The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd-HOUR-1-LeBron James, Joe Burrow, other sports

Episode Date: August 28, 2020

Colin discusses why LeBon James is the most powerful athlete in America, why he is impressed with Joe Burrow, and other sports following the lead of the NBA.Guest: Shams Charania Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes,

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For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians,

and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeartRadio app by searching Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we are on a Friday.

This is The Hurt, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We are live in Los Angeles right here on FS1. Thanks so much for joining us today. Joy Taylor's with me. Deerrin Fox of the Sacramento Kings joins us. Great kid. Great kid. Bill Pollyan joining us as well.

We got camps. J.A. Adonde, Shom Shum. of the athletic. Also, he's in the bubble. Loaded show on a Friday. We're off next week. Yes. So this is our big show today. This is the big show today. A lot of effort. No mailing it in today.

And football is so close. It's very, can we come back on Labor Day? We'll be on the air Labor Day and we're ready to roll. How are you? I'm great. I watched a bunch of nonsense on TV last night. Give me sports. So LeBron James is obviously the most powerful NBA

player. In my opinion, and it's really been cemented in the last 24 hours, he's the most powerful athlete in the history of America. Michael Jordan was more popular. Big difference between popularity and power. Tom Brady is very popular among players. How much power does he have? Hell, he couldn't even get his own coaching staff to listen to him. Aaron Rogers is talented. He can't get his team to draft players he wants. You read these stories on LeBron James. The entire league, including the owners, was waiting for LeBron to decide if they were going to play.

Now, some people resent power, but most people, frankly, say they want it, but they don't. Power's hard. There's a lot of heat and a lot of burdens and a lot of responsibility and a lot of questions. I read two stories, one by Chris Haynes. Udana's Haslam basically said, dude, you're the face of the league. We'll play if you want to. The Milwaukee Bucks, according to sources, said if LeBron says we're playing, we're playing. If not, we won't.

LeBron said, let me sleep on it and was willing to say no, but he wanted to hear from the billionaire owners and their proposals going forward. 99% of guys just love ball. loves ball. Kauai loves ball. Brady loves ball. I got no problem with that. Michael loved ball. LeBron's willing to deal with the burdens and the responsibilities of true power. Michael didn't have this power. Michael didn't love conflict. Twice he quit basketball. Didn't want to deal with Jerry Krause, didn't want to deal with certain ownership. Just didn't want to deal with it. And Michael's the best basketball player I've ever seen, and he's more popular than LaBron.

Now, there's a series of circumstances, and this is not a referendum against Michael Jordan. I mean, he's been, I don't think you should have to talk politics. And he's never been, you know, very deft at it. But there is a series of circumstances that have made LeBron the most powerful athlete in the history of America. Number one, he's the best NBA player in a league where players control it. Number two, he's the most politically active. Number three, his career has lasted a long time.

we've been talking about him, you know, on the cover of Sports Illustrated in high school, 19 years ago. He's best friends with a lot of the other stars. MJ was not. He's the most media savvy player I've ever seen. You know, he has his own talk show and his own networks. He's like Oprah. Like, she owned her own network.

LeBron's got his own networks. Whereas MJ was the killer, you know, he would go after you. You know, LeBron's more philanthropist, lubricator, not agitator, doesn't have many enemies in the league. and also timing. Sometimes in life, you know, it's just timing. Social media has empowered all these athletes. They're just more popular than ever. Michael Jordan had power. He didn't have this power. I don't think Michael ever wanted this power. And that's okay. I don't think Brady wants that power. Some guys just love ball. Hardin loves ball. Michael, Michael, like, now Michael was rich. He was talented and he was popular. And he had some power.

He didn't have this power. I mean, LeBron, literally the owners, We're waiting for LeBron to tell them, according to the Chris Hayne story, can we play? Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan are the only thing close to LeBron in terms of ratings disappear when they leave. And that is power. But it's not like the PGA is canceling the Masters when Tiger went away for a couple years. canceling the U.S. Open, canceling the Riter Cup. I mean, Michael left, we kept playing. Michael left again, we kept playing.

