Pablo Torre Finds Out

Can ESPN launch a streaming app built to last? Is Trump already sports-washing his shiny new Air Force One? And what the hell is the GOAT gonna do for the NBA on NBC? Pablo travels back inside the C-suite of sports business with John Skipper and David Samson. • Subscribe to "Nothing Personal with David Samson"https://www.youtube.com/@npds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 16 May 2025

What do Vladimir Putin, David Hasselhoff and a shadowy businessman named The Meat Baron have in common? The remains of a fan-owned German football club that sold its soul, got stuck in the middle of a war, then woke up from a $200 million nightmare... to the basement of the standings. Correspondent Bradley Campbell travels to Gelsenkirchen, a mining town where soccer never stopped — and salvation was always a piece of merch away. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 15 May 2025

This episode was recently honored as a unanimous finalist for the prestigious Peabody Awards. But it's been 26 years since he was sentenced to death, and Charles Flores still maintains his innocence — while talking trash, playing fantasy football and making enchiladas on game day. Last fall, correspondent David Fleming visited Inmate No. 999299 at a notorious supermax prison in Texas, to learn about life when there isn't always next year. • Learn more about the case of Charles Flores https://www.freecharlesflores.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 13 May 2025

The real story of Bill Belichick's 24-year-old girlfriend is even weirder than it seemed on the viral CBS interview: Pablo spoke to 11 sources who've dealt with Jordon Hudson directly — and there is deep concern that she is destroying the legacy and reputation of the greatest football coach ever. Plus: Katie Nolan and Michael Cruz Kayne reveal our reporting from Hudson's hometown and her ex-boyfriend's (gulp) unsavory past. That... and the story of the yellow polka-dot bikini. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 9 May 2025

Will Forte is responsible for some of the most idiosyncratically bizarre characters in comedy history — and the funniest movie Pablo has ever seen. But to understand Forte's legend, you must peer behind the scenes of "MacGruber" and "SNL" (his mythical audition, included). With a little help from their mutual friends, Pablo goes inside the making of a cult classic... and that time Val Kilmer moved in. • Watch "The Four Seasons" on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/title/81750702 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 8 May 2025

There's a big DOGE hearing on Capitol Hill tomorrow, after a month of yelling from Fox News and threats of a criminal investigation from Trump's cabinet. The cause: an elite female fencer who got punished for taking a knee, in protest of her transgender opponent at an Olympic qualifier. The problem? That story isn't true. Andrew Fischl, PTFO's fencing expert and whistleblower, tells us the real story — and the bizarre scandal in his sport that you should know about. • Previously: Match-Fixing, the Oligarch and the Ivy League — Inside the Most Corrupt Sport at the Olympics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGWZ13gxTxc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 6 May 2025

Why the f*ck is Formula One cracking down on profanity? Is swearing a performance-enhancing drug? And what if you hosted The Paul Finebaum Show — only to be bullied for loving the Orlando Magic? Plus: a foul-mouthed grandma, an insurance adjuster on meth, an ass in the jackpot, a potentially pierced penis... and the Chalamet of it all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 2 May 2025

Jerce Reyes Barrios was a pro soccer player in Venezuela — an underdog living a sports-movie dream. Then he became an immigrant to Trump's America: The administration accused Jerce of being a gang member. ICE flew him to a terrorist prison in El Salvador. And his family hasn't spoken to him since. All of this... for a tattoo about his favorite football club. Paola Ramos reports on how Jerce escaped one dictator, only to be trapped by another, thanks to the very collapse of American democracy itself. • Read Paola Ramos' book, "Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America" https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741645/defectors-by-paola-ramos/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 1 May 2025

The NFL Draft is such a tediously fascinating test of power that it's near impossible to turn off. John Skipper and David Samson help Pablo find the entertainment magic in the gathering — and examine the collusion theory of Shedeur Sanders' fall (especially now that the White House is taking credit for stopping it). Plus: the case for a neutral-site World Series, table integrity, kowtowing, apricity, Sweet on the Road... and OnlyGoys. Further content: • Subscribe to Nothing Personal with David Samson https://www.youtube.com/@NPDS • Shedeur Sanders' NFL Draft fall wasn't a surprise. Teams never saw QB as first-round talent (Jeff Howe) https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6307646/2025/04/25/nfl-draft-shedeur-sanders-fall-not-surprise/ • Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL? (Mike Tollin)https://www.netflix.com/title/70135734 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 29 April 2025

