Is Chris Allowed To Become a Yankees Fan? | Hour 2

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show

Episode: "Is Chris Allowed To Become a Yankees Fan?" | Hour 2

Date: July 23, 2026
Podcast Context: Live from The Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, Dan Le Batard and his crew dissect sports, pop culture, and everything in between with their signature humor and candor.

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Episode Overview

This hour-long segment centers around the evolving landscape of American soccer after a major tournament, the curious missteps of sports leagues (notably MLS and the WNBA), and a spirited debate about sports fandom and whether marriage grants you access to a new favorite team. The hour is loaded with the show’s characteristic banter, anecdotes, and genuine confusion about chicken-shaped ice cream.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The State and Struggles of U.S. Soccer (02:34 – 13:08)

• Post-World Cup Malaise:
  The group reflects on the end of a big summer soccer tournament and the challenges MLS faces capturing the same energy.
• Why Doesn't U.S. Club Soccer Take Off?
  • Americans crave “the best” in sports; our domestic leagues for baseball, football, basketball, and hockey feature the top global talent. MLS, in contrast, can’t compete with overseas leagues and their century-old systems.
  • Jonathan Zaslow (03:28): “We’re also not ready to put the work in and build something out, which is what MLS’ real problem is… You’ll never get all the biggest stars.”
• MLS Rules & Frustrations:
  • The convoluted "discovery rights" rule becomes a lightning rod for ridicule.
    • Zaslow (04:25): “Louisiana Galaxy discovered Casemiro. How did they discover him? They put on the Premier League one day and were like, ‘Hey, that guy’s pretty good. Dibs!’”
  • Inter Miami, the local franchise, repeatedly lands in hot water over arcane regulations.
• Building Talent is a Long Game:
  European systems took about a century to develop.
  • Zaslow (06:04): “We’ll get there eventually. But this is something that took 100 years in Europe. MLS is only 30 years old.”
• Embarrassing MLS Moments:
  • A backpass blunder (goalkeeper whiff) from Inter Miami exemplifies the league’s growing pains.
    • Chris (09:55): “The goalie really fucked up.”
• Hope for U.S. Soccer’s Future:
  Emphasis turns to the national teams and leveraging international tournaments and rivalries (e.g., vs. Mexico) to sustain interest. - Zaslow (11:18): “The future of soccer in this country is really highlighting the national team and hoping that trickles down.”

2. Gatekeeping Soccer Accessibility (11:24 – 13:08)

• Apple TV’s Double Paywall:
  Barriers to watching MLS (Apple TV + League Pass) have alienated even dedicated fans. - Chris (11:24): “I really like soccer and had the subscription for a couple years… but now I don’t [have it], and so I’m not watching it.” - Zaslow (12:15): “Apple TV is still not a destination streamer… it’s asking a lot for what is globally such an accessible game.”

3. WNBA All-Star Weekend — What Went Wrong? (16:58 – 23:04)

• Sabrina Ionescu Excluded:
  The panel is mystified as WNBA standout Sabrina Ionescu is omitted from the three-point contest, despite being last year’s champion. - Sabrina Ionescu (18:21): “I can’t decline an offer I never got officially invited to… I was pretty surprised to see that. Never got, never got invited.”
• League Communication Issues:
  The WNBA claims she declined an invite—Sabrina says she was never asked. Leads to questions of incompetence or miscommunication within the league office.
  • Chris (19:29): “There are some instances where I don’t understand what they’re doing… someone’s lying.”
  • Comparison to NBA’s respect for its own stars in All-Star competitions (e.g., Craig Hodges, Damian Lillard).

4. Fandom, Family, and The Yankees Hat Debate (23:19 – 29:52)

• Jeremy’s Dilemma:
  Jeremy, a Miami native and Marlins fan, wants approval to become a Yankees fan for the sake of family harmony and potential World Series perks. - Jeremy (23:19): “I’m a Yankees fan. My wife and her family, die hard Yankee fans… am I allowed, as a sports fan?”
  • The crew interrogates: Does marriage or family allegiance make you a “real” fan? Does fashion or convenience allow picking a new team?
  • Confession: Jeremy wants a ticket to the World Series if the Yankees make it.
    • Jeremy (28:29): “If the Yankees make the World Series… I want to get in on that trip.”
• Chris’ Purist Stance:
  Chris adamantly opposes switching or “marrying into” team allegiances, even for family. - Chris (27:51): “I would never wear the jersey, a shirt, or a hat of a team that is not mine. I would never do that.”
  • The banter escalates into playful yet heated debate over sports loyalty and authenticity.

Fandom Courtroom Finale

• Judge Zaslow Rules (33:21 – 34:08):
  • Jeremy pleads his case.
  • Chris (33:54): “Can you marry into a team? My answer is NO. You are guilty of bullshit fandom! With prejudice.”
  • The crew agrees: one team per person, no midlife switching — marriage is not an excuse.

5. Chicken with Ice Cream? Stadium Eats & Family Stories (34:44 – 36:43)

• Bizarre Stadium Food:
  Jeremy recounts eating “ice cream chicken” at Yankee Stadium, a salty and sweet novelty (chicken-shaped ice cream with a pretzel “bone”). - Chris (35:06): “How do they get the ice cream inside the chicken? It’s really stupid.”
• Family Connections:
  The Yankees debate is peppered with family anecdotes—including Ray Romano being Jeremy’s “uncle-in-law.” Romano once hit Chris Cody with a golf ball, a story now repeated on other podcasts.

6. The Portland Trailblazers, Ownership Woes & Broadcaster Exodus (36:43 – 43:35)

• Ownership Under Scrutiny:
  The Blazers’ owner (also owner of the Carolina Hurricanes) lays off popular broadcasters, lowballs legendary play-by-play man Kevin Calabro, and reportedly considers relocating the team. - Chris (38:06): “They apparently lowballed him so hard on his new contract, he was quoted as saying, ‘It’s not worth my time.’”
  • Concerns raised about the owner’s stinginess and impact on team/fan morale.
  • Comparison to other sports’ devotion to their community icons (Eric Reid with the Miami Heat).
• Relocation Fears:
  The group worries for loyal Portland fans, some speculating the move would betray the city's basketball heritage.
  - Mike (40:43): “The way that they’ve done this stinks. Worries me this whole threat to move the team from Portland isn’t just bluster.”

