Transcript of Florida Panthers' Goalie Jacob Markstrom Plays Douche or No Douche + Suey Nominees for Best Laugh | Hour 3

You are listening to the Dan Levitan Show in partnership with the DraftKings Sports app, now live in all 50 states.

This took way too long. Jacob Markstrom in a Panthers uniform took 18 years. They drafted him in 2008, and finally we got the Hoss. Finally, this giant man who fills up He fills up a net here. He fills it up for the Swedish national team, and now he will do it for the Panthers. He picks the coolest masks. I want to go through how it is that he selects his masks. But welcome, sir. We are thrilled to see you. Big skates to fill because Bobrovsky is a legend in these parts. But thank you for joining us, and thank you for being a Florida Panther. Take us through what it is you thought was gonna happen when they drafted you in the 2nd round versus how long it is that it took you to finally get here.

Well, thank you. First of all, thank you for having me on your show. It's a wonderful show. It's a real honor to be here. And I actually, I have played a few games for the Panthers before, but not since I think 2013, I got traded out of here. So I had a few games in the Panthers uniform, not on the new logo. So I guess you're right on that one. But it's a privilege and I'm super excited to be back here and to see what You know what, you know, Mr. Vinaviola has done with this organization and, you know, Bill Cito and Paul Maurice have done with this team. And I've been playing against, you know, Stack team and you've seen how hockey has grown in, you know, South Florida, Fort Lauderdale area. It's amazing to be back here and it's completely different from when I was here the last time.

Well, you spent 13 years elsewhere and you matured more as an NHL player and as a goaltender. What did you learn as you come back here to Florida?

I think a lot. It would be weird if I didn't. But I think I'm, you know, obviously you come in here, move to North America from Sweden as a 20-year-old. It's a lot different than, you know, being 36 and, you know, play over 500 games in the league and played on 4 different teams. It's, you pick up a lot. You have a lot of coaches, you have a lot of teammates, and you have a lot of goalie coaches that you're trying to learn and, you know, take the positive from everyone and then trying to make it to make it your own and to build your game. So I think the toolbox is a lot bigger and I got a lot more tools in it now than when I was here, you know, kind of coming with empty suitcase. And now it's full. So it's nice to be back. And, you know, it's very exciting to, you know, come into the locker room, see some guys. Barkov, that was his rookie year when I got traded away from here. So to see the kind of player he's become and now to be teammates again, it's, you know, it's a good feeling.

I find your job to be generally terrifying. What are the parts of the job that people just don't understand? If you were talking to somebody, you're meeting someone for the first time, they don't know, they don't know what hockey is or how it works. What would you explain to them are the real insanities that are the part of your job?

I mean, I think the goaltending position in general is, you know, if you win, if you win the game, you're doing your job. And if you, you know, you lose the game, it's the goalie's fault. So it's kind of that's the public opinion of people that don't really know that much hockey. And then, you know, as I always say, there's layers on a team and, you know, the wingers forecheck the wrong way, it's, you know, you have 2 other wingers and you have 2 D-men covering up. If a goalie makes a mistake, it's, you know, it's in the back of the net. So somebody writing an essay or writing something on a keyboard and press the wrong keyboard, it's, you know, you just delete and you put the right right, let her in. And as a goalie, it's, you know, 20,000 people cheering in the stand or booing. And, you know, that's, that's kind of our job and that's why I love it.

A lot has been made in NHL circles about how unfair it is that Florida has the state tax advantage. However, they've always had the state tax advantage and you were around the organization when they had a totally different reputation. How much of this is state tax and how much is this the organization and the sea change within it?

No, I think it's 100% the organization. You see, you know, even when I, you know, When I came in, I think my draft year, I think Tampa drafted first overall, so they were the last team. And then, you know, it was, you know, both Tampa and Florida was, you know, not a very competitive hockey team. And then, you know, now you look at, you know, Florida, they got 3 Stanley Cup Finals in the last 4 years and 2 Cups to show for. And, you know, it doesn't come easy. You got to do the right Right thing, and you saw I was on the other side with Matthew being traded for Huberto and Weger coming to Calgary. And you know, after that, it really really took off. And you know, it's I feel like it's you know a lot of people. It's an easy cop out to say about the state tax, but there's more than you know Florida that don't have state tax. And a lot of teams that have state tax have won the Stanley Cup before. So I think you know you need to have a really good foundation in the organization. You know you got to build a good culture.

