The Future of Wisconsin Football with Brandon Ewing (Hour 2)

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On location, it's the Todd Alba Show.

And now, pursuing truth wherever it may lead, here's your host, Todd Alba.

across Wisconsin on the Civic Media radio network and streaming worldwide on the Civic Media app.

Good afternoon, everybody.

Ta-da!

Along with Mr. Aaron Zommers, our producer and engineer, it is Friday, TGIF November 7th.

2025.

It is a great day to be in Wisconsinite.

Welcome everybody to hour number two of the big program here.

Six minutes past the hour of three o'clock.

We are live from WRCE in Richland Center.

Beautiful heart of the Driftless area.

I am here.

Aaron Zommers is back at the home station, the world headquarters of Civic Media at the intersection of State and Fairchild, downtown Madison.

Zommers, now we got the weather report there from John Roach, who was out on that big bike ride.

John Roach, there's a guy that could do it all.

He makes great documentaries.

He can make great commercials.

He's a marketer.

He's a Renaissance guy.

He knows sports and he bikes whatever it was, 13 miles.

And he said there was snow.

It was spitting snow, as they say, in Western Dane County.

Give us the 411 of the weather in downtown Madison.

Well, I'll pull up the Sam Davison street cam.

Oh, nice.

Especially relevant because Sam Davison was here today.

Really?

You know, civic media employee long time left to go work on teaching.

And the camp counselor, Dom Lee, the normal producer for Madison's Johnny Gordy show, was out sick today.

Oh, Sam filled in.

Out

sick.

Oh, right.

So Sam was

back for a for a rare appearance.

Very good.

That's great.

Downtown Madison is pretty chill.

It's downtown Madison is pretty although there were more people out than maybe normal this time of the afternoon.

Lots of people anticipation for the Wisconsin Badger football game.

perhaps we'll see.

Now, Dom, Dom's been on the show before, when you were out sick, did Dom, is he, is he suffering hairballs?

Because he went as Garfield the cat for Halloween, is he, is he suffering from hairball problems?

I did not ask.

I don't want to violate HIPAA or anything like that.

Oh,

sure.

Well, best,

I hope Dom feels better.

I will say the floors were a little wet and hairy in here, so I mean, infer from that what you will.

All right, well Dom I hope you feel very better soon and Great Sam is is filling in as well appreciate that update there Yeah, and I can tell you here in the Southwest in Richland Center cloudy cloudy skies We will ask our next next guest when he gets here at the bottom of the hour Brandon Ewing how the weather is as he's He here's here's the type of guy that Brandon Ewing is he texted me He says I'm coming into the station here.

Do you need anything from quick trip?

Now, how about that

guy?

You're

how a guest that also offers to get a quick trip and I said, no, I'm good right now because I'll belch if I eat much on the air.

So I have my I have my red solo cup of water and I'm just fine.

Thank you very much.

It

is.

I believe I know.

I

know.

I wish it weren't but but it is water.

Yeah.

Many thanks to John Roach for being here in our number two.

As we said, Brandon Union will join us at the bottom.

He is a high school coach going to talk about what

athletics means to kids in this part of the state.

Rural kids in general.

I mean, I think there are some similarities to all kids, but maybe there are some unique things that it means to kids here in southwest Wisconsin.

And of course, Brandon, the older brother of our regular contributor Brady Ewing, two-time Big Ten champion, spent three years in the NFL.

And let me tell you,

Brandon doesn't need anybody to help him with takes on Wisconsin football and the NFL.

So we'll, we'll get a clip from Chris McIntosh, the athletic director at Wisconsin, announcing that Luke Fickle is getting another year.

He'll be here another year.

at Wisconsin we'll talk to Brandon about that and much more always great when a Ewing brother stops by the the Ewing bros in general are great people so we'll have one here sitting at the table with me here in just a few minutes but right now 10 minutes past the hour of three o'clock time once again for another Wisconsin fun

fact

All right.

Yes.

Time is the Wisconsin ballot.

Sherry Saracen.

Time now for the Wisconsin fun fact.

Listen up.

On November 7th, 1863, the fifth Wisconsin infantry fought in the second battle of Rappanack.

What is it, Zomers?

Rappahannock.

Thank you.