7. NBA/NHL Team Standards & Player Culture (41:11 – 43:15)

• Contrast drawn between NBA and NHL franchises regarding player vocality, financial culture, and league expectations.
  • NBA stars more likely to air grievances; NHL players typically remain mum, even when facilities are subpar.

8. LeBron Watch & Miscellaneous Banter (43:35 – End)

• A briefly touched, running joke about LeBron James’ free agency and the many rumors, ends the hour on a light note.
• The episode closes with callback gags—ice cream chicken, Yankees hats, and family group text selfies.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Best Soccer Soundbite:
  • “MLS’s slogan after the World Cup is ‘We got it from here.’ It was embarrassing.”
    — Jonathan Zaslow (06:47)
• Chris, Purist on Fandom:
  • “If you wear a shirt or jersey of another team, that means you like that team and I don’t like any other team except mine.”
    — Chris (28:15)
• Judge Zaslow Hammers Down:
  • “Can you marry into a team? My answer is NO. You are guilty of bullshit fandom—with prejudice!”
    — Chris, ruling as Judge Zaslow (33:54)
• On WNBA Gaffe:
  • “I can’t decline an offer I never got officially invited to… I was pretty surprised to see that.”
    — Sabrina Ionescu (18:21)
• On Stadium Food Innovation:
  • “How do they get the ice cream inside the chicken? It’s really stupid.”
    — Chris (35:06)
• Broadcasting Legend Slighted:
  • “[Calabro] was quoted as saying it’s not worth my time. And he left the team, not retiring, still looking to be a play by play man…”
    — Chris (38:06)
• On Ownership Culture:
  • “It would be a disaster unless they offered it to you, though.”
    — Chris (40:39)

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment / Moment | |-----------|------------------| | 02:34 | Start of soccer/MLS discussion | | 06:45 | Details of Inter Miami’s embarrassing own goal | | 09:55 | “The goalie really fucked up” | | 16:58 | Shift to WNBA All Star/3PT Contest controversy | | 18:21 | Sabrina Ionescu audio: denied invitation claim | | 23:19 | Yankees hat/fandom debate begins | | 27:51 | Chris: “I would never wear…” (fandom loyalty) | | 28:29 | Jeremy’s World Series trip confession | | 33:54 | Chris, as Judge, rules on “marrying into” fanhood | | 34:44 | Bizarre food at Yankee Stadium | | 36:43 | Portland Blazers ownership, Calabro lowballing | | 38:06 | Legendary broadcaster mistreated | | 40:39 | Heat/Eric Reid analogy—ownership impacts | | 43:35 | LeBron rumors and closing banter |

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Tone & Style

Conversational, irreverent, whip-smart, and often affectionate—a blend of sharp critique, personal anecdotes, and playful antagonism, always circling back to the core “sports as life” ethos of the show.

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Summary Prepared For Those Who Missed the Episode
This episode is rich with the Le Batard Show’s insider-outsider perspective—a wry look at the sports world, with hot takes on soccer culture and league mismanagement, a loving but fierce debate on what makes a “true fan,” and loving ridicule of everything from streaming hiccups to stadium snacks. Add in a sports fandom courtroom, complaints about mismanaged leagues, and a sprinkle of random Ray Romano—and you’ll be up to speed.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

Summer is pretty much my favorite time to be a sports fan. The biggest soccer tournament of the summer just wrapped up. Baseball's on every night, racing never takes a weekend off, and my calendar basically revolves around first pitches, green flags, and whatever game everybody's texting about. I realized I'm the MVP of my group. I'm always the friend that says, hey, I've got it.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I've got a place.

[Dan Le Batard]

I've got some ice cold Miller lights.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I got the tv.

[Dan Le Batard]

I got a big comfy blue leather couch.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Come on over.

[Dan Le Batard]

That's the behavior of a Miller Time mvp. I almost never watch the big ones alone. I'd much rather be with my friends. And if I am alone, we're texting, we're sipping on our Miller Lites, toasting the day, toasting the big games. For me, Miller Lite is just a part of a big game routine. It's brewed for taste with simple ingredients, clean, refreshing and easy to drink, especially in the Miami heat. It's a true American Pilsner, and the original light beer is since 1975. An all American summer starts with an all American beer Miller lite. 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.

[Chris]

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[Jeremy]

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[Chris]

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[Jeremy]

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[Mike]

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[Chris]

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[Jonathan Zaslow]

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[Chris]

Oh, wouldn't it be nice if just LeBron would announce where he's going right about now? Serious. In a completely different direction. So we all saw with the World cup ending. You know, the MLS has that commercial. We'll take it from here. Did you see what happened in the Inter Miami game last year?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Boy, did they ever.

[Jeremy]

Dude.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

All right, so I want to have a discussion about where soccer goes from here. I found myself missing the World Cup. You guys remember that? It was awesome.

[Chris]

World cup was great, man.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

World cup was terrific.

[Chris]

I'm going to miss it.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

But it's very clear that the United States only seems to have an appetite for international soccer played at the very highest level. Like we'll get up for a World Cup.

[Chris]

I mean, that's. That's what our other sports are in this country. Right. We have the best baseball, obviously. American football. We have the best American football. We have the best basketball, we have the best hockey. So doesn't that make sense that we would really just want the best soccer?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

It does, but we're also not ready to put the work in and build something out, which is what MLS real problem is in that they gotta make a huge investment, spend far too much money and guarantee that you're never gonna get all the biggest stars. It's not gonna be like that because there are so many form leagues that make huge amounts of revenue. You're gonna be competing against Real ma. By the way, Inter Miami got into trouble. There's tampering charges being filed.

[Chris]

Yeah, because it's the shadiest franchise. That's why I told this. Why, like, look, let Inter Miami win. I'm fine with it. Obviously it's local.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Are you familiar with what the charge is over though? The tampering?

[Chris]

Yeah, it's like salary cap stuff.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

No, it's because MLS shady organization. No, MLS is dumb. MLS is dumb. Discovery rights is what they. They're in trouble for.

[Chris]

Are other teams getting pinged for this in mls?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

It's a stupid thing that shouldn't exist. Louisiana Galaxy discovered Casimiro. How did they discover him? They put on the Premier League one day and were like, hey, that guy's pretty good. Let's. Hey, let's.

