House of Strauss

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comBeyond being a noted animal lover, Spike Eskin is one of our favorite guests. As co-host of the successful Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast and Vice President of Programming at storied WFAN, he’s always got great insights on the world of sports content. This podcast was no exception and I found myself having too good a time to end it on schedule. Topics include, but aren’t limited to: * Politics in sports and audience expectations* What Spike learned from a brief time in con radio world* Following Nate Silver’s theories on why many predictions are wrong* Is Harden constantly requesting trades really player empowerment?* Jeff Teague and the power of honesty in player podcasts* The decline of consensus opinions on TV shows* Spike has issues with The Bear* Did it matter if Mad Men wasn’t a completely accurate portrayal of the past?* Every TV show has its version of Dorne in Game of Thrones* How liking Oppenheimer can get you accused of being a communist* AI Music Covers* Things you would say with friends at a barbecue that would start a Twitter war

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comBomani Jones is here and suddenly without constraints. We had a great conversation on sports industry topics, many of which we were able to get to by using the Damian Lillard/Le Batard/Woj situation as a jumping off point. Oh, and below we’re testing out a more complete podcast outline, put together by Sam Schuette. Pod subjects include but aren’t limited to:* Individual branding* After leaving ESPN, becoming your own brand as a journalist* ESPN equity stakes to NBA and NFL* Desperation? Inability to compete with big tech* Chess move? Leagues could be going for established networks after failed NBA TV* NFL has leverage over ESPN, no need to make deal* NFL’s popularity over other leagues* Good balance of variance and predictability in the NFL makes it exciting* Regular season matters more in NFL which piques interest all year long* Lillard trade/Woj drama* How did Woj’s relationship with Lillard’s agent influence his reports?* Lillard’s situation reflective of shift in players’ status in how they get to pick their next destination even when under contract* Different types of journalism (Windy vs Woj)* Windhorst: brings fans behind the scenes* Woj: more focused on breaking the big news first* White guys in the NBA* Tyler Herro undervalued because he’s white?* Whiteness can be a detriment to how a player’s perceived when he’s below average, but an asset when he’s good (x-cubed analogy)* White Americans vs white Europeans (guys who connect with media vs foreigners perceived as outsiders)* Many white Americans grow up in predominately white areas (where it’s more socially acceptable for a white guy to aim for the NBA)* Taylor Swift male audience* Recent influx of male audience members at Swift concerts, particularly among Gen-Z* Do guys actually care about her music or is it just a way for them to get a date?* Jonathan Ogden story (some guys simply enjoy the music, even those you’d least expect)* Messi in Miami* Miami is an ideal location because of Argentine population* It’s an “events” city* Will be tough to because few fans care about the team, only Messi himself* Running back salary* Running backs supposedly underpaid* Complicated by the fact that RB’s often leave their primes when they’re up for free agency* In multiple sports, CBA’s complicate players salaries and create disconnect between max contract players versus role players* Bomani addressing naysayers* TV show ratings* Unpredictable takes (sometimes traditionally left-wing, sometimes not)* What’s it like to have your career discussed as a proxy for wokeness

Jonathan Rosen, author of 'The Best Minds', discusses his memoir and horror story about his childhood best friend, Michael Laudor. Topics include Laudor's journey from boy genius to killer, the book as a mirror for an era, the influence of media on decision making and generational dreams, exploring Jewish culture and illness, contrasting personalities and envy in upbringing, the tragic nature of mental illness, and understanding schizophrenia and its connection to drug use.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comI feel like Big Wos and I podded at the perfect time, given that Monday delivered a lot of sports media drama. Beyond all that, we went long on symbolism-as-politics, the Dame Lillard trade standoff, and, of course, The Bear. * This pod includes but is not limited to discussion of the following topics:* Dan LeBatard vs. Adrian Wojnarowski * Dan LeBatard vs. Stephen A. Smith* Is Woj wrong factually or just tonally? * We revisit Jemele Hill’s comments on what got her fired from ESPN* Political symbolism: What does it accomplish?* Wos has takes on the Heat vs. Blazers standoff over Damian Lillard * Is The Bear truly a great TV show? Is a backlash brewing? * Wos has become a great NBA analyst

And now for something completely different…Kat Rosenfield is an author and writer who often boldly covers matters of cultural controversy. So what does this podcast have to do with sports? Not much, beyond the following: So many people I ran into at NBA Summer League couldn’t shut up about Jonah Hill. Given that Kat has covered the Hill situation on her podcast, I wanted her additional takes on the topic. First question: Why the hell is this private matter made public such a story? Subjects on this podcast include but aren’t limited to…* Kat thought I might tie this to sports somehow* How this private drama got such public traction* Airing dirty laundry for the “win”* “Professional Surfer”?* Why are pro-therapy people anti “therapy talk”?* Rationalizing bullying as righteous * Can famous people really ever find love, post fame?* Looks as often unacknowledged social advantage (or disadvantage) 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.comPuck News co-founder and Ringer podcast host Matthew Belloni presents the most comprehensive view of whatever’s happening in showbusinss, both big and small picture. Naturally, I wanted his takes on the role of modern sports docs (Such as Quarterback on Netflix), ESPN, and the death of tentpole comedies post 2014. We got all that, plus a lot more, within a highly efficient podcast. Topics include but aren’t limited to: * Should I paywall this?* Is the much hyped Quarterback on Netflix actually good? Maybe not? * Matt’s take on the new Steph Curry doc and what isn’t in it. * Why is ESPN unable to afford sports docs that Netflix gobbles up?* What’s ESPN’s future in this dark hour?* How’s the NBA getting involved in streaming?* Is the NFL on Amazon a success?* The decline of comedy movies: How much does social media sensitivity play a role?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comWhen Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports and the Volume podcasting network stopped by HoS, I wanted to pick his brain on industry subjects. As expected, he was a stupendously entertaining font of behind scenes takes. As a TV sports talk king and a podcasting network founder, he sees the modern content economy from different perspectives all at once. So we get into that, plus a lot more, as we freestyle 90 minutes of loose talk. Enjoy.This podcast includes but is not limited to discussion of the following topics…* Choosing storytelling over big names in sports talk* On talking politics in sports media and whether ESPN had too much of it* How Colin manages his podcast personalities * Why did Colin bet big on Nick Wright early on?* How does Colin balance Draymond Green being on his network with Draymond being an occasional sports talk subject?* Could Colin ever employ Aaron Rodgers as a podcaster given how frequently he’s critiqued the finicky quarterback?* Why can’t baseball be part of the sports conversation?* Are tight ends massively underpaid? * Tony Romo’s broadcast struggles * Does Colin really screen potential hires to make sure they aren’t golf nuts?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comMatt Welch from the great Fifth Column podcast stops by to discuss his role in that 3 man monster, his history in the business, and issues of the day. Podcast topics include, but are not limited to:* Is Matt the Ernie Johnson of Fifth Column or its Paul McCartney? * Are you now, or have you ever been a libertarian???* Is Fifth Column libertarian? Or something else? * What was Matt doing in Hungry during the 1990s?* The post Berlin Wall era vs. the post 9/11 era* We talk about my article on the 9/11 era in sports vs. today’s team-endorsed messaging* Leagues and teams are externalizing their internal issues with workforce homophobia* Welch is, sadly, an Angels fan. How does he feel about these calls to trade Ohtani?* Is Ohtani really like if Patrick Mahomes was also Nick Bosa? Or is it different?* The A’s are sad (Was Moneyball as a business strategy missing the forest for the trees?)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comA chaotic day in sports media as ESPN timed up their news of major layoffs exactly with the starting gun for NBA free agency. Given all that happened and his New York Post reporting on the matter, we needed Ryan to swing by on short notice and deliver his insights. From there, we bounced around to many a sports media issues. This podcast includes discussion of, but is not limited to the following topics….* Was this round of ESPN layoffs a sea change in sports media?* My article on Jeff Van Gundy getting axed. * Did NBA commissioner Adam Silver have a hand in Van Gundy’s ouster? * Why did Mark Jackson survive?* Why did so many TV people get axed, including Steve Young?* The financial factors pressuring ESPN and Disney* Ryan’s out on NBA free agency* “Windy” Season* Bill Simmons vs. Kyrie Irving* Is golf hot right now?

A benefit of my job is that I can read a book, enjoy it, and then interview the person who wrote it. This is exactly what happened after I binged Ben Smith’s Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral. Ben, now a founder of Semafor, formerly of the New York Times, and before that, EIC of Buzzfeed News, has written a contemporary history of the early news era in social media. There’s a lot about 2006-2016 that already seems foreign in retrospect. Ben’s book takes you back there, from the perspective of some major figures who tried to harness viral content to their own ends. Our conversation touches on, but is not limited to the following topics: * How did the New York Times win the big war over the future of media?* Jonah Peretti vs. Nick Denton (Buzzfeed vs. Gawker)* Was Nick Denton a genius? * Why Ben thinks that the Facebook app and Twitter app are dying* Is the NBA media more corrupt than other kinds of media?* Why are individuals gaining and institutions are losing? 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