The Press Box

Latest Episodes:

Sports Media’s Familial Obsession, a Fascinating John Fetterman Profile, and Cold-Calling the President May 05, 2025

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and David are here this Monday to discuss sports media’s evolving coverage of athletes’ families and significant others after recent stories about Bill Belichick, Jax Ulbrich, and John Haliburton (1:00). Then, they run through a handful of bite-size topics, including a new entry in the running for worst question ever asked in the White House press room (23:00), a lengthy and interesting New York Magazine profile of John Fetterman (28:00), CNN’s Scott Jennings appearing onstage at a Trump rally (37:00), some disconcerting news out of Meadowlark Media (42:00), and notes from the NBA playoffs (46:00). Finally, they’re joined by The Atlantic’s Ashley Parker to discuss the feature story in which she and her colleagues cold-called Donald Trump on his personal cellphone to get an interview (57:00).

Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Guest: Ashley Parker

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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The Bill Belichick Interview Heard Round the World, Plus: Mike Tirico on a Horse Named "Journalism" May 01, 2025

Show notes

Hello media consumers! On this Press Box Thursday edition, Bryan and Joel dig deeper into the strange Bill Belichick CBS news interview that recently went viral after Jordon Hudson, his girlfriend, interrupted the interview multiple times (1:00). Then, they discuss the fallout and media fervor from the Jax Ulbrich–Shedeur Sanders NFL draft prank call (18:00), before discussing Pete Buttigieg’s appearance on the Flagrant podcast and assessing the state of prominent Democrats’ media strategies (35:00). Finally, they’re joined by NBC’s Mike Tirico to discuss the official horse of the Press Box, "Journalism," and covering the Kentucky Derby (53:00).

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel D. Anderson
Guest: Mike Tirico
Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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A Deluge of Shedeur Sanders NFL Draft Takes. Plus: Kara Voght on the Embattled White House Correspondents' Dinner. Apr 28, 2025

Show notes

Hello media consumers! Bryan and David are back to opine on the overwhelming amount of content that has come from Shedeur Sanders sliding in the NFL draft (1:00), including a bizarre story line about the son of the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive coordinator prank-calling Sanders (22:00). Then, they run through a handful of smaller stories from the weekend, including the awkward Bill Belichick CBS Sunday Morning interview that went viral (32:00) and “WWW PR” trending (37:00). In the notebook dump, the Washington Post’s Kara Voght joins to relay her experience of attending the White House Correspondents' Dinner (44:00).Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker
Guest: Kara Voght
Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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How the Shannon Sharpe Lawsuit Is Being Covered. Plus, the NFL Draft Media Economy. Apr 24, 2025

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! On this Press Box Thursday, Bryan and Joel discuss the Shannon Sharpe lawsuit, Stephen A. Smith’s role in negotiating ESPN’s public response to it, and how the rest of the media world has reacted to this news (10:00). Then, they assess new entries in the “worst question asked at the White House” genre (32:00) and talk about the NFL draft as a media property—the TV show vs. attending in person, the overwhelming amount of mock drafts, and the line between fans of the NFL and fans of college football (39:00). Finally, they react to the turmoil at ‘60 Minutes’ following the $20 billion Trump lawsuit against CBS (52:00).

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel D. Anderson

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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25 for 25: Chris Ryan on the Birth, Death, and Rebirth of Blogging Apr 21, 2025

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! In our latest 25 for 25 installment, Bryan is joined by Ringer superstar Chris Ryan to discuss his come up in the mid-2000s blog world, how it set up the rest of his career and changed media forever, where the energy of blogging was dispersed, and whether there will be a revival of blogging.

Host: Bryan Curtis

Guest: Chris Ryan

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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Lee Corso’s Legendary 'College GameDay' Run. Plus: The White House's Attack on the Associated Press. Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! This Press Box Thursday edition includes a J-School on bylines, steak sauce, and nonprofit media (1:00). Then, Bryan and Joel dig into Lee Corso’s retirement from 'College GameDay' (20:00), Trump’s attempt to prevent the AP from covering the White House (33:00), and Nico Harrison’s bizarre closed-door press conference (40:00). Plus: journalists in space and an update on Journalism, the official race horse of The Press Box.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel D. Anderson

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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Rory McIlroy’s Long-Awaited Masters Win, the Barstool Apology Tour, and the Nico Iamaleava Saga Apr 14, 2025

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! This week, Bryan and David discuss the intense back and forth of Rory McIlroy’s first win at Augusta National (1:00), before running through a number of short items, including:

The faux reluctant update about Stephen A. Smith’s presidential campaign (17:50)
The bevy of Barstool personalities releasing apologies for their discussion of the Mary Kate Cornett rumor (20:00)
The newest era of college football insider-dom and how it’s covering the Nico Iamaleava story (29:20)
An update on Journalism, the official racehorse of ‘The Press Box’ (40:00)

Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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25 for 25: The New York Times’ Jamelle Bouie on the Future of the Opinion Columnist Apr 10, 2025

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! This week, Bryan and Joel are joined by Jamelle Bouie, opinion columnist at the New York Times, to discuss a number of timely media topics before backtracking and talking through Bouie’s career, writing an opinion column in this era of the internet, the relationship between his TikTok and his journalistic work, and more.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel D. Anderson

Guest: Jamelle Bouie

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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Catching up on the Atlantic Mega-Scoop and Stephen A. vs. LeBron. Plus: Bryan’s Southwest Travelogue. Apr 07, 2025

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and David discuss the highlights, lowlights, and books bought during Bryan’s family vacation across the American Southwest (1:30). Then, they dig deep into three stories that Bryan missed while he was out:

Jeffrey Goldberg’s Signal scoop of the Trump administration’s war plans (15:00)
The latest chapter of the LeBron vs. Stephen A. Smith feud (29:00)
The messy removal of Amber Ruffin by the White House Correspondents' Association (47:00)

Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis on Launching the Sports Gabfest, the Benefit of Mutually Reinforcing Weirdo Tendencies, and Why They Hate the Hall of Fame Apr 03, 2025

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! Bryan is still out on vacation, but Joel is here with two former colleagues, Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis. They kick off the show by discussing the first time Joel joined them on a podcast (0:44). Then they discuss the following:

‘Hang Up and Listen,’ a sports show that was produced by a non-sports publication (14:00)
The reason Josh and Stefan hate the Hall of Fame (28:34)
Josh and Bryan’s "mutually reinforcing weirdo tendencies" (32:01)
How covering sports for ‘Hang Up and Listen’ helped with their other work (52:34)
How Josh and Stefan’s relationship evolved as they worked together (57:33)

Host: Joel Anderson

Guests: Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis

Producer: Brian H. Waters

Additional Production Support: Bobby Wagner

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