I am a proud participant in the greatest fantasy football league in the world. That is not hyperbole. If you don’t believe me, go check out the Oil for yourself; prepare to be amazed.
During the earlier years, commissioner Justin C. Cliburn was blazing a trail other commissioners could only try to follow. We didn’t just have fantasy football teams, we had personalities, and logos, and uniforms. Justin essentially created an entire alternate universe. I still envy his vision. One thing that didn’t survive though, was our podcast.
The Dead Ball Foul Show was originally launched to entertain the 14 managers in our league. We used it to recap the draft, and provide weekly updates and analysis on the happenings in our league. Justin and I partnered with Josh Hastings and served as the three-headed-monster that dished out weekly fantasy analysis. It didn’t take long for us to realize that if we broadened our commentary, the show could help anyone outside the league with their fantasy questions. The podcast blossomed into something bigger than we ever intended it to be.
Eventually we spent half the episodes on fantasy football, and the other half talking about everything else. Our jokes, social commentary, and side-bar conversations became more popular than any football talk. It was unrehearsed, spontaneous, and fun. Listeners provided feedback that instigated us to keep pumping out shows that were completely non-football related. Although we weren’t professionals by any stretch of the imagination, nor were we able to all three agree on where the show should go – and as life happened, the show fizzled out. Being an rookie and sort of in a complicated place in my life at that time, I wouldn’t say I’m proud of the product, but I miss doing a podcast.
Recently, I started laying the groundwork for a new podcast. I’m calling it Civil War. The concept is to get two guests on each episode who I know have opposing opinions on a specific topic. I want to promote a serious, but non-combative discussion. I’m hoping to use my blog as my platform to expand the conversations. I am interested in virtually everything; it’s a flaw. I don’t think I’m unique in this respect though. Not every conversation has to be a debate, nor does every interesting topic need to be political. I’m hoping to craft honest and passionate commentary as a podcast host, and get even more in-depth commentary using blog posts after each episode.
You know what drives me crazy? I hate it when I watch a political debate in any capacity where a very complicated question is asked, but only 2 minutes are given for a response. It’s like asking a presidential candidate, “In 2 minutes or less, explain your position regarding a solution for the rising cost of healthcare.” Anyone who thinks they can intelligently answer a question like that in less than 2 minutes does not have an answer worth hearing. Why not spend the appropriate amount of time on topics of that magnitude? That’s what I hope to do, but with a variety of categories, not just political ones.
I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to get organized. I launched this blog, started prepping for the podcast, started talking to potential guests…I’ve been busy. I’m excited to see the product after all the hard work. I hope you’ll join me for the journey. The best way to start is by hitting the subscribe button for this blog, and checking out the new podcast; I hope to have an inaugural episode launched soon. I would love to hear ideas for shop topics.
