Welcome to Axis ProRata, a podcast that takes just 10 minutes to get you smarter on the collision of tech, business, and politics.

I'm Dan from Mack. On today's show, Big Tech's big surprise, and CBS seems to be nearing an inexplicable decision on Les MoonVez. But first,

football. Tonight is kickoff for America's most popular professional sport, with the Atlanta Falcons taking on some team from Philadelphia.

Everyone else plays Sunday or Monday, and millions of people are expected to watch, either in

person, on TV or on their phones. And yep, I'll be one of them.

But the NFL is also in a pretty uncomfortable place right now for a bunch of reasons that don't

have much to do with one another or even what happens between the lines. First, it's become a

favorite whipping boy of President Trump over the issue of kneeling during the national anthem,

and that's now back in the news because of Colin Kaepernick's recent endorsement deal with Nike. Second, tonight you might see some players wearing larger helmets,

ones that almost make them look a little bit like bobblehead dolls, as both the league

and players try to reduce the risk of brain injury. There are also some new rule changes

for the same reason, although no one quite seems to understand how they'll be applied. And finally,

sports betting is now legal in four states, with more to come, which means the NFL might soon

have to publicly acknowledge the impact of an industry that it's long benefited from while at the

same time trying to pretend didn't exist. In 15 seconds, we'll go deeper on the NFL and how technology

is changing the game for players with

Hall of Famer Steve Young. But first, this. There is more news out there than ever before,

but these days, it's harder than ever to find it and to know what to trust. Axios AM takes the

effort out of getting smart by synthesizing the 10 stories that will drive the day and telling you

why they matter. Subscribe at signup.axios.com. And now,

back to the pro rata podcast. We're joined now by Steve Young, NFL Hall of Famer,

current football analyst for ESPN, and co-founder and managing director of private equity firm

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