The Varsity

In this special live recording from Puck’s In the Arena, NBA commissioner Adam Silver joins John to reflect on the first year of the league's 11-year media deal, which delivered the NBA’s highest regular-season viewership in more than two decades. Silver also gets into the Clippers scandal, the Lakers’ eye-popping $12.5 billion valuation, his embrace of A.I. to enhance fan engagement, and much more.

John is joined by Words + Pictures co-founder Connor Schell and chief creative officer Aaron Cohen to discuss their new six-part Saban documentary, chronicling the life and career of the legendary college football coach. They also discuss the evolution of '30 for 30,' the state of the sports documentary genre, and why the market is bigger than just ESPN, Amazon, and Netflix.

Andy Johnson, founder of Fried Egg Golf, joins John to discuss the state of the PGA Tour under Brian Rolapp’s stewardship. He highlights Rolapp’s star-centric vision, argues that LIV’s real legacy may be forcing the Tour to innovate, and digs into the shrinking pool of rights bidders, golf’s equipment regulation debate, and more.

Fan favorite Andrew Marchand joins John to run through the sports-media news of the week. They dig into the NFL’s underwhelming early-season ratings, Joe Buck’s $108 million extension with ESPN, Brian Rolapp’s new plans for the PGA Tour, the growing scrutiny around College GameDay, and more.

Ted Leonsis, C.E.O. of Monumental Sports, joins John to talk about the ins and outs of owning the Washington Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics. He gets into the billion-dollar rebuild of Capital One Arena, why the Lakers’ $12.5 billion sale makes him nervous, his conviction that D.C. should become the women’s sports capital of the world, and more.

Fox's go-to guy for the Super Bowl and World Series joins John to discuss his enviable broadcast career, his weekly prep routine during the NFL season, and the zen of knowing when not to let your research get in the way of the game. 

Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/

Super analyst Michael Nathanson returns to the pod to discuss the tectonic forces reshaping how America watches sports. He and John unpack the logic behind Fox’s bid for Roku, why YouTube TV could save cable, Charter’s streaming-bundle strategy, and Netflix’s “eventization” of everything. 

Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/

ESPN's Peter Schrager joins John to discuss his winding road to hosting his own daytime show. The two also dig into the Rams’ rough Australia opener, the NFL’s flag football and international push, the next wave of team owners, and the NFL’s standoff with YouTube over live rights.

Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/

WWE president and TKO board member Nick Khan joins John ahead of Saturday’s Ryan Garcia-Connor Benn welterweight title fight to lay out the Zuffa Boxing strategy. The two dig into why past boxing broadcasters bailed on the sport, WWE’s Netflix and ESPN Unlimited deals, the soaring valuations behind the Lakers and Commanders sales, and why Khan tunes out the noise on social media.

Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/

The Zelig-esque sportscaster joins John on the eve of a new NFL season to discuss why football has a stranglehold on the sports-watching public. Plus he recounts the backstories behind his memorable interviews with George W. Bush, Mike Tyson, Pete Rose, and more. 

Join us at In the Arena on Oct. 1 in NYC. Tickets here: https://puck.events/inthearena/