And I feel and I believe that Florida has done a great job at that.

Jacob, I sit, by the way, second periods going forward, home games. I'll be 7 rows behind you. 5-year season ticket holder right here. I'm constantly heckling the road goalies in the first and third period. Do you guys hear these heckles? Because I'm always doing it and I feel like when it's quiet in there, I'm getting to the goalie. But people constantly are telling me around, the guy can't hear you. There's a glass there. Can you hear heckles from fans?

Not really, no. But I'll say to you, keep going. You're doing a good job.

Do you think me and you could set up a thing every second period when you're skating out, we get a little head nod, I'll stand up, a little tip of the cap?

I think I'll be busy.

No, like the little Derek Jeter kid.

Just a little like on the way when you're skating out at the beginning of the period, I'll just be the one standing with the little tip of the cap.

I'd like to heckle Markstrom.

I'll see if I find you. We'll see.

All right, good.

Markstrom, I want to heckle you and your peer group. I think that goaltenders' pads in the 21st century are way too big. Does it, does it hurt at this point? It's not a physically, right? I mean, when the puck hits you, there's, there's no injury that you're, you're feeling there, right?

Are you telling me or you're asking?

I guess I'm asking it, but I, I already feel as though we should shrink the pads down a little bit.

Yeah, I don't think so. I think we should make them bigger, actually. I think we should go back to— if we shrink them, I'll, I'll, I'll shrink them if the players go to wood sticks and start working out in the gym so darn much.

All right, how about we add an inch to either side of the goalposts? Make the goal a little bit bigger.

What are you doing?

I think the goals are up. Goal scoring are up. Players are happy. They're getting pretty good, these kids that are coming into the league nowadays. And, you know, they can shoot the puck pretty good. So, you know, I think we're in a good— we're sitting pretty good as is. And I don't think we need to do any major changes. And I think they, you know, not like maybe— I don't know how many years ago they did smaller chest protectors, smaller pants. And so I think you can't really— like, if you get hit in the collarbone, it still, you know, it still leaves a mark. So I think we're where we need to be. And I think there's, you know, the league are doing a good job of trying to protect everyone, but still keep it a fun, exciting game.

Do you think the stereotype is fair that goaltenders are weird, right?

Yeah, I do.

So who's the weirdest?

I don't know, but I— You know, I play with a lot of— you could be weird in a good way, but I played a lot of— a lot of my partners are weird. I'm not weird. Let's just— I want to get that out there. I'm, you know, one of the few normal ones. But, you know, a lot of goalies I see and play with, you know, they have a little something. But I feel like you need to be a little wired a little different because of, you know, the position and the pressure and all that. I think, you know, if you want to knock the stick on your head 3 times before, you know, after every whistle, do that help? help you kind of disconnect from all the pressure and everything else and get your mind off things. You just gotta try to find something that works and do what you gotta do.

I'm always imagining that when the puck's at the other end of the ice, the goalie's just humming a nice song. What do you hum when the puck's at the other end?

Yeah, well, I had this question a few years ago too, and I was kind of comparing it to fishing. You're just kind of looking at the— you're just waiting for the fish to to take the bait. So you kind of just look and staring in the water and just nothing happens. But, but yeah, it's— you kind of don't want to think too much. Yeah.

Well, you're the only Swedish guy I know as of 2 minutes. And so you're expected to answer for this. Where do you come down on Swedish Fish? Red only, or is it okay to go multicolored? How say you?

I think, well, for me, Swedish Fish is red. But, you know, that's, that's the other ones are— I don't know what—

Imposters, imposters, frauds, faux—

Any way you slice it, that's something else.

Red!

Is that, is that the chief export of Sweden?

The, the red, the red Sweden? I think IKEA is.

Oh, okay.

IKEA, that's a great store.

Speaking of Sweden, you were the Swedish national team goaltender for the Olympics. They lost to the United States in overtime in the semifinals. Talk about your experience in Italy during the Olympics.

