Awful Announcing Podcast

Host Brandon Contes interviews Bram Weinstein, former ESPN SportsCenter anchor and current play-by-play radio voice of the Washington Commanders. Brandon and Bram discuss a wide range of topics including Daniel Snyder as former owner of the Washington Commanders, the "Commanders" name, being a SportsCenter anchor, Dan Le Batard's thoughts on Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless, and more.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, TikTok, Bluesky, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.-:45: Reaction to ownership change-2:14: Fan frustration of supporting Commanders but not wanting to support Daniel Snyder-4:08: Recent interactions with Snyder-4:44: Was Snyder aware he was so disliked by the fanbase?-7:15: Was Snyder unfairly blamed at times?-9:41: Topic changing to Snyder when hosting fan events-11:48: Most surprising Snyder move: Changing the name or selling the team?-13:47: Did the rebrand buy Snyder more time?-15:00: Will the Commanders ever have throwback uniforms?-17:47: Was "Commanders" the right pick for the new name?-19:58: Staff feelings with new ownership in terms of job security-22:30: Being play-by-play voice of childhood team-24:33: Play-by-play experience before the Commanders-26:30: Difficulties of working first season during COVID-19 pandemic-27:57: First time calling a game in front of a full crowd-28:41: Balancing hosting local sports talk radio and working play-by-play in terms of having opinions about the Commanders-30:41: Was Bram ever too critical on his radio show?-32:10: Realistic expectations for the Commanders this season-34:03: Working on SportsCenter-35:25: How much input did Bram have in his SportsCenter episodes?-37:09: Doing ‘This is SportsCenter’ commercials-37:54: The SportsCenter brand changing-40:28: Thoughts on Dan Le Batard’s comments about Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless-43:55: People Bram looked up to-46:15: Does hosting a sports talk radio show in Washington D.C. bring more political talk?-47:20: Political talk radio shows-48:23: Creating and running Ampire Media Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Brandon Contes interviews Heather O'Reilly, 2015 Women's World Cup champ, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and Fox soccer analyst. Brandon and Heather discuss a wide range of topics including the Women's World Cup and the USWNT, Grant Wahl's impact on soccer in the U.S., being on stage with Taylor Swift, Megan Rapinoe's retirement, and more.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, TikTok, Bluesky, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.-:36: Flying to Sydney-1:53: Acclimatizing to the time difference-3:42: Transitioning from playing to broadcasting-5:57: Balance between being a fan and being impartial with the USWNT on broadcasts-8:30: Retiring from play in 2019 and coming back in 2022-11:18: Does broadcasting help fill the void of playing?-13:17: Does playing/coaching help with broadcasting and vice versa?-16:08: Thoughts about making a comeback to the USWNT-18:59: Winning the 2015 Women’s World Cup-22:08: Grant Wahl and his impact on women’s soccer-26:15: Going to Qatar-28:26: Megan Rapinoe retiring-32:00: Equal Pay lawsuit-35:17: Future of the USWNT and USMNT in terms of where they stand worldwide-40:34: Casual fans coming in for the World Cup-43:12: USWNT draw reaction, prediction for Women’s World Cup Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Brandon Contes interviews Wayne Randazzo, Los Angeles Angels and Apple TV+ MLB play-by-play person. Brandon and Wayne discuss a wide range of topics including Shohei Ohtani being a "walking legend," Stephen A. Smith's "Angels are irrelevant" comments, Albert Pujols' 700th home run, and more.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, TikTok, Bluesky, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.-:40: All-Star Game talk-1:52: Becoming TV play-by-play for the LA Angels-3:30: After doing radio, was TV the goal for Wayne?-5:18: Does being a TV play-by-play person feel bigger than radio play-by-play?-6:42: Covering Shohei Ohtani-8:37: Interactions with Ohtani-9:24: Ohtani’s competitiveness-10:57: Could the Angels trade Ohtani? Would that be smart?