The New York Post lead sports columnist Mike Vaccaro may be one of the last of the legendary general sports newspaper columnists. From Jimmy Cannon to Dick Young to Mike Lupica, New York has been a sports newspaper town forever, led by the top columnists. Vaccaro has continued that tradition.

He’s also a best-selling author with his latest, The Bosses of the Bronx: The Endless Drama of the Yankees Under the House of Steinbrenner out this spring.

Vaccaro is the guest on the 52-minute “The Main Event with Andrew Marchand.”

For access to our twice-a-week podcasts sign-up as a free or paid subscriber at AndrewMarchand.com

The Rundown …

* How in the 1970s, Vaccaro first dreamed of being a sports columnist for the New York Post when his dad brought him to Shea Stadium

* From Ian O’Connor to Mark Kriegel to Wally Matthews, Vaccaro had big competition

* Former New York Post sports editor Greg Gallo told Vaccaro that “sometimes I have to hire a search party to get the point out of your column”

* What type of athlete was Vaccaro growing up

* How did he get Gallo to hire him at The Post

* Jerry Izenberg, Dave Anderson and Steve Serby were all great mentors

* How a college-aged Vaccaro wrote Lupica a letter and Lupica wrote back …

* Later, the relationship changed

* Vacarro said he wasn’t perfect either in the relationship when it was Post vs. News

* His relationship with Harvey Araton, Anderson and George Vecsey were better

* The great advice he received from Anderson and O’Connor

* The St. Bonaventure connection from Adrian Wojnarowski, Chris LaPlaca, Tim Bontemps and more

* Assessing Woj as the St. Bonaventure Men’s Basketball GM

* What Vaccaro’s first jobs were like

* How Vaccaro was fired in Fayetteville

* His fight with Frank Broyles over Title IX that led to issues

* He would annually call the guy who fired him with a profane message

* How a Peter Hamill line stuck with him over the firing

* Editor Bill Burr giving him a second chance

* Marchand tells how he was almost fired from his first job in Texas

* How Vaccaro gives credit to his father for how to act

* In the Kansas City Star, Vaccaro had to compete with Joe Posnanski, Jason Whitlock and more in what was an All-Star staff

* How he is happy for others, like Steve Politi, when they do award-winning work

* His rivalry with Frank Isola …

* How Isola should’ve been a 20-year newspaper sports columnist

* Why Lou Lamoriello has been the best person to cover

* A tremendous Lamoriello/Larry Brooks story

* How Lamoriello gave Rick Pitino his break

* What Vaccaro has learned in ripping Steve Phillips and Jeff Wilpon

* Calling Wilpon, “Paris” as in Hilton

* Yelling with Steve Phillips about making his wife cry … and a good line

* Isiah Thomas appearing in a clown suit on the back page

* His editor at Harper/Collins, Sean Desmond, hatched the idea for the Steinbrenner book

* The new book is written in Vaccaro’s columnist’s voice

* Steinbrenner calling Vaccaro in the middle of the night

* Discussing the Yankee payroll today compared to yesteryear

* Vaccaro goes through the process dealing with his leg amputation

* How it has impacted his job

* Vaccaro fears the Papa Clicker review

Related Sports Media Podcasts

* New York Times Best Seller Ian O’Connor tells the stories of legends

* How Woj became a Hall of Famer

* Mike Tyson, Mark Kriegel & the making of the ‘Baddest Man’

* How Joel Sherman became a New York baseball institution

* Peter King’s legendary stories

* How Adam Schefter became the most prolific NFL insider ever

* How Chris (Mad Dog) Russo became the greatest sports talk show host of all-time

* Frank Isola’s trip from New York sports media institution to the national spotlight

* Kobe, Woj & Ramona

* How Tyler Dunne made his NFL longform Substack work

* Sponsor: WSC Sports … Tell them Marchand sent you

* On Deck Tuesday: Marchand & Meterparel

In the 28-minute sports media podcast, Andrew Marchand & Jon Meterparel look at what’s ahead in 2026, which begins with Mike Tirico. Tirico will host the Winter Olympics, call his first Super Bowl and be the lead voice on NBA on NBC’s playoff coverage.