Rappahannock Station in Virginia.

the battle was quote a complete and glorious victory unquote for the north it was as humiliating for the south as glorious for the north colonel walter h taylor a confederate of confederate general lee's staff called it quote the saddest chapter in the history of this army unquote the result of quote miserable miserable management unquote so yeah

Colonel Taylor could have just as easily been referring to the 2024 Democratic presidential campaign And that's how we play Wisconsin a fun fact All right, very good, uh, well, this is great Zommer's we're here in the old hometown.

Do you have any big plans for this weekend by the way?

Well, yeah, I was thinking about going back to Manitowoc, visiting the family a little bit.

I still might do that.

But also, I haven't seen John Roach's movie A Road at Night yet, and that would be the perfect opportunity tomorrow.

I've also never been to Mineral Point, so.

Get yourself to Mineral

Point.

Yeah, it's really, really a cool little town, Mineral Point.

And the film, yes, it's heavy and much of it, powerful, but very, very powerful.

And there is, I think Roach hit it exactly right, as he always does.

It makes you look internally and say, I need to appreciate every day that I have with the people that I love.

So I encourage you to go see it.

I'm going to be spending a little time here in the RC.

And I'm going to try to get some reading in Zombers.

I don't get enough reading in these days.

But boy, howdy, I stopped by a bookstore here on the way out yesterday and Kenny Chesney's.

New, I'll call it autobiographer memoir, Heart Life Music.

There it is right now, Heart Life Music in bookstores now.

And I can't, I'm a big Kenny Chesney fan and he talks about growing up in rural Tennessee.

You know,

some similarities to rural Wisconsin and how he followed his dreams.

So I'm going to try to get a little reading in and you know, I'm sure mom has a chore list.

We'll get to that as well.

So

just hanging out here.

My main question about that.

Are you weakly allowed to open that book outside of a beach?

Well, that's the right there.

I asked Luke Mathers.

I said, don't you think we we want to do the show from a from a Virgin Island beach to make it authentic to talk about this?

I got shot down.

The answer was no.

No, no, you don't have to do.

But I

try.

You give it your

all.

Yeah, I try.

I try.

All right, girls, try this 13 past the hour of three o'clock time once again for what's worse.

Let's go.

Time once again for what's worse nothing of way no prize money involved But is your chance to have your voice heard on all ten news talk sports stations across the state of Wisconsin?

Glad to have you along as Mike Lucas the great sports writer says timely timely indeed the iPhone 17 is out and setting record sales but

Google pixel pixel dust Google whatever it's called phone Android phone.

It's also making big sales.

So the question today We've never done this one.

I'll be very interested to see what's worse iPhone or Android iPhone or Android 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 I think this is fantastic

Because people have feelings about which it's kind of like I guess sports teams a little bit maybe a little bit the

other

things people have good

I've always been into technology since I was very young and I was you know Mac versus PC or iPhone versus Android is always something or Xbox versus PlayStation like

any of

those tech companies against each other

It's always very interesting.

And over the years, it would go back and forth like crazy.

But now they're closer than they've ever been in terms of quality.

Like if you want to use an iPhone or an Android, for the most part, I don't know if you can go wrong now.

But there are still a lot of key things that people do have strong feelings about.

What's worse, iPhone or Android phones, 855, 752, wait, wait.

is it is it correct to say android phone or do you just say android

android phones correct i mean people normally just say android but it's not oh really yeah because i want to hear android i think a c-3 p-o well he's just a droid not an android because you know star wars makes up there

just a droid yeah eight five five seven five two four eight four two eight five five seven five two four eight four two what's worse iphone or android

Give us give us a call.

I can also Let us know on the YouTube channel the civic media YouTube channel on Facebook at the Todd all ball show or civic media or also on X Twitter on civic media as well or text us on the civic media app You can download it at your Apple or Android phone for free today Go to your app store type in civic CIVC media.

It'll pop up takes less than a minute.

It's what gale king of CBS

at least for now calls a deal the civic media app what's worse apple or iphone or android now this is the fact the texts are coming in fast and furious and this is very interesting to me uh on tim jake a tim on wiss and ash gosh has iphone just iphone is worse aj listen to us on wmdx in madison

iPhone with an exclamation point is worse.

All right.

AJ in Madison on MDX says you have to like change your whole life when you get an iPhone to watch the computer, etc.

All right, that's that's a good point.

That's a good point.

Let's go to the phone lines 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 scott listening in in appleton via w i s s and ashgash scott iphone or android what's worse?

