The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Local Hour: "You Better Shape Up"

Date: November 14, 2025
Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami
Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and company

Episode Overview

This episode, recorded live from Downtown Miami, pushes beyond sports talk into classic Le Batard absurdity and passionate debate. The crew mixes South Florida sports, pop culture, and their infamous running bits with rich banter. The heart of the Local Hour focuses on Miami Dolphins’ global ambitions, the Patriots' sudden dominance behind rookie Drake Maye, Miami Hurricanes' College Football Playoff fate, and the familiar agony of sports fans watching selection committees at work. Mixed in: campus stories, fashion mishaps, generational pop culture gaps, and plenty of signature sarcasm.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Embarrassing Moments at the Office

[01:33 - 04:33]

• Dan recounts two cringeworthy, oblivious moments:
  • Accidentally offering up a gift from coworker Izzy Gutierrez to the group, forgetting it was a personal Christmas present.
  • Asking colleague Jeremy if his "light blue sweater" was some kind of on-air punishment, crushing Jeremy's earlier positive vibes after being twice complimented on his sweater on the way to the studio.
  • The group riff on office awkwardness, with Jeremy wryly noting:

    “I came in here all excited... and then Dan walks in and asks me, is that a punishment?” (Jeremy, [04:12])

• Notable quote:

  "The question’s offensive. It’s an offensive question." (Dan, [03:28])

2. Home Games vs. Globalization: Dolphins in Spain

[05:00 - 08:30]

• Dan queries the value of home-field advantage for Dolphins fans as the team expands its brand by playing in Spain.
  • Is it wrong to “treasure the home game experience so much” that you bristle at losing a local game to promote the sport globally, Dan asks?

    “Should fans treasure the home game experience so much in football when you only get eight or nine of them, that you want to be xenophobic…” (Dan, [05:03])

  • The panel laughs off the “xenophobic” label and agrees most fans simply want their home games.
  • Chris and Mike spin the positives of “boys' trips” abroad to watch games, with Mike admitting those trips lose luster as he ages.
• Notable quotes:

  “I just wanted to use the word xenophobe.” (Dan, [06:09])
  "What was the boys trip that made you say, enough?" (Chris, [08:02])

3. Generational Pop Culture Gaps

[09:06 - 10:53]

• The crew jokes about missed pop culture references, like “Grease” and the Harlem Globetrotters.
  • Dan’s wife thought the Globetrotters were a legitimate basketball team, leading the crew to discuss how cultural touchstones fade over generations.
  • Reflections on whether young fans or non-sports fans even know the Globetrotters’ schtick.
• Notable quote:

  "A traveling circus for basketball in 2025 seems like a really outdated thing to be able to fill Madison Square Garden." (Dan, [10:53])

4. High-Stakes Sports Betting Nerves

[12:11 - 13:39]

• Tony and others have a $5,000 bet on the Chiefs minus three and a half, and Dan voices genuine discomfort with the high stakes, joking at one member’s nervous “my kids need Christmas” stress.
  • The feeling in the studio is anxious, with everyone aware that half-points can decide big bets.
• Notable exchange:

  "This is a $5,000 bet... Louis keeps muttering that he needs the money and I just don't like the feeling of that around me." (Dan, [12:11])

5. Patriots’ Stunning Ascendancy: Drake Maye and Vrabel

[13:39 - 29:10]

• The crew marvels at the New England Patriots’ shocking turnaround:
  • Rookie quarterback Drake Maye is an MVP candidate.
  • Dan doubts anyone predicted the Patriots would have the best record this late in the season.
  • The group credits coach Mike Vrabel (“the greatest underdog head coach ever”) and analyzes the unusual pace of Maye’s breakout.
  • Opulent stats:

    "No other quarterback in NFL history has put up those numbers over any 11 game span..." (Jeremy, [22:42])

  • Discussion of “organizational trust” and if the current Patriots DNA means the success will last. Mike cautions it’s less “organizational magic,” more just good coaching and a great quarterback.
• Notable quotes:

