Ben Gilbert: belief

Transcript context

…Wow, that is wild. Totally wild. But how did we get here? How did this game become the most valuable media property in America? The story is one of incredible cooperation, of belief in growing the pie over a century. And just like our benchmark episode of communist capitalism at its finest, the NFL owners have made bold long-term bets in choosing to divide their revenues equally in a way that no other sports league has. The NFL hasn't been free of controversy from the horrible recent on-field collapse of Damar Hamlin to the epidemic of CTE among former football players. Players are clearly putting their lives at risk. The modern fans' relationship with the sport is complicated. I personally love watching football. It has been finely tuned over the years to be maximally, maximally entertaining, but it comes with cognitive dissonance for me every time I tune in and I know many others feel the same. Whether pro football is your favorite pastime or you think it's a societal ill, there is no denying the incredible role that it plays in all of our lives today. Now listeners, just like our NBA episode a couple of years ago, this is an episode on the business of football. It's not specifically about things I learned reviewing game film or the merits of the eye formation. Today, we're talking about the business. But we do have some sports thank yous to Michael McCambridge, author of America's Game, which provided much of the research for this episode and it's just like the definitive biography style history of the NFL.…

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