Phantom Island

Freelance writer Sydney Bauer joins Ryan Nanni to review the WNBA's summer tumult over transgender athletes, what those stories revealed about the media's ability to provide necessary context and nuance to a complex topic, why the discussion always seems to focus on hypotheticals and not real people, and how one profile sprawled into almost every other topic in the WNBA. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni discuss the extensive opportunity Ted Cruz was given this weekend on College GameDay to rally support for the Protect College Sports Act. What does that moment say about GameDay as an entertainment vehicle, ESPN as a political force, and the absence of a cohesive group representing athletes at the college level?This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey is joined by Parker Fleming to break down the far from transparent world of player valuation in college football. How do teams analyze a player's worth in a sport with so many teams and options? What's the best way to prioritize development versus immediate returns? Does the job of determining value better fall to coaches or general managers? And what makes this exercise so different from its counterpart in the NFL?This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Holly Anderson, of the Shutdown Fullcast and Channel 6, joins Ryan Nanni to talk about the meaning of the Florida-Tennessee game, which won't be played at all in 2026. How did a rivalry that didn't exist before 1990 achieve such prominence? What does college football's willingness to abandon this game say about the sport's priorities? And why did Ryan choose one of these games for a date? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

The SEC wants a federal court to confirm that it has the power to eject LSU from the league, which means Ryan Nanni and Steven Godfrey turned on the mics to try to contextualize 1) what the ideal outcome for the conference looks like 2) why expulsion is both the headline and the penalty sources say is unlikely and 3) all the collateral pieces we really haven't stopped to consider. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

For years, the NCAA insisted that amateurism was one of the business foundations of college sports, and that people didn't want to see semi-professional players in their beloved university colors. As LSU and Lane Kiffin fight with the SEC about whether a limited exception should permit a handful of former NFL participants back on campus, are they unintentionally giving life to that old argument? Ryan Nanni and Steven Godfrey get into the football existentialism to find out what it means to care about college football in 2026.This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey once again takes questions from Phantom Island subscribers on topics including the latest in Lane Kiffin, early Anxiety Bowls to watch out for (hi, Rutgers!), what it means to get outcoached, whether the constant off-field news about lawsuits and legislation is diminishing interest in college sports, and much more. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Rodger Sherman, author of the Sports! newsletter, joins Ryan Nanni to talk about the history of college football games played outside the United States, how their strategies differ from the NFL's international games, and whether the Big 12's London event will break the mold for what college football's trying to do when it travels abroad. There's also some initial Wrasslin' Story Time with Steven Godfrey you'll want to hear. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Bill Connelly joins Steven Godfrey after an offseason of schedule arguments to look at what teams actually control about this metric, why preseason measures automatically punish playing a Group of 6 team, where strength of schedule fails to meet narrative expectations, and what college football theoretically could do to create something closer to schedule parity.This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

This week, Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni review the hundreds of responses they got from Phantom Island subscribers on a few key questions before the 2026 college football season starts. Who's eager to show their coach the door? Which opponents do you really want to beat - and really not want to get beat by? How many wins would it take to consider this season a success? And who do you sincerely NOT want to see win the national championship? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

If you've listened to this show for a while, you've probably heard Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni talking about some larger projects in the works. Today, we're ready to tell you more about what those look like and when you'll get to hear them, and there's also some bonus discussion of Ryan dragging Steven into the world of 2024's Madame Web.This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey is joined by Parker Fleming to tackle one task: take $20 million (the NIL amount widely believed to have been spent by Ohio State in 2024 en route to a national title), show how a college football team can and should spend it to build a roster, and then analyze how far that money takes you in the current market. Which positions do you prioritize? Where is the market over or undervaluing talent? And how do you factor depth into your spending?This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Jerry Rice holds the NFL's career records for receptions, receiving touchdowns, and receiving yards, and nobody's really come close to challenging him for any of those marks. Ryan Nanni is joined by ESPN's Ben Solak to discuss what skills Rice had that helped him play so well for so long, why the NFL doesn't see receivers playing into their mid-thirties anymore, and why playing in a less pass-oriented time might have actually helped Rice. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Ryan Nanni does his best Steven Godfrey impression on this episode of the Single Wing, taking questions from Phantom Island subscribers on Pete Golding expectations, NC State floating forever in "good, not great," which teams Ryan truly hates, and what the REAL story is behind Ryan leaving the Shutdown Fullcast. (And also a fake story.)This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Rodger Sherman, writer of Sports!, joins Ryan Nanni to talk about whether history supports the idea that US men's soccer will benefit down the line from cohosting the 2026 World Cup, and Ryan flips some Olympic research on Rodger in return. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey talk to people in the college football coaching world. Then he chats with Ryan Nanni on this episode, who asks Steven which candidates will be mentioned as the up and coming trendy picks as jobs open, how the ladder of these jobs has changed, and whether last year's aggressive cycle will mean things are cooler in 2026.This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

