The JTrain Podcast: Are the Patriots Back?? Super Bowl Predictions with Katie Nolan – Chit Chat Wednesday (Jan 28, 2026)
Main Theme / Purpose
On this lively Chit Chat Wednesday episode of The JTrain Podcast, host Jared Freid is joined by sports media personality Katie Nolan (“The Casuals” podcast). Their conversation dives deep into football fandom—from the emotional rollercoaster of being a sports fan in stadiums, to Boston sports nostalgia, Super Bowl experiences, the chaotic state of college football, and even the art of ordering wings at Buffalo Wild Wings. It’s a mix of sports psychology, inside-baseball media discussion, and light-hearted food banter.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Psychology of Being a Sports Fan (00:50–07:32)
- Growing Up as Boston Sports Fans
- Both Jared and Katie connect over their upbringing as Boston sports fans, and how that sensibility translates when watching other teams.
- "It's weird to see... the Bears fans have been kind of conditioned to be like, like pre-winning Boston — miserable." (Jared, 01:35)
- WEEI and the 'Whiner Line'
- Discussion of the legendary “Whiner Line” from Boston sports radio WEEI, where pained voicemails from fans were aired.
- “It was my favorite part because it was the funniest part that was actually funny... but they were from pained places.” (Jared, 01:55)
- Stadium Emotional State — Bears Game
- Jared recalls attending a heartbreaker Bears game; describes the emotionally restrained, “conditioned” fans, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
- Katie: "What's the worst thing is getting excited and then having it taken away, right? ...Until that moment I can’t let this all go.” (04:18)
- Sports as a shared, communal experience among strangers: “Sports is watching and having other people around you, strangers to you, have an emotional ride with you that you understand each other on...” (Katie, 05:00)
2. TV Rights and the Modern NFL Viewing Experience (07:32–08:08)
- Debate about streaming exclusivity for playoff games, and confusion between recent big NFL games on Amazon vs. NBC.
- Katie: “People were a little upset that such a big rivalry would be exclusive—a playoff game between two rivals—exclusively on a streaming [service].” (07:44)
3. Super Bowl Attendance and ‘Fan Experiences’ (10:39–15:24)
- Katie’s Past Super Bowl: The Ultimate Fan Moment
- Describes attending the legendary Patriots-Falcons comeback (Super Bowl LI, 28-3).
- “I got to the stadium for the second half and all I saw were Patriots... I couldn't have written that any better in the movie version of my life.” (Katie, 13:44)
- Corporate/Commercial Side of the Super Bowl
- Why the Super Bowl is more a corporate spectacle than a genuine fan game.
- “It’s the young kid who’s like, I want to wave the foam finger... it’s not even for that.” (Jared, 14:20)
- “The fan experience isn't as—I like it better at home. I like watching it better at home or at a party with friends.” (Katie, 14:14)
- Re-evaluating Bucket List Sports Dreams
- Both agree that attending a Super Bowl, even with your team, isn’t all it’s hyped up to be.
4. Random Fun: Australia Tangent (15:24–18:44)
- Jared and Katie riff on travel to Australia: friendly people, “everybody knows an Olympian,” and Australian men being very forward.
- “The men were very forward. The men were very like, I want your number. And then they would text you before you got back from the bar and you were like, this is a lot.” (Katie, 16:29)
- Ian Thorpe at Jared’s show in Melbourne: “You could throw a stone, you hit an Olympian...” (Jared, 17:22)
5. The Messy State of College Football (18:44–31:04)
- Katie Laments Modern College Football
- “College football’s a mess... we're in a wild west period of college football right now, and it’s kind of really messy.” (Katie, 19:51)
- Coaching Carousel & Lane Kiffin Example (20:08–21:57)
- They discuss high-profile coaches leaving teams before bowl games/playoffs; what message that sends to student-athletes.
- “If the point of college football... is like that we’re leading young men... what you’re teaching them is that it’s okay to just abandon your team for a bigger paycheck.” (Katie, 21:36)
- Players as Professionals
- QBs like Carson Beck not attending class: “What are we doing here? Like, are we playing? Is it make believe?” (Jared, 23:31)
- More money in college (NIL) than pros for some players now; the NCAA’s “student-athlete” facade is unraveling.
- Transfer Portal Chaos
- The transfer rules, lack of oversight with agents, and ever-changing guidelines causing confusion and wasted eligibility for players.