It's those iphone people that also did not know how to run their vcrs And toasters for that

matter and what?

And they're toasters for that

matter

So you're saying you're saying those must use iPhones is completely technology stupid

You

can be honest, I don't care

You know the people that didn't know how to do the VCRs, right?

I may have been one of them one point

Ask yourself this

did the people that didn't know how to operate their VCRs, would they be good with an iPhone today?

If they didn't know how to operate a VCR, then yes, they're probably good with an iPhone.

Yeah, right.

I would think so.

All right, Scott.

Thanks for calling

up there.

I have a great weekend in Appleton.

Thanks for listening.

I appreciate it 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 Let's go to Julie in Madison listening on WM DX Julie iPhone or Android.

What's worse?

I've had both and Android is worse and I know how to use my VCR I had a beta and I had a regular VCR and I did not really definitely like iPhone better.

Yes

Did you ever have one of those big, what do they call them, the discs?

They looked like 33 vinyl, but they were a video.

Do you remember those?

Laser disc.

No, I'm going to age myself here and tell you I remember eight tracks.

So I'm done.

I remember eight tracks, too.

No, I remember eight tracks, but we were never, we were never wealthy enough to have one of those big video discs, but I always thought they were very cool.

All right, Julie, thank you.

Thanks for listening.

Have a great weekend in Madison.

Come on back.

We'll take more calls.

What's worse, iPhone or Android, we'll discuss on the other side and coming up shortly, Brandon Ewing, live from WRCE in Richland Center.

Why is it that the Badgers are keeping Luke Fickle?

We'll discuss and take your phone calls as well.

Join us after this.

You're listening to Civic Media.

Stay up to date on the latest news and information for your local community and Wisconsin by signing up for our free email newsletter.

Visit civicmedia.us slash email to get started.

Welcome back to the title ball show live on location at WRCE in Richland Center where it is now 22 past the hour of three o'clock.

We are right smack dab in the middle of another version of what's worse I knew this one people would have feelings what it's very simple what's worse iPhone or Android

eight, five, five, seven, five, two, four, eight, four, two, eight, five, five, seven, five, two, four, eight, four, two.

And sliding in just like the weekend update on SNL a little early to give us his opinion here.

Brandon Ewing.

Brandon, how are you, my friend?

I'm doing really well.

How are you, Todd?

Great now that you're here.

Yeah.

You texted me as you were coming into the studio.

By the way, what a guy, what a mentions they say, offering quick trip.

Yeah.

But I'm good because otherwise I'll belch on the air.

Well, there's a lot of things that we could go into

there.

But I just got water in my in my red soul.

But I did text you.

It's like, yes.

There are that many Android users out there.

I think there are.

There are.

So you're an iPhone guy,

too.

Yeah, I'm an iPhone guy.

Very good.

855-752-4842.

855-752-4842.

Mike, just down the road in spring green.

Listen to us right here on WRCE in the Driftless.

Mike, Android or iPhone, what's worse?

Oh, iPhone is definitely worse.

I'm a tech kind of guy and it's just, it's disgustingly difficult to use with that Apple ID and all the junk you have to subscribe to for music.

I use my Android, like it's got a huge hard drive.

I just load it up with MP3s and I don't have to pay a fee for them.

I can just have them and I don't have to get...

confused i know people with iphones that can never get in there because they don't know their apple id and it's just i think it's too complicated it's just too too complicated i think go ahead i was just gonna say i can plug it into my pc and it just pops up like another drive like a like a geek stick or you know a flash drive

Yeah, I think you're

you're on to something here Mike because my buddy Kurt Kohler from Spring Green as well now down in the beautiful city of Monroe, Wisconsin Green County He is much smarter than me.

He is a scientist and he is a tech guy and he is he swears by the Android So I think your people who really are into tech and understand things I think love the Android.

I I

might keep it

simple, baby

I think the iPhone might have a better camera that you know because they break that up very much And I've seen results of that that's that's impressive, but I don't know if it's worth all the other stuff.

Yeah

I appreciate it.

Thanks for calling.

Mike, have a wonderful weekend down there.

A beautiful spring green in the Driftless, where we are doing our show from today here in the Driftless in Richland Center to be RCE.

Back to the phone lines, 855-752-4842.

I love it when I get to say this.

Mona in Madison.

Mona, thanks for calling iPhone or Android.

What's worse?

This is my kind of question.

iPhone is worse.

I have an Android.

