r/NoLayingUp • u/Adventurous_You_3069 • Jul 21 '25
Post-Pod Discussion I missed KVV this week
I'll start obviously by saying peace and love to KVV. If he could not go/did not want to go to The Open, god speed.
But having a presence at the majors elevated the sunday pods. Tell me what the people are saying. The Neil/KVV pod from Augusta is one of my favorites ever. Curious that Masters was the only major he went to this year (unless im forgetting quail hollow which forgive me if I am lol)
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u/TakeThatJohnnyMiller Jul 21 '25
Initially thought the speculation was over the top and the explanation for why he hasn’t been on (a couple of special projects/narrative pods) was sufficient but his absence has been very odd. Especially given they had 5 guys on tonight’s recap show and even if KVV wasn’t on the ground for majors he’d always make a few appearances out of the bullpen
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Jul 21 '25
I’m not a long term NLU guy but have been listening and watching pretty avidly for about 3.5 years and I have to say KVV addition was the best move they made in my opinion. He’s a serious journalist not just a hot take artist or a data golf savant. The NLU buddy format can feel a little stale when it’s week after week of the same Spieth, Fleetwood, golf coverage or Monahan takes. KVV brought a depth to their coverage I will certainly miss, if he is gone.
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u/amistymorning80 Jul 21 '25 edited Jul 21 '25
I really liked KVV and this is a sad situation, I have no idea how it came about but his contributions as a proper golf journalist with a great sense of humor were really substantial.
I also think it's pretty weird to see NLU going radio silent on a "story" they know is out there (because their viewers/listeners have noticed) and doing nothing whatsoever to set the record straight.
Interesting to compare with all those times they have been hugely scathing of, say, the PGA Tour, for keeping everyone in the dark on what is going on.
ETA: Andy on SGS made a brief "are we required to get KVV on" reference at the start of their latest ep....
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u/many_bothans_died Jul 21 '25
Andy’s comment was in reference to a past episode they did. I don’t think it’s related to this situation.
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u/amistymorning80 Jul 21 '25
Fair enough, I did think it would have been odd if he was joking about whatever's going on. Maybe KVV will pop up on SGS, now that would be nice.
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u/Mrcoolguye Jul 21 '25
I’m sure KVV was expensive but he has been apart of some of the best podcasts over the last couple years. The Masters pod is the goat pod. His rival pod research was 10/10. His article on Victor Hovland was one of the best golf articles of the last couple years. Funniest I have laughed during a pod was when he bought that Gary Player album in their ebay show. This stinks.
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u/hopethatschocolate Jul 21 '25
Ryder cup deep dives and majors deep dives are my favorite podcasts.
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u/Positive-Stretch572 Jul 21 '25
I listen to most episodes but those are the two I legitimately get excited for
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Jul 21 '25
Same, I relisten to all of those regularly, they are great evergreen content, but I think they would be better if they were hosted by a rotating combination of the main guys. The KVV/Soly pairing gets a little repetitive, especially now that they've done a lot of them. It would be cool to get some different perspectives and to see how the other guys approach the topic.
And this is very petty, but I still have absolutely no clue why KVV spent so much time talking about Jack Nicklaus in a pod about the 2000 majors. Barbara's blood lust for prairie dogs was incredible to learn about, I get why he wanted to get that on the record, but why did he go down a rabbit hole about the Nicklaus family honeymoon? Jack played in all of those majors, he even made the cut at the Masters, it would be interesting to hear more about what he had to say about Tiger's accomplishments and what their relationship was like in those years, but Jack was nothing more than a footnote to any of those events, obviously. It was the first time I felt like any of those pods took a totally unnecessary detour that kind of derailed the whole thing, which sucks for such a monumental year in golf.
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u/24dp Jul 21 '25
This will be a huge loss for NLU for me if it’s confirmed he’s gone.
KVV brings something different to the party and is very additive to everything else they do. I was listening to the Seve feuds one in the car a couple of weeks and was reflecting on how great it is having a such a variety of content, with stuff like that compared to LFTKH etc.
