John Lund
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Articles by John Lund
Why Inside the NBA Faces an Uncertain Future if Charles Barkley Does Retire After This Season Original
Watching the regular-season debut of Inside the NBA Wednesday night, I couldn’t help wondering. Are we witnessing the final season of the greatest studio show in sports television as we know it? Not because anything is wrong with it. Quite the opposite. The show is still funny, unpredictable, occasionally ridiculous and often more entertaining than the basketball games surrounding it. Charles Barkley is still insulting people. Shaquille O’Neal is still laughing at his own jokes.
Troy Aikman’s Free Agency Should Push NFL Networks to Stop Overpaying Old Names Original
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman have spent nearly a quarter-century calling NFL games together. They’ve survived bad football, questionable officiating, endless replays and more production meetings than either care to remember. Apparently, the one thing that could strain their relationship is more dangerous than third-and-long against the 2000 Ravens. Money. ESPN gave Buck a reported six-year, $108 million extension, while Aikman has yet to receive a formal offer.
Is Disney+ the First Step Toward a Super Bowl Paywall Original
Mickey Mouse is getting the Super Bowl this season, and somewhere NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is probably wondering how much he can charge Goofy for a sideline pass. Disney announced this week that Super Bowl LXI, scheduled for February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium just outside Los Angeles, will stream on Disney+. ESPN will produce its first Super Bowl. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will call it, and ABC will carry the game for the first time since 2006.
NBC Sports’ MLB Wild Card Coverage Offers a Blueprint for Better Baseball Broadcasts Original
For years, baseball has spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to make the game feel younger, faster and more relevant. Pitch clocks. Bigger bases. New rules. More action. Maybe MLB should have looked in the broadcast booth, too. I’ve been saying for years that baseball broadcasts need more energy. Younger voices and people who sound like they’re experiencing the game with us. As opposed to explaining it like we’re auditing an advanced statistics class.
Why Football Remains Television’s Most Powerful Appointment Viewing Original
Somebody asked me the other day, “What are you watching?” It’s a common question nowadays, but I had to stop and think about my answer. Not because I couldn’t think of anything to watch on television, but because everything I watch now lives on a streaming service. If I’m watching a series, I’m watching Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, Apple TV+, Hulu or Paramount+. When I ask somebody else what they’re watching, I get the same answer.
Why Joe Buck’s ESPN Extension Raises Questions About The Value Of Sports Broadcasters Original
Joe Buck is reportedly getting a new six-year, $108 million contract from ESPN. Which comes out to $18 million a year to call Monday Night Football. Good for Joe. Seriously. I like Joe Buck. I know that sometimes feels like admitting you enjoy airport food. Buck has been one of those broadcasters people have loved to hate for years. Every fan base seems convinced he hates their team specifically, which is probably proof he’s doing something right. $108 million?
Why the NFL Has Built a Global Spectacle, but Not Yet a Global Sport Original
I have spent much of this week watching Australian coverage of the NFL and scrolling through social media posts as the 49ers and Rams prepare to play the first regular-season game in Australia. The coverage has been entertaining, enthusiastic and occasionally educational. There have been explanations of the rules, breakdowns of the equipment and attempts to introduce American football to a country that already has a sport called football. The Aussies are excited.
Are You Prepared For the 2026 Football Tax This Season?
Every September, football fans get a bill. Not an actual bill, of course. Roger Goodell isn’t mailing invoices to America just yet. But if you’re a football fan, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s the annual Football Tax: the price we pay to consume the greatest television product this country has ever created. Every year, the games spread out a little more. Another streaming service joins the party. Another package gets added, and another app finds its way onto your television.
Are You Prepared For the 2026 Football Tax This Season?
Every September, football fans get a bill. Not an actual bill, of course. Roger Goodell isn't mailing invoices to America just yet. But if you're a football fan, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's the annual Football Tax: the price we pay to consume the greatest television product this country has ever created. Every year, the games spread out a little more. Another streaming service joins the party. Another package gets added, and another app finds its way onto your television.
ESPN’s Removal Of The Bottomline May Have Exposed The More Hidden Distractions Original
For more than 30 years, ESPN has been telling sports fans to look at the bottom of the television screen. Now it wants us to stop. Beginning this college football season, ESPN is eliminating its famous BottomLine during live games across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, ACC Network and SEC Network. The endless crawl of scores, news and schedules that became almost as identifiable with ESPN as Chris Berman’s nicknames and the SportsCenter theme is disappearing from college football Saturdays.
