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 in the follow up, many conventional media outlets were misleading in their corrections.

Given all this confusion, I’ve enlisted evolutionary biologist Colin Wright to make sense of what’s likely happened, why it’s happened, and where the public conversation went wrong. We also discuss what determines “male” vs. “female,” and the impact of testosterone on the human body. Fascinating stuff, in my humble opinion.

Topics include but aren’t limited to…

* Imane Khelif as subject of controversy

* What is a DSD (Differences of Sexual Development) condition?

* Where the “right” went wrong in the immediate aftermath of this controversy

* Where the “left” is wrong in their correction of the right, especially in media

* What’s with the impulse to morally shame people who seek an ethical guideline here?

* How the IOC really dropped the ball

* Does XY = male?

* Does it matter at all that the International Boxing Association has Russian ties?

* Odd ways that testosterone impacts the human body, right down to the fingers

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 favorite TNT and an NBA that wants to move beyond its old standby

* Are broadcasters overpaying for the NBA? Or is this the path to riches?

* David Stern is a McDonald's guy. Adam Silver is a Taco Bell guy

* Why Nate thinks the NBA needs stars playing more years of college ball

* Men’s college basketball is well known; Women’s college basketball is known well

* Why NCAA basketball doesn’t help the NBA like NCAA football helps the NFL

* Nate tells us whether he believes Jaylen Brown’s contention that he was left off Team USA due to Nike

* Nate and I discuss what is sure to be a highly contentious election discourse, anchored in the political gender gap

* Nate wishes the Democrats elected their candidate through a primary

* I can never predict which issues will matter to people

* Trump’s impact on the people around Nate and myself, in our Blue World lives

I saw NBA Youtube tycoon Jason Timpf out at Vegas Summer League and we got to talking about this exact topic: Do you need to truly love basketball to be a winner at its highest levels? That conversation led to this podcast, which includes Jason’s keen observations on Team USA. Enjoy..

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Glass man alert! Our favorite sports media expert has broken news, and so we discuss his stories, plus a range of other topics. To copy Ryan’s notes, here’s our loaded topic docket:

* Skip Bayless leaving FS1

* Success after ESPN

* Shannon Sharpe’s ascension and impact as a megastar

* NBA TV deal scuttlebutt with some informed speculation on big news

* New York Knicks owner James Dolan's warnings about modern NBA

* Trump assassination conspiracy theories

* The right weaponizing cancel culture (as the left once did) to cost ordinary people their jobs

* Shams Charania free agency bonanza

Cowherd alert! Colin and I did our yearly summer conversation, which I thoroughly enjoyed. We started by discussing the sports media mogul era and of course got into a range of interesting topics. Subjects include but aren’t limited to…

* Colin on being not just a businessman, but a business, man

* Colin reflects on Barstool’s success

* How does Colin know who’ll work out as a podcaster?

* Twitter/X is easy; Making content is hard

* When is OK to talk politics in sports broadcasting?

* Colin on Nike and LeBron/Klutch both misusing their power

* The difference (and similarity) between how Steph and LeBron handled their careers

* The difference between Kevin Durant and Steph Curry

* Is KD like Aaron Rodgers?

* Klay Thompson’s grumpy end with the Warriors

* People are more likely to admit reality on sports than in politics

House of Strauss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I’m a fan of Neil Paine’s data driven sports Substack and you should be too. Neil’s got a gift for finding sports mysteries and probing deeper. This conversation went so many places and I could have kept it going hours longer but for the hard out.

Topics include but aren’t limited to…

* The data driven case for Caitlin Clark getting left off Team USA

* If Clark’s teammates are consistently dropping the passes, are the turnovers her fault?

* Differences between the WNBA and NBA

* Was Tim Duncan underrated?

* Should NFL player stats be more respected by NFL analysts?

* A sneaky reason for why Tom Brady is the GOAT

* Will announcer Brady teach us about his greatness?

* Why can’t teams beat the NFL Draft?

* Do we actually know beforehand when an NBA Draft is a “weak draft”?

* Does MLB showing us “catch probability” undermine our enjoyment?

* Why can’t Canadian teams win a Stanley Cup?

* Are some great players actually chokers?

House of Strauss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Freddie’s back, after writing a glorious rant titled Fuck the Modern NBA. For once I get to be the guy defending the league (and some of my friends). We also discuss the current potential Biden succession chaos.

Topics include but aren’t limited to…

* Why fuck the modern NBA?

* Why has criticism of the NBA sharpened after the announcement of its big TV deal? Does the money mean the league is on the right track?

* I defend what the champion Boston Celtics represent

* Freddie and I disagree on whether the “fans as GMs” phenomenon is bad

* ESPN’s coverage of LeBron/Bronny is weird

* Dismissing Michael Jordan = Being angry at your dad

* Freddie hates Nick Wright and I do not

* Freddie on The Kamala Conundrum

* Why are we here, right now, we these two presidential candidates?

This month, Jesse Singal’s beloved Boston Celtics won the NBA championship, and he was made happy forever. In between discussing the 2024 title and his widely hated Boston fan base, we of course talked about The Media.

Topics include but aren’t limited to…

* Jesse was at the Game 5 Finals clincha (This is how Boston people talk, right?)

* We saw Game 2 together at a Boston sports bar. Does the guilty liberal side of Jesse feel bad about joining in on anti Kyrie chants?

* Is the journalism industry doomed mostly by structural or ideological issues? (woke vs. broke)

* What’s with Jayson Tatum copying other peoples’ famous memes?

* Audience capture is like James Harden

* Is my Criticism Capture concept more explanatory than Audience Capture?

* Should Jesse have tried to talk to Bill Simmons at Game 5?

* I recommend a little place called the Grand Canyon

* Is the Grand Canyon more elite than Yosemite?!