Hour 2: The Steph Curry of Sports Media (feat. Jemele Hill)

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz – Hour 2: The Steph Curry of Sports Media (feat. Jemele Hill) Release Date: March 24, 2025

From the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, hosts Dan Le Batard and Stugotz engage in vibrant conversations that blend sports, pop culture, and media insights. In this episode, featuring Jemele Hill, the show delves deep into the evolving landscape of sports media, the performative nature of modern journalism, and the cultural phenomena surrounding media personalities.

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1. Opening Banter and Lighthearted Conversations

The episode kicks off with the hosts engaging in casual banter about selling cars through Carvana, setting a relaxed and humorous tone.

• Jemele Hill [00:15]: "Yeah, sold it to Carvana... It was so convenient."
• Stugotz [00:33]: "No hassle? That is super convenient."

This light-hearted exchange serves as a bridge to more substantial discussions later in the episode.

2. The Performative Nature of Sports Media

A significant portion of the episode centers on the characterization of Stephen A. Smith as the "Steph Curry of Sports Media," emphasizing his performative approach to journalism.

• Mike Ryan [02:08]: "Jemele, I insist that we find the funny in this conversation... what's the funny in here?"

• Stugotz [02:08]: "The funniest part to me was Stephen A. Smith... challenging people live on national television to some kind of confrontation."

Notable Discussion Points:

• Stephen A. Smith's Debates: Stugotz highlights Stephen A.'s knack for turning debates into theatrical confrontations, comparing them to wrestling matches for the soul of humanity.

• Robert Griffin III Incident: Chris Cody brings up RG3's unexpected involvement in debates, questioning his comments on Jackie Robinson and DEI, which Stugotz finds both strange and disingenuous.

• Performance vs. Authenticity: The hosts debate whether media personalities like Stephen A. prioritize performance over genuine journalistic integrity, questioning the long-term impact on younger journalists.

• Stugotz [05:16]: "Stephen A. is able to create a tornado of attention with everything that he says... it's extremely valuable for a media company like ESPN."

3. Jemele Hill Critiques Media Practices

Jemele Hill offers a critical perspective on a recent incident involving a SportsCenter producer mocking Stephen A. Smith.

• Jemele Hill [11:09]: "They bring him on to SportsCenter just to get this reaction... he goes on Fox News and talks about Gaza."

• Stugotz [12:05]: Describes the producer's behavior as "despicable" and criticizes the ethical implications of such "gotcha" journalism.

Hill and Stugotz discuss how media tactics are evolving into more manipulative practices, damaging the authenticity of journalism.

4. The Ascension of Stephen A. Smith in Media and Politics

The conversation shifts to Stephen A. Smith's potential political ambitions and his influence across different media platforms.

• Mike Ryan [05:16]: "I'm curious, Jemele, of your perspective on this... Stephen A. has become like a modern Howard Cosell."

• Stugotz [07:34]: "His turn into politics is really quite stunning, given the breadth of his career."

Key Insights:

• Media Dominance: Stephen A.'s ability to navigate and dominate both ESPN and more conservative platforms like Fox News showcases his versatile appeal.

• Political Ambitions: Speculation arises about Stephen A.'s potential presidential run, with polling data cited.

• Stugotz [15:05]: Expresses skepticism about Stephen A.'s viability as a serious presidential candidate despite polling suggesting he could be a favorite.

5. Interactive Segment: "Douche or No Douche"

The hosts engage in a playful segment where they debate popular trends and behaviors to label them as "douche" or "no douche."

• Stugotz [19:36]: "Leaving stickers on your flat. I would say no douche."

• Stugotz [19:48]: "Bathroom selfies... That's no douche. I just think you probably haven't quite evolved yet."

This segment adds levity to the episode, allowing hosts and guests to express personal opinions on social media trends and personal habits.

6. Bracket Updates Sponsored by Jimmy John's

An engaging discussion on tournament brackets, sponsored by Jimmy John's Toasted Bracket, highlights the competitive nature of sports events.

• Zaslow [32:13]: "Number one still alive across the board. I got Duke winning it all."

Highlights:

• Predictions and analyses of various teams' performances.
• Light-hearted competition among hosts regarding bracket outcomes.

7. The Impact of Morning Routine Videos on Social Media Culture

A deep dive into the craze of morning routine videos, dissecting their authenticity and societal implications.

• Jemele Hill [27:18]: "There's a morning routine video that's been going around... his day starts very, very early."

• Dan LeBatard [30:25]: "This is like a man performing masculinity on the Internet for other people to consume."

Discussion Points:

• Motivational vs. Performative: The hosts debate whether these routines are genuine attempts at self-improvement or manufactured content for social media engagement.

• Cultural Pressure: Concerns are raised about the unrealistic standards set by such videos and their impact on viewers' self-perception.

• Stugotz [31:33]: "I wake up at 2:30 in the morning every morning."

8. Closing Remarks and Reflections

As the episode winds down, the hosts reflect on the day's discussions, emphasizing the blending of performance and authenticity in modern media.

• Stugotz [20:54]: "I know good and well that ain't the part that's going to get you."

• Dan LeBatard [25:09]: "I'll just vote for the far left candidate... I'll shut up."

These reflections encapsulate the tension between maintaining genuine discourse and succumbing to performative tendencies in media.

