Latest / Culture Brief - Christian perspectives on the week's biggest news, sports & pop-culture stories / Troops in US cities, popularity of sports betting, China's military parade & the NFL is back! | Ep. 35

Transcript

Troops in US cities, popularity of sports betting, China's military parade & the NFL is back! | Ep. 35 · Culture Brief - Christian perspectives on the week's biggest news, sports & pop-culture stories

0:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Hi, I'm Connor Jones.
0:04
[SPEAKER_00]: My name is Mike Atama Sella.
0:06
[SPEAKER_01]: And this is Culture Brief, a Dinnison Foreign Podcast where we are navigating the constant stream of top stories and news, politics, sports, pop culture, and so much more and we're doing it all from a Christian perspective.
0:17
[SPEAKER_01]: And Mike, man, it's been a crazy week.
0:19
[SPEAKER_01]: It was a long, Labor Day weekend.
0:21
[SPEAKER_01]: So we got a lot to catch up on.
0:22
[SPEAKER_01]: What are we gonna hit on today?
0:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, man.
0:25
[SPEAKER_00]: We got a lot going on.
0:26
[SPEAKER_00]: So we've got troops in American cities, the dangerous rise of sports betting, the return of the NFL, and so much more.
0:33
[SPEAKER_00]: So let's jump into the brief.
0:38
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, Connor Jones.
0:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's talk about troops in American cities.
0:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I think this story has been big.
0:44
[SPEAKER_00]: I think we've kind of had a couple new cycles here where there's just been several somewhat big news stories.
0:49
[SPEAKER_00]: But this has been kind of dwelling in the background.
0:51
[SPEAKER_00]: We have talked about what happened in California when Trump's sin in the national guard there with the riots that were taking place or just the different protests that were happening.
1:00
[SPEAKER_00]: But this is kind of a continuation with what's happened in DC, but DC's a federal city.
1:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Completely different states completely different cities.
1:10
[SPEAKER_00]: So you start getting into states riots and you start getting into all of these different legal implications of this When there is crime and there is crime issues and so we have to kind of navigate this Let's talk about what's going on.
1:20
[SPEAKER_00]: So this summer America watched something what I would call is unusual President Trump deployed over 800 national guard troops and federal officers into Washington, D.C.
1:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Arguing it was necessary to get crime under control so I'm just kind of painting a picture
1:35
[SPEAKER_00]: He's also threatened to send similar forces into other cities, including Chicago, Baltimore, New York, and San Francisco, places with higher crime rates, specifically violent crime rates, but also places that do have for the most part liberal state governments and city governments, okay?
1:53
[SPEAKER_00]: So there is some partisan play in this as well.
1:56
[SPEAKER_00]: So let me give some historical context real quick.
1:58
[SPEAKER_00]: I won't try to bore you.
1:59
[SPEAKER_00]: The United States is long, separated, military, and civilian policing.
2:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Connor, the posse comitatus act, is that right?
2:12
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know, okay.
2:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, that's second word kind of confuses me, but that was passed in 1878.
2:17
[SPEAKER_00]: It prohibits domestic military enforcement with rare exceptions under what's called the insurrection act.
2:23
[SPEAKER_00]: That law has been used in moments of crisis like,
2:27
[SPEAKER_00]: de-segregation in Arkansas under President Eisenhower, and then it was used again in 1992 in the Los Angeles riots under President George H.W.
2:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Bush.
2:37
[SPEAKER_00]: So we haven't seen something like that since.
2:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Earlier this year, Trump ordered troops into L.A.
2:41
[SPEAKER_00]: during protest against ICE.
2:43
[SPEAKER_00]: California's governor, ejected governor Newsom.
2:47
[SPEAKER_00]: and a federal judge recently actually ruled that that deployment violated this same act that was passed in 1878 that ruling does go into effect in September 12th as of now they're giving the Trump team Trump administration time to appeal that so you know we'll see what happens there this continues to happen alone or kind of rogue I'm not going to call it rogue but it's federal judges a lot of federal judges and the majority of these federal judges do have political leanings and so it's really hard
3:13
[SPEAKER_00]: to kind of comb through this.
3:15
[SPEAKER_00]: And so if a federal judge brings something up and then the Trump administration fights back, then it eventually makes its way to the Supreme Court, and then a final decision is made.
3:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Those things take time though.
3:25
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, we'll see how that plays out.
3:28
[SPEAKER_00]: And Washington, DC, the situation's more complex.
3:32
[SPEAKER_00]: scholarly data shows that as of June 2025, the homicide rate had dropped 65% from its 2023 peak.
3:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Homicides fell 32% from 2023 to 2024.
3:39
[SPEAKER_00]: So they were higher in 2023, they dropped from 2023 to 2024.
3:41
[SPEAKER_00]: So they were already dropping.
3:42
[SPEAKER_00]: And then they had dropped another 12% so far in 2025 from those numbers.
3:56
[SPEAKER_00]: violent crime overall in 2024 was down 35% the lowest it's been in 30 years.
4:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Other categories show dramatic declines too.
4:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Like aggravated assaults have dropped 65% gun assaults dropped 61%.
4:12
[SPEAKER_00]: sexual assaults dropped 80% robberies dropped 74% car jacking 75% motor vehicle theft his drops 50% this year and larceny is dropped 43% so just giving numbers of there has been some real numbers that have come out since Trump sent some troops into DC to patrol the streets crime has dropped now you know actually what was interesting i'm gonna get into to the pros and cons of this i was just reading the wall street journal editorial board this morning
4:37
[SPEAKER_00]: And it was this really interesting article, I don't remember the name of it, but it was basically, hey, there's clearly a crime problem in DC and then some of these other cities.
4:46
[SPEAKER_00]: But there's also an issue of government overreach and there's only so much that the law will allow Trump to do.
4:52
[SPEAKER_00]: So crime is an issue.
4:54
[SPEAKER_00]: but we also have to balance that with what the president and what the administration actually has the legal capability to do.
5:01
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's the bad thing that we're trying to strike.
5:02
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's what a lot of people are calling out.
5:04
[SPEAKER_01]: And to be honest, this has been like a complete win for Trump and his team because it's just visually very powerful to see troops on the ground in a federal district.
5:12
[SPEAKER_01]: This DC has its own case.
5:14
[SPEAKER_01]: So different than all these other cities in states.
5:16
[SPEAKER_01]: And the mayor of DC has actually had to just basically accept it.
5:19
[SPEAKER_01]: And she says we're working with the federal government.
5:21
[SPEAKER_00]: She's been on board for the most part.
5:23
[SPEAKER_01]: She has been like, because she knows her city.
5:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, first she wasn't, but yes, she's a Democrat.
5:28
[SPEAKER_01]: So she had to save face a little bit and kind of push back.
