The Press Box - '25 for 25': Nick Wright on the Future of Sports Debate

Episode Date: February 18, 2025

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and Joel kick off their new podcast series, '25 for 25'. They welcome Fox Sports 1’s Nick Wright, and he discusses the following: His thoughts as the Chiefs were losing the Super Bowl (5:25) Why the Chiefs are the villains (12:56) Why he decided to start his career in sports radio (20:00) The biggest difference between TV and radio (40:00) Linear television vs. streaming (1:01:10) Quick takes on current TV hosts (1:09:34) Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel Anderson Guest: Nick Wright Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hi everyone, it's Amy Poehler, and I'm launching a new podcast called Good Hang. In preparation for that, I asked some of my friends to send in some videos and give me some advice. Just be yourself, and the guests will come. Don't be the celebrity that this is their like sixth thing they're doing. I love true crime and cooking podcasts. Is there any way you could combine the two? Well, everyone has an opinion and a podcast. So, join me for Good Hang. It's rough out there. We're just trying to lighten it up a little. Media consumers, welcome to press box and welcome to our first edition of our new series of

podcast, 25 for 25. Brian Curtis, Joel Anderson, producer Brian Waters here. And Joel, what a way to kick off this series. Nick Wright, Nick Wright on the future of sports debate. There are interviews where you cover the waterfront and then there are interviews where you cover the waterfront. Yeah, man, you know, I'm a big fan of Nick's. As I mentioned, as I mentioned, to him. I listen to this show every day on podcast for him. I don't watch the TV. So yeah, this was, I mean, we wanted to talk about, talking somebody about

the future of sports debate and like, who bet that guy, he's doing some big things over at FS1 and in the podcast space. So yeah, it seems like this is the best way to start it off, I think. We got to where takes are going in the streaming age, but first we talked about Kansas City Chiefs fandom.

We talked about his sports radio days in Casey and Houston. We talked about television and I think one of my favorite parts of this podcast was Nick's thumbnail sketches of just about every big host in the field Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharp, Colin Coward, Skip Bayliss, we got to Lebitard, we got to Bumani. We got to everybody. I mean, this is, you left out a good one when you got to everybody, but I think we should maybe leave that as a surprise, right? That will be the Easter egg in this podcast. Keep listening to see who else. Nick talks

But all right, here he is, Nick Wright. Just to get started, I mean, obviously one of the ways everybody knows you is sort of the face of the chief's fan base, right? And I mean, there was a time in journalism where people actively discouraged you from pretending, from saying that you had allegiances to teams, even though in retrospect, it's sort of silly. But what made you comfortable enough to want to do that sort of thing and say, oh, this is the team I root for and I'm totally comfortable. talking about it and indulging it every day? I think probably what made me so comfortable is when the TV show started Labor Day 2017. So when the TV show launched,

the Chiefs had won precisely one playoff game in the previous 27 years. And so that's wrong. They had won in 23 years, pardon me. Was that game against the Oilers with Joe Montana? No, that was the second to last game. That was the game against the Oilers. That was that.

So when the TV show started, the Chiefs had made one conference championship game in 50 years. That was by beating the Oilers in Joe Montana and a chief spike the football off a poster that had Buddy Ryan's face on it. And they had only won one playoff. They had basically, they had lost nine of their last 10 playoff games. And so it was, I was like, well, you know, I'm a fan.

This is my team. And it's not going to bother anybody. If anything, it'll make me likable because, you know what I mean? They're not lovable losers because they were a team that was consistently good, but never, you know, always lost in art brain fashion, whatever. So I just went with it. And I, it was not really a topic at all. The first year I was on the air because the chiefs were not a.

topic. I think the first time I really like, you know, we did a segment based around my fandom and it was very brief was that year, the final playoff game the Chiefs have played that wasn't started by Patrick Mahomes, they were up 21 to 3 on Marcus Marriota and he threw a touchdown pass to himself to beat the team. And it was, and I did kind of a rant about how the ways the chiefs have lost playoff games in my life, home playoff games as favorites in heartbreaking fashion. And then Patrick Holmes comes into the league and nothing's been the same sense. So, but just, I have a journalism degree, but I do not consider myself a journalist. I think I occasionally, and we, a kind of a running gag on the show is, if I'm like actually

trying to report something. I'll say to Wilde, I'm going to put all my fake news hat. The news is real. The hat is fake. And meaning like, hey, I'm no longer Nick Wright opinionist commentator. Here's something I'm actually reporting. And then I quickly take that hat, that fake hat off and get right back to just giving my informed opinions of them. All right, Nick. We always process your chief's reactions through a talk show. So give us the off the air. Sunday night, the team just got crushed. What were you thinking about? Oh, man. So a few people have asked me that would I, how would it have been better if it was close and they lost? And the answer is watching the game. What I'm, one of the things I'm most

bummed about from that game is it's the most excited I've ever been for a football game in my life. and it might be the most excited I will ever be for a football game again because of what was at stake. And the suspense was removed by the first drive of the third quarter. Some would say the suspense was removed far earlier, but I held out, you know, a level of hope. So I had a lot of time to process it. And I think that had they lost in heartbreaking fashion, I don't think I would have been able to handle Monday as well as I did. because I think I would have just been, you know, like, oh, this one play or this. Instead, it was no, they just got dog walked and, you know, you can't say one thing would have been different.

So I, the game ends Friday or Sunday night. My wife and daughters watched with me. First game all year, they watched with me start to finish, which now that I think about, maybe they're fault. I mean, the team who never lost and gets blown out. First game, my wife and daughters are there. So maybe I should blaming them. They both, they all, my youngest had gone to bed.

My wife and daughter both hugged me and acted as if, you know, someone close to me and only me had died. And that was the correct reaction, by the way. And I then, I then went upstairs, showered, and started listening to week old