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Notable Quotes:

• Stugotz [02:08]: "Stephen A. is like, yes, forget about how we used to have Celebrity boxing. Let's just have debate duel offs all the time."

• Mike Ryan [05:16]: "The wrestling character gets rewarded, right? But what is most interesting about it to me is the political turn that he's making while still being at ESPN."

• Jemele Hill [11:09]: "This is the Dan Levator show with the Stugats podcast."

• Stugotz [19:36]: "Bathroom selfies... I just think you probably haven't quite evolved yet."

• Dan LeBatard [30:25]: "This is like a man performing masculinity on the Internet for other people to consume."

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Conclusion: In this episode, The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz navigates the complex interplay between media performance and authenticity, using Stephen A. Smith as a focal point to explore broader themes in sports journalism and pop culture. Through insightful discussions and engaging segments, the hosts provide listeners with a nuanced perspective on the evolving dynamics of media personalities and their influence on both the industry and society at large.

Transcript

[Dan LeBatard]

You're listening to Giraffe Kings Network.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, sure thing. Hey, you sold that car yet?

[Jemele Hill]

Yeah, sold it to Carvana.

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh, I thought you were selling to that guy.

[Jemele Hill]

The guy who wanted to pay me in foreign currency, no interest over 36 months.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, no.

[Jemele Hill]

Carvana gave me an offer in minutes, picked it up, and paid me on the spot. It was so convenient.

[Stugotz]

Just like that.

[Jemele Hill]

Yep.

[Stugotz]

No hassle?

[Mike Ryan]

None.

[Stugotz]

That is super convenient.

[Roy Bellamy]

Sell your car to Carvana and swap.

[Stugotz]

Hassle for convenience.

[Roy Bellamy]

Pickup fees may apply.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, sure thing. Hey, you sold that car yet?

[Jemele Hill]

Yeah, sold it to Carvana.

[Stugotz]

Oh, I thought you were selling to.

[Jemele Hill]

That guy, the guy who wanted to pay me in foreign currency, no interest over 36 months.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, no.

[Jemele Hill]

Carvana gave me an offer in minutes, picked it up, and paid me on the spot. It was so convenient.

[Stugotz]

Just like that.

[Jemele Hill]

Yeah.

[Stugotz]

No hassle?

[Mike Ryan]

None.

[Stugotz]

That is super convenient.

[Roy Bellamy]

Sell your car to Carvana and swap.

[Stugotz]

Hassle for convenience.

[Roy Bellamy]

Pickup fees may apply.

[Jemele Hill]

This is the Dan Levator show with the Stugats podcast.

[Mike Ryan]

Jemele Hill is going to join us now. And, Jamel, I insist. I insist that we find the funny in this conversation, the stupid, the silly, the nonsense in this conversation, because I was explaining before you came on here, just the wearying stupidity of having any kind of discussion about whether Jackie Robinson was black or. I don't even. I don't even know what the discussion is, honestly, or what the conversation points are that allow us to jump from Jackie Robinson to DEI and then just have the same arguments that we've been having for the last 10 years, publicly and privately, and longer than that. So thank. Thank you for joining us. But what's the funny in here? What's the part that you don't find dispiriting? And you just say to yourself, okay, media members are fighting in the wrong way.

[Stugotz]

I guess probably the most. The funniest part to me was Stephen A. Smith, who I live for, when he challenges people live on national television to some kind of confrontation, be it, you know, I wouldn't necessarily say a fistfight, but like, when he challenged Kevin Durant, like, you don't want to make an enemy out of me. Or this time around, when it came to J.D. vance, the Vice president, and Donald Trump. And all of a sudden, Stephen A. Smith is like, come on my show and tell me. Explain yourself. And I was like, yes, Stephen, a. More debate duels. Let's go. Full wrestling. That was the part that I found to be highly, highly entertaining. It's like, yes, forget about how we used to have Celebrity boxing. Let's just have debate duel offs all the time. For the soul of humanity, let's do this. I'm in.

[Chris Cody]

The funniest thing I found from this entire situation was Robert Griffin III getting dunked on. That's it. Just him getting dunked on.

[Stugotz]

Was that funny, Roy, or was that sad? Because I found that to be sad.

[Chris Cody]

I could find the funny and the sad in that situation. I thought it was highly hilarious that his take was that dumb. So obviously get dunked on on that one.

[Stugotz]

Well, I was more, I guess, of all the characters, like, whenever these debates ensue, right, you have the usual cast of characters that you expect to be involved in some of these debates. RG3 was not one that I had on the. The bingo card. Then him just coming out of nowhere, being like, I long and pine for the days when all of sports talk was just about sports and never about politics. And it was like, what. Where did that come from? So it was more the presence and the oddity of his presence in this debate that I found to be kind of strange, if you will.

[Chris Cody]

No, I totally expected that the fat black guy with the silly aspidor would say something about it, but he did not. I was really shocked about it.

[Stugotz]

Well, see, if that would have happened, I would have been like, okay, this tracks. This is on brand, right? But, like, you know, you don't expect RG3 to, you know, come out of somewhere with a. With a. What he considered to be in his mind. And maybe this is sort of the dispiriting part, is that in his mind, you could tell when he allowed, you know, when he left, let off his opinions, that he actually thought he was given some kind of nuance, intellectual take that was somehow missed. In all these years in which we have dissected, embraced, celebrated Jackie Robinson's Legacy, here comes RG3 with something we've never thought about before or something that is so unique to this discussion that he needed to tell the world that, no, no, Jackie Robinson wasn't in Major League Baseball, had nothing to do with politics, Nothing at all. It had everything to do with the fact that he was just there as just a great player. And that's it. It just completely just whitewashing the entire context of why this was so meaningful in American politics and American life, period.

