The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Hour 2: The George Soros of Journalism (feat. Pablo Torre)
Date: November 20, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode, recorded live from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, features Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and an ensemble cast engaging on sports, philanthropy, and a profound discussion with acclaimed journalist Pablo Torre on his investigative podcast work. The focal point is Torre’s groundbreaking reporting on the political weaponization of women’s sports, specifically through the story of Riley Gaines, in collaboration with Mother Jones. The conversation dives deep into sports as a culture-war battleground and exposes the machinery and money behind narratives crafted for political ends.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Sports Talk & Philanthropy: "Tony’s Top Five"

Timestamps: 02:08 - 07:41

• The crew opens with playful banter about travel, weather in Wisconsin, and the GiveMiamiDay charity telethon, raising over $17 million for vetted local causes.
• Tony’s Top 5 explores recent NFL storylines:
  • Davis Mills’ special throw for the Texans (05:06)
  • 49ers and Brock Purdy’s playoff potential (05:24)
  • The unpredictability of the Jaguars and Chargers (06:05)
  • Cowboys-Raiders kneeling controversy (07:03)
  • The Chiefs and "shipping container" suffered a "debacling" (07:26)
• Lighthearted, irreverent tone—signature of the show.

Chiefs, Eagles, & NFL Trends

Timestamps: 07:45 - 10:04

• Dan discusses the Chiefs’ offensive stats: highest per-drive scoring, but struggling in close games (0-5 in one-score games).
• The Eagles win consistently with a risk-averse offense; Jalen Hurts is criticized for being "unpopular" among receivers for prioritizing conservative, turnover-free play.
• Insight: Even winning styles can create internal friction in professional sports when individual ambitions conflict with team philosophies.

Pablo Torre’s Investigative Reporting: “The Most Impactful Sports Story in America”

Timestamps: 10:24 - 14:48

• Dan introduces Pablo Torre’s major project: a collaboration with Mother Jones dissecting the rise of Riley Gaines as a political weapon and figurehead in anti-transgender sports discourse.

Key Points:

• Riley Gaines’ evolution: From a University of Kentucky swimmer who tied for fifth with Lia Thomas to the face of a national political campaign to “protect” women’s sports.
• Manufacturing Outrage: Reporting reveals Gaines was not anti-trans or politically vocal in college; her controversial stances were developed over time, incentivized by money, leading to national media prominence and political attention from Trump and Fox News.
• Victimhood as Currency: Gaines is alleged to have exaggerated and monetized her story, becoming a “professional victim” to pivot public opinion and legislative efforts.
• Ignored Realities: The podcast, through direct interviews and reporting, uncovers that the more significant and unreported story within women’s sports involves the actual (alleged) predation by authority figures—specifically, sexual abuse accusations against her own former head coach at Kentucky, Lars Jorgensen—a topic Gaines virtually never addresses in public.

"She is somebody who over time got paid to develop an opinion into a weapon...and develop her experience of tying for fifth place...into a professional victimhood."
— Pablo Torre (13:08)

The Hypocrisy & Weaponization of Women's Sports

Timestamps: 17:58 – 23:27

• The discussion exposes the political machinery that leverages the "trans issue" in women’s sports as a wedge to win elections, with conservative men who previously ignored or belittled women's sports suddenly rebranded as “protectors”.

• The most vulnerable population—transgender people—are scapegoated for political convenience.

• Notable Quote:

  "There is now this entire population of people who claim to really care about women's sports. And their lens is through the trans issue...because there is the easiest target in America...the trans person in America."
  — Pablo Torre (18:26)

• Major Revelation: The sexual abuse allegations against Coach Lars Jorgensen are highlighted as the true unresolved crisis in women's sports, compared against Gaines's media narrative.

“It’s really hard for me to care about Riley Gaines tying for fifth place when our head coach was accused of raping our teammates.”
— Trinity Ward, former UK swimmer (21:23)

Examining Systemic Manipulation and Dark Money

Timestamps: 23:27 - 34:07

• Torre details how the public’s concern for female athletes’ safety is being redirected and manipulated away from real, proven risks (abuse by powerful men) toward the manufactured crisis of trans inclusion.
• The story reveals how Gaines's rhetoric escalated for political utility—supported by investors and large conservative donors, notably the DeVos family, billionaire NBA owners of the Orlando Magic who have spent six figures backing her activism.