NBA trade deadline podcasts to just try to stop thinking about this. I then three times that night woke up and had the moment of oh shit, that was

that didn't have. Nope, that happened. It was a bad dream and then realized I wasn't going to be able to sleep and went downstairs and This is so pathetic There's a video game called Red Dead Redemption Which is like an open world It's kind of like Grand Theft Auto but for cowboys a hundred years ago, but it's also open world where like you can just be like I'm gonna take my horse fishing I'm gonna go hunt quail and

for three hours, I just went fishing in this virtual world. And I was so sad. And then I knew, I knew that 3 o'clock Monday was going to be the largest television audience, our shows ever had. That ended up being the case. And then I had, listen, you don't, you don't get to act the way I act as arrogantly as I act about. I don't find myself to be an arrogant human being, but I am incredibly arrogant about the chiefs. And I kind of, you know, glide off that arrogance. I don't think I try not to be

arrogant about myself, but about my cocksuredness about them. I am. It's like, man, you've been doing this for three years. And every single time, you've been able to drop banners and hold victory parades and be the winner, you got to be a good loser. And so I had an idea that the guys were going to just crush me the way they did. And I really spent that afternoon, again, the audience might now find me so dramatic, I don't know, mentally preparing for it. I was like, it's really the way, it's going to be less about what I say and more about how I look during. this. If I look pissed off or like a spoil sport, so to speak, I really think a lot of the audience is going to turn on me. I was like on the flip side, if I show that I can take it as good as I give it,

there's a chance that a lot of the audience that maybe I'm there, you know, the person on the show they dislike that they may be like, oh, he's not a bad guy. And so I just, so that was, the day, you know what I mean? But I still like, we on the next day's show, sorry, I give long answers, but on the next day's show, we played a clip from Kelsey's podcast. And whenever we played just a snippet of something, always as part of my prep, I listen to, if not the full pod, but you know what I mean, the five minutes before and after context. We played this clip of Kelsey talking about retirement and I said on the air, I was like,

guys, I have a confession to make. I have no idea the context of that because I have consumed precisely zero post-super Bowl football media. I have no idea what anyone said. I don't know what anyone's written. I haven't watched a single clip. I was like, so whatever. So I am going as blind as can be because I can't. It really, I really am a fan and it really like I can't put myself through that.

On the bright side, I am more caught up. on the NBA, all the moves of the NBA from two weeks ago than anybody in the world. Because I, because everybody keeps releasing football podcasts that I don't want to listen to. And instead, I'm just listening going like yesterday. I listened to your guy, Simmons trade value pod. That was, Luca was still a Mab. The whole world was different. I'm like, well, I got to find something to listen to that isn't Super Bowl recap.

app. You're like me after Georgia 62 TCU 7 except I didn't have to go in front of people because it's that it's that same feeling of like I don't want to consume any content about that game. I don't ever want to think about it again. Correct. Never

again. I thought of you. You're the only and it's very interesting. Brian and I have met a couple times in person, both surrounding Super Bowl. I don't think, Joel, you and I have ever met in person. But I feel like I've known. you through Bhamani and then through Twitter for almost a decade. Like, I know, I know who you're

married to. I know how old your kid is. Like, I know a lot about you, but I don't, you and I have never actually, have never actually met. But so you're the only TCU fan, like real fan, I know. So I was thinking about you throughout that run. Oh, yeah, man. Yeah. Well, I, I, I, behaved much more bizarrely than you did to your school's success. I, I, I, I, I, I didn't like my coach. I don't want to get into that because I'll get out of the thing. Anyway, well,

you know, but Dick, I did want to ask you some. So, Brian, my wonderful co-host here, has this theory that the chiefs aren't villains, that nobody really hates them in the way.

Wild has the same theory. Okay. Yeah, like the Duke said, yeah, right, Duke's like, so I want to give you an opportunity to make the case to Brian that

people actually did sort of villainize the chiefs over the last few years. that they have become, you know, like an unlikely team to a lot of people. So I think there's a lot to it. So because Wild's theory is that hate watching is a myth, that he's basically said that he thinks that one line from the Howard Stern movie,

private parts, tricked the world into thinking that people consume content they hate. And that that's not actually true. It's not how people work. And the chiefs of the highest rated game, the highest rated team, they sell the most jerseys, all this stuff. I disagree with him because I think that sports, you can watch a team you hate because you then instantly, for that, those few hours, really like the other team. You are actively invested

rooting for the opposition. And I truly think what I think there were three distinct things that came together to make them actual villains. The first one was, oddly, the corner of the internet that still can't get over anything COVID-related. Kelsey's Pfizer campaign and then Rogers putting a spotlight on it, I think that gave you, you know, if there's 100 football fans in a room, six of them are like, I hate that guy. You know what I mean? Like that guy, you know, the craziest of the crazies we're now against. So now we've lost 6%.

Taylor Swift, there is a slight political angle to it, but the bigger political, the bigger angle to that is the, you know, one out of five diehard football. fans who actually deep down it would appear just hate women. And so they're like, man, they, she was on my screen for 44 seconds. It felt like 44 minutes. And so I, you know, I don't like that team because that's the only team that this happens with. All right.

So now we have, you know, not even close to a majority, majority or plurality, but a segment of people who are anti on the chiefs. and then the hoarse shit about the refs tipped it and while it was tipping Troy Aikman who I think Buck and Akeman are as good as anyone in the business and I love them

but I thought the commentary during that playoff game about the two flags Mahomes got who took something that was a side internet story and thrust

it into the main stream and I don't think Troy would have done it to the degree he did had he known that there is that there is real belief that the games are fixed not that Mahomes gets calls but that the fix is in and so I think all of that came together and then you heard back to back weeks coaches players GMs from the teams the chiefs beat in the playoffs. Offs. Voice it. You had three, you had Demeco Ryan's, Will Anderson, and another, I forget who, on the Texans, all say, yeah, we knew it was going to be us against the refs. You then had the GM of the bills say something similar, or no, not the GM, pardon me, the head coach,

something similar. And now it's, and now it, you know, Mahomes and Roger. Goodell and the owner of the chiefs are being asked on NFL network are the games fixed. And now it's a real story. And so I think all of that came together to make this team actually hated. I do think, so I think Brian, I think they are simultaneously the league's most popular team and the league's most hated team. You know what I mean? I think those family feud questions, they would win both. Who is your favorite football team? They would win. Who is your most hated football team they would win. And we think they're up in the tier of the 2010-ish patriots and the early aughts

Yankees in terms of sports villains, like that tier? Well, yes. And that's what makes me mad because the early aughts Yankees, there was a logic to it, which was, yes, there was just the big, like, people from, you know, I'm from the Midwest, like, you know, the, you know, kind of big city bias or. whatever, but then it did feel like, man, this is an uncapped sport, and you're buying all the players. It felt unfair, right? So there was that. The Patriots literally cheated at least twice. Got caught, got dinged for violations. Like lost draft picks, star player got suspended. So that

wasn't conspiratorial. That was in the entire run of the Pat's dynasty, there was only, one, there, there were two instances of the league investigating on the books cheating, finding a team did it, docking draft picks, and it was the same team twice. And so like that and their head coach courted villainy, you know what I mean, kind of wanted that. So that to me felt fair, so to speak. Now maybe this is because I, you know, maybe I'm just too biased. The chiefs are theoretically what you're homegrown talent you know mid-sized market super lovable head coach fun prior to this past year or so style of play all this stuff and so it didn't make sense to me that they would to me it would be like if all of a sudden the Milwaukee bucks people are

like man fuck that team it's like wait why like that and so but i get why people are like that with the Lakers, you know, because they're, to me, the Lakers are more like the Yankees. I don't have a corollary. The European soccer has more corollaries for the Patriots where people are like, no, this, they're, you know, they're cheating. For soccer, it's more about salary cap stuff. Go ahead. Let's talk about your career a little bit.

