🎙️ Welcome back to Pop Culture Playmakers!

JC and Antwan are back from Houston after seeing the Las Vegas Raiders take on the Houston Texans LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏈 We talk about the stadium experience, Houston's game-day atmosphere, the Raiders' comeback, and why JC may owe Aidan O'Connell an apology.

⚾ JERSEY PLAYER OF THE WEEK — #25 BARRY BONDS Episode 25 means we're giving flowers to one of the most dominant baseball players ever: Barry Bonds. ⚾ 7× National League MVP ⚾ 762 career home runs ⚾ 73 home runs in a single season ⚾ 12× Silver Slugger ⚾ One of the most feared hitters baseball has ever seen Love him or hate him, you can't tell the story of baseball without Barry Bonds.

🤼 WRESTLING TALK We jump into what's happening around WWE, including: 🔥 Is WWE slowly setting up a Cody Rhodes heel turn? 🔥 Could Cody eventually align with Paul Heyman? 🔥 Do we need the return of ruthless heel Randy Orton? 🔥 What's happening with Bayley? 🔥 Which upcoming WWE free agents should stay or leave? 🔥 Are WWE wasting Ivy Nile?

🌹 ROSES — JAMES EARL JONES For the first time, we're expanding Roses beyond those still with us to honor an icon whose work continues to live on. This week's Roses belong to the legendary James Earl Jones. From Darth Vader and Mufasa to Coming to America, The Sandlot, Claudine, and beyond, we celebrate one of the most recognizable voices and commanding presences in entertainment history. We debate: 🎬 What role defines James Earl Jones? 🌹 What was his most underrated performance? 👀 What role was actually overrated? 🗑️ What project would we erase? 🎥 What would we have loved to see him do?

💰🎬 THE $30 MOVIE RECAST AUCTION — JURASSIC PARK Hollywood keeps remaking movies, so we're going to recast them BEFORE Hollywood does it wrong! JC and Antwan each get $30 to bid on modern actors and build a six-person remake of Jurassic Park. Pedro Pascal. Florence Pugh. Jenna Ortega. Austin Butler. Steven Yeun. LaKeith Stanfield. Glenn Powell. …and more! Who built the better Jurassic Park cast?

⛰️ SIX GRANDFATHERS: ATHLETES TURNED ACTORS This week's mountain celebrates athletes who successfully made the jump into acting. Our six: 🎬 Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson 🎬 Carl Weathers 🎬 Jason Statham 🎬 Ed O'Neill 🎬 Gina Carano 🎬 O.J. Simpson Plus honorable mentions including Terry Crews, Jim Brown, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Conor McGregor and more.

🎮⚔️ GAME FIGHT — 9 ROUNDS We're putting some of gaming's biggest characters head-to-head in a straight-up fight! ⚔️ Kratos vs. Dante 🍄 Mario vs. Sonic ⚔️ Link vs. Cloud 🔫 Arthur Morgan vs. Lara Croft 🧟 Leon Kennedy vs. Joel Miller ⚔️ Geralt vs. Jin Sakai 🥷 Ezio vs. Solid Snake 🔥 Scorpion vs. Akuma 💥 Master Chief vs. Doom Slayer Who survives all nine rounds?

🎲 DICE OF DOOM We finish with a little nostalgia: What part of growing up BEFORE smartphones do you miss the most? From finding your friends by looking for the pile of bikes outside someone's house to simply having more face-to-face connection, this one took us back.

👇 JOIN THE CONVERSATION 🏴‍☠️ What's your favorite NFL stadium experience? ⚾ Where does Barry Bonds rank all-time? 🌹 What role defines James Earl Jones? 🦖 Who won our Jurassic Park recast? 🎬 Which athlete-turned-actor belongs on your mountain? 🎮 Who wins the Game Fight tournament? 📱 What do YOU miss about life before smartphones? 👍 LIKE 💬 COMMENT 🔔 SUBSCRIBE 📲 SHARE THE SHOW! #PopCulturePlaymakers #Raiders #RaiderNation #HoustonTexans #NFL #BarryBonds #JamesEarlJones #DarthVader #Mufasa #JurassicPark #WWE #CodyRhodes #RandyOrton #TheRock #CarlWeathers #Gaming #Kratos #Sonic #MasterChief #DoomSlayer #PopCulture #Podcast

🎙️ Welcome back to Pop Culture Playmakers!

It's Episode 24, and there was only one choice for the jersey this week:

🐍 KOBE BRYANT.

JC and Antwan celebrate the Black Mamba's incredible career, Mamba Mentality, five NBA championships, legendary scoring performances, defensive ability, competitiveness, and the impact Kobe continues to have on basketball culture.

We also give some love to other legendary #24s, including Ken Griffey Jr. and Charles Woodson.