A dream come true, to be honest. You know, I've been, you know, waiting 16 years or 20 years since, you know, the Vancouver Olympics. I was playing in Sweden. So, you know, waiting that long and not being able to go the previous 2 Olympics and, you know, I kind of knew this was my last chance to ever get a chance to play in the Olympics and be part of the Olympics. So huge honor. And, you know, it really— you know, to play with so many good players and play against the best players is, I think, you know, everyone that was there and everybody that played in the tournament, it meant a lot to them to be able to play in an Olympic best-on-best tournament. Unfortunately, you know, we lost in overtime against the Americans, but, you know, they ended up, you know, obviously winning gold and having a pretty successful tournament.

I love your mask choices. I think my favorite one was the horned, scary, red-eyed devil with the Devils. Can you take me Can you walk me through your mask selecting process and which is your favorite?

Yeah, so that was when I moved to Calgary. There's a local guy there. He didn't paint many masks at all. So I think he did one Carey Price mask. But, you know, those Calgary masks was great. I just wanted a local guy there to, you know, kind of support the Calgary people. And, you know, to— and he did a fantastic job. You know, we, you know, talked a lot going back and forth, but, you know, he's done a great job. Unfortunately, he's doing a lot of other stuff and, you know, Penny Massa opened a lot of doors for him. So we kind of moved on after I left Calgary, unfortunately.

I wanna play our game here to welcome him back to South Florida, Jacob Markstrom. I wanna play our game, Douche or No Douche. You just give us your opinion on people who do an assortment of things and whether this is the behavior of someone you regard as a douche or no douche move. Give me our imaging, please. And now it's time to play Douche or No Douche. Here's your host, Douche Le Batard. Applauding when the airplane lands successfully, douche or no douche?

Uh, no douche. Support them.

Taking a photograph of your food at a restaurant, douche or no douche?

No douche. I'm fine. As long as it's not on my food.

Wearing glasses, sunglasses indoors, douche or no douche?

A little douchey.

Asking a friend to help you move, douche or no douche?

No douche, but you're thinking a douche.

Asking a restaurant server to split a check more than 2 ways, Douche or no douche?

No douche.

Heating up fish in the work micro— microwave, douche or no douche?

I'm sure it's got smell, so probably douche.

Sending a work email on the weekend, douche or no douche?

No douche.

Asking your male friend if he gained weight, douche or no douche?

No douche. Good friend.

Jacob, thank you. You're very lenient there.

Yes.

You do not believe that many people douche. Do the douchey behavior. Uh, appreciate your time and it's good to see you.

Yeah, thank you. Well, you know, the world is a good place, so let's spread some love.

See you in the second period. I'll be the one tipping the cap.

Yeah, sounds good. I'll be looking out for you. Thank you guys for having me.

All right, thank you.

That is not— I think we're gonna have a thing every game. The fans are gonna get so jealous. He's gonna be like, that's me and my—

we do a thing.

You know what he should do? He should keep on the back of the net, instead of just the water bottle, a thing of, uh, of Swedish Fish.

Yes.

For visitors who drop by.

That's a great idea.

Yep.

Only his teammates though. Like if a foe reaches for one.

Why stop there? Pelle Larsson should do it too.

Okay.

I've never even seen non-red Swedish Fish. Is that a thing?

Sure.

Yeah, they have like black ones.

I've only seen the red ones.

Blue raspberry.

I'm just learning there was a multicolor.

I've only seen the red ones.

Green, yellow, you know, other colors.

Dan Le Batard.

World Rawr 3.

Mike Ryan.

We're gonna get that off the ground.

World Rawr 3, colon, our group chat has a pretty good feeling about this one.

This is the Dan Le Batard Show.

So Damashek was wearing me out during the break, as he does, when he continued to tell me more stories about the executives who told him what to do and what not to do in the meetings with important officials. And one of the things that he said is that he had a meeting with Roger Goodell, as many of the executives and other people did, and they came up to Dave and they said—

No, no, it was an interview. It was an on-camera interview, and just before it began, my boss, the person who hired me, who believed in me, who thought I was a good addition to the team, said, seriously though, don't eff this up, man. Seriously, be careful with yourself. What do you think I'm gonna do? What am I gonna do? I'm gonna destroy myself by going at the commish? What question— Dan, this is a fun game to play.

