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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Tom Brady's claim that he had no dog in the fight was just a setup for a Super Bowl commercial hoax.

I think this is just a Super Bowl commercial. I think Tom's getting in the news and then you're gonna see him dressed up like in all Pat gear in a commercial on Sunday... I was trying to convince [Hank] that the whole Tom Brady thing... was just Super Bowl hoax commercial season.

Hank and PFT imply later that the commercial did indeed happen, making this a correct deduction of the marketing tactic.
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Big CatBig Cat

Pardon My Take's video content will be exclusive to Netflix starting in January 2026

Major news. ... in 2026, January, we don't have the exact date, but we have come to a deal with Netflix. So, Pardon My Take is going to be on Netflix. ... the podcast video will be exclusively on Netflix. ... literally nothing is changing [for listeners].

This is a formal business announcement from the hosts.
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Big CatBig Cat

The Barstool Sports partnership with Fox Sports will not change the content of Pardon My Take

I'll say right now, [the Fox deal] is not gonna change this show at all. We made sure of that. We, we it's gonna be a great, like, this is very different than the ESPN partnership back in 2017. Fox is a very willing partner. They're very excited. We're very excited. They believe in us. We believe in them a lot different than what we went through with ESPN.

The show largely remained independent under the Fox partnership following the announcement.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The new FS1 show featuring Barstool Chicago will not cannibalize Pardon My Take

It's gonna be a mix of everybody in this office and people that might not be in this office right now that might stop in. I don't expect to be spending a full-time jobs worth of time going on the show, but I'll go to try to make it on like once a week is what we discussed. That way it's not gonna cannibalize Pardon My Take.

The TV show was indeed a separate project and the podcast schedule/format was preserved.
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Dan PatrickDan Patrick

I turned down hosting The Price Is Right despite a $10 million offer

I get a call out the blue and said, 'Hey, we're interested in having you host Price is Right.' And they said, Bob Barker signed off on you... I just didn't think I could do it well enough. It was $10 million a year [in 1999].

This is a personal historical account of a private job offer.
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Dan PatrickDan Patrick

ESPN used a 'smear campaign' and mafia-like tactics against me when I left the network in 2007

It was frightening. Because there was this smear campaign that started the, any radio affiliate that had my show, you'd be dropped as an ESPN affiliate if you'd decided you still wanted to carry me. It's mafia shit. Yeah. There it was heavy handed... They were trying to send a message to the, the talent that they still had. Like if you leave, oh, we fuck you up. There's no doubt.

While ESPN likely wouldn't confirm these specific tactics publicly, this is a widely reported historical account of the era's 'Bristol Mafia' reputation.
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Big CatBig Cat

The Pardon My Take crew has never lost a man in their Dungeons and Dragons history

Every time we play this game, we make sure all of us remain a tightness all. We've never lost a man.

Across previous Timm Woods segments, while characters have been incapacitated, they have not suffered permanent 'death' resulting in a character exit.
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Pablo TorrePablo Torre

Jordan Hudson has appointed herself as Bill Belichick's agent and media manager

It turned out that she had appointed herself Bill Belichick's agent and was the one negotiating with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon... She was the one, or at least she had a very controlling interest in saying, we can't do North Carolina because we're doing that for something else... she was CC'd on every single email at Carolina by Belichick's request.

Public records and reporting from multiple outlets confirmed Hudson's involvement in Belichick's business affairs during this period.
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Big CatBig Cat

Jim Nantz's wallet toast card was actually a prank on a reporter

So the card is a prank, but he does like his Toast Nantz style... Nantz ordered his special brand of toast... I made sure the reporter saw the card and when he asked about it, I said, well that card has saved me a lot of hours.

The story from golf.com confirms it was an intentional gag by Nantz's assistant.
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Big CatBig Cat

It is impossible to have airtight rules for Barstool competitions because people will always find loopholes

Whenever we do any bar stool competition of any kind, you could spend a year... going through all the plans, the preparations, the rules, everything. Within one hour, one of us will find a loophole and be like, this is bullshit. It's just, it's, it's impossible.

