The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Local Hour: THIS SHOW HAS BITS?

Episode Date: February 22, 2024

Today's cast: Dan, Amin, Jessica, Lucy, Mike, Roy, and Tony. There is an all-out war brewing in the studio today over Jessica bringing Willow to work with Amin in-studio, but at least Willow's demeanor isn't that of Joe Biden's dog 'Commander.' Then, Jaime Jaquez Jr. graces the cover of GQ Mexico, Tyreek Hill is unhappy with a journalist suggesting the Dolphins should trade him, and Lucy is infuriated by the College Football Playoff committee's strategy. Plus, does the soccer community care at all about American soccer fans? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to Giraffe Kings Network. This is the Don Lebatore Show with the Stugatz Podcast. I am a dog lover. I do not know how it is that Jessica came about bringing Willow into the studio with her late in the week. It's something she doesn't do early in the week. She does it late only when Amine's here. Amine is not such a fan of dogs but Amine doesn't know what I'm about to tell him because he has not heard what CNN is reporting about Joe Biden's dog. I thought when you said,

I mean doesn't know what I'm about to tell him. Willow's here five days a week now. The official mascot of the show as you get to sit in this chair on your lap. How did the decision get made that we are a place that allows dogs? Were you, did you ask anyone permission or did you just bring your dog?

Everyone's really depressed and sad, so I brought her in today. Doc Rivers over here, just like, how did this decision- Yeah, it's so true, I mean. Well, but I don't know how the decision got made. It's not, I wasn't asked, and it's okay if I'd been asked, I would have said it's fine, but I wasn't asked. So I legitimately, I legitimately don't know how the decision was made.

I like that Willows here. I came in in a real sour mood, and I saw Willow, and it lifted my spirits. Makes my day. Yeah, that willows here. I came in in a real sour mood and I saw willow and it lifted my spirits. Makes my day. That's all right. Tony you're with you're closer. No I'm on a mean side. You're on a mean side. Yeah I'm on a mean side. Like we're human is for work as dogs are for outside and other things like we belong here they belong out there. Wait wait's let's re-establish this math equation I don't think the SAT test works the way that that Tony just you know It's like the bullet train is going one way, but then another one leaves the other way

How do you calculate the distance and the speed between it humans belong here dogs belong out there out there I go and she's right under me right now by the way. She's sleeping. I'm like off an inch away from my foot I have enjoyed her her company and her presence, but you did also make the decision. It's only late in the week, correct? Because I have not seen Willow here earlier. It's only when I need help with dog care, Dano. Okay, so the question I wanted to ask Amine, because you can't believe what Joe Biden's dog is doing. The dog can't just sit by itself for a few hours? She was home alone for so long yesterday and we get our schedules at the last minute every week, so it's not enough time for me to plan out

who's watching the dog win. I didn't ask who's watching the dog. I said the dog can't spend a few hours on its own. No, there's a limit to how long you could leave your dog alone. What's the limit? It depends on the dog. Your dog.

I don't like leaving her more than like five or six hours. That's a long time. Yesterday we were here for a long time and I felt really bad. She was really sad when I got home. She was crying. She doesn't remember. But three minutes later she does not remember.

That's not true. It's always like the first time for her. That's why she's sad. She's like, she's never coming back because she cannot process the idea that like relax, this is the rhythms of life. She's at work, she's like, she's never coming back because she cannot process the idea that like, relax, this is the rhythms of life. She's at work, she'll be back home noon.

It's always brand new, 10 minutes away, six hours away, it feels the same, it's not like she's checking her clock like, hmm. You know what, I'm not in the mood for this bit today. I'm not gonna lie, it is a bit, it is a bit Tony. It is a bit Dan starting the show with, who said, just could bring her dog here? When he literally said I I would love if you brought your dog every day to me like a week ago, I know I am not in the mood for this this morning

Let's peel back the curtain everyone likes when the dog is here. This is not real drama This is not real tension everyone likes the dog including a mean transition I am not in the mood to be bullied by a mean about the dog. We need color like the dog, including Amin. Cut the transition. Cut the transition. I am not in the mood to be bullied by Amin about the dog. We need color bars. He likes the dog. Jessica, Jessica, two minutes. Get out of here. Thank you.