Why were Detectives Benson and Stabler holding hands courtside at the Knicks game? How will these world-famous sisters save the birds in unison? And what's the best pope name? Plus: embracing the bait, diagnosing the kink, Jeopardy! feuds, burses... and twins. Further content: • "The greatest news interview of all time. Nothing can prepare you for what happens 20 seconds into this clip." https://x.com/malonebarry/status/1914426038504886428 • Subscribe to "Casuals with Katie Nolan" https://www.youtube.com/katienolan • Listen to "Sorry for Your Loss" by Michael Cruz Kayne https://www.audible.com/pd/Sorry-for-Your-Loss-Audiobook/B0CGJSXSPF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 25 April 2025

The most brilliant promotion in sports seems simple: If a visiting NBA player misses two straight free throws in the fourth quarter, every fan in the arena gets free chicken. But the untold story of Brickin' for Chicken is a tale of psychology, philanthropy and unintended consequences — and nobody wants to admit the truth. So we teamed up with Oddball's Amin Elhassan to reveal hidden evidence, pointing to a new theory about this quid-pro-bird. And then we (literally) chased down The Robin Hood of Wings: no less than Giannis Antetokounmpo himself. • Subscribe to Oddball with Amin Elhassan and Izzy Gutierrez https://www.youtube.com/@OddballHoops • Subscribe to Thanalysis https://thanalysis.podbean.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 24 April 2025

Angus King, the U.S. Senator from Maine (and former quarterback), is neither a Democrat nor a Republican. So we should listen very closely as he takes PTFO inside what he deems an unprecedented constitutional crisis — from tariffs and mass deportations to trans athletes and DOGE — by way of the ancient Romans, a vegetable slicer and Bill Belichick. And he explains exactly why his colleagues in Congress must stop handing their power to Donald Trump... before it's too late. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 22 April 2025

Mina Kimes’s Celebrity Jeopardy! semi-final featured a Guardian of the Galaxy from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a tech millionaire podcaster. How did Mina do? The answer: NOT a Daily Double. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 18 April 2025

As history was made this month, The Great One sat in a luxury box with the NHL commissioner and... the conspiracy-theorist director of the FBI. Has Wayne Gretzky become a political Mr. Magoo? Or legitimate friends with an American president who's trying to make the GOAT’s homeland his 51st state? Bruce Arthur, the Toronto Star columnist and conscience of Canada, says our neighbors are "incandescently angry.” And we investigate the world of Kash Patel and the Congressional Hockey Caucus. Further reading: Alex Ovechkin breaks Wayne Gretzky's unbreakable record, but his greatness is only part of the story  https://www.thestar.com/sports/nhl/alex-ovechkin-breaks-wayne-gretzkys-unbreakable-record-but-his-greatness-is-only-part-of-the/article_aadfb162-f387-4289-b144-ebe18e4c3002.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 17 April 2025

How did a federal prosecutor named Martin Bell end up suing a 70-million-year-old tyrannosaurus, looted from the rocky sands of the Gobi Desert? By teaming up with The Babe Ruth of Forfeiture and a personal injury lawyer representing the president of Mongolia, naturally. What followed was a matter of international diplomacy and Florida men — of a narc at the museum and a conspicuous crate, all leading to Pablo's high school, The Graveyard of the Oviraptor... and, of course, Nicolas Cage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 15 April 2025

The Dow Jones looks like an EKG chart. The world economy feels like the Cuban Missile Crisis. And the sycophantic administration's policy is more volatile than the Denver Nuggets' front office. But to Stephanie Ruhle — the former banker turned host of MSNBC's The 11th Hour, receiving frantic calls from investors and C-suite execs — the real problem underneath America's tariff turbulence is more fundamental: trust that was gained in droplets is now lost in buckets. Who's suffering the consequences of the art of the deal while Trump and his cronies profiteer from golf tournaments? Probably you. Plus: the dark heart of a Twitter warrior, Stephen A. Smith's tariff strategy...and a basement taco joint with A-Rod and J-Lo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 11 April 2025

