Pablo Torre Finds Out
The Sporting Class: Private Equity, Salary Caps and Whether Players Should Want a Piece
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.
Inside the Billionaire Shadow League Funding American Tennis
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.
Washing Up the Clippers' Punishment, with Henry Abbott
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.
We Investigated Magic Johnson, Mark Walter... and Your Nest Egg
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.
Clippers Judgment Day, the NBA's Hammer and the Investigation That Never Ends: Kawhi-Gate, Part XV
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.
The Voice of Looney Tunes on the Horrors of Corporate Greed
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.
The Best Streaker Ever Bares All (PTFO Vault)
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.
Uncovering China's Secret War for Athlete Brainwaves (PTFO Vault)
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.
Behind the Scenes of the Yankee Wife-Swap Scandal (PTFO Vault)
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.
Bird-Watching Will Blow Your Mind (PTFO Vault)
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.
The Case of the Stolen Dinosaur Bones (PTFO Vault)
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 Billionaire, the Billboards and the Star of the Worst Ad in Sports History (PTFO Vault)
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.
The Jumbotron Emails, the Courtside Cabana and Ballmer's "Highest Integrity": Kawhi-Gate, Part XIV
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.
The Truth Behind the 49ers' Electromagnetic Injury Conspiracy
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.
"Take the Keys Away": Bill Belichick, His Exiled Consigliere and a "Sabotaging" at Carolina
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.
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