You are. Take the dog with you. Take Willow with you. No, leave Willow here. Lettuce. You are not allowed to pull back the curtain that violently at the beginning of a show. Law and order.

And furthermore, furthermore, I have indeed said I love dogs around here all the time, but I was never asked and I don't know what our corporate policy is on this. I'm still getting to the point though that I'm thinking is going to bother Amin because I don't believe Amin's bother with dogs is contrived in any way and this story I think is gonna bother him which is the Joe Biden's dog named commander has bitten at least 24 Secret Service members. No. If this dog the CNN report if you believe CNN, if this dog were a human being, it would no longer have freedom. It is taking an attack to our secret service that hasn't been seen by any

human being in the history of acts of terrorism. Dan, if it was in La Sawa Sera, that dog would be incinerated by now. You know that, right? Like incinerated ashes. And you can't allow this. You got gotta get that dog to the second one. You gotta get the second one. They're calling the house A, B, B, G. That White House needs to be cleared of a dog that is attacking secret service members.

Like that is not okay. And I'm a dog lover. This has proved that the dog has no clue. It's like every time is the first time. Ah, a guy and it bites him. It doesn't know because it's not supposed to know. That is an uncommonly bad dog. But is it? Well, it's not a bad dog. It's a dog that exhibits bad behavior. No, it's a bad dog.

Oh my God. Bad boy. That's him. Yes. Oh no, no, no. He got to go. That is commander. That's a bad dog. Why don't you go? Oh my God. Bad boy. That's him? Yes. Oh no, no, no. He got to go. That is commander. That's a German shepherd. The commander in what?

The SS? Good Lord. Look at that thing. That dog's grandfather. He gets sued by a dog? That dog's grandfather, I guarantee, was in Alabama in the 60s. He is a German shepherd.

I had a German shepherd, and and respectfully those dogs are mean. Well, you need this information given what I've just told you that the Secret Service has a problem that the President's dog, it's not nepotism, but evidently the President's dog is given a freedom in the White House that no one's ever had in the White House. Can we bring the picture up again, please? I need to see this dog.

I need to look in its eyes like Dan Dockich. And there it is. Okay, yeah, that's a racist dog. Evil looking in his eyes. Look at them eyes. It's looking at me like, hey, I see a black guy. That's what it's saying right now. Does he have another dog named Chief?

Does he? Well, because it would be a cute thing. Commander in Chief. I know it's Commander in chief, but that's right A lot of people don't know that in fact I didn't 36 years a lot of people think it's commander and chief. Yeah That's the commander and the chief right there. Like you know how you commander in chief like you have that That's actually how it's written.

Commander in chief. Commander in chief. It's like a hamburger stand of some surf and turf. I want to get to here and show the audience what is beefcake that I was not especially prepared for when rookie Jaime Hacquez of the Miami Heat was featured on just Mexican GQ on an inflatable flamingo in a pool and he's given off a whole lot of heartthrob, a whole lot of Latin heartthrob and I was not aware that he had that in him. And I've been watching him play. He's got a real opportunity here to be a Latin American

crossover star if he's going to go, if he's going to embrace this part of being Hispanic and being shirtless in the pool. Like he's, we do not have a lot of NBA players who can do what he is doing right there to bring Latin America into the game. He made a huge mistake during the dunk contest and I know what he was going for. What was he going for? Well, like if you watch the LED screen,

there was a whole bunch of Mexican basketball players that had played in the association prior to, and he was going for a moment, and he had the Couture Jersey, and he went with a backwards hat. And it was a huge mistake to wear the hat, because I think what was so aesthetically pleasing about his first dunk, where he dunked over Shaq, was that for the first time, really in slam dunk history,

you have these flowing locks that help the aesthetic. And then he put a hat on and it ruined everything and he didn't make it to the second round. You think the part that ruined it was the hat holding back the locks? Yes. As opposed to- I think it changes the entire dynamic. Big mistake going with the hat.

