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We'll dance around for fifty to fifty five minutes, all right, Nick. The biggest story of the day Mark Cuban, who recently announced he's leaving Shark Take. He's leaving Shark Tank. A week later announces he's selling a majority stake of the Dallas Mavericks to a casino tycoon for about three and a half billion. It's a unique setup. According to Sham's, Cuban keep shares in the team full control of basketball operations. So my first take is recent polling indicates Biden is
not a viable candidate. And oh and Mark Cuban is to me a centrist, a left leaning centrist, and has an interest in it. There's no reason in one week to make these moves. My guess is it signals a political upheaval in the Democratic Party and Cuban could become a leading candidate with the vice president being selected by the Democratic Party.
Oh well, that is not what I thought you were gonna say. That is you just you sure you're not just watching too much Billions? That last season of Billions by my buddy Brian Koppelman kind of had this, except the guy who was running third running third party candidate. All right, so I don't I would say the fly in that ointment is, then why is he keeping basketball control in case he doesn't like in case he doesn't win,
that way he can still have basketball. I mean, I did not think that's what you were Remember day.
Altruistic bent to his personality, he created an online pharmacy that I think is one of the great inventions up there with TV and FaceTime. Totally agree with you, one of the great of our time. Who benefits older Americans, who votes older Americans. It's a very very powerful mechanism for relatability with older American voters who often can trend conservative. If you're getting if you're saving eight nine hundred bucks a month on a pharmacy buy based on Mark Cuban, that's powerful.
Well, he listen, that's that's I think it's called cost plus drugs eighties. It's that I agree with you on that that that is one of the coolest and smartest UH innovations of the last decade. And he like it's not it isn't. Isn't pure altruism because they you know, they tell you we're gonna charge you what it costs US plus ten percent to make it a viable business. And it also gives you an idea of how much price gouging people deal with for medications and all those things.
So I think that's great. I listen, I like Cuban, I didn't, you know, I don't know that him. I The thing on you know, the Biden part of it is is poll numbers are terrible. That's undeniable. I understand that. I also think from an accomplishment standpoint, he has been
far more effective than people give him credit for. Now people can say it's been effective in a bad direction, like because you don't like the things he went out to accomplish, But for the things that he said he was going to accomplish, I think he's checked a lot of those boxes. The biggest listen, the problem for him, and I think the biggest thing that's turning his poll numbers. Is his vice president is unpushih popular for reasons we don't have to get into, but she is, and people
are worried about his age. Now the guy running against him, in my humble opinion, is one of the most dangerous, unhinged people in modern American life and is damn near as old. So between the two, to me, it's a pretty obvious choice. I do understand where people would like a difference alternative option. I just assumed that would just if there were going to be an alternative option, I assumed it would be Gavin Newsom. I figured that's why
he's doing this debate with DeSantis. But maybe he's trying to wait the Cuban trying to I mean, if you call this correct, that is an all timer. I don't like. That is not where my head went. I thought, I'll be totally honest. My initial head went to, like, is there a scandal that's coming? Like is he yeah? And I'm not wishing that upon him, But I'm just being totally honest, Like, Okay, you're getting away from Shark Tank,
you're selling your share of the MAVs. Is something coming out that could put you at a very weakended position.
That's probably if I had to guess a second take, that would be it.
And if you have a deal with the new owner part of the sale, I get to control the team. That's kind of hard to unwind almost no matter what, Like I wouldn't have sold you the team otherwise. What I will say is this because people don't you know, I'm sure a fair amount of your viewers and listeners don't love my politics. That's fine. I think Cuban would be an excellent leader. I think Cuban and I think he is. I think there's a lot of I think there are a lot of rich people, like uber rich
people that I am not sure how sharp they are. Like, eh, like, I think you probably were very smart about a very specific thing, and to your credit, right timing, rite whatever turn it into a ton of money. And far too many people treat those folks as brilliant visionaries when a m I have just been like, eh, that's pretty you know, good timing, and I'm really smart at this certain thing. Cuban, I've read enough things that he's said. I've seen him.
