Puck Sports Correspondent John Ourand and a rotating cast of industry insiders take you deep inside the executive suites and owner boxes that run the entire sports business. You’ll hear interviews with everyone from players to network execs and everyone in between. The Varsity is an extension of John's private email for Puck by the same name. New episodes publish twice-weekly, every Wednesday and Sunday.
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Contact path
Verified email
Booking probability
36%
Guest openness
Selective
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Signup to Generate a PitchPuck Sports Correspondent John Ourand and a rotating cast of industry insiders take you deep inside the executive suites and owner boxes that run the entire sports business. You’ll hear interviews with everyone from players to network execs and everyone in between. The Varsity is an extension of John's private email for Puck by the same name.
The Varsity is hosted by Puck | Audacy. The show has published 234 episodes to date.
Recent episodes include "The Road to L.A. ’28" (28 October 2026, 44 minutes), "Charlie Baker’s NCAA Vision" (25 October 2026, 44 minutes), and "Should Netflix Buy NBCU?" (21 October 2026, 44 minutes).
The Varsity publishes roughly a few times a week, with episodes averaging 44 minutes across 234 episodes.
Booking probability for The Varsity is 36%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. The Varsity requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. The Varsity's contact route on record: verified email.
The strongest fits for The Varsity are Sports. The Varsity has a news audience.
Puck | Audacy hosts The Varsity, a news podcast with 234 episodes published.
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The Varsity
In this special recording live from Puck’s In the Arena earlier this month, LA28 chairman Casey Wasserman and NBC’s Molly Solomon join John to discuss the vision and the logistics of pulling off L.A. ’28—the first time...
The Varsity
In this special live recording from In the Arena, NCAA president Charlie Baker joins John to discuss the state and future of college athletics—which Baker describes as uncertain rather than chaotic, amid a swirl of...
The Varsity
Wolfe Research’s Peter Supino joins John to discuss what comes next for Netflix’s sports strategy in the wake of Bela Bajaria’s abrupt exit. Peter explains why Netflix should partner with rivals like Peacock and pivot...
The Varsity
Axios’s Sara Fischer returns to the pod to discuss Bela Bajaria’s exit from Netflix and whether her successor, former Disney and Fox executive Peter Rice, will lean more heavily into live sports. They also get into...
The Varsity
ESPN’s Jay Bilas joins John for a temperature check on the college sports landscape. Jay argues that the talent has never been better, and scrutinizes the NCAA for blaming the disorder it created while refusing to fix...
The Varsity
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski joins John to preview the NHL season and assess the league’s business outlook. They get into the new 84-game schedule, league expansion, the NHL’s international ambitions, Bettman succession plans...
The Varsity
In this special live recording from Puck’s In the Arena, NBA commissioner Adam Silver joins John to reflect on the first year of the league's 11-year media deal, which delivered the NBA’s highest regular-season...
The Varsity
John is joined by Words + Pictures co-founder Connor Schell and chief creative officer Aaron Cohen to discuss their new six-part Saban documentary, chronicling the life and career of the legendary college football...
The Varsity
Andy Johnson, founder of Fried Egg Golf, joins John to discuss the state of the PGA Tour under Brian Rolapp’s stewardship. He highlights Rolapp’s star-centric vision, argues that LIV’s real legacy may be forcing the...
The Varsity
Fan favorite Andrew Marchand joins John to run through the sports-media news of the week. They dig into the NFL’s underwhelming early-season ratings, Joe Buck’s $108 million extension with ESPN, Brian Rolapp’s new plans...
The Varsity
Ted Leonsis, C.E.O. of Monumental Sports, joins John to talk about the ins and outs of owning the Washington Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics. He gets into the billion-dollar rebuild of Capital One Arena, why the Lakers’...
The Varsity
Fox's go-to guy for the Super Bowl and World Series joins John to discuss his enviable broadcast career, his weekly prep routine during the NFL season, and the zen of knowing when not to let your research get in the way...
The Varsity
Super analyst Michael Nathanson returns to the pod to discuss the tectonic forces reshaping how America watches sports. He and John unpack the logic behind Fox’s bid for Roku, why YouTube TV could save cable, Charter’s...
The Varsity
ESPN's Peter Schrager joins John to discuss his winding road to hosting his own daytime show. The two also dig into the Rams’ rough Australia opener, the NFL’s flag football and international push, the next wave of team...
The Varsity
WWE president and TKO board member Nick Khan joins John ahead of Saturday’s Ryan Garcia-Connor Benn welterweight title fight to lay out the Zuffa Boxing strategy. The two dig into why past boxing broadcasters...
The Varsity
The Zelig-esque sportscaster joins John on the eve of a new NFL season to discuss why football has a stranglehold on the sports-watching public. Plus he recounts the backstories behind his memorable interviews with...
The Varsity
Industry consultant Marc Ganis, a member of President Trump’s College Sports Council, joins John to break down the bipartisan Senate bill aimed at saving college athletics from itself. The two dig into runaway transfer...
The Varsity
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand returns to the pod to break down the biggest storylines in sports media ahead of the NFL season. He and John weigh Tony Romo’s odds of returning to CBS’s top booth, Mike Tomlin’s early...
The Varsity
Brian Herbst, the executive who negotiated the sport’s media rights deals, joins John to assess a landscape reshaped since he signed them. The two dig into the new Chase playoff format, the surprisingly loyal audience...
The Varsity
Longtime Sports Illustrated columnist Jimmy Traina joins the pod to discuss why he left the publication after 20-plus years and what to expect from his move to Underscore Media. Jimmy and John also highlight some of the...
Recent guests on The Varsity. Study who booked and why before you pitch.
Vice President of Federal Sales, UK Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy
Founding Partner & Senior Research Analyst, The Nathanson Family of Companies
senior sports media columnist for The Athletic, New York Post
Chairman of the Mubadala DC Open, Venturehouse Group
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