I mean, the reality is LeBron has been willing, willing to be hated. Remember this mobility thing? It used to be a stigma. Now, we think you're crazy if you don't leave. Yonis is not going to consider leaving Milwaukee? That's LeBron. LeBron literally, literally changed how we view. I've said this about Steph Curry, too.

He's changed the way we play basketball. LeBron changed the way players move about in the league. Michael Jordan, by the way, has been in these meetings. He's a liaison for the owners in this whole thing. He's just sitting listening to MJ. M.J's making, listening to LeBron. LeBron's making all the decisions here. And in order to be powerful,

You have to accept it and you have to be willing to trade off stuff. You got to give up some of your time. You got to take a lot of heat. You got to answer a lot of questions. There's a lot of pressure being powerful. Everybody says they want it. No, they don't. A lot of guys want to be rich.

Being a president, whether I like or dislike a president, you have to say, and most business people, Jeff Bezos doesn't want to be president. Elon Musk doesn't want to be president. A lot of rich guys don't want to be president. They don't want the burden, the questions, the heat, the nonstop 24-7 relentless responsibility of it. I've never seen, according to these stories, we've never seen this in America. Again, I'm not saying the most popular. I'm not saying the richest.

But all these circumstances, LeBron's the lubricator. He's made friends with players. He's taken stands on mobility and social justice. And I think for that, it's incredibly laudable because I just don't think most professional athletes, even the great ones, they don't want to deal with it. They don't want to deal with responsibility and what comes with it. And a lot of what comes with power is hard. That's why LeBron, I still don't get it, but he's polarizing. Muhammad Ali was polarizing.

I didn't think so as a kid, and I don't think so now, but to a lot of people they are. So I saw this story this morning. I really like this story. We got some football in the show today. So pro football focus. The stories are coming out that Joe Burrow is lighting up camp. Yesterday in a scrimmage, six for six, 70 yards, touchdown. He's just ripping it up.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Oh, Colin, you're going to crush him. Nope, I'm not. I'm going to shift a little bit on Joe Burrell. I'm starting to see something with Joe Burrow. that I really like, and it's not six for six. It's not as spirals. It's not

his college career. I'm starting to see something with Joe Burrow that's really impressive. When I poked Baker Mayfield in the ribs, police video, his height, poked him in the ribs, kind of a reach.

Oh, it bothered him. He fired back every time. Every time. Because Baker was not ready to go from best college team to lousy NFL team. That's a certain level of maturity and self-esteem that few have. Baker Mayfield has admitted in the last month, Baker's words, I lost my way.

I lost who I was. I've been on Joe Burrell for six months. He follows me on social media. He retweets me. He never fires back. Because Joe Burrough's self-esteem is not tied to what I think of him. Joe Burroughs self-esteem, and this is really important, is tied to what Joe Burrow thinks of himself.

I always said this. The athlete has to show you and tell you how great he is, is always the most insecure. Joe Burrow never fired back, not once. And that's important in the NFL. Because in college at LSU, he rarely trailed in football games. they always had more good players even against Alabama.

It's a much easier life. The NFL is hard. You get hit more. It hurts more. And his team is lousy, and he's going to lose a bunch of games. And when Baker lost a bunch of games, he fired off at teammates, he fired off at the medical staff, he fires off at media,

because Baker puff his chest out. But he now admits, Baker now admits, I've got to get more focused on football. And good for Baker. Good for Baker. He's getting it. Joe Burrow is already there. Took Baker two years. Joe's there. He's not bothered by me, not bothered by critics. Kind of puts his arms around it. And that's a real thing. That's a real thing. Because this league, the National Football League, beat you up physically and it beat you up emotionally. It's on you all day. The toilet paper that never comes off the shoe.

