Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

Episode 533 of the Sports Media Podcast features Katie Bender Wynn, a narrative documentarian whose latest is "Taurasi," a three-part docu-series on basketball icon Diana Taurasi. It will premiere on Prime Video on August 7 in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. In this podcast, Bender Wynn discusses why Taurasi is a subject worthy of documentary exploration; how the project came to her; why Taurasi wanted to do it; Taurasi's time in Russia playing for a former KGB spy; the current environment for documentaries on women athletes; the challenge of finding archival footage; Taurasi's relationship with her wife, Penny Taylor, and more.You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 532 of the Sports Media Podcast features Michael McCann, a legal analyst and senior sports legal reporter for Sportico and the Director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute and Associate Dean for Intellectual Life at the University of New Hampshire. In this podcast, McCann discusses how to write about sports legal issues for a layperson audience; why the next five years will be a test of who's a great university president because of paying college athletes, fewer students enrolling (especially foreign students) and birthrates down; the NCAA scoring a win in court as a federal judge dismisses Terrelle Pryor's lawsuit over lost NIL opportunities; the most pressing things that exists right now in the nexus of law and sports; Donald Trump's executive power abilities for college athletics; a judge's ruling that Nevada wide receiver Cortez Braham Jr. can play what will be his seventh college football season; the NFLPA's issues; what he expect to happen with sports gambling scandals; whether a college athlete sign a contract with a sports network, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 531 of the Sports Media Podcast features Jon Lewis, the founder and editor of Sports Media Watch. In this podcast, we discuss a gunman allegedly targeting the headquarters of the NFL when he burst into an office tower in Midtown Manhattan and killed four people, including a police office; CNBC's reporting of the NFL closing in on a deal to take a minority stake of up to 10% in ESPN; what an ESPN-NFL partnership means for the NFL Network and NFL RedZone; the importance of the NFL's YouTube game; ABC airing a non-Caitlin Clark and non-Angel Reese game that does 1.5 million viewers an more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 530 of the Sports Media Podcast features Colton Pouncy, the Detroit Lions reporter for The Athletic and the co-host of "Welcome to Detroit," a Lions podcast with Nick Baumgardner. In this podcast, Pouncy discussed his objectives for covering training camp; why Lions head coach Dan Campbell is such as great quote; where the Lions sit among NFC teams; what it would mean if Detroit ever won a Super Bowl; the media schedule for Lions media people; how much access an NFL beat reporter gets; advice for young people who want to cover the NFL and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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

Here’s a short clip from our upcoming interview with The Athletic's Lions reporter Colton Pouncy. The full interview will be available on Monday. In this clip, Pouncy discusses his interactions with Lions head coach Dan Campbell and why he might be the NFL's best coaching quote. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 530 of the Sports Media Podcast features John Pollack, a reporter and writer at POST Wrestling and the co-host of the Pollack and Thurston podcast. In this podcast we discuss the death of Hulk Hogan; Hogan's impact on the wrestling business and American sporting culture; Hogan's making the front of the April 29, 1985 issue of Sports Illustrated when the magazine was a publicity monster; why Hogan became the face and bulked-up body that led pro wrestling into America's mainstream culture; the direct line from Hogan to WWE Network's launch in February 2014 to Endeavor acquiring the WWE in a deal valuing WWE at $9.3 billion; Hogan's racism; getting booed during his Netflix appearance last January; how WWE will cover his death and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 529 of the Sports Media Podcast features Joe Buscaglia, who covers the Buffalo Bills for The Athletic and has covered the team since 2010. In this podcast, Buscaglia discusses his objectives for training camp; what an NFL training camp is like at a college; what an average day is like; how he decides what to write that day; how much access he gets; who he is competing against; how he rates the Bills Super Bowl chances and opportunities in the AFC; what the impact of Hard Knocks will be on the Bills and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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

Here’s a short clip from our upcoming interview with The Athletic's Bills reporter Joe Buscaglia. The full interview will be available on Thursday. In this clip, Buscaglia discusses the Bills prospects for 2025 and what it will take to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1994. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 528 of the Sports Media Podcast features Alex Sherman, a CNBC Media and Sports Reporter and the host of the CNBC Sport videocast. In this podcast, Sherman discusses MLB media rights strategy and his recent conversation MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred; where the MLB media rights situation is right now; what will happen with the Sunday night MLB rights; what would ESPN not having an MLB rights package mean for MLB; the genius of the pitch clock; where will the Home Run Derby go; local rights, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 527 of the Sports Media Podcast features Chad Finn of The Boston Globe, Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch and Austin Karp of the Sports Business Journal. In this podcast, we discuss the MLB All Star game as a media property; what a good ASG viewership number would be for the sport; the potential last year of the Home Run Derby for ESPN; the WNBA All Star Game and whether it can top last year's 3.4 million viewers; whether Caitlin Clark missing games makes her playing in the All Star Game less or more of a draw; Amazon and NBC's NBA hires; the phenomenal "Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story'" documentary airing on on National Geographic, Disney+ and Hulu, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 526 of the Sports Media Podcast features Brian Windhorst, a senior NBA writer for ESPN who regularly appears on multiple ESPN platforms and is the host of the Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast. In this podcast, Windhorst discusses how valuable attending Summer League is for an NBA reporter; why so much of NBA breaking news is broken by just a handful of reporters including Shams Charania, and Adrian Wojnarowski before him; agendas from sources; his reaction to LeBron James discussing him on ESPN; getting aggregated; his ESPN contract status; the prospects of the Toronto Raptors in 2025-26 and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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

