The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Hour 2: Sir, Do You Know Where I Can Find A Bathroom?

Episode Date: February 17, 2025

Jarrett Payton joins the show to share his perspective on Dan's abject racism perpetrated against him in New Orleans. Domonique sticks around to hear the details of Dan's black facial blindness, whether or not Walter Payton actually wore socks, and being the captain of Greg's ship. Jarrett shares the deflating moment when he realized Dan, a man who's known him for 20 years, failed to recognize him. Will Dan apologize? Plus, Roy picks against America in Against the Spread, Rick Pitino tears into his players, and Mike wants to go back to Domonique's comments on the NBA vs. the NFL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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and on time each month. Rise to rewards with the BMO Eclipse Rise Visa Card. Terms and conditions apply. This is the Dan Lebatard Show with the StuGuts Podcast. This episode of the Dan Lebatard Show with Stu Gotz is presented by Venmo. This is mortifying. He is the former running back for the University of Miami, played in the NFL, played in the CFL.

He's the son of Walter Payton, an exceedingly kind and decent humanitarian. He's a sports reporter for Chicago's WGN9 News, he's the host of the Jared Payton show and he was on the wrong end of being looked at through my racist prism and stood behind some brochures while on the phone and because he's a very sweet, sweet man forgave me instantaneously but Jared, thank you for being on the show. Please recount this horror for a divided America. I, and again, I'm, and again, I'm sorry. You got, you got my profound apologies in the middle of the convention center.

I haven't quite shaken it off yet. Well, Dan, first and foremost, I appreciate you, man. Um, yeah, there was, well, let's, let's get into it. That was Thursday at Super Bowl. So the news that broke a Virginia McCasky passing got rest her soul. I was out doing a a hit back at home because we had NFL

honors that night. So TV back at home, you know, everybody wants you to, you know, my relationship with the Bears and also the McCaskys. They just wanted to get my word before heading off to NFL honors, give out the man of the year award.

So I had to find a place in the convention center where I could sit down, put my, my, my iPad up and, you know, talk back to Chicago. Excuse me. After I started to look, I'm watching you walk towards me as I'm getting done. And I didn't look where I was. I knew it was a table. I saw some brochures on the side, but I wasn't paying any attention. I was actually just trying to get my stuff done while loud people on their phones talking about nonsense, walking by me the whole time as I'm talking about Virginia Rokaski.

And the next thing you know, I'm watching you walk towards me and I'm going, took me back to Coral Gables, 305. I'm just like, holy cow, Stan Leventhal walking towards me. And he definitely, he knows, he knows who I am. Like he, he has to, he watched me grow up, you know, as a, as a kid, breast smelling like Similac in Miami and Coral Gables. I'm like, he knows me. Like, and when you walked up to be so gentle,

you're like, sir, do you, do you know where I can find a bathroom? And it was that moment where I was like, oh man, like, Dan, he doesn't know who I am. He has no clue. He don't know me. Maybe, you know, maybe I've grown up a little bit. Maybe I didn't have to fake diamond studs in my ear from when I was in Miami. Maybe. I don't know what it is. And I didn't know what to say to you, Dan. But I go, you know what, sir, just to let you know, I don't work here.

And you go, oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I said, this is gonna make it even more awkward. I'm Jared Payton. You're like, oh my gosh. Doing exactly what you're doing right now. You, it was like you saw a ghost when I told you this. Racist! Rejudging the racist. Jared told the story in a much nicer way than I remember it

because from what I understand, like Dan's blonde white wife was looking for a restroom and Dan walked over to the nearest African American and I don't think he said sir. I mean I mean, I don't know. I don't know. I feel like you roll you rolled your lips up like you're about to make a bee sound. Just a, boy, where could my beautiful- Did you say that, Dan? Those are not the same thing at all. You said that?

