Hour 1: I Hate This Game

Summary

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The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Hour 1 – "I Hate This Game"
Date: March 16, 2026

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Episode Overview

Broadcasting from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and company dive into a fast-paced hour of sports and culture. The show centers on the evolving tone of sports media, especially how current and former players express increasing negativity and cynicism about basketball and the regular season. The crew’s lively banter also touches on movie nostalgia, Oscars night reactions, old-school sports tropes, and the shifting landscape in sports commentary, contrasting generational outlooks with humor and candor.

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Main Topics & Key Insights

1. "Back in my Dave" – Nostalgia for Movie Tropes

[01:29 – 05:20]

• Dave delivers a monologue reflecting on film clichés of yore: the slow buildup in suspense scenes, the once-plausible slow zombies, and the melodrama of movie deaths.
• Observations include unrealistic movie deaths (e.g., fighting atop speeding trains), and inexplicable in-theater promos (“Hey, movie theater, we’re already in you…”).
• He mocks the trend toward abruptness—now deaths just get a sheet thrown over them, and credits are padded with Marvel-style stingers.
• Critiques current Oscars’ glut of standing ovations as crowd self-congratulation.
• Quote: “Now we’re all standing here clapping like a bunch of jackasses, potentially wasting valuable seconds that could have been used to get a little further away from the fast zombies…”
  — Dave, [04:53]

2. Oscars Night Debrief: Tributes, Performances, and Rivalries

[05:27 – 11:15]

• Dan congratulates Dave, suggesting he’s a worthy rival to Greg Cody’s show throne.
• Discussion pivots to Oscars night, focusing on the in-memoriam segment and Barbra Streisand's tribute to Robert Redford.
• Mike Ryan: Finds Streisand's singing "sad and funny and awkward... like an impersonator..." [06:11].
• Adnan counters, adding context and empathy for aging, noting, “Realizing she’s like, next.”
• Spirited debate over Oscar snubs and whether enough tributes were given (e.g., James Van Der Beek, Bud Cort).
• Banter about the Oscars’ lack of surprises and Amy Madigan’s win; trivia on her first nomination invites playful ribbing and admissions of ignorance.
• Quote: “Your thoughts in general about last night, beyond the awkwardness of—we honored the dead for a full 30 minutes.”
  — Dan, [07:33]

3. The Criticisms of Sports Media’s Negativity – The NBA Example

[17:11 – 28:50]

• Dan spotlights the shift in NBA broadcasting from celebration to cynicism—especially among legends like Shaq and Barkley, who now mostly complain about the modern game.
• Questions whether being too negative (like Jeff Van Gundy) is hurting the sport, referencing media layoffs and TNT/ESPN contracts.
• Quote: “Inside the NBA has Shaq telling everyone that they should play the game he played down low... Basically complaining about things... It’s startling to see Inside the NBA be the old person's show.”
  — Dan, [17:11]
• David and Mike Ryan point out this attitude infects fan engagement, where regular season games are dismissed unless title implications exist:
  “Not everything has to be big picture ... that was a really fun game we just watched,” — David, [20:24].
• Tristan observes, “I just think we have way too many [former player analysts]… you’re not bringing any enthusiasm or knowledge or preparation to the goddamn sport.” [34:06]
• Critique extends to contractual realities: aging former stars command huge salaries despite less relevance and sometimes less prep.

4. Generational Gap and Media Democratization

[28:15 – 41:02]

• Discussion about generational divides: younger fans “seen it all” and are “old and tired,” yet the old guard runs the main shows.
• Mike Ryan wonders if legacy shows with established stars are toxic for the sport, especially as they fail to convey regular season excitement.
• Dan notes: “The way these guys are talking about even a great regular season game is absolutely infected by the fact that no one seems to care about the regular season anymore.” [26:39]
• The “democratization” of media, with new voices and enthusiasm emerging on YouTube and social platforms, is contrasted with TV’s entrenched, curmudgeonly gatekeepers.

5. Basketball Nostalgia: Shaq’s Three-Pointer Debate

[41:02 – 43:10]

• Comic riffing on how few threes Shaq made in his career (one made out of 22 attempts).
• Contrasts Shaq’s style (and era) with today’s three-point-heavy league; wonders out loud why legends would embrace the game’s modern version.
• Quote: “Show me how many threes Shaq took in his life. Tell me statistically—career shots… Let’s take a guess on how many made threes there were in Shaq’s career.”
  — Dan, [41:02]
• The group’s back-and-forth shows both knowledge gaps and playful competitiveness.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Dave: “And I miss when fraudulent Hollywood marriages were buoyed by public displays of assaulting wiseacre Oscar hosts.” [~05:00]
• Dan Le Batard (on Inside the NBA): "These are the game's biggest power brokers ... They're not going to fake enthusiasm for anybody. All they're going to bring you is we'll be Shaq and Barkley." [37:17]
• Tristan: “If Adam Silver ... wants more people to watch ... [they] need more people excited ... You need more people to inject enthusiasm and life into [the league].” [35:55]
• Mike Ryan: "There is no bigger league that is in more need of a culture shift." [34:02]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamps | |--------------------------------------------|:--------------:| | Movie Tropes “Back in my Dave” | 01:29–05:20 | | Oscars Reactions & Tributes | 05:27–11:15 | | NBA Media Tone Critique | 17:11–28:50 | | Generational Media Divide | 28:15–41:02 | | Shaq Three-Pointer Nostalgia | 41:02–43:10 |

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Episode Highlights & Takeaways

• Humorous Nostalgia: Dave’s “Back in my Dave” sets an irreverent tone, blending nostalgia with tongue-in-cheek critique of movies and awards shows.
• Candid Oscars Talk: The crew mixes genuine reactions to tributes and performances with playful squabbling and trivia, typifying their chemistry.
• Deep Dive on NBA Media: Through examples of Shaq/Barkley and former player commentators, the crew examines how negativity and “championship or bust” mindsets may erode sports fandom, especially among younger audiences.
• Generational Strife: There's a clear tension between legacy voices controlling the narrative and new digital media personalities building communities through enthusiasm.
• Meta-Media Commentary: The episode doubles as a reflection on sports media itself—how tone, staffing, and generational outlooks influence perception and enjoyment.