The 2025 Mini Golf tournament and subsequent Barstool events have consistently featured rule disputes and loophole hunting.
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Timm WoodsTimm Woods

Pardon My Take fans who play Dungeons and Dragons as Barbarians almost always use the 'Reckless Attack' feature to imitate Big Cat's character, Norm

All the barbarian AWLs, when I run the game for them and I ask them whether they go reckless, they say 'just like Norm.' ... they all want to be like Norm.

Timm is reporting on his own professional experience with clients who are fans of the show.
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HankHank

Scott Hanson and NFL Red Zone are on the Hot Seat for airing commercials on a 'commercial-free' broadcast

My Hot Seat is Scott Hanson and NFL Red Zone... Their entire tagline for years since the beginning of Red Zone... Get ready for seven hours of commercial-free football. And on Sunday they ran commercials. They were like 30 seconds of commercial... you just completely rug pulled them.

It is a verifiable fact that Red Zone aired brief commercials on that Sunday, breaking their long-standing 'commercial-free' promise.
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HankHank

Opting out of the lottery ball should be grounds for losing your job

If you Opt outta a lottery ball, you're opting outta the booth. Is that what you're doing? And then you might be opting outta your job. I don't understand this. Hank is the very definition of grace. You could complain, you could bitch... You can't Opt out.

This is an internal show philosophy/rule, but Memes did eventually back down, proving Hank's stance held weight.
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Big CatBig Cat

The Dodgers-Yankees World Series will average 14 million viewers.

Last year, 9.08 million average. I'm predicting 14 million average. Whoa. Average for this one. Whoa. That's, that's what we're talking about. We're talking about ratings.

The 2024 World Series averaged 15.8 million viewers, making his prediction of 14 million 'correct' (it exceeded his mark).
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Sports leagues are pricing out fans by fragmenting media rights across too many streaming platforms

This is what the leagues are doing. They're just chopping it up and they're cutting it and they're selling a bunch of NBA to us that we have to buy individually. I feel like that's the real inflation in the United States right now. It's becoming expensive to be a sports fan. They're pricing a lot of people out of watching sports. And that shouldn't be right.

This is a widespread industry sentiment backed by the proliferation of streaming deals (Peacock, Amazon, etc.), though the exact 'price out' point is subjective.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Stephen A. Smith officially won the Skip Bayless divorce

Stephen A. Smith has won the Skip Bayless-Stephen A. Smith divorce. It took a few years to get there... Skip is out at Fox Sports I believe at the end of the summer... he goes off, does his own podcast, gets 5 trillion views on it. Works for ESPN, seems to be having a good time.

Based on viewership and contractual status as of late 2024, Stephen A. Smith remains the preeminent figure in sports media while Skip Bayless left his daily FS1 show.
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Big CatBig Cat

The EA Sports College Football 25 release will change how everyone deals with the summer

Ea Sports College football's out [next week]... It's the most anticipated video game I think release ever. It's gonna change how summer's dealt with.

The game was indeed a massive cultural hit upon release in July 2024.
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Big CatBig Cat

The Marshawn Lynch and Gavin Newsom podcast marks the top of the podcast bubble

Marshawn Lynch, Gavin Newsom and Doug whatever, Doug... Having a podcast together is the very sign that the podcast bubble is about to burst.

The podcasting industry has seen significant consolidation and cooling since its peak, making this a prescient observation.
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HankHank

Jaylen Brown's necklace bio-streams caffeine and melatonin into the body digitally

It's caffeine and a necklace... use its patented technology to bio stream compounds like caffeine and melatonin digitally without you having to ingest them... It's thousands of dollars.

The product exists and makes these claims, though the scientific validity is widely disputed.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

JJ Redick is officially banned from Pardon My Take until he starts podcasting again

[JJ Redick] is no longer in the content game. He's not doing any podcasts anymore. He turned his back on the podcast community that built him up... I think we should ban him from Pardon My Take. JJ is banned from Pardon My Take... unless he decides to do podcasts again.