He got the Sandy Koufax seal of approval, then re-trained Nolan Ryan in his forties. He upgraded Drew Brees into one of the most accurate passers of all time, then went tête-à-tête with Tom Brady. He even tried turning Michael Jordan and Tim Tebow into baseball players. But for legendary pitching coach Dr. Tom House, the science of throwing is all in the mind, from performance anxiety to the human nerve bank. And now, at 77, he's looking into a future without Shohei Ohtani on the mound — and a 118-mile-an-hour fastball coming for your head. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 10 April 2025

The promise of the internet has failed us. Our politics are breaking us. But the sports world, even in a state of group-hate, provides lessons for a fundamental human need that is currently all too absent: connection. Roy Wood Jr., one of the most prolific road comics in our country, has a million miles of experience at kicking the tires on The Real America. And his rules of the road will surprise you, because they exist less with Obama at the batting cage and somewhere more between Ted Cruz on the sidelines...and the porn gun range. Also: NASCAR, Mr. Wizard, and Sammy Sosa. • Watch Roy Wood's new special, "Lonely Flowers" https://www.hulu.com/movie/0bdefff9-def5-4e22-96d9-94fd899f0f83 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 8 April 2025

Did LeBron attend Kobe's memorial in 2020? Pablo reports on claims renewed by Stephen A. Smith. And should Stephen A. actually run in 2028? We commissioned Rasmussen Reports to conduct a legitimate political survey, then presented the results to Wyatt Cenac and Tim Miller. • See the full results of the exclusive PTFO/Rasmussen poll  https://www.rasmussenreports.com/ • Subscribe to Wyatt Cenac's newsletter https://wyattcenac.substack.com/ • Subscribe to The Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller https://www.thebulwark.com/s/bulwarkpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 4 April 2025

Franchise valuations are going up, up, up — and the first $10 billion team can't be far away. But inside the owners' meetings, though, generational warfare is underway: Can A-Rod snag the Timberwolves from the iron grip of an 83-year-old billionaire? Will the Celtics make private equity sexy? And how long until every NBA game is on national TV? Pablo Torre & The Expiring Assets (aka John Skipper and David Samson with a cold) are back to appraise Gollum's ring and stare into James Dolan's all-seeing Eye of Seventh Avenue. • Previously: How the Billion-Dollar War to Own the Timberwolves Went Nuclear https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmOkcQwZ-s8 • Subscribe to Nothing Personal with David Samson https://www.youtube.com/@NPDS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 3 April 2025

Hank Azaria created more than 100 voices for The Simpsons, including Moe the Bartender, Chief Wiggum and (formerly) Apu. So why is the single most talented voice actor of his generation, at 60 years old, suddenly the lead singer of a Springsteen tribute band? Because — in recovery from the fear that helped originate his superpower, the failure that forced him to embrace "character acting," the cancellation that became a case study, and the threat of A.I. — he was overtaken by Bruce Juice. And today, inside PTFO's studio, he takes the stage. • Catch Hank Azaria and the EZ Street Band on Tour https://www.ezstreetnyc.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 1 April 2025

Did the late George Foreman's merchandising millions almost go to Chuck Norris instead? What aren't influencers selling to men these days? And is this season of The White Lotus actually good? (Spoiler alert for later in this episode: If you've seen through Episode 6, you're good.) And more from Pablo's trip to L.A.: the neck hammock, erect rods, and OnlyEyes. Further content: George Foreman Turned a Home Grill Into a Culinary Heavyweight (Kim Severson) https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/dining/george-foreman-grill.html It's Bait (Rebecca Jennings) https://www.vulture.com/article/ashton-hall-morning-routine.html Let's Talk About the [Spoiler Alert] on The White Lotus, with Help From Some Experts (Eliana Dockterman) https://time.com/7269550/the-white-lotus-incest-lochlan-saxon/ Subscribe to The Mina Kimes Show (featuring Lenny) podcast https://www.youtube.com/@minakimes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 28 March 2025

