Podcast Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Hour 1: The Big One (feat. Jeff Pearlman)

Date: August 21, 2025

Overview

This episode, broadcast from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, finds Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and their ensemble wading through sports, pop culture, and their familiar inside jokes. The focal point is a deep dive into the new Netflix documentary on the 1990s Dallas Cowboys, for which author Jeff Pearlman (not Ron Perlman, as one guest briefly and humorously mistakes) is brought on as a special guest. Along the way, the crew riffs on sports media nostalgia, the sanitization of documentaries, news on media mergers, and the craft of reporting on iconic subjects like Tupac Shakur.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The SUI Awards & Production Jokes

• [01:24–03:00]
  • The team jokes about their own SUI Awards and the fact that Chris's dad provides the voice, with Dan ribbing Chris about respecting the family legacy.
    • Dan: “It’s a nice distinction that’s been given over to your father that you should honor with more respect than you presently show.” (01:53)
  • Teaser for a Billy Crystal-style opening number at the Sueys.

2. Inside Sports: Inter Miami, Cam Ward, and Name Games

• [02:59–05:30]
  • The saga about the Inter Miami coach's not-quite-throwout and the intricacies of league and media regulations, crediting Zaslow for breaking news.
    • Stugotz (B): “Some integrity. Mention me when you put your report in there.” (03:55)
  • A brief but classic digression on the football player Cam Ward's name, mixing up sports identity with branding.
    • Dan: “The change is being made just because an adult has wanted to change his name, or… because it’s a marketing opportunity…?” (05:06)

3. Ron Perlman vs. Jeff Pearlman Confusion

• [05:49–08:17]
  • A comedic sidebar erupts as Tony preps questions for Ron Perlman (the actor), before realizing they are hosting Jeff Pearlman (the author).
    • Tony: “Oh, we’re talking to Jeff Pear… God, I thought it was Ron Perlman. I was like, dude, I want to talk to you about the UFC. Voiceover. Sons of Anarchy. Come on.” (05:49–06:01)
    • Dan: “Jeff Pearlman is exciting to me. Ron Perlman would be much more exciting to the audience. His face is… unlike any face in the history of Hollywood.” (07:09)

4. Movie Reviews & Miami Vice Tangent

• [11:41–15:56]
  • Mike riffs on a recent Miami Vice rewatch—obsessing over Colin Farrell’s hair and Michael Mann’s directorial style. The team digresses about poor fit of Miami Vice aesthetics and the lack of Cuban representation in the film.
    • Mike: “This hair is unbelievable. It makes up for a movie that makes no sense… they just slapped on Miami Vice because this is a movie that Michael Mann wanted to make.” (13:46)
  • A personal tale about a suspicious movie theater encounter, illustrating the real world’s ability to overshadow cinema.

5. The CBS Morning Show Goes Retro

• [17:12–19:54]
  • Dan introduces CBS’s idea to bring back the original football pregame show and muses on TV’s struggles to reach younger viewers, while educating Tony on the infamous “Jimmy the Greek.”
    • Dan: “The reason that I bring it up—Jimmy the Greek got fired because he… made some sort of comments… and then, again, disgraced.” (19:33)

Main Segment: Interview with Jeff Pearlman (Author of "Boys Will Be Boys")

1. On the Netflix Cowboys Docuseries vs. Pearlman's Book

• [25:43–34:21]
  • Authenticity & Flaws:
    • Pearlman argues the documentary is authentic “if you believe Jerry Jones is the greatest thing to ever happen to football” (25:43), but it underplays Jimmy Johnson’s pivotal role, especially in the Herschel Walker trade and the story of Steve Walsh.
    • On the omission of his book as source material:
      • Jeff Pearlman: “I do feel like there is a lot of stuff in this series that originated with my reporting.” (27:13)
  • Sanitized Version:
    • Pearlman contends Jerry Jones's monopoly preserves his image, and the “content dilution of Hollywood” neuters the grit of the real stories.
      • Dan: “The content dilution of Hollywood makes this stuff…so in exchange for access, you get diluted versions of the story.” (28:06)
  • Example: The Michael Irvin Scissors Assault
    • Pearlman narrates how Michael Irvin stabbed teammate Everett McIver in the neck with barber scissors, an incident glossed over or softened in media coverage.
      • Pearlman: “Mike Irvin grabs Vinnie’s barber scissors, stabs Everett McIver in the neck. McIver falls to the floor, bleeding out of his neck. They rush in paramedics…” (28:29)

