The Varsity

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

ESPN’s NBA reporter Brian Windhorst joins John for a state-of-the-union on the league—and where it's headed next. They dig into the NBA Cup and its new 10-year Amazon deal, the league’s push into Europe, the enduring All-Star Weekend dilemma, and why, for all the handwringing, the on-court product has never been better. Plus, the rise of superstars in small markets like OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver’s Nikola Jokic—and whether John has any reason at all to be hopeful about his hometown Washington Wizards. 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

USA Sports president Matt Hong joins John to talk shop about the post-Versant spin era. He breaks down the significant push into digital, their big investment in women’s sports like volleyball and the WNBA, why NASCAR has more gas left in the tank, and how USA is trying to keep one foot in linear TV while sprinting toward a very digital future. 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

Puck superfriends Julia Alexander, Eriq Gardner, and Dylan Byers reunite with John to debate the sports-media class of the year: David Ellison muscling into the rights wars, Pat McAfee cementing himself as the on-air talent north star, and the rest of the industry’s biggest winners of 2025. 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

MLS commissioner Don Garber joins John live from the University of Maryland’s Povich Symposium to chart the league’s MLS 3.0 blueprint. They discuss MLS’s rising fortunes, including its $21 billion collective valuation, and dig into the much-scrutinized Apple deal, now ending ahead of schedule. Garber stands by the partnership and lays out why he thinks MLS is well-positioned for the streaming age. 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

It’s been 20 years since How I Met Your Mother premiered, and just over 10 years since the finale. Josh Radnor, who played “Ted” for nine seasons teams up with series co-creator Craig Thomas for this episode-by-episode rewatch podcast. For the superfans, HWMYM (listen to the trailer to learn how it’s pronounced) will get into all the secrets, theories, and pineapples, but we'll also use HIMYM – and our relationship to it two decades later – to talk about life and love and art and everything in between. How We Made Your Mother… a flashback podcast for a flashback show.  You can listen to all episodes of season 1 now, and join Josh and Craig as they dive into season 2!  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

Puck superfriends Julia Alexander, Eriq Gardner, Dylan Byers, and John convene for a rollicking debrief of the most pressing sports media plot lines of 2025: YouTube’s unstoppable march toward inevitability, Netflix’s bold leap into live sports, the boom-bust mood swings of prediction markets and sports betting, 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

Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger joins John to discuss the chaos engulfing college football: ballooning N.I.L. bills, the slow march toward collective bargaining, and the fiscal headaches pummeling athletic departments. Plus, he and John look ahead at how the sport may evolve over the next three years—including what an expanded College Football Playoff might really entail. 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

Varsity favorite Andrew Marchand reunites with John to debate the week’s biggest sports-media plot lines: the NFL’s holiday-week stacked matchups and Amazon Prime’s outsized role in juicing viewership; MLB’s new media-rights math; ESPN’s quiet strategic wins; and whether streamers like YouTube are ready to jump into the next bidding war. Plus: what Netflix poaching ESPN talent like Elle Duncan really signals about the streamer’s accelerating pivot into sports. 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’ Matthew Berry—also the founder of Fantasy Life—returns to the pod to chew over the biggest forces reshaping sports media, from A.I.’s slow commoditization of editorial talent to which major league is most likely to fall behind in the sports rights arms race. They also dig into the industry’s obsession with younger audience, reflect on Berry’s leap from ESPN to NBC, discuss the continued evolution of Fantasy Life, 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

Axios’s Sara Fischer rejoins the pod for a rundown of the sports world’s biggest shakeups—from the YouTube TV-Disney standoff and YouTube TV’s crafty deals with Fox and NBCUniversal to the NWSL’s growing pains and the looming Warner Bros. Discovery fire sale. They also dig into the rise of independent creators and how Vox and Netflix are making plays amid the podcasting gold rush. 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

NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman joins John to discuss the league’s boom times—from surging TV ratings and record-breaking crowds to the league’s ubiquitous media strategy and upcoming expansion into Boston, Denver, and Atlanta—and why the forthcoming men’s World Cup could to supercharge everything. 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

Steve Bornstein, the architect behind both ESPN’s golden age and the launch of NFL Network, joins John to remember the late, great Paul Tagliabue—the commissioner who helped turn football into a billion-dollar religion. Bornstein also offers a seasoned view on today’s sports media circus, from the streaming wars to A.I.’s slow invasion of the industry. 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