-14:38: Ohtani national media coverage-18:41: Mike Trout being under-the-radar in national media-20:34: Reaction to Stephen A. Smith’s “Angels are irrelevant” comments-22:32: Did Stephen A’s comments resonate with Angels fans?-24:06: Working for Apple-24:46: Apple criticism/fan feedback-27:17: Calling Albert Pujols’ 700th home run-30:44: Working with Howie Rose-31:59: Camaraderie between radio/TV booths-34:19: Cadence differences between TV and radio-35:06: Feelings about the pitch clock-36:19: Feelings about In-game interviews with players-37:47: Ingratiating yourself to a team broadcast for a team you didn’t grow up with-40:07: Joe Davis-42:19: Calling games while umpire cousin Tony Randazzo is working the same game-43:14: Would Wayne someday want to broadcast in Chicago? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Brandon Contes interviews Anish Shroff, ESPN play-by-play commentator and radio voice of the Carolina Panthers. Brandon and Anish discuss a wide range of topics including calling the Duke's Mayo Bowl, being on "Dream Job," working lacrosse for ESPN, being the voice of the Panthers, and more.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.-:54: Being the voice of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl-2:15: Anish’s reaction to finding out he was working Duke’s Mayo Bowl-7:13: Having lots of mayo at home-8:21: Anish eating Oreos and macarons dipped in mayo-9:35: Mike Golic Jr. leaving ESPN and Brock Osweiler joining on to eat foods dipped in mayo-10:45: Being on “Dream Job” for ESPN-13:54: Was “Dream Job” an honest judge of talent?-14:56: Was the goal to be an anchor or play-by-play entering “Dream Job?”-15:58: Getting into lacrosse-19:05: Cadence of calling lacrosse compared to other sports-20:16: Continuing to call lacrosse after college-21:04: Calling a big game in lacrosse-23:16 Being the radio voice for the Carolina Panthers-27:18: Traveling for college football on Saturday and NFL on Sunday-30:06: Making pregame meetings for multiple games on the same weekend-30:51: Prepping for multiple games on the same weekend-32:16: Reaction from Panthers fans-33:57: Announcers Anish wanted to emulate growing up-36:33: Panthers fan expectations for this upcoming season-37:55: Best and worst calls-39:29: Future goals and aspirations-42:51: Having a creative outlet Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Brandon Contes interviews Adam Schein, host of "Schein on Sports" on SiriusXM, "Time to Schein" on CBS Sports Network, and the "Rise and Schein" podcast that uploads every Monday. Brandon and Adam discuss a wide range of topics including interviewing Aaron Rodgers, that time Snooki and Adam had a beef, Larry King calling in, and more.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.-:40: “Hot” coffee takes-1:56: Interviewing Aaron Rodgers-6:21: Has Adam’s perception of Rodgers changed?-8:30: Rodgers dealing with the NYC media-11:48: What is a host’s responsibility in interviewing Rodgers?-14:05: The Snooki feud-14:58: Interacting with Pat McAfee when he was on Mad Dog Sports Radio-16:07: Thoughts on McAfee going to ESPN-17:12: Working at Sirius satellite radio pre-Howard Stern-19:16: Was Adam ever close to returning to WFAN?-24:06: Talking to Mike Francesa about someday replacing him-26:42: Interacting with Chris Russo-28:00: Being a lead-in for Stephen A. Smith-29:29: Doing the “Rise and Schein” podcast-30:58: Differences in hosting styles between TV, radio, and podcasting-33:10: Larry King being a regular caller into “Schein on Sports”-35:29: Reaction to Brent Axe being fired for being “overly negative” about Syracuse sports Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Brandon Contes interviews Brian Windhorst, ESPN senior NBA writer and host of "Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective." Brandon and Brian discuss a wide range of topics including NBA Finals coverage, covering The Decision, becoming a meme, and more.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.