Pablo Torre Finds Out

Who gets to take pride in football, even (and especially) if Sam Darnold is your quarterback? Who gets to lock the gates on excellence, even if you're snubbing Bill Belichick? Did Tom Brady only get better in the booth... because he couldn't get much worse? And do people only care when you're wrong? Plus: brrrtue-signaling, the pageantry of nonsense, The Polian Dimension and the Kraft family syndicate on Jason Whitlock's bulletin board.Further content:• "In the 'no' camp is a known liar...'" (Ollie Connolly)• "Sources: Bill Belichick will not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer" (Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham)• "Tom Brady knew he needed to improve on TV. So he channeled his 'quarterback' days" (Andrew Marchand)• Subscribe to "The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny"• Take a PTFO audience survey for your chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does being Robert Pera's "co-owner" even mean? Why can't a sports executive wear his team's uniform? And what do the layoffs at The Washington Post and CBS News suggest about the business of journalism? Former Marlins president David Samson joins Pablo, one-on-one, to decode the sagas of the Memphis Grizzlies and mainstream media.• Previously on PTFO: The Invisible NBA Owner and "Crimes Against Humanity"• 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 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.

A dunking tech bro in Memphis. A drone massacre in Ukraine. How did America's backyard beams end up in Putin's network of underground buyers? And how on Earth do Ja Morant, Justin Timberlake, Kevin Hart and "The Grindfather" get us to an illegal trade war? Hunterbrook Media's Sam Koppelman breaks down how his reporters investigated from a bird's-eye view, to a high-end Moscow dealer, to undercover calls back home — and asks what the hell Adam Silver's gonna do about another billionaire scandal hiding in plain sight.• Read the full investigation at Hunterbrook Media (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.

Golf can be for the people. But politics has come to the tee-boxes of D.C., as Trump literally takes a dump on public courses, with a gilded mission to re-shape the people's fairway — and a historically Black home of the sport — in his own image. Garrett Morrison of Fried Egg Golf explains the rubber-stamp meetings, pimp-my-ride addendums and bros in the ear of a president chasing faux-luxury waterfalls, A.I. logos and... asbestos?• Read more at Fried Egg Golf: "The National Links Trust's Battle with the Trump Administration, Explained"• Subscribe to "Designing Golf" with Garrett Morrison• Previously on PTFO: Why Golf Yalta Explains Donald Trump• Take a PTFO audience survey for your chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of America's foremost cultural critics steps out of the writer's cabin and into the studio to predict the future of a game that seems too big to stop: What happened to the egghead prophecy of Peak Football? Is 11 minutes actually the perfect amount of hyper-connective, violent action? And, in a Post-Winning Era, will the relentless gold-mining of fandom threaten the NFL's dominance, as soon as 2070? Plus: best laid aquarium plans, killing your fake darlings, old love letters, the meaning of nostalgia... and becoming Don Rickles for Bill Simmons. • Read "Football" by Chuck Klosterman• Take a PTFO audience survey for your chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Deflategate. Sign-stealing. Lance Armstrong. The competition is stiff, but no dynasty comes close to trying this hard to get ahead. In a soup-to-nuts collaboration, The Athletic's Matthew Futterman reports from the nether regions of the Winter Games on a national nightmare, a Zapruder tape and a confidential investigative report that will redefine the integrity of sport — no matter how impossible it... seams.• Read more from The Athletic: "How Norway's ski-jumping scandal rocked a proud nation and bedrock Olympic sport" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Has the media establishment become so politicized that it won't let a beat reporter be human? What does "maybe" mean in the proxy fight for Warner Bros.? And did old white men change the trajectory of baseball... because they don't know how to use the internet? A shockingly woke David Samson and a Pam Bondi'd John Skipper join Pablo to test the limits of truth, screwing and their fiduciary duty.Further content:• "The Liam Coen-Lynn Jones Moment, the Backlash and Why Journalism Is Still Worth Defending" (David Aldridge)• "Merger Math: Paramount Suit Wants WBD To Show Its Work" (Jill Goldsmith)• "Disney Invests $1 Billion in MLB's Streaming Business, BAMTech" (2016)• Subscribe to "Nothing Personal with David Samson" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He is a god of Google Maps — an internet legend for matching a single image with a far-flung location, in the blink of an eye. But Trevor Rainbolt never wanted to be an influencer. And for a while there, he'd never even left the United States. The 27-year-old college dropout who helped us find Bill Belichick's Ring camera finally links up with Pablo to tell the sports origin story of a modern creator — from Steph Curry meme lord and KD DMs to Travis Kelce matchmaker and alleged CIA agent — while opening his aperture to the world he's been studying... then accepting a special assignment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do Darryl Strawberry, NBA YoungBoy and a plastic-surgery "slush fund" have in common? They're all beneficiaries of the president's cottage industry to sell access, buy freedom and redefine the meaning of crime. We explore an exclusive social network of dustbin characters, including a heavenly visit with Mel Gibson and Pete Rose.• Subscribe to "TrueAnon" with Brace Belden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the NBA's investigation heats up, Pablo goes behind closed doors — and emerges with fresh sunlight: What exactly did the Clippers know about Kawhi Leonard's no-show deal? When did Steve Ballmer really get to know the fraudster who paid him off? And what do Doc Rivers, the Ritz-Carlton and a topless fashion shoot have to do with the origin story of a "match made in heaven" that the richest owner in sports would rather you ignore? Amin Elhassan and David Samson shake their heads, as we fact-check a timeline that the Clippers want you to believe.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• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter for exclusive access, documents and invites• Subscribe to "Nothing Personal with David Samson"• Subscribe to "Basketball Illuminati" with Amin Elhassan(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.

