Pablo Torre Finds Out

It's impossible to trust the process of a starting five that includes Sam Altman, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Why are we waiting around for impending doom, just because artificial intelligence might cure cancer? The Atlantic's Josh Tyrangiel explains how to channel political fury and rein in the reign of tech bros, before it's too late — even if it means the next decade might kinda suck.

• Read Josh Tyrangiel's "AI for Good"

• Watch Netflix's "AI Gone Wild"

• Plus: "How to Regulate the Ghosts"

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Just because Steve Ballmer, Mark Walter and Vivek Ramaswamy are rich... doesn't mean they're always that smart. And just because investigating them is hard... doesn't mean the truth can't still prevail. Onstage at the University of Maryland, Pablo and the daytime TV legend (turned podcaster himself) Maury Povich discuss the Clippers saga, the Lakers sale, the reporting chops of Tim Tebow, the making of a modern independent newsroom... and that $15,000 mechanical bird.

• Subscribe to "On Par with Maury Povich"

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

After the so-called "blue tsunami," we turn to the MS NOW anchor, fresh off NFL RedZone-ing the midterms, with a new book in tow. The former three-sport athlete sits down with Pablo to wash up the election — from Vivek's mansion and memes to trans-sports panic — and look ahead at accountability for Trump, billionaires and the DOJ.

• Order "Department of Fate"

• Join the MS Now Membership

PREVIOUSLY ON PTFO:

• The Unforced Errors of Vivek Ramaswamy

• We Polled 1,417 Americans About Sports, Politics and Everything in Between

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First, they came for the conspiracist Alex Jones — and won. Now, "America's Finest News Source" is trying to make The Onion Sports Bowl a real thing, on ESPN, in the name of (satirical) journalism. CEO Ben Collins takes Pablo behind the scenes of an uphill battle, a ridiculous writers' room and a last-ditch effort... with some demanding star power.

• Subscribe to The Onion

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube

• Previously on PTFO: How The Onion Finally Shut Up Alex Jones for Good

(Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.)

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

Follow Pablo down the rabbit hole, beyond the game — every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday — on his award-winning video podcast, part of The Athletic Podcast Network.

You’ll get a deep-dive "talkumentary" episode, reported by Pablo and his correspondents. (The show's journalism has been honored by the Pulitzer Prizes, Edward R. Murrow Awards, National Magazine Awards, Emmy Awards and Peabody Awards.) Plus: Pablo hangs out with handpicked figures from sports, culture and politics like Sue Bird, Action Bronson and U.S. senators… plays Share & Tell with friends like Domonique Foxworth, Mina Kimes, Katie Nolan and Dan Le Batard (aka his boss)… and unveils the secrets of capitalism with David Samson and John Skipper on The Sporting Class.

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As Major League Baseball heads for a lockout, peacemaker John Skipper and capitalist David Samson reunite on the new rules of engagement: What are the dealbreakers? How long can both sides fight before broadcasters intervene? And are the Brewers and Rays evidence that the Dodgers don't need to get reined-in after all? Plus: what baseball owners and A.I. CEOs have in common, why more playoffs are good for everyone, how Elon Musk getting into sports could save America… and whether Pablo ever washes that cardigan.

• Subscribe to "Nothing Personal with David Samson"

• Plus: Submit your confidential tips to Pablo

(Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.)

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

The billionaire tennis fan, banished by Trump to run for governor in Ohio, was already a loser. But when independent journalist D.J. Byrnes uncovered a heinous campaign ad, he found it part of a "pathological" pattern. The Rooster returns to make sense of an embellished athletic legend, Wikipedia edits, private jets, libertarian rap... and that picture of Shrek.

UPDATE: On October 28, the day after we recorded this episode, a Wikipedia editor with the handle “NapoliRoma” removed the phrase “according to himself” before the claim, “in high school, Ramaswamy was a nationally ranked junior tennis player." This, according to Wikipedia’s open source editing history.

UPDATE: According to multiple sources, the Amy Acton ad featuring her mother, Donna Arthur, is no longer airing. When asked on Oct 29 if his campaign had pulled the ad, Ramaswamy responded: “It ran to completion and we put up four other ads.”

Thank you!!

Further reading:

• "Vivek Ramaswamy hits disgusting new low with 'October Surprise' on Dr. Acton"(The Rooster)

Previously on PTFO:

• The Christian Nationalist Surge at Ohio State, with D.J. Byrnes

• The Goalie Who Went to Hell and Back

• What Vivek Ramasawamy Was Like in College

More Pablo:

• Send us your confidential tips

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube

(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.)

(Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.)

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

What if Steve Kerr met his viral look-alike? Are we safe from the bizarro world? What if David Letterman re-named this podcast? And is our curse on A.I. actually working? Plus: The Rule of the Airplane, Jim Kardashian, Alonzo "Hamburger" Jones... and Molly the Mechanical Bird.

• Subscribe to "But Also" with Michael Cruz Kayne

• Subscribe to "Casuals" with Katie Nolan

• Previously on PTFO: We Cast Spells with a Real-Life Witch

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Is LeBron a better role model than Trump? Are the attacks on trans athletes working? And could Stephen A. Smith stop Democrats from taking back the White House? Pablo teams up with Tim Miller and Sam Stein of The Bulwark for a survey of "the sports election" — and some eye-opening data about furries.

• Read more takeaways from our poll at The Bulwark

• Subscribe to The Bulwark Daily

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube

• Full poll results from YouGov

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(Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.)

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Its Hall-of-Fame speakers may be vanishing, but this alleged "scam" defiantly continues to pitch financial salvation for vulnerable Christians — with a former SportsCenter anchor and house-flipping HGTV twins in tow. Kiera Butler of Mother Jones returns to investigate the trail of upsell transactions, Google reviews and financial documents, uncovering how Life Surge might outlast its disrupted funnel.

• Read the latest article from Mother Jones

• Read the September 18 statement from Life Surge

• Previously on PTFO: We Investigated the Christian "Scam" Fronted by Tim Tebow

• Plus: Submit your confidential tips to Pablo

(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 Mother Jones and do not reflect the work or editorial input of The Athletic or its journalists.)

(Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.)

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

Nathan Fielder's new film has been presented as a documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of notorious Silicon Valley scam Theranos. But this doesn't begin to describe the strategies and structure that make Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's collaboration so artistically wondrous (and journalistically frustrating). Wesley Morris — The New York Times' Pulitzer Prize-winning critic-at-large — helps us dissect (and SPOIL!) the most "culturally destabilizing" movie of the year.

• Previously on PTFO: The Secrets of Nathan Fielder and Sportswriting, with Mina Kimes

• Plus: Submit your confidential tips to Pablo

(Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.)

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

He is aClippers legend — and an off-the-court pioneer. On the eve of his new late-night show, the Prime Video analyst sits down with Pablo (plus a few surprises) about why he didn't shake Steve Ballmer's hand, how much influence journalists should have on NBA democracy, where to get your Osama bin Laden rookie card autographed and, of course, Kelly Clarkson.

• AUCTION: Bid on Autographed Hats for Charity

• Watch "The Stepback with Blake Griffin"

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The most expensive album in music history is a controversial, 1-of-1 work of art, owned by "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli, then the feds... and now a mysterious digital art collective named pleasrDAO. But, in no small part because the album's NFT-style circus began to fracture their team, Wu-Tang Clan's most famous member had never actually heard "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin." Until now.

• Learn more about pleasrDAO and the album

PREVIOUSLY ON PTFO:

• Share & Wu & Tell with Method Man and Dan Le Batard

• We Found the Knicks' Top-Secret Tapes for Kawhi, Kyrie and KD (feat. Wu-Tang)

• Plus: Is Wu-Tang Really That Good at Chess?