My husband has an iPhone.

His phone is always getting messed up.

It's not intuitive, but he doesn't know what to do with it, and I can't figure it out.

I love it.

I love the passion.

I love it.

Have a great weekend in Madison there, Mona.

Thank you.

Yep.

855-752-4842.

Pardon me.

Let's go down to the UK.

Walkie Shaw, Milwaukee.

Greg and Walkie Shaw.

Thanks for calling Greg iPhone or Android.

What's worse?

Todd, Android's worse, and I have a little bit of an educational moment here.

Although Android may have voice to text features, iPhone was the first one to build voice to text into their phone in voiceover.

So, yes, I'm a little bit, you know, a little bit...

You know thinking I'm superior with my iPhone, but I'm a little bit of an iPhone knob Todd and Brandon, but all right, but I think iPhone significantly better and Yeah, so thank you guys

Appreciate it, Greg.

Thank you very much, Greg.

You're welcome, Sean, to be AUK.

Appreciate you calling in.

Brandon, people are very passionate.

I tell you what, who would have thought this would have been this polarizing?

By the

way, yeah.

Go ahead, Zomers.

You asked earlier how many Android users are actually out there.

Data from the last year, October 2024 to October 2025, says that iOS has about 58% of the market share and Android has just under 42.

All right.

Yeah.

So there are

more iPhones, but there are a lot of people who use Android.

They're very passionate

people.

They very are.

I mean, I just can't believe how, I mean, is Siri your best friend?

I mean, I'm asking.

I mean, I do ask Siri a lot of things.

Yeah, so

do I. Let's see here.

Len in Madison on WMDX says, Apple iPhone fails the kiss principle.

Keep it simple, stupid.

See, for me, it's just the opposite.

I find iPhone more

I can't even

say

it.

Simpler than, yeah.

They

market on that, but then over time, they change things just to change them.

iPhone you're saying?

Not that all tech companies don't do this, but I've noticed it on iPhone where they change things just to change them, and then it's not labeled very well.

All right.

Eric in Madison on the MDX says, iPhone is worse on price point.

Some apps on Android.

the same internet for a quarter of the price.

All right, very good.

What else we hear?

We have a Jill in Madison on WMDX.

Android is worse.

My 89 year old mother-in-law had one and kept messing it up and needing tech assistance, which my husband and I had difficulty providing because we have iPhones.

We finally gave up and added her to our plan and got her an iPhone, which she uses much more successfully.

Alright AJ and Madison on MDX says I've been wanting one Though all because the camera an iPhone.

All right, I get it.

Oh our very old Luke Mathers Calling now he did he avoided the question yesterday on eggs because we know he's anti eggite

He doesn't like eggs, you understand?

Are you an egg person?

I am an egg person.

See, I love eggs.

But hey, to each their own, but Luke Mathers, our very own Luke Mathers, he's grinding his gears over androids.

He says, Android is worse.

Yeah, well, I mean,

it's... I agree with

him on that.

And there's nothing worse than you've got, and honestly, it's probably more your group of people, right?

Yes, I agree with that.

If your whole crew is iPhones.

Here's the winning text of the day.

from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Brian in Green Bay on MDX says, I'm texting in on my Blackberry.

All right, we'll find out what Zomers and I think of this in the chat with Brandon on the other side.

Luke Vickle, does he deserve another year?

He's getting one.

Stay tuned.

Farm News is next.

Welcome back to the Taliban show live a location for Friday, November 7th, 2025, 35 minutes out past the hour three o'clock.

We are live location here in the old hometown of Richland Center.

Aaron Zahmer is our producer and engineer back home at the World Headquarters in Madison.

Zahmer's now that's they're done.

This is not about our next guest, right?

You weren't playing that song about Brandon.

Right, I wanted to make sure that wasn't misconstrued, so I told them during the break.

Thank you for clarifying.

It's about Luke Fickle.

Yeah, okay.

Oh, about Luke Fickle, about Luke Fickle.

All right, very good summers.

We appreciate that.

Welcome back, everybody.

Every other week, we have Brady Ewing, usually joining us, two-time Big Ten champion, spent three years in the NFL.

But this week, and I love this about Brady, honest guy.

Honest is the day as long as it's Todd.

I'm going bow hunting.

I'm going to be in the woods.

And I said, well, like most men, they just disappear.