We ring in 2026 on “Marchand & Meterparel: Everybody Loves Sports Media.”

For access to our twice-a-week podcasts sign-up as a free or paid subscriber at AndrewMarchand.com

The Rundown …

* Why the Mike Tirico signing by NBC in 2016 was one of the best sports media ones over the last decade

* Rick Cordella and NBC have made the network and Peacock a year-round destination

* The Great Rebundling and Peacock

* People will pay a little more for convenience

* YouTube TV’s graph is going up

* People love a good interface

* What are YouTube’s goals

* The NFL will threaten or will opt out of its 11-year, $110 billion deals

* Amazon Prime Video is ahead in the race for a potential Super Bowl on a digital platform, but …

* The MLBPA will be very interested in what is happening with TV rights with labor strife potentially on the horizon

* Why Marchand isn’t sure the World Cup will have as huge an impact on the United States

* Why Marchand likes the NBA television and streaming deals

* ESPN is going to be hyping its 2026-2027 Super Bowl

* Who is on Marchand & Meterparel’s unofficial ESPN Mt. Rushmore

* Meterparel’s New Year’s Resolutions for broadcasters

* Bloopers!

* On Deck: Mike Vaccaro is The Main Event

* Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

In the 47-minute sports media podcast, NBC Sports Executive Vice President of Communications, Greg Hughes, provides insight and great stories into his nearly four decades in the business from TNT Sports to NBC.

Hughes tells tales from the PR wars inside Rudy Martzke’s old USA Today column, his relationships with stars and how to deal with social media. Plus, much more on “The Main Event with Andrew Marchand.”

For access to our twice-a-week podcasts sign-up as a free or paid subscriber at AndrewMarchand.com

The Rundown …

* Hughes is tight with Charles Barkley and tells the story of how TNT Sports lured Barkley to Atlanta

* Barkley is a very generous guy in a lot of different ways

* As the EVP communications for NBC Sports, what is Hughes trying to accomplish

* What do folks do right at networks

* How you build relationships with the people who cover the media

* What PR people have to be able to say to reporters

* Hughes’ policy of never lying

* The importance of Versant CEO Mark Lazarus on Hughes’ career

* Why Lazarus had Hughes move his office next to Lazarus’

* The media critics from Rudy Martzke to Richard Sandomir to …

* How TNT Sports first had to punch up at the networks

* Fighting with his friends and foes from Vince Wladika, Lou D’Ermilio, Chris LaPlaca, Ed Markey and Kevin Sullivan

* The famous Mike Soltys quote on Keith Olbermann

* Incredible Hughes’ USA Today line over a Fox Sports mistake

* Hughes’ relationship with Martzke bonded over Wisconsin

* Dealing with Warren Moon controversy as a player/analyst for TNT

* How Hughes transitioned from TNT Sports to NBC Sports

* “Being invited to leave” from TNT Sports, along with Lazarus

* He only went to NBC because of Lazarus

* How Hughes fostered relationships with Bob Costas and Al Michaels, etc. when he arrived at NBC

* How does Hughes handle when NBC Sports is being criticized

* How to handle highly critical social media

* Hughes has been at two perfect games

* Lazarus wanted to leave one, but Hughes wouldn’t

* Bud Selig blasting the head of Time-Warner

* How Hughes owns several restaurants and bars

* He only would go to NBC if he kept the bars

* Hughes says some nice things about his NBC colleagues

* The All-Star-Super Bowl-Olympic itinerary with Rick Cordella

Related Sports Media Podcasts

* How an ESPN Original navigated the Worldwide Leader in Attention

* Rick Cordella explains NBC’s NBA logic & how sports drives Peacock

* The dynamic ways Mark Shapiro sees the future of media

* From Steve Jobs to Roger Goodell: Hans Schroeder & the NFL’s power in media

* On Deck: Marchand & Meterparel

* Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

In the 29-minutes sports media podcast, Andrew Marchand and Jon Meterparel talk about the best and worst of 2025. How ESPN, Fox One and the sports streaming wars will never have a U-turn after this year.