Sir is not the same as Donnie. You didn't say brother? You shouldn't say that, Dan. Nah, I thought he was gonna say brother. He said, what makes it worse is Dan knows him. Like, he is blind to all people who are not white. He just saw a black man and thought, hmm, look at this employee.

He helped me find a restroom for my swan. Jared, did he give you a tip? No, no tip, but I do gotta give, I gotta give Dan a little bit of slack here. No. Anybody that knows me knows that like sitting behind that desk, I think it's smiling to probably the way that I was smiling.

Like I probably didn't look like I worked there just a little bit. You know what I'm saying? Like I'm just a happy go guy. But I was more disturbed than you did not know of a Canyon member. Like, bro. Well, the 2004 Orange Bowl MVP.

Yeah, like, put some respect on my name. You know what I'm saying, Dan? Yeah, I mean, yes. Like, I had to play behind Frank Gore, Willis McGahey, Clint Portis, Najee Davenport, James Jackson, C**t, man, it just, you know. You were hard. Yeah, I apologize again.

We brought Dominique on. Yeah, you mentioned that. You mentioned it in an assortment of sounds. Do you have any other thoughts on this, Dominique? Because he is much nicer than you, but he doesn't get to decide for everybody what is and is not right here. Yeah, I mean, I think that we, Derrick's a really nice guy,

but we could have forgiven you potentially because he was behind the desk, but really what makes it so that it's unforgivable is that you know the man, you know him, and the fact that you go way back with him was not enough to swat away the racist goggles that you wear throughout your life. Like he's, he played for your team at your school.

Like you covered him. You wrote about him. I mean, David Deak, I didn't see his lips puckering up to say, but if that would have happened, this would be a whole different conversation. There would be a leaked video from the convention center, Jared Payton seen here beating up Dan Lebatard. The two would know each other from an interview previously in 2001.

Dan would have been busted up during the post fight interview like, I don't know what pissed that boy off so much I just wanted to know where the restroom was. I just had to pee pee. You said that I did. Yes, I did I Apologize again. I also this isn't I mean, I'm not gonna say it's not my only infraction here because since then I have come back to Miami and I have reported a morsel that what I remember from the conversation afterward, when Dominique was witness to all of this,

is that Jared came over and told us a story about his father and how it is that his father played. And Dominique's face, who he's a professional football player, was to be disgusted by what it is that must have done to Walter Payton's feet. I made the mistake of reporting that to Walter Payton's feet. I made the mistake of reporting that as Walter Payton wore no socks. Walter Payton wore no insoles. Insoles. Yes. Like he ripped the insoles out of his shoes so he could have a better feel and a grip. And I can only imagine

what his feet look like. But honestly though,ic, I'm going to be real with you. My dad took care of his feet. Like his feet weren't that busted up, but I don't know how he did it. There's no way that I could have done that. And we're talking about, you know, all the different surfaces he played on, especially at that hard Astro turf back at Soldier Field back in the day.

I just give him a lot of credit and a lot of those guys back in the 70s and 80s with the gear that they had and how they played. My dad was a real one, man. He was he was different. He pioneered from Mississippi all the way to the Super Bowl only so that his son could be mistaken for a convention employee by a man who reported on him. Like that man ran around and scored touchdowns with no insoles in his shoes. He's from Mississippi, Dan. You imagine what that man experienced? And now from his grave, he has to feel you

telling his son to carry you to the bathroom and calling him a boy. Missing his son for a brochure vendor. Oh, unbelievable. A noble profession nonetheless. Gain, not at all. That's not the problem. The problem is that you know him, Dan.

And also, I'll have you know that Dan was out here talking about him saying that he would play with no shoes or socks, he played barefoot. Dan is making up stories talking about Walter Payne used to run touchdowns barefoot because his memory is so bad, Jesus. Dan, Dan, I tell you man, as much grief as you're getting. Not enough.

Not enough. But you're still one of my favorites, man. I appreciate you. Class act. For all that you do, all that you do. You've been an OG in the game for a long time. I've watched you from a long time. You you get people like myself, but, you know, a glimpse of what it takes with the hard work.

