Gambling is taking over sports. I even heard gambling app advertised on Senator Cruz’s podcasts as well as others that purport to be conservative.

The interviews and narration seem really interesting but the music is way too loud and distracting.

I wish everyone had the curiosity, integrity and meticulous attention to detail that ML has. I always am interested in what he has to say. John Oliver stole your thunder!

This show has amazing seasons with incredible content, especially some of the early seasons. Then there are episodes like the Blumenthal episode about gambling law that will put you to sleep.

….Ne-Vad-Uh

In a world where it’s actually getting more difficult to find the signal amidst the noise for an educated society.

As we (esp our vulnerable young men) fall prey to the horrifically perfect addictive algorithms of Gambling Tech; I’m so thankful we got a peek behind the curtain, beautifully articulated by the great and human mind of Michael Lewis. I hope it’s the subject of his next book. Sadly, ‘I told you so’ is no consolation for the growing human toll, and no excuse for our collective stupidity in falling for the Victim Blame logic, yet again

TOO MANY ADS.

Pronounce it correctly!!

I started with Season 5 (Gambling) because of a Revision History "guest" podcast. It was interesting enough to give Season 4 (SBF) a try. It has been disappointing for multiple reasons. First, unfortunately, he abdicated / delegated the podcast to Lydia. More important, the listenability has been marginal at best. Similar to a number of other reviews, I found LJ's voice to be annoying / distracting / grating (pick one or all). And when Michael is talking, the audio is fuzzy, like he's talking thru a tube. And while Lydia has asked good questions, the podcast has the "feel" of a high school gathering (which was even acknowledged in Episode 14).

I had no idea how terrifying of a landscape it is out there. This show’s PSA should be something about NEVER EVER allow your friends, children, etc. start betting, especially with these seemingly innocuous companies. Thank you, Michael & Malcolm for this series!

This is fun, but holy cow it’s half ads, borderline unlistenable

Thank you for providing an education in why not to gamble. You validate why I quit decades ago. Keep going! You are definitely helping people! James Gardner Detroit, Mi.

Insane amount (50% running time) of commercials and the commercials are identical each break

Love everything you report on. Michael. But Pushkin is trying to strong arm us into subscribing by filling %50 percent of their podcasts with ads. Read by the most annoying person in podcasting, that would be you Malcom. I will wait for your next book Michael. Time to unsubscribe to anything by Pushkin. Enough is enough.

I’m interested in the sports gambling phenomenon but I can’t handle the Malcolm ads over and over and over…..

Great show, educational and entertaining, Michael Lewis is such a great storyteller!

After listening to your take on the “Mormons” in the series about sports gambling, I’ve had to rethink a lot of the information I’ve heard from you previously. Your information on Utah, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is very wrong. I would ask that you do more research and come with more facts as opposed to opinions or perceptions of others.

I love that Pushkin is advertising for a credit card you can apply for from your iPhone during a podcast concerning financial irresponsibility. Interesting narrative, but a few too many hypocritical slips to slips to consider journalism.

But had to say terrible choice of Marci Cottingham. Your questions were far better than her answers. Next time, just throw the over educated and under informed responses in the trash and find another person to interview, don’t waste our time. The “I don’t understand” and “my dad listened to Myron Cope every Sunday driving home from church” is such an unbelievable interview and such a pretentious outlook. Bad person to interview, either just an insincere educator or not very smart.

I think I might like the bonus episodes better than the actual ones. It’s just an engaged listener speaking with an expert. Today’s was very entertaining. I also liked last year’s interviews with the crypto skeptic (her name escapes me) and the bankruptcy attorney (bankruptcy!).

I can listen to Michael Lewis talk to and about anyone and anything he’s interested in. The way his mind works out a question, how he gets his subjects to talk straight, his own curiosity and delight in discovery… he’s never not compelling. And the arc of all seasons as a whole is so satisfying. I try to save the episodes to binge on three at a time, and they are EVERGREEN. Bravo to Team ATR.