You mentioned your journalism degree. You went to the Syracuse School of Sportscasting Destiny, and then you go into sports radio. Why sports radio in particular? Only thing I ever wanted to do. So I'll give you guys a very quick story. I've told it before. But 10, 11 years old and was, you guys might remember there was a great umpire. He has since passed named Steve Palermo.

And so Steve Palermo was out to dinner one night with friends. They heard a waitress was getting mugged in the alley. they went outside and he got shot in the neck and got paralyzed and then learned to walk again and started the Steve Palermo Foundation and the annual gala was in Kansas City. And my mom got tickets one day. My parents were still together at the time. But my dad, who's a fireman, had a ship to the fire department, so she took me. and I already knew, again, you're asking me now, sorry, this is a long story.

I always, my goal was to be an NBA player, okay? Yeah. I, I, how good were you? At what point, like, did, like, you know, 10 years old, I realized it's not happening. Okay. Now, I's played through high school, but I, um, I have like early memories of a Moses Malone card of being looking at the back of it when I was a little, little kid. this is so embarrassing.

And my dad looked back in the car and he saw I was crying and he's like, what's wrong? And again, this is his story to me. So maybe he's tricking me all these years. But he says, I said to him, I'm worried when I make the NBA, I'm going to get traded a lot like Moses Malone.

And so little did I know, Moses was one of the greatest players of all time. I mean, he just had a long career and got traded a lot. So I was, I was just all, I went to all the basketball camps, everything. And then I, but then I, I think around the age of 10, I realized, man, you're like the third best kid in your grade at a small school. NBA is probably not happening. But I loved it so much. I was like, the next best thing then is I just want to talk about sports.

just that that's what I'm going to do. So now we get to this Steve Palermo gala and the emcees Bob Costas. And I walked over to him and I was the only kid there in the little cocktail hour and I was like Mr. Costas, my name is Nick Wright. I want to do what you do. Where did you go to school? What'd you do? What's your store?

And he told me. He was like, I went to Syracuse. I worked at a place called W-A-E-R. and went over. I'm like, okay, thank you so much. I then walked away. My mom kind of smiled like, thank you. And he said, is that your son?

She said, yeah. He's like, well, here's my address. Have him write me. Keep in touch. And for the rest of my childhood, I sent Bob Costas three and four page letters with all my sports takes.

Wow. And he would write back, back on postcards, you know, like some short responses and then always say, hope to see you at the gala this year. And I win every single year. So I start, so I would go every year. I'd see him. Then the Negro League Baseball Museum opened in Kansas City. I went to the opening of that. He was there. And he and I developed a friendship. He would, you know, I would write him write in my takes, he would write me back. And so I, I, the, so then it's college time.

I'm in Missouri. Missouri's got a great broadcasting school, University of Missouri. And I, odd, again, odd kind of family history. My dad, oddly didn't go to, does not have a bachelor's degree, but has a master's from Harvard. and a law degree. That's a separate story. He's probably the only person in the country with that, but no undergrad.

And my mom went to Harvard Business School. And so I'm finishing up high school. And I had done very, very well on the SATs. And my college advisor is like, you're a double legacy with great boards. You have to apply to Harvard. I was like, no, I'm applying. early decision to Syracuse and if I don't get in, I'll just go be a fireman or something.

Like, I'll, I'll get in. I'm not going to, I never even, I maybe said I'll go be a fireman. Never plan to be a fireman. It's not me. But I was like, I'll get in. I, I, I, I, the day, the week after I met Costas, I put a Syracuse flag on my ceiling and had it. And I was like, that's what I'm going to do. And I got in. And after I got in, I wrote to Costis and was like, hey, I got in. And sorry, this is very long story, but I hope it's good. And he was like, oh, well, when you go visit, I'll set up a meeting with you and the dean so you can meet it. So I was like, great.

So I do that. Go to the meeting with the dean. And I vividly remember it. Well, I vividly remember two things. One is my mom asking me why I don't want to do TV, why I want to do radio. And I'm like, no, I want to do radio. I want to give my opinion on things like I want to do. Because when I told Costis, I want to do what you want to do.

What I actually wanted to be was the color commentator. But by the time I was going to college, I realized, oh, I'm not eligible. It's like I'm eligible for play by play. You have to have played or coach to be color commentator. So I can't do that. So I just want to give takes, give opinions. And so my mom was like, oh, okay. So that's really what you want to do?

And God love my mom. most supportive person ever, 18 years old going to college. She was like, because if you don't want to do TV, because you're worried about your nose, you know you can get that fixed. And I was like, oh, man, I must really have a big nose. I always thought kids were just being mean to me. But if my mom is saying it might, she thinks it might be derailing my potential career. But then I get to Syracuse, I meet the dean.

And the dean was super nice. and then but says flatly. He's like, just so you know, like, you're clearly driven, you're talented, you know, you somehow have this relation to Bob Cossett. He was like, but you have a terrible radio voice. Like your voice is nasally and not, and it was like, well, now the nose again.

And I was like, all right, it is what it is. So I get to Syracuse and W.A.R., the most competitive student-run professional radio station in America has a very arduous process to be able to do play-by-play. You first have to get cleared to do 4 a.m. morning sports updates. You then have to get cleared to do afternoon updates, then you get cleared to do play-by-play. And the seniors and juniors who were in charge at the time were Anish Shroff, who's a superstar, Jason Benetti, who's a superstar, and Jason Horowitz, who's a superstar.

Horowitz used to suffer CBS. Now he's the voice of the Raiders. And man, I went in every week, twice a week, wrote these two-minute sports updates for a year and a half. And eventually Jason Horowitz had to call me and be like, listen, man, you haven't even gotten cleared to do these updates on the air. You're not ever going to be able to do play by play. You've run out of time. Like, we have to cut you from the staff. But at the same time, I was what was then considered kind of the JV staff on the talk show to park. So we would do the postgame shows for basketball, football, and lacrosse.

And I just threw my entire life into those postgame shows. I made like a handwritten 20-page Syracuse lacrosse encyclopedia that I then distributed to the other students because none of us knew lacrosse. Because we would have to do post-game shows for lacrosse games that weren't on TV that we weren't at. So we would have to listen to a lacrosse game on the radio and then do a post-game call-in show about it. People called in about lacrosse. Yeah. La Cs, Syracuse, LaCross was their biggest sport forever. They made like 20 straight final fours.