You don't think that there are reasonable reasons why people who pay you for your judgment would think that you might do something—

Me personally?

That would, you know, run afoul of Roger Goodell because he doesn't have the same sense of humor that you do.

I mean, you did say this 20 minutes ago.

It's colder than a witch's tit. What do you think about that, Roger? Do you think it is?

When you did that, Mike Ryan fell down in a way that I heard the sound of him hitting the floor, even though there is an audio barrier between me and that room. I heard when you asked that question about Colder than a witch's tit. Mike Ryan fell out of the screen and I heard him physically hit the floor.

It cracks me up.

So good.

I got in trouble because I used to do this, you know, in the old NFL media newsroom. They would do— there was a camera at one end of the long, of the long room, and they would do the updates, the 30-minute updates on camera. The reporter would do those and everybody in the background was toiling away. And I would do the going down the stairs bit.

Oh, you're gonna do it? Yeah, Chris Cody does it.

Yeah, this is— hey, that's my gimmick. Oh, wow. I mean, that's my gimmick.

Sometimes I would talk to somebody going backwards.

I'd be like, Austin Powers did the canoe.

Can you do the canoe? Can you do the canoe?

Can you do the canoe? Can you do the canoe like Austin Powers did behind the couch?

Did you do any canoe or you don't know what the canoe is?

Olympic row?

No, no, no, I left that to, uh, which soccer team was doing that? Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, I didn't do that, but I was reprimanded.

The Norwegian soccer team?

I've known Dave for a few years now, before he started with Metal Ark, and we talked about— I was always such a huge fan of Dave, and the first, like, phone meeting that we had, I was in Dallas and one of my friends was in the car, and I hung up and he's like, who the hell was that whack job? I'm like, I want to hire him.

The ultimate compliment.

Uh, let's update our SUI Awards. You can do some voting at lebitardaf.com. This is the shortest of the categories, but it is a fan favorite. This is Best Laugh from the last year.

And now the SUI nominees for Best Laugh.

Adnan Virk.

Amin Elhassan.

But it happens.

It happens.

Andres Cantor. Andrew Santino. Ariel Helwani.

Yeah.

Billy Gill.

There's a dead body.

Brad Williams.

Wow.

Brandon Marshall. Bryant McKinney. Channing Frye.

No, no.

Chris Cody. Chris Fowler.

Cynthia DeLeon.

Cory Booker.

Dan Le Batard, 1. Dan Le Batard, 2. Dan Le Batard, 3. Dave Damashek.

David Sampson.

Damaris Smith.

Dion Cole.

Diana Rossini.

Dominique Foxworth 1. Dominique Foxworth 2. Eric Andre. Greg Cody 1. Greg Cody 2. Greg Cody and Greg's Inner Monologue.

Boy, that's a throwback. That's a throwback.

Gonzalo Le Batard. Hakeem Jeffries. Jeff Conine. Jamel Hill. Jeremy Tasche. Jessica Smetana. Jim Gray. John Skipper. Jonathan Zaslow. George Sedano. Juju Gotti. Kevin Harlan. Method Man.

What?

Michelle Beadle. Michael Biamani. Mike Birbiglia.

Sure.

Mike Breen. Mike Ryan.

What?

Mina Kimes. Nick Wright. O'Shea Jackson. Pablo Torre. Ricky Williams. Rob Cadry. Ron McGill. Rose Arias. Roy Bellamy. Sarah Spain. Sebastian Maniscalco.

Oh, well.

Stephen A. Smith. The Kid Mero. Tim Kirkjian.

Sorry.

Tommy Hutton. Tony Colotta. Tony Hawk.

I don't know.

Has that happened yet? Trista Crick. Vince Wilfork. William Shatner!

