What happens when you put Mike Rhyner, Shoopy, and a sportswriter with too many deadlines in the same room? You get equal parts wisdom, sarcasm, and a peek behind the curtain at how the sausage of sports journalism actually gets made.

In this episode of Your Dark Companion, Joseph Hoyt joins the crew to talk about life as a sportswriter in the Twitter age—where breaking news moves faster than a Micah Parsons blitz and one bad lede can get you roasted before halftime. Rhyner and Shoopy pry into everything: the chaos of press boxes, the weird pressure of writing “instant history” after big games, and what it’s like trying to cover athletes while also dodging fan bases that think they could do your job better.

It’s funny, it’s raw, and it’s a little too honest—basically, the perfect companion for your drive, your beer, or your Monday morning “I hate my boss” walk.

0:00 – Welcome to the Chaos

4:22 – Press Box Theater

10:09 – Twitter Ate My Job

16:47 – Instant History, Zero Sleep

23:31 – Fans with Pitchforks

31:02 – Surviving the Grind

41:19 – Closing Time