As opposed to, it's just a dumb hat? Like, I was there, Mike. I swear to God, everyone turned to look at each other so he just wore a hat. Yeah. Because that's the other thing. Well, the dunk wasn't bad. The dunk was very pedestrian.

All the dunks were bad. Let me, I did not want to do this, but I'm gonna do this in my wrinkled ash shirt today because now as I look at myself on the screen, it did not. You claimed that the camera- I told you when you came in that the shirt was too wrinkled and you said it's fine, I don't care.

And now you look like you pulled it out of a dirty dirty hand. She told me that the camera doesn't see wrinkles It doesn't but these cameras do apparently damn these 8k cameras. That's insane You look at security guard like we're like where did you get that shirt from? It kind of looks like one of the David Samson shirts relax relax all you relax so windows 95 promo shirt Why wouldn't cameras pick up wrinkles? You guys are here. Why do you think every news anchor has Botox? That's not fun.

Whoa. That's actually pretty funny. That's mean. That's mean. What? How dare you? Those people work hard. They work hard. I'm not judging them for it. I'm just saying. Why does everyone on TV get Botox if not because the cameras do pick up people's? We all told you the shirt was wrinkled

and you told everybody, because you'd just been on a Goliq show that the camera doesn't pick it up. That's what you were telling everybody. The camera removes wrinkles. But you looked like you pulled it right out of a hamper or that you slept in it. No, if I slept in it, it actually wouldn't be as wrinkled.

It's actually more wrinkled. I slept in it. He dunked over Shaq. No, so, okay, so here's the thing. I interviewed Hami Hakez before the dunk contest, right? For Serious XM Radio. And I said, hey man, I gotta be honest, I love your game, you're one of my-

Look at me blue wings. Cause I have a job. Oh, cause I interviewed Hami Hakesmuffel. So I said, look man, you're one of my favorite rookies in this class. I think you're a great player. I think, you know, you got a great career ahead of you. I won't lie. When I heard your name in the Dunk Contest, I was like, is he a dunker like that? And so I said like, like, prove to me, talk to me why I'm wrong, right? I'm like, like, hearted, I got a smile on my face. He did not take that comment.

Well, he kind of like broke eye contact and looked off into the distance and said something to the effect of you must not be familiar with my game. And I was like, you know what, man? I look forward to Saturday night and being like, wow, I was so wrong. And watching him in that dunk contest

with them basic ass dunks, Hami, I love you as a player. Let me do basic ass dunks. How many I love you as a player I let me do see this way. I love you as a player brother. I We've seen people dunk on shack before that's not new I mean someone dunked over a seated kai senet and got a higher score. We're not we're not you know why cuz he pandered I'll get the jail and pandered who did he pandered? He did a regular ass dunk and covered his eyes afterwards. It was a panic It was the problem that Jaime Haca has had was he dunked over Shaq for the first dunk

No, no, we can't go too crazy. No, no, no. He did a basic dunk I've seen Nate Robinson dunk over Dwight Howard man dunked over Shaq. It's a basic dunk. It's a basic dunk It's been done before it's a basic dunk, right? I'm not I mean more. I mean, respectfully, almost every dunk has been done before. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, Mac MacLung had some dunks I had never seen before. Last year, yeah. Yeah, some ones. No, the pump on the dunk was good.

How many of those is MacLung gonna win before we put him in the Hall of Fame for winning? Good question. I your problem. He's already said that he's not gonna do it again. Harold Miner would like a word if you wanna put him in the Hall of Fame. This is like the Instaponder topic

if I've ever heard one. But, to my point, he had dunks that were super basic, including the one with the hat. Like the hat dunk, I was like, you can't be offended at me and not do some crazy 360 between the legs thing. You have to be able to dunk like that in order to be offended by my assertion that, are you a dunker like that? Now, Jaylen Brown, he pandered when he did the Dominique Wilkins dunk.

And after that, Neek was in the tank. That's all he had to do. All he had to do was pandered to someone on the panel and he's done, right? That dunk he did where he covered his eyes well after the dunk was completed. I thought Cedric Sabalos with the C-through blindfold was bad, but this guy's ridiculous.

