Pablo Torre Finds Out episodes

Carolina football GM Mike Lombardi likes to talk about himself as a three-time Super Bowl champion operating an NFL team in college. But not all Super Bowl rings are created equal. Correspondent (and UNC dad) David Fleming joins Pablo to fact-check the $1.5 million man, for a roadmap to how the Belichick administration became such a (taxpayer-funded) disaster.• Order David Fleming's book, "A Big Mess in Texas: The Miraculous, Disastrous 1952 Dallas Texans and the Craziest Untold Story in NFL History":https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250374301/abigmessintexas(Pablo Torre Finds Out is independently produced by Meadowlark Media and distributed by The Athletic. The views, research and reporting expressed in this episode are solely those of Pablo Torre Finds Out, and do not reflect the work or editorial input of The Athletic or its journalists.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Domonique joked about his forgetfulness for years, and Pablo gas-bagged about the ethical dilemma — and existential crisis — of concussions in the NFL. But with football more popular than ever, fewer people seem to give a sh*t about CTE — and who's watching the watchers. So it's about time for an honest conversation about fear, family, aging, masculinity, hidden science and what it's like inside the huddle, when there's a horror movie inside your brain.• Subscribe to "The Domonique Foxworth Show"• 7-year NFL veteran Domonique Foxworth saw 'Concussion' and it made him question everythingIf you are in crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did Adam Silver end up in bed with a paper magnate? Why did a 77-point airing of grievances about A-Rod help to free Anthony Edwards? And can this all be solved with an Aspiration credit card? Plus: Moldovan bots, embroidered hats, Sporcle quizzes and one very confusing encounter at the Mall of America.• Previously on PTFO: How the Billion-Dollar War to Own the Timberwolves Went Nuclear• Further content: The Long Days and Wild Nights That Saved the Wolves from Leaving Minnesota by Jon Krawczynski Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UNC football has devolved into the biggest hot mess in college sports. Can we interest you in a hot mic? Because in order to understand the GOAT coach's inner circle in Chapel Hill, you really need to open the gift we've brought for Katie Nolan and Michael Cruz Kayne.• Previously on PTFO: The Jordon Rules, The Belichick Ring Mystery, Solved• Subscribe to "Casuals with Katie Nolan"• Listen to "Sorry for Your Loss" by Michael Cruz Kayne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The greatest power couple in sports returns for a blue-cardigan'd victory lap full of wisdom, statues, Suegronis, Stud Budz... and real talk on what the WNBA's nuclear option could mean for the future of work.• Subscribe to "Bird's Eye View with Sue Bird"• Subscribe to "A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After tweeting 17,053 words in defense of his fellow billionaire NBA owner, the most polarizing member of Team Ballmer is back — in-studio — to confront all of Pablo's most burning questions: Why was Kawhi Leonard's deal kept so secret? When did the Clippers really know? Just how screwed was Aspiration? And what the hell do Cuban's Mavericks and the Knicks' Jalen Brunson have to do with this scandal?• Part I: The Richest Owner in Sports, the Silent Superstar and the Rotten Apple Tree• Part II: Team Ballmer vs. Team Sh*tting Bricks — an Argument with Mark Cuban• Part III: The Mystery Investor, the No-Show Payday and the "Smoking Gun"• Part IV: Steve Ballmer, the Other Cuban and the $118 Million Infusion• Part V: Steve Ballmer's "Inconceivable" Donation, the $20 Million Guarantee and a Head on a Spike(Pablo Torre Finds Out is independently produced by Meadowlark Media and distributed by The Athletic. The views, research and reporting expressed in this episode are solely those of Pablo Torre Finds Out, and do not reflect the work or editorial input of The Athletic or its journalists.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a belated 40th birthday link-up, our favorite geriatric millennial stops by to restore your faith in humanity with truck content from her toddler bro, the definition of a sports parent, the hardest part about growing up right now and the best thing about Bad Bunny playing the only big room left in America. Plus: encountering a loose Lucky Charm, borrowing Neighbor Jim's shrink ray, "Tickle Monster (Pablo's Version)," ripping off Jim Carrey... and rippin' some salt.• Subscribe to "The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you know when to hang it up? Or do you keep working, even if you're sick or if your loved ones are dying? Do you need to be laughing at yourself, while the audience laughs at you? And is sports media really a young man's game? Plus: the state of the organic a$$hole, the Gisele of hand-modeling... and the Braveheartian climax of a very threatening lullaby. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For nearly three decades, he's crafted cinematic narratives on public radio that are unapologetically performative and decidedly high-brow. But Ira Glass, in real life, is not some vegetarian sandwich. Pablo seeks kindred wisdom on activating a third ear, basking in the flow of Lin-Manuel Miranda, covering Donald Trump, growing jealous of The Daily, fact-checking Joe Rogan and opting out of being in touch... with The Rizzler.• Become a Life Partner of "This American Life" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He’s watched one movie per day for the last 30 years. He’s a germaphobe. He obsesses over the efficient use of his time. But when David Samson, the ex-president of the Miami Marlins, just last month, received the news of his daughter’s sudden illness, the life he meticulously engineered was upended forever. David sits down for a candid discussion about his failures as a father and his hopes for his daughter. Also: electing a commissioner; Giancarlo Stanton’s best home run; Jerry Reinsdorf’s “Happy Birthday”; the time Derek Jeter berated David across a Cooperstown souvenir shop; and oops, we forgot to tell Skipper he’s not on this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before she rode the shooting star of Broad City into the comedy stratosphere, Ilana Glazer lived in Pablo's old apartment. The non-roommates reunite to blow off steam on: the infuriating inequality of New York; the Helveticazation of Silicon Valley; the re-establishment of Hollywood; the Fox Newsification of a "trillion-dollar hate propaganda machine"; the wisdom of Edward R. Murrow and George Clooney; and the spiritual engine inside us all... even (and especially!) if you're Jesse Watters playing the recorder at morning assembly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Media Day will force Kawhi Leonard to respond to scandal, but not before Pablo returns with new scoops and urgent questions: Just how easy was the "no-show" payday? Did Uncle Dennis really act alone? And why did the richest owner in sports keep funding a fraudster, even as the feds closed in? Mr. Amin Elhassan joins as an increasingly sweaty one-man cast of experts.• Part IV: Steve Ballmer, the Other Cuban and the $118 Million Infusion• Part III: The Mystery Investor, the No-Show Payday and the "Smoking Gun"• Part II: Team Ballmer vs. Team Sh*tting Bricks — an Argument with Mark Cuban• Part I: The Richest Owner in Sports, the Silent Superstar and the Rotten Apple Tree• Subscribe: Pablo's newsletter has exclusive access, documents and invites(Pablo Torre Finds Out is independently produced by Meadowlark Media and distributed by The Athletic. The views, research and reporting expressed in this episode are solely those of Pablo Torre Finds Out, and do not reflect the work or editorial input of The Athletic or its journalists.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He was an astronaut. Then his wife, Rep. Gabby Giffords, survived an act of political gun violence. Now, he's a U.S. Senator tinkering his way around the "stupid sh*t" inside Washington's machine. Can Mark Kelly convince his colleagues to look past corporate money in order to save lives? And could Charlie Kirk's killing lead to progress? Also: twins with mustaches, a first date on death row, an accidental Obama nickname... and the correct pronunciation of acetaminophen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Socrates called it a sensation of both pleasure and pain. But the tickle is the one legal move that the UFC won't talk about — especially after the tickle went viral. Correspondent David Fleming giggles his way from a rat-titilating neuroscientist in Germany to a cage-side gaggle at a wedding ballroom in Rochester, exploring the science of laughter, the art of war and a truly genius alternative to the purple nurple.• Pre-order David Fleming's book, "A Big Mess in Texas: The Miraculous, Disastrous 1952 Dallas Texans and the Craziest Untold Story in NFL History" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When did Hollywood get so good at cucking? Can hot guys be character actors? Who's your work wife? Would you drink a bucket of Wegovy? And is Shrek real? Plus: Paris Hilton, #MeSlurp, Smooching+ and the Shaquille O'Neal of hiding behind a tree... of braces. Also: Haaaaamburger.Further content:• "I Couldn't Get a Job and I Lost Everything"• "It Had to Be You"• Serena Williams Opens Up About Being on a GLP-1• Subscribe to "Casuals with Katie Nolan" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pablo welcomes back America's most feared (and respected) young watchdog for lessons in challenging the Steve Ballmers of the world — and real talk on how "dynamic pricing" is more like surveillance. Speaking of which, a certain New York City mayoral candidate (and long-suffering Arsenal fan) enters the chat to make his case for why FIFA shouldn't bully fans by algorithm, why we can't normalize inequality... and why billionaires shouldn't exist at all.• Previously on PTFO: Meet the Most Feared Person in Silicon Valley Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the NBA commissioner and the richest owner in sports dig in their heels, Pablo scoops up more Aspiration receipts — from Mark Cuban's tweets to the Clippers' C-suite and the cellphone of Uncle Dennis. Meanwhile, Dan Le Batard breaks character to look after a muckraker running on fumes.• Part III: The Mystery Investor, the No-Show Payday and the "Smoking Gun"• Part II: Team Ballmer vs. Team Sh*tting Bricks — an Argument with Mark Cuban• Part I: The Richest Owner in Sports, the Silent Superstar and the Rotten Apple Tree• Subscribe: Pablo's newsletter has exclusive access, documents and invites(Pablo Torre Finds Out is independently produced by Meadowlark Media and distributed by The Athletic. The views, research and reporting expressed in this episode are solely those of Pablo Torre Finds Out, and do not reflect the work or editorial input of The Athletic or its journalists.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Superstars like Jannik Sinner and Mikaela Shiffrin wear a headset to train their minds and get in the zone. But a six-month investigation by Hunterbrook Media, in collaboration with PTFO, uncovered the technology's secret funding by entities linked to the Chinese government — plus partnerships with robotics companies helping to train super-soldiers of the future. Hunterbrook's Sam Koppelman examines the potential impact on AI, mind control, state surveillance, cognitive warfare... and one very surprised Super Bowl champion.Read the full Hunterbrook investigation into BrainCo at https://hntrbrk.com/brainco/ or listen to the Hunterbrook podcast, The Hunt, wherever you get your podcasts.(Pablo Torre Finds Out is independently produced by Meadowlark Media and distributed by The Athletic. The views, research and reporting expressed in this episode are solely those of Pablo Torre Finds Out and Hunterbrook Media and do not reflect the work or editorial input of The Athletic or its journalists.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A visit from the Def Comedy Jam legend that, as of one month ago, Pablo and Michael did not know. Alonzo “Hamburger” Jones is not afraid to answer the tough questions: how he discovered his catchphrase; why he’s wearing a Daniel Jones jersey; and what it was like to be in a lineup with Chris Tucker and Bernie Mac. Also: Filet-O-Fish. Previously on PTFO: Share & Hamburger & Tell:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pablo-torre-finds-out/id1685093486?i=1000724661384Catch Hamburger Jones on tour: https://www.comedianhamburger.com/shows Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pablo unveils shocking new details (and documents) from inside the fraudulent company that spawned a generational NBA scandal, as Amin Elhassan and David Samson return for rational explanations in the court of podcast opinion — and contemplate Steve Ballmer's endgame.• Part II: Team Ballmer vs. Team Sh*tting Bricks — an Argument with Mark Cuban• Part I: The Richest Owner in Sports, the Silent Superstar and the Rotten Apple Tree• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter for exclusive access, documents and invites Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He's stripped at the Super Bowl and evaded the authorities at Wimbledon. He danced in a tutu at the Olympics and raced alongside Usain Bolt. But Mark Roberts is more than the world's most notorious streaker. Because his memories of mischief contain multitudes. About how to challenge authority, then laugh with the cops. About how to find yourself, lose yourself... and love what it means to be a fan all over again.• Subscribe to Pablo Torre Finds Out on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@PabloTorreFindsOut• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter:https://www.pablo.show/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the NBA announced an investigation in response to Pablo's reporting on Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers, he turned a Twitter war with the longtime Dallas Mavericks owner into an exclusive, impromptu debate. It was congenial and contentious, hypothetical and hyperbolic — and very, very revealing. About the secret world of billionaires and sports ownership. About oversight and due diligence and responsibility. About scams and sharks and toilets and, yes, Uncle Dennis.• Previously on PTFO: The Richest Owner in Sports, the Silent Superstar and the Rotten Apple Tree Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pablo digs up a clue — buried in a promise to save the planet — and unearths a scandal: Did the wealthiest sports owner on Earth secretly sweeten the pot for the most private star in professional basketball? And what do Iron Man, Martin Luther King and Bill Clinton have to do with all of this? Former front-office executives Amin Elhassan and David Samson help us comb through more than 3,000 pages of exclusive documents... and discover links to the NBA's cardinal sin.• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@PabloTorreFindsOut• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter for exclusive access, documents and invites:https://www.pablo.show/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For 27 years, filmmaker Mickey Duzyj carried a prideful secret history: He'd been the Dracula version of Ben Shelton in late-'90s Detroit, with his very own bleacher crows, a very special coach… and a deal with the devil.(This episode originally aired October 24, 2024.)• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter for new episodes, exclusive documents and subscriber-only eventshttps://pablo.show/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

America's best documentary filmmaker spent nearly five years making a nine-hour masterpiece for Netflix. Which you'll never see. Edelman sits down with Pablo in search of catharsis — if not closure — in the battle for truth and control over the life story of one of the biggest control freaks ever.(This episode originally aired March 4, 2025.)• Previously on PTFO: When Docs Cry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qi6x3QF-v8• Subscribe to Pablo's Substack for exclusive access, documents and inviteshttps://pablo.show/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

His callers are a portal to the college-football universe — and the American South today. As Finebaum himself says, "We found this audience before Donald Trump did." We're talking poisoned trees, an on-air heart attack... and one Alabama super-fan with a truly haunting past.(This episode originally aired December 19, 2024.)• Subscribe to Pablo's Substack for exclusive access, documents and inviteshttps://pablo.show/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No job in America is more scrutinized, except for (maybe) the presidency. And yet no job is more misunderstood — even by the stars who mastered it. On the eve of a new football season, Pablo joins journalism's foremost QB scholar for a case study in royalty: How do the Mannings keep producing under-center superstars? What connects the Golden Age of Hollywood to John Elway? Is Tom Brady’s newsletter right about fatherhood? And why do Nick Saban’s assistants call him “Daddy”?• Buy Seth Wickersham’s new book, "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/789617/american-kings-by-seth-wickersham/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He was the Bill James of basketball. A cocky forefather of sports analytics who saw numbers as colors. Whose book, "Basketball Heaven," helped usher in the three-point era. And who failed. But Martin Manley also left behind a map, ranging from X-Files to his mother-in-law to the path toward the most efficient life... and death. Reporters Nick Altschuller and Rich Levine adapt their new "30 for 30" podcast — produced by our parent company Meadowlark Media and Adam McKay's Hyperobject Industries, in partnership with ESPN.(If you are in crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.)• Listen to all six episodes of "Chasing Basketball Heaven":https://30for30podcasts.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He is one of the most disturbing and unapologetic filmmakers in Hollywood, from creating "Requiem for a Dream" to choosing conquistador sci-fi over Batman. But director Darren Aronofsky's new movie — "Caught Stealing," starring Austin Butler as a former MLB prospect — is a departure. Toward optimism; nostalgia; and Cheez. (Because, as any real New Yorker knows, you get everything you want when you no longer want it that much.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The host of “The Adam Friedland Show” is here to come out of the closet as the secret inspiration for one of PTFO’s most controversial episodes. Also: Pablo and Adam’s (real) LSAT scores; loving Kobe; telling Kobe how your ass tastes; @perfectbooties; if LeBron is the Millennial Michael Jordan; the secrets of good interviewing; calling Tony Kornheiser; photo shoots; campus protests; dunking on Chris Cuomo; Jonathan Livingston Seagull; cucking Richard Nixon; and value premises. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’ve been asking Pablo to discuss Jeffrey Epstein… this episode is for you. The NFLPA’s election of a new executive director, David White, has brought a new level of spin, and denial, about a major scandal — and cover-up — during his tenure atop SAG-AFTRA. So PTFO summons Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio back for a fourth (!) installment of their endless NFL investigation. And with the help of a brave new character, we attempt to do what this union only says they did: tell the truth about the leadership they chose. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In another edition of Share & Tell, Pablo, Katie Nolan, and Michael Cruz Kayne dissect an evening they spent together; the secrets of taping comedy specials; vasectomies; peak Britney Spears; and the legend of Alonzo “Hamburger” Jones. Plus: mewing, boofing, rooves, Wendy Wetface, Japanese Student No. 9 and Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp.• Previously: “How Science Ruined Grief,” with Michael Cruz Kayne https://www.pablo.show/p/how-science-ruined-grief• Subscribe to "Casuals with Katie Nolan"https://www.youtube.com/katienolan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not since the Greco-Roman period has sculpture mattered this much in sports. And Jerry Saltz — the Pulitzer Prize-winning senior art critic for New York magazine — has zero idea who Dwyane Wade is. Which is precisely why we asked the erstwhile Jewish Cowboy (we'll explain) to evaluate our athletic Bronze Age, from Michael Jordan to Cristiano Ronaldo. And that's before we get to "I Can't Believe It's Not Pablo (Butter on Gasbag, 2024)." Plus: the conscious uncoupling of art and money, sex workers in Jacksonville, how to make an enemy of envy, and why you can't be a vampire alone.(This episode originally aired December 3, 2024.)• Subscribe to Pablo's Substack for exclusive access, documents and inviteshttps://pablo.show/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The story of basketball cannot be told without Oscar Schmidt, the greatest scorer to never play in the NBA. Pablo travels to Florida for a sit-down with a legend whose impact on the game — like his laugh — still echoes today.(This episode originally aired March 14, 2024.)