The Varsity

NBC Sports president Rick Cordella joins John from Super Bowl weekend in New Orleans for an in-depth conversation on the business of the NFL and the evolving landscape of sports media, breaking down the NFL’s unparalleled ability to draw massive viewership and the complexities of media rights negotiations. Then he offers a preview at what’s in store for NBC’s NBA coverage and a look at next year’s Winter Olympics.

ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. joins John for a wide-ranging conversation on the NFL’s booming business, where soaring ratings and sponsorship deals underscore the league’s financial dominance—highlighted by the Dallas Cowboys’ staggering $10 billion valuation. They also tackle some of the league’s prime concerns, including the perceived officiating problems, before discussing the power dynamics of owners like Jerry Jones and speculating on Roger Goodell’s future as commissioner.

TNT analyst and former NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy joins John for a broad-spectrum chat about the overall health of the league. The duo address potential scheduling and rule changes, the realities of player empowerment, the influx of 3-point shooting, and much more. Plus, Stan shares his insights on the turbulence in college basketball, and offers his take on how to mitigate the instability surrounding college basketball sparked by N.I.L. and the transfer portal.

Fox Sports and NFL Network analyst Peter Schrager joins John for an in-depth look at the business trends shaping the NFL as the Super Bowl approaches. They explore the league’s media opportunities, the growing influence of streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon, and what it all means for traditional broadcasters. Then they debunk the idea of “Chiefs fatigue,” before Peter explains why relying on TV ratings to measure the NFL’s popularity is an archaic concept.

Michael Nathanson rejoins John to dissect the most pressing sports media topics of 2025: Netflix’s potential bid for UFC rights, the challenge of building a sustainable PPV business model, the viability of ESPN’s streaming strategy (and Fox Sports’ need to develop one), and so much more.

NBC Sports’ college football insider Nicole Auerbach reunites with John for an all-encompassing deep dive on the new-and-improved 12-team CFP. Nicole discusses the biggest successes like increased fan engagement throughout the regular season; shortcomings like the problematic seeding issue; potential tweaks like further expanding the field to 14 teams; and much, much more.

ESPN studio host Laura Rutledge joins John for an exuberant wide-ranging conversation about the future of the sports media business. Having recently signed an extension with ESPN, Laura discusses what drove her decision to stay put, before diving into the challenges of cord-cutting, the potential impact of streaming services like Netflix and YouTube TV, the CFP’s expansion, the NFL going abroad, and much more.

Axios’s Sara Fischer joins John for a wide-ranging conversation covering the latest trends transforming the sports media landscape: the striking Disney-Fubo merger, DirecTV’s new $70/month sports package, the potential ripple effects of a TikTok ban on sports media, and the murky future of R.S.N.s in major markets like Chicago and New York.

C.E.O. of TMRW Sports Mike McCarley sits down with John to dish about the launch of TGL, the semi-virtual, made-for-TV indoor golf series co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory Mcllroy. After nearly a million viewers tuned in for its ESPN debut, McCarley opens up about the league’s innovative format, his strategic partnership with Disney, how TGL is shaking up the traditional golf world, and whether the out-of-the-box concept could be replicated for other sports.

Puck’s legal expert Eriq Gardner joins John to break down the year’s first huge M&A earthquake: Disney cutting a deal to merge its Hulu + Live TV with Fubo. What does the combination mean for ESPN’s own planned streaming service, Flagship? And what’s next for Venu Sports? Then Eriq and John turn to how a combined Hulu + Fubo product might actually work…