NFL Doubles Down on Gambling, Dolphins Money DISASTER & Selena a Crook?! | In the Building | EP. 633

College sports kicks off the show by getting Mike fired up. After players who went through NFL training camps started finding paths back to college football, the major conferences moved quickly to shut the door. Mike and Rudy question how college sports can react almost immediately when administrators want a rule changed, yet NIL, player compensation and eligibility issues have spent years operating in chaos. Their bigger argument is simple: if players have eligibility remaining and are effectively being paid as part of the modern college sports business, why shouldn't they be allowed to return? The Dolphins then manage to accomplish something Mike and Rudy don't do very often: make Jerry Jones look pretty damn good. Miami's enormous dead-money situation leads the guys through a team-by-team comparison of NFL front offices, and they conclude Dallas' operation isn't nearly as dysfunctional as Cowboys fans sometimes make it out to be. They even argue that over the last couple of years, Dallas has made several moves that look exactly like what you'd want from an organization trying to win. Then Mike tells the story of accidentally discovering Victoria's Black Swan Inn, one of San Antonio's famously creepy properties. What started as a Friday-night market trip turns into abandoned buses, peacocks, eerie buildings, local folklore, a mysterious dog and enough weirdness that the crew is already talking about potentially taking ITB there for Episode 666. Topics Covered: College sports closes the NFL-return loophole Mike and Rudy call out the hypocrisy of college athletics Why players with remaining eligibility should be allowed back NIL and the changing definition of the “student-athlete” TCU bans the Fort Worth Star-Telegram from athletic events The complicated relationship between schools and local media TCU vs. Bill Belichick and North Carolina in Ireland Lane Kiffin and LSU expectations Miami Dolphins' massive dead-money problem Why the Dolphins somehow make Jerry Jones look good Comparing the Cowboys' front office with the rest of the NFL Victoria's Black Swan Inn Mike's unexpectedly creepy night at the San Antonio property The legend of El Camaroncito Could ITB Episode 666 happen at the Black Swan? Selena Gomez and her mother facing a fraud lawsuit Questions surrounding the Wondermind mental-health startup The NFL adds Fanatics alongside DraftKings and FanDuel The NFL's complicated relationship with sports gambling Why Mike and Rudy think the NFL product can be overrated Gambling and fantasy football's impact on NFL viewership Anthony Bourdain biopic concerns Remembering the voice of Optimus Prime Key Moments: Mike unloads on college sports for taking only a couple of days to stop NFL players from returning to school while other major problems drag on for years. The Dolphins' dead-money situation turns into an unexpected Jerry Jones appreciation segment. Going through AFC organizations one by one leaves Mike and Rudy choosing the Cowboys' management over more teams than they expected. Mike discovers the Black Swan Inn after nearly two decades in San Antonio and can't believe he'd never heard about it. An abandoned VIA bus, creepy grounds and a strangely behaving dog have Mike ready to leave, despite not normally buying into supernatural stuff. The crew immediately floats doing Episode 666 live from the Black Swan Inn. Selena Gomez's legal situation leads to plenty of ITB skepticism after investors accused her mental-health startup of misleading them. The episode notes that Gomez denies the allegations and is seeking dismissal of the lawsuit. The NFL adding another official sportsbook partner leads directly into a discussion about how dramatically the league's attitude toward gambling has changed. Mike and Rudy argue that gambling and fantasy football help make otherwise mediocre NFL matchups far more compelling. The guys admit they love football, especially the Cowboys, while still arguing that the average NFL game isn't nearly as entertaining as the league's hype machine makes it seem. Mike closes with some words from Anthony Bourdain about eating, traveling, talking to people you disagree with and enjoying the ride. Final Thoughts: Episode 633 has a common thread running through a lot of the chaos: follow the money. College sports can move fast when it wants to, the Dolphins are buried under bad financial decisions, the NFL has gone from treating gambling like a mortal sin to signing sportsbook partnerships, and Selena Gomez is fighting allegations involving investor money. Somehow, Mike's haunted-house adventure might be the least crazy part of the show. #InTheBuilding #ITBPodcast #NFL #NFLNews #SportsBetting #CollegeFootball #CollegeSports #NCAA #NIL #DallasCowboys #CowboysNation #JerryJones #MiamiDolphins #Dolphins #SelenaGomez #BlackSwanInn #SanAntonio #TCUFootball #LaneKiffin #LSUFootball #MikeTaylor #RudyJay #Pelon #SportsTalk #SportsPodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. 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