5:30
[SPEAKER_01]: But now she's like, okay, hey, actually this is making our city a lot safer, a lot cleaner.
5:33
[SPEAKER_01]: All those crime rate drops.
5:34
[SPEAKER_01]: You just mentioned, she's recognized and a lot of people have recognized and it's really hard for Democrats to fight back on this because the numbers have dropped down, but they do have their own point, which is where does it go too far?
5:46
[SPEAKER_01]: It can he do this in DC, but
5:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Not other cities because you see is a federal district.
5:51
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just a weird.
5:52
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a weird thing.
5:53
[SPEAKER_01]: But visually.
5:55
[SPEAKER_01]: And crime rate wise.
5:56
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a big win for Republicans because.
5:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it's just like why wouldn't you want your city to be safer?
6:02
[SPEAKER_01]: You feel even if the troops aren't doing anything just the presence of soldiers on corners of streets prevents criminals from wanting to do anything because they're just going to get tackled and arrested.
6:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so I actually have some national polling data on this issue that I'm going to get to, but yes, but that's a great point.
6:19
[SPEAKER_00]: So a couple more data points, even so the federal involvement appears to have accelerated the decline for sure.
6:26
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, that's happening at least in the short term while this is happening.
6:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Reports show violent crime fell by nearly half and carjackings fell by more than 80% and just weeks, just exactly what you were looting to.
6:38
[SPEAKER_00]: the Democratic mayor, Muriel Bowser acknowledged the progress and credited the federal presence for helping drive the numbers down.
6:45
[SPEAKER_00]: So Trump has also threatened to go into other cities, so let's touch on that for a minute.
6:49
[SPEAKER_00]: What's happening in Washington, DC may not be the end.
6:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Trump has repeatedly threatened to send troops into Chicago, pointing to what he calls a crime emergency there.
6:58
[SPEAKER_00]: local leaders including Governor J.B.
7:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Pritzker who we've talked about him before he's positioning himself to run in 2028.
7:04
[SPEAKER_00]: So there's just a lot of political theater taking place in all of this with Trump too.
7:09
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a lot of political theater.
7:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, you know, both.
7:12
[SPEAKER_00]: And then and then the
7:13
[SPEAKER_00]: The mayor of Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson, strongly apposes the idea and argues that violent crime is already down more than 20% this year.
7:20
[SPEAKER_00]: And I just saw a video of him if he was basically like rallying the citizens like are you ready to defend your land, Chicago, which is just kind of confusing and it's hard to wait through because, you know, on one hand, I think that there is a failure of leadership there.
7:35
[SPEAKER_00]: and Chicago and just even the governor with all of the crime issues, whether if it's a red or blue state.
7:41
[SPEAKER_00]: But the legality of this is where things start to kind of, it can kind of teeter.
7:46
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, real fast Chicago.
7:48
[SPEAKER_01]: They don't have a ton to stand on because the numbers came out from this Labor Day weekend.
7:52
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if you saw this.
7:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, 54 people 54 people in the city of Chicago alone were shot over Labor Day.
7:58
[SPEAKER_01]: We can eight of them fatally Hey, and this is an every weekend thing.
8:02
[SPEAKER_01]: There's there's like a a tracker that tracks these people shot and killed in Chicago every weekend in Gangland violence all that there's so many different dangerous sections of the city.
8:13
[SPEAKER_01]: They don't have a lot to stand on I don't think so there are people in Chicago who want federal truth right come in
8:19
[SPEAKER_00]: So the debate is not about just Washington, D.C.
8:22
[SPEAKER_00]: now, though, it's about whether this approach becomes a model for other cities and what that means for local authority and national precedent.
8:28
[SPEAKER_00]: So right now, like what happened in D.C.
8:31
[SPEAKER_00]: is happening currently and there have been pros and cons to it, but the numbers are speaking for themselves.
8:37
[SPEAKER_00]: But we have yet to see, I mean Trump was literally posting on truth social yesterday, even up into this morning of, hey, we're going to go into Chicago, but
8:46
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, not exactly sure when, basically.
8:49
[SPEAKER_00]: And so everybody's kind of gearing up for what this is going to look like and just the optics.
8:53
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, and this is going to be an issue that Republicans are going to jump on one side.
8:57
[SPEAKER_00]: Democrats are going to jump on one side.
8:59
[SPEAKER_00]: And then the polling data is going to show the same things.
9:01
[SPEAKER_00]: So let me lay out some quick pros and cons on this.
9:05
[SPEAKER_00]: So pros of what Trump is doing, sharp crime drop with violent crime down almost 50% in DC and car jackings down more than 80% after the deployment.
9:15
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's a pro.
9:15
[SPEAKER_00]: If this can be replicated in different places, if this is really going to drop crime, now you know, you could make the argument of how long will it last because they're not going to stay there forever.
9:24
[SPEAKER_00]: But at the same time, there are some real numbers coming out to show that it's a positive in that way.
9:28
[SPEAKER_00]: And then families and businesses report that they do feel safer.
9:31
[SPEAKER_00]: There's rapid federal support adding resources where local police were stretched and places like DC.
9:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Homicide and violent crime rates were already falling sharply.
9:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And then this is showing progress and public safety over all the cons.
9:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Crime was already declining before the surge, which raises questions about how much credit the deployment will deserve later.
9:49
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's like,
9:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Will Trump be able to take credit for this because violent crime just across the country has been dropping and so in these larger cities There have been some drops and so how much credit doing this, you know, will he actually get another con many DC residents reported feeling less safe So I think I saw a poll.
10:05
[SPEAKER_00]: It was like 80% of DC residents themselves
10:08
[SPEAKER_00]: feel less safe, however, what I would say is, is that the majority of the DC population is democratic.
10:14
[SPEAKER_00]: And so when you read something like that, it's really difficult.
10:17
[SPEAKER_00]: So I actually included a poll that I'm about to get to, that's just kind of a national poll, because it's really difficult to wait through these different things.
10:23
[SPEAKER_00]: And then another con, if this does expand a plummet to other cities, it will inflame political divides, and it will appear partisan.
10:31
[SPEAKER_00]: This is kind of an issue too.
10:33
[SPEAKER_00]: There are many, many cities that, like, for example, let's just, we live here in Texas.
10:39
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a crime problem in Dallas.
10:41
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a crime problem in Houston.
10:42
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a crime problem in Austin.
10:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Is Trump willing to send troops in to places with red governors or even,
10:50
[SPEAKER_00]: red mayors like is he willing to do that?
10:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And so if he's just going to send it to the liberal places, it is going to appear partisan and I do think that that's a con.
11:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, let's talk about what's at stake real quick.
11:03
[SPEAKER_00]: The facts are clear crime has dropped.
11:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Some residents and leaders credit the deployment yet the deeper issue.
11:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's precedent in this case.
11:11
[SPEAKER_00]: If a president can deploy troops into cities with the outlocal consent whenever he sees fit, what does that mean
11:19
[SPEAKER_00]: What does it mean for just the democratic norms?
11:21
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, there's been a lot of norm breaking in Trump's presidency, not necessarily law breaking, but norm breaking.
11:27
[SPEAKER_00]: And then, you know, what does that look like for a community trust?
11:29
[SPEAKER_00]: So there was an AP in ORC poll that found that while handling crime remains one of Trump's relative strengths, one of his greatest strengths is kind of being a law and order president.
11:40
[SPEAKER_00]: So he's at a 53% approval rating for just, you know, his handling of crime so far.
11:49
[SPEAKER_00]: In the same poll, American say full federal control of local police is unacceptable.
11:55
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's, again, it's like a balancing act.
11:57
[SPEAKER_00]: They don't want full federal control, 55% don't of local policing, but 53% do approve of his handling and being a law and order type president.
12:08
[SPEAKER_00]: So,
12:09
[SPEAKER_00]: beneath the politics are real people, families who feel safer walking to the store, but then also there's residents who feel uneasy about it too with troops outside their homes.
12:17
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, imagine that as well.
12:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, you live in a large city and then there's just troops everywhere.
12:22
[SPEAKER_00]: That definitely feels weird.
12:24
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I get the same time.
12:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I guess I would just hope this would be for a short period of time.
12:28
[SPEAKER_00]: You know?
12:29
[SPEAKER_01]: I you and I probably both have experienced that in other countries.
12:31
[SPEAKER_01]: I've experienced that in Brazil where there's just troops on the streets.
12:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Definitely in Israel where there were experienced everywhere Israel feels like a different ballgame, but yeah, it's a thing that does happen in other countries where they have militarized police almost and you're just like, whoa, feel like I'm in a movie or something.
12:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so it's, you know, I definitely think it gives a feeling of uneasiness and I do hope that this yields a result that will drop the crime rates and that there can be something put in place to bring about something more lasting.
13:02
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, at the same time, I do hope that the Trump administration pulls back when it's the right time, you know, so anyway, let me give a spiritual application to this.
13:12
[SPEAKER_00]: This moment feels like a gray area.
13:15
[SPEAKER_00]: So there's not like a clear answer for this.
13:17
[SPEAKER_00]: It seems like with every pro there's a con.
13:20
[SPEAKER_00]: So on one hand, the numbers don't lie, violent crime and car jackings are down.
13:24
[SPEAKER_00]: For example, like in DC, families feel safer, even leaders who often
13:29
[SPEAKER_00]: disagree like the DC mayor admits the results are real, but on the other hand, the legal and constitutional concerns are series two, many residents do feel less safe with troops in their neighborhoods, and the idea federal control over local police makes people feel uneasy.
13:45
[SPEAKER_00]: Great areas like this are where faith matters most.
13:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Proverbs 3-5 says this, trust in the Lord with all your heart, and don't lean on your own understanding.
13:54
[SPEAKER_00]: And then James 1-5 reminds us, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach.
14:00
[SPEAKER_00]: The challenge is not to pick aside.
14:02
[SPEAKER_00]: Based only on fear or only on politics, but to seek God's wisdom in this, for how we live as his people in uncertain times, like we're living in now.
14:12
[SPEAKER_00]: So here's the call.
14:14
[SPEAKER_00]: When the issues feel complicated in the lines are blurry, don't rush to just easy answers.
14:20
[SPEAKER_00]: Jumping into, well, this is my political affiliation.
14:22
[SPEAKER_00]: This is how I'm going to feel about it.
14:24
[SPEAKER_00]: What's on his done?
14:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, hey, it's in another city.
14:27
[SPEAKER_00]: That's affecting other people.
14:29
[SPEAKER_00]: What's on us down?
14:30
[SPEAKER_00]: I would encourage you.
14:31
[SPEAKER_00]: We would encourage you.
14:31
[SPEAKER_00]: What we're trying to do is pray first about the issue.
14:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Then ask God for wisdom.
14:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Be quick to listen, slow to speak in your dialogue and discussion with others.
14:41
[SPEAKER_00]: And then be slow to anger when you're met with some disagreements.
14:45
[SPEAKER_00]: And then live as a witness to the deeper peace that only Christ can give.
14:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Because in the gray areas of life, our faith does become tested because we like having those solid concrete answers.
15:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Good stuff.
15:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, we'll just have to keep tabs on this.
15:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks for the spiritual application there to help spring some peace to just what's going on and we'll see.
15:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I think by the end of the week, there's a potential there could be Federal if not true,
15:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Right now, though, Mike, I want to talk about something that I would honestly consider basically an epidemic in American culture, so that it's just risen up.
15:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I'm going to drop the E word on us epidemic, you know, and it's sports betting, which has become very, very prevalent in our culture.
15:38
[SPEAKER_01]: It's really permeated a lot of stuff.
15:40
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not even just sports betting.
15:41
[SPEAKER_01]: That's what I'm going to focus on, but you've probably seen all these other betting markets, polymarket.
15:46
[SPEAKER_01]: call she all of that where you can bet on the weather you can bet on politics you can bet on a whole bunch of stuff.
15:51
[SPEAKER_01]: Anything these days really anything a lot of that is those are European companies and so you're kind of going through your European market able to just bet on quite literally anything it will somebody be fired from their job before the end of the year will somebody resign crazy stuff so that's all there but sports betting in particular is extremely popular in the US now a lot of that is because in 2018 the Supreme Court
16:13
[SPEAKER_01]: basically made it possible to do sports betting they handed the ability to state to decide if they're going to legalize it since 2018 when the Supreme Court said states can make this decision 39 of those states have said yes now here in Texas we do not have it legalized that being said there are so many work around so many underground
16:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Not yet.
16:31
[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to eventually happen though.
16:33
[SPEAKER_01]: It'll probably happen in Texas at some point.
16:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Most states will do it, especially once they see the tax revenue that these other states are bringing in from gambling.
16:39
[SPEAKER_01]: But in Texas, it's not a thing.
16:41
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a few other states that it's not, but the majority of the US does have the ability to do legal sports betting on these big, basically gaming platforms, such as Fandwell and draft kings.
16:51
[SPEAKER_01]: all of that.
16:52
[SPEAKER_01]: So I wrote an article last month about this because I was just like I was so curious to see the rise.
16:56
[SPEAKER_01]: And so I wanted to bring some of the research that I found on sports betting to this and explain because it is so culturally relevant to what is just happening.
17:05
[SPEAKER_01]: And the kind of the dangers aspects of it also the damage that it's causing.
17:08
[SPEAKER_01]: So let me just hit on a few of the numbers here.