🤼 WRESTLING TALK

There's plenty happening in professional wrestling, including:

🔥 Kevin Owens & CM Punk heating up

Plus, we continue our challenge:

What's ONE wrestling match you would show a non-wrestling fan to make them a wrestling fan?

This week's picks include Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show and the Halloween Havoc classic Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero.

🏈 NFL PRESEASON + BUILD A 17-0 TEAM

Football is back!

We talk preseason football, the Raiders, Panthers, fantasy football and what we're looking for as teams prepare for the regular season.

Then we try to do the impossible:

🏆 BUILD A 17-0 NFL TEAM!

QB. Running backs. Receivers. Tight ends. Offensive line. Defense. Head coach.

Our first attempt finishes 12-5... so we'll have to try again.

🏈 NFL BIG THREE: AFC SOUTH

Our NFL Big Three series continues!

This week's division:

🐆 Jacksonville Jaguars

From Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Dwight Freeney to J.J. Watt, Andre Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Steve McNair, Chris Johnson and more—we try to narrow each franchise down to just THREE memorable players.

🌹 ROSES: KEITH DAVID

This week's Roses go to the legendary Keith David!

From live action to animation, Keith David has one of the most recognizable voices in entertainment.

We discuss:

🎙️ Goliath in Gargoyles

We debate his most underrated role, career-defining performance, overrated role, and what we'd love to see him do next.

🕷️ SPIDER-MAN DISCUSSION

Then we go deep into Spider-Man, breaking down the movie's biggest moments, Peter Parker's journey, Punisher, Hulk, Damage Control, The Hand, emotional character moments, Marvel connections and where the story could go next.

⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD!

🎮🎙️ GUESS THE VOICE ACTOR

How well do we actually know the voices behind our favorite animated characters?

We test ourselves with characters from Pixar, Disney and beyond—and discover just how many iconic characters were hiding behind the same voices.

⛰️ SIX GRANDFATHERS MOUNTAIN: VOICE ACTORS

It's finally time to honor the people behind the voices.

We build our Six Grandfathers Mountain of legendary voice actors, including names like:

🎙️ John Ratzenberger

Plus, we give flowers to several honorable mentions who have brought some of animation's greatest characters to life.

👇 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

🐍 Where does Kobe rank on your all-time NBA list?

👍 LIKE

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🐐 It's Episode 23, so you already know who we're talking about.

JC and Antwan kick off this week's Pop Culture Playmakers by giving the spotlight to Michael Jordan and jumping straight into the GOAT debate. Six championships, six Finals victories, the competition of Jordan's era, LeBron's longevity, and more—where do you stand in the MJ vs. LeBron debate?

🤼 From there, it's time to see how our SummerSlam predictions actually turned out.

We break down the fallout from SummerSlam, including Randy Orton's return, Kevin Owens' comeback, Chelsea Green, Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins, the Shield tribute, Danhausen, and where some of WWE's biggest stories could go next.

We also ask: What's the one wrestling match you would show someone to turn them into a wrestling fan?

🌹 This week's Roses belong to Adam Sandler.

From Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison to The Waterboy, Little Nicky, Airheads, and his more serious performances, we discuss the roles that made Sandler a household name.

What's his most underrated performance? Which movie is overrated? What project should disappear from his filmography? And who has been his greatest on-screen partner?

We also celebrate Sandler for something bigger than his movies—his reputation for bringing his friends and family along with him as his success grew.

🏈 With football returning, we're introducing our NFL Big Three.

We're picking three memorable players from each franchise, starting with the NFC West. The Cardinals, Seahawks, Rams, and 49ers give us plenty to debate as names like Larry Fitzgerald, Marshawn Lynch, Aaron Donald, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Ronnie Lott and others enter the conversation.

📺 Then it's time to climb Six Grandfathers Mountain: Sitcom Edition!

JC and Antwan have to agree on six sitcoms worthy of the mountain:

• The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Did we get it right—or did shows like Martin and Living Single get robbed?

🎮 We also bring back our Game of Games, trying to identify mystery video games in two minutes using only yes-or-no questions.

Finally, we close out this two-hour episode with a massive Sitcom This or That and character showdown featuring The Office, Parks and Recreation, Friends, Seinfeld, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, and many more.

🎙️ This week on Pop Culture Playmakers: sports, wrestling, gaming, movies, sitcom nostalgia, and plenty of arguments along the way.

Tell us:

🐐 Michael Jordan or LeBron James?

Follow, rate, review, and share Pop Culture Playmakers!

#PopCulturePlaymakers #Podcast #MichaelJordan #AdamSandler #WWE #SummerSlam #NFL #Sitcoms #Gaming #SportsPodcast #PopCulture #Comedy #TV

🎙️ Welcome back to Pop Culture Playmakers!

