Omar Zahran

For years, generating Google search traffic was crucial to online reporting and content. As Google shifts to more AI in search, the way content is delivered and discovered has changed. @mattlombardo.bsky.social joins me to discuss these challenges.

Live sports broadcasting has opened up to more and more tech companies. It has led to more rights holders but also to some innovation in presentation. Sophia Prieto joins me to discuss if tech companies in sports rights is a good or a bad thing.

The NBA's new media has been a success and a triumph for the league. But has that come at the expense of continuity and increase in frustration for fans at home? Sophia Prieto joins me to discuss.

The NBA and other leagues have further aligned themselves with big tech for broadcasting rights. But are they leaving themselves exposed by aligning themselves with companies so all in on relatively unpopular AI products?

As sports journalism has been weakened, it's been replaced by influencer content. But has that shift led to more manicured positioning and less interesting stories?

Successful teams are often accused of having the refs on their side, where they become scapegoats of sorts. Brittany Stewart joined me to talk about why that is and some of the nuances that come with calling a game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has put up consistently great numbers at incredible efficiency. But it seems that many have been resistant to placing him in all-time conversations. Brittany Stewart joins me to uncover why that is.

There has been a trend in WNBA coverage for people to focus on drama and talking points more than the on-court product. Sara Kiesler joined me to discuss why this is happening.

The NCAA basketball tournament will be expanding from 68 to 76 teams. Sara Kiesler joined me to talk about what this means and whether it's good for college basketball.

New Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon has implemented various cost cutting measures since taking over. Are his actions more indicative of the way that the rich view those in the middle class and below? Aaron Bollwinkel and I discuss.

As the NBA opens up to newer wealth types in the ownership ranks, have we gone off the rails in regards to the types of characters that are brought into the league? Aaron Bollwinkel joins me to discuss.

Nike went all in on a direct to consumer model a few years back and the results have been disastrous. The impact of that decision still impact the company today.

Nike has been in the news for not resonating with its customer base like it used to. A big part of that is the way the reseller market has warped the perception of the company.

Coverage of the NBA often seems to lack in schematic breakdowns, while that sort of commentary is praised in the NFL. Discussed why the Madden video game might have something to do with that this week on Deep Cover with Adam Taylor.

The NBA is an international game with an international fan base. And yet when it comes to being an international fan and reporter, those outside of a teams market are disparaged and excluded at times.

Substack has become a haven for sportswriters of sorts. A place where they can redefine their audiences. But there is a caveat. @adamtaylornba.bsky.social discusses the bottleneck of Substack and why growth on that platform can be difficult in today's landscape.

When we bet on everything, everything comes into focus in the lens of that ideal. Are we ready for the slippery slope that comes with that?

As prediction markets continue to expand they introduce a question, what happens to society when everything is gambling? and what sort of second degree problems does it create?

As gambling and prediction markets become more and more ubiquitous, is there a devolving of how we watch and why we watch games?

March Madness brackets are a social ritual at this point, more so than any other picking mechanism in other sports. They create a sense of joy, despair, and strangely connectivity in a world that has stripped so much of that away.

Part of the magic of March Madness is the filling out and subsequent busting of brackets. That social connection is what makes this tournament in so special and it has become ever more important in the sort of isolated way we live our lives these days.

Griffin Prock shared some insights with me about how traditional media outlets like ESPN have pivoted to incorporate lifestyle influencers into sports content and what that means for the trajectory of the way sports is covered. Check out the full episode on the Deep Cover Podcast.

Griffin Prock joined me on the Deep Cover Podcast to discuss what sort of challenges came along with covering the Super Bowl that featured a team that he's a fan of and how to turn off the fandom.

Kenneth Walker III is a Super Bowl MVP and enters the off-season as a free agent. Griffin Prock and I discuss his future and what the Seahawks might do at the running back position next season on the latest episode of Deep Cover.

Griffin Prock shares with me how him covering the Super Bowl for Threads came about on the latest episode of the Deep Cover Podcast.

Has Adam Silver been too reactionary when it comes to tanking and as a commissioner in general? Tone from BME Pod joins me this week to discuss on Deep Cover.

In an effort to combat tanking, some people have suggested abolishing the draft entirely. Is it plausible or just a half-baked idea. We get into this and more tanking discussion on the latest episode of Deep Cover.

The issue of tanking has come up again, but is the outrage a function of timing in the sports calendar more than anything? Went long on NBA ranking in this week's episode of Deep Cover with Tone from the BME Pod.

Tone from BME Pod joined me this week on the podcast and talked about his experience covering All-Star Weekend and an appreciation that he has for all the media availability that the players are obligated to fulfill.

Has the dominance of Fanatic created a bit of a fast fashion model in sports apparel? Lauren Teague of FanWagn joined me to discuss the way the market leader in apparel has shifted the calculus of the industry with their various aquisitons of other memorabilia and apparel entities.

Sports apparel is often a reflection of our identity and a representation of who we are. Lauren Teague of FanWagn joined me to discuss this and why we love our apparel so much on the latest episode of Deep Cover.

When it comes to creating a new marketplace for sports apparel, it can be difficult attracting both sellers and buyers. Lauren Teague of FanWagn discussed how she and her company approach tackling that problem on the latest episode of the Deep Cover Podcast.

We all love our fan gear, but how does sustainability fit into that picture? I talked with Lauren Teague, founder of FanWagn, to discuss how her company approaches making sustainability a core goal in an industry filled with fast fashion and textile waste.

Who wins and loses the most with the increase in players being drafted and going back to school? Francis Carlotta joined me on the podcast to discuss.

Has NIL shifted the calculus for a lot of potential draft picks deciding on when to enter the draft? Francis Carlota joins me on the podcast this week to discuss.

How bad is the trend of pro players coming back to college basketball? Francis Carlota joins me this week on the podcast to discuss the ever changing landscape of college hoops in the current era.

Has the media in the week leading up to the Super Bowl become lackluster in today's climate. Matt Lombardo joined me on the latest episode of Deep Cover to talk about this and more concerning the modern state of sports journalism.

There were no Black head coaches hired in this NFL this off-season. Matt Lombardo and I discussed why that is and why it's a problem for the NFL on the latest episode of Deep Cover.

Has today's political climate impacted the way that sports journalists tell their stories? Matt Lombardo joined me on the pod this week to discuss.