If you put it in, you get a chance to be able to get what you want. And I see you, man. As hard as my dad worked to make sure that once we met our heroes, that they would give us a little bit of time. The fact that you almost calling me boy and then giving me a hug and taking a picture with me.

I'll take that. I'll take it. I'll take it. Baby stuff, baby stuff. Baby stuff, we're making our way. How did this end with Jared apologizing to Dan? Yeah, how'd you pull this off, racist? And Jared saying, I see you after I literally

had not seen him. But Dominique, if I may real quick, and thank you Jared, I will receive that compliment I am honored you are you're a sweet man man you're a sweet man who who descended from a man who was also sweet and I will tell you as ferociously as Dominique defends you now originally when we asked for your telephone number he sent me another black Jarrett, not you. He sent me the wrong black Jarrett.

So I don't know if that's racism, I need a ruling, but it wasn't. It wasn't. So Dan, this is something that I've been working on with my kids for a while. Take responsibility. Like this doesn't, right now, we're focusing on Dan improvement.

But what about- Trying to deflect the meat, take responsibility. What about- Have we addressed your racism yet? I have we think we solved it No, it's not solved because rather than take responsibility you're deflecting the responsibility to whom? I'm Another another black man. I'm asking and down racism don't call me because Because race is him. Maybe you understand it if I do some slam Dan

and I use the same word and put the inflection in the wrong place. Yes. Because racism, race is him Dan. Yes. Wow. What was the Jared that you sent us? Who was-

What's Jared Jack up to? Who was the Jared that you sent us the wrong telephone number for? And is that also racism though milder than mine? No, it was a black Jared. It's a Dad of a kid who's a really great basketball player actually who goes to my kid's school And I think his son committed somewhere to play one of the big schools But yeah, I they're they're both Jared's in my phone. I clicked Jared and sent you the wrong Jared, it's okay.

I take responsibility for pressing the wrong button. Jared, thank you for being on with us, sir, and thank you for always being so gracious. He's the 2004 Orange Bull MVP. Hold on, hold on, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. When are we gonna discuss reparations? Yeah, yeah. You don't get to just say, I'm sorry.

The wrong has been done. When is we going to negotiate some way to repair this situation? Reparations in this situation. Right, Dan? That's what you would pre-write. Why is Greg Cody howling like a hype man? Yeah.

I thought that was funny. I think you should Venmo Jared Payton a boatload of money right now. A boat, a whole boat. Damn right. Hold up, hold up, hold up. Why's it gotta be a boatload? Why's it a boatload? Why's it a boatload?

Why's it a boatload? I don't know. Why wouldn't it be a boatload? Dan and my people, like this is suggesting, like I don't know. I don't really mess with boats. That's how this bullshit started. That's right.

Jared. All this bullshit started on a boat. Jared. White man talking about getting on a boat. I ain't getting on no damn boat with you, Greg. You get on the boat. How about if I let you be the captain? What?

Let him? Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're allowing him to get on the boat? If it's my boat, you're saying it's my boat, I'm gonna let you drive it. It's always been your boat. If it's your boat, you let me drive it. That's the way kindness works.

I can't afford my own boat now. Uh-oh. This boat happened to be mine. I'm allowing you to drive it if it's your boat. No, no, if it's your boat, if it's your boat and we're having a nice excursion on the water and you say, hey Greg, you want to steer the boat or pilot the boat, whatever boat drivers do, then it's a kind

gesture. Kick-saving the boat. Thank you. I think you captain a boat or do you drive a boat. Steer? Pilot a boat. Full circle because Dan thought that Jarrett was a boat captain at the beginning of this story.