Episode 22 is packed with football, wrestling, movies, gaming, comedy, and plenty of pop culture debates!

🏈 Jersey of the Week

💙 Own Your Stigma

🏈 NFL & Fantasy Football

🤼 SummerSlam Predictions

🏀 WNBA Talk

🌹 Roses

We discuss:

🎬 Wrong Characters Movie Game

⛰️ Six Grandfathers Mountain: Stand-Up Comedy

👇 Join the conversation!

⭐ Where does Emmitt Smith rank among the greatest running backs ever?

👍 Like

#PopCulturePlaymakers #EmmittSmith #NFL #FantasyFootball #SummerSlam #WWE #EddieMurphy #StandUpComedy #WNBA #AjaWilson #Movies #Gaming #Podcast #PopCulture

🎙️ Welcome back to Pop Culture Playmakers!

Episode 21 is packed with sports, movies, gaming, wrestling, and one of our most meaningful conversations yet.

🏈 Jersey of the Week

⚾🏀🏈 Sports Roundup

WWE and Triple H's latest moves

AEW, TNA, and Triple AAA discussions

Boston Red Sox' incredible winning streak

Raiders quarterback concerns

Fantasy Football strategy

LeBron James' move to Philadelphia

NBA title contenders

Michael Jordan vs. LeBron debate

Victor Wembanyama's future

🌹 Roses

We answer:

What's the first role we remember him in?

His most underrated performance

What role defines his career?

Which role is the most overrated?

One project we'd erase

What dream project we'd love to see him tackle next

🎮 Gaming Challenge

🧠 Mental Health Matters

As mental health professionals, we discuss why ending the stigma surrounding mental illness is so important and why asking for help is a sign of strength—not weakness.

🎬 Six Grandfathers Mountain: Mental Health Movies

Good Will Hunting

Silver Linings Playbook

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Soloist

👇 Join the conversation!

⭐ Who was the better #21—Charles Woodson, Deion Sanders, or LaDainian Tomlinson?

👍 Like

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🎙️ Welcome back to Pop Culture Playmakers!

It's Episode 20, and we're celebrating with one of the greatest running backs in NFL history—Barry Sanders. We dive into his legendary career, his impact on football, and why he's still one of the most elusive players the game has ever seen.

🏈 This Week's Topics Include:

⚡ Barry Sanders Spotlight

⚾ MLB Talk

🏀 NBA Discussion

🏈 NFL Debate

🤼 WWE & Wrestling

🥤 Dubby Dragonade Review

🎬 Movie Talk

🌹 Roses

🎮 Games

👇 Join the conversation!

⭐ Is Barry Sanders the greatest running back ever?

👍 Like

#PopCulturePlaymakers #BarrySanders #NFL #MLB #NBA #WWE #AEW #TomHanks #Dubby #Dragonade #MoviePodcast #GamingPodcast #SportsPodcast #RedSox #Raiders #Panthers #Moana #TheOdyssey #Cartoons #PopCulture

This week on Pop Culture Playmakers, JC and Antwan are back with another packed episode covering sports, wrestling, gaming, movies, and pop culture!

🏈 We honor Johnny Unitas as our Jersey of the Episode and discuss why he's one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.

🥤 We review Dubby's Tiger's Blood flavor and rank it against Blue Raz and Yuzu Lemon. Is it worth trying?

🤼 Wrestling is loaded this week! We break down:

🎮 NCAA Football 27 is finally here! We talk Road to Glory, dynasty mode, fantasy football, and our excitement for the return of college football gaming.

⚾ After weeks of debate... JC finally picks his new MLB team! Was Boston the right choice?

⚽ We discuss the World Cup, Messi vs. Ronaldo, Erling Haaland, Viking culture, and why the haka is one of the coolest traditions in sports.

🌹 This week's Roses go to Wayne Brady, celebrating his incredible career in comedy, television, theater, voice acting, and his impact on the LGBTQ+ community.

⛰️ Six Grandfathers returns as we each build our mountain of some of our favorite LGBTQ+ characters in television and film.

🎮 We finish the episode with a hilarious video game guessing challenge where each of us has two minutes to identify classic games using only yes-or-no questions.

👇 Join the conversation!

How would you rank Dubby's flavors?

Like 👍 Comment 💬 Subscribe 🔔

#PopCulturePlaymakers #Podcast #NFL #JohnnyUnitas #WWE #AEW #NCAAFootball27 #FantasyFootball #Gaming #MLB #RedSox #WorldCup #Messi #Ronaldo #WayneBrady #LGBTQ #Brooklyn99 #VideoGames #SportsPodcast #GamingPodcast

This week on Pop Culture Playmakers, JC and Antwan cover everything happening across the world of sports, gaming, wrestling, movies, and pop culture!