And so, you know, but no, here we have his older brother, Brandon Ewing, who has been on the show, a great basketball coach here in Southwest Wisconsin, currently a youth basketball coach here in Richland Center and a sports affectionato all around.

Great guy, Brandon.

How are

you?

I'm doing really well.

Thank you for having me again.

It's always a pleasure.

We always have a lot of fun.

Yeah, we have a great time.

And honestly, it's

Brady texted me right before I came on and there's a picture of him and his son, Braum.

They're in the tree stand, Brahms smiling at her ear, and Brady goes, good

luck.

You're going to be great.

And your parents, Brady's parents, and my mom live about a house apart.

So as I was on the way to the studio, Brady's pulling into your parents' house, and he's got the bow out now.

Did you ever bow hunt?

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Really?

So I never, I have the arbitrary to pull it back.

But as you know, and our listeners know, to be a good bow hunter, you got to be able to hold it there for like eight minutes until you

you get your shot and I just, I

was never a good player.

And you know what?

I don't have that patience for that anymore.

So, you know, my hunting has really.

tapered down.

I tell Brady every year, it's like, okay, I think this is a year.

I'm going to get back into it.

And it's just, you know, every year it's the same thing, right?

You make excuses.

That's right.

You do.

I'm fair weather.

We're going to find out whether it's a fair weather Badger fan in just a minute.

But no, I mean, it's a great time of year bull hunting.

And so hope Brady and Brahma have a good luck out there.

And a good time will be had by all.

And this is the advantage of having multiple Ewing bros when one bro can't be here.

The other bro fills

in as the great film.

always says, you know, I'm the backup right field All-Star.

And there's a lot of truth to that.

It's like, I'm always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

No, well, I feel that feeling all too well.

All right, let's start here right away.

Brandon, of course, Brady played for the Badgers.

We were, we all got together and your family was very nice to invite my sister and I to your tailgate when Brady was the honorary captain this year of one of their two wins so far on the season.

So, you know, you know, the Badger athletics, particularly Badger football.

very well.

Let's play this cut first of all.

This is athletic director Chris McIntosh in a post talking to I believe ESPN or a reporter for ESPN yesterday announcing the extension or at least the survival of Luke Fickle.

Here is Chris McIntosh.

We learned today that you've made a commitment to bringing Luke Fickle back as football coach beyond this season.

Why do you believe this is the right decision?

Yeah, you know,

It's my job.

It's my role to position our program to be successful into the future.

Coach Vickle has had my confidence throughout the season.

We've had many, many conversations about how this season and some of the challenges that we've faced have gone.

But as I look forward to 26 and beyond, I think it's just important to note that my confidence in him hasn't waned at all.

Coach Vickle is the same coach that he was when I hired him.

I have the same belief in what he brings to Wisconsin.

His ability to win, his proven winner, his ability to develop talent, his understanding of the Big Ten.

He's essentially born and raised in the Big Ten.

His appreciation for physical football, which aligns with Wisconsin.

But I think as importantly, his plan and his vision for the future, and maybe most importantly, the fire that he has to be able to execute on it.

And so for all those reasons, I thought it was important to share today that this is the direction that our program is going and that we're confident and optimistic about our future.

Athletic director Chris McIntosh of the University of Wisconsin talking to the fact that he is told Luke Fickle.

He has made the decision that despite only having two wins this season, both non-conference, that he is bringing Luke Fickle back for another season.

And thank you, Zommerz, for the correction.

That was not ESPN.

That was an interview on Badger Connect.

Thank you very much talking to Badger Connect there.

Thanks, Zommerz, for keeping me on the straight and narrow there.

Brandon Ewing, thoughts?

So, Mac's really going to die on that fickle sort, huh?

It appears.

I mean, jeez, Louise.

A couple of things that I took away, right?

He talked about vision.

He talked about the fire, okay?

Is that anything that we've seen, Todd?

I haven't.

No.

I mean, look at, we talked in the past about apathy, okay?

You're seeing apathy play out real time, okay?

The article that was released, and I think you were gonna discuss it in a little bit, like the millions of dollars of revenue that's been lost because of empty stands.

If that doesn't change something, then I guess we've got bigger issues.

Well, what I find both interesting and if I take all my emotion out of it, but also just as a Badger fan, just desperately sad, you know very well where this program was before Barry Alvarez.

And then, you know, by and large, it's been maintained.

Yeah.

