The Varsity

What’s Next For Adam Silver’s NBA?

In this special live recording from Puck’s In the Arena, NBA commissioner Adam Silver joins John to reflect on the first year of the league's 11-year media deal, which de

The Passion of Saint Nick

John is joined by Words + Pictures co-founder Connor Schell and chief creative officer Aaron Cohen to discuss their new six-part Saban documentary, chronicling the life a

Golf’s Rolapp Revolution

Andy Johnson, founder of Fried Egg Golf, joins John to discuss the state of the PGA Tour under Brian Rolapp’s stewardship. He highlights Rolapp’s star-centric vision, arg

The NFL’s Ratings Slump & PGA Tour’s New Swing

Fan favorite Andrew Marchand joins John to run through the sports-media news of the week. They dig into the NFL’s underwhelming early-season ratings, Joe Buck’s $108 mill

Ted’s Monumental Adventure

Ted Leonsis, C.E.O. of Monumental Sports, joins John to talk about the ins and outs of owning the Washington Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics. He gets into the billion-doll

Kevin Burkhardt's Art of "Not Showing How Smart You Are"

Fox's go-to guy for the Super Bowl and World Series joins John to discuss his enviable broadcast career, his weekly prep routine during the NFL season, and the zen of kno

TV’s New Gatekeepers

Super analyst Michael Nathanson returns to the pod to discuss the tectonic forces reshaping how America watches sports. He and John unpack the logic behind Fox’s bid for

Peter Schrager’s Big Day

ESPN's Peter Schrager joins John to discuss his winding road to hosting his own daytime show. The two also dig into the Rams’ rough Australia opener, the NFL’s flag footb

Nick Khan's Plan to Let the Boxers Box

WWE president and TKO board member Nick Khan joins John ahead of Saturday’s Ryan Garcia-Connor Benn welterweight title fight to lay out the Zuffa Boxing strategy. The two

Jim Gray’s History Lessons

The Zelig-esque sportscaster joins John on the eve of a new NFL season to discuss why football has a stranglehold on the sports-watching public. Plus he recounts the back

Can Washington Actually Fix College Sports?

Industry consultant Marc Ganis, a member of President Trump’s College Sports Council, joins John to break down the bipartisan Senate bill aimed at saving college athletic

The NFL’s Broadcasting Shake-Up

The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand returns to the pod to break down the biggest storylines in sports media ahead of the NFL season. He and John weigh Tony Romo’s odds of retu

NASCAR’s $7.7 Billion Bet

Brian Herbst, the executive who negotiated the sport’s media rights deals, joins John to assess a landscape reshaped since he signed them. The two dig into the new Chase

Life After SI

Longtime Sports Illustrated columnist Jimmy Traina joins the pod to discuss why he left the publication after 20-plus years and what to expect from his move to Underscore

Inside D.C.'s Sports Ownership Boom

Mark Ein, a veteran investor with stakes in the Commanders, Orioles, and Leeds United, joins John to trace his path from World Team Tennis owner to NFL minority owner. Ei

How Iger Got the Lakers

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, who broke last week’s big news about the LA Lakers, joins John to walk through how the $12.5 billion deal came together practically overnight. Th

Cable Bundles of Joy

John sits down with Guggenheim's Mike Morris to unpack the NFL's media rights maze and outline some worst case scenarios for the Sunday Ticket lawsuit. The pair dig into

A ’26 NFL Off-Field Season Preview

NBC Sports’ Mike Florio returns to the pod to preview the upcoming NFL season and the biggest off-field intrigue. He and John dig into the Sunday Ticket legal drama, Tony

Netflix’s NFL Booth & CBS’s Romo Conundrum

Athletes First executive Gideon Cohen joins John to take the temperature of a broadcasting market undergoing sweeping change alongside the rest of the sports media indust

Can the WNBA Survive Its Own Success?

Annie Costabile of The Athletic, who covers the WNBA and women’s basketball at large, joins John to discuss the league’s growing pains as it makes the leap from niche pro