1 00:00:00,840 --> 00:00:01,600 Speaker 1: Kutbooms. 2 00:00:02,440 --> 00:00:05,520 Speaker 2: If you thought four hours a day, twelve hundred minutes 3 00:00:05,559 --> 00:00:09,320 Speaker 2: a week was enough, think again. He's the last remnants 4 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:12,600 Speaker 2: of the old Republic, a soul fashion of fairness. He 5 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:15,640 Speaker 2: treats crackheads in the ghetto cutter the same as the 6 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:17,599 Speaker 2: rich pill poppers in the penthouse. 7 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: Wow. 8 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:22,440 Speaker 2: The Clearinghouse of Hot takes break free for something special. 9 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 2: The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller starts right now. 10 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:34,960 Speaker 1: And like that, it begins in the air of Rewhere 11 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:39,280 Speaker 1: The Fifth Hour with Me, Ben Maler and Danny g Radio, 12 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:44,160 Speaker 1: our first podcast of the new year, the first time 13 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 1: I've cracked a microphone in the new year, which sounds 14 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:50,760 Speaker 1: like it's been a long time. But this is the 15 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 1: second day of January twenty twenty six, as we begin 16 00:00:56,280 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: anew another year behind the powerful microphone of the premiere 17 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:08,000 Speaker 1: Networks and iHeart Fox Sports Radio the whole conglomerate. As 18 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: we are back at it again here, excited to be back, 19 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:14,679 Speaker 1: and I've got podcasts with you all weekend. Daniel join 20 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:18,280 Speaker 1: us here at some point and then we'll have the 21 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 1: radio show returns on Sunday night into Monday morning after 22 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:28,120 Speaker 1: the final regular season NFL games on Sunday, and then 23 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 1: it's on to the radio show and the playoffs and 24 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:35,880 Speaker 1: the whole mgilla, the full mcgilla. We'll have the whole 25 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 1: thing here on this podcast. We have blast furnace animniacs. 26 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 1: But we're gonna begin with one of those dopey holidays. 27 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: Today is National Buffet Day. That's right, National Buffet Day 28 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: every January second, an opportunity to enjoy, to indulge, to 29 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 1: pile high a massive plate of food, a tradition that 30 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 1: goes back to the Swedes of the sixteenth century. The 31 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: early origins of the buffet, and it carried on the 32 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:18,080 Speaker 1: word buffet actually originated from a type of French siteboard 33 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 1: used to serve food was used back in the seventeenth century, 34 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: and the modern buffet actually nineteen thirty nine, there were 35 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 1: some Swedes who entered the New York World's Fair exhibition 36 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 1: back when that was a big thing, and debuted and 37 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:44,640 Speaker 1: displayed a Smorgasborg talking about the great foods of Sweden. 38 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 1: And then eventually that led in the nineteen forties, so 39 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: that was nineteen thirty nine. In the early nineteen forties, 40 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:59,240 Speaker 1: the American buffet began in Viva Las Vegas. The first 41 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:06,079 Speaker 1: ever buffet in Vegas, the Bukaroo buffet. That just sounds wonderful, 42 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: doesn't The Buckeroo Buffet, And that came from somebody named 43 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 1: HERB McDonald. I don't know much about HERB McDonald, but 44 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: you could eat to your heart's content. And so that 45 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:23,400 Speaker 1: was in the mid nineteen forties in the Vegas. By 46 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 1: the nineteen sixties, so it took a little while, but 47 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 1: by the nineteen sixties almost every casino in Vegas had 48 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: its own buffet. Now, the thing about this that I love. 49 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: If you've heard this podcast at all over the years, 50 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 1: you know, a couple of years back, and I don't 51 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 1: know the exact date. Lucky Tony will likely give you 52 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:42,440 Speaker 1: the exact date, but it was a while ago. I 53 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 1: did a deep dive on how buffets make money because 54 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 1: it seems like they should lose money, right, they should 55 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:53,080 Speaker 1: lose a lot of money. You have low prices, unlimited food, 56 00:03:54,080 --> 00:04:01,280 Speaker 1: and yet the business model is designed for high volume, 57 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 1: low margin, and yet they're able to pull it off here. 58 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 1: And the way they do it is trickeration. It's trickeration, 59 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: and they do it with inexpensive filler foods and they 60 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:19,040 Speaker 1: crunch the numbers and so that I don't want to 61 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 1: get too much into the minutia of it. But the 62 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:26,720 Speaker 1: buffets keep the costs about thirty to forty percent of revenue. 