Charles Barkley’s New Deal, Baseball Playoff Ads, and Covering Political Losers

Bryan and David kick things off by discussing the news of Charles Barkley’s new 10-year deal with TNT worth over $100 million (0:22). Then, they touch on Bob Costas's return to broadcasting and his ad reads integrated into the telecast (9:21), before weighing in on Annie Karnie’s short essay in Vogue reflecting on her time covering politicians who never won (24:03). Later, they are joined by ESPN writer Ryan O’Hanlon to discuss his new book, ‘Net Gains.’ They dive into how the soccer compares to other American sports, discuss why soccer is difficult to quantify, and address how one writes a book tackling the analytics (34:31). Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Guest: Ryan O'Hanlon

Associate Producer: Erika Cervantes

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices