If you’re an NBA fan you know who Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner are, beyond being recent guests on House of Strauss. In this episode, I used my “stupid questions” approach to ask these current media members about their old jobs. The answers? Well, they were anything but stupid. Enjoy… House of Strauss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other...

Joe covers sports, business and often how the two intertwine. He’s been all over the sports + gambling topic, most recently with his viral observation on live sports betting integration getting added into NBA League Pass. Basically, Joe discusses all my favorite topics, so of course we had a great conversation. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * How America and Europe are on opposite timelines with sports betting * Is the sports betting boom going to harm young peoples’ sports fandom? *...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Thrilled to have Chris Vernon on because I’ve long been curious about his career as an NBA + overall sports podcaster. The best way I can summarize Verno for those who do not know: Think if Sam Kinison was really into the Memphis Grizzlies. Topics include but are not limited to… * Vernon used to hilariously CRUSH Pau Gasol * How Chris chose the Grizzlies as his success vehicle * Why Robert Saleh is the...

Incidentally, Subscribe to my channel if you want the occasional video/Youtube experience for non paywalled articles… Tom Haberstroh has written an explosive article in The Finder about just how improbable the NBA’s post All-Star break scoring drought is. I think it’s impossible to look at these numbers and reach any conclusion other than that the NBA directed referees to call games differently. But does Tom himself think this? Discussion includes but is not limited to… * A wild free throw...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com The preeminent sports media critic is here, right after breaking sports media news. We discuss, in notes cribbed from his X feed: * Ryan’s Pat McAfee vs. Stephen A. Smith story * Shannon Sharpe, digital juggernaut * The media lets it slide that Mark Cuban rips Trump nonstop yet sold his baby to partner with statistically the world's largest Trump supporter * A vibe shift where nobody cares about athletes...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com I’m not sure how to describe this free flowing conversation with geneticist and writer Razib Khan, which was to be expected since Zeeb’s one of the most brilliant/idiosyncratic people I’ve ever met. Naturally, this talk is all over the place after beginning with, and I’m not sure there’s another way to describe this, social media reaction to “Aella’s birthday g******g”. Topics discussed: * Razib knows the...

Larry Krueger, proprietor of The Krueg Show, and former Bay Area radio mainstay, might know a thing or two about succeeding locally. A couple years ago he was pushed out of his role at KNBR, at which point he started building his 49ers-centric Youtube channel. It’s been a big success, currently at over 40,000 subscribers and rapidly gaining. As a fan of his channel, I wanted insight into the comeback story behind it and Larry’s overall perspective on media. Pod discussion includes, but is...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com What have I been doing with my life, waiting this long to have Frank Isola on? Frank’s a famously bold New York Knicks beat writer turned multi media star. You can find him on ESPN and Sirius radio, talking NBA and a range of other subjects. Frank comes from the era (and region) where media was confrontational. The overall modern lack of confrontation was just one subject we addressed in this podcast. Topic...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Richard Hanania is, I believe, the most controversial person to appear on this podcast (though I’m curious if the subscribers can offer up some competitors for that title). Based on his public profile one might think his book, The Origins of Woke, would be a searing polemic. But it’s not. It’s really more of a law history with a focus on how legal decisions determine institutional policy and cultural norms....

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Spike Eskin of Rights to Ricky Sanchez is here because a few of his favorite characters are in the news. Frankly, there’s no better person to cover Doc Rivers vs. JJ Redick as it plays out in the media. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Does Spike hate JJ more than JJ hates basketball fans? Topics... * Spike on where Doc is lying * ESPN’s hilariously unbelievable reporting on Doc taking the Bucks job * Why did...

Friend of Pod Sarah Hepola is on to discuss the viral Emily Gould divorce essay. Some of you might be blessedly unaware, but this piece kicked off quite a chattering class firestorm on Valentine's Day. Many despised Gould and saw in her so many failings of millennial culture writers. Others praised her work as honest and vulnerable. Since Sarah wrote an incredible, sometimes self-lacerating book about her own battle with alcoholism, she’s well positioned to offer a verdict or two here. We...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com This one is a lot of politics/culture, so pure sports lovers be forewarned. We also had to paywall it for standard Wos reasons. Personally, I believed this to be a very fruitful conversation with HoS favorite Big Wos. We agreed, disagreed, and eventually got to common ground on what the House of Strauss foreign policy should be. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * What’s wrong with ESPN’s coverage of...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Late collapse against the Clippers on Wednesday notwithstanding…the Warriors suddenly look pretty good. Given the recent vibe shift, I figured I’d ring up Light Years co-host Saam Esfandiari to discuss the Draymond-fueled run of good play plus a variety of other topics in media. Discussion includes but is not limited to… * Which hurt Bay Area fans more: The 2024 Super Bowl loss, or the Warriors losing Game 7...

