Sunday Mornings with Matt and Myron

ESPN Radio – Hour 3: Dropping Beats

Hosts: Myron Medcalf and Matt Jones
Date: February 15, 2026

Episode Overview

In this energetic and often humorous final hour, Matt and Myron bounce around the sports world. They debate the feasibility and relevance of the biathlon, offer candid takes on NBA All Star Game intensity and player loyalty, discuss the evolving landscape of college basketball coaching, and riff on viral sports moments and pop culture. The show is sprinkled with memorable quotes, on-air banter, and pop culture asides.

Key Topics & Highlights

1. Winter Olympics: The Biathlon & Its Relevance

[00:35–04:22]

• Biathlon Ability: Matt quizzes Myron about which biathlon skill he could handle: the skiing or the shooting.
  • Myron (01:00): “With proper training? Both, but I think I'm probably more likely to make the shots... The gun does a lot of the work with today's technology... skiing is probably the harder part.”
  • Laughter ensues at Myron underestimating the shooting challenge, as producers joke about being careful with biathlete names on air.
• Relevance in Modern Times:
  • Matt posits the biathlon is "maybe the most practical" Olympic sport, rooted in Nordic hunting history.
  • Quote (03:13): “Whereas, like, snowboarding down a half pipe is not practical. But this [biathlon] is, I would argue, maybe the most practical of all of the sports.”

2. NBA All Star Game – Intensity Then and Now

[04:22–10:24]

• New Game Format Commentary:
  • Jokes about the new All Star format: Team Stars, Team Stripes, and Team World.
  • Matt quips, “This is how most Americans look at the planet... there's the world. We're Stars, we're Stripes, and there's the world.” [03:52]
• Kevin Durant on ‘Old School’ All Star Games ([04:48]):

  Durant: “I wanted to see what the big deal was ... if it was really that much intensity, like Game seven, like y'all said it was back then—and it wasn’t.”

• Hosts’ Reaction & Generational Debate:
  • Matt and Myron discuss nostalgia's effect on fan perceptions.
  • Matt (06:25): “If you go back and watch a basketball game in the 80s, they're playing in slow motion compared to now... it's not nearly as intense as a regular season game now.”
  • Myron points out All Star Games were always “about highlights for the first three quarters...” with some intensity late, but challenges notion of today’s players slacking.
  • Myron (09:42): “The advantage they had in the 80s and 90s was a general sense we thought they cared about the game overall. There was a general competition between teams that people don't feel as much across [the league].”

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Loyalty in Question

[15:33–21:25]

• Myron’s Frustration:
  • Myron vents about Giannis’s ongoing “will he, won’t he” relationship with the Bucks.
  • Myron (15:33): “Nobody wants to be in a relationship where someone tells them that they're not sure if they want to be in the relationship. And that's all Giannis is doing with all this trade buzz... now you're dragging this whole thing out.”
• Giannis’ Statement (Clip):
  • [17:43]

    “As of today, I'm committed to the Milwaukee Bucks, and I'm committed to the people that I work with, my teammates, the coaching staff... you will never hear me say I don't want to be a Milwaukee Buck.”

• Hosts’ Take:
  • Matt: finds it diplomatic, even “beautiful” in its phrasing; Myron sees it as disingenuous and emotionally manipulative.
  • Myron (19:05): “You always talk about these guys, knowing how they come off, knowing the perception. Giannis is very, very media savvy... as of today, are you kidding?”
  • Myron argues for directness, comparing Giannis unfavorably to stars like Harden and Durant who clearly state when they're unhappy.
  • Matt and Myron tie it to relationships: “If you go in tomorrow and talk to your boss and they say, as of today, you're employed, how would you feel?” [18:28]
  • Playful close: Matt sings Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable” to capture Bucks fans’ possible reaction [21:25].

4. Personal Anecdotes & Pop Culture

[24:07–28:39]

• Jiu Jitsu Story:
  • Myron recounts being choked out by a top woman in his Jiu Jitsu class in his twenties:

    Myron (24:24): “I couldn't breathe for about 8.5 seconds... don’t go to Jiu Jitsu classes unless you’re not worried about pain.”

