The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Episode: The Big Suey: Best Musical Performance (feat. Packers Owner Anthony Tuero)
Date: August 29, 2025
Episode Overview
Broadcasting from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, the Dan Le Batard Show crew—Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Billy, and Chris, plus regulars—dive into a wild, conversational blend of sports, pop culture, and the awkward spaces in between. This episode’s main theme revolves around issues of leadership and transparency in high-profile organizations, the challenges of NFL ownership (highlighted through both serious and comedic lenses), Michael Jordan’s struggles in NASCAR, and, true to the Big Suey tradition, a raucous segment crowning the show's best musical performance of the year. Special guest: Packers owner (and regular guy), Anthony Tuero, joins to “demystify” what it means to own an NFL team.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Handling Messy Leadership: Jim Irsay’s Addiction and the Colts (03:00–09:00)
- Chris kicks off by exploring the uncomfortable posthumous reporting on Colts owner Jim Irsay's addiction and relapses, reflecting on the personal and organizational impact of a leader struggling publicly and privately.
- “I wanted to have the conversation of what do you do…when the man at the very top…has all manner of erratic behaviors that are tied up in…a constant drug and drinking problem…” (04:09 - Chris)
- Dan and Chris discuss the ethical lines in media coverage and the complexity of functioning organizations around troubled leadership.
- Dan argues that the Colts managed to be “uber successful” and public crisis was generally well-contained:
“You can be effective in making money and securing government contracts and have a noticeable problem.” (07:09 - Dan)
- Chris personalizes the debate, noting his family’s own experience with addiction and expressing empathy for Irsay’s family.
- “I remember standing in like two o' clock in the morning…thinking…I hope this doesn't end up in public. Because…that would be terrible...” (07:44 - Chris)
2. Privacy and Power—Michael Jordan vs. NASCAR (13:35–24:32)
- The discussion shifts to Michael Jordan’s lawsuit against NASCAR and the rare, unfiltered look at Jordan’s personality through leaked text messages.
- Dan summarizes Jordan’s repeated legal defeats against the deeply entrenched France family, who control NASCAR and its finances: “Michael Jordan has repeatedly run into L after L after L after L in the courts challenging the France family, NASCAR and their charter system…” (14:22 - Dan)
- Private texts show Jordan comparing huge lawsuit losses to casino trips:
“…he likened the losses that he had in this lawsuit and with NASCAR to casino level losses. So Michael Jordan is…playing a game now and you have competitor Michael Jordan…in a very awkward situation.” (17:17 - Dan) - The show draws parallels between Jordan’s relentless competitiveness, his financial freedom, and his failures in the ownership sphere versus his on-court legacy, questioning whether he can still find fulfillment.
- Chris: “…when you've been a symbol for youth and vitality, it must be hard to just age, right?...when you're always a winner, always a winner, and you're addicted to competition…I wonder if jumping off of that yacht into the ocean, Michael Jordan still feels like a winner when he loses in every boardroom?” (21:22)
- Jordan’s perseverance and passion for NASCAR are highlighted as a late-career underdog story.
- Dan: “…it may be ridiculous to say…but given that he's been…tried in ways that he hasn't been tried…he may say this is the most rewarding achievement I've ever had in sports. That's insane…” (22:08)
3. Fantasy Football and the “Expert” Problem (25:00–29:00)
- The team jokes about Chris Cody’s father, Greg Cody, whose football expertise is hilariously undercut by his confusion with basic fantasy football positions. The “fantasy draft night” becomes running slapstick.
- Billy: “The running joke last night was my dad not knowing what position anyone plays in a sport that he covers…His brain turns off from what I actually know about football…” (27:51)
4. The Myth and Mechanics of Packers Ownership (30:06–39:02)
- The ongoing bit crescendos with a call to Anthony Tuero, a “Packers owner” (one of thousands of stockholders), to explain the realities of community sports ownership.
- There’s confusion between serious analysis (guaranteed contracts, signing bonuses, tax implications) and jokes about church-style collection plates at Lambeau Field.
