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Michael Lewis - Arenas of American Ambition - [Glue Guys, EP.22]

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Jan 23, 2025

Guest

Michael Lewis

In this discussion, bestselling author Michael Lewis shares his knack for transforming overlooked data into compelling narratives. He reveals how his research on Shane Battier shaped insights into basketball strategy, even influencing greats like Kobe Bryant. Lewis delves into ambition in sports and personal stories of navigating identity and competition. He emphasizes the power of storytelling in sports analytics, demonstrating that profound insights can drive change and elevate understanding in both the game and business.

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ANECDOTE

Alex Smith's Quarterbacking Journey

Alex Smith's high school football experience involved handing off to Reggie Bush.
In college, he transitioned to a quarterback-centric offense under Urban Meyer, becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist.

insights

INSIGHT

The Importance of Context in Quarterbacking

Evaluating quarterbacks is difficult because people focus on the individual, not context.
The same player can flourish in one system and fail in another, highlighting context's importance.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Alex Smith's NFL Experience

Alex Smith discusses his NFL career, where he was initially miscast in a traditional offense.
Later, he thrived in systems tailored to his strengths, demonstrating the importance of fit.

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Ambition and Identity in Competitive Sports

01:31 • 17min

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From College to the NFL: The Transition

18:25 • 5min

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The Power of Perspective in Sports Narratives

23:52 • 15min

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Unseen Heroes: The Impact of Public Servants

38:44 • 3min

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A Journey of Rebellion and Revelation in Engineering

42:06 • 3min

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Captivating Narratives: The Writer's Journey

Athletes and Venture Capital: A Financial Frontier

01:02:13 • 10min

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The big short

Inside the Doomsday Machine

Michael Lewis

The Big Short tells the story of the 2007-08 financial crisis through the lens of several key players who predicted and profited from the collapse of the housing market. The book focuses on characters such as Steve Eisman, Mike Burry, Greg Lippmann, and the founders of Cornwall Capital, who saw the impending disaster and made significant gains by shorting the market. Lewis explains the complex financial instruments and the systemic failures that led to the crisis, making the narrative both accessible and engaging.

Moneyball

The Art of Winning an Unfair Game

Michael Lewis

The book tells the story of the Oakland Athletics' 2002 season, where General Manager Billy Beane and his assistant Paul DePodesta used advanced statistical analysis, known as sabermetrics, to assemble a competitive team despite a limited budget. The approach, pioneered by Bill James, focused on metrics such as on-base percentage and slugging percentage rather than traditional measures like batting average and runs batted in. This data-driven strategy allowed the Athletics to compete with teams having much larger payrolls, like the New York Yankees, and achieve significant success, including a 20-game winning streak and a playoff appearance.

The Premonition

A Pandemic Story

Michael Lewis

The Premonition by Michael Lewis is a gripping account of the individuals who foresaw the impending COVID-19 pandemic and the failures in the American public health system. The book focuses on characters such as Charity Dean, a public health officer, and the 'Gang of Seven,' a group of doctors and scientists who created their own pandemic plan. It highlights their tireless work, the use of computer models to predict viral spread, and the challenges they faced amidst political pressure, financial constraints, and public criticism. The narrative underscores the courage and dedication of these unsung heroes and the need for more proactive approaches to public health preparedness.

Liar's poker

Michael Lewis

Liar's Poker is a non-fiction, semi-autobiographical book that details Michael Lewis's three-year tenure at Salomon Brothers, one of Wall Street's premier investment firms in the 1980s. The book provides a behind-the-scenes look at the culture of bond traders, highlighting the frat-boy camaraderie, killer instincts, and high-stakes games of bluffing and deception. Lewis describes the creation and use of mortgage bonds, the excessive bonuses, and the ruthless competition among traders. The narrative also touches on the author's disillusionment with the industry, leading to his resignation and transition into financial journalism.

The Undoing Project

Michael Lewis

The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis chronicles the intellectual and personal relationship between Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, two Israeli psychologists whose research fundamentally changed our understanding of human decision-making. Their studies, conducted from the late 1960s to the 1980s, exposed systematic errors in human judgment under uncertainty and laid the foundation for behavioral economics. The book delves into their extraordinary lives, including their careers in the Israeli military, and how their personal differences and eventual estrangement affected their work. Lewis's narrative makes complex psychological concepts accessible through engaging storytelling, highlighting the profound impact of Kahneman and Tversky's work on various fields, including economics, medicine, and government regulation.

The Blind Side

Evolution of a Game

Michael Lewis

The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game is a dual narrative that examines the evolution of offensive football strategy, particularly the rise of the left tackle position, and the personal story of Michael Oher. The book delves into how the introduction of players like Lawrence Taylor changed the game, emphasizing the importance of the left tackle in protecting the quarterback's 'blind side. ' It also follows Michael Oher's journey from his impoverished upbringing to his adoption by the Tuohy family and his eventual success as a college and professional football player. The book touches on themes of sport, culture, family, and the complexities of racial and socioeconomic dynamics in American football.

The Fifth Risk

Michael Lewis

In *The Fifth Risk*, Michael Lewis delves into the Trump administration’s botched presidential transition, highlighting the consequences of willful ignorance and greed among its leaders. The book explores the critical services managed by the U.S. government, including ensuring food and drug safety, predicting extreme weather events, and tracking black market uranium. Lewis focuses on the Departments of Energy, Agriculture, and Commerce, revealing their often-overlooked roles and the dedicated employees who work within them. The title 'The Fifth Risk' refers to 'project management,' the unforeseen and long-term risks that only a vigilant and committed agency can forecast and prevent. Lewis's narrative is character-driven, featuring interviews with former federal staff members and historical context to illustrate the importance of effective government management and the dangers of short-term solutions.

How do you turn overlooked data into bestselling stories that change industries? Michael Lewis reveals his process for finding and telling groundbreaking narratives, from Moneyball to Flash Boys to The Big Short. He also explains how he came across Shane’s unique impact on basketball, and how Kobe Bryant secretly studied his profile––“No Stats All-Star”––to counter Shane’s tactics. Jump inside the mind of one of our favorite authors and leave with a clear (and surprisingly simple) sense of how to find extraordinary stories.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.

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Glue Guys is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Glue Guys, visit https://joincolossus.com/series/glue-guys/.

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Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).

Show Notes:

(00:00:00) Learn about Ramp

(00:02:08) Introducing Michael Lewis: A Career Overview

(00:03:26) High School Football Memories: Reggie Bush and Beyond

(00:08:20) Evaluating Quarterbacks: Talent and Processing

(00:22:22) The Evolution of College Athletes

(00:24:24) The Story Behind 'No Stats All-Star'

(00:27:01) Shane Battier's Unique Defensive Techniques

(00:34:17) Impact of Writing on Sports and Athletes

(00:39:01) The Coal Miner Story and Public Service

(00:45:17) The Art of Finding the Right Character

(00:48:45) Revisiting Old Ideas

(00:50:17) The Intersection of Sports and Finance

(00:51:09) The Appeal of Competitive Environments

(00:52:14) From Wall Street to Sports Writing

(00:55:06) The Evolution of Analytics in Sports

(00:56:34) The Art of Storytelling

(00:57:51) Unique Jobs and Hidden Talents

(01:01:04) The Value of Being Useful

(01:05:17) Financial Literacy in Sports

(01:07:17) The Future of NIL Deals

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