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Let's Talk About Sports

Let's Talk About Sports

By Brandon Jones

Host Brandon Jones, senior at ASU's Cronkite Sports Journalism School and co-host Lamar Smith, who graduated from ASU Cronkite's Sports Journalism school with an MBA, talk about sports headlines across all college and professional sports every week. Several episodes have special guests with a plethora of sports knowledge.
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S4 E6 (Season 4 Finale)

Let's Talk About SportsApr 01, 2021

00:00
27:32
S4 E6 (Season 4 Finale)

S4 E6 (Season 4 Finale)

Season 4 Finale. Brandon and Lamar preview the NCAA men's and women's basketball Final Four as well as other hot sports topics of the week.

0:45 - NBA Trade Deadline

6:04 - Men's & Women's March Madness

24:09 Lamar's Burner

25:40 - Brandon's Burner


Apr 01, 202127:32
S4 E5 (March Madness Preview)

S4 E5 (March Madness Preview)

Season 4, Episode 5. March Madness Preview. Lamar and Brandon headline a few hot sports topics of the week before breaking down the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments region by region.


1:08 - Oklahoma Preps Announcer uses racial slur

3:45 - NFL free agency

6:00 - NCAAW Tournament

19:27 - NCAAM Tournament

32:17 - Lamar's Burner

33:50 - Brandon's Burner

Mar 18, 202135:31
S4 E4

S4 E4

Season 4, Episode 4. Lamar and Brandon discuss the hot sports topics of the past month, including Heat forward Meyers Leonard's anti-Semitic slur and Creighton coach Greg McDermott's inappropriate use of a "plantation" analogy. 


0:20 - College Sports

16:09 - PGA Tour

23:17 - NBA

31:25 - Lamar's Burner

32:38 - Brandon's Burner

Mar 12, 202134:16
S4 E3

S4 E3

Season 4, Episode 3. Brandon and Lamar discuss the weeks hottest sports topics.


0:16 - College Sports

8:33 - PGA Tour

10:50 - NBA

16:34 - MLB

21:23 - NFL

35:06 - Lamar's Burner

36:13 - Brandon's Burner

Feb 10, 202137:39
S4 E2

S4 E2

Season 4, Episode 2. Brandon and Lamar discuss the week's hot sports topics including Super Bowl LV. 


0:34 College Sports

12:44 MLB

15:09 NFL

33:31 Lamar's Burner

34:39 Brandon's Burner

Jan 29, 202136:29
S4 E1 (Season 4 Premiere) feat. Thomas Shorack

S4 E1 (Season 4 Premiere) feat. Thomas Shorack

Eastern Michigan defensive back Thomas Shorack joins Lamar and Brandon to discuss the College Football National Championship, being a college athlete during the COVID-19 pandemic, and several other hot sports topics to begin Season 4, the first episode of 2021. 


0:35 - Thomas describes Eastern Michigan's 2020 season.

2:41 - College Football

12:10 - College Basketball

20:18 - MLB

22:59 - NFL

36:01 - Lamar's Burner

38:17 - Thomas' Burner

39:53 - Brandon's Burner

Jan 14, 202141:44
S3 E12 (Season 3 Finale).

S3 E12 (Season 3 Finale).

Season 3 Finale. Lamar and Brandon discuss the week's hot sports topics, focusing in on the status of teams trying to make a College Football Playoff push during Conference Championship week.

Dec 16, 202035:08
S3 E11

S3 E11

Brandon and Lamar discuss hot topics of the sports week just moments after Lamar released the first book of his series "Jack of All Trades."

Dec 09, 202036:04
S3 E10 feat. Susan Wong

S3 E10 feat. Susan Wong

"The more women we bring into sport, the bigger the sport grows, and the more people get into it, the more money it generates. And in the end, it benefits every single person." Special guest Susan Wong, former high school varsity WR/QB, joins the podcast to discuss Vanderbilt's Sarah Fuller becoming the first female to play in a Power 5 football game and the other hot topics of the sports week. 

Dec 01, 202051:50
S3 E9

S3 E9

Brandon and Lamar discuss the week's hot sports topics, including the College Football Playoff committee releasing their first rankings, NBA free agency updates, and Bengals QB Joe Burrow tearing his ACL & MCL and being ruled out for the remained of the 2020 NFL season.