But, Hackeakes, where are you? Over here. I love you as a player, bro. I'm excited to see where your career goes. But don't ever, ever look at me like I'm crazy when I ask about your dunking bonafides, brother. Wow. He did kind of go viral because when it was announced

that Jaime Hakes was in the dunk contest, I think a lot of people had your reaction, and then people started posting highlights from previous dunk competitions, and you realize, oh, Jaime actually does have that in his bag. I'm not saying he's like a bad athlete. I'm saying dunk contest athlete is a different beast. Yeah, so it was a dunk with long hair,

and you think that dunk is bad because he wore a hat. I'm telling you right now. We're always wondering what the significance of the hat was. You guys have wandered away from him giving off beef cake in a cover shoot I know magazines nobody cares about magazines anymore but no there haven't been a lot of athletes in the NBA who can cross over to Latin America this way right that which is why I brought it back to the hair. Edwardo Narao. The Don Juan de Marco type dunk. Edwardo Nararo would like a word. He would definitely like a word.

He was honored prior to that dunk, and it would have been great if we saw some long flowing locks. Daniel Santiago would like a word. Peter John Ramos would like a word. Ramos? Ramos. He has a chance to be better than any of those players that you mentioned.

Better than Peter John Ramos? Exciting as a Latin star that brings basketball to Latin America. Carlos O'Rroyo would like a word. The goat, still doing it by the way. Al Horford's Latino. Yes he is, Dominican. Carl Anthony Towns, Dominican. Are we gonna explore racism in the Latin American world

and how people like Carl Anthony Towns aren't recognized as Latino for GQ, right? Are we going to do that? What's that accent that you're doing there? No, yeah. What is it? I'm not record? Lulka's brothers, Cuban.

Cuban, yeah. Cuban accent. Bueno. Luis Scola would like a word too. Luis Scola, Carl. And I tell you about the time I went to Houston when Scola was a rocket and I didn't have to pay for a drink. I had long hair.

I looked a lot like Luis Scola and it was it felt racist Walter Erman had long flowing locks Tony just said something that Skiddered past when he said Carlos Arroyo is still doing it. He is right at a gym somewhere in Fligami He's still doing it and 48 years old, he's going to the FIU gym and putting up 45. Putting up numbers on people, making people look silly. I can't wait for that episode of the OG podcast.

The Carl Azaroya sit down. We're already like working. We've gone through every point guard in the history. We'll end up on Carl Azaroya. We are gonna play from that podcast for Paul Pierce later in the show. You don't as Haslam saying that he would fight Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in a grocery store see how that one lands with Paul Pierce. I can't believe Paul Pierce is on this show I

Thought better of it Carlos Del Fino the bluest of eyes get lost in the movie. You're not in charge anymore No, I'm stepping out. I'm boycotting the Paul Pierce. I'm not gonna be here for that. Paul Pierce sucks No, not doing this not playing like I'm moving up. Dan. Oh, yeah, you can sit here in this chair I'll judge you for it anyone who wants to sit through that interview that claims to have rooted for the Miami Heat I will hold it against you Pablo Pregioni had like this rugged like manly man Cookies bully He I thought he's Italian. Is he? No, he's Argentinian. I mean, Argentinian.

I mean, you know how that goes down. I mean, World War II. There's a lot of light out there. You came here all of a sudden, Argentinian. You watched X-Men, right? Cut open the cake, it's there. The Dan Labrador Show was still got to sponsored by BetterHelp.

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Don Lebatard! Enough with the DJ Khaled collaborations with people that are hot right now. We want to see DJ Khaled work with some that are hot right now. We want to see DJ Khaled work with some of the great singers of yesteryear. Can you imagine how great it would be if DJ Khaled started bringing out special guests on to the stage and one of them was... Stugats! Barbara Streisand! Yeah! Elton John! It's your song! Andrea Bocelli! Another one! Tony Bennett! Frankie Avalon!