17:11
[SPEAKER_01]: Since the Supreme Court decision in 2018 this is just six years.
17:14
[SPEAKER_01]: More than $330 billion has been wagered on sports, which is crazy.
17:19
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a massive number, 24, there was a 24 percent increase over bets from 2023, which total $150 billion, that means it is growing year over year significantly, 24 percent from 23 to 24, right?
17:33
[SPEAKER_01]: So we don't know the full number yet for 2025, but I guarantee you it will be larger.
17:38
[SPEAKER_01]: And then $3.1 billion, just as a general one month thing, $3.1 billion was bet on this past March madness tournament.
17:46
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's just one month of March to April essentially one basketball tournament and that is a betting
17:53
[SPEAKER_01]: just haven't because there's so many basketball games happening at that time.
17:56
[SPEAKER_01]: And now with football season coming in, I think this is the right time to address this because that is the center of sports betting is when college and NFL football really kicks back off.
18:05
[SPEAKER_01]: So honestly, you've probably noticed in past steers, if you're listening to this that you can't really watch a game or listen to like a podcast, the radio, watch ESPN, anything without just seeing all the betting stuff.
18:16
[SPEAKER_01]: You see ads from the betting platforms.
18:18
[SPEAKER_01]: You see,
18:19
[SPEAKER_01]: betting lines and odds and overunders everything is out there.
18:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Your host on these shows and on these podcasts are talking about how they're betting or what they would do if they were in your shoes.
18:29
[SPEAKER_01]: They all have their own promo codes for these betting markets.
18:32
[SPEAKER_01]: So I was listening to calls for a podcast yesterday and he was saying hey here's what I'm doing if you want to make your bet on this game use my promo code.
18:41
[SPEAKER_01]: blank, and you get to go get $300.
18:43
[SPEAKER_01]: It was literally $300 a free money to bet with.
18:46
[SPEAKER_01]: That is so enticing for people, right?
18:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Hey, use my code, and you get all this house money to play with.
18:52
[SPEAKER_01]: That's how they get you in the door, and that is extremely, extremely enticing.
18:58
[SPEAKER_01]: That is just what draws all these people in, and then you've got all these platforms that are just integrating with the games.
19:03
[SPEAKER_01]: You can watch a live game, and you're seeing the odds, and then you can make bets during the game, all on your smartphone.
19:10
[SPEAKER_01]: So many people are getting into this because the ease of access is just right there on your phone.
19:15
[SPEAKER_01]: You can sit on your couch and just play bets.
19:18
[SPEAKER_01]: And you play parlay bets.
19:20
[SPEAKER_01]: You play one hit bets.
19:21
[SPEAKER_01]: All of these different options.
19:23
[SPEAKER_01]: It's all right there at your fingertips.
19:24
[SPEAKER_01]: And so it's just made this so easy for people to get into, which yeah, there's there's the people who are like, oh, I'm just doing it for fun.
19:30
[SPEAKER_01]: But then there's the people who're like, it's a difting.
19:32
[SPEAKER_01]: That's what they want.
19:33
[SPEAKER_01]: They want you to be addicted.
19:35
[SPEAKER_01]: So I mean, Mike, I have you noticed this
19:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, of course I have and I think
19:42
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's one of those things that people can probably like in Christian culture somewhat like equate to drinking, you know, it's like for some people, you can have a drink or too and just enjoy it and it doesn't turn into getting drunk consistently or being addicted to it or turning into a vice.
19:56
[SPEAKER_00]: But I think this is one of those things where we've got to really know that I self.
20:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
20:01
[SPEAKER_00]: No, we've created and wired.
20:03
[SPEAKER_00]: And so, you know, I don't think you're going to say today that you're completely in the wrong if you place a sports bed every once in a while, but you've really got to be careful
20:11
[SPEAKER_00]: with this.
20:12
[SPEAKER_00]: You really, really do because it can suck you in and I happen to have quite a few people in my life who I would say have been sucked in and I think regular sports watching turns into something much deeper like for me it's so far it's kind of easy for me to not do it because I've just kind of seen some bad examples of people who do it in my life and I just feel like it turns
20:33
[SPEAKER_00]: something that's a bit more lighthearted and just your sports fandom into like, oh, hey, like a part of my income is tied to this, a part of my money is tied to this.
20:42
[SPEAKER_00]: It has to work out.
20:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it can just kind of zap the fun out of it.
20:46
[SPEAKER_00]: And then every once in a while, I think they get to ride those highs of, oh, hey, I just made a whole lot of money just betting on sports and I already love sports, right?
20:52
[SPEAKER_00]: So yes, I have definitely seen it permeate in people that I know and also just in culture.
20:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, man.
20:58
[SPEAKER_01]: I have to and it's crazy because it did used to be something that you had to like go to Las Vegas essentially to make sports bets and sit in their sports betting right and so it's like maybe you did it over a weekend and then you went back home, but now that it's just so easy to do it where it's everywhere.
21:13
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just there.
21:14
[SPEAKER_01]: So you're right.
21:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, I'm not going to say you cannot do this.
21:17
[SPEAKER_01]: The Bible does not say.
21:19
[SPEAKER_01]: It doesn't have a command against gambling now.
21:21
[SPEAKER_01]: It's got warnings.
21:21
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to hit on that here just a minute.
21:22
[SPEAKER_01]: It's got a lot of warnings about stuff with gambling and money.
21:26
[SPEAKER_01]: So there's a lot out there, but I'm also going to give you just some basic worries that we're seeing in culture now because of this.
21:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Some of the serious consequences.
21:33
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to give you four of them real fast.
21:35
[SPEAKER_01]: One of the most disturbing trends, number one here is that the normalization of gambling is really popular among teenagers and young adults, particularly men.
21:45
[SPEAKER_01]: So this generation, this younger generation, Gen Z and younger millennials are really picking this up because they're the ones seeing it.
21:52
[SPEAKER_01]: They're being advertised to, like crazy.
21:53
[SPEAKER_01]: They're the ones listening to this podcast or the ones watching these games, all of that.
21:57
[SPEAKER_01]: A lot of the apps let you start betting right at 18 years old and so these teenagers in high school, essentially are getting right into it.
22:04
[SPEAKER_01]: and then the age verification on the apps is really honestly pretty lacks a lot of the time, so even younger than 18 year olds are getting in there pretty easy and able to place bets.
22:12
[SPEAKER_01]: And so yeah, these kids are exposed very early on to essentially gambling.
22:18
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not like you wait until you're 21 to go to Las Vegas to go on a trip.
22:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Now you're on your phone, you're maybe 16, 17, 18, and you're replacing bets on your couch at home.
22:28
[SPEAKER_01]: And the deals are just too good to pass up a lot of
22:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Fandle or whatever and you'll get one hundred dollars of free bets that temptation is to play with that house money So they get you with that then there's the parlay bets.