And when when Chris McIntosh

fired Paul Christ, who had been to the Rose Bowl three years before.

And he said, we have to put ourselves in a position to win championships.

And look, I know there were things about saying that that Christ was letting the recruiting go down or what have you.

Maybe he wasn't adjusting to NIL, but we are three years into this now and we are looking at the worst back to back seasons from Wisconsin football in 50 years.

Todd, we're not going to win a Big 10 game.

No, we're not.

I agree.

And, and, and, you know, Brady's the optimum.

I am the realist and we're not going to win a big 10 game.

And if, if that doesn't make a change, then there's going to be change of

coming.

Well, and you look at, you look at, look at Penn State paying James Franklin $50 million to go away after he loses three games.

You look at LSU paying Brian Kelly.

Well, they're arguing in the court right now, 55 million plus and they fired the athletic director who

did it.

Here's my take.

You tell me what I mean, I believe that Wisconsin can't afford to fire Luke Vickle.

And

the

bio

right is 35 million.

I think

I thought 24.

OK, 25.

OK, but you see all of these big names ponying up real money to make a change.

But look at Indiana in a year.

They completely changed and they kept cultures consistent and similar, but they completely made a shift in a change and they were competitive.

And Signetti's done an absolute amazing job.

And mind you, this is right on the, just recently, Pat Fitzgerald says he wants to get back into coaching.

And it's like, light bulb, you know, that is an absolute fit.

The perfect fit for what Wisconsin should be.

Okay, now.

you know, talking with Brady and my father, David Ewing, right?

It's like the question gets posed, is NIL greater than coaching?

And honestly, no, I think that there's a happy medium.

There's a middle where, where really you could, it's culture, it's fit.

It's all of the things with NIL.

There's new reporting today.

I don't have a right in front of you right now, but a new reporting today that now high school coaches are anonymously saying that

that the Luke Fickle program is passing their guys over and only interested after other places have shown interest.

This is all the heels of what two weeks ago this started going around and Fickle and McIntosh denied it.

I know.

and now we're hearing you've you've coached high school athletics here in South West Wisconsin.

I don't believe the high school coaches even anonymously are going to say this to Wisconsin reporters if it's not true.

Okay, and Brad Nortman was the first one that really came

forward for the Badgers out ESPN Wisconsin.

And then he gets demeaned for saying that.

No, that's real.

It's happening.

Coaches are saying it.

Okay.

No, what happened to building a wall around Wisconsin?

There's talent here.

There's really

really strong talent here, okay?

Build off of our base.

Supplement, you know, with NIL, with some of these up.

But look at his track record with quarterbacks, okay?

Yes, I feel bad.

Snake bit a little bit, but, but, okay, those guys that he was bringing in, they're not, like, invest our money in areas that are really gonna propel our team forward.

And I haven't seen that.

I haven't either.

We're talking to Brandon Ewing here.

It's 45 minutes past the hour of four o'clock.

Pardon me, three o'clock.

Filney has not changed the clock from daylight saving time in here.

And it

freaked me out earlier.

I shouldn't be looking at that clock anyway.

I'm my own clock here.

Anyway, talking to you, Brandon Ewing here at 45 minutes past the hour of three o'clock.

If you want to call in, offer your feel, it should Wisconsin be keeping Luke Fickle as head football coach.

And the other part of it, should Chris McIntosh still be there?

athletic director because he's the one that made this decision to essentially go in this direction.

And what doesn't get talked about a lot, by the way, the phone number is 855-752-4842.

855-752-4842.

And Brandon, this, we've talked about it on this program.

You won't find a bigger Homer when it comes to Badger Sports than me, I don't think.

I would agree.

But.

We've talked openly about the problems, particularly in women's track and cross country and women's basketball.

There was one on the track team, I believe, or cross country that died by suicide as student athlete.

There were five other women that left the Wisconsin women's basketball program.

I believe the comms guy at women's basketball also quote unquote retired.

This is all happened under Chris McIntosh.

Yeah, and honestly, I love Chris McIntosh.

Okay, super dude.

But you're right.

Okay, his track record for hiring has been very, very poor.

Okay, whether it's, you know, fickle, whether it's the basketball program.

Okay, do we do we trust him with the next with the next higher process?

So I don't know, you know, and I go back to culture, culture and is contagious.

It's sticky.

Okay, and what is the culture right now for for

So, honestly, all of our athletics minus Badger basketball, men's basketball, hockey.

