Kyle Porter from Normal Sport is a thoughtful commentator who thinks about a lot more than just the sport he covers. So I wanted to press him on this topic, plus a few others: Is golf, with the PGA Tour now led by a former NFL exec, about to truly take off and conquer the culture? We get into the sport’s eccentricities and current moment. Topics include…

* Post-Tiger Woods stars: Debate on who has “juice” in golf, including Scottie Scheffler’s dominance, recent struggles, and potential as the next face of the sport.

* Golf’s niche status: Analysis of golf remaining mostly niche amid declining monoculture, contrasted with strong participation growth post-COVID and viewer overlap with players.

* NBA-golf parallels: Connections between waning NBA regular season interest and rising personal golf fandom, including entrepreneurial YouTube golf content.

* Family and aging into golf: How mid-life dads (around age 40) increasingly play golf with kids due to modern parenting trends, unlike past generations.

* Player personalities: Comparisons of “boring” narratives around Scheffler, Rickie Fowler, Steph Curry, and Mike Trout; Scheffler’s media interactions and focus.

* Golf’s watchability: Why golf suits casual viewing (especially with kids), constant action without stoppages, and unique moments like shots hitting birds.

* Broadcasting challenges: Importance of shot selection, pace (e.g., pitch clock analogies), and simplifying stats like strokes gained for fans.

* Skill breakdowns: Tiger Woods’ elite iron play and lag putting; Scheffler’s mid-round adjustments, course discipline, and avoiding risky shots.

* Equipment and distance: Debates on tech advances (e.g., TrackMan aiding young players like Spieth), gear’s role in driving distance, and need for pro-level limits.

* Rory McIlroy’s appeal: His humanity, vulnerability, and post-Masters career arc as the most relatable superstar, with older players sustaining power.

Some of you have asked where I am on politics these days, so my best friend and occasional main antagonist decided to objectively gauge it. In this episode, Matt and I go through every question of the famous Political Compass Test, reasoning out where we fall on the spectrum. Will WOKE MATT pull me towards his way of thinking? Listen and find out.

For a taste of the questions we’re answering, see below:

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Our man Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports is here to discuss how Ross Barkan and others are joining his MLB > NBA bandwagon. Is it true? What are the numbers to support the idea that MLB has surpassed the NBA? Topics! Include!

* World Baseball Classic Buzz: Is our media rooting against us?

* Rob Manfred’s Reforms

* One fascinating theory on why March Madness is fading from culture

* Why did the PGA Tour outlast Liv Golf?

* The strange bedfellows in Iran War media coverage

* JD Vance getting surpassed by Marco Rubio as next president on Kalshi?