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Dan LeBatard
This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats podcast.
Stugotz
It's over. And I don't just mean my week because that's not over. It's only Wednesday. What's over, Zaz? It's not how beautiful you look.
Tony
Oh, thank you.
Stugotz
I'll never get over that.
Tony
Usually I feel like it's. I just look so confident. But I appreciate the beauty mark as well.
Stugotz
It's staggering.
Tony
Thank you.
Stugotz
What's over is the NFL is no longer interested in being a sports league. They're done with it. Roger Goodell with what I consider to be the quote of the year, maybe the decade, when he said it privately. But it's now public that he's not competing with Major League Baseball and the NBA anymore. Forget it. He's competing with Google and Apple. I was despondent beyond repair because I was trying to catch the NFL as part of mlb. Now he's done a deal with ESPN and he is on his way. The separator of all separators, where now if his franchises aren't worth 10 billion, forget the Lakers. He's going for more and more and more and he's going to get there.
Dave
Yeah, this is a trillion dollar enterprise now. Very complicated deal because it's being positioned as ESPN owns NFL Network. But really what's happening is the NFL now owns a pretty decent sized chunk of espn. And, and there are a ton of indicators right now that Disney is looking to spin off espn. And if that is the case, and if that happens soon, the NFL and its owners stand to make a lot of money.
Izzy
Dave, I don't think that they can compete with the Googles and the Apples of the world until they come out with their own email. Right? If I get NFL email now, I'm in.
Billy
Hang on a second. Slow it down for me, Dave.
Tony
Tony, you're great at this.
Billy
Explain it to me like I'm 10 years old and I'm an NFL fan. How does this change my football? How does this change my espn? And then how does this change my NFL?
Stugotz
Long term, I'd like you to reach into your right pocket and see if you have $29.99.
Billy
Definitely don't.
Stugotz
And I'd like you to have to do that every month, one time, because what does that get me that. So that's a great question. It gets you the new ESPN dtc.
Tony
It's a bundle though, right? It also comes with the Hulu and Disney.
Stugotz
Plus the 29.99 is going to be just this, ESPN.
Tony
Oh, so a Little bit more with the bundle then. Okay.
Stugotz
Bundles are funny. You're a bundle guy. Love a bundle. Yeah.
Tony
I mean, yeah, I like bundles.
Izzy
We're all bundle guys. You're a bundle guy. I'm a bundle.
Tony
Why wouldn't I want a bundle?
Dan LeBatard
I almost signed up for Walmart plus the other. Because they told me you get Paramount plus as part of my Walmart plus subscription right there. I don't even know how that's what I was thinking because I have Paramount plus and that I'm paying like 7.99amonth or something. But if I got a Walmart Plus. Yeah, Walmart plus and Paramount Plus, I don't know what I get with Walmart.
Tony
Plus, but two pluses, David, you're an island on your own here.
Stugotz
I have to understand. Do any of you keep track of your bundles?
Tony
No.
Dan LeBatard
Hell yeah.
Izzy
Of course I do.
Stugotz
I always see that app that's like, hey, you should get this. It helps you keep track. I don't have that.
Tony
Just see, you know, tell me how much money I get to keep in my check.
Billy
So, David, if I am somebody who grew up with cable television, is this very different than saying, hey now, if you want to watch football, you have to add a 2999 sports package?
Stugotz
Well, ESPN is trying to make it now that they want you to want the 2999. So they're offering all these things. They just announced this morning that you're now going to get wrestling if you're a wrestling guy. So 29.99, I get NFL red zone and all the big pay per views for wrestling. There's going to be a separate digital red zone, baby. Oh, wait, so that doesn't include red zone. It's. It's a special kind of red zone. I don't like that.
Izzy
But it's not. I heard it's not commercial free anymore. 7 hours of commercial free football is dead.
Stugotz
No one likes every. I thought people your age were fine with commercials now.
Tony
No, no, not when you, if you initially tell me commercial free, you can't go back on that.
Izzy
Exactly right, people.
Tony
Scott Hansen.
Stugotz
Seven straight hours of partially commercial free football.
Tony
That doesn't, it doesn't flow as well.
Stugotz
What about this? Side by side commercials?
Billy
I'm good with that.
Stugotz
Where they say, we'll be right back in 30 seconds. But you keep a camera on the game during the timeout. But you're.
Izzy
I move over to another game. Titans, Bills are playing. I go over there.
Dave
That seems like a banger this year. It's gonna be what A quarterback matchup. Oh, speaking of the Bills.
Billy
So that's the biggest difference there, David, is just a matter of consumer. Hey, you want to watch football? We're throwing another 30 bill into your life.
Stugotz
So really the NFL has actually kept four extra games of inventory in this deal and no one's talking about it. Go on. NFL Network used to have seven games. Now the NFL Network, that is espn only has three games, which means plus Monday Night Football there are four. I'm talking about NFL Network, I'm talking about inventory. When you're talking cash, what do you need for cash? Inventory. The NFL has four extra games to go sell. Right.
Tony
But you used to have to pay for NFL Network to watch those games. So this is no different then, right?
Billy
I'm not saying that that's not interesting. It's obviously an interesting detail of, of the deal. I'm just saying as a football consumer, I'm not really telling difference if I'm watching it on the NFL Network, if I'm watching it on espn, maybe the announcers are different and whatnot, but in terms of a big shift, that's not going to be one of them.
Stugotz
Right.
Billy
So what about the ESPN part of it? Is it just more questionable or questioning their journalism now because they're even further in bed with the NFL?