MORE PABLO:

• Send us your confidential tips

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube

(Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.)

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Domonique Foxworth and David Samson lay down the law in a rule-bending moment for sports business: Did the Sixers land King James because of a backroom helicopter upgrade from Fanatics? Why are colleges and conferences running an end-around to control student-athletes? And could all this lobbying backfire into an NCAA super-union? Plus: vanity tail numbers, dignity and/or pride... and Pablo Bingo.

• Subscribe to "The Domonique Foxworth Show"

• Subscribe to "Nothing Personal with David Samson"

• Plus: Submit your confidential tips to Pablo

(Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.)

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

A beloved celebrity walks into a Brooklyn boutique, asks about a $15,000 mechanical bird, then riles millions of fans into a social-media frenzy. But since she's been gone, Pablo has obtained security footage — and more. Wyatt Cenac and Amin Elhassan take stock of a viral morality play at the intersection of class, discrimination and how to get what you want.

BID IN THE AUCTION:

• Win Kelly Clarkson's backup bird — and help cure glioblastoma

MORE PABLO:

• Send us your confidential news tips

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube for breaking news, greatest hits and live premieres

PREVIOUSLY ON PTFO:

• Debunking the "Magic" of Mentalist Oz Pearlman

• The Agony and the Ecstasy of Competitive Bird-Watching

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Sovereign wealth funds. Prime ministers. Fake money. Fake excuses. Fake people? If you thought the Clippers were bad, wait until you comprehend the depths of cheating that have thrown the Premier League into chaos. The Athletic's Adam Crafton explains how "sham" deals, sportswashing and one hacker's email led to a devastating verdict — and why the aftermath of Man City's "festering stain" could extend beyond historic punishments... to world history.

• Subscribe to The Athletic

• Subscribe to The Athletic FC Podcast

• Plus: Submit your confidential tips to Pablo

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In a crumbling empire of ludicrous wealth and slop, filmmaker John Wilson keeps showing us what it means to be human — even (and especially) when that involves poop and/or circumcision. The director of "The History of Concrete" sits down with Pablo to contemplate how A.I. is forcing Hollywood's hand, what Nathan Fielder (and the Hallmark Channel) taught him about storytelling, and why art can live in peaceful conflict with the demands of reality and journalism. Plus: Tim Tebow in the Philippines, Dwyane Wade in an elevator... and balloon fetishists.

• See "The History of Concrete"

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Chris Nowinski was a WWE heel. Then he got in on a secret the NFL allegedly has been trying to hide for more than a decade: There may be nothing worse you can do to your brain than play tackle football. In the wake of a landmark study of CTE, the neuroscientist sits down with Pablo about his war with the league, the effectiveness of the Guardian Cap, the last word on O.J. Simpson's brain and, yes, some good news on the horizon.

Further content:

• "Study's Alarming Finding: At Least 1 in 4 N.F.L. Players Gets Brain Disease"(The New York Times)

• "The Life and Death of Chris Eitzmann" (The Athletic)

• Previously on PTFO: How We Forgot About CTE, with Domonique Foxworth

• Plus: Submit your confidential tips to Pablo

(If you're dealing with a recent concussion, symptoms or concerns about CTE, contact the Concussion & CTE Foundation's help line.)

(Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.)

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

When candidates cosplay as football fans and QBs become a passport to the hearts and wallets of vulnerable Americans, the wrong people can get rich and powerful off sports. Electrician turned independent journalist D.J. Byrnes has pranked Buckeyes "fan" Vivek Ramaswamy, caught Urban Meyer in a lap-dance scandal and will go to trial over Shrek's private parts in the name of free speech. But nothing shocked Ohio's muckraker-in-chief quite like watching a college-football powerhouse combine the enterprises of church and state.

• Subscribe to D.J. Byrnes' Substack, "The Rooster"

• Leak to us: Submit your confidential tips to Pablo

• Previously on PTFO: We Investigated the Christian "Scam" Fronted by Tim Tebow

(Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.)

(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.

A.I. valuations make sports franchise valuations look like chump change and the disconnect between American voters and the tech billionaires with a batphone to the White House, has gotten scary. Yet the plugged-in MS-NOW host Stephanie Ruhle remains hopeful. Can we summon the power to say "no"? Who will expose the cruelest of scams, even and especially if they involve Tim Tebow? And what was Pablo talking about with Adam Silver at that party?

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As Kawhi Leonard distances himself from scandal, Pablo uncovers internal financials, government records and new sources on the "no-show job" that the silent superstar... actually showed up for. Amin Elhassan and David Samson enter a captive portal of multi-million-dollar promises, while Hunterbrook Media's Sam Koppelman explains how the feds could haul in Steve Ballmer and his banned lieutenants.

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube for breaking news, greatest hits and live premieres with Pablo

Previously on PTFO:

• Part I: The Silent Superstar and the Rotten Apple Tree

• Part II: 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

• Part VI: An IRL Showdown with Mark Cuban

• Part VII: The Briefcase, Ballmer's Social Network and Aspiration's House of Cards

• Part VIII: Uncle Dennis, Ballmer's $50 Million Sprint and the Side Deal That Wouldn't Die

• Part IX: Ballmer's Tree Money, the Whistle-Blowers and the Document You've Been Waiting For

• Part X: Steve Ballmer's Victim Impact, the Man Who Prosecuted Aspiration and the Abacus of Incarceration

• Part XI: Ballmer's Secret I.O.U., Aspiration's "Web of Lies" and the Zenith of Fraud

• Part XII: RIFC, the Impossible Deal and Life After Aspiration

• Part XIII: The Halo, Ballmer's Bowl and a New Crisis in the Super-System

• Part XIV: The Jumbotron Emails, the Courtside Cabana and Ballmer's "Highest Integrity"

• Part XV: Clippers Judgment Day, the NBA's Hammer and the Investigation That Never Ends

• Part XVI: Steve Ballmer's Sword, the DOJ's Probe and a "Road to Jail Time"

(Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.)

(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.

How did the trans-athlete debate rear its oligarchic head in Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding? What messes up young athletes more: private equity... or being on a Kardashian reality show? And are you the maestro of your own body? Plus: non-suntans, Harambe and how to win a Poo-litzer.

• Subscribe to "But Also" with Michael Cruz Kayne

• Subscribe to "Casuals" with Katie Nolan

Further content:

• "Donald Trump Jr.'s Bahamas Wedding Was Secretly Bankrolled by Russian Oligarch Close to Putin" (ProPublica)

• "Kim Kardashian's Team Moms highlights the ridiculous excess of the US youth-sports industry" (The Guardian)

• "The Pay-to-Play Childhood" (New York)

• Previously on PTFO: The Harambe Tapes, Revealed

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

Tim Tebow is one of the most trusted voices in America. But the former star quarterback is also the face of a Christian roadshow that is accused of preying upon their followers' faith and financial insecurity. Kiera Butler of Mother Jones joins PTFO to investigate Life Surge and its celebrity-athlete "bait" — going inside the room, listening to victims of the "hard sell" and unearthing complaints to the government — to discover the hidden cost of doing business with a higher power.

(Additional reporting from Byard Duncan and Thomas Darro)

• Read the full article at Mother Jones

• Read the full statement from Life Surge

(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 Mother Jones 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.