Redick did indeed shut down his podcast, 'The Old Man and the Three', to coach the Lakers.
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Jake MarshJake Marsh

I will be calling college football this fall

If I make myself publicly fully available right now, best case scenario, I'm in the booth calling college football this fall. Is that gonna happen? Is that reality? I don't know. But the odds are going to increase by making this jump right now.

Jake did secure several broadcasting assignments after leaving the show, including college sports.
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Big CatBig Cat

Charles Barkley's retirement announcement is just a leverage play

I don't buy it. I don't buy it. I don't buy it. He's too good. That's just what you say at the end of the year. He's just doing, he's he's said a million different things. He's like, well maybe I'll just hire everyone and we'll have a new, we'll bring it over here. Maybe I'll retire. Maybe w he's just, I love Charles Barkley. I love, love, love Charles Barkley. I don't buy it. Charles Barkley could talk about anything on TV and I would watch. Yeah. It doesn't matter what it could be.

Barkley later clarified in August 2024 that he would remain with TNT Sports for the remainder of his contract, effectively 'un-retiring' shortly after the initial announcement.
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Mike BreenMike Breen

Modern sports broadcasting has become much higher intensity compared to the calmer calls of the 1970s and 80s.

Compare a 1970s or eighties call of a finals game or a Super Bowl and then compare it to now, it's different in a lot of cases. And I think that's a big part that it's become okay. In fact, it's become a good way to show you're excited as much of a fan. Back in the old days, you wouldn't do that 'cause you'd sound like a fan. Now it's more encouraged and I think fans like that.

Historical comparison of broadcasting styles shows a clear trend toward higher volume and energy in big moments.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Bill Walton died because his work on earth was done once the Pac-12 ended

The Pac-12 ends, Bill's like, well my work here is done. [He's] probably hanging out with Jerry Garcia right now and the Pac-12 is on 24/7.

OpinionMediaHotSarcastic
Bill Walton did pass away shortly after the final Pac-12 sporting events, making this a humorous but verifiable coincidence.
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Big CatBig Cat

The Patriots documentary 'The Dynasty' is a hit piece on Bill Belichick designed to help Robert Kraft

This documentary, I think it's having the reverse effect that Robert Kraft thought it was gonna have. ... It's so clearly slanted towards Robert Kraft, but it's so, so slanted towards Robert Kraft that it's completely making me hate Robert Kraft and unnecessarily like they're going over the top to Slan it. They blamed Aaron Hernandez on Bill Belichick. Yeah. And basically made it like Robert Kraft was trying to save him.

The documentary's bias was widely noted by sports media critics and former Patriots players like Julian Edelman and Matthew Slater.
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Timm WoodsTimm Woods

Baldur's Gate 3 is currently bigger than Dungeons & Dragons itself

I'd say [Baldur's Gate 3] is bigger than D&D itself right now. It has won all the awards. It has become this huge video game and it's all based off of the D&D rules. It's the best job they've done taking the game we know and love and turning it into a video game experience.

Baldur's Gate 3 won Game of the Year at The Game Awards and was a massive cultural phenomenon, bringing D&D mechanics to a wider audience than traditional tabletop play.
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MemesMemes

I completely bombed my stand-up comedy set

It was just, it was all downhill. I knew it was bad. My dad texted me after he just said, 'you okay'. I was, I was like, I'm, I was like, I'm fine... but even if I prepped a year, you can't, you can't teach public speaking.

Witnessed by the hosts and audience.
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Joe FlaccoJoe Flacco

I'm going to play football as long as possible to avoid having to do sports media

Honestly, man, that's the last thing I want to do is be doing interviews to get myself behind a camera. So I'm gonna try to do this as long as possible and, and diminish those possibilities as much as I can.

Flacco signed with the Indianapolis Colts in March 2024, continuing his playing career as intended.
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Charissa ThompsonCharissa Thompson

I used to make up sideline reports if a coach wouldn't give me anything at halftime

I would make up the report sometimes because A, the coach wouldn't come out at halftime or it was too late and I was like, I didn't wanna screw up the report. So I was like, I'm just gonna make this up because first of all, no coach is gonna get mad if I say, Hey we need to kill, stop hurting ourselves. We need to be better on third down.

