House of Strauss

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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