The comedian has been living rent-free in Pablo's head for a year — and now he's got folders of his own, while asking questions on behalf of Clipper Nation: Who knew the truth on the inside? Could Steve Ballmer have vaporized this scandal from the jump? How did Kawhi Leonard get off with a slap on the wrist? Has he really excommunicated Uncle Dennis? Why is Bill Simmons so upset? And have fans become collateral damage in the NBA's message to Shakespearean billionaires?

• Subscribe to "How Did This Get Made?" and "Unspooled" with Paul Scheer

• Previously on PTFO: Steve Ballmer's Sword, the DOJ's Probe and a "Road to Jail Time"

(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.

How do football and social media combust into the mainstreaming of old-school racism? Is sports media worse for women than ever? And should our brains go on strike? Plus: woke Karl Rove, MrBeast as Scorsese, a plea to Aaron Rodgers, sympathy for Vivek... and the Disney tour-guide celebrity draft board.

• Subscribe to "The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny"

• "I've Been an American My Entire Life" (The Dallas Morning News)

• "Did Arch Manning, Steve Sarkisian and Cackling Reporters Act This Way? It Can't Be Real" (The Athletic)

• "The Truth About Brain Rot: It's a Cry for Help" (The New York Times)

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

As the Clippers accept the NBA's historic punishment, a "criminal dimension" looms over the fallout. Pablo talks to owners, league officials and the commissioner himself, then asks former federal prosecutors how the government would build a case against one of the richest men alive. Amin Elhassan and David Samson help follow the money — and the Trump of it all — from "podcast court" to the Department of Justice.

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube for breaking news, greatest hits and live premieres with Pablo

Previously on PTFO:

• Part I: The Silent Superstar and the Rotten Apple Tree

• Part II: 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

• Part VI: An IRL Showdown with Mark Cuban

• Part VII: The Briefcase, Ballmer's Social Network and Aspiration's House of Cards

• Part VIII: Uncle Dennis, Ballmer's $50 Million Sprint and the Side Deal That Wouldn't Die

• Part IX: Ballmer's Tree Money, the Whistle-Blowers and the Document You've Been Waiting For

• Part X: Steve Ballmer's Victim Impact, the Man Who Prosecuted Aspiration and the Abacus of Incarceration

• Part XI: Ballmer's Secret I.O.U., Aspiration's "Web of Lies" and the Zenith of Fraud

• Part XII: RIFC, the Impossible Deal and Life After Aspiration

• Part XIII: The Halo, Ballmer's Bowl and a New Crisis in the Super-System

• Part XIV: The Jumbotron Emails, the Courtside Cabana and Ballmer's "Highest Integrity"

• Part XV: Clippers Judgment Day, the NBA's Hammer and the Investigation That Never Ends

(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.

The foul-mouthed comedian, actor and podcaster is everywhere — including, but not limited to, wielding a T-shirt cannon on the football sidelines. He might also represent the future of a movement that realigns our politics. Pablo enters Stavvy's world to flip the script on how private equity created a sports bubble (while ruining your chicken sandwich) and why the "soulless corporate centrists" of the Democratic Party are marching us toward fascism. Plus: the Voting Rights Act for "Inside the NBA," the '96 Bullsness of true crime, the open-source formula behind Ronnie the Ravens super-fan... and why there's no such thing as a "good" Kushner.

• Watch "Uncle Stav" on Netflix

• Subscribe to "Stavvy's World"

• Previously on PTFO: We Investigated Magic Johnson, Mark Walter... and Your Nest Egg

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

Franchise valuations are booming. How can labor benefit? David Samson and Domonique Foxworth consider the everyday union worker — from Aaron Rodgers and Kawhi Leonard to a fireman and his pension — in going up against the "monsters of capitalism."

• Subscribe to "Nothing Personal with David Samson"

• Subscribe to "The Domonique Foxworth Show"

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

If you thought U.S. Open prices were bad, wait until you learn how much titans of Wall Street will pay to play with the pros. The Athletic's Matthew Futterman reports — from the bromance of Frances Tiafoe and hedge-fund king Bill Ackman, to the matchmaker of the Finance Cup and the Koch family court in the Hamptons — on how American tennis became symbiotic with a new class of mega-rich benefactors.

• Read more from The Athletic: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7580250/bill-ackman-tennis-finance-hall-fame/ 

• Subscribe to The Athletic

• Previously on PTFO: David Foster Wallace, Michael Joyce and the Psychology of Tennis

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

Did ESPN get sold fake news? How much did Steve Ballmer lie? What did Kawhi really know? And what's NOT in the NBA's report? A punch-drunk Pablo calibrates his cynicism to explain unanswered questions from his former editor and fellow skeptic. Plus: The Windhole, honoring the webinar... and journalism in the shower.

• Subscribe to TrueHoop by Henry Abbott

• Previously on PTFO: Reacting to Clippers Judgment Day

Further reading:

• "Pablo Torre 1, Mark Cuban 0" (The Wall Street Journal)

• "Sources: NBA has no evidence Ballmer funneled money to Leonard via sponsors" (ESPN)

• "Summary Report of Independent Investigators Concerning the LA Clippers and Kawhi Leonard" (Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz)

(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.

A mysterious billionaire sold the Lakers, as the feds closed in. But how Mark Walter bought the Dodgers — while enriching himself with the money of everyday Americans, and his own entities — reveals why franchises got so valuable, even if the sports bubble is about to pop. Pablo calls up insiders, Hunterbrook Media's Sam Koppelman sniffs out fishy documents... and a Hall-of-Famer has some explaining to do.

• Read more from Hunterbrook Media

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube for breaking news, greatest hits and live premieres with Pablo

(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.

As Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard face historic punishments, Pablo reacts live with Amin Elhassan and David Samson to the NBA's findings — new C-suite emails, Aspiration texts, secret sponsors... and rational explanations, at long last.

Previously on PTFO:

• Part I: The Silent Superstar and the Rotten Apple Tree

• Part II: 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

• Part VI: An IRL Showdown with Mark Cuban

• Part VII: The Briefcase, Ballmer's Social Network and Aspiration's House of Cards

• Part VIII: Uncle Dennis, Ballmer's $50 Million Sprint and the Side Deal That Wouldn't Die

• Part IX: Ballmer's Tree Money, the Whistle-Blowers and the Document You've Been Waiting For

• Part X: Steve Ballmer's Victim Impact, the Man Who Prosecuted Aspiration and the Abacus of Incarceration

• Part XI: Ballmer's Secret I.O.U., Aspiration's "Web of Lies" and the Zenith of Fraud

• Part XII: RIFC, the Impossible Deal and Life After Aspiration

• Part XIII: The Halo, Ballmer's Bowl and a New Crisis in the Super-System

• Part XIV: The Jumbotron Emails, the Courtside Cabana and Ballmer's "Highest Integrity"

(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.

Kawhi Leonard fan Eric Bauza plays Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck AND Elmer Fudd. (Really.) He can become Donald Trump. (Subconsciously, at least.) And he inhabits (at last) Wile E. Coyote in "Coyote vs. Acme" — a film that both is about and is itself the byproduct of extreme capitalism. The Filipino-Canadian voice actor turned Emmy-winning human heirloom chews on what it's like to get caught up in a Warner Bros. merger, the AI race... and a certain Clippers-Raptors trade.

Further content:

• "Coyote v. Acme" (The New Yorker)

• Previously on PTFO: Will Forte Commits to the Bit

• Previously on PTFO: How to Find Your Voice, with Hank Azaria

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

He's stripped at tennis tournaments, the Super Bowl and the Olympics. 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.

(This episode originally aired September 9, 2025.)

