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I know many sports sickos but Saam Esfandiari might be the sickest. The Light Years co-host has in depth opinions on basketball (of course), soccer, football, and even baseball. Today we decided to explore some connection points between these fields, so we can get a 30K view of what’s happening across sports.

Topics! Include!

* The bizarre Matt Miller fantasy-football scandal and what it says about the industry.

* Sam’s theory that LeBron won’t announce anything until he can completely own the media cycle.

* A historic NBA Summer League class

* Is American basketball about to reach a higher level of international dominance?

* Team USA keeps producing great players—but not MVP-level American superstars.

* The reason Spain and Argentina are soccer-dominant.

* The real reason the U.S. struggles to become a true soccer power—and why it goes far beyond youth-sports costs or athleticism.

* The emotional difference between watching a long touchdown run and a deep touchdown pass.

* Ethan’s frustration with the NFL using primitive statistics despite being America’s most complicated sport.

* Saam’s long held belief that quarterbacks are overrated

* How gambling partnerships may have pushed useful sports analytics behind proprietary paywalls.

* The hypothetical “James Harden of wide receivers” who could exploit pass-interference rules and make football unbearable.

* Saam’s argument for why he wants LeBron James on the Warriors

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

An entertaining and informative NBA CBA-based conversation with NBA agent and Move Insoles co-founder Nate Jones. Absolutely loved this one, and hope you will too. Topics! Include!

* Why Ethan doesn’t want LeBron on the Warriors.

* Nate’s theory that LeBron’s biggest business is attention.

* The lost art of celebrities who “exist when they exist.”

* Why the NBA’s new CBA isn’t actually costing players money.

* The hidden link between the 1999 and 2023 CBAs.

* How Kevin Garnett changed the NBA forever.

* Why stars are getting traded—and it’s not because owners are cheap.

* Adam Silver’s quest to turn the NBA into the NFL.

* How pro athletes are becoming their own hereditary class.

* Why NBA players keep saying millions of dollars isn’t that much money.

* How engagement-chasing clips are destroying context—and convincing fans that old stories are breaking news.

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

We’ve got a fantastic NBA-centric pod with SiriusXMNBA host and ever-candid broadcaster Justin Termine. So many subjects topics to cover as the NBA world comes to a boil. Topics! Include!

* Why are NBA teams suddenly treating Jaylen Brown like a risky asset instead of a franchise cornerstone?

* Has the new CBA quietly changed the definition of a superstar worth paying?

* Would LeBron’s farewell tour make more sense in Cleveland or Golden State?

* Why would a Warriors-LeBron partnership be more awkward than people realize?

* Why we love, but don’t believe in, the big Minnesota LaMelo swing

* Have NBA fans and media completely underestimated how brutal the new salary-cap environment has become?

* Could the Lakers’ recent moves age into a disaster?

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.

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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