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For Listeners New to the Show:

This episode is a showcase of the Dan Le Batard Show’s signature style: sharp, funny, and sometimes biting conversations that effortlessly move between sports, pop culture, and media critique, anchored by a self-aware and irreverent tone.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

Spring is here and there's a whole

[Mike Ryan]

new way to chai at Starbucks that's

[Dan Le Batard]

made perfect for you.

[Tristan]

Choose your sweetness, dial it up or keep things light.

[Mike Ryan]

Add a touch of pistachio, a hint

[Dan Le Batard]

of strawberry or vanilla, or make it a spring classic with lavender.

[Mike Ryan]

Because this season, there's endless ways to chai at Starbucks.

[Dan Le Batard]

This Easter, skip the ordinary and whip up something golden with melty, creamy Velveeta cheese. From scalloped potatoes to rich Mac and cheese, Velveeta turns every bite into a crowd pleasing celebration, bringing the extra to the ordinary, transforming simple sides into lip smacking satisfying moments.

[Mike Ryan]

So go on, make it melt, make

[Dan Le Batard]

it craveable, make it indulgent. Velveeta, respect the drip. Visit velveeta.com easter for some recipe inspiration. It's not just something you made. It's the privilege that you get to

[David]

work with your hands. It's building something that serves a purpose. Proof that you have the grit to keep going. At Timberland, we understand you take your craft seriously, and we do too.

[Dan Le Batard]

Which is why our products are built

[David]

to the highest quality. We put in the work so you

[Adnan]

can perfect yours with purpose, in every

[Dan Le Batard]

detail, and crafted with intention.

[David]

Timberland built on craft. Visit timberland.com to shop.

[Mike Ryan]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats podcast.

[David]

Dave, you have a back in my Dave for us here.

[Dave]

I do, I do. Sorry for stepping on the the Cody family toes here, but here we go. This is a movie specific Back in my Dave, movie tropes used to mean something. You know what I miss? I miss the scene when the two guys are wrestling for the same gun and then it goes off and you don't know who got hit because they both make that same stun stroke face at each other and hold it for like seven seconds until finally after like those seven seconds go by, then somebody finally falls down. But really it's a wasted seven seconds because we already knew is gonna be the bad guy who died. What? They're gonna kill the good guy. Mama didn't raise no fool. And I miss when zombies were at least nice and slow. At least I could rest easy with the knowledge if there ever were a zombie attack, they wouldn't be able to catch me because you can't eat what you can't catch. Now though, I feel like I'm living on borrowed time because of the fast zombies. And I miss when a semi regular cause of death is in movies and only in movies has never ever happened once in man's recorded history. We've talked about this before, but like dying while fighting on top of a moving train, no one's ever actually died that way on the planet Earth, but hundreds, nay, thousands of characters lost their fictional lives while throwing hands with an action hero. The death toll among just Bond villain henchmen alone has got to be in the four figures. And I miss how the bad guys in a high speed chase were just good enough shots. They could always hit the back windshield, but just inaccurate enough to never actually hit anybody in the car. That's some seriously bad luck. And I miss when anyone would die in a movie, it'd always be with their eyes open. And I don't mean just like a little bit, but their eyes were there. When people would die, their eyes would be all the way open, but then someone would come along and they would take their, their index finger and their thumb and they would close the eyelids on the dead person. But then movies, being informed by older movies, they were like too much with the like specific digits using it, and then it just became like a whole hand and they just like will rub the hand and then magically the eyes would be dead, would be, it would be close. And then they were just like, you know what, this whole thing is taking too much time. Let's just throw a sheet over them and move on. And. And I know a lot of people are with me on missing the days when movies weren't preceded by a half hour's worth of commercials. But the one that's plumb inexplicable and therefore deeply vexing is the one for the movie theater itself. Come see your movies at blank movie theaters. Hey, movie theater, we're already in you. Let's chop chop and make with the show, eh? And when the movie ended, it was over. You didn't need to sit through the credits unless you wanted to see the name of a family member who was a key grip or something up on the big screen. Now I gotta sit there for an extra 5, 10 minutes watching this scroll in small fonts to see if there's some leftovers to share. And I like leftovers, but still. And I miss when fraudulent Hollywood marriages were buoyed by public displays of assaulting wiseacre Oscar hosts. It's like being a beard in exchange for a list. Status has lost all meaning. And I. And this one, even it's not as bad as it is in con, but still, I miss when the oscars didn't require 27 standing ovations over the course of the night. I'm not against honoring enduring achievements. But come on, you. He who starts the standing ovation is really honoring himself for being a great guy as much as the person they're ovationing. So somehow clapping from a seated position now makes you a jerk if the person in front of you stands, and no one wants that. So now you've got to get up, and you know what that means for the person behind you. So now we're all standing here clapping like a bunch of jackasses, potentially wasting valuable seconds that could have been used to get a little further away from the fast zombies that are going to be here sooner rather than later.

