Podcast Summary: "We Finally Found the Star of the Worst (and Most Mysterious) Commercial in Sports History"

Pablo Torre Finds Out — January 7, 2025
Host: Pablo Torre
Guests/Collaborators: Zach Schwartz
Main Theme:
Pablo Torre and guest reporter Zach Schwartz dive deep into one of the most infamous, endlessly parodied sports commercials in history—the “Alex” sportsmanship PSA by the Foundation for a Better Life. The episode unravels the mysterious origins of the commercial, the secretive foundation behind it, the years-long internet quest to locate "Alex," and, finally, a rare and revealing interview with the now grown-up actor himself.

Episode Overview

• Purpose: To follow Zach Schwartz’s obsessive multi-year quest to identify and meet “Alex,” the star of the notorious “Sportsmanship—Pass It On” basketball commercial, and to uncover the strange, secret history and broader cultural impact of the Foundation for a Better Life’s viral campaigns.
• Tone: Inquisitive, humorous, self-aware, with Pablo’s signature blend of pop-culture literacy and investigative rigor.
• Notable for: Examining how one baffling commercial became a sports-internet in-joke, analyzing the shadowy world of value-driven PSAs, and reflecting on sportsmanship in the modern world—culminating in tracking down “Alex” himself for a candid conversation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Viral “Alex” Commercial: A Breakdown

[01:31] - [04:10]

• Pablo and Zach revisit the infamous PSA: A high school basketball player, Alex, admits to touching the ball last at a crucial moment, shocking his coach and teammates.
• Quote (Pablo, 03:09): "This is like the dictionary definition of a hang dog look. His eyes are as big as saucers. His lip is basically quivering..."
• The ad is widely mocked for its unrealistic depiction of self-incrimination in sports.
• Recirculates on sites like Barstool and TikTok: "They definitely jumped Alex in the locker room" [05:40]
• ESPN personalities, Barstool, and thousands of commenters turn Alex into a meme synonymous with over-the-top sportsmanship (and ‘nerd’ energy).

2. The Mystery of “Alex”

[06:18] - [11:05]

• Zach traces his obsession to NBA Twitter, where the ad goes viral every six months.
• He hopes to book Alex as an ultimate “get” for his podcast.
• The quest proves challenging—reverse image searches and ad industry sleuthing fail, and the Foundation for a Better Life refuses to help, citing privacy.
• CEO’s terse reply ("I'm not releasing the name to you. Sorry. Go away.") only fuels Zach.

3. The Foundation for a Better Life: Who’s Behind It?

[11:33] - [16:52]

• The foundation is not just responsible for "Alex", but a slew of equally saccharine, moralizing PSAs.
• Zach uncovers the founder: the ultra-secretive billionaire Philip Anschutz ("the richest American you’ve never heard of" [14:07]), a donor to right-wing causes.
• Anschutz’s vast business empire spans oil, railroads, Coachella, the LA Kings, the LA Galaxy, and even major movies (Chronicles of Narnia, Ray).
• Quote (Zach, 13:46): “He owns Coachella, which is about as godless a place as you can go legally, and also pushes these very conservative, god-forward, church-forward messages...”

4. The Hidden Mechanics: Why Are These Ads Everywhere?

[20:07] - [22:30]

• The PSAs' pervasive presence (over 10 million impressions daily at their peak) is supported by an unusual tax-incentive strategy: media companies write off unsold ad inventory as charitable donations.
• Quote (Zach, 21:59): “That’s sort of what this foundation has become: a way for people to write off, hey, I did this wonderful deed, without having to...find charities to actually go approach.”

5. Zach’s Dogged Search for Alex

[25:44] - [28:08]

• After years hitting dead ends, Zach turns to Twitter—within half an hour, a reply points him to BJ Porter, then an assistant coach at the University of Denver.
• Surreal moment: Porter was already following Zach.
• They finally meet in L.A.—a moment compared to “Catfish” in reverse, where the answer was hiding in plain sight.