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube for breaking news, greatest hits and live premieres with Pablo

• Subscribe to Pablo's Substack for exclusive access, documents and invites

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

Superstars like Jannik Sinner wear a headset to get in the zone. But a six-month investigation revealed the technology's funding by entities linked to the Chinese government. Hunterbrook Media's Sam Koppelman examines the potential impact on AI, mind control, state surveillance, cognitive warfare... and one very surprised Super Bowl champion.

(This episode originally aired September 16, 2025.)

• Read the full Hunterbrook Media investigation 

• Subscribe to Huntebrook's newsletter for more investigations

(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.

In the early 1970s, 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 PTFO on YouTube for breaking news, greatest hits and live premieres with Pablo

• Subscribe to Pablo's Substack for exclusive access, documents and invites

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).

(This episode originally aired July 8, 2025.)

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube for breaking news, greatest hits and live premieres with Pablo

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

How did a federal prosecutor end up suing a 70-million-year-old tyrannosaurus, looted from 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.

(This episode originally aired April 15, 2025.)

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube for breaking news, greatest hits and live premieres with Pablo

• Subscribe to Pablo's Substack for exclusive access, documents and invites

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 PTFO on YouTube for breaking news, greatest hits and live premieres with Pablo

• Subscribe to Pablo's Substack for exclusive access, documents and invites

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

As Kawhi Leonard resurfaces, Pablo shakes loose written proof of the Clippers trying to help make their star do something — anything — for a scoreboard company. David Samson beams in with meditations on an emergency: how the governor of Rhode Island paid hundreds for an NBA ticket, how to hide millions in a stadium construction site... and how much a billionaire owner really knows about the cost of doing business.

• More from WPRI on the governor and the Clippers game

• Subscribe to Huntebrook Media's newsletter for more investigations

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube for breaking news, greatest hits and live premieres with Pablo

Previously on PTFO:

• Part I: The Silent Superstar and the Rotten Apple Tree

• Part II: 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

• Part VI: An IRL Showdown with Mark Cuban

• Part VII: The Briefcase, Ballmer's Social Network and Aspiration's House of Cards

• Part VIII: Uncle Dennis, Ballmer's $50 Million Sprint and the Side Deal That Wouldn't Die

• Part IX: Ballmer's Tree Money, the Whistle-Blowers and the Document You've Been Waiting For

• Part X: Steve Ballmer's Victim Impact, the Man Who Prosecuted Aspiration and the Abacus of Incarceration

• Part XI: Ballmer's Secret I.O.U., Aspiration's "Web of Lies" and the Zenith of Fraud

• Part XII: RIFC, the Impossible Deal and Life After Aspiration

• Part XIII: The Halo, Ballmer's Bowl and a New Crisis in the Super-System

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

Is a mysterious substation — looming over an NFL practice facility "like The Eye of Sauron" — really causing a wave of injuries? Pablo teams up with Wendy Zukerman of the "Science Vs" podcast to map the actual electric waves, explain the cancer research and pore over the football data, to determine why the grass is always browner... on the other side of a deep story.

• Subscribe to "Science Vs”

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube

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

The 25-year-old girlfriend is one thing. But as the greatest football coach of all time attempts to salvage his final act, the University of North Carolina is now investigating GM Michael Lombardi — aka Bill's Guy. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic explains how an old-school consigliere stepped on campus, in the middle of an already slimy era of college sports, and left Belichick a laughingstock.

• "North Carolina put Michael Lombardi on leave. The Bill Belichick era has reached a crisis point" (Bruce Feldman)

• Subscribe to "The Audible" with Bruce Feldman 

• Previously on PTFO: Debunking the Myth of Bill Belichick's Consigliere

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

Sophie Cunningham brought the Riley Gaines School of Victimhood to the WNBA, and then attempted to walk it back — but not before protests, counter-protests, and all the social-media engagement that hate can buy. Also, Katie Nolan and Michael Cruz Kayne react to a troubling and unbelievable fetish map of the United States.

• Subscribe to "Casuals with Katie Nolan": https://www.youtube.com/katienolan

• Subscribe to "But Also with Michael and Asher”: https://www.youtube.com/@ButAlsowithMichaelandAsher 

• Previously on PTFO — What Is Riley Gaines Hiding? We Investigated https://youtu.be/iKUl8lkuGOc?si=nf1nnQBEppQI7BRT

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How high up did Kawhi Leonard's silent deals go? Pablo ties a larger-than-life scoop to Steve Ballmer's "seemingly impossible aspirations," as Hunterbrook Media's Sam Koppelman follows the money from South Dakota to L.A. — and Amin Elhassan is left to deconstruct the Death Star.

• Subscribe to Huntebrook Media's newsletter for more investigations

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube for Kawhi news, greatest hits and more

Previously on PTFO:

• Part I: The Silent Superstar and the Rotten Apple Tree

• Part II: 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

• Part VI: An IRL Showdown with Mark Cuban

• Part VII: The Briefcase, Ballmer's Social Network and Aspiration's House of Cards

• Part VIII: Uncle Dennis, Ballmer's $50 Million Sprint and the Side Deal That Wouldn't Die

• Part IX: Ballmer's Tree Money, the Whistle-Blowers and the Document You've Been Waiting For

• Part X: Steve Ballmer's Victim Impact, the Man Who Prosecuted Aspiration and the Abacus of Incarceration

• Part XI: Ballmer's Secret I.O.U., Aspiration's "Web of Lies" and the Zenith of Fraud

• Part XII: RIFC, the Impossible Deal and Life After Aspiration

(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.

She notoriously parlayed a tie for fifth into a star turn on Fox News. Now, as MAGA's top sports troll takes the WNBA's Sophie Cunningham under her wing in the trans-athlete debate, re-visit our Emmy-nominated, six-month investigation in partnership with Madison Pauly from The Center for Investigative Reporting. Who's funneling money into the radicalization of Riley Gaines? And what's her dark past lurking beneath the surface?

• Read the full profile at Mother Jones

This episode originally aired November 20, 2025.

(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 Mother Jones 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.

The World Cup was a $15 billion jackpot. Then FIFA president Gianni Infantino overplayed his hand, with a secret plot to allegedly enrich the extended Trump family — and himself. The Athletic's Adam Crafton explains the NFL-inspired motives, political naïveté and potential downfall of the man who would be king of sport.

• More from The Athletic: Inside the Week That Shook Gianni Infantino, FIFA and the Football World

• Previously on PTFO: America Signed Up for the World Cup. FIFA Stuck You with the Tab.

• Subscribe to "The Athletic FC Podcast" with Adam Crafton

• Subscribe to The Athletic

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

Fans want a "smoking gun" with Kawhi Leonard. Portland doesn't want its new owner to move the team. Even Vegas is looking to fill a C-suite. TrueHoop's Henry Abbott — the skeptic-in-chief of NBA insiders — stops by for a reality check on the state of truth, big money and basketball scandal: Should you believe Adam Silver and his lawyers, who all answer to the 1 percent? Who gets to be in the most exclusive club in sports? And did an owner really have a threesome with the Larry O'Brien trophy?

• Subscribe to TrueHoop by Henry Abbott

• Previously on PTFO: RIFC, the Impossible Deal and Life After Aspiration

(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.

Just when you thought the Kawhi Leonard scandal was almost over, Pablo peels off another branch of the saga, with stacks of new documents and a group of reporters in tow. Amin Elhassan and David Samson reunite to trust the process of local journalism, meet another benevolent entrepreneur... and follow the public money, straight to the top — and back to The House That Ballmer Built.