Thirty years ago this month, Michael Jordan shocked the world with a two-word transmission: "I'm back." But the rise and fall of this especially nostalgic technology is inextricably hard-wired to the sports world, from frantic prodigies to foul-mouthed coaches and fans glued to FaxCam. Pablo communes with a relic between himself and J.A. Adande — the Hall-of-Fame sportswriter and long-suffering fax-sender — for a jam session on innovation and increasingly epic fails that plunges PTFO into the literal depths of modern communication. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 27 March 2025

"The Fault in Our Stars" is one of the bestselling novels of the century. Why did its author just devote five years of his life to a staggering work of non-fiction about... tuberculosis? Because John Green became a super-fan of fourth-tier English football. He employed FIFA and Belichick-level tactics to build a compassionate community on YouTube. He understood the difference between enough and more than enough. And he never forgot to be awesome. • Order "Everything Is Tuberculosis" https://everythingistb.com/ • Subscribe to John Green's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/vlogbrothers • Subscribe to Henry Reider's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@Tuberculosis-l1jSurvivorHenry Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 25 March 2025

John Skipper, who is not on this season of The White Lotus, goes behind the scenes of his failed bid for "the evil empire" to steal the rights to March Madness. David Samson, who is trying very hard not to sneeze, takes on the haters of the MLB's money-printing series in Japan. And, yes: Pablo is more valuable than a test pattern. Subscribe to Nothing Personal with David Samson https://davidsamsonpodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 21 March 2025

What would you do if you got hit by a stomach bug while driving a Nissan Sentra? Are UNC grads actually bigger a$$holes than Duke fans? Should you pick your bracket solely based on mascots? And how would you create the ultimate sports bubble? Plus: Chihuahua Guy, Lady Cocks, Gentleman Zips, @RamsesBalls, fate, destiny, peace accords and snitching on Hawkeye Elvis. • Subscribe to the Read Rodge newsletter: https://rodgersherman.substack.com/ • Watch "Off-Rohding" with Lucy Rohden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbPIlsADdT0&list=PLRsPi_fqIjreCx526Na0R_JI7xxO6rfML Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 20 March 2025

We live in America-first times. But what if we applied that instinct to a pro-Earth party? On a break from NASA's office above the Seinfeld diner, a leading scientist visits Pablo to power-rank the human viability of our solar system — and get excited about being part of the solution... instead of Elon Musk's vision of discount Bladerunner on Mars. Plus: Pablo's recruiting trip to SpaceX, why weather should be optional, The Independence Day Solution, witchcraft, livestock burps and life on a giant fart moon. • Pre-order: "Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet" https://www.harpercollins.com/products/human-nature-kate-marvel?variant=43110377324578 • Previously: How to Re-Make the Climate-Change Horror Movie as a Rom-Com https://www.pablo.show/p/make-climate-change-a-rom-com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 18 March 2025

Do they sever the actors on Severance? Does Severance cast member (!!) Michael Cruz Kayne know the secrets of Lumon? (For people who believe in spoilers, you're good through Episode 7 of Season 2.) Also: Why are we trying so hard to figure out The White Lotus? And how much would you pay, at auction, for props from your favorite show? Plus: The Pablovian Shiver Response, the weaponization of AIM, trusting the parsnip steak, StraightDope.com, aliens... and that scene from Saltburn. The Severance Subreddit https://www.reddit.com/r/SeveranceAppleTVPlus/ The 'Saltburn' Bathtub Finds a New Home (Valeriya Safronova) https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/01/style/saltburn-bathtub-jacob-elordi.html Subscribe to "Casuals with Katie Nolan" https://www.youtube.com/katienolan Listen to "Sorry for Your Loss" by Michael Cruz Kayne https://www.audible.com/pd/Sorry-for-Your-Loss-Audiobook/B0CGJSXSPF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 14 March 2025