• Subscribe to Pablo's Substack for exclusive access, documents and inviteshttps://pablo.show/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Adolf Hitler gave the legendary runner a gift: four potted oak-tree saplings — one for each gold medal that Owens won, while surrounded by Nazis, in one of the greatest sports performances ever. Correspondent David Fleming examines what Owens did with The Hitler Oaks... and why his decision remains an enduring act of American defiance.(This episode originally aired June 8, 2024.)• Subscribe to Pablo's Substack for exclusive access, documents and inviteshttps://pablo.show/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our semi-regular roundtable on sports business reconvenes for expertise from the boardroom: David Samson takes Pablo behind the scenes of Ichiro's viral joke about him at the Baseball Hall of Fame, then John Skipper translates the math from the ESPN negotiating table to the Unrivaled cap table the looming strike over WNBA salaries — and team valuations at large. Plus: foreskin, poppycock, psychedelic pastel paisley, pandering to the people, talking with your eyes... and a haberdashery version of pre-determinism.• Subscribe to Nothing Personal with David Samsonhttps://www.youtube.com/@NPDS• From Pablo's Substack: We're One of the 100 Best Podcasts of All Time (Allegedly)https://www.pablo.show/p/were-one-of-the-100-best-podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the NFL returns, Pablo and Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio are back with more secret documents, a federal investigation, new government names, billions of union dollars, an O.J. Simpson parking space, the world’s largest strip club... and one big "clusterf*ck." Does the OneTeam Partners saga connect to a Game of Thrones-style power play by the NFLPA's shadow boss? Or could the feds be on the trail of an even bigger scandal?• Part One: The NFL's Secret Collusion Case, Revealedhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P42Wq3fmTYg• Part Two: We Got Another Secret Union Document — and Smoked Out Another Cover-Uphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P42Wq3fmTYg• Read our latest NFL document on Pablo's subscribers-only newsletter:https://www.pablo.show/subscribe• Pre-order "Big Shield" by Mike Floriohttps://www.amazon.com/Big-Shield-Mike-Florio-ebook/dp/B0FGH43V6D• Ex-NFLPA boss Howell's strip club expenses sent to investigator (Don Van Natta Jr. and Kalyn Kahler)https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45703132/nflpa-nfl-agreed-keep-collusion-findings-secret• "If he failed, their process failed": Inside the NFLPA meltdown (Don Van Natta Jr. and Kalyn Kahler)https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45800610/inside-nflpa-executive-director-lloyd-howell-tenure Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.(This episode originally aired January 23, 2025.)• Subscribe to Pablo's Substack for exclusive access, documents and invites⁠https://pablo.show/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Long before the viral Coldplay concert, there was another — and even wilder — affair caught on camera. Two pitchers for the Yankees agreed to the wildest trade in sports history: They switched wives. And children. And furniture. And pets. David Mandel laments his big-screen adaptation that never was... even though the ultimate passion project could have starred Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.(This episode originally aired April 30, 2024.)• Subscribe to Pablo's Substack for exclusive access, documents and inviteshttps://pablo.show/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sprinter TyNia Gaither was disqualified for a false start... after the gun went off... for running faster than humanly possible. Was that even true? Do sporting officials really understand how the body works? Or do we simply not understand how to define — and record — a race?(This episode originally aired September 21, 2022.)• Subscribe to Vox's "Unexplainable" podcast for more episodes like this, every weekhttps://www.vox.com/unexplainable Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The viral commercial has a mysteriously simple message: sportsmanship. The child actor has gotten dunked on by NBA Twitter for more than a decade. Correspondent Zach Schwartz untangles a web from Madison Avenue to the Supreme Court to Damian Lillard, in search of a boy named Alex — and the meaning of perseverance.(This episode originally aired January 7, 2025.)• Subscribe to Pablo's Substack for exclusive access, documents and inviteshttps://pablo.show/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can rockstar sportswriters be friends with superstar athletes? How do you measure a good episode of sports TV? And what's so great about being an old dad? Plus: playing the human jukebox, brokering the Jordan-Barkley peace, writing about Holyfield's ear on deadline... and the word "podcast" as a racial slur.Further content:• "Ear Today, Gone Tomorrow" (1997)https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1997/06/29/ear-today-gone-tomorrow/3f93d30d-2606-4adc-aeb4-1bf26c9b9bb9/• "Mission Impossible: African-Americans & Analytics" (2016)https://andscape.com/features/mission-impossible-african-americans-analytics/• South Beach Sessions: Michael Wilbon (2023)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdUV2FxatwQ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you thought Pablo and Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio set the NFL world on fire last month, wait until you get a load of the "diabolical genius" behind the cover-up... to the cover-up... to the cover-up: Fake injuries, encouraged by one union boss, only to be litigated by the league. Private-equity side hustles, cashed in on by another, only to be selectively edited on social media. And smoke. Lots of smoke.• Read our newly obtained NFL document on Pablo's subscribers-only newsletter:https://www.pablo.show/subscribe• Pre-order "Big Shield" by Mike Floriohttps://www.amazon.com/Big-Shield-Mike-Florio-ebook/dp/B0FGH43V6D• Previously on PTFO: The NFL's Secret Collusion Case, Revealedhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P42Wq3fmTYg• Sources: NFLPA, NFL agreed to keep collusion findings secret (Don Van Natta Jr. and Kalyn Kahler)https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45703132/nflpa-nfl-agreed-keep-collusion-findings-secret• NFLPA head also works for firm approved to invest in NFL (Van Natta and Kahler)https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45705432/nflpa-head-works-firm-approved-invest-nfl Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did a seemingly random super-fan on NBA Twitter know about a federal gambling investigation... before the NBA did? And how does he connect to Carmelo Anthony, Nicolas Cage, Larsa Pippen, Jontay Porter, a legless woman, Malik Beasley, "Madea's Family Reunion," meme coins, and perhaps the greatest play in modern Knicks history? Correspondents Tom Haberstroh and Amin Elhassan join Pablo to run the numbers, grind the tape, and uncover a secret world of penthouse poker games and deleted accounts.• Subscribe to The Finder with Tom Haberstroh for more on this storyhttp://tomthefinder.com/p/who-the-f-is-moose• Subscribe to Cinephobe with Amin Elhassanhttps://www.youtube.com/@CinephobePod• Subscribe to Basketball Illuminatihttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLImO7ahoFX0g7GMLy5r7zGezv-0ixnDkU Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does anyone win in a fight between a hockey enforcer and a golfer? Will A.I. impressions ruin comedy? And how many tabs is too many tabs?For more human-grade impressions: DanSoder.com/tour Subscribe to Casuals: https://www.youtube.com/katienolan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He is literally That Guy from "Knocked Up," "Step Brothers," "The Larry Sanders Show" and, of course, "Curb Your Enthusiasm." But he's also a professor of stand-up, and his multiverse contains multitudes: Larry David's breaking point (and unaired film for Apple); Gary Shandling's secret pickup basketball game (with Bob Costas and David Duchovny); and the cinematic life (and death) of Pistol Pete Maravich. He may never have become the Newman of "Curb," but stay close to The Theory of Federman, and you might just learn the meaning of genius. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Parties. Orgasms. Adventure. Transcendence. Is there a sexier "sport" on planet Earth than birding? Correspondent Mickey Duzyj introduces Pablo to a nemesis, to the GOAT, to Jesus... and to David Attenborough (sorta). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pablo, Katie Nolan and Throwing Fits co-host Lawrence Schlossman enter the PTFO lab for a pungent public service. The winner of our 11 mystery bottles, from Jordan and Brady's colognes to Taylor Swift and Britney's perfumes — plus, yes, Trump — may surprise you.(This episode originally aired January 14, 2025.)• Subscribe to Casuals with Katie Nolanhttps://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-casuals-with-katie-nolan-255227604/• Subscribe to Throwing Fits with Lawrence Schlossman and James Harrishttps://www.throwingfits.com/• Pablo Torre Finds Out Substackwww.pablo.show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You may think you know how the Patriots landed the greatest quarterback of all time: with the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. How they got to make that pick in the first place, however, involves an arcane formula... and a mystery man who changed sports history forever.(This episode originally aired September 12, 2024.)-Pablo Torre Finds Out Substackwww.pablo.show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The "TRL" countdown was America's high-school cafeteria — a daily election of cool. Until one fateful day, when a chain letter set off a movement to hack the vote. Correspondent Yourgo Artsitas helps us investigate whether MTV's shadow government was protecting the sanctity of our culture... with a lie.(This episode originally aired on March 12, 2024.)• TR(ol)L: New Kids on the Block, Total Request Live and The Chain Letter That Changed the Internethttps://trolldoc.com/• Pablo Torre Finds Out Substackwww.pablo.show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does Pablo's release of the secret NFL collusion report say about labor rights in America? Can workers ever trust the humans of the management class? And what are the nuclear buttons available to both sides? Plus: priority stacks, a plethora of panoplies, the case for a somethingburger... and The Menudo Effect. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He's a 41-year-old investment banker with a dad bod. He's also a sh*t-talking, drop-kicking, tooth-spitting caricature of himself, as one of the hottest minor-league pro wrestlers in America. Is Hub Orr's real-life heel turn an act of bravery, stupidity or the inspiring in-between? And can we all still find in ourselves... what the WWE saw in him? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pablo got his hands on the explosive 61-page document that billionaire NFL owners and union execs alike don't want anyone to see. It involves a coalition of competitors, a stunning cover-up, a secret slideshow, a shadow election, an MVP's broken phone, text messages between billionaires... and Footnote No. 25.• Read the document (and get a first look at new subscriber benefits) on Pablo's Substackhttps://www.pablo.show/• Subscribe to PFT Live with Mike Floriohttps://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/pft-live Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mina joins Pablo after he finally watches "The Rehearsal" to discuss the thin line between fact and fiction, Nathan Fielder's enviable HBO budget, reverse-engineering plot twists, social awkwardness — and what goes into writing a great sports profile.• Subscribe to the Mina Kimes YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@minakimes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did Pablo "win" his "beef" with Bill Simmons? Why are baseball broadcasts so dick-centric? How bad is it to touch the Stanley Cup? And how good can you get at an instrument in a week? Plus: Zoogle, Skyrizi, Gary Peyoteon, redding-wing eczema, Bouilliabaise Mode and a sick kitten to a hot brick.• Subscribe to "Casuals with Katie Nolan"https://www.youtube.com/katienolan• Listen to "Sorry for Your Loss" by Michael Cruz Kaynehttps://www.audible.com/pd/Sorry-for-Your-Loss-Audiobook/B0CGJSXSPF Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lina Khan has inspired an unusually bipartisan coalition of allies — and antagonists. As chair of the Federal Trade Commission, she became known as the most hated regulator on Wall Street. As too principled for Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Too bold for Ticketmaster and the NCAA. But Khan isn't done taking on the corporate class — or finding strange bedfellows like Steve Bannon and Michael Jordan. Can her alleged "hipster anti-trust" movement inspire a "standing army" for the people? And could she be our next Supreme Court justice? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who's to blame for the conscious uncoupling of Warner Bros. Discovery? How would Disney survive without ESPN? And when did so many 20-something grifters come to stand in for spineless management? David Samson and John Skipper are back to discuss this month's biggest sports-business stories — and their credit scores.• Subscribe to "Nothing Personal with David Samson"https://www.youtube.com/@npds Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did the shadowy general manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Sam Presti, become an urban legend? In a special NBA Finals edition of Share & Tell, Pablo unearths a treasure buried by its own elaborate design… then dances into The Jazz Rabbit Hole with Wyatt Cenac and a special mystery guest.• Make a gift to the Extraordinary Needs Fund at Boston Children's Hospitalhttps://secure.childrenshospital.org/site/Donation2?df_id=5186&5186.donation=form1• Listen to Branford Marsalishttps://www.branfordmarsalis.com/discography/jazz Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

America's golfer-in-chief trades on exclusivity, but he still can't buy a green jacket. Are the Saudis using Donald Trump's obsession to disrupt even more than a super-league? Ahead of the U.S. Open, veteran golf reporter and author Alan Shipnuck takes Pablo behind the Shakespearean curtain.• Read "LIV and Let Die" by Alan Shipnuckhttps://www.simonandschuster.com/books/LIV-and-Let-Die/Alan-Shipnuck/9781668020012 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone blow the 1998 NBA Finals by promoting their pro-wrestling match... on the court?! Should there be an asterisk?! Is it time for Michael Jordan to relinquish the throne?! Correspondent Neil Punsalan enters a sports marketing wormhole to present Pablo with a box full of evidence, grill eyewitnesses, and put to rest — once and for all — if The Mailman always rings twice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

LeBron called him the smartest hooper alive. Coach K called him an alien. Obama called him for a Hall-of-Fame pickup game (and a historic BBQ). But two-time NBA champion Shane Battier has been measuring the immeasurable inflection points of his career all along — from growing up "mixed, tall and poor"; to puking at Duke, guarding Kobe and witnessing LeBron's GOAT-defining game; to failing at ESPN and building a cabinet of relationships… including his therapist. Pablo cracks open the brain of the legend known as Lego, to find out if he really is human after all. Plus: Patrennessy, Laptop magazine and karaoke. Lots of karaoke.• Subscribe to "Glue Guys" with Shane Battier & Alex Smithhttps://www.youtube.com/@GlueGuysPodcast• The No-Stats All-Star (Michael Lewis)https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15Battier-t.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How often are male friends sincere? Can you work your way into fighting shape? Should parents let their kids get on the juice? What makes a nerd? And how do you do a threesome? Plus: burgling, maquettes, hotel phones, the recognizability of a cursive Z... and The Adventures of Lil' David Samson, prosperity gospel panderer.• Help David Samson raise $50,000 for Parkinson's researchhttps://give.michaeljfox.org/fundraiser/6398662• Subscribe to "Nothing Personal with David Samson"https://www.youtube.com/@npds• Subscribe to "The Domonique Foxworth Show"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-domonique-foxworth-show/id1642566714Previously on PTFO:• Is Russell Wilson an Undercover Alien Running for President of the United States?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO5EWTs6GyQ• The Hard Truth About Orgasms in Sports, with Domonique Foxworthhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wifyyrtuKDk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are athletes trying too hard to generate “aura”? Is Aaron Judge too big to be cool? Is a decidedly unc wardrobe an asset or liability for Jalen Hurts? The inaugural PTFO Coolest Athlete Draft reveals all.Further content:• Toward a Unified Theory of Uncool (Ock Sportello)https://www.neverhungover.club/p/toward-a-unified-theory-of-uncool• Subscribe to the Mina Kimes YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@minakimes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're starving for things that make us think and make us laugh. And so we welcome back the multi-hyphenate co-creator of Atlanta, Stephen Glover, who takes Pablo on a behind-the-scenes Hollywood tour in which we encounter Liam Neeson, Goofy, Coolio and Dan Le Batard. Not to mention the bizarre Atlanta cameos that worked out (from Black Justin Bieber to the time Stephen's older brother, Donald Glover, raced Michael Vick) and the ones that almost did (from Steve Harvey to Stephen A. Smith). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Under-recruited running back from a collapsed American city — with a single mom and a dream — wins the Super Bowl. Sounds familiar, right? But NFL coach Deland McCullough’s story, as told through his new book with Sarah Spain, has a twist all its own. (Thanks to a little help from Sir Mix-a-Lot.)P.S. One correction, at the 17:50 mark: Deland McCullough’s senior year of college was 1995, not 2005.• Read "Runs in the Family":https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Runs-in-the-Family/Sarah-Spain/9781668036280 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After his reporting about 24-year-old Jordon Hudson went viral, Pablo re-opens the door on Bill Belichick's personal and professional scandals, presenting Michael Cruz Kayne and Katie Nolan with more clues to unbox — including, but not limited to: the Avengers of geo-guessing, multiple (exclusive) Ring camera videos, two worried homeowners, a smoking gun, a sheer curtain, a man bag... and a five-star review.• Subscribe to "Casuals with Katie Nolan"https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-casuals-with-katie-nolan-255227604/• Listen to "Sorry for Your Loss" by Michael Cruz Kaynehttps://www.audible.com/pd/Sorry-for-Your-Loss-Audiobook/B0CGJSXSPF• Previously on PTFO: The Jordon Ruleshttps://www.pablo.show/p/how-we-investigated-jordon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He became the internet's favorite sports grandfather for playing at least 162 games a year as the Yankees on MLB The Show, for two decades — and keeping score, by hand. What 86-year-old Kim Soriano didn't know, when he sat down to play with Pablo in our studio, is that Jon "Boog" Sciambi — the video game's announcer and the best voice in baseball — was doing the play-by-play, live. And what happened next will make you fall in love with the game all over again... into the great beyond.• Previously on PTFO: The Best Voice in Sports Goes Deephttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMdaTnTrXco Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He has hosted the same television show nearly 5,000 times — every weekday, at 5 p.m. Eastern, for more than two decades. (More than Oprah or Letterman ever did.) But now, counting down to Friday's series finale, Tony Reali is feeling the love... and revving up with all the gas left in his tank. Pablo says thank you, with a celebration of an endlessly likeable, familial and deeply weird pipeline of sports journalism — plus a special look back at when Stat Boy first took control of the mute button. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Floreshttps://www.freecharlesflores.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Netflixhttps://www.netflix.com/title/81750702 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Olympicshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGWZ13gxTxc Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Samsonhttps://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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Kaynehttps://www.audible.com/pd/Sorry-for-Your-Loss-Audiobook/B0CGJSXSPF Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Gutierrezhttps://www.youtube.com/@OddballHoops• Subscribe to Thanalysishttps://thanalysis.podbean.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 newsletterhttps://wyattcenac.substack.com/• Subscribe to The Bulwark Podcast with Tim Millerhttps://www.thebulwark.com/s/bulwarkpodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Nuclearhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmOkcQwZ-s8• Subscribe to Nothing Personal with David Samsonhttps://www.youtube.com/@NPDS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Tourhttps://www.ezstreetnyc.