Jim Brown played lacrosse. There was the greatest lacrosse player ever, all that. And so I was just, that's what I'm going to do. and then going into my senior year of college, I did, I stayed at Syracuse and on the student music station, Z89, I convinced them to let me do a sports talk show

and there was a music station called What's Right? And I created the show there. And I did it and did it three days a week. I skipped my, either the commencement. I'm not sure. One, there's two parts of graduation. One, when you get your diploma, one where you hear the speech, whatever it is. A whole family's in town for my college graduation.

I skipped one part of it because I was like, no, I'm hosting my radio show. And then coming out of college, I had two job offers. one ESPN Radio, New York City, full-time benefits producer, and one part-time, $8 an hour, conservative news radio in Kansas City, board op and assistant producer, but the sister station there was the sports station. And if I took that job on the weekends,

they'd let me host What's Right with Nick Wright. for four hours. And I did it. It was like, if I start in New York, I'll never get on the air. And I did it. And I did weekends. The end of my tenure on the conservative radio side, shout out to Alan Davis, who hired me, who the, he put Colin Coward on the air in Portland. He put me on the air in Kansas city. He's still in the business. I haven't talked to in years, which is shameful, is one of the change my life. About three months into being the board op for the show that was on news radio 980, KMBZ before the Rush Limbaugh show, the lead in for Rush Limbaugh. I'm the board up and they're doing a topic on immigration. And they're like, and the producer says to me,

play, cart, whatever, 280. And so I drag it over and I look and the card is labeled. It's a lacucaracha. And I'm like, I won't play it. I'm like, I'm not playing it. And I'm 22 and I'm not, I don't have editorial control. I'm just like the button pusher. And he's like, what do you mean?

I was like, I'm not playing it. I was like, you guys do it. I was like, I'm not doing it. He's like, okay. He kicked me out of studio. And Alan Davis, It's like, so what happened? It's like, I'm not going to be a part of that.

And he was like, well, that's like, okay. He was like, but he's like, all right. He's like, how about instead of boardopping that, you board off the Jim Rome show? And I'm like, that's automated. He's like, I know. He's like, but I got to keep you around. He's like, so you just stand in our studio from noon to three or whatever, 11 to 2 each day. And I was like, but I won't be doing anything.

He's like, Nick, I know. Just that you're the new board op for a show that doesn't need a board up. And so I did that. And then, you know, I did mornings or I did, sorry. I did weekends. And then Damon and Mendelora, who's a great radio host, left. He was doing mornings, left for Miami. Things changed.

And I did nights and I did middays. And then I did afternoons. got, you know, had an kind of epic feud with Jason Whitlock. I don't know if any of the audience knows who he is. He's a guy who used to be in the business. Nobody's spent in a decade. And then went to Houston and then ended up on TV. So like, I just always just wanted to give takes and give opinions.

And so there's the 20 minute story you didn't ask for about how, you know, my career. I've got to have to circle back to the Whitlock thing. later. So I'm just putting the, I'm putting the bookmark there. But it's good that you got us up to Houston because I've read where you talked about how Houston, you said Houston changed the trajectory of your life. How and why? Well, I, 2012, my contract's coming up in Kansas City. And at this point, I've, I've, I've kind of done it. I was on, you know, that radio stationing six, so there's two Radio Station, Kent City, 810 and 610. 810 was the Heritage Station. You guys might even remember like 25 years ago, the Royals were playing the Yankees and all the Royals fans walked out

of the game. It was a big smash, like it was a, and that was organized by the local radio station 810. And 810 was the monster. We had had very talented hosts on our station. DA is one of the best ever again before he went crazy Whitlock was a great radio host and the number one columnist in the city nobody could touch 810 and I beat him

and the and I beat him kind of in the old school fun radio way like the like I I picked a fight not physical but a real fight in person with the midday host I was up against at Chief's facility, like, got into a yelling, like, so, because I knew that would

create some buzz. I then talked about it incessantly to make them respond. They then finally had to respond. I then finally beat them for one month. And 810 was such a big deal. They had these things called the 810 zone, like an ESPN zone. Restaurants, bar and restaurants. I took our station van. I announced on the air party for beating 810 at the 810 zone on the plaza, drove our station van. They're just old school sweet local radio shit. I was going to say, how do you know to do that stuff, man?

I mean, it's just, it's kind of, it's, if you're a local radio guy, I mean, all, you know, none of this is new. You just punch up to make the people who are bigger have to respond. have to respond. Once they've responded, you've probably won, and you just go, go, go, go, go. So I finally have done it. I've won. I'm beating them. And my contract's up. And it was kind of like the fork in the road moment of my life. I'm like, well, stay here forever. If I sign this next contract, I'm just here forever. And I'll just be the guy in Kinney. And I'll just be the guy in into city. And I know that sounds arrogant, but that's what it was. I was 2012. I was 27 years old.

I was engaged. I have a very unique family. So I was engaged while also having a, at the time, 13 year old and 7 year old. You know what I mean? So I'm like, you know, have family responsibilities, kids. Or I try to chase this thing I've always been chasing. And, I, my old buddy from college radio, Mike Meltzer, gave me a heads up that the morning show guy in Houston, Mark Vandermere, who's the play-by-play voice of the Texans, was leaving the morning show to only do Texan stuff. And it was open. And so I called, I called, called him, and was like, listen, like, I should be your guy. and they flew me down. And in the four days between me calling them and them flying me down,

that same exact thing I said I did for the lacrosse encyclopedia, I did for Houston Sports. I made a handwritten 25-page Houston sports history encyclopedia, had it bound at Staples, brought in my copy and won for him. Because I know how local radio works. And I was like, he's going to be worried. I don't know the history of the teams. it's call in radio that someone's going to be like,

what about the love you blue oilers? I'm going to be like, who's that? And then no one's ever going to listen to me again. And I knew that was going to be his concern. So I brought it with me. And I was like, I made this. You don't have to worry about it. And I got that job.

And so that then kind of put me on the map. And then in a very weird career thing, I was highly critical of the police often. Police brutality stuff on the air. Not very popular stance in Houston, but I was. And I got a DM and then an email. And it was from someone related to the law enforcement who basically said, I'm sending this to you because I listen to your show and I also know.

know that, you know, you have been very skeptical of cops before. I want you to know, a lot of us are just doing our best and what's right. And what they had sent me was the full file report, audio recording, all of it of the Adrian Peterson child abuse case. And it was because they were of the belief that this was being essentially thrown. There was going to be no bill at a grand jury. No one was ever going to hear about it. And they wanted someone to blow the whistle on it. And I did. And that then gave me a bit of a national profile briefly. And that was around the time my contract was coming up in Houston, which then allowed me to try to go get a radio job in L.A., which turned into a TV job in L.A. Or, yeah. And so it was kind of.

kind of just a bunch of random stuff that happened, but I, you know, I always had the vision of where I was going to get. I didn't know the steps, but some things kind of fell the way they fell that allowed it to accelerate. You start working with FS1 in 2016. What makes debate TV different from sports radio? As you guys can tell from this interview, I'm a radio guy, so I'm used to very long points and stories. And the other, so TV, and we have a long-ass show. We got a two-hour show. So like our show, we used to have a three-hour show.