He's got Silicon Valley billionaires up in his mentions. He got Trump to release more Epstein files — and forecasts "a bombshell month" ahead from Rape Island. But now Rep. Ro Khanna wants to fend off nothing less than a populist revolution, with a moral reckoning for unaccountable people who occupy their own islands of prosperity. The rising Democratic star joins Pablo in-studio for a look inside the Venezuela attack, a preview of post-Trump politics, a contract for the post-truck-driver America... and a hot take on Bronny James. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everyone complains about cellphones. But there's something bigger and more insidious going on, from football teams and Netflix shows to law schools and Instagram. So philosopher C. Thi Nguyen offers some gamified advice for 2026, to plug the downside of data into the upside of your mind: Metrics help you win at work, but can you free yourself from the algo? Hyper-optimization has changed the NBA, but what about your kitchen? We've handed over complexity for competition, but is there time to steal back our humanity from A.I.? Plus: punk points, art governments, sore losers at Twister, a context-invariant kernel... and The Meat Sack.• Read "The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else's Game" by C. Thi Nguyen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone blow the 1998 NBA Finals by promoting their pro-wrestling match... on the court?! Should there be an asterisk?! Is it time for Michael Jordan to relinquish the throne?! Correspondent Neil Punsalan enters a sports marketing wormhole to present Pablo with a box full of evidence, grill eyewitnesses and put to rest — once and for all — if The Mailman always rings twice.(This episode originally aired June 6, 2025.)• Subscribe to Pablo Torre Finds Out on YouTube for more greatest hits• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter for exclusive access, documents and invites Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He raps, cooks, paints, hosts and acts (for Martin Scorsese, at least). He also has philosophical explanations for why A) he never wears pants, B) his go-to move is the headbutt and C) nothing is better than a VHS tape. But Action Bronson had still never heard of the Accidental Bronson tribute account. Until this episode.(This episode originally aired November 10, 2023.)• Subscribe to Pablo Torre Finds Out on YouTube for more greatest hits• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter for exclusive access, documents and invites Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

LeBron called him the smartest hooper alive. Coach K called him an alien. Obama called him for a Hall-of-Fame pickup game (and a historic BBQ). But two-time NBA champion Shane Battier has been measuring the immeasurable inflection points of his career all along — from growing up "mixed, tall and poor"; to puking at Duke, guarding Kobe and witnessing LeBron's GOAT-defining game; to failing at ESPN and building a cabinet of relationships… including his therapist. Pablo cracks open the brain of the legend known as Lego, to find out if he really is human after all. Plus: Patrennessy, Laptop magazine and karaoke. Lots of karaoke.(This episode originally aired June 5, 2025.)• Subscribe to Pablo Torre Finds Out on YouTube for more greatest hits• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter for exclusive access, documents and invites Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Under-recruited running back from a collapsed American city — with a single mom and a dream — wins the Super Bowl. Sounds familiar, right? But NFL coach Deland McCullough's story, as told through his book with Sarah Spain, has a twist all its own. (Thanks to a little help from Sir Mix-a-Lot.)(This episode originally aired May 27, 2025.)• Read "Runs in the Family"• Subscribe to Pablo Torre Finds Out on YouTube for more greatest hits• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter for exclusive access, documents and invites Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did the shadowy general manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Sam Presti, become an urban legend? Pablo unearths a treasure buried by its own elaborate design... then dances into The Jazz Rabbit Hole with Wyatt Cenac and a special mystery guest.(This episode originally aired June 12, 2025.)• Subscribe to Pablo Torre Finds Out on YouTube for bonus holiday content• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter for exclusive access, documents and invites Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our year-end holiday spectacular, we get a visit from The Ghost of Podcast Future — and get increasingly loose: Has this show been ripped from the headlines? When did women start to stinkin'? Is Pablo the 50 Cent of journalism? And the tree is gone, but does the fire remain? Plus: legumes, gifts, 0.5x bonus points, Mad Dog's dildo policy, slingin' grease with Cletus... and hearing a smile.• Call our hotline: (513) 85-PABLO• Decorate our tree: 33°56'36.5"N, 118°20'38.7"W• Previously on PTFO: Debunking the Myths of Bill Belichick's Consigliere• Previously on PTFO: We All Have a Number• Subscribe to "Casuals with Katie Nolan"• Listen to "Sorry for Your Loss" by Michael Cruz Kayne• Subscribe to Pablo Torre Finds Out on YouTube for bonus holiday content• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter for exclusive access, documents and invites Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you thought reuniting The Sopranos and Wu-Tang to recruit LeBron James and Kevin Durant were the ultimate celebrity pitches, just wait until Pablo unboxes this time capsule for Desus Nice, Frank Isola... and you.Previously on PTFO:• Share & Wu & Tell with Method Man and Dan Le Batard• We Found the Secret Tape the Knicks Made for LeBronMore PTFO:• Subscribe to Pablo Torre Finds Out on YouTube to watch all three Knicks videos and get special holiday bonus content• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter for exclusive access, documents and invites Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did Warner Bros. start a war so that its CEO could cash in for courtside seats? Would Mickey Mouse give a fast pass to FIFA? And what did our white-hat hackers learn this year on Rich Guys OnlyFans? John Skipper and David Samson butt heads about sports business — plus invent a new cocktail.• Previously on The Sporting Class: On The Witness Stand at the FIFA Bribery Trial with John Skipper• Subscribe to "Nothing Personal with David Samson" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.