In sports, success is the pinnacle of how legacy is established. There are many steps organizations take to achieve even the smallest victories. However, few franchises develop into dynasties where a team becomes an influential case study. Those franchises are the subject of a new podcast recently launched featuring J.A. Adande and Chuck Todd.
The podcast is called Dynastic, a longform historical series that explores how franchises build toward championships and how those championships shape legacy. Each episode examines how a team impacted its sport and the broader cultural significance of that success. The concept was developed by Todd and his business partner Steve Hull, who pitched the idea to Adande to gauge his interest.
“I just kind of trusted that it [Dynastic] would work,” said Adande. “I didn’t know Chuck [Todd] prior to this. Obviously, I knew who Chuck was, but I didn’t have a personal relationship with him… It’s great working with someone as professional and accomplished as Chuck Todd.”
Adande is no stranger to the sports media space. For nearly 25 years, he served in multiple roles at ESPN and as a columnist at the Los Angeles Times, in addition to positions with The Washington Post and the Chicago Sun-Times. Adande is also a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, earning the Curt Gowdy Print Media Award in 2024.
Why Dynastic Works
However, Dynastic marks his return to podcasting after several years away. He said that previous podcast opportunities often found him, but he was drawn to Dynastic because of its flexible schedule.
“I’m more interested in doing [a podcast] now that I’m not doing Around the Horn anymore,” explained Adande. “It’s a better time for me to do a regular podcast, and I like the pacing of Dynastic. It’s still not overly time consuming.”
The content approach is straightforward. Each episode focuses on a single franchise, with new installments recorded twice per month. The teams featured are selected two to three episodes in advance. From there, extensive research follows, ranging from online sources to trips Adande makes to the Chicago Public Library.
This process unfolds alongside Adande’s role as Associate Professor and Director of Sports Journalism at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. Even in the podcast’s early stages, he has been encouraged by the response.
“I’ve had so many people contact me that don’t necessarily follow what I do professionally, and they all seemed really interested. The overall feedback has been positive,” says Adande. “Dynastic fills a niche to look back and understand. I want to promote a historical understanding.”
One advantage of the format is its evergreen nature. While history continues to evolve, the depth of research and context gives each episode a longer shelf life.
“It’s not like it’s expensive to do what we’re doing, but it’s time consuming,” said Adande. “I think there are people who want a fuller meal than just the fast-food drive thru experience… There’s a value to evergreen content too. A podcast that we pattern ourselves after is The Rewatchables. The genius of that podcast is that it is evergreen… Two to three months later, the episode still holds up.”
Teaching By Example
Adande acknowledged he is still adjusting his writing style for podcasting. As an instructor, he uses his own scripts to show students how he is adapting to a different medium. While he writes less for Dynastic than in past roles, his experience reflects an ongoing evolution in his approach to storytelling.
For the past decade, Adande has taught full time at Northwestern Medill. Over a career spanning more than two decades, he has witnessed significant changes in the sports journalism industry. Despite the decline of some traditional outlets, his students remain optimistic about their future.
“Their perspective hasn’t changed as much, but the industry has. There is still a lot of people who would like to do longform writing, and the avenues to do that just aren’t there the way they were before,” explained Adande.
He said he has always enjoyed teaching, even while balancing roles at the Los Angeles Times and ESPN earlier in his career. Despite industry shifts, he continues to value the academic environment.
“It’s great to be in an environment where everyone is trying to get better. It hasn’t changed as much as the industry has changed. Teaching at school is great. It’s the real world that’s changed not so great,” says Adande. “I still believe in what we do, and still enjoy it especially when someone gets it.”
One of the most rewarding aspects of teaching, he said, is sharing real-world experiences with both graduate and undergraduate students. This year, Adande accompanied a group of graduate students to the Super Bowl in San Francisco. More recently, he joined undergraduate students at the NCAA men’s basketball regionals in Chicago.
He enjoys seeing major events through the eyes of students experiencing them for the first time. While job opportunities may be evolving, he remains optimistic that journalism will continue to adapt.
Journalism Concerns
However, he does have concerns about the future of investigative journalism, particularly as leagues gain ownership stakes in networks that cover them. A recent example is the NFL’s 10% acquisition of ESPN, which included control of NFL Network, NFL Fantasy, and distribution rights for the RedZone channel.
“There has to be concern, but there still will be great reporting. That won’t go away, but will there be great journalism? My working definition of journalism is telling true stories that would otherwise not be told,” says Adande. “If there’s more outlets that aren’t allowed to talk about these things, and they’re the biggest outlets. Yes, that’s concerning.”
Adande believes strong journalism will endure, even if the business model continues to shift.
“It used to be that all the best journalists work at the best places and be paid the most because they’ve earned it. Now, not even all the best can afford to be paid by these same institutions,” explains Adande. “Is there going to be funding to do the deep investigative stories? That I’m worried about. However, just because the great entities aren’t investing in great journalism doesn’t mean great journalism won’t be around any more.”
The End of Around the Horn
Adande may be best known for his regular appearances on ESPN’s Around the Horn, which ended in May 2025 after more than 4,900 episodes. He made nearly 1,300 appearances on the program, beginning in November 2002.
He said he is not surprised ESPN has yet to name a permanent replacement for Around the Horn as the lead-in to Pardon The Interruption. In fact, he views the show’s conclusion as part of a broader shift.
“This wasn’t about ending Around the Horn. It was about ending studio shows in general,” said Adande. “The daytime programming was just something to fill the airtime in-between games. Now in the streaming world, you don’t fill airtime. So, there won’t be this need for studio shows and that’s why you haven’t seen a replacement. Because it wasn’t about replacing Around the Horn. It was about phasing out those type of shows.”
He pointed to ESPN placing another episode of SportsCenter in the former time slot as evidence of that trend.
“The big names that can draw big audience and eat up a lot of time. The Stephen A. Smith’s and Pat McAfee’s. Those will continue, for now. But I don’t think you’ll see anyone replacing them when it’s time for them to move on,” said Adande. “ESPN doesn’t want to invest and develop anymore.”
Adande has long believed Around the Horn was ahead of its time. He referenced host Tony Reali describing the show as “Zoom before Zoom.” Even now, he still hears calls for a similar format on platforms like YouTube.
However, he said replicating the production quality of Around the Horn in today’s environment would be difficult.
“One of the great crises in America is the acceptance of lesser caliber products,” explains Adande. “The thought today is it’s easy and everyone can do it now, but the audience standards aren’t that high. But if you try to aim higher, maybe you can have something that lasts. I don’t see anything that you’re seeing now are going to last 22 years like Around the Horn did. I’m really proud to be on a show that lasted over two decades. I’m not sure how many things will have that kind of staying power.”
Now, with Dynastic, Adande is doing what he has always done best—slowing the game down and adding context where others rush past it. In an era driven by immediacy and volume, his latest project is a reminder that depth still matters, that history still teaches, and that the stories worth telling are often the ones that take time to fully understand.
If the industry continues to shift toward speed, Dynastic stands as a deliberate counter—proof that there is still an audience for substance and still a place for storytellers committed to getting it right.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
