Why does Tim Kawakami actively troll much of his audience and why does he purposely antagonize? I’ve never quite understood that, and tangentially-
A deeper exploration of how the Athletic went full on Woke, how many of their writers (hesitate to call them journalists at this point) demonize the conservative - scratch that - rather how they demonize the portion of their subscribers who are on the 80 percent side of the so-called 80-20 issues and how this has impacted their subscriber base - they lost me, a day one subscriber due to this
i know nothing of his personal life but i’m getting big “divorced guy” with him.
regardless, anyone who acts like he does on twitter has some serious issues. i’ve somewhat recently started following him and he’ll go on and on about “elon boys” and i have no idea what it means. someone like me asked him in a nice way about what it means and he responded by saying something like “well uhh it’d be too hard for me to explain” which tells me he’s totally lost the plot
Newish paid subscriber. Some topics I'd like you to address:
* Future of sports journalism. ESPN has gone BIG on the BIG name and little else. Publications are disappearing, more sports news being consumed by podcasts. Can actual sports journalism still exist?
* Thoughts on Corporate Response to the next Democratic Administration? How will that change the presentation of sports and sports adjacent companies.
* Is it a problem that the NBA won't address some of the structural problems with the game? Namely too many 3 pointers? I'm an NBA fan and I hear the experts say all these teams run different offenses, what are the normies complaining about, yet it is still a fundamental reality that if you make the most 3s you will win the game. Thus teams keep chucking. Will that have long term negative effects for the league? MLB addressed some of its flaws but the NBA seems to think it isn't a problem.
I live in Austin. My in-laws live in the Bay Area. I was recently in Berkeley for a Sturgill Simpson concert.
Feels like you’ve been commenting on college sports lately. I wasn’t sure if Cal football was something you were a fan of? College football is the most drama filled sport. There is so much that is impossible to explain to my Californian wife why Cal plays in the ACC.
It’s America’s second most popular sport/league, and there is no vision or thought for the future. It would be cool to hear you talk to Matt Brown from Extra Points or Alex from Split Zone Duo about the state of college sports and what the PCSA actually may do.
Cal seems to be trying for once. As a Texas Tech fan I can say it just takes one crazy rich football fan to change everything. Figure they have one at Cal. Gmar chatima tova.
Happy Yom Kippur! I’ll admit this isn’t exactly your wheelhouse (NHL) but I’m curious about your take on why a certain demographic of hockey fans seem to demand cooperation and ‘allyship’ from players, vs other major sports. The reaction from many fans last week about Alex Ovechkin participating in a commercial with Vladimir Putin seems a tad off base. The man is from Russia, calls Russia home, and will live there after retirement with his family. He was going to take a stand against an authoritarian dictator? Just kinda funny how ‘some’ sports fans rely on pro athletes to potentially sacrifice their personal well being in order to side with them politically.
I’d like a series on the similarities btwn NIL & gambling legalization. Tons of sharps i know didn’t want legalization - it was fine that offshores + locals + mob ran it under the radar. Same with cash payments to players under the table; everyone knew, but it kept the student in student athlete. Plausible deniability sucks for govt sponsored institutions like the CIA but is the tribute that vice pays to virtue in these two instances. Toothpaste is out of the tube likely but perhaps there are some observational threads and conclusions you can mine here.
Hi Ethan, been a subscriber since Nike End of Men and had a topic that feels squarely in your wheelhouse.
It occurred to me while watching Tom Brady call a Ravens game a few seasons ago. Whenever Lamar Jackson did something extraordinarily athletic, Brady would joke that such a play was far beyond his own abilities. Yet everyone watching understood the irony: Brady is widely considered the greatest quarterback ever.
So what made Brady better?
Brady’s career highlight reel contains relatively few physically spectacular plays. His greatness came from consistency, rapid processing, accurate risk assessment, avoiding mistakes, and delivering the right throw under pressure. Those abilities are harder to isolate on film—and more uncomfortable to discuss—than speed, arm strength, or athleticism.