63 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:31,800 Speaker 1: So they use a lot of rices, pastas, potatoes, breads, 64 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 1: essentially trying to stuff your gut bult purchasing. So they 65 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:40,120 Speaker 1: don't spend as much on food, the price per ounce 66 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 1: is lower. They reuse a lot of the ingredients across 67 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:48,159 Speaker 1: many of the dishes, the same stuffs in the Italian food, 68 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 1: that's in the American food, that's in the Chinese food, 69 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:53,400 Speaker 1: and the Mexican food, and they just use all the 70 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:57,760 Speaker 1: same stuff. And then there's also the mental aspect of it, 71 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:02,840 Speaker 1: where they use psychology to control what one eats. It's 72 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:05,840 Speaker 1: much like when you go into a casino and there's 73 00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:09,359 Speaker 1: no clocks in a casino, and they they like the 74 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 1: penny slots. They make more money in veguas via the 75 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,719 Speaker 1: penny slots, which are not really a penny, but they 76 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:20,160 Speaker 1: use the mind hack to get in there. So what 77 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:24,400 Speaker 1: do buffets do They place the food they make the 78 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:27,960 Speaker 1: biggest profit off of, meaning it's the cheap filler food, 79 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:31,720 Speaker 1: the rise to pasta potato, the bread, the filling foods 80 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 1: at the very front, the very expensive items, the ones 81 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 1: that you actually would get your money's worth at the buffet, 82 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:43,840 Speaker 1: right the carving station. The expensive seafood, which is not 83 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:47,479 Speaker 1: my thing, you might like it. Those things are at 84 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:50,720 Speaker 1: the very back, and you're going to the buffet. You 85 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:52,400 Speaker 1: want to get started, so you're let me get a 86 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 1: big plate of rice, of the potatoes, of some of those, 87 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 1: of some pasta, and then you eat that. You get 88 00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:00,359 Speaker 1: a little full. Yeah, you might go back to the 89 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:02,800 Speaker 1: carving station, but you're not going to load up on 90 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 1: it the way you would if it was right in front. 91 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 1: They also have small plates. They limit the portions they'll 92 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:12,600 Speaker 1: put on the plates. Lately, in the last couple of years, 93 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:15,800 Speaker 1: they've added time limits. A lot of the buffets have 94 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:21,480 Speaker 1: had time limits. And they also make these exotic displays 95 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 1: for food that makes the food look amazing, but it's 96 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:28,520 Speaker 1: really low cost food and they'll put that there. And 97 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:34,880 Speaker 1: so a buffet on average, they any typical standard buffet 98 00:06:35,279 --> 00:06:37,800 Speaker 1: will have one hundred and twenty to two hundred customers. 99 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:43,600 Speaker 1: They will generate profit from forty to one hundred and 100 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 1: eighty thousand per month, so it's like five to fifteen 101 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:51,000 Speaker 1: percent net profit margin essentially, so the margins are thin 102 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:53,320 Speaker 1: and all that. I can go on and on, but 103 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:57,560 Speaker 1: there you go. So it's National buffet Day. Celebrate appropriately. 104 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:02,039 Speaker 1: In terms of other stuff, I finally did it. I 105 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: opened my email, Big News here on the Fifth Hour podcast. 106 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:08,479 Speaker 1: Opened the email. That does not mean I wrote back 107 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:11,120 Speaker 1: to you. I opened the email. And this is what 108 00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: happens when you hit the pause button over the holidays, 109 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 1: when the red light goes dark, the microphones cool off, 110 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:24,360 Speaker 1: and the over night the vampire schedule loosens its grip, 111 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:28,320 Speaker 1: and you realize rather suddenly that you have this thing 112 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:31,600 Speaker 1: called time on your hands, something that you don't have 113 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:35,280 Speaker 1: a lot of. It's dangerous time. You have time to think, 114 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: you have time to scroll, you have time to click 115 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:42,880 Speaker 1: open your email. And these things have been stacking up 116 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:47,520 Speaker 1: like unopened Christmas cards from distant relatives who still think 117 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:52,320 Speaker 1: that you live in your parents' house and that whole thing. Now, 118 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:57,040 Speaker 1: several of you wrote for some odd reason asking about 119 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 1: New Year's resolutions, today being the second day of January, 120 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:08,239 Speaker 1: which tells me no offense, which means offense. You must 121 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:11,400 Speaker 1: be relatively new to the radio show, because I know, 122 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:15,920 Speaker 1: right now Alf and ferg Dog and some of the 123 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:19,000 Speaker 1: old guard are rolling their eyes right now. They're like, 124 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:24,240 Speaker 1: what is wrong with these people? Yes, so again no offense, 