[Adnan]

The.

[Dave]

That's how it used to be back in my Dave.

[Mike Ryan]

Wow.

[Dave]

Very good, Dave.

[Mike Ryan]

Great dismount there, Davey.

[Dan Le Batard]

That was excellent. Greg Cody has a challenger to his throne. We should play that for him tomorrow to see if we could elevate Greg Cody's game at all. David, I did want to talk to you about the Oscars. It's the funnest day of the year for you and Mike Ryan. You won a bet. Okay. You won the bet when you said Robert Redford would be the last dead person honored by the academy. And you also won the bet that Barbra Streisand would introduce him and then sing. You were moved by it. I would imagine Mike Ryan burst out laughing, called the whole thing weird, and burst out laughing when the moment Barbra Streisand broke into song, it felt like

[Mike Ryan]

an impersonator doing a Barbra Streisand impression during the whole thing. It was like, for, like her. Her descendant to the orchestra was about her. Like, her whole entire connection point to Robert Redford was the Babs nickname. I guess that's a famous story. I don't know. But it felt very self involved. And I was like, that's. That was kind of really self involved. That was more about Barbra Streisand than Robert Redford. Then the orchestra starts up, so I'm like, I guess we're gonna get a montage. And then. Nope. Babs started singing poorly for Babs, and it's just not tuned correctly. It was. It was like. It was kind of like sad and funny and awkward.

[Adnan]

She's not young anymore, so let's give her a small break. Recognize the fact that she's basically mourning the loss of someone on her level, realizing that she's like, next. Like, that's what happens when you're that age.

[Mike Ryan]

I wasn't viewing it through that way. I was also upset. There was no James Van Der Beek

[David]

tribute that's what I said last night. But then the counter was that he hasn't been in enough movies. What?

[Adnan]

The guy I was more upset about, Bud Court.

[Mike Ryan]

They have publicists get honored in that.

[David]

I don't want your life.

[Dan Le Batard]

The idea that Mike Ryan would say that Babs is self involved when she's like the original diva, she's like the og.

[Mike Ryan]

Have you ever heard her duet with Donna Summer? They're legit fighting throughout the entire song.

[Dan Le Batard]

Your thoughts in general about last night, beyond the awkwardness of. We honored the dead for a full 30 minutes.

[Adnan]

It wasn't 30, but it was very. There are a lot of dead people.

[Dan Le Batard]

I thought there were going to be several deaths during the length of that.

[Adnan]

Now, the show itself, I thought moved. Well, I didn't.

[Zaz]

10:30 was over, right?

[Adnan]

Yeah. 10:32, 10:33. In time to watch the 8th and 9th.

[Mike Ryan]

Because it cut off Brody.

[Adnan]

No, I think it was. I think it moved fine. And I. Did you watch the end? I don't know if Dave did. There was a Conan sketch.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, I loved it.

[Adnan]

And that's for life. Sean Penn happened to win, and it was a. I'm forgetting his name. His character. Throwjack. Blowjack.

[David]

Lockjaw.

[Adnan]

Lockjaw. Thank you.

[Dan Le Batard]

Throw Jack. You were Blowjack. Blowjack is a totally different.

[Mike Ryan]

He's actually Bob Nutting.

[Dan Le Batard]

Throw Jack. Blowjack. Lockjaw.

[Adnan]

Right there. You just.

[Mike Ryan]

I'm sorry. Bill Nutting.

[Adnan]

So Conan's the host for life, which he loved to be, but now he's dead. They killed him at the end.

[Zaz]

That thing had me for like 30 seconds. I'm like, are they just announcing that he's host? And then the bit came in.

[Adnan]

See, that's. So it worked.

[Dan Le Batard]

Did you defeat Adnan in your annual rivalry of who will get more of the selections? Correct?

[Adnan]

Yes.

[Dan Le Batard]

You only had one difference in your selections. Your and yours ended up coming in.

[Adnan]

Yeah. The documentary. Correct. It was Mr. Nobody against Putin, where everybody was picking the perfect neighbor. But Mr. Nobody against Putin was a better documentary, more important, allowed for there to be a political discourse, which is what I told you would happen. And out came the star of the show in Russian, talking about what needs to happen, what the issues are. Meanwhile, Sean Penn's publicist said, hey, it's not that I can't vape here. It's not that I'm too cool for you, but I'm gonna go to Ukraine, which would be, in theory, more important than going to the Oscars. So there was a lot going on. So I was able to beat Adnan. And he texted me after that. He wanted an immediate rematch. And I said, you got to get off your couch for a rematch.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, you can't have an immediate rematch until next year.

[Adnan]

We want to get you. Basically, this is about you. It was. Can you agree to and approve a Show earlier than 10 days out next year?

[Dan Le Batard]

We will do it with both you and Adnan in the same place. If you want to check out what we did last night, we enjoyed ourselves. It's on YouTube and you can relive any of that with us if you'd like, at your convenience. But what were the standout things from last night? Because we actually, before a lot of stuff was decided, we finished the evening.

[Zaz]

Yeah.

[Adnan]

There were really no surprises. Everyone had the four major categories. You had one battle after another as best Picture and winning the most Oscars.

[David]

How was Amy Madigan speech?