• Matt on ESPN Fame:
  • Matt jokes he never gets recognized by big names at ESPN, while Myron gets DMs from legends like Buster Olney.
• Music Sampling Chain Trivia:
  • Buster clarifies: The current hit “Big Energy” (Lotto) samples Mariah Carey and Old Dirty Bastard, but the original sample is from Tom Tom Club's “Genius of Love.”
  • Hosts play and riff on each version.

5. College Basketball Coaching in the Transfer Era

[29:39–33:57]

• Jerome Tang’s Rant ([30:05]):

  “These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform... There will be very few of them in it next year. I’m embarrassed for the university.”

• Analysis:
  • Myron: Old-school hard-liner coaching doesn’t work now; player mobility means berating athletes leads to transfers, not motivation.
  • Matt: College coaching is the only profession left where yelling at subordinates is still accepted—calls for coaches to adapt or exit.

6. Viral Sports Moments & Commentary

[33:57–37:31]

• Popcorn Machine Fire at Georgia/Oklahoma Game:
  • [34:15] Play-by-play features an expressive color analyst reacting ("Oh my goodness. Look at the popcorn... we've got a full-blown fire going on!")
  • Matt and Myron praise the Southern-flavored commentary, even joking about fans’ surprisingly calm reactions and a viral “Elton John” glasses moment in the crowd.

7. Cultural Banter & Foreign Film Debate

[39:33–41:12]

• Myron, “Lover of Foreign Film & Fine Silk,” Guessing Game:
  • Matt presses Myron to name a foreign film; Myron fumbles, then, after ribbing from the team, finally names “Anatomy of a Fall” and “Parasite.”

    Matt (40:09): “Lover of foreign film. You can't think of a single one?” Myron (41:16): “I was ambitious. And I don't think there's anything wrong with you being ambitious in life...”

  • Show closes in classic banter mode.

8. Take Your Pick: Rapid-Fire Sports Picks

[41:58–46:30]

• Olympic Skeleton:
  • Both hosts marvel at the bravery of skeleton athletes.
• College Hoops:
  • Both pick Illinois (men’s) and Kentucky (women’s) to win upcoming matchups.
• Olympic Hockey:
  • Both anticipate Team USA vs. Canada for the gold, agree USA will beat Germany but not cover the spread.
• Daytona 500:
  • Matt picks Joey Logano; Myron predicts Brad Keselowski will overcome his injury for a dramatic win.
• NBA All Star Game:
  • Matt patriotically avoids picking between “Stars” and “Stripes.” Myron is non-committal; producer James confesses love for Sidney Crosby.
  • Matt (46:07): “You cannot ask me as an American to pick between the Stars and the Stripes!”

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• [01:00] Myron: “With proper training? Both, but I think I'm probably more likely to make the shots.”
• [03:52] Matt: “I like this All Star Game is how most Americans look at the planet... we got Team Stars, and we got team Stripes, and then everybody else is over there. They're the world.”
• [04:48] Kevin Durant: “The intensity the older generation been talking about. I don't know if I seen it.”
• [09:42] Myron: “The advantage they had in the 80s and 90s was a general sense we thought they cared about the game overall.”
• [15:33] Myron: “Nobody wants to be in a relationship where someone tells them that they're not sure if they want to be in the relationship. And that's all Giannis is doing...”
• [17:43] Giannis: “As of today, I'm committed to the Milwaukee Bucks... you will never hear me say I don't want to be a Milwaukee Buck.”
• [24:24] Myron: “I couldn't breathe for about 8.5 seconds... I saw stars.”
• [30:05] Jerome Tang: “These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform... I’m embarrassed for the university.”
• [34:19] Color analyst: “Oh my goodness... We got a full blown fire going on right now.”
• [40:09] Matt: “Lover of foreign film. You can't think of a single one?”
• [46:07] Matt: “You cannot ask me as an American to pick between the Stars and the Stripes!”

Overall Tone and Style

The show is lively and conversational, mixing informed takes with friendly roasting. Matt’s dry wit pairs well with Myron’s self-deprecating humor, and producer James occasionally chimes in. The tone is irreverent yet knowledgeable, making even deep-dive sports analysis fun and accessible.

Perfect For Listeners Who:

• Enjoy quick-witted sports banter
• Appreciate pop culture and music references sprinkled into sports talk
• Want both insight and entertainment from their Sunday morning sports roundup

Next Time: Tune in live next Sunday on ESPN Radio for another round of sports, stories, and shenanigans with Matt and Myron.