It never comes off. You're getting hit. You're getting poked. You're getting maligned. You're getting knocked. You're getting criticized. You're getting doubted. And if your self-esteem is tied to anything other than your value system,

bruh, you're in big trouble. Joe Burrow gets it. Not bothered by me. Doesn't give a rip. doesn't care. I love it. Not that he's following me, not that he's retweeting, although I admit I got very excited. He's telling me burrows all on the stuff that matters. Bingles, teammates, football, playbook, confidence. That's what it's about. This league's not about the biggest arm. Joe Montana didn't have the biggest arm. Best quarterbacks in this league don't.

Holmes is rare. He's talented best arm and best quarter. We don't think Lamar Jackson is the best arm. This league's not about the biggest guy. Is Russell Wilson big? Is Drew Breeze big? It's never been about the arm and the size and the swagger. It is about confidence, focus, judgment, maturity. I may just start saying nice stuff about Joe Burrow. I like it. I think you just did say nice stuff about Joe Burrow. Not a peep. His self-esteem is not tied to what others think of him. It's what he thinks of himself, and I love that. Coming up, NFL players, headlines a little misleading.

Sequan, Barclay, Sterling, Shepard answered a question. They didn't say they were going to protest. But some thoughts about the NFL. Once again, the NFL's timing's great. They watch the other leagues deal with the pandemic and the heart of it, and then they perhaps get the tail end of it. But we're going to talk about the NFL and what we're seeing in sports today. coming up next.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, the Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite

athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam Jette. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS on the table right now. They're finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses.

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing,

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and more. Good to have you in. We'll go to the bubble, NBA bubble, Aaron Fox of the King, Sacramento coming up top of next hour, also top of next hour. Ten players, coaches, whoever in the NFL with the most pressure this year, because there's a story out about Baker Mayfield. Sequin Barclay, Sterling Shepard. The headlines were a little misleading.

They were asked about, you know, would players boycott? And they said, you know, we have players councils and we talk about it. The headline makes it sound like they want to. I don't think NFL players have the power structure of NBA players to, you know, kind of dictate terms like NBA stars can. But my takeaway on all this stuff is every league now is supporting NBA players. Baseball's got 8% African Americans. They're all in.

And a lot of the boycott crowd is running out of spaces to hide. When the NBA guy, you know, you always love these guys, I don't like the, I'm not going to watch the NBA ever again. My guess is you probably didn't watch it much to begin with, right? I'm never listening to your show, Colin, again. And then I find out they don't really listen to it. It's like not much of a threat. But when the NBA players decided, hey, we have concerns about social justice, you heard a lot of this.

Boycott the NBA. I'm going to go watch hockey. Oh, bruh. Hockey guys aren't playing today or tomorrow either. I think you're running out of safe spaces. Well, golf! Oh, no, golf is embracing Black Lives Matter, too. So is tennis.

in baseball, in the NFL. Bro, you're running out of places to hide. Forget the fact you're on the wrong side of this. You're running out of places to hide. Hockey is now taking a knee and supporting players. Because it's the right thing. This is multiracial and multicultural and multi-sport. Billionaire owners not only wield incredible political power, but legislative power.

and athletes led by the NBA are saying, enough, we can't move you. The country can't move you. Billionaires have never made more money. The gap between rich and poor, and I'm supposedly, according to studies, one of those rich dudes. Now, obviously, we're talking a different level.

But the gap between, you know, people with a lot of money and people without it is greater than ever. And a lot of it's just the explosion of tech. You can make so much more money in tech. There are days in Silicon Valley now. Silicon Valley two weeks ago, four companies made $915 billion in six hours.

That's not the way it used to work. I'm not blaming anybody for this. I'm not blaming rich people. I'm not blaming billionaires. What I am saying is they have legislative and political power. The rest of us, people do not. And the NBA players are saying,

use it or lose us. And all the other rich athletes, I mean, LeBron's net worth is 750 million. LeBron's a rich cat. He doesn't have to, this doesn't have to be LeBron's fight. He can,

he's done. He can stop now and golf forever. He can do whatever he wants. Hang out with his kids. Go on banana boats. He doesn't have to do any of this. LeBron's saying, hey, you guys are making more money than ever.

