Welcome to Episode #139! We bring back Chris for his 5th appearance (#93, #95, #100, #130). Last November we discussed who was winning the break-up; we update our thoughts after Russillo's recent ascension and Bill's lackluster content of late - is the re-apex officially over?

We get into the issues with Zach Lowe Sunday nights - and address whether the hate has been too intense or fully warranted - and wonder whether basketball discourse in general is reaching a logical endpoint.

We finish with a ruling on the break-up to date, including recent developments (Russillo's Barstool week and screenwriting comments) and what we’ll be looking for to make a final judgement once it's been a year since Russillo left.

Welcome to Episode 138! We bring on returning guest Mike (Episode #112) to get to the bottom of why there's been almost no coverage of the Dianna Russini scandal by sports media. We go through the evolution of the medium: TV and ESPN's early days, athletes gaining more control over the narrative, the insider economy, and ultimately conclude with a) why the story hasn’t been covered and b) if this will be a reckoning or continued drift. Of course, along the way the Podfather features prominently throughout our conversation. Enjoy!

Chanch and Kyle (Episodes #98 and #120) return to the pod after calling their shot in 2024 on listeners turning against Zach Lowe and coming to the realization that the NBA has serious issues including style of play and the regular season schedule. We also discuss how the NBA is losing its coolness factor and how that shares similarities to rap music. We then finish up the pod explaining why Chuck Klosterman has lost his fastball.

If you liked the show, check out Kyle on TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@smilingstrange) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/smiling_strange) as well as his podcast (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2573404) and Chanch on Twitter (https://x.com/perchanches).

Welcome to Episode #136! We bring on Matt from Twitter for an in-depth conversation on all things Bill Simmons. First, we discuss the topic of the year so far: Russillo vs. Lowe NBA Sundays. The listeners already miss Ryen and prefer him over Zach; we get into why we think that is, and propose potential fixes to the current Sunday iteration of Lowe & Bill. We also check-in with Russillo at Barstool.

Next we get into Bill's desire to be a cultural commentator without taking as much risk as he used to - Bill often comes in late to the discourse but wants to be known as the guy with an original take, which he did more of back in the day. During his re-apex he's been taking more risks, which we've enjoyed, and we assess his content shift from Grantland to early Ringer and now post-Russillo.

Next we hit on several Ringer personalities including House, Sal, Matt Belloni, Muhammed Kellerman & Rich Paul, Derek Thompson, the pop culture crew of CR/Fennessey/Joanna/Mallory and give our takes on since-departed KOC. We finish up talking ideas for Bill's future content. Enjoy!

Welcome to Episode #135! We bring on Josh from Twitter (@joshjurnovoy) for an insightful look into The Ringer moving their video podcasts from YouTube to Netflix. We discuss the business case from both Netflix and The Ringer's perspective, assess the technical aspects of these video pods now being on the streaming service, and contemplate what, creatively, makes for an elite (and not so great) video podcast. We then hit on a variety of Ringer and non-Ringer shows (yes, we talk Russillo) for what we like and dislike about their presentation.

If you like the pod, check out Josh's movie podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rewind/id1399890948

We bring on recurring guests Roman (#118, #119) and Ben (#133) for a 3-man weave celebrating Bill Simmons' re-apex. Enjoy!

Welcome to Episode #133! We bring on Benjamin and first react to Max Kellerman's appearance on the BS Pod - what made Max so good, and more broadly, what makes for a great BS Pod guest? We then talk about Bill's improved content since Russillo left - did he hook himself up to the Rejuvenation Machine? After chatting some Russillo, Benjamin gives his take on the missing element of Ringer NBA pods. We finish up talking The Ringer's changing place in the sports and pop culture landscape.

Check out Benjamin's site at section220.com

Welcome to the latest episode! Netflix has agreed to buy Warner Bros. - we break it all down! Enjoy

Welcome to Episode #131! In today's pod I break down the state of play of the Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) sale process. Why are they looking to be sold, which company that submitted bids (Paramount, Netflix, NBC) has the best chance of winning, why is each company interested in buying WBD, and will WBD even sell itself or proceed with their planned split of the Cable TV and Streaming & Studio businesses? Enjoy!

Welcome to Episode #130! We bring on recurring guest Chris (#93, #95, #100) to cover all the angles of Ryen Russillo leaving Bill Simmons & The Ringer.

We first hit on what we think Russillo should do at Barstool, including utilizing the talent there and adding some variety into his show; so far we're modestly disappointed he seems to be doing the exact same podcast. What will his new company look like - will he hire people and develop more talent?

We next get into which side needed eachother more and which side has more to prove. Can Russillo truly be a #1 guy? How much was his weekly Bill podcast contributing to his popularity? How does Bill replace Russillo, especially on Sunday nights? Can Bill use Russillo's cap space to better fill out The Ringer's depth?

We next give our theories on why Russillo left: was it money, IP, Zach Lowe, or Ryen getting tired of Bill? And was the split acrimonious? Why haven’t either of them mentioned it yet; when's the next time (if ever) they'll pod together? Was Ryen leaving more of a Bill or Spotify decision?

We finish up assessing how, in the future, we'll judge which side truly won the break-up. Enjoy!