Puck Sports Correspondent John Ourand and a rotating cast of industry insiders take you deep inside the executive suites and owner boxes that run the entire sports business. You’ll hear interviews with everyone from players to network execs and everyone in between. The Varsity is an extension of John's private email for Puck by the same name. New episodes publish twice-weekly, every Wednesday and Sunday.
Annie Costabile of The Athletic, who covers the WNBA and women’s basketball at large, joins John to discuss the league’s growing pains as it makes the leap from niche product to mainstream juggernaut. Annie explains why, despite record TV ratings, attendance, and sponsorships, the WNBA remains mired in internal conflict—from online harassment to the breakdown in communication between star players and commissioner Cathy Engelbert, whose future in the role is very much in question.
Is the A.I. Arms Race Coming for Sports?
Analyst Michael Nathanson joins John to break down some of the biggest storylines in sports media right now—from the implications of Paramount pausing its Warner Bros. deal to the way the A.I. capex arms race has reshaped how streamers approach sports rights. He also gets into Netflix’s sports strategy, Apple’s sports rights appetite, and more.
What ESPN’s Layoffs Really Signal
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand rejoins John to break down ESPN’s recent layoffs, which hit more than 100 employees. They explain why the NFL Network acquisition—and the massive salaries commanded by the likes of Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee—set the stage for the cuts. They also discuss the SEC’s stance on the Protect College Sports Act, streaming’s growing influence over NFL rights, the future of NFL Network under ESPN, and more.
Has the U.S. Finally Fallen in Love with Soccer?
JT Batson, C.E.O. of the U.S. Soccer Federation, joins John to lay out his vision for “the American soccer movement”—a five-year push toward two marquee moments: the 2028 L.A. Olympics and the 2031 Women’s World Cup. Batson makes the case for building the sport at the grade-school level, explains why corporate dollars are suddenly lining up behind soccer, and argues why MLS 3.0’s success is imperative to the sport’s broader rise in America.
Can MLB Surpass the NBA?
The Athletic’s Evan Drellich joins John to discuss MLB’s looming labor war. Evan puts the odds of a 2027 lockout at 100 percent and the chance of missed games at 75—all while baseball is enjoying a banner season with increased ratings, attendance, and sponsorships. They also explore the sport’s real potential to surpass basketball, the challenges facing its next media deal, and more.
Presenting: Fantasy Football Today
Want to dominate your league and earn Fantasy Football bragging rights? Join the crew at Fantasy Football Today. Adam Aizer, analysts Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, Heath Cummings have everything you need. Start or Sit, Waiver Wire, Buy or Sell, Grade the Trade, and Fantasy Cops to settle your league disputes and answer all your listener questions. It’s like hanging out with your buddies and talking football—if your buddies actually knew how to win you a championship.
Caught Stealing… The View?
Puck’s legal expert Eriq Gardner joins John to work through a docket’s worth of sports media legal battles—from the looming challenges to the Paramount-WBD merger to the NFL’s ongoing antitrust case. Plus, a long-simmering dispute between the Chicago Cubs and the rooftop owners over sightlines into Wrigley.
Fanatically Speaking
Michael Ratner, C.E.O. of Fanatics Studios, and Lance Fensterman, C.E.O. of Fanatics Events, join John to discuss the wild growth and evolution of Fanatics Fest—and why immersive, interactive experiences built around high-profile athlete appearances are central to its appeal. Ratner also gets into the thinking behind a reimagined ESPYs, which he’s overseeing and which should kickstart a major weekend for Fanatics.
Can Linear TV Actually Afford More NFL?
Wells Fargo Securities analyst Steven Cahall joins John to cut through the noise on sports media’s biggest storylines: why a sale of NBC is less likely than the market assumes, the fuzzy logic surrounding the $22 billion Fox–Roku deal, whether linear networks can actually afford to pay more for the NFL, and much more.
Wimbledon’s Grass is Always Greener
With Wimbledon in full swing, John is joined by Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of tennis. They get into Serena Williams’ return to the court, the WTA’s player protests over fair wages, and the challenges and opportunities facing the sport in the U.S. Wertheim also illuminates how tennis keeps finding itself at the forefront of women’s sports’ remarkable rise.
Fox Sports’ Golden Boot
C.E.O. Eric Shanks joins John to gush about the World Cup and Fox’s decade-long investment in soccer. He discusses his biggest surprises, Fox’s always-on approach to coverage, Zlatan Ibrahimović’s unlikely TV career, the controversial hydration breaks, the looming 2030 rights war, and more.
Soccer’s American Dream
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand is back on the pod to discuss the World Cup’s runaway success, from its strong attendance numbers and high TV ratings to its positive impact on social media. He also predicts what the momentum means for the 2030 rights, and whether it could land on a streamer for the first time. Plus, how MLS can capitalize on the moment to become a top league globally.
FanDuel’s Next Gamble
FanDuel President Christian Genetski joins John to talk shop about World Cup engagement, the sports betting scandals putting the industry under a microscope, and FanDuel’s foray into prediction markets. Genetski addresses the looming transparency and regulation questions head-on, and explains how he’s threading the needle between legal complexities and a consumer appetite that's only intensifying.
College Sports Confidential
NBC Sports’ Nicole Auerbach rejoins The Varsity to gab with John about all the latest chaos in college sports, from a bizarre twist in the Big Ten–SEC rivalry to the ongoing legal drama surrounding Brendan Sorsby and an unexpected political threat in Washington.
The James Dolan Paradox
Fresh off of the Knicks' historic championship victory, John sits down with ESPN's Brian Windhorst and New York's own Mike Breen to dig into James Dolan's ownership of the team, the undervalued roster Leon Rose quietly assembled, and why Jalen Brunson is essentially funding his own teammates. Breen also expands on his emotional call as the clock hit zero.
UFC's White House Fright Night
John sits down with Axios media correspondent Sara Fischer to discuss the throw down set for next Sunday on the White House lawn. They discuss the press access issues and the potential growth opportunities for the UFC. The pair also chat about the brands flocking to F1's Apple era, and the Murdoch vs. NFL leverage war playing out on Capitol Hill.
YouTube’s NFL Discipline & NFL Partner Math
Rich Greenfield, the LightShed partner and sports guru, joins John to weigh in on the looming NFL rights renegotiation bonanza: who wins, who blinks first, and why the league still has all the leverage in the post-cord-cutting era.
Full Court Press!
Puck legal guru Eriq Gardner joins John Ourand to explain how Capitol Hill and a veritable army of lawyers are reshaping college athletics: the fight over the Sports Broadcasting Act, the usual NIL mishegas, the Sunday Ticket time bomb, and much more.
Burke Magnus’s ESPN Wish List
ESPN head of content Burke Magnus joins John to discuss what's working for the network and what's in store. They chat about Inside the NBA, the state of the NBA booth, the NFL Network acquisition, and what it takes to draw younger audiences in through digital and social. They also discuss the MLB.tv experiment, and Magnus reveals what's still on his wish list for the network.
Is the U.S. Ready for the World Cup?
John sits down with Dan Helfrich, COO of US Soccer, ahead of the World Cup. Helfrich makes the case for the US team’s readiness and discusses how this three-nation-hosted tournament is so unique. He also explains why the pipeline to a top-tier MLS starts with youth development, college soccer, and the communities that support them.
Ranking source
Apple Podcasts rankings supplied by Mato Topic Intelligence Platform.
Observed July 30, 2026.
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