House of Strauss

Freddie deBoer discusses Hollywood's collapse, David Foster Wallace's enduring influence, differences with The Free Press over Israel, and the consumption of NFL by the public.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comRyan Glasspiegel of the New York Post is here, following an avalanche of NBA and ESPNbusiness news. In this episode, we attempt to separate real from rumor, possibility from wishcasting. I believe we succeeded in yet another informative and entertaining podcast.Topics include but aren’t limited to…Amazon with a Thursday NBA package? (2:00)* Is this an appealing option to anyone outside the NBA?Is the NBA going to cash out and get the last helicopter out of Saigon? (7:00)* Talking about the sports TV business environment* Will Commenter JF be the Michael Burry of the NBA’s collapse?What if ESPN just let NBA rights expire? (20:00)* Would ESPN save money overall if they let the NBA go?Dave Portnoy vs. the New York Times (22:50)* Portnoy going on an offensive in anticipation of an NYT hit piece* NYT’s Israel reporting and Portnoy’s critiques * Portnoy’s “normal people political instincts”* Israel/Hamas in the journalistic and campus institutions vs. public opinionWhy is college football so hot right now? (43:00)* Why does CFB work better with NFL than CBB work with NBA?* Ethan has a Caleb Williams takeTravis Kelce’s world domination path (50:20)* How Travis Kelce is like chicken breast

Nikolai Yakovenko, Founder of an AI-generated competing newspaper, discusses the potential of AI in journalism, the revival of impressive skills like Mongol horse archery, the duality of human nature compared to AI, and the challenges faced by media in avoiding mistakes and presenting different perspectives in reporting.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comFirst Things First is my favorite favorite sports show on TV and with the NFL season in full swing, FTF is as well. So, I figured this would be a good occasion to get more insights from co-host Nick Wright on why this is the rare sports TV show that works. We also debate that Brock Purdy guy he’s down on. Great pod all around, Nick was quite generous with his time and takes. Timestamps provided by the astute Sam Schuette:Nick’s clever Brock Purdy strategy (5:40)* Where does Purdy rank?* How Nick Wright learned the strategy from a local show debating gun control* Making the argument by partially agreeing with the opponent What makes First Things First successful (12:15)* Broussard being able to put up with Nick’s persona* Straddling the line between sports and non-sports for viewers who want bothHow Nick Wright resembles the opposite of Warriors Monta Ellis (16:00)* The difference between watching snippets and highlights versus the whole showDoing shows for the clicks or for the good of the show (21:00)* How Nick transitioned from one to the other* Nick’s viral MJ clip* Should you get your true opinion out when it’s not for the good of the show?Production Genius of PTI and Inside the NBA (28:40)* The techniques PTI created that the rest of the industry now uses* How Inside the NBA succeeds as a personality-driven show* Production of Inside the NBA Eric Mangini Story (33:30)* How Nick’s advice to Mangini pissed Nick off * The need for antagonists in sports talk show* Which things make Nick the most mad?Quarterback Assessments (44:40)* How Justin Herbert resembles Karl-Anthony Towns* Which quarterbacks are improperly discussed? * Josh Allen getting compared to Patrick MahomesNick Defends Having Purdy as the 18th-best Quarterback (51:30)* How similar are Jimmy G and Purdy?* How much credit does Purdy’s supporting cast deserve for his success?* How much does size limit him in terms of injury and performance?Why the Niners Might be Playing Too Hard (1:11:50)* Are the Niners’ injuries bad luck or reflective of who they are?* Randomness in sportsNBA Outlook (1:15:50)* Bucks or Celtics as the favorite in the East* Why Giannis gets misunderstood* How strong is the Nuggets’ hold over the West?Why Doesn’t National Sports Talk do Baseball? (1:24:20)* Do MLB fans not want to hear about other baseball teams?Nick’s Boxing Proposal (1:29:00)* Making boxing into a multi-billion dollar business inspired by UFC and figure skating* What’s currently killing the sport