Thomas Dolby is blinding you with science! This is the Don Lebatar Show with the Stugas. I want to put up on the screen here a back and forth that Adam Beasley is having with Tyree Kill because Adam Beasley, the NFL reporter who began at the Miami Herald, is saying that the thing that you can't say, but everyone knows is true, is that you have to sell on Tyreek Hill now. You have to trade him now as you have the value on him now. And we were talking yesterday about the Florida Panthers and how they did something revolutionary,

which is they had the best offense they've ever had, one of the best offenses in league history. And they're like, that doesn't work in the playoffs. And they changed the whole thing by trading the key component. Tyreek Hill objected to Adam Beasley's report by mocking him and saying, what a swell guy. Look at all the GM opportunities that are coming your way. But the Miami Dolphins, what are you guys laughing about?

I mean, is he taking a shot at Adam Beasley for not being considered as a general manager I don't that's not usually the path oh look at this guy he'll be cheap of naff's nest and no I know Peter Schrager's agent tried that move once you guys say that but did you see Mark Murphy the president of the Packers, got an application from somebody who's only experienced as general manager, was his own fantasy team, and Mark Murphy wrote back a handwritten letter rejecting him?

It's a nice touch. At least he got a letter, Rack. Stop giving these people attention, man. Mark Murphy, stop giving these people attention. Now the guy posted on the internet, and now it's a big deal. Hey, to all, Mark Murphy wrote me a letter handwritten. Shut up, bum. Stop giving these people attention Now now the guy posted on internet and now it's a big deal. They do all more We wrote me a letter and written shut up bum. Oh, I play fantasy football wouldn't be funny if I applaud her job with the

Badgers. Oh, okay. Let me do it. Hold on. Wait. Wait. Let me tell you to whom it may concern. Oh my god This is so cool. So I never gonna respond. It's just be funny like what maybe even like all the dust is only gonna be like Who is this person? Magic getting roasted by a guy in a shirt this wrinkled today Is that Tetris on your like chest there like what is that supposed to be? Don't worry about it, man You either in or the out you on the end you know what it is out Star Wars I hate when I hate when you get your credibility I hate when I hate when you get your credibility Undermined by the searing sickle of a cut

You can't criticize anybody and assured that wrinkled As the show goes on is getting more and more wrinkled as this dog is now standing up that's right Yep, Willow runs the place. I've seen Planet of the Apes. You should have seen what the dog did earlier today during the meeting. It took a dog. I won't even speak about that. Really? Oh my god. You can tell them.

What happened? Jess was there standing, about to talk about the meeting and stuff, and Willow got on her hinds and started making some gestures. She humped the shit out of me in front of everyone I started make I was very close to the situation arms reach and I was very disturbed now. That's something to tell HR about Lucy I have felt for you over The last couple of days because it feels like sports is bleeping with you and it feels like everything happening around college football is being done simply to bother you.

That it seems like you're getting an unusual amount of unrest around everything that's happening around college football. Thank you. The college football world does revolve around me and I'm happy someone finally admitted it. So we talked a little bit about it yesterday with the College of Football Playoff

coming up with their new system. Yesterday after that it came out that they were like, well we should just move it up to 14 teams. Like why not? We're already at 12. Did you vote yesterday? It's, ah.

Ah. I. Do we need to breathe? Hold on, let's breathe. Okay, everyone breathe in. Let's breathe around. We got a tunnel. Okay, everyone breathe in. Okay a channel breathe out the college football playoff committee is so stupid breathe in breathe out I don't deserve any of this breathe in God I wish I would

hire a good offensive coordinator breathe Breathe out. Are we feeling any better? Are you? No, not even a little bit. Because I think it just like, I sat here yesterday with the news that they might expand it, which like, nobody wanted 12, so no one wants 14. I just wish the people in charge of this sport gave a shit about the sport.

Like, that's all I want. I want the people who are in charge of who goes into the like, playoff to watch college football. I want people who make the people who are in charge of who goes into the like playoff to watch college football. I want people who make the rules to care about the athletes, to care about the future of the sport. Like the more we're expanding this playoff, like people are not going to be happy. I think it's worse for the athletes.

