Pablo Torre Finds Out

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

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…

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? 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…

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…

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…

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 •…

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

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

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…

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…

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

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…

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…

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

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…

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.