- “Everything’s kind of a mess.” (Katie, 30:40)
6. College Football Fandom & Bubble, With a Penn State Anecdote (25:38–29:29)
- Jared on Penn State, Football Social Bonds, and Scandal
- Bonds between college friends/homecoming trips depend on football team’s winning; support for NIL motivated more by social experience than player wellbeing.
- “It’s... I need this team to be the reason I can go to Miami with my college friends.” (Jared, 27:43)
- The Shadow of Scandal
- The burden Penn State alums face in job interviews due to the Sandusky scandal ("what good is the degree?" – Jared, 28:14)
- Katie notes it similarly affects VT alums post-shooting.
7. The Science (and Social Art) of Ordering Buffalo Wild Wings (31:04–38:44)
- Katie’s Ordering Philosophy
- She sees herself as the recon/“chief of staff,” gathering preferences and stats from the group for the “menu creative” to execute (Jared, 32:45).
- “I’m a gatherer...I take that intel back to a central, responsible type A and I go, here’s what I’ve got.” (Katie, 32:12)
- Constructing the Ultimate Group BWW Order
- Detailed debate: bone-in vs. boneless, quantity, flavor distribution, gender breakdown, and side orders.
- “I think we would just get a... 20 bone in wings, 20 boneless wings, hand spun in your choice of sauce or a dry rub with french fries.” (Katie, 36:18)
- “Order extra crispy, please leave them in the fry later longer than you…” (Jared, 36:55)
- On chips and guac: “I want nothing to do with it. I want to throw it in the ocean.” (Jared, 37:14)
- America Needs More of This Kind of Compromise
- “See, this type of discussion... this is what’s missing in the country.” (Jared, 39:02)
- “Maybe we’re not so different after all.” (Katie, 39:31)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Sports Fandom and Shared Emotion
- “Sports is watching and having other people around you, strangers to you, have an emotional ride with you that you understand each other on...”
— Katie Nolan, 05:00
- “Sports is watching and having other people around you, strangers to you, have an emotional ride with you that you understand each other on...”
- On the Super Bowl as a Corporate Event
- “It's a marketing meeting... it is for them. Like it’s not for the young kid who’s like, I want to wave the foam finger.”
— Jared Freid, 14:20
- “It's a marketing meeting... it is for them. Like it’s not for the young kid who’s like, I want to wave the foam finger.”
- On the Mess of College Football
- “College football’s a mess... we’re in a wild west period of college football right now, and it’s kind of really messy.”
— Katie Nolan, 19:51
- “College football’s a mess... we’re in a wild west period of college football right now, and it’s kind of really messy.”
- On the Real Motivation for College Football Donations
- “I need this team to be the reason I can go to Miami with my college friends.”
— Jared Freid, 27:43
- “I need this team to be the reason I can go to Miami with my college friends.”
- On Wing Order Diplomacy
- “I’m a gatherer...I take that intel back to a central, responsible type A and I go, here’s what I’ve got.”
— Katie Nolan, 32:12 - “See, this type of discussion... this is what’s missing in the country. If at the beginning of every debate the presidents had to order Buffalo Wild Wings together... we’d all see that we’re a little bit more alike than we are different.”
— Jared Freid, 39:02
- “I’m a gatherer...I take that intel back to a central, responsible type A and I go, here’s what I’ve got.”
Important Timestamps
- 00:50 — Boston sports pain, WEEI’s Whiner Line, growing up sports fans
- 03:11 — Emotional state at stadium, Bears game experience
- 07:44 — NFL playoff games on streaming services: access and outrage
- 10:39 — Super Bowl: is it worth going as a fan?
- 13:44 — Katie’s perfect Patriots Super Bowl experience
- 15:24 — Australia, and random fun banter about travel/culture
- 18:44 — College football: chaos, NIL, transfer rules
- 25:38 — Penn State, college football as social glue, shadow of scandal
- 31:04 — Detailed group wing order construction (BWW order diplomacy)
- 39:02 — Why wing-order compromise is what America needs
Tone & Style
- Conversational, irreverent, lightly self-deprecating, and fast-paced.
- Smart sports talk blended with personal anecdotes, pop culture commentary, and playful food debates.
- Both host and guest are witty, willing to poke fun at themselves, and keen on seeing the larger cultural context of sports.
For Listeners Who Missed It
This episode is a must for fans of behind-the-scenes sports media talk, the psychology of fanhood, and people who ponder why ordering appetizers is a leadership test. Jared and Katie cover everything from the evolution of Boston sports identity, to what’s broken in college football, to what actually makes for a great Super Bowl. And if you ever thought buffalo wings didn’t offer insight into American politics, this episode might change your mind.