Thompson confirmed she did this, sparking a major media ethics debate.
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MaxMax

I failed my own podcast production system by not pressing publish

I was the one who did not press the publish button... The system broke, but the, the system will not break again... My system is that I check before I do the [tweet]. I'll never tweet the tweet without seeing, seeing. It's up on, on Apple... I broke my system.

Factual recap of internal show logistics.
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Big CatBig Cat

Fans will initially complain that the new PMT studio looks 'too clean' and professional

I think people are gonna love it... but I think there will be a little adjustment where people will be like, oh, they're, they're, they looked. It looks too clean... Just wait.

When the Chicago studio debuted, there were significant comments about the higher production value before the hosts eventually 'junked it up' with their usual decor.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the official tallest lighthouse in the US, not the Gillette Stadium one

Per the United States Coast Guard. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the official tallest lighthouse in the United States. Not your fucked up Fugazi piece of bullshit [at Gillette Stadium].

Cape Hatteras is 198 feet; the Gillette Stadium 'lighthouse' is 218 feet but is not a functional aid to navigation according to maritime authorities.
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Big CatBig Cat

The losers of the 2023 Mount Rushmore competition will have to do a 24-hour stream with their partner

This is it. This is a finale of Mount Rushmore season... someone will be in a 24 hour stream with their partner for all of us to watch narrate.

The losers (Hank and Max) did eventually have to perform a 24-hour livestream punishment.
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Big CatBig Cat

The social media app Threads is boring and already dead because it's too nice

I'm already, it was fun for like two and a half days. ... I don't know what to do with it now because I just don't, there's nothing, it's too nice. ... I think I'm done. I think I'm done with it.

Threads struggled significantly with user retention shortly after its record-breaking launch week.
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HankHank

The Vegas Sphere is the coolest thing ever and the future of advertising

It's maybe the coolest thing I've ever seen. Like, I feel like it's gonna be everywhere all the time now. Like it's the, it's the future. ... However much it costs to advertise on it is like it's better than a billboard.

The Sphere became an immediate global sensation and remains a high-demand advertising platform.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

I promise not to kill Hank during this D&D session unless he gives me a reason to.

I promise not to kill Hank unless Hank does something that makes me have to kill him, which he might do. ... I'm not gonna attack Hank. I'm not gonna attack anybody that's in my party. But if Hank does something that's like, he really has it coming, it's gonna be tough for me not to.

PFT kept his word; he did not attack Hank, though Big Cat eventually did.
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Timm WoodsTimm Woods

Every group of fans that has played this adventure has successfully finished it.

Every one of the a w l groups who has gone through this adventure has gotten to the end and finished it. But I also told them I wasn't sure if you guys would or not.

As the Dungeon Master reporting on his own sessions, this is accepted as fact.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Sending the missing kids to hell was definitely not part of our original rescue mission.

I don't think that our plan was to find these kids and send them to hell. ... I don't think that our plan was to find these kids and send them to hell. It was to [maybe save them].

OpinionMediaMediumSarcastic
Technically correct based on the stated goal of finding the missing children.
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Billy FootballBilly Football

The Nuclear Powered Aircraft Carrier is the ultimate piece of heavy machinery

Nuclear powered aircraft carrier... they can just go forever because they got a nuclear reactor on board... China doesn't have an actual [one]... It's why we're the GOAT.

The US Navy operates 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, which is the most in the world by a wide margin.
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Paul RabilPaul Rabil

I will get Bill Belichick to interview on the Pardon My Take podcast.

I'll work on that now. Right now. The football offseason. Yes. Right now we will go right now. It's gonna be, it would be the start of Grit Week. It would be incredible.

Bill Belichick did indeed appear on Pardon My Take for a long-form interview during Grit Week in August 2023.
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Big CatBig Cat

The new Chicago office will be open and working by Week 1 of the NFL season

I confidently think we will be in there working, still have to finish some things by week one of the NFL. ... I'll fucking grab a shovel. I don't give a fuck. We need this office.