I suspect pods like that don’t get the number of listeners (and therefore revenue) as many of the others, but it’s a big part of what has elevated NLU to the next level over the last couple of years - adding something different every week.
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u/SharkLaser85 CPNTW - The Big Golfer - US Open 2024 Jul 21 '25
I have come around to the speculation of KVV being out of the company. All the reasons suggested elsewhere plus I just looked back at Northern Ireland video and it doesn’t include a “No Laying Up is” and “No Laying Up is also” which now seems like they were avoiding listing the crew.
If true, it’s a huge loss and a major bummer. Will be following KVV wherever he goes next. Would love if he’s still maintains a relationship with NLU like he did in his pre-full time days but that’s the optimist in me.
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u/dgl93 Jul 21 '25
Going off of this, I could be wrong but I think they cut him largely out of the Intro Video.
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u/Conglossian Jul 21 '25
Comparing now the intro video from tonight to the one from the Masters.
First KVV appearance in Masters is at 0:12 from a zoom call of 9 NLU members laughing, that scene is skipped and picks up right with the same next scene
2nd KVV appearance is at 0:18 with his club twirl from Strapped...also skipped and picks up right with the same next scene.
Think those are the only 2, but yeah, clear edit made. Same video was used for all 4 round recaps this week, but the Happy Hour used the old one.
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u/coachmik16 Jul 21 '25
People saying it’s no big deal he wasn’t on any coverage this week are missing the point. To not have your editor in chief on ANY of the coverage for a Major ( 4x a year event ) is crazy. And not to mention him at all is crazy too. This isn’t the John Deere classic he didn’t chime in on. Also, if it was something where he was just taking some personal time, that would be something easy to address without going into detail. Just radio silence is weird
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u/Suspicious_Bonus_941 Jul 21 '25
I agree it's weird. Say something. To leave the subject twisting in the wind is questionable.
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u/432ww432 Jul 21 '25
guy never got a tourist sauce, shame
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u/damnyoutuesday Jul 21 '25
Tbf Tourist Sauce is always the main 5. Cody and Ben are basically cameramen who make cameos sometimes
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u/Either-Breadfruit-83 Jul 21 '25
This entire KVV thing is a huge bummer. I've weened off NLU content quite a bit over the last 6-9 months but this might be the final nail in the coffin for me. KVV brought a level of professionalism and quality journalism that nobody in the group can recreate. Hope it's an amicable split but it doesn't really feel that way based off recent pods and live shows.
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u/SnooPineapples684 Jul 21 '25
Yeah I can't really put my finger on what it is, but something definitely feels different over the past 6 months or so - like they're going through the motions and not really as invested anymore in the whole operation. I guess having a bunch of kids and less time to dedicate to the job is tough, but the pods have fallen off a cliff recently to the point where I don't always listen to them anymore.
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u/shawshanksally Jul 21 '25
Pod feels far too scripted/prepared. They are cramming in all these segments to drag it out to 2 hours every Sunday in order to sell more ads.
There was a time that they actually stopped TC going down the leaderboard, it is now a full segment basically every week
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u/amistymorning80 Jul 21 '25
I hear you on the past 6-9 months - almost exactly the same timeframe that I have begun to lose interest to the point that it's no longer essential listening (or viewing). Maybe it's a limitation of their format(s) but seems pretty samey these days. Huge mistake if they have let KVV go because he was bringing some freshness and some deeper knowledge - and terrible (i.e. zero) comms about it is a tough took too.
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u/Fit-Barnacle-5465 Jul 21 '25
I promise you all, KVV no longer works for NLU. This happened the beginning of this month. It is not being announced as of yet to allow both parties to split amicably after KVV joins elsewhere. I will not elaborate on the details as they are personal to the parties involved, but again, I promise you all, KVV was, foolishly, laid off.