As someone who is overly familiar with courtrooms, and sometimes takes it for granted that others are as well, JL does an incredible job of describing things to people who aren’t and gives great insight into the intricacies and nuances of criminal courts and especially criminal Trials, from jurors nodding off to picking up on the spin both side’s lawyers are trying to put on things , it was very impressive and a great Listen. By the way, it’s not Lewis’ job to play the role of the SEC/FBI/Justive Department, and having sympathy for a person about to spend decades in prison doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you a person.

I’m not sure how he wasn’t implicated in the trial. He was present and documented all this fraud while it was occurring which should implicate him in the conspiracy. His laughing in episode 10 with Levine wreaks of guilty conscience. This podcast also shows him as a complete sellout. There is one episode that is 9 minutes long with 6 minutes of commercials. I get you want people to subscribe, but that just made me stop listening. When I was a kid and I started reading Lewis’ books I had such respect for him. Now I just feel I was duped. He’s a con artist, I couldn’t respect him less. Awful podcast and production, awful person. Talk about selling out for money IN ALL WAYS, especially when you’re already rich

Just pretend there’s is t anything past season 2. If you pretend Micheal Lewis died after that it makes everything before still acceptable. Still cannot believe how incredibly dumb this forced push into SBF is. 1 star for whatever credit is deserved for season 1 and 2. Now if only I could block this podcast.

Lewis being conned is really the best case scenario, because it’s more likely “host of podcast sympathizes terrible criminal for podcast listens.”

I’ve lost a lot of respect for Michael Lewis as a consequence of his seemingly deep sympathy for SBF. SBF is an arrogant, narcissist criminal who deserves every day he serves.

Bankman-Fried’s favorite philsophy, Utilitarianism, is featured a little bit in “Hard Times,” by Dickens … and includes a word of warning from Dickens to utilitarians!:”Utilitarian economists … the poor you will have always with you. Cultivate in them, while there is yet time, the utmost graces of the fancies and affections, to adorn their lives so much in need of ornament; or, in the day of your triumph, when romance is utterly driven out of their souls, and they and a bare existence stand face to face, Reality will take a wolfish turn, and make an end of you.”

This is a compelling story and very well told. Five stars on this one.

That he immediately pushes back and interjects against anyone who thinks differently than him.

Gave this season a shot. Hard to listen to.

Michael Lewis is terrific. Probably my favorite writer and podcaster. That said, Gladwell has ruined all Pushkin pods by caring only about ad money. Years ago, the Pushkin pods were spectacular. Making money is great, but focusing solely on short-term profits is deplorable. On a recent 11 minute podcast, there were 6 minutes of ads….not a typo, 6 minutes of ads in an 11 minute pod. Add to that a few of Gladwells full episodes that are just commercials for T Mobile. Paying the bills and profiting is one thing. Selling your integrity is quite another.

GREAT JOB! YOU ALL ARE DOING AMAZING WORK!

Only bummed I didn’t discover this sooner. Big Pushkin fan and even bigger M. Lewis fan. Absolutely loved the BTS and real life interviews and insights of such a game changing book. Didn’t know Liars Poker was such a big deal. I, too left a life of Wall Street for something else.

I once loved this podcast. Michael Lewis and the team did a great job for three seasons. This fourth however is pretty much unlistenable. A decent portion of the blame falls on the new reporter whose voice is a challenge and writing weak, but also the overall composition of the whole season feels sloppy. Seems like Pushkin’s more focused on commercials than content these days.

Ms Kott has a voice that I find intolerable - I simply cannot listen to her.

I love the SBF season, Lydia J Cott is a star!

I get that this is a business and you need to raise revenue, but this was ridiculous. After all, you’re already saving money by having your fourteen year old baby-sitter act as the court reporter. Love the writer, but this season was not good.

This is so oddly pro Sam Bankman, non stop downplaying and justifying his crimes. “The money was just not where it was supposed to be” and calling Sam a genius? Not sure how you are all drinking that kool aid unless this is Lewis’s attempt at avoiding culpability for hanging out with Sam as he committed all these crimes.

