Look, we've covered a lot of big events. We've survived March Madness. We’ve spent 15 days in Omaha. But this week? A wrinkled tablecloth nearly ended us both. We're diving deep into the weird, obsessive world of press conference staging—the stuff nobody sees but everybody would notice if it went wrong. Trust us, there are stories here.

We’ll then move into the ESPN/YouTube TV debacle. ESPN personalities begging fans to pick sides in a corporate carriage dispute? It's giving "please clap" energy. We break down why this whole standoff is theater of the absurd, and why Pat McAfee—of all people—became the voice of reason by telling his colleagues to stay in their lane. When Pat's the grown-up in the room, you know things have gone sideways.

And finally, since 2014, university presidents and athletic directors have lit a billion dollars on fire just to fire coaches. A billion. So we're offering athletic departments some free consultancy: the green flags and red flags you should actually be looking for when hiring a head coach. Spoiler—it's not just who wins the press conference.

This episode is brought to you by Drape Daddies and The Stapler Meltdown. Barca heard these new sponsors pay premium rates for unhinged ad reads, so we're expecting fat checks. Let's see if they deliver.

Timestamps

03:18 — The table-skirt trigger

13:10 — Pat McAfee, the voice of reason? ESPN personalities and the SEC shilling for The Mouse

46:08 — How to avoid burning through a billion dollars in coaching buyouts - red and green flags for hiring your new coach

This episode was produced and written by Brandon Barca and Andy Boggs.

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