvarnished opinions about the industry and yes, on sports. This one went in many different directions and I enjoyed all of them. The podcast includes mention of, but is not limited to:* “Nick Wright has a shockingly attractive wife”* Why is local media now softer than ever on the teams it covers?* Should there be public funding of the media? * Are former athletes over indexed on sports television?* Nick takes issue with JJ Redick’s approach in his argument with Kendrick Perkins* Is there racial bias in MVP voting?* The original sin of Russell Westbrook winning MVP* With voting public, do NBA awards voters tail Zach Lowe’s opinions?* Nick and Ethan argue LeBron vs. Michael Jordan This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comBig Wos is back and he did not disappoint. We spent a good deal on Ja Morant aspects that have been undercovered and we riffed on a variety of topics that include, but aren’t limited to: * A check in on Wos’ popularity + ability to polarize * Has the money gotten too big in the NBA? * On why it’s impossible for Ja Morant to fumble the bag* A civilian vs. soldier dichotomy that isn’t related to the military * On the perils of Morant renouncing life as a “civilian” * NBA commissioner Adam Silver is only about business, and why that’s suboptimal* Adam Silver forces teams be the bad guy with punishments, which they resent * Has American basketball lost a step? * The NBA’s challenge in marketing the Europeans* Takes on Jon Stewart’s new gambit of interrogating extremely small time, small state politicians

I’ve long admired Adam Mares, a force behind DNVR Sports. What is DNVR, you ask? I’d say it’s a local sports site empire that’s spun its popularity off into, among other things, a Sports Bar. Not many in media have the vision or hustle to pull off what Adam’s done, let alone in a smaller market, replete with transplants. The guy just manifests. Among other big projects, Adam recently trekked out to Serbia to film an excellent documentary on the complicated origins of Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic. We discuss all this and much more. The pod talk includes, but is not limited to:* How did Adam find this burgeoning niche? * What was it like to discover that you’re a bigger deal in Serbia than in Denver? * There’s a Serbian word that’s difficult to translate and it’s the skeleton key to understanding Jokic and their sports culture in general* What’s going on with all the allegations of racial bias within the critique of Jokic’s third straight bid for MVP?* Is the media biased towards Jokic? If not, was it biased towards Steve Nash for a different reason?* Did the media apply a different standard to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s bid for a 3rd MVP? Is that wrong? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comAudio version of this article is up.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comThis time Ryan and I start off on the conventional topics before spinning off into strange directions. His tweet nicely summarizes the docket but I’d add that we touch on the Deion Sanders controversy as well. Enjoy.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comBeyond being co-host of the successful Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast and Vice President of Programming at storied WFAN, Spike Eskin is a keen observer of what works in the audio format. Given that, I wanted his NBA takes, but also his insights into what makes a sports talk personality succeed. In this episode, we looked at the NBA’s disastrous All-Sta…

Shadi Hamid is an author, Atlantic writer, and Brookings fellow with a particular skill for pointing out the flaws in comforting popular assumptions. I’m a fan of Hamid’s work, including his latest book, The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea.Three weeks ago, Shadi had a stray tweet about football fandom that drummed up some outrage at sports media sites. That’s not exactly why we’re talking, even if it is, in a roundabout way, how we came into contact. The anti NFL fan sentiment is a good jumping off point, though, to a broader discussion about sports, culture and whether it’s a force for good in society. Our conversation touches on, but is not limited to:* Football: Good for America?* Is football uniquely American?* How football in America is like hookah in the Middle East* The allure of nervous crowd energy* Shadi’s book on how liberalism and democracy are not synonymous* The difficulty of accepting a system in which you can lose, big time * The Cathedral, Yarvin, and the democracy-skeptical rightists This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comOur returning champ Ryan is back from Arizona, to discuss sports media goings on in the Super Bowl aftermath. We get into his experience of doing a Colin Cowherd profile, whether Brett Favre has a case in his suing of Pat McAfee and Shannon Sharpe, plus some LeBron James takes. This conversation broaches, but is not limited to:* Super Bowl viewership. A disappointment? * What’s Skip Bayless like in person?* The aforementioned Brett Favre: Why he’s not charged for a crime, why he’s suing Pat McAfee and Shannon Sharpe* Ryan’s annoyance at how Celtics-Bucks became a load management game* Can the NFL make women’s flag football a thing?* Bill Simmons and Spotify. Ryan gives some expository there* I oh so bravely stand up for Michael Jordan’s legacy vs. LeBron James

