07-21-25 KOA Sports Hour 2 with Benjamin Allbright

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gonna go right out to the kay Commas beell health. Well,
I didn't bring on our guy of menfl network, Ian
Rapaport at rap sheet on Twitter.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Ian, how you done, buddy? What's going on?

Speaker 3 (00:08):
How you guys doing.

Speaker 4 (00:09):
We We are just hanging out looking sharp ins. We're
getting ready for training camp. And I want to instead
of talking about the Broncos, which we'll get to obviously,
I just want to ask you about some of the
sort of news circulating about Nick Saban. Willy won't he?
Is he ever coming back? I mean, what you know,

(00:29):
you're in the industry, the same one we're in. What's
your best guess in terms of whether that might happen
or not happen?

Speaker 3 (00:38):
You know, I would be surprised if Nick Saban went
anywhere besides Alabama. Right So, Like he's got his house
in Alabama, and look, he has seemed very relaxed, he
has seemed very chill. He's been very good on TV.
He won an Emmy. I don't get the sense he's
itching to return to coaching. What's going to be interesting

(01:02):
is if Alabama takes a step back and he's still there.
I mean, he's still got his office there, He is
literally still there. Does he somehow figure into it and
some of the trustees go, yeah, I know you're seventy
years old, but we'd like you back in your old office.
That's kind of that would be my thought, Like, I
don't get a sense that he wants to do it,

(01:23):
but if they have a tough year, does he get
pulled back? I think that probably is more of a possibility,
but I would still say fairly far fetched.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
Yeah, iel thing, I don't know. It just weirds me out.
But then there's a lot of buzz, you know, with
all this kind of stuff, and you never know, you know,
how that stuff goes, but it would be certainly would
be surprising to me. But it's fascinating stuff and obviously
makes for good fodder this time of year. A lot
of us here have our eyeballs across the division. If
the the Chargers a team that feels a little bit
like it's on the rise with the coaching staff they've

(01:53):
got there, but they had that retirement. They brought in
Mike Williams and then he just retired on him. I'm
trying to think names that would fit out there. Do
you bring a Keenan Allen back? Maybe try to go
with a Gabe Davis or Murray Cooper. What are the
Chargers going to do because I don't think you can
run back into another season with the rookie and Trey
Harris as the only vile option. Maybe Quintin Johnson, I mean,
does he catch the ball opposite Lab mccacky.

Speaker 3 (02:16):
Yeah, I mean Quentin Johnson, you know, did have a
sort of a resurgent year last year, not a bust anymore.
I think that's fairly fair to say. Whatever he ends
up being, Lad McConkie pretty good. Like, I think they
need more of a complimentary receiver than anything else. I mean,
I think Mike Williams for sure would have helped. You know,
him retiring is not a great outcome for them, Although,

(02:36):
to be totally honest, like if a player is not
into it, he should retire, because I think that's probably
the best outcome for all Keenan Allen was the name
that you know, I thought of in the name that
has sort of come up last year did not go great.
I don't know what kind of money he's gonna want,
because you know, if you're a veteran receiver, the deal
basically the saw seasons than like one for six. I

(02:59):
don't know that he's going to get more than that,
but that's the name I wondered about. DJ Chark took
the visit to the Bears today, he's still a free agent.
He was there last year. I think that's another name
that you know, I thought of and wondered about. So
there are guys out there, But because they have a
pretty solid base, I don't think it's the kind of

(03:20):
thing where like they need need a receiver. I think
it's more of ay could add a complimentary piece at
some point in training camp.

Speaker 4 (03:28):
Talking with NFL insider Ian Rappaport here on Kawai Sports,
we just played a couple of cuts from Jerry Jones
and talking about Micah or in his case, Michael Parsons,
And I'm just wondering, you know, you have to expect,
or at least I would think we expect the Micah
Parsons deal to get done, and yet it just sort

(03:50):
of lingers out there and continues. Nothing to worry about
if you were a Cowboy fan, nothing to worry about
in terms of something happening that would knock that thing
off track.

Speaker 3 (04:01):
Well, you know, I would say this is a weird
one because and Jerry Jones alluded to it today. I mean,
they had a meeting with Michaeh Parsons where, you know,
I think it was pretty clear they thought a deal
was getting done and then he goes back to his
agent and like there's no deal. You know, I've never
seen that kind of attempt of a team to try
to negotiate a deal without an agent like that was.