In the same way that all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares, Phantom Island has college football but isn't a college football podcast. That's why we're announcing Numbers & Words, a new public podcast feed coming soon featuring some of our evergreen conversations with smart guests about how we can better understand the living organism that is football. If you're already a subscriber at Phantom Island, you'll have access to those episodes early, and you can listen to Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni explain the idea behind this branch on today's episode.This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Sean Highkin, author of The Rose Garden Report, joins Ryan Nanni to discuss the dueling summers of Tom Dundon, owner of both the Carolina Hurricanes and the Portland Trail Blazers. What do the parallels of his early days in Raleigh suggest about how things will go in Portland? Can Dundon's NHL approach work in the NBA, both internally and under a different media spotlight? And will Adam Silver really risk seeing another franchise from the Pacific Northwest ripped from its fanbase? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

To be clear: nobody told Steven Godfrey he had to record almost an entire episode about the Group of Six, taking questions from listeners about programs jumping up or down the college football ladder or coaches that might become hot commodities or what these conferences need to do to improve their own futures. But that's what he did all the same!This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

ESPN's Bill Connelly wrote about the potential for the College Football Playoff to take lessons from the expanded men's World Cup, so Ryan Nanni brought him on this episode to discuss what it will take for college fans to accept a tournament with teams that probably can't win a title, why international soccer has seen its talent gaps shrink, and whether we should ditch playoff seeding for a great TV opportunity. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey's feeling a soccer-filled future for U.S. sports fans, but he wants to talk about that path with Ryan Nanni first. (Somehow, this leads to a brief discussion of famous NYU graduates.) What are the indicators that would show this World Cup impacted the American audience long-term? What can we observe from the PWHL and NHL after the Winter Games? And are Godfrey and Ryan even the viewers any of these leagues should care about?This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Matt Stahl, Alabama beat writer for AL.com, was not present at the SEC's 2010 Media Days when Vanderbilt's coach told the assembled reporters about his days inseminating turkeys, but he's been working to find audio or video of the moment for some time. Steven Godfrey was in the room, and Ryan Nanni's talking to both of them about Media Days as a concept, why the internet really isn't forever, and what we can do to find the entirety of the Turkey Tape...though we did snag part of it. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey opens up the listener mailbag once again to answer questions from Phantom Island subscribers on topics including how to tell if your head coach hates one of his assistants, who might be placed at the top of a theoretical super league, how to approach getting into physical media, and whether Steven Godfrey, Color Commentator might ever come to pass.This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Rodger Sherman, author of the Sports! newsletter, joins Ryan Nanni on this episode to talk about the continued growth and expansion of almost every professional sport. Can our most popular leagues ever approach oversaturation of their audiences? What do lengthier schedules mean for completionists? And has Ryan found the best way to enjoy college football playoff broadcasts? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Sometimes, Ryan Nanni becomes excessively intrigued by an oddball sports occurrence. On this episode, he's bringing one such instance to Steven Godfrey to discuss: the time Drew Brees and the Saints nearly finished a game perfect on third down. What made this feat possible, why is it unlikely to ever be surpassed, and how long does it take Steven to trash the Saints and Sean Payton?This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Andy McGrath, freelance cycling journalist and author of Tadej Pogacar: Unstoppable joins Ryan Nanni to review four decades of French futility at cycling's biggest race. What explains the drought of French champions at the Tour de France? Will 19-year-old Paul Seixas end that losing streak? And how badly do the French want to see one of their own finish in the yellow jersey? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni review submissions from the Phantom Island audience focused on one topic: which team has the best narrative case to be the next to end a long championship absence? From division mates in the NFL to polar opposites in the NBA to a variety of baseball options, there are plenty of trophy-less teams to choose from. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Ryan Nanni is joined by Ben Strauss, Sports Business Reporter for ESPN, to discuss the evolving art of measuring/promoting/analyzing sports viewership, but not before Steven Godfrey hops on to explain the dog-related weaknesses of the old Nielsen ratings. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey is joined by ESPN's Bill Connelly to discuss if Memphis or Navy or even UTSA can take advantage of an interesting year in the American, what North Dakota State will do in year one at the FBS level, how we should think of the reconstituted Pac-12, and whether Jim Mora has magic powers.This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Dan Devine, cohost of The Big Number and senior NBA writer for Yahoo, joins Ryan Nanni to discuss the persistent narrative of Jalen Brunson, The Most Unexpected Finals MVP. What makes Brunson different from other small guards before him? Why did the league seemingly undervalue a player who'd won so consistently in high school and college? And what might teams learn from watching Brunson lead the Knicks to a titlle? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey takes the microphone for this edition of the Single Wing, answering listener questions about the Big 12's eject button, the school that reminds him of his 26-year-old truck, the theoretical basis behind It Just Means More, beverage rankings, and working with your friends.This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni have some fun exploring the cost of World Cup group stage tickets before Ryan is joined by Rachel Bachman, Senior Sports Reporter at the Wall Street Journal, who's written about the individual struggles of fans trying to get into the games of the 2026 tournament. How (and why) has FIFA changed its pricing structure for this World Cup? What was the whole deal with seat locations changing? Or the crypto path to tickets? And is this the way every organization will run its ticketing going forward? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

