The Varsity

The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand returns to parse MLB’s media rights reshuffle and how the league will be packaged across its many platforms, from Netflix to NBC. Marchand and John also discuss ESPN’s MLB programming pivot, grade Peacock’s Legendary February, and predict who will be the winners and losers of the NFL’s looming rights renegotiations. Plus: Barry Bonds’ new gig with Netflix and his enduring case for a spot in Cooperstown. 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

ESPN’s college basketball savant Jay Bilas joins John with a surprisingly optimistic diagnosis of the sport. He argues the on-court product has never been better, and makes a case that N.I.L. has only strengthened—not fractured—collegiate athletics. Plus, his thoughts on reform, his take on March Madness expansion, and why the game’s best days may still be ahead. 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

Veteran sports columnist Christine Brennan joins John live from Milan to chew over the buzziest storylines emerging from the Winter Olympics. She discusses the unusually charged political atmosphere—including the notable booing of J.D. Vance at the opening ceremony, even as the U.S. team received significant applause—and why politics feels more front-and-center than usual among athletes. They also examine the controversy surrounding Casey Wasserman and whether his role leading the 2028 Los Angeles Games could be jeopardized after his name surfaced in the latest Epstein files. 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

NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell joins John to reflect on his 20-year rise inside the company—going from the infamous “hat dance guy” to the executive now steering the motorsport’s high-stakes future. Then he breaks down the new playoff format, NASCAR’s global ambitions, why staying a “must-have” media property is more critical than ever, 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 https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben Strauss, the now-former Washington Post media reporter, joins John to share a firsthand account of being swept up in the paper’s mass layoffs and the shuttering of its sports desk. Then they dive into NBC’s Super Bowl performance and the broader NFL ecosystem—from its international expansion and looming media rights negotiations to the league’s outsized influence over traditional networks, 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 choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Live from Santa Clara, NBC Sports’ Mike Florio returns to the pod to take stock of the NFL’s biggest off-the-field storylines, from potential reforms to the Hall of Fame voting process after the first-ballot snubs of Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft, to looming changes to the salary cap. They also weigh into the concerns about officiating, the league’s ongoing struggle to make the Rooney Rule effective, the NFL’s accelerating pivot toward streaming, 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 choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Top NFL exec Jeff Miller joins John for a candid pre–Super Bowl Sunday deep dive. They dig into the league’s landmark new deal with ESPN and what it signals about the NFL’s evolving media strategy, the league’s increasing use of A.I. in player health and safety, why the Rooney Rule fell flat this hiring cycle—and what, if anything, the league can do to fix it. 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

ESPN’s Dan Van Natta joins John to preview the biggest off-field storylines shaping Super Bowl week, starting with the news that stunned the league: Bill Belichick falling short of first-ballot Hall of Fame induction. They also dig into the NFL’s continued push toward an 18-game season, the criminal investigation into the NFLPA, Jerry Jones’s looming succession questions in Dallas, the Washington Post layoff saga—and 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 https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Axios’s Sara Fischer returns to the pod to discuss the biggest storylines shaping the media and sports business—from the looming mass layoffs at The Washington Post to the implications of a potential Warner–Netflix merger. They also dig into TikTok’s new ownership structure, Peacock’s evolving sports rights strategy, and what it all signals about where the industry is headed. 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

Washington Post contributor Danny Funt joins John to explore the uneasy moment facing the sports betting industry. As FanDuel and DraftKings feel the squeeze, Funt explains the hunt for higher margins, the marketing tactics fueling growth, and the growing demand for consumer protections. They also discuss how gambling has been increasingly woven into sports media—and whether the U.S. is inching toward tighter, European-style regulation. 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

The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand joins John to break down the future of sports media rights, with a particular focus on the NFL. They discuss why so many leagues’ next deals hinge on the NFL’s upcoming negotiations, which NFL packages are most vulnerable to streamer disruption, why it’s no longer far-fetched to imagine Amazon eventually landing a Super Bowl—and more. Plus, why Travis Kelce is primed to be the next great play-by-play announcer. 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