I think it's just worse in general. And I'm like, don't take this from me. This is my thing. This is what makes me happy. Back off. Let me be in charge I wonder Saban now wants to be in charge. I do wonder you stoole as the popularity continues to increase

How and When there will be the long term Ramifications that come with every choice being greedy about everything. Like, in the short term, there are no ramifications. In short term, it's chaos, it's content, and the sport keeps getting more popular, but I have no understanding of what the long-term ramifications are. Not another empowerment greed spin on this. The games are awesome. Games mean something.

There it is. The bowl games suck. We all know the bowl games suck. Let's get two more meaningful weeks of football games. I'm sorry, did you push the famous Toastery Bowl? Yeah, that one was actually quite good. There are a lot of good bowl games this year, sir. There is a great, there is a huge wide open lane of shitty bowl games.

And it occupies roughly a week and a half of the sports calendar. It's the best week and a half of the sports calendar. Let's replace that week with games that matter. And I love that they actually came to a conclusion pretty, oh five through seven, five and seven, yeah, that's good, 12 teams. This is actually not as bureaucratic as we all expected.

They actually landed on this, they had a great meeting, and then someone at the very end, presumably a television exec said, what if we added two more? Just marinate on that a little bit. I think the ask from, at least from me specifically, is let's try out 12, and if it doesn't work, maybe we talk about reformatting, but we haven't even tried 12 yet.

I think we should try 17. I don't know how it works, just do it. And the two that are left are gonna be like Oklahoma State and Kentucky. And like, no disrespect to Oklahoma State or Kentucky, but come on. Like I don't want this. No one wants this.

We wanted six or maybe eight, but you said no, let's just do 12. Okay, you came up with a good system. Ah! 17, that's the number. I just wanna find out in a newspaper. I want to go back all the way back, Jack. Don Lebatard.

Ravens could double up the Colts, and they are good against every team except the Steelers. So that's a 14-point win there for the Ravens. Double up. Two touchdowns. Stugatz! I think double up is a score. Like if the Colts have 10 and you double them up You scored 20. I don't think you do it. I do it differently Okay, but I don't think that double them up like you explained it to me I have my way I understand but that's not technically doubling up like I think you use the phrase wrong or something happen

I'll blow up plus four. Yes, exactly. Okay. That's what he meant of course You touch down you never cease to amaze me. He's amazing. He really is he's just he's breathtaking in his stupidity This is the down level our show with the still guts I could not summon anything that felt like Enthusiasm from Amin yesterday. Amin a soccer fan about the fact that the MLS season was starting with a single game with Miami having the most star power in Miami, having the star power and the most interest in the league, the highest ticket prices, every game that they have is going to be a spectacle and they add to it the expectations now of

the roster is evidently very strong as talented as any in the league when you're just talking about names names that have some age on them and then they win last night two to nothing. Mike, you didn't like the gouging around the ticket prices. You care about soccer very deeply. You care about this team. You've cared about this team. You followed this team when this team is bad. They have a great atmosphere at the games.

It's different than just about anything other than the baseball Caribbean series down here in terms of flavor and volume and party and ethnicity. Did you go last night? No, I supported my Miami Hurricanes stellar effort against another fellow blue blood and the Duke blue devils. I actually got to see my team lose twice, went to a baseball game prior to, had a milkshake,

we were winning, left that. What'd you get? I had the JD. I like the JD, it's got Nutella in it. And then I saw Duke beat the brakes off of Miami. I did not renew my Inter-Miami season tickets because of the price. It's the most expensive ticket in global soccer.

MLS is not that product. I think part of the appeal in MLS is that you get banged for your buck. And I actually, going to take the opportunity here, talk about our partners over at Game Time, because what I did yesterday was I ran to Game Time to see if my decision to not renew my tickets would be validated because I was doing the math

and knowing where the secondary market was going with Inter-Miami tickets, I knew that I could have essentially the same season tickets for half the price where one game in, it was a kickoff game, you'd think there would be a lot of interest there. There wasn't. Really? There were great deals on game time, great flash deals.

