Hockey Work
On the Bleachers
We’re using sports to connect with the youth. A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer discuss the results of NFL’s Divisional Round; Travis Kelce’s charity and aren’t all athlete charities a scam, really?; Fandom culture continues to crash into hockey culture, with mixed results; Russians are once again freelancers at the Olympics; and female millennial excellence is coming for the Olympic Games. Links: (The Arizona Republic) (ESPN) (Reddit) (Twitter) (Yahoo! Sports Canada) (NHL.com) ...
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Twice As Many Popes (Mike Golic Jr’s Version)
On the Bleachers
We are a bowling ball covered in knives. A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer discuss Notre Dame’s college playoff snub and how the post-season teams are decided; Fernando Mendoza and the unreal story of the Indiana Hoosiers; we break down the NFL Wild Card weekend and look ahead to the divisional round. Links: Mike Golic Jr’s daily TV show, Mike Golic Jr. on (Sports Illustrated) (NBC Sports) (The Athletic) (The Athletic) (ESPN) (ESPN) (Bill Snyder’s story on NCAA’s...
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Known Ball Knower
On the Bleachers
We’ll give you all our disagreements for free. A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer discuss O Line Christmas gifts; NFL Narrative Fantasy final scores; the Sabres don’t suck?!; Kalshi, Polymarket, and commodifying every feeling or thought you’ve ever had; US Men’s Hockey snubs IRL Shane Hollander; Puka Nakua and Mookie Betts choose to spend their one precious life with Andrew Tate’s bestie; and Phillip Rivers continues to ride his unexpected renaissance. Links: (The Athletic) (ESPN) ...
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Heart, Mind, and Groin: Heated Rivalry Discussion (Patreon Teaser)
On the Bleachers
Have we got the Patreon for you! A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer discuss the backstory and first episode of HBO's new gay hockey show, Heated Rivalry. Links: (Patreon)
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Do You Dominate the Taco?
On the Bleachers
All civic duties should include good gossip. A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer discuss the NASCAR settlement; Phillip Rivers’s return is Millennial Excellence; the NFL Narrative Fantasy Draft update; skyrocketing World Cup ticket prices; IOC seeks to ban trans athletes; the best and least popular PNWL player looks to beat the transphobe allegations; Lando Norris wins F1, experiences feelings. Links: ! (ESPN) (The Athletic) (The Daily Mail) (Disney+) (TikTok) (The...
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Eat This Up, Clouted Ah Wrld
On the Bleachers
And we take that personally! A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer discuss the FIFA peace prize; Trinity Rodman and NWSL’s self-own; Michael Jordan, text messages, and other drama from the NASCAR trial; reality stars on an alternate NFL broadcast; George Pickens goes off; Lane Kiffin quits, internet rejoices; and athletes getting hurt in all-too-human ways; an LPGA golfer is curing her anxiety with fantasy novels. Links: (The New Yorker) (The Athletic) (The Athletic) (Defector) (SB...
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He’s a Ho And I Want That Known
On the Bleachers
We believe it could also always be better. A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer discuss NFL narratives (Brosmer woes; shirtless locker room victory chants; Jauan Jennings gets what’s coming to him); a bald man solves a hair care crisis; people are packing stadiums for women’s hockey; get ready for pro women’s baseball; the gross right-wing incentives driving anti-trans athlete narratives; and a cyclist takes a stand. Links: (The New York Times) (NFL) (The Athletic) (Twitter) (ESPN) ...
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The Algorithm Giveth, The Algorithm Taketh Away (Arif Hasan's Version)
On the Bleachers
We’ll find the romance. A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer discuss MLB’s MVPs; more sports brothers with podcasts; the NBA’s mob ties; Nico is out in Dallas; YouTube TV and ESPN make up; and (57:00) we talk to Wide Left’s Arif Hasan about JJ “Nine” McCarthy and his future with the Vikings. Links: (ESPN) () (Vanity Fair) (The Athletic) (True Hoop / Substack) (CBS Sports) (Front Office Sports) (Torched / Substack) (Awful Announcing) (Awful Announcing) (Cord...
