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The Washington Post is named after a slave owner

Well, the Washington Post was throwing shade at the Redskins for how racist their name is, but they're named after a slave owner.

The paper is named after the city (Washington D.C.), which is indeed named after George Washington, who was a slave owner.
Loss
Big CatBig Cat

TikTok is not long for this world

It feels like TikTok is not long for [this world]... seeing the TikTokers... it would be just it would be chaos.

Despite various ban attempts and legal battles starting in 2020, TikTok remains one of the most popular social media platforms in the world.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Watching a golf tournament commentated by Darren Rovell, Danny Kanell, and Dude Perfect is like wishing for sports on a cursed monkey's paw

I saw that sports are coming back indeed in the form of a golf tournament this weekend, but the golf tournament is going to be commentated and narrated by the team of Darren Rovell, Danny Kanell, and Dude Perfect. I don't think you could have designed... I wished on sports to come back but I wished it on a cursed monkey's paw.

The sentiment of the broadcast quality is subjective, though the lineup mentioned was accurate.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure was as influential to 90s SportsCenter anchors as Step Brothers is to modern ones

I think that Bill and Ted was to Keith Olbermann as like Step Brothers is to Trey Wingo... the mid-90s SportsCenter anchors, they were dropping Bill and Ted references left and right.

This is a subjective analysis of media influence and catchphrase usage in broadcasting.
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HankHank

I will sweep PFT 4-0 in our Thursday game

4 o'clock on Thursday. You can see, probably going to be a 4-0 sweep, so make sure you sweep it early because it's going to be over early. ... 4-1 or better. [Or] I'll do a show with no shirt on.

Hank typically lost these competitions to PFT, though the specific result of this Thursday stream isn't captured in the transcript, it fits his persona of overconfident predictions.
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HankHank

Lacrosse is the sport of the future

My cool throne is lacrosse, sport of the future. Yep. Paul Rabel figured out betting, so they're doing an event in the summer. People are going to be able to bet on it.

While the PLL has grown, Lacrosse has not overtaken major sports as 'the' sport of the future in a mainstream sense.
Win
Big CatBig Cat

Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith will eventually reunite on a show together

Skip and Steven Naismith will eventually get back together. I agree. They miss each other because Max [Kellerman] is not the worthy foe... it's been our theory on this show that Skip and Steven Naismith will eventually get back together.

Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith reunited multiple times: first on Skip's podcast in March 2025 (their first joint appearance since 2016), then in person at Super Bowl LX Radio Row in February 2026. While not a permanent show together, they have publicly reunited on air.
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Big CatBig Cat

Darren Rovell is legitimately losing his mind

Rovell is kind of a misunderstood but nice guy. I think he's losing it—like he is legit losing his mind. He's on a bender from non-alcoholic beer. This is what happens when you drink like 12 a day for a week straight.

This is a subjective assessment of Rovell's public persona and social media activity.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Stephen A. Smith will be extra spicy because of his apple cider vinegar cleanse

Stephen A. Smith just announced that he's going on a seven-day apple cider vinegar cleanse... He's going to be on a First Take just with a mouth tasting like all kinds of soy sauce... and he's going to have an empty belly. He's going to be sweating... a hungry dog runs faster.

Stephen A. Smith is perpetually 'spicy', making this hard to isolate, but a fun prediction.
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Big CatBig Cat

Booger McFarland is the new Jason Witten for NFL fan criticism

Jason Witten is on my cool throne because the internet has finally come for Booger McFarland. I think Booger had that nice spot where he came in after Jason Witten, so it was like no one was paying attention for a little bit, and now people are starting to listen to what he says... he's getting roasted. The internet is coming for him.

Booger McFarland was replaced on Monday Night Football after only one season as the lead analyst due to heavy criticism.
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HankHank

The word 'Boomer' has jumped the shark

Boomer just the word Boomer has invaded like meme and American culture to a point where like I'm sick of it. It's kind of jumped the shark a little bit. But now it's at one of those things where it's like so mainstream it's like harambee after like two months where I was funny in the beginning.

Memes by nature have short lifespans, and 'OK Boomer' did indeed fade from mainstream cultural relevance shortly after the 2019 peak.
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Big CatBig Cat

Mike Leach will definitely get involved in the political meme wars of 2020

He's just getting into the meme game. He's just getting into it and watch out world. He's going to as soon as he catches up... he definitely will be in the political meme wars of 2020. He's going to throw his hat in that ring. Absolutely.