• Support The Kyra Fund

• Read much more about RIFC at WPRI

Previously on PTFO:

• Part I: The Silent Superstar and the Rotten Apple Tree

• Part II: 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

• Part VI: An IRL Showdown with Mark Cuban

• Part VII: The Briefcase, Ballmer's Social Network and Aspiration's House of Cards

• Part VIII: Uncle Dennis, Ballmer's $50 Million Sprint and the Side Deal That Wouldn't Die

• Part IX: Ballmer's Tree Money, the Whistle-Blowers and the Document You've Been Waiting For

• Part X: Steve Ballmer's Victim Impact, the Man Who Prosecuted Aspiration and the Abacus of Incarceration

• Part XI: Ballmer's Secret I.O.U., Aspiration's "Web of Lies" and the Zenith of Fraud

(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 WPRI-TV 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.

The hosts of TrueAnon and Pablo Torre obtain Trump’s personal cell number and debate what to ask him. Plus: “FreddyLA7,” Nicholas Adamopoulos, special presidential envoys, America 250, Woke 2, Tom Brady vs. Logan Paul, Zohran Mamdani vs. The Internet, Lori Lightfoot vs. The Fridge... and whether you should autograph a bomb.

• Subscribe to "TrueAnon"

• Previously on PTFO: Six Degrees of Jeffrey Epstein, with the the Experts of TrueAnon

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

A three-hour puzzle in IMAX makes for great storytelling, but does Christopher Nolan make going to the movies feel like homework? The New York Times critic at large joins Pablo for a (relatively spoiler-free) cinematic sparring session: What goes wrong when an auteur plays with too many Hollywood toys? What goes right when Homeric text aligns with classic Damon? Is the casting really so "woke" after all? And why were those Greek islands so... neutered?

• Subscribe to "Cannonball with Wesley Morris"

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube

• Subscribe to The Athletic

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

Forget hold music and Kenny G. Move over Michael Jordan and HGH. Smooth jazz — yes, smooth jazz — is the "stimulax" you've been sleeping on. From geriatric hotel ballrooms to the moneymaker-shaking high seas, correspondent Mickey Duzyj fights off the jazz police to report on the communal power of a comeback genre... then outs a closeted, world-champion super-fan.

• Learn more about "Smooth World"

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube

• Previously on PTFO: "Bird-Watching Will Blow Your Mind"

("A New Day," "Give It Up," "Honey-Dipped," and "Side by Side" by Dave Koz and "Doctor's Orders" by Phillip Doc Martin licensed with permission. Additional music by Jon Natchez for "Smooth World.")

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

James Bordeaux was a 23-year-old in Kentucky, playing EA Sports College Football 27 for a living. Then Electronic Arts — the $50-billion mega-developer backed by the Saudis and Jared Kushner's private-equity firm — tried to extract so-called "microtransactions" from inside his beloved video game. So the furious creator put his mouth where his money is: leading the type of organic, populist revolt that has become all too uncommon in American life. Bordeaux explains to Pablo how fans won a battle... but why consumers may never win the war.

• Previously on PTFO: The "Pay-to-Play" Scheme That (Almost) Ruined Video Games, with Dan Soder

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Victoria's Secret mogul turned mega-donor Leslie Wexner introduced Epstein to Harvard. Now, a growing protest movement to strip his name from university buildings is getting shut down. What did Epstein's money man know? When did he know it? And who really calls the shots in higher education? The Harvard Crimson's Dhruv Patel returns for Part 3 in our series on America's most prestigious school and most notorious predator, to examine Wexner and Epstein's "friendship," plus an exclusive interview and a new tranche of internal fundraising transactions that reveals $100 million in publicly unaccounted donations.

• Part 1: "The Jeffrey E. Epstein Fund for Women's Athletics"

• Part 2: How Harvard Whitewashed Jeffrey Epstein's Millions

(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 The Harvard Crimson 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 superstar held up by the salary cap. A billionaire under the microscope. A league inquiry hidden from public view. De Smith has seen this playbook for punishment before. The former NFL union boss — and white-shoe law-firm investigator — returns to answer questions the NBA still won't: Who is "independent" when the league (and Steve Ballmer, in particular) pays the legal bill? Why would witnesses participate if they face potential criminal exposure? How do unions play the long game? And what obligation does a league have to its fans, if cheating can be the baseline?

• Read "Turf Wars" by DeMaurice Smith

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube for breaking-news updates on Kawhi-Gate

• Previously on PTFO: The Man Who (Relentlessly) Sued the NFL Has Receipts

(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.

Virtual currency is a new cheat code. But when EA Sports tried to squeeze extra cash out of sports fans with so-called "microtransactions" inside its latest-college football title, gamers revolted... and won? Comedian Dan Soder, who's been playing video games with a future NFL coach since childhood, takes Pablo on a journey to the seventh circle of nerddom: What does this phenomenon say about private equity turning fun into an asset? How do we stop sacrificing community for convenience? And is shame still possible?

• Subscribe to "Soder"

Previously on PTFO:

• Share & Madden & Tell with Katie Nolan and Dan Soder

• We Smoked All the Athlete-Branded Weed We Could Find

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The Heisman? "An American classic." The World Cup? "Uncircumcised." A white-gloved Pablo welcomes back New York magazine's unfiltered, Pulitzer Prize-winning arbiter of taste to evaluate the history of competitive hardware as sculpture — with a curated tour of shiny balls, stolen chalices and one gigantic mystery box.

• Previously on PTFO: Athlete Statues, Reviewed by Pulitzer-Winning Art Critic Jerry Saltz

• Subscribe to New York magazine for more Jerry Saltz

• Subscribe to The Athletic

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

Why were Taylor Swift's wedding guests and celebrity Knicks fans assigned "risk" scores inside Madison Square Garden's secret VIP database? Who was the karaoke MVP at the wedding afterparty? And would you rather test-drive the "most potent weed beverage known to man" ... or Bill Simmons' colonoscopy? Plus: Guy Fieri, Shaboozey, Polyp George, The Mike Vrabel Sliding Scale of Chivalry, The Blandino Tier and fogging the glass of exclusivity.

• Read the follow-up story at WIRED

• Previously on PTFO: We Got Inside Knicks Surveillance — and MSG's Deep State Is Stranger Than You Think

• Watch Jay Jurden's "Yes Ma'am"

• Subscribe to "Casuals with Katie Nolan"

(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.

The reason for this re-air is dire: A wrongfully convicted football fan is running out of time — and legal avenues to pursue. When Pablo sat down with Cowboys superfan Charles Flores in January, Flores’ legal team was working on a Hail Mary: petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to review his case — and to consider whether the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals had violated his right to due process. On June 15, that effort failed. Public pressure is all that remains. Which means that the power of Charles’ story is more important than ever. As is the urgency to sign the petition to encourage the Dallas County DA to stop his execution.

• Sign the petition to stop the execution of Charles Flores

• Previously on PTFO: Watching the Dallas Cowboys on Death Row

"The Road Goes On Forever" written and performed by Robert Earl Keen, with permissions from Songs of Universal, Inc., and Keen Productions.

(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.) (edited) 

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

After months of rumors, journalist Alan Shipnuck investigates why Phil Mickelson has basically vanished from the LIV Golf Tour — and social media. Leading us down a rabbit hole of hidden misconduct claims and exits from three different golf clubs. Not to mention 19 sources, an off-shore oil pipeline and an ex-friend's ex-wife: Ashley Perez.

