The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Local Hour: Inhaling Daddy
Date: February 17, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, recorded live from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and crew deliver their trademark blend of sports, local Miami flavor, and irreverent humor. The group discusses the malaise surrounding sports fandom after years in the industry, Miami Hurricanes’ improbable basketball victory, heat around the NBA Dunk Contest, Michael Jordan’s Daytona 500 optics, a viral moment involving a fan scattering ashes, and, with particular gravity, the Miami Dolphins’ total organizational teardown. They also poke at Marlins ownership’s annual spring optimism. Throughout, the conversation is equal parts nostalgia, catharsis, and acerbic local commentary.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Burnout as Sports Fans and the NBA Dunk Contest’s Star Problem

[00:22-04:03]

• Dan laments the apparent loss of enthusiasm among the staff for sports:

  “I’m bothered...because you guys have been around sports too long, that you’ve just sort of like, nothing, nothing enthuses you anymore. Everything is there to be criticized.” (Dan, 01:06)

• The group debates if “overexposure” dulls enjoyment, with Greg Cody asserting that some simple pleasures (like McDonald's fries or the dunk contest) are “eternal.”

• NBA Dunk Contest criticism:

  • Once a marquee event won by superstars (Jordan, Kobe), now barely noticed—a “cute story,” but a sign of decline.
  • Greg Cody:

    “Now you have Kashad Johnson...a bit player for the Heat who just won the slam dunk. It’s a cute little story, but you have four players in the slam dunk contest. Four players. None of them are household names...That’s bad for the league.” (Greg Cody, 01:42)

• Why don’t the stars participate?

  “LeBron has been a coward and has run away from the dunk contest since 2003.” (Zaz, 03:15)

• Memorable, playful banter:

  “Put it on the poll at LeBatard Show: Do you watch the NBA All-Star game so the All-Star game can learn of some players?” (Dan, 02:51)

2. Enjoyment and Critique: Finding Joy in Sports Amid Complaints

[04:11-06:44]

• Dan’s highlight: Old-school AM radio, listening to Joe Zagacki’s call of Miami’s comeback against NC State.
• Anecdote underscores the visceral joy still possible in sports, especially through local, authentic voices.
• Discussion of sportsmanship: Miami team waves goodbye after hostile, “bleep yourself”-chanting crowd.
• Argument: Should schools be fined for fans’ obscene chants?
  • Greg Cody wants fines:

    “You should fine a school...if you’re going to fine schools for storming the court, you should fine a school for chanting like that.” (Greg Cody, 07:17)

  • Consensus: Context matters (hostile crowd, celebratory athletes), but Stugotz and Dan mostly ridicule the idea.

3. Daytona 500, Michael Jordan’s ‘Optics’ Scandal, and Viral Ashes Moment

[08:38-14:33]

• Michael Jordan wins Daytona 500 as an owner, but:

  • Internet erupts over a viral video—Jordan patting down a child with ice in his shirt.
  • Optics and context debate:

    “It looked like playing Grabbass...in this time of—yes, the Epstein files.” (Dan, 09:05) “Once you apply that context to the video, you understand...” (Mike, 10:22)

  • Ultimately, it’s a non-story after context is restored.

• Viral ashes video—“Inhaling Daddy” title explained:

  “He’s inhaling his father...It just backfires all in his face...he ends up stumbling away...coughing...waving at bees in front of his face.” (Dan, 11:49-12:07)

  • Group jokes about the failed attempt to honor a loved one, the absurd unpredictability of sports as a venue for life’s big moments.

  • Quote of note:

    “That’s 75% of the body that he inhaled. Just straight up ended up either on him or in him.” (Mike, 13:27)

  • What does the family say when he returns?

    “You’ve told loved ones: ‘Daddy loved race cars. He loved racing. We’re gonna share his final memory on this track.’ Now you come back—and you haven’t thrown any of it on the track, you’ve just got ashes all over yourself...” (Dan, 13:33)

4. Miami Dolphins: Apocalyptic Rebuild and Recurring Failure

[18:07-29:38]

• Dan and Greg dissect Miami’s “nuclear” teardown:

  • Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb, once the pillars, are being dumped for almost nothing, 18 months after they were “the future.”

  • The franchise is “fumigating” the past after 25 years of failed roster moves and draft rewards.

  • Dan, incredulous:

    “Once you’ve waived Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb, you have announced to the entirety of the league that you’re in a position that none of them are in...The Miami Dolphins, after 25 years of being rewarded for not being good enough...are starting all over again. All over in a way that doesn’t have players on the field that anyone cares about.” (Dan, 21:32)

  • Greg Cody’s stance: Rebuild is “long overdue”, but admits “I thought they gave up TUA too soon.”

  • Mike observes the futility:

    “They’re going to be so bad next year. I’m talking like two or three win...number one overall pick kind of bad.” (Mike, 20:29)

  • Discussion: Franchise has no centerpiece, no hope, and no fan allegiances left; even the “homer” columnist is advocating for a complete reset.