The Chicago office did open and they were recording there by the start of the 2023 NFL season.
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Billy FootballBilly Football

I am not moving to Chicago with the rest of the show

I will not be moving to Chicago. Kind of been in denial about it. It sucks to say there are various parts of my life that I keep private that impacted this decision. I hope you guys respect the decision. Please just remember that I am the only one who can weigh all the factors that impact my life.

This was a definitive personal announcement that came to pass.
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Big CatBig Cat

Tony Romo has become annoying and fans will officially turn against him during these playoffs

Tony Romo has gotten so much more annoying and his noises and his stepping on Jim Nance. I actually think Jim Nance doesn't really like him anymore. And I think it's gonna prove true in these playoffs. I guarantee you that people are gonna start shifting to our side in these 2022-2023 playoffs.

Public sentiment did significantly shift against Romo's broadcasting style during the 2023 playoffs and the 2023-24 season.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

JJ Watt will likely become a broadcaster in retirement

I could see [JJ Watt] being a broadcaster. ... He could probably name his job.

JJ Watt joined CBS Sports as an NFL studio analyst in June 2023.
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Kirk HerbstreitKirk Herbstreit

Al Michaels has a full 'fine dining' steak and shrimp dinner with silverware during halftime of NFL games

This dude, we get to halftime... He's got like steak. Oh, like shrimp. He doesn't touch the mashed potatoes but, and he's, and and they've got like real silverware and they got a plate and then, you know, you only have eight minutes at halftime... headphones are off back behind that screen and they got a table set and it's like fine dining for eight minutes.

Herbstreit is an eyewitness to this behavior in the booth.
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Blake BortlesBlake Bortles

Chris Simms is one of the people in sports media who hated me most

If there was one person that, that I don't even know, you know, who hated me... I would imagine like if you asked him, he would be like, 'Yeah, that guy sucked' was Chris Simms. [Simms] hated me. I saw, showed he me a list one time he ranked me as like the 47th best quarterback in the nfl and I was starting in Jacksonville.

Chris Simms was famously low on Bortles and did indeed rank him significantly lower than other starters during that period.
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Big CatBig Cat

Russell Wilson is identically copying Tom Brady's social media videos

Russell Wilson has just completely ripped off his [Brady's] post game videos like identical. And it was it. I mean, it's so Russ it's so Russ and for doing it for a 16, 9 win against the Texans was even better. Everything was, was exactly identical going from the, the intro, the different cuts, the type of filters, the music.

Visually and structurally, Wilson's 'post-win' videos in 2022 were nearly frame-for-frame copies of the style Brady's production team (Shadow Lion) pioneered.
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Big CatBig Cat

Monday Night Golf is a perfect idea and more sports should use Monday nights

They're going to start doing Monday night golf, which I don't know why more sports don't do this. Monday night is the perfect night for sports because everyone's like, oh man, I wish it was the weekend. Monday sucks. Give us sports. Every Monday night, every Monday, there should be Monday night football every Monday night in different sports.

The TGL indeed chose Monday nights for its schedule, validating Big Cat's point about the vacancy.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

NFL Blitz without delayed hits is like porn without nipples

NFL blitz is back. There's they're selling it without delayed hits though. Which is stupid... It's basically selling porn with no nipples. I'm a big time like go woke, go broke guy. Yeah, no one's gonna buy NFL blitz minus late hits. That's the only reason.

OpinionMediaHotSarcastic
While the game sold to collectors, it lacked the cultural impact of the original, supporting the idea that the 'sanitized' version lost its soul.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

We are banned from the Beacon Theater because of James Dolan

Part of my take was slated to do a live show in New York city at the beacon theater... I just got information that that date has been pulled from us because James Dolan owns the beacon theater. And we are the fucking bad boys of podcasting. We're banned from the beacon theater because of James Dolan.

The show was indeed moved from the Beacon Theater, and James Dolan is known for banning critics from his venues.

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