Plus, the NFL top analysts, the Stephen A. Smith money, the Elle Duncan goodbye, the TKO/WME knockout deals and much more.

It’s the 2025 look back.

For access to our twice-a-week podcasts sign-up as a free or paid subscriber at AndrewMarchand.com

The Rundown …

* With ESPN & Fox One going direct-to-consumer, there are no more U-turns on sports streaming strategies

* Why Ernie Johnson is the sports media person of the year

* Mike Tirico, Kevin Burkhardt, Ian and Noah Eagle could have been considered, according to Meterparel

* Papa Holiday Clicker Book Review Buying Guide

* How Tom Brady improved post-Super Bowl

* Eagle and Watt are going to give you an excellent broadcast

* The Jim Nantz and Tony Romo dynamic at play

* The Lions-Steelers ending was a mess

* The Elle Duncan ESPN goodbye

* The significance of Netflix’s Duncan, NFL, MLB & women’s World Cup moves

* Mark Shapiro & Ari Emanuel had the biggest deals of the year

* How ESPN still means something for partners

* Why Rob Manfred received the quote of the year award

* Stephen A. Smith may make more than $40 million per year

* How much is Smith worth to SiriusXM

* Would you rather host afternoon drive time on WFAN or be the president of the United States

* NBC Sports’ huge year

* Fox vs. ESPN, Saturday mornings, the biggest rivalry in media

* How Fox has made noon a big thing

* McAfee’s kicking segment has been a big winner

* Lee Corso says goodbye

* Why Peter Schrager was a perfect fit for ESPN

* On Deck: Greg Hughes is The Main Event

* Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

In the 50-minute sports media podcast, one of the most important people in sports and media, Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution, is the guest on “The Main Event with Andrew Marchand.”

Schroeder explains how the the league became so powerful, tells tremendous stories — including an incredible one about Steve Jobs — and answers what the parameters would be for Amazon Prime Video, Netflix or YouTube to have a Super Bowl.

This recording is part of our series, “Off The Record with Andrew Marchand presented by WSC Sports”

For access to our twice-a-week podcasts sign-up as a free or paid subscriber at AndrewMarchand.com

The Rundown …

* Schroeder calls out Marchand on his wardrobe malfunction

* Schroeder, who played at Princeton, explains how football was in his blood from the time he was a kid

* What type of player was Schroeder

* The NFL is the most dominant league in the world, why is it never complacent

* Over his near quarter-century at the NFL, Schroeder is most proud of the connection that the league has made with its longtime partners

* How to innovate and evolve to match the changes in technology

* Incredible Steve Jobs, Roger Goodell, Steve Bornstein & Schroeder iPhone story from nearly two decades ago

* How the NFL went to mobile and then to Amazon and YouTube, etc.

* Eating In-N-Out twice in one a visit to see Google and how that eventually led to Sunday Ticket

* In-N-Out or 5 Guys?

* After meeting with Jobs, did Schroeder think the phone was the future

* The NFL crystal ball says the future is ….

* How a live-look in on NFL.com of a Packers-Cowboys game almost broke the internet

* How NFL tries to grow its digital partnerships

* Peacock is receiving 10 percent of NBC’s Sunday Night Football ratings

* The thinking behind the Thanksgiving Cowboys-Chiefs matchup that led to 57-plus million Nielsen rating

* One of the most fun aspects of Schroeder’s job is overseeing the schedule

* How Howard Katz is a mentor for Schroeder

* What is the campaigning by networks and all platforms like for Schroeder

* Why the NFL made all 272 regular season games free agents

* Why did the NFL do its deal with ESPN for 10 percent of the network

* How ESPN wanted more games in 2021 and the MNF doubleheaders were born

* What is the criteria the NFL will use if it should opt-out of its current $110 billion, 11-year TV deals at the end of the decade