[Mike Ryan]

I'm curious, Jamel, of your perspective on this. We came up with Stephen A. Smith, and I love the wrestling characters in media and the evolution of what it is that we have done, but it wasn't always wrestling characters. And he has become rewarded through the way that he is on television. The modern Howard Cosell. And one of the most stunning stories in the history of media to go from not needed at ESPN and let go by ESPN to running espn. So the wrestling character of it gets rewarded, right?

[Stugotz]

Well, yeah. I mean, and I don't mean to make it sound as if Stephen A. Is at home, you know, sort of figuring out what should my character say today? Like, I don't. I don't want to insult him by, you know, sort of. I'm just sort of politely making, you know, making fun of the whole, you know, kind of theater of it. Because Stephen A. Does understand the performance element of television, and because he understands that performance element and because he does it so well in a way that is very unique to him, in a way no one else in the industry can actually do it, that it is able to evoke reaction. You know, we live in an attention economy, Dan, as you know, and he's able to create a tornado of attention with everything that he says. And for a media company like espn, this is extremely valuable. It's why he. He got the big contract. You know, his roots are in journalism, and for a long time, he was a very good and one of the best, if not the best NBA reporter that was out there. But I think he's tapped into something that is easily monetized. So when it's not just, you know, this reporter saying something is Stephen A. Smith, and the weight of his name is bringing something extra to any discussion that he is in, I just find it really more fascinating, the political turn that he's making while still being at ESPN and still representing espn, because, as you know, that is not something that is naturally embraced by this company. And so I think seeing his turn, his dramatic turn into politics is really quite stunning, given the breadth of his career.

[Mike Ryan]

To call it a wrestling character does diminish it because it is just knowing the value of performance on television. But what. When you say you find that part of it interesting, what is most interesting about it to you, not just. Not just the ESPN part, just the slalom course that Stephen A. Has to ride in increasing audience between Fox and ESPN because he's using both platforms for his own gain.

[Stugotz]

So that's the part that I do find to be interesting, is that he is embraced in a way in conservative circles that you don't often see by people in his position. Now, some of that is just based off some of the opinions that he shared about things that he said about the Democratic Party and being very critical of them, which naturally will get you embraced by conservative circles. But very few people can vacillate between two wildly different networks. ESPN is not a political network at all. Fox is the most conservative, or maybe they're not the most conservative because you do have Newsmax and you also have Own, but, you know, they're at the top of the food chain. Certainly when it comes to conservative networks, it's the value pinging that is very interesting to me to see him going back and forth between these two circles. And at least from. I think I read this some time ago, like, he's doing some kind of live event with, like, Chris Cuomo. So I just wonder where all of this is going. And so it'll be fascinating to see the arc of his career, I think. And this is just based off things that he said publicly. I mean, I think his ultimate goal is to be the number one media mogul in all of television and as a personality, while, you know, maintaining, obviously working on some. Some projects that give him ownership over things, of course. But I think his goal is just kind of media world domination. So we're seeing this unfold in real time, and it's really quite a masterclass into how, if you can drill into the performance part of this, what lay ahead for you. I mean, because the thing with me is that while certainly I'm comfortable on tv, comfortable in formats like this and virtually any format, at some point, like, I can't perform. Like, this is what you get, and this is all there is. So I can't every day sort of create this level of enthusiasm and fight and all these other things to sort of sell the natural opinion that I have. Like, that's just not a talent that I have. And he has that talent to such a incredible degree that I guess the downside of it is that I feel. I worry that for younger journalists, that this is becoming sort of like a Steph Curry effect, in the sense that Steph Curry started shooting these logo threes and shooting these completely ridiculous and banana shots. And now every NBA player thinks that they can do that. Or young kids coming up learning how to play basketball, they're firing off 60 footers, thinking this is how you play the game, not realizing that that talent is reserved to one player who can do that. And so I guess my larger concern is that what is. And I don't mean to make it sound like it's a bad thing, like he's negatively influencing younger Journal, younger journalists, but I know a lot of them are watching him and Thinking I can do that very same thing. And so right now they're drilling into Persona as opposed to work. So that's sort of like the long term, 64,000 foot view that I'm. I'm a little bit more concerned about Jamel.

[Jemele Hill]

I'm not sure if you saw over the weekend, but. And it's like not a huge story just because. Not that many people care about it, but they had like a producer from SportsCenter that got caught kind of ripping Stephen a. A little bit, saying that they bring him on to SportsCenter just to, like, get this reaction. And even said, like, they just bring him on to be the angry black man. He doesn't actually care about these things. Then he goes on Fox News and he talks about Gaza. What does he know about Gaza? He was talking about LeBron two hours ago. What do you make of that? I mean, because it's a weird situation where this producer was taped. I don't know if this was on a date or like a social outing. And it was kind of like set up, right? And I don't know what state this was in.

[Mike Ryan]

Like this. So there's been this gotcha journalism that isn't journalism. Going out on dates and all of a sudden just recording people and, you know, embarrassing them. Like, this has been a. This has been a journalistic lane recently, has it not?

