Phantom Island
By Steven Godfrey & Ryan Nanni
<p>Every week, Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni walk you (and one another) through a question from the sports world. While they don't promise any conclusive answers, you'll get an interesting and thoughtful look at topics from a variety of perspectives. This feed is also home to Steven and Ryan's other work, including <em>The Single Wing</em>, where Godfrey answers listener questions, <em>We're Not All Like This, </em>Ryan's interview series profiling different sports fanbases, and more. Find out more at <a href="https://www.falconscottproductions.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.falconscottproductions.com/</a></p>
5 episodes
All Episodes
How FIFA Uses Opaque Ticketing for Systemic Revenue Extraction
FIFA’s 2026 ticketing model uses artificial scarcity and information asymmetry to prioritize record revenue over fan loyalty. This guide explains how this extractive strategy works and why it threatens the future of live sports.
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Sorsby Ruling Signals Shift Toward Contractual NCAA Oversight
The Sorsby injunction does not purge NCAA gambling rules. Instead, it shifts the underlying authority. Courts are moving the NCAA from a position as an autonomous regulator to that of a contractual entity subject to legal oversight.
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How Stadium Noise Is Silencing Baseball's Natural Rhythm
Players are asking for louder stadiums, and it's creating a noise problem in baseball. The constant sound effects break up the game's natural quiet moments, driving fans to their phones and drowning out the sport's best feature: its quiet, human rhythm.
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How Grief for Athlete Deaths Masks Systemic Failures
When we grieve athlete deaths without questioning the systems behind them, we trap ourselves in a cycle of emotion without change. Real impact requires sitting in discomfort long after the headlines fade.
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How Distracting a Meddling Owner Saved the Knicks
James Dolan ruined the Knicks for decades. Then he built a $2.3 billion concert venue, and the team suddenly got good. The counter-intuitive lesson: removing a harmful force matters more than adding a positive one.
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