Roy, I would like for you to find me before the end of the segment, if you can. There were 3 laughs in there that I believe are haunted house laughs, like that you would hear if you were wandering through something that was legitimately haunted. You would feel it with a chill up your spine. It was you, Roy. One of them was yours, another one was Nick Wright, and another one was Cynthia. All 3 of them were things that, uh, that I'm not overstating this when I say I felt were spooky. Like, I, I was made uncomfortable by the haunting nature of them. I am told that a celebrity ended up showing up at our free gas experience as part of the DraftKings Sports gas station, uh, uh, you know, just extravaganza here where evidently the lines obviously were very long. DraftKings continues to do this up until 2 PM all over the country, in Los Angeles and Detroit. That, that gas is expensive in Los Angeles. In Dallas, in Atlanta. Let's show the people what it is that, uh, who it is that showed up here to hang out with Tony and Zaz and Jeremy and the crew at our DraftKings Sports gas station.

Let's go right here. Hey, all right, Ocho.

Yeah.

What do you got to say to Dan Levitard?

Dan, I love you. I love you. I love the fact that you're in Miami, but we don't get to hang out. You know what we need to do, Dan? We need to hang out more, huh? I wanted to feel like we're in our 20s again. Dan, me and you, booby trap Sunday.

Wow.

Okay, I'll take out $100, you take out $100, we eat.

Now press him for $1,000.

No. Well, he got money.

He's got it.

No, no, no, no, I got it too.

No, no, no, no, no, he's got money.

No.

No, but if he's with me, it's about being frugal.

All right.

I like that.

I like that.

You know how I am.

I've heard stories about you.

Yeah, I don't play.

I don't play.

Hey, Dan, if you don't like booby trap, right, we can go to Tootsie's.

Okay.

Me and you.

I think he's genuinely there for the free gas.

He is, by his own admission, notoriously cheap. And he knows how and where to spend his money. And that show that he does with Shannon Sharpe and Joe Johnson is exceptional.

It really is.

It's a great show.

But who would pay if you guys went to Booby Trap?

Well, he would make me pay because he's notoriously cheap.

He did just say there he had it.

Tony was trying to spend your money.

And then, and then what would happen is I would forget to pay, and then one of the dancers would chase me into the street yelling at me, hey, you forgot to give me, uh, any money. Uh, your father though, I've accused your father of being so cheap that when he goes, uh, to strip clubs with his dollar bills, he asks for change. He gives it to them and then asks for change.

You see, it's a great joke.

Dan Le Batard.

I hope he goes to your town so I can laugh, because you think he'll make you a contender.

Who's that impression of?

The sports guy.

Oh, oh, do some more.

What part of Massachusetts is that?

Let me hear some more.

Dave Demachek.

I don't do a good Simmons, but that's what I'm doing right now.

That's maybe the worst Simmons I've ever heard.

Hey man, that's a bad impression.

I'm a Heat media.

This is the Dan Le Batard Show.

Are we going back to— are we going back to the gas station here one last time as part of celebrating the DraftKings Sports Gas Station Experience? They crushed it out there. Coca crushed it. Zaslav crushed it. Tony crushed it. And Jeremy crushed it.

Tony didn't crush it.

Uh, well, uh, I'd like to still— You choked!

Dave Damashek, I want to see his throwing motion!

You choked!

Oh, Dan Marino over there. Oh, Dan Marino over there. Yinzor, I want to see your throwing motion.

I have a nice one. No, I'm more Steve Young. I throw from the, from the left side of the thing. Yeah, listen, you choked. Just wear it, man. You, you were the heavy favorite and you lost.

That's absolute controversy. Stop it.

You know it.

The ball's got to go through the tire. Where in ever-living hell have you seen somebody count A ball gets stuck in the middle of the tire, Dave Damashek. What is that?

You're trying to win by making 2 out of 5?

That's the problem.

You should focus on only making 2 instead of making 3.

We need a throw-off.

Focus on you only getting 2.

Blaming the refs.

And, and I just, I just want to take this opportunity.

I'm Coca, by the way. Hey, I'm Jonathan.

Yeah, we've— we haven't even met.

Jason.

We've been here the whole day, haven't even met the guy. Uh, any thoughts? Any final thoughts, uh, gentlemen, from the experience? I thought all of you were roundly pathetic at the athletic endeavors, although Zach You did well in cheating at the end to win the last one. Any final thoughts from out there?

Yeah, it was hot as balls, y'all.

I gotta be honest, I gotta be perfectly honest with you, there's something going on with the planet. It's really hot. I don't know what.

