In another attempt to provide a small, non-virus-related distraction, city editor Allen Etzler and host Greg Swatek address a number of topics from around the world of sports on this week’s episode of Just Another Sports Podcast.

On what should have been Opening Day for Major League Baseball, the guys talk about the Olympics being postponed until next year, when sports might come back and what they will look like when they do and Cam Newton suddenly being without an NFL home.

Plus, should the NFL push back the date of the draft? Why is Dr. Anthony Fauci talking with Steph Curry on Instagram? And what sort of impact is the virus having on the beer Corona?

Going forward in this time of crisis, Just Another Sports Podcast will aim to provide a listening experience that allows people to escape, if only for a brief period, from the coronavirus and provide a distraction.

That task proved to be impossible this week because reporter Heather Mongilio, who has been at the lead of the FNP’s coverage of the coronavirus, joins city editor Allen Etzler and host Greg Swatek on the podcast primarily to lament Tom Brady leaving her beloved New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Heather, Greg and Allen talk about all of the NFL free agency news, which has provided a needed distraction in period of no sports. But the conversation, inevitably, turns to the virus and Heather uses her expertise on the subject to try and answer some of the most pressing questions.

When might things start to get better? What is the best way to combat the virus? Will the upcoming warmer weather provide some relief?

*Editor’s note: Several hours after this episode was recorded news came down of the NBA season being suspended indefinitely.

Now that the NCAA has barred fans from attending games for its men’s and women’s basketball tournament, the impact of the coronavirus is now being felt in a major way in the sports world.

On this week’s episode of Just Another Sports Podcast, sports editor Josh Smith and host Greg Swatek discuss this stunning decision and what else might be significantly impacted in this rapidly evolving story.

What sort of impact might empty arenas have on NCAA tournament games? Will they lean more heavily toward the higher-seeded favorites since the underdog teams won’t be able to rely on the crowd to give them a boost?

Plus, might the future of sports journalism be forever changed by the decision of major sports leagues to bar media from locker rooms in response to the virus? Might teams, athletes and coaches get comfortable without independently minded reporters milling around, looking for stories, and make the new policy more permanent? What sort of impact would that have on the way news is reported and stories are told?

What sort of impact might the coronavirus have on the world of sports?

That’s the question FNP city editor Allen Etzler and host Greg Swatek address on this week’s episode of Just Another Sports Podcast.

Could the outbreak of the presently incurable virus prompt interruptions, postponements and, perhaps, even cancellations of major sporting events, such as the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, located not far from one of the epicenters of the illness? Just how disruptive might it get?

Plus, Allen weighs in on whether his 49ers should pursue Tom Brady to be their quarterback. Why are the Knicks and Spike Lee at odds? And Steph Curry is back for the Golden State Warriors.

What other event draws such widespread fascination yet is utterly inconsequential to its sport like the NFL Combine?Sports editor Josh Smith, city editor Allen Etzler and host Greg Swatek discuss this unusual dynamic on this week’s episode of Just Another Sports Podcast.The guys also touch on the marquee heavyweight fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder and how boxing does a real disservice to its fans with the price of its pay per views, underwhelming cards and political infighting that leads to things like numerous heavyweight championships.Plus, why are signs being confiscated at Astros spring training games? How bad are the Wizards right now? And how amazing are Sports Illustrated writers that can produce masterful work while high on elephantine joints?

As the fallout continues from the Astros’ cheating scandal, what, if anything, can Major League Baseball do about it?

FNP city editor Allen Etzler and host Greg Swatek discuss that in-depth on this week’s episode of Just Another Sports Podcast.

The guys talk about how badly Major League Baseball, namely Commissioner Rob Manfred, has managed this entire situation from the outset, not coming down hard enough on the team and the players with discipline and even having to apologize for calling the World Series trophy “a piece of metal.” Now MLB and its players association find themselves in an extremely unenviable spot with players and well-known figures in other sports saying that no enough was done to punish the Astros for cheating. Even players who don’t often speak out publicly like Mike Trout and Nick Markakis are sounding off about the Astros’ situation.

