02x07 - Make Way for the Ballers

[bunniefuu]

♪ ♪

Bomani: rocky took seven

Punches in every movie that

Literally should have k*lled

Him.

Would that change your

Opinion about how tough white

People are in general?

Bomani: absolutely not I've

Seen science fiction before.

It's a bunch of white dudes out

Here I'm not trying to fight I

Want to be abundantly clear but

Not to where I think you can

Beat apollo creed.

Checkmate.

♪ ♪

[Cheers and applause]

Bomani: thank you,

Thank you!

Welcome to "game theory"!

One man's been dominating nba

Conversation this week and he

Never even stepped on the court.

Ja morant.

He's currently spending time

Away from the memphis grizzlies

While the nba investigates an

Instagram live video that he

Posted early saturday morning

And in the video, ja displayed

What appeared to be a g*n while

At a night club.

Head coach taylor jenkins

Told reporters sunday, there is

No timeline for morant's return.

Bomani: you are at a strip

Club, young man.

Be present!

Live in the moment!

Why are you

Flashing a g*n on instagram

Live?

Why are you doing anything on

Instagram live?

The only two things to come up

On ig live were verzuz and

D-nice.

Back in the day we used to say,

Nothing's going down after 12

But draws.

Now nothing's going down on

Instagram live but your net

Worth.

And what's craziest about all

This, it should be so easy for

Ja to win.

Because the nba and american

Basketball want him to win.

They need him to win.

Just take a look around the

League.

Now think of the stars under 30.

Now only think about the

Americans.

That's a lot harder than you

Expected, isn't it?

Now I imagine most of you

Thought about zion williamson

But he can't stay healthy.

,

And there's jayson tatum, but

The most interesting thing about

Him is that

His son can apparently just

Wander on the court whenever he

Wants and has no bedtime.

So yeah, ja isn't just the

Grizzlies franchise player.

He is the main young american

Superstar.

That's why this whole thing is a

National crisis.

And let me tell you one more

Thing I noticed.

The world has changed a lot

Since allen iverson was scaring

The pants off david stern.

Back then, the most prominent

Criticism of a.i.

Was that he was "a thug."

Now?

Ja's raising a ruckus at finish

Line and fighting teenagers, and

The knock on him is that he's

Not a thug!

We haven't called anybody a

Studio gangster like this since

We found out rick ross was a

C.o.

Anyway, call it punishment.

You can call it a mental health

Break.

But it's time for drama rant to

Chill no matter what it messes

Up for anybody else.

'Cause if he doesn't get the

Point now, he never will.

In other nba news, the mvp race

Has become less about nikola

Jokic, and more about...

Race.

What we've just witnessed is

The problem with the show.

Where we create narratives that

Do not exist in reality.

The implication, what you are

Implying, that the white voters

That vote on nba are r*cist,

That they favor white people.

You just said that you, yes, you

Did.

I did not.

Yes, you did.

That is exactly what you

Implied, kendrick perkins.

I stated the facts.

We all know what you implied

The other day.

We all know what you implied.

I stated...it's the facts.

It's the facts.

Bomani: whew, glad I wasn't

At the studio that day!

Pro-tip: if you're trying to

Make the argument that something

Doesn't involve race, it might

Not be the best look to talk

Over a black man on live

Television, tell him his

Argument was flat out wrong, and

Cut him off over and over again!

Let's be fair.

White people aren't always being

Racially biased.

But you can neeeeever be

100 Percent sure.

Acting like perk's crazy for

Bringing it up...that is crazy!

This is america, jack.

And yeah, perk and jj are just

Talking about the nba mvp, but

Chastising us for saying

Something might be r*cist, in

The land where racism was

Perfected?

That's how you get patted on the

Back by people I know jj redick

Doesn't want on his side.

Thing is, you can see where perk

Was coming from, even if he got

It wrong about three different

Ways.

You can understand why if lebron

James and michael jordan never

Won 3 mvps in a row, it looks a

Little weird when nikola jokic,

A white man with the physique of

A baguette wins 3 times in a

Row,

And the last time someone won 3

Times in a row, it was

White guy with the physique of a

Wet newport.

I see why somebody might

Wonder.

Even though the solution to the

Confusion is pretty easy--

Watch that big ornery sumbitch

Play.

I don't understand how that guy

Does those things, either, but

He does.

And that ends the discussion.

But the people k*lling perk need

To understand something...the

People who think folks like me

Talk about race all the time

Don't realize how much we let

Slide.

If I really did that, there

Wouldn't be no time on here for

Jokes.