[Stugotz]

It has. It's a sucker move. And wait, maybe I need to retract everything I said. This is actually my favorite story from the last couple of days because, okay, there's so many things with this story. Like, one, you have this producer who, as you mentioned, may or may not have been on the date. Like, I don't know how much people have listened to this, but if you haven't, I encourage you to listen to it. It literally sounds like that they're on a podcast. I mean, the. The sound quality is so crisp. I'm like, was. Was my man wearing a lavalier? Like, why is this sound quality so good? And the other thing, too, I mean, I agree with you, Dan. Like, this is. This is ultimately despicable. Like, regardless, a lot of people are caught up in what this producer said and how he characterizes Stephen A. Smith and more or less how people view him at espn. Like, to me, that's like, irrelevant. The relevant part of this is that you could be in a social setting and if you work at espn, wind up being taped and then somebody else giving that to the media. But it also kind of reminds me of a rule I used to have When I was dating and, you know, a long, long time ago, when I was a single woman out here in the wild of dating, I had a rule that if I was on a date with somebody or in that kind of initial interaction where it's like, okay, you know, this. This guy's cute. You know, there's some level of flirting that's going on. If they asked me about Stephen A. Smith of Skip Bayless, immediately, that dude was canceled immediately. Like, no, I don't want anything to do with you, because there is nothing more unsexy and unflattering than when you're talking to, you know, somebody who's a potential love interest. And you're like, oh, yeah, you know, so what do you. What are your hobbies? What are you, you know, trying to get to know him? And they're like, so what's Stephen A. Smith like? I'm like, do you want to be on a date with Stephen A. Smith? Because this is doing nothing for me. Like, whatever arousal point that I had in this conversation just immediately went to negative. So it kind of reminded me of that rule that I used to have when I was dating. Like, who does that?

[Mike Ryan]

Can we play douche or no douche with her, please? I'd like to transition out of. I do find all of that interesting because it really is a story unlike any other. And, Jamel, you and I, there's a sort of inevitability in. If we're talking about some of the stuff that we were trying to push along at ESPN with great gratitude for ESPN deciding for no good reason at all to become a journalistic company or decide that they wanted to try and mix sports and difficult things to cover in sports and try and do it journalistically. The fascination I have with the evolution of everything Stephen A. Into somebody who could have a better presidential Q rating than Kamala Harris and Michelle Obama because he's famous.

[Stugotz]

Do you believe that, Dan? Like, seriously, I don't believe it. I personally don't. Like, I really do not believe that's true.

[Mike Ryan]

I mean, there's a lot of stuff happening that I don't believe it's true. And maybe that's. And perhaps the polling and the numbers aren't accurate, but I have read that the polling suggests that he would be, like, the fourth best betting favorite as a Democratic Party.

[Stugotz]

I do not believe this. I have to say, like, listen, I realize right now we're in. If we did a tournament of top dumbest times in America to have lived through, I truly realize we're in A time where this could be a number one seed. I get it. But I refuse to believe that the average person out here would look at Stephen A. Smith and say, of all the candidates that are possible in the Democratic Party, that this one is the fourth most viable that they have. And I just. I don't believe. I know that I'm probably going to regret saying this. I don't. And this is, again, no reflection of Stephen A. Smith. I don't believe America's that stupid.

[Jemele Hill]

What if you were asked, despite the fact that on a date, not the question about tell me about Stephen A. Smith, but it was like, would you vote for Stephen A. Smith? Do you think he'd be a good president? Does that then automatically cancel the person on your date with? Is that kind of like a gray area?

[Stugotz]

You know what? That's actually to my. To my single ladies out there, that that might be the one. You know, because we hear all these reports that one of the reasons, or you want to talk about things whether or not you believe or don't believe, but one of the things that's messing up the dating game is that like a lot of. A lot of men who have expressed support for Donald Trump, it's turning off the lady. Okay? And so that this is part of the reasons that social scientists and experts say that men are living in the loneliest time that they've ever experienced, because a lot of women are choosing to stay single. One of the top reasons is our political beliefs, the differences, especially among college educated women. And so maybe that is now the ultimate dating test. Would you vote for Stephen A. Smith? And whatever the answer is, ladies, you can decide if you found your man or not found your man.

[Tony]

Dan. Fourth best odds. Stephen A. Sprinkle something on that.

[Zaslow]

Definitely a little something on that.

[Tony]

Sprinkle little something.

[Mike Ryan]

Tony and Zaz say that that debate that you wish for, Jamel, would be super bowl numbers, they say, between Stephen A.

[Stugotz]

And Donald Trump. Okay, I can believe that. I can believe that. I would believe that. I would sprinkle something on that and.

[Zaslow]

Say, would you pay for it? Would you pay five bucks for it?

[Tony]

I got five on it.

[Stugotz]

I'm gonna hate myself. I'm gonna hate myself.

[Zaslow]

You know you're gonna do it. You know you're gonna do. You're gonna call the girls over and watch. Have a watch party. Come on now. Come on now.

[Stugotz]

I am disgusted with myself in this moment.

[Zaslow]

So five bucks.

[Stugotz]

Yes, I would pay five dollars. Okay.

[Mike Ryan]

All right.

[Stugotz]

Donald Trump and Stephen A. Debate. I'm not gonna lie all right, I. I would, I would pay. I would pay five bucks for that. I would not. I did not want, you know, if the Mike Tyson fight with Jake Paul had been had, you had to pay for it.

