The Varsity
Puck sports correspondent John Ourand and a rotating cast of industry insiders take you inside the executive suites and owners boxes where the decisions that shape the entire sports business are made. You’ll hear interviews with players, 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 every Wednesday and Sunday.
LATEST EPISODES
Jan 21 • 48 min 1 sec
Marchand on the NFL’s Media Chessboard
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand joins John to break down the future of sports media rights, with a particular focus on the NFL. They discuss why so many leagues’ next deals hinge on the NFL’s upcoming negotiations, which NFL packages are most vulnerable to streamer disruption, why it’s no longer far-fetched to imagine Amazon eventually landing […]
Jan 18 • 47 min 52 sec
MLB’s Dodger Economics
The Athletic’s Evan Drellich joins John to break down the L.A. Dodgers’ $240 million deal for star outfielder Kyle Tucker and its potential implications on MLB’s next round of labor negotiations. They explore the renewed conversation around a salary cap, the parity between big- and small-market teams, the looming media rights reset, the prospect of […]
Jan 14 • 47 min 21 sec
Inside Ratner and Rubin’s Fanatics Content Factory
Michael Ratner, C.E.O. of OBB Media, joins John to discuss his new joint venture with Michael Rubin’s Fanatics to launch Fanatics Studios—aiming to produce sports content across feature films, documentaries, and live events. Ratner explains how they plan to leverage Fanatics’ deep athlete relationships and league partnerships to disrupt the sports content market—and offers his […]
Jan 11 • 47 min 28 sec
Inside the NCAA’s Moneyball Era
NCAA president Charlie Baker joins John to confront the growing sense that college sports are in troubled waters. Baker breaks down the chaos of the transfer portal, the accelerated professionalization of college athletics, and why Congress may need to step in to impose uniform eligibility rules. He also discusses the NCAA’s media rights deal with […]
