Pablo Torre Finds Out

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.