[Zaslow]

I mean, I already paid 9.99amonth for it, but whatever.

[Stugotz]

Right, right. I already paid for it. Like, but if that were available to pay for in the traditional pay per view model, I would have never paid for that.

[Zaslow]

But Stephen A versus Trump, Stephen A.

[Stugotz]

Smith versus Donald Trump, I. I would pay for that. I might even pay $10 for that. I'm not gonna lie.

[Zaslow]

Can I get you 20? Can I get you 20?

[Stugotz]

20 bucks?

[Zaslow]

Can I get you 20? You invite the girls over, everybody splits.

[Stugotz]

5.

[Dan LeBatard]

You bring a couple bottles of wine.

[Zaslow]

You get another charcuterie board.

[Jemele Hill]

If you're gonna pay 10, you could pay 10. You could pay 15. Jamel, you could pay 10.

[Stugotz]

1999. 1999 is as high as I go.

[Zaslow]

Sold.

[Stugotz]

1999 is as high as I go.

[Dan LeBatard]

Wow.

[Stugotz]

I'm not. I'm not going past that.

[Zaslow]

How about a loser leaves town game? Would you pay 50 for that?

[Tony]

Wow.

[Zaslow]

Would you pay 50 for that? Loser Le Town game. $49.99.

[Stugotz]

49.49.99 for a loser game. I mean, for the possibility of getting rid of Donald Trump.

[Zaslow]

49.

[Stugotz]

I mean, I pay 50 bucks.

[Mike Ryan]

You're a hell of a salesman. Look at America coming together. Everybody's coming. 49.99 Loser leaves town games as Jeremy.

[Jemele Hill]

Has the appropriate $65 and the loser has to shave their head. Wow.

[Roy Bellamy]

Okay.

[Mike Ryan]

All right, let's play douche or no douche here. Leaving stickers on your flat. Brim hat. Douche or no douche.

[Stugotz]

Leaving stickers on your flat. I would say no douche. No douche.

[Mike Ryan]

Morning routine videos on social media.

[Stugotz]

I'm gonna say douche. Cause that's just way too attention seeking. I don't care that much about what you're doing in the morning.

[Mike Ryan]

Speaking of which, Bathroom selfies.

[Stugotz]

Oh, that is. You know what? That's no douche. Because I don't consider. I think that's just kind of sad. I don't think you're a jerk for doing that. I just think you probably haven't quite evolved yet. Those things should be out.

[Dan LeBatard]

I think a bathroom selfie's okay. That's cause you looked in the mirror and you liked what you saw and that's such a nice thing that you could confident about yourself and go, you know what? I'm going to take a selfie. In this mirror. And I'm going to show the world that I feel good about myself.

[Roy Bellamy]

I think about.

[Stugotz]

Nobody wants to see the leg sticking out of the stall.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's fair.

[Stugotz]

Nobody wants to see. Nobody wants. Right. Yeah. You got to think of the aesthetic. Okay.

[Dan LeBatard]

Solo bathroom. Okay.

[Mike Ryan]

Driving a cybertruck. Douche or no douche, you're a douche.

[Stugotz]

And I live in L. A, so you imagine how many that I see on a. On a daily basis. There's also a Tesla dealership that's walking distance to me. No one's vandalized anything, by the way, in case anyone cares.

[Mike Ryan]

Jamel, nice seeing you. Thank you for being on with us. It's always good seeing you.

[Stugotz]

Now I gotta. Now I gotta go and feel bad for myself the rest of the day because you guys got me to admit that I would pay. Donald Trump debate Stephen A. Smith.

[Mike Ryan]

You think that's the part that's going to be aggregated? You know good and well.

[Stugotz]

That's right. By God.

[Mike Ryan]

You know good and well that ain't the part that's going to get you.

[Stugotz]

I know.

[Jeremy]

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[Jemele Hill]

Wow.

[Stugotz]

What's up? I just bought and financed a car through Carvana in minutes. You, the person who agonized four weeks over whether to paint your walls eggshell.

[Roy Bellamy]

Or off white, bought and financed a car in minutes.

[Stugotz]

They made it easy, Transparent terms, customizable, down and monthly. Didn't even have to do any paperwork. Wow.

[Roy Bellamy]

Mm.

[Dan LeBatard]

Hey, have you checked out that spreadsheet.

[Stugotz]

I sent you for our dinner?

[Roy Bellamy]

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[Mike Ryan]

Don LeBatard are the stakes that high.

[Dan LeBatard]

That if Angel Reese loses to Caitlin.

[Mike Ryan]

Clark, you need to start over again.

[Zaslow]

As a race stugats?

[Stugotz]

I don't know that we have to necessarily start over, but it might have to be. It will be a black people's meeting, an important one that will be called the next day where we might have to put some things on the agenda and get it on the table.

[Jemele Hill]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the stugats.

[Mike Ryan]

Jeremy, what do you have to update there?

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, I really hate to put a damper on this one for you guys, but according to McLaughlin and Associates, in January of 20 they did a poll thinking ahead to the 2020 25. Thinking ahead to the 2028 Democratic primary election for president. If that election were held today, among the following candidates, whom would you vote for? So in terms of percentages, Kamala Harris had 33, Pete Buttigieg had nine, Gavin Newsom had seven, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez had six. Josh Shapiro, Tim Walls, Gretchen Whitmer and Amy Klobuchar all had three. Stephen A. Smith down at two. So you know, not gonna happen.

