Micah's Read of the Week, Vol. 9
The Tim Donaghy affair re-examined, Joe Rogan, the dynamics inside a football announce booth, the Trump Aesthetic, Soup SZN, and more.
Hello, and welcome to Micah’s Read of the Week.
This is a newsletter filled with things Micah Wiener finds interesting.
Check out the introduction post here, and the entire archive of previous newsletters here.
Please, subscribe and share with a friend.
Micah Recommends: Whistleblower
This podcast is excellent. It’s more true crime than basketball. Delicious content about betting, organized crime, out of control behavior, the business of sports, and more.
In 2007, NBA referee Tim Donaghy was arrested for betting on games he officiated. It was the biggest scandal in American sports history, but it quickly faded from the headlines. Why? Because everyone in this scandal has something to hide. This isn't a story about basketball - it's a story about money, and a conspiracy that spans far beyond one referee. Sports journalist Tim Livingston takes you inside his eight-year odyssey to find the truth at the heart of the scandal.
Tim joined me to do a long interview about the podcast and the story on Mind of Micah. Part one is available now, and part two will be out tomorrow. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and you’ll get the episodes as soon as they are released.
Joe Rogan continues to be problematic
As we’ve previously discussed in this space, while I am a fan of Joe Rogan as a comedian and as a UFC commentator, I am not a fan of the Joe Rogan Experience.
Joe’s been in the news a lot recently.
He bought a new $14.4 Million house in Austin, and built a new podcast studio here. The President endorsed the idea of having a four-hour presidential debate on JRE. Joe also apologized after spreading dangerous misinformation about the wildfires burning across the West. The baseless bullshit he shared was considered so harmful to the public that the FBI was forced to issue a statement, saying it "has investigated several such reports and found them to be untrue." Despite the (very rare) apology, the original claim still remains in the podcast’s audio.
This, of course, comes on the heels of his new $100 Million deal with Spotify.
That new studio, objectively, sucks. As spelled out here, everything about the visual presentation is awful. The terrible red lighting. The poor angles. The unpleasing video from camcorders shooting an unnecessary 60 frames per second. Everything about it stinks.
But whatever. All of these problems can be easily fixed. And Joe got that big Spotify bag.
All that Spotify money might be a problem, but probably not for Rogan. A website called Digital Music News reported last week that a contingent of Spotify staffers are now considering a walkout or full-blown strike if their demands for direct editorial oversight of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast aren’t met.
Of course, Rogan has claimed all along that he will maintain complete creative control despite moving to Spotify. And it is likely that he negotiated this in his contract. However, during the transition of Rogan’s podcast episodes onto the Spotify platform, multiple past episodes were omitted. Those included interviews with good-for-nothing anti-Semitic pieces of human trash Milo Yiannopoulos, Gavin McInnes, and Alex Jones.
However, the nature of the JRE means there’s always potential for trouble.
Spotify’s management has also refused to remove a more contentious recent episode involving Abigail Shrier. Shrier, a Wall Street Journal writer and author of Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters, appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience in July and has drawn the most protest from the activist Spotify employees.
During the episode, Shrier sharply questioned whether extremely young women should be undergoing gender-transition operations, treatments, and therapies, while also questioning whether many of these women are genuinely trans or simply seeking acceptance and validation. That drew accusations of transphobia from a contingent of LGTBQ+ Spotify employees, who reportedly demanded changes in more than ten separate meetings with Spotify upper management.
Ultimately, Spotify decided to keep the episode intact after judging that none of the platform’s content guidelines were broken. That decision has apparently been viewed as a serious affront by the protesting employees, a group that is now discussing the high-profile strike or walkout as a next move.
Seriously tho, why does Joe care so much about trans people? He seems weirdly fixated on the issue.
Anyway, it should be noted the man who signed Joe, Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek, has backed Rogan in company-wide meetings. The deal is done. And, on paper, it’s a very good one for Spotify. I don’t see any real problems for Joe, other than some fans complaining on Reddit, and some disingenuous bozos complaining about censorship.
This won’t be the last time the JRE causes headaches for Spotify management. Buckle up.
Micah’s Reads of the Week
Meet the Man Who Makes Your Favorite Announcer Sound Smarter
This is a fascinating look at the dynamics inside of a football broadcast booth. Although I love sports and have worked in TV, I had no idea how many people are working inside the booth on a major network game. This story is about David Moulton, a spotter for Troy Aikman and Gary Danielson.
