The Nateland Podcast - Episode 271: The Yips, Madison Square Garden & The Emmys

Date: September 24, 2025
Hosts: Nate Bargatze, Brian Bates, Aaron Weber, Dusty Slay
Theme: Youth Sports, Live Shows, Navigating Fame, Comedy Craft, and More

Episode Overview

This week, the Nateland crew reconvenes to share comedy road stories, dive deep into the world of youth sports (focusing on the pressures, costs, and quirks therein), and reflect on recent career milestones—including Nate’s Emmys hosting gig and his upcoming headlining shows at Madison Square Garden. Listener comments inspire tangents about home run balls, participation trophies, and why breaking in a baseball glove just isn’t what it used to be. Laced with signature dry humor, the group also discusses social anxieties, the dangers of arrogance in major sports leagues, and the tension between evolving with the times and honoring tradition.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Comedy Road Updates & Tour Announcements

Timestamps: 01:07–05:07, 116:03–118:25

• Upcoming Shows & Specials:
  • Nate is about to headline Madison Square Garden with special guest Jimmy Fallon—“That’s crazy. Three shows at Madison Square Garden with special guest Jimmy Fallon. A pretty crazy guy to open your show.” (04:07, Aaron)
  • Dusty plugs his animated Alphabet joke video (“It’s a 10-year-old joke, but I got it animated...not for your kids, but it’s... good though.” 02:16–02:34)
  • Brian and Aaron announce their own tour dates, poking fun at plugging shows before Nate joins (“I’ve pushed for dates at the beginning of the show, think that’s to be the most effective for us.” 04:44, Dusty)
• Fun on the Road:
  • Weekend stories from church gigs to Phoenix and Denver stand-up, recounting both great crowds and unruly audience encounters.
  • On handling hecklers: “So I just yelled at the back of his head for like 15 minutes. I got some funny moments out of it, but I was pretty annoyed.” (18:29, Aaron)

2. Listener Interaction: Comments & Community

Timestamps: 14:50–41:10

• Shout-outs to listeners catching up on all 269 episodes (“Well, welcome aboard, Andrea... That’s all 269 episodes.” 15:26)
• Self-deprecating humor about recurring listeners’ inside jokes (e.g. “Hashtag Dump Dusty”) and discussion of hostility (15:47–16:48)
• Ongoing riffs about fan favorites among hosts and the eyebrow appreciation society (“This is already the most I’ve ever thought about my eyebrows.” 18:05, Aaron)
• Touches of vulnerability about harsh comments and persistent internet bits (“Not only is he constant, but he’s also a pile on guy...” 16:13, Dusty)

3. Milestones & Memorable Moments

a. Giving Back the Mike Trout 400th Home Run Ball

Timestamps: 08:44–10:56

• Aaron discusses the fan who caught Mike Trout’s 400th home run ball and chose to play catch with Trout rather than sell the ball.
• “Don’t sell your soul for just some money. Go play catch with Mike Trout.” (10:02, Dusty)
• The ethics of sports memorabilia and valuing once-in-a-lifetime experiences over money.

b. The Emmys Experience

Timestamps: 23:53–25:49, 99:06–115:59

• Nate returns from hosting the Emmys: modest, bemused, a bit outside the Hollywood crowd.
  • “It was like I wasn’t a part of it. Even though I was hosting it. I just wasn’t mixed in...” (106:45, Nate)
• The focus on the Boys & Girls Club “overage donation” segment:
  • “I wasn’t trying to put anybody on the spot...I thought it would be fun... a win-win. I just thought they could go long, but then be a hero.” (109:27, Nate)
  • “That was a huge win for myself, career-wise. And that is a big, big thank you to you guys because that stuff does matter… you guys showing up helps me.” (108:05, Nate)
• Host humility & the path from “outsider” to mainstream awards show host.

c. Upcoming at Madison Square Garden

Timestamps: 99:06–104:57

• Brian peppers Nate with fun facts (the arena is atop Penn Station, round locker rooms foster egalitarianism, Billy Joel’s record performances).
• Nate: “It’s gonna be crazy. I’ll be at the Ryder Cup too… it’s all insane.”