2. On Character Portraits & Locker Room Lifestyles

• Charles Haley’s Mental Illness and Behavior:
  • Pearlman admits some regret over his own reporting on Haley, noting he didn’t then appreciate the mental health dimension.
    • “He was a guy who… was pleasuring himself during meetings... They definitely went light on Haley with the Cowboys…” (33:19–34:21)
• Barry Switzer’s ‘Cowboy’ Coaching:
  • Pearlman shares Switzer partied and caroused like a player during Super Bowl week:
    • “He was 58 years old, drinking like his players, partying like his players… Not saying he was a good NFL coach, but just think he put it all out there and lived that way.” (35:03–36:31)

3. On Documentary Journalism Today

• [37:08–39:54]
  • Media’s Lost Grit:
    • Pearlman laments the “cross ties” between corporate interests and editorial content, using Disney’s ESPN buying into the NFL as an example of lost journalistic independence.
      • Pearlman: “The look of it is terrible, just absolutely terrible. And it just suggests that there’s very little if any independent media anymore.” (37:34)
  • On the ‘Spike’ of Kaepernick’s Doc:
    • Jeff sees industry-wide reluctance to tackle controversial stories:
      • “It’s just not worth it for them… There’s so much overlapping between corporate and editorial that stuff like that almost never happens.” (39:15)

4. On the Upcoming Tupac Book

• [39:54–41:27]
  • Pearlman's next book is on Tupac Shakur, a subject he undertook with the same exhaustive commitment:
    • “I interviewed 650 people. I traveled everywhere he lived. I knocked on doors of everyone he knew… For three years, that was my obsession.” (40:30)
  • Teasing the book, Dan marvels at the depth and scope, with Pearlman replying: “I did 720 for Bo Jackson, I think.” (41:31)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dan, on the Suey Awards:
  “It’s a nice distinction that’s been given over to your father that you should honor with more respect…” (01:53)

• Tony, on Jeff vs. Ron Perlman:
  “Oh, we’re talking to Jeff Pear… God, I thought it was Ron Perlman.” (05:49)

• Mike, on Miami Vice:
  “This hair is unbelievable. It makes up for a movie that makes no sense…” (13:46)

• Jeff Pearlman, on the Cowboys doc:
  “It definitely rings authentic if you believe Jerry Jones is the greatest thing to ever happen to football.” (25:43)

• Pearlman, on media access:
  “I do feel like there is a lot of stuff in this series that originated with my reporting.” (27:13)

• Pearlman, on journalism today:
  “There’s very little if any independent media anymore.” (37:34)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:24–03:00] – Suey Awards comedic banter
• [02:59–05:30] – Inter Miami coaching saga & Cam Ward name confusion
• [05:49–08:17] – Ron Perlman mix-up and jokes
• [11:41–15:56] – “Miami Vice” tangent and movie review
• [25:43–34:21] – Jeff Pearlman interview: Cowboys docuseries, authenticity, and real stories
• [37:08–39:15] – On the NFL-ESPN corporate relationship and the changing nature of journalism
• [39:54–41:27] – Tupac book, reporting process, and storytelling commitment

Final Thoughts

Much of Hour 1 is marked by self-aware, inside humor typical of the Le Batard universe, balanced with sharp commentary on the state of sports media. Jeff Pearlman’s insights highlight the disconnect between what really happened with the 1990s Cowboys and how pop documentaries often gloss over uncomfortable truths or fail to credit original reporting, all while the business of sports journalism becomes increasingly compromised by business interests.

The segment closes with a look at Pearlman’s upcoming Tupac Shakur book, capping an hour that mixed the silly, the nostalgic, and the incisively critical in true Le Batard Show fashion.