[Adnan]

So it was perfect. She's 75 years old. She had never won. And this was her opportunity to get up there. But she had. People were curious whether she'd win because it had gone back and forth, I

[David]

guess that she'd never even been nominated.

[Dan Le Batard]

Right.

[Adnan]

I don't know that I don't want to be like Sid Thrift.

[Dan Le Batard]

No. No surprises, though. Sid Thrift. For those of you who do not know, he's decided to mention a 1980s general manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates for some reason thinking that anybody would know

[Adnan]

that you wear a pirate hat almost every show.

[Zaz]

No idea who that is.

[Adnan]

Oh, my. What bothers me is that why do you wear a pirate hat? For skins.

[Zaz]

I like the pee.

[Adnan]

So you even wear it because pirates.

[Zaz]

Correct.

[Adnan]

Outrageous. There is a very famous story of a GM who commented on a player who is not a real player. And I learned early in my media career with you, Mr. LeBatard, do not say that you know something when you don't know it, because it's not right. I don't know the answer whether Amy Madigan has been nominated, so I'm not gonna fashion a guess.

[Mike Ryan]

Quick break to tell you about a special Miller time I had with my good buddy Mo Cheddar Mochetta texted me the other day. He said, hey, what are you doing for the game? I said, I'm just on my couch right now doing nothing, enjoying it. He's like, hey, do you want some company? I said, from you, Mochetta. Absolutely. Mochetta comes over to the house, and I pull out the Miller Light. Miller Light made that casual hang. A memorable good Miller time with my good friend Mochetta. Because Miller Lite brought us together. We took that first sip after we toasted our beers and we knew we made the right call. We watched a game. All of a sudden we're standing up on our feet, big threes are being drained and white cans are being clanged. See, times like these. That's exactly why Miller Lite is my go to clean, refreshing, easy to drink, brewed for taste with simple ingredients. The original light beer since 1975 and it still hits different for yours truly and his good friend Mo Chedda. Cheers to legendary moments made with Miller Lite. Great taste. 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you, or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. It's Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

[Zaz]

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[Mike Ryan]

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[Dan Le Batard]

Stugats Taytas this is the Dan Lebatar show with the Stugats.

[Mike Ryan]

Amy Madigan was nominated in 1986 for Best Supporting Actress for twice in a Lifetime.

[Dan Le Batard]

You just saw, though David's general discomfort with publicly acknowledging he doesn't know something you saw. You just saw it play out in real time. He had a movie question for him. And you felt and saw David's shame in not knowing the answer to every single movie question that is asked by anyone anywhere in the world.

[Adnan]

I don't know, Tristan. I pretty much just said I don't know.

[Tristan]

I'm not throwing you a lifeline.

[Adnan]

No, I really was hoping this was the moment. This was going to be our moment. Right?

[Dan Le Batard]

You started the day today by saying she looked like she was wearing PJs. That you're not going to recover from that ever.

[David]

It's an hour.

[Dan Le Batard]

That's a first impression.

[Adnan]

No, that was not our first impression.

[Dan Le Batard]

First time you guys have been around each other where you've insulted her.

[David]

I mean, Trista saying a girl looks like she's wearing PJs that, like, conveys, like, sloppiness, right?

[Tristan]

Yeah. Slovenly behavior.

[Adnan]

Have you not seen beautiful PJs before? Like, sexy, beautiful PJs.

[David]

Lingerie.

[Tristan]

So I'm wearing negligee to the Dan Levitar.

[Dan Le Batard]

That's what you were saying? That's what you meant.

[Adnan]

No, I'm done here.

[Tristan]

A nightie.

[Adnan]

Nighty is, like, for old people.

[Tristan]

A teddy?

[Adnan]

Yeah, a teddy. Teddy's better than 90.

[Tristan]

I told him back here. I said, I think David's been making a lot of eye contact with me. I think he's trying to form some sort of rapport, and I'm not giving it to him. I'm not doing it.

[Adnan]

I can't wait.

[Dan Le Batard]

He's going for rapport and repair.

[Adnan]

I'm also going for trying to be good friends with Dan because he. This is part of me getting better at what I'm doing is engaging with everyone in the room and looking around. Numbing Chris.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, it's where you started. I mean, that's an amateur mistake by you. I don't understand how you don't understand that. That's not something you could do upon seeing the way that a person is dressed. It's.

[Adnan]

I saw her last night. That was the first time we met. And I introduced myself to the dog named Ollie.

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh, good. Good save. Good save there. Good save. No, we saw it. We saw you thinking all of us.

[David]

Why did you not?

[Dan Le Batard]

Because I was hoping that you would drown in it. Wait a minute. Who said anything around here was about love?

[Adnan]

God knows it's not. You better have some thick skin. This teaches you all to be executives in sports.

[Dan Le Batard]

Speaking of which. Okay, I want to play something for you here because one of the criticisms of basketball announcing and one of the reasons I believe Jeff Van Gundy now works for the Clippers instead of being a voice for the NBA as he had been for about 20 years, is because Adam Silver felt like Jeff Van Gundy didn't do a good enough job of accentuating all of the positive that is sales in basketball. All of the things worth celebrating. And I've noticed over the last few years, in fact, since Shaq got there, inside the NBA, the single best studio sports show there has ever been inside the NBA has Shaq telling everyone that they should play the game he played down low and telling everyone that the way they play now isn't the right way. Telling big men to be like him and just basically complaining about things. I've noticed this with Wilbon and Kornheiser. As they've gotten older, you age, you get more conservative, you start complaining about more things. And it's a little startling to see ends inside the NBA be the old person's show where generations now, plural of athletes. I've heard this a number of times. Man. BLEEP Charles. Charles is from another time. BLEEP Charles. I'm done. I don't. I'm not going to genuflect before Charles. Those are old guys who are just spending all their time complaining about the game. So let's listen to this sound here. Zaz, do we have some context here that you'd want to put on this particular sound?

