August 04, 2025

FULL MONDAY SHOW: NCAA Tourney Expansion idea, Big Canaries week, Twins fallout / GUEST - Sports Bar GM Jackson Rentschler (Gateway Lounge, Gibs)

1 hour 16 minutes

If only there was some way to measure just how much more popular the Jackrabbit and Coyote football programs have become in Sioux Falls the last decade or so. How much have SDSU and USD put a dent in the die-hard interest of the Huskers, Hawkeyes, and Gophers since the Jacks (and now Yotes) have become national title contenders? And between those three bordering Big Ten schools, which still has the most pull in Sioux Falls? NFL — Sure the Minnesota Vikings are king in town, but by how much? Who are the second, third, fourth, and fifth most popular teams? Perhaps the most tangible way to experience these answers is to visit the dreamland theater of giant high-definition TV's and flowing beer suds of both Gateway Lounge and Gibs Sports Bar on an autumn Saturday or Sunday afternoon. That's where Jackson Rentschler has spend a good chunk of his adult life — First as a barteneder for his father Jack (both bars' owner) and for the last decade-plus as the general manager of both. Jackson has watched Sioux Falls and its sports scene grow up and flourish, and change, before his very eyes. So tuned-in is he with fandom trends, he has developed an exact science to determining which TV's show which games, and which game's sound each bar will hear on the speakers during any given time of a sports day. The attention to details has made both establishments go-to hubs for those who want to get out of the house to watch the action and feel a gameday rush, but don't want to deal with the costs and inconvenience of traveling, parking, tickets, and concessions. Jackson has been kind enough to make Gateway and Gibs the occasional host for Happy Hour with John Gaskins, but on this day, Jackson was guest. Find out what it is really like to own a sports bar. It isn't all fun and games, but, yeah, it's pretty cool. Plus, Jackson has fun stories about run-ins with some of the celebrities you sometimes see on those TV's — guys like Tony Romo and Vikings legend Tommy Kramer, who gave the Gateway the full "Two-Liter Tommy" experience one memorable night. It's a perfect hour of literal taproom talk to wet your whistle for pigskin gamedays that are getting closer and closer.

Before the interview, a John-o-logue from The Birdcage after the sixth Canaries loss in seven games. What happened, and why are the Birds still a far better option to watch and visit in person than the miserable Minnesota Twins? We learned more over the weekend about the day of reckoning and roster gutting on Thursday — more about just how shrewd, tone deaf, and idiotic the Pohlads are.

Meanwhile, the NCAA decided not to expand its Div. I men's tournament field beyond the current 68... at least for next March 2026. But there will be discussions about an expansion after that.

Gaskins wonders: If there is major expansion, should the regular season champion from every league — major, mid-major, low major — get an automatic bid into March Madness?

...more

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By John Gaskins