New pod: @richlightshed.bsky.social on the looming NFL rights renegotiation bonanza: who wins, who blinks first, and why the league still has all the leverage. open.spotify.com/episode/5ub0...

New pod: @puck.news' @eriqgardner.bsky.social on all the legal and political issues affecting the sports business these days. open.spotify.com/episode/3tsc...

The Varsity * Why Roger Goodell isn't coming to D.C. next week. * Are Michigan and the Big Ten at odds? * Chaos at CBS News and serenity at CBS Sports. puck.news/newsletter_c...

New pod: ESPN's Burke Magnus on everything from Inside the NBA and the state of the NBA booth to the NFL Network acquisition and the MLB. TV experiment. open.spotify.com/episode/640O...

ESPN’s indomitable content chief, Burke Magnus, on losing talent to the NBA sidelines, the heat around the NHL, and what he learns from the way his kids watch sports. puck.news/burke-magnus...

New pod: US Soccer COO Dan Helfrich offers a World Cup preview and discusses the state of soccer in the U.S. open.spotify.com/episode/5Rmh...

The commissioners of college sports’ two biggest conferences have thrown a stray shot or two at each other this spring over the CFP. But as just about everyone acknowledges, they both know they’ll have to be much more aligned to tackle the myriad issues they face. puck.news/why-sankey-a...

New pod: Financial analyst Peter Supino on the sports rights marketplace, including his bull case for Paramount's UFC deal and Apple's F1 partnership. open.spotify.com/episode/7E6b...

Wolfe Research analyst Peter Supino offers up his candid thoughts and surprising bull case for Paramount’s UFC deal and F1’s partnership with Apple. puck.news/the-optimist...

New pod: @andrewmarchand.bsky.social on the World Cup, MLB and Netflix's role as a potential bidder. open.spotify.com/episode/7kZd...

The Varsity * NBA playoff ratings are bonkers. * SEC, Big Ten lobbying investment for naught. * Sports media production is getting a lot cheaper. * An idea for Hammond, Indiana. puck.news/newsletter_c...

Obviously, the short-lived Rousey–Carano title fight wasn’t the ideal scenario for Netflix’s MMA debut. But it also wasn’t a refutation of the streamer’s “eventized” sports content strategy. puck.news/netflix-mma-...

New pod: Are Super Bowl ads really with $10 million? I called Horizon Media's Adam Schwartz, one of the most active ad buyers, for his perspective. open.spotify.com/episode/1TBi...

The Varsity * UFC preps to expand to TNT, HBO, Bleacher Report, once Paramount's WBD acquisition gets okayed. * Assessing the blast radius from the NFL's media negotiations. * The chaos in college sports continues. puck.news/newsletter_c...

What? You want me to come onto a podcast to talk about the Orioles? Absolutely! www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEbd...

New pod: Jerry Silbowitz, UTA’s co-head of sports media, breaks down the latest trends for on-air talent and how the creator economy is affecting the sports business. open.spotify.com/episode/7bXQ...

The Varsity * What happened to the five-game intl package that the NFL was shopping? * The NFL's message to Capitol Hill: broadcast TV is a priority. * It looks like Silver Lake exec Egon Durban has the inside track to become majority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. puck.news/newsletter_c...

The World Cup’s descent on North America has been greeted by the typical grab bag of micro-scandals and preemptive complaints. But top industry executives don’t really care—they’ve seen this film before, and they’re convinced they are about to make stacks of cash. puck.news/why-network-...

New pod: Sports investor Jason Stein on the flow of private equity into sports at all levels. Topics include the commercialization of the NCAA, the future of youth sports and Apollo’s $225 million investment in Pickleball Inc. open.spotify.com/episode/7237...

New pod: @pkafka.bsky.social joins to hash topics ranging from the business behind ESPN to NFL media talks to the creator economy. open.spotify.com/episode/4NYy...

The Varsity * Remembering Ted Turner. * Gianni Infantino on price gouging. * Why did TV OK NCAA Tourney expansion? * Michael Rubin took another step toward building out Fanatic’s collectibles business. * Only about 75 employees remain at Main Street Sports. puck.news/newsletter_c...

News and notes on the latest machinations surrounding the NFL’s highly coveted, obscenely expensive rights packages. puck.news/netflix-clos...

News: Netflix is close to an NFL deal that looks likely include the week 1 game in Australia, the Thanksgiving Eve game and the Christmas games. I'll have much more on this in tonight's edition of The Varsity. Sign up here: join.puck.news?attribution_...

New pod: Premier Lacrosse League co-founder Paul Rabil on the challenges of carving out space in today’s crowded sports market. open.spotify.com/episode/2iTh...

New pod: Joe House and Nathan Hubbard, hosts of @theringer.com.web.brid.gy's Fairway Rollin' podcast, talk about the demise of LIV Golf. open.spotify.com/episode/044F...