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comMy old boss, Athletic superstar and overall King of Bay Area Media stops by to talk Warriors and Niners. Obviously, the Warriors’ end to the Wiseman era gets some play here, but the conversation goes in a variety of directions. This podcast discussion includes, but is not limited to:* On how we should aspire to be like Steph Curry in terms of delegation* What happened with James Wiseman? When was it really over? * Can Joe Lacob be cajoled?* Tim’s Mailbag columns at The Athletic are incredible and he’s dropping news bombs within them* Why’d it end ugly between Kyle Shanahan and Jimmy Garoppolo?* How Brock Purdy seemed for real before getting thrown into action* Warriors GM Bob Myers: Is he leaving? Tim makes a bold prediction* Which team is bigger in the Bay, Warriors or Niners?* A theory or two on why Myers might be antsy to go* What does it mean that I declined to ask about the San Francisco Giants?* As a guy who serves readers expertly, but is often fighting with them, how does Tim feel about sports fans?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comMaggie Gray, CBS radio star and co-host of Maggie and Perloff, seems prone to unleashing a totally reasonable opinion that you’re not seeing elsewhere. Recently, it was the viral take that sports figures shouldn’t feature their children during press conferences (gasp!). On this episode, we get into the fallout from this heresy, plus address why James Dolan once went scorched earth against Maggie and her company. Topics on this podcast include but are not limited to:* Twitter made the media hate its customers* The evil anti kid take* Why the take is reasonable though scorned* Maggie interviewed Joe Montana the day this Wright Thompson piece dropped. * Cool Joe deflects, with honesty* How all great athletes fade from public memory* LeBron scoring title takes* The Rule of LeBron Cringe* Maggie vs. James Dolan* How’s the NBA doing right now?

Ross Barkan, proprietor of the best newsletter on New York politics, returns to discuss whether Knicks owner James Dolan might go down in flames. But before we get to that, he has a bone to pick with certain anti woke intellectuals. This conversation includes, but is not limited to:* The battle of ideas between Matt Yglesias vs. Wesley Yang* Ross’ critique of Yang’s recent focus* Can both Yglesias and Yang feel validated by history?* The Wokes, the Anti Wokes, and the Anti Anti Wokes, plus how nobody defines themselves as such* On how the cultural focus on Covid is fading out* Has James Dolan finally messed with the wrong crowd?* Dolan’s completely insane media tour This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comI’m on a big Richard Linklater kick right now, so Freddie’s Top 20 ranking of his movies came at the right time. Given the personal timing and Freddie’s excellent analysis, I just had to reach out and get some additional thoughts on the rankings, the director, and why his time-sensitive work endures. Yes, we also manage some modern media criticism in this episode. The conversation we have broaches, but is not limited to:Freddie’s review of TárMy dislike of HBO’s Inside the Episode features Why Freddie doesn’t write pure Culture WarHow the Boomers misled us on the finite nature of timeHow people who miss aspects of the past get stigmatized as owning all of itMalcolm Gladwell’s dirty trick against Matt Taibbi in the Munk debate If Dazed and Confused is a perfect movie, then why isn’t it Number 1 on Freddie’s list?The mystical nature of Matthew McConaughey’s charisma in Dazed and ConfusedWhy Freddie ranked his Before Sunrise trilogy the way he didDid Boyhood work? Was there anything deeper to School of Rock? Freddie discusses his piece on how the creative underclass is still raging

