The Varsity
Puck Sports Correspondent John Ourand and a rotating cast of industry insiders take you deep inside the executive suites and owner boxes that run the entire sports business. You’ll hear interviews with everyone from players to network execs and everyone in between. The Varsity is an extension of John's private email for Puck by the same name. New episodes publish twice-weekly, every Wednesday and Sunday.
Episodes
November 26, 2025 • 47 mins
Varsity favorite Andrew Marchand reunites with John to debate the week’s biggest sports-media plot lines: the NFL’s holiday-week stacked matchups and Amazon Prime’s outsized role in juicing viewership; MLB’s new media-rights math; ESPN’s quiet strategic wins; and whether streamers like YouTube are ready to jump into the next bidding war. Plus: what Netflix poaching ESPN talent like Elle Duncan really signals about the streamer’s ac...
Mark as Played
November 23, 2025 • 47 mins
NBC Sports’ Matthew Berry—also the founder of Fantasy Life—returns to the pod to chew over the biggest forces reshaping sports media, from A.I.’s slow commoditization of editorial talent to which major league is most likely to fall behind in the sports rights arms race. They also dig into the industry’s obsession with younger audience, reflect on Berry’s leap from ESPN to NBC, discuss the continued evolution of Fantasy Life, and mu...
Mark as Played
November 19, 2025 • 47 mins
Axios’s Sara Fischer rejoins the pod for a rundown of the sports world’s biggest shakeups—from the YouTube TV-Disney standoff and YouTube TV’s crafty deals with Fox and NBCUniversal to the NWSL’s growing pains and the looming Warner Bros. Discovery fire sale. They also dig into the rise of independent creators and how Vox and Netflix are making plays amid the podcasting gold rush.
To learn more about listener data and our priva...
Mark as Played
November 16, 2025 • 47 mins
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman joins John to discuss the league’s boom times—from surging TV ratings and record-breaking crowds to the league’s ubiquitous media strategy and upcoming expansion into Boston, Denver, and Atlanta—and why the forthcoming men’s World Cup could to supercharge everything.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about y...
Mark as Played
November 12, 2025 • 47 mins
Steve Bornstein, the architect behind both ESPN’s golden age and the launch of NFL Network, joins John to remember the late, great Paul Tagliabue—the commissioner who helped turn football into a billion-dollar religion. Bornstein also offers a seasoned view on today’s sports media circus, from the streaming wars to A.I.’s slow invasion of the industry.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www...
Mark as Played
November 9, 2025 • 38 mins
NFL’s top media executive Hans Schroeder joins John to discuss how the league is approaching their next wave of media rights negotiations, what the streaming era portends for the Sunday model, the surprising staying power of traditional broadcasters, the NFL’s global game plan, and much more.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad ...
Mark as Played
November 7, 2025 • 2 mins
Step inside the mind of NFL legend Von Miller as he goes free range — from the gridiron to the culture at large. Each week, Von breaks down the biggest football stories, dives into the world of sports and entertainment, and chops it up with athletes, artists, and trendsetters shaping the conversation. Equal parts football IQ, locker room energy, and societal curiosity, Free Range is where game meets culture, and no topic is off-lim...
Mark as Played
November 5, 2025 • 53 mins
Julia Alexander joins John to discuss how Nielsen’s new out-of-home viewership data is reshaping Saturday night sports programming, and what it means for the leagues and networks chasing live audiences. They also dig into the YouTube TV–Disney standoff—pitting Disney’s content library against YouTube’s deep pockets—and explore YouTube’s broader sports ambitions, from user-generated highlights to international scale.
To learn mo...
Mark as Played
November 2, 2025 • 46 mins
Fanatics Betting and Gaming C.E.O. Matt King joins John to break down the ripple effects of the NBA’s betting scandal. He digs into the league’s mostly quiet response, why legal markets matter more than ever, and what it all means for his business—and for the future of sports wagering itself.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad ...
Mark as Played
October 29, 2025 • 43 mins
Live from New York, Amazon sports chief Jay Marine joins John to discuss Prime Video’s evolution from live-sports skeptic to major NFL bidder; why Amazon is pouring money into tier-one rights; and how that $20 billion NBA deal came together.
