Pablo Torre

I think the whole thing of like an athlete dying twice to be, you know, whatever, highfalutin about it is not just unique to athletes, but it is unique to people for whom the spotlight and those stakes really meant something.

And I get it.

How else can you replicate that if not by feeling some danger?

That extra edge.

Yeah, look, I mean, the whole thing of what is enough and I mean, by the way, here's what's funny about the Shaq thing, right?

We were talking before I think we started recording, assuming that we weren't already taping when we were talking about pharmaceutical commercials, not to pull the curtain way back.

But Shaq, you know, Shaq will endorse anything.

And I just think there's a funny, I don't know, I'm trying to wrap my mind around what archetype is he?

And he's a guy for whom you want to play himself into shape when he was in the peak of his powers.

And that was infuriating to Kobe Bryant and to many Laker fans.

He's also someone for whom brand management is just not a concern.

You know, simultaneously, maybe that is connected.

There's so many things, so many jingles, so many commercials, I only know because Shaq endorsed it.

You know, I think of the Dollar General.

The General.

A little cartoon general.

Yeah.

There's a deeper metaphor in talking to a little cartoon general, but I'm not quite equipped to find it just at the moment.

But yeah, that guy will basically put his name on anything.

And by the way, simultaneously, he kind of seems pretty happy.