Sports Media With Richard Deitsch

Episode 73 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features best-selling author and media writer James Andrew Miller, the host of the podcast, “Origins with James Andrew Miller. In this podcast, Miller and Deitsch discuss the relationship between ESPN and the NBA as it relates to China and politics; how ESPN has navigated the news out of China; whether employees feel restricted about discussing the political situation about China and Hong Kong through the prism of Daryl Morey’s tweet; what ESPN employees have seemingly been given a green light to discuss and not to discuss; what Disney’s involvement is here; where the story for ESPN goes next and how much discussion will exist this sesason; the Sports Illustrated layoffs; why SI found itself in the position it was in; Jim’s review of Uncut Gems and why he loves Adam Sandler in it; praise for Kevin Garnett’s acting work, and much more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more To learn more about listener d

Episode 72 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features four former Sports Illustrated staffers who were let go last week by The Maven, the Seattle-based startup that leased Sports Illustrated's media operations from the Authentic Brands Group.  The first segment features Mary Agnant, a producer and filmmaker who worked for Sports Illustrated Video for three years. Agnant worked on many video initiatives and directed one of the best things SI has ever produced – a documentary (“The Logan Effect”) about Humboldt Broncos' Logan Boulet, one of the 16 people killed in the horrible bus crash involving that hockey team. She is joined by Scooby Axson, who worked at Sports Illustrated and SI.com for seven years there, covering everything from CFB, NFL, NBA, and MLB. Axson spent 16 years in the military, serving tours in Bosnia and Iraq prior to working at SI. The second segment features Tim Rohan, who worked at Sports Illustrated for 3.5 years as an NFL writer and was previously a writer for the New York

Episode 71 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two segments. The first guest is Adnan Virk, the host of DAZN’s “ChangeUp” MLB whip-around show, the network’s boxing coverage, as well as a host at MLB Network and NHL Network. The second segment features Ivan Maisel and John Dahl. Maisel has covered college football for ESPN since 2002, writing as a senior writer for ESPN.com and appearing on television and ESPN Radio and on podcasts.  Dahl is an ESPN Vice President of Special Projects and Original Content.  In this podcast Virk discusses his many appearances on this podcast; the over-punishment for him from ESPN; the differences in working at DAZN vs. ESPN; working for an incumbent as opposed to the big dog; his many name-drops per podcast appearances; whether DAZN will get involved in football; the challenges of starting up a new podcast; his many assignments; whether he misses the scale of the ESPN audience; the allure of Ryen Russillo and how ESPN blew it with him, and much more. Maise

Episode 70 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests: Jane McManus is the director of the Center for Sports Communication at Marist College, a sports columnist for the New York Daily News and a former ESPN and espnW columnist. Katie Strang is a national writer for The Athletic based in Michigan. and a former NHL and MLB writer for ESPN.  In this podcast, McManus and Strang discuss covering stories that focus on mental health and sexual assault in sports; how to cover such stories thoughtfully, intelligentially and accurately; how such stories are looked at internally by sports media outlets; the language used by the media when it comes to sexual assault and mental health; how the public reacts to such stories; how to educate yourself on the topic if you work in the sports media; whether broadcast networks such as ESPN should have mental health experts on staff to talk on air; Strang on the emotional toll of covering the Larry Nassar trial; the challenges of reporting and writing on

Episode 69 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests. First up is Garret Graff, the author of the best-selling book, “The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11.” He is followed by Kavitha Davidson and Anders Kelto, the co-hosts of “The Lead” which is a new daily podcast from The Athletic and Wondery LLC. It is the first daily podcast for the Athletic. In this podcast, Graf discusses how his Politico Magazine piece for the 15th anniversary of 9/11 about being aboard Air Force One with the president on 9/11 led to his current book; the challenge of writing something that captured what the national experience was like on 9/11; how he and his colleague Jenny Pachucki culled through the many sources of audio data at the 9/11 Memorial StoryCorps, the Flight 93 National Memorial, the Pentagon Historian's Office and other sources; what process he used to compartmentalize his work for the book; how his sources reacted upon reflection of 9/11; the incredible story of the first fight