He's been in my life for twenty something, in my life, you know what I mean? In our lives for twenty some years. I'm pretty confident saying that's sharp guy to sharp guy. In also what I will say about whatever hope, because the overwhelming odds are the next president is either going to be you know, Joseph Robin at Biden or Donald Trump. Whoever comes after either one of those guys,
because neither one of them can run again. Now assuredly, if you know, if Trump wins, he will attempt to not ever have to run again, just to be president for life. There's a word for that. I don't know what it is. Whoever comes after one of those guys, I really hope they are more of the moment, because I do think we are facing some real challenges from a technological standpoint of the world changing. And it's not I'm not trying to do like AI panic, but that's
certainly a part of it AI. And just as the world evolves that it certainly feels like I don't need them to be AOC's age or my age. I think me and AOC about the same age. She's probably a little younger, but someone that you Colin Cowverd wouldn't feel like you had to call sir or ma'am or mister or missus, because they are so much older than you. I would like and so Cuban fits that. Bill Knews fits that bill. For the folks on the right side of the Aisle DeSantis fits that bill I do, I
would like the younger. And by younger again, I just mean people my parents like, or a little younger than my parents, to have more of the because it's not just president, it's you know, up until recently, the Speaker of the House, the leader of the Senate. These are all you know, much much older folks that I'm not
saying they're not sharp enough to understand what's happening. What I'm saying is there's a level of understanding things that you use or grew up with or something that is always going to be hard in the same way that I simply don't. I'm not good at TikTok and I'm really good at Twitter because I came up using Twitter, and TikTok was you know what I mean is the last five years and I'm like, ah, my teenage daughters
gets it more than me. So yeah, but if Cuban runs for president, I mean that a that'd be a hell of a call by you, b you could probably convince him to create a cabinet of sports and make you the secretary of it, like you're you and Bill Simmons at arm wrestle over it. That'd be something else, man, that would be something else.
So you know, last week we didn't talk a ton of sports, and I do have a non sports topic I'll get to, but there is a sports thing where.
Sure.
You know I've said before, we're all morally flexible. Okay, we're all morally flexible. We all speed. I drove about eighty getting to my house today. That I don't have a speeding ticket. You know, if I gone through a school district, I wouldn't. But it was all, like you know, just freeways and stuff. And it is interesting the position that I and you're not a big college football fan.
But it's beyond that that I know Jim Harbaugh's program did something that appears to be deceptive, but it doesn't bother me. And the reason it doesn't bother me is because, and it's probably two or three different reasons. One, it's like taxes. If I write off a bottle of wine, I'm not the first, and I'm kind.
Of a sucker.
If I don't right, like, at some point you're like E. And the other thing about it is, I feel, deep down because this has been sourced multiple times, there's been so much cheating going on, and I don't think Harbaugh and Michigan's history indicates they ever bought players or skirted
the system. But I sort of feel like a lot of people that are pissed off are Southern college football fans who now acknowledge, you know, Michigan and everybody can buy players too, and now the nil and transfer portal, it's even the playing field out. And I think that, combined with Harbaugh's unique personality, I'm rooting for Jim to not be punished too severely.
Why listen, I agree with almost all of that, and so a few things. One is, it's also bad for college football if he's punished super severely, because it makes it more likely he leaves college football, and Jim Harbaugh is good for college football. Nobody benefits from Jim Harbaugh going to coach the Bears other than potentially the Bears, and so he's good for college football. I also don't think there's a lot of people out actually outraged by this.
I think there are people that either at an axe to grind or have their own purposes served by Michigan being dinged, that are acting like they are deeply morally outraged. I'm not acting like there aren't moral outrages in sports. There are sometimes It almost always to me, involves off field violence, particularly off field violence towards people that can't really defend themselves. And I've never been one that's I'm not that outraged by when pre andil guys paid for players.
I wasn't that outraged. I'm not that outraged by a pro athlete getting in a bar fight. There are different things though that everybody knows what they are where you're like, no, that's on the pale, and it makes me feel kind of scummy rooting for this guy or this team. And that's but this was not a hard one for me. It did not seem like now there are, And so we all have different lines. If the scandal was and maybe people will say, Nick, you're just drawing totally arbitrary lines,
so be it. If this was the allegation at Michigan Stadium, at the Big House, they would systematically cut off the ability for the opposing team to communicate. Coach to quarterback in key moments. I would think that is a massive violation, that is to me, And again I don't know why that is category.
There were camquarterers, it would have been very difficult to get those tickets that would have taken you a week. And camcorders set up in a room in an office, people, this is CD iPhone.