That discomfort becomes especially apparent when evaluating quarterbacks criticized for decision-making or processing: Lamar in certain playoff games, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, or, more controversially, Colin Kaepernick. Saying one quarterback is less athletic than another feels neutral. Saying he processes information more slowly, struggles to reach his second read, or makes worse decisions can sound like a judgment of intelligence—particularly when race enters the conversation—even though football cognition is its own specialized skill.
If you wanted to lose your job in 2019, you could have accurately stated that Kaepernick was actually blackballed from the NFL because he doesn’t have a quarterback brain.
This also connects to your argument about Brock Purdy’s distinct ability, and his similarity to Draymond Green: elite, instantaneous decision-making that doesn’t necessarily look spectacular.
Trump’s negotiation strategy aligning with media coverage. Looking at the Greenland/US deal as yet again a story when Trump pushes the line so far in his threat, that the settled solution seems like a relief. Same story with the tariffs and on and on. Trump threats makes for great coverage, and that is why media takes the threats on face value. If they analyze it more nuanced like, ok so that’s his negotiating position, it doesn’t draw as many clicks.
Feels like that’s a story in your wheelhouse(media&Trump)
I don’t know about topics, but this Jew’s head is exploding that someone Jewish would say “Happy Yom Kippur”
So it’s not going to be a topic, but Ethan, what is your relationship with Judaism? I honestly don’t mean this as an inquisition or anything, just curious how other Jews relate to these things.
You’ll love this…Tony Vitello. Terrible season. Lots of drama behind the scenes in the clubhouse. Completely ineffective. And yet, every baseball media member advocating on Vitello’s behalf, pleading he gets another season. What’s going on there?
Vrabel/Russini update - how is she doing?
Why does Tim Kawakami actively troll much of his audience and why does he purposely antagonize? I’ve never quite understood that, and tangentially-
A deeper exploration of how the Athletic went full on Woke, how many of their writers (hesitate to call them journalists at this point) demonize the conservative - scratch that - rather how they demonize the portion of their subscribers who are on the 80 percent side of the so-called 80-20 issues and how this has impacted their subscriber base - they lost me, a day one subscriber due to this
Kawakami's online presence is so bizarre to me. He acts like a petulant teenager on twitter
i know nothing of his personal life but i’m getting big “divorced guy” with him.
regardless, anyone who acts like he does on twitter has some serious issues. i’ve somewhat recently started following him and he’ll go on and on about “elon boys” and i have no idea what it means. someone like me asked him in a nice way about what it means and he responded by saying something like “well uhh it’d be too hard for me to explain” which tells me he’s totally lost the plot
Newish paid subscriber. Some topics I'd like you to address:
* Future of sports journalism. ESPN has gone BIG on the BIG name and little else. Publications are disappearing, more sports news being consumed by podcasts. Can actual sports journalism still exist?
* Thoughts on Corporate Response to the next Democratic Administration? How will that change the presentation of sports and sports adjacent companies.
* Is it a problem that the NBA won't address some of the structural problems with the game? Namely too many 3 pointers? I'm an NBA fan and I hear the experts say all these teams run different offenses, what are the normies complaining about, yet it is still a fundamental reality that if you make the most 3s you will win the game. Thus teams keep chucking. Will that have long term negative effects for the league? MLB addressed some of its flaws but the NBA seems to think it isn't a problem.
I live in Austin. My in-laws live in the Bay Area. I was recently in Berkeley for a Sturgill Simpson concert.
Feels like you’ve been commenting on college sports lately. I wasn’t sure if Cal football was something you were a fan of? College football is the most drama filled sport. There is so much that is impossible to explain to my Californian wife why Cal plays in the ACC.
It’s America’s second most popular sport/league, and there is no vision or thought for the future. It would be cool to hear you talk to Matt Brown from Extra Points or Alex from Split Zone Duo about the state of college sports and what the PCSA actually may do.
Cal seems to be trying for once. As a Texas Tech fan I can say it just takes one crazy rich football fan to change everything. Figure they have one at Cal. Gmar chatima tova.
I just saw Sturgill at the Forum. Great show.