* The traditional partners business is hand in hand with the NFL, while the new trillion dollar streaming partners, the NFL, is just a part of their business, how does Schroeder look at that

* Netflix with “Stranger Things” on Christmas & Amazon with Black Friday are a new version of the NFL’s promotional strength

* How he sees the growth in the international packages

* Why Flag Football is such an opportunity

* What are the parameters to potentially put a Super Bowl on Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube or any of the new digital behemoths

* Could we see one of them get a Super Bowl in the 2030s

* How does Schroeder look at AI with the NFL

Related Sports Media Podcasts

* The dynamic ways Mark Shapiro see the future of media

* Jay Marine explains Amazon’s sports strategy

* Rick Cordella explains NBC’s NBA logic & how sports drives Peacock

* The future of sports radio with the most powerful executive in the business

* On Deck: Marchand & Meterparel

* Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

In the 42-minute sports media podcast, Andrew Marchand & Jon Meterparel rate and analyze the NFL booths, leading with Tom Brady, Tony Romo and J.J. Watt. The duo delve into the top teams, who has shown potential and how play-by-players, like Joe Buck, Kevin Burkhardt, Mike Tirico, Ian Eagle and Jim Nantz work with their partners.

Plus, YouTube TV and the Great Rebundling, the Stuart Scott ESPN portrait and much more.

For access to our twice-a-week podcasts sign-up as a free or paid subscriber at AndrewMarchand.com

In The Rundown …

* Are we in a Renaissance of NFL game analysts

* How WFAN handled a firing with class

* Joe Buck deserves his Baseball Hall of Fame recognition

* The rooting for Shedeur Sanders by some in the media is a bad look

* Skip Bayless was out of bounds in his Heisman commentary

* How Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady have grown

* What has happened to Jim Nantz and Tony Romo

* Ian Eagle and J.J. Watt sound like a No. 1 team

* Greg Olsen continues to be elite

* Where do Buck and Troy Aikman stand

* There is a lot of competition to be the next No. 1 game analyst

* Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit have never been as good as expected

* Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth are in the spotlight over the next month

* Jason McCourty and Ross Tucker have shined

* How Laura Rutledge excelled on Monday Night

* Who are some of the best sideline reporters

* Meterparel and Evan Washburn connection

* Lisa Salters and defining the word “unheralded”

* Debating Adam Schefter’s Sherrone Moore comments

* Longtime listener Len Hochberg chimes in on Kevin Harlan with a classic

* The Great Rebundling and YouTube TV’s sports skinny bundle

* Reviewing the Stuart Scott 30-for-30 ESPN portrait

* Bonus discussion: Does Craig Biggio deserve his Hall of Fame plaque

* On Deck: Hans Schroeder is The Main Event

* Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

For the 46-minute sports media podcast, Puck’s John Ourand joins “The Main Event with Andrew Marchand” for “Marchand & Ourand, The Monthly.”

The duo deeply analyzes the TNT Sports component to the Netflix-Warner Bros.-Paramount dynamic. They evaluate how the NFL may sell Thanksgiving and the conference championships in the future.

They delve into Apple TV as future players in light of the redone MLS deal. Plus, what is Netflix fully up to and more.

For access to our twice-a-week podcasts sign-up as a free or paid subscriber at AndrewMarchand.com

The Rundown …

* What is the impact on TNT Sports of the Warner Bros-Netflix-Paramount fight

* If the Netflix deal goes through, TNT Sports would have flexibility

* There is a next phase for platforms with sub-licensing

* How much will TNT Sports be able to afford on its own

* Paramount-Warner Bros. could rival ESPN

* Marchand & Ourand disagree if Paramount/Warner Bros. would be good for leagues or not

* Does the Ellisons’ overall Paramount plan make sense

* Will Paramount be aggressive with TNT Sports or not

* What is Netflix’s plan in sports

* Ourand breaks news about his travel schedule

* What Netflix will want and what it won’t

* Leagues need to understand what platforms can do for them

* Why Peacock and NBA makes sense over 11 years

* Did Ourand get in front of MLS commissioner Don Garber and start doing 180s on Apple