Nov 24, 202036:28
S3 E8 (NBA Draft Summary)

S3 E8 (NBA Draft Summary)

NBA Draft Summary Special. Brandon and Lamar analyze several NBA teams' draft performances and give out grades to teams that made bold moves in the 2020 NBA Draft. Analysis includes looking back at their own mock drafts and comparing them to what actually happened.

Nov 20, 202030:15
S3 E7 (NBA Draft Preview) feat. Donovan Jones

S3 E7 (NBA Draft Preview) feat. Donovan Jones

NBA Draft Preview. Special guest Donovan Jones joins the podcast to discuss Nov. 18's 2020 NBA Draft. Lamar, Donovan, and Brandon discuss prospects to look out for and make their predictions for the top 10 draft picks:

Lamar

  1. Timberwolves - Anthony Edwards (Georgia)
  2. Warriors - James Wiseman (Memphis)
  3. Hornets - LaMelo Ball (Australia)
  4. Bulls - Deni Avdija (France)
  5. Cavs - Obi Toppin (Dayton)
  6. Hawks - Onyeka Okongwu (USC)
  7. Pistons - Isaac Okoro (Auburn)
  8. Knicks - Tyrese Haliburton (Iowa State)
  9. Wizards - Killian Hayes (France)
  10. Suns - Patrick Williams (Florida State)

Donovan

  1. Timberwolves - Anthony Edwards
  2. Warriors - James Wiseman
  3. Hornets - LaMelo Ball
  4. Bulls - Deni Avdija
  5. Cavs - Obi Toppin
  6. Hawks - Onyeka Okongwu
  7. Pistons - Killian Hayes
  8. Knicks - Devin Vassell (Florida State)
  9. Wizards - Isaac Okoro
  10. Suns - Saddiq Bey (Villanova)

Brandon

  1. Timberwolves - Anthony Edwards
  2. Warriors - James Wiseman
  3. Pistons (trade w/Hornets) - LaMelo Ball
  4. Bulls - Deni Avdija
  5. Cavs - Obi Toppin
  6. Hawks - Onyeka Okongwu
  7. Hornets (trade w/Pistons) - Isaac Okoro
  8. Knicks - Tyrese Haliburton
  9. Wizards - Killian Hayes
  10. Suns - Precious Achiuwa (Memphis)
Nov 17, 202037:01
S3 E6

S3 E6

Brandon and Lamar summarize the 2020 Masters Tournament and discuss the week of college and NFL football along with other headlines across major sports.

Nov 16, 202046:58
S3 E5 feat. Brandon Rothenberg

S3 E5 feat. Brandon Rothenberg

Michigan State alum Brandon Rothenberg joins the podcast to discuss various sports topics including a preview of Nov. 12-15 Masters tournament. This episode introduces the new "burner" segment, where Brandon, Lamar, and each special guest will discuss which athlete or team deserves to be put on blast or on the spotlight for the upcoming or previous week of sports activity.

Nov 07, 202046:00
S3 E4 feat. Ashley Engle

S3 E4 feat. Ashley Engle

Season 3, Episode 4. Special guest Ashley Engle joins the podcast to discuss the week's sports topics, including College Gameday coming to the Masters, Arizona basketball receiving notice of violations from the NCAA, and Wisconsin Football cancelling their Oct. 31 game against Nebraska.

Oct 29, 202052:05
S3 E3

S3 E3

Lamar and Brandon discuss headlines and recent play from NCAAF, MLB, and NFL.

Oct 20, 202044:30
S3 E2 feat. Wyatt Lynch

S3 E2 feat. Wyatt Lynch

Former varsity basketball standout Wyatt Lynch of Seattle, WA joins Brandon and Lamar to discuss the latest sports headlines and scores. This episode provides more off topic and comedy than typical episodes.
Oct 08, 202044:30
S3 E1 (Season 3 Premiere)

S3 E1 (Season 3 Premiere)

Season 3, Episode 1. Season 3 Premiere. Brandon and Lamar discuss all live sports that are playing through the pandemic as the NFL and college football continue their seasons, the MLB finishes the World Series, the NBA and NHL head into offseason, and college basketball prepares to start their season.

Sep 29, 202054:58
S2 E13 (Season 2 Finale)

S2 E13 (Season 2 Finale)

Season 2, Episode 13. Season 2 Finale. Brandon and Lamar talk in a lengthy episode about the NBA finals, MLB playoffs, and the NFL's season-opening week along with other headlines across all college and professional sports.

Sep 17, 202049:28
S2 E12

S2 E12

Season 2, Episode 12. Brandon and Lamar discuss the week's hot sports topics.