Read Alan Shipnuck’s reporting at Skratch Golf: https://www.skratch.golf/news/pro-golf/phil-mickelson-misconduct-women-madison-club-bridges-farms-exits

Read Phil Mickelson’s spokesperson’s statement: https://x.com/_davidrumsey/status/2072655169792225420?s=46

Read Skratch’s response: https://x.com/_davidrumsey/status/2072696394997981241?s=46

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

Ex-ESPN president John Skipper was once the most important soccer fan in America. But then he lost the World Cup to FOX — and became a federal witness. So we wanted to know what it’s been like to watch America fall in love with the very tournament Skipper wasn’t allowed to win. And whether federal corruption trials, nine figures worth of commercials and a Trump Tower apartment full of cats can slow the spread of the world’s favorite game.

• Donate to the Kyra Fund, which will support research on Glioblastoma, one of the deadliest cancers

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

PTFO keeps winning awards. But what do we do for an encore? How do you make something special without losing our standards — or our minds? Do you guys even enjoy this? Pablo visits Miami to see his friend/boss, Dan Le Batard, and Dan’s producer, Chris Cote. They discuss balancing real life; perspective in the face of grief; Oprah; and figuring out how to serve an audience without missing the point.

• Donate to the Kyra Fund, which will support research on Glioblastoma, one of the deadliest cancers

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

He covered soccer before it was cool, promised to go WikiLeaks on FIFA, then got detained and mysteriously collapsed in Qatar. If there was ever someone we needed to hear from, as a global conduit during this corrupt World Cup on American soil, it's Grant Wahl. So his former co-host, Chris Wittyngham — along with his family and one of the many stars he inspired — helps Pablo listen back to Wahl's lost tapes, re-live his fearless run for office and the rainbow target on his chest... then put the conspiracies to rest.

• Previously on PTFO: America Signed Up for the World Cup. FIFA Stuck You with the Tab.

• Listen to Le Batard & Friends re-live Grant Wahl's LeBron cover story

• Subscribe to The Athletic

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

We are numb, as Americans, to the attention of the globe and the power structures of our sports leagues. But what if love of country could be simple again? And what if fans had more power than we thought? Pablo feels the football osmosis from the (banned) bestselling author and his old friend turned MacArthur Genius, as they offer a liberal-arts education in the beautiful game — from the fault in our superstar interviews to the damage wrought by Alexi Lalas upon our would-be Neymars and Messis. Plus: a pump-up speech that Ted Lasso would never, ever fantasize about.

• Subscribe to "The Away End with Daniel Alarcón and John Green"

• Previously on PTFO: How John Green Turned Celebrity into Obsessive Optimism

• Subscribe to The Athletic

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

New York is palpably horny right now. And happy. So we invited the patron saint of sex and this town to chase euphoria, appreciate the romance of the American idea, advise these young Knicks, remember the halcyon days of HBO... and make the case for reading books in the crowd.

• Previously on PTFO: Celebrating These Knicks Title Vibes, with Desus Nice

• Subscribe to The Athletic

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

He is the realest member of Team USA — an activist athlete, from Brooklyn and the African diaspora, choosing to represent a divisive nation as it tries bringing the globe a little closer together. In a rare sit-down ahead of the U.S. men's national team match against Australia, Timothy Weah explains the pressure of this moment, the power of soccer over politics... and why the Knicks' good-luck charm might need to strike again.

• Listen to The Athletic FC Podcast

• Listen to Tifo Football Podcast

• Subscribe to The Athletic

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

Did the Knicks owner's pump-up speech help them win it all? Did their players stop fornicating because of it? How much do billionaires matter to championships anyway? And should superstars sacrifice millions for the greater good? David Samson and Domonique Foxworth chart the power and powerlessness of the billionaire class.

• Subscribe to "The Domonique Foxworth Show"

• Subscribe to "Nothing Personal with David Samson"

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

Transcendence on the court. Dancing in the streets. And a drunk Instagram Live for the ages. Why wait 'til the parade? Pablo raises a glass (while devouring an egg-and-cheese) with Desus — his fellow New Yorker and bard of Knicks nation — to the commute of a champion and the beauty of a bandwagon; to the drip of Landry Shamet and the sweat of Patrick Ewing; to KAT and OG and Wu-Tang and, yes, even Coldplay. Just not that traitor from Sesame Street.

• Subscribe to "Desus Pieces"

• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter 

• Subscribe to The Athletic

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

The president's birthday-party fight card is straight out of central casting — and chock-full of political favor-trading. Who stands to gain the most? Luke Thomas unapologetically explains why everyone, from MMA fans to D.C. pundits, is missing the real story... then unearths fresh evidence of a purely transactional relationship.

• Take the PTFO audience survey

• Subscribe to "Morning Kombat" with Luke Thomas

• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter

• Subscribe to The Athletic

Previously on PTFO:

• The Right-Wing Takeover of Combat Sports Is Upon Us

• The White House's Dirty Takeover of Public Golf Courses

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

The biggest party in global sport is underway, and soccer's governing body stands to profit nearly $9 billion. How did FIFA squeeze U.S. taxpayers with so many hidden costs? The Athletic's Adam Crafton crunches the numbers on wasted public money, as Pablo dissects comically absurd demands upon host cities — from "clean" stadiums and super-V.I.P. treatment... to a pop-up jail.

• Take the PTFO audience survey

• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter

• Subscribe to The Athletic

Further reading:

• "The U.S. signed up for the World Cup — and its host cities are paying for it"

• "U.S. states waived taxes to host World Cup"

• "The $25.8m Kansas City 'World Cup jail'"

• Rahm Emanuel Q&A: 'The numbers don't work'"

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

Madison Square Garden hasn't felt this alive since a little-known point guard from Harvard became the most popular person in New York City. On the occasion of his grand return, Jeremy Lin sits down with Pablo, who's been covering him since their dorm-room days, for a full-circle conversation about pressure, toughness, fleeting fame, the end of his run with the Knicks, squashing the beef with Carmelo Anthony and, yes, getting recruited by Kim Kardashian.

• Take the PTFO audience survey

• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube

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

As Adam Silver calls for the NBA's Kawhi Leonard probe to wrap up and Aspiration's co-founder gets 14 years behind bars, Pablo investigates how Steve Ballmer covered his tracks on a side deal of his own — and with the SEC on the case. Former DOJ prosecutor Lou Manzo returns to make sense of the relationship between a billionaire and a fraudster, while David Samson is finally convinced that the richest owner in sports has lost credibility.

(Additional reporting by Anita Bennett)

• Take the PTFO audience survey

• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter

• Subscribe to "Nothing Personal with David Samson"

Previously on PTFO:

• Part I: The Silent Superstar and the Rotten Apple Tree

• Part II: 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

• Part VI: An IRL Showdown with Mark Cuban

• Part VII: The Briefcase, Ballmer's Social Network and Aspiration's House of Cards

• Part VIII: Uncle Dennis, Ballmer's $50 Million Sprint and the Side Deal That Wouldn't Die

• Part IX: Ballmer's Tree Money, the Whistle-Blowers and the Document You've Been Waiting For

• Part X: Steve Ballmer's Victim Impact, the Man Who Prosecuted Aspiration and the Abacus of Incarceration

(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.

Julie K. Brown went from working in a bell factory to ringing the alarm on masters of the universe and (finally) winning a Pulitzer. The Miami Herald reporter visits Pablo to shed light on the culture of silence that protected Epstein for so long, the legal dream team that struck his secret deal, then how Epstein pulled out all the stops... to stop her investigation. Plus: the whistleblower who gave away the A-Rod steroid scandal, sneaking into a hospital to interview Joe Frazier... and the maddening therapy of Philly sports.

