#1781 Your Team Is a Hedge Fund Now: How Gambling and Billionaires Captured American Sports

#1781 Your Team Is a Hedge Fund Now: How Gambling and Billionaires Captured American Sports

Author: Best of the Left: Perspectives on Politics, Culture, and Economics April 1, 2026 Duration: 3:49:54

Air Date: 3–31-2026

Today we examine how money and power have captured American sports from every angle — gambling platforms operating as unregulated casinos, private equity turning franchises into financial assets, leagues suppressing player pay while selling access to politicians, and a sports media apparatus too compromised to report any of it. It's almost all the problems with America on display in one industry.

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Full Show Notes

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: Trump's Record $239M Inauguration & the Sports Owners Who Funded It | Spolitics - Jemele Hill - Air Date 4-30-25

KP 2: We Investigated The Shady Business Behind The UFC - More Perfect Union and Luke Thomas - Air Date 3-6-26

KP 3: World Cup CHAOS As Trump And FIFA Abuse Iran - The Ring of Fire - Air Date 3-21-26

KP 4: ESPN & the Death of Journalism - Drew Gooden - Air Date 3-3-26

KP 5: This WNBA CBA Deal Is Bigger Than Basketball… - The Women's Hoops Show - Air Date 3-24-26

KP 6: Senator Chris Murphy CRACKS DOWN on Prediction Markets | PTFO - PABLO TORRE FINDS OUT - Air Date 3-26-26


(00:46:46) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Sports Expose Everything Wrong With America — And Fans Have More Power Than They Think


DEEPER DIVES

(00:58:11) SECTION A: SPORTS ARE POLITICS & CULTURE

(01:58:11) SECTION B: GAMBLING ON EVERYTHING IS BAD IDEA

(02:30:27) SECTION C: THE WOKE NBA, NOT THAT WOKE

(03:08:12) SECTION D: THE BILLIONAIRES ARE ALWAYS THE PROBLEM


SHOW IMAGE CREDITS

Description: Composite image of the silhouette of a business man in a suit holding up an upside-down golden umbrella full of sports balls in a celebratory way as money rains down behind him.

Credit: Internal design. Component images from Pixabay

 

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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For over fifteen years, Best of the Left-Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy has served as a vital, human-curated digest of voices from across the progressive spectrum. Instead of presenting a single opinion, each episode is built around a specific theme-from economic inequality to climate policy to cultural shifts-and weaves together insightful commentary from a diverse array of journalists, activists, and thinkers. This approach allows you to efficiently grasp the nuances of complex issues by hearing multiple expert angles in one sitting, all while discovering new commentators and sources you might not have encountered otherwise. The result is a richly layered analysis that algorithms simply cannot replicate, offering depth and context often missing from the daily news cycle. Since 2006, this award-winning podcast has cut through the noise, drawing from hundreds of independent and established sources to provide a coherent, thoughtful examination of the forces shaping our society and governments. Tuning in means joining a long-running conversation dedicated to understanding and advancing democratic principles, social justice, and a more equitable economy, all through the focused lens of leftist thought.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
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