This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Author / Podcaster Nancy Rommelmann stops by to discuss a myriad of subjects both morbid and inspiring. This is the week I am, out loud, sorting out the current cultural moment. Nancy, in all her wide ranging curiosity, is an ideal thought partner in this venture. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * Freddie’s “ After Liberal Cultural Hegemony ” * Last Boys at the Beginning of History * Will legacy magazines ...
Jan 25, 2025•35 min
Nate Jones and I are both trying to figure out the current moment, an era that more or less kicked off on January 20th. Where’s the culture headed now that Trump is officially in power? What are the implications for athlete/sports culture? How is social media different now versus when we started to use it? 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 dis...
Jan 24, 2025•1 hr 8 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Great talk that’s anchored by this week’s cancellation of Very Bad Eagles Fan . As WIP host, pod friend Spike Eskin is our ambassador to all things Philly culture, plus a myriad of other pressing topics. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * Does the NBA have a “ massive negativity problem ”? * The viral Eagles fan who called a Packers fan an “ ugly dumb cunt ” * This Eagles fan seems bad, but was the moment c...
Jan 16, 2025•23 min
One of my favorite podcasts to date… Independent NBA Podcast Beast Nate Duncan chastises me over my pronounciation and takes. He also offers his solution to what ails the NBA, but there’s a lot more. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * Am I right to want hand checking above the arc? * What good reforms has the NBA made? * Are 3-pointers even the main issue? * Does Nate send soup back? * Is there a way to prevent Jimmy Butler situations? * Do NFL quarterbacks get paid too little? * Are dating...
Jan 13, 2025•1 hr 32 min
As NFL newsbreaker Ian Rapoport told the world on Friday, preeminent sports media critic Ryan Glasspiegel is leaving the New York Post for Front Office Sports. Ryan and I discuss the why of his leaving such an established legacy brand, and segue into the business of sports media coverage. Plus we talk about the lurid Fox Sports sexual harassment allegations , California wildfires, current political cultural moment and more. Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with othe...
Jan 10, 2025•1 hr
Happy New Year! We start off 2025 with an in depth discussion about, what else? H-1B Visas. In all seriousness, the visa issue has revealed fascinating dynamics within American politics and culture. Our guest Lee Fang wrote a fantastic article on the business dynamics behind a controversial policy that’s pitted Elon Musk against more traditional MAGA types. In this pod, our topics include but aren’t limited to… * What the hell are H-1B Visas? * Why is the “Tech Right” struggling to make a case f...
Jan 01, 2025•1 hr 12 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Ryan thinks you can guess the two major discussion points here. Topics include… * Why is a Gregg Popovich Trump rant going viral in conservative media over a month after it happened? * Why is NBA ratings discourse so overwhelming all of a sudden? * Did Adam Silver not use soft power like David Stern used it? * Are we more pessimistic about the NBA’s cultural future than Bill Simmons is ? * The NBA’s America prob...
Dec 19, 2024•4 min
One of our favorite cultural commentators returns to discuss men, women, politics and so much else. Great pod, in my unbiased opinion. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * Why there was a “Sydney Sweeney is mid” discourse on social media * Is modern dating terrible ? * Why the dating app market is bad, even for its big winners * Single men should buy dogs * Does becoming Republican shrink male dating options? * Are nearly all marriages “politically mixed” marriages? * Is the political gender ...
Dec 17, 2024•1 hr 20 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Non sports media edition, because a) I’m morbidly captivated by the Healthcare CEO assassination fallout and b) Any excuse to host Sarah Haider is a good one. Beyond being intelligent and brave, Sarah has some personally informed thoughts about ayahuasca, a topic of the moment given certain rumors about the CEO killer. Conversation includes but is not limited to… * High status people celebrating the murder of CE...
Dec 10, 2024•55 min
Depending on schedule, this is a potential Part 1 due to a surprise area Internet outage that cut us a bit short. Would love to discuss more topics with Tom, who’s just so easy to talk to. Like so many others, I was shocked to hear KNBR cut ties with the region’s most beloved sports radio host. Hopefully, the silver lining here is that we’ll get to hear more of Tolbert in other contexts. Dude’s a gem, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to chat about old basketball NBA with him. House of Strauss is...