[Zaslow]

We get better. I believe now a better odds. You sprinkle a Little bit more.

[Stugotz]

It goes a long way.

[Dan LeBatard]

I would do anything to not have Stephen A. Smith be the president, except. Except for Donald Trump being the. So I guess I'd rather him than Donald Trump, but, like, he's a Republican. I don't want him running for the.

[Zaslow]

You're catch 22. You're paying 50 bucks. Sorry.

[Dan LeBatard]

No, I'll just vote for the far left candidate. I mean, like, that's what we'll do, right? If Stephen A. Is the Democratic nominee, the Democratic Party doesn't exist anymore. No, we're all just cool with that guy who's always said, all I care about is money and he's just gonna be there. All right, that's fine. I'll. I'll shut up.

[Tony]

Presidential something on it.

[Dan LeBatard]

There we go.

[Mike Ryan]

What are you, the salt bay? Like, what are you doing there? You want to.

[Tony]

I'm sprinkling a little something.

[Zaslow]

A little sprinkle.

[Tony]

I'm just trying to win some money, all right.

[Mike Ryan]

A value proposition. Yeah. You can't have your moralities around my value propositions. It's just gambling.

[Tony]

Can't it just be both?

[Mike Ryan]

With our freedom and our democracy, we'll be fine.

[Jemele Hill]

But if you lose it, you might as well win money, right? She'd probably lose that, too. If you lose the freedom. Yeah, but it's about to figure that out once we get there.

[Zaslow]

Yeah, but you win on a long shot. I mean, how does that feel?

[Tony]

It's something to brag about.

[Stugotz]

Fine.

[Tony]

It's something to brag about for the rest of your life. Hey, I, you know, I sprinkled a little bit.

[Jemele Hill]

You know, I took it early.

[Tony]

Yeah, that's right. And I took it early.

[Mike Ryan]

Nobody likes the person who gives the morning routine. Right. That's not something that we. That's something that everyone's going to respond. I don't want to watch your morning routine on social media.

[Jemele Hill]

Depends how interesting it is.

[Chris Cody]

Yeah, I honestly don't know what this is.

[Zaslow]

Morning routine?

[Mike Ryan]

Yes.

[Chris Cody]

I don't know what this is.

[Mike Ryan]

Well, Roy. Roy is suffering at the moment. We'll get to that in a second. Roy is. And this is a good character. Actually, I would like to develop this character with Roy. Roy feels like this is well beyond the sad report that Chris Cody is producing. The slow report. Excuse me? Not the sad report. That's a different report. That's mine. That's the one I do. Yes. I'm sorry. The slow report is Chris Cody. Mine's the sad report. But Roy is feeling these days like he is the very last to know anything that, anything going on on social media that is viral, that for whatever the reason is, it's getting to him last. He feels like he's arriving at things that others are talking about and they've already talked about it.

[Chris Cody]

Yeah. And as much as I'm on Twitter or X as it's currently known right now, I have yet to see whatever this morning routine thing is. Like zero percent knowledge of this.

[Tony]

I don't know what it is either.

[Zaslow]

I think if you have an Android it just gets to you slower.

[Jemele Hill]

Yeah.

[Chris Cody]

God dammit. It is not because I have an Android. Like I guess it just, it's not in the algorithm, I guess.

[Jemele Hill]

Well, that's why Zaz is here telling you. Sprinkle a little something on Stephen A. Now like that's getting to you early. Take note of this.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah. The morning routine Billy that you're obsessed with.

[Jemele Hill]

Well, so there's this morning routine video that's been going around. There's lots of morning routine videos. We do some with Nick's kind of. That's something that we do. But there's a morning routine that's going on and it's. I don't know what this guy does, if he's like an influencer or whatever, but like his day starts very, very early and people are catching on to the fact that times are not necessarily adding up when he's doing things because it's playing now sound on this. But it starts at like 3:17am by 4 or 1am he's out on his balcony doing push ups, as you know, as one does. That lasts until about 4 or 4am Then he sits.

[Tony]

Morning routine, that's a middle of the night routine.

[Jemele Hill]

Well, no, no, it's. Well it starts at 3. Look. Rise and grind. Early bird gets the worm. You know what I mean? Z.

[Zaslow]

So he's out there for like 20 years, dude.

[Tony]

Yeah, well, eventually I had to take a step back.

[Jemele Hill]

But yes, while he's there, he then puts his face in a, a bowl of ice water. For some reason he puts on his, his running things. A $20,000 watch. From what Tony says, he's there walking you through this video. Then at 6:20am he leaves his apartment. He goes into the elevator at 6:23. At 6:38 he's on the treadmill until 6:52, 7:30 he's going outside for a swim. 7:31, he's there, he takes off his shoes and. Well, There he goes. 7:37, he jumped at 7:40am he landed in the pool. So he was Floating in the air for about three minutes there. Then he goes back upstairs, takes another shower. At 8:28am 8:35, he dries himself off. He now is rubbing some banana on his face, sits down up, his face is back in a tub of ice. And now he's having an important meeting where I think he just said like give me 10,000 or something like that. And now he has someone making him breakfast and he's eating breakfast at 9:26am and you can watch all that with sound on the social medias.

[Mike Ryan]

Probably would have been better or worse with sound.