[Dan Le Batard]

Let's.

[Jeremy]

That's our guy. Dibs.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Dibs. Dibs. Hey, this Messi guy is pretty good. Dibs. What. What is that?

[Chris]

I know, but the point that I'm making is it continues to be Inter Miami that gets pinged for.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yes.

[Chris]

Suppose rules violations.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yes. And the violations that they have. Are stupid. They're, I think in some cases, like the Matsuiti, like they're clear. But it's also because Inter Miami's ownership group is an ownership group that like you say you want MLS to be the best. You want, you want them to spend a lot of money, you want them to get the best stars. MLS ownership typically isn't like that. Inter Miami's wants to push and now to that they don't want a salary cap. They want to be aggressive. MLS doesn't even encourage competition with things like discovery rights among their own franchises. We have discovery rights, so we get to negotiate with this player that what's fun is multiple teams chasing the services.

[Chris]

I still, I still find it amazing like, because we're obviously so used to the way American sports operate that there's no draft with the soccer.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

There is. There's an MLS draft.

[Chris]

No, no, but, but, but, but the, the big leagues overseas.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

No, because they find their, their talents at the academy level.

[Chris]

It's amazing.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

They go out and they scout these other clubs that are regionalized, that are in parts of the world that find, you know, this hot shot that's seven years old, they develop him to a

[Chris]

certain state, they fund his development.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

And then some. Another club knocks around and, and decides we'll take it from here. You feed them to us and usually that is a mid club and you ascend. Depending on how good the talent is. We'll get there eventually. But this is something that took 100 years over in Europe. MLS is only 30 years old. But my point is, as embarrassing as that goal was yesterday too, that was fun, but it was actually indicative of what the problem is at MLS for

[Jeremy]

the people that don't know Miami. And I was thinking the whole World Cup, I said to my dad during the World cup these, they pass it back to the goalie a lot. Does the ball ever accidentally go in the net? And that happened to inner Miami last night. A, a soft pass back to the goalie. He swings and misses and the ball just right.

[Chris]

He straight up swings it like it

[Jonathan Zaslow]

was an easy back pass to the keep and his leg just swings over it and it goes in for a goal. MLS's slogan after the World cup is we got it from here. It was embarrassing.

[Chris]

And of course everyone's, you know, all over it on social media.

[Jeremy]

This is the team that Messi's gonna come back.

[Chris]

That was the joke. That was the prevailing joke. This, this is what Messi has to go back to.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yeah, it was a tough look.

[Chris]

It remind me Won the game, by the way.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Did they?

[Jeremy]

Yeah.

[Chris]

Three, two.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yeah. I didn't watch because Messi wasn't playing. No. So Chicago Fire. Chicago Fire were playing in that game. That's tough. Robert Lewandowski is a big star in global soccer. He. He plays for Chicago Fire now. That was a big signing. But it's also like, I love that Robert Lewandowski is playing in mls. He's still a good goal scorer in his age, but to make that signing happen, they kind of insulted the number nine that they had already, who was leading MLS in goals. 29 years old, not a huge star name. I'm not even going to say his name. But now he's on his way to Liga Mickeys because they paved way for an older Robert Lewandowski instead of just making it work with the both of them. You're losing talent that can help build this league, but it's never going to happen. At least with this current media deal with Apple tv, it's not going to happen for mls. And it's hard to see the path for MLS to gain real traction in this country from where I'm standing right now. That's not the future of soccer in this country. The future of soccer in this country is really highlighting the national team and hoping that trickles down. So we have new broadcast partners for the U.S. men's National Team and women's national team. We have a World cup next year, and those typically rate well.

[Chris]

Where is that?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

It's in Brazil. The United States in the women's game is the bet is a global superpower, so hopefully we'll get out to similar numbers.

[Chris]

Why are the women. Is it more about our women are that much better than our men, obviously, relative to competition. Is it that our women are that much better than our men or the rest of the world is not as good as the men?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

You want to get down to the heart of it, I think we have supremely talented women athletes in this country. And unlike the other sports, soccer is like. Soccer and basketball are the main things they're not competing with American.

[Chris]

So it's more. It's more about our women.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

The thing that has actually impacted our global dominance the most is actually Title nine. If you want to get down to it, the Title IX forced some sort of resources being pumped into it where in Europe, they don't have such a thing. And they only came around on it once they realized it could be a business. And it's actually booming for them because unlike mls, they have the benefit of having prestige brands real Madrid bought an existing women's soccer club and just absorbed it, rebranded it Real Madrid. And it's a success because they're wearing the Real Madrid crest. You're not having to sell, you know, Phoenix Mercury. You're essentially selling Phoenix Suns. It's easier from a branding perspective and they're catching up quick. They have better facilities over there. The domestic soccer league here in the United States is still upper echelon, but you are losing stars over to Europe. But my. The point that I'm trying to get

[Chris]

to long windedly was the goalie really fucked up.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Where I'm getting that is just ride the momentum of the national teams. As someone that wants to grow the game here, I. It's going to be a hard sell, especially after watching that goal go in for Inter Miami. It's a hard sell. There were tickets for $12 to watch the reigning champions play yesterday, but that's

[Chris]

because Messi wasn't playing, but Robert Lewandowski

[Jonathan Zaslow]

was making his Chicago Fire debut. It's just. I understand Messi wasn't playing, but it's still. It's a disappointing secondary market price on the heels of what was a huge, huge World Cup. What I say is the broadcast partners that hold the rights, you're going to have a qualification process with the men's national team. You're going to have domestic tournaments that happen in the summer. Seems like we have a finite attention span. Right? All right. So let's really make the Gold cup matter. Let's really make Copa America, when the US Competes in that, again, really matter. Make it feel like the Euros by comparison. The Euros go on international soccer. Like there is something soccer wise, every summer you've proven that you have this month long attention span for summer. Let us use the rest of the year of qualifying to put that over. And for U.S. soccer schedule, more aggressive friendlies against Mexico. Make those feel like something it's not requiring a lot from your audience. Hey, there's an international break once every two months. Get over here. We're playing Mexico prime time. I think that's really where soccer grows here. And it's a recent change that I've made. I've always been like, pump into mls. The old money in MLS is never good.

