Podcasts about Papa Bear

Bernice is feeling a bit anxious about singing at the Winter show, especially since Bobby said what he did. She talks to Papa Bear about it as they have their snack, and Papa Bear makes her feel much better.  ✔️ Perfect for ages 4+ Sleep Tight!, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

Bernice comes home on a crisp fall day from school to a house that smells like everything she loves. When she runs into the kitchen to have her treat with Papa Bear, she sees a whole flock of turkeys. What is going on? ✔️ Perfect for ages 4+ ✔️ Themes: Gratitude & Appreciation • Kindness • Empathy • Family • Helping others • Compassion Sleep Tight!, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

This week's Wealth Formula Podcast is about the economics of sports—if you are a sports fan like me, you will love it. But before we get to that, I want to give you my two cents on one of the most important elements to financial success in anything: conviction. As I write this, Bitcoin sold off from a high of $126K to under $90K. Other cryptos have lost 50-90 percent of their value in the same time. It's been called a blood bath. Some are even saying it’s over for Bitcoin. I might even believe them if I hadn't seen the same story at least 5 times before over the past decade. True bitcoiners have tremendous belief in what bitcoin means to the world. Someone who bought $1,000 of Bitcoin in 2010 and simply refused to sell would now be sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars. That is the reward for true conviction. The irony of this bitcoin cycle is that many of those individuals with high conviction are finally cashing in on the fruit of their patience. Almost every day, another wallet that hasn't been active since 2011 is selling off a billion dollars into the market into the hands of Wall Street and governments. That's why prices are tumbling. But don't be fooled into thinking that these buyers are the dumb money holding the bag. The story does not end here. Nor is the Bitcoin story a one-off either. History repeats itself as the story of investments unfolds over time. In December 1999, Amazon stock traded at $106. After the dot-com crash, it fell to $5.97. Every talking head had a eulogy written for the company. But if you were crazy enough to hold through the storm, your conviction paid off spectacularly: $10,000 invested in Amazon in 2001 is worth over $20 million today. Now, moving on to the topics of sports. One of my favorite examples of conviction is from 1920, when George Halas bought the Chicago Bears franchise for $100. The Halas family could've “taken profits” countless times. They lived through multiple depressions, a world war, a dozen recessions, five or six league restructurings, labor disputes, player strikes, and decades of bad seasons. Anybody else would've bailed. But they didn't, and today, the Chicago Bears are valued at over $6.3 billion. These stories have different time periods and different industries, but they all teach the same lesson: Conviction is one of the most profitable assets you can own. That's the message I want to leave you before we move into a perhaps more entertaining topic: the economics of professional sports. Most people think of sports in terms of touchdowns, rivalries, and Super Bowl rings. But the truth is… professional sports is one of the greatest wealth-creation machines in American history. Few people understand those engines better than our guest this week. He's one of the clearest, most respected voices in sports economics today, and he's going to break it all down for us: salary caps, streaming deals, and team valuations. If you are a sports fan, you are going to love this week's episode of Wealth Formula Podcast! Transcript Disclaimer: This transcript was generated by AI and may not be 100% accurate. If you notice any errors or corrections, please email us at phil@wealthformula.com.  Donald Trump pretty much bankrupted the USFL by saying we’re gonna go head to head, uh, with the NFL instead of trying to build a a Spring Sports League. Welcome everybody. This is Buck Joffrey with the Wealth Formula podcast. Happy, uh, Thanksgiving week, uh, and uh, this week because it is a holiday week in, you know, football and all that kind of stuff that goes along with it. We’re gonna talk. About the economics of sports. And if you’re a sports fan like me, you’re gonna really like this. I really had fun with this interview actually. It was just like me asking a bunch of questions I always had. But anyway, before we get to that, I want to give you my 2 cents. One of the most important elements that I think there is give financial success in anything, and that is conviction. And I bring this up to you in part because Bitcoin sold off. Um, and well at least all the time, I’m recording this from a high of 126,000 and then it, it plunged actually below 90,000. And then of course, there were other cryptos that lost 50 to 90% of their value in the same time. Uh, yeah, it was a bit of a bloodbath. It’s been called a bloodbath and it is a blood bath. And of course, there are some who are declaring Bitcoin dead Again. Um, and you know what? I might even believe them if I hadn’t seen, uh, the same story, at least I’d say, I don’t know, maybe four or five times over the past I, eight years, nine years, whatever. True Bitcoiners though, have a tremendous belief in what Bitcoin means to the world and where this is headed. And some of them, well before I ever got in, right? I mean. That serious conviction because, you know, the people who were buying, you know, back in 2012, 13, I mean, this was completely outta nowhere, had no one’s, uh, no one’s support, nothing. In fact, in 2010, uh, you know, if, if you bought Bitcoin back then simply refuse to sell up until now, um, say you bought a thousand dollars of Bitcoin. You’d be sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars of Bitcoin, right? That’s the reward for true conviction. And those people, frankly deserve it. Because can you imagine if you just bought a thousand bucks or something and it was already up to a million, it was already up to 10 million and all the way up to 20 million, you still didn’t sell. I mean, I don’t even know if I could, I don’t know if I could do that. I don’t think I could. I mean, at some point I would be like, take the money and run. Right. Um. You know, it’s a funny thing though. The irony of this Bitcoin cycle that we have right now is that many of those individuals with, you know, super high conviction, um, the ones that were in way before any of us and before me, well, they’re actually, a lot of them are actually cashing out sort of the fruit