• Take the PTFO audience survey

• Read "Perversion of Justice" by Julie K. Brown

Previously on PTFO:

• Part 1: We Investigate Harvard's Hidden Epstein Files

• Part 2: How Harvard Whitewashed Jeffrey Epstein's Millions

• Plus: The NBA Player, the Congressman and the Epstein Files

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

Pablo visits the mayor of New York in his backyard, on the eve of the NBA Finals — and the cusp of heartbreak for his Arsenal F.C. — to discuss Knicks joy, soccer pain, hair loss, Donald Trump, Charles Oakley, Victor Wembanyama's Eid fit and, yes, flopping. Plus: Fellow Arsenal die-hard Adam Friedland checks in, on the state of socialism... and optimism.

• Take the PTFO audience survey!

• Subscribe to The Adam Friedland Show

Previously on PTFO:

• Lina Khan (and Zohran Mamdani) on Why Billionaires Never Learn — and the Apolitical Absurdity of $6,000 World Cup Tickets

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

Can Trump ruin these Knicks vibes? Why are billionaires so sensitive? Just how much of the White House is for sale? And is the pope radical? Or can decency levitate? Plus: the joylessness of a luxury box and… Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a war criminal.

Further content:

• The White House Intervened to Get a $620 Million Deal for a Company Tied to Donald Trump Jr. (ProPublica)

• The Trader in the Oval Office (The Bulwark)

• Subscribe to The Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller

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

Ten years ago today, one gorilla's death broke the internet, from sports and politics to million-dollar memes. But Harambe's life was a tragic battle over name, image and likeness — including files the Cincinnati Zoo worked to suppress... until now. Desus Nice and Katie Nolan help Pablo get to the bottom of what gorillas in our midst can teach us about ourselves.

• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube to watch the Harambe tapes and more

• Subscribe to "Casuals with Katie Nolan"

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How is preparing for a game show like playing in the NFL? What's the first rule of "Jeopardy!" Fight Club? And why would you bet zero dollars with a million on the line? Plus: Katie Nolan's secret pep talk, Daily Double brain glitch, Spygate... and a buzzer bibliography.

Previously on PTFO:

• "Celebrity Jeopardy!" Film Study with Mina Kimes and Timothy Simons

• Behind the Scenes of Pablo's History-Making "Family Feud" Adventure

Plus:

• Subscribe to "The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny"

• Subscribe to "The Domonique Foxworth Show"

• Support SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition

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He dug up Dianna Russini's playlist for Mike Vrabel. And Osama bin Laden's p*rn stash from the CIA. He even got a DM from Bill Belichick's girlfriend on the prowl. Now, David Covucci is shattering the illusion of coaches' power — and the unfathomable pastimes of the billionaire booster class — one embarrassing document bomb at a time. Pablo finds a kindred spirit... and Jessica Smetana makes history.

• Subscribe to FOIAball

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Have billionaire owners left us in the twilight of American fandom? Are crying Liverpool fans actually the cure for male loneliness? And is the NFL offseason running out of juice? Would you get married during the Super Bowl on Valentine's Day? Plus: Jim Thome's farm adjacency, Regis Philbin analytics, Gerry and the Pacemakers, institutional investors, the worst pandemic crowd... and feeding a sandwich to Stugotz on Microsoft Teams.

• Read "Big Fan" 

• Subscribe to The PosCast

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He's wowed presidents, pro athletes and podcasters. But magicians tell us Oz Pearlman's viral act has crossed an ethical line. Stevie Baskin, after obsessively studying Pearlman's tricks, explains to Pablo how influencers from Charles Barkley to the White House were in on the act — and why he thinks this brand of "mind-reading" amounts to fraud.

• Much more from Stevie Baskin's YouTube video

• Previously on PTFO: The Unwritten Rules of Magic

(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.)

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What do the tech titans of Silicon Valley and the old heads of traditional broadcast television have in common? Answer: they all need to kiss the ring of Roger Goodell. But will the NFL get too greedy in their continued pursuit of maximum return on their media rights? And why is Rupert Murdoch secretly meeting with Donald Trump? The Sporting Class — aka “Rich Guys OnlyFans” — returns…

Read Vanity Fair's Roger Goodell's Hollywood Blitz: Why All the Other Moguls Have to Kiss the Ring

Read Wall Street Journal'sRupert Murdoch’s High-Stakes Blitz Against the NFL

Subscribe to "Nothing Personal with David Samson"

https://www.youtube.com/@npds

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Why is the Bulls legend hawking "the Mona Lisa of sports" as a talking Web3 meme-coin NFT? And who are the secret weapons turning the 60-year-old Hall-of-Famer into a crypto bro, with a last-ditch effort to cash in on The Last Dance? Pablo breaks out the folders for Jordan family friend Wyatt Cenac and former Pippen colleague Amin Elhassan, featuring revelations on MJ's son, Benihana, Lil Hippo... and so on.

• Previously on PTFO: The Last Dance of Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan

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The president may have ended his favorite sport's civil war — by waging a war of his own. But what did we really learn from Saudi Arabia's multibillion-dollar golf experiment? Journalist Alan Shipnuck explains what insiders are texting about but won't say out loud: that golfers are the most overpaid athletes on Earth, that peacetime is suddenly more complicated for the PGA Tour... and that sportswashing is insidious because it works.

• Read "LIV and Let Die" by Alan Shipnuck

• Previously on PTFO: Phil Mickelson, the Pipeline and Trump's (Alleged) 14-Inch Pipe

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The Knicks are surging. But politicians are condemning owner James Dolan and his tax breaks, after our investigation with WIRED. So Pablo tests the limits of facial recognition with his playoff ticket plug Ben Wizner, who just happens to be the Deputy Legal Director at the ACLU — and one of America's foremost experts on modern privacy. Which makes him uniquely (if begrudgingly) qualified to break down everything from spooked NBA journalists and a banned puppy, to Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein connections… to, yes, the Mount Rushmore of whistleblowers.

• Previously on PTFO: We Got Inside Knicks Surveillance — and MSG's Deep State Is Stranger Than You Think

• From WIRED: "The Shocking Secrets of Madison Square Garden’s Surveillance Machine"

• Watch "CITIZENFOUR" by Laura Poitras

• Read "Permanent Record" by Edward Snowden

• Read "Your Face Belongs to Us" by Kashmir Hill

• PTFO Vault: We Found the Secret Rap Album That the NBA's Best Executive Doesn't Want You to Hear

(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.)

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What does Mark Cuban think of Pablo's big Pulitzer Prize win? Did A.I. write that JPMorgan threesome lawsuit? And are the steroid Olympics in fact the Apollo mission of RFK Jr.'s America? Plus: third-tier "Mad Men" characters, self-canonization, the polymath of punch-ups, the lifespan of an inbred beagle... and Zoop.

Further content:

• Pablo Torre left the worldwide leader in sports to start a podcast. It just won a Pulitzer. (Poynter)

• Ex-JPMorgan banker Chirayu Rana files wild new claims against exec (New York Post)

• Inside the Enhanced Games, Where Athletes Compete on Steroids. And Growth Hormones. And Adderall. (Vanity Fair)

• Michael Cruz Kayne: Sorry For Your Loss (Dropout TV)

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As the Clippers await punishment, their owner is big mad at Pablo — and appears worried about what Aspiration's founder might have told the NBA. So Pablo and David Samson (finally) sit down with a special guest: Lou Manzo, the former DOJ prosecutor who investigated this whole tree-planting fraud in the first place, to go inside the courtroom, comb through footnotes and focus on the end game.