(04:25):
That's interesting. But I also think Michael Parsons is more
content to wait than anyone realizes because there's still dealers
to get done, you know, Aiden Hutchinson still needs to
get done. You know, I would say the last pass
rusher to sign this offseason will almost certainly be Micah Parsons. So,

(04:47):
I mean he'll be on the Cowboys. I believe he'll
make a lot of money. I just don't know how quickly.

Speaker 2 (04:51):
It'll be Toby and Rapport again.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
You know, former Bronco though a fan got released by
the Seattle Seahawks. There's been some here from the fans
about whether they bring him back, although I think that's
I don't think that's anywhere in their h on their radar.
But what are some other teams that maybe Noah fan
could wind up with maybe on Miami, anyone else out
there looking for a for a tight end.

Speaker 3 (05:13):
Yeah, I mean Miami was was sort of the one
I wondered about.

Speaker 4 (05:17):
You know.

Speaker 3 (05:18):
I would also say, look, he was making about eight
million dollars. They obviously tried to trade him if they're
going to cut him, and they could get anyone to
trade even a pick slot for him, which means the
money was too high. So I think if you're no
fan and you want to make anywhere close to what
you may, just wait, like nothing needs to happen now.
Everyone wants to sign, they want to be like, nothing

(05:39):
needs to happen now. And look, you know he's he
can be a productive player. Probably not what I think
maybe was originally thought. It's certainly a productive player. He
can help out a contender and maybe earn a big
payday next year. There's no rush. Unfortunately in the preseason
injuries happen, certainly for a guy like that. Considering like

(05:59):
there's no reason, like he should just hang out and
wait and see what's out there.

Speaker 1 (06:03):
Sounds yeah, it sounds like probably good advice for him
as well. Last one from from me Ian As we
look around at some of these in the eve of
training camp for a lot of a lot of these teams,
some of these coaches that potentially are on the hot
seato we mentioned Dolphins and Mike McDaniel, Brian Dable up
there in New York. Is anybody else out there that
that might be on shaky ground this year, that that

(06:25):
really needs to have a great performance from their team.

Speaker 3 (06:30):
Well, I would say, you know, Mike McDaniel and is
an interesting one. Gaball is an interesting one. I don't
know that there's that many others that jump out at me,
you know. A now these times things sort of take
on a life of their own. Shane Steichen would be one.

(06:52):
I would say, at least keep an eye on.

Speaker 2 (06:54):
You know.

Speaker 3 (06:54):
I mean, obviously the unfortunate passing Jim Mersey means a
new per you know, obviously terrible in its own right,
but also football is a new person in charge of
the organization. Sometimes new people in charge means new leadership.
So I would say for Chris Baward and Shane Styke
and at least something to keep an eye on.

Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yes, unfortunately, you know that sounds it.

Speaker 1 (07:17):
I appreciate the time and look forward to catching up
with you again.

Speaker 2 (07:20):
Here somebody.

Speaker 3 (07:21):
All right, thanks you guys, take care.

Speaker 2 (07:23):
Thanks to you.

Speaker 1 (07:24):
Take care in rapport NFL network at rap sheet on Twitter.
I always love hanging out with with him whenever I
get a chance down there at Senior Bowl all that
kind of Stuff's always always good.

Speaker 4 (07:33):
Plus he you know, I picks up my tab so well,
you know what he should he should with Jim Mercedy,
Diane and his daughters. I think three of them, yeah,
taking over although there is a primary there's a primary
daughter who when I say primary, she's going to be
sort of at the center of running the organization. But

(07:55):
I believe it was her. It was one of the three.
Kaylee Ersay Gordon is the main one. Is that okay?
And I think again it was her. But but she
had talked about the importance of when you want to
being able to stand on the sideline and where the
headset so you can hear all the interaction between the

(08:16):
coaches and the calls and some of the some of
the players obviously, And when I read that, I'm thinking,
if I'm if I'm Shane Steikin, I'm not sure. I'm
not sure that I would want. You know, she is
the owner of the team. They are the owner of

(08:37):
the team. They can do whatever they want to. But
I think in in the best case scenario, I would
think Shane Steikin probably would not want the owner of
the team to have a headset on the sideline to
be able to hear every interaction.