[Chris]

Really screwed it up with the Apple plus. They really did, you know, and Barber,

[Jonathan Zaslow]

it's convenient for Garber, who's on his way out to highlight that. Yeah, yeah, your deal is terrible.

[Chris]

They, they screwed it up because I, I really like soccer and I had the subscription for a couple of years to The Apple plus. Because I was an Inter Miami season ticket holder and the subscription comes with your season ticket package. But this is now the second year in a row that I have not been a season ticket holder for Inter Miami. And so I don't have the Apple plus package. And it's not like it's that expensive. It's like, oh, no, you know, I only have a certain amount of income. It's just that do I, do I want to spend the money on something? I don't know how much I'm going to be able to watch it. And now as a result, even when I am at home and I don't have anything going on and I would watch the Inter Miami game, I'm not watching it because I don't have this subscription.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Well, it's not a subscription anymore. Like you have to just have Apple tv. They double pay walled it initially, which was a huge mistake, thinking that there was an appetite, let me pay for Apple TV and MLS league Pass. That doesn't, that doesn't work, pal. And so now you just need Apple tv. But still you have this issue, which is Apple TV is still not a destination streamer. It's. It's asking a lot for what is globally such an accessible game. So I think we got to think about this. Conventionally, you highlight big matches. This works top, bottom with the national team, and that's how you grow the sport. And then you invest in some of those stars. And yet you let the spigots open and you get rid of these ridiculous rules like discovery rights and gam. The MLS can't get out of its own way in that regard.

[Mike]

All right, friends, you guys know what a big fan I am of quints. I'm constantly wearing their clothes. I've told you about it. I've got pants, I've got shirts, and it's what's in my wardrobe as I make an effort. Okay, Making an effort matters. And it's why I've been leaning on quints, particularly as we head into these summer months, because you need to have stuff that's fit for the season. Their 100% European linen shirts and pants are breathable, lightweight, and perfect for the summer. I recently picked up one of their linen shirts. It's sky blue. It's awesome. It's become a piece that I am constantly throwing on without even thinking about it, because it looks good on camera, but also it's comfortable when I'm running around all day. And it works whether I'm at the studio or heading somewhere else for work. Everything at Quint's is priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. Quint has become one of those brands I end up recommending for everything from home goods to travel essentials. So make your summer wardrobe easier. Go to quinte.com dan for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com dan for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com dan Summer is pretty much my

[Dan Le Batard]

favorite time to be a sports fan. The biggest soccer tournament of the summer just wrapped up. Baseball's on every night, racing never takes a weekend off. And my calendar basically revolves around first pitches, green flags, and whatever game everybody's texting about. I realized I'm the MVP of my group. I'm always the friend that says, hey, I've got it.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I've got a place.

[Dan Le Batard]

I've got some ice cold Miller Lights.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I got the tv.

[Dan Le Batard]

I got a big comfy blue leather couch.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Come on over.

[Dan Le Batard]

That's the behavior of a Miller Time mvp. I almost never watch the big ones alone. I'd much rather be with my friends. And if I am alone, we're texting. We're sipping on our Miller Lites.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Toasting the day.

[Dan Le Batard]

Toasting the big games. For me, Miller Lite is just a part of a big game routine. It's brewed for taste with simple ingredients, clean, refreshing and easy to drink, especially in the Miami heat. It's a true American pilsner and the original light beer since 1975. An all American summer starts with an all American beer, Miller lite. 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.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Tony, you know that moment at a party or at a tailgate where everything

[Dan Le Batard]

just sort of clicks?

[Jarvis]

I know it well. It's usually when I show up, everybody goes crazy.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yeah, you usually take all the credit for it, but it's because Tony usually walks in with Cuervo. Walking like this. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cuervo is a thing that turns hanging out into this is the night.

[Jarvis]

It has that effect on people.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

It does. You usually take the credit for it, but again, it's the Cuervo effect. It's like that moment in a big game where everyone in the crowd just starts standing up. Hooting and hollering. Keep it Cuervo. Keep it Cuervo. Baby down Levitar. God, I would love to see that interaction. Lord, let there be a day. Hey Oprah, let there be a day. Oh, the color purple.

[Jarvis]

You like these glasses?

[Chris]

She would see these glasses. She'd be like, this is someone I'll take a picture with. He looks sophisticated.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I love big game. Not a big game.

[Chris]

Jonathan Saslow. She would say that to me instead of me having to go up to her and say, I'm a big fan. She's like, I love big deal. Not a big deal.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Huge fan of your work.

[Jeremy]

You're a one time or two time championship broadcaster.

[Chris]

Two Oprah. Two.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

You think Oprah would say like, hey

[Dan Le Batard]

know about that book club?

[Chris]

And I would say, yes, I do, Oprah, yes I do.

[Jeremy]

Have you seen weapons

[Jonathan Zaslow]

with the kids?

[Chris]

This is the Dan Levatar show. Speaking of the women, you know, I brought this up yesterday with the wnba, WNBA All Stars this weekend. All right. And mentioned yesterday how the three point shootout for the WNBA All Star weekend has come under a little bit of fire for who was, who is involved and who's not involved. And I mentioned it yesterday how I don't understand how Sophie Cunningham is not in it because number one, it's not like she's not a good three point shooter. She's second best in three point shooting percentage in the entire league. So clearly she's pretty good three point shooter. But also this league, which is obviously rising in popularity, should be leaning in, in every single way imaginable to what is popular, to what is trendy and to what is going to grab people's attention. And Sophie Cunningham is a lightning rod these days and she's a good three point shooter. She should be in the contest. That's for one Sabrina Unescu yesterday, who I know is not having a good year. But Sabrina Neescu is a, is a, is a champion and she's one of the great players in the league. And if she's not having a great year, and by the way, she won the WNBA three point Shootout last year. Apparently she wasn't even invited. Here's sabrinascu yesterday.

[Sabrina Ionescu]

I saw that yesterday. I guess you can't really, at least personally, I can't decline an offer I never got officially invited to. So I was pretty surprised to see that. Never got, never got invited. And obviously that's, you know, whether it's against Steph Curry or, you know, in the W, I always go out and try and beat my record every single time I've gone out. So, yeah, I mean, I just kind of wanted to set the record straight. Like that was, that was just false. But I'm really excited for the participants in it and obviously there's going to be a new winner, so I'm excited to see who wins.