I got to see what my seat would look like, and all that great stuff, no hidden fees, all upfront pricing. And I also checked some of the competitors out there in game time did have some of the best prices. I want you and the listening audience real quick to listen to this library that before I get to MLS. This is a bad. Take the guesswork, how to buying tickets with game time. And thank you and the listening audience real quick to listen to this live read ad before I get to MLS. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets with Game Time and thank you so much for your support. I've heard back from Game Time and they're really happy with

how you guys are heeding my advice. So, appreciate it. Download the Game Time app, create an account, use code Dan for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply, again create an account and redeem code D-A-N for $20 off. Download GameTime today. Last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed. If you find a lower price somewhere else, GameTime will match it and then some. I love GameTime. So here's what's going on with Enter Miami. Boy, did they get those prices wrong. Oh, did they get those prices wrong? There is no way people are going to pay those prices and I feel bad for the people that actually did re-up and decide, yeah,

two and a half times what I was paying is totally rational as we don't get public subsidies and taxpayer money going to this stadium. A hundred and thirty seven percent more than the defending champions is what they're charging for tickets in a market that in a market that has supported some soccer occasionally but not there not that far from Miami. Yeah they were touting that the season tickets sold out before and you can just say stuff you don't know what's like that's just the allotment that they had and they said it's a sellout I think there's a lot of holes that you can poke here and the the game time maps not telling lies

when it comes to the interest. Counterpoint, David Grubman, Will Smith, and Chad Ochocinco. That's all that matters, I guess. Come on, man. But... Groot, hospitality. I think MLS has a lot of issues going on. No one really cared that there were scab referees calling that game yesterday.

Including one named Jonathan Wiener, apparently. No way, that's what it is. Did you guys see this? Someone tweeted this at us. There was a scab ref named Jonathan Weiner. Was he smoking heaters in the middle of the game? I think. All sides.

My five dollars. He had action on the game and was rough. It was a huge conflict. I think MLS is at an inflection point right now because they brought in all these big names. Miami is a jewel of a franchise for where we're headed, which is in 2026, where I challenge every legacy media talent to bone up on the sport and not embarrass themselves, because

it is the biggest thing in the world, literally, that is coming here in 2026. And Miami is a huge part of that competition. And this franchise that is presently playing in Fort Lauderdale is a huge part of that ramp up. MLS is confusing because of all the cup competitions and I don't want to get into how there's like four different competitions going on at the same time. We don't want to do that again, right? There's four of them. But there is something really bad going on right now that is confusing to explain. I'm going to do my very best.

The oldest cup competition in this country, it's over 100 years old, the US Open Cup, which is open to all divisions of professional soccer in this country is like MLS at an inflection point and that MLS doesn't make enough money off of it, so they're not going to send the top tier over there. Now there's some negotiations still ongoing and they may make it optional. But what you have is the most prestigious cup competition in this country. A country that doesn't have a proud soccer tradition actually has something with legitimate history behind it. And because it wasn't made for television or the streaming rights deal isn't up to snuff,

the top tier of professional soccer in this country is opting out on it, saying no, we'll just opt for League's Cup, a two-year-old competition between us and League of Mechis created by Apple, made for television, more money in that. Who do you think you are? Who does anyone think they're, first off, the goal in Inter Miami charging the ticket prices that they do. More than Manchester City does. Erling Hollande in the FA Cup will stroll into Lutentown or Crawley. That's a great sentence.

And he will play a game and he won't complain about it. Who the hell are you, MLS, to complain about playing Charleston Battery? We're trying to grow the game. It is an important part in the calendar for lower divisions of soccer in this country. When a big MLS club does make the trip to Charleston Battery, or Indie 11, the beauty and prestige of these cup competitions

is that you can have these giant killing moments, and that turns new markets into more passionate soccer fans and it's a wasted opportunity. And this one, damn it, I'm gonna do the Dan Levitard thing, it all comes down to greed. This is not a time to be greedy. You don't want that spin though, Mike. There is more, if everyone just handles

the next two years right and doesn't try to gouge its customers and really takes their time to invest in this product, in this country, you have something in the World Cup in 2026 that can set up generational wealth for players to come down the road. You just can't screw it up before you get there. And I feel like US Soccer,

which is bending the knee at MLS because they make so much money off of the MLS that they almost have to, US soccer is really blowing this opportunity that they have in 2026 before we even get there. Mike, in the words of Gene Wilder and Blazing Saddles, what did you expect when they got messy? Welcome, Sonny, make yourself at home,

marry my daughter. These are simple folk. They were going to tear him into the biggest cash machine that League has ever seen. This was all what it was about. You thought it was about, hey, guys, you know,

I think we should get messy to make soccer bigger. No, they said we should get messy so we can make millions of dollars and any opportunity to exhibit him where they're not making money is not an opportunity that they're interested in. I mean, in your words, I knew that they would turn him into a cash cow.