Women's hockey.

And men are doing

great this year.

And of course, the cross-country team just wins national championship

after a national championship.

Hey, stack them up.

Right.

Stack them up.

And I'll be clear, you as a brother of a student athlete at Wisconsin,

I feel terrible for these guys.

So do I. I mean, they're given their all.

If anybody thinks that these guys are out there and just half-ass on it, so to speak, I don't believe that.

You're exactly right.

And you've said it before in some of your talks with Brady and others.

It's like, you feel bad for the past.

The guys that did give everything to the program.

And just to see those guys kind of get left at arm's length.

And I'm not, the Brady

on the field thing was amazing.

It was.

The alumni.

He was honorary captain.

Yeah.

And but you know what?

Let him talk to the team.

Let him continue to help build that culture, okay?

Because Brady is a guy that will give everything.

to fickle if he asked, right?

And there's so many more.

You could go through the list and lineage of, of the historical players.

Like if they asked, they would help.

You brought up JJ a while, I hadn't seen this.

Was this on an interview on Pat McAfee?

Yeah.

So Pat McAfee asked JJ and they're joking around with some of the issues that Wisconsin's having.

And, and he said, Pat McAfee said to JJ, JJ, why don't you throw money at, you know, the program?

And JJ's flat out response was.

they need to play better.

Just like that.

Wow.

Yeah,

that's it.

And Jay Waters is you know, he's he's he's a pretty nice guy but for him to just be a straight shooter and say that.

Yeah.

Um so, let's uh less than a minute go.

How does this get fixed?

I don't know.

Does it get fixed?

I I don't know

and and and I I don't want to be the fire and change and but you know, is it going to get fixed and so yeah, they've got a big decision coming.

Barstool, big cat, big supporter of the Badgers of Barstool.

He has a pinnual play-off for you on the other side.

Talk high school sports.

A little packers of Brandon Ewing from WRC, D.D.

Richland Center, a live location of the Civic Media.

Welcome back to the time of all show on the civic media ready to work it is eight minutes now before the hour of four o'clock the top of the hour ABC News followed by ABC or CBS News depending on which of our stations you're listening to followed by a check of weather Winter is coming and I'm serious about that at least some snow here in parts of nothing major maybe inch or two down for our listeners W. A. U. K. Milwaukee area the rest of us

I mentioned this on the air.

Does your family use this?

I said, I wonder if it'll be enough to track a cat.

I haven't heard that.

You haven't heard that?

No, no, no.

Your grandma never did that or somebody.

No.

Really?

But it makes sense.

Yeah, my family always, you know, well, I don't see if there's enough to track a cat.

We'll see if there is or not.

But then following the weather and our great sports reporter, Mike Clemens, who is all over Monday night football, the Super Bowl defending champion, Eagles are in Lambo on Monday night to face our Green Bay Packers, followed by another edition of the Maggie Dawn Show from four until six and Pete Schwabonator with Nightlight.

from six until eight right now.

Brandon Ewing joins us here, a youth basketball coach in

Richland Center, former high school basketball coach as well, all around great guy and of the dynasty, Ewing family.

The dynasty.

JR.

Exactly.

Get

some of his money.

All right, talking about this Luke Fickle situation in Wisconsin football, I want to play this for you, Brandon.

This is a Barstool Big Cat, big influencer, as they say, on Barstool on social media.

Here's what Barstool Big Cat says about the situation in Wisconsin.

because the culture is broken, and that's where they... Chris McIntosh thinks that they can slap a band-aid on it.

And by the way, I don't know how much more money they're actually gonna spend.

I have a feeling that that was the $20 million that the schools are gonna be able to start spending.

They're basically like, yeah, we're gonna spend a lot more money, which they should have been spending anyway.

They're just saying they're now gonna spend it.

So, the culture is broken.

You've heard former players say, like, the culture is broken.

I think they've...

You know the recruiting in in like Wisconsin used to always get what the one thing you'd always like say going into the season, Wisconsin has big guys from Wisconsin to play all line and they got some awesome running back from South Florida, New Jersey, right?

Like

that

was it every single year and and everything else would figure itself out.

They aren't they're losing the big guys in Wisconsin to Minnesota and Illinois and like some of these some of these recruiting battles are just

It's broken.

So you have to, it's going to take time to rebuild this.

And it's not going to be Luke Fickle and Chris McIntosh.