[David]

Yes, I'm. I'm actually on my way home on Saturday night from the Heat game. All right, Heat and Magic, and I'm listening on the radio. To the end of Lakers and Nuggets, which was a great finish. All right. Incredible finish to regulation.

[Dan Le Batard]

Got a call wrong at the end of that game as well. The NBA has announced that they got a call wrong. And all they do is announce that. It doesn't change the result at all.

[David]

It doesn't make everyone feel better when they do that. I thought it makes me feel better. So Austin Reeves misses a free throw on purpose, gets the rebound, lays it in. They go to overtime. That never works. And it worked okay. And then in overtime, Luca Doncic had a shot right before the buzzer, and the Lakers win. I mean, sounded like the most fun regular season game they've had this year. And so here is inside the NBA, because the game, I'm listening on radio, but here is the game, ESPN on abc. And here is Barkley, who, who has made his stance clear really for the last several years when it comes to the Lakers, not a championship team, doesn't want to hear about them being a contender.

[Adnan]

So here.

[David]

This is immediate reaction after the game from Barkley.

[Dan Le Batard]

My worst nightmare is the Lakers winning tonight. And I have to listen to all the crap on Monday on all the talk shows how the Lakers are contenders. If they get a home court advantage, will it make them a contender? No. If they get the three seed, are you telling me they wouldn't be a. They're in the four seed right now. They're not a three seed. They're not a three seed. What are you. What makes you a contender then? Please, please don't let him win. Oh, I'm gonna be nail biting all night tonight. Cause they're gonna be talking about all day Monday. Thank God I'll be in Dayton.

[David]

So, look, I love inside the NBA. We all love inside the NBA. But I think for the first time, I am a little bit concerned that it's a little too negative toward the game. Because what I'm talking about is like, okay, not everything has to be big picture where, all right, the Lakers aren't a championship contender. But that was a really fun game we just watched. That was a. This was a fun regular season game. This is a fun night. Like, not everything needs to be about the. The destination. Wow, this doesn't matter tonight because this is not a championship team. I'll tell you, if. If that was the Heat, if the Heat won that regular season game, we, we all know the Heat are not a champion contender. And then just the entire conversation afterward was about how, who cares about this? They're not going to win a championship. Like I don't know. I think it's a little bit too negative.

[Dan Le Batard]

Let's play some secondary sound from this broadcast as well, because I do want to get into this conversation. And if you have to rely on the heavy diet of that, you're not going to win and you're not going to be a contender. I'm used to playing for coaches that wouldn't be happy with the game. Yeah, we won the game. But when you're up 15 early in the game, Chuck and Kenny knows this. That's when you got to put teams away. Especially if you're Nuggets, though. Would you be happy beating the Nuggets?

[Adnan]

No.

[Dan Le Batard]

No. But I mean, if you did that against the wizards, you're up 15 at home. You got to beat them by 15 at home. Don't let them come back. But on the other.

[Mike Ryan]

On the other side of that, though,

[David]

Shaq, that's not the league anymore. Like, who cares that you're up by 15? That feel. It feels like. And I know this is a trope about that show these days that they don't want. They don't actually watch, but that really does feel like Shaq doesn't watch. That's the league now. Everybody comes from behind in a double division deficit.

[Mike Ryan]

Hasn't that always been the league? It's actually, like, less the now because there's crazy blowouts happening in the league right now. That's just basketball. I don't know what era that he's speaking on.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, but Shaq specifically, okay, has told you as recently as last year, I can't name any of the Pistons who are now the one seed. There's all sorts of stuff these guys are missing. And Shaq and Barkley are there to just be Shaq and Barkley. That's their job. And let me explain to you how hard it is to get these people to do these shows. I heard all weekend Robert Horry not making any sense on the broadcast that he was doing because they had him doing like, 70 Big Ten games. Because it's hard to get someone of even Robert Horry's stature to do the work for what these networks are now paying for this stuff. Like, there is a universal philosophy across sports media these days, and sports media is some of the cheapest media you will see televised and broadcast anywhere. Pay the Eagles, starve the turkeys. It's a. It is. I hear it all the time. And so a few guys get paid, but Robert Horry's got to do, like, 20 basketball games over the course of the Weekend because of the few amount of jobs that there are. And when you look at this particular broadcast, Shaq and Barkley are either approaching 60 or over 60 years old. So entertain me on the conversation of what is their job, David, because Jeff Van Gundy doesn't have one right now, even though he was out.

[Adnan]

Excellent.

[Dan Le Batard]

Because the commissioner of the league thought that he was too negative. And before recently, the only person I had ever heard talk about a sport dynamic like this is your beloved Scott Boris. When he used to talk about baseball during times that everyone was fighting over money and collective bargaining. And he said, baseball is the only sport in our business world that spends all its time kicking the can down the aisle of grocery food. Kicking the can, Kicking the can, Kicking the can, and then putting it back up on the shelf and telling the customer to please buy it. This is super negative. What they have been doing for a while, as they've aged, has been negative. It's not a celebration of sports. They have fun, but they don't love what they're watching the way that they used to. They sound a little bit like Wilbot when they're complaining about the 50 threes a game and specifically two of the experts you have loved playing in the post. They were better playing in the post than most human beings are in the post. So they're watching a distorted version of basketball. They don't like what they're watching. It's not what made them great.

