House of Strauss Ethan Strauss

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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?!

Thrilled to have Chris on for the first time. Like me, he’s a former NBA beat writer. Unlike me, he’s the co-host of a successful sports debate show. Chris is a very grounded guy who resisted the life as newsbreaker for his current role as commentator. We get into why he made that choice, his call on LeBron’s 2010 Decision, what it’s like to be repped by Klutch, the Harrison Butker controversy and baseball’s current status in America.
Topics include but aren’t limited to…
* Broussard was early to report that LeBron was going to Miami in 2010
* The pressure to be a newsbreaker following The Decision
* Chris is repped by Klutch but believes that Michael Jordan is the GOAT
* What did NBA beat reporting used to be like?
* What are we losing now that beat reporting is on the way out?
* Does the media make the NBA big time?
* The Harrison Butker controversy: Is faith in conflict with corporate/modern culture?
* Why I think Butker made his speech too political
* Has baseball lost out in our modern era?
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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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com

In this visit from our favorite sports media critic, we stop worrying and learn to follow the WNBA. Or Ryan does. I, like many a casual, mostly track the Caitlin Clark aspect. Seems like she’s…really good?
Topics on this pod include but aren’t limited to…
* A nerd could have predicted that Caitlin Clark was better than the initial numbers
* The decision to keep Clark off the Olympic team is starting to look worse.
* Ryan sees the Fever media situation up close
* Do we dare discuss how the WNBA has shifted its marketing to advertise, uh, image?
* WNBAer Natasha Cloud speaks out on Gaza, but few athletes join in on that topic
* Why aren’t athletes backing Joe Biden in ways Dems have usually gotten support in the past?
* Why aren’t athletes criticizing Donald Trump as used to happen?
* JJ Redick gets hired by the Lakers. Shocker!
* Speaking of politics, the Lakers under Jeanine Buss = one of the major political parties

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com

When there’s an ESPN + Adrian Wojnarowski driven controversy, Amin Elhassan and I delight in our ability to discuss the issue unfettered. And so we addressed this whole Woj + Danny Hurley + Lakers mess, while also talking about, what else? A Bay Area meetup that included many brilliant rationalists, featuring some of their peculiarities. Oh ya, and also the Boston Celtics.
Topics include but aren’t limited to…
* Manifest Festival in Berkeley was such a unique setting. I run it all by a skeptical Amin
* What’s with the Effective Altruists and polyamory?
* Nate Silver as questions-besieged Nerd King
* Do I love the Boston Celtics? I explain my affection for this much maligned now heavy NBA Finals favorite
* Amin and I get into the absolutely bizarre Adrian Wojnarowski driven story where the Lakers seemed about to hire Danny Hurley (45 Minute Mark)
* Was this a leverage play for Hurley? Or a different kind of Woj driven conquest?
* How my being fired shaped Amin’s perception of the leading news breaker

Again we’ve got Andrew Sharp of the GOAT podcast, Sharp Tech, Sharp China, and perhaps some other podcasts I’m not listing. Needless to say, the man wears many hats, though covering the NBA is his main background (Yes, I can relate to this). Today we’re obviously discussing the Mavs-Celtics NBA Finals, exploding NBA rights fees as a business story and this bizarre Adrian Wojnarowski vs. Shams Charania proxy war over whether the next Laker coach will be Dan Hurley or JJ Redick. Oh, and we get into the following Sharp quote:
Everything this Celtics team stands for represents everything I don’t want basketball to be
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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com

We can hardly keep track of all the sports media controversies pouring forth from Caitlin Clark’s debut WNBA season, so we enlisted WNBA fan and certified #GirlDad Ryan Glasspiegel. What the hell is happening here? Why is Stephen A. Smith doing battle with ESPN personality Monica McNutt? Why is Pat McAfee apologizing for calling Caitlin Clark a “white bitch”? Why is Sean Hannity attacking Pat McAfee over this? We answer all these questions and more.
Topic Docket:
* A whole lot of hilarious WNBA-related subjects (We’re allowed to laugh)
* Much of the sports media is gaslighting us on what’s happening
* Why do players hate Caitlin Clark? What’s the percentage breakdown?
* Sean Hannity going after Pat McAfee? In a non political way? What?
* The Negro Leagues + MLB stats integration topic