125 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 1: but which means I have offense. You've got to be 126 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:32,640 Speaker 1: near the show. If you're looking to me yours truly 127 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 1: for New Year's resolution inspiration, you have wandered into the 128 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: wrong aisle at the grocery store. You might want to 129 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:48,440 Speaker 1: go to another supermarket somewhere. I've never been a resolution's guy. 130 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 1: I've never trusted them, never needed January first to tell 131 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:57,960 Speaker 1: me what to do, like today's January sec. I don't 132 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:02,679 Speaker 1: need that. I don't have a fancy explanation. I'm not 133 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 1: gonna sit here and give you a ten minute ted 134 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:10,520 Speaker 1: talk on that. That's not my deal. This is not 135 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 1: a self help podcast. I don't have any kind of 136 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 1: odd inspirational background music that I'm gonna play, at least 137 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:23,360 Speaker 1: not intentionally. Simply put, I like to follow as much 138 00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:25,760 Speaker 1: as I can the code of the West bunch of 139 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:30,280 Speaker 1: old school stuff. Take pride in your work. It's pretty important. 140 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:33,560 Speaker 1: Always finish what you start. That's something that's been lost 141 00:09:33,559 --> 00:09:36,600 Speaker 1: over time. Do what has to be done. Another thing 142 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:39,800 Speaker 1: that doesn't really stand the test of time. And when 143 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:43,040 Speaker 1: you make a promise, keep it. You ride for the brand. 144 00:09:43,520 --> 00:09:48,440 Speaker 1: And those are not New Year's resolutions, they're not. Those 145 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:52,200 Speaker 1: are load bearing beams, is what those are. If you 146 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:57,120 Speaker 1: need a calendar reminder to start being serious about your life, 147 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:01,680 Speaker 1: you're already behind the chains you buy the chase. Think 148 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:04,319 Speaker 1: of it like the myth. One of the great myths 149 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:08,320 Speaker 1: in sports is halftime adjustments. It's one of these dopey 150 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 1: phrases that sportscasters like to say because it sounds really cool. So, coach, 151 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:16,160 Speaker 1: what adjustments are you going to make at halftime? Said 152 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:24,240 Speaker 1: the meathead or brainless sideline reporter. What halftime adjustments are 153 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 1: you going to make? Coach? It's the great marvel of 154 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 1: the modern NFL and NBA. Of course, it's also poppycock. 155 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 1: I was attracted to the giant metalcock. Many have pointed out, 156 00:10:36,679 --> 00:10:41,600 Speaker 1: whether it's Peyton Manning, Bill Belichick, or endless others, if 157 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:47,920 Speaker 1: something is broken in the first quarter, your protection is leaking. 158 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:53,480 Speaker 1: If you're a basketball team, your shot selections thinks. Your 159 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:56,960 Speaker 1: defense if you're an NFL team is like traffic cones 160 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:00,280 Speaker 1: and a windstorm. You're supposed to sit there and wait 161 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:03,760 Speaker 1: until halftime to fix it, because, of course the modern 162 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:07,200 Speaker 1: marble is halftime adjustment. Of course, not you make the 163 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:11,480 Speaker 1: adjustment right then you rip up whatever game plan you had. 164 00:11:11,679 --> 00:11:15,080 Speaker 1: You grab the grease board, and you start changing things 165 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:16,800 Speaker 1: around the what you might call it the think of 166 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:20,480 Speaker 1: a jigs the dow hickeyes. You change the things around 167 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 1: before the problem snowballs, and then by the time you 168 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:25,120 Speaker 1: get the halftime it doesn't matter, and then you're just 169 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:28,200 Speaker 1: doing a postgame apology tour. Waiting for some kind of 170 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:33,520 Speaker 1: arbitrary date to address a problem is like noticing your 171 00:11:33,559 --> 00:11:36,520 Speaker 1: houses on fire and say, well, let's circle back after 172 00:11:36,559 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 1: the holidays. I'll get the hose on it, but I'm 173 00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:42,200 Speaker 1: gonna wait a little bit after. Well, no, you don't wait. 174 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:45,120 Speaker 1: There'd be nothing to put the hose on at that point. 175 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:49,320 Speaker 1: Smart people don't wait, they act. And that's always been 176 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:52,920 Speaker 1: my approach, not that I'm right, absolutely not smart, but 177 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:56,160 Speaker 1: my approach to radio or life or everything in between. 