House of Strauss

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Sarah Hepola is here for one of my favorite conversations of the year. It ranges from Brent Musburger’s public horniness to American beer advertising to honest analysis of the nation’s attractiveness insecurities. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * Who else? Sydney Sweeney: A complete analysis * What did “sex sells” go away in advertising? * “Hot, Not Pretty” vs. “Pretty, Not Hot” actresses * If we’d known nothing about the controversy, would we find the jeans ad weird? * Aren’t ads supposed to tickle our horrible base impulses? * Las Vegas sexy jobs that aren’t “sex work” * The cartoonish sexism of social media era beer ads * And the twiiiinnnns * What’s with blondes? * Uncomfortable realities of who’s popular in the dating market * Green dildos on WNBA courts

House (of Strauss) keeping here. My Random Offense with Mike Pesca is up, file included in this email. Subscriber Craig T. Schwerin thoughtfully built off my “LLMs will be Ozempic for Golf” post. Sarah Hepola pod was just recorded, that’s incoming. In the meantime, I’ll be chatting about green WNBA dildos on BCC, so sign up for that. 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

Audio version of this article is up! Chat about it and other topics on BCC. 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

Narrations of articles are back! This one in particular kicked up a lot of conversation in the House of Strauss group chat on ChatBCC, which I’d encourage all to join. 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

Many of you have been asking that Random Offense audio find its way to the HoS feed, and we’ve worked things out to make it happen. This week we’ve got a State of Sports Media pod with Ryan Glasspiegel. Next week, when I’m back from vacation, we should have regularly scheduled HoS pods back in production. Have a nice weekend, everybody. 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 A great talk with Jay Caspan Kang on his viral, “Heir Ball: How the Cost of Youth Sports Is Changing the N.B.A.” We also discuss Jay’s BULLYING of Christine Brennan over her defense of Caitlin Clark. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * Why youth sports is insanely competitive right now * Jay’s own misgivings about becoming a competitive sports dad * Why is t…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Light Years co-host Saam Esfandiari is here to explain his perspective on NBA free agency, parenting, and Iran. Massive range in this pod. A great talk as always, including but not limited to… * Is there much to say about beloved Kevon Looney leaving GSW? * Why, oh why, is the “cuck chair” Saam’s preferred metaphor for GSW roster moves? * Why is Saam desperate to deal Jonathan Kuminga? * What is the chance Kuminga flourishes elsewhere? * Are millennial stars doomed to get injured? * Sam Presti shuts down Adam Silver’s BS on injuries! * We love what Denver did (Cam Johnson fro MPJ) * Western perspectives on the Middle East? * What’s with the American White Guy NBA moment right now? * Israelis in the NBA? * How to approach youth sports as a parent

Dieter Kurtenbach and Jake Hutchinson have done for 49ers Youtube what pod friend Nate Duncan did for NBA podcasting. I’m entranced by how Dieter and Hutch have decided to build an audience by getting as niche as possible about my local football team. And so we dig into what they’re doing and why it works. 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 Mike Silver, senior NFL writer at the Athletic, has written a remarkable book. “The Why Is Everything” is, in my opinion, the type of work that will no longer happen in the modern access-constrained world. So we get into it, exploring the coaching rivalries that shaped modern football and analyzing the friend/enemy relationships involved. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * Why is the “why” important for players to understand? * “It’s a crazy business. I’ve seen people fire their brothers.” * Five future head coaches worked on one 2013 Washington Redskins staff: Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur, Raheem Morris, and Mike McDaniel * Is Sean McVay a big hypocrite? Or just uncommonly vulnerable? * Mike McDaniel was Kyle Shanahan’s right hand man, to the point where Kyle undermined Mike’s dreams * What was working at the Daily Cal like for Mike and myself? * Will sports writers be replaced by AI technology? * Why the hell isn’t Mike Shanahan in the NFL Hall of Fame?!

Stop by live, Friday, at 2way.tv/ethan, where I can discuss most things and Mike Pesca can discuss everything. Topics I’d like to get into include NBA Finals, sports gambling as indicator of sports decline, plus the emergent visibility of baby boomer liberals in protest culture. Also…do we dare discuss Israel/Iran? See you there! 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 After angering Stratechery’s Daman Rangoola in private about his JOY over Wednesday’s Lakers team sale, I decided to allow his grievances to be aired in public. Or at least behind this paywall. Beyond being highly informed about the tech world, Daman is a Laker obsessive, with ties to people in the know. And so we discussed topics including but not limited to… * Was I improperly throwing cold water on Laker fan excitement? * What’s up with the trend of hyped ownership changes going poorly? * Did Mark Cuban negotiate a bad team sale price? * How can Daman compliment Jeanie and be so damned thrilled? * Is Luka Doncic an OWNER KILLER??? * End of NBA mom and pop shops * What should even get improved by the new Lakers? * Is Rob Pelinka guaranteed to be fired? * Why does the NBA allow the interruption of its Finals with this stuff? * Should the NBA overtly take over the WNBA?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Our old friend and Yahoo!/Substack NBA writer Tom Haberstoh is here for some analytical diving. Great talk in my humble opinion. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * Tom and I made Tim MacMahon famous and he owes us big time * Is a Thunder-Pacers Finals good for the NBA? * Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the new Tim Duncan * Does SGA not have a signature move? Which stars have what signature moves? * If you take away the steroid peak, is current Aaron Judge better than Barry Bonds? * Is Tyrese Haliburton not a superstar? * Are NBA coaches less valuable than ever? * How many draft picks would you trade for your team to acquire Sam Presti? * It’s time for NBA coaches to wear suits again!