Our show, you still have time, but you still got to be faster. So it's, you know, the conciseness of the points is one. radio oddly is more three-dimensional than TV in that the people know you like people and they connect with you like people you know I my Kansas City audience

heard every step of man this girl you guys have heard me talking about she finally agreed to go out with me you're not going to believe it On our first date, she brought two kids that I didn't know she had. Like they, you know, oh, that girl, we're moving in together.

Oh, like, you know what I mean? Like, they knew my full light. TV's not quite like that. And the other one that I would say is the biggest difference, and this is why I enjoy having the podcast doing stuff like this. something that works on the radio. Man, here's a story you haven't heard about. That definitively is something you should absolutely never say on your national television.

You know what I mean? So the national TV is, you know, what are the biggest stories that people care about this very moment, the biggest teams? because if we're not talking about them, someone else probably is, and you probably only have 12 minutes anyway, radio can be more meandering and more, you know what I mean? Like, I find this interesting.

You're invested in me. So you'll, you know what I mean? Give me the time for it. So it's very, very different. But the technical skill necessary for television, I firmly believe that every single,

person in the country who can successfully host a four-hour solo radio show could competently do sit in my seat on Monday on FS1 and be fine. I do not at all believe that everyone who's good on TV could make it through two days of solo four-hour radio. I think it's the hardest thing in media, and it's self-serving, because it's what I did. So it's kind of seeped in ego. But I think it's the hardest thing in media, and I think if you can do that, you can figure all the rest out. Like the skills you have to learn to carry a four-hour solo radio show is, it's why Danny, so my dear, Danny Parkinson, I went to college together, you know, and now he's the morning host on FS1 on Breakfast Ball.

I was, after a few weeks, there were some people in the office, they're like, man, I'm really surprised at how comfortable Danny is and all this stuff. And my, I don't know if I said this, but in my head, I'm like, man, Danny will never say this, but he is shocked at how easy this feels. Now, there's still certain things like how to look comfortable, you know what I mean? Like, where to look and there's, there's weird visual things. But as far as delivering the information, it's like, wait a minute. This segment's 11 minutes. There's three other people on the desk. There's video we're playing all of it.

I'm used to 17 minutes and it's just me. Yeah, I think I can come up with interesting for two and a half minutes. And so, yeah, like, so a lot of differences. But the radio prep is the single most valuable prep there is to me. Yeah. The first iteration of first things first, and you mentioned before, you said, you know, you didn't always think it was a good show. But that first version included Chris Carter, right? Yeah. And there's, you know, now he's no longer on there. And I think your show is unique in this way

because it's one of the few debate-style shows that doesn't have an athlete is one of its main co-hosts or panelists. I want to ask you if that was intentional or if that's just kind of how things unfolded. All right. So first let me, you did not misquote me. You were correct, but I want to clarify one thing. I have said that the show was not always good. The show with me and Chris was good. So I wasn't good yet, but the show was good. Our Chris and my's relationship worked. It was like a big brother, little brother thing. Jenna did a good job, whatever. We had then a period after Chris left where we had rotating hosts where, you know, there were different iterations where the show kind of was losing its footing, so to speak. So that was when I've said that, that's not

at all, you know, an indictment on Chris. Chris really helped me immensely. However, so Chris and I worked together and worked well together and had a great relationship. And, you know, he left for other reasons. Then, you know, we had rotating hosts and that, those relationships were good. And then Brandon Marshall came in and he did it for the better part of a year, maybe a little more. And then he left. And then after that, you know, I talked with my bosses at Fox and they had different ideas or, you know, on what could work. And I was adamant. At this point, Wilds is on and Jenna has left. And I was adamant that Bruce Sard should be the guy. Adam. And there was real push on, you know, will, you know, the audience sees him as a basketball.

I'm like, got it. But he hosts a daily radio show where they talk about everything. He's the only person I've ever worked with. The only one that sometimes says a fact that I didn't know. Like, oh, you were, you had more prep than I, you know what I mean? Like he's always, I was like, and we love each other. We get along. Like he's got to be, and trust me, not only can he talk football,

the audience will accept him talking football. Like he does it. They'll, so they, to their credit, the bosses were like, all right, we believe in you.

Even then, they still thought, need a football, need another football. And I just went to him like, guys, listen. I here's what I think happens.

I was like no matter how you know, no matter the intentions and the fact that matter is this, I am maybe the world's number one draft picks certainly high on the list of most annoying human beings to argue with. I oddly like had like

I have a very, you know, it's my number one skill. I can kind of subtly frame an argument in a way where all of a sudden we're not quite arguing what we were supposed to be arguing and said we're arguing what I want us to be arguing so I never really have to be like I was wrong and I argue in a way

the way I deliver it I speak as if if at the end of this you don't agree with me you must not have understood me because it clearly I'm like Like, it's a very irritating way. I know that about myself. I was like, you take a former pro athlete who at their core, no matter what what we have built up relationship wise, looks at me.

And they're like, man, I used to put that guy in a fucking locker in high school. He's not going to tell me I'm wrong about this repeatedly, morning after morning. morning after morning. I was like, it's not going, no matter how good the relationship is, at some point, even if we still have a good relationship, on the air, they are going to hate me. I was like, it's just, it's just, so let's try it this way. I was like, let's just try it and see if what we lose from a credibility of been there, done that standpoint, we gain from a relationship chemistry standpoint, and we have,

and I remember somebody said to me, they're like, man, nothing, you know, because at that point, Greg Jennings and Coach Manjini had been regular staples of the show. And they're like, they've been with the show for five years. You've never had anything like that.

It's like, yeah, guys, because they get a week off in between it. I was like, at the end, by Friday, when I probably reached, keak annoying. They know going into that show. I'm not going to have to deal with this jackass for another. You know what I mean?

It's not. And so, and again, maybe I'm giving myself too much credit there or whatever, but I really felt that there was a, that we needed to give it a try. And I also said, like,

what's the show everyone loves? It's two journalists. It's PTI. What's the debate show? that everyone loved. It was two journalists. It was Stephen A and Skip. And I do believe Shannon's unique talent

made people think that I think there's a lot of former athletes that are great talking about all the sports. And I remember Chris Carter, there was a focus group early in FS1 where one of the responses from the focus group was like, essentially we don't really trust Chris on basketball, but they trusted me.