You're all involved mostly with tech. You guys have $900 billion days. Make changes. Fight in our communities. Fight in our schools. And everybody's following. And this is how you get billionaires to do things, force them.

This is how you do it. This is how you get changed. You've got to force them. We've got to make them uncomfortable. But you can keep telling me your boycotting blank. You've run out of spaces. This is multi-sport, multi-race, multicultural. You've run out of spaces to hide because hockey, golf, tennis, baseball, football, NBA.

The smart people get it. This is the right side of things. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, speaking of that, seven Major League Baseball games were postponed yesterday in response to the Jacob Blake shooting. One of those matchups was between the Mets and the Marlins.

After the teams announced they wouldn't play, they still decide to take the field. They stood for a 42-second moment of silence before walking off. And all that was left on the field was a Black Lives Matter shirt at home plate. Baseball actually, I think, is a very significant contributor to this. I totally agree. Because obviously the NFL, you know, this new wave of civil rights discussion and obviously started with Kaepernick, which was in the NFL, and the NBA has been, you know, in the front of these types of protests, I mean, dating back to Trayvon Martin with the Miami Heat with the hoodies. But baseball has played such a significant role. I mean, it's not insignificant,

They sit out there for 42 seconds, obviously, for Jackie Robinson. They've played such a significant role in race relations in this country that, you know, now it's, obviously, it's not as diverse as it used to be. And for baseball to embrace this and to play one games, it's really significant. Mookie Betts of the Dodgers says, I'm out. Clayton Kershaw's like, you're out, we're out. Like, it's a real thing. Baseball has a, it's got an older fan base, which tends to be more conservative. So there's real risk here.

The NBA has always been kind of like coastal, which tends to be more democratic. Baseball's got an older, more conservative fan base. So for them to embrace this. And also the NBA is very international, extremely international. Yeah. More so. Well, obviously baseball is too, but not to the NBA. Not to the scale of the NBA.

And to your point, it's older demographic that's watching for the most part. They're the loyal fan base. And they're not as diverse as the NBA and the NFL. NFL. So I thought this was very significant that all the leagues are getting involved, as you mentioned, tennis and MLS. Everyone's on board. So you know what? We're in a space where people are very polarized. All I ask at this point, because it's very difficult to get through to anyone is to just, just listen. Nobody's really having conversations. If you're only looking for affirmation, then you're not really listening. Right. Well, that goes for what we've become as a country. Affirmation over information. Absolutely. And that's on every side. Like I think that goes to every extreme. Like you have to listen to everyone. It doesn't mean you have to agree. But if you can't even listen, then you're a problem.

The other thing to think about here, and I don't want to get preachy, but players are not asking for more money. Like I always understand when fans get upset, when a player's got three years left in a contract and goes, I want to renegotiate. Like, dude, contracts have to matter. Like the players are not asking baseball players, hockey players, basketball players, they're not asking for more money because I don't like when players

Hold out. We sign contracts in life. The NFL owners, NBA owners, if you're a dog, if you underachieve, they don't get their money back. Right. They're not fighting for that here. They're fighting. Actually, they're hurting their bottom lines by boycotting.

They get less money. So to me, they're fighting for the right stuff. When players become too much about money and hold out over money, I'm very critical of them because I've outperformed some things in my life. I don't get more money. You have. Right. And, you know, owners don't get a deal.

That's not how contracts were. don't get a discount when a player a bust, a guy you draft him and he's a bust, and there's a lot more of those than stars. Well, also, I think to your point about you're running out of places to hide, I think it's very significant to remember that sports has always, organized sports in this country, have always played a role in social issues. Yes, always. Whether it's age, gender, race, wars, wars, domestic issues. Religion, domestic issues, women, gender issues, like it's Title IX, Billie Jean. Like there's, it's not all limited to just race. And the reason that there's always a tie to social issues in sports is because sports are played by human beings who have social issues. Who have families and friends who have social issues. People forget this.