I don't think that was a kick-save. I don't think it was. I don't know. was a kick save. I don't think it was a kick save. I don't know. I'm gonna be honest though Dan asked me in that moment could I swim and I was kind of like... That's not true! That's not true! How would you do that? How would you do that? Come on! We would definitely be able to swim if y'all only put semen in the pools just because of integration you're racist. Yeah. Oh, what do you mean? Yeah? Yeah Yeah, what's in there? I think no it was a like in the south when integration happened rather than allow black people to swim in the pools white people decided to put semen and them and Made it really hard for people to learn how to swim

made it really hard for people to learn how to swim. Oh, race lessons. Also, cement. It's a ment. Cement is what he said. It's a ment. Oh, oh, oh. That's why I always go cement. Never heard cement said that way.

Yeah, same. You'll find cement on a boat. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Chris? Yeah. You don't like the way I talk? Well, his dad let you drive his boat, Dominique, so. Oh, lord. Hold on.

Hold on, Chris. I'm sure that that is a role that a black man would do just fine if it weren't for the Caucasian neptastasy that has got you in that seat. It's an odd thing to do with Jared Payton on the line. Yeah. No, it's a perfect thing to do. He needs to see this.

Going at Chris Cody for nepotism is kind of a weird bar. Hey, hey, stop it. Jared, quick question before you head out, which would you rather win, the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award or a Super Bowl MVP? I'd probably win the Man of the Year Award. It's the most prestigious award.

Liar! Is it right if I don't play the award? No, only reason why, cause I never got in the game to. I mean, most people don't know this about me, that I only played football starting my junior year in high school. So I was an all state soccer player, tried out for the national team when I was in seventh grade, eighth grade.

I was a better soccer player than I was football player. I just decided to jump over to football to try it out my junior and senior year in high school. So it wasn't winning a national championship to me on that team was special because of the guys that I was around at Reed, Andre Johnson, all those guys, I could name all the running backs that I was with. So really, it really wasn't to win championships.

It was, I was always proving myself to just to be able to play. Because people didn't think I, you know, you're not good enough to be here. You'll never make it to hype college. You never make it to the pros. So I just wanted to be there. I didn't know how long it was going to last. And I've seen that the championships and being on those teams last, but also being around this award and watching the guys that I get a chance to,

like Eric Armstead, who won this past this year, man, and Cam Hayward, how it elevates them on a whole nother level, man, that that right there, it just changes your life, especially for me, because giving back in services, what my dad taught me is the rent that we pay while we're on this earth. And you can you can win championships, but to be a good person and give back in your community and lead the legacy that you leave, that's what keeps you around forever. And that's why my dad's talked about the most. It's not not the football. It's what he the impact that he had on people. And that's what I that's what I struggle with most, not to be like him as a football player, but to be like him as a person because he was flawed. He had his flaws.

He wasn't perfect, but he lived his life right with his heart. And I think that's what's so special. So yeah, I got his replica right here. So you know what I'm saying? I just keep this one around for handy. So it's pretty cool that he got one of those. I got a Natty because he didn't get a Natty. So I think we cover all bases by if I got a chance

to be able to win that Walter Payton Man of the Year award. I'm really, really uncomfortable doing this. Yo, chicken time. No, you're lying. You're lying. I'm gonna be honest, I don't really feel comfortable. You would take the Super Bowl if you did. I feel like I don't wanna do this after it said,

yo, chicken time. His dad was a good man. He's not great, but he's doing it. He's. His dad was a good man. He'll be smaller than the guy's son, Amos. He's not lying. He doesn't lie. He's not a liar. Greg Cody told us. Greg, you think I look like the guy from Captain Phillips

when you said I could be the captain of your boat? Is that what we're saying now? That what we're doing? You think I'm a pirate? I'm a Somali pirate? Is that what you're saying now? That what we're doing? You think I'm a pirate? I'm a Somali pirate? Is that what you're calling me, Muse? What movie is that? My man.

Captain Cops. He got you there, pal. What movie is that? You think he watches movies. Jared, thank you for being on with us. Dominique, thank you. Appreciate the time, gentlemen. I'm sorry for everything.