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
Mark as Played
October 26, 2025 • 47 mins
Live from Puck’s In The Arena sports media conference, Fanatics founder Michael Rubin sits down with Bill Cohan and Michael Nathanson to discuss how he reimagined the sports merchandise world, built a digital juggernaut of commerce, collectibles, and betting, and became one of the most connected figures in sports and entertainment. He also opens up about Fanatics’ next chapter—including the path to a possible I.P.O.
To learn mo...
Mark as Played
October 22, 2025 • 47 mins
In a special episode, live from Puck’s inaugural In the Arena sports media conference, RedBird founder Gerry Cardinale joins John to discuss his investment philosophy for live sports, whether leagues have become overvalued, and how technology can save legacy media from itself.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ...
Mark as Played
October 19, 2025 • 47 mins
Josh Harris—owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, and Washington Commanders—joins John for a candid conversation about life as a multi-team owner and the cultural turnaround underway in D.C. He shares his vision for the Commanders’ future, his blueprint for a new stadium, and his thoughts on how private equity is reshaping sports ownership. He also weighs in on the NFL’s global ambitions and the challenges of juggling...
Mark as Played
October 15, 2025 • 51 mins
Ken Belson, The New York Times’ longtime sports business reporter, swings by the pod to discuss his new book on the NFL’s gargantuan and many-tentacled business, aptly titled Every Day Is Sunday: How Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft, and Roger Goodell Turned the NFL Into a Cultural & Economic Juggernaut. They break down the league’s long arc to cultural dominance, and whether anything can derail its success.
To learn more about listen...
Mark as Played
October 12, 2025 • 46 mins
NBC’s Frank DiGraci and Noah Eagle join John for a spirited NBA season preview, as the network and league reunite for the first time since the 2002 Finals. They break down how the deal came together, how NBC plans to evolve its coverage while nodding to its iconic hoops legacy, and why reaching younger fans is more important than ever. They also touch on the rise of athlete-owned media—and much more.
To learn more about listene...
Mark as Played
October 8, 2025 • 44 mins
ESPN’s NHL analyst Greg Wyshynski joins John for a rollicking preview of the NHL season, which kicked off yesterday. He discusses the league’s labor peace and breaks down the new C.B.A. set to hit next September. He also weighs into their new media rights windfall, global expansion ambitions, the fiery USA-Canada rivalry, and much, much more.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyin...
Mark as Played
October 5, 2025 • 52 mins
Cody Campbell, the billionaire Texas Tech booster and visionary behind the “Saving College Sports” campaign, joins John to diagnose what’s ailing college athletics, from the NCAA’s broken governance to its outdated economic model. He lays out a few provocative fixes, including a push to modernize media rights under the Sports Broadcasting Act—a move that could unlock as much as $7 billion in new revenue.
To learn more about liste...
Mark as Played
October 1, 2025 • 39 mins
Axios’s Sara Fischer reunites with John to discuss ESPN’s blockbuster deals with the NFL and MLB and the early splash of ESPN and Fox’s new D.T.C. products, each racking up over a million sign-ups in under two weeks. They also weigh in on NBC’s simmering turf war with YouTube TV, the looming possibility of an early NFL rights shake-up, and much more.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.a...
Mark as Played
September 28, 2025 • 51 mins
Veteran media analyst Michael Nathanson returns to the pod for a romp through the sports media circus: David Ellison and Paramount’s sports rights binge, the NFL’s looming $110 billion rights bonanza, legacy media’s curious flirtation with niche sports, and much, much 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 http...
Mark as Played
September 27, 2025 • 2 mins
Simpsons fans —THE VAULT IS OPEN!
I’m Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson for 35+ years, and I’m finally taking you inside Springfield. Simpsons Declassified is your all-access pass to the world’s most iconic, animated series.
Each week, we crack open wild predictions, eerie coincidences and fan conspiracies and stories from 36 seasons (that’s 800+ episodes!) behind-the-scenes with writers, directors, the cast and c...
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com