[Dan LeBatard]

Worse. That was way better. Yeah, Billy killed it.

[Mike Ryan]

Okay.

[Jemele Hill]

I'm working on my play by play skill professional broadcast. The more I do it, the better it's getting.

[Mike Ryan]

The doing of the morning routine and what do you. So Roy, you don't feel like you've missed anything, right?

[Chris Cody]

For why and for what? Seriously, what is that?

[Dan LeBatard]

Well, the sharing it or having it. I'm calling this a morning routine. This is like a man performing masculinity on the Internet for other people to consume.

[Roy Bellamy]

This isn't like oh, I'm brushing my.

[Dan LeBatard]

Teeth and I'm washing my face and then I'm going to work.

[Jemele Hill]

I think that's supposed to be motivational. Like you're supposed to see like how the grind, rise and grind and you see how much like oh wow, while I'm sleeping, you know, this guy is doing push ups on his balcony at 4:01am for three minutes.

[Tony]

What's the point of waking up before.

[Dan LeBatard]

4:00Am you could have ended the sentence at waking up.

[Mike Ryan]

Jeremy, can you find for me the Mark Wahlberg routine where I would imagine is where this started because he's famously someone who gets up at 2:30 in the morning because you want to rise faster and grind harder than the person.

[Tony]

You wake up before anyone. You're accomplishing so much.

[Dan LeBatard]

2:30Am Wake up 2:45am Prayer time, 3:15am Breakfast 3:40 to 5:15am Workout 5:30am Post workout meal, 6am Shower, 7:30am Golf. So I don't, I don't an hour, no one's impressed. Shower, 8am Snack 9:30am Cryo Chamber Recovery, 10:30am Snack, 11am Family time slash meeting slash work calls. 1pm Lunch 2pm Meeting slash work calls, 3pm Pick up kids at school. 3:30pm Snack is he 4pm Workout number two. 5pm Shower 5:30pm Dinner slash family time. 7:30pm Bedtime because his life sucks.

[Tony]

I'm sorry, you're going to sleep at 7:30 you're right. Your life sucks. You're going to sleep at 7:30. What are you doing?

[Dan LeBatard]

I couldn't agree with you more.

[Tony]

7:30. Who wants to do that? And he's like a star. He's got lots of money. He's going to bed at 7:30. Waking up at 2:30 over yourself. No one cares. Like, is there anyone who you say, I wake up at 2:30 in the morning, like, wow, it's awesome.

[Zaslow]

I wake up at 2:30 in the morning every morning.

[Mike Ryan]

By the way, I do think there are people that are impressed by a military lifestyle of discipline. Yes. I'm not saying that I am one of them, but I don't think that Mark Wahlberg is showing that to people because he doesn't think they're going to be impressed.

[Tony]

But military guys don't wake up at 2:30. They wake up at 0600 hours. You know, that means 6am That's 6am that's military time. Oh, 6 o'clock. I want to confuse anyone. Inclusive show.

[Mike Ryan]

Tony, what do you have for us?

[Zaslow]

Dano, I'm glad you asked. Obviously, we've talked a little bit about the. Did I find there?

[Dan LeBatard]

No, it was a video of someone just sent me a Willow sleeping out there on the couch.

[Zaslow]

Just making sure.

[Stugotz]

Willow.

[Zaslow]

We've got a bracket update, Dano. And today's Bracket update is brought to you by the Toasted Bracket, by Jimmy John's. Jimmy John's is sponsoring the Toasted bracket. They're finally here and they're finally hot. Those toasted sandwiches, by the way, very exciting. Try our new toasted sandwiches at Jimmy John's. Order one today, Dan. It's been a very chalky bracket.

[Stugotz]

Right.

[Zaslow]

If you look in the Midwest region, you got 1, 2, 3, 4. A lot of ones, a lot of twos. Except the two that I picked, which of course was St. John's is. I had them in the final four. I had them beating Florida in a very exciting, you know, run for the Johnnies. Then they continued to go for. What did they go four for? 41 on threes combined.

[Dan LeBatard]

I mean, look at how cute that is.

[Stugotz]

Come on.

[Jemele Hill]

Yeah.

[Dan LeBatard]

I could not click play on.

[Zaslow]

Shouldn't be here in the office. Do you agree with that?

[Jeremy]

Whoa.

[Tony]

That the dog shouldn't be in the office? Dog ain't bothering anybody.

[Jemele Hill]

Yeah, it's bothering somebody.

[Tony]

I was at a brewery yesterday and there was a dog right next to me at the table. Right next to me, drinking beer, sitting in the chair, like next to my chair, lying down. Right. You Know, right up against me, but I was like, you don't bother anybody. Whatever.

[Stugotz]

She's so cute.

[Mike Ryan]

How do you feel? So you're okay with dogs? This is the first time hearing the. Tony's not okay.

[Zaslow]

I'm aligned with the mean on the fact that the dog needs to be doing. We're doing. We're doing the show.

[Tony]

As long as the dog's not bothering anybody. I know.

[Mike Ryan]

Problem.

[Zaslow]

Anyways, we've got number one still alive across the board. I got Duke winning it all. So I'm still in. In, you know, in good graces there when it comes to the national championship.

[Stugotz]

Why?

[Jemele Hill]

I just wouldn't be in the top 10 places to visit. We've gone over.

[Zaslow]

Oh, that's right.