And Chris was beside himself. Just like, let me get this straight. He was like, so I, who had 100 Division I scholarship offers, whose brother coached in the NBA, the audience thinks I can't talk about basketball because I was awesome at football. But Nick, because he sucked at everything, can talk about everything. And I was like, yeah, it doesn't make sense, but it's kind of how people view it. And so I like Chris was great at talking basketball.

The, the, I got a little derailed. The point I was making is there, Shannon is one of the only people who the audience very quickly was like, oh yeah, he's a basketball guy too. And I, even though he is a superstar football player. And so I just think it's very, even if the comp, even if you were just reading a transcript. And it's a sports take that I have or that a former athlete has. I think the audience interprets it differently based on, wait, was that his sport? Was that not his sport? And meanwhile, I think I get the opposite.

I think the audience looked at me early. They're like literally never heard of this guy and he's clearly not an athlete. He must really know his shit. Like that else why he doesn't look like a TV guy. He's not an athlete. Like, why else would he be on there? We want to ask you about the future. debate TV, but first can we get your thumbnail takes on some other debate show hosts,

particularly as to what makes them unique? Sure. You mentioned Stephen A. Let's start there. Stephen A. Smith. Would rate and can get his point across without the sound being on. So I think that's like a brilliance of him where you, if you just saw the question, and there's no close captioning and no audio

and you just watched him. You probably have 60% of his take. He's like just so, you know, evocative and demonstrative all those things. I think it is a, I think it's a great talent, a great talent. Let's do Shannon Sharp besides his ability to talk about all sports.

Oh, um, I, I oddly, you know, I have not, I've probably been around Shannon 30 times in my life and probably been around Shannon for a combined 45 minutes in my life. You know, like, so he and I don't, I saw him this week and, you know, he's always been, at essence a couple years ago, he saw my wife and was so kind to her. He's always been amazingly gracious and kind.

We're just, he's been in LAI, I've been in New York. So I don't know him personally as well. So this is secondhand. but from what I can tell and from what people have said, he has a almost unrivaled work ethic. And that, you know, you can,

that's still visually apparent with, you know, the type of shape he stays in. And then also apparent from what he's built. You know what I mean? Like that he is going, whatever got him from that place in, I don't know,

it was Louisiana or Georgia, the video of him and his brother going back, from there, to Savannah State, to the Hall of Fame, to this, that work ethic has never left. What about Colin Cowherd? Oh, the most unique brain in the business. So Colin, I have a take on Colin that Colin ruined a generation of sports radio guys.

And you'll like this, Brian, I think. So Colin's ability. to tell a long story and then at the, and it's just a long metaphor or analogy, and then at the end, stick the landing is unrivaled. It's the greatest in the history of the business. It's Rush Limbaugh-esque, isn't it?

Because I've heard, I've heard, yeah. So the, I mean, I'll take the people's Rush Limbaugh. I obviously was a brilliant broadcaster. You know, is he part of, you know, if America falls at some point, is that 30% his fault? Maybe. But a brilliant broadcaster. The reason I say ruined a generation of broadcasters is everyone my age grew up listening to

Colin. And then we got our first radio jobs. And we were like, I'm going to tell you why the Herm Edwards. Matt Castle combination is like a bad marriage. And the audience was like, you're 23 and you've never been married. Shut up. But like everyone trying to do a Colin impersonation was terrible. But his, he, when I first moved to New York,

I would know he was off the air because without fail, before he launched the volume and had this other outlet, every single time his show was dark, I would get a call from Colin. He would not say hi. He would not ask me how I was doing. And he would just be like, so here's the thing,

and go uninterrupted for 12 minutes with a take. Because like he, and I don't even think he knew he was doing it. He just needed, like, like, it's time to give the opinions now. And I'm not on the air. so he would just go. So, like, he just has the most unique brain of anyone I've ever met.

Do we want to close with Skip Bayless, your former colleague? Okay, well, I'm going to let you pick between these three because I think I, because I, so I'm going to let you either go on Skip Bayless, Dan Lebitard, or Jason Whitlock. How about this? Let me add in Bimani and do all four. Okay. All right. Levitard's the best interviewer I've ever seen.

him and Dan Patrick are the best, but I think Levitard is the best interviewer. And I think Lebitard truly has courage in his convictions. And so, like, obviously he's, you know, his show and TV show and radio shows have always been hilarious, but he's rarely the funny one. You know what I mean? Like he allows for other people to be the stars, if you will.

But the real meat of a lot of this stuff is his, I mean, he is, I think, the best interview. But Moni's, I, you know, Pablo and I on his pod, I evidently told Pablo at a party once that I thought he was the second smartest person in sports TV, he being Pablo. And I was like, I don't think I would have said that. But if you're asking me, do I think I'm smarter than you, Pablo? The answer is obviously yes. I was like, I think I'm the smartest person currently on sports TV. But that's only because Bimani's not on TV right now. Bumani's brain works faster than all of ours.

And it is, he has a very, very unique ability, in my opinion, to authentically... converse with different groups and in different places and none of it feels forced and none of it feels you know what I mean like oh you read how to do this in a book like no he can just do that while also at times I almost feel like his brain probably moves a little too fast for the rest of us like you know what I mean like he's got to almost slow down a bit I've told I don't like going going with him because he doesn't allow you to prepare And I told him, you think everybody can think and talk

temporaneously like you do. But like that's it, you have a rare skill. Everybody cannot do that. The rarest. Because I, again, I would have thought I was the best. And you know what I mean? At that. And Bumani's brain works faster than mine.

Skip. So I think Skip believes at all. Nobody thinks this. I do. I don't, people are like, ah, he can't believe. I think Skip. believes it all and

is so certain he's right that it you know it's it is a and the there are certain topics that

so don't work on every show because it's like well you know so early this year when LeBron was not playing great on our show, it's like, we probably, if we're going to talk during football season basketball, we probably should talk some Lakers, but no one on our show is going to be like year, age 40, year 22 LeBron, here's why this year's hurting him.

Skip's total lack of care of, I don't care if I'm the villain, like this is what I think and I, you know, whatever, it's been a superpower. The last guy you mentioned, again, you know, I hope he's still a lot. I don't know. I haven't seen anything from him in the better part of a decade. You know, he seemed like the last time I saw any media from him, it seemed like he was, you know, flirting with the deep end and falling off it. But then he, you know, he left Fox and best I can tell, no one's heard from him. Let's talk about the future because Nick, debate shows have had this very lucrative decade plus long run on linear television.

vision. Now the world is slowly moving from linear TV to streaming. So rather than first things, first having a time slot per se, your show is going to be one of a few thousand things people could watch weekdays at 3 p.m. Eastern. How do you think the debate show changes as we move into the streaming world? So it's a really interesting question. And part of me says that's not my problem to worry about. Like my, like part of me feels there will always be an

appetite for the takes as long as I can give them at a high level, someone else can figure out the delivery system, right? Another part of me feels like, man, are,

are people going to open up Netflix and be like click on the debate show? or is it something that it's like, oh, it's on so I'm watching it. So that I, you know, do I have some concern there? Yes. Again, the flip side to that flip side is I look at our authenticated real YouTube numbers and they're phenomenal.

