There’s perhaps no better person in media to discuss This Week in Golf Brand Turmoil than Jordan Rogers, former Nike executive and all-around golf guy. This was a great conversation and we explored so much within a recently disrupted industry. Topics! Include!

* The Good Good Callaway ad controversy and why it exploded

* How chronically online advertising escapes its intended audience

* The YouTube formula of chasing trends, titles and thumbnails

* Why golf’s old guard resents the YouTube golf boom

* Why mediocre golfers (Like LeBron) can become enormous golf stars

* Should Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark have apologized

* Why golf media and YouTube present two different Bryson DeChambeaus

* We dare discuss the “golf hotties” of Instagram: The strange economics and audience dynamics of female golf influencers

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It’s Cowherd Week at House of Strauss! Roughly once a year, we explore the state of sports media with one of the biggest voices in this industry. I’m pleased to say that Colin did not hold back.

Topics! With time stamps:

* 0:00 — Colin opens with his vacation movie reviews—and why modern horror films have completely lost him.

* 3:30 — Why Hollywood, sports media, and even Nike increasingly make products for insiders instead of consumers.

* 7:00 — Colin’s broadcasting philosophy

* 10:30 — The Portland debate: Could the Trail Blazers actually be at risk? Colin defends his controversial tweet that ignited social media.

* 22:00 — Colin unveils his favorite Warriors/Patriots theory on current GSW struggles

* 29:00 — Adam Silver’s NBA

* 44:00 — Colin believes the WNBA simply became too popular, too quickly—and why that’s created organizational growing pains.

* 1:19:15 — Colin’s “This will get Aggregated” Tony Romo take

* 1:23:00 — Colin closes by reflecting on vacation, returning to work, and why he still reads House of Strauss every day.

A lot of fascinating ESPN dynamics to discuss this week. Ryan and I get into the nitty, the gritty and so much more. Topics! Include!

* The dynamics of Ryan Clark’s ESPN firing

* Inside the bizarre race between OutKick and Andrew Marchand to break ESPN’s biggest layoff story

* Is ESPN quietly becoming less political—or is something else really happening?

* The real forces behind ESPN’s layoffs—and why Disney deserves more of the blame than McAfee

* Why losing your ESPN job isn’t the career-ending disaster it used to be

* How YouTube completely changed the economics of sports media careers

* Sophie Cunningham is now probably more famous than A’ja Wilson

* Why the WNBA keeps making decisions that seem to work against its own popularity

* Could Sophie Cunningham become an even better player now that she’s become a cultural phenomenon?

* Can the Blazers really leave Portland—or do NBA expansion economics make relocation almost impossible?

I know many sports sickos but Saam Esfandiari might be the sickest. The Light Years co-host has in depth opinions on basketball (of course), soccer, football, and even baseball. Today we decided to explore some connection points between these fields, so we can get a 30K view of what’s happening across sports.

Topics! Include!

* The bizarre Matt Miller fantasy-football scandal and what it says about the industry.

* Sam’s theory that LeBron won’t announce anything until he can completely own the media cycle.

* A historic NBA Summer League class

* Is American basketball about to reach a higher level of international dominance?

* Team USA keeps producing great players—but not MVP-level American superstars.

* The reason Spain and Argentina are soccer-dominant.

* The real reason the U.S. struggles to become a true soccer power—and why it goes far beyond youth-sports costs or athleticism.

* The emotional difference between watching a long touchdown run and a deep touchdown pass.

* Ethan’s frustration with the NFL using primitive statistics despite being America’s most complicated sport.

* Saam’s long held belief that quarterbacks are overrated

* How gambling partnerships may have pushed useful sports analytics behind proprietary paywalls.

* The hypothetical “James Harden of wide receivers” who could exploit pass-interference rules and make football unbearable.

* Saam’s argument for why he wants LeBron James on the Warriors

An entertaining and informative NBA CBA-based conversation with NBA agent and Move Insoles co-founder Nate Jones. Absolutely loved this one, and hope you will too. Topics! Include!

* Why Ethan doesn’t want LeBron on the Warriors.

* Nate’s theory that LeBron’s biggest business is attention.

* The lost art of celebrities who “exist when they exist.”

* Why the NBA’s new CBA isn’t actually costing players money.

* The hidden link between the 1999 and 2023 CBAs.

* How Kevin Garnett changed the NBA forever.

* Why stars are getting traded—and it’s not because owners are cheap.

* Adam Silver’s quest to turn the NBA into the NFL.

* How pro athletes are becoming their own hereditary class.

* Why NBA players keep saying millions of dollars isn’t that much money.

* How engagement-chasing clips are destroying context—and convincing fans that old stories are breaking news.

We’ve got a fantastic NBA-centric pod with SiriusXMNBA host and ever-candid broadcaster Justin Termine. So many subjects topics to cover as the NBA world comes to a boil. Topics! Include!

* Why are NBA teams suddenly treating Jaylen Brown like a risky asset instead of a franchise cornerstone?

* Has the new CBA quietly changed the definition of a superstar worth paying?

* Would LeBron’s farewell tour make more sense in Cleveland or Golden State?

* Why would a Warriors-LeBron partnership be more awkward than people realize?

* Why we love, but don’t believe in, the big Minnesota LaMelo swing

* Have NBA fans and media completely underestimated how brutal the new salary-cap environment has become?

* Could the Lakers’ recent moves age into a disaster?

We’ve got a great House of Glass for you today. Just look at the docket. You have to subscribe, just so you can hear how Ryan pronounces “Thierry Henry.” Topics! Include!

* (2:00) Tim Bontemps to the…Hawks?! Why would someone voluntarily leave ESPN for an NBA front office?

* (7:00) Could “take artists” be more valuable than analytics exp…

A glorious conversation with our PRIDE CORRESPONDENT Katie Herzog of Blocked and Reported on this whole San Francisco Giants Rainbow Hat Controversy and so much more.

Topics! Include!

* Is catcher secretly the strangest and most brutal position in all of sports?

* The San Francisco Giants Pride controversy and the problem with compelled participation

* Has Pride Month become too large for its own good?

* Why awareness campaigns can sometimes backfire on the causes they support

* The surprising way activist movements evolve after they achieve their biggest victories

* How internet fame and constant engagement seem to drive influential people (Bret Weinstein for example) off the rails

* The strange contradictions that emerge when progressive values collide with cultural differences abroad

* Is the “right wing fever dream” about Bay Area public schools true?