“We are being manipulated through money...the DeVos family has put six figures behind Riley Gaines as this figure. They’re funding her work, her activism, which gets it all backwards to the profit.”
— Pablo Torre (24:37)

Sports as a "Gateway Drug" for Culture Wars

Timestamps: 28:58 – 31:14

• Towering legislation against trans athletes is spreading, even though only about ten Division I trans athletes exist—less than 0.02%. Despite the minute incidence, it’s used to drive sweeping policy, suggesting that sports are a test case for wider exclusion in society.
• Emphasis is on legal frameworks and public opinion being warped by sensationalism and fear-mongering.

“Sports is like this gateway drug for lots of cultural issues...it’s all like...the rhetoric has been so persuasive around how dangerous they are, how predatory they are. And so sports being the place where you can officially ban them...then what about the rest of American life?”
— Pablo Torre (28:58)

Journalism Awards, Pablo’s Persona & Le Batard as “George Soros”

Timestamps: 34:22 – End

• Le Batard highlights Pablo’s podcast “Pablo Torre Finds Out” being named one of Apple’s top ten episodes (the only sports entry).

• The group jokes about awards, humility vs. emboldenment, and Pablo’s online critics.

  • Humility banter:

    “You know what? I’ve been emboldened...I don’t think humility is going to get me anywhere. I’ve been told that in 2026, I need to like, somehow be even less humble.”
    — Pablo Torre (36:11)

• Pablo reveals that critics ask who his “dark money” backer is, jokingly referring to Dan Le Batard as “the George Soros of journalism.”

  “People are saying, who is funding Pablo Torre Finds Out, who’s the dark money source. And I’m like, you could watch him on YouTube every day...he’s the George Soros of journalism.”
  — Pablo Torre (37:42)

• Affirmation from Le Batard and the crew of the high degree of reporting Torre and his team achieve: “He’s doing the hardest thing the hardest way…consistently surprise you with fact-based reporting that makes even the most informed people say, ‘Holy shit, I didn’t know it was like that.’” (40:41)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Gaines' constructed narrative:
  “She got paid to develop her experience of tying for fifth place...into a professional victimhood.”
  — Pablo Torre (13:20)

• On the hypocrisy of "protecting" women's sports:
  "We're not disagreeing that there are men who prey upon women, young women in sports. The question is, which ones allegedly should you care about?"
  — Pablo Torre (23:27)

• On manipulation and money:
  “We are being manipulated through money by the owners of the Orlando Magic. The DeVos family has put six figures behind Riley Gaines…”
  — Pablo Torre (24:37)

• Dan Le Batard on Torre’s work:
  “He’s doing the hardest thing the hardest way...consistently surprise you with fact-based reporting.”
  — Dan Le Batard (40:41)

Flow & Tone

• The conversation flows from light sports banter and charity, through incisive sociopolitical reporting, to spirited group repartee.
• Tone shifts from irreverent to urgent and incisive during Torre’s segments, then back to characteristic show sarcasm and humility-bragging.
• Despite the heavy subject, the wit, skepticism, and energetic chemistry of the hosts keeps the content accessible and engaging.

Key Timestamps

• Tony’s Top 5 / Sports Banter: 02:08 – 07:41
• Chiefs/Eagles NFL Trends: 07:45 – 10:04
• Pablo Torre on Riley Gaines & Journalism: 10:24 – 14:48, 17:58 – 39:52
• On Awards and Pablo’s Persona: 34:22 – End

Summary

Listeners come away with an understanding of:

• The mechanics of how individual stories in women’s sports can be—and are—weaponized for political gain.
• The real crises in locker rooms that often go undiscussed because they’re inconvenient for dominant narratives.
• The powerful interests, including billionaire owners, directing money to construct media figures and political wedge issues.
• How Pablo Torre and his team pursue high-difficulty investigative journalism and the challenges (and blowback) that come with it—even as the show maintains its trademark blend of intelligence, irreverence, and inside jokes.

This episode is both an indictment of the culture-war tactics surrounding women’s sports and a celebration of tough, truth-seeking journalism, all wrapped in the irreverent, always-energetic Le Batard Show style.