This is really just a lousy way to look at a media business and it's wrong. And haughty. In what way is Tate shoehorned into Pods? I listen to 11 different Ringer podcasts. Eleven. And I rarely hear Tate, it's almost never. And Chris Ryan could do every podcast in the world and every one would be popular. He's unbelievable behind the mic.
Finally, the Ringer is throwing about 20 different Podcasts out every week, each of them releasing 2-4 episodes. Are you suggesting every single one has to be a masterpiece like the first season of Serial? Calling the occasionally good Podcast a trainwreck is just a scalding hot take of nonsense.
No, I’m suggesting that the podcast be “occasionally good”.
I like Chris Ryan and think he’s very good talking about pop culture and has amazing chemistry with Andy Greenwald (I like The Watch as mentioned).
If you legitimately think that Chris Ryan should be hosting a weekly NBA podcast, then our opinions on this topic are so incredibly different that it’s really not even worth discussing anymore. Chris isn’t particularly knowledgeable on the subject and seems to think that his responsibility is to be the ying to Bill Simmons yang, where he’s critical of Boston sports but a major Philly homer. The Ringer has too many talented NBA writers on their payroll to showcase Ryan and Litman as hosts of a weekly podcast.
Looking at Twitter response, I thought I could be considered one of the bigger Chris Ryan fans out there but suggesting that he is some otherworldly talent capable of doing anything is, to use your words, a “scalding hottake of nonsense”. (I think it’s a pretty safe bet that your Ryan take is hyperbole to drive your point home but since you didn’t afford me the same respect with using “train wreck” I will play by your rules here)
Point taken on the Tate shoe horning comment. I admit to having an irrational hatred of his presence and can admit his presence on OSP makes sense. I think that his college basketball knowledge is limited to UNC and the Carolinas and generally don’t like to listen to people who are that tribal and rose colored in al of their opinions but he does seem to love College Basketball. However, I maintain that the fact that he is the host of an NFL podcast is fucking mind boggling. He doesn’t seem to know that much about , or even like, the NFL and isn’t that talented of a host in the first place. Again, The Ringer has so many employees that I find it incredibly hard to believe that they don’t have anyone better to host GM Street.