-:42: NBA Finals talk-1:19: Covering the Denver Nuggets for ESPN-1:57: Seeing new teams in the NBA Finals-3:58: National media/ESPN criticism for covering LeBron James so much-7:45: Criticism from ESPN people about their lack of Nikola Jokić coverage-10:02: ESPN’s basketball coverage-12:37: Thoughts on aggregate media-17:50: The Rudy Gobert trade and becoming a meme-22:56: The Paris interview with Victor Wembanyama on Draft Lottery night-29:17: Doing TV as a reporter-33:54: Covering LeBron and being linked with him through high school, the Cavs, and the Heat-36:21: Going to Miami and facing animosity-40:13: Cleveland’s reaction toward Brian when he left to cover LeBron in Miami-43:10: Covering The Decision-48:04: Is LeBron really contemplating retirement?-50:15: How and when to decide to report on transaction rumors-54:10: Difficulties of being on First Take as a reporter and not saying too much-56:29: Working with Stephen A. Smith-59:03: Working with Skip Bayless-1:01:45: Current NBA player who could be a media star Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Brandon Contes interviews Mark Schlereth, three-time Super Bowl champion, Fox NFL analyst, and Denver sports talk radio host. Brandon and Mark discuss a wide range of topics including ESPN's treatment of the Denver Nuggets, Tom Brady entering broadcasting, working with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and more.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.-:48: Fan perception of a former football player talking about other sports-6:06: Daily grind of morning radio-9:35: Studio vs. game analyst and transitioning from the studio to the booth-17:37: Tom Brady entering broadcasting-22:22: Still enjoying doing studio shows-25:52: ESPN and national media treatment of Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokić-29:05: Does the city of Denver hold a grudge to the national media?-31:12: Reaction to Kendrick Perkins’ comments on Jokić and racially biased MVP voting claims-34:33: Coaching aspirations?-36:30: Acting in "Ballers" and "Guiding Light"-38:16: How was working with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Brandon Contes interviews Leigh Diffey, play-by-play commentator for the NTT IndyCar Series for NBC as well as IMSA, MotoGP, Supercross, and Olympic track and field. In the lead-up to the 107th Indianapolis 500, Brandon and Leigh discuss a wide range of topics including the narrative some people have that race car drivers are not "athletes," the importance of the Indy 500, what casual fans should be looking for at Indy, and more.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.-:46: Busy week leading up to Indianapolis 500-1:09: Motorsports background growing up in Australia-2:46: Being a PE teacher while getting started in broadcasting-5:09: Adversity in Australia from those in sports media who felt Leigh didn't belong-6:59: Moving to the United Kingdom and then the United States-8:39: Bigger transition going from Australia to UK, or UK to U.S.?-9:32: Culture shock moving from London to Atlanta-10:31: Becoming a U.S. citizen-11:44: Working the Olympics for NBC-12:32: Similarity of motorsports and race-based Olympic sports-13:36: Preparation for Olympic events-15:14: Being lead play-by-play for Olympic track and field-15:44: COVID protocols in Tokyo during Olympics-17:27: Working Beijing Olympics in-studio-18:28: Getting the full Olympic experience-19:27: The “race car drivers are not real athletes” narrative-20:50: When Leigh felt he “made it” and could make a living in broadcasting-21:33: Working with David Hobbs and Steve Matchett on Formula 1 broadcasts-22:34: Hobbs speaking his mind-23:27: Fitting into a broadcast where the analysts are already working together-24:50: Preference in calling a race on a road course or oval?-25:43: Longest Leigh has been on a broadcast-27:12: Calling Formula 1 and IndyCar on the same day-28:07: Was the Indy 500 a big event in Australia when Leigh was growing up? Is it now?-29:30: What makes the Indy 500 special?-31:49: The rush of being on the call for the Indy 500-33:24: Leigh’s historic call of Helio Castroneves’ fourth Indy 500 win in 2021-36:57: Booth setup for an Indy 500 broadcast-39:47: “100 Days to Indy” discussion-41:06: Impact of sports gambling on IndyCar broadcasts-41:42: What should a casual fan be looking for if they’re watching the Indy 500 for the first time?