Dec 07, 2024•53 min
NBA/Tech/China podcaster Andrew Sharp is here to “see where the takes take us,” and I love where it goes. * Is Andrew buying or selling the future of BlueSky? * The Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight * What is Netflix’s sleazy strategy with this sort of live event? * Andrew explains how the NBA made way more TV money while in viewership decline * What’s driving the NBA viewership drop? Andrew wrote a list * Are we excited about Inside the NBA coming to ESPN? Are there downsides? * Has the vibe shift...
Nov 20, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Great podcast, if we do say so ourselves… * Did Ryan lose his life savings betting Kamala Harris on Kalshi? * The French polymarket whale who bet on Trump using the “neighbor method” * Has the election inspired a vibe shift in sports media? * The Ben Strauss argument that FS1 is more woke than ESPN * The “Democrats need a Joe Rogan” trope * Is the “ Dem-friendly Rogan Bill Simmons ”? * Is Shannon Sharpe the Dem-friendly Rogan? * The sports journo exodus to BlueSky and why it won’t work * I don’t...
Nov 15, 2024•55 min
Nick is back, and candid as ever. This was a wide ranging conversation, as it always is, covering sports, media and political subjects. I wonder which aspects might get aggregated… Topics include but aren’t limited to: * Nick says our guy Freddie deBoer is mad at him. * I just bow down to the Kansas City Chiefs now. It’s easier. * Has the analytics movement devalued winning? * How does Nick feel about having a different politics than a lot of Kansas City Chiefs fans? * Would Nick have traded ano...
Nov 14, 2024•1 hr 18 min
Not exactly sports, but sort of. I and New York politics expert Ross Barkan reflect on Trump’s landslide victory, the multiethnic factors propelling it, and where the Democrats go from here. 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 subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe...
Nov 07, 2024•1 hr 16 min
Eric (@HLinsight) is a real life pro sports gambler. He also has profound reservations about sports gambling’s introduction to the mainstream. I can confidently say that the conversation you’re about to listen to isn’t happening at any of the other mainstream sports media sites. This is a candid look at why betting sports, as fun as it is, is mostly a sucker’s bet. Topics include… * Parlays and other tricks apps use to keep you hooked * How the limiting of winners makes sustained success nearly ...
Oct 22, 2024•1 hr 21 min
In addition to being co-host of the Light Years podcast, Saam is tasked with running Creator Growth at Playback, an interactive sports streamer app. This means that a lot of this millennial’s waking hours are spent on trying to figure out the sports viewership habits of Zoomers. This is the foundation of our conversation in this pod: What’s up with young people? What programs are they gravitating to and why? And are their habits upending traditional notions of what “mainstream” media even is? Bu...
Oct 16, 2024•1 hr 11 min
My live video with Chris Best is available here as well, so it seems. Great talk, enjoyed being the one who answers the Qs this time. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe
Oct 16, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Your guy Big Wos is back, with candid takes on the state of NBA media. This was a great conversation wherein we discussed the following: * A variety of ESPN NBA moves (Woj leaving, Lowe ousted, Shams hired) * Shams on First Take shows why we didn’t really need Woj anymore * Why does ESPN value news breaking so much! * I can now freely say that Brian Windhorst is great * The friendly fire of an ESPN article attacking ESPN host Kendrick Perkins over his NIL business * Is Perkins’ business sleazier...
Oct 10, 2024•1 hr 10 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com When Tim Kawakami and I get together, we’re going to talk sports media. Considering that Tim just recently left the Athletic, where used to be my boss, and joined the ambitious SF Standard , we’ve got much to discuss. Also, for those who like Niners talk, we’ve got a whole lot of it in the back half of this pod. My teaser is that Tim dispels a commonly believed false notion or two. Enjoy!...
Oct 03, 2024•29 min
Nate Jones, NBA agent and footwear entrepreneur at Move Insoles, is here to discuss a shocking corporate ouster at Nike. We get into how Nike modernized at its own expense, lost core customers, and ultimately fired a CEO they were just recently so enamored with. What lessons can be learned from the shoe apparel giant’s issues? What parallels do we see to recent problems at Disney and overall entertainment? Is this what happens when a corporation sacrifices art in pursuit of efficiency? Oh, and w...
