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

We’ve got a great House of Glass for you today. Just look at the docket. You have to subscribe, just so you can hear how Ryan pronounces “Thierry Henry.” Topics! Include!

* (2:00) Tim Bontemps to the…Hawks?! Why would someone voluntarily leave ESPN for an NBA front office?

* (7:00) Could “take artists” be more valuable than analytics exp…

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

A glorious conversation with our PRIDE CORRESPONDENT Katie Herzog of Blocked and Reported on this whole San Francisco Giants Rainbow Hat Controversy and so much more.

Topics! Include!

* Is catcher secretly the strangest and most brutal position in all of sports?

* The San Francisco Giants Pride controversy and the problem with compelled participation

* Has Pride Month become too large for its own good?

* Why awareness campaigns can sometimes backfire on the causes they support

* The surprising way activist movements evolve after they achieve their biggest victories

* How internet fame and constant engagement seem to drive influential people (Bret Weinstein for example) off the rails

* The strange contradictions that emerge when progressive values collide with cultural differences abroad

* Is the “right wing fever dream” about Bay Area public schools true?

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

Dunc’d On Founder and co-host of my new favorite YouTube channel Nate Duncan, everybody.

* How huge is this Finals?

* Wembanyama temp check: Nate loves Wemby, but how does the public feel?

* Does Wembanyama’s unprecedented physical advantage make him more compelling—or less entertaining—to watch?

* Is Wembanyama actually a dirty player, or is he simply dealing with the challenges of being 7-foot-5?

* Should playoff basketball be officiated differently than regular-season basketball?

* Does today’s NBA Finals atmosphere compare to the league’s peak popularity during the 2016 Warriors–Cavs era?

* Does James Dolan care what anyone thinks?

* Why does Steve Kerr have a growing coaching tree?

* Did OG Anunoby’s chase-down block deserve more appreciation than De’Aaron Fox’s mistake deserved blame?

* Why does Nate view skiing as a more legitimate passion than golf?

* Effects of parents actually spending more time with their children than previous generations.

We’re podcasting per the launch of the World Cup-tracking Probability Cup, but of course, just had to talk about Wednesday night’s NBA Finals classic. The BIG question on my mind: Should predictors/gamblers price in the NBA’s massive incentive to make this great series continue? Topics!

* Knicks–Spurs Finals comeback analysis and whether San Antonio collapsed or New York surged.

* How teams should manage volatility differently when protecting large leads versus playing from behind.

* Debate over NBA referee incentives, league interests, and the possibility of series-extension bias.

* SportsPredict’s World Cup Probability Cup and using prediction contests to identify analytical talent.

* Whether modern hiring should adopt a “Moneyball” approach by measuring forecasting skill instead of relying on traditional credentials.

* Is the big money in studying idiot sports predictors or geniuses?

Again, join our Probability Cup contest and perhaps win an iPad Pro ($1,000 value) or $200 Ticketmaster gift card. Accept the challenge and learn more at sportspredict.com/probabilitycup.

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

Wow, do Ryan and I have much to discuss with all this Knicks-Spurs NBA Finals buzz. Topics! Include!

* Why the NBA Finals suddenly feel like a major cultural event again

* Glass man gives a tepid defense of New York’s most hated man (James Dolan)

* The controversy surrounding Trump’s appearance at the Finals

* Conflicting explanations for moving a Knicks watch party

* Whether sports media applies political standards consistently (No!)

* Adam Silver’s balancing act between politics and sports

* Why NBA players are less vocal about politics than before

* Victor Wembanyama’s growing dirty-player reputation

* How officiating and league priorities can shape playoff series

* Glasspiegel explains, with precision, why Pat McAfee got a $60 million payday

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

Delighted to be joined by Scott Agness, publisher of Fieldhouse Files and man of the hour. I asked him Scott the Indiana Fever are acting so strangely towards him and media writ large. Scott was fair and measured on this pod, as per usual, which makes what the Fever did especially inexplicable. Topics!

* Agness explains why the Fever revoked his credential over Caitlin Clark injury reporting.

* I argue that the Fever’s messaging around Clark has been confusing and inconsistent.

* Discussion of whether something deeper is going on behind the scenes in Indiana.

* Agness recounts his long-running access issues with the Pacers/Fever organization.

* The two examine how poor PR decisions have amplified controversy.

* Agness defends Clark as professional, mature, and media-savvy.

* Discussion over whether Clark and coach Stephanie White are actually at odds.