Book was fascinating storytelling as always. The trial series is the perfect sequel. We know what Michael Lewis is capable of, but how about that Lydia. Definitely not out of central casting for a talking head, which is refreshing. In addition, she is intelligent and sounds so sweet and innocent how could you not trust her. She asks insightful questions from an audience perspective with einstinian curiosity and innocence.

This season featured the impulsive reactions of four, five, six? people to the federal criminal trial proceedings in a highly publicized case. I’m not sure why this was turned into a podcast; I’d venture to guess that it was for ratings, primarily. But it was rushed, not well understood by anyone except the prosecutor-turned-criminal-defense-lawyer and jury consultant guests, and presented arguably unprofessionally by everyone in the Pushkin team. The first question was why Michael delegated it to someone else. Perhaps he was working on a separate project or had to tend to something of bigger importance—more power to him. But with a large number of media publishers also covering it, we weren’t wanting of more opinions; especially ones that gave priority to color commentary. But what disappointment me most was what he had to say. It’s been widely reported that his book received bad press for choosing to reserve judgment while presenting the facts of the rise and fall of FTX as he observed it and as they presented themselves to him. But upon his return, after SBF took the stand, it seemed like his reservation was starting to wear off. What was most egregious and unprofessional was how he kept comparing what he wrote to what was being said at trial, and disapproving constantly, in a national, well-circulated podcast released well before jury deliberations. Even in a case as clear and one-sided as this, for Pushkin to release his commentary and opinions in a manner accessible to the Jury before the Jury concluded deliberations was extremely disconcerting. Everything else discussed about the case was of very little substance. I’m disillusioned with this Pushkin team. No one needed to make a podcast about their takes on the trial proceedings, even Michael Lewis.

This podcast really tarnishes a great writer I’ve long enjoyed. Michael Lewis seems unable to recognize Sam Bankman Fried is both not a genius and little more than a scam artist. This podcast comes off very very poorly.

This review is specifically about Season 4, Judging Sam. It’s unfortunate that Lidia Jean is only credited as “court reporter” because honestly she did a fantastic job covering the trial, conveying both the facts but also the sentiment and nuance of the proceedings. They should have just made her the host and let her run with it. The weakest episodes were actually when Michael Lewis was in court, in which he took a “no facts, just vibes” approach to reporting.

I’ve listened to thousands of hours worth of podcasts, and Lidia Jean Kott’s talent for asking the most amazing questions is incredible. She not only asks what I wish she did, she also asks what I wish I had thought of asking. Her instincts as a reporter are so good, Michael Lewis is lucky to have her on this podcast. Pushkin should give her her own show!!

Hard to find the actual show amongst all the ads.

This podcast is fantastic. Lidia Jean Kott is a national treasure. Protect her at all costs.

Oh I think people are being very unfair to Lydia due to her voice when in reality she’s actually excellent, knows the case very well and gives very good recaps. The issue I have is how ridiculous Michael Lewis comes across as almost a Sam apologist. It’s actually embarrassing to hear Lewis continually thinking he’s coming up with good points in the defense of Sam when in reality he’s really making a fool of himself and losing fans such as myself

Borderline unlistenable. Without the first person singular pronoun these people couldn’t compose a sentence. It’s a real trick to start with a complex fascinating story and leave the listener bored. And the ads! Interminable. I’ll never buy anything advertised on this podcast. If Pushkin thinks they’re pushing us to subscribe by hurting us, they’re wrong. The effect is to avoid anything Pushkin.

Worst podcast ever. Michael, stick to writing books. Bonus episode on financial planning was an embarrassment. You seem to have thing for career woman, usually intelligent of a certain age who really are not suited for communicating in podcast. You’ve made plenty of money, and will make more. Stay in your wheelhouse - trying to expand up our pitching repertoire will shorten your big league career.

Interesting content but impossible to get through & enjoy with “LJ” as a major host. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a worse voice on a podcast. She’s uneducated & juvenile on top of it. I agree with another commenter that she treats the trial like a HS field trip. If she’s a journalist than I’m an astronaut. Sorry, but someone really dropped the ball here thinking she was a good idea. She needs a different career.