It just isn't the same exactly right, And it also didn't it felt like whenever there is a system that is built around the assumption there is some level of cheating, that cheating existing doesn't bother me that much. And by that I mean the reason college football has four guys faces on a placard as a sign and then they change it up or all these things is because there is the assumption as some of our signs might be stolen at some point. Nobody thinks that's not happening. Ever,
so this one didn't. I agree with you on this. This one didn't rise to the level of felony. Now, with that said, what did I don't want to say bother me, but at least I found a little irritating was Michigan acting like they are this persecuted, you know, totally innocent babe. In the Woods and the Michigan I understand in sports, but the Michigan versus everybody and this idea that they have been wronged. I don't think Michigan
has been wronged. I don't think they're the victim. But I also don't think they victimized anyone on any substantial level. And I think this. I think they're the best college football team in the country. You're right. I don't watch nearly as much as you do, but I watch the biggest games, and I'm very familiar with the teams that are in the argument for the best college football team in the country. And I know Georgia fans are gonna be like, we haven't lost in three years, maybe it
should be us. I get that. I think Michigan has just can can beat you in almost every way. I don't think that. I don't think they're gonna beat you forty nine to forty five. I understand that. Yeah, but their defense is too good, in my opinion, to let a game get to forty nine to forty five. And so I just I'm really impressed by them. I'm really impressed by them, and I'll be surprised if iowas scores seven points. I know that game's on Fox.
Everyone should watch it, but I'll be surprised by residential system. Our judicial system has layers of crimes, like levels of crimes. And this, of course is like speeding. Yes, Jim went too fast and probably flipped the burden of maserati going ninety two at eighty in an Acura. It wouldn't have been outrageous, but it was kind of in your face, over the top if it's true. Right, it was a little, but it's still speeding. It's not it's not burglary.
It's it is yeah, correct, this is this is at worse to use the judicial analogy the most severe misdemeanor. It does not qualify as like the least severe felony. This is at most like walking out of the supermarket and with something in your you know, doing the self checkout and being like, oh, I forgot the stuff at the bottom of my cart. I'm sorry, Like, yeah, you might. They might even give you a for it, but it's not for you probably don't need to hire an attorney.
Like that's to me the level that that it was at. And also that's why your since your show does your pod and your show does the substantial mound of college football. You guys talked about it. We on my pod and on my TV show. We haven't talked about it once, like like, it's just not our like I don't think. But if it was a true scandal, it was, we would. We don't talk a ton of baseball. When the Astros thing was going on, we at least talked about that
and what it meant. And again, that felt different. Maybe this is me sounding like an old man, but it felt different because there the allegation of using course like high level technology felt like it was different than you know what I mean, My my guy at second base can see the sign the catcher's giving and we got a little system built in. It just felt different.
Let's piv to something else you talked about, But it was part of this the overstated anger often apparent on social media that doesn't exist. And so I've had this feeling forever that, for instance, very few people hate Joe Biden. He's sleepy, he would be picking on an old guy, but his poll numbers are plummeting, and I think I think it's inflation. I think it's very simply that I used to go to the grocery store, and it would be about fifty five dollars to get the twelve to
fifteen items I go get once a week. It's now seventy three. I notice, well, what if your working class couple of kids long commute to work, gas prices up. That's the polling numbers. It's not that suddenly everybody hates Biden or everybody now has forgotten Trump and his past. It's simply the economy. But if you go to social media, it's nobody likes Joe Biden. It's not that it's overstated anger.
And the truth is, if you go look at the history of our politics, for instance, the midterms, liberals did pretty well. Recent elections, liberals did well. I don't believe now suddenly it's going to be an avalanche to the right. What I believe is happening is our government's trying to get it under control. These are why the interest rates are so high. Inflation is worse than we're talking about. You and I are a bit in a bubble. But
when I go to the grocery store or McDonald's. I drove via McDonald's the other day and I was with my step son and he goes have you gone there lately? And I said, I usually go in the summer. I'll go get some French fries when I want to assault high. And he said, it used to be thirteen and now you've got to break a second bill. Now it's twenty one. So you go from given a twenty and getting seven back. Do you have to give him a second bill? It pisses people off and so overstated anger. Now we can
go back to sports. But I tend to think this is something I tell people all the time when you're creating a show, when you're acknowledging a problem, don't fall for anger that doesn't exist in your neighborhood. Very few things. The last thing that pissed people off that I remember was that submarine. The dad got his son on it and it blew up. That pissed a lot of parents off. That made me visceral reaction. I was mad at that dad. But by and large, Nick, I am probably outraged twice a year.
