Phantom Island

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).