How the WNBA Proved Me and Everyone Else Wrong Original
In the summer of 1997, I was a young sports reporter in Salt Lake City and got an assignment that, at the time, didn’t exactly feel like covering the Super Bowl. I was a sideline reporter for the Utah Starzz during the inaugural season of the WNBA. Yes, Starzz. With two Z’s. It was Utah in the ’90s. Apparently, everything needed to rhyme with Jazz. I remember standing in the arena during that first season.
Could Christmas 2026 Be The Greatest Day In American Sports History Original
I’ve spent the last week trying to figure out whether Christmas 2026 is the greatest sports day in American history. The more I look at it, the harder it becomes to argue against it. Forget the Super Bowl, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Day. Forget Final Four Saturday. All those days are iconic. But none of them can match the combination of star power, television audiences, revenue, and juicy storylines we’re getting under the tree on December 25, 2026.
The Return To KNBR I Never Saw Coming Original
One thing I’ve tried to avoid since I started writing for Barrett Media is making these columns about me. There are enough people in this business who think they’re the story. The story should be about the industry. The people in it. Moreover, the trends shaping where sports media is going. This week, though, I’m making a rare exception because, for better or worse, I became part of the story. There are certain moments in this business you never forget. The one where you get hired.
Explaining The Difficult Balance in Sports Reporting That the Public Never Considers Original
The Kyle Shanahan reporting controversy became a much bigger sports story than the accident itself. Not because of the crash, but because it wasn’t reported for nearly two weeks. The conversation quickly shifted from what happened to who knew, when they knew and why nobody said anything. If the head coach of one of the NFL’s flagship franchises is involved in an accident, should the public know? Should it have been reported sooner?
ESPN’s Latest Layoffs Continue the Slow Death of Sports Media’s Middle Class Original
Ryan Clark, one of ESPN’s most recognizable NFL analysts, reportedly learned he was fired while he was still at work. Karl Ravech, the steady voice of ESPN’s baseball coverage for more than three decades, was gone too. Just like that, two familiar faces disappeared. Social media reacted the way it always does when a network parts ways with people viewers have welcomed into their living rooms for years. How could ESPN do this? What are they thinking? Doesn’t loyalty count for anything anymore?
The FIFA World Cup Experience Teaches Lessons American Sports Networks Can Learn From Original
What can American sports television steal from the World Cup? The answer is: quite a bit. This wasn’t just a win for soccer. It was a masterclass in sports television. FOX’s English-language coverage averaged more than five million viewers during the group stage. It nearly doubled its audience from the 2022 tournament. The United States’ Round-of-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina drew roughly 24.4 million viewers before more than 33 million tuned in for the Americans’ loss to Belgium.
Why Fans Keep Judging the MLB All-Star Game Broadcast Wrong
Every July, sports media follows the same script. The MLB All-Star selections come out, and suddenly, we’re conducting congressional hearings. Who got snubbed? Who shouldn’t have made it? Why are fans still voting? Why does every team get a representative? Somebody’s WAR is higher than somebody else’s OPS+, and before you know it, sports radio, television, and social media have spent an entire week arguing over a game that’s supposed to be fun. Ironically, that’s the best part of All-Star Week.
The NBA Draft Has Become A Television Mess Original
Every athlete dreams about one photograph. It’s the handshake with the commissioner on draft night. The smile. Mom crying in the crowd. The team hat. That picture hangs on the wall forever. Unless you’re an NBA draft pick. That’s where the NBA Draft has lost its way. This isn’t a column about hats. It’s a column about television. Sports television has one job: take something complicated and make it easy to understand. The 2026 NBA Draft did exactly the opposite. The draft began normally enough.
Soccer Is No Longer An Outsider To American Sports Culture Original
I know soccer. Not in the “I watched Ted Lasso and now I understand the offside rule” way. I played goalie growing up, and good enough to make a travel team. We played tournaments in Canada and spent plenty of weekends getting yelled at by parents who thought every goal was somehow my fault. So when the World Cup rolls around every four years and America has its annual soccer identity crisis, I understand the sport. I appreciate the skill, and respect the global obsession.
Why Pat McAfee’s Reported ESPN Extension Is About Far More Than Just Money Original
The reports this week are that Pat McAfee’s next ESPN deal could be worth somewhere between $60 million and $65 million annually. Sixty-five million dollars. The immediate reaction is obvious. Is any media personality worth that kind of money? Is any host, analyst, insider, or commentator worth what some NFL quarterbacks make? It’s a fair question. It’s also probably the wrong one. The more interesting question is what ESPN’s willingness to pay that kind of money says about ESPN itself.