That is it. Well, so this is interesting thing, and maybe this is a conversation in and of itself. And by the way, remind me at some point there's a lebron thing. I want to talk to you about not surprisingly, but they've just remind me at some point the I am.
I am starting to because for a long time I was of the belief that too much of our colleagues and two more, much of media in general, is reacting to the loudest voices on social media and that that is not really what matters, and that the average person doesn't even know about it or care about all those things. That's kind of how I felt, and I felt a lot of people were treating Twitter like real life in ways they shouldn't. All those things. Here is my concern.
I think we are approaching that it almost has become a self fulfilling prophecy in that you're right, people are not often that outraged. But if we are fed so much outraged and then we believe everyone is outraged, it then leads to that being real and in a weird way.
And this is again I apologize I'm building quite the bridge here, But there was the story yesterday that Sports Illustrated what was Let's left the Sports Illustrated that some of their articles are being written by AI, fake people, AI headshots, AI stories, the whole line, and it's pretty outrageous and it's a really really sad stop, final stop for a once proud brand. And I just started thinking.
I was like, god, damn man, like we are approaching somewhat rapidly, like they're not being any authoritative voices or publications that actually can set listen. Here are the things that matter, here's the bullshit. And if we lose those entirely, then what is the difference between what people are actually mad about and what social media or Twitter says everybody's mad about? That then sets the conversation, Like I I I'm not I'm not explaining this perfectly, but I do
wonder there's the right now. So there's a very dark corner of social media that is furious with Malika Andrews for no reason whatsoever. In my opinion, I think it's so wildly unfair, but it is so amplified and so in your face. If you if you even tipstep your toe into like NBA Twitter, does that actually now mean that's the reality? Like if there is is like for her, it's the reality, Like it's what she's dealing with. I'm
now mentioning it. It's like even if it was all bullshit, if enough, if enough, there's enough amplification of the bullshit? Does that make the bullshit the real thing? And that that.
Legit concerns I'm legitimately concerned by bad executives, and I don't think Fox has a very big number of these that are reactionary and think.
It's the truth. So I think Malika Andrews is on a short list of six or seven people the single most talented person at ESPN. I think she's on a very short list. If I literally forget anything a singular host in the country, she'd probably be one or two. That's how highly I think of her.
She I mean, this is gonna sound that and I'll let you finish. As arrogant as it is, She's one of the only people in the country younger than me that I'm like, God, dog, it might be more talented her. It hurts. It hurts my heart, Like I don't I don't want to say it, like I have no jealousy or bitterness towards anyone in the business older than me, because I'm like, ah, by the time i'm their age, I'll be better. But anyone younger than me, I'm like
keeping track of them. I'm like, ah, where are they at? And so yeah, so we so we we agree on that this is where boss is really met deeply truly matter and where real for any we got a lot of I had a bunch of people respond to the discussion we did last week about local radio and media. I think media people, especially younger media people, appreciated some of the conversations we have, so those people are listening.
This is one thing that I will tell you. If you are in the creative space and the no walking without a net space, which anyone doing live radio or television or anything live is, it really matters who your bosses are because you are going to step in it. We all step in it to varying degrees on varying things. And there are certain things that no matter how good your boss is, if you say something truly objectionable, nobody's gonna be able to save you. But there's gonna be
times where people get really, really mad at you. And whether or not that scares them, whether or not they know this is a temporary moment and we will move past it. And whether or not they back you is as important as anything ever, as important as anything.
You know you are one of the true opinionists in the country. Beyond me A lot of people are hosts who host shows, but they're not really opinionists.
You know.
They don't want to be called out. I consider myself not an importance, but I consider myself Joe Rogan Stern, Bill Maher, Hannity Madow. I'm an opinionist that can break a story. I am not a host. You're not a host. We're opinionists. And research indicates seven to eight strong opinions a day over the course of a two to three hour show. Nobody's going seven to zero. In fact, if you are, you're taking safe opinions which will be punitively punishing you in the ratings. People listen to the guy
at the sports bar who's got the strongest opinion. And you and I both are strong opinion people. So I was always looked at it when I I have not one time at Fox eight years, not one time as Fox ever said you know that opinion, not once, not with a mistake, not with an epinian.
