The Yak – March 26, 2026

Episode: “Dana Is Lecturing College Kids On How To Be As Successful As Him”

Episode Overview

This episode of The Yak brings the usual chaos and locker-room banter, with Dana (“Dana Beers”) prepping for his big upcoming college lecture, Rico Bosco on edge about a massive 10-year salary bet hinging on Alabama’s NCAA tournament run, and the crew riffing on everything from revenge to office politics, animal hypotheticals, and the glorious, questionable value of being a top impressionist versus a dancer. Classic Yak: no topic is sacred, everything’s up for jokes, but underneath it all are legitimately funny insights on work, rivalry, and personal growth in Barstool life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rico’s Double-or-Nothing Salary Bet

• Segment Start: [03:07]
• Rico is sweating a legendary company bet — if Alabama wins, his salary doubles for the next 10 years.
• Details: Apparently not compounding; just doubled and locked for a decade.
• Office support is mixed with mockery: “You could win this bet and come away smelling like a rose, or lose this bet and come away smelling like a rose.” (Kyle, [03:18])
• The guys speculate about what it would actually change: “Would you be zen with double the money?” “No, I’d still get kicked out of CVS self-checkout.” (Brandon & Rico, [07:48][07:52])
• Potential fallout and contract details debated, including the idea this puts a bigger Dave Portnoy-shaped target on Rico’s back ([60:00]).
• Notable: Constant ribbing about whether the bet is a “win-win,” and if it makes Rico happier—or just more anxious.

2. Dana’s Upcoming College Lecture

• Segment Start: [43:27], main thread through [46:00] and [53:51]
• Dana is prepping an hour-long "Business Bootcamp" PowerPoint at Stonehill College entitled "What Barstool Sports Teaches Us About Modern Leadership."
• Dana: “An hour at the business boot camp... these kids had to apply for boot camp?” ([43:57])
• Genuine nerves from Dana, who admits he’ll be using ChatGPT for the PowerPoint. The group jokes about goofing off during the session, including mock-practicing introductions with a fellow guest, “Scott Wiener.”
• The crew has fun at Dana’s expense, predicting oddball Q&A, especially about infamous Yak stories (“What happened in that bog in front of everybody?” [48:32]).
• Dana: “It’ll be boring because it’s going to be legitimate... I’m going to take it very seriously.” ([71:17])
• They debate his wardrobe (suit? Beer shirt? “Quarter zip over a button-down.” [69:36])
• Brandon (encouraging): “Be yourself. That’s probably what they want. That’s why they reached out to you.” ([70:00])

3. Barstool Office Rivalries & Revenge Stories

• Segment Start: [09:23] and recurring
• Rico recounts personal nemeses from school days (“Jonathan Perrina... always talked about trains.” [09:33]), college RAs, and beefs with co-workers (“Some people are drunks, some people do drugs, I was addicted to anger.” [13:01])
• Discussion of grudges, professional rivalries (especially the Jeff Nadu saga), and whether getting double salary would cure all of Rico’s rage.
• The group jokes about playful revenge, never actually ruining anyone’s month. “You sow so much, but you never reap.” (Brandon, [14:00]; “You’re not a reaper.” [14:02])
• Notable: The idea of nicknames (“My tax guy’s name is Cheese. Everyone has a Cheese.” [19:09]) and the East Coast tradition of ‘ball-breaking.’

4. Workplace Dynamics: Social Groups, Aging Out, and Dinners

• Segment Start: [28:53] and ongoing
• Riffs on office cliques—‘beer guys’ versus ‘dinner guys,’ what it means to age out of party groups, especially as some (like Jerry) settle down, get pets, and get “aged out.”
• Rico proposes the “supper club” as the evolved experience for the older Barstool set ([29:19]).
• Discussion of dinners versus drinking out; “Dinners are the best. Every time we do it, we say we should do it more.” ([29:31])
• Housewarming invites and the etiquette of house pet names become a running side bit ([77:58] onward).