Mike Leach continued to be controversial on Twitter, including a high-profile incident in 2020 involving a 'noose' meme that led to significant backlash.
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Big CatBig Cat

Doug Gottlieb will steal anything that isn't nailed to the floor

I am slowly becoming a Doug Gottlieb fan just purely on the fact that if you don't have everything nailed to the floor, Doug Gottlieb will come and take it.

Based on historical allegations and rumors, but stated as a hyperbolic personality trait.
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Big CatBig Cat

Challenges and replay in sports are bad because they prevent fans from complaining about being screwed

I'm firmly in the stance that everyone who wants more replay and more challenges, what you're going to do is you're going to get a world where we can't complain about anything. And watching sports is half of it is winning. And the other half is saying why your team didn't lose. They got screwed.

Replay has arguably increased frustration and delay without eliminating all complaints, supporting Big Cat's premise.
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Big CatBig Cat

NCAA Football is the greatest video game of all time

NCAA video game is back. Well, maybe back. NCAA formed a committee to bring back the NCAA football game. And this is the greatest news I think that has ever happened in my life. Because that game is the best game ever.

While it's a subjective opinion, it is a very common sentiment among sports gamers, and the game did eventually return as predicted by the news item.
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HankHank

NCAA Football is the best video game ever and much better than Madden

Best game ever. It really is. It really is. Better than Madden. I enjoyed playing NCAA football more than Madden.

This is a subjective preference, though widely shared by the show's audience.
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Big CatBig Cat

Madden has become too realistic and is no longer fun to play

Madden got too hard. Madden got too hard in the last few years and it just didn't get fun. Everything was too realistic. Ever since the passing cone, really.

Subjective opinion on game design and enjoyment.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The word 'thick' is officially cancelled because Trey Wingo used it

My hot seat this week is thick. ... I'm actually canceling thick. Because Trey Wingo, he caught wind of it. ... the fact that Trey used a double C, it was like watching Darren Rovell kill 69 jokes in real time.

This is a stylistic 'cancellation' by the show hosts, not a factual event.
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Big CatBig Cat

I will fight Darren Rovell in Rough N' Rowdy with one hand tied behind my back.

Rovell, if you want to answer Dana White's question, what do you know about fighting? The offer is still out there. I will fight you in rough and rowdy with one hand.

The fight never occurred, as Rovell never accepted the challenge.
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Big CatBig Cat

Our next breaking news scoop is 100% guaranteed to be correct

The next piece of news that we break, 100% guarantee that it's correct. 100%. We are not going to take any more risks. We're going to get back in the winning streak.

Their track record remained hit-or-miss as intended for a comedy show.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

NASA is inventing stories about aliens to secure funding against Space Force

This goes back to my theory that NASA is just inventing cool shit to talk about so they can continue their funding because right now they're going up against Space Force. But I would assume that, like, this would be something that Space Force would really get a lot of money thrown into their coffers for. If you think that there's aliens that are actually checking us out.

This is a satirical conspiracy theory that cannot be factually verified or debunked.
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Big CatBig Cat

Mike Greenberg's take that fans shouldn't criticize Todd Gurley for kneeling at the goal line is the lamest take of all time

My hot seat is your boy, Mike Greenberg, with the fucking lamest take of all time. He tweeted, if you criticize Todd Gurley for what he did at the end of the Rams-Packers game, you should never be allowed to comment on sports ever again. Get the fuck out of here, Greeny. People gambling on the NFL has paid for a shitload of your salary... People watch because they have an investment in fantasy or gambling and they can bitch about it because that's what we do as sports fans.

Whether a take is 'the lamest of all time' is purely a matter of opinion.
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HankHank

Lacrosse is the sport of the future and will surpass baseball

My cool throne is lacrosse... My other hot seat could have been baseball because lacrosse is coming for that America's Pastime, sport of the future. Premier Lacrosse League was announced. TV deal... This sounds like a real dud. No, this is going to be great.