[Tony]

I don't want to hear about the dog being an emotional support animal, though. Like, that's garbage. Like, everybody has a dog to emotionally support you. You have a dog because having the dog makes you feel good. All right, that's everyone. So the fact that you could bring your dog anywhere because it's an emotional support animal, that's bullshit.

[Zaslow]

I agree. I also have Michigan State in the Final Four, so the Sparties are looking good. Dano. That's the toasted bracket update brought to you by Jimmy Johnson.

[Mike Ryan]

Thank you, Zaslow. How do you feel about Florida being a favorite as someone who is a proud Gator? And the best Florida run there's been was Joe Kim, Noah607, and Horford and Billy Donovan. This is the best team since then, is it not?

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah.

[Tony]

And by the way, you know, we had the Cooper Flag conversation earlier. All those guys were projected lottery picks, and they all came back the very next year. Like, that's all them. Horford, Joachim, Noah, Corey, Brewer. They all came back the next year.

[Mike Ryan]

Jeremy. What, are you rolling your eyes?

[Dan LeBatard]

I wasn't rolling my eyes as much as. It's just. It was a different time, right? Like, and those guys were not all freshmen. It wasn't the time of one and done. It was a different time in college basketball where those players all going back was ultimately good for them. And. And look, all the power to Cooper Flag if that's what he decides to do. If all of those lottery picks at Duke maybe win a championship and say, let's go win another one, maybe that happens. We were talking about an individual player where I'm expecting that his teammates are going to leave, too. But if you tell me that some Duke booster, you know, swoops in and is willing to give however many millions to all of those lottery picks, to stick around. Maybe it happens. But you're right. UF is like the ultimate. That was the ultimate example of the perfect college basket.

[Tony]

Was a different time. But doesn't that make it even more shocking that those guys all.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah. Passing up on the money. You're right.

[Jemele Hill]

Yeah.

[Tony]

And joke him, Noah, there was talk he was gonna be the number one pick after 2006. He stayed. He ended up going, like, number nine or whatever it was.

[Mike Ryan]

Well, that would be my test case if I was trying to make the argument against you guys as you correctly assembled. So much more money is the thing. If you went and asked Joachim Noah and Al Horford now and Corey Brewer now with whatever money they made, hey, that second year that you guys got together, where you got to do it again, what. What was that worth? What would you pay for if. For to have that year back? I think in the case of those three, it's an extraordinary amount of money. All their teammates might not have that money, though, and they might have a different answer.

[Tony]

Yeah, I think they certainly liked it because they. They gave up the year and they accomplished exactly what they set out to do. Like, it worked out exactly the way that they wanted it to.

[Mike Ryan]

Well, because they were better than everybody. This team's supposed to be better than everybody except for Duke. Like, it's the. It's the best offense in the sport in 10 years when people aren't. I mean, you can say people are good at offense, but this is by percentage. This is inefficient basketball. This is crude basketball. It's. It's not even that. You're never, you know, the cost of what we're talking about in making college, what we've made it, is that Florida team will never exist again. Like, it's not. It's not even a thing. That's possible. Even if Phil Knight decides he wants to make Oregon something bigger, the pros are always going to be the calling. That's dead. It's dead forever. And a portion of college basketball gets killed with it because Cooper Flag is the name that you know, but you don't. You never. The Duke team of Zion Williamson, where. Where Zion was the third best recruit that's not going to play together for three years the way it would have at UNLV once upon a time.

[Dan LeBatard]

It's also dead because we just generally have more of that get that bag mentality right. In America than we did, you know, 18 years ago. Right.

[Tony]

It was still pretty shocking back then.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, it was surprising, but it'd be way more surprising now. Because the kids that are playing college basketball right now were being born around then. And the way that we've shifted our conversation about individually going and getting the bag, no matter what that takes, is different than it was then. So you can motivate. Hey, you guys just won a championship. There's this collective bond over whatever. I mean, you see it in the.

[Tony]

Better chance if you lose the championship. Like if Cooper Flag Duke win this year. I don't think you even consider staying. I think if they fall short, it's like I came here with a championship.

[Mike Ryan]

I'm just saying there is no consideration anymore. Right. This isn't even a conversation anymore. Even though you can stay in college and get millions of dollars, it ceased being a conversation. Everyone agrees that it's dumb to go back.

[Tony]

Someone's going to do it. I don't think it's going to be Cooper Flag. Someone's going to do it.

[Zaslow]

Like at Duke this year.

[Tony]

No, no, no, no. I don't think it's gonna be this year. But one. Someone's going to do it one day. Where? Wow, I make enough money here. I'm not trying to play for the win.

[Mike Ryan]

That is a bold prediction that will never be able to call you off.

[Tony]

I mark it down.

[Dan LeBatard]

Hey, friends, it's Jerbear here and I'm here to tell you all about Boost Mobile, which is now a legit nationwide 5G network. So I must take a break from the jokes here for a second and put on my serious voice because I would never, ever joke about a 5G network that has invested billions building 5G towers across the country. Not even once. Not even if Mr. Boost Mobile himself asked me to. There is nothing funny about it. Boost Mobile is now a legit nationwide 5G network and also provides coverage across. That's 99% of America. Seriously? Visit boostmobile.com or your nearest Boost Mobile store location to learn more. The Boost Mobile network, together with our roaming partners, covers 99% of the US population. 5G speeds not available in all areas.