[Chris]

When the participants were named, people said, why is Sabrina Unescu not in it? And the WNBA responded apparently that she declined invitation. And that's why there she is saying she's responding to that, saying she was never actually invited. She's also referencing she likes to participate with Steph Curry because you may remember a few years ago where she appeared at the NBA All Star Weekend and she had that shootout with Steph Curry, which was a lot of fun. I don't want to pile on on the WNBA because it's real easy and people use the WNBA as a political weapon.

[Mike]

I do.

[Chris]

But there are some instances where I don't understand what they're doing and how, like what could possibly be the. Well, and this is twofold with Sabrina Esku, right? Where number one, someone's lying. Someone's lying. Maybe it's Sabrina. I don't know. Someone's lying. That's number one. And number two, if Sabrina is not the one lying, how don't they bring back one of their best players, a champion? And last year's three point champion, the NBA in the early 90s, Craig Hodges was like the thing in NBA three point shootouts. All right, he was a bench player for the Chicago Bulls, but He was the three point shootout king. There was one year where he made 26 out of 30 shots and made like 19 in a row at one point. He was the guy. He was an attraction for three point shootout at All Star Weekend. Well, because he wasn't a real good player. He was out of the league. He was playing in the cba, the Continental Basketball Association. He was playing in the cba, but he was the previous year's champion. So what did the NBA do? They brought him in to compete in the three point shootouts to defend his title. And Sabrina Unescu is not defending her title.

[Jarvis]

They had Damian Lillard on one Achilles shooting. Remember he was. Yeah, he wasn't playing because it's torn Achilles, but it was in the three point shootout.

[Chris]

Yeah, so again, like I said, I don't want to pile on WNBA because it's easy, but it just feels like sometimes who's running things over there?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

This seems bizarre to me. I don't understand why it's All Star weekend. Why don't you highlight your Best stars especially. Could she just be lying? She could be. I don't want to believe her. Who's lying?

[Chris]

I don't know why she would lie

[Jonathan Zaslow]

to not believe them.

[Chris]

She, she could be lying, but she seems upset that she wasn't invited. So if she was invited, why would she say no?

[Mike]

On the NBA side, Tyler Herro won it in 2025. He did not participate last year. He returned to action just after the All Star. Who knows if he was healthy enough to theoretically participate in that. He hadn't played since mid January. Looking to see of other examples because the three point contest, like in the NBA is, is sort of not treated the same way. It's become more of a showcase.

[Chris]

But everyone, everyone's watching NBA Weekend. You know, all, know all the teams. It's the NBA. It's enormous. The WNBA is not the NBA. It's not enormous. You should do everything possible to have the biggest names, the most recognizable notable names. And Sabrina Escu is literally, she's a, she's an NCAA champion and a WNBA champion and the former three point Shootout champion. How is she not in the competition?

[Mike]

I agree with you wholeheartedly on Ionescu like that, that part of it, especially for the winning, the influence in the league, the stardom in terms of actually like being the person who leads your team and is as, as talented as she is. It doesn't make a lot of sense. It is strange the way that, and

[Chris]

there seems to be something like that

[Mike]

that's the biggest piece in all of this is like it seems to have been mishandled and now not addressed in an appropriate way. Where we saw issues with Kathy Engelbert at the beginning of the year. Like it seemed like there's real miscommunication between the league and its players at times. And so that becomes the bigger issue than any of the other people that we're, we're talking about.

[Jarvis]

Wasn't there an issue too where she called one girl who she thought was another phone number of another All Star and it was like, oh, you're an all Star. But actually not really because I was looking for somebody else. Like things like that, like, odd don't happen in professional sports leagues.

[Chris]

It's a weird league sometimes, man. Like I don't get it and obviously like I, you know, not watching every single day. But I follow it. I know what's going on. And it just seems like every other day there's some type of weird drama going into this league. Chris, why are you wearing a New York Yankees hat? Oh, it's really stupid.

[Jeremy]

I'm a Yankees fan. My, my wife, I, I, I need approval on this. Am I allowed to as a sports fan? I'm a Marlins fan. My wife and her family, die hard Yankee fans and you know, last couple seasons.

[Chris]

Wait, hold on a second. Your wife is a die hard Yankee fan? What does that mean? Is she watching the games?

[Jeremy]

She is watching. She puts him on. I will say, you know, my wife, my dad, my father in law is a die hard Yankees fan. Her, his daughters are Yankees fans. My brother in law, Yankee. Like everyone's in my life is a Yankee fan.

[Chris]

Like if you.

[Jeremy]

My brother in law.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

How about your uncle in law?

[Jeremy]

He is a Yankees fan. Yep.

[Chris]

How far do you go down uncle Ray, down the family tree. Like will you say this is my aunt in law?

[Jeremy]

No, it doesn't go much past brother in law.

[Chris]

Will you say it's my cousin in law?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

No, but uncle in law in that family.

[Jeremy]

Uncle in law, it's Ray Romano. So I gotta say that.

[Chris]

But is that true?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yeah.

[Jeremy]

You didn't know that?

[Sabrina Ionescu]

Yeah.

[Jarvis]

Taz, you don't know about the Lord

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Ray Romano, do you listen to our show? It's very clear that this is the first time that you're listening to our show.

[Chris]

It is very clear that this is the first time that I've heard that. But this has not been mentioned in the year plus that I've been here.

[Jeremy]

Ray Romano, it's first cousins with my father in law.

[Chris]

First cousins. That means their parents were siblings.

[Jeremy]

Yeah, mom and mom.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

And also at a Tahoe.

[Jeremy]

Yes.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Ray Romano struck Chris Cody with a golf ball while we were looking for

[Jarvis]

Ray Romano to introduce him to Chris.

[Jeremy]

It was the celebrity tournament that we went to. We covered it a few times in Tahoe. Beautiful place. God, I love that place.

[Chris]

So he's, he's your, he's Uncle Ray.

[Jeremy]

I call him Uncle Ray. He looks at me weird when I do it. But I've called him that.

[Chris]

You've met him?

[Jeremy]

I have met him a couple times, yeah.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

One of those times was when he got struck by.

[Jeremy]

I'm telling you the golf ball thing though now every time he, he knows who I am, he tells the story of hitting me on other podcasts.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Okay.

[Jeremy]

It's like one of his go to. Like I actually hit a family member of mine once, didn't he?

