Sunday Mornings with Matt and Myron

ESPN Radio | March 22, 2026 | Hour 2: Who Gets the Puck

Episode Overview

This episode features hosts Matt Jones and Myron Medcalf exploring several hot-button topics from the past week in sports, with the hour's key theme centering on ownership and legacy—whether in monumental sports moments or institutional traditions. They discuss the World Baseball Classic and Team USA's loss, debates over player passion on the global stage, the surprising outcome of an NFL flag football event, a heated segment on "Who gets the puck" when it comes to iconic sports memorabilia, and a deep dive into college sports cultures, specifically at North Carolina. The show balances insightful sports analysis with friendly banter and plenty of humor.

Main Discussion Points and Insights

1. World Baseball Classic – Passion vs. Expectation

[00:34 – 06:19]

• Matt opens with the US loss to Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, noting that American players face criticism regardless of outcome: win and it's expected; lose and they're seen as not passionate.
• Key Insight: The dichotomy of playing for Team USA — "no-win" scenario for big stars.
  • Matt Jones: "These American players were in a no-win situation...like those guys didn't have to do this and they did. Isn’t it a little weak to then blast them just because they didn’t win?" [01:48]
• Myron pushes back: says passion on the world stage matters, and Americans must expect criticism if they don’t deliver.
  • Myron Medcalf: "You lose on that stage and I think people are going to criticize you because you expect to win, that's okay." [02:44]
• Debate over sportsmanship: Is it fair to critique American players for their demeanor receiving silver medals?
  • Notable moment: Matt defends the "surfer bro energy" of Bryce Harper, while Myron calls for more visible emotion.
    • Myron Medcalf: "I want to see him have emotion that the Venezuelans had. I want to see some of that." [05:51]
    • Matt Jones: "If they look happy, people would go, you shouldn’t be happy...If they look unhappy, people go, you just don’t care..." [04:51]

2. NFL Stars Lose to Flag Football Pros

[06:19 – 10:56]

• Event Recap: Ex-NFL players (Tom Brady, Joe Burrow, etc.) play in a flag football showcase and are crushed by actual flag football pros.
  • Matt’s Mea Culpa: Admits he was wrong to mock flag football specialists.
    • Matt Jones: "I was wrong. They are a lot better at this. It’s clearly a unique skill, different from regular football." [07:59]
• Debate: Should the U.S. send NFL stars or actual flag pros to the Olympics?
  • Myron Medcalf: "It's a different sport for sure." [09:49]
  • Matt Jones: Compares it to professional tennis players being thrown into competitive pickleball—unknown skills translate poorly without training. [08:57 – 09:15]
• Memorable Moment: Tom Brady attends in designer fashion, drawing jokes about his “divorced dad energy.”
  • Matt Jones: "I have to say one more thing about the event. I love that, like, all these dudes are playing and Tom Brady comes like he's going to a Runway show...he's, like, modeling while he's playing football. I just thought that was funny." [09:49]
  • Myron Medcalf: "That's that divorced dad energy. Everything's an advertisement." [10:13]
• Conclusion: The show agrees—flag specialists are better at the sport, and giving athletes space for personality is good, but don't be quick to attack them for losses.

3. Cam Scataboo’s CTE Comments – Podcast Responsibility

[14:29 – 17:41]

• Recap: Cam Skataboo (college football player) on a podcast calls CTE and asthma “excuses,” but later apologizes for a “tasteless joke.”
  • Cam Skataboo (clip): "CTE is an excuse. I think asthma's an excuse, too." [14:47]
• Hosts Reaction:
  • Matt Jones: "[It] wasn’t a joke. He's an idiot, and I should have known...All these dudes need to stop going on bro podcasts." [15:15]
  • Myron Medcalf: "We got to end podcasts. I mean, that's part of it." [15:56]
• Insight: The potential dangers of athletes opining on serious issues outside their expertise; need for accountability in new media.
  • Myron Medcalf: "I don't need to listen to athletes talk about real issues most of the time...but there are also guys like this." [17:30]

4. Who Gets the Puck? – Memorabilia, Legacy, and Public Good

[17:45 – 45:05+]