The PLL has survived and grown, but lacrosse has not surpassed baseball as 'America's Pastime.'
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Big CatBig Cat

Jason Witten might be a robot

So are we sure Jason Witten is still alive? He is a robot, and I do not understand why they overthink these things so much and just not put Booger McFarland in the studio. You could actually hear Booger McFarland getting mad at Jason Witten.

Witten was widely panned for his broadcasting performance and returned to the NFL after just one season in the booth.
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Big CatBig Cat

It is better for your career to be a meme than to be in a blockbuster movie

Do you think it is better for your career to be in a blockbuster movie that makes, let's say, $500 million or be in the badass, like the coolest meme of all time? Coolest meme of all time. Easy answer.

Inherently subjective, though meme status has certainly revitalized careers like Keanu Reeves' and Rick Astley's.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The best way to kill a stale joke is to have Darren Rovell use it

The best way to kill a joke... the best way to kill that would be to have Darren Rovell just hop all over, and then everybody just... so it's dead.

Subjective media theory, but widely accepted by the PMT audience.
Open
Big CatBig Cat

Legalized gambling will eventually end the relationship with personal bookies

My first hot seat is your bookie... gambling is legal. I don't think anyone's going to lose their bookie overnight. I think it's going to be probably like a decade, but at some point the bookie relationship will be something of the past. And that's very sad.

This is currently trending as predicted; while some niche bookies exist, major apps have taken over the bulk of market share.
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Big CatBig Cat

Media outlets create fake millennial memes and trends like avocado proposals just to have something to write about

I think someone out there... they either work for New York Times or BuzzFeed is basically creating these fake millennial memes and look at this new trend just so they have something to write about.

The manufacturer of viral trends is difficult to prove, making this a subjective observation.
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Big CatBig Cat

Stephen A. Smith has a point about his 'Screaming A. Smith' nickname being unfair

Stephen A. Smith says there's racial undertones to anyone who calls him Screamin' A. Smith. So he says there's a lot of people out there who scream. Why don't they get the Screamin' A. Smith nickname? ... I've done some thinking about this out loud, some verbal thoughts, and you're right. I will stop saying screaming.

This is a subjective opinion on media labeling and racial dynamics.
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HankHank

Lacrosse is booming and the sales are up

My cool throne is lacrosse. Nike chairman Phil Knight, he was commenting on the Duke Florida game the other day, and he said, lacrosse is growing. So the sales are up. They're growing, not a show. Business is booming.

Lacrosse has seen steady growth, but 'business is booming' is a subjective assessment of the sport's professional trajectory.
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Big CatBig Cat

Apple intentionally ruins old iPhones via software updates to force users to upgrade

Apple, every single time they release a new iPhone, they do something with the software and they make all of our old iPhones suck. It's fucked up. They just screw up the IOS and they make it drain your battery allegedly... theoretically I'm very woke to this.

In 2017, Apple admitted to slowing down older iPhones with aging batteries to prevent unexpected shutdowns. They eventually settled a class-action lawsuit for $500 million in 2020 over this 'throttling'.
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Big CatBig Cat

Twitter's move to 280 characters makes the platform the worst

My hot seat is Twitter, because they have officially made everyone have 280 characters, and it's the worst... I had 280 characters before anyone else, not to brag, but I said to both of you that it's the worst because I get tired even writing 280 characters, let alone reading it. So fuck Twitter for doing that.

While subjective, many power users still argue the 140-character limit was the peak of the platform's utility.
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Big CatBig Cat

The 'Golden Age' of podcasts is over now that people are making wedding planning podcasts

The couple that met because one was a fan of his podcast and then they're getting married and they're creating a podcast together about going through the wedding planning. That right there is like if you could think of the most stereotypical podcast podcast. It is over, boys. It is all done.

The podcast industry continued to grow exponentially for years after this statement.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

NFL ratings are down because players aren't sleeping with Kardashians anymore

Do you think that's why NBA ratings are up and NFL is down because none of the NFL players are sleeping with the Kardashians?

Hot TakeMediaMediumSarcastic
Ratings fluctuations are due to complex factors like streaming, cord-cutting, and political protests, not Kardashian dating habits.
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Big CatBig Cat

Twitter's 280-character limit will ruin threads and make the app unbearable

Twitter has announced that the app that everyone loves and can't make any money has announced they're going to make everyone read more. So 280 characters... I might not be able to be on Twitter anymore. That's so much reading. They just doubled their product. And they just ruined threads.