Meet Tyler Dunne, author of The Blood and Guts: How Tight Ends Save Football, and proprietor of the Go Long Substack. I’m a big believer in the principle that, the more specific the analysis, the broader the implications, and that’s why I was excited to read Tyler’s incredibly specific book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and, as happens, felt myself inspired to ask the author some follow up questions. On this pod, we discuss how tight ends unveil the meaning of life, represent the apotheosis of football player, get severely underpaid, and tap into a “sacred” tradition of permitted violence. Enjoy, unpaywalled. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comRyan is back, discussing events of the moment. The NFL playoffs is an unholy juggernaut, crushing all comers. We try out theories as to why it gained on the other leagues this past half decade. Then we pivot to “Canada’s top trending story,” a Russian defenseman, playing for an American team. This podcast discussion includes, but is not limited to:* The NFL’s golden decade, which has been largely unexplained in sports media* Are there any lessons to learn from its dominance? * What should the NBA have done? * Ryan loves the Joe Buck + Troy Aikman announcing combo?* Ivan Provorov, a Russian guy we’d never heard of, didn’t wear his NHL team’s Pride Night warmup shirt: Media anger ensues * Is the media freakout concentrated among Canadian journos, or are U.S. sports writers just as hyperbolic? * Ryan and I both aren’t in favor of punishing pregame abstentions like this, be it Colin Kaepernick, or this guy we just learned about* Why is the NHL, of all leagues, getting involved in controversies of late? * Bill Simmons had a fascinating interview with WWE CEO Nick Khan* Nick Khan has a theory on what ESPN might take from Turner in the next round of NBA television rights

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comI’ve known Bomani for about as long as I’ve been in this business and yet I never know what to expect when we catch up, beyond a great conversation. On this pod, he was candid about his adventures in sports television and insightful on a wide range of other subjects. The conversation includes, but is not limited to:* What it’s like to host a show* The time Bomani called me after I got fired* What prediction on his show is Bomani most proud of?* Sports and the crypto collapse: Why were athletes main characters? * Why doesn’t the NBA do promos like this? * We reflect on Bomani’s contention, “College basketball was better when Duke was the official team of White America.”* Does America benefit from sports rivalries as proxies for ethnic conflict?* Why did White America give up on basketball?* Why didn’t High Noon totally work and why was Bomani open about that reality? * What it’s like to perform your friendship for an audience when things aren’t working* Bomani’s thoughts on Skip Bayless vs. Shannon Sharpe* Bomani’s thoughts on his (perhaps) imitators* Is Chat GPT-style technology going to replace musicians? * Can the human love for music be wholly gamed by robots?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comBig sports media news week so we called in Ryan Glasspiegel to make sense of it all. This conversation includes, but is not limited to…* The odd media reactions to the tragic (though recently encouraging) Damar Hamlin situation. * Is it okay to do a story on how many people watched the scary situation? * The Football Hatin’ New York Times* Skip Bayless as the moment’s memetic scapegoat* Ryan and Ethan…don’t quite see how Skip’s tweet was that bad. * The building divorce between Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe* Ethan is against “disgusting” and “gross” Twitter responses* Stephen A. Smith addresses UFC impresario Dana White’s wife slap incident * Do we think reigning USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter’s going to lose his 2023 position over a 1991 kicking of his now wife? * Is Ryan’s affiliation with Ethan going to ruin his Madison Square Garden plans?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comHad the brilliantly idiosyncratic Athletic writer Marcus Thompson on to discuss if he came from the last generation of beat writers (then we took it from there). This is an industry chat, with the guy who served as my mentor as I entered the industry. Topics discussed in this podcast include, but are not limited to…* Beat writers…is that still a thing? * Is “no cheering in the press box” dead?* The Jenna Laine vs. Giovani Bernard controversy. Should Laine have apologized? * What are the unspoken rules in reporter vs. athlete locker room interactions? * How is covering NFL players different from covering NBA players?* How to ask questions of sports industry people* Why in person media access is humbling* What Marcus would ask players when they said “we’re friends.”* The darkness of humanity that superstar players see

