
Sports Media with Richard Deitsch
The Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch is a weekly show that features interviews with members of the sports media about their work, as well as roundtables with sports media reporters about television, digital, audio/radio, print, and other forms of media. You can read Richard’s work at The Athletic.
Latest episodes

Jun 26, 2025 • 38min
Jason Benetti
Episode 522 of the Sports Media Podcast features Jason Benetti, the television voice of the Detroit Tigers and a play by play announcer for Fox Sports. In this podcast, Benetti discusses what it's like calling the best team in baseball (so far); why the Tigers have been successful; how calling a winning team impacts how the viewer perceives a broadcast; Detroit as a sports city; the best stadium experiences for a visiting broadcaster; chatting with Jack White and J.K. Simmons about baseball; his upcoming Fox college football schedule and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.
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Jun 24, 2025 • 44min
Media Roundtable: How Game 7 of the Thunder-Pacers series saved the NBA from a catastrophic viewership disaster. Plus, the end of the line for an ESPN NBA crew
Episode 521 of the Sports Media Podcast features Jon Lewis, founder and editor of Sports Media Watch and Donnovan Bennett, host and podcaster for Sportsnet. In this podcast we discuss the NBA's Game 7 viewership (16.35 million viewers) and how it bailed out what would have been a catastrophic viewership story; Game 7 being the most-watched NBA Finals game in six years; the viewership issues for Thunder-Pacers; why people did not watch the series before Game 7; ESPN/ABC's negative-centric NBA Finals halftime show; how next year's new media deal featuring Amazon, NBC and ESPN/ABC will change coverage, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.
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Jun 23, 2025 • 43min
The coverage of Caitlin Clark — and the moment for women's basketball podcasting
Episode 520 of the Sports Media Podcast features Chantel Jennings, who covers women's college basketball and the WNBA and Ben Pickman, who covers the WNBA for The Athletic. Both are regulars on the "No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show," which is a twice-weekly podcast on all things women's basketball. In this podcast Jennings and Pickman discuss the pace at which interest in Caitlin Clark has been accelerated; why the interest has exploded; the Fever-Sun game becoming a national story; the media coverage of WNBA officiating; why the No Offseason podcast has found an audience; what they hear from players and coaches about being on podcasts, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.
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Jun 18, 2025 • 49min
Is ESPN's NBA presentation mostly about ESPN?
Episode 519 of the Sports Media Podcast features Jon Lewis, the founder and editor of Sports Media Watch. In this podcast, Lewis and Deitsch discusses ESPN's NBA presentation; Lewis's piece on Stephen A Smith; how much big cities matter with viewership for the NBA and NHL; why the Stanley Cup Final has struggled to find an audience in the U.S.; a historical look at Game 7 viewership for the NBA Finals; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.
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Jun 17, 2025 • 44min
Jon Wertheim, on the upcoming "Surviving Ohio State" documentary, and broadcast tennis coverage in the United States
Episode 518 of the Sports Media Podcast features Jon Wertheim, a longtime Sports Illustrated writer and editor, 60 Minutes correspondent, and Tennis Channel and Turner Sports tennis commentator. Wertheim is a producer on the upcoming HBO documentary "Surviving Ohio State" which delves into the Ohio State sex abuse scandal and the victims of Dr. Richard Strauss, employed by the university from 1978-1998. The documentary debuts June 17. In this podcast, Wertheim discusses how the Ohio State documentary came to be; what it's like to interview survivors of sexual assault; the question of male athletes being worth less than female athletes who are survivors of abuse; whether Ohio State has taken accountability and responsibility; Jim Jordan and this story; where the Alcaraz-Sinner final rates all-time; Turner Sports's coverage of the French Open; the future of Tennis Channel, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 13, 2025 • 1h 2min
The book on Caitlin Clark and the greatest NHL players of all-time
Episode 517 of the Sports Media Podcast features Howard Megdal, a longtime women's basketball writer and the author of a new book. "Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar." He is followed by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli, the co-authors of "Ice Breakers: A Kids' Guide to Hockey and the Greatest Players Who Changed the Game." In this podcast Megdal discusses why he decided to write a book on Caitlin Clark through the prism of the growth of women's basketball; how Megdal views Clark's popularity; ESPN finally promoting the WNBA as it should; his thought on Clark's impact as a parallel to Michael Jordan in 1984; her awareness of his book; competing against another high-profile Clark book out at the same time; why Iowa has always been a hotbed for women's basketball; opportunities that exist today for people covering the WNBA; Clark's longterm ceiling, and more. The Caracciolis discuss the market for kids hockey books; how one writes for kids; how they decided who made the cut of the greatest NHLers; advice to get into sports public relations and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.
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Jun 11, 2025 • 1h 1min
Cheryl Reeve, Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations for the Minnesota Lynx
Episode 516 of the Sports Media Podcast features Cheryl Reeve, the Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations for the Minnesota Lynx. Reeve's resume includes coaching the Lynx to four WNBA titles, winning two championships with the former Detroit Shock and coaching the 2024 U.S. women's Olympic team to a gold medal. In this podcast Reeve discusses how much she thinks about media coverage; how she looks at local coverage versus national media; why Lynx star Napheesa Collier did not have a higher profile prior to this year; the history of media coverage in the WNBA; what she would do if she was in charge of WNBA broadcasting; whether the league can be more transparent when it comes to fines for coaches/players; how much of a motivator last season is for her team; her comments last year after the Finals loss; what she learned about coaching Hall of Fame caliber players; her best leadership lessons and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.
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Jun 10, 2025 • 7min
First Look: Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve
Here’s a short clip from our upcoming interview with Cheryl Reeve, the head coach and president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Lynx. The full interview will be available on Wednesday In this clip, Reeve discusses why Lynx star Napheesa Collier is finally getting the national attention she previously did not. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.
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Jun 10, 2025 • 34min
Sports Media Roundtable: Future changes to NBA Finals broadcast booth? Plus, TNT's coverage of the French Open
Episode 515 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Media Watch founder and editor Jon Lewis and Austin Karp, the managing editor of Sports Business Journal. In this podcast, Lewis and Karp discuss the Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson; the comp to Joe Buck, Tom Verducci and Harold Reynolds; the NBA's Game 1 viewership numbers; TNT's French Open debut was a strong showing; the future of TNT Sports post-NBA; the NHL's Stanley Cup viewership and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.
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Jun 5, 2025 • 35min
Softball great Cat Osterman on The Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL)
Episode 514 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Cat Osterman, one of four general managers for The Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL). Osterman is one of the greatest pitchers in the history of softball, a four-time All-American pitcher for Texas who also starred for Team USA. The AUSL begins play on June 7 and games will air on ESPN and MLB Network among other entities. In this podcast, Osterman discusses why 2025 is the right time for the American sports public to support a pro softball league; why the league is not city-based in Year 1; the funding for the league; games airing across ESPN Platforms, MLB Network, MLB.com, FanDuel Sports Network and All Women’s Sports Network, with regional coverage across MSG Network, NESN, Fox 32 Chicago; what kind of player access the broadcasters will have; the robust viewership for the Women College World Series; softball returning to the 2028 Olympics; wanting to face Jeff Bagwell and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.
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