The NFL Proved Once Again It Doesn’t Need Games To Control American Attention Original
June is supposed to belong to somebody else. The Stanley Cup Final opened Tuesday night. The NBA Finals tipped off Wednesday. Baseball is rolling into summer. The NFL is technically in its offseason, with mostly optional OTAs taking place and training camps nearly two months away. This should be the quietest month on the NFL calendar. Then Myles Garrett got traded to the Los Angeles Rams. Just like that, June belonged to football again. By lunchtime Tuesday, ESPN was wall-to-wall Garrett coverage.
The NFL Proved Once Again It Doesn't Need Games To Control American Attention
June is supposed to belong to somebody else. The Stanley Cup Final opened Tuesday night. The NBA Finals tipped off Wednesday. Baseball is rolling into summer. The NFL is technically in its offseason, with mostly optional OTAs taking place and training camps nearly two months away. This should be the quietest month on the NFL calendar. Then Myles Garrett got traded to the Los Angeles Rams. Just like that, June belonged to football again. By lunchtime Monday, ESPN was wall-to-wall Garrett coverage.
Could Pat McAfee Be the Most Trusted Man in Sports Media? Original
Pat McAfee actually dressed up Wednesday night, which alone told you ESPN viewed this as important television. Gone was the cutoff tank top and the sleeveless “I just left a backyard wrestling event in Indianapolis” look. Instead, McAfee traded his usual attire for a black short-sleeve collared shirt because ESPN had suddenly handed him primetime television and a parade of the most powerful people in sports.
How Shams Charania, Stephen A. Smith Dominate the Same Sports Media Game Original
The NBA spent years turning awards into television events. Shams Charania spent years turning himself into the fastest man in sports media. Last weekend, those two things finally crashed into each other. The league and Amazon Prime had a plan. Build suspense, stretch out the drama and reveal Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as NBA MVP during Amazon’s playoff coverage tied to Game 7 between Cleveland and Detroit.
Mark Cuban’s Warning About NFL Greed Is More Relevant Than Ever
In 2014, Mark Cuban predicted the NFL would eventually “implode” because of greed, overexpansion and television overkill. He specifically pointed to the league stuffing games onto Thursdays and non-traditional windows, turning football into an around-the-clock television product instead of the event programming that once made it special. It sounded ridiculous. The NFL wasn’t imploding. It was conquering America. “Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered,” Cuban famously said.
Draymond Green Proved He’s Not Ready for Inside the NBA’s Next Evolution Original
There was a moment Wednesday night that said a lot more about the future of Inside the NBA than it did about the Golden State Warriors, and it wasn’t supposed to. About halfway through the pregame, the show pivoted into what essentially became a live interview with Draymond Green about his future in Golden State. It was loose, topical, and exactly what that show does better than anyone, until it wasn’t. When it was Charles Barkley’s turn, he did what Barkley always does. Cut straight through it.
Gambling’s Grip on Sports Networks Is Growing Along With Added Risks Original
The most dangerous part of the Brendan Sorsby story isn’t that it happened. It’s that it makes perfect sense. A highly paid star college quarterback tied to major gambling activity involving his own team. Reportedly “thousands” of bets ranging from games, props, and even individual plays. Now, he’s in sports betting rehab. That should hit like a thunderbolt. Instead, it lands like a warning we’ve been ignoring.
Why the NBA Has a Watchability Issue With the Oklahoma City Thunder
The NBA sold this postseason as a reset. All the noise from the regular season—load management, the 65-game rule, tanking, stars sitting, nightly lineup roulette—none of that was supposed to matter anymore. The playoffs were supposed to clean it up. Tighten the product. Sharpen the focus, and remind everyone what the league looks like at its best. Instead, the playoffs have exposed something the league doesn’t want to discuss. The NBA doesn’t just have a perception problem.
The NFL Draft Has Become ESPN’s Content Empire
The NFL Draft used to be a list. Now it’s a content war, and for the first time, it’s a war being fought by the same army. When the draft kicks off April 23rd, what you’re really watching isn’t just teams picking players; it’s ESPN flooding the zone with four different broadcasts of the same event after absorbing NFL Network into its ecosystem. For decades, ESPN and NFL Network went head-to-head with competing coverage. Different tones, distinct philosophies, and very real editorial differences.
The NBA’s Biggest Issue Is Stars Being Absent When Games Should Matter Most
The NBA has this completely upside down. With just days left in the regular season and the playoffs about to take over the calendar, the league should be focused on delivering its most valuable product. Its biggest teams and stars in its biggest games to its television partners. This is the stretch-run inventory. The games that are supposed to rate. The games that justify rights fees that now run into the billions. Instead, the NBA remains fixated on tanking.