And that to me, that is people, you know, opting in. I'm not talking about watching live on YouTube. You know what I mean? Like, oh, I want to watch this. I, I, I, what I think. is there is a real value right now to being on television. And whether it's streaming or whatever, I think there is still an authority and a platform that is very different when if you say, I have a TV show as opposed to a YouTube channel, even if you say, I have a TV show, even

if that YouTube channel, even if your TV shows YouTube channel outrates its cable channel. You know what I mean? Like that. And so I think that's valuable. I also think that there, I'm yet to see other than I guess what Mr. Beast has done. Yeah. And again, I don't consume everything. But I'm yet to see the.

YouTube media that is as well produced as the legacy media's sports debate shows. Cam and Mace do an awesome job. I really like their thing. But again, you can tell that's a really well-produced digital show as opposed to something on TV. So I don't know how it'll work when it's like, oh, the show's not on at three. We just do the show and then people click to it. But I, people have wanted to argue about sports and see people argue about sports for as long as sports have existed. So I don't think we're going to go away. But I do, I wish I, this was the one question you told me you were going to ask me and I didn't have a good answer prepared. I apologize. I don't know what it means. I do know that I am very, like, I am just old enough that when I

I meet a young person and they're like, I know you. And I'm like, oh, my name's Nick. And they're like, oh, that's right. I know you from TikTok that I'm a little insulted. I'm like, you don't know me from TikTok. I host a television show. And so, and I know that makes me a dinosaur, but it, you know what I mean?

I'm of the age where that was the pinnacle. And so maybe I'm just holding on hope that that, can remain that for a while. Okay, Nick, man, so you are a top-level poker player. Like, you've even played in the 2024 World Series of poker, and you gamble, you talk about it a lot on your podcast in particular. And obviously, in the last few years, there's been a tremendous influx of gambling money into the sports media business.

And in sports period, and a lot of people have been sort of concerned about the impact of that, like what it means going forward. So, like, is somebody that really has a hand, these dabbled a lot in both worlds, right? What do you think about that? Like, do you think these concerns are overblown? No, I think it's, I think the concerns for game fixing at the professional level are overblown.

I do think that. I worry about the, I worry, there's just people that don't really know how gambling works. Like, on a random basketball game, it's very difficult to get more than $50,000 down. You know what I mean? mean on a single side. And so you have guys who the league minimums four million, the guys who actually can impact

the game make 50. So you know what I mean? Now, do you open yourself up to a Donagie thing? Sure. But I actually think that was more so when gambling wasn't legal. I think that the. So that part of it I don't, I'm not as concerned about. As someone who is a lifelong gambler, lifelong.

And, you know, when I retire, will spend a year or more just traveling the world on the world poker tour, playing those events and doing that. Like, my wife's already down with it. Like, that's, you know, so a gambler through and through. I would be lying if I didn't say it feels to me like, I think legalized gambling is 100% the way we should. I think it should be legal. Do I think that it would, it's probably best if there was a little more friction, meaning like you got to go to the place to make your bet? Probably.

Like now I, do I think that enough to be like, I won't take gambling money? No, I don't. Like the, you know what I mean? But I do, do I have some concerns that the ability to, do it on your phone as opposed to I have to just go around the corner and actually in person make a bet that that amount of friction would be good. For someone for the seasoned professional gambler, I love that it's on my phone. Do I worry a bit? Yeah, I do. It's less about like how it's impacting leagues and more about how it's impacting people. And do I, do I,

I do I think that we should be more, that we should treat super long shot parlays more like lottery tickets than like, hey, here's your sharp edge? Yeah, I do. I do think those things. And it's also why on my podcast, what's right in the right,

we do a weekly gambling show and I give out five against the spread picks. And I've said to the audience all along, we're going to keep track of my record. And I am going to make these five bets. So like, you know what I mean? Like you do what you want. But you're going to work. We're taking the real lines. I am making the bets.

And we're going to have a season end record. And I do think that's instructive also. because it's like, oh, Nick does this, takes it very seriously, just had a great year and hit 61%, which was the second-mast year of my life. And you really do the math on that, which means like, oh, best case scenario, you know what I mean? You're squeezing out some profit as opposed to, like, I've got a system. And here, you know what I mean? Here's how we're hitting 10 to 1 parlay's regular. I do think all that. Which journalist has taken criticism from the sports media ombudsman the hardest?

Well, this person took it so hard. I'm worried they quit the field recently. So I don't, I mean, I was a little harsh maybe on Orlovsky. And then I saw him on the day after the Super Bowl and first take me, like, I don't know if I'm coming back on TV. The sports media on Buzzman, I can't take credit for that. But if that's the case, I feel terribly. And so, I don't know. I am the, I thought that I did a thing this week about Stephen A calling Kevin

Duran a top 10 player, but not listing the top 10. And that's one of my pet peeves because I don't actually think, I don't think Stephen A was lying that he in that moment thought he was top 10. I do think, though, that if Stephen A, they were like, okay, list your 10, he'd be like, God, dog, it turns out he's 14. Like, you know what I mean? I just think people don't actually list the things. What college was your second choice? I didn't apply to another one.

I mean, I, I know, I'm going to sound like such an asshole. I suppose I would have gone to Harvard. Like that? You didn't even say like UMKC or something like that. No, I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, you. I mean, I had a full ride offer from Missouri, but I wasn't going to say. I wanted to leave. You know what I mean?

I wanted to leave. But I was always going to go to Syracuse, always. Donovan McNabb or Carmelo Anthony? Mello, please. Not even, not even close. That's an all. Is a Syracuse legend? Really?

Yeah. Oh, absolutely. But you also got to give in mind, here's the circumstance. I know I'm going to Syracuse. It is the spring of all. I live in Kansas City, Missouri on state line. I am surrounded by Jayhawk fans. And Mello is taking Syracuse on this miracle run.

And then the national championship, it's me, the one Syracuse fan in the whole school against everyone else. Speaking of the gambling, day of the game, I put on my locker. all take Syracuse, you take Kansas, name, amount, on or any bet, a sign-up sheet. And I even had a couple teachers write their name and put $10 down. And then that Tuesday, I got to just, I just won everything. So yes, mellow for sure. That's what I was, okay.