- Anthony Tuero eventually joins, decked out in cheesehead costume and Packers jersey, describes becoming an owner:
“So to buy in, to get one share, it was like 3:30, plus tax and fees or whatever. And then we get no dividends. We get nothing. I get to be a part of the shareholders meeting, though, every year. That's pretty cool.” (38:35 - Anthony) - The comedy peaks when the crew goads Anthony about “making the Micah Parsons trade happen.”
- Chris: “So, how does that work, what is that money?” (38:31)
- Anthony: “…I pitched in $385.” (38:13)
5. The SUI Awards – Best Musical Performance (43:34–end)
- The episode shifts to its annual, hilariously sincere SUI awards for best musical moment, featuring original songs and parodies that have become the show’s signature absurdity.
- Billy: “…the music that we started every show this week is an original song that [Yeti Blanc] did he wrote for my dad. We gotta shout Yeti out. It’s a banger…” (44:01)
- Nominees include originals and parodies (“The Day Journalism Died,” “Diamonds Look Like Pee,” “Restrepo,” “Golden Cane,” etc.)—blurring sports, self-deprecation, and inside jokes.
- The crew reflect on what the musical performances say about the ethos of the show—its mistakes, its joy, and its community vibe.
- Dan: “I don't know what it says about us that I think it's clearly the best mistake category that we play in the world.” (39:42)
- Billy: “…the SUIs make me feel good about what we do around here…makes me feel like we did some good work this year.” (39:31)
Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)
- “The Colts were being run by a drug addict, like, the entire time...I do not say, well, it was.”
(04:09, Chris) - “You can be effective in making money and securing government contracts and have a noticeable problem.”
(07:09, Dan) - “Michael Jordan has repeatedly run into L after L after L after L in the courts challenging the France family, NASCAR and their charter system”
(14:22, Dan) - “I've lost that in a casino. Let's do it. Also adding, this is just a hobby. I can only play so much golf.”
(17:48, Dan, quoting Jordan) - “…when you've been a symbol for youth and vitality, it must be hard to just age, right?...when you're always a winner…”
(21:22, Chris) - “To buy in, to get one share, it was like 3:30, plus tax and fees or whatever. And then we get no dividends. We get nothing. I get to be a part of the shareholders meeting, though, every year. That's pretty cool.”
(38:35, Anthony Tuero) - “[The Packers] are more than. I got him in a second, Dan. Here you go. You ready? You got. I got him. I got a Packers.”
(36:38, Billy, setting up the owner call) - “All the great songs from the year. It’s a doozy and it’s why it’s the last category. Let’s do it. Best Musical Performance. And now, the Sui nominees for Best Musical Performance…”
(44:01, Billy sets up SUI segment)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 03:00 – 09:00: Jim Irsay, Colts, Addiction, and Organizational Crisis
- 13:35 – 24:32: Michael Jordan’s Fight with NASCAR, Ownership Defeats, and Leaked Texts
- 25:00 – 29:00: Fantasy Football Draft Comedy and “Expert” Problem
- 30:06 – 39:02: Packers Ownership Skit and Anthony Tuero Interview
- 43:34 – End (~65:00): SUI Awards: Best Musical Moment Segment (with song performances interspersed)
Tone and Style
The episode blends humor, genuine vulnerability, and classic Le Batard Show irreverence. The crew navigates between serious discussions (addiction in leadership, power in sports) and meta, self-deprecating show-biz. Listener participation, inside jokes, and musical moments provide a sense of tight-knit community and relentless fun.
Summary in Brief
This Big Suey episode is a microcosm of the Le Batard Show’s strengths: wrestling with the real-life messiness of sports, skewering institutions and themselves with equal vigor, and lifting the audience with communal in-jokes and musical performances that simultaneously parody and celebrate the year in sports and show lore. The “Packers owner” bit and the SUI musical finale capture Le Batard and Stugotz’s unique blend of sincerity, absurdity, and offbeat family spirit.