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comI’ve been sick this week, but thankfully the great Marcus Thompson is here to help me discuss both local and national sports topics of interest. I really enjoyed this ep, even if it nearly killed me. Timestamps provided by the astute Sam Schuette:Pat McAfee and Aaron Rodgers (2:55)* McAfee paying Rodgers millions to be on podcast* Is it scandalous or friends being friends?If you could pay a million dollars to have any player on the pod, who would it be? (6:50)* The prospects of George Kittle, Tom Brady, and more* How much would it take to get Kevin Durant?Marcus’ old regular pod with Draymond (13:00)Bryce Harper-Orlando Arcia Incident (17:10)* How it resembles the Warriors-Jazz situation from six years ago* Why were the Phillies so angry?Does the MLB regular season even matter? (22:50)* The randomness of the MLB playoffs* Is it a good product if the underdog has the same chance to win as the heavy favorite?Colorado’s glamor (28:20)* Why Colorado’s environment resembles an NBA Finals game more than a CFB game* Shedeur Sanders’ watch situationThe Taylor Swift and Beyonce Sports Theories (42:15)* At home, does Marcus see evidence of Taylor Swift brining in NFL fans?* Why Beyonce would have to leave Jay-Z for an athlete to match Taylor Swift’s hypeThe Rise of Brock Purdy (47:15)* How Brock Purdy hate fuels Bay Area radio* How much of his success should be attributed to him versus his surroundings?* Why his look makes people underrate him* Which teammates praise him the most?Seeing athletes in person versus on TV (1:10:10)* What watching in person reveals about players like Trent Williams* NBA players look thinner in personDo the Warriors miss being the center of attention against the Niners? (1:12:15)* Relishing the opportunity as an underdog* Why a 49ers Super Bowl would dominate the Bay 

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comKatie Herzog, the funny and insightful co-host of Blocked and Reported is back 1) Because she has an open invite to appear on HoS and 2) Because BAR covered the Trevor Bauer saga, as I did too. Our conversation starts on the media coverage of Bauer and then gets into other journalism topics. Pod subjects timestamped by the astute Sam Schuette include…Trevor Bauer Saga (1:10)* Why did mainstream outlets quash the story’s epilogue?* Social incentives overtaking financial incentives when covering controversial storiesThe media’s role in sexual assault cases (14:30)* Does it matter if the accuser is named?* “Say her name” vs preserving anonymity* How much does partisanship affect these cases?The outside influences on journalists (21:07)* How the desire to sound right-thinking influences a journalist’s coverage* What’s worse: Audience capture or colleague capture?Has more smoke cleared for MeToo or BLM? (34:10)* How assumptions on race and gender influence perspectives* Which can we talk about more, issues that cross over with #MeToo or BLM?* Ibram X Kendi’s ESPN segment and why it got released after the window of interest closedThe Reality of NFL Players’ Views on their Careers (43:00)* Why do so many players not regret playing amid all the pain it caused?* Why it’s difficult for the journalists to acceptSixers Beat Reporter Fired For One Tweet: Fair or Unfair? (46:15)* Is it fair to fire an employee over a bad Tweet?* Can you support freedom of expression while recognizing that one tweet can reveal incompetence? X’s Role in the Israel/Palestine War (56:00)* Would the prior Twitter have censored the Hamas attack?Delayed Aftershock of Me Too in the Sports World (1:02:05)* Why did it come for public radio and not sports?* The role of sensitivity among the audience