How Baseball’s ABS System Is Creating the Drama and Excitement the Sport Needs
- Advertisement - Check your timeline. Turn on sports radio. Flip to any TV debate show. One week into the 2026 Major League Baseball season, the dominant conversation in American sports is not the NBA playoff race. It’s not the NFL Draft, and not a superstar holdout. Instead, it’s a tap on a helmet, and a scoreboard graphic. It’s a called strike getting overturned in real time in front of 35,000 people and millions more at home.
MLB on Netflix Proved Fans Who Demand Change Only Want It Until They Receive It
- Advertisement - MLB on Netflix. It’s simple and predictable. People hate change. Not dislike it—hate it. My dad owned a food brokerage, and one day they accidentally changed the color of the ink on the box from blue to red on the french fries he sold. Same fries. Same exact product. Just a different color ink on the box. Company after company rejected shipments. Thousands of pounds of delicious, addictive, crispy fries—because it looked different. “It’s the same fries,” he kept telling them.
The World Baseball Classic Exposed MLB’s Biggest Issue
- Advertisement - Opening Day is a holiday. It always is. Hope sells in baseball better than anything else, with perfect grass, clean records, and the idea that maybe this year will be different. For a day, baseball feels like it owns the sports world again. Then, somewhere around mid-May, reality sets in. You’re watching a 6–2 game on a Wednesday night, and half the lineup is getting a maintenance day.
The NFL Offseason Is the Most Powerful Content Machine in Sports
- Advertisement - The confetti had barely settled on the field at Levi’s Stadium on February 8th when the most powerful content machine in the history of American sports fired its NFL engines back up. The Seattle Seahawks were Super Bowl LX champions. Ken Walker III was holding the MVP trophy. NBC’s broadcast crew was wrapping a telecast that drew 124.9 million viewers, more people than watched the last three NBA Finals combined.
À Marolles, les contes s’envolent au son des flûtes
Conte © Getty - John Lund Diffusé le mardi 10 mars 2026 à 10:10 Publié le mardi 10 mars 2026 à 10:10 L’association Contes du Monde et Flûtes Enchantées propose des spectacles originaux mêlant récits et musiques du monde. Sa présidente, Nadine Henry, nous explique comment la musique et les contes se rencontrent pour offrir une expérience artistique unique.
Is It Too Late for the FCC To Fix Sports on Television
- Advertisement - Somewhere between cable dying and streaming taking over, watching sports became a second job. No benefits, no vacation days, and the onboarding process involves downloading four apps, resetting two passwords, and arguing with your television. I know this because my inbox tells me so every single week, and a suspicious number of those complaints come from AOL addresses. The federal government has finally noticed too.
The Echoes of Team USA Hockey Gold Should Wake up Sports Media From Its Slumber
- Advertisement - On February 22, 2026 — exactly 46 years to the day after the Miracle on Ice. The United States men’s hockey team did something it hadn’t done since a group of college kids shocked the Soviet Union in Lake Placid: win Olympic gold. A 2-1 overtime victory over Canada in Milan. Dentally challenged Jack Hughes firing a five-hole shot past Jordan Binnington 1:41 into overtime, missing teeth and all.
Mick Cronin Exhibited What Not To Do When the Media Ask Tough Questions
- Advertisement - I’ve been asking coaches questions for 30 years. Tough ones. Awkward ones. Ill-timed ones. Questions after gut-punch losses, euphoric wins. Inquiries that made coaches like Mick Cronin squirm and made players bristle. Questions where I had to recalibrate mid-sentence because I could feel the temperature in the room rising. Some that didn’t come out exactly like I had it in my head. That’s the job.
Could Netflix Home Run Play for Barry Bonds Be a Ticket to His Place in the Hall of Fame?
- Advertisement - If you’re Netflix and you’re launching Major League Baseball broadcasts in a meaningful way, you don’t dip a toe in the water. You cannonball. According to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, Netflix is pursuing Barry Bonds to be part of its Opening Day coverage of Yankees–Giants in San Francisco. The expectation, if it comes together, is that Bonds would appear on-site for pregame and postgame coverage. Marchand also reported that Netflix is pursuing CC Sabathia on the Yankees side.
Ranking the Best and Worst Super Bowl Host Cities From a Guy Who Lived on Radio Row
- Advertisement - Before we get into ranking Super Bowl cities, let me say this upfront: I’m not complaining, and know I’ve never really worked a day in my life if the “job” is traveling to Super Bowls and arguing about host cities. Everyone should be so lucky. I get it. Media members complain too much as it is, and the world does not need another guy whining about free food, credential lines, or the angle of the sun at Radio Row. Every Super Bowl city I’ve covered had some charm.