[Chris]

Okay, so he does call you a family member.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

No, I mean he calls him a family member, but not Chris. He's, he's guy I hit with a golf ball.

[Jeremy]

But my question is, am I Allowed to just. And the Marlins, you know, I mean, we weren't. We were hot, but now they've lost nine in a row.

[Mike]

Irrelevant.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

What happened there, Jeremy?

[Mike]

Injuries hit a wall. Like, it is what it is.

[Jeremy]

But I'm just. I'm asking you guys, am I. Is it. Is marriage an acceptable entryway into becoming a fan out of nowhere for a team?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Well, you have a natural out here because that's an American League team.

[Jeremy]

Right? So I get in one.

[Dan Le Batard]

In league.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

In baseball, you're always allowed to fun in team. The issue here is down here, locally, you get. Yeah, you get raise games. That's why Dan's such a huge, lifelong race.

[Chris]

So we're doing that way to purchase

[Mike]

that package now, by the way.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Oh, really? He has raised that tv, but it came with the heat.

[Mike]

No, not anymore. Yeah, he just got addicted to it. He told me that. He told Valerie. I don't care what we have on our television. Just make sure I have raised games. That's it. This man watches more raise baseball than anyone on the planet Earth.

[Chris]

It's really stupid.

[Jeremy]

A little caveat here, though, is my dad grew up in Boston. My dad is a Boston Red Sox fan. So I have always kind of grown up as the Red Sox being my American League team, and I'm kind of just punting on that and going with my wife. Does that make it worse?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

It's a. It's a job for Judge Zaslow. My opinion on it, especially it being an AL team and not really competing with the Marlins on that level. You should always be able to adopt something that's hugely important to your wife.

[Jeremy]

And I'm really.

[Chris]

What.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I'm really your own rooting interest because you're also. I imagine she's tried to make your. Your daughter a Yankee.

[Jeremy]

Oh, that. We're fighting over all the teams. We're basically have, like. We've like. With my daughter, we're basically like, all right, she can have the. My wife's a Florida State fan. I'm like, you can. She can be Florida State, but she's Dolphins and Marlin, you know, I mean, we're, like, negotiating. My daughters.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

You don't want to do that to Graceland. Why. Why give her Florida? I know this is one of those that you put your.

[Jeremy]

It's one of the ones I To

[Chris]

give up because really.

[Jeremy]

Because, you know, I'm not as into Miami as you are, so it was one of those ones. I was willing to give her fsu, but I got the money.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

You make this decision years ago.

[Jeremy]

This Was a while ago.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yeah. You regret that one.

[Jeremy]

I do regret it.

[Chris]

Well, the first thing I would say is I don't like you. I don't like you wearing the Yankees cap.

[Jeremy]

Jerry says I look wealthier.

[Mike]

He does. He look, he looks like he has more money. I may be also an asshole, but

[Chris]

I would never wear a hat, a shirt of another team. You will never catch me, my team. You will never catch. Well, no, no, you're. You're determining whether it's your.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Well, sometimes you don't even know the fashion. But then I realize I'm not going to go down that road with you.

[Chris]

And you shouldn't either. Just because of fashion you would wear.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Oh, this race goes well with this shirt.

[Jeremy]

I had a pirate's hat for a few years that I was just. I just love that hat.

[Chris]

I would, I would never wear that.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

What it insults you if I wear a Craig Bgio throwback.

[Chris]

I would never wear that. I would never wear the jersey, a shirt or a hat of a team that is not mine. I would never do that.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Dudes pop. When you just walk into a room rocking a Craig Bgio my team's hat, it's almost like, it's like guys naming dudes. It's like you walk into a room and say hey, God, Cheris. Oh man, great. No, that's changed my mood. Gazed or cherilist.

[Chris]

If you wear a shirt or a jersey of another team, that means you like that team and I don't like any other team except mine.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

No, no, that's not what that means.

[Chris]

It is what it means.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

No, it's not what that means.

[Chris]

It is what it means.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

No, it means that. Oh, this is a sick Baltimore Orioles shirt.

[Jeremy]

If I'm being honest, what I'm really angling for is if the Yankees make the World Series and my father in law buys us all. Like I want to go, I want to go on that trip.

[Chris]

Because you want your uncle in law to be there too, right?

[Jeremy]

I'm just saying like, you know, that's little angle that I, I know that if they made the World Series my father in law would be like, we're flying up to New York, we're going and I just want to get in on that trip.

[Mike]

But your favorite team played against this team in the World Series.

[Jeremy]

Yeah, I know it's, it's tough and I grew up kind of hating the Yankees, but it's just went to a Yankee game. I don't know, I'm just kind of, I'm in on it right now. I just want to be a Yankees fan and Marlins are. So it's like, give me something to root for.

[Chris]

What was that word?

[Jeremy]

They're not doing good.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I don't know what you're talking about. I think there's a play on. We can let Judge Zaslow rule, but enjoy the courting phase. Enjoy it. I'm courting the NFL. Yeah. Still, I.

[Jarvis]

You're a noted Bucks guy, though.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I'm a Bucs guy and I think I lean Bills. That's my AFC team. I'm going to the first game at Highmark Stadium.

[Dan Le Batard]

Nice.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yeah. Because I like the. There's like also some.

[Jarvis]

You're a man of the shield, though.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I am, ultimately. But there is. If you're a legacy Browns fan that's been displaced once before, you're familiar with the story that the Buffalo fans welcomed you in when you lost a team to Baltimore. And it's close enough in region and in terms of like the story and the fandom, they. They took the Browns fans in. So it's a natural thing that I have where I lean.

[Chris]

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[Jarvis]

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[Mike]

His name is Mac. That's after Mac from Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which means I spend a pretty surprising amount of time trying to impress someone who clearly doesn't respect me at all. Which now is something I'm realizing I do both at work and at home. So I got to get that straight. But it's really why I use Chewy. They've got over 100,000 products, so whether it's food, treats, or a new toy that Mac is going to ignore for three days until he suddenly becomes obsessed with it, they have it, and it shows up in one or two days. I've told you, Chewy is maybe my favorite company that exists. They have prescriptions, pet insurance, telehealth, vet visits, and 247 customer service. Plus, if my cat changes his mind, which happens on a near daily basis, Chewy's satisfaction guarantee makes returns easy. I use Chewy, and I'm telling you you should, too. For life with pets, there's Chewy. And right now, you could save $20 on your first order and get free shipping by going to chewpanions.chewy.com LeBatardJow that's chewpanions.chewy.Com LeBatardShow to save $20 on your first order with free shipping. Minimum purchase required. New customers only. Terms and conditions apply. See site for complete details.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Down, lebatar I hate that Carolina's gonna get this moment just because they waited us out.

