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Jay Caspian Kang writes about a little bit of everything and so, in our conversations, we discuss a little bit of everything. Today’s main topic is whether the Analytics Movement is past due in sports. Related, per new data-based analysis of Democratic Party woes, is politics about to get a visit from the analytics movement? Topics include but aren’t limited to…

* Are Michael Jordan’s shoes actually objectively good looking?

* Why did bloggers adopt analytics as a cause?

* Was the analytics era about the truth, or about asserting dominance over jocks?

* Did fans like the era of NBA strategy blogging?

* Why Fantasy Sports sells a fantasy of what it’s like to be a GM

* The folly of thinking data analysis can reveal how to run a political party

* Ezra Klein stepping into the void to take charge of the Democratic Party

* Does Gavin Newsom have a shot at the presidency or is it just the right that’s warming to him?

* Is 80 percent of politics just who runs Twitter?

* Are the millennial NBA stars like America’s boomers (in holding back progress through longevity)

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Liz co-hosts the Just Asking Questions podcast, which earnestly investigates the day’s most pressing political and cultural issues. She’s also, in no particular order, a Catholic, mom, surfer and natalism evangelist.

I really enjoy Wolfe’s approach to conversations and public intellectual life so this pod is a long time coming. Topics include but aren’t limited to…

* Why you should have kids

* Whether it’s bad that Berkeley is so old now

* Somehow, we also get into the topic of whether we should explore why we’re disgusted by certain forms of deviancy

* How Liz and I feel about living next to Watch List neighbors

* My son embarrassed me at Warriors practice by being exactly like me

* Aella, the rationalist prostitute

* That time Kyrie Irving and other NBA players were being compelled to take the vax

Hoops Tonight host Jason Timpf is back talking NBA nitty gritty + headier topics that we tend to get into. A great conversation as always, this time including but not limited to…

* Why Jason knew the Jimmy Butler trade would work for the Warriors

* The “blood and bones” perspective on basketball vs. analytics

* The “why” function of Youtube

* How players fit With and Without

* Does Jason believe in the Thunder?

* Why Jason doesn’t believe in the Bucks

* The underrated MAIN problem with the NBA product right now

* Why we’re doing MVP wrong these days

* Why NBA players are so jealous

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Joe, who covers sports business, did a great deep dive on why ESPN’s big bet on ESPN BET has gone awry. What does this say about the current state of sports gambling? Have we reached peak sports gambling? Also, was ESPN’s Around the Horn cancellation more about surrounding structure, or inability to match modern sports fan culture?

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

I can’t deny it. I’m really excited about the Jimmy Butler Warriors. I just had to discuss with Light Years hosts Saam Esfandiari and Andy Liu. If you’re a GSW fan, this is the episode for you. If you like NBA legacy talk…this might also be the episode for you.

Topics include but aren’t limited to…

* Do we believe?

* Reasons for belief

* Was Bob Myers throwing cold water on the Warriors in the ABC broadcast?

* Do I regret not being around for the entire Steph Warriors story arc?

* If Draymond’s wild championship prediction is right…LeBron legacy implications

* How Gregg Popovich and LeBron James are similar in GOAT debates

Mavs Moneyball Managing Editor Kirk Henderson went viral with his letter to Mavericks GM Nico Harrison. Since going viral with text is almost impossible these days, we talked about why Kirk’s heartfelt missive swayed the masses.

What the hell went on in Dallas to cause this infamous trade of a superstar? What are the media stories connected to it? Also, how do Kirk and I rank those to blame for the trade in terms of culpability?

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

Big Wos of Ringer fame is here to break down what the hell compelled the Mavericks to trade away an MVP level player entering his prime. We get into why Mavs GM Nico Harrison may have done the unthinkable, and whether there are genuine concerns about the Lakers’ new franchise guy. A fine conversation with our favorite bon vivant.

Topics include but aren’t limited to…

* Could history ever validate this decision?

* Apparently I’ve joined the conventional wisdom in hating Adam Schefter’s tweet about the trade

* Are we now secretly rooting for Nico Harrison to somehow win this bad trade?

* Were there cultural tensions between Nico and Luka?

* Why was Nico perhaps ill suited for taking over the reins from Cuban

* How much it annoys GMs when a player gets FAT

* Why is Luka getting fat

* Luka and…beer?

* The issue with Nico being schooled in the Mamba Mentality

* Luka is Zion Williamson with results

* Did the Mavs make a “win now” move?

* Media squeamishness around discussing the DEI issue

* How do we feel about A'ja Wilson’s sneaker release?

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And now for something completely different…

Razib Khan, beyond being a fine friend of pod, is an excellent genetic historian. He’s written a fascinating article about how Europe once had a burgeoning civilization…thousands of years before history as we know it began. We just haven’t understood much about a once thriving continent because these societies were largely wiped out by the people who became “Europeans”. These revelations turn a lot of conventional historical wisdom about ancient history on its head.

Quoting Razib:

Neolithic Europe was one of Eurasia’s most advanced regions 5,000 years ago, nearly on par with the Near East, matching India and surpassing China in material terms. In some domains, like gold-work, Europe was the pioneer. We may have forgotten this Europe, but it was hardly a backwater. It was a central engine of world civilization 5,000 years ago.

Through the magic of modern technology, we’re getting new insights into this lost world. With increasing clarity, we’re also seeing just how brutal human life was in pre modernity. It’s not sports or media exactly, but I just had to discuss this all with Razib. I believe it’s important information and I can’t stop thinking about it.

Topics include:

* Where everybody came from

* How nobody is really from anywhere

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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

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Freddie stopped by and we had a great conversation about hating Chiefs dominance despite its evident merits, and all these other aspects of popular sports fandom. Oh, and we discussed his fantastic essay, “After Liberal Cultural Hegemony.” Topics include but aren’t limited to…

* Are NFL dynasties bad for the game?

* Why do we feel sorry for Josh Allen, winner at life?

* Is Josh Allen to blame for what happened?

* Benjamin Solak did not “read the room”

* Travis Kelce Fatigue

* You’re allowed to hate teams as a fan

* Stop telling fans to “appreciate greatness”

* Is the vibe shift bad for our respective businesses?

* What was the period before liberal hegemony ended? What was the point?

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

Author/Podcaster Nancy Rommelmann stops by to discuss a myriad of subjects both morbid and inspiring. This is the week I am, out loud, sorting out the current cultural moment. Nancy, in all her wide ranging curiosity, is an ideal thought partner in this venture. Topics include but aren’t limited to…

* Freddie’s “After Liberal Cultural Hegemony”

* Last Boys at the Beginning of History

* Will legacy magazines become interesting again?

* What young men see in Trump

* Meghan Markle's dry pie

* Why Mark Halperin has the best political podcast

* Cannibalism

* Why do people do political violence?

* Why is Nancy interested in violence as a writing topic?