Episode 68 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a conversation with Sports Business Daily media writer John Ourand. In this podcast, Deitsch and Ourand discuss the NFL’s viewership numbers; why viewership was up in Week One and what it means heading forward; how much the NFL is counting on Dallas, New England, Cleveland and some other teams in its big windows; Fox’s noon ET college football strategy; why college football has gotten off to a big ratings start; the impact of sports gambling on viewership; Big Noon Kickoff and Urban Meyer; ESPN’s robust tennis numbers; Michelle Wie joining Golf Channel; The Athletic’s new daily podcast, and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 67 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a conversation with Monday Night Football analyst  Booger McFarland. In this podcast, McFarland discusses the criticism of the product last season; his confidence level that he would be retained by ESPN for MNF; the challenges of being a field analyst last season; how things will be different this year; how he views ESPN’s interest in high-profile people; how he got involved in the sports media following an NFL career that included two Super Bowl titles; how he views Andrew Luck’s decision to retire; what he has learned about broadcasting; how honest one can be in his position, and much more: You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 66 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Fox Sports play by play broadcaster Gus Johnson and The Athletic college football writers Bruce Feldman and Stewart Mandel.    In this podcast, Johnson discusses his approach to calling big plays and silence; the challenges of calling college football compared to other sports; his most memorable college football game as a broadcaster; how noon ET kickoffs will change his routine; why he wants badly back in the NBA; his approach to social media; his thoughts on Jay-Z and the NFL; why he considers his world soccer assignment the best of his professional career; the most impactful people in his career; working with Joel Klatt and Bill Raftery; if Fox Sports and CBS Sports are different and much more.  Feldman (who also works at Fox Sports) and Mandel discuss the biggest storylines of the CFB season; whether access has changed since they have been on the beat; how they would add to the television coverage of college football; the podcast market

Episode 65 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Washington Post sports and media writer Ben Strauss.  In this podcast, Strauss and Deitsch discusses the changes at ESPN’s NBA Countdown; the history of changes at Countdown; why Rachel Nichols and Maria Taylor were chosen to help; the future of Michelle Beadle; the proliferation of wresting on Wednesday nights at USA Network and Turner Sports; the resignation of Deadspin editor of chief Megan Greenwell; the future of that site under G/O Media, the site’s parent company; the launch of the ACC Network and whether it has interest beyond ACC country; the coverage of women’s sports this summer; whether the increased WNBA’s coverage this summer will continue beyond this year; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com

Episode 64 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests. First up is Don Van Natta, an investigative reporter for ESPN whose work appears across that company’s platforms. Van Natta is the host of the docuseries “Backstory,” whosedebut episode “Serena vs. The Umpire” launches Aug. 18 on ABC. He is followed by Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post. In January Janes moved from her longtime role as the Washington Nationals beat reporter to covering the 2020 Presidential election.  In this podcast, Van Natta discusses his coverage of NFL ownership and the reporting skills needed to uncover that secretive world; why he believes ESPN is committed to journalism long-term; how he describes his new docuseries; why he chose Serena Williams as the opening subject; the future episodes of the series including an examination of Shoeless Joe Jackson; the most important trait a sports reporter should have; how to ask a good questions of a subject; how a reporter knows when a subject is lying to him or h

Episode 63 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Business Daily media reporter John Ourand. In this podcast, Deitsch and Ourand project how NFL viewership will fare in 2019; why last year’s NFL viewership was up five percent across the board; the impact of close games and matchups early in the season on ratings; the impact of the Bears and Browns on national ratings; the Pac-12’s prospects of 9:00 a.m. ET kickoffs; what we think of college football viewership for 2019; the latest on local baseball viewership and why some markets have dropped considerably; how local viewership impacts national viewership; ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball broadcast; Ourand’s story on the PGA Tour rights and WarnerMedia telling the PGA Tour that it would consider converting one of its existing TV channels into a golf-focused one; where the PGA Tour might land; ESPN+ investment in “Peyton’s Places;” whether Peyton Manning would consider doing an ABC package of NFL games and more. You can subscribe to this p