Stugotz
Listen, that is something that we talked about on today's Nothing personal. That's a big issue. Bob Iger came out in the announcement. Is he? And said don't you worry the journalistic integrity that is going to stand. And I was thinking to myself, if you're Don and you were doing the investigations that he was doing with the NFL, I. Do you think he feels good about his job security? I'm not exactly sure. TVN does what we talk right here. I mean maybe him, but I got to tell you, you own 10% of a company. You are not going to sit there and criticize Jerry Jones for four hours on ESPN Networks. I'm worried about the journalistic integrity, as you all should be if that's where you get your journalism.
Tony
Yeah, but fans slash viewers, they don't care about that. Like that, that's an us thing. We were interested in that stuff. Fans, fans are sitting on their couch. They don't care about the journalistic integrity.
Stugotz
People love ptfo. They just did a seven figure deal rumor.
Tony
Yeah, but isn't there a difference between PTFO is also that, that that's entertaining too, like, like Pablo is doing a different brand of journalism. Okay. When we're talking about someone like Don Van Naata.
Dave
That's right.
Tony
That's, that's like, not that Pablo doesn't do serious topics, but that's like hard hitting stuff that I don't think fans really, I mean some fans do, but the majority of fans, I think they just want their entertainment.
Billy
I wouldn't worry about Don Ben Nada being right.
Tony
I'm just using.
Billy
If I'm espn, I'm keeping them in close. I'm not letting him go somewhere else where he can do investigative journalism somewhere else because he's really good at it. He'll figure out what he's going to figure out regardless. I'd rather have him under quote, my control.
Tony
But you think like fans want all the juicy details.
Billy
I think different fans want different things. I want to know if I happen to be reading a story on the NFL with through ESPN that it is legitimate, that it is not something I have to question. Otherwise I will just go strictly to other outlets. But I don't think it affects my ESPN viewership on the other side where I'm not going to get the 2999 package because those are two different things.
Dan LeBatard
I think the fans of the NFL outweigh the fans of journalism by a lot.
Tony
I think that's what I'm saying.
Stugotz
They outweigh. What we're learning is fans of the NFL pretty much outweigh any every other entity. Maybe it's true fans of NFL are greater than fans of Apple. Is that what Roger Goodell is saying is going to happen? There'll be more NFL fans than people with iPhones.
Billy
One more question. You say when he's going to compete with the Googles and whatnot again, what does that mean for me? Not just maybe right now, but in the long term? Because you know, obviously a monopoly or anything that strong is dangerous. It's not something you really want. So how does that affect me in the long term or even in the short term?
Stugotz
Unless you're interested in buying a team, I'm not sure it's going to impact you as a fan because I use my iPhone every day and I'm not all that interested in when Apple became a $300 billion business annually or a $200 billion business annually. There's a price point for iPhones. I know the game they play where your battery starts running out when they're ready for you.
Tony
Yeah, that's a real thing, right?
Stugotz
I'm ready.
Izzy
There was a lawsuit.
Dave
There was a lawsuit.
Dan LeBatard
I got 8 cents for that.
Dave
It's less so of a thing.
Stugotz
It doesn't Matter whether it's a thing because eyes wide open. So it's the same thing when you're watching CNN or Fox. You have your eyes wide open. Oh, there's going to be a bias here. So I know that Apple is doing things that I don't like. I know TikTok is doing things I don't like. But the reason I engage with it is I make that choice. And so my eyes are wide open. And that's all we can do is inform people. The NFL, all they're doing by saying they want to be Apple and Google, they're going to need some products other than football. Apple and Google, what they did is they expanded. You talk about email, Tony, you nailed it.
Izzy
NFL email, it can't.
Stugotz
NFL email has to be just the tip of the iceberg because that's locking that handle.
Izzy
I'm telling you, Tony, at NFL.com the.
Stugotz
Problem is that's actually what the employees at the.
Dan LeBatard
I think already that works at NFL.
Stugotz
I think he'll get it.
Izzy
Thank you.
Billy
10 day Tony at NFL.
Izzy
Now we're talking.
Tony
That's got to be available, that's for sure.
Izzy
I'm going to look it up.
Stugotz
There's all sorts of. Do you remember all the companies that started with email? Like does anyone have an AOL email?
Tony
I do, I do, yeah. I had and I use it.
Dave
I had an at XPN email. I was the extreme sports version of espn. They were giving away free ESPN XBN emails and that was like my first.
Tony
You felt like a big deal when you got it, right?
Dave
Yeah.
Stugotz
Did it take.
Dave
Can you email me at plucky duck@expn.com.
Stugotz
I believe email, as you know, that's funny, Tony, I don't think that that is when you tend to compete with Apple and Google. That's just an ancillary thing. But what it does is it's data collection. So imagine if the NFL had all of the data from all the NFL fans who are watching. Because that's really when you look at what Google and Apple are doing and the way their share price continues to go up and their revenue goes up, they know everything we want and everything we do. That's the power. And so Izzy, if you want to be scared, if you're scared of that, I think it's already here and the NFL just wants to be part of it.
Tony
I just like having better access to NFL red zone. It's like I feel like every year it's a to figure out how do I get this? How do I get it? This year. How do I get it this year? But now it's all right. ESPN is going to tell me exactly.
Stugotz
How I can get my Google search S. Yeah, I don't.
Tony
I don't know, man, but he's right about that.
Izzy
It's like, I have Hulu Bundle. So it's like I gotta add the sports package and then I gotta make sure that the channel's.
Dave
If.
Izzy
If it's not on, I gotta turn it on.
Tony
Confusing.
Izzy
But now is it gonna be just on ESPN1? Like, I'm gonna turn on Sunday at, you know, 1:00 clock and all of a sudden Scott Hans is gonna be there or.
Dan LeBatard
No, now I'm more confused because, like, before I knew. Like, I have Hulu also. I just go to Hulu and I say, add the sports package. And I do that for like six months, $10, whatever it is. And then you got that bundle. I get. I got that bundle.
Stugotz
Like, I have YouTube TV, which has ESPN, so shouldn't I just get.
