Engel Angle

Engel Angle

The Engel Angle is a combination of commentary on sports, entertainment, pop culture, family and more, and featured guests. Mac bring his hot sports opinions on all things life—from his angle.

Episodes

October 30, 2026 • 27 mins
Mac Engel cuts through the political noise to tackle the trans-in-sports debate from a pure competition angle, tracing how "she must be a man" accusations have followed dominant female athletes from Babe Zaharias and Martina Navratilova to Caster Semenya and Brittney Griner. Drawing on conversations with Annika Sorenstam and real-world examples like the Penn swimmer and San Jose State volleyball controversies, Engel argues the issu...
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Mac Engel takes listeners from a 1995 bowl-game assignment where a young, unknown Nick Saban signed footballs in his underwear to today's billion-dollar college football landscape, exploring how the sport transformed from handshake deals to heavily guarded media operations. He also breaks down the looming expansion of the College Football Playoff from 12 to 24 teams, explaining the money, politics, and power-conference consolidatio...

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As Rocky Balboa turns 50, host Mac Engel sits down with Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Mike Sielski to separate myth from reality in his new book, Going the Distance: Stallone, Philly, and the Story of Rocky. They dig into how Sylvester Stallone really landed the lead role, his contentious relationships with producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff and costar Carl Weathers, the hidden influence of boxer Chuck Wepner, and the un...
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Mac Engel reflects on the life and death of Saved by the Bell's Dennis Haskins, sharing a personal story from Dallas Cowboys training camp, plus behind-the-scenes tales of writing radio comedy bits that bombed and bits that landed. He then dives into a powerful discussion on the shallow, loaded questions society asks about college, marriage, and kids, making the case for why "are you doing okay?" matters more than ever, especially ...
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Mac Engel breaks down the viral controversy over Kansas football's civil war-themed hype video ahead of its Missouri rivalry game, and the fallout after Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz called it out post-game. Then, Mac dives deep into the evolution of sideline reporting, from Ahmad Rashad and Lisa Guerrero to Erin Andrews and ESPN's Holly Rowe, exploring double standards, social media's changing role, and why most sideline questions ar...
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Does journalism still have a place in sports and entertainment media, or has it been replaced by access-driven content and paid influencers? Mac Engel breaks down the TCU football media ban, ESPN's shifting role in the NBA's Kawhi Leonard salary cap scandal involving Pablo Torre and the LA Clippers, and behind-the-scenes stories from interviews with Ryan Gosling, Kevin Hart, and Aaron Sorkin. A candid look at how power has shifted ...
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Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram dives into the rise of new media and what it really takes to build a career covering pro sports from outside the press box. He sits down with RJ Ochoa of Blogging the Boys, a remote Dallas Cowboys reporter who built a decade-long following without living in DFW, to talk journalism versus content creation, the AI threat to sports media, blogger stigma, and why humility and human connection s...
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Mac Engel takes a deep, personal look at Tony Romo following his DUI arrest and CBS suspension, weighing whether the network should fire its top NFL analyst and exploring why broadcasters often burn out after leaving the game. Engel also shares behind-the-scenes stories from his 2007 biography on Romo, tracing the quarterback's improbable rise from undrafted walk-on to Dallas Cowboys star and media sensation. A candid mix of sports...
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Mac talks to former long time NFL offensive lineman Marshall Newhouse, who played in the NFL from 2011 to 2020. He played for the Packers, Bengals, Giants, Raiders, Panthers, Patriots and Titans. He was a starter. He was a backup. He played in front of Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady.
Marshall lived the realities of the NFL life, from the money, to the online attacks, insecurity, to its loneliness.

Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-T...

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Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is back from a exhausting trip to Sicily, where he shares a surprising celebrity encounter, visits ancient Greek and Roman ruins that still influence modern stadium design, and gets inspired by the real-life filming locations from the latest Indiana Jones film. Then Mac shifts gears to tackle the WNBA at 30 years old, arguing that the league's biggest obstacle to mainstream success is not s...
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Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reflects on the joy and surprises of covering the 2026 FIFA World Cup, sharing why hosting in North America has exceeded every expectation. From Arlington's AT&T Stadium hosting more matches than Los Angeles, Miami, and New York to the hilarious reactions of international visitors discovering bottomless chips, free refill fountain drinks, and ranch dressing, this episode captures what m...
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Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is fully converted — the 2026 FIFA World Cup has won him over, and he sits down with British sports broadcaster Andy Kerr to break down everything from England's tournament chances to the legendary Tartan Army taking over South Beach. The two dig into the expansion to 48 teams, the flaws in American youth soccer development, the lasting impact of Brexit, and whether the NFL could ever...
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Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram sits down with former U.S. Men's National Team player Eddie Lewis to reflect on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is now officially underway in North America. Lewis, who was part of the legendary 2002 U.S. squad that last won a World Cup knockout match, shares his journey from teaching himself soccer skills with a tennis ball at UCLA to breaking barriers as an American playing professionally i...
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Join Fort Worth Star Telegram's Mac Engel on this deeply personal Father's Day tribute as he shares the remarkable story of his 93-year-old father, Ted Engel, a Depression-era kid from Staten Island who built an extraordinary life through sheer determination and sacrifice. Mac explores themes of generational toughness, family responsibility, and what it means to be part of America's greatest generation, revealing how his father's j...
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Join Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Mac Engel as he shares the highs and lows of meeting childhood heroes throughout his career, culminating in an unforgettable interview with Police drummer Stewart Copeland. From awkward encounters with baseball legends Eric Davis and Dick Vitale to heartwarming moments with Ernie Banks, Mac reveals the unvarnished truth about what it's really like when you finally meet the people you've idoli...
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Mac has an evolved relationship with the popular Tom Cruise movie, Top Gun, which celebrates its 40th birthday this month.
The film came out when Mac was an aspiring movie critic for his middle school newspaper in Indianapolis.
As he grew older, and "Top Gun Maverick" was released, his views of the films changed. But a few things still gnaw at him.
(Plus, this gives him the chance to tell you that he once flew with the Bl...

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Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Mac Engel makes a bold case for why NHL Stanley Cup playoffs deliver the ultimate postseason experience, even though hockey ranks fourth among major American sports. Drawing from 25 years covering everything from Super Bowls to Final Fours, Engel breaks down what makes playoff hockey special - from passionate fans in jerseys to golden goal overtime drama and iconic trophy celebrations. He also warns that ...
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Bestselling author Keith O'Brien reveals the untold origin story of Larry Bird's rise from poverty in rural Indiana, including his traumatic departure from Indiana University and near-disappearance into blue-collar obscurity before Indiana State coach Bill Hodges literally drove the streets looking for him. Through interviews with Bird's childhood friends, teammates, and coaches, O'Brien uncovers the hidden details of how the "Hick...
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Sports journalist Mac Engel shares two unforgettable stories in this episode of the Ingle Angle podcast: his catastrophic SAT experience as a 2.0 GPA high school student who overslept, forgot his ID, and scored an embarrassingly low 700, and his passionate defense of modern NBA basketball against constant criticism. Engel argues that today's NBA players are more skilled and athletic than ever, but explains why media coverage focuse...

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Former Texas basketball legend Willie Warren shares his remarkable journey from McDonald's All-American to NBA draft pick to globetrotting professional player across 14 countries including Iran, China, and Kuwait. Warren reveals untold stories about playing alongside Blake Griffin at Oklahoma, his challenging NBA rookie experience with the LA Clippers, and candid insights about overseas basketball culture, AAU system changes, and w...

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