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.htmlIt's Bait (Rebecca Jennings)https://www.vulture.com/article/ashton-hall-morning-routine.htmlLet'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) podcasthttps://www.youtube.com/@minakimes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"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 channelhttps://www.youtube.com/vlogbrothers• Subscribe to Henry Reider's YouTube channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@Tuberculosis-l1jSurvivorHenry Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Samsonhttps://davidsamsonpodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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-Comhttps://www.pablo.show/p/make-climate-change-a-rom-com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Subreddithttps://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.htmlSubscribe to "Casuals with Katie Nolan"https://www.youtube.com/katienolanListen to "Sorry for Your Loss" by Michael Cruz Kaynehttps://www.audible.com/pd/Sorry-for-Your-Loss-Audiobook/B0CGJSXSPF Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 USAIDShe Is in Love With ChatGPT Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Seehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qi6x3QF-v8 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the beaches of Los Angeles to the botanical gardens of New York City, we traveled the country looking for the best cannabis with an athlete’s name on it. And who better to smoke it with than Katie Nolan and Dan Soder? Pablo joins Dan and Katie in their NYC apartment to burn it down with special guests Magic Johnstoned, Gary Payton, Melo, and more. Come for the marijuana, stay for the cake.This episode originally aired August 15th, 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Schur is a legendary comedy writer who calls his TV reboot of the classic baseball film "the best thing I've ever written." (He's written for SNL, The Simpsons, The Office, Parks and Rec, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place...) So why didn't his version of "Field of Dreams" ever get made? Also: what happened to the actual baseball field that he built, out there in the cornfields of Iowa? Sports-movie nostalgia has never felt quite so painful. Or surreal.This episode originally aired October 17, 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Adolf Hitler gave the legendary runner a mysterious gift: four potted oak tree saplings — one for each of the four gold medals that Owens won, while surrounded by Nazis, in one of the greatest performances in the history of sports. Almost a century later, correspondent David Fleming examines what Owens decided to do with his so-called Hitler Oaks... and why that decision remains an enduring act of American defiance. Plus: tree people, myth-busting, redlining and witch-doctor science.This episode originally aired August 6th, 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 2https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quS-Ubn1tKAElon 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.htmlSubscribe to "Casuals with Katie Nolan"https://www.youtube.com/katienolanListen to "Sorry for Your Loss" by Michael Cruz Kaynehttps://www.audible.com/pd/Sorry-for-Your-Loss-Audiobook/B0CGJSXSPF Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Samsonhttps://www.youtube.com/@NPDS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Showhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EY-7OuP8uEBryan Johnson and the Birth of the Blueprint Religion (Ashlee Vance)https://www.corememory.com/p/bryan-johnson-and-the-birth-of-theA 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/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/katienolanSubscribe to "The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny"https://www.youtube.com/@minakimes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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=Crja9fuQyXMVideo Games Can’t Afford to Look This Good (Zachary Small)https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/26/arts/video-games-graphics-budgets.htmlThe Agony of Texting With Men (Matthew Schnipper)https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2025/01/men-texting-men-loneliness/681076/The Domonique Foxworth Showhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn3nHXu50t5wnTIdJOdFIA9wxAHHq2LEl Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since long before their weed strains and tequila brands, famous people have been selling vanity fragrances. So, with a month before Valentine's Day, we're doing a pungent public service: Pablo, Katie Nolan and perfumier-adjacent lifestyle writer Lawrence Schlossman enter the PTFO laboratory with varying levels of sensory ignorance. The winner of our 11 mystery bottles, from Jordan and Brady's colognes to Taylor Swift and Britney's perfumes — plus, yes, Will Levis' sold-out parfum de mayonnaise — may surprise you. • Subscribe to Casuals with Katie Nolan • Subscribe to Throwing Fits with Lawrence Schlossman and James Harris Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The co-hosts of "First Things First" join their arch-frenemy to debate: Should incorrect predictions be embarrassing? What's the best word in the sports discourse? And who is famous best? Plus: the second-smartest person in sports media, ranking rankings, flying cars without stereos, Sully Sullenberger, The Sam Darnoldification of Sports, and an ice-cream sandwich compliment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The culture war around a tiny population of competitors may have led to the re-election of Donald Trump, who says nationwide bans on Day One aren't complicated. But biology is complicated. And David Epstein — greatest sports science reporter in America, author of The Sports Gene, writer of the Range Widely newsletter — did the research, so that the suspicious and/or sympathetic among us don't necessarily have to. Turns out, there are solutions upon which fact-based humans can agree, in case studies from childbirth to high-jump junk, college volleyball to Olympic boxing, nature to nurture... and nipple.**Link on The Sports Gene: https://davidepstein.com/david-epstein-the-sports-gene/Link on Range Widely: https://davidepstein.substack.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is an infamous basketball ad that keeps going viral as much for its cringe-worthiness as the mystery of its simple message: "sportsmanship." But correspondent Zach Schwartz embarked on a two-and-a-half-year quest to meet the anonymous actor who's gotten dunked on by Twitter for more than a decade. Now, he helps us untangle a web of links from March Madness to Madison Avenue; a Supreme Court justice to a secretive billionaire; and the Dalai Lama to Damian Lillard (who agreed to go on the record). And we learn the true meaning of "perseverance" in the process.For more Zach Schwartz, you can visit his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@zach_schwartzAnd special thanks to Goodnight, Texas for blessing this episode with their hit song, "The Railroad": https://youtu.be/1sp33WgVWMA Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Johnny McEntee went viral before virality, as a trick-shot QB at UConn. He foresaw the rise of Donald Trump, while ordering him KFC on the campaign trail. He was straight out of central casting, but suddenly "Johnny Mac" the quarterback became enforcer-in-chief for the commander-in-chief, running a presidential "Gestapo" and hand-picking cabinet secretaries. Correspondent Devin Gordon meets a Trumpworld action figure and asks: How did this in-over-his-head loyalist get so powerful? And could it happen again?This episode originally aired November 7, 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The FTX founder was a "martian" to the sports world. Why did he spend so much on arena naming rights and superstar endorsements? And how the hell did SBF become friends with TB12? Authors Michael Lewis (Going Infinite) and Zeke Faux (Number Go Up) witnessed the rise and fall of a crypto king. Now we can do the postmortem: “Moneyball, on steroids, gone wrong.”This episode originally aired November 21, 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is sex a performance-enhancing drug? Pablo and Domonique insert themselves into the debate over "post-nut clarity" with exhaustive research, from a pre-game onesome in the locker room and abstinence as a coaching philosophy, to the stamp of approval from Drake, Megan Rapinoe and actual doctors — Pablo's dad included.This episode originally aired February 29, 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pablo investigates a story including, but not limited to, a Duke basketball champion, a World War II treasure hunt, an alleged con man, Bob Marley, Dan Snyder, and an attempt to make history by purchasing the Washington Commanders.This episode originally aired September 8, 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Action Bronson raps, cooks, paints, hosts, and acts (for Martin Scorsese, at least). He also has philosophical explanations for why A) he never wears pants, B) his go-to move is the headbutt, and C) nothing is better than a VHS tape. But Action Bronson had still never heard of the Accidental Bronson tribute account. Until now. Plus: AOL screennames, robot vacuum murder, and saggy balls.This episode originally aired November 10, 2023 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pablo only understands the true meaning of making this show, not the holiday season. So the ghosts of Christmas break pay him a visit, to pay it forward with recommendations for reality shows and Christmas songs, plus an important investigation into the truth about Santa Claus. May bonus content bless you, everyone.PTFO-approved xmas playlists:Charlotte Wilder's Christmas-Song Christmas SongsCortes's Holiday MixThis episode originally aired December 22, 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a holiday toast from the aged-out gasbag to his favorite creatures of the internet, we end the year with the important questions: Are phones too loud? Is listening on 1.5x speed insane? Should people post more ugly pictures of themselves? Can scammers really fake it ’til they make it? And are teenagers running the New York Jets? Plus: poetry-reading, grief-eating, the murder era of content, the quantum of dishonesty and the inevitable destruction that comes with inflated ego. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you aren't familiar with the Americans who love calling into The Paul Finebaum Show, you're in for a holiday treat. Because during this bowl season — Alabama's first without Nick Saban — no radio show has been more vital in its misery. Or more of a portal into the universe of college football in the South. (As Paul himself says: "We found this audience before Donald Trump did.") We're talking poisoned trees, verified heart attacks, and the hidden backstory of one legendary caller... who trusted us to unveil his haunting past. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This year has seen a boom in the worlds of women's sports and documentary films (and podcasting). So we invited the best point guard in the history of women's basketball (Sue Bird) and the best documentarian in the country (O.J.: Made in America's Ezra Edelman) for an in-person summit to discuss all of it. Plus: one-word answers from multi-hyphenates, wanting control, the good-faith mind games of talking to refs, the bad-faith ickiness of extracting controversy, the Billie Jean King of it all... and why the hard's not as hard, when you're doing the thing you were meant to be doing — even when it's hard. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Daily Show senior correspondent, Interior Chinatown star and NBA nerd is here to make your three-level nihilist host feel a rare sense of insecurity, while comparing: humility and arrogance; the bipartisan popularity and cognitive logic of jiu jitsu; the ageless wonder of Tom Brady and Daniel Dae Kim; the love lives of Jeremy Lin and Hideki Matsui; Pablo's career and his cameo in Ronny's spiked pilot about the Brooklyn Nets' front office; and the hierarchy of Most Fun Asians. Plus: uncensored Russell Westbrook slander, unabashed Free Darko nostalgia, last-minute Dennis Leary antagonism, scarring David Lynch surrealism... and a revisiting of Ronnie's awkward encounter with (and hollow apology from) Dan Le Batard — all in the chase for instant aggregation by Buttcrack Sports. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does star treatment really work, behind clubhouse doors? (And what do you do when a player demands tickets for both his wife and his mistress?) Can you just microdose Ozempic like it’s shrooms? And what’s the worst gift you’ve ever received? Plus: Barry Bonds, “posse,” body dysmorphia, and a picture of a bicycle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do a notorious $28 million home, a $450,000 oversized check presented to Princess Diana, and a $150,000 wire transfer for a witch doctor to curse Steven Spielberg... have in common? Correspondent Yourgo Artsitas wondered if Michael Jackson — rejected by Hollywood in his prime — made a deal with the palace, for the perpetual rights to re-brand himself as Peter Pan. The answer involves a Spider-Man tombstone, sacrificial cows, Rufio, the Bible, the very idea of innocence, and lots and lots of lawsuits. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Sporting Class! Meadowlark Media CEO John Skipper and Nothing Personal's David Samson are back with another episode with host of Pablo Torre Finds Out ... Pablo Torre! We’ve been on a year-long climb up the mountain top of the NBA broadcast rights deal journey and we’ve reached the peak. Inside the NBA is not going anywhere… except it will now be on ESPN starting next year. How did we get here? Why did Disney make this deal with Warner Bros. Discovery? Is this the end of the drama? This brings us back to a little trade that John Skipper had done back in 2005 and it’s all about a cartoon rabbit! Negotiations, talent, agents, contracts: It's not fun, but a necessary part of the business. Stephen A. Smith is currently in talks for a new mega contract with ESPN. How is this getting worked out? The College Football Playoff is almost set and it’s come with drama. The four-team playoff was a mess and it’s out. The 12-team was supposed to be the best and of course it finds itself in more drama. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Influencers are finally suing each other for making seemingly identical content. Should we be laughing or crying (hint: we’re doing both)? Ben Affleck thinks that AI will never replace movies. Is he hot and wrong, or just hot? And how is everybody not depressed? Also: if Ray Romano and Dan Le Batard became one person, cryptic births, Clean Girls, Ding Dong Primple Pants, and Michael’s finest career credit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not since the Greco-Roman period has sculpture mattered this much in sports. And Jerry Saltz — the Pulitzer Prize-winning senior art critic for New York magazine — has zero idea who Dwyane Wade is. Which is precisely why we asked the erstwhile Jewish Cowboy (we'll explain) to evaluate our athletic Bronze Age, from Michael Jordan to Cristiano Ronaldo. And that's before we get to "I Can't Believe It's Not Pablo (Butter on Gasbag, 2024)." Plus: the conscious uncoupling of art and money, sex workers in Jacksonville, how to make an enemy of envy, and why you can't be a vampire alone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You may think you know how the Patriots drafted the greatest quarterback of all time: with the 199th pick in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. But the real story — the story of exactly how the Patriots got to make that pick, in the first place — has never been made public… until now. Today, Pablo dives into the secret world of the NFL’s compensatory formula. And we unmask the identity of the free agent who flapped his wings, changing sports history forever.This episode originally aired September 12, 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you out-smart a survey of 100 average Americans? Who channels Jimmy V during the commercial break of a game show? Why didn't Mina Kimes show up on "Fast Money"? And what color is green? Pablo reacts to his epic appearance on this week's "Celebrity Family Feud" with buzzer-caressing Dan Le Batard, Celebrity Jeopardy! veteran Katie Nolan and super-fan Mike Golic Jr. Plus: talking sh*t about Harvard, handshaking vigorously with Steve Harvey, unbuttoning a shirt with John Legend, the "Hey Jealousy" torture experiment and Cam from Oklahoma.This episode originally aired September 19, 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is a tradition unlike any other: A college-football upset. A sea of fans. A 45-foot yellow structure crashing down on the field and heading toward a river or frat house near you. But the tradition of destroying goalposts is under threat. PTFO correspondent and unhinged amateur thief Mickey Duzyj provides a how-to guide, after speaking with students, administrators, an executive at Big Goal Post and the one true expert who can help save a piece of football history: Saw Man.*Pablo Torre Finds Out does not (officially) condone storming football fields or stealing university property. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

LeBron is taking a break from social media. Should you? Are you ready to stop being performatively fascinating and get authentically dull? And is Bluesky the XFL of Twitter — or a refreshingly Musk-free community worth joining? Plus: "Re-Potting with Pablo," making lentil, fighting in Temecula, road rage, Mastodon, two ejaculating giraffes, a charging wildebeest and the actually hungry hippo (with suspenders and a pocket watch).Relevant reading:How Bluesky, Alternative to X and Facebook, Is Handling Explosive Growth (Mike Isaac)The Age of Social Media Is Ending (Ian Bogost)The Bluesky Bubble (Ian Bogost)"With so much hate and negativity in the world today..." (Rich Kleiman) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trump won, Silicon Valley is Moneyballing everything, and the worldview of the most famous political nerd on Earth... is eating the world. But Nate Silver still wants to prove people wrong: on what the 2016 and 2024 elections really told us; his falling out with the Left; and how tech billionaires are more irrational than they like to admit. Also: Elon Musk totaling a car, Peter Thiel believing in destiny, and Neymar playing poker.Buy Nate Silver's new book:https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/529280/on-the-edge-by-nate-silver/Subscribe to Silver Bulletin:https://www.natesilver.net/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are entrapped by an algorithm preying on our most terrifying human vulnerabilities. But inside us exists a cabinet of curiosities, and few are better at finding poetry in our past than Nate DiMeo of The Memory Palace, an award-winning podcast and new book. Pablo's kindred spirit conjures a time before Jason Giambi and the golden thong, when the least qualified Major Leaguer of all time was also, somehow, the luckiest. Plus: a new video about pigeons; swimming “lesser channels”; and, yes, raccoons failing to eat cotton candy.Buy the book:https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-memory-palace-true-short-stories-of-the-past-nate-dimeo/21177599Subscribe to The Memory Palace:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-memory-palace/id299436963And listen to the Prince episode of "Pablo Torre Finds Out": https://podcasts.apple.com/jm/podcast/when-docs-cry-inside-the-secret-netflix-masterpiece/id1685093486?i=1000672194989 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She may be the most polarizing athlete on the planet, but whatever Caitlin Clark touches still turns to gold. Meadowlark Media CEO John Skipper is a lead investor in Unrivaled — a groundbreaking new 3-on-3 women's basketball league — and they're hot on the recruiting trail. Will Clark take the money and run? Plus: How might a second Trump administration affect the billionaires of the sports world? And can David Samson get the future Secretary of State to pick up the phone? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A staggering number of death-row inmates have used their last words to do the same thing: pay tribute to their favorite sports teams. So we sent correspondent Dave Fleming to a supermax prison in Texas to find out why. Charles Flores — Inmate No. 999299 at the notorious Polunsky Unit in Livingston — has maintained his innocence for over 25 years and counting… while living in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. And Flores agreed to take us inside his hidden world of game-day enchiladas, trash talk, and fantasy football. Where there isn’t always next year.=To learn more about the case of Charles Flores: https://www.freecharlesflores.