Dan LeBatard
Well, now that's YouTube. I don't know. Do I add it with Hulu? Does ESPN now provide it? Because I have the ESPN plus. Then once this ESPN super out, like, do I explain it, David? Does that get rid of my ESPN plus bundle? Like, am I gonna have channels? Am I not gonna have channels? Like, someone tell me what's going on here. The season starts in like three weeks and I don't know what I need to do now. There's wrestling involved. I don't give a shit about that. Like, just tell me what I do about Red zone. That's in 2026. So at least I know that. But, like, what do I do, David? What do I do?
Tony
What's he do?
Dan LeBatard
What do I do, David?
Stugotz
I think we have to play the music, don't we? Because that's what today is. Where are we? Honestly, I forgot it was Wednesday. Can anyone pay attention to what the day is? Because it just happened.
Dave
GQ's birthday.
Dan LeBatard
Yeah. Tomorrow we have a dog moving about the office.
Stugotz
There's just someone tripped on the dog. But today is a Wednesday. Oh, and Billy, doing what Billy should.
Dan LeBatard
Ash Wednesday.
Dave
It's about to you stop that.
Mike
I don't know about you guys, but I'm someone that's constantly adding stuff to different carts on random websites. Like, there's a teal Marlins hat that's been calling to me for like two and a half years that I'm constantly getting advertisements for is something eventually I'll purchase because I keep those things in the cart. Then I see it that beautiful glowing purple shop pay button.
Dave
Boom.
Mike
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Stugotz
Sleep.
Dave
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Mike
So Bob Odenkirk is one of my actually all time favorite actors. He could be comedic, he could be dramatic obviously Better Call Saul, one of the great shows literally of all time. And a couple years back he showed up out of nowhere as an action star in the movie Nobody and I Honestly, really loved it. I couldn't believe what I was watching and had an absolute blast. Was blown away by his physicality. Movie was a ton of fun. And now he's back in the sequel, Nobody 2, hitting theaters on August 15th. So Bob returns as Hutch, and this time he tries to go on a vacation with his family, only for all hell to break loose. It's really a delight to see a guy like Odenkirk kicking some serious ass. Nobody 2 is produced by 87 north, the same team behind hits like John Wick, Bullet Train, and the Fall Guy. The film also stars Connie Nielsen, RZA, and the legendary Christopher Lloyd and Sharon Stone. Nobody 2 is a perfect summer movie. You don't want to miss this one. Nobody 2 is only in theaters August 15th.
Dan LeBatard
Don LeBatard, we didn't get to your guys against this. You're right, you're right, you're right.
Tony
I don't have it against the spread because I wasn't prepared for this segment.
Dan LeBatard
You need an Ian in your life.
Tony
You have actively played defense against me today in a way that has rarely been this undercutting.
Dave
Stugats.
Dan LeBatard
Defense wins championships, baby.
Tony
That's show business. This is the Dan lebatar show with the stugats.
Stugotz
Billy, I want you to just stay calm at all times. That should be your only goal. Because when it comes to finding your football or finding any. How do you find a channel? You go to the guide. You go to the thumbnail, and it's there. Don't worry about your bundling. Your red zone is going to be on your Hulu. It's going to be on your YouTube. It's the extra app for when you're streaming, for when you're on the go. You'll get your digital red zone. If you don't want to authenticate through Hulu or YouTube.
Billy
Okay, final question, I promise, on this subject. Does it affect me going to a bar and being able to watch any game that I want to?
Stugotz
The bars will have it. That's just what you got to assume. So the whole bar situation is a great one because they steal stuff and it doesn't make me happy. Are you smiling now? I don't care because now I enjoy it. But when you're in the game, there was always the thought that they had to pay in order to show, because what we would argue is that is a view. It's like showing a movie. You can watch a movie. I'm not gonna let.
Billy
I regret asking this question.
Dave
Don't let them ruin the fun for Going to a bar and that. They got direct tv.
Stugotz
They all.
Izzy
They got all the games.
Stugotz
Don't worry about it.
Dave
Stop.
Billy
That sound a little.
Tony
You don't need.
Stugotz
You don't need to do. Fine, Izzy.
Dave
You don't need to do that.
Stugotz
Just saying. Don't worry.
Dave
There aren't UFC enforcement agents walking into, like, hey, BDubs doesn't have this partnership. What's going on over here? Don't ruin the fun, man.
Stugotz
Oh, is it? What about finding the non licensed apparel guys next to the ballpark.
Izzy
Let him sell.
Stugotz
Oh, come on. There's no way. There's no way.
Billy
Gotta want to earn.
Stugotz
Thank you.
Dave
Yeah. I once went to a Miami Hurricanes football game and someone in Tony's family was wearing our Cam Ward for Heisman shirts. But they were knockoffs. They weren't from our shop. Dark Internet guy are designed. No, different guy, different guy put it on white shirts. And I was like, hey, man, thank you for supporting the Lebitard show. He's like, oh, Tony works there. I did. I didn't buy this from there. I made them myself. I'm like, thank you for your support.
Izzy
It's a long story.
Stugotz
Did you ask that guy for the ethernet cord?
Izzy
No, that's a different guy.
Stugotz
How many guys do you have?
Izzy
I got a guy for everything. Dave, what do you need?
Tony
I got you.
Dan LeBatard
And then a backup in case that guy gets pinched.
Tony
Can I tell you, that happened to me one time, the story that got pinched. No, no, With. With using the cam, like, so when I was bar mitzvahed. All right, so we're talking a long time ago, someone who. A family friend is an artist. Okay. Comic books and whatnot. So he drew a caricature of me for the. You know, for bar mitzvahs. Used to give away shirts to all your friends at the end. You know, I was at. I. It was a slam dunk at Zaz Jonathan's bar mitzvah, you know, and it was a picture of me, a caricature of me. The big head, the little body, dunking a basketball. Really cool. I had a slam dunk at Jonathan's bar mitzvah, whatever it was. Several months later, I ran into a kid wearing a shirt, a bar mitzvah shirt. It was a picture of. It was the same picture. It was me, me dunking the basketball, but it was someone else's bar mitzvah. I stopped the person go, that's me. She looked at me like I had four eyes. Okay? I go, no, no, that's me. That's.
Stugotz
That's you asked for a fiver.
Tony
That. That's me. You don't understand. She thought I was crazy. The leg says the company that printed the caricature. We never got a copyright. They kept the picture and they distributed it for other bar mitzvahs. So a picture of me is on these other bar mitzvah shirts.
Stugotz
How did that make you feel?
Tony
Well.
Stugotz
Violated. Yeah.
Tony
But weird.
Stugotz
Poor.
Tony
Not just a little bit. Well, well, my. My. Our family friend who designed it was very angry, and he's mad himself. He didn't copyright. He had a cut. He was very angry. But me, I was like, you're wearing it. That's me. That's me.
Dan LeBatard
Did the other kids look like you? Like, why?
Tony
I don't know who the kid was. I just know the girl who was wearing the shirt and she thought I was insane, that I was saying that. That's me, but it was me.
Stugotz
Are you all failing to realize the unbelievable power of the copyright of the patent? It's how the world goes round.
Tony
It's so easy. All you got to do, you have the thing and you say copyright. As long as everybody hears it, it's just like bankruptcy.
Dan LeBatard
Exactly.
Stugotz
That is the greatest legal advice this show's ever given. All you have to do is look at something and yell copyright.
Tony
Into a microphone or on a camera. You say that.
Izzy
It's on the record.
Stugotz
Yeah.
Tony
Oh, everybody knows. On the record. Everyone knows. Sometimes you got to go on the record. I've been knows that. But if you. If you're trying to copyright something, you say the thing and then you go, copyright.
Dan LeBatard
I think you can also scream patent pending. And then they know.
Tony
I think so, too.
Dan LeBatard
It's pending. So I may have not finished it, but it's pending now, so you better not. Exactly. Right. The patent pending.
Stugotz
That's what they do in Shark Tank. They're like, I got the patent.
Dan LeBatard
Yeah. Pending pending.
Tony
Like, billy, is there anything you want to. You know.
Dan LeBatard
Not that I'm telling you about.
Tony
All right.
Dan LeBatard
Then you scream copyright at it. It's yours.
Stugotz
Copyright.
Tony
I know. I tried to get him.
Dan LeBatard
I'm no dummy.
Tony
Yeah, I tried. I tried to get him. I forgot. It's Wild Billy Wednesday.
Stugotz
Copyright. That doesn't mean. Just because it's his day, it doesn't mean that everything he says is his copyright. No, it's actually metal art.
Dan LeBatard
Tough shit, Dave. It's mine now. You like that shirt? Copyright. Mine now.
Tony
That's how it works.
Dan LeBatard
David, take it off. Hand it to me.
Stugotz
This.
Dan LeBatard
You take off your shirt right now. Yeah.
Tony
Take it off.
Dan LeBatard
My shirt.
Stugotz
I actually have that shirt.
Dan LeBatard
This shirt?
Tony
Yeah.
Dan LeBatard
Did you get it for $12 at the end of your sale, like I did?
Stugotz
I got it. F R E E. Wow. From a former EMP L O Y E E. Who did it behind Jeter's back.
Dave
Why does that team have every color but the ones that people like? It's.
Dan LeBatard
Yeah.
Stugotz
Wait, you don't like that shirt? Bring back the teal.
Tony
Like you're.
Dave
What Jeffrey did to that. The bastardization of this great franchise and its logo.
Dan LeBatard
Yeah.
Dave
Hey, you know what? Let's have all the colors but teal. That was great. And then they went to red.
Dan LeBatard
Caliente red.
Dave
Caliente red. Which is, I guess, an upgrade over what they had before.
Dan LeBatard
Sugar cane. Red. Sugar cane dread.
Dave
Just bring back the teal, man.
Tony
The jerseys you wore when you won game six, Yankee Stadium.
Stugotz
That.
Tony
That's the jersey.
Stugotz
That's the black. That's not teal.
Tony
I understand, but that's.
Dave
This is the easiest teal and black is the easiest thing because they won two championships as the Florida Marlins. All right. They're such a transient franchise. They don't have an identifiable face outside of Mr. Marlin. Jeff Conine. We'll be seeing him later. That's right.
Stugotz
Breaking news. Not get crazy.
Tony
What a throw.
Stugotz
He's an athlete after all.
Tony
What a throw.
Dave
But the only thing that's really. That. That would help bridge this gap, because this is a weird franchise. It's got two things that everybody wants in the championships, but it struggles to find connection points. Just bring back the teal.
Dan LeBatard
Yeah.
Dave
Like, that's a team that a lot of people grew up watching the. The team in teal. Why not tap back into that base? And also, it's certifiably their best look.
Dan LeBatard
Lean in.
Dave
That is stupid, David.
Tony
Why is that like. Like Mike is saying is right. I think most of the fan base would prefer that. And I could say the same thing about the Dolphins. I would say almost the entire. I didn't do a survey. All right. But I'm guessing almost the entire fan base would love them to go back to the old unis and the old logos. So. And obviously, it would sell huge. So why don't teams do that?
Stugotz
You mean do throwbacks?
Tony
No, like, make it permanent.
Dave
Make it permanent.
Dan LeBatard
Well, they also change the name, so then it gets tricky because it's logos and f. Bring the F back.
Dave
You can back in. You could do, like, what the brewers did, which is have an updated version of a throwback. Look, there's obvious there. There's obviously a name change involved. So you don't have the F with the Marlin, but you have. You replicate that style and you have.
Stugotz
An M. Like, would you allow the facts to change your mind or is it just emotion?
Dave
The tell me the facts because are.
Stugotz
That the new logos in 2012, the New Jersey is just the fact we weren't allowed to wear the orange jerseys after a while because the owner didn't like it. But the orange jerseys, the black jerseys and the M hat were the top seller online.
Dave
Yes.
Stugotz
And the revenue that we got from the rebrand was disproportionate to anything we had gotten back appropriately.
Dave
I understand how rebrand, of course.
Tony
I mean, it's new.
Dave
Yeah, you gotta. You gotta make people miss the old look. But now I think enough distance has gone by. Were over 20 years away from basically their last championship. Now is when you tap back in and you go to the popular look and you get to generate all sorts of revenue. And this one probably has more staying power.
Tony
Like what you just said doesn't mean that everyone that. That fans liked the new uniforms better. It's just. It's new and you got to wear the new jersey and colors to the game.
Dave
You.
Tony
You don't have it like it just became available.
Stugotz
David.
Billy
Do you guys get a boost from it being very similar to the Maroon 5 logo?
Stugotz
So we. We did not. And so like, the Twins current logo looks a little like rm. If you look at the Twins logo, which you can check out on any of your devices while you're listening or watching the show live on the LeBatard YouTube channel. But I would tell you that we had it checked not just by yelling copyright. We didn't like do a thing where we had a new design and you just yell copyright.
Tony
Someone may have said all your would.
Billy
Have made it so much easier.
Dan LeBatard
Sounds like you wasted a lot of money going through the extra steps.
Stugotz
Hundreds of thousands of dollars. Regretful. That could have been like a utility infielder. If we had just come on your show back in the day and shown the uniform and yelled copyright. But yes, it got cleared. But Maroon 5 was one of the logos that came up that had to be checked as similar. And then there was a differentiation because the rule is, would anyone confuse a baseball team with the singer of Maroon 5? No. No. But give me a. I was trying to get to song and I wanted you right there. I wanted to be in sync where you would this love.
Billy
Is that them?
Stugotz
This love?
Dave
You don't know.
Billy
I didn't know if that Was the name of the song, actually. Sorry.
Stugotz
We almost had it. We almost had the sink.
Dave
You didn't know. Come on, everyone knows. I can name at least 12.
Stugotz
You can 12 maroon 5 songs?
Dave
I think so.
Stugotz
Without Googling.
Dave
Without Googling.
Stugotz
Go.
Dave
All right. Sunday morning. This love I have.
Stugotz
No way to check this, by the way. He's right so far.
Dave
Moves like Jagger.
Dan LeBatard
Yep.
Stugotz
Three.
Dave
She will be loved.
Stugotz
Yep.
Dan LeBatard
Four.
Stugotz
What's wrong with SZA slowing down at four?
Dave
Harder to breathe. Is that one?
Dan LeBatard
Sure.
Stugotz
A long way from 12.
Dave
Yeah.
Stugotz
It's over. Zhazz.
Dave
Telephone. Or is that. That's one. It's payphone. Payphone.
Billy
One of those is Lady Gaga. One of those is maroon 5.
Dave
Sorry. Sorry to confuse the two. All right. Half a dozen. Okay.
Billy
That was well done.
Stugotz
It was not well done. He came out of the gate so strong at 12. Yeah.
Tony
You were confident. But I was wheezed to the sugar. The finish line there.
Dave
I did not say sugar.
Dan LeBatard
Copyright.
Dave
What was the one with sza?
Tony
Billy owns that song now.
Dave
Whoa.
Dan LeBatard
I own Sugar in general.
Tony
Oh, I see what you did there.
Dave
Had Sugar King.
Dan LeBatard
You have to kind of pick. Thank you. You got to pick your spot, Zaz. Multi purpose copyright is what I just did there.
Stugotz
I see you're trying to get the condiment, the song, the shirt, the whole.
Dan LeBatard
Package and, you know, kisses and such. Sugar. You know, you say, give daddy some sugar. You say that.
Tony
Oh, that's a good move by you. That's multifaceted.
Dan LeBatard
Exactly right.
Stugotz
Giving daddy sugar. Is that coke? No. What does that mean?
Tony
Give me. Give me some sugar.
Dan LeBatard
Give daddy some sugar.
Tony
Give me some sugar.
Dan LeBatard
You've never said that. When you're out at night, you're thinking.
Stugotz
I'm thinking that. I've never said that. Other than why you think it real.
Dan LeBatard
So many movies.
Tony
You think about that white lady.
Stugotz
You've never like an old timey movie with like a mom like, give me some sugar.
Dan LeBatard
Come here. Give me some sugar. You've never heard that.
Stugotz
I to this day about that.
Tony
Yay, yo.
Stugotz
Today at 24 minutes after an hour is the first time I've heard that expression, give me some sugar. I've heard a song Pour some sugar on me.
Dan LeBatard
I should have just let you.
Dave
I can name at least three of their songs.
Stugotz
That three is not worthy of stopping the show over.
Dave
Well, definitely two.
Stugotz
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Tony
Warning.
Stugotz
This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.
Izzy
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Tony
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Dave
Stu Guts.
Dan LeBatard
Well, you know, I, I. Well, yeah, you know, this is the.
Tony
Dan Levatar show with the Stugach.
Stugotz
Can you name the drummer?
Dave
One arm guy.
Stugotz
How depressing is that? That that's how people know him?
Tony
I don't know. No one would know him at all.
Dan LeBatard
He has one arm.
Stugotz
Yeah.
Dan LeBatard
Yeah.
Stugotz
He's a copyright. One Arm.
Dave
That was their copyright.
Stugotz
He got into an accident and he kept drumming with a new drum kit. If we can show. I don't know if we drum set, a drum set or a drum kit.
Tony
That's a kit.
Dan LeBatard
It's a kid.
Tony
It's a kit.
Dave
Copyright it.
Dan LeBatard
I'm on it.
Stugotz
And he plays the drums with his feet as though they're his hands. And then I think his hand, like.
Tony
It'S the foot and his hands play as the feet.
Stugotz
And it's amazing. He. Well, he only has one hand because he has one arm.
Dave
If you listen to their Music. It definitely sounds like the drummer has one arm. I'm not. That's not an insult. There's no yes way you can tell.
Stugotz
The difference between a one armed drummer and a two armed drummer.
Dave
No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying once you enter knowing that the drummer has one arm, the sound makes a lot of sense coming from the drums. You know, both are acceptable. It ain't exactly slipknot drums.
Stugotz
If you're watching this on YouTube, you're seeing a picture of a one armed drummer. And he kept going.
Tony
Rick Allen. That's his name. Rick Allen.
Stugotz
It's like the guys in the. The Traveling Wilbur is. This was a funny thing from my life. That's a band. Do you not know the name? This is a critical part of the moment. Is it Rick Allen?
Tony
It might be one arm drummer.
Dave
It's one arm drummer.
Tony
I think Mike's right.
Stugotz
Can you name the members of the Traveling Wilbur's?
Tony
I have no idea who that is.
Dave
I can do that. Jeff Lynn, a little guy named Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison, who definitely dyed his hair. Am I missing one? Oh, George Harrison.
Dan LeBatard
So the guy with one arm from Def Leppard. I thought the Maroon 5 drummer had one arm. He has two.
Stugotz
I'm pretty sure every other drummer of every other band you've ever heard of at any Music Festival has two arms. I believe Mr. Allen is the only one armed drummer around.
Dave
Wait, did I get all the Blueberries?
Stugotz
And so the point of that is most people don't get the first name you gave. 99% of people when asked that question can name the entire band except for the guy from elo. Feels like a made up stat. It's. It's absolutely absolute.
Dave
Is that why. Is that why later on they marketed themselves as Jeff Lynch?
Stugotz
Because people didn't know his name?
Dave
Do you know what ELO stands for?
Stugotz
Electric Light Orchestra.
Dave
That's right. Look at us playing the worst game of trivia ever imagined.
Dan LeBatard
I found a guy named Alvin Law who's a drummer with no arms.
Dave
Get out of town.
Dan LeBatard
Drums with his feet. Also no Hair trademark.
Stugotz
Can you tell the difference between a no arm drummer and a one arm drummer?
Dave
No, I'm saying if you give me that bit of information on the front end and then I listen to the music, I could probably sit and listen and be like, that makes sense.
Stugotz
We gotta get that guy on. Rick Allen? No, the guy who drones with Alvin Law. Yeah, that guy. I'd rather get the guy from Def Leppard. Well, because it's a success story.
Dave
Well, you have your own show.
Stugotz
Yeah, I disagree. I don't have my own bookers, though.
Dave
No, we. We're talking a no arm guy.
Dan LeBatard
Yeah.
Stugotz
Can Billy get that done?
Dan LeBatard
Alvin Law right now. Def Leppard.
Stugotz
All right, well, listen, let's not get.
Dan LeBatard
Where's Saskatchewan? What time zone is that?
Tony
See, I told you. You know how much easier it'd be to know what time it is in Saskatchew, Saskatchewan, if everyone was on East. East Tom's time zone, which of course everybody knows is the Lord's time zone, Wouldn't have to worry about what time.
Izzy
It is over there.
Tony
It'd be 9. 28 in the Lord's time zone in Saskatchewan.
Stugotz
Are you trying to have one time zone across the universe?
Tony
Trying? I. I mean, I'm putting forth a major effort, yes. You know, you know, easy would be for meetings and just everything like, hey, what time? I don't have to worry about time difference. Yeah, see, at 1:00pm okay, good.
Stugotz
I've got you. Do you know that in Antarctica, where I was lucky enough to run a marathon, you get to choose your time zone?
Tony
I. Oh, well, I mean, if you.
Stugotz
Think about how time zones are, they go around the globe and they all meet at the bottom.
Tony
Which did you choose?
Stugotz
And so, well, you're on a Russian base there in the Russian time zone. If you're on the US Based on the US Time zone and they're right next to each other. So it's totally different times.
Dan LeBatard
Meetings have to be a nightmare there as you just.
Stugotz
It's. It's insane.
Dan LeBatard
Just choose your own time zone. Imagine that.
Stugotz
That would be a Wild Billy every day if there were mayhem within time zones. Imagine if you didn't have a setting on your Apple device that changed your NFL device. Soon it could be the changes.
Izzy
It's the shape of a football instead of like a regular iPhone. It's like an overall phone.
Tony
Go. Go long.
Stugotz
Our guy John Skipper invented and was part of the ESPN phone. I remember they tried that. How did that do? Terribly.
Izzy
Yeah, but NFL's got more juice, though. You get an NFL phone, all of a sudden, that changes things.
Stugotz
There are phones that are licensed products that are. NFL boss juju has one that if you lift up, it's a phone, but it's not a cellular phone. You can't. It's corded.
Dan LeBatard
Not yet.
Stugotz
With an ethernet cord.
Dave
Do you think the NFL makes more investments?
Stugotz
They have an entire investment committee.
Dave
Right. But they've gotten away with not having to pay for their minor league for A very long time. And that sport, college football, seems like in the next 10 years, it's headed towards private equity and a mass reshaping. At that point, does the NFL take the opportunity to be like, okay, we'll finally invest in this property and we'll make our portfolio a little bit more diversified and we have more attractive media rights that we can make more money off of.
Stugotz
But that's not diversified. It's. I wish that we didn't have to own minor league teams in baseball. I'd love to have someone else pay for the development of the players. So the NFL, to me, why would they take a position now? Do they have private equity companies that will have positions in NFL teams and will have positions in college sports programs? 100%. But those are multi, multi billion dollar funds. How would that work?
Billy
Wouldn't the NFL then need to, like, tie certain college teams to NFL teams? And then you're actually drafting people out of high school into the nf, into the ncaa and then the NFL, like, that seems like just an extra step. That was way too hard to.
Stugotz
That's the minor leagues in baseball, I.
Dave
Think they can be solid partners. They just fund the operation and they let the administrators run those programs.
Stugotz
Because that happens so often is when you get funded by someone, they just take a step back and don't get involved at all. They're thrilled just to be there.
Tony
Yeah.
Stugotz
I don't think that the silent NFL would not be. As with espn. I don't think they're a silent investor. I really don't. I view it as they are.
Billy
Chris the not so silent throat clearing.
Dan LeBatard
He's not sick, guys. He's not sick.
Stugotz
What is the purpose of the button? No, you did it. Right. It's just. We heard it like, just acknowledging. But it's the audience who doesn't. No, I think they do that. If I hear it in my headphones.
Tony
David, it's pretty loud.
Stugotz
That's what the audience hears.
Dan LeBatard
Yeah.
Tony
Cause you gotta remember my mic is still on.
Stugotz
What's the purpose of the off of a mute button for you to. If you do it quieter than you did, it would probably not get picked up, right?
Tony
It probably gets picked up by my mic, David. I was loud.
Stugotz
And generally you do it when the Zaz is talking and the mics and the cameras, you can kind of get. If you're mid sentence and all of a sudden, like, turn your mic on, Izzy. And if all of a sudden, if I'm talking in mid sentence, I'm like.
Tony
You still pick it up.
Stugotz
On another mic in the room.
Tony
See, that was a good example.
Stugotz
I will try to do better. No, you're great. You're doing great. I just find it to be unreasonable. We're just having fun here. That the mute button doesn't mute.
Tony
No, it does mute.
Stugotz
My mic is on Metalarky.
Tony
No, it does mute, but I. My mic is three feet from yours. My mic's picking you up.
Dan LeBatard
If anything, the equipment's too good that it's picking you up when you're making noise.
Tony
Yeah, equipment credits.
Stugotz
Sometimes things can be so good they're bad.
Tony
Yeah, well, maybe that's one of the them.
Stugotz
I don't think that NFL will spend $1 investing in college football. $1. I will be very much looking forward to the point when NFL does diversify. They take their equity position. ESPN that gets spun off, then you know exactly what ESPN is worth because they'll have a number of shares in that entity. They will take more money that they continue to make from broadcasting. When they open up the deals, Izzy and renegotiate every deal in three years time where they could take away games from ESPN or give ESPN below market games because they own part of espn. Wait for that to happen. Then they go take cash and do what MLB does, where you make a bunch of investments. You have a whole committee where all they're doing is investing in things that have nothing to do with football or baseball.
Tony
Do you think this affects the potential new negotiations with Major League Baseball and espn?
Stugotz
That is something that you should think about. You know why? Because what is the DTC for? 29.99. Are you in your pocket during the summer? What do you got? No football games. What do you. Why are you going in your pocket for that? 29.99 pay per views. Wrestling. That's something they got if they got to find content.
Dave
So baseball highlight probably still part of the plan, right?
Stugotz
Very cricket. Manu still a Cyclone.
Dave
Yeah, we had to break that news.
Dan LeBatard
It happened.
Dave
Manu. We kept him again. He's the face of the phrase Guys.
Dan LeBatard
Guys. He's guys.
Dave
So Cyclone.
Stugotz
Hello to you guys.
Dan LeBatard
Don't in last like the last four.
Dave
He's not the problem. You're the problem.
Stugotz
What's his salary?
Dan LeBatard
Nothing. You know, they don't deal with that.
Dave
That, that. That sounds like a problem for the owners.
Stugotz
I'm sorry, I got it wrong. I thought that you were involved in that way as well.
Dan LeBatard
We don't go public with that.
Dave
Yeah, we don't.
Stugotz
You're not willing to disclose what your highest paid player Is.
Dave
No, no, we don't need to do that because we collude with the other owners.
Stugotz
Nice. I'd like Pablo Torre to find out exactly what you're paying your guys.
Dave
So you mentioned the point about Pablo and how that's entertainment and journalism. Yeah, which is very true. ESPN didn't do that kind of thing. But it did make me daydream about Bob Lee showing up to the Airbnb and showing up on the ring camera for dramatic effect.
Izzy
That would have been better than Pablo doing.
Dave
That would have been way better.
Stugotz
Yeah, it's even better that you paid for that Airbnb that.
Dan LeBatard
Wait a second.
Stugotz
That's the man.
Tony
Bob Lee.
Stugotz
How the hell smacked.
Billy
And the ring cam.
Stugotz
Don't you kid yourself. I think the ring cam comes with the Airbnb.
Billy
No, he bought.
Stugotz
No, he. He. They set up the ring cam in order so they could get footage of it. They put up their own ring. Byorc. Yeah, that's paid. You own that. Was it rented with an option.
Dave
Gets a notification every time someone rings at the new.
Stugotz
At the Airbnb party house. Actually, I read an article where Airbnb is. Have cameras. And I stayed in Airbnb in Cooperstown, and I did a full sweep.
Dan LeBatard
I was gonna ask. I'm always looking around. Those things that they sell that like detects cameras. You have one of those?
Stugotz
I did the sweep for both stuff. Like a blue light stuff and for cameras.
Dan LeBatard
You take a blue light with hotels.
Stugotz
Just for my. Just for my area.
Dan LeBatard
Oh, boy.
Izzy
What'd you come up with?
Stugotz
I come up with a change of sheets very often and no comforters. And by the way, don't use the couch. I'm just saying. And the remote. Oh, my God.
Izzy
Jizz on the remote.
Dave
Jizz it on the remote.
Tony
Oh, my God.
Stugotz
Every day I think they jizz on their hand and then touch their.
Dave
That's it. Copyright.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Episode: Local Hour: Give Me Some Sugar
Release Date: August 6, 2025
From the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, Dan Le Batard and Stugotz delve into the latest happenings in sports and pop culture, offering their signature blend of humor and insightful commentary.
The episode kicks off with Stugotz announcing a significant shift in the NFL's business strategy. He asserts that the NFL is no longer merely a sports league but is positioning itself to compete directly with tech giants like Google and Apple. Stugotz remarks at [00:27], “What's over is the NFL is no longer interested in being a sports league. They're done with it.”
Dave chimes in at [01:10], highlighting the complexity and magnitude of the deal: “This is a trillion dollar enterprise now... Disney is looking to spin off ESPN.” The discussion underscores how the NFL's investment in ESPN could lead to substantial financial gains, especially if ESPN is spun off by Disney.
The hosts delve into the implications of the NFL-ESPN deal for everyday fans. Stugotz introduces the concept of ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer (DTC) offering, priced at $29.99 monthly ([02:05]). This move prompts a debate on the practicality and value of bundled subscriptions. Tony appreciates bundles for their convenience ([02:20]), while Billy seeks clarity on how these changes will affect his viewing experience ([02:26]).
Stugotz elaborates on the bundling strategy, mentioning that the new ESPN package includes NFL Red Zone and pay-per-view wrestling events ([03:21]). Izzy expresses skepticism about the necessity of such packages, questioning their competitiveness against established tech services ([01:36]).
A significant portion of the conversation centers around the potential erosion of journalistic integrity at ESPN due to the NFL's influence. Stugotz voices his apprehensions at [05:30], questioning whether ESPN can maintain unbiased journalism while being partially owned by the NFL: “If you own 10% of a company, you are not going to sit there and criticize Jerry Jones for four hours on ESPN Networks.”
Tony counters by suggesting that fans might not prioritize journalistic integrity, focusing instead on the entertainment value ([06:19]). This tension highlights the delicate balance between business interests and media ethics.
The hosts address practical concerns for fans regarding accessing NFL games post-deal. Billy questions how the changes will impact his ability to watch games on ESPN, NFL Network, or at local bars ([04:58], [16:43]). Stugotz reassures listeners that bars will continue to have access to the games ([16:43], [17:07]), emphasizing that the viewing experience in social settings remains unaffected despite the shift in broadcasting strategies.
Shifting gears, the conversation takes a humorous turn with Tony sharing a personal story about unauthorized use of his caricature on bar mitzvah shirts. He recounts at [19:16], “The company that printed the caricature. They kept the picture and distributed it for other bar mitzvahs.” This leads to a playful segment on the show's faux approach to copyrighting phrases and ideas.
Stugotz and the hosts engage in a lighthearted banter about “copyrighting” common phrases, culminating in laughter and jovial exchanges about owning expressions like “give me some sugar” ([20:25]–[21:21]).
Another entertaining segment involves debating the existence and recognition of one-armed drummers in famous bands. Stugotz challenges the hosts at [31:00], asking, “Can you tell the difference between a no arm drummer and a one arm drummer?” The conversation leads to confusion between band members and misconceptions about drummers' physical abilities.
Dan corrects the group, clarifying that Rick Allen from Def Leppard is a prominent one-armed drummer ([31:24]). The hosts humorously struggle to name specific one-armed drummers, highlighting a mix of misinformation and playful mockery ([31:07]–[33:25]).
The discussion shifts to the complexities of time zones, with Tony humorously advocating for a universal time zone to simplify scheduling ([33:07]). Stugotz shares anecdotes from a marathon in Antarctica, illustrating the chaos that multiple time zones can create ([34:05]). The playful debate underscores the everyday frustrations of managing time differences in a globalized world.
As the episode draws to a close, the hosts continue their dynamic interplay, blending serious commentary with humor. They touch upon various topics, ensuring that listeners are entertained while staying informed about the latest developments in sports media and beyond.
Stugotz at [00:27]: “What's over is the NFL is no longer interested in being a sports league. They're done with it.”
Dave at [01:10]: “This is a trillion dollar enterprise now... Disney is looking to spin off ESPN.”
Stugotz at [05:30]: “If you own 10% of a company, you are not going to sit there and criticize Jerry Jones for four hours on ESPN Networks.”
Tony at [19:16]: “The company that printed the caricature. They kept the picture and distributed it for other bar mitzvahs.”
Stugotz at [31:00]: “Can you tell the difference between a no arm drummer and a one arm drummer?”
NFL's Strategic Positioning: The NFL is expanding its influence beyond traditional sports leagues, aiming to compete with tech giants through strategic partnerships like the one with ESPN.
Consumer Impact: Fans may experience changes in subscription models and access to NFL content, though social viewing environments like bars are expected to remain unaffected.
Journalistic Integrity Concerns: The NFL’s investment in ESPN raises questions about the future of unbiased sports journalism within the network.
Personal Stories Enhance Engagement: Anecdotes about copyright issues and musical talents add a relatable and humorous layer to the discussion, keeping listeners entertained.
Humor Balances Serious Topics: The show's blend of humor with in-depth analysis ensures a lively and informative listening experience.
This episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz offers a comprehensive look at the evolving landscape of sports media, the implications for fans, and the ongoing balancing act between business interests and journalistic integrity, all delivered with the hosts' trademark wit and camaraderie.