At the end of a week that began with Brendan Sorsby winning a temporary injunction against the NCAA and seemingly preserving his chance to play most of the 2026 season, Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni sat down to talk about what that injunction actually did and why many headlines don't describe the issues with sufficient precision. We also consider the philosophy behind the cardinal sin of sports - betting on your own team.This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Ryan Nanni is joined by Jake Kring-Schreifels to discuss Jake's recent piece on a phenomenon popping up all over MLB stadiums: loud, omnipresent music and sound effects throughout baseball games. Why are stadiums cranking up the volume? How do fans feel about the change to the traditional baseball experience? And will this become the new normal for America's pastime? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey sits down with Ryan Nanni to discuss the untimely demise of Kyle Busch and examine how we react when athletes suffer unpredictable harm, why the circumstances of Busch's death affect us in a somewhat personal manner, and whether there are any lessons to learn from this tragedy. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Rodger Sherman, writer of the Sports! newsletter, joins Ryan Nanni for a discussion of the long and tortured history of the New York Knicks under James Dolan, the historic run the team has gone on to get to the NBA Finals, and why Knicks fans may have a multibillion dollar concert venue in the Las Vegas desert to thank. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber. We're also letting you know about what's going on with a previous Phantom Island guest, D.J. Byrnes, who was arrested and charged with harassment this week, seemingly by political figures who want to punish him for doing the job of a journalist. If you'd like to support D.J., you can subscribing to his independent outlet The Rooster, or contribute to his Venmo (https://account.venmo.com/u/warrengharding) or PayPal (https://paypal.com/paypalme/ohiorooster).

Steven Godfrey is joined by ESPN's Bill Connelly for an early 2026 snapshot of where things stand in the MAC, what possible upheaval of the pecking order looks like in Conference USA, and who you should keep an eye on in the Sun Belt.This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Justin Ferguson of The Auburn Observer joins Ryan Nanni to discuss an incredibly tumultous year for Auburn's men's basketball team that ended with a championship victory in the NIT. What did the national perspective miss about Steven Pearl getting his dad's old job? How did a seemingly fine Auburn season fall to pieces? Will Bruce Pearl, Talking Head be good, bad, or both for the Tigers? And why does Ryan think the football calendar impacted how this basketball season was perceived? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

On this bonus episode, Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni examine Bear Bryant's 1970 loss to Sam Cunningham and an integrated USC team, a game mythologized as a watershed moment in the racial politics of college football in the South. Was this truly an unprecedented loss for Alabama? What efforts at integrating had Bryant and the Crimson Tide attempted before this? And did this game overshadow other trailblazers in the conference? Plus: find out about the next longform series we're making! Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Ryan Nanni sits down with Steven Godfrey to review a classic of offseason sportswriting: the coach profile. Examining the work Godfrey did interviewing coaches from James Franklin to Tom Herman to Geoff Collins, this episode explores how these pieces come together, what agendas they serve for both sides, whether you can get actual journalism from these stories, and why Godfrey eventually decided to abandon the format. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey accidentally starts a book club on Phantom Island, and entry one is American Men by Jordan Ritter Conn. Steven and Jordan discuss the economics that pop up across the four stories that make up the book, the role sports play in this examination of modern masculinity, and the closeness Jordan achieves in bringing readers to the four men of his book. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Susannah Fuller, host of the Kickback Committee, joins Ryan Nanni to discuss Major League Soccer's motivation to align its schedule with the rest of the world in the men's game, why the National Women's Soccer League came to the opposite conclusion, and what the shift (and non-shift) will mean for both leagues. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

The Pete Carroll Seahawks gave their fans and the football world a seemingly endless supply of spectacle. More than a decade since their Super Bowl triumph over the Broncos and subsequent Super Bowl agony on the goal line against the Patriots, how do Seattle fans feel about the past, present, and future of their team? We talked to Mina Kimes, Jacson Bevens, and Natalie Weiner (before Seattle won another title) about the highs, lows, and in-betweens of rooting for the Seahawks. Presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

On this edition of the Single Wing, Steven Godfrey answers subscriber questions about alternative Nick Saban timelines, nostalgia for College GameDay, the Fuente and Pry eras at Virginia Tech, and how the new Pac-12 will sit in the eyes of the Playoff Committee. Oh, he also has some thoughts on That Lane Kiffin Profile.This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Ryan Nanni is joined by Sports Business Journal's Ben Portnoy to discuss how we can make sense of the steady trickle of news linking universities and conferences to private capital/equity, why investors think college sports are a good place to park millions of dollars, what schools actually plan to do with new capital, and whether this will close financial gaps between programs or widen them. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Former UNC football player and current TarHeel247 analyst Michael Felder joins Ryan Nanni to discuss the football failures of Bill Belichick's first year in Chapel Hill. Where did the defense find improvement over the course of the season? Was the offensive failure an issue of identity or execution? What's the case for optimism in year two? And what does Felder think is the root problem that will determine whether this team ever works under Belichick? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

It's early May, which means it's the perfect time for Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni to sit down and scheme up a plan to build a Week 2 in college football that helps address realignment fatigue, geographic rivalries, and NFL creep. And we'll only need the cooperation of Oklahoma, Air Force, USC, Missouri, Miami, Baylor, Cal, Notre Dame, Maryland, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, and a few dozen others to make it real. No sweat! This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey is joined by Lindsay Crosby, host of Braves Today, to discuss The Battery, the mixed-use development that opened in 2017 with retail, office space, and residences that functions as one little mini economy all benefiting the fortunes of the Atlanta Braves. What did people think of The Battery when it was announced? Why do so many other teams want their own version? And could Cobb County children one day go to Braves Elementary before growing up to buy houses from Braves Homebuilders? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

A Phantom Island subscriber asks Ryan Nanni and Steven Godfrey whether labor discussions in sports will change the way we think about the topic in the broader world, and that prompts a much longer conversation between the two about media work as advocacy, sports as an escape from the burdens of politics, and, yes, the Josh Pate interview of Trump. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey returns to take questions from Phantom Island listeners on a variety of subjects, including the Brendan Sorsby gambling saga, flag football's emergence as a college sport, the reasonable outlook for Rich Rodriguez in his second year back in Morgantown, and a partial review of Godfrey's collection of Atlanta Braves hats.This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.