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The national vibes are... fraught. So, Pablo asks: What do you watch to make yourself feel better? Plus: athshletes, Uncrustables, the world's largest kaleidoscope, thicc televisions, and Understanding It Now.Further soothing content:Björk talking about her TVZombie Kid Likes TurtlesThe CEO of CornGrape Lady fallsEve of Saint Crispin's DaySHOOTING GUMMIE BEARS INTO A WATER BOTTLEWe Couldn't Be Derailed in BrooklynLeBron James Rides the New York City SubwayWait, NFL players eat how many Uncrustables? (Jayson Jenks) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After lint-rolling through post-election coverage, Pablo tries to makes peace with Trump 2.0, with a little help from the future president of Grenada and the host of The Bulwark Podcast: Have Joe Rogan and the manosphere become the new fourth estate? How did a Suicide Squad of psychopaths become Washington's starting lineup? And how much is Elon Musk’s science fiction really fictional anymore? Plus: Grumpcoin, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Stephen A. Smith 2028, and Canon Curry 2052. Further reading:About That Press Conference (Tim Miller)Elon Musk: The Evening Rocket (Jill Lepore) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Turning on the news right now feels utterly surreal. But it didn’t always have to be this way. Because Connie Chung — tenacious TV broadcaster and author of a new memoir — set a gold standard in the pre-internet era. For being unafraid of powerful men. For getting scoops at the bar. For trash-talking. For calling out Donald Trump’s childishness to his face. For withstanding the boorish behavior of Bobby Knight and unearthing the inner pain of Michael Jordan. And, yes, for shutting down the richest man on Earth... even after he jumped over a chair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Election Day. And if there is anyone who saw this entire mess coming, it's the prophets behind the HBO series Veep — a 17-time Emmy-award-winning satire that feels, with each passing day, like a political documentary. So, today, we invite none other than actor Timothy Simons to join us, in studio, to relive what it was like to play Jonah Ryan: the Jolly Green Jizz Face, himself. Also: Draft Day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For 33 years, he was paid by the Denver Nuggets not to speak but to entertain — with unparalleled vitality and virality — as Rocky the Mountain Lion. Now, Kenn Solomon breaks his silence, on the bloody, back-breaking work of a very private profession. Plus: Rocky's flu game, his beef with Russell Westbrook... and what it feels like to get knocked unconscious by Charles Barkley. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is a century-old legend wrapped in a basketball conspiracy: The Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City was the visiting team's resting place of choice. Except the 10th floor was also (allegedly) home to a housekeeper who's been spooking all-stars for more than a decade. In a crossover Halloween spook-tacular, Pablo sends Oddball hosts Amin Elhassan and Charlotte Wilder on a ghost-hunting sleepover to investigate the foremost paranormal story in sports. They returned with data from the hardcourt to the toilet seat, plus a feisty Paul Pierce... and one gigantic inflatable horse costume. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pablo travels to Minneapolis to spend a weekend with the player responsible for the best celebrations in the NFL: Vikings safety Cam Bynum, a rising star — and proud Filipino-American — whose story is about love at first sight, the value of patience and connecting two countries on opposite sides of our planet. Also: lumpia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Jerry Jones a business savant or simply obsessed with fame? If your friend is dating someone you don’t like, are you obligated to say something? And is Mina Kimes physically capable of winking? All of this, and also: too many mentions of the word “lube.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We celebrate the spookiest time of the year with artist and filmmaker Mickey Duzyj, who brings us the true story of a varsity tennis champion who found glory after becoming what few jocks have ever been: goth. We also learn about a special coach; bleacher crows; The Sisters of Mercy; and not worshipping the devil. You can read Mickey's companion piece for Racquet magazine here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who's on the Mount Rushmore of American Idol? What's your go-to karaoke song? And did a Duke star's NBA Draft stock really get torpedoed by an alleged "grooming" scheme from his older Mormon girlfriend? Or was it just true age-gap love? Plus: swabbin' and finding your Thor.Further content:"We're not crying, you are…" (Celine Dion)"Kyle Filipowski's story went viral during the NBA draft. Now his mother shares her side." (Kevin Reynolds) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Sporting Class! Meadowlark Media CEO John Skipper and Nothing Personal's David Samson are back with another episode with host of Pablo Torre Finds Out ... Pablo Torre! Today we to you to the deep sea. The water world of the unjust. The streaming land of treacherous souls. We’re talking about the world of online pirates. Streaming Piracy has cost major sports leagues billions of dollars; so they say. Is there a way to put a stop to this? Are the pirates always going to win in the end? How angry are these major sports leagues about this issue? It’s time to find out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You may remember Kazaam, the 1996 family film starring Shaquille O'Neal as a genie. But you may have also heard about Shazaam, another '90s family film starring Sinbad as a genie — allegedly. Correspondent David Gardner finds a true believer who remains convinced that she has seen this non-existent work of cinema, then puts Pablo's memory to the test of the Mandela Effect. And, yes, we got Shaq himself to debunk the myth of a movie that never was. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the midst of tectonic disruption for the NCAA, even college coaches — the all-seeing, all-knowing, overworked faces of America's second biggest sport — are addicted to the way things were. Jake Rosenberg, who recently left as a top exec with the Philadelphia Eagles to consult a couple of SEC powerhouses at The Athlete Group, says even the best programs are due for "a rude awakening" if they can't keep up with the strategic evolution of NFL franchises. But he also offers a cure for extinction: Build a front office already! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are sports just gossip with analytics? How did a man named Matt Farley manipulate the music streaming economy? And Google’s new A.I. tool is coming for our podcasting jobs. (It's legitimately terrifying.) Plus: bird deterrents, license plates, poop songs, WAGs, Stefon Diggs, and your sister. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all have that person from our childhood we just knew was gonna be a star. And more than 20 years before she was a 13-time Grammy winner and a star of the new Joker movie, there was a girl visiting Pablo's all-boys high school named Stefani Germanotta, playing third-wave grunge songs in the corner. His classmate Patrick Wolf — from the band Goodnight, Texas — even asked her to sophomore semi-formal. And while Pablo was preparing for a debate tournament instead, Lady Gaga (and the Plastic Gaga Band) was born. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The director of the Oscar-winning O.J. documentary, Ezra Edelman, has completed one of the greatest films ever made: a nine-hour epic about Prince. So why won't the artist's estate let this movie out of the vault? Pablo and New York Times critic-at-large Wesley Morris are two of the only people to have seen it. And they're finally able to reveal what they learned: about the hypothetical cancellation of an icon; Prince's actual scouting report as a basketball player; the disease of pop stardom; the cost of genius; and whether you will ever see this masterpiece, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dirty lobster sex! Shirtless Glen Powell! Emily in Compost! Do we have your attention yet? If Hurricane Helene, a litany of facts and general guilt about global warming were enough, then we would've done something by now. Enter the climate culture war. Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson — co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab, marine biologist and author of "What if We Get It Right?" — envisions the future of planet Earth as a group project for 8 billion people, in which we deploy solutions, not dystopianism. How close to paradise can we get? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You have heard about the grocery store. And the photographs cannot be unseen. But the 1955 murder of a 14-year-old in Mississippi — a killing that sparked the Civil Rights Movement, that forever shaped America — has been criminally underreported. Until Wright Thompson, son of the Delta and sportswriter of the century, embarked upon a story about LeBron's Lakers... that became a mapping of intentionally constructed, deeply hard-wired silence, in his new instant bestseller and surrealistic people's history, The Barn. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump was at the Alabama-Georgia game. Tim Walz was at The Big House in Ann Arbor, ahead of tonight's VP debate between a high-school coach and an Ohio State grad. College football has always been a passport to America that will never be too woke to go broke, but now the sport itself has become a battleground state. Jane Coaston — Republican whisperer, Michigan fanatic, new host of Crooked Media's "What a Day" podcast — considers whether the presidency might be decided by a disconnect between two formerly allied institutions. And an emerging strain of influencer conservatism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are men so weird about celebrating their own birthdays? The ultramarathon wars waged on Wikipedia. And how former UNLV QB Matthew Sluka has weaponized college football’s redshirt system in the NIL era. Plus: doljabis, parenting advice, and Pablo vs. Mina. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The existential dread of going to work. The self-doubt born of 70,000 boos. The anxiety crank. The loneliness. There is no pressure quite like the expectations placed upon the top pick. And Alex Smith — 14-year NFL QB, ESPN analyst, and host of the new podcast Glue Guys — would know: He had one of the worst rookie seasons in football history. So Alex helps Pablo play armchair psychologist on the abject terror of being Bryce Young, Trevor Lawrence and Caleb Williams, with lessons for every leader on how to own your vulnerability — and develop the next Patrick Mahomes. Even if the paparazzi aren't watching you stretch every morning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two NASA astronauts are in the midst of an extended, headline-grabbing, eight-month stay in orbit. So we turned to Terry Virts, former commander of the International Space Station, as our official PTFO Outer Space Correspondent. Because he was stranded there for 200 days after his cargo ship blew up — low on underwear, polo shirts and his beloved borscht. Turns out, there are way worse places to be than staring out a Russian dorm-room window while watching bombs, auroras, typhoons and the very essence of human nature, from 250 miles up. Also: how to pee, dream and listen to Hans Zimmer without gravity. (Hint: Do not raw-dog the universe.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before he came down the golden escalator, Donald Trump was desperate to own a pro-football franchise on the cheap. So he dispatched a political emissary with a mission for five mischievous super-fans: ban Bon Jovi from Buffalo, so that Trump could purchase the Bills instead of him. Correspondent Noah Shachtman travels to an alternate universe where, associates say, Trump would have occupied the owner's box instead of the Oval Office — and finds evidence, on a literal bridge of the American divide, that we're still halfway there.Read the companion article at Rolling Stone:Is Trump's Whole Political Career Just a Cockeyed Revenge Plot Against the NFL? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you out-smart a survey of 100 average Americans? Who channels Jimmy V during the commercial break of a game show? Why didn't Mina Kimes show up on "Fast Money"? And what color is green? Pablo reacts to his epic appearance on this week's "Celebrity Family Feud" with buzzer-caressing Dan Le Batard, Celebrity Jeopardy! veteran Katie Nolan and super-fan Mike Golic Jr. Plus: talking sh*t about Harvard, handshaking vigorously with Steve Harvey, unbuttoning a shirt with John Legend, the "Hey Jealousy" torture experiment and Cam from Oklahoma. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It won’t be long before Domonique Foxworth — staff writer on American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, premiering tonight on FX — will no longer grace us with his presence, because his ego will have grown too large. But until then, Domonique joins the show to talk to Pablo and David Samson about the difference between journalism and entertainment; how to dramatize players and coaches he’s encountered, in real life; and why his pants are so tight. Also: beat sheets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Sporting Class! Meadowlark Media CEO John Skipper and Nothing Personal's David Samson are back with another episode with host of Pablo Torre Finds Out ... Pablo Torre! Do you have DirecTV and you wanted to watch the US Open? Sorry! What about college football through the first two weeks on ABC or ESPN? Sorry! Well, what about Monday Night Football between Aaron Rodgers and the 49ers? SORRY! Let’s break down this dispute between DirecTV and Disney. Where does this end? What makes this dispute different than the one last year between Disney and Charter? It’s time to find out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You may think you know how the Patriots drafted the greatest quarterback of all time: with the 199th pick in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. But the real story — the story of exactly how the Patriots got to make that pick, in the first place — has never been made public… until now. Today, Pablo dives into the secret world of the NFL’s compensatory formula. And we unmask the identity of the free agent who flapped his wings, changing sports history forever. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if you let artificial intelligence invade your life — on purpose? And then set versions of yourself loose to prank-call everyone from telemarketers to soccer fans to your wife? For his new podcast, Shell Game, journalist Evan Ratliff did exactly that. And it turns out, sneaky transformation into a stammering half-robot isn't the end of the world so much as a sneak preview of our fake new world. Could a voice clone make Pablo's life easier, too? Only A.I. Pablo (and Cocaine Evan) can tell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the transfer portal ruining the NCAA we all liked, or helping the NFL we love even more? Why is Cristiano Ronaldo suddenly the biggest sports-show host on YouTube? What's the status of friend requests IRL? And how's my guy? Further really original, organic content:UR • Cristiano https://www.youtube.com/@cristianoThe Frendship Paradox (Olga Khazan) https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/09/loneliness-epidemic-friendship-shortage/679689/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is nothing America loves more but understands less than the NFL, whose coaches, players, and analysts love jargon. But as Pablo discovered earlier this summer, you should be careful calling out this burgeoning fetish for linguistic complexity. So today, ahead of tonight’s season-opener in Kansas City, we ask former quarterback and NFL scout Nate Tice, the host of Football 301, to break the code — and finally explain how jocks got revenge on the nerds, taking over a national conversation. And how much Spider 2 is actually in your Y-Banana. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thirty years ago, David Foster Wallace reported “The String Theory,” an essay about a pro tennis player named Michael Joyce. No, Joyce wasn’t as good as his fellow Americans (Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Michael Chang). But what Joyce taught Wallace — the best writer of his generation, and a former junior player himself — turned into the greatest tennis essay of all time. Today, in the middle of the U.S. Open, Pablo sits down with Michael Joyce — who’s since become a coach to players like Maria Sharapova — and they dissect the genius and the eccentricities of David Foster Wallace, who died in 2008. And we learn about the psychologies of two grotesque glories: writing and tennis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

America generates an endless stream of opinions about Caitlin Clark, but there’s been almost no in-depth reporting about how her mind actually works. So before Clark’s Indiana Fever visit Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky tonight, Pablo sits down with Wright Thompson of ESPN: the only journalist who spent months getting to know Caitlin, her family, and her team at the University of Iowa, behind closed doors. And we find out what it’s like to live alongside a phenomenon who doesn’t process fear or emotion the way most human beings do… and how she’s been trying, privately, to change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Sporting Class! Meadowlark Media CEO John Skipper and Nothing Personal’s David Samson are back with another episode with host of Pablo Torre Finds Out ...Pablo Torre! We start in the NFL where private equity has come to play. Private equity is the king of buzz words in sports right now and every sport wants more of it. NFL valuations are sky high and teams need money. Enter PE. What is going on with the NWSL? The women’s soccer league has signed a new CBA. No more trades. No more draft. Guaranteed contract. Why now? Is Venu Sports done? That’s what it looks like. The partnership between ESPN, WBD, and Fox was shut down by the courts because of a lawsuit brought on by Fubo. Now what happens? We end today where we began…the NFL and Private Equity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the Supreme Court ruled, in 2021, that college athletes can monetize their Name, Image, and Likeness, football recruiting changed forever. Organizations known as NIL collectives emerged to pay players de facto salaries, in coordination with universities. But soon, thanks to yet another legal development, those universities may be able to pay players, directly — raising many, many questions about what the hell is going on. So Meadowlark’s own University of Miami booster, Mike Ryan, takes us inside their NIL collective. And On3's Andy Staples — a former national champion o-lineman at the University of Florida — helps us understand the future of a not-quite-open market. Also: Jaden Rashada, LifeWallet, and stone crabs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Competitive eating is a sport. That’s the belief of Joey Chestnut, the greatest eater of all time — and man, do we agree with the 16-time Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest champion now. Ahead of his Labor Day duel against rival Takeru Kobayashi, Joey reveals everything we ever wanted to know about jaw exercises, coffee enemas, and what he refuses to eat. Also: chokeholds, milk chugging, the danger of endorsing veganism, and inadvertent excrement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You might think that calling a game is easy. That Tom Brady can do this in his sleep. Jon "Boog" Sciambi, announcer for the Chicago Cubs and "MLB: The Show," teaches Pablo why the human voice is an instrument that requires restraint and distinction to record the first draft of sports history, then pass it down like an heirloom. Come for the PTFO dictionary's debut in the broadcast booth; stay for Nic Cage murdering Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg with a Toyota Outback at Wrigley Field.This episode originally aired May 14, 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The MVP is obsessed with the ancient sport of harness racing — because it may be hiding in plain sight as more exciting than the NBA playoffs. Acclaimed documentarian Mickey Duzyj talks to a GOAT and plays stable boy, then heads to the track to root on the official stallion of the show.This episode originally aired May 7, 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the early 1970s, two pitchers for the New York Yankees agreed to the wildest trade in sports history: They switched wives. And children. And furniture. And pets. But this sex scandal cut way deeper than the tabloid headlines. David Mandel — veteran writer for Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep and The Simpsons — laments his big-screen adaptation that never was... even though the ultimate passion project could have starred Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. And we go deep inside a story that's equal parts swinging and missing.This episode previously aired April 30, 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the beaches of Los Angeles to the botanical gardens of New York City, we traveled the country looking for the best cannabis with an athlete’s name on it. And who better to smoke it with than Katie Nolan and Dan Soder? Pablo joins Dan and Katie in their NYC apartment to burn it down with special guests Magic Johnstoned, Gary Payton, Melo, and more. Come for the marijuana, stay for the cake. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the Paralympics begin in Paris on Aug. 28, there will be no shortage of feel-good storylines. But two whistleblowers tell Pablo Torre Finds Out a very different story: about how widespread cheating has destroyed the integrity of the Games themselves. Paralympians are allegedly manipulating the system by exaggerating their impairments, lying to classifiers, and tanking tests — a fraud known as “classification doping.” But one athlete has decided, at long last, to fight this problem in court. American handcyclist David Berling sits down with PTFO correspondent Tim Rohan for an exclusive interview about the lawsuit that might change everything. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Tim Walz’s coaching career the key to beating Donald Trump’s Republican Party? What does the NFL still get wrong about paying star quarterbacks? Is walking a mile in a fast food worker’s shoes better rehabilitation than jail time? Plus: Ozark Mina, non-tearful Dan, Judge Beast, Bill Barnwell, David Foster Wallace, and throwing burrito bowls at people’s faces. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An existential paranoia has been lurking beneath the surface at the Olympic Village, where the most pressing story doesn’t get talked about on TV. We field an urgent video call from Team USA diving coach Drew Johansen about the "unintended consequences" of the system quietly responsible for more than 1,000 Olympians who competed in Paris. And how the most recent update in the NCAA’s legal fight could sink your favorite Olympic sports back home on campus... and at the 2028 Games, in Los Angeles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Adolf Hitler gave the legendary runner a mysterious gift: four potted oak tree saplings — one for each of the four gold medals that Owens won, while surrounded by Nazis, in one of the greatest performances in the history of sports. Almost a century later, correspondent David Fleming examines what Owens decided to do with his so-called Hitler Oaks... and why that decision remains an enduring act of American defiance. Plus: tree people, myth-busting, redlining and witch-doctor science. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Sporting Class! Meadowlark Media CEO John Skipper and Nothing Personal's David Samson are back with another episode with host of Pablo Torre Finds Out ... Pablo Torre! The NBA media rights deal saga is not over just yet. Warner Bros. Discovery is not going away quietly as they have now sued the NBA. What exactly does David Zaslav want from this? NBA games? Money? Both? What’s the deal with Charles Barkley? Is he going to stay with TNT? He said he was going to retire after the 2025 season, but now it doesn’t look likely. Let’s take a look at the judge in this case of WBD v. NBA. The judge hearing the case was a part of the Spirits of St. Louis and its lawsuit against the NBA. Should this knowledge from the judge matter? Comcast is one of the largest distributors in the country. What is TNT worth to Comcast if it loses the NBA? Let’s explain what these carriage fees are and the leverage Comcast has over the new fees. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What got left on the cutting-room floor of The Last Dance? That shrugging security guard, Scottie Pippen's cattle prod, almost Obama — and so much more. Plus: the iPad trick, pulling a Stat Boy, what it feels like to be parodied/cancelled on SNL… and a pickup-line surprise featuring butterflies, a bulldog puppy and a newborn.Further reading:Watching the National Championship at a Georgia bar is what heartbreak looks like (Charlotte Wilder) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

J.D. Scholten is a state representative from Iowa who went viral for the ultimate call to the bullpen: He left a music festival, a beer-and-a-half deep, to suddenly sign a minor-league contract and pitch into the seventh inning — at 44 years old. But that's just the beginning, because this J.D. might be the opposite of J.D. Vance. In fact, he's unlike most elected officials from either party: He fights punch-down politics. He is selling a real form of populism. Hell, he's running for re-election and says he doesn't even like politics. And, yes, he's still starting for the Sioux City Explorers.Further reading:"You're Probably Getting Screwed" Substack Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Kamala Harris’s “memeability” the key to her winning the presidential election in November? Or are Zoomers just having a laugh? How does one develop their “rizz”? Or are we sociopaths for even asking? And would you fight your parents if they named you Arthur (sorry to any Arthurs out there)? Also: Mina goes goth, Pablo has a secret nickname, and Dan wears pants.Further Reading:Could Kamala Harris’s “Brat summer” win her the presidency? (Vox)Is ‘Rizz’ the Secret to Getting Ahead at Work? (WSJ)AITA for fighting with my mom over my nickname? (Reddit) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michelle Wie was hyped as nothing short of the next Tiger Woods. As a kid, she was a global sensation: competing against not just adult women but the men, at PGA Tour events — signing seven-figure sponsorship deals in the process. But now, two decades later, Michelle tells Pablo what child stardom was really like, behind the scenes. And she appraises a career unlike any other. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From a college dorm room to an 18-car garage, there is no "psychological mindf**k" quite like becoming a millionaire overnight. But a supermajority of athletes continue to squander their compressed window of lottery-like earnings. On the 15th anniversary of his seminal story for Sports Illustrated, "How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke," Pablo gets an honest re-appraisal from wealth-management advisor Todd Burach — and brave testimony from Justin Pugh and Antoine Walker — on where stars really are just like us when it comes to financial literacy, haves and have-nots... and pre-nups. Plus: Magic Johnson's one simple rule for staying rich, a heat-check on the entourage bullsh*t meter and the French Bulldog Cold War brewing in NFL locker rooms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Sporting Class! Meadowlark Media CEO John Skipper and Nothing Personal’s David Samson are back with another episode with host of Pablo Torre Finds Out ... Pablo Torre! It’s time for more NBA TV rights talk! It looks like NBC, ESPN, and Amazon have won the battle, even though Warner Bros. Discovery is trying to fight. What does the big money mean? Let’s take a look at the valuations of media rights deals and what comes next for sports leagues. Why is Knicks owner James Dolan so mad about it? He sent a letter to the league and is furious with the new NBA media rights deal. Why was he the only owner to vote against this new deal? We finally have seen some numbers on what’s happening with the WNBA. It’s a major increase. Welcome to the billion club! How will this new money impact the league? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is joining a club the key to healing our fractured nation? Would a robot be better than Katie Nolan at bartending? Would you cover your face in fish sperm for dermatological reasons? PLUS: the worst drink to order from a bartender, Dr. Dupixent, frankincense, myrrh, and late-breaking country music news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do Mike Tyson, Lawrence Taylor, Darryl Strawberry and Herschel Walker have in common? They were Donald Trump's New York superstar allies in the 1980s — and they remain his time-warped avatars for Black American voters in 2024. Semafor political reporter Kadia Goba transports us from selling handbags at Trump Tower to receiving calls from these aging MAGA all-stars on a nostalgic, notorious and downright criminal journey toward interviewing Trump himself at Mar-a-Lago.Further reading:'They see strength': The Black sports icons shaping Donald Trump's take on race, politics, and masculinity (Semafor) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders actually what they say they are? (And are they underpaid?) Also, how does a retired NFL player coach his own children without turning into Earl Woods? Plus: a fire alarm, a milking, a moonlighting meteorologist, a hard-to-get kung-fu master and the Hug-a-Bros. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before his best friend got him mixed up in the biggest story in baseball, Shohei Ohtani was a kind of child star caught in a state of arrested development. Enter the Japanese interpreter: part live-in nanny, part spouse in a trans-Pacific shotgun marriage. Correspondent Tim Rohan takes us inside an intimate profession that's closing ranks, post-scandal. Turns out, actual translating isn't the half of it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We tumble down the rabbithole of the global match-fixing scandal that’s quietly tearing apart the U.S. Olympic fencing team, ahead of their trip to Paris this month. And we investigate how it all connects to a spiraling refereeing crisis that takes us from Harvard and Princeton to the very top of the International Olympic Committee — and Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Where one of the world’s 100 richest people, Alisher Usmanov, has allegedly exported a culture of bribery and corruption that’s scared pretty much everybody in sabre fencing away from talking, on the record. Until now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pablo has unearthed a long-rumored, previously unpublished, for-your-eyes-only video from the summer of 2010, featuring a committee of A-list New Yorkers recruiting free agent LeBron James to the Garden. It may feature one of the biggest revelations in TV history, but let's just say — between a couple former politicians and another convicted rapist — that this tape has aged very, very poorly. Knicks superfans Jason Concepcion (@netw3rk) and Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) gaze into the ark of the covenant... and cringe.This episode originally aired April 16, 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rex Chapman, former Great White Hope and author of the new memoir "It's Hard for Me to Live with Me," traces the fading of an endangered sports species, from his personal history as a basketball prodigy in the American South to the rise of the international game.This episode originally aired March 22, 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do athletes, coaches, and GMs give a s*** about what sports gasbags like Mina, Dan, and Pablo say about them? Early returns say: yes. Does Google suck now? Mina’s Reddit usage indicates: also yes. And most importantly, could you rawdog a 7-hour flight? Or, do we just like saying the word “rawdog”? Also: enshittification, Mina gaslights her husband, and the grief-eating truffle pig returns.Is Google S.E.O. Gaslighting the Internet? (Kyle Chayka)Why Men Are ‘Rawdogging’ Flights (Kate Lindsay) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The greatest trick the Buffalo Sabres ever pulled was convincing the world that Taro Tsujimoto really existed. Correspondent Michael J. Mooney takes us from a mysterious call in western New York to a hockey rink in the Himalayas — and explains why this completely made-up human has never felt more alive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it better to remember or forget? Why do luxury car companies compete at Le Mans, a 24-hour race in a French town? And why do you watch streams of video games like Elden Ring (even if you’ll never play them)? Also: Michelin, Mongolia, core memories, downloadable chodes, and, as always, horse-punching.Further reading:I Have a Terrible Memory. Am I Better Off That Way? (Katy Schneider) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Forty years ago this week, the Chicago Bulls drafted Michael Jordan — giving rise to the holiest of basketball grails. Twenty-three autographed Jordan rookie cards would be scattered across the globe, in the form of Wonka-esque golden tickets. But at last check, nine of these cards had vanished. Correspondent Bradley Campbell gets to the bottom of a seven-figure mystery — spanning four decades, three continents, black-market conspiracies and an armored-car robber — that presaged the modern era of sports collectibles as an asset class. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At a time when so many are struggling with the regulation of expression, from Elon Musk's X to college campuses to the workplace, why did mixed-martial arts, of all things, rebrand itself as America’s leading bastion of free speech? Ariel Helwani, the sport's preeminent journalist and host of The MMA Hour, traces an evolving policy — from getting censored himself to a homophobic rant going viral — and explains how UFC boss Dana White has made a fortune in the name of “freedom.”This episode originally aired January 30, 2024 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He could be drawing up plays for superstars, after interviewing with the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, and more. But the ESPN commentator and "Old Man & the Three" podcaster has been leading a group of middle-schoolers in Brooklyn, with the same passion and perfectionism that he brought to Duke and then 15 seasons in the pros. If you thought you hated JJ Redick, just wait 'til you get inside the greatest mind in the history of fourth-grade basketball.This episode originally aired January 11, 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You may remember Smush Parker from his very public, lopsided beef with the late Kobe Bryant, but there is so much more to the arc of Smush's life story — from being a toddler raised inside "The Cage," in New York City, to bringing up the ball right before "The Malice at the Palace" began. And now, it turns out, Smush Parker is committed to another shocking quest: become the fourth former NBA player, ever, to become an NBA referee.This episode originally aired December 19, 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On one level, standup comedian Gary Vider’s childhood was a dream come true. He and his father, Manny, had virtually unlimited access to some of the biggest games and athletes and celebrities in the world. The only problem is that the whole thing was built on a complete lie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s the best way to pay tribute to a Hall of Famer whose spirit transcends both time and space? By calling up his tipi-crafting spiritual advisor — and, additionally, Oregon’s own Ian Karmel. Who himself poses an important question: why is Hollywood so bad at creating overweight characters? Also: the Bill of Bill, Katie’s Bible study, and Shlomo Puddingtits.Buy Ian's new book, T-Shirt Swim Club, here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The superstar once condemned as the most notorious anti-Semite in American sports is playing nice, even though he now works for the most influential pro-Israel donor in American politics, who happens to have Donald Trump in her pocket. Which is exactly why the NBA doesn't want you to know more about Miriam Adelson. New York magazine's Elizabeth Weil introduces the sports world to the king-making, history-altering extremist queen of courtside.Further reading:Miriam Adelson's Unfinished Business (Elizabeth Weil) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why can't America stop arguing about Caitlin Clark? (And who's actually right?) How much harder is raising a son these days? When should kids get cellphones? (AND DO YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN US?) Also: pinky shelves, and if we could have avoided all of this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Oakland A's are leaving Oakland, but not before a rebel force of die-hards can remind billionaire nepo-baby John Fisher — the Kendall Roy of Major League Baseball — what it really means to be a fan. Slate's Joel Anderson embeds with the boycott movement and stops at nothing to unravel the conspiracy known as WristbandGate… even when it takes him to the depths of a notoriously sewage-infested stadium. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A magician — or mentalist — never reveals their secrets. But there’s a lot more to the illusion industry than meets the eye. Magician and New York Times puzzle constructor David Kwong joins Pablo to explain how the magic business polices itself like Major League Baseball; whether anyone legally owns a trick; and why he doesn’t claim to actually have superpowers. Also: yellowface, Harry Houdini, spiritualists, burying 52 playing cards in a backyard, professional liars, and the art of trying really, really hard.Pre-order David Kwong’s How to Fool Your Parents here: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/how-to-fool-your-parents-david-kwong?variant=41399439491106 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do human beings seek vengeance? (And is it really a dish best served cold?) Can you really be friends with the opposite sex while married? (And is single-sex education a good idea?) Does intermittent fasting actually work? (And what does it mean to be hangry?) Also: ruining a real estate guy; canoodling at The Bear; threatening four-year-olds; fiber jealousy; Pout-Pout Fish; and Mina's many impersonations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

LEGO is, in many ways, the biggest education company on the planet — an influential form of learning about the world around us, whether you're a kid, or an NBA star like Victor Wembanyama, or the Emmy-winning comedian Wyatt Cenac, who spent months researching how the famously yellow faces on millions of mini-figures… became so racially confounding. Pablo and Wyatt unbox a gigantic foosball table and explore a plastic world where the Civil War and January 6 never end.More on race and LEGOs from Wyatt Cenac and Pineapple Street Media:https://www.wyattcenac.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The four NBA coaches who made the Conference Finals this season all have something in common: a pullover. Because unlike Pat Riley in Armani, or even Larry Brown in overalls (yes, overalls), modern basketball authority rejects individual style in favor of sideline uniformity. So we summon New York Times critic-at-large Wesley Morris (and his two Pulitzer Prizes) to help us explain how we got here. What we’ve really lost, amid this pandemic of athleisure. And why women’s college basketball has the heroes we desperately need. Also: mutating into a muppet; Don Zimmer vs. Pedro Martinez; Hubie Brown as Philippe Petit; and the most delicious glass bowl of chocolate pudding you could ever hope to taste. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who was disrupting Luka Doncic’s postgame playoff presser with sex noises? (We present our findings to Elle Duncan and Katie Nolan.) What’s it like encountering Kim Kardashian in the wild? (Elle reports.) And have you heard that thing about Ginuwine and Justin Timberlake from Britney Spears’ audiobook? (Katie has.) Also: an array of sounds that will be used against Pablo and Cortes for eternity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are not a government psy-op. But Shaun Raviv from "Sports Explains the World" joins us to tell the story of a sports figure who actually was: The CIA sent Jay Mullen to Uganda, undercover, in the 1970s. His job was to spy on the Soviet Union. But when one of the most notorious dictators in world history made Mullen the head coach of the Ugandan national basketball team, a different mission presented itself. So did The Russian Hulk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is what happens when three X-Men superfans wait roughly three decades to devour a cake made of nostalgia. Unapologetic, horny nostalgia — with important lessons for the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe therein. Also: Casual Gambit, Magneto being right, adamantium strategy, thruples, and Metal Jason Whitlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who's your oldest friend — and why isn't it one of your parents? What makes the ideal best man — and is it because you're actually proud of your friends? Do boring podcasts help you fall asleep — or just incept your dreams? En route to the White House in an allegedly badass cardigan, sockless Pablo visits the co-hosts of The Domonique Foxworth Show to discuss sports parenting, the Papi writers' room, situational wedding-speech awareness, the Laremy Tunsil Standard… and sh*t-inducing sit-ups.Further reading:Are You in an Age-Gap Friendship? (Deborah Netburn)Is This the Most Boring Man in the World? (Spencer Jakab) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Millions of us hide in a ubiquitous sorrow. And pretty much all of us are horrible at talking about it. But Michael Cruz Kayne, Peabody-award winning writer for "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," has a theory about why death feels unspeakable. And how we can all get better at dealing with the most universal fact of life. In a behind-the-scenes look at his one-man show, "Sorry for Your Loss," Michael teaches Pablo about normalizing a taboo — and doing some seriously mind-blowing math in the process.Related links:"Sorry For Your Loss" (via Audible) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You might think that calling a game is easy. That Tom Brady can do this in his sleep. Jon "Boog" Sciambi, announcer for the Chicago Cubs and "MLB: The Show," teaches Pablo why the human voice is an instrument that requires restraint and distinction to record the first draft of sports history, then pass it down like an heirloom. Come for the PTFO dictionary's debut in the broadcast booth; stay for Nic Cage murdering Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg with a Toyota Outback at Wrigley Field. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It appears that, as a (crumbling) society, we have arrived at Peak Roast. With Tom Brady, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and Taylor Swift all recording their own versions of diss tracks. And the viral messages are both conspicuous and — even better — concealed. So, are Swifties and Rap Geniuses the same? Is it impossible to be a pop star if you’re old? Are fish just a gateway pet? Also: compliment competitions, beta or betta, Charlotte’s Mario impression, and why octopuses are ideal sex partners.Further reading:Justin Timberlake’s Air of Desperation (Esther Zuckerman) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the court, the Minnesota Timberwolves are making an astounding NBA Finals run, as Anthony Edwards becomes the next Michael Jordan before our very eyes. Behind closed doors, though, the sale of this skyrocketing franchise has devolved into civil war, as would-be owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore get betrayed by a "bumbling" and "diabolical" 83-year-old incumbent. Pablo's month-long investigation gives a rare glimpse at a soap opera within the most exclusive club of American life — one that is equal parts Game of Thrones, Succession and Fargo... and straight-up torture for Wolves super-fan Zach Harper. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The MVP is obsessed with the ancient sport of harness racing — because it may be hiding in plain sight as more exciting than the NBA playoffs. Acclaimed documentarian Mickey Duzyj talks to a GOAT and plays stable boy, then heads to the track to root on the official stallion of the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shea Serrano and Jason Concepcion are back! And this time they’re combing through all the NBA news from the past week and handing out six pop culture-themed trophies to six basketball-related activities. Every week, superlatives will reign down on basketball culture like Steph Curry threes when Jason and Shea dish out hoops honors like they’re Stockton to Malone running a pick & roll. Was that too many analogies for one sentence? Hell yes, but get used to it! In this NBA pop culture show from Wondery, the guys will honor the most magical and messy moments from the NBA and beyond by handing out hardware like “The Step Brothers Catalina Wine Mixer” Trophy for the matchup they’re most excited about. Or “The Liam Neeson ‘I Have a Very Particular Set of Skills’ Trophy given to an aging player who proves they still got it. And on and on. Till the break of dawn. Enjoy Six Trophies with Shea Serrano and Jason Concepcion wherever you get your podcasts, or listen here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Jerry Seinfeld complaining about the culture wars, or just the fallout of mid TV? What's the deal with books? And what happens if Charles Barkley becomes a free agent? Plus: machetés, memoir titles and the return of Dan's favorite tile-matching castle video game.Further reading:The Scholar of Comedy (David Remnick)No One Buys Books (Elle Griffin)Charles Barkley: The Richest Free Agent in Sports TV History? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jon Bois, the internet's most creative documentarian, somehow uses Google Earth to take you on a journey from Viking longships, to Bob Gibson, to Ross Perot. His new docu-series, REFORM!, is the forgotten story of political quacks, wonks and clown cars. Its lessons are just as relevant today as they were in the '90s — in large part because some of those same cranks are still around, daring us to remember how we got here... and why we can't escape.Watch REFORM!https://www.patreon.com/SecretBase Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the early 1970s, two pitchers for the New York Yankees agreed to the wildest trade in sports history: They switched wives. And children. And furniture. And pets. But this sex scandal cut way deeper than the tabloid headlines. David Mandel — veteran writer for Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep and The Simpsons — laments his big-screen adaptation that never was... even though the ultimate passion project could have starred Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. And we go deep inside a story that's equal parts swinging and missing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How are so many people still falling in love with fake people online? What happened to all the sh*thead kids? And is cable TV somehow making a comeback? Plus: poopy, boobies, Billy Koch and flipping the puck to the fat kid.Further reading:The TV Show That Predicted America's Lonely, Disorienting Digital Future (Maya Salam)The Undertaker: A Seven-Year-Old Named Bjorn Threatened to Shoot Me in the Face and Called Me a Democrat (Jeremy Lambert)Americans' New TV Habit: Subscribe. Watch. Cancel. Repeat. (John Koblin/Goblin) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We find ourselves at a rare moment in human history, facing an undefinable industry worth trillions, which happens to be concentrated in the hands of a few billionaire stewards like the doomsayer Elon Musk, the evangelist Sam Altman and MMA enthusiast Mark Zuckerberg. Are they just super-villains plotting our own destruction? Washington Post columnist Josh Tyrangiel’s entire beat is artificial intelligence. So we ask him to contemplate the odds of extinction — and why A.I. might just cure James Harden's addiction to strip clubs.Further reading:How A.I. Could Transform Baseball Forever Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A viral video of a weeping Caleb Williams, the top prodigy in this week’s draft, “scares the sh*t out of a lot of NFL teams.” So correspondent Dave Fleming breaks out the tissues — and a stack of research — to discover what the science of crying disproves about the pseudo-science of scouting; why a Super Bowl locker room was like a scene out of “The Notebook”; and how even the Darth Vader of football (allegedly) choked up. Plus: Domonique Foxworth names names — and changes our basic understanding of the most masculine of sports. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian Dan Soder has come a long way since the seeds-and-stems days of kitty-litter gravity bongs. After quitting drinking and cigarettes and tethering many super-high people back to Earth, he has — at least temporarily — taken a weed sabbatical, ahead of the amateur holiday for dorks. His fiancée and Pablo... not so much. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you want to trace the normalization of weed in sports and America, there is no better ambassador than NBA champion and "All The Smoke" host Matt Barnes. Taking gravity-bong rips to go full "Teen Wolf" in high school? Check. Beating drug tests in college and, uh, having a narc watch him pee — and poop! — during a test in the NBA? Yeah. Smoking with Woody Harrelson on his head coach's balcony, during the playoffs? Really. But the NBA came late to the cannabis party, as "more than half the league… from the superstars to the rookies" got caught in pro basketball's race-baiting, steroid-fearing war on drugs. In a new era of acceptance, marijuana might just help hoopers stop the next Kobe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pablo has unearthed a long-rumored, previously unpublished, for-your-eyes-only video from the summer of 2010, featuring a committee of A-list New Yorkers recruiting free agent LeBron James to the Garden. It may feature one of the biggest revelations in TV history, but let's just say — between a couple former politicians and another convicted rapist — that this tape has aged very, very poorly. Knicks superfans Jason Concepcion (@netw3rk) and Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) gaze into the ark of the covenant... and cringe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's one of the greatest TV shows in America right now: The Caitlin Clark effect of being David and Goliath at the same time. Angel Reese's ability to provoke and emote. The wisdom and 4D chess of Dawn Staley. And yet, for a TV writer and stand-up comic who's been evangelizing the women's game for decades, this season has been like showing a friend The Sopranos for the first time. Having witnessed March Madness and in anticipation of next week's WNBA Draft, Morgan Murphy and Pablo determine that the ensuing hot takes from sports media's "empire of garbage" may signal that normalization is here to stay. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Should you believe astrologers who only say what you want to hear? Is there a better way to enjoy life with Gmail, if you're not at Inbox Seven? And what happens when you stop "living nowhere"? Plus: The Strip-Mall Chain Institution Draft, deodorant, Brozempic, tree-knocking, and Other Pablo.Further reading: Sports Astrology (Andrea Mallis)Happy 20th Anniversary, Gmail. I'm Sorry I'm Leaving You. (Ezra Klein)What the Suburb Haters Don't Understand (Julie Beck) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sports video games pride themselves on their simulation of reality. But the most popular ones that Americans know and love — Madden, FIFA, NBA 2K, MLB: The Show — cannot compete with an intensely specific and uniquely important game called Football Manager. Which got so good at simulating soccer that it converted a worldwide army of real-life players, coaches, and executives into genuine obsessives — changing the multi-billion dollar soccer industry itself. PTFO’s London correspondent, Kieran Morris, embarks on a global quest to explain the Football Manager revolution… and jeopardizes his impending marriage in the process. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How should we react to sex scenes now? Has MrBeast mastered the modern algorithm? And what is the secret formula to ultimate beauty? Plus: Dan's secret iPad game addiction, Papi's hairy belly and dirty fantasies of Quin Snyder.Further content:The Death of the Sex Scene (Sophie Gilbert)The 'Beastification of YouTube' May Be Coming to an End (Taylor Lorenz)$INCEL Technology Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pablo's detective agency is back, with serious #journalism for the internet's most burning sports questions: Can halftime acrobat Red Panda get into the Hall of Fame? (Yes! But only with your help.) Why are athletes so good at spitting? (Yuck.) Where did "juicing" start? (Double yuck.) And will "One Shining Moment" ever be replaced? (Wait for it….)Sign the Red Panda petition NOW: https://www.change.org/RedPandaHOF Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mat Ishbia is a housing tycoon, and he was supposed to insulate the NBA's house from disgrace. But eye-opening new reporting from investigative startup Hunterbrook Media alleges that Ishbia's company became the country's largest mortgage lender with "a lie." Hunterbrook's Sam Koppelman examines how the owner's competitive management style parallels his approach to basketball and why Ishbia could even be forced to sell the Suns, while Pablo explores how Ishbia's childhood hero — Isiah Thomas — fits into how both the Suns and United Wholesale Mortgage have been operating, behind closed doors.Further reading:"The Lie That Made UWM America's Largest Mortgage Lender" (Hunterbrook Media) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the greatest writers in America has a new book, "There's Always This Year," that is ostensibly about LeBron James. But this bona fide MacArthur Genius contains multitudes — and big feelings. About sneakers; sunsets; his probation officer; the revelations of pick-up basketball; Game Sevens; the meaning of "making it"; and why it's totally fine to jump in the air without a plan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do pickup artists get totally wrong about successfully attracting women? Should you get a QR code on your gravestone? And did the three of us make a horrible, horrible mistake by talking about our old blogs in public? Sarah Spain, Charlotte Wilder, and Pablo discuss. ALSO: Mystery's sun necklace; scouting HB9's; crossfit; why your twenties are overrated; Pablog; gender dynamics in media; and the Dan Orlovsky of incels. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Think about the thing you’ve practiced more than anything else in the world. Maybe it’s painting. Or writing. Or playing the piano. Now imagine you wake up one day and you just can’t do it. You’re not sick. You’re not injured. But that one thing is impossible. It’s called the yips, and even the most talented people in the world experience it. What could cause them to lose their superpowers? And is there anything they can do to get them back?Today, a special bonus episode from our friends over at Unexplainable, a Vox Media podcast that explores scientific mysteries, unanswered questions, and all the things we learn by diving into the unknown.New episodes of Unexplainable are available every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pablo convinced Katie Nolan and Amin Elhassan to do something he’s wanted to do ever since PTFO launched: play Spider-Man 2 using the giant LCD screen that normally sits right behind him. And have an entire conversation — about punching through Ikea furniture; Rocket League; AOL screen names; multitasking; the Spider-Man canon; and our personal journeys through video games — while doing it. Which is all to say that this episode is a bit of an experiment. And you can watch it all on our YouTube channel, please:https://www.youtube.com/@pablotorrefindsout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rex Chapman, former Great White Hope and author of the new memoir "It's Hard for Me to Live with Me," traces the fading of an endangered sports species, from his personal history as a basketball prodigy in the American South to the rise of the international game. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been years since these three friends saw each other, in person. Or even virtually. And so it is our distinct pleasure to relive Pablo’s second-favorite thing that happened during the pandemic. As well as Amin’s most recent global viral humiliation, which now comes with important religious context. And also the digital foundation of Katie’s eternal love for Dan Soder. ALSO: being left on read by celebrities; Crazy Puffs; hand abstinence; the Chinese government; and vaguely racist voice filters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The death blow to the NCAA won't be dealt by college athletes unionizing, as historic as that movement is. It will come from a seemingly anonymous man named Jeffrey Kessler: an attorney who also happens to be the greatest sports lawyer of all time. Kessler has fought for everyone from Tom Brady to the U.S. women's national soccer team — and now, after winning in front of the Supreme Court, he's busy changing the very nature of college sports. Pablo invites Kessler into the PTFO studio and pressure-tests whether college athletes could finally wrest what's allegedly owed to them: billions, plural, in past damages from the NCAA. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the line beyond which we need to say Aaron Rodgers shouldn't be taken seriously? And why won't crows pick up trash? Plus: Bone Tomahawk, Inspectah Charles Johnson, the QAnon of architecture, and Project Acoustic Kitty.Further reading:RFK Jr.'s VP prospect Aaron Rodgers has shared false Sandy Hook conspiracy theories in private conversations (Pamela Brown and Jake Tapper)Here's all the dumb sh*t Aaron Rodgers recently said on a conspiracy theory podcast (Sean Keeley)The Magic of Bird Brains (Ben Crair) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The story of the NBA cannot be told without Oscar Schmidt, the most prolific scorer in the history of the world. But that hasn't stopped our fellow Americans from trying to do exactly that. So today, with LeBron James on pace to break Oscar's record of 49,737 career points, Pablo travels to glorious Orlando, Florida and sits down with the legend who refused to play in the league, despite getting drafted. And we find out why Oscar's impact on basketball — like his laugh — still echoes through the game today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prepare yourself for the warm glow of late-'90s nostalgia: In the era of boy-band supremacy (and a little Korn), the 'TRL' countdown was America's high-school cafeteria — a daily election of cool for youth culture. Until one fateful day in music history, twenty five years ago this week, when a chain letter set off a movement to hack the vote. Correspondent Yourgo Artsitas examines whether MTV's shadow government was protecting the the sanctity of our culture... with a lie.Learn more: https://trolldoc.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can we learn from the power-grab by NFL prodigy Caleb Williams and his stage dad? Why does Pablo always feel so bad about saying "no"? And how does one begin to argue better? Plus: Uncle Dennis, giant babies and literally sticking to sports.Further reading:Caleb Williams and Team Intend on Owning the Process (Kalyn Kahler)https://theathletic.com/5301341/2024/02/28/caleb-williams-quarterback-nfl-draft-ownership/The Mind-Boggling Simplicity of Learning to Say 'No' (Leslie Jamison)https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/well/mind/saying-no.htmlOverwhelmed? Just Say 'No.' (Arthur C. Brooks)https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/02/saying-no-science-happiness/677579/How Happy Couples Argue (Derek Thompson)https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/02/how-to-fight-conversation-advice/677594/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did the only person who’s ever won multiple Pulitzer Prizes for Criticism develop his sense of taste? Who needs a movie review when we’ve got Rotten Tomatoes and streaming algorithms? And do we even have real movie stars anymore? Wesley Morris, New York Times critic at large, makes the case for professional criticism over customer service. (And why Stephen A. Smith belongs to the proud tradition of camp.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The legendary basketball coach has made a comeback at St. John's, which paints him as a role model. But Pitino's past has only become more and more mysterious, beyond the Adidas bribery scandal, a love triangle and so-called Strippergate. Correspondent Tim Rohan speaks to the private investigator who gave Pitino a lie-detector test... then gets a bizarre letter, a late-night phone call and a trip down a rabbit hole that leads all the way toward dirt on the Clintons and the federal investigation into Donald Trump. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A PTFO listener sends Pablo on a mission to figure out which athlete-branded booze is best. Is it James Harden’s wine? Steph Curry’s bourbon? Can we finally end the LeBron v. MJ debate with a tequila tasting? Pseudo-expert Katie Nolan and real expert Jason Wilson help Pablo get drunk very quickly, and also get to the bottom of whether athlete alcohol is delectable or douchey. Also: spitting, dumping, loam, and a champagne HR violation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is sex a performance-enhancing drug? Pablo and Domonique insert themselves into the debate over "post-nut clarity" with exhaustive research, from a pre-game onesome in the locker room and abstinence as a coaching philosophy, to the stamp of approval from Drake, Megan Rapinoe and actual doctors — Pablo's dad included. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you trust the sanctity of data and proof of objectivity? What if we told you that a guru at the forefront of the analytics revolution... had cooked the books of the NBA, to boost stars of the Jordan era? Correspondent Tom Haberstroh confronts a statistician with an invisible hand — and reveals that the pumping-up of our historical record is more widespread today than even nerds like Pablo had accounted for. The human element, after all, can always grease the wheels. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve found a dose of optimism amid America’s exhausting gun debate. And it’s located in the incredible life story of Jason Kander: a former Army intelligence officer and political prodigy, knighted by Barack Obama himself, who had to drop out of politics, entirely. But now, one week after the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade, Kander — a fifth-generation Kansas Citian — tells us how the gun industry’s biggest scam is also its greatest legal strength. And why one relatively unknown piece of legislation, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, is the key to changing everything. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why did Jennifer Lopez self-fund an allegorical $20 million “movie” about her life? (And why did all three of us watch it?) How good are we at the Dutch art of doing nothing? (And should we reimagine the concept of “something”?) And, finally, who’s on our personal Enemies Lists? (And why is it FS1’s Nick Wright?)Further reading:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Osu2N9gysYkhttps://variety.com/2024/film/features/jennifer-lopez-this-is-me-now-musical-film-ben-affleck-love-story-1235908364/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/feb/07/the-art-of-doing-nothing-have-the-dutch-found-the-answer-to-burnout-culturehttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/17/well/bed-rotting-hurkle-durkle.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's easy to shot-shame a player at the free-throw line and athletes who throw funny. From the depths of that bullying and loneliness, though, a revolution is brewing, with adaptations so innovative that they may shame sports themselves. Pablo goes bowling with Jason Belmonte — the two-handed Tiger Woods of the lanes — and learns how to succeed in life while looking kinda stupid. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Tom Brady just going to be a cranky bastard in the broadcast booth? Is Jon Stewart just SUPPOSED to be a cranky bastard on The Daily Show? Will Joe Biden just inevitably be the cranky bastard we need for democracy to survive? And have group chats replaced hanging out?Further reading:Why Americans Suddenly Stopped Hanging Out (Derek Thompson)Return to Bullsh*t Mountain (Sam Adams)For Voters, When Does Old Become Too Old? (Nate Cohn) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Tom Brady just going to be a cranky bastard in the broadcast booth? Is Jon Stewart just SUPPOSED to be a cranky bastard on The Daily Show? Will Joe Biden just inevitably be the cranky bastard we need for democracy to survive? And have group chats replaced hanging out? Further reading: Why Americans Suddenly Stopped Hanging Out (Derek Thompson) Return to Bullsh*t Mountain (Sam Adams) For Voters, When Does Old Become Too Old? (Nate Cohn) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was either everything that's right or wrong with America, but the very public relationship between Scottie Pippen's ex-wife and Michael Jordan's son is very much over — deleted Instagram posts, passive-aggressive polls, and all. Miserable Pablo and cowardly Cortes take a victory lap, revisiting how they may have triggered the biggest celebrity breakup of the year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