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I Want to Be a Baseball (Jordan Shusterman’s Version)
On the Bleachers
We’ve got pucks in our pants A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer discuss LAPD’s reaction to Dodgers fans celebrating doesn’t bode well for the big sports events the city is set to hold; Pitchers indicted in sports gambling scandal; a Narrative Fantasy update; Cooper Flagg learns about losing; transphobic op-ed roils the NWSL; Ovechkin scored 900 goals; and (51:20) we talk to Céspedes Family BBQ co-host Jordan Shusterman about how he picked the Mariners, covering this postseason, and how to occupy...
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Lads Being Bros
On the Bleachers
We also played in the 18-inning game! A sports podcast through a pop culture lens. Culture critic and novelist and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer discuss the incredible end to the World Series and the continuation of the Drake curse; the ongoing Tyler Skaggs trial and what would it take to make an MLB owner sell; and are shirtless men at college football games curing the male loneliness epidemic? Links: (MLB Glossary) (The Athletic) (Sports Illustrated) (The Los Angeles Times) (Yahoo! Sports) (The Athletic)
info_outlineWe’re not hugging Spike Lee. A podcast about where pop culture and sports culture collide… inspired by the relationship between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Culture critic and novelist Zan Romanoff and journalist and Scamfluencers senior producer Sarah Enni discuss Zan’s new book; Sarah meets a couple Mariners; how the Dodgers do and do not reflect the politics of Los Angeles; baseball players being buds; playoff updates; college athletes are gonna get paid; the World Cup… will it happen?; youth sports, delusional parents, and precarity ruining everything; and we talk to Forever 35’s Doree Shafrir about tennis!
Links:
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Effectively Wild Episode 2333: Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the In-Game Interview (Fangraphs)
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Poker Face (Hulu)
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The Enni Way, Sarah’s substack currently going (strategically) insane about baseball
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Cal Raleigh on MVP race w/ Aaron Judge & if 'Big Dumper' is a good nickname | YouTube Exclusive (YouTube)
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The story behind Mariners’ Andrés Muñoz taking his cat on road trips (Seattle Sports)
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Why Does “K” Stand for a Strikeout in Baseball? (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
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Party in the Diamondbacks pool: Ex-players recount chaos, celebrations as potential World Series splash looms (The Athletic)
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The Nats’ clubhouse book club is on a journey to Middle-earth this season (The Washington Post)
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‘It’s reimagining team travel.’ Why the Dodgers are using two planes on road trips this year (The LA Times)
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Nats calling up Bruce the Bat Dog from Triple-A ... really (MLB.com)
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At Nationals Park, a tradition continues and a ballpark becomes a ‘safe space’ (Washington Post)
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NBA Finals 2025: Tyrese Haliburton, Caitlin Clark and the most powerful friendship in basketball (ESPN)
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Right-Wing Outlet Claims They Were Denied Press Access to Two WNBA Games (Them)
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With $2.7 billion settlement approved, college sports' big money era is officially here (NPR)
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Stars, Stripes, and Double Standards (Sports Politika / Substack)
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Playing Secretary (New York Magazine)
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World Cup travel ban fallout is ‘part of what it means to host an event’: State Dept (The Athletic)
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Parents invest so much in youth sports. Then came Trump. (The Washington Post)
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Court Date (Substack)
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Thanks for Waiting: The Joy (And Weirdness) of Being a Late Bloomer (Bookshop.org)
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Changeover: A Young Rivalry and a New Era of Men’s Tennis (Simon & Schuster)
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Jannik Sinner’s doping case explained: What three-month ban and Italian Open comeback mean for tennis (The Athletic)
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The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance (Bookshop.org)
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Aryna Sabalenka Addresses Her Controversial Comments About Coco Gauff After French Open Loss (People)
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Cutting Words (BenRothenberg.com / Substack)
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Morgan Riddle (TikTok)
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The Best Tennis Apparel and Gear (The Strategist)