It's all good. Just everything. I'll be looking for the reparations though. Can you send 40 acres via Venmo? Get that mule. Go Canes. Folks, did you know that sleep is one of the most important parts of recovery? Whether you're a pro athlete or just looking to crush your day, getting the right kind of rest is key. And that's where Sleep Number SmartBeds comes in. Since 2018, Sleep Number has partnered with the NFL to help elite athletes get quality sleep that they need to perform at their best.

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Stugats! He said titties and it just like shocked me a little bit. I wasn't quite prepared for titties. This is the Don Lebatar Show with the Stugats. ["Draff Kings Theme Song"] That's right, it's time for Against the Sprains! And it's brought to you by our friends at DraftKings.

DraftKings, the crown is yours. Roy, kick us off. USA versus Canada for the Four Nations Championship. Looking at the injury front, Austin Matthews with an upper body injury and the Kachuk boys both had lower body injuries. They're expected to play. Charlie McEvoy will not play. He has an affection from the injuries sustained versus Sweden. Kael McCarr is coming back for Canada. I think if USA neutralizes the speed of Conor McDavid and stops Canada's transition offense, I think it'll be a very close game. It might be

2-1 USA, so I'm gonna have to go with Canada, who's a one-and-a-half goal underdog against his friend. Against his friend! Against his friend! with Canada who's a one and a half goal underdog against the Sprint. Against the Sprint! You guys are bullying me! I'm saying to you guys, he's gonna win 2-1! It's a good bet though, he's right. You're laying some juice though. It's against the Sprint.

You're laying some juice on that. He picked Canada? Against the Sprint. To cover plus one and a half. I think it'll be a close game. Yeah, it'll be a close game. One and a half goal underdog. Over to Mike. I'm going to the Europa League on Thursday

I like the way that Roma have played over their last few games under Claudio Ranieri a legend of the game He's won the Premier League with lesser city. All right, and he's back at Roma and he's doing a really good job So I'm gonna take the minus one and a half against Porto in the Europa League Go States I would never do that. I guess the. I would never do that. I can't believe it. Against the spread, man. I would never do that. But they're gonna win.

I literally picked Finland last week. Okay. I do remember that you did do that. I wanna play some sound here for a couple of reasons. First off, I want you guys to give me the assessment. Dan Arlovski signing off of NFL Live. is he taking a long vacation because football's over or is he going to take another job? Does this goodbye say to you goodbye temporarily or goodbye? He's leaving ESPN as someone who hasn't been critical of some quarterbacks at least in part because he wants to work in the league

Again as accused by Nick Wright Nick Wright has accused him of this He's also Nick Wright who is being quite the media ombudsman, I believe, has accused Stephen A. Smith of going after Bronte extra hard because LeBron won't talk to Stephen A. Smith, which what's that? Like that's not. Well, that'll change once we get President Stephen A. It will change. You're right. We're not going to call him President Smith, right? President A.

Can you guys put up, please, the sound here of Orlovsky saying goodbye? You guys know this is the end of the season for me, certainly for RC as well. I'm taking a break. Won't be on TV for a long time. But I just want to say thank you to guys, Stephen A, Myles Shannon for a great season. Love being with you guys. I love you all. Never know what the future holds, but I'm taking a break and sure I'll see yous as well. So just want to say thank you.

Appreciate you guys so much. Appreciate you. We love you, Dan. That sounds to me like a contract that ends at the Super Bowl and he's just not sure yet. I think never knows what the future holds can be just an appreciation for being alive at the moment and saying I will see you in several months because you know I'm gonna be going away for a while and

don't take any moment for granted. He said I'll be off the air a long time that's more than several months. A couple years ago I had the opportunity to talk to Dan when he was at a similar career crossroads and he was very thoughtful about it and so just leaning off of my life experience I would believe what he's saying there and he's taking his time to focus on what his next move is. Do you happen to know or is that something? No, no I haven't talked to him this go-round. The other sound I wanted to play for you because this has been a startling reinvention. The fact that Rick Pitino now has and I don't know if they've lost

in the Big East recently but he was asked why his record recently was 12 and 1 in the Big East what he thought of that his response was how the bleep did we lose the one because Rick Pitino is now back in the game and they were losing this game at halftime and this is from Vice Sports and I think this is a part of something that Netflix is doing if I'm not mistaken here Here is Rick Pitino going maximum vampire coach at halftime of a game he's losing recently. Dig in and be a basketball player. Dig in.