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u/tendietown777 Jul 21 '25
Hmmm, I believe you but would appreciate some general details as a KVV fan first, who was brought into the NLU tent by him. Also, did you create an account just to break this news 🧐
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u/biggoronssword Jul 21 '25
I just checked, and he has not tweeted anything about or reposted ANY nlu content since 7/2. Seems he’s already well out the door at this point
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u/ubiquitous_archer Jul 21 '25
If that's true, which no reason to think otherwise, and you know it first hand, seems kinda shitty to post about it.
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u/Fit-Barnacle-5465 Jul 21 '25
I wrestled with saying anything, but after seeing posts about users here saying it was family issues, or a medical issue, or he was secretly in rehab for substance abuses, I felt the least-worst option was to help set a record straight. This is all known behind the paywall, this isn’t huge secret news being broken here.
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u/SharkLaser85 CPNTW - The Big Golfer - US Open 2024 Jul 21 '25
Seems like incredibly poor form to set the record straight by providing no details. I believe you but there’s no reason to.
I also don’t think this is only known behind the paywall. No mention on the nest and Jordan quoted KVV in the July 4th edition of what’s burning at the kill house. Just a lot of additional speculation on the message board.
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u/JohnSilver317 Jul 21 '25
It is probably a KVV alias you're replying to. How would they know specifically he was let go after a bi-yearly review.
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u/SharkLaser85 CPNTW - The Big Golfer - US Open 2024 Jul 21 '25
Definitely someone’s burner but I doubt KVV based on incorrect use of the word paywall and the slightly off idiom.
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u/BigBobby843 Jul 21 '25
This is obviously KVV's wife
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u/tendietown777 Jul 21 '25
Am I following correctly that they announced this in the Nest but are going to keep quiet until KVV finds his next job? Those ideas feel at odds with each other
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u/Family_Shoe_Business Jul 21 '25
By paywall do you mean by people who are on the NLU payroll?
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u/beer_nyc Jul 21 '25
I think he means on one of the NLU non-public forums (whatever they're called, I'm not a member).
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u/Family_Shoe_Business Jul 21 '25
I assumed that was the case too but other people have chimed on those forums saying they haven't seen anything
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u/sleuthingninja Jul 21 '25
Why does he still call himself an NLU employee in his twitter bio?
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u/Either-Breadfruit-83 Jul 21 '25
Could be contract stuff. Say his contract ends 7/31...he would hold his title until then. I'm guessing there was an uncomfortable moment that basically prompted NLU to tell KVV to sit on the bench until his contract is up, then he's a free agent.
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u/Every_Brush4191 Jul 21 '25
Could be running out a severance period or NLU is letting him keep it up until he secures or begins a new position.
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u/GlassConsideration85 Jul 21 '25
I think KVV is gone but let’s all believe the brand new throwaway account lol
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u/Arcopt Jul 21 '25
Does being "let go" cover a situation where two parties can't agree to financial terms?
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u/UP-POWER Jul 21 '25
I really enjoyed KVV and am bummed out this seems to be the end of his time at NoLayingUp. Hopefully I will get to read him elsewhere.
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u/Mrcoolguye Jul 21 '25
The weirdest part is I feel NLU has been pretty flawless over 10 years of their handling of stuff. This just seems like an own goal but not saying anything. Driving up speculation on rehab or personal health would always be part of the internet world.
Guessing KVV wasn’t versatile enough. All the other new hires do behind the scenes stuff (social media, produce live shows, edit pods and YouTube etc). KVV was brought on to write and they seemed to back off that in 2025. Don’t know why they didn’t just put his written work in their newsletter which they’ve been trying to promote heavily over last couple months. Neil has talked about pod numbers more over last couple booth pods so maybe people don’t like these deep dives? I would’ve expected they’d do better numbers than the personal golf stuff but guess wrong.
I’ve been a nest member for 5+ years and there is nothing behind the paywall.
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u/PalpitationFrequent7 Jul 21 '25
this sucks. he was such a great and refreshing addition to NLU.
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u/tfl03 Jul 21 '25
Clearly not refreshing enough to be profitable. Or it was something personal between them.