Twitter successfully moved to 280 characters and it became the standard. Whether it 'ruined' the app is subjective, but Big Cat definitely stayed on the app.
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Big CatBig Cat

I am firmly anti-Tony Romo as a broadcaster because he provides too many spoilers

I'm fucking sick of everyone saying how great Tony Romo is... It's impressive that he calls plays, but I don't really want to know what's coming. It's a spoiler. He's literally doing in real time spoilers right in my face. And everyone's like, Tony Romo, such a breath of fresh air. I am firmly in the anti-Tony Romo until people just cool down a little about it.

Broadcasting quality is subjective, but the general public sentiment eventually did 'cool down' on Romo years later, though for different reasons.
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Big CatBig Cat

Les Miles will replace Magic Johnson as the most obvious tweeter on the internet

Magic, you're on the hot seat. If Les [Miles] starts figuring out how to predict MVPs and stuff, Magic might be out of a job. ... [Les] is giving strict play-by-play of the game. It's like Norm MacDonald doing golf tournament updates.

Les Miles' Twitter activity never quite reached the iconic status of Magic Johnson's 'obvious' tweets, and Magic remains the gold standard for the bit.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Adrian Wojnowski is on the hot seat for being 'cucked' by his own reporting and transition to TV

Woj, Adrian Wojnowski on the hot seat big time. He was getting cucked left and right on his reporting... He actually screwed up because he walked back the Gordon Hayward trade, right? And so he's like, actually, it's not done. And then he got double cucked over the top when Gordon broke his own news.

Woj did have a messy reporting cycle during the Hayward free agency where Hayward's camp initially denied the report.
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HankHank

Instagram Stories will kill Snapchat by the end of the summer

My hot seat is Snapchat. Instagram stories, specifically because of Boomerang, are taking over the streets. I think by the end of the summer, Snapchat's going to be, like, default.

Snapchat's growth stalled significantly in 2017 following Instagram's launch of Stories, with Instagram Stories eventually exceeding Snapchat's total user base.
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Big CatBig Cat

Mel Kiper Jr. eats a slice of pumpkin pie for breakfast every single day.

Every time you see Mel Kiper, though, remember one thing. He eats a slice of pumpkin pie for breakfast every single day. Just put that in your brain.

Mel Kiper Jr. has confirmed in multiple interviews that he eats pumpkin pie for breakfast, often without the crust.
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Big CatBig Cat

The NBA has a credentialed media problem

This puts the credentialed media squarely in the crosshairs of the NFL. In fact, I would go as far to say that the NFL has a credentialed media problem... Epidemic of their credentialed media people violating the law.

Playful spin on a specific crime incident.
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HankHank

ESPN on-air personalities are 'snowflakes' on the hot seat due to massive impending cuts

My hot seat is all the snowflake on-air personalities at ESPN. Big time cuts coming soon.

ESPN did indeed lay off about 100 on-air personalities and writers in April 2017, just a month after this episode.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Vegas will be taken by storm once Brent Musburger moves there

Hot seat, I have Las Vegas. Brent Musburger is opening up a handicapping company in Las Vegas. So if you think that he's going to move out to the desert and not take that place by storm, then you haven't been watching television for the past 50 years.

Brent Musburger moved to Las Vegas and successfully launched VSiN (Vegas Stats & Information Network), which became a staple of sports betting media as the industry legalized.
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HankHank

Lacrosse will be a top-tier major sport within 10 to 15 years

Cool throne lacrosse. I might have been in two. I've been a little early. I said there's 30 years. It's looking more like 10 to 15... I mean, it's like the hottest thing. It's like number one thing on SportsCenter.

While lacrosse has grown, it remains a niche professional sport compared to the 'Big 4' in 2024. The 15-year window closes in 2032.
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Big CatBig Cat

The take that the NFL 'sucks' right now is becoming too mainstream and annoying

My hot seat: People who say the NFL sucks. I'm done with it. We were kind of early to it... Now it's become a little too mainstream. People saying the Seahawks-Cardinals game sucked. That game was amazing... I still love the NFL. I'm sick of it. I'm back on Roger Goodell's side.

This is a subjective opinion on sports media discourse.

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