House of Strauss

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com We 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

Ben Kaplan and Danny Parkins are best friends and co-creators of this particular passion project. It turns out that the ranks of NBA decision makers and coaches are replete with guys who cut their teeth in obscure Division 3 college programs. The sheer amount of influence out of D3 is pretty incredible, as the book chronicles and conveys. So why has this happened? How come the lowest level of college competition is fueling the highest level of decision making in pro competition? We get into that, plus question big shot Chicago radio host Danny about Caleb Williams… 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.com Ryan, 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?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Ace New York politics reporter, all around culture writer and crazed baseball fan Ross Barkan objected to my “Is Baseball Dying?” article. Naturally I had him here to say his piece and boy did we hit on a range of other topics. * Contra conventional wisdom, is baseball more international than basketball? * Why might baseball survive the future? * Pete Rose was insanely famous in the 1970s, and we’ve forgotten * Is household name sports celebrity over, post LeBron James and Steph Curry? * Is Patrick Mahomes anywhere near as famous as prime Tom Brady was? * Taylor Swift and parasocial fandom * Will Swift exist outside her time? * Travis Kelce’s obvious bid for fame * Tucker Carlson vs. Bari Weiss on Israel * Campus fight over Israel

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Joe is really smart about the sports + business overlap, as evidenced by his viral story about Glen Taylor thwarting his own sale of the Timberwolves to the ARod + Lore duo. We got deep into that deeply reported article and hit other topics of interest, such as… * The Pat McAfee + Bill Belichick combo * Robert Kraft’s Dynasty hit job on Belichick backfiring * Roger Goodell expanding the NFL season * NBA TV rights reports * The paradox of why NBA broadcasters might pay more while asking for less inventory * The Minnesota mess * Glen Taylor’s sneaky trick to recapture team control * Those Forbes team valuations matter more than you’d think * Why the WNBA can’t pay Caitlin Clark a lot of money * The articles arguing that Clark got a big Nike deal in large part because she’s White

Jason Timpf of Hoops Tonight on the Volume Network seemingly appeared out of nowhere, thriving at the top of NBA media. Of course, like many an “overnight success story,” his rise was many years in the making. This was a great conversation wherein we discussed, among other things… * How Jason used 2020 era Twitter Spaces as the battering ram to break into media * Why Jason, as the counterpoint to Spike Eskin, loves JJ Redick * How Jason’s career was decided by Colin Cowherd’s 5 seconds of judgment * Reducing a game to a story * How much should we blame or credit luck and variance in an outcome? * Dre Greenlaw’s Super Bowl Achilles: Luck or something else? * Analytics-leaners dismiss the midrange at their peril * Steve Kerr’s secret to NBA playoff success 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.com Prominent foreign policy writer Eli Lake, currently posting at The Free Press, dropped by HoS to talk basketball. I, of course, wanted to discuss Lake’s views on politics, culture and the ever fraught topic of Israel. I’m not sure which of us won the battle for topic allocation, but I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation (and I’ve made the NBA part of it free). Subjects include, but are not limited to… * Why Eli is “my least favorite kind of intellectual” * Eli’s beloved Sixers…getting mighty intriguing? * How to fix the Warriors * Eli, much like fellow Philly Jew Spike Eskin, has issues with LeBron’s public persona. * Why LeBron vs. Daryl Morey on China turned into a crisis at my then place of work * Is Eli, post October 7th, still friendly with Glenn Greenwald? * The Zionist case for America ceasing to fund Israel’s military * Protestors who block bridges against Israeli military action…is there a logic to what they’re doing? * Are today’s protestors imitating the legend of the 60s? Or doing their own thing? * Trump at the bodega

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com We’ve got Andrew Bogut and Mike “Pro” Procopio of the Rogue Bogues podcast to discuss the eliminated and possibly dead Golden State Warriors dynasty. Obviously we talked about a lot of other subjects with these first grade ballbusters. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * The Warriors. What should they do? * Draymond Green as player-podcaster * Did the Warriors really screw up the James Wiseman pick? Or were there just few good options? * Jontay Porter getting banned from the NBA for prop bets * The way assistant coaches scheme against one another for power * The time I got yelled at by a media member in front of Steph Curry * Players and coaches leaking secret information to reporters * Gilbert Arenas slighting Nikola Jokic * Is it an issue at all if Luka Doncic is chubby? * Pro is the King of Feminism because he was pro WNBA before it was cool