* How Clark’s arrival has transformed WNBA attention, ratings, and scrutiny.

* Agness dismisses many online conspiracy theories surrounding the Fever.

* Sophie Cunningham’s growing influence, personality, and popularity get a spotlight.

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

We love Neil Paine, our analytics-forward friend. He covers seemingly every sport with a data-driven zeal. Today we took at look at whether the foul-bait backlash to the Thunder is rooted in reality. Does this populist basketball anger result from a real difference between this team and all the others? Topics! Include!

* Thunder Derangement Syndrome is real (H/T Kevin O’Connor)

* Why SGA became the NBA’s villain

* The Internet’s obsession with “ethical hoops”

* That Tom Haberstroh article about how often SGA falls

* Why SGA is secretly a basketball teacher

* NBA discourse clip economy as confirmation bias warfare

* How social media manufactures sports outrage

* Draftism and Jalen Brunson disrespect

* Why stats lose to narratives in modern sports debates

* The NBA’s new era of fragile dynasties

Teutonia World, otherwise known as “Ben,” has been a prominent subscriber since the earliest House of Strauss days. He’s vocal in the House of Strauss BCC chat and often sends me good ideas over email. He’s an analytical mind and a critic at heart. I wanted him on to reflect on this site and what it’s been up to over the past few weeks. In that vein, if any of you have ideas for topics that deserve more coverage, feel free to mention them in the comments.

On a personal note, I enjoyed this conversation because it’s different from all the others. I rarely get a chance to reflect specifically on what I do here. Thanks Teutonia!

Topics. Include.

* A loyal subscriber joins the show to audit the current “hot streak” era of House of Strauss. (1:09)

* The alleged Mike Vrabel–Dianna Russini saga becomes a case study in media obsession and rumor economics. (3:07)

* Why the Tiger Woods scandal felt like the first truly social-media-driven sports hysteria. (5:52)

* Debate over whether cheating matters less than lying when you’re leading an NFL team. (11:00)

* Parenting constraints accidentally create a hyper-efficient writing workflow. (17:42)

* Why the Ryan Glasspiegel episodes feel like comfort food — and the Spike Eskin episodes feel like combat sports. (16:34)

* How Elon Musk broke the old “viral article” economy and changed Substack strategy forever. (24:35)

* The long-running Adrian Wojnarowski feud gets unpacked — from leaked sources inside ESPN to the blog post that allegedly became a career time bomb. (33:19)

* Inside the NBA’s hidden power structure: sneaker reps, shadow agents, and the quiet influence of Warren LeGarie. (43:03)

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

I was introduced to Chris Dalla Riva, who I’d describe as an analytics-driven music historian. He wrote Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us about the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves. I know very little about music but I’m fascinated by objective measures of subjective taste. I enjoyed our talk and look forward to reading the book for yet more fascinating question fodder. Topics!

* 00:01:14 – Big question: Is taste objective or culturally constructed?

* 00:02:01 – Top-down vs. organic creation of hit music in the 50s–60s

* 00:03:36 – Why 1950s hits often centered on death and tragedy

* 00:05:01 – Data-driven approach: listening to every Billboard #1 song

* 00:09:47 – “Vibe shifts” in music (e.g., Kurt Cobain / Smells Like Teen Spirit)

* 00:11:20 – How technology shapes music evolution (from Jimi Hendrix to Frank Sinatra)

* 00:13:03 – Do lyrics actually matter? Case study: It Wasn’t Me

* 00:18:01 – Organic viral hits driven by DJs and accidents (pre-internet virality)

* 00:29:32 – “Uncanny” factor in hits (e.g., Pumped Up Kicks)

* 00:34:08 – Strange trends of the 90s (swing revival, genre fragmentation)

* 00:41:10 – Death of monoculture vs. rise of creator freedom in the internet era

* 00:52:38 – Taylor Swift as the “last monoculture superstar”

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

We’ve got Jesse Singal in large part so we can discuss his quality as a basketball player. Of course, other less important topics were discussed. Such as!

* 49ers Draft Controversy

* The Michael Tracy/Jim Acosta Altercation

* The Jeffrey Epstein Files

* Social Media Bubbles vs. Normal People

* Hassan Piker and Modern Radical Chic

* Better career: Scottie Pippen vs. Kevin Durant?

* The “Post-Literate” Era

* Jesse’s Dirty Dirty Sexy New England Patriots

* Crisis PR Strategy Advice