Jack Hughes’ Olympic Gold Medal Puck Dispute

• Background: Jack Hughes wants the game-winning puck from his Olympic gold medal, but the Hockey Hall of Fame claims it.
  • Philip Pritchard, Hall of Fame Curator: "It was never Jack's puck to own..." (reported by Guest)
  • Jack Hughes: "I'm trying to get it, like, that's BS...why would they have the puck?" [Quote relayed by Guest, 17:53]
• Hosts' Perspectives:
  • Matt Jones: Sides with public good—Hall of Fame should have it for all to see.
    • "Jack Hughes should want the puck to be in the hall of Fame. Like, having it on his dresser...how many people are going to see it?" [18:22]
  • Myron Medcalf: Sides with individual achievement—players should decide.
    • "If I achieved it, it's mine. Like, put a replica in there." [19:12]
    • "It'll be the biggest thing that ever happens in his entire career...that's why it should at least be a conversation and a partnership between him and the Hockey hall of Fame." [43:25]
• Extended Debate:
  • Matt draws museum analogy: iconic collective artifacts belong to the public.
  • Matt Jones: "There’s a collective history to sports that we as fans should celebrate." [40:18]
  • Myron, humorously, stands on player autonomy: "Let me keep the puck. That's all I'm saying, man." [45:02]
  • Matt accuses Myron of “selfishness” for his hard stance: "I never realized you had this selfishness. I also didn’t realize you believed in family like North Carolina..." [44:44]
• Notable Quotes:
  • Sidney Crosby (quoted): Responds that he never thought about keeping his own golden goal puck: "It's in the Hall of Fame." [Guest Contributor, 37:52]
  • Matt Jones: "Sometimes it's we, we, we, we, we." [38:02]

5. Quirks of North Carolina Basketball Culture

[25:06 – 34:44]

• Context: Following Carolina's first-round NCAA loss, speculation about Coach Hubert Davis' future; leads to broader discussion on UNC's "in the family" hiring tradition.
• Culture Detail: All staff (and their wives) are UNC alumni.
  • Myron Medcalf: "Every single staff member...went to North Carolina. Every wife of every staff member...went to North Carolina. I'm telling you 100% true." [28:13]
  • Matt Jones: "That might be the creepiest thing that I've ever heard in my entire life." [33:10]
• Debate: Is this focus on “family” good or a sign of insularity and decline?
  • Matt argues it’s time to hire outside the family; calls the tradition “weird” and likens it to a cult or mafia.
  • Myron Medcalf: "You can say keep it in the family when you’re winning...now they're at a point where it's not working..."
• Memorable Moments: Both hosts riff on “control-alt-shift-delete” vs. “control-alt-delete” as a metaphor for UNC needing a program reboot.

6. Other Headlines & Quick Hits

[21:27 – 22:44]

• Dennis Rodman inducted into WWE Hall of Fame: Matt laments the expansive nature of modern pro wrestling halls.
  • Matt Jones: "When you let in five guys a year, you’re just going to have too many people." [22:13]

Notable Quotes

• Matt Jones [04:51]: “You have me in a situation where I'm taking up...But what did Bryce Harper do to you?”
• Myron Medcalf [05:51]: “I want to see him have emotion that the Venezuelans had. I want to see some of that.”
• Matt Jones [15:15]: “He’s an idiot, and I should have known...All these dudes need to stop going on bro podcasts.”
• Myron Medcalf [17:30]: “I don’t need to listen to athletes talk about real issues most of the time. And that’s not—there are a bunch of smart athletes out there, but there are also guys like this.”
• Matt Jones [18:22]: “Having it on his dresser...how many people are going to see it?...That’s what halls of fame are for.”
• Myron Medcalf [19:12]: “No way. Why does the Hockey Hall of Fame get to have it? If I achieved it, it’s mine.”
• Matt Jones [40:18]: “There’s a collective history to sports that, that we as fans should celebrate.”
• Myron Medcalf [45:02]: “Let me keep the puck. That's all I'm saying, man.”

Memorable Moments & Humor

• Tom Brady’s Runway Appearance at Flag Football [09:49]: Set off several “divorced dad” fashion jokes.
• North Carolina Staff/Wife Connection [28:13 – 33:10]: Matt is floored by the revelation about all staff spouses being alumni, calling it “the creepiest thing."
• Historical Artifacts vs. Sports Memorabilia [around 36:43 on]: Listeners and the hosts compare the puck issue to the Declaration of Independence (“should it be in Jefferson’s great-grandson’s basement?”).

Key Timestamps

• 00:34 – World Baseball Classic recap and player criticism
• 06:19 – Flag football: NFL stars vs. flag football pros; Tom Brady’s “divorced dad” look
• 14:29 – Scataboo’s CTE/asthma comments and media responsibility
• 17:45 – The "Who Gets the Puck" debate (Jack Hughes, sports memorabilia, the public good)
• 25:06 – UNC basketball, insular family culture, and coaching rumors
• 33:10 – Matt’s reaction to the “all staff wives are alums” revelation
• 37:52 – Sidney Crosby’s perspective on Olympic pucks
• 43:25 – Myron’s final position: “it should be a conversation and partnership...” on memorabilia
• 45:02 – "Let me keep the puck. That’s all I’m saying, man." (Myron)

Tone & Style

• Playful banter with sharp, occasionally sarcastic critiques.
• Honest disagreements with mutual respect and lively humor.
• Accessible language—ideal for casual sports fans and insiders alike.

Summary

This episode offers a robust, witty exploration of passion, legacy, and ownership in sports, wrestling with what athletes “owe” their country, their sport, and their fans—whether it’s their effort on the field, or a priceless memento for history. Matt and Myron’s chemistry and friendly disagreements make for a rich listen, as they interrogate nostalgia, tradition, and the very meaning of sports culture in America.