4. Deep Dive: Youth Sports, Pressure, Costs & Culture

Timestamps: 47:45–99:03

• The psychological pressure on coaches:
  • “I had a coach pitch one time for my son’s team… I was beaming batters and throwing them all 10ft in the ground… It was the most shameful experience of my life. I played a lot of baseball growing up… just the pressure of the situation.” (48:45, listener)
  • “Dude, when you get the yips, you ain’t coming back from the yips.” (51:30, Nate)
  • Brian shares the story of Tyler Matzek from the Braves, who overcame the yips by training with Marines (52:27)
• Travel ball and rising costs:
  • “A combined 145 games. This year we’re on track to the same…” (55:48, listener)
  • “The average family in the US spends a thousand, a little bit over a thousand dollars a year on their child’s primary sport.” (63:50, Brian)
  • Bat and glove price horrors (“I want to say it was like 500 for some of them.” 67:34, Nate)
• Burnout and quitting:
  • “The average child spends less than three years playing a sport, quitting by age 11.” (68:24, Brian)
• Scholarship realities:
  • “If your daughter can play golf… she’ll get a scholarship.” (84:14, Nate)
  • “Kenny was a cheerleader, male cheerleader. We made fun of him...but yeah, he did.” (84:36, Nate)
• Debate: Specialize vs. Sample Many Sports?
  • “I would say play multiple...You’re gonna burn out that way [if you specialize too soon].” (87:11, Nate)
  • “You’re more likely to have an injury doing the same repetition year round than playing other sports using different muscles.” (87:59, Brian)
  • “If you’re good enough to make it to the professional league, you’re on such another level that… you could have played college basketball if you sat on your couch.” (90:29, Nate)

5. Participation Trophies, Club/Travel Sports, and New Trends

Timestamps: 94:00–98:57

• General consensus that participation trophies are harmless if you help your kids understand their real value:
  • “You teach your kid not to value trophies that much...Yeah, you give them a little thing to put [on the shelf].” (94:08, Brian)
  • “...The idea of participation trophies. Like, you do know. You know, if your kid doesn’t know what that trophy is, that’s on you.” (94:55, Nate)
• Observations on club/travel leagues' growth and the shift in how youth sports are organized.

6. Major Sports Leagues: Evolution, Arrogance, and the Future

Timestamps: 77:38–83:56

• The hosts discuss the NFL’s global ambitions, rising costs and fragmentation of broadcast rights, and whether the NBA/MLB have become complacent.
  • “They got to be careful because this could be the beginning of the end...You start spreading out too much, then people are not really going to have a connection.” (78:51, Nate)
  • “Yeah, you went all in. I thought it was. You figured you went all in, but…” [On stadium food costs] (82:33, Nate)
  • Concerns over the accessibility and relatability of big-league sports in the future.

Notable Quotes & Highlights

• On Stand-Up Craft:

  • “I just was never a comic that did. I was never comic that went over my time ever… I always did. How much time do you want me to do? And I did that time.” (25:49, Nate)
  • “It’s the rhythm. I know that’s an hour 80. I don’t know.” (26:09, Nate – jokingly muddling time and set length)
  • “If you’re a new comic, just get off and just—bam. Make sure that last joke is just good night.” (32:28, Nate)
  • “I love seeing a newer comic try to—‘I’m just trying to get that big laugh to get off’. And then you’re like, it’s never coming. Just get out of here.” (33:19, Dusty)

• On Social Anxiety:

  • “I pretended I was on a phone call with all of you as I listened to your podcast. I laughed when you guys did. And I interjected some very funny comments which were entirely ignored.” (41:13, listener)
  • “Sometimes you just want to stare. Like a lot going on.” (42:22, Nate)

Segment Timestamps Guide

• 01:07–05:07: Show dates, road stories, Alphabet joke
• 08:44–10:56: Mike Trout 400th HR ball anecdote
• 14:50–41:10: Listener comments and banter
• 47:45–99:03: The Yips, youth sports, costs, travel ball
• 99:06–104:57: Madison Square Garden history/facts, Emmys experiences
• 108:05–115:59: Emmys hosting charity segment reflection
• 116:03–118:25: Tour plug wrap-up

Memorable Moments

• The "Yips" in Real Life: The hosts and listeners relive the humiliation and psychological spiral of “the yips” in youth baseball and the perils of coaching your own five-year-old’s team.
• Sports Costs Are Outrageous: Multiple hosts recall the shock of modern equipment prices and exorbitant stadium concessions (“Two hamburgers and two Tater Tots at the Rockies game. It was $60 this week.” 81:51, Brian)
• Award Show Reflections: Nate’s honesty about “not being part of it” at the Emmys, the viral impact of viewing numbers, and the creative charity angle that drew mixed reactions (“It was funny like because there was a lot it would say, like, the controversial way… My only controversial thing is the Boys and Girls Clubs got 350k and you go, you’re right. That was not ideal.” 113:10, Nate)
• Friendship & Relatable Bonds: Despite career heights and viral moments, the podcast remains grounded, focusing on the feeling of being both insiders and outsiders—at Hollywood galas and in youth sport dugouts.

Tone & Flavor

The episode lands with all the classic Nateland ingredients: humble, meandering storytelling; genuine gratitude for their listeners (“You guys showing up helps me…” 108:05, Nate); and quick-witted, low-key comedy digs at each other and the many absurdities of American life. They remain relatable and “regular,” finding through lines between the pressure of pitching your kid at coach pitch and hosting the Emmys on national TV.

For more, follow the Nateland gang’s stand-up and watch Nate’s animated special “The Alphabet” and Ryan Hamilton’s Netflix special. Join the ongoing conversation with comments and check out future episodes for even deeper dives on comedy, sports, and everything in-between.