Speaker 1 (08:53):
Yeah, well they do that here though, I mean the
Patters do that. They've got the headsets for the Broncos.
But yes, I can understand if you're Shane with the
maybe less of a resume than Sean Payton, you weren't
picked by you know, Sean Pate was picked by Greg Penner.

Speaker 4 (09:05):
I don't think Greg nor carry In fact, I know
they don't where that thing or the entire game, probably.

Speaker 1 (09:11):
Not, but they have actually we know, you know, they
have accessed well, they have.

Speaker 4 (09:13):
Access to They have access to a lot of things
and and rightfully so. And they are they are the
first ownership group. I mean I don't I don't think
Pat Bolan ever did. But they're the first to want
to be able to hear the home broadcast on road

(09:34):
games when we go on the road. They can sit
with an ear piece and I've seen Carrie with the
ear piece in and they can hear everything that that
we say.

Speaker 1 (09:42):
Yeah, yeah, And I know they don't go on and
off these right, And I know they do listen because
when I came in to do the Insider segment one time,
they said something about the you know, as I came off,
because they were I was talking about attention to detail
with all the old seventies, the chorum that they had,
remember that, Yes, yeah, she mentioned something out there in
the in the hallway. So it's like, oh, well, you
guys are listening. I guess I need to watch. Yeah,
but no, I that's interesting. I think that I think

(10:05):
Shanke Snychen is on the hot seat. I think the
bigger hot seat in India is Chris Ballard. They've had
some four draftings. Seat been there. Chris Ballard is known
as the biggest mouth out that he leaks everything to media.
Everybody knows it's him that that's been something that's dogged.

Speaker 2 (10:19):
Him for a minute.

Speaker 1 (10:20):
And so I think he's the one that, uh that
that needs to be on watch out there in Indy.

Speaker 2 (10:25):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (10:26):
Again, anytime you have ownership change and a stayed within
the family.

Speaker 2 (10:30):
But Jim Mersey is deceased.

Speaker 4 (10:34):
And now you have his three daughters in charge I mean,
anytime you have ownership change, you are likely to see
at least a few things run.

Speaker 2 (10:44):
Differently, and maybe that maybe that's gonna be one of them.

Speaker 1 (10:46):
Well, let's see if traffic's runn differently than with Dave
ol Briant. A little bit of pizza. Yeah, I had
little bit of pizza, but also a little bit did
not share either. I'm so hungry right now. How a
little bit news? I don't know if this is news
because it's Is it news if you're announcing your retirements
and you haven't played football in an entire presidential you
know that co last time he played football was twenty twenty.

(11:08):
But Phil Rivers says he he intends to retire as
a as a Charger. That's Colt sledgend Philip Rivers. This
is the last time he played ball was twenty twenty.

Speaker 2 (11:19):
I mean, is this news?

Speaker 4 (11:21):
The news was a secondary story his wife would like
him to retire from baby making. Oh right, no, the
kind of story. He's coaching high school football, yeah, and
doing a really good job. But I yeah, I thought
that was a bit surprising, right, I mean, no real
need to He didn't play with any of the franchise

(11:42):
as you said.

Speaker 1 (11:43):
Yeah, well the Colts. I mean I made a crack
about being Colts sledgend Phil Rivers, But yeah, I mean
he's as a head coach at Saint Michael Katholic. He's
thirty one and fifteen, lost in the semifinals this past year,
but they that program's got better and better every year.
Und him. He's been coaching for four years high school
ball and they just enjoyed it.

Speaker 4 (12:02):
I think his son either plays for him or just
finished playing for Him'm not sure what what year he is.

Speaker 1 (12:08):
Yeah, Gunnar was h He was their starting quarterback in
twenty three, so he would have just finished.

Speaker 2 (12:13):
Where'd you go? I don't know, I'd have to go,
I'd have to go. Look.

