A Readout on ESPN’s Deals With the NFL and WWE. Plus: NBA Mouthpiece Summer and the New York Post Comes to L.A.

The Press Box

The Ringer

Sports

4.4 • 3.1K Ratings

🗓️ 7 August 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and Joel start the show with J-School, discussing the new threats to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as well as the ongoing Texas redistricting fight (01:43). Next, they dive into some headlines, starting with the deals made by ESPN this week. First, they go through all the details from the ESPN-NFL deal, including what properties ESPN acquired from the NFL, and they debate whether Donald Trump will try to interfere (13:40). After, they break down the WWE’s deal with ESPN, who acquired the rights to air all of WWE’s live premium events starting in 2026 (30:30). They then move on to how Shams Charania has affected the NBA media since Woj retired and LeBron James's dwindling power in the news cycle (35:27). Lastly, Bryan and Joel discuss the New York Post’s announcement that a sister publication will be coming out west (45:28). Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel AndersonProducer: Jessie Lopez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	As the 21st century was getting underway, Hollywood released a series of films that were daring, entertaining, and absolutely unmissable.
0:09.0	Films like, 25th Hour, Bring It On, Zodiac, and No Country for Old Men.
0:15.0	They arrived during the George W. Bush era, a chaotic time in America.
0:19.0	Think 9-11, Katrina, the mortgage crisis. After the Bush era, a chaotic time in America. Think 9-11, Katrina, the mortgage crisis. After the
0:24.3	Bush years, the country would never be the same, and neither would Hollywood. I'm Brian Raftree,
0:31.8	and in my new limited series, Mission Accomplished, we're going to dive into some of the biggest
0:35.9	movies of the bush years.
0:39.5	And look at what they said about the state of the nation.
0:42.1	We'll go behind the scenes with filmmakers and experts.
0:45.5	And relive some of your favorite movies from the early 2000s.
0:48.9	From Donnie Darko to Michael Clayton, from Anchorman to Iron Man.
0:56.9	So slip on your sketchers, dig out your old Nokia, and join me from Mission Accomplished, starting August 12th on the big picture feed.
1:04.9	Race the rudder, raise the sails, raise the sails!
1:07.6	Captain, an unidentified chip approaching, over.
1:12.5	Roger that. Wait, is that an enterprise sales solution?
1:17.1	Reach sales professionals, not professional sailors. With LinkedIn ads, you can target the right people by industry, job title and more. Start converting your B2B audience into high
1:21.3	quality leads today. Spent 200 euro on your first campaign and get a free 200 euro credit for the
1:25.8	next one. Go to LinkedIn.com slash xxx to claim your offer.
1:29.2	Terms and conditions apply.
1:31.2	There are some things you should always check,
1:34.2	like the hygiene rating on your local takeaway,
1:37.4	the setting on your razor,
	...

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