Macrodosing: Donald Trump Is Not Happy With NFL Kickoff Rules | Sept 16, 2025

Overview

In this episode of Macrodosing, hosts PFT Commenter and Arian Foster, along with Mad Dog McKenzie and Big T, dive deep into a range of topics—from recent tragic events surrounding the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the resulting volatile online discourse, to Donald Trump's public criticism of the NFL's new kickoff rules. The crew also covers personal stories, college football, award show hot takes, and general musings on American culture and sports.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Charlie Kirk Assassination and the State of Online Discourse

• Critical Thinking Group Chat Drama: Big T describes being wrongly accused and temporarily kicked out of a "Critical Thinking" group chat after a leak about the group appeared online. The chat was focused on questioning narratives around Charlie Kirk's assassination. [05:18–08:57]
• Social Media Reaction and Internet Culture: The hosts reflect on the intensity and polarization of reactions online, expressing concern about how the Internet amplifies division.
  • PFT Commenter (PFT): “I'm more pessimistic about the future of online discourse and how that's going to pollute our actual lived-in, non-Internet society...” [10:14]
  • Arian Foster (Arian): "This is the byproduct of cultures cross clashing... the only remedy is for our leadership... to take a step back and say, listen, let's not try to own the libs. Let's not try to own a concern. Let's, let's take the tone down, right? It's not going to happen because that's how you get votes." [22:03]
• Irony Poisoning and Discord Subcultures: The group discusses "irony poisoning" and the way fringe online communities fuel real-world hate, especially referencing the shooter's apparent motivations and online behavior. [26:22–28:08]
• Comparisons to Past Politicized Deaths: PFT argues that Kirk’s death—because he's a uniquely Internet-born figure—sparked an especially toxic response, differing from prior cases like George Floyd, which Arian challenges. [13:13–20:19]
• Leadership and Calming Rhetoric: PFT lauds the Utah governor's rational response, lamenting that such calm and unity isn't more common in public life. [23:22]
• Algorithms Reward Outrage: PFT explains how social media monetization and algorithms reinforce and amplify the most extreme and divisive takes, making rationalism less attractive online. [24:40]

2. Donald Trump’s Critique of NFL Kickoff Rules

• Trump’s Comments: Trump called the new NFL kickoff rule "looks like hell" (or "heel," due to autocorrect). He laments the lack of chaotic collisions and claims, "The ball is moving and players are not. The exact opposite of what football is all about." [32:35, 37:09]
  • Big T’s Agreement: "Yes [the kickoff] looks terrible. I actually think in practice, it's not as bad as I would have anticipated ... I do think, aesthetically, it looks terrible." [32:40, 32:46]
  • PFT’s Analysis: “There's something about, like, two walls of dudes running at each other and just colliding. It's probably not the safest thing...but sometimes dudes just want to watch 10 guys sprint full speed into 10 other guys.” [33:00–33:21]
• Dissecting the Rule Change: Hosts note confusion among players and fans over the rules—such as how the ball rolling into the end zone now plays out—and debate if the league should just abolish kickoffs altogether. [34:01–34:46, 35:01]
• Player Safety vs. Excitement: The group recognizes the change is about reducing injuries, lamenting the loss of the violent, unpredictable kickoffs that used to define the sport’s edge. [33:06, 35:13]
• Onside Kick Rule Ruined: There's disappointment over the new onside kick rules, requiring teams to declare intent and making comebacks less thrilling. [35:02]

3. College Football Recap & Quarterback Debates

• Tennessee vs. Georgia Commentary: Big T laments play calls at the end of the Georgia game, specifically regarding clock management and field goal attempts, and reflects on the heartbreak of losing a close, well-played game. [86:26–88:08]
• Top Kicker Salaries in College Football (NIL Era):
  • Big T (speculating): “250k a year for the best kicker.”
  • Big T (after checking in real-time with sources): “Some Australians up to $250k ... The best kicker in the country for a million dollars over four years.” [94:06–94:35]
• Transfer Portal and Hypel’s System: Big T argues Tennessee should focus on experienced transfer quarterbacks rather than high school recruits given recent success. [54:38–55:40]
• Coaching Changes and Virginia Tech’s Future: Speculation on Michael Vick or Frank Beamer’s son coaching and program trajectories is discussed. [58:01–60:16]