Dealing with these issues. I'm hearing a lot of this from people. You know, athletes didn't use to get into, are you kidding me? Muhammad Ali was my, Muhammad Ali in the 70s took on our government. No, that's, that's nonsense. That's nonsense. That's not true. It's not true.

Yeah, this has been going on. Kurt Flood with free agency, went right after the owners. There was a time where there were segregated baseball leagues. There was a time when black men were not allowed to play football. There was a time when basketball players had to sit out. Couldn't go to the same hotels. The only reason those things changed, it wasn't because they very kindly asked for it to be changed.

They forced change. That's the only way it happens. This idea, this narrative that, you know, there's too much politics and sports. Now, 2020 has, the pandemic has just elevated a lot of things. But this has been going on forever. Muhammad Ali was the most known, popular, controversial athlete of my childhood. And he wasn't loved during the time he was doing that. All the things that you're saying about the athletes now is what they were saying about

Muhammad Ali then. The only difference is we evolved and now he's a hero because he stood up for what he believed in. But just like that's, be careful how history is going to look back on this particular situation. And it's not new. This has been happening forever. Everybody wants to, and I think a lot of the, I do think the pandemic, it's forced us to make big changes in our life. Kids can't go to school. It's a lot for people.

By the way, it's a lot for everybody. That's where I do have, I have great compassion for people who don't have some certain means in life and their kids are still home. They can't go to school. There's a lot of stress going on in America right now. A lot of stress. For everyone. But this stuff happening in sports has been happening. Olympic movements.

We had Olympics canceled. Our government canceled an Olympics. That was political. You're just not a sports fan or you're just making stuff up. If this is one of these, I'm out on sports, then did you quit after the government turned off the Olympics?

I mean, this has been going on forever. It's just now we have Instagram and Twitter and you see it more if you're on your phone. It's in your face more. Absolutely. So Damien Little left the bubble yesterday to return to Portland for further examination on his sprained right knee, which means he was able to reunite with his family for the first time in weeks. I saw that. And he posted a picture

with Damien Jr. writing dislocated finger, lateral knee sprain, but this is good for the soul. Miss my baby boy. He is so cute. I really just wanted to do this story so we can show a picture of him. I wonder now, so Damien, Damien's not playing tonight. I heard somebody this morning say, you know, they should just mail this in if you're Portland. But if you're Terry Stott, you can't, you have to support your players. You're going to play hard. But it's... No, I mean, it feels this way for everyone. And, I mean, there's just certain games that you go into that you, you know,

you know it's going to take an unbelievable effort, basically miracle. Portland came into the bubble different than almost every other team. They had to win every game virtually. Yeah, they've been playing the playoffs since they got into the bubble. I mean, the Lakers played hard against the Clippers that mailed in three weeks. And it's like... So, I mean, I think to them, I think Portland and Dame, I think just ran out of the gas. I think they were exhausted.

They have nothing to be ashamed of. They had an incredible season. They were fun. Unbelievable job in the bubble. And Damien Jr. is the cutest. So the Packers moved up in the draft to get Jordan Love with the 26th pick, but he isn't performing at the level that a first round pick is expected to. The latest report from camp, according to the athletic.

He hasn't fallen down the quarterback depth chart. He was already at the bottom of it. But Love has yet to provide even a glimpse at why the Packers straight up to draft him in the first round. Nobody expected him to take the world by storm in his first nine practices. but every throw he makes seems like a touch pass, and he's had some accuracy issues early on. Oh, boy. Oh, boy.

So Green Bay drafted him to humble Aaron. It's the opposite effect. Aaron's looking at him going, I told you people, like, this is what we traded two picks for? This was what I was afraid of. Now Aaron's got more power. We had a lot of questions about Jordan Love. Kind of felt like, you know, people were putting him in that in the home's category way too soon.