[Adnan]

It's why their days are coming to an end, because life goes on. Pat Riley's watching a game of basketball. It's not like the days of Red Holzman in the old days. It's. It's done, and you're never going back. And when you cannot adjust to the new game, the new people, the young people, that's what being a dinosaur is. That's been going on forever. You age out of the role. That's what. That's what Barkley and Shaq have done.

[Mike Ryan]

I'm a little confused. And I'll. I'll have it with a sound on for the postseason. But wasn't it just like six months ago, where the entire NBA world couldn't live without this show?

[David]

Oh, my God, they did. I mean, the entire All Star Game last year was a tribute to inside the NBA. That was the whole show.

[Adnan]

But it was a joke because that was part of the business transaction that happened with Warner Brothers. Because, remember, they had signed these guys to these contracts, and once the NBA rights went away, they forgot to put in the deals with Shaq and Barkley, smart move. Forgot to put in. By the way, if we lose the NBA, sorry, we can get rid of your deal. Oh, crikey, what do we do? We don't have any games. No one's going to watch a pre or post game show without the actual game. We got to get someone to pay their salary. Who's paying it? Who's paying it?

[Dan Le Batard]

ESPN is right?

[Adnan]

Yes, Disney. That's who's paying their salary. So that's how that works.

[Tristan]

Well, I think the whole thing has become a bit reductionist where they just wanted to still everything down. And I think that's basketball, sports media in general, which does not happen with the NFL where it's like if this team is a contender, we talk about them. And like, if you're not a contender, it's kind of like an ancillary type of thing that you see with Mike in the Heat where it's like we can't be excited about any games about the Heat because I know this team's not going to do shit when it matters. And like I've already wrapped. And Yankee fans are this way as well. Like you just go down this spiral of, of negativity because everything is championships or nothing. It's just ring chasing and it kind of takes a lot of the fun out of the 82 game season.

[Dan Le Batard]

There's a generational difference here though, on how this infection permeates the rest of the league. When I talk about the example of Scott Boris saying that once upon a time baseball was taking a can of food, kicking it throughout the off season, when we're talking about money and then when the season starts putting it back on the shelf. The way these guys are talking about even a great regular season game is absolutely infected by the fact that nobody seems to care about the regular season anymore. So there's nothing that can happen in a regular season game unless it's controversial, that's going to get anybody talking about the single result. Because we all, we all know now more than ever that any single result doesn't matter. It doesn't if you're playing 82 of them or 81 of them. It's too many.

[Mike Ryan]

Well, as someone that is trying to correct my relationship with the NBA because I default on that all the time I was watching this game. It was a big game in the standings. Great game matters. It gives the Lakers now the three seed. You had all the stars playing. You had everybody caring. You had a finish that you never see. It does feel odd to me and something that I would say in years previous, back when, before I tried to reshape my opinions on this thing. It seems toxic to the sport. It doesn't seem like you're helping. And look, I can understand that maybe at tnt, but you're with a new partner. They saved your show. You're doing it out of the same studio in Atlanta. You're working with all the people that you love. Maybe, just maybe, like, throw a bone to the NBA and the new partner.

[Dan Le Batard]

You say this, Mike, but I'll remind you that we started the show with Zaz, who's younger than Shaq, saying he'd seen it all and he's old and tired. Zaz is saying, I've seen it all. I'm old and tired.

[Adnan]

Shaq.

[Dan Le Batard]

Shaq's played in some important games. He's sitting here watching a regular season game saying, oh, the Lakers are the three seed. Congratulations, Lakers. My standard is we are winning the championship every year. That's my standard.

[David]

Well, but I guess the difference is one of one of us, it's their job and the other one is just I can make a choice whether or not I want to watch this or not.

[Mike Ryan]

That is a weird standard to have when you're covering the league as a whole. Not everybody has that standard. I can understand a jaded fan like that, like a Spurs fan of 20 years, being like, man, this really sucks. This is a throwaway season. It's the NBA. Like, you're covering teams that are absolutely shooting for a championship. Those are two of them.

[Tristan]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Mike Ryan]

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[David]

I've never stepped foot on that campus. If you told me right now your life depends on it, go to Santa Fe University and just, just take a picture.

[Dan Le Batard]

Stugats, I would die.

[David]

I don't know where it is.

[Mike Ryan]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats.

[Adnan]

Yeah, they're trying to be genuine, though, and they're trying to react to what's happening around them, which is people not caring. So they're leaning into that. But now what you're saying is you lean into it so much that now you become the focus of the not care. But don't forget that ESPN and Disney, they're really all about, as they should be, the playoffs. They're about when people are really focused and Shaq and Barkley are focused when it comes playoff time. But what's happened to the infection, as all do, is they spread. So now you see some first round matchups where all of a sudden they're not as engaged. They're the blowouts you talked about with Miami, Cleveland. So now you're seeing regular season bleed a little bit into first round of playoffs, and before you know it, that's how you lose your sport.