Happy Yom Kippur! I’ll admit this isn’t exactly your wheelhouse (NHL) but I’m curious about your take on why a certain demographic of hockey fans seem to demand cooperation and ‘allyship’ from players, vs other major sports. The reaction from many fans last week about Alex Ovechkin participating in a commercial with Vladimir Putin seems a tad off base. The man is from Russia, calls Russia home, and will live there after retirement with his family. He was going to take a stand against an authoritarian dictator? Just kinda funny how ‘some’ sports fans rely on pro athletes to potentially sacrifice their personal well being in order to side with them politically.
I’d like a series on the similarities btwn NIL & gambling legalization. Tons of sharps i know didn’t want legalization - it was fine that offshores + locals + mob ran it under the radar. Same with cash payments to players under the table; everyone knew, but it kept the student in student athlete. Plausible deniability sucks for govt sponsored institutions like the CIA but is the tribute that vice pays to virtue in these two instances. Toothpaste is out of the tube likely but perhaps there are some observational threads and conclusions you can mine here.
NFL owners putting the squeeze on Macklemore
Edited to add Converse’s handling of its now-pulled ad for Chucks
Lol. No.
Well deserved. Have a meaningful day.
Explaining why Joe Bucks contract extension makes financial sense. Does any viewer really see value in him at that level?
Hi Ethan, been a subscriber since Nike End of Men and had a topic that feels squarely in your wheelhouse.
It occurred to me while watching Tom Brady call a Ravens game a few seasons ago. Whenever Lamar Jackson did something extraordinarily athletic, Brady would joke that such a play was far beyond his own abilities. Yet everyone watching understood the irony: Brady is widely considered the greatest quarterback ever.
So what made Brady better?
Brady’s career highlight reel contains relatively few physically spectacular plays. His greatness came from consistency, rapid processing, accurate risk assessment, avoiding mistakes, and delivering the right throw under pressure. Those abilities are harder to isolate on film—and more uncomfortable to discuss—than speed, arm strength, or athleticism.
That discomfort becomes especially apparent when evaluating quarterbacks criticized for decision-making or processing: Lamar in certain playoff games, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, or, more controversially, Colin Kaepernick. Saying one quarterback is less athletic than another feels neutral. Saying he processes information more slowly, struggles to reach his second read, or makes worse decisions can sound like a judgment of intelligence—particularly when race enters the conversation—even though football cognition is its own specialized skill.
If you wanted to lose your job in 2019, you could have accurately stated that Kaepernick was actually blackballed from the NFL because he doesn’t have a quarterback brain.
This also connects to your argument about Brock Purdy’s distinct ability, and his similarity to Draymond Green: elite, instantaneous decision-making that doesn’t necessarily look spectacular.
Bill Belichick
Just watched Sunday Night Football. When did you get the starting job for the Colts?
https://static0.givemesportimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/daniel-jones-stare-1.jpg?w=1600&h=1200&fit=crop
I’m surprised, given my impression of your worldview and take on religion. What do you get out of it? Atoning? The challenge of it?
I'd love to get your thoughts on anything Nathan Fielder has done, or his upcoming doc on Elizabeth Holmes that will be in theaters.
Trump’s negotiation strategy aligning with media coverage. Looking at the Greenland/US deal as yet again a story when Trump pushes the line so far in his threat, that the settled solution seems like a relief. Same story with the tariffs and on and on. Trump threats makes for great coverage, and that is why media takes the threats on face value. If they analyze it more nuanced like, ok so that’s his negotiating position, it doesn’t draw as many clicks.
Feels like that’s a story in your wheelhouse(media&Trump)
I don’t know about topics, but this Jew’s head is exploding that someone Jewish would say “Happy Yom Kippur”
So it’s not going to be a topic, but Ethan, what is your relationship with Judaism? I honestly don’t mean this as an inquisition or anything, just curious how other Jews relate to these things.
You’ll love this…Tony Vitello. Terrible season. Lots of drama behind the scenes in the clubhouse. Completely ineffective. And yet, every baseball media member advocating on Vitello’s behalf, pleading he gets another season. What’s going on there?
G'mar Chatimah Tovah