Sep 08, 202036:38
S2 E11

S2 E11

Season 2, Episode 11. Brandon and Lamar discuss the week's hot sports topics.

Sep 02, 202032:34
S2 E10

S2 E10

Season 2, Episode 10. Brandon and Lamar talk about the week's hot sports topics.

Aug 26, 202052:45
S2 E9 feat. Will Scott

S2 E9 feat. Will Scott

Season 2, Episode 9. Special guest Will Scott joins the podcast to discuss the week's hot sports topics with Brandon and Lamar.

Aug 22, 202001:04:47
S2 E8

S2 E8

Season 2, Episode 8. Brandon and Lamar discuss the week's hot sports topics.

Aug 12, 202048:25
S2 E7 (NHL Restart Special) feat. Haley Taylor Simon

S2 E7 (NHL Restart Special) feat. Haley Taylor Simon

Season 2, Episode 7. NHL restart special. Guest Haley Taylor Simon joins the podcast to discuss the first week of the NHL restart along with other sports topics of the week.

Aug 09, 202043:18
S2 E6

S2 E6

Season 2, Episode 6. Brandon and Lamar discuss the current weeks hot sports topics.

Aug 04, 202030:21
S2 E5 (NBA Restart Special)

S2 E5 (NBA Restart Special)

Season 2, Episode 5. The NBA returns to play this week, and Brandon and Lamar have plenty to say about it.

Jul 28, 202043:22
S2 E4

S2 E4

Season 2, Episode 4. Brandon Jones and Lamar Smith discuss current sports topics and controversies without any special guests.

Jul 24, 202052:30
S2 E3 feat. Donovan Jones

S2 E3 feat. Donovan Jones

Season 2, Episode 3. Special guest Donovan Jones joins the podcast to talk about this week's top sports headlines.

Jul 06, 202033:44
S2 E2 feat. Courtney Cureton

S2 E2 feat. Courtney Cureton

Season 2, Episode 2. This week's episode brings back special guest Courtney Cureton to talk about several sports topics, mainly the social justice movements across all leagues.

Jun 27, 202030:10
S2 E1 (Season 2 Premiere) feat. Scotty Gange

S2 E1 (Season 2 Premiere) feat. Scotty Gange

Season 2, Episode 1. Special guest Scotty Gange, 2020 Jim Nantz Award Winner, joins the podcast to discuss the following topics:

NFL

· Vic Fangio pulls back on his stance that racism is not in the NFL

o In a statement on June 2nd, Fangio said, “I think our problems in the NFL along those lines are minimal. We're a league of meritocracy. You earn what you get, you get what you earn. I don't see racism at all in the NFL, I don't see discrimination in the NFL. We all live together, joined as one, for one common goal, and we all intermingle and mix tremendously. If society reflected an NFL team, we'd all be great."

o According to ESPN, Fangio later pulled back on his stance by correcting himself and saying that his statement was ignorant and just because he hadn’t experience racism firsthand doesn’t mean it isn’t prevalent in the NFL

o 3 mins

· JJ Watt responds to fan on Twitter saying he will be kneeling for the national anthem

o "If you still think it's about disrespecting the flag or our military, you clearly haven't been listening," Watt tweeted on Saturday according to ESPN.

o 2 mins

· Lamar Jackson admits the Ravens were “caught by surprise” in playoff loss to the Titans

o He admitted he and his team underestimated the Tennessee Titans ahead of their 28-12 divisional round loss as the favorites to win the AFC and appear in the Super Bowl

o 2 mins

· Jamal Adams requests a trade

o According to ESPN, the Jets safety decided to demand a trade after unresolved contract dispute

o His top seven landing spots are the Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks

o 4 mins

NCAA Football

· According to ESPN, former Clemson players DeAndre Hopkins and Deshaun Watson are petitioning the university to remove the name of John C. Calhoun from the school's honors college, with Hopkins noting that the slave owner's influence is the reason he does not mention the university's name when he's introduced before NFL games

o 4 mins

· Colorado State player held at gunpoint by man thinking he was a member of Antifa

o A Colorado State football player working for a roofing company in Loveland was ordered to the ground and held at gunpoint on Thursday by a man who mistook the player and another employee as being members of the activist group known as Antifa.

o According to a report from 9news.com, Scott Gudmundsen initially called police to report two men wearing face masks going door-to-door in his neighborhood. The 65-year-old told police he was going to confront the two men, and when police arrived they found him wearing fatigues and armed with two pistols, holding both men on the ground at gunpoint.

o Gudmundsen was arrested and booked on felony charges of menacing and false imprisonment, according to Larimer County jail records

o 4 mins

· Iowa parts with football strength coach Chris Doyle amid claims of biased behavior based on race

o 3 mins

Jun 21, 202023:01
S1 E9 (Season 1 Finale) feat. Will Scott

S1 E9 (Season 1 Finale) feat. Will Scott

Season 1, episode 9. The season finale with special guest Will Scott discusses a broad amount of latest sports news with a special finish of Jones, Smith, and Scott giving their top ten NBA players of all-time.