Every time you miss a shot, you're game to flight. We don't care about your missed shots. Play defense. You guys keep blowing opportunity upon opportunity upon opportunity. You're like children with bad things happening. Instead of digging in and being tougher, you wilt. Where is your toughness? Where have you guys been raised that you're so weak mentally

that you just give up when something doesn't go right for you. Don't you know what adversity is all about? That's the f***ing game of life, not the game of basketball. You don't f*** it down when things go wrong. You dig it and you suffer. Your whole life's gonna be adversity. Learn how to f***ing deal with it. Wow. On the back of his jersey, like the college coach lording over the players, does that actually say pray? P-R-E-Y? I can't believe he's back toward the top of this sport. He's always on top of it. Whenever he's active, he's on top. Rick Pitino wins. And I, it's

kind of like a mixed reaction there. The the coaches are supposed to impart life advice. I didn't find anything wrong. Where we raised out when life gets Rick Patino adversity that he may have caused for himself. He digs deep. He gets tough and he rises back to the top. I thought it was good advice when he said, be a basketball player.

I think that's something all basketball players should be able to relate to. Yeah, that's true. Imagine if he said, like, be a hockey player. Really confusing. I'm saying, I mean, that's what we've been doing all show today. I would have actually asked the ball players be hockey players. If I may, there's one thing that Dominique said, like, I don't understand. Like we all just kind of went with it. The NFL showed you that

owners, management players down the line, they can all get on the same message and understand what affects business. And we're affording basket, we don't think basketball players can do the same thing. What are we doing there? We can't put the toothpaste back in the tube with basketball players as Coca-Cola and Jeff Bezos bend the knee.

The basketball players are too rich and powerful? What is happening here? Of course they can, this takes strong leadership. Be a hockey player. What I will say on that front is that after George Floyd happened, the leagues reacted differently to the player power and the leagues reacted differently in service of labor.

Listen to its players more, stronger stars with bigger voices, and as soon as Mahomes said something to Gadel, that then changed. These are two vastly different cultures, these two sports. The tight end is going to get the respect beat out of him by men like Patino on his way up the climb, and they may indeed take strong political stances but when Kaepernick did it Jerry Jones got him gone for forever that's not how that kind of behavior was received in

basketball by the leadership so you are talking about two different cultures and the one in football runs toward discipline more necessarily than the one in basketball because they fancy themselves the military in football so they're doing a different thing culturally than basketball you remember that in the bubble in basketball there weren't any football uniforms that had education reform on them in football it was end racism and that was gone in three years and end racism was only put there because Mahomes made it so.

I, guys, Roger Goodell dug himself out of it. Whatever the NBA is dealing with right now, keep in mind, Roger Goodell was dealing with people complaining about the style of play because it was bad at the time, Ray Rice and Colin Kaepernick. The NBA hasn't dealt with all those things at the exact same time to that magnitude, not once. And Roger Goodell turned things around. I will tell you one of the differences there. In football, some of the stars are white Americans

at quarterback. In basketball, it's the foreigners who are the white stars in basketball, so they're not the lead voices and stars and faces for your team One of them is a black league football is not looked at as a black league basketball is looked at as a black Understand but look at the last few MVPs. We haven't had an American MVP in this sport Like Europe has taken over the game I mean, I just don't understand what we're all why we're all throwing our hands up and saying well I guess I can't figure it out in the NBA. Guys, the numbers are the numbers. The arrow has been pointing down, not up. When the NFL decided to stop the Kaepernick thing, no more Nealander in the anthems, we're all going to get aligned in the name of business, their numbers increased.