I'm pretty convinced of it.

So going another year down this road is just delaying it for another year and going another year down into like the bottom of the Big Ten where it's just insane.

And again, it goes back to, you know, the chancellor doesn't care.

And I don't think they fully grasped how...

how behind they are right now in the new college football landscape.

And every second they keep their head in the sand, they're gonna be even further and further behind.

Barstool, Big Cat on Barstool Sports, Brandon Ewing, I can't disagree.

I mean, and it's, there's so much truth there.

And this is, it's business 101, okay?

Yes, Wisconsin, which, okay, Wisconsin's gonna divert more funds to the program.

Great.

Okay.

There's also something to be said that, oh, so you, you're telling everybody that you weren't and that you weren't going to be competitive because of it.

But okay.

So business 101 tells you, okay, you're going to divert more funds.

Okay.

Thickles on his last legs.

It's going to cost only that much more to bring in top tier talent.

So it's like, those funds are going to be diverted even quicker.

And it's, it just.

And I think people not to interrupt, but I think people will see, oh gee, why are you talking about sports so much on this thing?

You know, it's just you're so invested in athletics.

You know, why don't you talk about academics and the university?

Well, guess what?

And Donna Shalala, former chancellor knew this better than anybody else.

The football program and the men's basketball program are the two biggest drivers financially of the university because a lot of this money goes into academics, into research, into promotion, into marketing.

And Brandon, when your football team is not doing well, that will trickle down and have an effect on the research

and the institution.

Absolutely.

It's the trickle down effect.

And you look at some of the SEC schools that have come to prominence here in the last 10, 15 years.

Great point.

you know, take it to school like Tennessee that, you know, used to let literally anybody in.

Okay.

Now, because of the success of their football program and others, basketball being one.

Okay.

Now, they it's a waitlist to get into the to the school.

Alabama Medical School.

It's

yeah.

I mean, yeah, you never never thought before.

Alright, our timewise goes too short as always.

Speed round.

Badgers lose or win this weekend.

They're going to lose.

I agree with that.

Monday Night Football.

I'll be there.

You're going?

Awesome.

You

are

awesome.

Wow.

Look at

Brandux.

Pardon me.

Yeah.

Brandon Ewing will be at Lambeau Field.

This is like the first time and I think.

actually, since the Badgers played, uh, LSU.

Oh, really?

That's the first time I'll be there.

So are they getting back on the, I, when are they bringing back the substitute teacher for the kicker?

Yeah, I

know.

Have a sick.

He should be the kicker.

Why don't they go after the old Baltimore kicker?

Right.

You know, I, I guess.

There's a lot of reasons there.

But you know what?

We're, we're in a safe space.

Right.

You know, it's Green Bay.

So,

you know,

I guess,

you know.

Just chop it public, sir.

You're not public, but pick and say.

Oh, no.

So I'll be there.

I'm pretty excited.

Um,

You know, last week was a sleepy spot.

And you know, that doesn't make it right.

It's just what it is.

And honestly, when you go to 18 games, because that's where the NFL will be at some point, you're going to have more sleepy spots like this.

So we have a young team.

What?

This is a third year in a row that we're the youngest team in the NFL.

And it definitely shows at times.

So you're saying relax.

Relax.

Relax.

All

right, less than a

minute left.

Youth Sports in Southwest Wisconsin, what does that mean to you?

That is my passion.

At some point, my children will be there, but yeah, I'm right now kind of...

fine-tuning myself so that when my kids are there, that I know what I'm doing.

But no, I've done this a long time.

I love steering, leading, guiding, helping build our community.

And honestly, that's why I do it.

Well, I appreciate you do it very, very well.

And as someone who's seen this, I think it gives kids purpose.

It's an equalizer for kids from all different backgrounds.

And it gives you purpose.

You're spot on.

Yeah.

Brandon, we appreciate you so very much.

Thanks for being

here.

you back soon.

Thanks

Amherst.

All around great guy as well as John Roach.

All around great guy.

Going down to the Driftless Film Festival.

A mineral point tomorrow to see a road at night or also to Plattville to the Avalon Theater for too short too slow.

The story of the four time national championships for Pioneer basketball.

Stay tuned.

Make it on this next time.

Say whatever you're fighting for, whatever you believe in.

Do not give up.

Keep banging your drum.

Thanks to Zomers as well.

We'll see you next week.

Have a great week.

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