178 00:11:56,800 --> 00:12:01,600 Speaker 1: If something's off, if the out go rhythm is not right, 179 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:06,559 Speaker 1: you don't put it on the vision board. You put 180 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:12,800 Speaker 1: your head down and fix it. Stupid and procrastination. Listen, 181 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:14,600 Speaker 1: we've all been there at one point or another, We've 182 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:19,280 Speaker 1: all done the procrastination thing. Procrastination is like a credit card. 183 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:22,760 Speaker 1: It's a lot of fun, a lot of fun until 184 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:25,959 Speaker 1: you realize that the bill's coming at some point. Now, 185 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 1: on a positive note, procrastination always gives you something to 186 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,840 Speaker 1: look forward to. And I have a lot of people 187 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:37,560 Speaker 1: in my circle that are like, hey, I'll get to 188 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:42,720 Speaker 1: it someday. And I looked and like, today's Friday. Right, 189 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:46,720 Speaker 1: we're recording this on a Friday. So you have Friday, 190 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:50,520 Speaker 1: you have Saturday, have Sunday, of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. 191 00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:54,720 Speaker 1: There is no day called someday that is not it. 192 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:56,600 Speaker 3: Meanwhile, a few. 193 00:12:56,520 --> 00:13:01,640 Speaker 1: Of you also asked about the most memory moments from 194 00:13:01,679 --> 00:13:05,520 Speaker 1: the radio show during the twenty twenty five campaign. Keep 195 00:13:05,559 --> 00:13:09,360 Speaker 1: in mind that none of these messages were from Terry 196 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:12,560 Speaker 1: in England. And am I about to give you a 197 00:13:12,679 --> 00:13:16,360 Speaker 1: list of the greatest moments? No, I'm not going to 198 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:19,560 Speaker 1: give you a list of the greatest moments. No matter 199 00:13:19,600 --> 00:13:21,960 Speaker 1: how much moving man Matt wants that, I'm not going 200 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:25,920 Speaker 1: to do it. I wish I had a neat answer 201 00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:31,560 Speaker 1: with a bow. I don't. I don't have that. And 202 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:34,880 Speaker 1: I've really been the same year after year. When you're 203 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:38,959 Speaker 1: in the middle of it, you don't stop to take inventory. 204 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:40,600 Speaker 1: There's no inventory here. 205 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:41,440 Speaker 2: I know. 206 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:44,400 Speaker 1: If you work at Costco or Walmart, you have to 207 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:49,240 Speaker 1: do inventory every month. We don't do that. We don't. 208 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:53,360 Speaker 1: We don't stop to take inventory. You're in the forest. 209 00:13:53,760 --> 00:14:01,320 Speaker 1: That chains saw is buzzings, there's sawdust flying, no idea 210 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:04,880 Speaker 1: what the trees even look like from a distance. It's 211 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:08,839 Speaker 1: the day to day grind. It's the rat race, the 212 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:14,520 Speaker 1: industrial complex of the hot sports. Take the overnight shift 213 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:18,920 Speaker 1: where the hot takes are forged like steel in a 214 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:23,480 Speaker 1: blast furnace on a nightly basis. It puts hair on 215 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:27,440 Speaker 1: your chest. It's not for everybody, certainly not for the 216 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:33,320 Speaker 1: fan of heart. And still a few moments linger. The 217 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:38,760 Speaker 1: monologues always do. The monologues always do. That's the soul 218 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:41,640 Speaker 1: of this thing, whatever this thing is, that we have 219 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:46,560 Speaker 1: the purest form of radio, just a man, a darkened studio, 220 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:52,320 Speaker 1: a microphone, a thought, and no safety net. And I 221 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:55,600 Speaker 1: say a darkened studio. The show is now recorded, part 222 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:59,040 Speaker 1: of it for YouTube. So that is a lie. That 223 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:01,840 Speaker 1: is a lie. A lot of lights. There's way too 224 00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:05,480 Speaker 1: many lights in the studio now The most positive feedback 225 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:12,040 Speaker 1: I have received all year came from a euge. I 226 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:16,560 Speaker 1: can't stand doing eulogies. I despise doing eugees. I want 227 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:20,640 Speaker 1: to do happy goofy, I want to do ripping people. 228 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:23,120 Speaker 1: I don't want to do eulogies. And yet here we 229 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:28,440 Speaker 1: are again looking back over the last five years or so, 230 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:31,160 Speaker 1: the things that are the most popular are the eulogies. 231 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 1: When Kobe Bryant was killed in the helicopter crash, that 232 00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:38,560 Speaker 1: was the most listened to show that we did that year. 233 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:41,640 Speaker 1: We've done a number of these over the years. When 234 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:45,920 Speaker 1: people die in sports, A Hulk Hogan this year did 235 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:52,520 Speaker 1: a twenty minute monologue on Hulk Hogan, no gimmicks, no catchphrases, 236 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:57,680 Speaker 1: just a major tip of the headphone person that impacted 237 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:00,600 Speaker 1: my youth growing up as a sports fan. I was 238 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:03,880 Speaker 1: a haulk of maniac and I just a bunch of 239 00:16:03,920 --> 00:16:07,520 Speaker 1: respect for a larger than life figure. As I said 240 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:11,480 Speaker 1: in the monologue, it's like a cartoon character on Saturday 241 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:15,480 Speaker 1: Morning came to life. You'd watch he Man and the 242 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:19,000 Speaker 1: Cartoons on Saturday morning, and then after that they had wrestling, 243 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:22,120 Speaker 1: and here's hal Cogan is like, wait a minute. That's 244 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:25,640 Speaker 1: that's he man's it's what the characters coming to life. 245 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:29,680 Speaker 1: And it wasn't just for my generation. Haul Cogan loomed 246 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:34,840 Speaker 1: over multiple generations. It was like a bright sign on 247 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:38,960 Speaker 1: the highway there neon sign and so that one clearly 248 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:42,680 Speaker 1: struck a nerve and you could feel it through the wires. 