Member-only story
Indefensible Industries
Some businesses won’t make money unless they hurt people
I always think it’s funny which types of commercials play during certain types of podcasts. The online therapy site BetterHelp seems to be singlehandedly underwriting the industry, with ads on almost every type of show. The New York Times loves to promote itself, so if you listen to “Hard Fork” or “The Daily,” get ready to listen to the same commercials over and over again about the dedication of Times journalists. Any podcast with a business or economic focus flogs products like “scalable enterprise solutions.” (I don’t even understand what most of these are. Accenture, you’re wasting your money!)
And, of course, sports podcasts are supported largely by one industry: sports gambling. These ads are the worst of them all. After a bro reads some ad copy about parlays and bonus bets, I have to listen to somebody else — often with their voice sped up to what must be the fastest legally permissible speed — read disclaimer after disclaimer. The law dictates that the motormouth must mention each state’s bespoke gambling addiction hotline: In Colorado, call 1–800-ADDICTED; in Indiana, dial 1–888-MYLIFEISRUINED. The cognitive dissonance of these ads is profound. I get 30 seconds of promises about the glamour and excitement of betting on sports through my phone, then I get 45 seconds of…