🏈 We kick things off by celebrating Episode 18 with Peyton Manning, discussing where he ranks among the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

⚾ JC continues the search for a brand-new MLB team after leaving the San Francisco Giants. Will it be the Red Sox, White Sox, Rockies, or Mariners?

🤼 WWE and AEW are heating up! We break down:

🏀 NBA Free Agency has been absolute chaos! We react to blockbuster trades, LeBron's future, Giannis, Kawhi, and which teams won the offseason.

🎮 Gaming fans—we talk NCAA Football 27, Madden, and answer our Question of the Day:

Which video game character would make the WORST roommate?

🌹 This week's Roses go to Elliot Page, recognizing his impact on film and the LGBTQ+ community.

⛰️ Grandfather Mountain highlights actress Stephanie Beatriz, celebrating some of our favorite performances throughout her career.

🥤 Plus, we review another Dubby Energy flavor—Yuzu Lemon—and decide whether it lives up to the hype!

👇 Join the conversation!

Who is your GOAT quarterback?

Don't forget to Like, Comment, Subscribe, and hit the notification bell so you never miss an episode!

#PopCulturePlaymakers #Podcast #NFL #MLB #NBA #WWE #AEW #Gaming #NCAAFootball26 #Madden #PeytonManning #RedSox #WhiteSox #Mariners #Rockies #Movies #TVShows #ElliotPage #StephanieBeatriz #Dubby #GeekCulture #PopCulture

This week on Pop Culture Playmakers, we're trying out our very first sponsor, celebrating entertainment icons, diving into one of the wildest NBA offseasons in recent memory, and putting our gaming knowledge to the test!

We kick things off by testing Dubby Energy Use our Code  POP Culture Players and try along with us and sharing our honest thoughts on the Blue Raz flavor before jumping into our Episode Jersey, where we honor baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani. We discuss his incredible career, MVP awards, World Series success, and why he's already one of the greatest players of his generation. ⚾

We also tackle a heartfelt discussion about fandom, Pride Month, and why one of us made the difficult decision to walk away from supporting a lifelong favorite MLB team. It's one of our most personal conversations yet.

Then we jump into:

For our Give Them Their Roses segment 🌹, we celebrate the amazing Drew Barrymore, reflecting on her decades-long career from E.T. and Scream to Charlie's Angels, The Wedding Singer, and everything in between. We also discuss why she's remained one of Hollywood's most beloved personalities.

Our Six Grandfathers segment returns as we spotlight Alan Cumming, counting down six of our favorite performances from his incredible career, including X2, Spy Kids, GoldenEye, Cabaret, The Son of the Mask, and more.

If you love sports, movies, gaming, wrestling, and pop culture debates, this episode has something for everyone.

🎧 Tune in for laughs, hot takes, nostalgia, and plenty of friendly competition—because everybody's got a take!

#PopCulturePlaymakers #ShoheiOhtani #DrewBarrymore #AlanCumming #MLB #NBA #NBADraft #NFL #Gaming #Nintendo #Pokemon #LegendOfZelda #StreetFighter #MovieTrivia #PrideMonth #Podcast #PopCulture #GiveThemTheirRoses #SixGrandfathers

This week on Pop Culture Playmakers, we're covering everything from gaming announcements and championship heartbreak to WWE drama and celebrating some true entertainment legends!

We kick off the show discussing the latest gaming news, including the excitement surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2, the return of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and why some of us may be spending money we definitely weren't planning on spending. 🎮

For our Episode Jersey, we honor the legendary Joe Montana, discussing his legacy, leadership, and why he remains one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. 🏈

We also break down:

For our Give Them Their Roses segment 🌹, we celebrate the incredible Neil Patrick Harris, highlighting his legendary career from Doogie Howser and How I Met Your Mother to Broadway, film, and beyond.

We also introduce a brand-new segment inspired by the concept of Mount Rushmore called Six Grandfathers, where we build our ultimate collection of six iconic roles from LGBTQ+ entertainment icons. This week, we spotlight Jane Lynch, debating her six greatest performances from Glee, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Wreck-It Ralph, Talladega Nights, and more.

To close out the show, our ongoing Movie Degrees Challenge continues as we battle through actor-to-movie connections in a race to claim victory and bragging rights. 🎬

🎧 Tune in for gaming news, sports talk, WWE discussion, movie debates, and plenty of laughs as always—because everybody's got a take!

#PopCulturePlaymakers #JoeMontana #NeilPatrickHarris #JaneLynch #NintendoSwitch2 #OcarinaOfTime #NFL #NBA #WWE #WorldCup #Gaming #Movies #Podcast #PopCulture #GiveThemTheirRoses #SixGrandfathers #MovieChallenge