Everyone is talking about A.I. now, but what we haven't heard is an updated, informed discussion of what, exactly, it will do to the sports world. So in our first on-stage episode, at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, Pablo hosts an actual verified genius... and a pioneering NBA executive who gets to be sarcastically referred to as one. We discover how the Philadelphia 76ers already consult large language models, why artificial general intelligence is actually unambitious and much more. But rest assured: At this moment of tension between entertainment and efficiency, the forecast is Kyle Lowry with a chance of Gasol. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 13 March 2025

Nobody makes opponents miss free throws like Arizona State’s student section and their infamous Curtain of Distraction. On the brink of March Madness, we embed with the Sun Devils writers' room — and the Lorne Michaels of college basketball — to test the limits of absurdity (with a little help from the likes of Donald Glover and Mike Schur). Then we activated polyamorous conjoined unicorns on the baseline… on live national television. What could possibly go wrong? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 11 March 2025

On this week’s Share & Tell, Mina Kimes and Dan Le Batard join us to discuss DOGE cutting — and being shamed into restoring — USAID support for starving children, Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders and his suddenly tumbling draft stock, and the increasingly explicit love affair between a woman and her ChatGPT. Plus: cuckqueans, Deion’s Family Playbook, and why you should NEVER. STOP. POSTING. Further content: Trump assault on USAID She Is in Love With ChatGPT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 7 March 2025

The world is in desperate need of a vibes transfusion. And so we asked Kevin Wildes — co-host of FS1's "First Things First” and professional counterbalance to Nick Wright — for something even bigger than Jordan vs. LeBron. Ol' K.W. has assembled nothing short of a master list of 71 (!) things that are, in fact, cool. And PTFO's official Cool Committee debates the door policy at a club where anyone, in theory, can be a member... whether you have whale bodyguards or not. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 6 March 2025

The best documentary filmmaker in America spent nearly five years of his life making a nine-hour masterpiece for Netflix. Which has now, officially, been cancelled. In his first sit-down interview about "The Book of Prince," director Ezra Edelman seeks catharsis — if not closure — in the battle for the truth and control over the life story of one of the biggest control freaks ever. Prince was a shape-shifter who lived and died as a mystery. So why won't his estate lift the veil? And when it comes to celebrities, what does "public interest" really mean? Previously on PTFO: Pablo and Wesley Morris Watched the Prince Doc You're Not Allowed to See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qi6x3QF-v8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 4 March 2025

It is the greatest individual performance in basketball history: Sixty-three years ago this weekend, a larger-than-life superhero conjured the supernatural. Why do so many people — including a player on the court — now think it was fake news? Our quest for irrefutable proof (and poetry) unpacks boxes that you won't find in the Hall of Fame: The recordings from author Gary Pomerantz, who spoke to 56 people in attendance and on the court. The tapes, which we unearthed from a rare-book library, a basement closet and a vault in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Plus: the last Warrior left standing to check the facts — and shake a fist at the naysayers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 28 February 2025

Major League Baseball just opted out of its $550 million contract with the Worldwide Leader. But are we still underestimating the fundamental value of the game? Why would a network sign a broadcast-rights deal in the first place, if you can just put crap on TV? And is Kyle Kuzma actually more popular than Aaron Judge? Plus: Netflix, Victor Wemminyamma, David Samson in union-boss mode, John Skipper's Chocolate-Chip Cookie Theory — and the fan of this show who is consuming it on mushrooms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 27 February 2025

It is a far-fetched innovation floated by American hoops heads for years: the four-point shot. But as our far-flung correspondent Rafe Bartholomew reports, there is a real-life pilot program afoot — half a world away, in a galaxy-brained league with a half-century's worth of swag: the Philippine Basketball Association. And it's working. We meet the new king of long distance; watch film with a Filipino coaching legend; and then heat-check this cultural exchange with the NBA's preeminent philosopher of the four-pointer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 25 February 2025

Sure, fewer people are watching basketball games these days. But the NBA has 76 billion reasons why that doesn't matter. John Skipper, David Samson and Pablo do the math on Adam Silver's real State of the Union — and why a rival, LIV-style league would never succeed. Plus: the goosing of Super Bowl numbers, the ballad of Monty the Giant Schnauzer... and the untold origin story of a certain award-winning sports business podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 14 February 2025