He's a project. Project. And then for them to trade up to get him. Because the idea, that's why I didn't like the Brett Farr of Aaron Rogers comparison. Because it wasn't the same. They were 13 and 3 in the NFC championship game last year. When they drafted Aaron Rogers, they lost in the wild card game. Yeah.

That's the year that they took it. Also, they took a first and a fourth to move up to get Jordan Love. So they're telling you, this organization's telling you, we're going to give up picks. Right. Even though we have holes in the roster, we got blown out twice with the Niners. We're going to give out picks to get him. So the only. So the only way that this would really work for them is if he was, I mean,

you didn't have to be, like I said, you didn't have to tear the world apart. No. But you can't be bad. Tell me somebody, tell me somebody in the NFL, a quarterback who looked awful early and was a star. Russell Wilson was amazing. 10 days into camp, they knew he was the starter over Matt Flynn, who they just paid. Mahomes was amazing. Like all these guys, Andrew Luck, they were literally saying three days in, he'd memorized

the playbook. Like, guys that are great are generally, in the last 5, 10 years, they look really good early. Unless you're coming in with like a severe injury. That's different. Yeah. This may backfire on the Packers quickly. All right. Oh, God. Joy with the News. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lie News. I can't love that Packer story more. It's got so much drama potentially in it. Brought to you by Mercedes,

the best or nothing. Sharm Sharania, inside the bubble, joining us now live, broke the story in the Lakers and Clippers voting to boycott the season. You know, Shams, it was really interesting. I've said this before. I like people who are willing to change their mind. It tells me they're curious and they listen, two things in short supply in America.

LeBron appeared to change his mind two or three different times in like 16 hours, and I like that quality. I like he wanted to hear, he wanted to learn. Do you believe, Shams, we really were very close to not? having a season. We do not have audio. I'll let you people in the back figure that out. That's like wires and stuff and levers and stuff, and I don't have. We have levers. If I can't hear my guest, I'll let somebody else figure that out. Yeah. You know, I will say this, the stories about this bubble were really, you should go read the Chris Haynes story.

they're really interesting. Baseball had the advantage of time. When they were arguing with each other, they had months and months. NBA players had about a day to get this crap figured out. Like it was intense. I mean, listen, I've been in negotiations my life, oh, my whole life with agents and stuff.

Stuff takes forever. Basketball guys had a day to figure this out. Like, it was intense, and Shams is now joining us again. Shams, do you believe we were, how close were we? to not continuing the season. Sorry for the technical difficulties. There's no question. The league, the players, they were close.

And when you have the two powerhouse teams in the NBA, the Lakers and the Clippers, vote to boycott the remainder of the season, those players went into that meeting believing everyone would be on the same page, everyone would be unified. But words started to get around in that meeting that the Bucks intended to play,

their plan was to continue playing. The Bucks really blindsided a lot of players. a lot of teams across the league when they made that decision to they went rogue essentially and made that decision to boycott the game and a lot of the players followed suit they also wanted to unify and sit out but once it got once it was clear that the consensus and the majority of players wanted to continue playing you know the lakers and clippers went back that evening had their meetings you know with each other with other rival players across the league and you know four or five in the morning into Thursday, the consensus was pretty clear among the players, owners,

teams across the league that the games would go on. Besides LeBron and players, was there a coach, perhaps, Shams, that had power in these meetings, that was being listened to, that had a plea on either side? Yeah, I mean, you have the signature players, Chris Paul, Andre Godalah, who are NBA leadership, but two people that were very vocal, I'm told in that meeting were Doc Rivers, the head coach of the Clippers, and John Luke is the assistant coach in Houston. Doc Rivers' message to the players was, you guys need to look in the mirror to create real change. You guys are making the stand, but only 20% of you guys are registered voters.

