Show-Cause Conversations: Mary Ellen Pethel

113: The Academic Year Concludes, Congressional Bill is DOA, and Which Program will Adopt the Norwegian World Cup Row?

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2508218/fan_mail/new] On today's show, we officially turn the page on the 2025-26 Academic Year.  Baseball has finished, with Oklahoma completing their underdog journey. Baseball, perhaps more than any other collegiate sport is facing the NIL era with roster building questions [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7387199/2026/06/24/college-baseball-nil-roster-national-championship/], but also opportunity as exhibited by the CWS field.  The Protect College Sports Act may have made it out of committee but the discord it is sowing among collegiate contingents, most notably the SEC and Big Ten gives it little chance of getting through Congress. The one notable element that may come from this is the waters being test on the dreaded Super League discussion. It looks like the NCAA 5 for 5 eligibility rule is all but a done deal. It's an overall positive move, even with lawsuits sure to be incoming. Brendan Sorsby got a surprise from the NFL [https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ8M_EcITL3/?hl=en] in that they informed him they were not holding an NFL supplemental Draft and even went further to explain why they roadblocked him. Dusty May leaves Michigan for the NBA mere months after winning the title, but we explain that this isn't the first such instance, and how this may come down to May's professional preferences and not a total indictment of the College Basketball caoching profession. On the other hand, if you are going to be a coach in this landscape, you have to want to navigate it. Lastly, we really want to celebrate college sports and sports as a whole. Even though we are a college sports podcast, the scenes from the fans of the World Cup thus far, coming from all over in the good spirit of competition, exemplifies the best of what we see in college sports. We give that a nod and also postulate who may be adopting one of the coolest fan cheers.

112: Catching Up with Texas Tech Outflanked and the Longhorns Capturing the Director's Cup

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2508218/fan_mail/new] We are baaack [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhYIVfMYFg8], and trying to pace ourselves with taking on all the developments from our week away. Of course, the biggest development was Brendan Sorsby forgoing his fight against the NCAA and the Big 12 and choosing to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft.  Untimely move by the Big 12 in terms of our Show-Cause Conversation we posted last Monday with a sports lawyer, but we bring everything up to speed and ultimately, how we feel releived with the outcome, definitely not with the process [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7367629/2026/06/17/brendan-sorsby-texas-tech-stopped-fight-nfl/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983&userId=26004856&source=dailyemail]. We also touch on the final NCAA titles of the year, with Outdoor Track decided and Baseball with just one game to go. We know that Texas has once again captured the Director's Cup [https://247sports.com/college/texas/article/texas-ad-chris-del-conte-reveals-the-key-to-the-longhorns-directors-cup-success-287772518/], 5 of the last 6 for the Longhorns and AD Chris Del Conte, we discuss their process, it's not a nuanced one, but effective obviously. A lot has happened and a lot to look forward to heading into summer.

Show-Cause Conversations: Adam Drake Returns to Discuss College Rowing and Building the Ideal Burger (The Meat is the Meat)

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2508218/fan_mail/new] We welcome back Adam Drake for part 3, a continuation of our somewhat college sports discussion, mixed in with our usual stream of consciousness banter and off the wall thoughts. We breakdown the recent college rowing championships and whether I made a bad comparison for its rivalries on the men's side. We also touch on the Sorsby saga and a whole host of other non-sports topics like me crafting my ideal burger, sitcom universe crossovers and much more.

Show-Cause Conversations: Michael Elkins

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2508218/fan_mail/new] We finally had some legal representation on the show; Michael Elkins joined us to discuss Brendan Sorsby and a variety of college sports topics from his legal expertise point of view. Michael is a 25-year labor, employment, and sports attorney who founded MLE Law [https://mlelawfirm.com/], and he has been quoted by CNN, Forbes, Bloomberg, and Newsweek on issues ranging from NFL controversies to collective bargaining fights. He explains the Sorsby injunction decision from a legal perspective which may alter how you think about the judge's ruling. We also discuss, NIL, the NCAA's inability to change, Super League potentials, collective bargaining in college sports, among other current topics. Appreciative of his time and thoughtful discussions on this subject. You can follow Michael on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/melkins1/], Tik Tok [https://www.tiktok.com/@melkins1], and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mlelaw/] on the socials.

111: Sorsby Fallout, College World Series Set to Begin, and Do The Rules Still Matter??

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2508218/fan_mail/new] The Sorsby injunction is still the topic dominating college sports and it leaves us wondering if the rules still matter anymore.....and we're a rules podcast! There are still two sports left going right now: Baseball begins the College World Series on Friday and the Track and Field Championships commence in Oregon. But the focus remains on Sorsby and Texas Tech's response to the backlash. The AD is taking the moderate, protective route [https://texastech.com/news/2026/6/10/football-kirby-hocutt-statement-on-brendan-sorsby]. Meanwhile, Cody Campbell is going more offensive tactic, even invoking Penn State! Can the Big 12 do something? All indications are it will not succeed, even with the ire and the threat of non-scheduling from other power conference schools. What a mess has been made, we just want college sports to be preserved for what makes them great, including the interity of the competition. Will that survive? For now, the answer is nobody knows.