Sep 20, 2024•1 hr 15 min
Big content Friday at HoS! Today we’ve got YouTube superstar Saagar Enjeti on to discuss content trends. Saagar has been steadfast about not doing ads to support his business . What’s behind that philosophy? And why is he thrilled about the prospect of legacy media’s demise? Also, Saagar asks me some questions about what’s going on in the sports media space. Enjoy! House of Strauss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subsc...
Sep 13, 2024•1 hr 35 min
Had a fantastic time catching up with our friend Moynihan, co-host of The Fifth Column and all around podcasting force at The Free Press . This podcast is roughly two hours, one of which we’re making free. For whatever reason, we found the World War 2 revisionism controversy of Daryl Cooper on Tucker Carlson to be a fruitful subject. Why did the political horseshoe arrive at trashing Winston Churchill? Topics include but aren’t limited to… * Today’s protestors are physically weak compared to the...
Sep 07, 2024•1 hr 58 min
Sports Analytics King Neil Paine is on to address some of the questions on our mutual minds. Am I correct that people are less into politics this election ? Is Kamala Harris a classic backup QB promotion? Is baseball back in American culture (Thanks to Judge and Ohtani)? Is Ohtani paradoxically more fun now that he’s not pitching? Is Aaron Rodgers too old to be good? Is a “system quarterback” even a real thing? What NFL players have “shadow value”? We discussed these subjects and much more in a ...
Aug 28, 2024•1 hr 23 min
Ryan Glasspiegel is back, and we’ve got many a media topic to discuss. Did politics influence the Samantha Ponder ouster at ESPN ( I say ‘no’ )? What do we make of the presidential betting odds? How do we feel about how politics is all “vibes” and no substance these days? Topics include but aren’t limited to… * Sam Ponder: Was there any politics aspect to the ESPN firing? * Defending Pat McAfee against Awful Announcing * Trump/Kamala gambling odds * What's more important in elections: vibes or p...
Aug 22, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Warning: This is a very football-heavy podcast. The NFL is back, and so is Warren Sharp with his massive 2024 Football Preview . Given that Warren is so well versed on NFL data and trends, I wanted to pick his brain on what America’s most analyzed league is currently missing. Obviously NFL coaches are highly informed, but is there something they’re doing wrong? Is football in its early stages Moneyball era, like baseball in the early 2000s? And why the hell have teams stopped scoring in this sup...
Aug 20, 2024•1 hr 21 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Kat Rosenfield is an author and Free Press columnist who often boldly covers matters of cultural controversy. I was fascinated by her “ What the Childless Among Us Leave Behind ” essay, which anchors a lot of the pod. We also got into Nike’s new direction and a range of other subjects related to the modern gender wars. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * Is there such a thing as objectively good style? * Is ...
Aug 13, 2024•3 min
Big Wos and I were interviewed for The Spoils documentary, which examines how the AAU business is changing as the money in the NBA and NCAA explode. Director Mike Nicoll sat down with us to discuss that plus so many related topics of mutual interest. For instance, in recent years, American youth basketball has become something between a sport and exercise in social media brand building. Team USA just won gold in spectacular fashion, but is this the last truly dominant American basketball generat...
Aug 12, 2024•1 hr 14 min
I believe you’ve heard of Nate Silver, whose fame is well earned. Sometimes, it’s almost too bad that his reputation as a data/politics guy precedes him. Nate, the writer , is highly underrated. I was reminded of this once again while reading his new book, On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything . It’s an engrossing exploration of risk and probability, as applied to those who live with making difficult choices. We get into many of its fascinating topics and also discuss what had just happened...
Aug 06, 2024•1 hr 25 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com OK, I’m back from vacation, leaping out of cold Lake Tahoe and into this particular hot water. The women’s Olympic boxing controversy is an absolute mess from a media perspective. When Angela Carini of Italy quickly tapped out against Imane Khelif of Algeria, it kicked off a cultural firestorm. Initially, some of those outraged by what they witnessed in the match were operating off of incomplete information. But...
Aug 04, 2024•2 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Nate Jones, current NBA agent and insole entrepreneur , has a lot of smart thoughts on our favorite topics. Today we discuss the big news in NBA media : Warner Bros (Turner Sports) is insisting it has the right to match a TV rights deal and the NBA says it doesn’t. Is this about to get ugly? Why must fans be deprived of Inside the NBA? Topics include but aren’t limited to... * The dispute between beloved fan fav...
Jul 25, 2024•4 min