HoS Pod welcomes Luke Burgis, author of the fascinating book Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life. I read it before our interview and can’t stop thinking about it. Not only is the book entertaining, but it gave me a different perspective on life. I can’t say that happens all too often. Luke is also the proprietor of the Anti-Mimetic, which continues on his book’s pertinent themes. A Substack devoted to one book’s themes might sound constraining, but perhaps after you listen to the podcast, you’ll see how Luke’s focus happens to be endlessly generative. Our conversation included, but was not limited to…* What is “mimetic desire”? * Why is understanding mimetic desire a skeleton key for understanding life?* Why Luke was researching professional sports (football specifically) for his book* To understand an athlete, you need to know what they desire* How the 1990s San Diego Chargers rejected the Denver Broncos imitative trap* How Steve Kerr used football coaching as a model for his basketball team* “I guess I believe in you more than you do,” as motivation* How similarity breeds rivalry more than difference does* What’s the most powerful mimesis engine: Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or Instagram?* The “training wheels truth” that Twitter is an echo chamber isn’t totally true* The scapegoat as a deep human need* “Torches of Freedom,” a 1920s example of social justice capitalism This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comAudio version of this article is up.

Ethan and Ryan are back and discussing matters of controversy, including, but not limited to:* Video evidence reviewed by the San Diego DA appears to debunk "gang rape" accusation against punter Matt Araiza. Why no media mea culpa? Why so much anger at, say, a Substacker who pointed this out?* On the Grand Narrative being more important than whatever happened* What's with the media trying to establish a standard where accusations alone = consequences?* On how nobody knows how to talk about college athletes and group sex at parties leading to bad outcomes* The sad news about Grant Wahl out of Qatar* Ryan's noticed a pattern where a lot of traveling sports writers die young* Viktor Bout traded for Brittney Griner: The reaction* Who else: Elon Musk. Is he in the Tyson Zone?* The circular debate over the Twitter Files This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comAndrew Sharp has a very particular set of skills, which is why Ben Thompson of Stratechery tapped him for a bold new podcast venture. Given that Sharp is, admittedly, not a tech expert, what is he doing co-hosting a tech podcast? Moreover, why is he ideal for such a role? Our conversation includes, but is not limited to: Sharp’s odd knack for being a pod wingmanThe Twitter files (Some of the conversation might be a sequel to last week with Ryan)* Why Sharp’s given himself over to the Elon News Era* Why we both think Musk is being dishonest in self presentation * Somehow we end up talking Trump* Is Elon 200 IQ Trump? * Civility is good* Is the “Karen” era on Twitter over? * The old Twitter days* The height of Grantland and its aftermath* We go long on LeBron* Why did Nike and the NBA bury Giannis’ rise?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comReturning media critic champ Ryan Glasspiegel stops by for an emergency pod. Why? Because a couple days just yielded way more novelty than could properly be absorbed by any one person. In this pod, our discussion includes but is not limited to…* Kanye/Alex Jones/Hitler* Elon/Matt Taibbi/Hunter Biden* LeBron/Jerry Jones/Kyrie IrvingAnd more..

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comCertified Graying Millennial Saam Esfandiari returns to HoS, giving out takes for the holiday season. In this pod, our discussion includes but is not limited to…* Looks like Saam was right about his James Wiseman pessimism. Can a man, in good conscience, feel validated by a 21 year-old’s struggles? * The Wiseman Paradox: How can such a talented player, with good counting stats production, be so destructively bad?* Why NBA players might prefer to be called a “pussy” over “coward”* The Bay Area Media and propaganda: We know we’re softer than other regions, but are we also more inclined to buy happy lies? * Why did veteran SF Chronicle reporter Connor Letourneau take a (probable) shot at Saam and his co-host Andy Liu? * What’s grinding Saam’s gears in this World Cup about American coverage of Iran? * Our takes on how U.S. player Taylor Adams dealt with some hostile questioning. Our takes on the takes in response. * Is it permissible for an American to say “Eye-Ran” instead of “Ee-Rahn”?* Our unvarnished takes on the U.S. women’s soccer team getting half the USMNT prize money. How sexist are we? Or are we nuanced? Listen and find out. * Who runs the Bay: Gians, Niners or Warriors?