  • Attempts at optimism (Waddle, Achane) are met with sardonic reminders:

    “When you’re picked the way Waddle is picked in the top 10, Waddle has to be a star. Waddle is at almost the bare minimum of what that pick is giving you in terms of value because you’re paying him plenty and you’re getting...Not a number one receiver.” (Dan, 29:38)

5. Marlins Ownership and the Futility of Spring Optimism

[33:59-37:54]

• Bruce Sherman’s annual spring platitudes played and dissected:
  • “We haven’t taken a nickel out of this in eight years.” (Bruce Sherman, 34:24)
• Greg Cody’s classic back-of-the-hand dismissal.

  • “How long have we been listening to Bruce Sherman say the exact same thing to open every spring training?” (Greg Cody, 34:48)

• Mike and Dan note: Even when Miami spends (e.g., Avisail Garcia) it goes badly, making them even more gun shy.
• Jeremy offers an analytical defense: This is a year you let young players develop, don’t block them with low-upside veterans, especially before a possible CBA showdown.

6. University of Miami Basketball and the Hope of College Sports

[39:36-41:46]

• Dan and crew celebrate Joe Zagacki’s impassioned call of Canes basketball, which sparks local pride.
• Worry about sustaining this joy as the program reloads; Mike Ryan asserts with some boldness:

  • “If [Coach Lucas] does stick around, Miami is going to make a Final Four in the next five years.” (Mike, 41:33)

Notable Quotes & Segments (with Timestamps)

• On Sports Burnout & the Dunk Contest:

  • “I think a McDonald's fry, like a piece of pizza, like a good burger, they're just eternal.” (Greg Cody, 00:55)
  • "LeBron has been a coward and has run away from the dunk contest since 2003." (Zaz, 03:15)

• On Criticizing Sports Fandom:

  • “No one here is made happy by sports. And I’m bothered that I see this happening...” (Dan, 01:06)

• On the Dolphins’ Rebuild:

  • “Tyreek Hill was the future and this was going to be the offense...Now he’s guaranteed $35 million…I got Mike Florio saying every team wants him…how do you get to the point…26 years into this, you’re starting over from ground zero…” (Dan, 18:51)
  • “I thought they gave up TUA too soon, but I’m trying to deal with reality here.” (Greg Cody, 25:50)
  • “This is the job. I’m just frustrated that this is the disrepair this franchise has been left in after 25 years of rewards because you’re not any good.” (Dan, 29:38)

• On the Viral Ashes Video:

  • “He’s inhaling his father…It just backfires all in his face…” (Dan, 11:49)
  • “That’s 75% of the body that he inhaled…ended up either on him or in him.” (Mike, 13:27)

• On Bruce Sherman and Marlins Ownership:

  • “How long have we been listening to Bruce Sherman say the exact same thing to open every spring training?” (Greg Cody, 34:48)
  • “We haven’t taken a nickel out of this in eight years…” (Bruce Sherman, 34:24)

• On Miami Basketball and Hope:

  • “If [Coach Lucas] does stick around, Miami is going to make a Final Four in the next five years.” (Mike Ryan, 41:33)

Memorable Moments & Humor

• The ashes moment:
  • The visual of a fan accidentally inhaling a loved one’s ashes at the Daytona 500 becomes an instant Le Batard-ian classic, prompting wild, empathetic extrapolation of how the family debrief goes.
• Contextual jokery about Michael Jordan:
  • “Google MJ kids…” (Dan, 10:45)
• Regular ribbing: mock polls, Greg Cody’s grumpy wisdom, and Zaz’s direct LeBron baiting throughout.

Important Timestamps

• 00:22 – Loss of joy in sports: burnout discussion
• 01:42 – The decline of dunk contest importance
• 03:15 – “LeBron has been a coward…”: NBA stars and the dunk contest
• 06:13 – Joe Zagacki & Miami’s win
• 07:17 – Greg Cody: “Fine the school for cursing crowds”
• 09:05 – Michael Jordan “optics” video
• 11:49 – Viral ashes video: “He’s inhaling his father”
• 18:07 – Dolphins teardown and franchise futility
• 21:32 – Dan: “Starting over...no players fans care about”
• 25:50 – Greg’s nuanced stance on the rebuild and Tua
• 29:38 – Dan: “They’re part janitor, part fumigator…after 25 years of rewards”
• 34:24 – Bruce Sherman: “We haven’t taken a nickel out in eight years”
• 41:33 – Mike Ryan’s Canes Final Four prediction

Overall Tone & Takeaways

This Local Hour episode epitomizes the show’s best qualities: cynical Miami sports exasperation, nimble banter, nostalgia, and the ability to insert soap-operatic humanity into even the most comedic news. It’s a meditation on the wear-and-tear of being a sports fan and journalist, especially in a city whose teams so often stumble, pivot, and flounder. Dan’s frustration with perpetual rebuilds offers emotional resonance for any long-suffering supporter, while the show’s willingness to laugh—most memorably at an errant urn—ensures Miami’s sporting life, for all its flaws, is never boring.