The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Hour 2: Remember COVID?
Date: September 8, 2025
Special Guest: Amin Elhassan

Episode Overview

Broadcasting from Miami’s Elser Hotel, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and crew (including Greg and Chris Cody, Billy Gil, Mike Ryan, and guest Amin Elhassan) blend their signature sports banter with pop culture riffs and irreverent commentary. This hour pivots between bizarre sports news, celebrity drama, and the ongoing Clippers-Kawhi Leonard scandal, while Amin delivers his always anticipated “Weekend Observations.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Spitting Incidents in Sports & Pandemic Reflections

[02:15 – 03:23]

• The crew riff on last week's bizarre trend: four high-profile spitting incidents in sports, including Gator's loss to South Florida being pinned on a spitting penalty.
• Chris Cody jokes, "Imagine spitting on people during COVID," sparking a brief aside on how much more severe the consequences would have been then.
• Juju is tasked to put a Twitter poll: “Would you have gone to prison for spitting on someone during COVID?”
  Notable Quote:

“I think you go to jail if you spit on someone during COVID. Like actually, I think you would have gone to jail if not prison.”
—Chris Cody [03:13]

2. NASCAR Drama & Denny Hamlin’s Heel Turn

[03:29 – 06:29]

• Mike Ryan breaks down why Denny Hamlin is the best story in NASCAR: he’s both suing NASCAR over the unfair charter system and fighting for his first career championship, all while co-owning a team with Michael Jordan.
• The lack of respect and financial struggles facing owners is explained. Hamlin gave a classic villain speech after winning his last race.
  Notable Quotes:

“Y'all can boo me, but you can either get on the bandwagon or you can get run over by it.”
—Denny Hamlin soundbite, echoed by Amin [04:36-04:40]

• The room teases Mike for his enthusiasm but, underneath, they all agree the story is “incredibly brave, incredibly vulnerable, dangerous even.”
  Notable Quote:

"You think that’s lame? That’s iconic! The guy is suing NASCAR!”
—Mike Ryan [04:48]

3. Greg Cody’s First Class Flight Adventure

[07:46 – 13:25]

• Greg Cody shares a wide-eyed story of flying first class for the first time: being surprised drink service starts before takeoff, big plates of free food, and generous whiskey pours.
• The crew teases him for looking underdressed and accuses him of "first class shaming."
• Chris Cody opines: “You're not exactly dressing first class.”
  Greg retorts: “Between all of us... who flew first class this weekend, raise your hand. ... I’m the only—my hand’s raised.”
  Notable Quote:

“Let me tell you something. This first class... pretty good. ... She goes, ‘Sir, can I get you a drink?’ ... I’m drinking my whiskey... I didn’t even know that, and then she comes up, ‘Would you like dinner?’... This plate was so big, I had to move my iPad off my tray...”
—Greg Cody [08:40–11:16]

4. Clippers, Kawhi, and the Aspiration Scandal: Pablo Torre’s Reporting

[17:00 – 24:58]

• Amin Elhassan breaks down Pablo Torre’s viral reporting on the scandal involving the LA Clippers, Kawhi Leonard, and financial company Aspiration:
  • Millions paid to “no-show jobs,” the exposé making Pablo’s podcast #1.
  • Amir discusses the difference between initial dismissive statements from the Clippers and later, more cautious ones after legal review.
  • Amin shares that league insiders think the Clippers are "screwed" not just for the size of the payments but the incriminating paper trail.
• Mark Cuban’s bizarrely circular defense of Ballmer is dissected—Cuban says “rich people don’t know how much money they have,” and both Cuban and Ballmer seem to contradict their own defenses.
• Amin: “The goal of a scam is to make money. If I'm a scammer, yes, I’ll pay Leo DiCaprio and Drake... Why pay $28M to a guy [Kawhi] who’s not even that famous outside basketball and isn’t bringing more money in?”
  [21:46] Notable Quote:

“You need to tell me how paying $28 million to Kawhi Leonard helped them, because I can't see how it helped Aspiration one bit.”
—Amin Elhassan

5. Media Ethics & “Snitching” Debate

[26:41 – 27:59]

• The crew plays a podcast clip where Channing Frye calls Pablo’s reporting “snitching.” Amin pushes back, saying the media’s job is to expose wrongdoing, not cover it up.
• Amin roasts perceived confusion: “Channing went to University of Arizona, not known for its academics. ... What are you talking about, snitching? Where are we in life?”
• The roundtable jokes about “media members” saying their job is to help cover up stories, not break them.