249 00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:46,800 Speaker 1: You know there's something there. The biggest download spike came 250 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:52,600 Speaker 1: from an NBA story a trade, the Luka Doncik situation. 251 00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:54,480 Speaker 1: I want to say, I want to say trade. I'm 252 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:57,600 Speaker 1: gonna say a situation. You can't really call it a 253 00:16:57,680 --> 00:17:01,080 Speaker 1: trade between the mav Rex and the historians of purple 254 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:03,080 Speaker 1: and gold. It was not. It was a giveaway. It 255 00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:05,879 Speaker 1: was a clear and sale. It was a garage sale 256 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:09,600 Speaker 1: when the homeowner doesn't realize they have a picasso and 257 00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:13,120 Speaker 1: they're selling the picasso for five bucks and a handshake. 258 00:17:14,119 --> 00:17:20,959 Speaker 1: Whether this was incompetence, panic, or interference from the shadowy 259 00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:26,600 Speaker 1: cabal that governs basketball, whatever it was, it was radio 260 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:30,840 Speaker 1: catnip is what it was. The phones lit up, everyone 261 00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:33,879 Speaker 1: was all fired up social media. We just did a 262 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:38,800 Speaker 1: lot of traffic, had good sales, good sales on that 263 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:43,040 Speaker 1: particular show which happened over the weekend. It happened on 264 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:45,359 Speaker 1: a Saturday, I believe, and then we came in on 265 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:49,880 Speaker 1: Sunday and worked our magic. And then you've got the callers. 266 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:53,000 Speaker 1: Like radio does not belong just to the host overnight 267 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:55,160 Speaker 1: talk radio. During the day, they don't take calls. They're 268 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:57,440 Speaker 1: better than you, they don't like you, they don't want 269 00:17:57,480 --> 00:17:59,960 Speaker 1: you on their shows. But at night we take calls. 270 00:18:00,119 --> 00:18:02,959 Speaker 1: And radio does not belong just to me. It belongs 271 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:07,479 Speaker 1: to the weirdos, legends like Lucky, Tony, Jed who Fled, 272 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:10,159 Speaker 1: the kind of names that you do not forget, that 273 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:12,960 Speaker 1: you get only on late night radio. They feel like 274 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:17,919 Speaker 1: characters from some kind of dusty paperback novel that you 275 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:20,320 Speaker 1: were forced to read when you were in junior high school. 276 00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:24,520 Speaker 1: Weed man, hippie, drifting in and out like static on 277 00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:29,000 Speaker 1: the AM radio dial. But it's the human form. The 278 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:33,359 Speaker 1: awkward encounters that we have with e Dog from Long 279 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:40,000 Speaker 1: Island and Steve O in Manhattan, Marcel in Brooklyn, the 280 00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:45,040 Speaker 1: gambling conversations with a man who happens to have the 281 00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:49,600 Speaker 1: same name as a famous actor, Danny DeVito out of Boston. 282 00:18:50,720 --> 00:18:54,960 Speaker 1: Some of this feels like just performance art. You didn't 283 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:59,200 Speaker 1: ask for you can't not listen to. And there's some 284 00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:03,000 Speaker 1: regulars that couldn't handle the grind. It happens, they faded 285 00:19:03,119 --> 00:19:06,200 Speaker 1: back to the shadows. This year marked the full name guy, 286 00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:11,120 Speaker 1: Sir scratch Off in Arkansas. That's the rhythm, the yin 287 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,840 Speaker 1: and the yang of the overnight radio. People come, people go. 288 00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:19,560 Speaker 1: And I often look at this like graduating classes of 289 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:23,080 Speaker 1: a college. Like if you were a football coach, you think, 290 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:26,720 Speaker 1: remember that team we had in eight that was pretty good. 291 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:29,360 Speaker 1: We had Pete and Pittsburgh, we had Genie and Medford. 292 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 1: That was an all time great team. And then there's 293 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:35,080 Speaker 1: a new recruiting class and they come in and they 294 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:38,080 Speaker 1: make their mark, and so people come, people go. It's 295 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:41,120 Speaker 1: like it is like ships passing in the night, except 296 00:19:41,119 --> 00:19:45,359 Speaker 1: the ships are the unhinged, the unstable, many of them 297 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:49,879 Speaker 1: with their Obama phones hollering James, people along those lines, 298 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:55,639 Speaker 1: Blind Scott. And you have the social media gumbas, the 299 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:59,040 Speaker 1: legends like Alf and Fergdog, Late Night Drug Tester, Eke 300 00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:03,200 Speaker 1: and Roseville, Minis, Stevie, Meatball's Mister nice Guy, screwged all 301 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:06,800 Speaker 1: the regulars, and I'm leaving out a bunch. I'm leaving 302 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:10,320 Speaker 1: out of Ohio with the music, all these characters that 303 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:12,280 Speaker 1: are part of the show, and through it all, the 304 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:15,280 Speaker 1: show keeps moving on, and we have no