Why Veteran’s Minimum host Nick Dais is more than just a ‘podcaster’
“I don’t pretend to be a know-it-all, but sports is all I know and I know a lot.”
Veteran’s Minimum is a sports and conversation show hosted by Nick Dais. Nick, or “The Lamb,” as his friends and fans call him, is a sports junkie and co-founder of Veteran’s Minimum.
Due to certain other obligations, the other founders have moved on and Dais is at the helm of the show by himself now. Dais works extremely hard with an unrivaled passion.
He is a sports fan at its purest and he is dedicated to spreading his knowledge and giving his fans the joy he gets out of sports.
Still, Dais is much more than just a podcaster.
His shows are a layered mixture of monologue, debate, games, and overall sports discussion. Veteran’s Minimum is on Instagram, Twitter, Soundcloud, Spotify, Google Podcasts and iTunes. VM is also very active on YouTube, with a ton of diverse videos and over 12,000 subscribers.
Dais incorporates sports betting into his shows and makes picks for the games based on the lines that Vegas puts out. No one is an expert, as betting is all about luck and chance, but Dais is pretty damn close.
Dais’ congeniality, knowledge, and open-mindedness make it easy for him to conduct interviews with athletes or other popular figures in or around the sports world.
In 2015, Dais and three of his friends started a podcast talking sports. For four years they have grown the show, but not without the many changes that happened over time.
At first, they would all be present during interviews and have their questions written out beforehand. At some point down the line though, Dais located the problem for him in interviewing this way.
He likes to go into an interview with topics to discuss but really prefers a more free-flowing discussion so that he can better listen and learn from the subject.
“For me, now, I have an idea of what the topic will be, and then I become a big vibe and energy guy, where depending on what you say, that might take the conversation into an entirely different path.”
Dais is a sports-better and announces his picks when he makes them. He gives his advice to fans and explains his reasoning for making the picks he does.
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Lowkey the revenue that sports betting generates in sports since it became legalized, the promise and intrigue surrounding sports betting is only going to go up.
Dais cites how some words spoken to him by his friend really resonated with him: “know a little bit about a lot.” This mantra can be seen in his work, which covers many sports.
Dais’ newest passion is football, but he is a Mets fanatic, basketball, wrestling, and hockey fan. Also, he has loved soccer his entire life.
“I think… what my fans have grown to appreciate with me is, I’m the first one to admit I’m wrong,” said Dais.
“It’s cool, it’s authentic, because you understand that you’re trying to be perfect in an imperfect world or field.”
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Inspirin’ and never takin’ credit I know I deserve more, I just never said it
This honesty gives his listeners and viewers a feeling of transparency.
Dais revealed to me that last year he experienced probably the lowest point of his life. In the midst of not being entirely sure of what he wanted to do with his life, he got a speeding ticket on his way back from work that completely derailed his chances of becoming a Nassau County police officer.
“That ticket cost me a lot of money, stress, relationships.”
Lawyer fees, appeals and further uncertainty only hurt his morale more. Dais burned bridges that he is still trying to repair, in the all-too-common reality that’s when we’re angry, we project that pain and hurt onto the people that care for us the most.
But Dais picked himself up.
He leaned into Veteran’s Minimum and it was his salvation.
“My ultimate goal is I wanna be on FOX, I wanna be on ESPN, I wanna have my own show, because I feel like I belong there.”
Dais has the resonating voice to be on the radio and he has the smile to be on television. The dedication and knowledge that has helped Veteran’s Minimum grow year by year is a model for how Dais can continue to grow and a sign for any young sports lover who wants to become a broadcaster.
After the toughest year of his life, Dais is back to doing what he loves. His dedication is inspiring, his resilience is commendable, and his ambitions are attainable.
“I think you’re either moving towards your goals or you’re not.”
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