But the difference is non-guaranteed money, guys on rookie contracts in the NFL that don't get endorsement deals. All of these guys are coming into the NBA with a different financial game plan and one that allows them to be individualistic, which is what we're constantly talking about in this country is a good thing. We allow the labor to actually gain power and gain individuality

and be able to kind of put their foot down on something. And yet what we want is to what? Suppress the labor enough to where they have to bend the knee? No, I don't want to suppress the labor enough to where they have to bend the knee. I'm just saying that there's numbers proving that they are not headed in the right direction. And you guys are just saying, well, that's their toast.

Like it is what it is. This is always going to be the power dynamic. They tried. I mean, the presentation of this All-Star weekend was terrible. The idea behind it has some legs. And the first year execution of it did not go as well as Four Nations. And we talked about the geopolitical things

behind that that allowed Four Nations to take off in the way that it did, in a way that might have been different otherwise. But the NBA is working on it. It's just they haven't found a solution, but it's the stage at which they are in the league. This is the thing that Dominique was bringing up, which is when they were first starting

with David Stern's heavy fist and really getting all of these guys lined in on one thing, it was because the league was growing and trying to get it to the place that it is now, something the NHL is trying to do. And like I was saying before, once the labor gets there, you're gonna see the exact same quit on these events. I just don't think that we can skip past

backlash, slash, slash, black lash, some of the things that are happening in here. I'm not saying it's just, Mike, it can be that. Let me cite you an example. It can be that, hold on, let me finish. It can be that and other things though. It doesn't need to be just that. It can be that and that the exhibition games stink

and that they've got a real problem with the players not playing because for example, it skates on this show when Stugat says that Luka Doncic isn't playing that much and he had more minutes last year than any player in the league like it's it's smearing everybody white and black this perception that the black league is is lazy we're we're workshopping here i don't think that there's a bad spitball here there are great explanations for it but let me give you an example in which business crossed platforms and barriers and everybody got aligned.

Because the NBA has shown you, they can do this. Adam Silver has shown you, they can do this. China, they did it. Because while the arrow's pointing down here, globally, the sport is still growing. They're looking at international expansion as all these leagues are. They're not just limited. Yeah, we're probably not going to grow anymore in the States. We can turn some of those numbers around, but our big growth

for our sport is internationally. They got the message on China. They can get the message with your efforts not there. Yeah, but they're not Chinese. The labor is not Chinese. The labor... The money, what? they're selling sneakers there Everybody got a board and decided yeah politics aren't good when it was China So I to say that they can't fix this to say that the power dynamic is just totally screwed because of the guaranteed contracts in it I've seen it happen a couple of years, but it's just the power in having the guaranteed contracts. When your money is secure in basketball,

it's vastly more secure than most of the money in football. Like it's, that's what real power is. Like that, to me, this is the natural evolution of everything that's happened in both sports. In football, the owners are still in charge. Basketball, less so. And we don't like that so much. Like, America doesn't like that so much. That sport, those guys, that voice, that power, that, that, the, the, the LeBron and Dwayne starting this

power with Trayvon Martin. Wearing hoodies, like that's what you've been watching for fifteen years. And now you can rationalize everything away by just saying, no, this has nothing to do with race, it's just that the game sucked. But it can be both of those things. Like it's not either of those things, it's allowed to be both. It's not allowed in today's America to just throw up my hands and say, no, race doesn't have anything to do with that. So we got Trayvon, George Floyd, Jonathan Martin.

Oh, wow. Who else did we get today? Donald Sterling. Donald Sterling, you made it. Hey, two Americas. Can't they just try harder? Hey there, wellness warriors. If you're like me, you've given a lot of thought

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