Episodes

  • The Single Wing: The Drop-Down Dilemma (PREVIEW)
    Apr 3 2026

    On this edition of the Single Wing, Steven Godfrey answers questions from Phantom Island listeners on topics from Sonny Dykes talking transfer interceptions to grill and smoker strategies to when and why a program might consider dropping from FBS to FCS.

    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.

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    5 mins
  • Is Ohio State's media stranglehold an outlier?
    Apr 1 2026

    D.J. Byrnes, proprietor of The Rooster and frequent burr in the saddle of Important People in Ohio, joins Steven Godfrey to talk about his reporting on The Ohio State University, the media landscape in Ohio and around the Buckeyes, and the many bombshells Ohio State is trying to smother. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • Sports Courts, AFCON, and the Philosophy of Overturning Games (PREVIEW)
    Mar 27 2026

    Ryan Nanni sits down with Steven Godfrey to explain what happened at the end of stoppage time in the Senegal-Morocco AFCON Final and the lengthy appeals review that followed. This turns into a conversation about whether or not Godfrey would accept the overturning of the 28-3 Super Bowl in Atlanta's favor and the time the Hawks and Heat had to replay part of a game weeks later because the officials forgot how to count to six.

    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.

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    14 mins
  • What if we merged the men's and women's Final Four?
    Mar 25 2026

    Rachel Bachman, senior sports reporter for the Wall Street Journal, joins Steven Godfrey to talk about the comparative economics of March Madness for men's and women's basketball. Did the NCAA shortchange the women by continuing to bundle their rights with other sports? Why does the current setup force fans to choose between one tournament or the other? And could/should we host both Final Fours in one location? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

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    56 mins
  • The Single Wing: A Surprisingly Football-Heavy March Episode (PREVIEW)
    Mar 20 2026

    Steven Godfrey takes questions from the Phantom Island audience and turns them into this, the Single Wing, where he discusses Coach Transition Etiquette, the theoretical rise of G6 super scheduling, whether NIL will change professional rookie finances, Godfrey's Letterboxd top four, and plenty 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.

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    4 mins
  • Should the United States change how it funds its Olympians?
    Mar 18 2026

    How does an episode go from Ryan Nanni and Steven Godfrey discussing the Toyota Corolla to Ryan bringing on Rodger Sherman to consider why there is no simple term for "an athlete who competes in skeleton?" When it's time to discuss the differences between how the U.S. funds its Olympic athletes and how most other countries do it, of course. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber. Read Rodger's work at his newsletter, Sports!

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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • How did the sports world respond to the death of Martin Luther King Jr.?
    Mar 11 2026

    Early in the evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered at the Lorraine Motel. The NBA and NHL were in the middle of the playoffs, Major League Baseball was nearly to Opening Day, and many other sports had space lined up on the calendar. Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni review how each league responded to the assassination of the civil rights leader, where the relationship athletes had to King influenced reactions, and what, if anything, we might learn from the past about how teams and leagues handle events like the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

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    54 mins
  • A frantic tour of the G5's scheduling chaos (PREVIEW)
    Mar 9 2026

    Somehow, Louisiana Tech's lawsuit against Conference USA leads to a discussion about scheduling irregularities involving the MAC, the Mountain West, and various FCS programs. (Ryan is still not confident he understands what's going on.)

    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.

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    5 mins