Allen and Greg also share their affinity for the new format for the NBA All-Star game and All-Star weekend, in general. Plus, are 17 games and 14 playoff teams (seven per conference) a good thing for the NFL? What are the best events on the annual sports calendar? And why is Big Papi, David Ortiz, being thrown onto the Boat to Nowhere?

Following the Kansas City Chiefs victory over the San Francisco 49ers, how will Super Bowl 54 be remembered?

That’s a topic sports editor Josh Smith, city editor and noted 49ers fan Allen Etzler and host Greg Swatek dive into on this week’s episode of Just Another Sports Podcast.

Did the better team win? Why did the 49ers seemingly move away from their strengths with a 10-point lead in the second half? Was Patrick Mahomes the deserving MVP after a below-par performance for much of the game by his lofty, best-in-the-game standards? What commercials caught the guys’ attention? And why is the halftime show drawing so much outrage and scrutiny?

Plus, why is Bradley Beal not an NBA All-Star? Josh is dreaming of Richard Petty — for some reason — and missed deadlines. And does anyone care about this weekend’s launch of the XFL?

Kobe Bryant's sudden and shocking death on Sunday cast a pall across the sports world, and the subject of the former Laker great takes over this week's Just Another Sports Podcast episode. Host Greg Swatek, sports editor Josh Smith and city editor Allen Etzler give their reactions and discuss why Bryant seemed to mean so much to so many people despite a background that wasn't exactly pristine.

What were the guys' most lasting memories of Bryant's basketball skills? How did the news of his death in a helicopter crash affect them? Why has it been so difficult for people to process the loss of someone they didn't really know? What were some of the best Kobe stories that have been written or told this week?

Also, Greg piles on the Wizards for their putrid defense so far this season, Josh tosses a tone-deaf college football coach on the boat for some ill-advised comments, and Allen hammers TMZ for releasing news of Bryant's death before the family had been notified and other media for some careless reporting during the hectic aftermath of the crash.

With the Super Bowl now set, sports editor Josh Smith, city editor Allen Etzler and host Greg Swatek dive into the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers on this week’s episode of Just Another Sports Podcast.

Allen, a 49ers fan, is worried that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense will have their way with his team. But Josh and Greg explain why the 49ers might be better equipped to handle Kansas City’s high-powered attack than just about any other team.

The guys also weigh in on Major League Baseball allowing the Astros and Red Sox to keep their World Series titles and using robot umpires during spring training games, and whether some of the very best WNBA players could cut it in the NBA, as Kobe Bryant recently suggested.

Plus, it’s time to throw a bunch of sports writers on the Boat to Nowhere, including one who was not yet ready to vote Derek Jeter into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Ravens were upset in the NFL playoffs. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow authored a championship season for the ages. And Major League Baseball dropped the hammer on the Astros in the sign-stealing scandal, which led to multiple firings.

Sports editor Josh Smith and host Greg Swatek discuss it all on this week’s episode of Just Another Sports Podcast.

What happened to the Ravens? After winning 12 straight games and establishing themselves as the Super Bowl favorite, Lamar Jackson and company fell flat in a surprising loss to the Tennessee Titans. What contributed to the Ravens demise? And what does the loss portend, if anything, about the future of the team?

Then, Josh and Greg share their affection for LSU quarterback Joe Burrow and why they both feel he will be a Super Bowl winning quarterback in the NFL, as well as their feelings on the firings of Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, manager AJ Hinch and Red Sox manager Alex Cora for their role in Houston’s illegal sign stealing that played a role in the team’s recent success. In a culture where teams are looking to gain an edge at seemingly all costs, is cheating more prevalent than anyone realizes in MLB?

Plus, what are the good and bad looks of the week? And Odell Beckman Jr. punches his long overdue ticket on the Boat to Nowhere.