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Our man Glass is here to discuss an oddly contentious week in sports media. Prominent names are fighting, so we decided to give our takes on what the hell is happening. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * Is Bill Simmons right that ESPN will fuck up Inside the NBA? * Ryen Russillo draws ire of Mina Kimes over a harmless joke * Towel snapping maleness of Inside * Bill Simmons vs. Pablo Torre (A B.S. report with Pablo was released right after we recorded, so perhaps not history’s most contentious feud) * LeBron James vs. Brian Windhorst * How successful is LeBron’s Mind the Game podcast? * Is there are a big audience for basketball strategy in a podcast? * “NBA ratings don’t matter,” say people who seem to love when they’re up * The “High Floor, Low Ceiling” theory of NBA viewership * How big is the impact of small markets on viewership? * Is Pride Month now Pride Day in sports? * Why do sports teams tweet more about Pride than other corporations? * Elon Musk going at Trump’s bill on Twitter/X

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com I’ve heard buzz about a memoir by Ed Latimore, who’s a former professional boxer and current professional writer. Ed’s developed a following for his life advice and his upcoming book is titled, Hard Lessons From the Hurt Business. I loved getting to know Ed on quite a free range assortment of topics. These topics include but aren’t limited to... * Having kids is the choice that later doesn’t feel like a choice * There’s a town in Canada that’s inundated with polar bears * What lessons you learn from getting knocked out on live television * Ed worries that anyone who’d attack him would likely have a gun * I sort of choked when opening up my live YouTube show * Why are we so afraid of public shame? * The story you can tell yourself to get over a breakup * Losing weight requires a “why” and mine is embarrassing

Here’s my Substack live video with Mike Pesca! Btw, Mike and Bomani Jones will be joining me for my inaugural launch of Random Offense on YouTube, Friday 4pm ET (1 pm PST). Here’s a link for that. Join up. Idea of Random Offense is it’s a bit like the old Callin show I used to do, with listener involvement, only more visual. You guys can call in, ask questions, submit article ideas for the Substack. See you Friday. 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

Matt is back! Nearly two hours of tech and media conversation, in which Matt reveals that he endorses Jon Voight’s plan to take Hollywood back to the 1970s. Also, we discuss how sports television is now aggressively eating scripted Hollywood. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * We were bullied into doing this episode by my only female subscriber * Woke Matt doesn’t think HBO’s The Pitt is woke * Did I accidentally trick a writer into thinking I’m a robot? * Max goes back to HBO Max * Old people are still running the show * “The creator economy is a scam” * Sports asserted their dominance at Upfronts * Are Group Chats going public? * Woke Matt defends universities Thanks for reading House of Strauss! This post is public so feel free to share it. 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 House of Glass alert! Topics include but aren’t limited… * Nike not optimizing shareholder value * NBA lottery history suspicious but probably not rigged * Is Cooper Flagg a top tier prospect historically? Would you trade him for Giannis? * Why nobody cares about Anthony Edwards’ off court issues * Sad Bill Belichick situation * Does Bill Belichick really still have sex? * Meadowlark Media crossroads * Why the other media moguls have issues with Dan Le Batard

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com You people emailed me, wanting Spike Eskin’s commentary on JJ Redick’s playoff flameout. This tweet was but a taste… We discuss Spike’s anti Redick theory and so much. more. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * “Farting in church” basketball takes like wanting more from Popovich’s coaching tree * Is it fair to suggest that Redick’s choking as a player can carry over into coaching? * Why everyone loves James Harden as choking archetype * What Redick misses about coaching * Why NFL film watching is “astrology for dudes” * A good sports pundit is right a lot. A great sports pundit is constantly wrong and it never matters * Does Spike feel betrayed by Dasha Nekrasova hiding her imminent marriage?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Mike of The Gist is here, which means the conversation flows so easily. We start with Giannis Antetokounmpo going viral again in defeat, and then hit a range of sports current events. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * Why the public likes Giannis’ defeat monologues * Is Antetokounmpo at all at fault for the Milwaukee disaster? * NBA playoff ratings have juice * What’s up with all TV ratings these days? Are they real or fake? * Aaron Rodgers is insufferable in totality but not in bite sizes * Why NBA superstars try to change too many things around them * How to deal with celebrities * How many NBA players earn more than Adam Silver? * Todd McShay > Mel Kiper * Mike defends Mel Kiper * My ONE big rule of drafting NBA and NFL players

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com Rogue Bogues podcasters (and former NBA professionals) Andrew Bogut and Mike Procopio are here for the playoffs! We start with the elevated physicality of Warriors-Rockets and whether Amen Thompson is at fault for Jimmy Butler’s injury. From there, we’re looking back on situations as wide ranging as when Draymond Green kicked Steven Adams in the nuts in 2016, all the way to whether the Warriors tried to trade Steph Curry for our humble podcast guest (not Procoprio) in 2012. Topics include but aren’t limited to… * Who’s at fault for Jimmy Butler getting injured? * Did Ime Udoka make a mistake by using his move of putting Alperen Şengün on Moses Moody two weeks before the season ended? * Does Bogut think that Draymond Green really tried to kick Steven Adams in the balls back in the 2016 WCF? * What’s up with Steve Kerr scolding the Houston crowd for chanting “Fuck Draymond”? * Was Evan Mobley the right choice for DPOY? * We are not fans of how Jonathan Kuminga’s been playing * Our theories on why the Mavericks did their disastrous Luka Dončić trade * Would Pro take a bunch of money to do the Luka trade if ownership demanded * How Andrew feels about Mavericks president Rick Welts bringing up his name when trying to justify the infamous trade * Andrew swears that the Milwaukee Bucks had the option of taking Steph Curry instead of Monta Ellis in that 2012 trade * Will Andrew ever coach an NBA team?