

House of Strauss
Ethan Strauss
A podcast about sports, politics, the future and technology. www.houseofstrauss.com
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 12, 2025 • 50min
HoS: Andrew Sharp on if this is the best time to be a sports fan
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comAndrew Sharp from Sharp Tech (and many other pods) is here to break down why the hell Paramount Plus paid the UFC over a billion dollars per year. We cover that and..Trump DC crime takeover? This episode goes places. Topics include…* Why Andrew Sharp thinks Air Pods = Massive Apple scam* The shocking UFC/Paramount deal* Is this the best or the worst time to be a sports fan?* Why the NFL has a secret interest in keeping ESPN alive* Was Game of Thrones the last monoculture show?* Is White Lotus monoculture?* What’s wrong with Apple TV’s “Stick”?* Trump’s DC crime takeover* Andrew CRUSHES journalist Peter Baker* Why did Taylor Swift choose to announce her album on New Heights?* The real problem with showing Taylor Swift so often during NFL games

Aug 7, 2025 • 33min
HoS: Nate Jones on ESPN NFL, WWE Deals
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comIt’s time for some sports biz with Move Insoles entrepreneur and NBA agent Nate Jones. We don’t have traditional sponsorships here, but House of Strauss certainly endorses Move and Chat BCC. Huge happenings in the world of ESPN this week, and I needed Nate’s insider perspective. We discuss…* The NFL formally joining forces with ESPN, getting a 10% equity stake* Roger Goodell saying his competitor isn’t the NBA, but instead Google* The WWE and ESPN agreeing to a five-year, $1.6 billion deal* How has pro wrestling gotten more popular after publicly revealing its fakeness?* Is danger key to pro wrestling maintaining popularity despite scripted nature?* The Agency Model, where Klutch or some other agency runs an NBA team* Are the Spurs wrong to give De'aaron Fox a massive contract after (an assumed) prior handshake deal? * Is coaching via LLMs really the future of youth sports?

Aug 7, 2025 • 33min
HoS: Sarah Hepola on America's re-embrace of "tatas, uptops, boobs"
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comSarah Hepola is here for one of my favorite conversations of the year. It ranges from Brent Musburger’s public horniness to American beer advertising to honest analysis of the nation’s attractiveness insecurities. Topics include but aren’t limited to…* Who else? Sydney Sweeney: A complete analysis* What did “sex sells” go away in advertising?* “Hot, Not Pretty” vs. “Pretty, Not Hot” actresses* If we’d known nothing about the controversy, would we find the jeans ad weird?* Aren’t ads supposed to tickle our horrible base impulses?* Las Vegas sexy jobs that aren’t “sex work”* The cartoonish sexism of social media era beer ads * And the twiiiinnnns* What’s with blondes? * Uncomfortable realities of who’s popular in the dating market * Green dildos on WNBA courts

Aug 6, 2025 • 1h 3min
Pesca Random Offense Plus
House (of Strauss) keeping here. My Random Offense with Mike Pesca is up, file included in this email. Subscriber Craig T. Schwerin thoughtfully built off my “LLMs will be Ozempic for Golf” post. Sarah Hepola pod was just recorded, that’s incoming. In the meantime, I’ll be chatting about green WNBA dildos on BCC, so sign up for that.House of Strauss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Aug 1, 2025 • 6min
Narrated: TIME 100 and Podcast Graveyard Rage Bait
Audio version of this article is up! Chat about it and other topics on BCC. House of Strauss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Jul 31, 2025 • 9min
Narrated: Nobody Knows How Much to Pay WNBA Players
Narrations of articles are back! This one in particular kicked up a lot of conversation in the House of Strauss group chat on ChatBCC, which I’d encourage all to join. House of Strauss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Jul 25, 2025 • 1h 4min
Random Offense with Ryan Glasspiegel on the HoS feed
Many of you have been asking that Random Offense audio find its way to the HoS feed, and we’ve worked things out to make it happen. This week we’ve got a State of Sports Media pod with Ryan Glasspiegel. Next week, when I’m back from vacation, we should have regularly scheduled HoS pods back in production. Have a nice weekend, everybody. House of Strauss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Jul 3, 2025 • 31min
HoS: Jay Caspian Kang
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comA great talk with Jay Caspan Kang on his viral, “Heir Ball: How the Cost of Youth Sports Is Changing the N.B.A.” We also discuss Jay’s BULLYING of Christine Brennan over her defense of Caitlin Clark. Topics include but aren’t limited to…* Why youth sports is insanely competitive right now* Jay’s own misgivings about becoming a competitive sports dad* Why is t…

Jul 1, 2025 • 32min
HoS: Saam Esfandiari
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comLight Years co-host Saam Esfandiari is here to explain his perspective on NBA free agency, parenting, and Iran. Massive range in this pod. A great talk as always, including but not limited to…* Is there much to say about beloved Kevon Looney leaving GSW? * Why, oh why, is the “cuck chair” Saam’s preferred metaphor for GSW roster moves?* Why is Saam desperate to deal Jonathan Kuminga?* What is the chance Kuminga flourishes elsewhere?* Are millennial stars doomed to get injured?* Sam Presti shuts down Adam Silver’s BS on injuries!* We love what Denver did (Cam Johnson fro MPJ)* Western perspectives on the Middle East? * What’s with the American White Guy NBA moment right now?* Israelis in the NBA? * How to approach youth sports as a parent

Jun 27, 2025 • 1h 24min
HoS: Dieter and Hutch
Dieter Kurtenbach and Jake Hutchinson have done for 49ers Youtube what pod friend Nate Duncan did for NBA podcasting. I’m entranced by how Dieter and Hutch have decided to build an audience by getting as niche as possible about my local football team. And so we dig into what they’re doing and why it works. Enjoy!House of Strauss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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