* How the NFL could sell Thanksgiving Day and the conference championships

* Big time streamers don’t want small events

* Why the government could have a say on the future of NFL rights

* Why the NFL is in charge of where TV goes

* How will the Netflix MLB events do

* What is Apple TV doing in sports

* The Apple-MLS redo of the deal tells us a lot

* Eddy Cue seems idealistic, not realistic

* Prime Video’s strategy makes sense

* MLB may be good for Apple TV, but …

* Why the local Prime Video Yankee games make sense compared to Apple TV’s national ones

* MLS will go to market early … what will it find

* Will there be a World Cup bump for soccer in the United States

* In a digital world, having the World Cup domestically is less impactful

* Ourand goes back in the memory bank when he was a kid

* Marchand & Ourand, The Monthly, becoming a twice-monthly?

* Hans Schroeder is the guest for the next “Off The Record with Andrew Marchand presented by WSC Sports” on Thursday, Dec. 11th in midtown. It is free to attend, though, space is limited. Sign-up here.

* On Deck: Marchand & Meterparel

* Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

In the 39-minute sports media podcast, Andrew Marchand & Jon Meterparel analyze ESPN’s content strategy after Bomani Jones’ comments on the network seemingly being out of ideas.

Plus, the duo goes into Netflix-Warner Bros.-Paramount, the World Cup coverage, the NFL & college analysts, Stephen A. vs. Max Kellerman and Craig Carton’s return to WFAN.

For access to our twice-a-week podcasts sign-up as a free or paid subscriber at AndrewMarchand.com

The Rundown …

* In light of Bomani Jones’ comments, how should we look at ESPN’s content strategy

* ESPN has developed some rising stars, but it really has mostly gone the free agent route

* What ESPN should be focusing on

* Why the Rebecca Lowe move was so good for Fox on World Cup

* Greg Olsen shines in the snow

* The Wold Cup Selection Show was remarkably bad

* Alex Rodriguez documentary disappoints

* Why ESPN should focus more on it farm system

* How Laura Rutledge was prime for the Monday Night Countdown show

* Scott Van Pelt is tremendous on 11 p.m. SportsCenter, while MNF Countdown is not a perfect fit

* ESPN has brought in some good hires

* The serious challenges facing ESPN

* Niche often wins the day, which hurts ESPN

* How does the Netflix Warner Bros. deal impact TNT Sports

* Paramount is not out yet

* John Ourand may be on the equivalent of Page Six in Boston

* Max Kellerman vs. Stephen A. Smith: Who won the debate

* Kellerman compared himself to Muhammad Ali as a debater

* Kellerman’s pluses and minuses

* The opinion shows make noise by being loud

* Stephen A. laughs at Kellerman over Ali comparison

* Will Meterparel one day blast Marchand after leaving the pod

* NFL Thanksgiving ratings were out of this world

* What is the media take on the College Football Playoffs

* Nick Saban gives advice to football people so …

* Kirk Herbstreit saying “Schotty,” while Gus Johnson is saying “Charlie B.”

* No need for the “line to gain” terminology on broadcasts

* What Joe Buck gets right

* What do we think of Craig Carton returning to WFAN afternoons

* Chris McMonigle gets a huge break

* Hans Schroeder is the guest for the next “Off The Record with Andrew Marchand presented by WSC Sports” on Thursday, Dec. 11th in midtown. It is free to attend, though, space is limited. Sign-up here.

* On Deck: John Ourand is The Main Event

* Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

In the 44-minute sports media podcast, Bomani Jones explains how the “stick to sports” crowd won, the lack of vision in ESPN’s current content plan and athletes taking over sports media.

Jones is the guest on “The Main Event with Andrew Marchand.

For access to our twice-a-week podcasts sign-up as a free or paid subscriber at AndrewMarchand.com.