22:41
[SPEAKER_01]: These are extremely popular and extremely Convincing Basically it's where you let's say for example, you put $10 down and you're betting that
22:50
[SPEAKER_01]: three actions are going to happen.
22:51
[SPEAKER_01]: If all three of those actions happen, you're going to get a big return.
22:54
[SPEAKER_01]: So for instance, $10 at the Cowboys are going to win the game that the total combined score will be over 45 points, and that the quarterback on the Cowboys will throw at least two touchdowns.
23:02
[SPEAKER_01]: If all three of those hit, yeah, you're going to get a big payday, but the chances of all three hitting are low.
23:07
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's on purpose.
23:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
23:09
[SPEAKER_01]: The house wants you to lose that.
23:11
[SPEAKER_01]: And so right if you miss any of those three things you lose your money.
23:14
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's just one of the ways that they're getting people in there, but it's very enticing because you're like, Oh, I can do this if they just do this and you're right, Mike, it starts to bring emotion into the game.
23:24
[SPEAKER_01]: You're watching a game for a whole different purpose than just fandom.
23:27
[SPEAKER_01]: it's also number two problem here is it's damaging financial futures and families there's a lot of destruction that comes from gambling says why even after the ads for all these gambling platforms they say do you have a gambling problem call 1-800 whatever the gambling hotline is in that state because they know they're causing a problem it's kind of like I think they want us to have a gambling problem right?
23:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, they do.
23:48
[SPEAKER_01]: In fact, there's lawsuits out there against some of these platforms for like encouraging you, even though they know you've got a problem, encouraging you to continue.
23:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Hey, if you just win one time, you'll be out of all of your debt.
23:59
[SPEAKER_01]: That's how they get you, right?
24:00
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just lies on lies on lies.
24:02
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like the devil just dangling things, right in front of you, tempting you.
24:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
24:06
[SPEAKER_01]: And then another thing is having a negative impact on athletes themselves.
24:09
[SPEAKER_01]: So the NCAA has released a report detailing that one in three high profile athletes receive abusive messages from someone with a bedding interest.
24:17
[SPEAKER_01]: So student athletes are being harassed by people who are betting.
24:21
[SPEAKER_01]: And when they don't do the right thing, right?
24:24
[SPEAKER_01]: And again, yeah, students, man, these grown adults are like lashing out at these students because they didn't score the basket, or they didn't score the touchdown to help them win their bet, their math, the athlete for their bet, which is just ridiculous.
24:37
[SPEAKER_01]: And then number four is the games themselves are being impacted.
24:39
[SPEAKER_01]: We've seen athletes getting caught for gambling on themselves and on their own games.
24:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I've had several NBA players, several MLB players, getting caught, it's damaging the integrity of the game.
24:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Some people have been completely suspended, Dante Porter specifically, he was on the NBA Toronto Raptors.
24:55
[SPEAKER_01]: He is also facing jail time, but he has a lifetime suspension.
24:58
[SPEAKER_01]: He will never play basketball again in the NBA, crazy, because he was betting on himself, which is ridiculous, and that's because he was in debt.
25:05
[SPEAKER_01]: So these guys are millionaires and they're betting on themselves because they're in debt from their own gambling conditions, it's just so bad.
25:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, so Micah if winning a bet is so hard if losses build up and the integrity of sports are really kind of being negatively impacted why I mean why are people continuing to be drawn in like there's there's clear dangers obviously there's the advertising we've mentioned but honestly there's a poll that kind of
25:29
[SPEAKER_01]: was trying to figure this out and they asked a bunch of online betters what they do this for and here were their answers they say it's fun it makes watching games more interesting they think that they will win and they signed up because of a promotion kind of like what I've been hitting on so just a lot there and then of course the powerful gambling partners they're all benefiting to so if you think about it the leagues
25:50
[SPEAKER_01]: each of these professional leagues or college leagues are what they're seeing increased fan engagement which means more revenue.
25:55
[SPEAKER_01]: The TV networks are seeing more viewership which means more ad revenue.
25:59
[SPEAKER_01]: In states that are legalizing this are getting insane numbers of tax dollars, millions in additional tax revenue.
26:05
[SPEAKER_01]: So the people that are supposed to be protecting the integrity of sports and athletes are actually also bought into this because they're all getting boosted revenues.
26:13
[SPEAKER_01]: fantasy life founder, Matthew Barry, he has noted that the rise of legal sports betting has provided more benefits to leagues than just new revenue streams though.
26:20
[SPEAKER_01]: They also see it as a way to cater to the most avid fans and so if you play fantasy football or you do these bets or when you're twice as likely to buy tickets, watch more games and purchase merchandise, all of that.
26:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, so
26:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Like you said earlier, let's just be clear.
26:36
[SPEAKER_01]: The Bible does not explicitly forbid gambling.
26:40
[SPEAKER_01]: And this is actually something you and I, I could discuss recently on a podcast, faith and clarity podcast with Dr. Mark Termin, Dr. Ryan Denison, we have sports specific podcast.
26:48
[SPEAKER_01]: We kind of discussed a lot of this.
26:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I loved what Dr. Ryan Denison said though, because he wisely pointed out,
26:53
[SPEAKER_01]: like you did just a minute ago, the portant of self-awareness and spiritual discernment, right?
26:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
26:59
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're prone to addiction, or you get caught up in the emotional highs and lows of betting, even just a small wage or $5 wageer, can open the door to spiritual and emotional ruin.
27:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Like if that's something that's gonna be a temptation for you, just don't touch it, right?
27:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Yep.
27:13
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's not necessarily calling out like the annual, like you said, the annual buy-in for your fantasy football league.
27:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
27:19
[SPEAKER_01]: If you know that's going to be just a quick one-off thing, it's not going to lead you into temptation.
27:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you see that differently, but it's really more of a warning towards these addictive nature of quick and easy bets and all of that.
27:30
[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, if you're watching a lot of games and you're struggling with this,
27:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Think about deleting that app from your phone, right?
27:36
[SPEAKER_01]: And as sports betting grows in popularity, what should we as Christians do?
27:40
[SPEAKER_01]: I think in a culture that's idolizing the wealth and risk and entertainment to call of scriptures, it's pretty clear.
27:46
[SPEAKER_01]: First Corinthians, six, 12 says, all things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful.
27:52
[SPEAKER_01]: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything.
27:56
[SPEAKER_01]: So be honest about your tendencies.
27:58
[SPEAKER_01]: If gambling lures you into greed or emotional volatility, step away, speak truth and love, talk with friends and family about the risks of gambling if it's something that's going to be a struggle for you.
28:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And champion integrity and sports and in life, call out systems that prioritize profit over people, pursue contentment and Christ over quick gains.