The Athletic’s Evan Drellich joins John to break down the L.A. Dodgers’ $240 million deal for star outfielder Kyle Tucker and its potential implications on MLB’s next round of labor negotiations. They explore the renewed conversation around a salary cap, the parity between big- and small-market teams, the looming media rights reset, the prospect of a free-agency deadline, the financial strain on R.S.N.s like Main Street Sports and partners like FanDuel—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 choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michael Ratner, C.E.O. of OBB Media, joins John to discuss his new joint venture with Michael Rubin’s Fanatics to launch Fanatics Studios—aiming to produce sports content across feature films, documentaries, and live events. Ratner explains how they plan to leverage Fanatics’ deep athlete relationships and league partnerships to disrupt the sports content market—and offers his read on where sports media is headed writ large. 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

NCAA president Charlie Baker joins John to confront the growing sense that college sports are in troubled waters. Baker breaks down the chaos of the transfer portal, the accelerated professionalization of college athletics, and why Congress may need to step in to impose uniform eligibility rules. He also discusses the NCAA’s media rights deal with ESPN, makes the case for expanding March Madness, 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 choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mark Marshall, NBCU’s global ads chief, joins John to talk shop about the sports media market. Marshall recounts selling out the Olympics weeks ahead of the opening ceremony (alongside the Super Bowl and NBA All-Star Weekend…); what really went down with NBC’s big NBA deal; the action behind MLB’s new contract, 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 choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The New York Times’ Ken Belson joins John to discuss the professionalization—and monetization—of youth sports, and the mental-health toll for kids caught in the middle. He explains how private equity and big money have turned youth athletics into a sprawling $40 billion ecosystem, driving up costs and pressure on families nationwide. Then Ken shares the biggest storylines he’s pursuing for the upcoming NFL playoffs. 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

Sports media analyst Michael Nathanson swings by the pod to reveal the sports media plotlines insiders are tracking over the coming year. They discuss YouTube’s growing footprint in the sports streaming ecosystem, how legacy players like ESPN can maintain relevancy, whether a Netflix-WBD merger might impact TNT Sports, and much more. Explore how prediction markets skirt state authority and pose risks to consumers at AmericanGaming.org/predictionmarkets (http://americangaming.org/predictionmarkets) 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

The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand joins John to bestow The Varsity’s inaugural Sports Media Awards—from the most overhyped plot line and the sleeper story that flew under the radar, to the best play-by-play announcer, top analyst, and the executive who moved the industry the most. Then they look ahead and call their shot on which executive takes home the 2026 crown. Explore how prediction markets skirt state authority and pose risks to consumers at AmericanGaming.org/predictionmarkets (http://americangaming.org/predictionmarkets) 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

NBC Sports college football insider Nicole Auerbach returns to the pod to assess the state of the game through the College Football Playoff. She pores over the dud first-round matchups, explains why CFP expansion is probably off the table for 2026 thanks to Big Ten–SEC infighting, considers whether Notre Dame’s snub could force a conference move, digs into the intensifying financial strain on athletic departments—and much more. Explore how prediction markets skirt state authority and pose risks to consumers at AmericanGaming.org/predictionmarkets (http://americangaming.org/predictionmarkets) 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

Netflix vice president of sports Gabe Spitzer joins John for a deep dive into the streamer’s event-first sports strategy—from the Jake Paul–Anthony Joshua fight to NFL games on Christmas Day. Spitzer explains why Netflix is chasing tentpoles, not volume, and how selective rights plays like the Women’s World Cup and MLB fit into a broader global sports push. They also dig into Netflix’s approach to sports docs, podcasts, and the company’s ambitions to be a truly global sports destination. Explore how prediction markets skirt state authority and pose risks to consumers at AmericanGaming.org/predictionmarkets (http://americangaming.org/predictionmarkets) 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