For this week’s eavesdropping feature, I headed out west and tuned into Mason & Ireland on ESPN LA 710, owned by Good Karma Brands. Steve Mason and John Ireland have been on-and-off radio partners since 1992. The duo recently finished fourth in the Barrett Sports Media Major Market Midday Show rankings for 2024 and have been staples on the list since its inception in 2015.
Airing during midday, the show delivers an engaging mix of analysis, insider perspectives, and lively debates on the biggest stories in LA and beyond. The duo’s chemistry and humor make it one of the most entertaining and longest-running sports radio shows in Southern California. For all intents and purposes, it is the show of record in the city.
Mason has decades of experience in broadcasting. Before joining ESPN LA, he built a successful career in both radio and television. Known for his bold opinions and infectious enthusiasm, he is also a die-hard Los Angeles sports fan who isn’t afraid to stir the pot with hot takes and friendly debates.
Ireland, meanwhile, is the current radio play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers and has an extensive background in both television and radio. Before teaming up with Mason, he was a reporter for KCAL 9 and an anchor on Fox Sports Net West. His insider access to the Lakers provides fans with unique insights they can’t get anywhere else. Ireland balances Mason’s fiery takes with a more measured, analytical approach, creating an extremely well-rounded show.
The episode kicked off with a great crosstalk segment featuring mid-morning hosts Travis Rodgers and D’Marco Farr, where the conversation revolved around Mason’s legendary house parties—one of which was taking place that evening. The dress code became a hot topic, but Mason reassured everyone, “You literally could come in your pajamas, and you’d be fine.”
The discussion then shifted to Ireland’s Lakers broadcast partner, Mychal Thompson, and some of his quirks—such as bringing his own snacks and drinks to parties and restaurants. Ireland shared a classic story about Thompson walking into a fancy steakhouse with a “red Solo cup of Caymus wine” and pulling a personal ketchup bottle from his jacket when the restaurant didn’t serve it.
As the show officially got underway, the hot topic was Bronny James, who had his best night as a pro the night before. Pushing back against the idea that Bronny is only in the league because of his father, the hosts referenced stats to argue that his performance and contract align with other late second-round picks. As Ireland put it, “Bronny’s NBA stats are on par with a late-fifties pick… and his contract is the standard second-round pick exception.”
Ireland later addressed the criticism surrounding Bronny, stating, “There are people that just despise LeBron, and the sins of the father are placed on the son.” The hosts also mentioned other successful figures in sports and media—such as Joe Buck and Noah Eagle—who got opportunities due to their family name but ultimately proved themselves.
“If some rando 55th pick in the draft played last night and scored 17 points, what would you be saying about him?” Ireland quipped.
Next, they played a clip of Stephen A. Smith admitting he may have been wrong about Bronny, acknowledging that if he keeps improving, he’ll become a “bona fide player sooner than later.” Mason emphasized that Bronny himself insisted on playing in the G-League for development, contradicting early reports that he wouldn’t travel for games.
The Sports Graffiti segment—an anything-goes portion of the show with lots of caller interaction and laughter—kicked off with a listener questioning how Bronny James was drafted. Ireland quickly pointed to the previous night’s performance and asked, “Did that look like a guy who can’t play in the league?”
The show then took a more serious turn when a caller shared his struggles after being laid off from Amazon. Both hosts encouraged the listener not to give up and offered advice on what to do next.
What followed was plenty of Lakers talk. One caller wanted to dive into whether the team would use an eight- or nine-man rotation moving forward, while another compared Bronny to Elon Musk, saying, “People love to hate success.”
Later in the hour, Tim Lavin—a former USC football walk-on and author of Walk On U—joined the show. He explained that the NCAA’s pending $2.8 billion settlement in the House v. NCAA lawsuit could have an unintended consequence: eliminating walk-ons entirely. “For 75-plus years, walk-ons have been a vital part of college sports,” Lavin explained. But in the wake of the NIL revolution and backpay settlements, the NCAA and schools seem eager to slash costs, and walk-ons might be the easiest sacrifice.
Mason and Ireland were quick to call out the absurdity of the situation. “So, if you’re a walk-on, you must be paid now?” Ireland asked incredulously. “What’s wrong with just letting someone sign a waiver?” Lavin admitted he didn’t know if that was an option, but he argued that there had to be a better way than outright elimination.
“Seems like people smarter than us could come up with a way to save walk-ons,” Ireland added. But Mason put it bluntly: “The NCAA is a bunch of incompetent boobs, and we need to get rid of them anyway.”
Lavin urged listeners to visit walkonyou.com and spread the word before the final hearing on April 7. Whether that will be enough to stop what feels like another overcorrection in the NIL era remains to be seen.
One of the best parts of the show is its unpredictability. A discussion about RSVP’ing for events somehow led to a story about a man being removed from a plane for spending too much time in the bathroom, which then spiraled into a debate about how someone like Shaq manages on an airplane.
This is when the show is at its best—a perfect mix of sports, pop culture, and utterly random yet hilarious diversions. You come for the Lakers updates but stay for the unexpected detours into the logistics of the Mile High Club.
Later, the topics included the 11-year-old LA kid who pulled the rare Paul Skenes card and sold it for $1.1 million, as well as McDonald’s latest marketing ploy—an adult Happy Meal featuring collectible Minecraft toys in the UK and Ireland. The crew debated what would make a genuinely appealing adult Happy Meal toy, with QR codes for streaming content emerging as an intriguing idea.
The hour wrapped on a more serious note with a discussion about the NCAA’s new anti-gambling campaign. The PSA warns bettors not to harass college athletes, stating, “There’s losing, and then there’s being a loser.” Ireland was fully on board, saying, “Nobody wants to be a loser,” and he advocated for banning individual college player prop bets nationwide, just as some states—like Ohio—have already done.
Mason raised an interesting point about the shifting landscape of college athletics, noting, “The line we used to use was, ‘We’re not going to call out college guys because they don’t get paid.’ Now they do.”
The first couple of hours of Mason & Ireland last Friday had everything that makes the show great: sports, nostalgia, funny stories, and quick wit. Steve Mason and John Ireland continue to put on a daily clinic on how to entertain an audience each weekday.
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Dave Greene is a former Editor and Columnist for Barrett Media. His background includes over 25 years in media and content creation. A former sports talk host and play-by-play broadcaster, Dave transitioned to station and sales management, co-founded and created a monthly sports publication and led an ownership group as the operating partner. He has managed stations and sales teams for Townsquare Media, Cumulus Media and Audacy. Upon leaving broadcast media he co-founded Podcast Heat, a sports and entertainment podcasting network specializing in pro wrestling nostalgia. To interact, find him on Twitter @mr_podcasting.