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Top flight Audio Man Spike Eskin is here to discuss the newest NBA podcast hits. Spike’s gotten a lot of mileage out of humorously critiquing LeBron and JJ Redick’s “Mind the Game” pod, but perhaps he should be focusing more of his energy on Michael Porter Jr.’s “Curious Mike” product? Topics discussed: * Is Spike a hater for laughing at LeBron’s Internet-lauded NBA strategy podcast? What’s wrong with two dudes drinking fancy wine and talking hoops? * Why did Spike’s “LeBron caught himself in a lie” clip go this viral? * Is the broader media afraid to have fun with LeBron’s foibles? * LeBron’s child star origins on display * Michael Porter Jr. interviewed porn star Lana Rhoades and the results are very entertaining * “Poop cookies” and the controversy surrounding Porter Jr.’s Rhoades interview * A case of “locker room” talk infuriating segments of social media * Athletes as political/social omnivores

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Boy do we have a loaded topic docket with America’s preeminent sports media critic and New York Post newsbreaker Ryan Glasspiegel. Honestly discussed fraught topics abound. As Ryan would frame this rundown: * All things Caitlin Clark (ratings, will it translate to WNBA, the backlash from women's basketball players and the backlash to the backlash) * Why Norby Williamson's out at ESPN/who he is/what it means * Dawn Staley/Outkick: What’s with the prestige media anger over the biological male in women’s sports question? * Why Timberwolves ownership dustup should be a bigger story * Ryan loves WrestleMania. I don’t understand WrestleMania

Sports announcers and 49ers Youtuber Guy Haberman had vocal cord surgery and now sounds like Patty + Selma. I find his current predicament fascinating. He insists the subject of announcer voice issues isn’t interesting. We start talking 49ers around the 52 minute mark, for people who are into that sort of thing. Topics include: * What does a vocal cord surgery do for a broadcaster? * Which sports announcers qualify for Top 5 “All Pipes” Team * Do New York announcers have the best accent for the job? Do Midwesterners have the worst? * Why did the elite duo of Guy + John Middlekauff break up? * Is Brandon Aiyuk going to be traded? * My crazy contrarian NFL takes * Does the NFL have a good understanding of which positions actually matter? * Who should the Niners draft? * How good is the talent around Brock Purdy? Better than what the Lions have around Goff? * Why paying your QB big money is no death sentence * Oh, and subscribe today! 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.com Our friend Amin Elhassan went negatively viral with his jump shot, but it’s only made him stronger. Many a fraught topic discussed in this one, including whether it’s easier to say things now vs. the recent past. Subjects include but aren’t limited to… * Amin’s crazy co-workers argued that Michael Jordan lacked charisma * Amin’s moment as Internet main character, based on a jump shot * Ben Bolch of the LA Times becomes main character over calling LSU women’s team “Dirty Debutantes,” and something about hot sauce? What happened here? * Don’t search “Dirty Debutantes” on a work computer * Is the Basketball Race War good for society? * Caleb Williams’ Nail Polishgate * Is the younger generation of athletes more into Williams’ style of personal expression? * Male feminist writers aren’t helping women’s sports when getting too defensive on behalf of players

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com In the Elon X era, no article ever goes viral. At least that’s what I used to think. But now, of late, articles in New York Magazine and The Cut have broken through as a sort of rage bait. To assess what’s going on, we’ve called in honest and trenchant culture writer Kat Rosenfield. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * Pre mourning your old dog * Getting “serious” with your significant other early * The Andrew Huberman cover story in NY Mag * How the Huberman story, while well written, fails to hit its target * It’s hard to publicly shame a man over having six girlfriends * Kat’s piece on how nobody cares about the Christine Blasey Ford memoir * The weirdness of the Brett Kavanaugh moment * Journalists taking out high school resentments on public figures * I’m “ethnically liberal”

