Tag: Bookies

Q&A: Meet the basketball geniuses who turned their love of hoops into a quirky, must-read NBA book

The authors of ‘The Joy of Basketball’ explain how their friendship helped them see the NBA in such a unique way.

NEW YORK — Ben Detrick and Andrew Kuo have a friendship built on the love of basketball and when you listen to them or even read their words, they make you remember why you started following the sport.

Detrick is a sportswriter who reported the infamous Burnergate story about former Philadelphia 76ers executive Bryan Colangelo. He is a contributor for The Ringer and has also written for the styles section of the New York Times. Kuo is an excellent visual artist who was also a longtime DJ in NYC.

They host the “world’s most influential” basketball podcast, Cookies Hoops, which is where all of your coolest friends get their basketball takes. If none of your friends are listening to Cookies yet, you can quickly become the hip sports fan in your circle by subscribing.

Detrick and Kuo linked up with For The Win to discuss their book, THE JOY OF BASKETBALL: An Encyclopedia of the Modern Game (which could make for a great holiday gift!) at Scarr’s Pizza in the Lower East Side. After Scarr’s started blasting Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem so loud that transcribing our conversation would become impossible, we moved locations to Clandestino, the Canal Street bar near Dimes Square.

The two enter the room at Clandestino with comfort and confidence that is typically reserved for the fictional bar in Cheers, a comparison they would hate due to their self-administered rivalry with all things Boston.

There, we covered as many topics vaguely adjacent to hoops as we could while enjoying “an beer” — a running bit they have on their podcast about drinking precisely one beverage.

Who in the NBA is legitimately cool and why is the only answer LaMelo Ball? What should we make of the narrative surrounding Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving and how does it relate to populism? What is it about their Cookies Hoops podcast that draws so many artists, models, influencers, musicians and other media personalities to their events?

These are questions that only Detrick and Kuo could answer, so For The Win picked their brain for as long as possible before the two would have to make their way to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Jaguars expected to become the 18th richest team by 2025

The Jaguars are projected to reach $585.8 million in revenue by 2025, continuing a positive trend that began when Shad Khan took over.

Since the Jacksonville Jaguars were announced as an expansion franchise in 1993, the organization and city have faced an uphill battle as one of the smallest markets in the league. Early success helped mitigate this, but by the mid-2000s, the play on the field had deteriorated, and blackout games were a regular occurrence at then-Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.

However, the last decade has been a sign that things are improving. Owner Shad Khan bought the team in 2012 from the original owners, the Weaver Family, and though the success on the field has been limited (the Jags have only made one playoff appearance since then), from a business perspective, Jacksonville is a rising franchise.

The team made $238 million in revenue in Khan’s first season at the helm in 2012. Last year, the team made $443 million. According to Bookies.com, that trend is expected to continue over the next five years, with the team projected to hit $585.8 million in revenue by 2025.

That figure would rank 18th in the league, which wouldn’t be a major rise (the team ranked 20th in revenue last year), but it is impressive when considering some of the larger cities that rank below it, such as Los Angeles (both teams), Phoenix and Las Vegas.

With the investment in both the stadium and the area around it since Khan took over, it’s clear that the team is invested in Jacksonville for the long haul despite constant, baseless relocation rumors. If bringing in Urban Meyer and Trevor Lawrence improves the success on the field, this projection will only grow in the coming years.