Episode 62 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests: First up is best-selling author and media writer James Andrew Miller, the host of the podcast, “Origins with James Andrew Miller. He is followed by longtime NFL writer Jim Trotter, who serves in a multitude of roles for NFL Network and NFL.com and previously worked at ESPN, Sports Illustrated and the San Diego Union-Tribune. In this podcast, Miller discusses ESPN Radio host Dan Le Batard’s criticism of President Donald Trump and Le Batard’s criticism of his own network  for not having “the stomach for the fight” when it comes to ESPN’s  coverage of issues of race unless “there is some sort of weak, cowardly sports angle that we can run it through;" where the line is for an opinionist in relation to ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro’s dicta that it is not ESPN job “to cover politics, purely” and what that even means; the reaction of employees and management inside and outside of ESPN to Le Batard’s comments; whether there is a differenc

Episode 61 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features three guests: First up is a boxing roundtable with Mike Coppinger, a staff writer covering boxing for The Athletic who formerly covered the sport for USA Today and Ring Magazine, and Lance Pugmire, a senior writer covering boxing for The Athletic who previously spent 19 years at the Los Angeles Times as their lead boxing writer. They are followed by Chad Finn, the sports media writer for the Boston Globe.  In this podcast, Pugmire and Coppinger discuss the most enjoyable and most challenging thing about covering boxing in 2019; who the most important people are for them on the boxing beat; the transparency of fighters, promoters and TV executives; the kind of access they get as writers; the rise of DAZN as a player in the sport and what it means; Al Heymon’s power; how they define Boxing Twitter; what exists in the podcast space and their upcoming podcast; what it is like covering a sport where there are few reporters, and much more.   Finn

Episode 60 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests: First up is Conrad Thompson, the host of four immensely popular wresting podcasts: Something to Wrestle (with Bruce Pritchard); 83 Weeks (with Eric Bischoff), What Happened When (with Tony Schiavone) and Grilling JR with Jim Ross. He is followed by Chris Herring, a senior NBA writer for FiveThirtyEight and the former Knicks beat writer at The Wall Street Journal.  In this podcast, Thompson discusses Bischoff and Pritchard taking job with the WWE and what that means for his podcasts; what he expects from Bischoff and Pritchard episodes heading forward; how much, if at all, the content of those podcasts will change; whether Pritchard has pulled any punches about the WWE since joining them earlier this year; how Thompson’s production schedule and live show schedule has changed with Bischoff and Pritchard taking WWE jobs; whether he has interacted with any WWE officials about the content of the pod; why you don’t hear current WWE tal

Episode 59 of the Sports Media Podcast features guest Bob Ley, who recently retired from ESPN after 40 years with the network. Ley was ESPN’s longest-serving commentator, joining the network as a SportsCenter anchor on its third day of operation (September 9, 1979)and had hosted Outside the Lines since its inception in May 1990. In this podcast, Ley discussed why he left ESPN; dispelling any notion that this was not his decision and his alone; how he came to his decision; what he did during his sabbatical from ESPN prior to announcing his retirement; whether he would do some on-air one-offs for ESPN in the future; what he believes the future is for Outside The Lines and whether management will support the show; how he navigated ESPN internally for 40 years; how the rounds of layoffs impacted his day to day at ESPN; how ESPN attempts to navigate the discussion of politics, race and social issues when its front-facing people discuss it on their social media channels; what it was like for him internally when rep