The Varsity * Greg Maffei is launching a horse racing league next year. * ESPN hopes its CW streaming deal is the first of many. * Why is the ESPN spin-off not happening? puck.news/newsletter_c...

With Don Garber’s quarter-century-plus tenure ending next year, MLS has executive headhunters embarked on a sprawling replacement search. A few well-known names have emerged as early targets. With big-growth ambitions, they’d better get it right. puck.news/who-will-suc...

The Varsity * Yahoo hires a new head of sports. * Main Street Sports RSNs aren't going dark this week. * A bull case for college basketball. Guggenheim analyst Mike Morris assesses how the negotiating table has shifted for the NFL and its media partners. puck.news/newsletter_c...

New pod: A conversation with analyst Guggenheim analyst Mike Morris about the myriad questions swirling around the NFL’s looming, blockbuster rights negotiations. open.spotify.com/episode/1thD...

New pod: @andrewmarchand.bsky.social is back to talk NFL Draft, Tomlin to NBC and the NFL's Capitol Hill issues. open.spotify.com/episode/7uKf...

New pod: NBC Sports exec Jon Miller on the best strategy for broadcasters to compete with trillion-dollar, sports-hungry streamers. open.spotify.com/episode/1qR9...

The NFL's push to open its media rights deals--along with its ongoing relationship with the streamers--has opened it up to a wave of regulatory inquiry. But is the scrutiny more than just a headache? @eriqgardner.bsky.social walks us through it all. puck.news/the-nfls-fou...

New pod: @matthewberrytmr.bsky.social on the evolution—and future—of fantasy sports. open.spotify.com/episode/1fGJ...

The Varsity * Senior ESPN exec Ilan Ben-Hanan laid off. * Will regulators get behind YouTube-NFL? * Casey Wasserman tries to salvage funding for LA28. * Russini-gate could accelerate integration of NYT standards on The Athletic. * Dorian Craft to call Mystics games. puck.news/newsletter_c...

How much longer is Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund willing to continue pumping billions into its quixotic bet on LIV Golf, as the Iran war dislocates sporting events like Formula One and Fanatics flag football? puck.news/is-liv-golf-...

New pod: @dylanbyers.bsky.social on the NYT-The Athletic fissures that Russini-gate exposed. open.spotify.com/episode/2m8C...

The Varsity * Russini-gate underscores underlying tension between NYT and The Athletic. * NBA ends its season of tanking. puck.news/newsletter_c...

New pod: MoffettNathanson's Michael Nathanson on what the NFL must do to lock in its next round of media deals ahead of September’s kickoff—and what’s at stake if it doesn’t. open.spotify.com/episode/3L2a...

New pod: MoffettNathanson's Michael Nathanson on what the NFL must do to lock in its next round of media deals ahead of September’s kickoff—and what’s at stake if it doesn’t. open.spotify.com/episode/3L2a...

I always love going on @peterhamby.bsky.social's great The Powers That Be podcast. This week, we hashed out ESPN's job cuts and offered a Masters preview. open.spotify.com/episode/4l9H...

Fun chat with John.

New pod: @profootballtalk.bsky.social on the NFL's top off-the-field issues: media rights, antitrust exemptions, referee labor talks... open.spotify.com/episode/26Tq...

The Varsity * Murdoch vs. the NFL * How UCLA's win benefits the whole Big Ten * What NBA Europe investors should know, per @jamalmashburn puck.news/newsletter_c...

ESPN is about to be hit with a round of layoffs. I’m told the number will land near 30, primarily in off-camera departments. My story for @puck.news: puck.news/espns-next-r...

New pod: Former Kentucky and NBA star Jamal Mashburn on the state of college basketball from the increasingly chaotic off court business to how mid-majors can navigate the N.I.L. maze. open.spotify.com/episode/3IyP...

The Varsity * Robo umps are here. * Wapo hires some sports reporters. * Rupert's WSJ swipes at NFL's antitrust exemption. * Don't expect a lot of changes at NFL Network. * Passan: WBC shouldn't be more than every three years. puck.news/newsletter_c...

Pod: Just one week into the MLB season, ESPN's Jeff Passan dishes on all of the momentum in the league so far. open.spotify.com/episode/4SCD...

New pod: ESPN's Jeff Passan on the wonders of the robot umps, MLB's momentum and the future of the World Baseball Classic. open.spotify.com/episode/4SCD...

Pod: ESPN’s @susiepio.bsky.social on ESPN’s launch of “Women’s Sports Sundays” this summer and the still growing popularity of women’s sports. open.spotify.com/episode/2PX6...

ESPN’s Susie Piotrkowski on the explosion of women’s sports, from the surging popularity of the WNBA and women’s college basketball to the growing reach of the NWSL. She also dives deep into ESPN’s launch of “Women’s Sports Sundays” this summer. open.spotify.com/episode/2PX6...