5. Animal Hypotheticals & The Classic Yak Tangents

• Segment Start: [90:23] onward (“Should we answer Chase’s question about redwood trees?”)
• Debate: Would you rather be reincarnated as a giant redwood tree or a bird of your choice?
• Polled live with surprising results (“You’re putting 40% up against the fastest animal in the world!” [99:07])
• Appeals to “bird-ness”: “Being a bird with a human brain would be... so sick. I would go fly to the Florida Keys myself... Take a dump on Macon, Georgia.” (Dana, [95:42])

6. Office Stories: Pets, Facebook Trolling, and Drunken Adventures

• Pets: New kittens, dogs, and birds—how “life-changing” pet ownership is ([73:45]–[87:33]).
• Facebook Trolling: Rico’s shenanigans in local groups, pranking neighbors with posts about golf courses being closed during a snowstorm ([22:12]).
• Drunken Tales: Brandon recounts the only time his wife had to drive him home—Anna’s wedding 2007. “I was in the front seat. Window down, blowing through my hair.” ([31:14])
• Printer/Office Challenges: “Why is the office printer always like trying to operate a jet?” ([52:48])

7. AI, Impressions, and Odd ‘Would You Rather’ Debates

• The advent of the AI Colin Cowherd: “Ask me anything—about sports or anything. You’ll get me or the AI version of me.” ([117:19])
• Internal debate: Would you rather be the best dancer or best impressionist? Passable singer or top impressionist? ([118:04])
• Quote: “A passable singer can open a lot of doors.” – Dana ([119:10])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On revenge: “Some people are drunks, some people do drugs—I was addicted to anger.” – Rico ([13:01])
• On doubling his salary: “If you double your salary, you could buy your mom a house... I’d buy a lot of underwear.” – Rico ([61:01])
• On Facebook trolling: “I got a fish!” – Rico, after baiting a local neighbor ([22:43])
• On being called ‘boring’ off-camera: “When cameras are off, I’m a pretty boring guy.” – Rico ([19:55])
• On Ball-Breakers: “I grew up with a ton of them—my uncles are big ball-breakers.” – Rico ([24:03])
• On being invited to lecture at Stonehill: “I have to do a PowerPoint... I’m very excited. I did a Q&A before, hundreds of people showed up. It’s fun.” – Dana ([46:00])
• On animal choices: “Would you rather be a redwood or a peregrine falcon? You could wake up and be like, ‘I’m gonna go fly to Heidi Klum’s house and look in her window.’” – Dana ([94:41])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:07] Rico's 10-Year Double-Salary Bet
• [09:23] Revenge, College Nemeses, Office Beefs
• [43:27], [46:00], [53:51] Dana’s College Lecture Details
• [14:00] Sowing & Reaping (Metaphor Riff)
• [19:09] East Coast Nicknames: “Cheese” & Co.
• [28:53] Office Social Circles: Dinners vs. Beer
• [60:00] Does More Money = Bigger Target?
• [73:45–87:33] Pets & Animal Hypotheticals
• [90:23–99:07] Tree vs. Bird Reincarnation Debate
• [117:19] Colin Cowherd AI Discussion
• [118:04–119:32] Impressions vs. Dancing/Singing Debate
• [100:05] Being White Sox Dave or Mincy – The Ultimate Barstool Life?

Memorable Bits & Tone

• Yak’s trademark blend of shit-talk and honest reflection: moments of genuine vulnerability (Dana’s nerves, Rico’s anger management) buried in pirouettes of jokes.
• Everyone riffs on the absurdity of office contracts, co-worker rivalries, and the gig economy of Barstool content creation.
• Repeated callback: “And again, I’m Scott Wiener.” Used as an icebreaker for power moves and straight-faced introductions ([73:02], [49:16]).
• Friendly jealousy when Barstool co-workers ditch for sporting events; aging out of office culture.
• Running debates about nicknames, the value of dinner, and if being a cat person is a slippery slope (“Three cats is crazy. The cats officially run the house at three cats.” – Kyle, [79:00])
• End-of-episode country music riff, including Travis Tritt’s “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive” and Conway Twitty being the original heartthrob ([103:13], [106:36]).

For Listeners New & Old

If you’ve never listened to The Yak, this episode is a perfect entry point: it’s the cast in full, riffing and roasting, but also revealing, in small doses, the real anxieties and successes behind Barstool’s carnival. You come for the laughter, but you end up actually caring about whether Dana will bomb on stage, if Rico’s bet will make him a target, and just how many more “Cheeses” you have to meet in real life.

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