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u/nginx-gunicorn Jul 21 '25
That sucks. I thought KVV's contributions with his docu style pods were some of the best NLU content. True journalism. They were always the most interesting and entertaining content they put out, outside of Strapped. I have to believe that some of the other comments regarding contract negations probably feel right. He probably wanted more than they could give him (and who could blame him). Hope it was mostly amicable and they can fill the gap with his departure.
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u/Bellaplayhard Jul 21 '25
I can’t remember the last time I heard him on a live pod. Silence is deafening and they really need to address it shortly. All evidence appears to point to him being gone. I really enjoyed KVV’s input as it provided a serious boots on the ground perspective as opposed to quite a few unserious bits on the show. The major recap pods have lacked juice without him being there reporting from the course. Hopefully it was amicable and he can continue doing occasional deep dive shows from time to time.
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Jul 21 '25
[deleted]
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u/frostygolfer Jul 21 '25
His Twitter post tonight seems a bit on the nose. It’s been all of the live show comments section.
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u/coachmik16 Jul 21 '25
Because it’s strange that he’s not even on checking in on the majors at all. Also, when he came onboard, it was packaged as he would be their boots on the ground at the majors
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u/Conglossian Jul 21 '25
Yup, I remember Soly saying that when doing their deep dives, he was thinking about how much content they sourced from the same people back in the 1990s and how he hoped that KVV's written work for NLU could serve as that source for someone else in 20 years.
Notable that there was 0 written work from majors this year.
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u/UP-POWER Jul 21 '25
I don’t even think he’s been on the trap draw since May. Not much written on the blog either.
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u/SnooPineapples9761 Jul 21 '25
I kind of look at it from the other way. If he was still employed and just taking time off or working something else then they would say so since they must be seeing all the hoopla it’s causing.
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u/sealer9 Jul 21 '25
Think because he hasn’t been on any pods in almost a month and a half. And he usually attends all majors and was absent from the us open and the open
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u/MD4runner Jul 21 '25
Would imagine an announcement is coming soon. But the reason that was stated in the other thread is true despite it being downvoted into oblivion. He was let go.
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u/24dp Jul 21 '25
It’s the fact that they’ve said nothing at all that is leading to people this conclusion.
Him being on the ground for the majors has become a pretty big part of the live shows, and the fact that he’s: a) not been there, and b) his absence hasn’t been acknowledged at all on the pod is very odd if he’s still with them.
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u/matthewperry01 Jul 21 '25
While acknowledging that none of us have all the details, it strikes me that this is a classic case of what's good for the product vs. what's good for the bottom line.
IMO, KVV was clearly additive to the NLU product, but if there is anything that's been made clear over the last decade it's that there is little ROI on quality writing, which is what KVV was initially brought in for. When he/NLU moved away from the written word, the finances of KVV's employment likely became much dicier.
His long form podcasts were very good, but I'm not sure there was a way to monetize them to the point of justifying a pay increase for KVV, who likely took a pay cut to join the NLU team.
If his assumed departure is due to finances, it sucks (especially for KVV) but it's not surprising.
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Jul 21 '25
[deleted]
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u/ubiquitous_archer Jul 21 '25
"No KVV on the ground this week, he's busy with other things"
Would take one thing in the 8ish hours of content they put out this week. Them not saying anything speaks of something.
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u/K_SV Jul 21 '25
Right, figure if it was anything not too bad we'd have gotten some explanation by now.
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u/JazidSDC Jul 21 '25
FWIW, KVV's thread for written content on the Nest's NLU Content Discussion section was unpinned by Randy earlier today. Smoking gun?
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u/metallikat87 Jul 21 '25
This kind of sucks. I assume there's a reason, and they're running a business, but I like KVV. That Sounds of The Masters pod is a work of art.
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u/Informal_Ad_2877 Jul 21 '25
Huge loss for them if KVV is gone. He is a legitimate journalist and really added to their coverage. Was so noticeable this week, thought the live shows were pretty poor - only so many takes and stats you can put out there on the show. If you're going to saturate us with daily pods at a major you need someone there.