Speaker 1 (12:16):
I'm not sure where he wound up, but he was.
He was definitely there their starting quarterback or whatever. I
just remember because I watched that first game that he coached.
I always try to, you know, any time when these
guys goes and coach, I want to see they won
that first game like forty nine and nothing like they
beat the Brakes off whoever they're playing. You know, when
he first started there at Saint Michael Kthley. But yeah,
Phil Rivers and he was always it was. He was

(12:37):
a polarizing player for some guys. He had the weirdest
He was such a villain, but he was a he
would not use profanity on the field. Uh, he did
not use profanity at all, and uh because it was
his religious believes. But he was such a villain to everybody,
Like everybody.

Speaker 2 (12:53):
Single biggest.

Speaker 4 (12:56):
Smack talker had changed that single biggest smacked in NFL
history that never swore. There's never been I would submit
to the audience. There's never been a guy that has
talked more smack to other players, opposition, whatever, without using

(13:18):
a swear word in the history of our game than
Philip Rivers.

Speaker 1 (13:22):
Fascinating career as just not a lot of playoff experience
only he only went to the playoffs three times and
one of those players with Yeah, one of those was
with Indy. But kind of has like a Hall of
Fame resume when you look at the stats. I mean,
the guy threw for sixty three and forty yards over

(13:45):
his career, four hund twenty one touchdowns, only two oh
nine interceptions. I mean, he's in the top ten whole time,
and you know everything, but he's a Hall of fam.

Speaker 2 (13:52):
You don't think he's a Hall of Famer.

Speaker 1 (13:53):
I mean you went to the playoffs three times and
never even sniffed the Yeah.

Speaker 2 (13:56):
But since when do we start when do we start
judging that people do? You don't?

Speaker 1 (14:01):
You know, you don't win a super Bowl and people
start starts winning super bowl Sow many times Dan Marino
will go.

Speaker 2 (14:07):
Oh, that's fair.

Speaker 1 (14:08):
I mean he went what his first season and that
was it wasn't it?

Speaker 3 (14:11):
Uh?

Speaker 4 (14:12):
He went to the super Bowl his second season, second season,
and I mean he made it into the playoffs a
handful of times, but only only won Super Bowl.

Speaker 1 (14:23):
But Dan Marina was arguably the best passer of his generation.

Speaker 2 (14:26):
True.

Speaker 1 (14:26):
I mean Joe Montana was there, but it put right.
And so I think I think that's the thing. I
think you either have to win super Bowls or be
the best passer of your generation.

Speaker 2 (14:36):
You really, you really don't think Philip Rivers.

Speaker 1 (14:38):
I think he deserves it, but I don't think they're
gonna let him, you know, I mean, like that's I.

Speaker 2 (14:42):
Would be very surprised.

Speaker 4 (14:44):
I don't know if he'll be a first first ballot guy,
but I would be very very surprised with those numbers.
If Philip Rivers doesn't find himself in cant.

Speaker 1 (14:51):
I mean, he's sixth all time in passing yardage. Now
Aaron Rodgers will probably passing this year, but he's six
all time in past years. Is Matt Ryan get in
the Hall of Fame? Ben Roethlisberger the Super Bowls?

Speaker 2 (15:06):
Yeah, he went to two or was it three?

Speaker 3 (15:09):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (15:10):
At least he went to at least two.

Speaker 2 (15:12):
I know they won one. At least they beat the Cardinals,
right and they beat the Seahawks.

Speaker 1 (15:16):
Yeah, so he went and they got beat No, I
think it was just that because I think the other
one was uh no, I think he lost.

Speaker 2 (15:24):
I'd have to go back. Now, I have to go
back and lookt Mike Tomlin has lost to Super Bowl right,
Let's see, he's her Cowboys that beat him.

Speaker 1 (15:34):
He went his playoffs?

Speaker 2 (15:37):
No, I don't the Cardinals beat the Seahawks right?

Speaker 1 (15:42):
Well, what he played seventeen playoff games in his career,
so he definitely. I'd have to go back, and I'd
have to I gotta go back and look at all.

Speaker 2 (15:48):
Yeah, I think Roethlisberger will get in. Matt Ryan. How
many how many yards of Matt Ryan throw for Ryan?

Speaker 3 (15:54):
Is? Uh?