[Dan Le Batard]

Let me talk about something here, though, that I see happening in whatever is the new media. Of all the smoke and Draymond green and Pat McAfee and younger Ish former players who have the complaint about what ESPN specifically has been over the last 20 years is why do these people who did not play the game get to have the same standing as I do when they're not as expert as I am on this. One of the complaints that I've heard McAfee and others have is that the Pablo Torres of the world or the me's of the world, that we don't care about sports the way that we need to care about sports. I'm always more fascinated by the sociology of sports than I am by sports. But when you get to the age of Shaq and Barkley, do you know how hard it is for basketball to move them at this point? Like anything meaningful to happen at any point in basketball, given the amount that they've seen and they've done, never mind in their playing careers, just in their

[Mike Ryan]

broadcasting careers, but that finish wasn't one of them.

[Dan Le Batard]

No, Not a regular. There is no finish I can give them in a regular season game that they're not going to yawn at, given the way the business of all of this has infected everything. How much do you think they actually love the sport the way it's presently being played?

[David]

That's the question.

[Dan Le Batard]

Like, how much do you actually think they love this version of the sport?

[Adnan]

They obviously long for the time what their game was. But I remind you that on an airplane, when you go through turbulence, pilots are fine. They've done it. And people in the back of the plane are freaking out. These guys have seen it. They've seen every finish. They've experienced it. It is March. You say it's a big thing for seating right now. It's not.

[David]

But turbulence is an enjoyable. Turbulence is never enjoyable. Basketball is supposed to be enjoyable.

[Mike Ryan]

I don't want to take it to the top line issue that's been facing this league for years. But like, the stars are miserable. No one seems to be enjoying the regular season that plays a part. Like, and, and we can't be that surprised when the analysts covering the sport follow the lead of the people guiding the direction.

[David]

Loves telling you how there are too many games whenever you're willing to listen there.

[Mike Ryan]

There is no bigger league that is in more need of a culture shift.

[David]

That's a good point.

[Tristan]

I think we need to get rid of these former player analysts. Like, I just think we have way too many of them. I think we've gone completely the wrong direction. We're spending a lot of money and, and David, I'd love to get your thoughts on this, but like the roi, outside of Chuck and Shaq and this crew, like the ROI on a former athlete analyst cannot be that high based on how much you have to pay them. And you're not bringing any enthusiasm or knowledge or preparation to the goddamn sport.

[Adnan]

You're bringing knowledge but not preparation. John, skipper on the sporting class with Pablo. He will talk to us about. I, I, I don't know who that was.

[Zaz]

Keep it moving.

[Dan Le Batard]

That was Zaz. Keep it moving. You got, you know what.

[David]

Minor penalty, two minutes delay a show.

[Mike Ryan]

It's a shame.

[Tristan]

God, I was really interested in know

[Dan Le Batard]

what he was getting. I was too. But you can't mean.

[Mike Ryan]

Can we explain the bit once?

[Dan Le Batard]

No, it's the marbles.

[Mike Ryan]

Minor penalty, two minutes for explaining the show.

[Zaz]

Wow.

[Mike Ryan]

He didn't actually explain the show though.

[Dan Le Batard]

He thought about it explaining the show. And that is an intent that he had. And so he's out of here on the intent I need to break him of this habit because he's behaving poorly when it comes to.

[Zaz]

Is that a double miner for him or is that.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's Mike Ryan.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, it's beginning to be a theme. I should not open my mouth on the NBA. It's crazy every time I'm penalized whenever I give an opinion on this sport.

[Dan Le Batard]

It wasn't the opinion on the sport that got you banned. It was the desire to explain that. That Zaz has an inside joke bit that David doesn't understand. So we're going to stop and explain the show to David so he can play along with the others because he's behaving like an outsider by stopping the show in its tracks to ask a question about an inside joke that we keep it moving on.

[Tristan]

If Adam silver and the NBA's goal is to get more people to watch at all facets of the season, regular season, play, in tournament, in season tournament, then you need more people excited about the sport. You need more people to inject enthusiasm and life into. Like, this moment was awesome. Like this. This intentional missed free throw from Austin Reaves never works.

[David]

That's all I'm saying.

[Adnan]

And it worked.

[Tristan]

And then this step back from Luka, like, he had it going. He felt the stakes. He felt something about the standings. Like, I don't care whether it means that the Lakers are a real contender or not. Like, that moment was awesome. And these executives need to hire people who at least pair with these miserable to make them happy and excited as well.

[David]

I'm as cynical as anyone these days about the NBA. I used to love the NBA. I'm very cynical about it these days. But like I said, coming home Saturday night, listening to that game, like, this game's pretty awesome.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, the thing that I want to discuss as it relates to what Trista was saying is that given the present position of Shaq and Barkley specifically, never mind the stature of that show, they're not going to fake enthusiasm for anybody. And at their age, they're not going to be enthusiastic about very much given what their resumes are.

[Tristan]

Listen, put me in that dress I was in last night with the nipple covers.

[Dan Le Batard]

I knew it was just you angling for a job.

[Tristan]

This is what this is and get me excited. Not me specifically.

[Dan Le Batard]

It is you specifically.

[David]

No, no, no.

[Tristan]

You can put Taylor Rooks there. You can put Taylor Rooks there.

[Dan Le Batard]

But alley oop.

[Tristan]

Alleyoop has this alley show.deals hoops, YouTube.

[Dan Le Batard]

Right after the show, you and Juju give positivity and enthusiasm about what you're watching. But the old people are still in charge. And these are the game's biggest power brokers. This is an untouchable show with guaranteed money with people on it who have been doing it a long time watching for a long time. And this is how all this stuff ages. Like, not everyone's Dicky voice, like Dicky V is not faking that in his 80s. Not everyone's Lee Corso, but Dickie V and Lee Corso were failures as coaches as they became media personalities because they were grateful to be able to become media personalities. Shaq and Barkley have taken a demotion on what they used to be and they've been doing what they're presently doing, marching to an office to talk about games that they're not that interested in. And they're not going to fake the enthusiasm for you. All they're going to bring you is we'll be Shaq and Barkley. That's what you get for your paycheck. It ain't going to also be and I'm going to sell your sport the way you want me to. Hell. Do you think you can tell Charles Barkley anything about how to do this?

[Tristan]

Certainly not. But I think Ernie at least is. It's the onus is on him to at least steer the conversation to. Wasn't that kind of fun to watch though, like, as we're watching a bunch

[David]

of games and maybe he did. I mean, those were only. Maybe he did.

[Dan Le Batard]

He did do some of that and he knows, like he's. But he's also older. Like, this is how this stuff ages. I think it's a fair criticism of the people who cover sports to say the gatekeepers have always been the older people who have all the longevity in lifetime jobs. And now you're seeing the democratization of it as people develop their own audiences on YouTube and elsewhere where the enthusiasm is carrying the day for other young people who have grown tired of it. But I'm going to tell you again, I've heard a number of complaints from people. Man, BLEEP Charles, his time is past. Like, I don't think that. I don't think the grand majority of audience thinks that, but they are tired for a long time of him being a critic in a way that feels to them like filled with more old man than the average critic.

[Tristan]

And you mentioned the democratization of content and media. And it's really the people who have these independent voices that are the groundswell. I mean, you want to talk about. Oh, maybe my besmirching isn't great for the league, but at least when you have enthusiasm on the lower end, you're lifting the tide that Charles Barkley and all the traditional media is bringing down as an anchor. But yet the league, even though they want enthusiasm, they want to keep these people who have free voices out.

[Dan Le Batard]

I don't think it's very easy the task in front of Adam Silver because you can fire Jeff Van Gundy if you don't like it, but you can't really do anything with chief voices on this sport are old like just help me with, give me who it is that are the biggest voices in young enthusiasm on basketball. The ones with the largest audiences. Not the Shams, who is just an information guy. No opinion voices, but just no enthusiasm voices. Like I love this game. Like you remember, that was the. That's. That was the slogan throughout the 90s. The slogan on all the nostalgia around NBA on NBC is I love this game.

[David]

I forgot that.

[Dan Le Batard]

No, now the slogan should be I hate this game. I'm not kidding you. It should be among the gatekeeper, old voices. Why would they have any enthusiasm for how it's being played? Why would Shaq and Barkley like to see 50 three pointers a game? Show me how many threes Shaq took in his life. Tell me statistically, career shots. Roy, look up for me please, how it is. I want to guess how many. Let's take a guess on how many made threes there were in Shaq's career. What are you going to guess?

[David]

Oh, I think he's made one one

[Dan Le Batard]

in his career and I actually say three.

[David]

I actually can remember it in my head.

[Adnan]

It was over.

[David]

I think it's one.

[Dan Le Batard]

It has to be more than one.

[Adnan]

It's a big career over.

[Zaz]

Under three and a half under.

[Dan Le Batard]

How many do you think he took in his career?

[David]

10.

[Dan Le Batard]

10 in his entire then. Are you guys young, skinny Shaq? God, he was.

[Adnan]

Shot clock running down, you know, running down the court.

[David]

You're going one for 10.

[Adnan]

One for 10 for career. Yep.

[Mike Ryan]

One for 22.

[Adnan]

Wow. It's pretty good.

[Dan Le Batard]

So you remember the ones? You remember the 13 that Shaq made?

[Zaz]

Did it look like his free throws?

[David]

It's like one handed, you know, shot put it.

[Mike Ryan]

He really has seen everything. It was the 1995, 96 season in.

[Dan Le Batard]

All in.

[Adnan]

Yeah, of course. Was. Yeah.

[Zaz]

Stop it.

[David]

I don't get credit yet. I. I just, I just got everything right. I don't get credit 31 years ago.

[Zaz]

Yeah. Name the team.

[David]

No, that I don't know But I remember where it was.

[Zaz]

On the court behind the three point line.

[David]

Well, yes, it was on the left wing.

[Adnan]

I can't with you.

[Dan Le Batard]

I remember watching that Shaquille o' Neal and it's literally unlike anything I had ever seen to that point. Watching someone that size, he was skinnier. But watching him go coast to coast dribbling basketball was like, what the hell?

[David]

Oh, that was the first game against the Heat.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, it was crazy. It was great. It was crazy to watch someone that side go coast to coat that size go coast to coast. And now he hates basketball. And why wouldn't he?

[Zaz]

Where'd you say it was?

[David]

As left wing.

[Zaz]

I'm watching like I. I assume if he only has one. I'm seeing a three pointer. It's like he's. It's like a. A buzzer beater. Yeah. And it's not the left wing.

[David]

It wasn't on the like the left angle.

[Zaz]

He's at the elbow frog. He's just passed his half court and he's like approaching the three point line on the right side of the court.

[Dan Le Batard]

You got it right and then you got it wrong.

[Mike Ryan]

Shot clocks, big shots, upsets, aces. TGL playoffs are here. First Atlanta Drive starts their repeat run against Los Angeles Golf Club. Then Rory's Boston Common golf and Tigers Jupiter Links face off in their playoff debuts. Who will advance? Keep up. It's playoffs. Tune in. Tuesday, March 17th at 6:30pm and 9:00pm only on ESPN. And the ESPN applied.