May 23, 202048:25
S1 E8 feat. Joey Vacca

S1 E8 feat. Joey Vacca

Season 1, Episode 8. Special guest Cronkite's Sports Journalist Joey Vacca joins the podcast to contribute his insight to the latest issues in sports as well as the status of leagues as the coronavirus pandemic begins to stabilize.

May 16, 202030:30
S1 E7 feat. Ashley Engle

S1 E7 feat. Ashley Engle

Season 1, Episode 7. Special guest Ashley Engle comes on to provide her special analysis on the latest golf news as well as pitch in on other sports topics.

May 10, 202033:26
S1 E6 feat. Courtney Cureton

S1 E6 feat. Courtney Cureton

Season 1, Episode 6. Special guest Courtney Cureton comes on to discuss headlines in basketball and football. 

General Headlines

  • NASCAR: to begin season May 17th; 7 races to take place in 11 days
  • NHL: Commissioner Bettman considers beginning starting the 2020-21 season in December
  • Little League World Series cancelled for the first time in tournament history
  • MLB: Fan hit by foul ball takes action against the Cubs and league
  • MLB teams begin to give refunds to fans for tickets to cancelled/postponed games

Basketball

  • NBA: LeBron says, “nobody I know wants to cancel this season.”
  • Heat’s Udonis Haslem delivers food to hospitals as tribute
  • Knicks give GM Scott Perry a 1 year extension
  • NCAAB: Texas Tech lands ex-VCU F Santos-Silva
  • Utah G Timmy Allen, Arizona State G Alonzo Verge Jr. to enter NBA draft
  • East Tennessee State’s Steve Forbes to be the next coach of Wake Forest

Football

  • NFL: Broncos’ LB Von Miller healed from coronavirus
  • Bengals release QB Andy Dalton after nine-year run
  • Bears sign WR Tedd Ginn Jr, DB Teshaun Gipson
  • Packers draft Jordan Love in 1st round??
  • NCAAF: Tennessee lands #1 Class of 2021 LB
  • Mountain West, MAC plan virtual media days
  • University of Iowa president expects football players to resume practicing on June 1st
May 02, 202047:09
S1 E5 (NFL Draft Summary) feat. Kevin Redfern

S1 E5 (NFL Draft Summary) feat. Kevin Redfern

Season 1, Episode 5. NFL Draft Summary featuring special guest Kevin Redfern. 

Topics Covered:

General Headlines

  • NCAAF: Tulane OG Teshaun Hightower charged with murder in Georgia
  • Louisville football commit Dexter Rentz shot and killed, was 18 years old
  • Tennessee lands Alabama’s Class of 2021 #1 football recruit
  • NFL: New Orleans Saints re-sign QB Taysom Hill to $21M deal
  • QB Jameis Winston and Saints discussing deal

NFL Draft

  • Virtual draft shatters viewing records with 55M viewers
  • Surprises and takeaways from draft results
  • Teams that drafted poorly, teams that drafted well
  • Players expected to make an immediate impact
  • Post-draft playoff team predictions
Apr 29, 202049:59
S1 E4 (NFL Draft Preview) feat. Juan Raygoza

S1 E4 (NFL Draft Preview) feat. Juan Raygoza

Season 1, Episode 4. NFL Draft Preview featuring special guest Juan Raygoza. 