Speaker 1 (15:55):
What eighth all time sixty two seven nine two, so
just south of where and Phil Rivers Ryan had. And
I'm looking here real quick, I'd a cheat on this
one because I can't remember three hundred and eighty one touchdowns,
so significantly fewer than Phil rivers one hundred and eighty
three interceptions, but in an overall record of one twenty
four one or nine and one, whereas Phil Rivers was

(16:15):
one thirty four to one oh six and had four
hundred and twenty.

Speaker 4 (16:18):
I'd be more inclined to put Philip Rivers in before Matt.

Speaker 2 (16:22):
Than Matt Ryan.

Speaker 1 (16:23):
Philip Rivers does have better cumulative statistics than that Ryan.
But I mean, like, those are the three names that
you look at when you look at the all time
passing leaders and you look at the guys, those are
the three names that you're like, I don't know, because
the guys ahead of them.

Speaker 2 (16:33):
Are already in.

Speaker 1 (16:34):
Tom Brady and Drew Brees will be in. Peyton and
far have already are in, and then Dan Marino is
the only other guy around them. So how many testdowns
to picks for Marino? Oh? Man, let's see here. Dan
was h He had four hundred and twenty touchdowns same
as Phil Rivers, but two hundred and fifty two interceptions.

Speaker 2 (16:53):
That's surprising.

Speaker 1 (16:54):
I had a lot more like well, I mean, you know,
the the percentage completion percentage was argued was lower the
artage of lowers. This is because you know, Rivers was
more of a nickel and dime guy. A lot of
the a lot of different different era for sure, But
it's fascinating to say Brino had been around today, I
think it would have been I think you could have
had the Peyton Manning esque you know, career in terms
of those kind of numbers. Even even further, we got

(17:15):
hit a break, we come back. We talk a little
bit about this, the WNBA stuff as well to KA sports.
I kind of went down the rabbit hole during the
break because I was I was looking back at some
Ben Roethlisberger stuff.

Speaker 2 (17:28):
And by the way, we think, uh, one of our
textures mentioned they did lose to the Packers.

Speaker 1 (17:32):
Yah lost to the Packers. That was the one that
we forgot. So thanks guys for for that. But Roethlisberger
only had five thousand yards passing in one season. You
had fifty season And if I gave you guesses, I
bet you wouldn't guess which OC that was of all
the Steelers ocs that have been through there.

Speaker 2 (17:51):
So your ques your question was what which OC.

Speaker 1 (17:56):
Did Roethlisberger have the fifty one hundred plus passing yard
season under? Oh, he would be the one guy who'd
get this, I believe, but Todd No, it was after.

Speaker 2 (18:08):
He was like it was after he was let go.
Bruce arians No.

Speaker 1 (18:14):
See all the legendary names, Randy Fitchner is.

Speaker 2 (18:18):
Randy Fitchner is.

Speaker 1 (18:19):
The one he got the five thousand yards passing and
Randy Fitchner, for those that don't know, is the bane
of a lot of people at Arkansas's existence because he's
the one that snatched D'Angelo Williams away from Houston Nutt
back when Randy was at Memphis and Houston that was
the head coach at Arkansas back in was it two
thousand and two or one? I can't remember what year was,

(18:39):
but yeah, Randy Fichner's name was. You know, he was
an obviously at Kansas State. Then he went to Memphis
and he just had a pulse on And for those
who don't know, d Angela Williams was an absolute stud
in high school watching him ball at Win, Arkansas. They
won a state championship in Win, the Winn Yellowjackets, which
is a tiny school. They won a state championship just
off his legs. Like they didn't have anything else on
that team.

Speaker 2 (18:59):
He was just him.

Speaker 1 (19:00):
He was a high school legendare in Arkansas and so Yeah,
but Houston Nutt was who was known for putting together
some pretty legendary running back rooms over the course of
his coaching career. Obviously, I think most people remember Darren
mcfadd and Felix Chilli's Peyton hillis. But what a lot
of people don't know is that Houston Nutt put together
probably the most dominant backfield in college football history prior
to that, with Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders. When he

(19:20):
was at Oklahoma State. He was the one recruited both
of them, I would yeah, And he was the running
backs coach. He was the wide receivers and did sum
running backs coach as well.

Speaker 2 (19:29):
Yeah, I sort of give that was Jimmy Johnson, wasn't
It wasn't he.