  “The Patriots get two years of suffering after Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and the Dolphins... get 22 years of suffering.” (Dan, [24:43])
  "I'm just saying that I'm less—I don't expect to see it in that uniform." (Dan, [28:30])
  “Vrabel’s the culture setter... He takes all of that.” (Stugotz, [33:38])

6. Are Miami Hurricanes Getting a Raw Playoff Deal?

[34:45 - 43:14]

• Heated group debate erupts over how the CFB Playoff committee is ranking Miami, Louisville, and Notre Dame.
  • Discussion of resume, head-to-head logic, and what actually counts as a “bad loss.”
  • Dan bristles at the possibility that Notre Dame might leapfrog Miami in the rankings despite losing to them—exposing the murkiness (and perceived favoritism) of the CFP reasoning.
  • Everyone vents about “quality losses,” double-digit favorites, and the apparent bias against Miami.
  • Chris lampoons the situation:

    “I think it goes back to quality losses. Like Notre Dame lost to a good Miami team. Miami lost... and they also lost to Texas A&M. Bad losses undo good wins.” (Chris & Jeremy, [39:21])

  • Mike’s exasperated conclusion:

    “I will die. I will have an aneurysm.” (Mike, [38:51])

• Notable quotes:

  "Why play anybody non-conference? … They've lost four games in the last two seasons, none of them by over a score." (Mike, [42:09])
  “If I flipped the resumes, you'd be making the opposite argument. So you better shape up.” (Jeremy, [43:45])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dan’s remorse over his sweater comment:

  “That sweater was a choice you made. I did genuinely ask you if it was a punishment…” ([08:48])

• On sports fan trauma:

  “I can’t be the only one doing that, right? When I tell you that and I say what do you expect from this…like all of you look at what happened in Washington, you may be surprised, maybe you’re surprised that it has collapsed… having seen it happen… I feel comfortable based on just the uniform...” (Dan, [28:52])

• On the CFP’s logic:

  “I genuinely believe that Notre Dame, with two losses, should be ranked as the number one team in the country. Because the most impressive thing done by anyone this season is Notre Dame came close to beating Texas A&M.” (Dan, [44:05])

• Comedy callback:

  “He looks like John Travolta after he's like made the turn and he's going to prove, yes, Olivia Newton John, hey, I'm a good guy after all.” (Chris, [09:06])

• Pop culture banter:

  “My kids know who [the Globetrotters] are. I think this is a—do you like sports or not?” (Chris, [10:30])

Important Timestamps

| Segment | Time | |--------------------------------------------------|--------------| | Dan’s embarrassing Izzy/office sweater moment | 01:33 - 04:33| | Dolphins’ home game vs. going global | 05:00 - 08:30| | Boys’ trips and aging out | 07:19 - 08:02| | Harlem Globetrotters = sports pop culture test | 09:06 - 10:53| | High-stakes gambling nerves | 12:11 - 13:39| | Patriots’ rise, Drake Maye MVP talk | 13:39 - 29:10| | Trust in “the organization” vs. new era | 32:33 - 34:43| | Miami, Louisville, Notre Dame: CFP chaos | 34:45 - 43:14| | “You better shape up!” debate climax | 43:45 - 44:32| | Full-on meta CFP mockery | 44:32 - 45:04|

Tone & Style Notes

• Language: Conversational, irreverent, layered with sarcasm and inside jokes
• Energy: Spirited, rapid-fire, sometimes exasperated, always self-aware
• Attribution: Everyone is in on the Florida-vs-the-world, CFP conspiracies, and fan trauma
• Typical tangent: "Let’s talk about Ethan’s dog again. That was a good idea." (Dan, [04:43])

Summary

For listeners who missed the episode, it’s classic Local Hour Le Batard: Miami-centric sports angst colliding with zany, self-mocking banter and righteous committee outrage. The episode captures everything from office awkwardness and generational culture gaps to the agony of being a Miami football fan at the mercy of selection committees, all leavened with inside humor and pointed jabs at sports’ self-seriousness.

Perfect for:

• Miami sports diehards
• College football/Crowd ranking skeptics
• Fans nostalgic for playful-but-passionate sports radio
• Anyone who loves a show that can pivot from “what is that sweater?” to CFP playoff conspiracy, all while laughing at themselves.