-42:34: Which winner would make for the best story?-43:41: Graham Rahal being bumped and then replacing Stefan Wilson-44:42: Future goals in broadcasting Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Brandon Contes interviews Ryan Ruocco, play-by-play commentator for the NBA and WNBA for ESPN as well as the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets for YES, in addition to co-hosting the "R2C2 Podcast" with CC Sabathia. Brandon and Ryan discuss a wide range of topics including being the "Voice of the WNBA," working an NBA game for ESPN the night COVID shut everything down, Pat McAfee moving to ESPN, working with Stephen A. Smith, and more.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.-:50: Growing up wanting to do multiple sports or a single sport-2:26: Being the "Voice of the WNBA"-5:13: WNBA perceptions-7:39: Has NBA comparison narrative started to change?-8:27: Ryan’s voice exercises-8:57: Ryan on Jeff Van Gundy’s reaction to his voice exercises-12:02: NBA coaches could benefit from similar voice exercises to preserve voice-13:52: Having voice issues-17:17: Michael Kay’s influence on Ryan’s career-20:13: Preference in doing baseball on TV or radio-21:55: Being bumped from Aaron Judge’s 61st home run game-24:25: Does Ryan envision being the voice of a specific team?-26:43: Calling the NBA on ESPN when the league suspended the season due to COVID-29:15: Sudden shift from normal to everything stopping while on broadcast-30:56: Is there an analyst Ryan has worked with (Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, JJ Redick, Richard Jefferson, etc.) who’s more hungry to get into coaching?-36:03: Broadcasting when at a similar age as many of the players-39:10: R2C2 Podcast with CC Sabathia-42:27: Interactions with Bill Simmons-45:02: Thoughts on Pat McAfee moving to ESPN-46:46: Working with Stephen A. Smith-51:20: Were there difficulties working with Stephen A. at first?-52:25: Stephen A’s lack of complacency-53:19: Future career aspirations Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Brandon Contes interviews John Ireland, radio voice of the Los Angeles Lakers and co-host of "Mason and Ireland" on ESPN Radio in LA. Brandon and John discuss a wide range of topics including a potential "Last Dance" docuseries with Kobe or LeBron, Kobe and Shaq's divorce and reconciliation, and covering an NBA Finals during a pandemic.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.-:44: Living out a dream job as radio voice of the Lakers-1:37: Working with Chick Hearn, receiving advice from Chick-2:21: Working with Mychal Thompson, dealing with Lakers-Warriors series with son Klay playing for the opposition-3:12: John on the Lakers’ dramatic turnaround this season-4:24: LeBron James chasing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career scoring record-5:37: John explaining his call when LeBron set the record-7:10: Was John nervous making a monumental call like that?-8:14: Difference in radio and TV broadcasting during historic moments-11:26: Covering LeBron in Los Angeles. How do the locals view LeBron?-12:38: How do Lakers fans view the “bubble championship?”-14:03: Lakers receiving local attention vs national attention-15:43: Differences in covering LeBron James and Kobe Bryant-17:15: Local news stations covering Kobe and LeBron-18:30: Kobe, LeBron, Shaq personalties-22:36: Kobe and Shaq divorce-25:07: Were there any incidents between Kobe and Shaq during this time?-27:42: Did John have a stronger relationship with Kobe or Shaq?-29:25: Kobe or LeBron “Last Dance” docuseries???-31:00: Covering Kobe’s death-37:08: Calling the NBA Finals from a studio during a pandemic-39:20: Doing TV play-by-play-40:04: John on Charles Barkley saying broadcasting sporting events on radio is “the stupidest thing in the world”-43:21: Difference between ESPN’s and TNT’s NBA studio shows-45:12: Dynamic of hosting an ESPN Radio show in LA and working for the Lakers-46:35: Has LeBron ever complained over something John said either on commentary or on the radio?-47:54: John’s proudest call Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.