Speaker 1 (19:34):
Had all those yeah, all those guys that were Yeah,
but I mean he was specifically assigned to be their recruit,
you know, their.

Speaker 4 (19:39):
Guy that was the team that I was doing games
for Kimber channel four channel that I was local TV package,
and we had that game, and I think I did
the game with well, you know what many many years ago.
You're talking about nineteen eighty eight. So is he the
Ron Zipolo or or the late lest Shapiro. But I

(20:02):
mean Colorado was just like on the brink of kind
of having that like a national contender. They had a
lot of a lot of great, great players up there.
The Cowboys came to Boulder and it was like a
track meet and see you and they had dudes. So
you had a really defense. Yeah, they could. They never

(20:26):
got them slowed down. The current Oklahoma State coach Mike
Gundy was the quarterback. They had hart Lee Dikes who
was the receiver, big talented first round pick.

Speaker 2 (20:37):
They had Thurman, they had Barry.

Speaker 4 (20:40):
They just had I mean they had unbelievable offensive explosiveness
and it was.

Speaker 2 (20:45):
Like forty I think forty eight to twenty one something
like that. Yeah, it was.

Speaker 1 (20:51):
It was just had unbelievable talent back there. Yeah, it
was part of that. Gay Houston was the he was quarterbacks,
wide receivers and the offensive coordinator there for a couple
of seasons as well, and that was. But he was
the guy who recruited the running backs or whatever as well,
and that was. That was one of those just to
have your name put on those two backfields over the course,
whatever else you did, you put together Thurman Thomas and

(21:13):
Barry Sanders and then came back, you know what is
it twenty years later and put together our fifteen years
later put together backfield it was Deren mcfahn and Felix
Jones and Peyton Hillis my goodness, I you know what.

Speaker 4 (21:23):
It's not like I've done an in depth study of
Houston Nutt, but I always thought just watching teams that
he coached. He was head coach, as you said at Arkansas,
I always thought those teams were pretty good. And I
remember just I mean, we're going back, we're going back
quite a few years, but thinking, okay, that those guys

(21:44):
play like well for that guy, that guy's going to
be a hell of a coach.

Speaker 1 (21:48):
Well his claim the fame. I think a lot of
people don't know this. He's the guy that got Boise
out of D one A and into D one football.
He was the head coach at Boise. Who you know
who did all that before. You know, he helped build
that program.

Speaker 2 (22:00):
Didn't remember that.

Speaker 1 (22:00):
Yeah, that's where in fact, that's where he came to
Arkansas from when he took the job at Arkansas and
what ninety seven I think it was. But he would
have been the guy who helped transition Boise up to
the D one level, laid the groundwork there for what
they they ultimately came. I know, Dan Hawkins took a
lot of the credit for that, although a lot of
that was Houston Nutt and Hawkins's defensive coordinator, who I
think we all saw later on was the real brains

(22:21):
behind all that. But yeah, I just go down the
rabbit hole around Randy Fishing. You've gotta be kidding me
of all the people to get five.

Speaker 2 (22:28):
Now.

Speaker 1 (22:28):
He retired after that, and that was that's he doesn't
I mean, he doesn't consulting work, but he doesn't. He
didn't coach anymore. Twenty twenty was the last season he
was fifty seven with the with the Steelers, and he
was the OC and the QBS coach, and that was
when Matt Canada came in and kind of finagled his
ouster and then he got to be the OC and
then he ultimately got punted as well. But yeah, I

(22:51):
was just sorry, I go, I go down these weird
rabbit holes during the break. Sure, that was one that
took me all the way to DeAngelo Williams, who did
And Williams was a heck of a pro pro running
back too that he to his credit player. But yeah,
it was his name was mud because Arkansas thought they
had him that year and couldn't keep him to Memphis,
and at the time that was considered a huge, huge thing.

(23:12):
And that was partially because you know, Fishner found a
way to get him, and partially because Arkansas had Cedric
Cobbs who they were featuring, and Williams wanted to be
the you know, the feature guy.

Speaker 4 (23:20):
But just just got a text from Dave Flatty, who's
again a guy that spent so many years at University
of Colorado and just did a great, great job that
the game was in nineteen eighty eight Oklahoma State. I
said forty eight twenty one. It was forty one twenty one. Okay,
Barry had one hundred and seventy four yards and four
touchdowns in the third quarter.