time to 305 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:19,720 Speaker 1: sit there and celebrate, and not a lot of time 306 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:23,520 Speaker 1: to mourn. The clock does not stop. It rocks the 307 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:27,439 Speaker 1: Fox box and just another night, another take, another caller 308 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:31,120 Speaker 1: waiting on hold with some kind of theory that'll change 309 00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:35,800 Speaker 1: the sporting world forever, or at least at least make 310 00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:41,200 Speaker 1: it slightly awkward and uncomfortable for ninety seconds to three 311 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:45,199 Speaker 1: or four minutes. So when you email me and you 312 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:52,720 Speaker 1: ask about resolutions, about reflections, about lists which I loathe, 313 00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:57,879 Speaker 1: or accomplishments, you have to understand going into this, that's 314 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:02,320 Speaker 1: not how the sausage gets made. This thing is built, 315 00:21:02,359 --> 00:21:05,200 Speaker 1: whatever this is, is built in real time, call by call, 316 00:21:05,359 --> 00:21:08,320 Speaker 1: monologue by monologue, mistake by mistake, and there are plenty 317 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:09,320 Speaker 1: of mallad mistakes. 318 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:10,600 Speaker 3: They happen. 319 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:15,119 Speaker 1: It's a live radio show, and there's no January reset button. 320 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:19,560 Speaker 1: There's no ceremonial fresh start. We're not going to cut 321 00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:23,679 Speaker 1: the ribbon and begin anew. This is not like the 322 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:27,640 Speaker 1: NFL or the NBA where they have seasons. Is none 323 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:31,080 Speaker 1: of that. We are a year round shop. We are 324 00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:36,399 Speaker 1: open pretty much all the time, and that's just the work. 325 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:39,760 Speaker 1: And so on Sunday night into Monday morning, the red 326 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:43,920 Speaker 1: light will come back on and the blabbing will commence 327 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:48,400 Speaker 1: once again, and away we go, off to the races, 328 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:51,919 Speaker 1: now turning the page, having been away for a minute, 329 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:55,280 Speaker 1: having been away for a minute, the rare and appropriate 330 00:21:55,480 --> 00:22:00,240 Speaker 1: end of year tradition, trying to unpluck, trying to unplug 331 00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:03,720 Speaker 1: for one brief moment. Not only did I open the email, 332 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:07,840 Speaker 1: I made the mistake of going on the interweb. And 333 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:15,080 Speaker 1: what did I see? Big bold, self important headline something 334 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:19,720 Speaker 1: dot dot dot us soccer growing the Game, one hundred 335 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:28,400 Speaker 1: million dollars World Cup, windfall Soccer boom times developing hot 336 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:32,960 Speaker 1: dot dot dot. And right there I start laughing, and 337 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:38,159 Speaker 1: I mean like real laughter, like you just told me 338 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:42,639 Speaker 1: that the Jets are one quarterback away from winning in 339 00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:46,400 Speaker 1: one coach away. It's my favorite genre. 340 00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:47,040 Speaker 3: It is. 341 00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:53,879 Speaker 1: It's sports propaganda. I can't not notice it once I 342 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:56,200 Speaker 1: see it. I love the yell about it. It's triple 343 00:22:56,480 --> 00:23:01,359 Speaker 1: X rated it is. I call it soccer optimism, porn 344 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:09,159 Speaker 1: sop soccer optimism porn, soft lighting, cheesy music, everyone's smiling, 345 00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:14,919 Speaker 1: nobody asking hard questions. So, according to the story, thanks 346 00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:19,400 Speaker 1: to the upcoming twenty twenty six World Cup, US soccer 347 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:24,840 Speaker 1: is expecting about one hundred million bucks. That's going to 348 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:29,080 Speaker 1: be their share nine figures. So some CEO you've never 349 00:23:29,119 --> 00:23:32,320 Speaker 1: heard of, I don't know who this person is comes 350 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:34,720 Speaker 1: out and says, the goal is to make soccer the 351 00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:39,480 Speaker 1: most played sport in America. Drop the mic, most played, 352 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:46,680 Speaker 1: not grow participation, not incremental gains, not close the gap 353 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:49,960 Speaker 1: on the other sports. No, no, no, no, right to the moon, 354 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:53,960 Speaker 1: straight to the moon. It's like me saying my goal 355 00:23:54,160 --> 00:24:00,359 Speaker 1: is to deliver a hammered dunk by next Tuesday. Well 356 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:03,680 Speaker 1: that's great. I'm tall enough, got some weight on me 357 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:06,280 Speaker 1: and get a little older here. Now, keep in mind 358 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:12,200 Speaker 1: I am closer to dunking than soccer. Is the passing football, basketball, 359 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:16,200 Speaker 1: or baseball buy in terms of popularity in this country. 360 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:19,600 Speaker 1: And let me tell you something. This story gets written 361 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:24,040 Speaker 1: every couple of years, every few years, the same font, 362 00:24:24,359 --> 00:24:29,280 Speaker 1: same tone, new names. It's mad libs. Journalism is what 363 00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:35,880 Speaker 1: it is. Right insert tournament, insert executive's name, all caps, 364 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:41,320 Speaker 1: insert vague hope about youth participation, global. 