That needs to be 80, 85%. I'm told Rivers told the players, and that was a direct message that you guys have to get your own house in order before you can, you know, allow and create change. And John Lucas's message was similar in that you, you need to use your financial resources and empower people and put people in position that can make these changes. And just trying to explain to the players how fortunate they are to have the platform, a platform he didn't have as a player decades ago. And so those are the two figures from a coaching perspective that did have a loud voice in the meeting.

But other than that, that meeting was tense. It was all over the place. It was scattered. It had a lot of opinions. Obviously, two major teams, you know, were planning not to play. even late into Wednesday night, but as the hours went on, it became clearer and clearer. And Eudanus Haslam asked LeBron James,

asked the remaining players in that room, was if you two aren't going to play, what does that lead for the rest of us? Because everyone understands if LeBron James and those two teams are not playing, there wouldn't be games. You know, I think we've, I've said this about the NBA. We're very fortunate in my lifetime.

most of the greatest NBA players have also been great leaders and good guys. They don't get into trouble, like magic and bird. I mean, you can just go through them in Shaq and Duncan and LeBron. They're listeners, they're vocal, they're good guys I'd want facing my league. It's interesting with LeBron because he's really embraced power, Shams. Michael Jordan was rich and talented and popular, but a lot of times didn't want to deal with certain conflicts with GMs and owners. LeBron's put his arms around all this stuff. And I wonder sometimes, do you think Doc got through to LeBron?

Does LeBron have certain people that he listens to, Shams, around the NBA? Because LeBron's obviously capable of listening to stuff and changing his mind. Who does LeBron lean on, I guess? I think LeBron was talking to a lot of people late into Wednesday night, into Thursday. You know, you have your teammates, people in his inner circle. and just trying to get, you know, LeBron James, I'm sure as connections to whether, you know, business figures, politicians that he really trust,

everyone in the industry, I'm sure he can rely on. And so, you know, from my understanding is he, you know, underwent a lot of conversations, Wednesday night, Thursday morning, as did a lot of other players, just soul searching, trying to figure out what the best decision for the collective was. And when he and the Lakers arrived to the meeting, you know, 45 minutes late, I'm told on Thursday, The decision was pretty much made.

The Lakers were on board, and LeBron James understood the majority of players wanted to continue playing. And at the end of the day, LeBron James has always been an advocate for playing, as long as the environments were safe. And, you know, if everyone wanted to sit, I think LeBron James would have backed that as well. So it was about the majority of players. And, you know, LeBron James has a responsibility he's put on himself in terms of taking stands and really being a, of vocal presence in social, you know, culture. Yeah. All right.

good stuff, Shams. Good update. That Doc Rivers is fascinating. So Doc Rivers came out and basically said, hey, 20% of you guys are registered to vote. It's got to be 80%. And by the way, that's not an easy message because the players had the momentum and the leverage here.

And for Doc to stand up to him, and that's notable, right? Like, that's a big moment. That would be hard for me as a player to not consume and go. Yeah, I'm a little responsible too. Like, that's a real message, right? Yeah, there's no question. Doc Rivers, his big message to those players was you guys need to get the house in order first.

And just the platform that these players are afforded. I think what him and John Lucas wanted to get across was, you know, how important it is to really use the platform. And, you know, another thing John Lucas told the players was, was, you know, where is this type of energy when there isn't, you know, shooting of Jacob Blake? Why isn't this more consistent? And, you know, these players gathered and met this week. But, you know, I spoke to one player and he said, why weren't we doing this the first week we got to Orlando? Why wasn't this being held initially as we rebooted this season? And so there are a lot of questions.

Again, Colin, this is a complex situation. There's no right. There's no wrong answer. Just a lot of people trying to make the right decision. Good stuff. Always love your work, Shams. Thanks so much for joining us in the bubble, bud. Thanks, Colin.

