Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: I Will Put My Mailbag Against Your Mailbag!

Date: September 4, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Producer/Contributor: Michael
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty dive into a packed slate of current events, sports, politics, and social commentary. The main themes include the ethics and legality of the escalating US military actions against drug cartels, creative NFL accounting tactics, emotional health trends among young adults, and a hot-button debate about vaccine mandates in Florida. The hosts also riff on email feedback, notable quotes from hearings, and banter about the changing TV landscape and NFL season kickoff.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Taylor Swift Super Bowl Speculation & NFL Season Kickoff

[00:13–01:36]

• The episode opens on whether or not Taylor Swift will perform at the upcoming Super Bowl.
• Jack reveals his personal commitment to attend the Super Bowl since it's close by at Levi's Stadium.
• Michael and Jack transition to a discussion about why the Philadelphia Eagles have been so consistently successful, hinting at an "accounting trick" behind their sustained prowess.
• Brief mention: They'll cover Vegas odds on Super Bowl contenders.

2. US Military Actions Against Drug Cartels: Ethics & Legal Debates

[01:36–13:39]

• Michael introduces a Wall Street Journal editorial on President Trump's order to blow up a narco-boat, killing 11 crew members.
• Jack & Michael review Marco Rubio's defense that such attacks deter cartel activity more effectively than arrests.
• Quote (Michael, 03:25):

  "What will stop them is if you blow them up."

• They explore whether this presents ethical or legal overreach, with Michael questioning the immediate threat justification, and Jack worrying this could justify much broader lethal action ("couldn’t you expand that to a bunch of different stuff?").
• Discussion of whether the US is "at war" with drug cartels, the meaning of 'the war on drugs' as rhetoric vs. actual legal state of war.
• Analysis of listener feedback—some critical, some didactic—and the absurdities of over-literal interpretations:
  • Quote (Michael, 11:40):

    "You, my friend, have figured all of that out. And anybody who doesn't is a stupid idiot who should be lectured. I congratulate you on your Solomonic wisdom, you mouthy prick. I should—I retract that. I apologize."

3. NFL Salary Cap “Accounting Tricks” and Team Strategies

[19:31–24:47]

• Michael explains the "void years" tactic, used most notably by the Eagles, to stretch out salary cap hits via dummy contract years—paying big signing bonuses that are accounted for over a longer timeline.

• Jack contrasts this with cheating in the NBA (Kawhi Leonard case), where a player is essentially paid through endorser arrangements to evade cap limits.

• Discussion: Why don't more billionaire owners simply pay the penalties to win? The Yankees and Dodgers show big payroll doesn't guarantee victory.

  Quote (Michael, 21:37):

  "He has a ginormous signing bonus." (on Jalen Hurts and NFL contract structuring)

  • Vegas odds report: Eagles and Ravens are tied as favorites, but injuries always play a decisive role.

4. Cultural Trends: The Rise of Beta Blockers Among Young Women

[15:13–18:31]

• Michael introduces reports on the popularity of beta blockers like propranolol among women to manage situational anxiety (e.g., weddings), despite not being FDA-approved for that use.
• Discussion: The normalization of medicating away ordinary, even growth-inducing, anxieties.
  • Quote (Jack, 16:37):

    "You're going to drug yourself at your wedding...because you don't want to feel the feelings that accompany getting married?"

• Reference to Robert Downey Jr. and Rachel Sennott popularizing beta blocker use at high-profile events.
• Jack reflects on anxiety as a normal pre-performance (athletic, artistic) state.

5. Florida's Move to End Vaccination Mandates

[31:09–39:40]

• Florida’s legislature and Surgeon General push to make Florida the first state to completely abolish school vaccine mandates.
• The hosts express surprise, noting Gov. DeSantis’s involvement and the state's public health stance.
• Quote (Michael, 36:35):

  "Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery. Who am I as a government or anyone else as a man standing here now to tell you what you should put in your body?"
  (on Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida Surgeon General)

• Jack points out that even the most libertarian people he knows support some vaccine mandates for public health. The erosion of public trust in health authorities, especially post-COVID, is highlighted.

6. The RFK Jr. Hearing & Political Theater

[32:53–39:16]

• Audio snippets and commentary on heated Congressional hearings featuring Senator Ron Wyden and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (“I will put my mailbag against your mailbag any day of the week.” – RFK Jr., 34:01)
• Both hosts mock the mailbag contest and express discomfort with RFK Jr.'s distinctive voice.
• Subplot on Senator Bill Cassidy's political tightrope as both a physician and Trump critic/supporter, particularly regarding vaccine issues.

7. Other Notable Moments & Side Topics

• Light banter as C-SPAN joins YouTube TV and Hulu, highlighting generational gaps in media consumption.
  [14:52–15:13]
• Quick update on the cancellation of ESPN & Spike Lee's Colin Kaepernick documentary ("nobody could agree on anything, and so they just said to hell with it and buried it." — Michael, 25:31)
• Frustration over the increasing fragmentation of sports broadcasting rights: finding NFL games gets harder and more expensive for fans.
• Discussion about scalping Super Bowl tickets, the sky-high expense of attending major sports events, and whether it's really worth it.
• The changing nature of TV: NFL games as some of the last collective viewing experiences in America.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Michael (03:25):

  "What will stop them is if you blow them up."

• Jack (16:37):

  "You're going to drug yourself at your wedding...because you don't want to feel the feelings that accompany getting married?"

• Michael (11:40):

  "You, my friend, have figured all of that out. And anybody who doesn't is a stupid idiot who should be lectured. I congratulate you on your Solomonic wisdom, you mouthy prick. I should—I retract that. I apologize."

• RFK Jr. (34:01):

  "I will put my mailbag against your mailbag any day of the week."

• Michael (36:35):

  "Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery. Who am I as a government or anyone else as a man standing here now to tell you what you should put in your body?"

• Jack (26:49):

  "So our smaller ass teams will have a shot."

• On big-event ticket prices:

  "They said it cost many tens of thousands of dollars each time they went." – Jack, 28:21

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:13] Taylor Swift Super Bowl rumors & Jack's pledge to attend
• [01:36] Wall Street Journal piece on US blowing up narco-boat
• [03:25] "What will stop them is if you blow them up." (Michael quoting Rubio)
• [11:40] Mocking didactic listener feedback
• [15:13] Rise of beta blockers among women
• [19:31] NFL salary “void years" explained
• [21:37] Jalen Hurts as an example
• [24:47] NBA salary cap circumvention
• [31:09] Florida's vaccine mandate repeal push
• [32:53] RFK Jr. v. Ron Wyden: mailbag standoff
• [34:01] "I will put my mailbag against your mailbag any day of the week." – RFK Jr.
• [36:35] Dr. Ladapo's speech on vaccine requirements as "dripping with disdain and slavery"
• [39:16] Bill Cassidy’s political dilemma on RFK Jr. and vaccines

Tone & Style

The episode features Armstrong & Getty’s trademark irreverence, skepticism of official narratives, humor, and rapid-fire banter. They alternate earnest engagement with serious questions—especially about US military force, personal liberty, and public health—with comic asides, self-deprecation, and quick pivots to breaking headlines or absurdities spotted in listener mail.

For First-Time Listeners

• The show offers a blend of current event dissection and unscripted, energetic humor.
• Listeners get a sense of the confusion, polarization, and changing landscape in politics, sports, and health.
• Expect honest uncertainties, pushback against ideological rigidity (from all sides), and a constant flow of side comments and personal anecdotes.