Topics on this podcast include:* Why did Tyler write so much about sports in a book that was mostly anchored in the business world?* Is there a way to improve at writing?* Is there a way to anticipate a paradigm shifting talent like a Kevin Durant or Steph Curry?* Why email response time is such a huge indicator of top tier talent* How ambitious are you?* What’s up with NBA defensive superstars being hard drinking maniacs?* Yugoslavia as NBA talent river versus China as NBA talent desert* The power of high draft pick incumbency* On Draymond Green being a great role player vs. Russell Westbrook being a terrible superstar* The feedback to Tyler’s viral piece, Classical liberalism vs. The New Right This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comOn this pod, we discuss:* Matthew’s got a branding pitch for me.* How does a man with five kids possibly do this job?* How did the groundbreaking Fantasy Focus Podcast come to be?* How Matthew was a genius at navigating Bristol bureaucracy* Trades are about listening* At ESPN, Bill Simmons was outside in and Matthew was inside out* What were those Love/Hate columns really about?* Is Matthew morally conflicted about gambling? Even a little bit?* Who’s more the archetypal Gen Xer, Matthew Berry or Bill Simmons?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comWe’re not quite done with Warriors’ Punchgate, and I’ll seize on any reason to speak with independent GSW-centric podcasters Andy Liu and Saam Esfandiari. In this episode, we discuss: * Draymond and The Punch* Is the Bay Area media soft? Compared to what?* Toy Story is like Draymond/Poole* Why it was tough for a media startup to get a foothold in LA* My own conflicts of interest and how they intersect with a Klutch story* Andy talks about “Podmond” Green* Saam’s take: Was Barry Bonds a bigger star in his day than Steph Curry in his day? * Andy hates weed, is the anti-KD* Did the league back LeBron over Steph? How’d it go?* Can the NBA make new household names or are those days gone?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comRyan covers sports media topics at the New York Post and often joins me on Callin sessions where we speak with listeners. This time, we decided to do a House of Strauss podcast about the fascinating, messy, mysterious Udoka Celtics scandal. On this pod we discuss: * How ESPN seems to be burying the Udoka/Celtics story on its website

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comWarriors populist podcast host turned Startup Man Sam Esfandiari is back, providing his insights. On this pod, I wanted to approach the heady topic of Gen Z sports engagement, as per Sam’s new venture. We got there, but were also distracted by all the juicy topics out there in the winds. Those include but aren’t limited to:* Everyone’s talking about how we aren’t talking about Brett Favre* What the hell’s going on with Ime Udoka?* Why the Udoka situation is more interesting that the Favre imbroglio* The Great Trey Lance Ankle Bay Area Sports Talk Controversy of 2022* Jimmy Garoppolo, Gavin Newsom and the benefits of being really, really, really, ridiculously good looking. * Jordan Poole’s contract* And yes, the topic of the pod: Why Gen Z isn’t watching sports and how that can change

The audio version of this article is up. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comIn this episode we discuss:* Is First Take choreographed or wholly improvised? * Stephen A. Smith’s approach* Why we don’t see a lot of in person political disagreement on TV* The incentives behind the Don’t Apologize Double Down PR approach* The BYU-Duke media hysteria * Why did Jay Bilas back the Duke player, post debunking? * Are the people at Fox News as suscepti…

On Saturday evening, the great Jonathan Tjarks passed away from a rare sarcoma. You can donate to help his family at this GoFundMe. Jon was brilliant, grounded and endlessly curious, in addition to many other great qualities. In summation, he was one of the highest quality people I’ve ever met. This is a deeply sad occasion, but I’m also reminded of how Jon offered so many notes of inspiration during his life’s journey. With that in mind, I’m re-releasing this podcast we did last September, where we discussed “The Meaning of Life.” I promise it’s not as heavy as the subject material would leave you to believe, but it also could give you something to think about. Jon was good at that. So, here’s to a superb basketball analyst, family man, spiritual philosopher and friend. Rest in Peace, Jon. We love you. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe