So maybe allowing legal and accessible gambling to be taken over by tech bros in an unregulated space was a bad thing.

Fantastic work from @davekarpf.bsky.social putting some perspective on the notion that AI can do social science research. It can generate passable journal articles, which is not necessarily the same thing. It's a chance to consider what we should be valuing. davekarpf.beehiiv.com/p/can-ai-rep...

This is a story that is 100 percent about gambling but never mentions gambling. www.espn.com/mens-college...

Ban Polymarket. It’s immoral and will corrupt our foreign policy decisions and likely has already.

New addition to the bookshelf (hi randy)

A reminder that the integration of Polymarket and other prediction markets into media outlets is very bad for ethical journalism. sportsmediaguy.substack.com/p/why-the-po...

If America still had the rule of law, this would be the easiest prosecution ever, but we all know absolutely nothing will happen.

This is basically legalized insider trading

This is fine.gif

The first time I’ve ever seen a big piece of news like this and thought, “hold on, this may not be credible, it’s just the Washington Post” (former news editor during GWB era wars, current lawyer & journalism professor here)

From Hunter S. Thompson’s ESPN page 2 column one week after 9/11.

If you're a fan of my work here, would you consider supporting it? The whole "buy me a coffee" link is below. It helps keep the weekly newsletter free for everyone. buymeacoffee.com/SportsMediaGuy

Love to see this, and deeply believe more indie publications need to pursue bulk/institutional sale strategies. It’s one of the bigger reasons Extra Points has survived this long! Indie pubs can be college curriculum supplements! Get that big textbook money!

If you're a fan of my work here, would you consider supporting it? The whole "buy me a coffee" link is below. It helps keep the weekly newsletter free for everyone. buymeacoffee.com/SportsMediaGuy

Look, there are a lot of independent media outlets that do very important work and deserve your support Once you’ve done that though, and also want to support indie college sports business writing? Check out www.extrapointsmb.com It’s a good website!

…the united states had a vibrant ecosystem of local, regional and alternative press sources. in a real sense — and this has been true since the start — the US is a nation of newspapers and newspapermen, with both of those categories broadly defined…

New at Sports Media Guy: The February research roundup features a fascinating study about baseball box scores by my man @michaelmirer.bsky.social sportsmediaguy.substack.com/p/research-r...

I know it's February, but @ifbookspod.bsky.social @notalawyer.bsky.social @michaelhobbes.bsky.social an early nominee for Worst Take of 2026.

Trump's speech was under two hours, which bolsters the thesis that the leaks about it being more than two hours were meant to work the prediction markets

My friend @bmoritz99.bsky.social's regular sports media research round-up is something I look forward to. It was extra exciting to see my study featured in it.

New at Sports Media Guy: The February research roundup features a fascinating study about baseball box scores by my man @michaelmirer.bsky.social sportsmediaguy.substack.com/p/research-r...

So who is the cabinet member or official in the administration who is absolutely betting on this right now and why is it Kash Patel.

New Episode of The Other 51 is out: @lukeepplin.bsky.social joins me for a deep dive into the writing and reporting of his fantastic new book, "Moses and the Doctor." We talk newspaper research, Philly hoops, and the importance of pacing in your writing. open.spotify.com/episode/26gC...

I can't get over this number: in 2007, there were 360,000 newspaper jobs. Now, there are 80,000. "My local paper sucked!" Sure. What sucks even more? The void. "I get all my news from the Guardian!" No, the Guardian doesn't report on your town council, your school board, local cops.

Tomorrow! @lukeepplin.bsky.social joins me to talk about writing, Philly hoops and his new book. Subscribe now to get the podcast first thing! open.spotify.com/show/6IKw2Az...

Special Sports Media Guy post, because the Polymarket-Substack partnership is bad, bad, so very, very bad. Why this partnership could be a death knell to ethical, independent sports journalism online.

Here's the much smarter and more thorough stuff that @lopatto.bsky.social had to say on this topic:

One thing I will miss about being on substack is using substack to talk shit about substack. open.substack.com/pub/davekarp...

Brian is worth reading here. He is literally writing the book on gambling and its growing impact on sports journalism.

Special Sports Media Guy post, because the Polymarket-Substack partnership is bad, bad, so very, very bad. Why this partnership could be a death knell to ethical, independent sports journalism online.

Will the new definition of newsworthiness in sports become "important enough to have a prediction market about it."

One of the fundamental reasons this kind of thing stinks for reporters is that it raises questions about why you are writing a thing. Writing "Will Giannis get traded?" one thing. "Will Giannis get traded - and here's a link to bet on this actionable information" is fundamentally different.

It would be so much easier to throw deserved scorn at Substack for this nonsense if ESPN and CNN had not already sold their souls to betting markets also. www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/poly...

“That’s what I’m f—ing talking about!”
 Alysa Liu as she leaves the ice 🔥

Good lord.

"Journalism is better when it's backed by live markets" is the kinda cursed phrase you never even imagined could be written.

At Sports Media Guy this week, a quick riff on how media outlets are writing about prediction markets - and why it's all a little weird. open.substack.com/pub/sportsme...

This is not a policy oriented around helping students learn meaningful things. Training students to do school by avoiding AI detection is not worth anyone's time.

AOC’s biggest problem if she runs for president is that the white men who control our media ecosystem will not so much put a finger on the scale to stop her as an entire hand it can be done (see: Zohran) but it’s going to be blatant and it’s going to be infuriating

Godspeed, Max Mercy.

The "rewrite man" is an old journalistic role, an relic of the days when journalistic outfits had more reporters than news hole and lots of people to throw at breaking news. I am certain these are not the Plain Dealer's current problems.

“By removing writing from reporter‘s workloads” is one hell of a thing to say.

This is really, really dark. www.wsj.com/world/middle...

I think the greatest gift college professors in the humanities can give to students right now is a seminar room where, for 80 minutes twice a week, nothing that happens to them is a sales pitch for an AI product.

"The beginning of the end for Nick Castellanos’ time in Philadelphia came on the night when the $100 million outfielder cracked open a Presidente beer and carried the green bottle into the Phillies dugout in the middle of a game." Well that's an all timer of a led @mattgelb.bsky.social

Remembering my old colleague Kevin Stevens, a man as Binghamton as a lamb spiedie.

Remembering my old colleague Kevin Stevens, a man as Binghamton as a lamb spiedie.

Damn, @ryanhatesthis.bsky.social's got hands today.

Dan Wetzel has been a consistent voice in favor of legalized gambling, dating back years. If he's hedging on the prediction market world, that feels significant. www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...