Is Bill Belichick's girlfriend a Marvel superhero AND his momager? Why is Elon Musk lying about being a world-class gamer? And would you hire Dr. David Schlong? Plus: TMJ, POE2, foggin' it up, goin' all the way in, pre-mirror narcissism... and Chad Ochocinco's three-inch penis. Further content: DunKings 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quS-Ubn1tKA Elon Musk rose to the top of video game charts. Now he has confessed to cheating. (Drew Harwell) https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/01/29/elon-musk-video-games-diablo-path-exile/ The Musklash (Max Read) https://maxread.substack.com/p/the-musklash 'Labia puffing' is the latest NSFW cosmetic trend (Brooke Kate) https://nypost.com/2025/02/04/lifestyle/what-is-labia-puffing-the-latest-nsfw-cosmetic-filler-trend/ Chins Are In (Brock Colyar) https://www.vulture.com/article/hollywood-leading-men-plastic-surgery-chins-jawlines.html Subscribe to "Casuals with Katie Nolan" https://www.youtube.com/katienolan Listen to "Sorry for Your Loss" by Michael Cruz Kayne https://www.audible.com/pd/Sorry-for-Your-Loss-Audiobook/B0CGJSXSPF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 13 February 2025

The ladder for a wannabe GM requires great balance — and not just when you're power-washing bathrooms in Coney Island as a minor-league intern. But Pablo's former classmate possesses an almost comically even-keeled nature that has led him to the top of Major League Baseball, making unemotional (and historically expensive) decisions as President of Baseball Operations for the New York Mets. His journey from racing in a hot-dog costume to working under the Big Apple spotlight for the richest owner in sports has meant turning off sports-talk radio, texting with Darryl Strawberry and, somehow, having no idea who Grimace was. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 11 February 2025

It's obvious that the NFL is the most powerful institution in American culture. But far less clear is what the league's power looks like from the inside. Which is why our guest before the Super Bowl is three-time Pulitzer-winner Don Van Natta Jr., whose investigative work for ESPN has offered a rare glimpse at a group that refers to itself as The Membership. Not to mention commissioner Roger Goodell, a human shield who's protected owners from a series of once-catastrophic scandals — and a boardroom that resembles an episode of Succession. Plus: the defenestration of Dan Snyder, the desperation of Bob Kraft and the superpower (and flip phone) of shadow commissioner Jerry Jones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 7 February 2025

Luka Dončić is just the latest athlete to be deemed too expensive by their employer. But Major League Baseball has a special solution to this problem that is at once top-secret, excruciating and embarrassing. Because when a player and his team disagree on the new salary he deserves, baseball puts them before a tribunal of judges... and lets them argue over how much that player sucks... in front of that player. All-Star second baseman Dan Uggla and journeyman outfielder Cody Ross re-confront David Samson, the former Florida Marlins president who stood between them and their millions. And they have a lesson for every athlete who dares to enter The Room. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 6 February 2025

A very popular theory alleges that the U.S. government spent billions of taxpayer dollars to buy cheese ... then stored millions upon millions of pounds of that cheese in underground caves ... and then planted scientists inside fast-food chains ... where they invented new products, such as stuffed-crust pizza ... in order to get Americans to eat said government cheese. Correspondent David Gardner gets to the gooey center of the truth — including, but not limited to: farmers, shadow agencies, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Supreme Court, MrBeast, James Harden's beard and Pete Rose. So, yeah. You should probably listen to this, before joining the rest of America in ordering 12.5 million pizzas on Super Bowl Sunday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 4 February 2025

Is the NFL's total domination good for the business of other sports? Is it OK to watch games alone? Is every dynasty villainous? And how can Fox resolve Tom Brady's conflict of interest with the Raiders? Plus: The Lever of Power, The OnlyCast, the Galukes vs. the Monhonks vs. the Mohunks, rec-erectollections — and an executive leap into the abyss. Subscribe to Nothing Personal with David Samson https://www.youtube.com/@NPDS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 31 January 2025

