"Pablo Torre is a longtime journalist and the host of the show Pablo Torre Finds Out, where he reports on everything from football fans on death row and what it's like to be a transgender athlete in high school to analyzing the coach Bill Belichick's shirtless ring-cam footage. Torre is a student of the internet as well, and a keen observer of our attention economy."
"Are sports the most valuable commodity in the world? On this episode of Galaxy Brain, Charlie Warzel is joined by Pablo Torre for an examination of the role that sports and rampant sports betting are playing in our politics, culture, and economy. Sports, he argues, are the last monocultural product-the only sure way to draw eyeballs on an ever-fractured internet."
Sports are the last monocultural product and the primary mechanism for aggregating mass attention on an increasingly fractured internet. Billionaires and nation-states buy teams and partner with leagues to secure cultural influence and economic returns. Online platform tactics, such as attention-grabbing thumbnails and creator-driven formats, reshape journalism and elevate the importance of taste and viral appeal. Same-day parlays and widespread sports betting alter individual aspirations and financial behavior while risking league legitimacy. Decision-making favors short-term monetization over long-term stewardship by owners and regulators. The convergence of sports, gambling, capital, and attention yields complex cultural and political consequences.
Read at The Atlantic
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