RandomGuy14

Tech | AI | Finance | Philosophy | Movies

[The Touchline | 𝐓 @TouchlineX]

📺 Telemundo TV commentator: "We are one of the only networks in the world to NOT show ads during the World Cup cooling breaks."

"We prefer the old school way. We should be able to see what the players do. We show fans, people enjoying, not the corporate direction of football."

[The Athletic | Football @TheAthleticFC]

Perhaps the only stain on Thursday’s curtain-raiser were FIFA’s newly-mandated “hydration breaks.”

When FIFA announced the change, it said the breaks were for “player welfare,” but many fans saw through the spin and assumed the breaks would be used by broadcasters to show commercials.

On Thursday, Fox, which holds the English-language U.S. broadcast rights, confirmed those fears.

It not only cut away to advertisements; during the second half of Mexico-South Africa, its commercials ran long and caused viewers to miss several seconds of action after play resumed. The blunder sparked an uproar among longtime fans.

Read @HenryBushnell’s full 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝗽 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗽 for free ⤵️

🔗 https://t.co/xseUniv5OT

[Malvin @ManOfFocus_]

Neverrrrrrrr Everrrrrrr underestimate how much of a blessing it is to have zero health problems and your mom still alive.

[Alejandro Berry @alejandroberry]

We DO NOT cut to commercials during the hydration break. Join us for uninterrupted football on @Telemundo and @TelemundoSports

[Cerianne Robertson @cerianneR]

Welcome to the LA FIFA fanfest where a beer is $19 and a water bottle is $7. And remember these are prices for watching the game ON A TELEVISION.

[MacCallister Higgins @macjshiggins]

I’m at the bottom of a multi-layer SPV and am looking forward to the SpaceX IPO in much the same way a golden retriever looks forward to a car ride:

- thrilled to be involved
- no clue how cars work
- unsure if going to the park or getting neutered

[Heisenberg @Mr_Derivatives]

Tomorrow, Elon will become the world’s first trillionaire. On paper of course.

That number looks like this: $1,000,000,000,000.

Elon is currently 54 years old. Assuming he will be a centenarian, or someone who lives to 100, and assuming his $1T never grows a penny more after tomorrow (ha ya right), he will need to spend $21.74B a year until death to draw the $1T down to $0.

Or $59.56M a day.

Or $2.481M an hr.

Or $41,360 a minute.

Imagine that…

[Polymarket Sports @PolymarketSport]

🚨FACT: South Africa and Mexico are the only pair of teams to ever play each other in a World Cup opening match twice

2010 in Johannesburg and today
in Mexico City

[P. Terry's @pterrys]

From day one, we believed taking care of people and building a great business go hand in hand.

Today, we're making that belief official: P. Terry's is becoming employee-owned and launching profit sharing for eligible employees.

Here's to the next generation of P. Terry's. ❤️

[Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes]

Paying to park is another scam that’s gotten out of control

I mean look at these parking rates at Seaworld… $42-$67 just to park your car at a place you already bought a ticket to go

This is so out of control in America we even now have to pay to park our cars at hospitals and doctors offices now

It’s outrageous and such a scam. In my opinion it should all be banned

[The Kobeissi Letter @KobeissiLetter]

BREAKING: The S&P 500 erases all losses and turns green on the day after US inflation rises to its highest level in 3 years.

[Simon Brodkin @SimonBrodkin]

Nothing says ‘The People’s Game’ like $10k tickets 🤑

[Trung Phan @TrungTPhan]

Some numbers on FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket fiasco:

▫️first year FIFA fully controlled ticket sales

▫️ticket prices are 2x Qatar 2022 and 4x USA 1994 (adj. for inflation)

▫️cheapest group stage is $200 and cheapest final is $2,030

▫️FIFA official ticketing site does dynamic pricing (95 of 104 matches saw price hikes; average hike of 35%) and also takes a 15% cut on resales (from the buyer and the seller)

▫️plans to make $3B from tickets in 2026 vs. $1B in Qatar 2022

▫️$3B on tickets equal to Qatar 2022’s revenue from broadcast rights (these rights are the tournament’s cash cow; $4B expected in 2026)

▫️ from 2022 to 2026, projected ticket revenue is up 3x while broadcast rights only up 1.3x

▫️total revenue for World Cup 2026 projected at $11B vs. $8B for Qatar 2022

▫️ticket-revenue maxxxing plan also benefits from FIFA expanding to 48 teams and 104 matches (Qatar had 32 teams and 64 matches)

In the past, FIFA was fine to underprice ticketing because it only contributed 10-15% of total revenue (rest was broadcast, marketing and licensing).

In 2026, clearly wanted to milk the juicy North American live events market (see: Knicks vs. Spurs Game 3) and ticketing is projected to make up 27% of total revenue (with 75% of 104 games in US).

FIFA says its approach is to fight bots and scalpers. The website is opaque, glitchy AF and sucks, though.

Great strategy to annoy fans. Meanwhile, NY/NJ hit FIFA with subpoena to reveal mechanics behind its ticketing process.

Ton of group stage games with unsold inventory. Unless FIFA wants empty swathes of seats in stadium, forced to dump tix on SeatGeek or StubHub (both deny having a direct relationship with FIFA).

Resale market prices tanking, which is pissing off fans that paid full upfront (a lot already decided not to go due to initial sticker shock and FIFA creating artificial scarcity months ago).

Most expensive team to follow is Brazil: estimated $3,800 to see all 3 group stage games (followed by Portugal, Scotland, USA and Argentina).

***

Charts via The Economist: https://t.co/QdUAmLWiWi

Timeline of FIFA ticketing: https://t.co/RU6QTsQKS8

[Trung Phan @TrungTPhan]

FIFA priced World Cup 2026 at 2x Qatar 2022. Said it was “aligned with North American events” market when people balked.

Now 180,000 unsold tickets days before tournament. Tickets on resale market down 20% on last month. Most resellers will lose money after 26% transaction fee.

[Mario Nawfal @MarioNawfal]

🇺🇸 World Cup price gouging is out of control! There is nothing enjoyable about spending your life savings on a sporting event!

It’s supposed to be fun and not cost your first-born child!

[Financial Dystopia @financedystop]

More than a dozen colleges have now crossed the $100,000/year threshold when tuition, fees, room, board, and living expenses are included:

Harvey Mudd ($104,512)
Duke ($103,975)
USC ($103,162)
Barnard ($103,000)
Washington University in St. Louis ($102,260)
Smith ($102,226)
Fordham ($102,188)
Claremont McKenna ($101,990)
Vassar ($101,051)
Wesleyan ($101,030)
Georgetown ($100,864)
Colgate ($100,224)
Haverford ($100,026)

A four-year degree at any of these schools now exceeds $400,000.

Per Ny Mag

[RT @RT_com]

Texas farmer donated land for a public park — city sold it to a DATA CENTER for $10M

The Bland family deeded 88 acres as parkland 'for kids to play,' but after several ownership swaps, it was sold to build an AI slop facility

[Dr. Heidi Klessig @heidiklessigmd]

After heart surgery, the parents of a 13-year-old girl were told that their daughter was dying, and that they should start making end-of-life decisions, including donating her organs.

Upon transferring their daughter to another hospital however, they were told that doctors at Oregon Health and Science University had installed her new heart valve upside down.

“Doctors at Seattle Children's removed the inverted valve and replaced it with a different one, properly positioned. Her heart promptly began to function correctly. She was successfully taken off cardiac bypass and no longer required ECMO.

Her condition continued to stabilize over the following days in Seattle Children's ICU. After more than a month in critical condition, she was able to return home with her parents.”

[RandomGuy14 @RandomGuyN14]

#NewProfilePic #VforVendetta

[Bhaumik Gowande @bhaumikgowande]

My politics is whatever this is. I will support governments who aspire to build climate resilient cities for people.