What's the job you want to retire in? Like the job I want to be doing when I retire? Yep. This. I want to add, listen, I want to do more poker commentary. I think it'd be really, really cool to somehow be involved in the Olympics one day. And I really want to be the third man in an NFL booth really badly. The kind of Dennis Miller or Tony Kornheiser thing, I don't know if I'm ever going to get that opportunity.

But I just want to, I just want to. want to just keep doing the show's been on for seven and a half years it's remarkable right like it's i'm really really proud of that and i love wilds i love brew my wife doesn't believe me but i say i just turned 40 um that at 50 i'm done with everything she doesn't believe me at all um and maybe i won't be but uh if i could do this if i could somehow do this for 10 more years and then just be done, I'd be the luckiest guy in the world. Favorite prima homes, Casey, Chief?

Oh, Jamal Charles. Really? Loved him so much. Oh, wow. Todd, you know, I was one of kind of my first, you know, viral or, you know, things I was free, hashtag free Jamal Charles because they wouldn't give him the ball enough. So, like, Jamal Charles,

I still think you play out Jamal Charles' career 10 times, seven times. He's a no doubt Hall of Famer. I think he's one of the most gifted natural backs ever. Man, you just made Brian so happy. I inducted him into the Port Arthur Hall of Fame.

You did? Yeah, I inducted him into the Port Arthur Hall of Fame. They told me it was a roast. I did 10 minutes of roasting as the MC. I said Andy Reed was there. I said to Andy Reed. I was like, Andy Reed's clock management reminds me of like my college sex life.

You know, it's going to end too fast and in disappointment. Like, I'm just crushing. No one on stage is laughing. And the rest of the 90 minute event was a toast. I was the only person who roasted anyone. Oh, man.

That is mortifying. Yeah. Yeah, that's true story. That's so funny. Scariest or most frustrating opponent that your chiefs faced when you were a kid? Oh, when I was a kid? Yeah. Peyton Manning Colts when I was a teenager, John Elway Broncos when I was a kid.

What's your favorite restaurant in Houston? Oh, if I want to be bougie, Uchi. Uche, Uchi, pardon me. So Uchi is, I think there's one in Austin now as well. It's one of the best like sushi, but not just sushi, just amazing restaurants. My wife and I would go there all the time. And then we ended up having to stop going because we would have these three hour long, amazing meals, but we just drinking sake the whole time.

And we batted like 90% on like knock down drag. out arguments at the because we were just both be sitting there getting hammered and then we were like well we got to stop coming here every time we come here it's this amazing night that ends with somebody mad at the other one because we're just sitting there um so i loved that place i loved the uh del friscoes in houston but that's chain and obviously popados popados popados popados just all right there you go um you might make so maybe you won't make anybody mad but I'll ask. Who had the better barbecue? Texas or Kansas City.

To me, this is not a debate. Really? Don't, don't, hold on. Be respectful. This is on you right now. Be respectful. This has been such a pleasant thing. There are a few things in my life that I have found to be as overrated as Texas barbecue. Come on. Nick, sorry, we're out of time.

Yeah, right. Yeah, what? We're up against it. What? I know, listen, sorry. It was such a good time. And I like Casey Barbecue. That's the thing. You all won't even be respectful.

Because there's no way not to like it because it's the greatest food in the world. I mean, it's just, yeah. Oh, have you tried our dry rub? I smoked this brisket for 30 hours. Shut up. Have you never been to Black's barbecue in Austin? Have you ever done the little? Listen, I, I'm in the one in Austin.

I went to that again. This has been pleasant. This has been fun. Yeah, I know. Listen, everybody can't be perfect. Like, you guys are from there. You don't know any better. man.

Yeah. All right. Most underrated NBA player of your lifetime. Other than LeBron? Yeah. Other than Bra.

That's the point. No, I think it's I mean, I don't know. Underrated NBA player of my lifetime. The lifetime part of it. All right.

I'll give another great one. This is for Bimani specifically. The most underrated player ever, if it's not LeBron, it's Scotty Pippin. Those are kind of the same answer. Okay, I know. Okay. I'll see what you're doing there. I like that. I like that. You think you could be a good politician, don't you? I used to always say I would go back home and run for Mariccan City.

My dear friend from high school, Quentin Lucas, beat me to it. He is the two-term mayor now. I then always said my wife knew it that my plan was to do sports until my profile was big enough to then do political commentary and then run for office. That was kind of the plan. But my wife, who has been the most supportive person

in the world for me, my entire career, when we moved to Houston, we were not married yet. She snapped at it. Like all of it. She flatly said she doesn't want, a husband in politics. And so I kind of dismissed it. But yeah, stand to your question. Yeah. Lawyer politician, I think I'd be great at.

Last question. This is kind of crazy off the wall. How often do people assume that you're black? Not never anymore because of the hair. Okay. You know what I mean? But it used to be. So when I had the shaved head, I also, when I lived in Houston, And since I'm Italian, I have a very, I don't want to say odd, but a complexion that can change quite a bit. So you have the, you have the, not shaved head, but the skin fade with the beard, you know, not quite as fair skin as I am now, black wife and kids. And if you're kind of aware of some of my non-sports opinions, like so I, I used to get, I don't know how much of it was, you're black, but like, you know, black grandparent or Middle Eastern. You know what I mean?

Like so. And there was a real from some folks level of disappointment. So I'll tell this story and then I'll go. Years ago, Brew was supposed to speak at some corporate event about like race and media and whatever. And he couldn't do it. And the people, this is before Brew and I even were on the show together, but knew each other. but he knew what they want to talk about and he knew how I felt about things. So he connected them with me. And they flew me in and I was on this panel.

The night before, it was me. It was, well, I don't want to embarrass, some major athletic Swin Cash was there. You know, Richard Sherman was there remotely, whatever.

Brasen, years and years ago. And they're kind of telling our stories at the dinner. And I tell my story, about like how race has played a factor in my life or something. And the lady says, she's like,

so I think this is still going to be great, but this is a little embarrassing because we thought you were biracial. And keep in mind, Brew had connected us. And so like, you know what I mean? And so I was like,

well, we're here already. So let's just go ahead and roll with it. Yeah. So yeah, there it is. Oh my God. That's fantastic. All right.

Catch Nick Wright on first things first on FS1, weekdays at 3 p.m. Eastern, where he will still be enjoying the authority conveyed by television. Podcast is What's Right, which we learn the title has come all the way from Syracuse.

Nick, thanks for coming on the press box. Thanks you guys. See you guys soon. All right. That is the press box. I'm Brian Curtis. He's Joel Anderson. But thanks him magic by Brian

Waters. You are listening to us on Wellness Week here at the Ringer. Don't worry. Regular press box programming will return next week. David Schumacher on Monday. Joel on Thursday, Joel, I cannot wait to talk to you again. Looking forward to it, buddy.