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comNow that the NBA’s offseason has wrapped up, we’ve enlisted Kevin O'Connor to make sense of the chaos. Really, it’s just a platform for KOC to take a victory lap over the hardball tactics he advocated for Portland in his last HoS appearance. Given that KOC was correct in that assessment, I’m open to more convincing from him on other topics. So today’s podcast is themed, “Sell me on.” In this podcast, we discuss…Why KOC was right about how the Blazers should handle Dame’s trade demand (4:20)How the Heat were singled out for spite, but still wouldn’t have had the best deal (7:20)KOC sells me on Jrue Holiday as a playoff performer despite his recent issues (10:00)KOC sells me on Celtics as favorites in the East (14:00)KOC sells me on Kristaps Porzingis (16:09)KOC sells me on Tyler Herro being a bad contract (22:00)We discuss whether the popular derisive reaction to Miami’s media is fair (25:00)KOC sells me on Tom Brady over Patrick Mahomes (30:00)KOC sells me on the Cybertruck (35:00)We talk about whether the new CBA has broken the NBA as we know it (42:20)KOC sells me on The Sphere (53:00)What’s it like to be podcast married to Chris Vernon? (1:00:25)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comPuck News co-founder and The Town host Matthew Belloni is my go to on show business goings on. Nobody is better versed on this fast moving industry during a particularly turbulent epoch, and he conveys it all with panache. So, in this episode, I picked Belloni’s brain Timestamps provided by the astute Sam Schuette….Writers strike and the role of Twitter social pressure (1:40)How did Twitter facilitate the strike?Why is streaming such a bad business? (16:10)How the vanishing of windowing and bundling made revenue more difficultTaylor Swift and 4 Quadrant Marketing (22:05)Is Taylor Swift leveraging the NFL to get guys to see her movie?Barbenheimer Shattering Expectations (24:46)Why Barbie’s success was a triumph of the brand, not the genre of comedyThe difficulty of making “new” (30:00)The same people who run Hollywood now are the same people who ran Hollywood decades agoESPN vs. Fox – Who Fails First? (36:55)Why the stakes are higher for ESPNWill the Leagues get Saved by Big Tech? (40:45)ESPN’s problem with renting the leagues instead of owningNetflix dipping their toes into the sports worldIs Wrexham’s Popularity Real or Fake? (47:25)How it may set a trend for celebrities in sportsWinning Time’s Death (49:55)The expenses of getting non-sports fans to watch the showPeople not taking sports seriously (51:10)The complexities of covering sports that get ignored

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comNancy Rommelmann is one of my favorite journalists, so I looked to her on the question of whether there are any actual rules in journalism. She did not disappoint. In this pod, we discussed Portland expert Nancy’s live reaction to the Damian Lillard trade, her take on WaPo vs. Portnoy, and that “Has the Sexual Revolution Failed” debate down in Los Angeles. Topics in this podcast include by aren’t limited to….* Aforementioned Lillard live reax* What Emily Heil did wrong when confronted by Dave Portnoy* How you handle the subject of a “hit piece” * How Nancy was denied comment when she was the subject of a hit piece* LA Times vs Bari Weiss’ Sexual Revolution Debate* Nancy’s take on the “Has the Sexual Revolution Failed?” question* Is the trans kids in sports topic a real subject? Or a boogeyman subject? * What’s wrong with certain cities right now? And what’s with the denial?* Why don’t Portland men want to have sex?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comAdam Mares is the brilliant impresario behind the DNVR sports media empire, a local institution, rooted in a literal Denver bar, that he’s building out to new cities and ventures. While the Denver Nuggets have been central to Adam’s personal coverage and the rise of DNVR, the arrival of Deion Sanders as coach of Colorado has been entirely different sort of windfall. This episode is about how one captures the current Deion moment, Sanders’ brilliance as modern media strategist, and, as always, some gripes about the current NBA state. Topics include but aren’t limited to…* The idea behind creating a physical space for digital fans* The arrival of Coach Prime* The impact of Prime on the media landscape* Has Deion been good for college football? * How Deion Sanders is like Donald Trump* The sneaky success of Deion’s son as personal social media manager* Is Sanders’ success sustainable longterm?* Adam’s take on the internationalization of the NBA* The patriotic reason fro why Adam’s going to root against Team USA* Is nobody learning from Nikola Jokic?* How the NBA needs more leadership and fewer rules