Kiss ass.

But there's something happening.

We should stop playing football. We should stop playing football because it's too hot.

I agree.

Uh, how crazy— This boy's gassed up. How crazy was the line out there? How, how long, uh, how long?

It's still going.

Dan, it's still going.

It's still very long right now.

It's, it's, it's nonstop.

It's really crazy. It's like There's, there's so many people back down the street. It just keeps flowing. Ochocinco's just been kind of hanging out with everybody.

Another 10 minutes with Ocho that didn't get played.

Yeah, we got his top 5 wide receivers. I mean, Dan, don't you want the top 5 wide receivers? I also asked him if you could be, uh, best friends with someone if you broke their job, but I guess we don't want to include that. We just want to include my— save the K. Yeah, my incredibly uncomfortable laughter.

Was he there for the free gas? Was Ocho there for the free gas? Like, what was he doing there?

Uh, you know, a little bit of this, a little bit of that.

All right, so they don't know.

All right, see you later.

It sounds like it could have been a paid appearance.

Uh, thank you guys.

Good questions today have been a disaster.

I really appreciate it.

Helpful, I thought.

I thought you guys—

what a show for you, man.

He said a Black Mild was a cigar, by the way.

Yeah, he did.

That's closer to a cigar than a cigarette.

Cigarillo.

Tony's not in a position to make fun of anybody when he considers himself a college-level quarterback. And he did 2 out of 5 through a tire that was 3 feet away from him.

3 feet? You wish.

You lost to a guy who looks like the Punisher.

See you later, guys. Thank you. Appreciate it. That crowd looks—

That was fun.

That looks a little crowded.

We should do DK Day more often.

Yeah. Game Day goes on and it stretches beyond just the, the free gas giveaway. If you check the DraftKings Sports app, which is available in all 50 states, You can get all sorts of deals and specials and promos on that platform. I've gone this morning and opted into a bunch of specials, so go ahead and do that. The DraftKings Sports app, now available in all 50 states.

Did you think this was wrong, Dan? Ochocinco— by the way, you know how they're comedians, comedians better understood by the peers than the civilians?

Oh, Dan knows.

Yeah, Dan knows. Ochocinco is the football player's wide receiver. I don't know that the the general public reveres Ocho anywhere close to the guys who played against him. Have you ever talked to corners about who the toughest cover ever is? They say Ocho Cinco. Really? You played against Randy Moss and Jerry Rice? Oh no, Ocho Cinco was uncoverable at the height of his powers.

Which of these laughs do you believe to be the most haunting if I said these are haunted house laughs? Uh, Roy, let's begin with your laugh. I don't think I had ever before heard this laugh from you.

There's like a breath in there to reset.

It's so funny that he had to pause and take a breath.

Let me do this one again.

Uh, Nick Wright's laugh is cavernous, and Cynthia's is terrifying.

That's terrifying. That's the winner for me, I think.

Uh, Damashek, the last time that you were, uh, here around a celebratory, uh, football experience, it was your Indiana Hoosiers winning the national championship. I believe that not enough is made of how unprecedented and unusual a sports team that was. Like, you could put it in the pantheon of the biggest surprises in sports history, and you would not get much of an argument from me. on everything that happened that season. If you say to me that the Indiana Hoosiers are going to put together the most impeccable season we have ever seen, and at the end they're going to take on all comers and they're not going to get there by accident, they're not going to get there with injuries, they're not going to get there with a single blemish. What's expected from them this year? Because usually when a team wins the championship and is Yeah. The defending champion in that sport, even if they lose their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, it's a springboard to enormous momentum. Like, you— that should be a program-altering and state cares more about football than it ever has kind of momentum that you're then able to build upon because ostensibly that'll be What do you think is going to be the worst of the Signetti things going forward, like in terms of where expectations were and where they are now?

Brandon Walker-Barclay said that he thinks that Kirk Signetti figured this era of college football out, and I tend to agree. He has a system. He knows which players to target for that system. They're very unselfish players. yesterday, and we talked about this, and I don't understand why Indiana is ranked number 6.

Mm-hmm.

