House of Strauss

Andrew Sharp, host of several podcasts, discusses NBA Finals, exploding TV rights fees, and a Lakers media feud over Dan Hurley vs. JJ Redick. They delve into the Celtics team ethos, coaching dynamics, challenges in sports media, and complexities of sports broadcasting.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comWe can hardly keep track of all the sports media controversies pouring forth from Caitlin Clark’s debut WNBA season, so we enlisted WNBA fan and certified #GirlDad Ryan Glasspiegel. What the hell is happening here? Why is Stephen A. Smith doing battle with ESPN personality Monica McNutt? Why is Pat McAfee apologizing for calling Caitlin Clark a “white bitch”? Why is Sean Hannity attacking Pat McAfee over this? We answer all these questions and more. Topic Docket:* A whole lot of hilarious WNBA-related subjects (We’re allowed to laugh)* Much of the sports media is gaslighting us on what’s happening* Why do players hate Caitlin Clark? What’s the percentage breakdown? * Sean Hannity going after Pat McAfee? In a non political way? What? * The Negro Leagues + MLB stats integration topic

Our resident announcer Guy Haberman is back, and sounding much better since the last time we chatted. We went as deep as we could go on the profession of sports broadcasting. What’s the greatest call of all time? What’s Joe Buck’s style, distilled? Also discussed: Guy’s time with the great Bill Walton, my thoughts on how writing is different from podcasting, and how you should prepare for anything you do. Oh, and some 49ers stuff at the end, of course. House of Strauss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comA hearty welcome to American Soccer Man Alexi Lalas. He’s sometimes discussed as “controversial” in sports media, but is he? We get into how and why he expresses his views, how the culture is shifting, and how athletes are different from us. We also look back at his and Carli Lloyd’s viral 2023 World Cup commentary. Enjoy topics that include but are not limited to…* How does Alexi feel now about suddenly becoming a famous Gen Xer in 1994?* Alexi’s problem with soccer fans who “gate keep” soccer fandom* America’s the only nation where soccer fan can be coded as “well educated snob”* Why Lalas posted a 1993 photo of himself with the caption: Yup, in 1993 you would have seen this dude was flying down the 5 freeway into the warm golden California sun, with the windows down cranking Rush Limbaugh....and Ratt* Are athletes, including soccer players, more small “c” conservative than media? * How the NBA (cynically) stopped involving itself in politics* That time Alexi tweeted, “'Don’t kill the messenger. This #USWNT is polarizing”* Looking back on Bill Walton* Alexi thinks society would heal if all group chats were made public * His view on Megan Rapinoe* “Not everyone is wired like Carli Lloyd”

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comWosny Lambre wears many hats and today we accidentally went heavy on politics. For that I apologize, given that sports > politics, but I did throughly enjoy the conversation (which even included some spirited arguing). The caveat is this is just two guys shooting from the hip on controversial matters. We are not experts. To quote Charles Barkley, “God’s the only expert.” Topics include but aren’t limited to…* This bizarre Isaac Chotiner interview with Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg where the latter tries to flee midway through. * Why is Joe Biden struggling in the polls relative to the Democratic Party?* Why has a slice of the public forgiven Trump relative to 2022, when Dems performed above expectations?* Do people now overwhelmingly vote for cultural reasons over economic reasons? * Wos is fascinated by how Bill Maher is regarded on the left* Stan Van Gundy accuses Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker of “cloaking bigotry under religious beliefs.” I’ll admit that I discussed this part before knowing the full context of SVG’s religion-critical commentary. * Is religion on a textual level compatible with modern culture?

Nate Jones discusses the end of NBA on TNT, ESPN's NBA issues, and sharing political tendencies on Twitter. The episode explores collaborations, ESPN's influence, and navigating online anger and authenticity. Anecdotes of charisma and controversy, media personalities in sports, and athlete choices are also touched upon.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comWe are joined by Mike Pesca, host of The Gist, and (much to his great shame), House of Strauss super fan. On today’s pod we unpack the various overlapping dramas surrounding Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s commencement speech. The NFL has disavowed Butker’s words. But has “the NFL” really disavowed his words? Topics include but aren’t limited to…* Mike and I like a good hypocrite* Is there any throughline to the social justice causes (Why is Greta Thunberg now protesting an Israeli singer’s inclusion on Eurovision?)* The Harrison Butker media freakout* Can fervently followed religion co-exist with the secular ideology of institutions?* The modern issue with telling women to “be a homemaker”* Bill Simmons succeeds because he still has takes (and others don’t)* A take or two on Glenn Greenwald* Mike questions me on my NBA takes over the years

Grant Cohn is a) The originator of the now multimillion dollar media ecosystem known as “49ers Youtube” b) Most prolific critic of 49er coach Kyle Shanahan and, now, c) In a beef with Athletic reporter David Lombardi. We start with that last part, because it’s an intriguing entry point. Why are Cohn and Lombardi openly fighting? Does Grant represent the gate crashing threat of New Media? Or is Lombardi heading him off at the pass by taking team-friendly coverage to Grant’s Youtube territory? We get into all of this, plus discuss hurting athlete’s feelings, Kevin Durant’s personality type, my least favorite 2024 Niner draft pick, and, who else? Brock Purdy. Enjoy!House of Strauss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

Best friends and podcast co-creators, Ben Kaplan and Danny Parkins, discuss the surprising influence of Division 3 basketball on NBA decision makers and coaches. They explore the reasons behind this phenomenon and its impact on the highest level of professional competition. The podcast also touches on topics like Chicago radio host Danny Parkins' thoughts on Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears' draft picks, adding a fun and insightful twist to the conversation.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comRyan, our nation’s preeminent sports media critic, is here to discuss reports that NBC wishes to offer the NBA a tremendous amount of money. What does this mean, other than that Adam Silver is our lord and savior? Topics…* Can Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT) possibly come up with a competing offer?* What’s with WBD CEO David Zaslav sitting at Knicks-Sixers with Goldman Sachs tycoon Lloyd Blankfein?* Do Barkley and the other TNT guys join NBC in this scenario? * Irony of WBD needing the NBA most, but being most likely to be forced out* Oddness of young Thunder players doing that “What a pro wants” ad* Which TNT halftime guy is least essential?* NBA playoff ratings are all over the map. New Nielsen system or something else?* That traditional space at end of pod where we talk Israel/Gaza campus protests * Are these protests being received by the public in a totally different way had Elon not bought Twitter?