Speaker 2 (23:44):
That was something else. I don't know what he finished with.

Speaker 4 (23:46):
Well, I mean it was you know, you knew, you
thought it was going to be like a really good game,
like see who's going to have to play good?

Speaker 2 (23:54):
But they can win this game? And then do they
never ever could get them stopped ever.

Speaker 1 (24:00):
I mean, just that backfield, I can't even I can't
even imagine.

Speaker 3 (24:03):
I just.

Speaker 1 (24:05):
See those guys, I don't know, five six six nine zero.
I've got a ton of text messages coming in here
talking about Dangelo Wiams has stud for the Panthers and
all that kind of stuff. Yeah, that's uh, he was,
he was, I mean he was great all the way
through a lot of these guys telling us about the
Packers beating the Steelers.

Speaker 2 (24:23):
So that's good for good for them.

Speaker 1 (24:26):
I don't know if you guys saw this, but the
w NBA plays, you can see this. These T shirts
they were wearing. Yeah, the pay Us with Jowas thing
or whatever.

Speaker 2 (24:34):
I'm thinking about wearing. I'm thinking about wearing that.

Speaker 1 (24:37):
Maybe we'll start wearing thy, we'll start Grant's wearing one
right now. Apparently I can't get me one. You know,
there's there's two sides of this, and I think they
sort of have a point, like they do have a point.
They Okay, w NBA players get nine percent of revenue.
NBA players get fifty one percent of revenue. I understand

(24:58):
where you're coming from on that. The problem is the
WNBA loses a lot of money every year, so if
they paid you what they owed your relevant to that,
it'd be a bill the ability for it because the
WABA loses money. Now that'll change at the next CBA
because they got new broadcasting rights deals that have just
gone up in three expansion franchises at two hundred and
fifty million per So I sort of get their point,
but there's not anything you can do about it till

(25:20):
your CBA. And oh, by the way, you're just now
starting to figure this product out to get it profitable.
What do we owe you?

Speaker 2 (25:27):
Yeah, I mean, you look at this.

Speaker 4 (25:32):
You look at this from two different perspectives, right, you
look at this from the business owner's perspective. Your employees
are what keeps your business afloat. They in essence, are
your business. I didn't realize they made only nine percent
as opposed to the fifty one percent of the gross.

Speaker 2 (25:54):
Revenue that the men make.

Speaker 4 (25:57):
But I did realize just doing a little research that
I mean the WNBA has not been profitable one year
since it started, So stop and think about that.

Speaker 2 (26:08):
Really, they have not.

Speaker 4 (26:12):
Made a dollar, not made money one year since they've started.

Speaker 2 (26:17):
In fact, they have been in a deficit.

Speaker 4 (26:22):
So I'm not sure you have I'm not sure that's
a great position for you to, you know, wear the
T shirts about pay what you what you Owemi. I mean,
I think women's basketball has come a long way. You
have some really talented ladies playing, right, But in professional

(26:43):
sports it's about revenue generated, and you've got to be
able to generate revenue. And then once you do, then
you have you have a position to stand and say listen,
I mean, you owners have made this much money. We're
making nine percent of the revenue in our under parts,
our male counterparts are making fifty one. But the owners

(27:04):
of the WNBA have to realize some revenue and so
far they've not been able to.

Speaker 1 (27:09):
Yeah, and that's and that's sort of been the thing.
Now the broadcasting rights are going to balloon for them
because there's a package deal with the NBA, So they're
going to go from their broadcasting rights deal, which was
it was a certainly low number. I'd have to go
back and look at it, sixty million a year and
it will jump to two hundred million a year as
part of the new broadcasting package they have with the NBA.

(27:30):
And then you know they're adding three teams and those
franchises are all buying it a two hundred fifty million
of pops. That's seven hundred fifty million there. So you're
gonna you getta get a billion dollars coming into this
league in the next two years. That will put them
profitable for the first time in forever. They lost forty
million last year. But I mean, I don't know what
to tell you at this point, Like I get it

(27:51):
from the from the labor's cost standpoint, because you're saying, look,
if a restaurant was running a business, they weren't making money,
they couldn't pay everybody two dollars you know an hour.
That's that's not right.