I just didn't think to the extent of two and a half times. Of course! Your ticket price. Of course! And to be the most expensive club soccer ticket on the planet. I think to the extent of two and a half times. Of course. Your ticket price. Of course. And to be the most expensive club soccer ticket on the planet. This is, you can get hospitality packages for Real Madrid. Mike, they are much better buck. They are banking on American bandwagonism.

They knew, hey, are most of the soccer fans of this country like Amin, rational, calm people who say, hey, that guy's good. calm people who say hey guys good. He's no He's no Diego Maradona. No, they're like everyone's like oh my god He's the best player ever give me all you take all my money That's what they were banking on and they were right didn't they Apple stop with the free trials the T-Mobile The T-Mobile links all of that stuff messy was not free to anybody last night, correct There were no there were no abilities to watch that game live anymore with deals the way they were doing it with the soft sale

at the end of last year on a last place team. There are some opportunities to watch MLS on broadcast television. There's still carve outs in their deal, but yeah, that's, you got a soccer fan in this country, has it pretty frickin' bad. You got to pay. You got to, fan in this country has it pretty freakin bad. You gotta pay you gotta I literally have to subscribe to every streaming service there is and if I want to watch South American soccer

I'm subscribing to streaming services You've never heard up yeah because I want to watch this game. I pay like 300 dollars a month to watch soccer It's not all consolidated in one place and I'll support MLS. I think the Apple model is a fascinating one. I want it to work even though I'm the person that suffers for it because I'm a huge soccer fan. But I do think that they should open up the pathway here and make it easier to follow. And then after 2026, cash out.

I think if you approach the next two years the right way, you really make this more of an inclusive event and you get people really excited to learn more about it so that you can Talk about things like the US Open Cup and not see your entire teammates totally check out because it's just not something They want to give any bandwidth to not to sound like David Samson here, Mike But I don't really think anyone cares about the American soccer fans ease in following the sport. They really just care about your money and see dollar signs right in front of their faces with all of this. It's the, I think same conversation were happening with college football.

They don't really care about the college football playoff games. They really care about being able to sell an extra playoff game to a network and that network maybe being able to sell it to another network. Yeah. And, and, and you know from going through an academy system. to a network and that network may be being able to sell it to another network. Yeah. And if you- And you know from going through an academy system, how rife with price gouging this sport is in this country, the beautiful thing about soccer

and why it's the global phenomenon it is and why it's the biggest thing to take our time away from our everyday normal lives. Why it's the globe's the biggest pastime is it's incredibly easy. You can do it on any field in America, sandy lots. You don't even need a ball. You don't even need a ball.

You just get socks and roll them over. This has been the complaint about youth soccer in America from a lot of people for years, and why I think it reached an inflection point this summer with the US women's national team flopping in the World Cup because it is so expensive to play soccer in this country, there is a massive barrier to entry,

and it's expensive to be a fan of soccer in this country, do now. We have that tired conversation where someone will put out a graphic of LeBron playing goalie, and what if the best athletes in America played soccer? Now you're talking, hold on. LeBronik goalie. Odell at the striker.

Oh, okay, keep going. They wouldn't, they had access to basketball and even that you could speak to like the youth system over there and how corrupt that has become. Shit man, how are my kids in it? Soccer has become, it's almost a question compared to where it is the rest of the planet. You don't have the stories of someone coming out of favela, out of nowhere, to rise to

prominence and set up generational wealth for their families. Because in order to get anywhere in this country, in order to develop, your dad has to pay $40,000 so you can play with a traveling 8 year old team.