28:17
[SPEAKER_01]: And let me just leave you with one quick verse from the Bible about
28:21
[SPEAKER_01]: It's basically a warning about greed, addiction, and desire for quick wealth.
28:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Proverbs 1311 says, wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
28:33
[SPEAKER_01]: And one more, actually, Hebrews 13, five says, don't love money.
28:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Be satisfied with what you have.
28:38
[SPEAKER_01]: For God has said, I will never fail you.
28:40
[SPEAKER_01]: I will never abandon you.
28:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Amen.
28:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Don't just seek thrills in quick wealth.
28:45
[SPEAKER_01]: See God, seek things that are more fruitful, more righteous.
28:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, it's up to you you have to discern and determine what would be a temptation for you, right?
28:54
[SPEAKER_01]: So Mike, any last thoughts on that?
28:56
[SPEAKER_00]: No, it's a great point, Connor.
28:58
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's something important to bring up, just because I think,
29:01
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, the Christian world, like especially in the West and like what we experience, you know, here in America, they're very quick to call out things that are more black and white issues.
29:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I do think that this is more of a great issue for a lot of people and I do believe there's a lot of
29:17
[SPEAKER_00]: Awesome Christians, awesome believers who are dedicated to Christ who, who gamble on sports, right?
29:22
[SPEAKER_00]: So this is, this is something that I think truly worth talking about because I think this is something that's under talked about in the church that isn't talked about enough.
29:29
[SPEAKER_00]: And so I am really glad that you touched on it.
29:31
[SPEAKER_00]: And if, if anything, if it encourages people,
29:34
[SPEAKER_00]: to just think or if it encourages people who are listening to actually pay attention to what the people in their life are doing and what they could be doing could actually be damaging to them and those around them that it's absolutely worth the time and I'm really glad that you broke that downforce Connor.
29:47
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you.
29:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you're exactly right on that.
29:48
[SPEAKER_01]: It just just consider it, pray about it.
29:50
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, are you having fun?
29:51
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, but is it going to lead you into somewhere else?
29:54
[SPEAKER_01]: That's where you really need to, you need to probably talk to an accountability partner or delete an app or whatever it is.
29:59
[SPEAKER_01]: So pray about it, check your heart on it.
30:01
[SPEAKER_01]: And yeah, that's what we've got there.
30:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Micah, should we hop into our check-in section and check in on a few things that have happened in the last week?
30:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's do it, let's hop into the check-in section.
30:12
[SPEAKER_00]: So, Russian president, Vladimir Putin, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, they met their friend President Xi in China.
30:22
[SPEAKER_00]: They all stood side by side as he presided over a massive military parade in Beijing.
30:27
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a symbolic and frightening show of solidarity as they were clearly trying to show off to the U.S.
30:32
[SPEAKER_00]: to Europe and to specifically Donald Trump, who has failed to build a meaningful relationship with them this term.
30:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, I don't think it's as gold to build a meaningful relationship with them, you're trying to isolate them from the rest of the world.
30:43
[SPEAKER_00]: But Trump posted on truth social a message to Chi and he said, please give my warmest regards to Putin and Kim Jong-un as you can spy her against the United States of America.
30:54
[SPEAKER_00]: Also, the Indian Prime Minister Modi has become very friendly with Putin and she, as basically Trump has laid the hammer down on India, telling him to stop buying oil from Russia.
31:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, India, I don't think they've kind of backed down and taken the direction that I think Trump's wanted them to take.
31:11
[SPEAKER_00]: They seem to be cuddling up more with Qi and with Putin instead of kind of coming more to the U.S.
31:18
[SPEAKER_00]: aside.
31:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, all of this is very interesting.
31:20
[SPEAKER_00]: That was a very interesting video.
31:21
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I would encourage people to just kind of look it up and just kind of watch the videos, kind of very profound to see people who are kind of friend of me as a get together in that way.
31:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, they're definitely trying to show force, right?
31:32
[SPEAKER_01]: And message to Trump and the US and Europe, all of them that they're in this together, they're going to be the access powers of this century.
31:40
[SPEAKER_01]: You consider it kind of like World War II.
31:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Access?
31:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, like World War II, the buildup of it was obviously Japan, Italy, and Germany.
31:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
31:47
[SPEAKER_00]: We're the XS.
31:48
[SPEAKER_00]: I was like, what, XS?
31:51
[SPEAKER_01]: No, like, XS Hollywood, like, they're going to be there.
31:53
[SPEAKER_00]: They're called culture stars.
31:55
[SPEAKER_00]: AXIS, yeah.
31:56
[SPEAKER_01]: And then India's just a weird player there because they're kind of, they're like that gray area country.
32:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, they're very, yeah.
32:01
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, we'll see how that works out.
32:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
32:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I do.
32:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, they're a free agent.
32:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, we'll see how that one works out.
32:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
32:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Anyways, a few other things.
32:12
[SPEAKER_01]: We've got troops in DC of course, so that's been at the top of the news, but DC's honestly been pretty quiet because Congress has been gone for the last month.
32:20
[SPEAKER_01]: They were on recess.
32:21
[SPEAKER_01]: And so now they are back.
32:22
[SPEAKER_01]: They came back on Tuesday, things have already started heating back up around Epstein files.
32:25
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's back in the news.
32:27
[SPEAKER_01]: We've also got a government shutdown looming.
32:29
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think most people know that, but October 1st is when the government is set to shut down.
32:33
[SPEAKER_01]: So 12 a.m.
32:33
[SPEAKER_01]: on October 1,
32:35
[SPEAKER_01]: government's going to shut down.
32:36
[SPEAKER_01]: So Congress is going to be having bitter battles over the next few weeks as they try to come to a deal to keep the government open.
32:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I also just want to mention real fast because I don't think this is made really very many headlines and I'm not sure many people are aware, but there were two natural disasters over the weekend that killed thousands of people.
32:51
[SPEAKER_01]: There was an earthquake in Afghanistan in a landslide in Sudan that has left thousands of
32:59
[SPEAKER_01]: And when it happens in countries like that, it does not typically make it into the news or top headlines.
33:04
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you guys did not know that, you now know, and I would just encourage you to pray for these people in these countries who have lost so much they've lost their homes, they've lost lives, they've lost loved ones, and it's just really sad.
33:16
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, another thing is there was a drone strike in the South Caribbean.
33:21
[SPEAKER_01]: That's not something you often hear, but Trump did order one on a boat coming from Venezuela.
33:25
[SPEAKER_01]: They believe it was headed towards the U.S.
33:27
[SPEAKER_01]: It contained drugs and 11 members of the trend of our, our, our, our Google, I can't ever say that.
33:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Trans-Gay, Iraqwa.
33:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you, that's it.