Speaker 4 (27:59):
They wouldn't care if you went on strike and got
T shirts and said pay us what we're worth.

Speaker 1 (28:03):
But at the same time, yeah, at the same time,
I mean, if you're not making money, you're not making money.
What kind of foodo economics do you want me to
do to conjure up this money?

Speaker 2 (28:11):
Yeah, I I haven't really been able to.

Speaker 4 (28:16):
And I watched bits and pieces when it's on, because
there's nothing really on now when baseball is not on.
I mean, if the if the WNBA. I watched a
little bit of the of the All Star Game and
it was not a good game. Not to say that
the NBA All Star Game is a good game either,
but the w NBA All Star Game, it just wasn't

(28:36):
like well played. They've got to rethink. I mean, what
you what you want to do is if you're if
you're the women's sport, if you're the w NBA, you
want to drive as many eyeballs as you can. So
when somebody actually says, hey, I'm gonna flip this on
and see what this All Star game is about, they
want to see good basketball. And it looked too much
like they were almost emulating the men's game, where you

(28:59):
just kind of come down, you dribble, you go between
your legs two or three times and then cast that.

Speaker 2 (29:06):
To me, that's not what a casual WNBA fan really
wants to see.

Speaker 1 (29:12):
And the numbers are pretty clear a lot of fans
of wa NBA are casual or at least new, And
part of this I think The WNBA has hit on
one aspect of it that they needed to hit on,
and that's starting to market your personalities. We all see
the Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, you know, and they've they've
gotten that because the WNBA had been on the decline
since two thousand and three, they'd contracted a team, they've

(29:32):
been on the decline. Post COVID, there's been a women's
sports boom. But this is really the reason is because
you've marketed your personalities and created conflict. The NBA really
really took off with Magic and Bird, right. I mean
it had been around, and there were great personalities before that,
great players before them, but I mean it jumped to
another stratosphere when Magic and Bird you need a run,
you need conflict to drive interest in the product.

Speaker 4 (29:54):
Yeah, I think if you look, I mean Magic and
Bird Katemen in nineteen seventy nine, and prior to that,
the finals, the NBA Finals were at times shown on
tape delay. Yeah right, NBA playoff games like I would

(30:15):
I would. I mean I remember not watching the sports
at ten o'clock because I didn't want to see the
score of the game because the replay or when the
game was going to be shown was at ten thirty
in Denver.

Speaker 2 (30:30):
So I mean that so Burton magic.

Speaker 4 (30:32):
I think with what they did in college, the championship
game and then one goes to the Celtics and one
goes to the Lakers. I mean it was kind of
a kind of a built in sort of rival between
you know, the East Coast basketball and.

Speaker 2 (30:49):
West Coast basketball.

Speaker 4 (30:50):
But they absolutely I think you can credit those two
guys and how they were marketed, and then they started
doing commercials. They did commercial a couple of commercials they
did together never and I don't remember seeing that, but
I think you can give them the lion's share of credit.

Speaker 1 (31:05):
I mean the ratings simply bear that out. They pulled
about a six share for the playoffs prior to you know,
NBA playoffs, prior to them getting there, and then once
those two guys got there, it doubled overnight. In one year,
it doubled, like just having them in the league. So
I think marketing personalities is the probably the biggest part
of that. At least you have to have people invested
in your players and have player recognition or else what

(31:26):
are they tuning in for? So you know, I get it,
I get where they're coming from. I just thought that
those T shirts. I'm like, well, what do you what
do you want to do? You're you're a collectively bargained thing.
There's nothing you can do about it. I mean, is
this just a mock up for your next CBA, because
what are you going to do? Yeah, it's I mean,
it's it's tough again. And I made my case. I mean,

(31:49):
I think I can understand it.

Speaker 4 (31:50):
You want to We're making nine percent, they're making fifty
one percent, but you're making nine percent of zero negative.

Speaker 1 (31:56):
Yeah, if we pay you what you owe you, I'd
be sending you a bill to make up this already
million we lost, so I don't know. We got to
make up some grounding, we got some commercials, we got
to get to but Kelley sports me back after this