Every episode would be like a

Public enemy album.

But guess what?

Sometimes, when we talk about

Race, we're gonna get it wrong.

And when we do, somebody should

Say it.

But not like that.

Not like white people deserve

The benefit of the doubt unless

You're 100 percent sure.

Not like a child got out of

Line.

Even if he is rolling his eyes

At you on television.

Speaking of things that might be

r*cist, the oscars are this

Weekend!

And if history is any

Indication, this year will be

Another celebration of amazing

Performances.

But we here at game theory think

There's some white excellence

That is actually being

Overlooked.

Welcome to the boscars.

Best r*cist performance in a

Sports film, and the nominees

Are point guard who knows all

Lives matter.

You think it's easy being on

This team, taking a backseat to

You every day?

We are the minority!

Apartheid ted lasso.

They let him out.

Remember this day, this is a day

Our country went to the dogs.

Aryan race, cool running's.

You have no business here,

You and your stupid friends.

Why don't you tourists go back

To where it is you came from,

It's upsetting to the real men.

Mr. Your skin is your jersey,

The express.

Here you go, peewee, put it

On.

I'm sorry boys, that's all there

Are.

Don't worry, the other team

Won't have any trouble

Recognizing you.

And finally, all two hours

And 9 minutes of the blind side.

And the award goes to.

All two hours and 9 minutes of

The blind side, a movie where a

Scrawny white boy teaches a

Black kid how to play football

Using food jars.

Congratulations to the blind

Side and all our nominees,

Because without these movies,

White people would think racism

Is a myth.

Bomani: tonight's guest

Turned six seasons in the nfl, a

Stint as president of the

League's players association,

And an mba from the harvard

Business school into ...

A podcasting career.

Give it up for questionable

Questionable career choices and

Domonique foxworth!

The ravens put the franchise tag

On lamar jackson, that means

That somebody else can sign him,

You and I both talked about

This.

We were sure he would stay with

The ravens because the ravens

Aren't stupid to.

I would like to say no, they

Gave me a big check I think they

Are a smart organization.

The thing that drives me crazy

And it happens every time

Somebody gets paid is I'm

Reminded how much y'all are

Haters and how much it disgusts

Me and the core of my being that

People are finding ways to argue

Why somebody who has overcome

Tremendous odds and that goes

For everyone in the nfl, why

They don't deserve a certain

Amount of money, why they

Haven't earned a certain amount

Of money.

It makes me so angry because

That's like the soldiers of

Capitalism.

Every player exists in a system

That already caps their wages

Where there is no other way

Place you can take it and the

League is a legal cartel where

Wages are controlled and

Suppressed.

You have a draft, you push

People different places and then

When a guy finally does

Everything he's supposed to do

And gets to free agency you're

Talking about what he deserves

And how risky a move it is.

Where were you when he was

Getting an mpp season on a

Rookie deal?

Were you mad then?

[Applause]

Bomani: there's another

Level to this, those five teams

It said they did not want him,

At least two of them literally

Do not have a quarterback.

And at least three of them made

A play for deshaun watson,

That's the part that gets me.

There's a guy that's available

But apparently he's nasty.

Nasty, nasty it's a problem,

He is probably going to be

Suspended-- what can we give up

To get him?

Lamar jackson is out here at 26

Years old.

If you don't want to believe

It's collusion give us a reason

It makes sense.

I'm looking for a reason.

How it does not feel like the

Attention is being paid in the

Right way.

We look at tv and we listen to

People.

I heard it on the train on the

Way up here.

People are like I get it, he

Deserves his money-- but

There's a risk.

Yeah!

It's football.

You know who is really taking a

Risk?

Lamar jackson.

When people argue against how

Much money is going to the

Players I understand there is

Some jealousy frankly what it's

Like I don't want the players to

Get all this money because I

Don't have it even though

They've overcome so much and

There's also the idea like what

Are they going to spend it on--

Chains and rims and whatever?

It good to, you deserve it.

You also have to understand that

That money is going somewhere

Else.

I know this from my personal

Experience.

I got my one big check and the

Market went in the tank.

My people, my family, sending

Kids to school, pulling people

Out of foreclosure, that is what

People like lamar jackson would

Do with the money.

Y'all fools arguing the

Ownership should keep the money,

They are not doing that!

Bomani: lamar jackson is an

Easy guy for me and you to get

Behind it so it's flip it up and

Talk about kyrie.

One of my homeboys used to

Say never trust anybody who

Talks with rapp hands-- if you

Could turn it on mute you would

Think he was spinning-- you

Know when the blades come out,

They are there to cut through

The bullshit.