The Bill Belichick Hall of Fame Vote Reveals It’s Need for Change Immediately
- Advertisement - Let’s stop pretending this was complicated. Bill Belichick’s exclusion as a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer isn’t a nuanced debate about football legacy, nor is it a gray area open to reasonable disagreement. It was a blown call—plain and simple. What makes this more striking is the makeup of the voting body: 46 of the 50 voters are media members. The only exceptions are Hall of Famers Bill Polian, Tony Dungy, Dan Fouts, and James Lofton.
En katalysator for industri i Grimstad
En vellykket etablering av Omre Industriområde vil skape arbeidsplasser med store ringvirkninger både i og utenfor Grimstad kommune. Og ikke minst vil sentrumsnære næringsarealer kunne frigjøres. Men det er et faktum at ting tar tid. På Omre driftes i dag et masseuttak, og det finnes et øvingsområde for motorsport. Dette er betydelig mindre aktivitet enn hva en by som Grimstad har behov for.
Why Sports Franchise Owners Should Move Away From the Mic, and Stay in the Office
- Advertisement - Terry Pegula didn’t just fire his head coach — he accidentally hosted a masterclass in how to lose a sports press conference. The Bills owner walked to the podium this week and, within minutes, managed to say the refs basically stole the Denver game from Buffalo. Then he turned around and said he fired his coach for losing that same game. Which is it, Terry? Did the officials do you dirty, or did your coach fail? You can’t play both sides and expect the room not to notice.
Have Tony Romo’s Quirks Exposed a Hidden Truth About NFL Commentary
- Advertisement - Every fall, we jump back on the broadcast carousel. Tony Romo unleashes a barrage of “Jims,” social media sharpens its pitchforks, and Tom Brady earns a “most improved” sticker from the Twitterverse. Cris Collinsworth? Still crooning his way through Sunday night as if he’s discovered football is round—for the third time. And what do we do?
Kunnskap før konklusjoner om Omre vindkraftverk
Illustrasjonen viser en sannsynlig utbygging av Omre industriområde og vindkraftverk. «Hvis Omre vindkraftverk skjer langs en firefelts motorvei og i tilknytning til et område som skal bygges ut med industri, burde ikke det være et fornuftig naboskap», spør innsenderen. Foto: Broomstick Norsk Vind ønsker å utrede mulig vindkraftproduksjon i tilknytning til det regulerte industriområdet på Omre. Vi mener dette er et godt eksempel på et område hvor en slik kombinasjon av aktivitet kan være mulig.
Al Michaels Is Failing to Measure Up to His Own Standard
- Advertisement - We’ve all seen this movie before, and we never like how it ends. It’s Michael Jordan in a Wizards uniform—still proud, still competitive, but no longer airborne, no longer inevitable. Joe Namath limping around as a Ram, the swagger intact while the body had already waved the white flag. Also Willie Mays finishing as a Met, the greatest five-tool player ever reduced to a farewell tour nobody asked for. We see it in music, too.
Five Common Sense Items To Make Sports Media Better in 2026
- Advertisement - Let’s get this out of the way: this isn’t a complaint column. Sports media has never been bigger, louder, or more profitable. Games are everywhere. Content is endless. Access is unprecedented. If you’ll pay for it, you’ve never had more choices as a fan. But better? That’s still up for debate. So instead of forecasting trends or firing off hot takes, here are five common sense things that would genuinely make sports media better in 2026. Tom Brady can get better as a broadcaster.
The Overlooked Case for the NBA Cup and Its Long-Term Value
- Advertisement - Let me start with some honesty. I don’t love the NBA Cup. I don’t wake up in November emotionally invested in a midseason trophy and understand why fans roll their eyes. Also I understand why traditionalists scoff and why Charles Barkley calls it embarrassing. If this were about tradition, history, or championships, I’d be right there with them. But this isn’t about that. The NBA Cup exists for three reasons, and three reasons only: Eyeballs, revenue, and buzz.
Does Notre Dame Skipping Bowl Season Really Affect Sports Television?
- Advertisement - College football thrives on drama. Whether it’s coaches changing teams during the season, players racing to the transfer portal for gobs of cash, or conferences discarding long-standing traditions. This year, the biggest spectacle didn’t come from a sideline meltdown but from Notre Dame’s decision to forgo postseason play after a 10–2 campaign and a ten-game winning streak, even as the sport’s new 12-team College Football Playoff left them at the doorstep.
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