On today's episode, Jason and Producer Rob kicks things off with an homage to ESPN's Top 25 NBA Players Under 25 list by revealing their own top 5's. The guys agree that top 3 in order are Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson and Jayson Tatum, and that Ben Simmons belongs somewhere in the top 5, but things start to get dicey after that. Jason stumps hard for Denver Nuggets sharpshooter Jamal Murray while Rob campaigns for rookie phenom LaMelo Ball. It was a fun debate, to say the least... unless you're a fan of Trae Young and Devin Booker. Later, sports media reporter Ryan Glasspiegel swings by to discuss how he was able to break the new that ESPN had fired former NBA All-Star Paul Pierce from their network and the reasoning behind it, why it appears that Pierce will be able to find a new gig rather quickly, why there's only a handful of former professional athletes or coaches (like Charles Barkley or Terry Bradshaw) who actually move the needle on sports television, how Shannon Sharpe has evolved into one of the few former athletes on daytime sports television who has been able to really cut through in the same way opinionists like Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith have, why networks tend to consistently overpay for big name game analysts like Tony Romo and Drew Brees, the impact he expects sports wagering to have on daily sports television moving forward, why you should expect more Substack-based platforms to pop up moving forward in an effort to help talent monetize their opinions, and much more!
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Straight Fire - Jalen Hurts vs Sam Darnold, Shedeur Sanders 'Makes' the Pro Bowl & the Latest on Giannis
26:45

Straight Fire - Darnold Gets it Done, the Putrid Patriots Advance & NFL Coaches Hate Field Goals
33:27

Straight Fire - Jesse Minter to the Ravens & AFC and NFC Championship Game Previews
34:59