America's stratospheric sports power couple joins our Valentine's Day episode — part unnecessary couples therapy, part post-retirement exit interview — with down-to-Earth perspective on marriage, kids, the evolution of acceptance, the limitations of love language, and how to get some in a long-distance relationship. Plus: Trump, kneeling, the tragic humor of a career-ending injury, the metronome ringing in an athlete's brain, and the joy of not working out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pablo's detective agency is back, just in time for Super Bowl Sunday, with the face-melting concert that puts Usher to shame, the flag-football fantasy draft, the most shameless celebrity endorser of all time, and yet more shameless content for the Swifties. Plus: That @ArtButMakeItSports guy has gotta be using A.I., right? What does Pablo's laugh sound like? And is the Miami Heat mascot on drugs? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're all desperately seeking self-improvement, so Pablo puts aside the spiritual mumbo-jumbo, puts his friends to the test, and emerges with something like service journalism: how to breathe correctly, exercise better, appreciate your career choices, accept failure, thank your feet, and learn to love your own superpower. (Even if that superpower is using a Jedi mind trick to singe your own thumb down to ash.)Further reading:The World's Happiest People All Share These 15 Things in Common (CNBC) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jet packs! Double kickoffs! Protest! The helmet-less, hungover superstar with a dynasty at stake! A killer game clock! Unconsciousness! The first Super Bowl was a sh*tshow. So why hasn't anyone seen it? Because the footage vanished for a half-century, only to resurface — with a million-dollar bounty — from an attic in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, and get thrown in a vault under lock and key. Until correspondent Devin Gordon entered the time machine to witness the progenitor of Travis Kelce, feel the primordial ooze from which Taylor Swift may have been formed… and, yes, to open a Playgirl centerfold featuring a man called The Hammer.Special thanks to Richard Sandomir for his reporting. For more, visit: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/03/sports/football/super-bowl-i-recording-broadcast-nfl-troy-haupt.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the right wing ganging up on two huge things — Taylor Swift and sports itself — precisely because they're huge? Can you go with the flow and still be productive? Why is Elmo — and the internet — making us so sad? Plus: Dan Le Batard's screaming female orgasm.Further reading:Why Is the Right So Weird About Taylor Swift? (New York)How to Have a More Productive Year (The New Yorker)Elmo Asked an Innocuous Question (The New York Times) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Float like a butterfly, sting like... a standup comic? Sixty years ago, long before the current golden age of smack talk, a 21-year-old Cassius Clay was nominated for a Grammy, for what should be considered the first diss album — a poetic, heavyweight takedown of Sonny Liston in the lead-up to their epic 1964 title bout. Andscape's Justin Tinsley tracks how this forgotten record led to the name Muhammad Ali, to national conversations around Black Muslims, to Ali protesting the Vietnam War, even to the birth of hip-hop... and the prevention of tooth decay.Further reading:The Grammy-nominated Cassius Clay (Andscape) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At a time when so many are struggling with the regulation of expression, from Elon Musk's X to college campuses to the workplace, why did mixed-martial arts, of all things, rebrand itself as America’s leading bastion of free speech? Ariel Helwani, the sport's preeminent journalist and host of The MMA Hour, traces an evolving policy — from getting censored himself to a homophobic rant going viral — and explains how UFC boss Dana White has made a fortune in the name of “freedom.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The third installment in the historic trilogy that is Katie Nolan vs. Celebrity Jeopardy! is a real journey. A journey through word games, organic chemistry, and love itself. Also: video game injuries, Woke Rodney Dangerfield, and not that Lisa Ann. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For all of the Aaron Rodgers-ization of psychedelics, they remain revolutionary, and the co-creator of Chapelle's Show turned standup comic has the ultimate endorsement: Sure, Amazonian plant tea might make you cry for two hours after drinking it with Chris Rock. But ayahuasca is a mental-health medicine that will also help you fall in love and, you know, feel the presence of God. So relax about the throwing up. Fear not the toad venom, and embrace the white void before the Big Bang. Ignore the football players yammering about "ego death," and consider the possibilities of a road-to-Damascus experience. Or not. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarterbacks yell it. Gamers revel in it. Bros text memes and hashtags of it. And as displayed on live TV in the NFL regular season AND playoffs, even Travis Kelce's girlfriend loves it. How did a simple phrase transform from a Jumbotron clap-along into such a ubiquitous exclamation? With apologies to Tom Brady and Lil Jon, correspondent Jeremy Taché searches for the real GOAT of "Let's Go!" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pablo Torre is known for finding out about things, but in this episode, The Cooligans find out about him! We're hyped to have fellow Meadowlarker and host of Pablo Torre Finds Out, Pablo Torre, join the show! Pablo, Christian, and Alexis discus Pablo's beef with Marcus Jordan and Larsa Pippen, getting roasted by Dan Le Batard, and being racially ambiguous to other Latinos and Asians. The guys also tease Pablo for his lack of soccer knowledge on ESPN and debate whether it was worth it to miss Messi's first Inter Miami goal for some chicken fingers.Exclusive content:https://www.patreon.com/SoccerCooligansThis is where we put everything we shouldn't say 😉 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He is one of the most talented stand-ups in America. But Roy Wood Jr. is also of the most deliberate thinkers about his craft. Roasting Joe Biden? Nerve-wracking as hell. Hosting an awards show? Like performing for LeBron in the locker room before Game Seven. The former Daily Show correspondent explains the affirmation of not succeeding Trevor Noah, the Taylor Swift-proof takeaway from Jo Koy's Golden Globes monologue, the point of getting booed, the power of free jokes... and how he almost ended up as a baseball umpire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who was the human inside the viral bowl-game mascot, and is said mascot still alive? We investigate VERY seriously. Plus: Why are so many women drinking out of the Stanley cup? And what does your depth chart of friends look like? Also: aggressive familiarity, the most arousing mascot alive, raccoon hands, Gronk's beach party, and Pablo's Pogs.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/g9h-AbjQaXQRelated (non-beastiality-adjacent) content:Thirsty after you catch on fire? (TikTok)What your water bottle says about you (The Los Angeles Times)How much time does it take to be a close friend? (The Wall Street Journal)The buddy boost: how 'accountability partners' make you healthy, happy and more successful (The Guardian) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From LeBron to Deion and Wall Street to Washington, one pervasive term has come to encapsulate a human desire for domination. Correspondent Bradley Campbell heads into the wild — with aerial wolf-hunting, bespoke bear-drugging, and more — to discover that the science behind the "alpha" … is based on a mistake. The new truth, however, may teach even and especially the most gentle among us how to become better leaders.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Cx8spsfoUjo(If you are having thoughts of suicide, you can call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does Katie keep dominating at trivia on national television? Is it vase or vahhze? And what in the Nick Saban was that young man doing stuck in an urn? Plus: animal idiom brainteasers, the road warriors of handsome, Kristi Yamaguccimane, going Fahrenheit 451 on "Wings," and climbing the Mortal Kombat totem pole that inevitably leads to Ice-T.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7uRc7SbVbkw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He could be drawing up plays for superstars, after interviewing with the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, and more. But the ESPN commentator and "Old Man & the Three" podcaster has been leading a group of middle-schoolers in Brooklyn, with the same passion and perfectionism that he brought to Duke and then 15 seasons in the pros. If you thought you hated JJ Redick, just wait 'til you get inside the greatest mind in the history of fourth-grade basketball.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5m4OQBOhfOM Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A battle over academic freedom is boiling over, beyond Harvard, and Florida governor Ron DeSantis and his cronies have already taken over one college in their effort to win the culture war. But the wildest part is how they're weaponizing an absolutely enormous baseball team to do it. Correspondent Jeb Lund reports on accusations of unconstitutionality — and mascot duplicity — at his alma mater, with a warning about how right-wing activists might use their sports blueprint next.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IqNPY0pnQ2E Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why is Travis Kelce the most famous player in the NFL? How much should you miss booze during Dry January? Where can you get away from everything? Should you trust anyone with really nice teeth? Plus: dorky cussing, human fists, Big Masseuse, 16-beers-deep Chris Cote, and a casual aside about allegedly murdering your roommate.Further reading:Kicking the Habit (Slate)The People Who Brought You Travis Kelce (The New York Times)They Sold Everything to Go on a 3-Year Cruise. How It All Unraveled. (The New York Times)Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/17UhD1blqNE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Underground in a Bond-esque bunker. Inside a private club with a league commissioner. Across the table from an executive with a parrot on his shoulder. And, finally, at the courthouse for a global legal drama centered around "a corrupt organization" operating "outside the law": This is how Pablo's boss at Meadowlark Media — and the former president of ESPN — went from a high-stakes, handshake deal... to a knock on the door from the feds... to becoming a government witness. Also: the future of the World Cup, and yachts. Lots and lots of yachts.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Gwo4X8XTAVw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They were raised to chug whipping cream and turn every meal into an all-you-can-eat buffet. But somehow, America’s most popular New Year’s resolution is most embodied by the extreme transformation of none other than offensive linemen. In retirement, these pioneers of gluttony have reverse-engineered themselves physically but also evolved mentally. And as former 315-pounder Mike Golic Jr. peels away the layers beyond the six-pack, with reflections from former colleagues Joe Thomas and Nick Hardwick, he reveals that sustainable personal change goes way beyond the weight.(If you are having thoughts of suicide, you can call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.)Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hl8b1iYP5c8 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the Denver Broncos crumble all around Russell Wilson, the superstar quarterback has never been more fascinating. Or more unknowable. But Nate Tice was Wilson’s backup, roommate, and occasional speechwriter at the University of Wisconsin. And to hear these college confessions — about a shirt-tucked, Timberlake-loving try-hard, who is possibly from outer space — is to finally understand the weirdest athlete on Planet Earth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This year, Emmy-winning screenwriter Cord Jefferson (Watchmen, Succession, The Good Place, Master of None) has become a major Oscar contender for his directorial debut movie, American Fiction. So we wanted to ask Cord the truth about awards, competitiveness, race, external validation, and happiness. Also, the Men In Black soundtrack.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4O3jaJ1TN94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You may remember him as the paternity-test king of fever-pitch daytime television. But this renaissance man has seen it all — the JFK assassination, Waco, a woman who's afraid of aluminum foil — and he has emerged an optimist. Climb into your TV for wisdom on courage, vulnerability, and reassurance from the OG who held up Pro Bowlers at practice... and introduced the world to Cotton Ball Man. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pablo only understands the true meaning of making this show, not the holiday season. So the ghosts of Christmas break pay him a visit, to pay it forward with recommendations for reality shows and Christmas songs, plus an important investigation into the truth about Santa Claus. May bonus content bless you, everyone.PTFO-approved xmas playlists:Charlotte Wilder's Christmas-Song Christmas SongsCortes's Holiday MixWatch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DlGMJ4GO7Oo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is the PTFO Movie of the Year™ but how does all this comic-book content feel so new, when constraint is supposed to be the mother of creativity? Also: Will Marvel explain away Jonathan Majors? Can you actually draft an all-white Pro Bowl roster, with so much "reverse racism" against cornerbacks? And how can we all be a little nicer next year?Further content:"I'm sick of average white guys commenting on football...." (@R_Mendenhall)The Spider-Man Problem (Planet Money)Marvel, Disney drop actor Jonathan Majors after he's convicted of assaulting his former girlfriend (AP)Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4hiz7wbx6ws Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You may remember Smush Parker from his very public, lopsided beef with the late Kobe Bryant, but there is so much more to the arc of Smush's life story — from being a toddler raised inside "The Cage," in New York City, to bringing up the ball right before "The Malice at the Palace" began. And now, it turns out, Smush Parker is committed to another shocking quest: become the fourth former NBA player, ever, to become an NBA referee.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZWFEMq7prXc Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if the afterlife sounded like a pro wrestler? Does Vivek Ramaswamy have the nuts for a pay-per-view debate with Pablo? And how the hell do you get out of a gym membership? Plus: enormous dildos, dong tennis, cock-adjacent merch, Harry Houdini's quads, and several special ringside appearances.Further reading:NJ Bill Would Allow Consumers to Cancel Gym Memberships Online and Easily (Asbury Park Press)Using A.I. to Talk to the Dead (The New York Times)Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-SwgmSvrpwU Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a teenage prankster crashing the football transfer window, Kieran Morris juiced the Wikipedia page for an obscure player across the globe, and word spread from London to the MLS of a legend in the making: The Honduran Maradona. Ten years later, our correspondent finds out what really happened to Alexander Lopez.(Adapted from an episode of Sports Explains the World)Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-QzVmd8TEjw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin was devoted to an Israeli football club fighting for peace. Supporters of its rival include far-right Israeli politicians like a national-security minister hellbent on war — and a racist mob. If you want help understanding the Israel-Hamas conflict, Hersh's abduction by terrorists is a window to the world. Correspondent Amos Barshad interviews his loved ones and finds a silver lining.(Read the companion article at The Lever)Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/R0IoouIfXNc Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are we allowing the most flagrant liar in American politics to shamelessly Cameo-wash himself with direct-to-consumer content? Is it so unreasonable that Shohei Ohtani isn't handling his free agency like the American sports media wants him to? And about that sports media: Are the olds — and words — about to get left behind? (Plus: farts in a jar and the ballad of the teacup Maltese.)PTFO-approved reading:Shohei Ohtani's Secretive Free Agency Is a Missed Opportunity for Him and MLB (Buster Olney)How Gen Z Is Killing Sports Media as We Know It (Alex Reimer)Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/puOmElQS7R8 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The comic, actor, and Daily Show correspondent/president shovels out content with the best of 'em. But he also believes in bombing onstage to learn the optimum level of failure. He believes in using anger to win over an audience — or to find a new favorite team, or to find love. Ronny Chieng believes. Also: watching thousands of hours of Patriots documentaries, torrenting "Around the Horn," dialing up NBA Live, getting Covid based on your fandom... and the best foul-mouthed Bill Belichick impersonation you've ever heard.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fX5AnWhP65s Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A fierce debate — about no less than the meaning of intelligence itself — has broken out in the world of football scouting, as star quarterback C.J. Stroud puts together one of the best rookie QB seasons ever... after bombing the new Wonderlic test. But can this S2 Cognition exam actually predict how your brain impacts athletic performance? Pablo puts himself to the ultimate test of mental agility, with a little help from Alex Smith — and with a LOT of expletives.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/inuwR73XKw0 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No conference-championship weekend in the history of the College Football Playoff has higher stakes than the one upon us right now. And so we turn to John Urschel — newly liberated CFP selection committee member; ex-NFL lineman; and current MIT mathematician — to shed the cloak and drop the dagger. And we learn what actually happens, behind closed doors, as hordes of furious fans demand the favor of a cabal that might be more Office Space than Eyes Wide Shut.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EjkxEv7nIBY Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the Sports Illustrated A.I. scandal dystopian, funny, or just plain sad? Depends whether you think art has a soul. Are champion athletes predisposed to addictive tendencies? Depends if you think you've gotta be a workaholic a$$hole to create great art. And what's with that commercial for a futuristic hostel on the NFL games? Depends if you're willing to live in a fake utopia. Plus: powdered wigs, Piña coladas, chum buckets, bone saws, flying cars, Faulkner, DiMaggio, the Michael Jordan of being present, and a parliament of owls.Further PTFO-approved content:Sports Illustrated Published Articles by Fake, AI-Generated Writers (Futurism)An Addictive Personality Can Facilitate Sporting Greatness — but What Are the Consequences? (The Athletic)This Is NEOM (YouTube)Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8FFp_wqjs5o Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who runs Magic's extraordinarily earnest Twitter account? Is Wu-Tang really that good at chess? Just how racist is the Oklahoma Sooner mascot? Is Victor Wembanyama the end of human evolution? Also: cotton balls, buttholes, and trolls. You asked, we investigated — with a little help from Rob Lowe, Method Man, Masta Killa, and Killers of the Flower Moon author David Grann.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zAJhIrX1vBs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Politicians don't want transgender people dominating girls' sports. But Ember Zelch just wanted to play softball, and nobody else seemed to mind. She was, after all, the ONLY trans girl officially even PLAYING girls' varsity sports in her ENTIRE state. Pablo travels to Ohio to learn why Ember fought for her right to love sports anyway. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pablo investigates a story including, but not limited to, a Duke basketball champion, a World War II treasure hunt, an alleged con man, Bob Marley, Dan Snyder, and an attempt to make history by purchasing the Washington Commanders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The FTX founder was a "martian" to the sports world. Why did he spend so much on arena naming rights and superstar endorsements? And how the hell did SBF become friends with TB12? Authors Michael Lewis (Going Infinite) and Zeke Faux (Number Go Up) witnessed the rise and fall of a crypto king. Now we can do the postmortem: “Moneyball, on steroids, gone wrong.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Bill Belichick now the grandfather you need to take the car keys away from? Is OnlyFans just selling loneliness? Is OnlyDans a thing? And how close did Dan get to death's door on ketamine? Also: a rooting baby, the jist, and premature dismounts. PTFO-approved reading:Inside an OnlyFans empire: Sex, influence and the new American DreamBill Belichick Is About to Get Fired, and Nobody CaresWhat If Psychedelics’ Hallucinations Are Just a Side Effect?Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xpwLxtAbVnU Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when restaurants become gas stations and farts disappear? You don't take food or fragrance for granted, especially around Thanksgiving. David Samson — host of Nothing Personal, gourmand, notorious lover of candy — didn't back down when Covid robbed him of his senses. He adapted, with phantom taste buds and a hedonistic calculus change to make his brain start tasting for him. He even took a Michelin-star vacation to Italy. And he put hot sauce on pretty much everything. So, of course, Pablo challenged him to the ultimate tasteless taste test, courtesy of Hot Ones.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/f3udcjwHpHU Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The former co-host of Desus & Mero is also a former strip-club manager, crackhouse re-builder, domain-name seller, dead-rat picker-upper, and, by his own admission, a bit of a sad clown. Now, after the end of a beloved duo, "Hollywood Desus" wants to do every job in entertainment as a soloist. Plus: joints in the stairwell, porn in the library, NYC mayor Eric Adams in the club, robots in the kitty litter, how to use therapy as an operating system, and how to export the misery of being a Knicks fan.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YhydpKJHrkE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Action Bronson raps, cooks, paints, hosts, and acts (for Martin Scorsese, at least). He also has philosophical explanations for why A) he never wears pants, B) his go-to move is the headbutt, and C) nothing is better than a VHS tape. But Action Bronson had still never heard of the Accidental Bronson tribute account. Until now. Plus: AOL screennames, robot vacuum murder, and saggy balls.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Y8o52aFn1Wc Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can magic mushrooms help you see God? Are parents more of a danger to their kids than the world? Are we creating a garbage patch in space? Plus: Courtside seats with Jesus, CrossFit vs. witchcraft, bunnies vs. predators, Master Splinter, and mattresses. Lots and lots of mattresses. Also: When we flush, where does the poop go?Further reading:God, Magic Mushrooms, and Me (Esquire)Childhood Independence Is a Mental-Health Issue (The Cut)Befouling the Final Frontier (The New York Times Magazine)Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QUDvY5Ls_Eo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Johnny McEntee went viral before virality, as a trick-shot QB at UConn. He foresaw the rise of Donald Trump, while ordering him KFC on the campaign trail. He was straight out of central casting, but suddenly "Johnny Mac" the quarterback became enforcer-in-chief for the commander-in-chief, running a presidential "Gestapo" and hand-picking cabinet secretaries. Correspondent Devin Gordon meets a Trumpworld action figure and asks: How did this in-over-his-head loyalist get so powerful? And could it happen again?Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JZGb3Z3Qk68 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Would you clone your dying dog? Why are burner accounts still a thing? And how much do you REALLY care about what other people think about you? Also: Stephen A. Smith mispronouncing Pablo's name (twice), Dan sobbing shirtless in a convertible, and Pablo defending the relative scale of his narcissistic, psychopathic Machiavellianism.Further reading:Are Pet Cloners Happy With Their Choice? The AtlanticHBO Bosses Used ‘Secret’ Fake Accounts to Troll TV Critics Rolling StoneThe Sociopaths Among Us — and How to Avoid Them The AtlanticDark Triad Personality Test (If You Dare)Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xZvtRCuNdPs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This fall, Emmy-winning screenwriter Cord Jefferson (Watchmen, Succession, The Good Place, Master of None) has become a major Oscar contender for his directorial debut movie, the forthcoming (and deeply funny) American Fiction. So we wanted to ask Cord the truth about awards, competitiveness, race, external validation, and happiness. Also, the Men In Black soundtrack.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4O3jaJ1TN94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Shakespearean. It's Freudian. It's a Greek myth with a Real Housewife. Yes, sports fans: Marcus Jordan and Larsa Pippen are getting married. But are they just a reality-TV couple engineered to goose the algorithm? Or is this true romance? Pablo, Cortes, and "Oddball" host Charlotte Wilder listen to their podcast so you don't have to... then confront the Romeo and Juliet of our time with the awkward and essential questions about Michael and Scottie.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VOaPwe6d0W8 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the NBA's TV bubble about to burst? Is how we consume sports about to change forever? Hear from the man who reshaped the business itself. Plus: Who’s to blame for our misinformation minefield? And what the hell happened to retirement? The jamokes from The Sporting Class explain.PTFO-approved reading: House of Strauss: I'm Not Sure How the NBA Triples Its Rights Fees in a TV Recession https://www.houseofstrauss.com/p/im-not-sure-how-the-nba-triples-itsVanity Fair: Inside the New York Times Debate Over Its Gaza Hospital Bombing Coverage https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/10/new-york-times-gaza-hospital-storyThe Washington Post: Older Americans Are Dominating Like Never Before, but What Comes Next? https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/10/24/older-americans-working-longer-aging-impact/Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GsSzvwXkpLE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next week, the White House is releasing the first executive order on A.I. in U.S. history. So we asked David Epstein, bestselling author of Range and the best sports-science writer in America, to explain the state of our union. And what humans can do that the best computers still cannot. Even though A.I. still might, uh, wipe out 10 percent of the global population. Plus: Why robots need to be more like First Take — and why our future depends not on humans or computers... but a centaur playing chess.PTFO-approved readingDavid Epstein's Range: https://bookshop.org/p/books/range-why-generalists-triumph-in-a-specialized-world-david-epstein/12472879Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zbgKzE7SztI Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The most important Joker on the court isn't Nikola Jokic or Novak Djokovic. Indeed, the most popular tattoo among our sports heroes is a villain, and PTFO correspondent Wyatt Cenac is here to interview them about it... as Batman… with a mask on. Could Joker Mode become the new Mamba Mentality?Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Sc3d9M3jLGI Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why did Ariel Helwani, our planet’s leading combat sports reporter, use ring girls as human shields at a televised Logan Paul melee? What video game is Katie Nolan mostly living inside? Do you remember the time The Rock actually broke the news that Osama bin Laden had been assassinated? And more.PTFO-approved content:https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/shams-charania-nba-insider-the-athletic-new-york-times-profile.htmlhttps://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2023/10/16/were-more-ghosts-than-people/https://arielhelwani.substack.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The author of the definitive new book on gender in sports, Katie Barnes, explores how The Right ran up the score on progressives in a political messaging war — then offers a modest proposal, from pronouns to hormones and statehouses to schools, that most sane people can agree upon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Schur is a legendary comedy writer who calls his TV reboot of the classic baseball film "the best thing I've ever written." (He's written for SNL, The Simpsons, The Office, Parks and Rec, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place...) So why didn't his version of "Field of Dreams" ever get made? Also: what happened to the actual baseball field that he built, out there in the cornfields of Iowa? Sports-movie nostalgia has never felt quite so painful. Or surreal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it feel like to kick a$$ on a game show? Like an athlete in the Albanian brain zone who can't do math. Why doesn't Bill Belichick have to defend his conditional genius? Because we owe him the benefit of sudden doubt. Are you convincing yourself that you don't need therapy? You gotta place your vulnerability somewhere, you know. Plus: Pablo's Process (again), Christopher Meloni's mad energy, Dan's digestive tract... and some tears.PTFO-approved content:Final Jeopardy!: Rallying Crieshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YEqEYAxvo4If You Think Robert Kraft Wouldn't Fire Bill Belichick, You're Wronghttps://theathletic.com/4950228/2023/10/11/new-england-patriots-bill-belichick-robert-kraft/What I've Learned: Patrick Stewarthttps://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a45328198/patrick-stewart-what-ive-learned/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You may remember him as the paternity-test king of fever-pitch daytime television. But this renaissance man has seen it all — the JFK assassination, Waco, a woman who's afraid of aluminum foil — and he has emerged an optimist. Climb into your TV for wisdom on courage, vulnerability, and reassurance from the OG who held up Pro Bowlers at practice... and introduced the world to Cotton Ball Man. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarterbacks yell it. Gamers revel in it. Bros text memes and hashtags of it. Even Travis Kelce's girlfriend loves it. How did a simple phrase transform from a Jumbotron clap-along into such a ubiquitous exclamation? With apologies to Tom Brady and Lil Jon, correspondent Jeremy Taché searches for the real GOAT of "Let's Go!" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What really makes coaches good at motivating players? Why does Captain America long to be a dog? And how infuriated is Domonique by Pablo’s case of Content Brain? Also: secret notebooks, celebrity friendships, and (figurative) ball-licking.PTFO-approved reading:https://theathletic.com/4926881/2023/10/03/alabama-football-nick-saban-coaching-style-players/ (Kennington Smith III)https://www.gq.com/story/chris-evans-october-cover-profile-2023 (Zach Baron) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

That guy from Parks & Rec, The Afterparty, and Sonic the Hedgehog has a side-hustle superpower: playing point guard at long-form improvisation. He and Pablo also happened to lose way too much money on NBA Top Shots of Miles Bridges and Bismack Biyombo. Plus: Why Blake Griffin isn’t just funny for an athlete and why Kobe never would’ve made it in comedy. Oh, and a mid-interview poo … and a post-coital orgy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the inaugural edition of our non-mailbag mailbag, Pablo answers audience voicemails with the truth about his TV doppelgänger, Stugotz's bong hits, A-Rod's centaur, Stanford's mascot, poisoned Miami Heat fans, and one of the greatest sports tweets of all time.Are you looking for answers? Call (513) 85-PABLO Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One year ago, Draymond Green detonated the Golden State Warriors dynasty with a single punch at practice that left a million takes in its wake. Now, Oscar-winning filmmaker Ezra Edelman has an explosive "tip" — the insult you can't hear in TMZ's viral video — to test the bounds of Pablo's journalistic ethics... and set off the sports-media screaming machine all over again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it feel like to watch football at an NFL head coach's house? Should you really be posting photos of your kid? And... all praise to the scammers? Also: ghost takes, flying slices of cheese, swampa$$ as a resting state, and what happens to the food on reality shows.PTFO-approved reading:If I Embarrass My Baby on TikTok, Will He Stay My Baby Forever? (Amanda Hess)https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/25/arts/babies-cheese-eggs-tiktok.htmlGen Z Falls for Online Scams More Than Their Boomer Grandparents Do (A.W. Ohlheiser)https://www.vox.com/technology/23882304/gen-z-vs-boomers-scams-hacks Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the Denver Broncos crumble all around Russell Wilson, the superstar quarterback has never been more fascinating. Or more unknowable. But Nate Tice was Wilson’s backup, roommate, and occasional speechwriter at the University of Wisconsin. And to hear these college confessions — about a shirt-tucked, Timberlake-loving try-hard, who is possibly from outer space — is to finally understand the weirdest athlete on Planet Earth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Deshaun Watson is playing terribly. Does that make it easier to talk about his sexual-misconduct scandal again? Russell Brand is mid-scandal right now. Will his following follow him everywhere? And in happier news: Yes, even if you don't have a kid, you can still be friends with people who do.Further reading:Deshaun Watson Not Acting or Playing Like a Franchise Quarterback (Michael Rosenberg)https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/09/20/browns-deshaun-watson-not-acting-playing-like-franchise-quarterbackThe Uncomfortable Reality of Tyreek Hill's Success (Mina Kimes)https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18446978/the-unavoidable-dilemma-talking-kansas-city-chiefs-tyreek-hillCan Parents and Childless People Be Friends? (Allison P. Davis)https://www.thecut.com/article/adult-friendships-vs-kids.htmlRussell Brand Accused of Rape, Sexual Assaults and Abuse (Rosamund Urwin, Charlotte Wace, Paul Morgan-Bentley)https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russell-brand-rape-sexual-assault-abuse-allegations-investigation-v5hxdlmb6Russell Brand: In Plain Sight (Dispatches)https://www.channel4.com/programmes/russell-brand-in-plain-sight-dispatches Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The ESPN host and ex-NFL union president explains why he's not worried about his eulogy, what happened to his candidacy for NFLPA executive director, and what he learned at Harvard Business School. Also: the milk check, the original MySpace, expensive mahogany, and more of Pablo's tortured metaphors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Politicians don't want transgender people dominating girls' sports. But Ember Zelch just wanted to play softball, and nobody else seemed to mind. She was, after all, the ONLY trans girl officially even PLAYING girls' varsity sports in her ENTIRE state. Pablo travels to Ohio to learn why Ember fought for her right to love sports anyway. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are you part of the silent majority of bad sleepers? Try dressing up like Darth Vader already! What ever happened to the steroid police? We are here for a lower moral high ground! And are you, by chance, cinematically in love? Because the hardest things in life make you feel right. Also: centaur portraits, mouth-breathers, A-Rod’s teeth, and holes.Further reading:Why sportspeople are taping over their mouths (Sarah Shephard)https://theathletic.com/4844743/2023/09/11/why-sportspeople-taping-over-mouths/The Biogenesis Files (Mike Fish)https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/36055058/biogenesis-america-tony-bosch-peds-fallout-10-years-later Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PTFO SOURCES: The new Lando show isn't actually a show. Pablo hangs with the screenwriter and rapper to find out how real life inspired he and his brother Donald's award-winning art — and why they're not afraid of internet backlash. Also: evil fortune-tellers, jail baloney, Spider-Man Cartoon Maker, and Jim Carrey's Riddler. Hollywood! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We found the guy who kicked Mark Zuckerberg’s a$$ on viral video — and the trainers who might've tried to overturn the ref's decision. But did the most powerful unelected man in America really get choked unconscious? And how did Silicon Valley fall in love with Brazilian jiu-jitsu? PTFO correspondent Jay Caspian Kang reports. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pablo investigates a story including, but not limited to, a Duke basketball champion, a World War II treasure hunt, an alleged con man, Bob Marley, Dan Snyder, and an attempt to make history by purchasing the Washington Commanders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when the guy you played Madden against in high school… is actually *in* Madden? Why does the U.S. Open smell like weed? And who the hell is Pinkydoll? Also: huge calves, saucy shoes, and Dan Le Batard’s wedding. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know that before Donald Trump was president, he was Dan Le Batard’s alleged long-time viewer and first-time caller? Pablo debuts his show on the third rail by confronting Dan — for the first time — with their company’s missing vault of interviews featuring Donald from Queens. And these tapes are as prophetic (cough cough pee tape cough) as they are humiliating. Journalism! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are the Arizona Cardinals constructing the most blatant tank job in the history of tank jobs? Are weight loss drugs the future of dieting? And are those noises you’re hearing coming from the depths of hell, or is it just the sounds of the latest episode of Undisputed? Here’s a 2nd sneak preview of “Pablo Torre Finds Out,” coming September 5. Show Notes www.pablo.show https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/17/health/weight-loss-drugs-obesity-ozempic-wegovy.html https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/undisputed-hosts-skip-bayless-shannon-sharpe/atobdzudpu86qodnxfy5cvh7 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is James Harden playing 4-D chess? Will A.I. steal your job? Can Dan trick Mina into pissing off Dolphins fans? Here's a sneak preview of "Pablo Torre Finds Out," coming September 5. (Also: Daryl Morey singing.)Show Noteshttps://www.pablo.show/https://time.com/6301288/the-ai-jokes-that-give-me-nightmares/https://theathletic.com/4765589/2023/08/14/tua-tagovailoa-dolphins-jiu-jitsu-training/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So, Pablo Torre has a new podcast. It's all about f**king around — but also finding out, by exploring sports rabbit holes and journalistic curiosities with his friends... and occasional enemies. Here's how a surprising celebrity helped inspire the name for Pablo Torre Finds Out, coming soon wherever you get your podcasts.To find out even more, sign up for Pablo's free (!!!) newsletter at WWW.PABLO.SHOW Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My Sentiment & Notes Pablo Torre Finds Out

Pablo Torre Finds Out