(Additional reporting by Anita Bennett)

Previously on PTFO:

• Part I: The Silent Superstar and the Rotten Apple Tree

• Part II: 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

• Part VI: An IRL Showdown with Mark Cuban

• Part VII: The Briefcase, Ballmer's Social Network and Aspiration's House of Cards

• Part VIII: Uncle Dennis, Ballmer's $50 Million Sprint and the Side Deal That Wouldn't Die

• Part IX: Ballmer's Tree Money, the Whistle-Blowers and the Document You've Been Waiting For

• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter for exclusive access, documents and invites

• Subscribe to "Nothing Personal with David Samson"

(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.)

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Epstein wasn't just funding women's sports or creeping around campus. Our new files — and Harvard's own audit — show how a billionaire pedophile used the biggest brand in academia to launder his reputation. Pablo and The Harvard Crimson's Dhruv Patel continue their investigation, with exclusive internal files, letters and interviews with athletes who say the university normalized a monster — and skirted accountability, until now.

• Part One: "The Jeffrey E. Epstein Fund for Women's Athletics"

• More from The Harvard Crimson: "Women's Rugby Players Were Told to Keep a $25,000 Gift Quiet. The Donor Was Epstein."

(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.)

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How did an unforgettable donation from the most notorious pedophile in America get past the most prestigious university's self-investigation? And why did Harvard allegedly ask to keep it confidential? Pablo and The Harvard Crimson's Dhruv Patel unearth internal financials, the secret role of president Lawrence Summers, plus new Jeffrey Epstein correspondence — and speak to the team that "never asked to be affiliated with this monster."

• More from The Harvard Crimson: Women’s Rugby Players Were Told to Keep a $25,000 Gift Quiet. The Donor Was Epstein.

(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.)

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Secret salary caps. Accidental email attachments. Truth-serum texts from owners. Slide decks for ESPN. If anyone knows how to dork-out on billionaires taking your money — and documenting their greed — it's the former NFL Players Association boss who negotiated $100 billion for athletes... and sued the sh*t out of The Shield. With his union now plagued by scandal — and America as unregulated as ever — De Smith enters the studio in Gladiator Mode.

• Read "Turf Wars" by DeMaurice Smith

Previously on PTFO:

• Part I: The NFL's Secret Collusion Case, Revealed

• Part II: We Sparked an NFL Union Crisis. Here's the Sequel.

• Part III: We Followed the Money in the NFL Union Scandal. So Did the FBI.

• Part IV: We Investigated the Hollywood Cover-Up the NFLPA Ignored 

• Part V: The Silenced Top Cop and the Cabal of "Strip-Club Dreams"

• Plus: The State of the (NFL) Union, with Mike Florio

• The Sporting Class: Are NFL Players Ready to Strike?

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What are the business ethics of sh*tting where you eat? Can you be a journalist and an "insider" at the same time? And what happened after the Knicks' owner doxxed the man threatening his arena's beer? David Samson — the Marie Kondo of sports infidelity and the watchful eye of Florida baseball — helps Pablo decode the messy stories of Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel... and James Dolan versus his enemies.

• Subscribe to "Nothing Personal with David Samson"

(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.

How does the game-show game clock move so fast? Why do you become 30% dumber when the cameras roll? And is Mina part of a sociopathic conspiracy with Ken Jennings? Plus: Andy Richter, button analytics, the dais height advantage, Daily Double anxiety, tanking board games for your kids... and a Stat Boy cameo.

• Subscribe to "The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny"

• Watch "Nobody Wants This" with Timothy Simons on Netflix

Previously on PTFO: 

• Share & Jeopardy! & Tell with Mina Kimes and Dan Le Batard

• Behind the Scenes of Pablo's History-Making "Family Feud" Adventure

• How "Veep" Predicted Trump, with the Real-Life Jonah Ryan

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

The notorious conspiracy theorist profited from his vile Sandy Hook conspiracy. Then America's finest (fake) news source decided to troll the world's greatest troll. Ben Collins — who transformed from reporting on the historic Infowars defamation trial to buying out his "ideological enemy" in a Storage Wars-style auction saga — tells Pablo why The Onion committed to the ultimate bit: doing the right thing.

(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.)

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Tracking players. Monitoring kids. Allegedly watching a fan enter the bathroom. The panopticon of notorious owner James Dolan has been caught in glimpses. But a WIRED investigation — revealed in collaboration with PTFO — lifts the veil on the Orwellian scope (and occasional clown show) of MSG security, from The Garden and The Sphere to the streets of New York and out across America. Correspondent Noah Shachtman and Pablo hear from spooked insiders, read snooping group chats, scour a second-by-second confidential report, plus view the facial-recognition database itself — only to discover that paranoid billionaires... are all around us.

• Read the full digital cover story at WIRED

• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter for 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.)

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Donald Trump's comfort zone. Coercive deals. Saudi funding. In the era of American favor-trading, a company called TKO Group Holdings is dominating the fight game. (Welcome, Zuffa Boxing.) And as longtime MMA dean Luke Thomas dares to explain, UFC boss Dana White may be in denial — and it may not be good for fans or fighters — but it pays to be in bed with a transactional regime.

• Subscribe to "Morning Kombat" with Luke Thomas

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We get it: As Timothée Chalamet said, "no one cares" about opera. But you should listen, instead, to former college linebacker Brandon Jovanovich — whose impossible rise from cater waiter to Captain Ahab proves that the artform that used to rule the world has way more in common with sports than you realize. (And that's even before you realize what he's been playing through, onstage.) Also: what a castrato is, Bugs Bunny, actual divas, Modell's and monster trucks.

Further content:

• "Inhabiting Ahab" (Patrick J. Sauer)

• Vote for PTFO at The Webby Awards: Best Sports Podcast + Experimental & Innovation

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Whether it's A.I. companies pirating millions of books or NBA owners violating the salary cap, the most powerful entities in America are trying to circumvent laws created to restrain them. Bestselling author and investigative journalist David Epstein (no relation!) makes the case for why rules are not obstacles to progress, but the opposite: the very things that make a society — and a market — free. 

• Pre-order David Epstein's new book,Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better

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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 newsletter for exclusive access, documents and invites

https://pablo.show/

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Civilization had a pretty good run. Will the astronauts be the last ones living? Will Jordon Hudson sue Pablo and/or beat him in a foot race? Could Sam Altman be bigger than Madoff and/or complete our curse on A.I.? And is your fiancé in the Epstein files? WHO KNOWS? But we f'd around and took your questions, live. So, come with us if you want to live. So mote it be.

• Vote for PTFO at The Webby Awards: Best Sports Podcast + Experimental & Innovation

• Subscribe to "Casuals with Katie Nolan"

• Watch Michael Cruz Kayne's special, "Sorry for Your Loss" — now streaming on Dropout TV 

• Further reading: "Sam Altman May Control Our Future — Can He Be Trusted?" (Ronan Farrow & Andrew Maran

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Do we need robot umpires more than we thought? Is Netflix the Yankees of media? What's the best kind of catfishing? And have we finally evolved beyond pizza rat? Plus: Aaron Judge choking, Teanna Trump choking, an old man smoking with a crowd... and the price of free p*rn.

• Vote for PTFO at The Webby Awards: Best Sports Podcast + Experimental & Innovation

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When the body of a Vegas power broker showed up in the back of a Rolls Royce in 1979, the new sports capital of America was born. Why the hell did superstar UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian's guy really get whacked? Correspondent Sean Carey unearths police reports, a thrown fight against Sugar Ray Leonard... and a bag man on the skim who re-legitimized Sin City — and proves HBO's hit show wrong.

(Additional reporting by Kris Belman)

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