6. Amin’s Weekend Observations

[32:33 – 48:03]

Football and Nonsense

• Amin runs through his classic rapid-fire game notes:
  • Dolphins made Daniel Jones competent ("the Giants couldn't do in five years").
  • Greg Cody should “stand strong” with his Dolphins’ prediction, even if people accuse him of being a homer.
  • Baltimore “starts [the] season like it ended: choking.”
  • A surreal tangent on methods for fictional, hypothetical murder, prompted by earlier mafia jokes.
  • Ongoing banter about quirky NFL coaches, miscast Juniors/Seniors suffixes, and famous Instagram algorithms (“My algorithm on Instagram is...all boobs.” —Greg Cody [16:00]).

NBA/Clippers Update

• Steve Ballmer's "He did it, not me" defense is senseless; Amin ridicules his answers to Ramona Shelburne.
• More skewering of Mark Cuban’s logic.
  • Amin: “He could have lied, anyhow. He could have said, ‘not yet,’ but he didn’t... Is that Steve Ballmer’s ejection button?” [25:58]

Sports and Pop Culture Bits

• Critique of the NBA’s failed previous investigations compared to Pablo Torre’s.
• Drake’s continued gambling “curse.”
  • Amin: “I’m going to start a new segment where we just bet the opposite of Drake.” [39:27]
• Hot takes on suspended players (Angel Reese), NFL mascots, and unexpected sex toy interruptions during football games.
• Gags about first-class privilege, Instagram addiction, and failed “Eclectic Coach” personas (Mike McDaniel/ Joe Mazzulla).

Notable Observations and Jokes:

• “If your father isn’t famous, I’m not including the ‘Jr.’” — Amin [38:13]
• "LeBron James living in a $37 million mansion that isn't his dream home is proof that everyone is miserable." — Amin [47:19]
• “Serbia lost to Finland... I guess you could say Serbia’s EuroBasket run is finished.” — Amin [45:33]
• Ranking of "Top 5 Things Where the Original Was Better," ending with “the dinosaurs,” because they didn’t cause the climate change that killed them. [46:44]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On spitting and COVID:
  "Imagine spitting on people during COVID. ...I think you go to jail if you spit on someone during COVID." —Chris Cody [03:04, 03:13]

• On Denny Hamlin’s villain arc:
  “You can either get on the bandwagon or you can get run over by it.” —Amin quoting Denny Hamlin [04:40]

• On the Clippers scandal:
  “These guys are criminals... you need to tell me how paying $28 million to Kawhi Leonard helped them, because I can't see how it helped Aspiration one bit.” —Amin Elhassan [21:46]

• On covering up vs. exposing wrongdoing:
  “The media’s job is as a watchdog, it’s to make sure these things come to light.” —Amin Elhassan [27:59]

• On first-class flights:
  "This first class ... pretty good. ... I had to move my iPad off my tray ... this first class is incredible." —Greg Cody [11:16]

• Amin’s pop culture digression:
  “My algorithm on Instagram is... all boobs.” —Greg Cody [16:00]

• On LeBron James and home ownership:
  "LeBron James living in a $37 million mansion that isn't his dream home is proof that everyone is miserable. We're all in our own personal hell." —Amin Elhassan [47:19]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Spitting & COVID consequences: [02:15 – 03:23]
• NASCAR: Denny Hamlin drama: [03:29 – 06:29]
• Greg Cody’s first class adventure: [07:46 – 13:25]
• Clippers, Kawhi & Aspiration scandal: [17:00 – 24:58]
• "Snitching" in sports journalism: [26:41 – 27:59]
• Amin’s "Weekend Observations": [32:33 – 48:03]

Tone & Style

The episode is true to the show's signature: rapid-fire, irreverent, and self-aware, blending informed sports takes, inside jokes, and pop culture references. Amin’s voice is especially sardonic, while Greg’s stories add a note of earnest (if clueless) delight. Dan deftly steers between chaos and pointed analysis. The show never takes itself too seriously but lands enough insight for casual and diehard sports fans alike.

End Note

Fans of the show will appreciate the blend of serious reporting (Clippers scandal), classic jokes (first-class shaming, murder hypotheticals), and the same oddball camaraderie that makes the Dan Le Batard Show a mainstay in sports and pop culture commentary.