It Takes Gall to Be a Winner |
St. Gall, as we all know, is an Irish cheese deriving its name from... Saint Gall, an Irish monk who helped spread Christianity to western Europe. It's got a subtle, sweet-and-sour taste and will make you a believer. Just like today's cheddlines about the sport of basketball! I still can't believe we interviewed NBA Commish Adam Silver. —Matt Davis, Need2Know Chedditor |
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"When a news story breaks, you don't necessarily want to hear all this amplification of users that are tilted toward one side." — Christopher Zara |
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1. Exclusive: NBA Chief on the League's Plan for World Domination |
I wish I could say I wasn't star-struck by this interview, but I literally live in the United States because I used to videotape NBA games on Channel Four in England when I was growing up. Watching Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman play for the Chicago Bulls was so at-odds with the stifling suburban boys' school I spent my time low-key dominating with an iron-fist, and a flame was lit. Now I live in New York, where the Knicks are, broadly speaking, competitive again. I used to live in Oakland when the Golden State Warriors won the championship. It was a huge deal. The NBA is huge. And we spoke with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. This is also a huge deal!
He gave us an exclusive glimpse into the league's ambitious plans for global expansion, its unparalleled success on social media, and its plans to partner with Amazon for streaming. Silver emphasized the NBA's focus on international growth, highlighting the Gulf region and Mexico City as key target markets. He cited the regions' young demographics, burgeoning interest in basketball, and potential as hubs for further expansion.
"There's a sense of innovation, a sense of growth [in the Gulf region]," Silver said. "It feels very similar to where the NBA sees itself in the sports ecosystem."
On Mexico City, Silver said: "22 million people, largest city in North America, 130 million people in Mexico, a gateway to Latin America and a large Hispanic U.S. population...both in terms of interest and potentially as a business matter, it would be a big winner."
Don't hold your breath for a Seattle Supersonics revival, in other words. The NBA's social media presence has exploded, surpassing the combined following of the NHL and MLB. Silver said it's down to the league's young fanbase and global appeal.
"We have more social media traffic than any time in our history," Silver said. "There's something like 2 billion people on a planet of 8 billion who connect with the NBA in some way."
That's almost as many people as read this newsletter. And the NBA's collaboration with Amazon Prime Video for Thursday night games can offer a new viewing experience, he said.
"Companies like Amazon... as they begin to innovate and think, 'Alright, now this is in essence Internet television,' we can customize telecasts for people who are hardcore fans...for people who are just learning the game," Silver said.
The second annual In-Season Tournament, now called the Emirates NBA Cup is currently underway. Silver says the tournament generates excitement during the regular season, and it also creates a more competitive environment. Last year, of course, it was a way for the Lakers to win something before they flamed out in the playoffs. Maybe this year it'll do the same for the Warriors?
Silver envisions the NBA as a global brand on par with iconic companies like Apple and Starbucks. He emphasized the league's commitment to reaching fans worldwide and expanding its cultural influence.
"We compare ourselves...to the biggest brands in the world," Silver said. "We're after soccer. We're the number two sport in the world and most likely the fastest growing sport in the world."
I wish I could be cynical about it, but the NBA is one of the greatest things in the world and it gives us all hope when things are otherwise…not great. Don't forget the WNBA, either, because that's incredibly watchable and growing hugely fast, too. Basketball! Read More |
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2. Moo Deng Now Has a Song in Four Languages |
Thailand's adorable four-month old pygmy hippo now stars in her very own song, the imaginatively titled "Moodeng Moodeng," created by Thai composer Mueanphet Ammara, with lyrics in four languages: Thai, English, Chinese, and Japanese.
"Moo Deng Moo Deng, boing boing boing / Mommy mommy, play with me," go the scintillating lyrics in (checks notes) English. We presume the Chinese, Japanese, and Thai lyrics are similar.
Since Moo Deng's big reveal by Khao Kheow Open Zoo just a month ago, she has hippoed straight into stardom. Her name, translating into "bouncy pork" — a popular Thai noodle soup component — is a playful representation of her energetic personality.
Some 5,000 people a day are now driving two hours from Bangkok to see the bouncy pork, if you catch my drift. There are also 2,000 other animals in the zoo, most of them now renamed "chopped liver" after how they feel they're being treated. Read More |
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| Volkswagen's new Emergency Assist feature could be a game changer in the game of saving lives.