[Chris]

Jonathan Sasselo.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

But I love that Buffalo is going to replace the Panthers in this situation, because those fans absolutely deserve it. Not going to the playoffs. What, 14 straight years deserve it.

[Chris]

We deserve it. I don't care.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

We won twice already.

[Chris]

I deserve a third one before they deserve anything.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I just heard of hockey. I live in a swamp. Give me three in a row.

[Chris]

Buffalo deserves. Eat shit, Buffalo. I care about Buffalo. This is the Dan Levatar show.

[Jeremy]

I need a ruling.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

All rise.

[Dan Le Batard]

The honorable Jonathan Zaslow, now presiding with prejudice.

[Chris]

All right, let me hear the case in front of me, Chris.

[Jeremy]

Is it acceptable for me to just become a Yankees fan out of nowhere?

[Chris]

Well, if I am correct in some of the evidence that I saw earlier, it's not actually out of Nowhere. You do have reasoning behind it. It's. You want specific familial benefits is what we're talking about.

[Jeremy]

Can you marry into a team? Is the real question.

[Chris]

Can you marry into a team? My answer to that and my final ruling is no. You are guilty of bullshit. Fandom with prejudice.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

So you got to have one team.

[Chris]

Yes.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

You got to have all the majors and in college athletics.

[Chris]

Yes. You can't just decide for that.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Went to Santa Fe and likes the Gators and the Canes.

[Chris]

I never went to Santa Fe. I wouldn't even know where it is. If you held a gun to my head and said, show me where Santa Fe Community College is, I'd be dead.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I'm pretty sure you'd say Gainesville, where I went to college.

[Chris]

Is that where it is?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

You know this. You went.

[Chris]

You cannot just pick up another team in the middle of your life. You're stuck with the teams that you're stuck with. You're a Marlins fan. Sucks, but you're a Marlins fan.

[Jeremy]

Even if they serve ice cream chicken now, their game.

[Chris]

Ice cream chicken.

[Jeremy]

The drumstick.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

The drumstick.

[Chris]

I ate it.

[Mike]

Why?

[Jeremy]

It's why I planned my trip to New York. It's salty, it's sweet.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

That's.

[Jeremy]

And then you're going to see here, as I bite into it. It's like the drumstick. Me and my daughter. A little cheers. Nothing better. You bite into it here, watch. We're going to get a little zoom in the middle.

[Chris]

There was chicken.

[Jeremy]

The middle. What acts as the bone is like a little cookie pretzel. Oh, a little cookie pretzel combo. A little crunch.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Salty and sweet.

[Jeremy]

I'm telling you. Delightful.

[Chris]

How do they get the ice cream inside the chicken? It's really stupid.

[Jeremy]

I definitely wasn't on any gummies there.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Wait, pull up the still that's in preview right now. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Go back. Yeah. No, no, no, no, no, wait. Put it on main. Put it on main. Put it on main right now. Put it on main.

[Sabrina Ionescu]

All right,

[Jarvis]

Jarvis, zoom in.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yeah, roll it.

[Chris]

Roll it.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Or just do whatever you want. Never mind. I'll just.

[Jarvis]

I'll just.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Oh, and I'll just go myself.

[Jeremy]

Ah. We were all enjoying one as a family. Fantastic. Good, good food at Yankee Stadium.

[Chris]

Was that your first time ever at Yankee Stadium? No, I've been there once before. It's fine. It's whatever. It's cool. Yeah.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

It's just a bigger version of what they had before.

[Chris]

Yeah, it's fine. Yeah, whatever. Jeremy, have you seen what's going on? I figured this is something that would grab your attention. This is something we talked about weeks ago because it's been in the, it's been in the news where the Portland Trailblazers owner, he's called Tom Dundon and he's, he's a real cheapskate. Now his team, the Carolina Hurricanes. That's right. He owns the Hurricanes and the Blazers. They just won the Stanley Cup. And he remember, put his entire family lineage on the Stanley Cup. That's right. His entire family was on the Stanley Cup. And it's not just other people who are looking at it saying this is disgrace. Carolina Hurricanes for fans were kind of appalled at this. I mean, there's children on the Stanley Cup. And so he's been in the news a lot lately. But also before that, the way that he's been running the Portland Trailblazers since buying them. And there are all kinds of rumors out there right now as well that he may actually be trying to move the team out of Portland. But before we get into any of that, I saw yesterday the Portland Trailblazers have laid off a bunch of their broadcasters. All right. Including our pal Tom Haberstro. I saw he was laid off from the television team. He's been like, like an analyst for a few years there. A bunch of their broadcasters were laid off. And longtime TV play by Playman, legendary NBA broadcaster, formerly of the SuperSonics for many years. But the last, however many years as well for the Portland Trailblazers, a decade. Actually. I think it was. I think it was shortly. I think it was longer than that. No, because I thought it was shortly after the Sonics moved to Oklahoma City. He did not move with them. Kevin Calabro. And he did not move with them to Oklahoma City.

[Mike]

I see a 1987-2008 run with the SuperSonics, but then called the Trailblazers game since 2016.

[Chris]

Okay.

[Mike]

So there was a little bit of a gap there, I imagine might have been doing some national games or things was.

[Chris]

He was definitely doing ESPN radio.

[Mike]

Yeah, he's great.

[Chris]

One of the all time greats. They apparently lowballed him so hard on his new contract that he was quoted as saying it's not worth my time. And he left the team, not retiring, still looking to be a play by playman, which obviously if the NBA awards a new team to Seattle, he has to be the play by play man whenever that happens. But this is this a legendary NBA play by play man. And that's, that's not NBA like, like that's not NBA level ownership.

[Mike]

It's awful.

[Chris]

You have to cut costs so much to the point that you are insulting an all time great television play by play, man. That's. How did the NBA allow this guy into the league?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Somebody get these beggars out of here.