Overview:

General Headlines

  • NBA: Phoenix Suns SG Devin Booker wins the NBA 2K Players Tourney
  • CBB: #1 2020 basketball recruit Jalen Green chooses G League over college
  • Michigan commit Isaiah Todd de-commits from school and choose G league over college
  • Arizona State lands 5-star SG Joshua Christopher highest rated recruit in school history; team also landed Portland State transfer Holland Woods and Ohio State 4-star transfer Luther Muhammed
  • CFB: USC QB JT Daniels to enter transfer portal after losing starting job to Kedon Slovis after leg injury
  • NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette is pushing for Jaguargs to sign 2015 MVP QB Cam Newton
  • Denver Broncos LB Von Miller tests positive for coronavirus

NFL Draft

  • Set to begin Thursday, April 23rd and concluding Saturday, April 25th; the airing of Episode 5 will be delayed until the conclusion of the NFL draft and will be released by 11:59pm on Sunday, April 26th. Episode 6 will be released back on normal weekly schedule on Friday, May 1st by 11:59pm.
  • ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network will collaborate to broadcast this year’s remote draft. What will that look like that? Commissioner Roger Goodell will announce the names of this year’s first-round draft picks from his home in New York. In addition, NFL teams will make their selections from home, making this year’s show a fully virtual draft. The players will also be at home, with cameras being sent to 58 of the top prospects to capture their reaction. Television coverage will be based out of ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Connecticut.
  • ESPN prospect rankings and analysis
  • Lamar’s top 10 predictions, Juan’s top 10 predictions, Brandon’s top 10 predictions
Apr 18, 202029:45
S1 E3 (NFL Draft Special) feat. Donovan Jones

S1 E3 (NFL Draft Special) feat. Donovan Jones

Season 1, Episode 3. NBA Draft Special featuring special guest Donovan Jones.
Topics covered:
General Headlines

Los Angeles Rams trade WR Brandin Cooks and a 4th round pick to the Houston Texans for a 2nd round pick

58 NFL Draft Prospects will participate remotely

Sports fans poll: 61% said they would not attend a sporting event before a coronavirus vaccine is found; 83% of fans said they would watch broadcasts of games with no fans with the same or more interest than they would watch broadcast of games with fans

NBA 2K Tourney: 5 Booker def. 13 Hachimura in blowout; 8 Harrell def. 16 Jones Jr. in close game; 10 Ayton def. 2 Young in close game; 14 Beverly def. 6 Drummond in close game

Picks for the semifinals and championship on Saturday


NBA Draft

No word on if any changes will be made to NBA combine/draft

ESPN prospect ranking analysis
Apr 11, 202047:55
S1 E2

S1 E2

Season 1, Episode 2. Overview on the latest sports news amid coronavirus concerns.

This week's topics:

NFL

  • NFL owners vote to expand playoffs to 14 teams for 2020 season
  • Chris Godwin gives #12 to Tom Brady
  • Top transactions in past 7 days: Seahawks sign WR Phillip Dorsett, Bengals release CB Dre Kirkpatrick, Cowboys sign K Greg Zuerlein and DT Dontari Poe, Colts sign CB Xavier Rhodes, Broncos sign RB Melvin Gordon
  • NFL Draft date set, will be closed to the public and prospects have been asked by Goodell to participate remotely

NBA

  • NBA 2K tournament to air on ESPN with coverage beginning at 7pm EST today, April 3rd, matchups feature: 1 Kevin Durant vs. 16 Derrick Jones Jr., 2 Trae Young vs. 15 Harrison Barnes, 3 Hassan Whiteside vs. 14 Patrick Beverley, 4 Donovan Mitchell vs. 13 Rui Hachimura, 5 Devin Booker vs. 12 Michael Porter Jr., 6 Andre Drummond vs. 11 Demarcus Cousins, 7 Zach Lavine vs. 10 Deandre Ayton, 8 Montrezl Harrell vs. 9 Domantas Sabonis
  • Still no word on when the 2020 will resume

MLB

  • Dr. Andrews suspends all Tommy John surgeries temporarily amid COVID-19 concerns
  • MLB will pay minor league players weekly through May 31st

NCAAB

  • Arizona’s Zeke Nnaji declares for the NBA draft; No. 34 prospect
  • Arizona State’s Remy Martin declare for the NBA draft; No. 58 prospect
  • Arizona State continues their hard pursuit of 5-star recruit SG Joshua Christopher, he narrows his decision down to ASU and Michigan

NCAAF

  • Under new head coach Mike Leach, Mississippi State lands ESPN 300 Class of 2021 QB Sawyer Robertson
  • Major conferences are allowing teams to have virtual meetings with players

General

  • NCAA grants spring athletes an extra year of eligibility; policy opens more scholarships for teams to make more room for incoming 2020 recruits
Apr 05, 202056:38
S1 E1

S1 E1

Brandon Jones and Lamar Smith discuss the state of ASU football at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic on March 26th, 2020.

Mar 27, 202012:47