The Active Voice

When he’s about to hit publish on a take that he knows will catch some heat, Ethan Strauss feels like he is about to step off a high diving board. He’s scared, but he knows he will do it anyway.

“That, to me, feels good,” he says. “The entirety of the process and that particular catharsis feels good.”

Ethan writes about the intersection of sport and culture—especially when it comes to the NBA—on House of Strauss, where he also hosts a cult-favorite podcast. He made his name in sports media through covering the Golden State Warriors for ESPN and The Athletic (they’re also the subject of his book, The Victory Machine), but more recently he has become known for defying a silent consensus in his industry. Hence the wobbly knees on the diving board.

In August 2020, he wrote a piece analyzing the NBA’s ratings decline and wondered if it could, in part, be explained by the league’s social justice politics. That piece, coming at that time, won him some enemies. But he hasn’t backed off.

Ethan continues to explore positions that might otherwise get a sports writer cast out from polite society, whether it be an examination of Nike turning away from masculinity in its marketing, or talent agencies’ secret power over the NBA, or Kyrie Irving’s punishment for refusing to take a Covid vaccine.

The result? A body of work that can feel bracingly different, that often provokes, and that always creates room for thought—demonstrating that sports are so much bigger than the game on the field.

https://houseofstrauss.substack.com/

Ethan’s recommended reads:

https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/

https://www.blockedandreported.org/

https://wethefifth.substack.com/

https://nancyrommelmann.substack.com/

https://smokeempodcast.substack.com/

Show notes

Subscribe to Ethan’s Substack, House of Strauss

Find Ethan on Twitter

The clip Ethan discusses from Comedian with Jerry Seinfeld

Ethan’s book, The Victory Machine

[02:10] The horseshoe effect

[04:14] The sports and culture intersection

[12:15] Speaking out on the NBA’s declining viewership

[23:19] Having moral Tourette’s

[24:44] Ethan’s childhood

[28:09] Jumping off the diving board

[36:34] Twitter and conformity

[48:02] Ethan’s early career

[51:21] The Ricky Rubio story

[58:16] Covering the Golden State Warriors

[01:05:11] Being laid off

[01:09:27] Writing a book in lockdown

[01:14:49] Running an independent business

[01:21:05] Ethan’s recommended Substack writers

The Active Voice is a podcast hosted by Hamish McKenzie, featuring weekly conversations with writers about how the internet is affecting the way they live and write. It is produced by Hanne Winarsky, with audio engineering by Seven Morris, content production by Hannah Ray, and production support from Bailey Richardson. All artwork is by Joro Chen, and music is by Phelps & Munro.