For decades, TV has peddled a vision of the booth as a pair of announcers gazing over the field. This is pure illusion. “It’s a working kitchen at a diner back there,” said Joe Buck. Every announcer in Fox’s “A” booth—Buck, Aikman, even Mike Pereira—has an extra football brain within arm’s reach. Additionally, Buck has a spotter, Bill Garrity, and a statistician, Ed Sfida, stationed at his left; a stage manager, a camera operator, and a makeup artist stand behind the announcers. All told, there are usually 11 people in the Fox booth. NBC’s Sunday Night Football booth has more than 20.
I’ve long known that play-by-play guys have spotters to help them identify players and yard distances, but I’d never known about spotters for color guys.
Moulton’s job is different than that of the spotter who helps a play-by-play announcer pick out which player caught a pass or made a tackle. That spotter, along with a statistician, is a standard feature of every football booth. But if you’re a top-tier announcer, you get a second layer of expertise, paid for by the network. Cris Collinsworth is joined by a computer systems engineer named Andy Freeland. In his final years at NBC, John Madden’s right-hand man was his pal John Robinson, the former Rams and USC coach.
When he stands with an analyst, Moulton isn’t picking out insights at random. Like a professor’s teaching assistant, he’s looking for the kind of insights his boss would pick out on his own. “He knows what I like to look for, what my hot buttons are,” Danielson said. “I don’t want to get too crazy here, but it’s like quarterback-receiver.”
Danielson said that being an announcer can feel like a comedian telling jokes to an empty room. Danielson can look at Moulton and see a fist pump or a shake of the head. “It’s someone having an audience,” he said.
The spotter also serves as an ambassador of sorts for fans at home:
A lot of announcers share a nagging fear. They will call a game well but miss something that sticks out to football fans on the couch. Fox and CBS have asked Moulton to be the ambassador to those fans.
During a game, Moulton might ask Aikman, “Why isn’t A.J. Green getting the ball?” Or he’ll ask Danielson: “That all-conference defensive end—why doesn’t he have any tackles?” That question can prompt the announcers to talk football in broad strokes. As Buck said, “To have somebody there to be that guy on your shoulder going, ‘Hey, Moron, step back and give the big picture’—that’s just golden.”
Go ahead and read the whole thing. Who knew?
From viral Best Buy incident to UFC security, Summer Tapasa on unexpected life change
Like his employee Joe Rogan, Dana White can be problematic. But on the whole, Dana and the UFC generally win more than they lose. They think outside the box. Unlike boxing promoters, they always make the big fight.
Sometimes Dana and his team do some cool stuff. This is one such story. You may remember a viral video of a Best Buy employee dominating a would-be shoplifter. Dana posted the video of the encounter on his IG, and then things really started happening for Summer Tapasa.
Due to Best Buy company policy, Tapasa was terminated from her job. White, however, rewarded Tapasa for her actions, and flew out her to watch Conor McGregor’s return victory over Donald Cerrone in the front row at January’s UFC 246 in Las Vegas. The trip also came with a job offer.
UFC 246 featured the world’s most famous fighter, Conor McGregor, facing Cowboy Cerrone. When the two fighters came face to face during the ceremonial weigh-in, look who Dana put in charge of keeping the peace.
That’s pretty cool. And it seems like things are going well for Summer.
Change is not easy, but Tapasa is happy to have taken the opportunity to work as security for the UFC. She’s especially enjoying the difference in management’s approach at her new job.
“My bosses compared to my bosses in Best Buy, they have my back and they even told me, if someone steps out of line, don’t be afraid,” Tapasa said.
The presidency has been swamped by the Trump Aesthetic
Look, Trump supporting readers of this newsletter, please don’t be mad at me. I’m not going to discuss the deeply-reported NYT story about POTUS’s taxes.
Just check out the lede on this story:
President Trump did not walk off the stage to “Hail to the Chief” after his first address to the Republican National Convention last month. His exit was accompanied by the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.,” a kitschy disco wink to cruising for sex, most commonly heard at wedding receptions that ended 35 years ago. The convention concluded three days later on the South Lawn of the White House with Trump’s formal acceptance of his party’s nomination, delivered against a backdrop of wrinkled flags that looked as if they’d been in storage for years. After the president’s speech, the Trump family turned toward the Blue Room balcony, where a sweaty opera singer heaved out “Nessun Dorma,” the opera equivalent of “Memory” from the musical “Cats”; Leonard Cohen’s ballad “Hallelujah”; and “Ave Maria,” which carries the aura of a funeral more than a celebration. The event closed with the more appropriate “God Bless America” and “America the Beautiful,” but the keyboardist biffed the intro to the first and the singer strangled the final note of the second. A blithering assault of fireworks followed, at one point spelling out “TRUMP 2020,” turning the sky itself into a scorched canvas for the Trump Aesthetic — which is now, it seems, the American Aesthetic.