4. Personal Stories & Humor

• PFT’s Car Dent Scam: PFT relates a story about potentially being scammed at a car wash by a “body shop guy” who offered to fix his dent. After researching the scam, he’s unsure if he was duped or just got a good deal. [39:10–47:25]
• Arian’s Frother Mishap: Arian admits to breaking his milk frother by putting it in the dishwasher, which sparks a discussion about appliance durability. [84:17–84:27]
• AI Robot Task Debate: The crew answers a listener voicemail: If you could have an AI robot do only one thing, what would it be? Answers range from making drinks, cooking, doing laundry, and constructing more robots. [93:50–100:45]

5. Award Season & Nate Bargatze’s Emmy Hosting

• Emmys Recap with Mad Dog McKenzie: They parse Nate Bargatze’s Emmy hosting performance (reviews: “mixed to negative” [62:42–66:45]), the charity “counter” bit (money deducted from donation for each second over in a winner’s speech), and the trend of award show fatigue.
  • Mad Dog: “I could see every pore on that man's face. Like, he was glowing or not. The lack of pores. He looked great.”
  • On award shows in general: "I like the award shows. I like when people that have been working for a long time get their flowers." [70:36]

6. Other Memorable & Quirky Segments

• Boxing: The hosts briefly praise a recent Crawford-Canelo fight, citing it as a "masterclass" with "no judge controversy," and joke about a hypothetical Mayweather-Tyson match (“gonna be the worst fight ever televised”). [77:46–79:42]

• Critical Thinking Chat, Alliances, and Group Chats: The team jokes about secret alliances within Barstool, the drama and futility of “mole hunting,” and Big T steadfastly refusing to leak confidential group chat info. [109:00–111:49]

• Taylor Swift Pregnancy Theories: Mad Dog squashes “pregnancy” rumors about Taylor Swift being shielded by security at a Chiefs game, calling it a security precaution after the Kirk shooting rather than a bump cover-up. [113:17–116:39]

• Pangea Thought Experiment: The team imagines an alternative world if the continents were still together—a discussion that morphs into a mini-geology lesson (PFT quips he “discovered Pangea” as a kid). [101:46–105:03]

Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “I'm more pessimistic about the future of online discourse and how that's going to pollute our actual lived-in, non-Internet society...” — PFT Commenter [10:14]
• “You don't get attention for telling people to calm down. You get attention … for the more outlandish takes…” — PFT [24:40]
• “The ball is moving and players are not. The exact opposite of football is all about.” — Donald Trump, as relayed by PFT [37:09]
• “Basketball's a contact sport. Football's a collision sport. You don't have to play.” — Big T [35:27]
• "I'm gonna start a barstool critical thinking. Now that could be funny. A critical, critical thinking.” — Arian & Big T [112:35–112:39]
• "I discovered Pangea." — PFT Commenter [102:40]
• On modern award shows: “I feel like I got cut for time on a lot of speeches that could have been more impactful.” — Mad Dog [65:29]
• On Tennessee’s kicker drama: “He looked shook, man. Hope he can grow from this.” — Arian Foster [94:44]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [05:18] — Introduction of group chat drama and online reactions to Kirk assassination
• [13:13–20:19] — Debating if this moment is truly different for American discourse
• [22:03–24:50] — The Internet’s effect on leadership, attention, and outrage
• [32:35–38:14] — Trump’s NFL kickoff take, rule changes, and reactions
• [39:10–47:25] — PFT’s possible scamming story at the car wash
• [54:38–55:40] — Transfer portal quarterback debates at Tennessee
• [62:42–69:06] — Emmys hosting critiques and awards show fatigue
• [77:46–79:42] — Recap and takes on Crawford vs. Canelo fight
• [86:26–88:08] — Tennessee–Georgia game recap, kicker controversy
• [93:50–100:45] — AI robot hypothetical
• [101:46–105:03] — Pangea thought experiment & geology tidbits
• [113:17–116:39] — Taylor Swift pregnancy rumors and security speculation

Summary

This episode of Macrodosing is quintessentially broad-ranging, mixing irreverence and genuine insight. From deep dives into the state of American Internet-fueled division, through sports rule changes and their symbolism, to rueful personal stories and group chat intrigue, the team blends sharp cultural critique with laughs, sports nerdery, and group dynamic banter. The conversation, always honest and often self-deprecating, leaves listeners informed, amused, and occasionally challenged about the state of modern sports, society, and media.