Isn't that would have been strange a year ago if I had a guest and said, thanks for joining us in the bubble. I mean, there's cardboard cutouts in baseball stadiums. Coming up next, the news continues to be nothing but positive by Cam Newton, for Cam Newton from Belichick, the latest next. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only, legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win. A win is a win. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind

the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. You remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84's big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode

where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth,

or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose

on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app, Search learn the hard way and listen now. Loz, do-it-yourself projects. I relax and enjoy my home bar now that I made. Go to Loz.com. Show us your transformations. Hashtag Loz goals.

So Cam Newton's still wearing the hats and everything. But Cam Newton is a new Cam Newton. Belichick yesterday said it's incredible. He's a personality. He's fun. It's just kumbaya. It's nothing but love. And Cam now is humble Cam.

The Patriot Way is, you know, he still likes his hats. Some guys like hats. What can we say? Some peeps like hats. I like my new shoes from Switzerland. Whatevs? Cam talked yesterday at a press conference. He is sounding very New England patriot.

You feel as though the starting quarterback job is yours right now. Absolutely not. Every day is a workday for me. That label is not important to me right now because I know I have so much that I need to get better at, so much that I need to learn, so much that I need to be comfortable. with. And throughout this process, that's the last thing that I'm pretty much worried about. I'm liking it. And Belichick's effusive in his praise. Here's the thing. We got to be fair now. And I'm a critic of Cam. We got to be fair. He's going to find out. You people all said

Cam didn't have any support in Carolina. New England doesn't have anything like Christian McCaffrey. Nothing close to Greg Olson at tight end. And I think DJ Moore has been to than any Patriot receiver. New England's offensive personnel is possession receivers, B-minus running back talent, and no functional tight end. And I think what's going to happen here? And Cam's going to take the brunt of the hits because Belichick's got all the trophies. It's really important for Cam to be coachable and humble

because he's not going to have big numbers here. And they're not going to be a great football team. But if Cam, if that's the cam I get in one year, here, he's going to have a market. New England drafts, I've been told this by two people formerly in New England. They do the draft differently, and this never gets reported, that Belichick sometime in January or February, nobody else does it this way. Belichick says to his scouts and his personnel people, thanks, I've got it from here. I don't think it works. I think they draft offensive people as poorly as anybody. But again, when you've got Brady running the

and you're winning trophies. And I do think Belichick's the smartest guy. He works the cap. Special teams, defense, O-lines, very good. But if you go, I'll give you an example. I don't think they do a very good job. They have no playmakers. They have no speed.

They have no functional tight-in. 2019 go to their draft. They drafted five offensive players. Jarrett Stidham. Back up, poor camp. Doesn't appear to be a starter. Nikiel Harry played in just seven games. That's on a team that had limited wide receivers,

not in a loaded wide receivers. group. Running back, Damien Harris, barely played. An offensive tackling round three, a guard in round four. Neither played a snap in a game. There's no playmakers here. There's no speed here. There's no functional tight end here. There's no game breakers here. There's nobody you have to double. So Tom Brady, who's the best quarterback I've ever seen, he's better than camp. His efficiency, he doesn't throw the long ball much. He's not a guy. Tom's very efficient. So he's, he's took these limited parts and his efficiency made it work. But even Tom last year and we caught him on tape twice, barking at receivers, get open, separate from people. So I'm a CAM critic and all

this stuff is awesome. I really do think it's important for CAM to be coachable, cam to be humble, and then I think there's going to be a market for him because the numbers are going to be fairly anemic. The biggest playmaker they have is Cam Newton. That's it. That is it. Cam can make you miss. Cam can run past you. Cam can run over you.

But we got to be fair on this. He is not putting up big numbers. They got no deep threat. He's not putting up big numbers. He's not. There's nothing here, man. The division's better. There's nothing here.

And I do think every great coach has a hole. Remember Andy Reid? It was always not very good with the clock late in games. Belichick's hole. Offensive skill people. Last pro-bowlery drafted. Gronk. Hour two next.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. In 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a hear,

unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw unfills of course. conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.