This is a story about BRAND. And Trump’s brand is unmistakable.
Put aside policy and ideology for a second (difficult, we know) and consider only aesthetics: the overall look and vibe of Trump himself, his presidency, his reelection campaign and his fans’ support. Americans have been familiar with his personal aesthetic for decades: the gold, the braggadocio, the huckster superlatives, the reality-TV staging, the all-encompassing obsession with his surname. But for nearly four years, the Trump Aesthetic has clashed (or fused?) with the U.S. presidency, each marking the other with a stamp that won’t soon fade.
This is a great read that also dives into the aesthetics of previous administrations. Enjoy.
Recipe Corner
Soup SZN
There’s a chill in the air. The calendar says that Summer is officially over. Everyone’s favorite season is here: Soup SZN.
Here’s the thing: you know how to make soup. Because of this, I’m including the ingredient lists but not the instructions. Maybe you’re an Instant Pot person (I am!) or maybe you love using a big Dutch oven. Sweat some onions and garlic in oil, start adding everything else, and let the soup magic happen.
Tuscan Bean and Kale Soup
INGREDIENTS
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces pancetta or bacon, diced (optional)
1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 celery stalks, diced (about 2/3 cup)
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
2 bay leaves
Kosher or fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cups crushed canned or fresh tomatoes in their juice
3 cups cooked beans, such as cannellini, corona or borlotti (cranberry) beans, cooking liquid reserved (from about 1 cup dry); or 2 (15-ounce) cans
1 ounce freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/3 cup), divided, rind reserved
3 to 4 cups chicken broth or water
2 bunches lacinato kale, stemmed and thinly sliced (about 6 cups)
1/2 small head green or savoy cabbage, core removed and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
Spicy Carrot, Tomato, Chorizo and Cilantro Soup
NGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
8 ounces (2 links) fresh chorizo, casings removed
14 ounces carrots, peeled and cut into small chunks
14 ounces sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into very small chunks
3 ribs celery, trimmed and cut into small chunks
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 quart no-salt-added chicken broth
3 tablespoons or 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
14 ounces canned no-salt-added chickpeas, drained
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime (1 or 2 tablespoons)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
One last tomato recipe
As you’ve probably noticed, tomato recipes (and stories about tomatoes) have been heavily featured in this space. But since it’s Soup SZN, Tomato SZN is on it’s last legs. Here’s one last recipe to use up the last round of homegrowns.
Tomatoes Simmered in Olive Oil with Cotija
This one looks good and endlessly riff-able. Feta and mint would seem to work just as well as the Cojita and oregano.
INGREDIENTS
2 large or 3 small heirloom tomatoes (about 1 lb.)
1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. kosher salt
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ red Fresno chile or jalapeño, thinly sliced, loose seeds discarded
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
⅓ cup pitted green olives (such as Picholine), coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped oregano
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
1½ oz. Cotija cheese, feta, or ricotta salata (salted dry ricotta), coarsely crumbled
Toasted or fresh bread of your choice (optional)
RECIPE PREPARATION
Place a wire rack inside a large rimmed baking sheet. Core tomatoes by cutting out a small cone-shaped wedge from around stem. Slice tomatoes in half from top to bottom. Slice half of tomato halves ½" thick. Slice remaining halves into ½"-thick wedges. Set tomato pieces on prepared rack. Sprinkle on both sides with salt; let sit 10 minutes.
Cook garlic, chile, and oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium-low heat, stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, one at a time, into a snug single layer with little overlap (like filling a fruit tart). Leave out any that don’t fit. Scatter olives over top of and in between tomatoes. Increase heat to medium-low so oil is simmering very lightly, cover, and cook 2 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle oregano over tomatoes. Cover again and cook tomatoes until warmed through and very fragrant but not falling apart, 3–5 minutes more.
Remove pan from heat; set a platter that is the same size as the pan beside it. Lift pan and tilt so tomatoes, along with any liquid, slide out onto platter. Drizzle with vinegar and top with crumbled Cotija. Serve with bread, if using, for soaking up tomato juices.
Where else can I find Micah content?
Podcasts: Mind of Micah, Back Door Cover, Too Much Dip
Twitter: @micahwiener & @producermicah (Why two twitters? It’s a long story)
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