Episode 58 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. The first segment is a conversation with John Ourand, the sports media reporter for the Sports Business Daily. The second segment features best-selling author James Andrew Miller, the host of the podcast, “Origins with James Andrew Miller. In this podcast, Ourand and Deitsch discuss Bob Ley’s decision to retire from ESPN after 40 years; the impact of Ley on programming at ESPN; what this means for ESPN’s journalism and Outside The Lines heading forward; the Women’s World Cup viewership for Fox Sports; Fox’s lack of interest in the PGA Tour rights; Fox receiving praise for its US Open coverage; the IOC provisionally approvingbreakdancing as a new medal event at 2024 Paris Olympicsas well as skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing, and a discussion on the Barrett Sports Media Top 30 Studio Shows of AllTime Draft. Miller jumps on the podcast for the final segment to discuss Ley’s impact on ESPN; why he was the conscience of the editorial operation; wh

Episode 57 of the Sports Media Podcast features three guests. The first segment is a conversation with Michael Grange, who covers the Toronto Raptors for Sportsnet (Canada) and Ann Killion, a sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle who covers the Golden State Warriors. The second segment features Mark Feinsand, an MLB. com executive reporter, MLB Network Insider and the co-author of "Mission 27: A New Boss, A New Ballpark and One Last Ring For The Yankees' Core Four.”  In this podcast, Grange and Killion discuss the challenges and professional excitement of covering a championship team; what the process was like to cover this year’s Raptors and Warriors; what kind of access they received as reporters; covering Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant daily; Killion on covering a team that consistently makes the NBA Finals; why Steph Curry is so unique among NBA superstars; the most challenging things about covering this year’s teams; who surprised each writer on the other team’s roster; what they anticipate wi

Episode 56 of the Sports Media Podcast features ESPN’s Taylor Twellman, the network’s lead analyst for domestic and global soccer. In this podcast, Twellman discusses Fox owning the rights to the World Cup and the frustration that comes from that; how he watches World Cup games; how he got into broadcasting following his career as a professional soccer player; how he hopes to navigate his soccer presence with other opportunities to discuss and cover sports away from soccer; his fandom for the St. Louis Blues; living in arguably the most intense sports media city in the U.S. (Boston); and a long conversation between Twellman and the host on the United States’s 13-0 win over Thailand in Group Stage play.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Radio.com and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 55 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is best-selling author James Andrew Miller, the host of the podcast, “Origins with James Andrew Miller.” He is followed by  sports broadcaster Jenn Hildreth, who will be calling the 2019 Women's World Cup for Fox and also works for ESPN and the SEC Network. In this podcast, Miller discusses the many interviews ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro has done on the intersection of sports and politics at ESPN and how Pitaro views that intersection with relation to ESPN’s audience; the research ESPN says it has done on this issue and why it won’t release that data; how a company such as Disney navigates this issue; whether the social media rules should be (and are) different for Disney Chairman Bob Iger versus a front-facing ESPN employee; the growth of ESPN+ and the job ESPN programming execs have done building it up; the ESPN Monday Night Football booth decision; whether Bob Ley will return to ESPN; what the Andy Ruiz Jr.- Anthony Joshua fight means for

Episode 54 of the Sports Media Podcast features three guests: First up is David Epstein, a New York Times best-selling author whose latest book is “Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World.” He is followed by Seerat Sohi, an NBA writer for Yahoo Sports based in Toronto who is covering the NBA Finals. The third segment features Daniel Dale, the acclaimed Washington bureau chief for the Toronto Star and a mega-Raptors fan. In this podcast, Epstein discusses his latest book, which questions whether early specialization leads to your best possible result; the development of Roger Federer vs. Tiger Woods; how specialization impacts society; the system of parallel trenches in science and what that means; those who find success late; how parents can best introduce their kids sports; the greatest organizational challenge Epstein faced with the book; his thoughts on Caster Semenya, and more.  Sohi discusses how she will approach covering her first NBA Finals fulltime; whether she feels pressure writing a