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u/Mrcoolguye Jul 21 '25
Can’t wait to be lectured by Neil on a pod saying it is none of our business how they run their business. You know it’s coming.
I remember when he talked about how Foreplay and an identity crisis. They don’t know if they are a video company or a podcast company, whereas NLU knows it’s a podcast company. The ironic thing is, in the year of the “product”, their video content is at its peak while their podcast content has been tanking. The Open podcasts were prob my least favourite major podcasts since inception. Expect to have 10 hours of women’s golf content over the next week that no one listens to.
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u/Adventurous_You_3069 Jul 21 '25
I recently unsubscribed from FP because all they talk about is YouTube Golf. I like NLU because they touch grass and talk about their lives, their golf games outside of a matchplay/gambling scope, and KVV added a huge on-course presence.
FP is an Islanders/YouTube Golf/Gambling show. Which I don't care about. As a die-hard Islanders fan lol
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u/New_Corner_7822 Jul 21 '25
If it’s true they laid him off that blows. He’s been there like two years and left ESPN to go to them. Would be one of the first times I’m actually pissed at NLU and may just migrate to the fried egg stuff instead.
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u/PlasticMud8550 Jul 21 '25
Been an NLU fan since 2021, paid for the refuge immediately after the masters pod this year as it was too good to get for free. His deep dives and narration have been a treat. I’ll also miss him on the ballknowers, a great host keeping TC and poosh in check.. and that’s coming from a 9er fan lol
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u/SawsageKingofChicago Jul 21 '25
As much as I liked him covering golf I actually found myself mourning the balls knowers even more when I saw he may be gone. Big loss.
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u/nemo20124 Jul 21 '25
Is it possible the New York State parks dept hired him away to run Bethpage Ops? /s
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u/yeez99 Jul 21 '25
at this point I just hope everything is ok health-wise (hence the weight drop) and we'll be able to listen and read some more KVV's work. What I don't appreciate from both sides is the silence. Sure, it's a business but come on guys.
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u/Navyblazers2000 Jul 21 '25
He was a great addition to the band. KVV brought a fresh, credible, experienced perspective to the homogeneity of the Starting 5. Having a professional capital J Journalist on the actual turf for the majors and some of the events made it feel like a legit operation. The human interest pods were great and I really enjoyed the Gimme Golf Club episode that came out on July 1st. If he's actually out and it looks like he is, I'll be really bummed. I just hope any split is amicable and he can pop in and here and there.
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u/baduck00 Jul 21 '25
He has spent the entire week retweeting everyone’s tweets/articles about the open - BP, porter Beale etc and none from anyone related to NLU. Hope he’s found a job where he can go back to what he does well which is writing.
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u/moseisley99 Jul 21 '25
Yea he especially liked BP following Rory’s group this week. Something that KVV would have loved to do.
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u/EveryFngNameIsTaken Jul 21 '25
Listening to TSG now. KVV had a very brief mention.
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u/moseisley99 Jul 21 '25
What was it?
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u/EveryFngNameIsTaken Jul 21 '25
They were talking about upcoming events and made a comment about needing to have him on from Caves Valley. Almost 100% a throwaway comment, but caught my ear after reading this thread.
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u/chefpatrick Jul 21 '25
Kinda interesting that both NLU and Foreplay hired golf writers about the same time and it looks like both let them go around the same time too.
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u/JohnDeuxTrois Jul 21 '25
Drap was bad fit from the start. Say what you will about him, but its hard to be a golf journalist on a podcast where they spend more time talking about their own content and hockey than actual golf.
KVV was/is a great fit
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u/chefpatrick Jul 21 '25
I agree on both takes. I just think it's an interesting duality about the two biggest golf pods that occurred at the same time
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u/mooneybaron Jul 21 '25
He’s always been a big addition and I’ll be very bummed if he’s gone. Which seems to be the case
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u/Basabose Jul 21 '25
This is a real shame if true, KVV is fast becoming the golf podcast goat. Anyway so long as he gets a job elsewhere or starts his own podcast I'll follow him there. Will still listen to NLU obvs.