So that's something people don't know. So that's something the people. That's one of the bigger questions I get. And just to listen, not to give you know, our TV bosses, you know all they spend a ton of time giving them credit. But they on this note, I think they deserve a ton of credit. Which is one of the biggest questions I get, is like, ooh, you know Fox Sports, Fox News. Obviously the Murdoch family has pretty well known. I don't think I'm breaking news here. Political feelings and
leanings and whatever it is. How much does that impact what you guys say? And I tell them to honest to god truth, I've hosted my show for over six years. There has not been one email. There's not been one phone call. And now that's easy when we're just like, hey, who's going to win the super Bowl? But the show had just started in the midst of the Kaepernick stuff, Trump calling them sons of bitches. You know, a few years ago we were deep in it that when the
bubble happened in the George Floyd protests. It's not like we are always just talking sports. We are talking about real stuff. And I have never once gotten a note on oh no, you can't what are you going to say on this? You can't say that? And that is and I do think there is the first time you get one of those, because this happened to me a different spot there is and it wasn't even about anything important.
It was about what I would if what I was gonna say about the head coach of the Texans, the dumbest thing imaginable, but they're a partner in this or whatever. Once you get one of those, there is a chilling effect. There is like a oh am, I what I And then you can't fully be you. And I'm not even talking about when I say we're all gonna step in it just like have an opinion that you know has proven wrong or whatever. I'm talking about just doing live
that's what you would. So you mentioned, uh matt Ou or mar that that there are some folks that are opinionists, but they have every second mapped down and their brilliance is making it appear they are delivering it.
Like Relation Williams doing comedy.
Yes, there you go, the and so, but they've actually planned it all out. You and I I think do it similarly, which is we have a skeleton of what we're going to talk about, and then it goes where where our brain goes and what is you know what I mean? And sometimes that leads to screw ups or that leads to oh shoot ah, I forgot that whatever, And having people that you know will back you. Is to me, just critically, critically, critically.
Four weeks ago, I was talking. A producer talked to me at the same time I was talking, and I butchered a word I didn't know because I couldn't hear me talking because a producer was talking. So it's just I always think one of the most amazing, amazingly difficult jobs is play by play of football. So you got three hours and you got you know, you got Greg Olsen up there with Burkehart. They got commercial reads, they've got the crowd, they have a sideline person, they have
a director in their ear. Whenever I see criticism in a big game of a play by play announcer A Tarrico, A Nance, A Buck Burkhart, you have no idea how hard it is to do that game. It's I've I've been on those headsets. It makes my job look like a layup. And that's a three sixty wind mill dunk.
So I, yeah, I can't imagine that. By the way, you have Greg. You have a relationship with Greg Olsen, right, yeah, okay, please tell him it doesn't have to be on the air. I think he is and I have a I have a pretty high standard for color commentators in backball and football basketball the NBA vast majority of games I listened to on mute, I watch on mute like I get actively irritated by the commentary on most of the crews,
not all of them. Football is way better, but there aren't a ton of color commentators that I think are truly adding. I think Greg is so sharp and I thought, like the other day, I forget even what game it was. It might have been a Thanksgiving game, I don't know, but we have the opportunity, the rare opportunity, the nerd dream of the white whale, that is the free kick, which is if you fair catch a punt, you can kick from where you fair caught with no rush off
a tee. It's something I've heard about since I was a kid. I've never seen because you need it, you need have to be like a punt at the end of the half that didn't field goal range. And the moment it happened, I was like, oh my god, it could be a freak. And before I even had the thought out, Greg said it. Greg is I think. I think Greg and Burkhart are awesome. I think that I think the A teams. We're lucky as football fans that the the biggest games like the NBC team's great. I
love I love collins Worth, I love his enthusiasm. Buck and Aikman. It's unbelievable that Buck and Aikman have now been together longer than Madden and Summer all were, which is it seems impossible in my head, but it's true. There.
I think Tony best year.
The Romo and Nance just had one of the best unscripted calls I can remember, not like a whin they win the game, this is what I'm gonna say. But the dron blaand picked six. He said this is history when he still had three guys to beat. Anyway, it wasn't history. He don't score and blaand picked him up by making those guys miss. Yeah. I mean our football crews are great, and I think Burkehart and Olsen are
as good as anybody. I think they're excellent. And another guy you have on your show obviously we both love Stink who's great. But Sanchez is really sharp. I think Mark is really sharp and he has the second best Harrit Fox. I don't know who has the best, but he's really sharp, the volume