Pablo Torre Finds Out

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.

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

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"

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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.