And I appreciated that and I

Appreciate at no point did he

Say anything anti-semitic in

That rant, that's nice.

Bomani: every now and then

It happens with aaron rodgers

Also, it happens with kyrie--

Every now and then you've got a

Point and where he had it was

With the gambling.

He used the word "purity" of the

Sport and purity is a dangerous

Concept but the way we cover

Sports now and how so much of

This is emphasized around

Gambling, none of us got into it

For the gambling.

You might have one you got there

But the reason the government

Subsidizes all this stuff, it is

More about principle, not for

This is a place you can try to

Make some money.

What the tv people have

Definitely seen and believe the

Revenue is, giving you spreads,

Giving you over-under.

You're just going to guess and

Hope that you win.

None of that information is

Changing your life your guilt if

It was they would charge you

More for it to.

The facade that exists in

Entertainment is something that

Is necessary, we gain value from

And we don't recognize it.

When we pull that down and you

Start talking about cat minutia

And you start talking about

Getting the most out of players

And optimizing for them, start

Talking about can you win a bit

On an ancillary first down-- to

Me, that gets less fun.

It's fun watching barry sanders

Shake somebody all the way down

And get to the crib.

That's fun to me talking about

How you can get an edge and over

Under, it business the game.

Lie to me, I want to feel like

I'm watching a high school

Competition where their hearts

Are into it, you know how people

Used to talk about college

Sports?

I knew it was a lie I remember

When we went to the orange bowl

And we got back I had a sack

That said orange bowl.

My coach got a brand-new

Cadillac.

Bomani: dominique foxworth,

My man, thank you.

Once a w went to a baseball

Game?

I think four years ago.

Ten years ago.

Third grade to.

Bomani: that long?

Yankees versus oreos?

Bomani: the orioles.

We are talking about baseball on

The show can you think about

Ways the billionaire owners can

Make baseball better?

Make it more physical in some

Way.

Bomani: around second and

Somebody hits you?

Make it a little more

Contact.

I want to drink $2 beers, get

Hot dogs.

Bomani: you're from

Cincinnati you don't want to go

To a baseball game, is that the

Only thing you do?

No, no, we heroin--

Outfits.

Bomani: my favorite thing

In talking about sports with

People who don't do sports like

That is outfits.

Costume?

What is it called?

Uniform!

It's a boring game, it's

Slow-moving, it takes too long,

I don't know who any of those

People are.

Bomani: you're saying the

Problem with baseball is that it

Baseball?

What if you found out that

Baseball is something the

Billionaires can make better?

How?

Bomani: stick around and

I'll let you know.

[Cheers and applause]

Bomani: first thing I ever

Loved in this world was the

Atlanta braves.

Then I looked up one day and

Realized I hadn't watched a

Baseball game in ten years.

At some point, I just stopped

Caring about baseball the way I

Used to.

And it seems like I'm not the

Only one.

Fans love for the game

Actually appears to be at a low

Right now.

32% Of americans older than 45

Years old are following the

Game.

While only 22% of young adults

Say they are.

If you look at where the

Sport is right now, your

Demographic, essentially, is

Like 65 to dead.

[Laughter]

Bomani: little known fact,

65 To dead was the original name

For "the golden girls."

We've gone from "take me out to

The ballgame" to, I'm at a

Ballgame...

Somebody take me out.

Baseball used to be so huge that

Michael jordan was at the height

Of his basketball career like,

"It's waaaay more games to

Gamble on over here."

And now the game's about as

Important culturally as

Landlines.

But thankfully for mlb, a baller

Has come to save the day.

Billionaire hedge fund

Operator steve cohen is the new

Owner of the mets.

He is not only the richest owner

In baseball, he's richer than

The next three combined.

The mets are poised to

Destroy all payroll records.

In salaries and luxury taxes,

They'll pay out over $400

Million this year.

I have certain high

Expectations and if it requires

Me to invest in this club, I'm

Going to do it.

When I do something, I don't do

It halfway, okay?

When I'm in, I'm all in.

Bomani: scared money don't

Make no money!

That is steve, the owner of the

New york mets.

He's a hedge fund manager with a

17 Billion dollar net worth and

A connection to one of the

Largest insider trading scandals

In history.

He's also the biggest spender in

Baseball right now.

A famous rapper once said, 'i'm

Stanky rich, ima die trying to

Spend this sh*t.' That's cohen

In real life.

I really dislike steve

Cohen 'the businessman,' but I

Do really enjoy steve cohen,

Baseball's biggest trick.