365 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:44,760 Speaker 3: Game blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah 366 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:51,320 Speaker 3: blah blah blah, publish, repeat. It's the reboote nobody has 367 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:55,000 Speaker 3: for It's like a bad superhero movie that keeps getting 368 00:24:55,040 --> 00:24:59,639 Speaker 3: remade because this time they swear they've figured it out. 369 00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:04,359 Speaker 1: Now here's the reality they never want to address. They 370 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:08,359 Speaker 1: do not want to address the reality. Soccer in America 371 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:14,160 Speaker 1: has a ceiling, and that ceiling is made reinforced concrete. 372 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:17,840 Speaker 1: It's not made of paper mache. It's made out of 373 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:22,120 Speaker 1: reinforced concrete. That's the ceiling. Now, keep in mind eye 374 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:26,320 Speaker 1: of all people. My fat ass played soccer back in 375 00:25:26,359 --> 00:25:30,200 Speaker 1: the Bronze Age, and today I go drive around on 376 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:33,760 Speaker 1: a Saturday morning or a Sunday, kids are out playing soccer. 377 00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:37,520 Speaker 1: They've got these club team things. Now, back when I 378 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:39,600 Speaker 1: played it with the Ayso, but they've got these club 379 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:42,560 Speaker 1: team deals and they're off there playing. It's true. I'm 380 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:45,520 Speaker 1: not making it up. Little kids, cute little kids, six 381 00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:49,040 Speaker 1: seven eight year old kids, shintguards on orange slices. You 382 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:52,520 Speaker 1: got dad screaming, you got mom yelling right from their 383 00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:55,000 Speaker 1: folding chairs off on the side. They got their tent 384 00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:58,320 Speaker 1: with the team name on it. And then something happens, 385 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:01,600 Speaker 1: and it happens around the age of twelve or thirteen. 386 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:06,240 Speaker 1: It's called this thing called puberty. And it's a mix 387 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:12,960 Speaker 1: of puberty, video games, social media, highlights on demand, the 388 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:19,119 Speaker 1: allure of nil money, AAU basketball, seven on seven football, 389 00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:23,000 Speaker 1: and then you've got soccer. So soccer becomes the sport 390 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:28,520 Speaker 1: that you used to play, capitol you used to play. 391 00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:34,320 Speaker 1: It's a graduation ceremony. You don't quit soccer. See that's 392 00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:34,600 Speaker 1: the thing. 393 00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:34,840 Speaker 2: You do. 394 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:38,000 Speaker 1: Not quit soccer. I didn't quit soccer. I didn't. You 395 00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:41,919 Speaker 1: didn't quit soccer. You age out of it. Soccer is 396 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:48,160 Speaker 1: America's training wheels sport. It is You're being made. I'm 397 00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:51,800 Speaker 1: not being made. I'm being real. Nobody keeps the training 398 00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:56,680 Speaker 1: wheels on forever. You don't. You have them on. They 399 00:26:56,840 --> 00:27:01,000 Speaker 1: serve a purpose and that's it. And then you move on. 400 00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:05,480 Speaker 1: And here's the part nobody in these glowing think pieces 401 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:10,560 Speaker 1: wants to say out loud. Soccer missed its window. There 402 00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:14,800 Speaker 1: was a window of opportunity there and they blew it. 403 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:18,960 Speaker 1: If soccer was ever going to take over America, it 404 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:25,200 Speaker 1: had to happen before the PlayStation, before YouTube, before TikTok 405 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:32,720 Speaker 1: before in endless, endless entertainment options. It's just insane. And 406 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:36,760 Speaker 1: now you're competing. It's not just competition with the NFL 407 00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:41,280 Speaker 1: and basketball and baseball. You're competing with kids who can 408 00:27:41,359 --> 00:27:45,160 Speaker 1: watch Patrick Mahomes highlights in four K while simultaneously trash 409 00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:49,919 Speaker 1: talking their friends on a twitch thing thing of a jig. 410 00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:53,800 Speaker 1: Good luck, and you're gonna sell these kids. Hey, listen, 411 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:56,399 Speaker 1: I know you're having a great time playing the video games. 412 00:27:56,560 --> 00:28:01,800 Speaker 1: Can you please watch a zero zero draw? It's so entertaining. Yeah, 413 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:07,520 Speaker 1: so you're fighting Fortnite with shin guards. Good luck, good luck. 414 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:10,560 Speaker 1: It's like showing up to a gunfight with a water gun. 415 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:13,399 Speaker 1: Well you've got a gun technically, but it's a water gun. 416 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:17,280 Speaker 1: There's no bullets. And listen, In twenty twenty six, soccer 417 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:20,760 Speaker 1: will be huge. Let me repeat that for those of 418 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:22,680 Speaker 1: you in the back of the room a little slow, 419 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:25,200 Speaker 1: all right. It's the weekend, the beginning for us here 420 00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:29,080 Speaker 1: on this Friday. So soccer will be huge. Twenty twenty six. 421 00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:33,400 Speaker 1: Bars will be packed, They'll be flags everywhere. People will 422 00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:37,440 Speaker 1: be wrapping themselves in the flags. People who can't name 423 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:43,160 Speaker 1: a player suddenly they're experts, right, they're experts in this area. 424 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:47,160 Speaker 1: A genius is patriotism will carry the load like a 425 00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:51,320 Speaker 1: rented mule. But that's not gross. See, this is the 426 00:28:51,640 --> 00:28:56,040 Speaker 1: that is not growth. That's a pop up shop, is 427 00:28:56,040 --> 00:28:59,800 Speaker 1: what that is. Right, that's a pop up shop, is 428 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:04,840 Speaker 1: what that is. It's temporary fandom. It's seasonal interest, like 429 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:08,440 Speaker 1: pumpkin spice. Yeah, that's the ticket. 