Remember when "In Living Color" tried to steal the Super Bowl — and changed it (seriously) forever? How do you compare boners while not dying? And why did the NWSL dare to abolish the draft? Plus: payment-processing gargoyles, Jim Carrey, mascot auditions, Winter Magic, Taylor Swift, Richard Gere's alleged gerbil intimacy... and The Turgid Place. Further content: "In Living Color": 1992 Live Super Bowl Show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EY-7OuP8uE Bryan Johnson and the Birth of the Blueprint Religion (Ashlee Vance) https://www.corememory.com/p/bryan-johnson-and-the-birth-of-the A Tectonic Shift in the American Sports Landscape (Good Game with Sarah Spain) https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-good-game-with-sarah-spai-185664375/episode/a-tectonic-shift-in-the-american-209236895/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 30 January 2025

Ever since the invention of the written word, there have been moral panics about how new technology corrupts our brains. But now — as the richest companies in the world pour billions into an all-out war for eyeballs — something very different is happening. So we talked to the author of a new book, "The Sirens' Call," about why a satirized nerd on MSNBC is an ideal authority on how Silicon Valley is exploiting the human condition. Plus: the significance of spam, the Cocktail Party Effect, HammerKing75, a court of Infinite Jest, the piglet advantage... and a hot take from Socrates. Get Chris Hayes' book, "The Sirens' Call":  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/719661/the-sirens-call-by-chris-hayes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 28 January 2025

Is TikTok the one social-media platform that makes you feel good, or is it an algorithmic wasteland of culturally insignificant content? Are we partying hard enough? And was the pre-Taylor Swift version of Travis Kelce actually hot? Plus: second-person IG love letters to your child, a boombox-holding panda/dog... and the tragic end of Party City. Further content: Americans Need to Party More (Ellen Cushing) https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2025/01/throw-more-parties-loneliness/681203/ Subscribe to "Casuals with Katie Nolan" https://www.youtube.com/katienolan Subscribe to "The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny" https://www.youtube.com/@minakimes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 24 January 2025

We are living in the era of Peak Cremation, and fans have turned to our true American cathedral as a final resting place: the sports arena. PTFO death correspondent David Fleming reports on a cottage industry for die-hards in the afterlife — from team-branded urns and exploding golf balls to franchises that want the on-field ceremonies gone (and forgotten). And then, of course, we help a woman named Edna spread her husband's ashes... while riding a convertible, on a racetrack, flooring it into eternity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 January 2025

Deyra Barrera was playing birthday parties and restaurants and funerals in Los Angeles when she got the call: Kendrick Lamar wanted her to sing on his new album, GNX. And now, if we’re lucky, she might be a guest at the Super Bowl 59 halftime show. But today, we find out why there is no better soundtrack for her rise — from a tiny town in Mexico to the World Series, with the Dodgers — than the musical genre she’s mastered: mariachi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 21 January 2025

The future of our live TV viewing habits is ever-evolving: Every week, it seems, there's a new bundle. A new "skinny" bundle. A new merger. Is the media industry ready to help us find all the games we want to watch? Will there ever be one sports streaming service to rule them all? David Samson, John Skipper and Pablo pour one out for the streamer that would have included games from ESPN, Fox Sports and Turner Sports — and look ahead to what's next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 17 January 2025

How did Jerry Jones become such a good actor on Landman? Why do people love video games with such bad graphics? And what does it take to be elite in a group chat — or to abandon one? Plus: Bob Kraft's bikini audition tape, Rust Belt Strip Club Enthusiasts, Goldeneye in a bathroom stall, the Bryce Young of texting, the face of the Vanderbilt party scene and active snore simulation. Further content: Jerry Jones Gives Monty Life Advice (Paramount+) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crja9fuQyXM Video Games Can’t Afford to Look This Good (Zachary Small) https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/26/arts/video-games-graphics-budgets.html The Agony of Texting With Men (Matthew Schnipper) https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2025/01/men-texting-men-loneliness/681076/ The Domonique Foxworth Show https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn3nHXu50t5wnTIdJOdFIA9wxAHHq2LEl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 16 January 2025