But is it tricking if you got

It?

I never wanted to say these

Words out loud, let alone on

Television, but...

That man's a sugar daddy.

Zaddy if you will.

And the mets are his

Sugar babies.

The mets payroll this year is

Estimated to be nearly $500

Million after penalties.

That's 41% higher than the next

Team.

He's spending so much cash that

People began referring to the

Highest part of the luxury tax

As the "cohen tax".

You know what he said when they

Asked him how he felt about it?

"It's better than a

Bridge being named after you."

Talk yo sh*t steve!

All that was before he did this:

Just when you thought the

Mets couldn't spend any more,

Owner steve cohen said think

Again and bought a 30- second

Commercial during super bowl 57.

New york mets ticket center.

This is brandon.

In section 139?

Yeah, you can see my hair from

There.

Your tickets are confirmed.

Yes!

The closer.

Bomani: we've already heard

Of the mets, sir.

Steve cohen is trying to make

His team exciting.

But for some reason, other

Owners in the league didn't want

Him to buy the mets.

And it appears like they really

Want him throwing nine figure

Contracts at every baseball

Player that moved.

And why wouldn't they want him

To ball out on his team?

These other owners don't want

Steve cohen to make

Them look bad for being cheap as

Hell.

Which is exactly what he's

Doing.

Got em looking like they

Live off costco samples!

And they have no reason to look

Like that.

'Cause the business of baseball

Is booming.

Major league baseball is a

Really good business now.

It's making upwards of $10

Billion a year

I always thought baseball was

A dying sport because it's so

Long, so boring, statistics

Driven.

They're making record-setting

Money.

Football is over 15 at this

Point.

Nba is up to eight billion,

Baseball's at about ten billion.

So you're saying, here, on

National tv, that major league

Baseball is currently more

Popular than the nba.

Yeah.

The numbers prove it.

Bomani: baseball is like

Skinny al sharpton.

Looks dead but it's actually

Just fine.

[Laughter]

[Applause]

Almost 40% of mlb's revenue is

From massive broadcast deals.

'Cause for baseball, tv is

The real game.

Baseball is always on and people

Watch it.

From april until september mlb

Have your grandparents in a

Choke hold.

People are tuning in.

And the money they make from all

Their broadcast deals gets

Redistributed to the teams to

The tune of $100 million.

Which allows teams to make a ton

Of money no matter who's

Swinging the bat.

I'm pretty sure the orioles'

Infield is an extra from the

Wire, a pile of old bay

Seasoning, and two cops planting

Coke on cedric mullins.

It's all part of mlb's revenue

Sharing.

Which is just like robin hood,

If he stole from his fans and

Gave to the rich.

In addition to the broadcast

Deals, about 48% of revenue of

Things like ticket sales and

Murch is also distributed

Amongst the teams.

Which can add another

$110 Million to what they're

Already getting.

This is supposedly to ensure

Each team has a fair chance to

Compete for a world series.

But it's really socialism!

It's the type of thing that'd

Make fidel castro

Look down from heaven and smile.

But instead of spending this 200

Million on players,

Many of the cheapest teams and

Owners in the league are

Hoarding their cash.

They could be signing new

Players.

All that money, they could

Install heated basis.

They could even have versace t

Shirt cannons.

They got it like that!

'Cause in any given year, about

Half the teams earn more money

From revenue sharing than they

Spend on payroll.

There's 14 teams right now

Across the league.

They have a payroll under $100

Million.

You mean to tell me--

Those teams they have the money

To pay their players.

They're just choosing not to.

Some of these owners are just

Not competitive and I would

Totally agree with that by the

Way they're spending.

You can look at the numbers and

You can tell that.

Bomani: in a sport without a

Salary cap, more revenue than

Ever, and teams making a

Guaranteed $200 million a year,

Baseball should be ripe for

Owners blowing money.

But instead, there's a bunch of

Chumps in the league being

Stingy.

They're doing what they always

Accused poor people of doing.

Being lazy and taking a free

Ride on the system.

It's like white sox owner jerry

Reinsdorf is a

Welfare king pulling up in his

Cadillac outside the social

Services building.

Woodgrain kitted, sitting on

Twenty-fours, rims just

Spinning.

Rich franchises aren't ruining

Baseball.

Cheap a*s, broke boy owners who

Are spending under the league

Average on payroll are.

Despite being billionaires.

Let's call out some names!

I'm talking to you,

Guardians owner larry dolan.

Witcho stingy a*s.