[Mike]

It's shocking. I mean to lose him. They also ended up losing their radio play by play announcer. He wasn't retained after his.

[Chris]

They're gonna wind up going to a syndication, aren't they?

[Mike]

Yeah, I mean the fact that they're.

[Chris]

It's that they had his partner syndication simulcast.

[Mike]

Yeah, this is they. Neil Everett who was doing studio stuff yet Haberstroke like how's it. The overwhelming amount of overhaul that is happening with their broadcast really concerns me for the future of the team being in Portland. Like Portland is a great basketball town. They love the Blazers and we've already seen. It was an interesting point on the emotional basketball podcast. It's Ian Carmel and Zach Harper and they were talking about this and they were saying like, oh, there's probably some like financial analyst within the league that's looking at it and going like if they move the team out of Portland, it's fine. The Sonics will be back there soon and they'll all go root for the Sonics because it's the Pacific Northwest. Like all the Sonics fans became Blazers fans. That's not how it works. You have this regional identity tied to these teams. And for the NBA to allow a market like Portland that's been so passionate about their team for so many years to have this new owner come in.

[Chris]

Remember, this was also the owner who, you know, wasn't paying the extra for

[Mike]

hotel rooms to decimate what it is that they've built and what it is that they're doing as a franchise and a fandom to get rid of all of the feeling like if we all of a sudden lost all of our broadcasters. Like broadcast changes happen when. When teams go from one network to the next. Right. Things change. But if Eric Reed all of a sudden there was new ownership of the Heat and Eric Reed was just gone and lowballed. It would be a disaster unless they effort for the Miami Heat. It would be an absolute disaster unless

[Chris]

they offered it to you, though.

[Mike]

Oh, I'd take it, but I'd be a scab for sure.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Vin Scully.

[Mike]

No, but the way that they've done this stinks. And it worries me that this whole threat to move the team from Portland isn't just bluster that like this guy really this and that would be, I think, a real black mark on the league.

[Chris]

It wasn't that long ago that that was a thing down here that I used to be worried about, like with the Florida Panthers, because every year it's like, oh, they're moving to Quebec City. They're moving to Quebec City.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Hamilton.

[Chris]

Yeah, whatever. Small Canadian town that can't afford to have a team. The Panthers are moving there.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Jack Edwards said that all the time during Ruins broadcast. It really pissed me off.

[Chris]

Yeah. Now it's obviously never going to happen now.

[Dan Le Batard]

Never.

[Chris]

All right. Original seven, but that used to. That, like, it's the worst thing that could ever happen, obviously, to a sports fan. And I feel bad for Blazer. Fans are good. They're good basketball fans.

[Jarvis]

How do NBA owners and governors across the league feel about what he's doing, too? Because I feel like they're looking around, being like, that's a bad look. Like, at least it's not us. Right.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Some of them want to see how this works out.

[Chris]

I think that they're out. I think they're probably okay with it because if he would be moving out of Portland, which is a small market, to a different market where maybe you can make more money, that's more revenue. Revenue that the other owners share.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

You say it's not working out. It's not like he isn't the exact same way for the current Stanley cup champions. They operate that way.

[Chris]

What kind of mark did I say?

[Jeremy]

Black.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yeah.

[Jarvis]

But the nf, NHL and NBA are two totally different.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I understand. There's different standards. No doubt. They are different. One, there's ice on one. It's crazy. I'm aware that it's different.

[Chris]

Well. And I forget who made this point. Mike, on. On this show a while ago when we were talking about this.

[Sabrina Ionescu]

The.

[Chris]

The NBA player will be more vocal about team amenities that they don't necessarily have. The NHL player. You're not going to hear that.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

No, you don't. I mean, I can't believe the ice flex that the Florida Panthers played most of their existence.

[Chris]

Right, Right.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Is crazy.

[Chris]

Where they're at now, it's pretty great.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

It's incredible.

[Chris]

But where they were. Major league. Yeah. Where they were before, it was. It's pretty minor.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

No, it was dumpy. Yeah, it was dumpy.

[Chris]

Yeah. But the players are just like. It's a different culture.

[Jarvis]

It's a lifestyle thing that's in. The NBA is so much higher because everything is done at a top tier

[Chris]

and they make a ton more money.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

There's also fewer players, though, too.

[Mike]

But Also remember Mike Annori was hired as their coach for like the cheapest one year deal. Yeah, one year deal.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

But if you're not only cheap one

[Mike]

with team, how are you supposed to earn. How are you supposed to earn the respect of your players if they know you're a lame duck?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Well, and your fans too, because Thiago Splitter had plenty of success over there and it was a really good story. And if I'm a Portland Trailblazer fan, I was really excited about the proposition to watch that team grow.

[Jarvis]

And they were a good, fun team. Like they were good young people.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

He developed. He developed players. I mean, there was plenty of reason to get excited over there. And this does take the wind out of the sales a little bit.

[Chris]

Yeah. So anyway, do we know where LeBron's going yet? Have we got any news?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Still hasn't decided.

[Jarvis]

Chris.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

What? There was also this other thing we're here to clear up any sort of misinformation that's out there that I saw aggregate that LeBron had made his decision but then changed his mind, and then we're all back at square one. Are you familiar with that, Jeremy?

[Mike]

Yeah, I saw the report that said he had made a choice and backed

[Jeremy]

away because someone tweeted something because he

[Mike]

was mad at Silver. Now there are the rumors that Chris did this and he's one of the ones.

[Chris]

Well, but how much goes to Chris and how much goes to Pat Beverly?

[Mike]

Yeah, Pat Beverly did say it was gonna be that day too. There's been a lot of that. There's been a lot of like, oh, it's gonna be today from idiots like Chris.

[Jeremy]

I did run into Pat Beverly in New York. I'm kidding. That we. If me and him told each other,

[Mike]

you know, what's the question? We didn't ask you about New York.

[Jeremy]

Sup?

[Mike]

Your sister in law. Yankee fan.

[Jeremy]

She is. Hmm, that's right.

[Mike]

Now I get it.

[Jeremy]

She's probably a bigger Yankee fan than my wife at this point, if we're being honest.

[Sabrina Ionescu]

Oh,

[Jonathan Zaslow]

send her a selfie.

[Jeremy]

Always do.

[Chris]

How do they get the ice cream inside the chicken?