The Rundown ….

* Why Jones says that sports media is utterly confused

* How the “stick to sports” crowd won

* Athletes are taking more of the media jobs

* Does sports gambling money continue

* Nick Wright & Peter Schrager have grown in their careers, but it is more athletes who have broken through

* The news breaking space is not easy to break through for young people

* The problem with the “stick to sports” crowd is everyone is different

* Why talking politics repel more sports fans than it attracts

* When Jones does CNN hits, he is very aware of the other panelists

* The difference between the Jimmy Pitaro era and the John Skipper era

* Jones doesn’t see the vision for ESPN’s content

* ESPN used to be MTV, creating new stars, but not anymore

* Does ESPN need all these other things besides the games

* People have such a connection to ESPN

* What Jones would advise young people trying to get into the business

* Joe Rogan is very popular, but do people think it is good

* Erin Andrews and working on holidays’ headline

* How YouTube is incentivizing putting out three-hour podcasts

* Why Jones won’t do three-hour podcasts

* What does Jones think of Pat McAfee on ESPN

* How Mike & Mike always got the big guests first

* McAfee is the go-to for guests now on ESPN

* Jones thinks McAfee is excellent on GameDay

* What does Jones think of his old TV partner Pablo Torre’s podcast

* Why Jones blames Netflix for anodyne sports documentaries

* The opinion space is disappearing, but is needed to scare people

* The issue with the Jordan documentary

* Jones pitched a documentary …

* The way to cut-through in the opinion space is making people mad

Related Podcast

* Bomani Jones and sports media’s gamble on its future

* Hans Schroeder is the guest for the next Off The Record presented by WS Sports on Thursday, Dec. 11th in midtown. It is free to attend, though, space is limited. Sign-up here.

* On Deck Tuesday: Marchand & Meterparel

* Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

In the 39-minute sports media podcast, Andrew Marchand & Jon Meterparel analyze how Netflix’s Elle Duncan addition, the NFL Christmas doubleheader, MLB’s Opening Day & the Women’s World Cup all combine to show the maturing and evolution of Netflix’s sports plans.

Plus, much more on the NFL, MLB, college football and swearing.

For access to our twice-a-week podcasts sign-up as a free or paid subscriber at AndrewMarchand.com

The Full Rundown …

* With Elle Duncan on-board, Netflix’s sports plan matures

* Why Fox Sports’ Brad Zager and CBS Sports’ David Berson earn NFL booth credit

* How the college football insiders performed during Lane Kiffin’s saga

* The McAfee-ization of GameDay has reporter Jess Sims swearing

* A college basketball play-by-play that went totally wrong

* Why ESPN is right to say no to Netflix’s borrowing talent

* Meterparel could tell Duncan was going places at NESN

* Why ESPN was right to not continue with Duncan after Netflix decision

* Netflix is now a stalking horse in all live sports negotiations

* Tom Brady has improved on Fox’s broadcast

* Why Adam Amin and Drew Brees felt bigger

* Why Marchand would have split up Amin and Joe Davis’ NFL & MLB assignments

* Ian Eagle and J.J. Watt are better than Jim Nantz and Tony Romo

* Tracy Wolfson had a fine showing Sunday

* Brees is seeing the game better than Romo

* Going deeper into Jess Sims’ expletive on GameDay

* Is it actually cool to swear on the air

* How MLB should balance having too many partners and being everywhere

* The Erin Andrews’ hubbub over her comments about working holidays

* Andrews was taken a little out of context, but there are lessons

* UConn coach Danny Hurley praises TNT Sports’ college basketball coverage

* Does Meterparel sound like the retired WFAN stalwart Ed Coleman

* The Fox sportscaster that people think Meterparel sounds like

* Hans Schroeder is the guest for the next “Off The Record with Andrew Marchand presented by WSC Sports” on Thursday, Dec. 11th in midtown. It is free to attend, though, space is limited. Sign-up here.

* On Deck: Bomani Jones is The Main Event

* Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com