I'm talking to you, nationals

Owner, mark lerner.

Hanging out the passenger side

Of his best friend's ride.

Scrub looking boy.

And don't forget pirates owner

Bob nutting...

Looking like he's heard that

Joke about his last name before.

[Laughter]

[Applause]

Y'all are the ones hurting the

Game with your bank accounts

That say wealthy, but actions

That say gofundme.

That's why I say it's time for

You to get the hell out of the

Way.

Make room for some ballers like

Our man steve cohen.

He's got exactly the type of

Rubberband man energy baseball

Has been missing.

And he's just doing what you're

Supposed to do when you're a

Billionaire owner of a sports

Team.

He's giving the fans something

To be excited about.

And most importantly, making it

Rain like anyone who's ever

Shopped at target on an edible.

And that's why mets fans and

Mets players actually seem to

Like him.

The cohens have been nothing

But family to us.

I think that's something harder

To find throughout the league

With ownership.

It's not just, you know,

An investment of his, this means

A lot to him.

What more could you what more

Could you want from an owner as

A player than that?

He's gonna do whatever it

Takes to win, that's music to my

Ears.

I don't know if you follow

Animal shows at all.

The snake sheds its skin.

It's like molting.

We have shedded ourselves of the

Wilpons' skin.

[Laughter]

Bomani: I didn't know they

Let craig carter watch animal

Planet in prison.

I said that!

[Laughter]

Now, one thing you always hear

From scrub owners is that they

"Can't compete with the large

Market teams to sign the best

Players."

But look at what's happening in

Small market san diego.

It is unbelievable the amount

Of money the san diego padres

Are spending, a team that not

Long ago was built on the waiver

Wire and the rule 5 draft.

In 2023, the payroll is going

To be north of $250 million.

They have opened up the

Checkbook and while it cannot be

Sustainable perhaps forever, if

You win now and you win soon,

I'd say it's money well spent.

Bomani: what'd I tell you!

Scared money don't make no

Money!

Dude I love this.

Peter seidler is putting the

Other cheap a*s owners to shame.

He's not worth $17 billion.

He doesn't live in new york

City.

But he's still chucking 280

Million at xander bogaerts.

Who might be the 4th best

Shortstop on their team!

And he went even further than

That with his other moves.

They have a 10-year contract

With manny machado.

They have a 14-year contract

With fernando tatis, jr.

For $340 million.

They now have an 11-year

Contract for $289 million to

Xander bogaerts.

You could put it all together,

Almost one billion dollars in

Salary to three players.

Bomani: first time a white

Man in california got three

Latinos to work on his lawn and

Actually paid a fair wage.

Point is, small market teams

Have no excuse not to ball like

The big boys.

If the padres owner can offer

Aaron judge a $400 million

Dollar contract

That means you can ball too,

Cincinnati.

You too, baltimore.

Pittsburgh, detroit, oakland,

Kansas city.

Come off it!

Floss a little!

Make it rain on your city!

Now I know, maybe you're

Wondering: why tell rich people

To blow money on something silly

Like a baseball team.

They should spend their money on

Paying their taxes, or ending

Homelessness, or solving world

Hunger.

f*ck outta here.

They ain't doing that.

This is as close as they'll come

To giving back.

But I do have one weapon on my

Side: shame.

'Cause one thing really rich

People hate is when you act like

They're not really rich.

So maybe, just maybe, I can

Shame these one-ply tissue

Buying deadbeat dads into

Getting 87 wins and a wild card

Berth.

And that maybe is key.

The mets aren't guaranteed to

Win anything just 'cause cohen

Is spending money like mr. Met's

Got a g*n to his head.

But what it does do is make

Baseball a lot more lit!

And a lot more interesting!

Which is something the game

Desperately needs.

That is our show, thank you so

Much for watching.

And for anyone who thinks I was

Capping on tonight's episode,

Just remember

It's the facts!

[Laughter]

Bomani: goodnight!

[Cheers and applause]

What could they sh**t out of a

T-shirt cannon to make you go to

A baseball game?

May be a t-shirt that said I

Went to a baseball game.

Red bulls?

Bomani: like a full can?

I need some energy.

Weed.

Let's go all in.

May be pigs in a blanket?

Bomani: if they shot pigs

In a blanket out of a t-shirt

Cannon?

People would fight over those

They would fight over that more

Than they fight over t-shirts

And I've seen people fight over

T-shirts.

What happened?

Bomani: a fight.

This whole episode is about

Baseball?

Bomani: kind of.

Bomani: you're not going to

Watch it are you?