If you’re an NBA fan you know who Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner are, beyond being recent guests on House of Strauss. In this episode, I used my “stupid questions” approach to ask these current media members about their old jobs. The answers? Well, they were anything but stupid. 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

Joe covers sports, business and often how the two intertwine. He’s been all over the sports + gambling topic, most recently with his viral observation on live sports betting integration getting added into NBA League Pass. Basically, Joe discusses all my favorite topics, so of course we had a great conversation. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * How America and Europe are on opposite timelines with sports betting * Is the sports betting boom going to harm young peoples’ sports fandom? * Why you can somewhat easily beat the books (except they won’t allow it) * Should sports books be forced to take the bets of winners? * Should sports gambling be made illegal again? * Contradictory signals on the NBA’s TV rights prospects * What do we think really happened with Shohei Ohtani? * The future is athletes getting in trouble like Ohtani did 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.com Thrilled to have Chris Vernon on because I’ve long been curious about his career as an NBA + overall sports podcaster. The best way I can summarize Verno for those who do not know: Think if Sam Kinison was really into the Memphis Grizzlies. Topics include but are not limited to… * Vernon used to hilariously CRUSH Pau Gasol * How Chris chose the Grizzlies as his success vehicle * Why Robert Saleh is the reason 49ers Youtube exploded * JT The Brick saved Chris’ career with some unforgettable advice * Why Tony Allen is a better NBA player podcaster than some others * Why Vernon thinks the NBA will be profitable despite losing full game watchers * Gas station boner pills? * Do the kids like the NBA? * Will this LeBron + JJ Redick podcast be a success?

Incidentally, Subscribe to my channel if you want the occasional video/Youtube experience for non paywalled articles… Tom Haberstroh has written an explosive article in The Finder about just how improbable the NBA’s post All-Star break scoring drought is. I think it’s impossible to look at these numbers and reach any conclusion other than that the NBA directed referees to call games differently. But does Tom himself think this? Discussion includes but is not limited to… * A wild free throw stat, unseen in 2000 games, happens twice on the same night * Tom gets into the numbers on a dramatic drop in fouls called * GMs don’t believe the league’s position that this is random and non directed * I say it really really really really looks like the NBA is lying * Why would the NBA lie about something so (allegedly) obvious? * Tom reveals a sneaky big benefit to the lack of foul calls * “Trying to get pregnant” is a funny euphemism. 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.com The preeminent sports media critic is here, right after breaking sports media news. We discuss, in notes cribbed from his X feed: * Ryan’s Pat McAfee vs. Stephen A. Smith story * Shannon Sharpe, digital juggernaut * The media lets it slide that Mark Cuban rips Trump nonstop yet sold his baby to partner with statistically the world's largest Trump supporter * A vibe shift where nobody cares about athletes like Joe Burrow hanging with Trump * The viral moment of LeBron getting very friendly with Lakers owner Jeanie Buss * I cost Ryan money on unders picks with my NBA scoring drop article. * National NBA media can't stand most of the stars being in small markets

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com I’m not sure how to describe this free flowing conversation with geneticist and writer Razib Khan, which was to be expected since Zeeb’s one of the most brilliant/idiosyncratic people I’ve ever met. Naturally, this talk is all over the place after beginning with, and I’m not sure there’s another way to describe this, social media reaction to “Aella’s birthday gangbang”. Topics discussed: * Razib knows the infamous Aella, who’s a rationalist data scientist between orgies. * Razib is friends with Aella, but is viscerally disgusted by her lifestyle. * Is human “disgust response” logical? * Is gene editing going to destroy sports? * Very tall people are rarer than it seems * Michael Jordan’s “mailman” theory on his own parentage * “Female sperm is heavier” * “The Sports Gene” * Why do men get autism and schizophrenia more frequently than women? * Ashkenazi really do have Middle East ancestry * Is the tech scene right wing? Left wing? * Why Microsoft is killing Google * An analysis of problems at Google