Here’s a short clip from our upcoming interview with Brian Windhorst, the longtime ESPN NBA senior writer and on-air analyst. The full interview will be available on Monday. In this clip, Windhorst discusses why so much of NBA breaking news is broken by just a handful of reporters including currently ESPN's Shams Charania, and Adrian Wojnarowski before him. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 525 of the Sports Media Podcast features Tara Slone, a Canadian-based sports broadcaster who currently works as a host for SiriusXM Canada as well as covering the San Jose Sharks for NBC Sports California. She previously worked on Sportsnet’s long-running “Hometown Hockey” In this podcast, Slone discusses the state of women’s professional sports in Canada; why pro sports have exploded in the country; the prospects of success for the WNBA’s Toronto Tempo; what kind of media coverage we anticipate the Tempo will get; the growth of the PWHL and the founding of The Northern Super League; why women’s college sports are not bigger in Canada; the job market for sports media professionals in Canada, and more.You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 525 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Mark Henry, the former WWE performer, U.S. Olympic weightlifter, and now one of the hosts on SiriusXM’s “Busted Open,” the daily wrestling show. In this podcast Henry discusses SiriusXM announcing last week the launch of its first ever 24/7 channel dedicated to the world of professional wrestling, Pro Wrestling Nation 24/7; why an audio channel covering pro wrestling 24 hours a day, seven days a week exists; how he navigates between discussing athletic scripted entertainment with the business of pro wrestling; why pro wrestling content has exploded; his son, Jacob Henry, a Oklahoma football player and wrestler who signed as a WWE NIL athlete; working in Canada, and more. Henry is followed by Sean Grande, the longtime voice for the Boston Celtics who will serve as the boxing play by play voice for Netflix’s all-women card on July 11 from Madison Square Garden. That card includes the third meeting between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. Grande discusses how he got the Netflix assignment; how he approaches is boxing calls; working with Seniesa Estrada and Laila Ali on the commentary team; what Netflix has been like as an employer; what it might be like calling the Celtics this year and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 524 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests for a sports media roundtable: Jon Lewis, founder and editor of Sports Media Watch, and Austin Karp, assistant managing editor of Sports Business Journal. In this podcast we discuss the biggest sports stories of the first half of 2025 and what we think will be the biggest stories of the second half of 2025 including the new NBA players, ESPN's DTC, and college football coverage; what would the men's and women's basketball tournament look like going to 76 teams; WNBA expansion, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 523 of the Sports Media Podcast features Kurt Badenhausen, a reporter who covers sports business for Sportico. In this podcast, Badenhausen explains the process of reporting out pro sports valuations; how the work changes based on the sport; Sportico releasing its second annual WNBA valuation report, which showed the average WNBA team is now valued at $269 million, a 180 percent increase compared to last year’s report; why the Golden State Valkyries are worth a $500 million valuation, a women’s sports franchise; the Cowboys atop the sports list with a value of $10.32 billion; the NFL valuations; how an NBA title helps increase the Thunder valuation; the future of sports business outlets, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 522 of the Sports Media Podcast features Jason Benetti, the television voice of the Detroit Tigers and a play by play announcer for Fox Sports. In this podcast, Benetti discusses what it's like calling the best team in baseball (so far); why the Tigers have been successful; how calling a winning team impacts how the viewer perceives a broadcast; Detroit as a sports city; the best stadium experiences for a visiting broadcaster; chatting with Jack White and J.K. Simmons about baseball; his upcoming Fox college football schedule and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 521 of the Sports Media Podcast features Jon Lewis, founder and editor of Sports Media Watch and Donnovan Bennett, host and podcaster for Sportsnet. In this podcast we discuss the NBA's Game 7 viewership (16.35 million viewers) and how it bailed out what would have been a catastrophic viewership story; Game 7 being the most-watched NBA Finals game in six years; the viewership issues for Thunder-Pacers; why people did not watch the series before Game 7; ESPN/ABC's negative-centric NBA Finals halftime show; how next year's new media deal featuring Amazon, NBC and ESPN/ABC will change coverage, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 520 of the Sports Media Podcast features Chantel Jennings, who covers women's college basketball and the WNBA and Ben Pickman, who covers the WNBA for The Athletic. Both are regulars on the "No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show," which is a twice-weekly podcast on all things women's basketball. In this podcast Jennings and Pickman discuss the pace at which interest in Caitlin Clark has been accelerated; why the interest has exploded; the Fever-Sun game becoming a national story; the media coverage of WNBA officiating; why the No Offseason podcast has found an audience; what they hear from players and coaches about being on podcasts, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 519 of the Sports Media Podcast features Jon Lewis, the founder and editor of Sports Media Watch. In this podcast, Lewis and Deitsch discusses ESPN's NBA presentation; Lewis's piece on Stephen A Smith; how much big cities matter with viewership for the NBA and NHL; why the Stanley Cup Final has struggled to find an audience in the U.S.; a historical look at Game 7 viewership for the NBA Finals; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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