Advertise on podcast: The Varsity

John is joined by Words + Pictures co-founder Connor Schell and chief creative officer Aaron Cohen to discuss their new six-part Saban documentary, chronicling the life and career of the legendary college football coach. They also discuss the evolution of '30 for 30,' the state of the sports documentary genre, and why the market is bigger than just ESPN, Amazon, and Netflix.

Andy Johnson, founder of Fried Egg Golf, joins John to discuss the state of the PGA Tour under Brian Rolapp’s stewardship. He highlights Rolapp’s star-centric vision, argues that LIV’s real legacy may be forcing the Tour to innovate, and digs into the shrinking pool of rights bidders, golf’s equipment regulation debate, and more.

Fan favorite Andrew Marchand joins John to run through the sports-media news of the week. They dig into the NFL’s underwhelming early-season ratings, Joe Buck’s $108 million extension with ESPN, Brian Rolapp’s new plans for the PGA Tour, the growing scrutiny around College GameDay, and more.

Ted Leonsis, C.E.O. of Monumental Sports, joins John to talk about the ins and outs of owning the Washington Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics. He gets into the billion-dollar rebuild of Capital One Arena, why the Lakers’ $12.5 billion sale makes him nervous, his conviction that D.C. should become the women’s sports capital of the world, and more.

Fox's go-to guy for the Super Bowl and World Series joins John to discuss his enviable broadcast career, his weekly prep routine during the NFL season, and the zen of knowing when not to let your research get in the way of the game.  Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/

Super analyst Michael Nathanson returns to the pod to discuss the tectonic forces reshaping how America watches sports. He and John unpack the logic behind Fox’s bid for Roku, why YouTube TV could save cable, Charter’s streaming-bundle strategy, and Netflix’s “eventization” of everything.  Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/

ESPN's Peter Schrager joins John to discuss his winding road to hosting his own daytime show. The two also dig into the Rams’ rough Australia opener, the NFL’s flag football and international push, the next wave of team owners, and the NFL’s standoff with YouTube over live rights. Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/

WWE president and TKO board member Nick Khan joins John ahead of Saturday’s Ryan Garcia-Connor Benn welterweight title fight to lay out the Zuffa Boxing strategy. The two dig into why past boxing broadcasters bailed on the sport, WWE’s Netflix and ESPN Unlimited deals, the soaring valuations behind the Lakers and Commanders sales, and why Khan tunes out the noise on social media. Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/

The Zelig-esque sportscaster joins John on the eve of a new NFL season to discuss why football has a stranglehold on the sports-watching public. Plus he recounts the backstories behind his memorable interviews with George W. Bush, Mike Tyson, Pete Rose, and more.  Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/

Industry consultant Marc Ganis, a member of President Trump’s College Sports Council, joins John to break down the bipartisan Senate bill aimed at saving college athletics from itself. The two dig into runaway transfer chaos, the Lakers’ $12.5 billion sale, why the Seahawks fetched over $9 billion, Lachlan Murdoch’s risky bet on NFL media rights, the league’s flag football and international expansion push, and the never-ending saga of the Bears’ stadium search. Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/

The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand returns to the pod to break down the biggest storylines in sports media ahead of the NFL season. He and John weigh Tony Romo’s odds of returning to CBS’s top booth, Mike Tomlin’s early days in NBC’s studio, and whether Aaron Rodgers could follow the long line of star quarterbacks into broadcasting. They also dig into the NFL’s media rights leverage heading toward 2030, Netflix’s uneven push into live sports, and the economics behind Pat McAfee’s ballooning role at ESPN. Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/

Brian Herbst, the executive who negotiated the sport’s media rights deals, joins John to assess a landscape reshaped since he signed them. The two dig into the new Chase playoff format, the surprisingly loyal audience following NASCAR across five networks, Herbst’s beef with Nielsen's methodology, and the sport’s growing bet on original content, including the Days of Thunder sequel. Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/

Longtime Sports Illustrated columnist Jimmy Traina joins the pod to discuss why he left the publication after 20-plus years and what to expect from his move to Underscore Media. Jimmy and John also highlight some of the sports media trends they’re monitoring and how they expect the business to evolve. Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/

Mark Ein, a veteran investor with stakes in the Commanders, Orioles, and Leeds United, joins John to trace his path from World Team Tennis owner to NFL minority owner. Ein breaks down why franchise valuations keep shattering records (hint: AI wealth), where he sees real risk in sports' media-rights dependency, and what it'll take to make tennis a bigger deal in America.

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, who broke last week’s big news about the LA Lakers, joins John to walk through how the $12.5 billion deal came together practically overnight. The two dig into the NBA’s exploding franchise valuations, what kind of owner Iger is likely to be, why LeBron James really left for Philly, and the murky, slow-moving investigation into the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard.