House of Strauss

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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

Casey Keirnan started from the bottom of standard NBA media before becoming a big success on Youtube. Today his channel has 203K subscribers and it’s growing. What secrets does this man hold? On the pod, we discuss:* How Casey turned his life around after nearly dying from a drug overdose in 2005* Why people get addicted* Is it okay that Youtubers rip off reporters? * Why he works as a Youtube creator* The allure of mystery in a video* What the formula for content success is* Why athletes aren’t best at telling their own stories 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.comWosny Lambre and Nate Jones know a lot about the sneaker industry, a massive business that casts a large shadow over the NBA. In this podcast, which was one of my favorites, we discuss:* Upshot of Kanye West’s public breakup with Adidas and Gap. * How Kanye West, a non basketball player, became a uniquely powerful sneaker salesman. * How much of fashion is bu…

All hail returning HoS champion Rob Henderson, astute analyzer of human behavior. In this episode, we look at the Work From Home revolution’s massive impact on our lives, plus discuss Our Decade of Tinder. Some topics broached: * Why Zoomer athletes got sad* Young people are detaching from sports* Whether I’m right or wrong about Work from Home* Are cities in trouble?* Can rurals make a comeback?* Looking back on Derek Thompson’s critique of American “workism” * Looking at this Tinder retrospective and others* Is game the great equalizer that Tinder prevents men from leveraging?* Was it better when men actually had to ask women out in real life? 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

Daman has two public roles: Helping out Ben Thompson with Thompson’s world-beating tech newsletter, Stratechery, and troll-fully supporting the Lakers on Twitter. He’s a brilliant guy, with a mind trained for optimization, so I hit him up when I have business questions. This discussion is in that vein. In it, we discuss: * Why do tech bros love narrated articles? * How Daman trained his mind to listen to pods at super fast speeds * Why are journalists afraid to go subscription model?* Going for Likes vs. Going for Dollars* Who’s winning the streaming wars? * On whether the Binge Model was a mistake * How does the NBA create events within its regular season? * On if ESPN is too big (a monopoly on tv rights) to fail* The NFL bullying the NBA* Is Woj too big to fail? * LIV as player empowerment in golf* Could LIV happen in golf? * Daman vs. Kevin Durant on the concept of leadership* Did Deadspinism kill the concept of character in sports? * KD as man without a country 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

First, a quick announcement: As of today, we’re number 1 in sports newsletters. Who knows how long that lasts, but I’m thankful to the subscribers who got us there, all within the span of a year. Though I almost always paywall narrated articles, I’m unlocking this one to celebrate, in the spirit of generosity/discoverability. Thanks again, readers and listeners. 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

First Things First host Nick Wright stopped by and didn’t hold back. We discuss:* How Colin Cowherd’s analogy game ruined local talk radio.* How Zach Lowe’s greatness led to failed imitators. * Nick’s take on Redick vs. Russo. * Nick’s take on Richard Deitsch vs. Skip Bayless.* Why Kevin Durant underestimates Nick. * Nick gets honest on his insecurities among writers. 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

Matt Johnson is press coordinator for Direct Action Everywhere, the organization behind the animals rights protests that are disrupting Minnesota Timberwolves playoff games. I asked Matt about the protests and about Wolves owner Glen Taylor, the factory farming tycoon whom the protests are aimed at. Matt’s is a subculture I’m not entirely familiar with, so I wanted to ask some questions and get his perspective. What’s it like to trying to outfox the authorities at Target Center? What are the moral questions involved in his work? We address these topics and a lot more. Enjoy. 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