430 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:08,680 Speaker 2: Right. 431 00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:12,400 Speaker 1: Soccer is the pumpkin spice of the sporting world. It 432 00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:15,320 Speaker 1: comes around people pretend they love it because you're supposed 433 00:29:15,360 --> 00:29:18,080 Speaker 1: to love it because it's pumpkin spice, and then it 434 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:20,840 Speaker 1: disappears until next time, and then you do the whole 435 00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:26,120 Speaker 1: charade again, Right, the whole charade again. Just go on 436 00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:29,120 Speaker 1: and on and on and as far as one hundred 437 00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:33,960 Speaker 1: million dollars, that's not a cultural revolution. It's a scratch 438 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:37,720 Speaker 1: off tickets found money. That's a bonus check that makes 439 00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:42,080 Speaker 1: you feel good but doesn't change your life. And yeah, 440 00:29:42,160 --> 00:29:45,840 Speaker 1: you can build fields, and you can do this act 441 00:29:45,880 --> 00:29:48,200 Speaker 1: of charity, and that act of charity. You can fund 442 00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:51,480 Speaker 1: programs to try to get more kids involved in soccer. 443 00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:57,640 Speaker 1: You can hire some consultants who'll use words like ecosystem 444 00:29:57,800 --> 00:30:03,600 Speaker 1: and stakeholders and big, big words. And however, you cannot 445 00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:08,360 Speaker 1: force obsession. American culture the way it is does not 446 00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:13,280 Speaker 1: obsess over soccer, never has and likely never will in 447 00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:19,400 Speaker 1: my lifetime. And without obsession, you can't win. You won't win. 448 00:30:20,120 --> 00:30:24,120 Speaker 1: You just don't win. Soccer is a guest at the party, 449 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:28,720 Speaker 1: not the host. It shows up every four years with 450 00:30:28,840 --> 00:30:34,360 Speaker 1: a flag. It's got the Cape flag. Thing, stays for 451 00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:36,800 Speaker 1: a couple of weeks, then heads back to the margins. 452 00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:41,400 Speaker 1: And this isn't anti soccer. Like I don't, I'm neutral. 453 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:45,040 Speaker 1: I'll talk about whatever is popular. I don't care whatever 454 00:30:45,120 --> 00:30:45,520 Speaker 1: is popular. 455 00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:45,840 Speaker 2: I'll talk. 456 00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:47,040 Speaker 1: I have a talk show to do. I don't care 457 00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:50,040 Speaker 1: whatever people are into. It's talk rat it's broadcasting, not 458 00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:56,320 Speaker 1: narrow casting. However, this is reality. Soccer isn't failing. It's 459 00:30:56,360 --> 00:31:00,520 Speaker 1: exactly where it's always been. It's a niche sport with 460 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:05,480 Speaker 1: spikes of patriotism. It puts it. It's a niche. It's 461 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:09,720 Speaker 1: a sport that lives on the calendar, not in the bloodstream. 462 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:13,719 Speaker 1: The same people telling you this time it's different are 463 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:16,880 Speaker 1: the same ones who said that last time it was 464 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:19,000 Speaker 1: going to be different, and the time before that it 465 00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:20,920 Speaker 1: was going to be different, and the time before that, 466 00:31:21,840 --> 00:31:26,040 Speaker 1: wash rints repeat. I'm convinced that this is the sports 467 00:31:26,120 --> 00:31:31,280 Speaker 1: version of the Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain plotting world 468 00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:38,760 Speaker 1: domination every single night, and America just kind of nods 469 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:42,680 Speaker 1: politely and changes the channel to do something else or 470 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:46,640 Speaker 1: puts on YouTube, and God only knows watches Benny versus 471 00:31:46,640 --> 00:31:49,240 Speaker 1: the Penny, and that's that and then you move on 472 00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:53,600 Speaker 1: and there you go, and there we go. Have a 473 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:57,280 Speaker 1: wonderful rest of your Friday. We will have a brand 474 00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:01,719 Speaker 1: spankin new edition of this pot podcast on Saturday, and 475 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:04,320 Speaker 1: then Sunday that I should have the mail bag back. 476 00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:08,240 Speaker 1: You can send letters in right now Reel fifth Hour 477 00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:12,240 Speaker 1: at gmail dot com. Reel fifth Hour at gmail dot com. 478 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:16,280 Speaker 1: All letters, no numbers, and do that be part of 479 00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:20,680 Speaker 1: the fun there on the mail bag which will be 480 00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:23,719 Speaker 1: coming up on Sunday. But we'll have another podcast for 481 00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:28,640 Speaker 1: you on Saturday as we hang out with you and 482 00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:31,400 Speaker 1: for Danny g It's I Big Ben and we'll catch 483 00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:33,400 Speaker 1: you next time. Got a murder? 484 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:33,840 Speaker 2: I gotta go