6. Who Is BJ Porter (Alex)? The Real Story

[29:25] - [39:44]

• Porter, now 35, was a former child actor and talented college basketball player.
• His “Alex” role was filmed his senior year of high school; family, friends, and teammates were extras (“All the players in the huddle...are BJ’s teammates from high school basketball” [33:11]).
• The original script was even less plausible—Porter’s basketball-coach father got it revised.
• Quote (BJ, 34:57): “I did not touch the ball.” (The ad’s confession was pure acting.)
• First saw the commercial by chance while watching Law & Order with college teammates.
• "Alex" became a meme—even NBA peers like Damian Lillard remembered and roasted him:
  • Quote (Damian Lillard, 40:37): “When we first started getting on him about it, he was like, man, I know…if I would've known it would turn into this, I probably wouldn't have...done it.”

7. Life as the Internet’s “Sportsmanship” Meme

[39:44] - [44:02]

• Porter’s reputation stuck: at Gonzaga, fans yelled “You look like the sportsmanship kid!” [38:24]
• As social media grew, the ad's virality intensified; the meme followed him to every team and locker room.
• He leaned into the infamy, confident in his own game:
  • Quote (BJ, 42:21): “Please, come try.” (Addressing internet doubters.)
• Couldn’t escape the PSA—even at Disneyland or around his kids, someone would reference “I touched the ball, coach.”

8. Porter’s Perspective on Sportsmanship (and His Own Legacy)

[44:07] - [46:32]

• The internet notoriety occasionally became overwhelming—he deactivated social media but had to return for recruiting as a coach.
• Now, as a coach, his take is more nuanced:
  • Quote (BJ, 45:16): “Thank you for your honesty…But there’s a reason why they have refs, and refs are supposed to do their job. So whatever the ref says, let them decide.”
• Zach asks if Porter regrets it. He doesn’t: “It’s a part of who I am. I’m Alex. You know, it’s alter ego.” [46:17]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “My wife said, that’s when I found out you’re a real sports pervert…” (Zach, 01:16)
• “It feels like a commercial about sports made by people who have never seen sports before.” (Pablo, 04:10)
• “Alex, good call...Sportsmanship, pass it on.” (PSA audio, [03:54]-[04:00])
• “It took, I think, like two and a half years, basically to find him.” (Zach, 07:19)
• “He owns Coachella, which is about as godless of a place as you can go legally, also pushes these very conservative God-forward, church forward messages.” (Zach, 15:33)
• “At some point…they look up and there’s the ad, all these years later, playing on the TV at ESPN Zone.” (Zach, 42:59)
• “Would you do it again?” “Yeah, it’s a part of who I am.” (BJ, 46:16)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment Description | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------------|---------------| | The Commercial Play-by-Play | 02:19–04:10 | | Internet Roasting and Meme Status of “Alex” | 05:40–06:18 | | Zach’s Investigative Struggles | 07:52–11:05 | | Discovery of Philip Anschutz & Foundation Origins | 13:36–16:52 | | How the PSAs Became Ubiquitous | 20:07–22:30 | | Successfully Locating “Alex” | 27:14–28:08 | | The Real BJ Porter: Family, Teammates, Acting | 29:25–33:33 | | “I didn’t even touch the ball!”—the big reveal | 34:49–34:57 | | Damian Lillard Remembers “Alex” | 40:28–41:23 | | How the Meme Haunted Porter’s Real Life | 42:59–44:02 | | Porter's Post-Internet Perspective on Sportsmanship| 45:11–46:32 |

Conclusion

Pablo and Zach’s “talkumentary” peels back not just the story behind a bizarre, cringe-inducing PSA, but also the mechanisms of modern philanthropic influence, the relentless churn of internet culture, and the resiliently human story of a young athlete-actor who became, unwillingly, an eternal meme. Through candid conversation and years of reporting, “Alex” finally gets to reclaim his narrative.

Final Thought (Pablo, 46:41):
"It's so rare to have a story about a child star who gets eaten by Twitter and comes out on the other side being like, I think I'm better for this."

For further exploration:

• Foundation for A Better Life PSAs
• Follow Pablo Torre and the show on YouTube, Instagram, X/Twitter (see episode notes for links)