He agreed. If they, if they had Buckeye stickers on their helmet after the season they had last year and the team they're bringing back, I think on talent, Josh Hoover comes in, incoming into Indiana, at a higher level than Mendoza came into Indiana. More accomplished. And you saw TCU without Josh Hoover, they look pretty piss-poor. I do not understand why they're, why they're 6. We're still getting used to Indiana mattering in a football sense, but that is all. Even though they had an incredible season, arguably the greatest season of all time, the perception still has not changed. And I have even had the shocking take that has received no real pushback that that's the best team Miami has ever lost to in a national championship game.

Easily. Hmm.

I mean, yeah, it's hard to get in the Wayback Machine. 1987, the fiesta against Penn State and Bama and all of that. Yeah, I mean, it's, I think, literally accurate to say that what the Hoosiers did, Brandon Walker, whoever else, they figured out this era. Impossible not 20 years ago, impossible 5 years ago to do what Indiana has done to come out of nowhere. And it is almost fully— and I'm sorry to be cynical if that's what this is— without NIL, there is no chance that this could happen. Yeah.

But even with NIL, I don't expect Indiana to win at NIL. Like, in what world is Indiana winning at NIL?

Well, then Mark Cuban's one of their famous alums.

Yeah, but we're in an age where Northwestern just got $35 million for 3 years for their program.

Like, Indiana, as Dave Damashek can attest as a Hoosier, huge student body, huge alumni base. Miami, by comparison, is a historical outlier. It's very difficult for Miami to come up with the kind of money that Indiana has.

The ceiling that was forever imposed on Indiana was the recruiting, you know, Notre Dame gets dibs, Ohio State and Michigan split those players, and whatever is left is left for Purdue and Indiana to fight over. NIL completely turned that on its ear, thanks in large part to Mark Cuban and other Richie Riches out there. But what Mike is saying is 100% right. The logo that is IU prevents IU from claiming what should rightfully be theirs in a just world, which is preseason number 1. There's no indication that there is a drop-off coming. If it were Ohio State or Alabama, there would be no question that they're the preseason number 1. And now what sets up is interesting. Signetti and company have a schedule that's kind of light. The non-conference they should truck through. It's an embarrassment. and Ohio State plays in Bloomington. What happens if Ohio State beats the Hoosiers by 28, but that's the only game the Hoosiers lose all season? Do you have to put them in the playoff? The answer would be yes if it were— if the brand was Ohio State or Michigan or otherwise. I don't know. It's very— it's almost like IU is daring the committee to leave them out of the tournament.

I mean, given what they have. We have a recent example with IU where they kind of had a very weak schedule. They lost their conference game and And they got into the playoffs, and that was before Mendoza came around.

But the measure then was— the measure, what, can they hang with them? Did they look out of play? Well, they didn't get completely shamed, so okay, we can put them into the tournament. If there's any indication that this team has dropped off or isn't on par with Ohio State in Bloomington, then you— but the rest of the way, they take care of Michigan, they win at Washington. You're going to have the committee in a tough spot.

Are you guys with me on the idea that that team can be argued— you'd get arguments on the other side, but it can successfully be argued that Indiana winning the national championship that way is as surprising a sports team as there has ever been, any sport, any time?

In America, yeah.

In the United States, yes.

I think you can do some 20/20 hindsight and figure out how they did it with NIL. That takes a little of the magic away. away from it. But short answer, yes, except for the 1980 U.S. Gold.

That's pretty good company. I mean, and Mike's going outside of America to Leicester City, but he's not choosing a whole lot other than that. Like, it's just in terms of statistical odds, you have very little to put up against. And yet I still understand why it is because it's Indiana that it wouldn't be believed in anyway.

Nach einem Juwelenraub— Was ist jetzt der Plan? Verstecken sich Alex und sein Vater bei einer Gruppe junger Erwachsener mit Beeinträchtigung, die gerade in den Urlaub aufbrechen.

Wer will in den Urlaub?

Ich!

Dort finden sie mehr als nur ein Versteck und erleben den Sommer ihres Lebens.

Bist ein geiler Typ, du!

Du bist auch ein geiler Typ.

Das gewisse Etwas. Die Feelgood-Komödie des Jahres. Ab dem 3. September nur im Kino.