33:37
[SPEAKER_01]: The Venezuelan gang that has been labeled as a terrorist group.
33:40
[SPEAKER_01]: So just pointing that out because that's a whole new thing.
33:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Like there's the Navy is down there off the coast of Venezuela and now they're doing drone strikes on boats with drugs.
33:49
[SPEAKER_01]: So keep tabs on that.
33:51
[SPEAKER_01]: And then of course we had Calls Ripple over the weekend.
33:53
[SPEAKER_01]: And we talked about that last week going into the weekend.
33:55
[SPEAKER_01]: And Mike, I know you were really, really excited to watch your team, the Texas Longhorns.
34:01
[SPEAKER_01]: play Ohio State.
34:02
[SPEAKER_01]: You thought that they were going to win.
34:03
[SPEAKER_01]: You also predicted them to be the National Champions this year.
34:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to just go ahead and say they're not on track for that.
34:11
[SPEAKER_01]: And they did lose this past Saturday.
34:14
[SPEAKER_01]: And Arts Manning didn't look very good.
34:15
[SPEAKER_01]: And maybe the media hyped them up too much.
34:17
[SPEAKER_01]: There was too much pressure placed on him.
34:20
[SPEAKER_00]: But now, wasn't a terrible, he looked terrible.
34:23
[SPEAKER_00]: He looked lost.
34:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Texas came in unprepared on that.
34:27
[SPEAKER_00]: offensive side on the ball.
34:28
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that that really the the blame should be late on the on the head coach Steve's occasion, who's the head coach and also calls the plays just not getting the players ready and just some poor play calling and meaning this was arches first real start.
34:41
[SPEAKER_00]: He goes into the horseshoe.
34:43
[SPEAKER_00]: and Columbus against the defending national champions and it was a difficult one.
34:47
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and Texas lost.
34:48
[SPEAKER_00]: But thankfully, you know, with this college football playoff system, a team can take one or two losses and still make it to the championship.
34:56
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, Ohio State went into that playoff.
34:58
[SPEAKER_00]: I think is the night sea.
34:59
[SPEAKER_00]: They had two losses.
35:01
[SPEAKER_00]: And then they ran the table and became national champions.
35:05
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that's just kind of what's exciting.
35:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Texas are like any other school.
35:08
[SPEAKER_00]: You can have a bad loss or two, and potentially still make the play off.
35:11
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, also Alabama was upset by Florida State University.
35:17
[SPEAKER_00]: at Florida State and there was this there was this crazy storming of the field afterwards Florida state got fine $50,000.
35:23
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think they cared one bit.
35:26
[SPEAKER_00]: I think they loved being able to storm the field when they beat Alabama.
35:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Alabama is a different team, man.
35:31
[SPEAKER_00]: With no more Nick Sabin, the culture seems to have shipped.
35:34
[SPEAKER_00]: There's been some different reports coming out there.
35:37
[SPEAKER_00]: It definitely seems to be the end of a dynasty.
35:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And then, I was going to say speaking
35:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Remember when the Patriots are the dynasty of the NFL, right?
35:46
[SPEAKER_01]: It was it was Tom Brady and who else?
35:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Bill Belichon right and then that dynasty collapsed and now Bill is in the college ranks at University of North Carolina and He got crushed.
35:57
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I get crushed bad 40 years off so hot
36:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
36:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, just one touchdown.
36:03
[SPEAKER_00]: And then, you know, there was, uh, I follow this, this account.
36:07
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like freezing cold takes or whatever.
36:08
[SPEAKER_00]: And they just post people making these declarative statements who are completely wrong.
36:13
[SPEAKER_00]: So it was like, I think Colin Coward.
36:17
[SPEAKER_00]: and then like skip bail I mean just kind of those national sports pundits you know after that first touchdown that UNC scored within like the first five minutes at the game they went up seven oh it's like bill bill it's expected take over college football this game's in the bag bill bill it's expected run the table turn UNC that you know around I'm like
36:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, they lost like 41 to 7 like it's 48 to 14.
36:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, just it's unbelievably bad and so people kind of came out.
36:44
[SPEAKER_00]: I think they need to wait a little bit sooner before making those types of statements.
36:48
[SPEAKER_00]: But those types of statements are why they get clicks on the first place.
36:51
[SPEAKER_00]: So we'll have to read it.
36:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
36:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
36:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Micah, even better news than college football coming back is that the NFL is back.
36:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
36:58
[SPEAKER_01]: And it starts.
36:59
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're listening to this on Thursday, it starts two nights.
37:02
[SPEAKER_01]: The Dallas Cowboys are so the Philadelphia Eagles.
37:03
[SPEAKER_01]: We got lots of thoughts on that.
37:05
[SPEAKER_01]: But we got it.
37:05
[SPEAKER_01]: We got to touch on real fast after we recorded last week.
37:08
[SPEAKER_01]: We later found out in the day that Micah Parsons Dallas Cowboys Superstar.
37:13
[SPEAKER_01]: One of our best players.
37:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe the best of interplayers in the league was traded in a block
37:22
[SPEAKER_01]: the green bay packers.
37:23
[SPEAKER_01]: We can't stand the packers down here in Dallas.
37:25
[SPEAKER_01]: And we've sent off our best offensive player.
37:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, there could be a litany of reasons.
37:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Lots has come out in the last week about that.
37:31
[SPEAKER_01]: But our initial reactions, I know because we're in a Cowboys group text was we were just like, Oh, come on.
37:38
[SPEAKER_01]: At least get some more in return.
37:40
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're going to do it, but also we were hoping they'd get him signed.
37:43
[SPEAKER_01]: So you have a sad day.
37:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I definitely was on the train and Connor can attest to this.
37:48
[SPEAKER_00]: I've been kind of standing alone as like in this kind of cowboys atmosphere that Connor and I roam in.
37:55
[SPEAKER_00]: I've been wanting to trade Micah for a while, so I wanted us to trade him, goodness gracious.
38:00
[SPEAKER_00]: I just thought we could have gotten more and could we have traded him to an AFC team and not to
38:05
[SPEAKER_00]: to the Green Bay Packers who have been responsible for ending many playoff runs in the last 10 or 15 years.
38:11
[SPEAKER_00]: And that means that we're basically going to see him once a year.
38:13
[SPEAKER_00]: If you trade him to the AFC, you don't have to see him very often.
38:16
[SPEAKER_00]: So he's going to be chasing down deck for years to come at least once a year.
38:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Just for many reasons, I kind of just sit an easy, but you know what, I still have some optimism for the season, hoping the best.
38:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Go Cowboys, weed employees, and goodness gracious.
38:29
[SPEAKER_00]: If you can't get up as a Cowboys fan and you do not want to beat the
38:34
[SPEAKER_00]: really want to beat the Eagles on Thursday night.