We love having Ashlee on because he’s always covering a fascinating topic. Today it’s how AI is being used to decipher ancient Roman scrolls that were damaged by the Vesuvius eruption. Thanks to the technology of the future, we might be on the precipice of learning about the mysterious past. What knowledge might we gain here? Why is the Catholic Church perhaps worried about the implications? And what’s with the meme of dudes obsessing over ancient Rome? We discuss all this, plus how Ashlee...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Ryan Glasspiegel, our nation’s preeminent sports media critic, is back, and trying to explain this “ESPN, Fox and Warner Team Up to Create Sports Streaming Platform” story. We’ve both got some questions, but the main one is this: What type of person is going to pay for this service? In the second half of the pod, we’re talking… * Super Bowl prop bets, including a sneaky long shot from radio legend Larry...

I love Guy, and should have had him on sooner than this. In his day job, he’s an expert play-by-bay man for a variety of sports. In his burgeoning other career, though, he’s a rising force on San Francisco 49ers Youtube. We discussed this upcoming 49ers-Chiefs Super Bowl, talking Brock Purdy (of course) and whether Purdy haters or Purdy evangelists were more to blame for the insane discourse surrounding the Niners QB. Then we got weird, addressing whether aliens exist and if greater...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com One of my favorite conversations on this site, if I do say so myself (Subscribe today!). Many of you are familiar with Kmele Foster’s work on The Fifth Column and other platforms, but I’d say it’s rare to get him in an interview setting. Obviously, Kmele did not disappoint. Few in media think deeply on as wide a range of available subjects as Kmele does, which is why we were able to discuss all of the...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Last time the great Rob Henderson was on we discussed his incredible memoir, Troubled. In it, he takes you on a journey from his youth in foster care to and through his Yale admission. An inspiring story, right? Turns out that not everyone wants to be inspired. So why are certain bookstores blocking Rob, a guy with a large following, from holding events? We get into the mystery, talking about class,...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Bomani took issue with my “What if Brock Purdy Had Jordan Love's Saturday Performance?” article, which was a good excuse to bring back an HoS favorite. What followed was, in my opinion a highly enjoyable conversation. Topics included but weren’t limited to… * Why Bomani has more hardcore fans than similarly well known entertainers * Bo’s take on Brock Purdy, having seen him play at Iowa State * Does the...

Former NFL scout and current rising YouTuber John Middlekauff takes on NBA vs NFL media culture, plus he delivers a BOLD prediction for NBA TV rights. Among other topics, we discuss how taboo it is in sports media to think about the most important person: The customer. House of Strauss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com The world’s preeminent sports media critic was ATTACKED by Dave Portnoy for breaking a story. We talk to Ryan right after he defended himself on Kirk Minihane’s Barstool-affiliated show. Topics mentioned: Ryan’s defense under fire, journalism best practices, Barstool as a business, plus my theories on incoming Peacockification.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Friend of Pod Amin Elhassan is here to discuss the following: * A vigorous defense of Jerry Krause * Is it acceptable for Warriors fans to boo this team? * Is Michael Jordan to blame for anti Krauseism? * Zach Lowe giving up his NBA awards vote. What’s the secret reason? * Taylor Swift on the football broadcast vs. Eminem

First Things First co-host and Friend of Pod Nick Wright respectfully and angrily disagrees with my Rodgers vs. Kimmel take. He’s got a viral take of his own that he felt I’d slighted by extension. We decided to hash it out and after much vigorous disagreement, arrived at some fascinating topics I didn’t anticipate. This started as an argument, then turned into a cathartic journey into how the pandemic period can’t quite be let go. I’m glad we talked as this was one of my favorite HoS...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Wos alarm and this one is turbo-paywalled. We start off talking different sports and the perils of drafting QBs high. We eventually move on to Aaron Rodgers vs. Jimmy Kimmel, what Pat McAfee vs. ESPN means, DEI and Harvard, genius of Druski, plus Bon Appétit breakup retrospective. Enjoy!

Certain stories just grab you and Erich Schwartzel’s “Behind the Tragic, Instagram-Perfect Life of an Ex-Disney Executive,” is such a tale. After I read it, I knew we needed to have a conversation about the now deceased Dave Hollis, a man whose seemingly perfect life was upended by the project of broadcasting it. Erich is a star entertainment reporter for the Wall Street Journal, Friend of Pod, and fascinating thinker on these modern issues. This is the first podcast I’m submitting to the...