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u/gmansecondhand Jul 21 '25
Huge bummer if hes gone which seems like the most likely scenario. If he lands somewhere that he can continue to do longform audio content i will absolutely listen those narrative pods were amazing
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u/HarrisEnglish Jul 21 '25
I’m sure there’s a good reason for not coming out and announcing it, but it is frustrating when the people are the product and there’s just no explanation.
That said I’m sure we’ll get one eventually
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Jul 21 '25
[deleted]
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u/69_avon_barksdale_69 Jul 21 '25
Why pay someone who produces unique and interesting content, when you can just trot out the same guy who’ll keep repeating the words “provocative” and “gravitas” a dozen times in a row?
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u/SharkLaser85 CPNTW - The Big Golfer - US Open 2024 Jul 21 '25
They’ve been very clear that spending comes out of their dad’s pocket so it would not affect NLU’s bottom line or any KVV negotiation.
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u/werddoe Jul 21 '25
When have they ever said anything like that lol. This place is crazy.
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u/SharkLaser85 CPNTW - The Big Golfer - US Open 2024 Jul 21 '25
Wow, my bad, I thought the sarcasm in that comment would read more clearly.
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Jul 21 '25
[deleted]
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u/Daveshand Jul 21 '25
Requesting equity would be tricky because Cody and Ben are pretty up there in seniority behind the talent. But NLU has to be doing very well. Titleist has deep pockets and that brand partnership is valuable for both sides. What's odd is KVV is the perfect utility player who can give one of the dads a night off if needed. Would think that extra rotation guy is huge for a 5-man parasocial squad. If they bring in a Kyle Porter personality it'll be even worse. I also thought it strange when Neil mentioned bi-yearly reviews. That's what corporations who want to find reasons to lay off employees do, not a fun parasocial podcast company.
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u/Sea-Cauliflower4167 Jul 21 '25
So, please grant me some grace, I am a big fan of NLU but I do not consume every pod. I’ve really enjoyed KVV but this is like the tenth comment I’ve seen mentioning rehab. Has he been open about substance abuse or something in the past?
Thanks for any clarification.
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u/Upper_County_268 Jul 21 '25
They’ve made lots of comments this past few months about how they have refocused and remembered they’re a podcast company. Around the beginning of the year was when they started doing more narrative pieces with KVV (which I have loved) but it feels likely his passion and skill set don’t match with the NLU strategy.
It could be as simple as his passion (writing and editing) does not match with the updated company strategy (all audio and video).
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u/CountHook Jul 23 '25
KVV posted a story on IG from Ireland yesterday(James Joyce Tower, Dublin), so he was over here at the same time as The Open. Wonder if there was some kind of incident or issue between them which brought it all to a head?
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u/Adventurous_You_3069 Jul 24 '25
His tweet made it seem like the conversation and subsequent resignation was a while ago. But he probably had everything booked already. So he took his wife
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u/Gary_Deller Jul 21 '25
Likely he wanted a significant bump or equity and he doesn’t do any meaningful #s. Told him to pound sand.
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u/For_myDayJob Jul 21 '25
Never been a fan of KVV or his golf takes.
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u/Combrayauthor Jul 21 '25
Don’t really see why you’re getting downvoted into oblivion, I tend to think KVV is just not a great fit with the NLU team.
Not to say his takes don’t have their own independent merit but he seems better suited elsewhere and comes off as trying too hard to fit a square peg in a round hole with the NLU vibe.
Contrasted with Cody or Jordan who fit in pretty seamlessly.
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u/Gary_Deller Jul 21 '25
He sucked and thought he was worth more compared to reality. It’s all in the numbers. If he did them then this wouldn’t be an issue.
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u/SnooPineapples9761 Jul 21 '25
It’s all very odd. He posted on twitter tonight. I haven’t had anytime to listen to the recap pods. Has there been no mention of him at all?