648. The Merger You Never Knew You Wanted
Host Stephen Dubner explores an ostensibly "absurd" idea: merging the NFL with NCAA football (and possibly the NBA with NCAA basketball) and introducing promotion and relegation, using it as a lens to examine the economics and governance of big-time American sports. The episode details how college sports historically exploited unpaid athletes, the legal and economic changes brought by NIL and antitrust litigation, and how this evolution makes top-tier college sports increasingly similar to professional leagues. It also examines the NFL's cartel-like power, antitrust exemptions, public stadium subsidies, and why a more open, competitive system might address problems like tanking and entrenched inequality.