The Valenti Show with Rico is Detroit’s must-listen daily sports show — where strong opinions meet smart analysis. Hosted by Mike Valenti and Rico Beard, The Valenti Show brings unfiltered takes on the biggest national stories and dives deep into all-things-Detroit sports: the Lions, Tigers, Pistons, Red Wings, Michigan and Michigan State. Whether it's NFL drama, playoff stakes or college football storylines, Valenti and Rico tell it like it is — no fluff, no fan service, just real talk. Catch The Valenti Show with Rico live Monday through Friday 2pm - 6pm EST on 97.1 The Ticket (WXYT). Full episodes, individual hours and show highlights drop daily wherever you get your podcasts.
Latest episodes
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
Best Of The Lions On 97.1 The Ticket: Reactions To Embarrassing Week 2 Loss To The Bills
Each of the 97.1 The Ticket shows spent their opening segments on Friday discussing the Lions' 41-31 loss in week 2 to the Bills.
Sep 19 31 min
FULL SHOW: Friday, September 18th
Valenti and Rico spent the final show of the week, as you can imagine, breaking down everything about the Lions' lackluster performance against the Bills last night on Th
Sep 18 2 h 17 min
HOUR 1: Reactions To Brutal Showing From Lions Defense In 41-31 Loss To Bills + Prop Bet Casino
Mike and Rico dove right into the Lions' 41-31 loss to the Bills last night to begin the show. They assigned blame for the loss and were highly critical of a few people,
Sep 18 41 min
HOUR 2: Which Of Brad Holmes Or Kelvin Sheppard Is More At Fault + More Calls On Lions Loss
Mike and Rico continued their ongoing Lions-Bills discussion, assigning blame for the embarrassing loss last night. They took more of your calls throughout this hour.
Sep 18 38 min
HOUR 3: The Picks + The 20 Year Anniversary Of Valenti's MSU-Notre Dame Rant
The guys did "The Picks" before celebrating the 20th anniversary of Valenti's "The Rant" in 2006.
Sep 18 29 min
HOUR 4: Final Thoughts + Calls On Lions
The guys shared more thoughts and heard from more people in the final hour of today's show. Then Wojo and Riger joined them for cross-talk.
Sep 18 28 min
Are The Lions In Trouble The Rest Of The Season?
Valenti and Rico begin the final hour with a continuation of their Lions discussion.
Sep 18 11 min
What Has Changed Since "The Rant"?
A lot has changed in college football since Valenti's MSU-Notre Dame rant in 2006.
Sep 18 6 min
It's Been 20 Years Since Valenti's Famous Rant About MSU
Mike reflects on it being the 20th anniversary of his MSU-Notre Dame rant.
Sep 18 11 min
The Picks | 9-18-26
The guys predict this weekend's NFL and college football games.
Sep 18 11 min
Who Do Lions Fans Blame For Last Night?
Mike and Rico hear from more of the people on the Lions' loss last night to the Bills.
Sep 18 10 min
Who Is More At Fault For Last Night's Lions Loss: Brad Holmes Or Kelvin Sheppard?
The guys assign blame for the overall defensive ineptitude last night and last week against the Saints.
Sep 18 9 min
Rico's Prop Bet Casino | 9-18-26
Mike's extremely confident in this one player for this week's "Prop Bet Casino" picks.
Sep 18 9 min
Lions Fans Chime In To Voice Their Frustrations
Mike and Rico hear from a few fed-up Lions fans.
Sep 18 9 min
Why Did Brad Holmes Refuse To Address The Lack Of Depth On Defense?
The guys continue to crush the Lions, and specifically Brad Holmes, for his incompetence as GM since 2024. Plus, they begin to hear from the people who are equally frustr
Sep 18 11 min
Valenti RIPS Lions After TNF Loss To Bills: "[They] Should Be 0-2"
Valenti and Rico react to the Lions' rough showing in Buffalo against the Bills last night.
Sep 18 10 min
Kickoff with Boomer Esiason and Mike Valenti for Week 2 in the NFL | 'Kickoff with Boomer and Valenti'
Kickoff with Boomer Esiason and Mike Valenti: Week 1 reaction, Josh Allen's MVP performances, and Week 2 picks
Sep 18 48 min
FULL SHOW: Thursday, September 17th
Valenti and TJ Lang (in for Rico) spent the majority of today's show with their reactions to what Dylan Larkin (didn't) have to say during his comments to the media today
Sep 17 1 h 49 min
HOUR 1: Larkin's Underwhelming Comments To The Media + NFL Week 1 Overreaction Or No Reaction?
Mike and TJ jumped right into Dylan Larkin's comments to the media today, in which he refused to address his trade request from the Red Wings earlier this offseason. They
Sep 17 38 min
HOUR 2: Can The Lions Pull Off The Upset Tonight? + Further Reactions To Larkin's Comments
The guys began to preview Lions-Bills to open the second hour, but the prevailing sentiment for today's show was frustration regarding Dylan Larkin, so they stuck with th
Sep 17 38 min
Chart trend
Position in the Sports chart (US), last 90 days.
#1#100#199JunJulSep
#93
all-time peak
2
days in the top 100 since Nov 2024
Chart positions
Where The Valenti Show ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 20, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
Decent radio show. Used to be better when Mike was alone. Rico is useless. All they do is lather up and agree with each other.
Football content is top notch. Must listen for Lions fans and college football fans.
Valenti should never talk about baseball because he doesn’t care about the sport and it shows. Always unprepared baseball takes and analysis.
Love that they post full shows and complete hours on the podcast platforms now. Makes listening so much easier for a commuter.
Krame1bt · Jan 2024
I have always liked listening to Mike. I wasn’t sure I’d like someone with Mike but Rico has been great. I see a lot of “stick to sports” reviews. I feel different about that. This show has evolved to more than just sports. Sports is the anchor but I like mixing it up sometimes. Plus sports didn’t exist for 3 months. What did you want them to talk about? I’m a fan. Keep it up guys!
Jaymc41 · May 2021
I’m a Michigan guy living in another state, my brother told me about his show about a year ago. I look forward for my daily fix, this Player tells the truth! Even went I don’t agree, it’s refreshing to hear someone be brutally honest. I wish they would just play the entire show and not 2 x 10-13 minute segments. Valenti is not just some loudmouth saying edgy crap, he offers very insightful “outside the box” commentary.
Colter Walls · Apr 2020
I’ve been listening for over 10 years and while I don’t always agree, Mike and staff always seemed balanced and willing to listen to most any thoughtful opinions! Great, great show! The best in the country... I know because I now live in California and there is nothing like the Valenti show out here. Thankfully, I can listen to the podcasts and Always Aggravated... Keep up the great work!
Tom Nexus151 · Mar 2020
Ever since Sully left, the daily podcast has been wildly inconsistent. I want to hear highlights from the show, especially the Friday football picks!!! Cramming Rico’s 5-star snooze-fest down our throats smacks of “trying too hard to include the new guy.” I LOVE the daily show, and I’m so glad Rico is on board, but many days I’m only able to catch snippets of the broadcast so I rely on the podcast to get my fix. PLEASE tighten up the peripherals!
UMichTbn · Nov 2020
I like some of Mike’s takes, but the rest of the staff are just yes men unwilling or unable to challenge or contradict him. Sound effects and sexual innuendo jokes are sophmorish at best and take away from the overall content. New content isn’t provided consistently. Get your act together Mike! Show has gone down in past year
TroyBoy518 · Nov 2021
We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.
Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of The Valenti Show, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.