38:37
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll see what happens.
38:37
[SPEAKER_00]: They're also the defending Super Bowl champions and they're pretty good.
38:41
[SPEAKER_00]: So we'll see what happens.
38:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Both your teams have to go up against the defending champions.
38:45
[SPEAKER_00]: They're starting the seasons out against defending champions.
38:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, man, it's tough out there these days.
38:50
[SPEAKER_01]: crazy.
38:51
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, as then it fell starts.
38:53
[SPEAKER_01]: We got to make our predictions.
38:54
[SPEAKER_01]: We did the same thing for college last week.
38:56
[SPEAKER_01]: We need to make our super poll predictions of who we think will be in the Super Bowl.
39:00
[SPEAKER_01]: The AFC and the NFC team and then maybe who we think will win.
39:03
[SPEAKER_01]: So Michael, what are you thinking?
39:07
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, well, this, I mean, this is kind of off the cuff, honestly, like I intentionally didn't really kind of prepare for this one just because I wanted to kind of just go off what I was feeling.
39:14
[SPEAKER_00]: I know that I'm going to be held accountable to this and Connor is going to do his job, especially if I'm wrong with my prediction to share with everyone how I was wrong.
39:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's go with, I think the Kansas City Chiefs will be back in the Super Bowl.
39:26
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's go.
39:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my goodness.
39:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's go chiefs, commanders.
39:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Whoa, do that's crazy.
39:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Chiefs, commanders, and then chiefs went it all.
39:38
[SPEAKER_01]: You're like, man, they brought troops back into the district of Columbia and all the sudden the NFL teams are right in your role.
39:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, look, man, I mean, I think the commanders are really good.
39:46
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think Dan Quinn is a fantastic coach.
39:49
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think they've got a good defense.
39:50
[SPEAKER_00]: They've got a good offense.
39:51
[SPEAKER_00]: I think Jayden Daniels is a revelation.
39:53
[SPEAKER_00]: They still have him on that rookie quarterback contract, so they're able to sign whoever they want.
39:57
[SPEAKER_00]: I think they're a dangerous team, man.
39:59
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I'm just as scared of them in the NFC East as I am.
40:02
[SPEAKER_00]: The Eagles may be even a little bit more, honestly.
40:04
[SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, I'm going to say, commanders chiefs, chiefs, when it all.
40:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, I'm gonna go with the San Francisco 49ers.
40:11
[SPEAKER_01]: I believe that they will be back in the Super Bowl.
40:12
[SPEAKER_01]: I know, seems like a lousy pick right now.
40:14
[SPEAKER_00]: That's crazy.
40:15
[SPEAKER_01]: I just believe in them, not that I want to.
40:17
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't like the 49ers, but I think that they're all pulled together.
40:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Versus, the Baltimore Ravens, and they're just an, they're a complete team.
40:24
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they're wins at all.
40:26
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, good.
40:27
[SPEAKER_00]: I wouldn't mind that at all.
40:28
[SPEAKER_00]: That wouldn't bother me.
40:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, you know, they're not arting.
40:32
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd rather arting with the whole thing.
40:33
[SPEAKER_00]: No, of course, but I don't want to.
40:34
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't despise the Ravens like I do some other teams.
40:37
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
40:38
[SPEAKER_00]: As a guy with fans, there's less of a rivalry there.
40:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
40:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Mike, do you have a favorite NFL theme song?
40:43
[SPEAKER_01]: You know what I mean?
40:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I do.
40:45
[SPEAKER_01]: It's the Fox ones, but But no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
41:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Man, that one's so good.
41:04
[SPEAKER_00]: That's so classic.
41:04
[SPEAKER_01]: It's one of the 70s.
41:05
[SPEAKER_01]: You just feel like it's like just American culture.
41:08
[SPEAKER_01]: I love it.
41:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's Monday night football.
41:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Guys, if you have thoughts, questions, concerns, should us an email or find us on Instagram, you can email us at culturebrief at dinnisonform.org.
41:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Let us know who you think's going to win the Super Bowl.
41:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe we'll mention your prediction or who do you think's just going to be in it or what teams are going to be really bad this year.
41:26
[SPEAKER_01]: What are your NFL thoughts?
41:27
[SPEAKER_01]: What are your college football thoughts?
41:28
[SPEAKER_01]: What are your thoughts on all the political stuff we've talked about?
41:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Shoot us a message, shoot us an email.
41:32
[SPEAKER_01]: You can also follow us on Culture Brief, or on Instagram at Culture Brief Podcast.
41:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Do that.
41:37
[SPEAKER_01]: And then just know, we are loaded with football all week.
41:40
[SPEAKER_01]: And we've got the obviously the Cowboys versus Eagles Thursday night on Peacock.
41:45
[SPEAKER_01]: That's going to be at 820 PM Eastern Friday night.
41:49
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a game in Brazil, the Chiefs versus the Chargers.
41:52
[SPEAKER_01]: That's crazy.
41:52
[SPEAKER_00]: YouTube, which is for Brazil.
41:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Brazil, Sal Paulo.
41:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Don't ask me why, then if I'll let you do TV, you too.
42:00
[SPEAKER_01]: YouTube, I believe, maybe it'll show on YouTube TV as well.
42:03
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not sure they'd be really focusing about the whole thing.
42:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
42:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
42:06
[SPEAKER_01]: And then Sunday night, obviously, big Sunday night football game every week.
42:09
[SPEAKER_01]: It's going to be the Ravens versus the Bills.
42:11
[SPEAKER_01]: Two Super Bowl favorites.
42:12
[SPEAKER_01]: That's going to be good.
42:14
[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to be one great two great quarterbacks.
42:15
[SPEAKER_00]: John, I'm going to let you know.
42:17
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to let you know.
42:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Monday night we got that NFC North match up the Vikings versus the Bears.
42:21
[SPEAKER_01]: So just a great weekend of football ahead.
42:23
[SPEAKER_01]: I hope you all have a fantastic weekend in joy.
42:26
[SPEAKER_01]: The beautiful September weather.
42:28
[SPEAKER_01]: And we will see you next week.
42:29
[SPEAKER_01]: But thank you for listening to this week's episode of The Culture Repotcast, a Denison Forum podcast.
42:34
[SPEAKER_01]: As always, we are with Denison Forum.
42:36
[SPEAKER_01]: And we love to reference the articles.
42:38
[SPEAKER_01]: We love to reference all the links there.
42:40
[SPEAKER_01]: All those that we mentioned in today's episode will be linked in our show notes.
42:44
[SPEAKER_01]: You can find them there.
42:45
[SPEAKER_01]: If you enjoyed today's episode, please like, subscribe, rate, review, whatever it is, leave stars, tap the bell, all of it, and share it with a friend, and we will see you next Thursday.