If the system detects no steering input for 20 seconds, it sends a reminder for the driver to re-engage. If there's still no response, the car activates small jolts through the brakes and seatbelt to alert the driver. If that doesn't work, Emergency Assist completely takes over, pulling the car to the side, turning on hazard lights, and honking the horn. If you hit a truck in the first 19 seconds, of course, then you're all out of luck. |
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3. Conan O'Brien to Host the 2025 O'scars |
The 2025 Oscar awards have found their host: Conan O'Brien will take center stage at the 97th Academy Awards ceremony. The selection marks his debut as the master of ceremonies at the prestigious event after Jimmy Kimmel handled it for the last two years.
Following the announcement, O'Brien wrote on Twitter: "America demanded it and now it's happening: Taco Bell's new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I'm hosting the Oscars."
The ceremony is slated for March 2, and at 61, O'Brien is no stranger to the spotlight. His resume boasts multiple stints as a late-night talk show host, with shows such as "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien," and perhaps most imaginatively of all, "Conan." He also wrote for "Saturday Night Live" and "The Simpsons" and has hosted the Emmy Awards twice and the MTV Movie Awards.
The decision to hand him the Oscar hosting baton comes after both Kimmel and comedian John Mulaney reportedly declined the offer, with notable celebrities like Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, and Dwayne Johnson also having been in the running. In other words, Conan was in line, and he didn't say no. Sometimes that's all it takes, people. Read More |
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4. Are Elon Musk's Politics Pushing People to Join Bluesky? |
Yes. Christopher Zara, senior editor at Fast Company, joined us to discuss the current state of X and why Elon Musk may be the reason people are joining Bluesky. Twitter has seen a significant exodus of users since Musk spent $200 million to get Donald Trump elected.
"2.5 million people have joined BlueSky in the last week, which is basically when the election happened," he said. This rapid adoption could be indicative of a "network effect," where the platform's appeal grows exponentially as more users join. However, he also acknowledged a simultaneous surge in traffic on X (formerly Twitter), particularly surrounding election-related news.
Zara has observed a distinct shift in Twitter's content and user base since Musk's acquisition. The platform, he argues, has become increasingly tilted toward pro-Trump, right-wing content. The shift was exacerbated by Musk's public endorsement of Trump and his active amplification of pro-Trump voices. The implications of this shift are profound. As Zara said: "When a news story breaks, you don't necessarily want to hear all this amplification of users that are tilted toward one side."
This partisan slant has made it increasingly difficult for users to sift through the noise and find reliable, unbiased information on Twitter. While still in its early stages, BlueSky offers a glimmer of hope for those seeking an alternative to Twitter's increasingly polarized environment. Zara, an early adopter of the platform, praised its potential for real-time news gathering and curation. However, he also cautioned against premature optimism, noting that "it's still going to be tough" for any platform to replicate Twitter's massive user base and established network effects.
Twitter is worth less than one three hundredth of Elon Musk's net worth. He doesn't care if it tanks. He didn't buy it because he wanted it to be successful. He bought it because he wanted to be more powerful, and by all accounts, that worked. Read More |
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5. Trump Picks RFK Jr. for 'Health' Secretary |
President-elect Donald J. Trump is trolling me, personally. That's what I've started to think as he rolls out increasingly controversial appointments. It's almost like he only ran for president to solve his legal troubles, but what kind of billionaire would be that crazy-pants?
Trump now wants Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to run health in the United States. Given that he's a vaccine critic and has other, let's say, unconventional medical views, public health officials and experts are…uneasy.
"Unfortunately, viruses don't pay attention to the political cycles," Dr. Mandy Cohen, the C.D.C. director, said this week.
Kennedy has spread false information about vaccines, including that they cause autism. Purely theoretically, if I had a child with autism, I'd be furious about all this. He has also embraced raw milk, despite the Food and Drug Administration's warning that drinking it is risky. If I'd recently had salmonella, which I did, I'd also be like, "WTF."
RFK has also promoted hydroxychloroquine, a drug whose emergency authorization as a Covid-19 treatment was revoked by the FDA after a study found it did not work. (Can you believe they pull drugs off the market simply for not working?) And he dumped a dead bear in Central Park for a "joke." Kennedy's stances put him in conflict with the very public health institutions he's set to lead. The Health and Human Services Department employs 80,000 people and oversees a breadth of critical health programs. Critics say Kennedy's selection is catastrophic.
The department's agencies regulate the food and medicine that Americans—who are known to consume food and enjoy health care—encounter in their daily lives. They decide whether Medicare and Medicaid will pay for drugs and hospital treatments. They guard against infectious disease and conduct medical research into cancer and Alzheimer's. If I had a mom with Alzheimer's, which I do, I'd be like, "Bruh." Read More |
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