of their patients. Right. Almost every day right now, you’re seeing a another wallet that’s been dormant since like 2011. And all of a sudden it sells. It’s something that has done nothing, but just sit there in storage, selling off a billion dollars into the market, probably, you know, started out as like 10 grand. Right? And where’s that money going? It’s going to the hands of Wall Street’s, going in the hands of, uh, governments. That’s actually the ironic part here. That’s why prices are tumbling. Because I think people are saying, well, gosh, we’re at a hundred grand. I’m sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars. I’m sitting on a billion dollars. Uh, I think it’s time to get out, right? But don’t be fooled, in my opinion, to think that these buyers are, uh, you know, they’re the dumb people holding the bag. I mean the, the people holding the bag, it’s Wall Street, right? They’re governments and reserves. And, uh, you know, big treasury companies, the story doesn’t end here. And the other thing is that Bitcoin story is not a one-off in history at all, right? In fact, you know, it, Bitcoin gets a lot of attention. But you even look at something like Amazon, right? December, 1999, Amazon stock trading at $106. Then the.com crash comes, and guess what? It fell down to $5 and 97 cents. That’s a Bitcoin like crash, right? And every talking had a eulogy written for the company. And if you were crazy enough to hold through that storm, your conviction paid off spectacularly. If you had $10,000 invested in Amazon in 2001, it’s worth over $20 million today. So anyway, that’s the point I have though. You know, it’s, the point is about conviction. Uh, and, and I’m not saying that you should just be dumb, buy something and be dumb about it, but especially on these asymmetric things where you think something could be really big, give yourself a time, a period, right? I mean. The only thing other than Bitcoin that I think I, I’m really interested in, in the crypto space is something called Solana. Solana is down like 50% from its ties, and I still think that, you know, when the dust settles, I think this is going to be something that’s gonna pay, pay off. Now if I were to watch it day by day, uh. It’s demoralizing, right? But, but I think the point is, if you have some conviction in something, give it some time. You know, say, I’m gonna watch this for at least five years if I can, if I don’t absolutely get into a situation where I need that money, which hopefully you don’t, because this is not where that kind of money belongs. Right? But give it some time and don’t look, there’s lots of noise, and, and, and then just give it some time and see what happens. Right? Now speaking of giving it some time, you know, a similar story in the sports arena in 1920, George Halas, I think it was Papa Bear, right? George Papa Bear. Halas bought the Chicago Bears franchise for a hundred bucks. Yep, a hundred bucks. Now the Halas family could have taken profits countless times, and they lived through lots of, uh, bad times. Depressions, uh, you know, world War, uh, a dozen recessions, five or six, uh, league restructurings, labor disputes, player strikes, decades of bad seasons. And maybe anybody else would’ve billed at some point if they’d made, you know, millions of dollars from the a hundred bucks. But they didn’t. And the Chicago Bears, as much as I don’t like the Chicago Bears, are valued over $6.3 billion. Now these stories, ultimately, they’re, you know, different time periods, different industries, but same lesson conviction, it’s one of the most profitable assets you can own or attributes at least. Maybe it’s not an asset, I don’t know. That’s a message I wanna leave you before we get into the topic of today, which is the economics of professional sports. Now, most people think of sports in terms of touchdowns, rivalries, super Bowl rings, all that kind of thing. But the truth is professional sports is one of the greatest wealth creation machines in American history, and few people understand those engines better than our guest this week. He’s one of the clearest, most respected voices of sports economics today. And he is gonna break it all down for us. We talk salary caps, streaming deals, team valuations. We talk about the Green Bay Packers and why they’re owned by the city of Green Bay instead of owners. All that kind of stuff that you might have wondered about but you never really knew. So if you’re a sports fan, enjoy it and happy Thanksgiving. We’ll have that interview for you right after these messages. Wealth formula banking is an ingenious concept powered by whole life insurance, but instead of acting just as a safety net, the strategy supercharges your investments. First, you create a personal financial reservoir that grows at a compounding interest rate much higher than any bank savings account. As your money accumulates, you borrow from your own. Bank to invest in other cash flowing investments. Here’s the key. Even though you’ve borrowed money at a simple interest rate, your insurance company keeps paying you compound interest on that money even though you’ve borrowed it. At result, you make money in two places at the same time. That’s why your investments get supercharged. This isn’t a new technique. It’s a refined strategy used by some of the wealthiest families in history, and it uses century old rock solid insurance companies as its backbone. Turbocharge your investments. Visit Wealth formula banking.com. Again, that’s wealth formula banking.com. Welcome back to the show everyone. Today. My guest on Wealth Formula podcast is, uh, Dr. Victor Matheson, professor of Economics and Accounting at College of Holy Cross. He’s a leading authority on sports economics, studying everything from the financial impact of mega events like the Olympics and World Cup, to the inner workings of professional sports leagues, lotteries, and public finance. Uh, welcome to the show. How are you? Well, thanks for having me. Great. Always happy to talk some sports economics. Oh gosh, this is interesting. I’m a huge, uh, I’m a huge sports fan, especially NFL and, uh, so, you know, instead of talking personal finance, you know, without, uh, without any, uh, uh, sports in it, this is definitely a, uh, welcome for me. So, um, well, vigor, let’s start, start with this, you know, um. Most of us who are big sports fans, you know, we’re really driven by the idea of the, the, you know, the, the emotion, the entertainment. Taking a step back from your perspective, how should we look at this whole ecosystem of sports as an economic system? Well, uh, first of all, it’s. It’s both bigger and smaller than, uh, than you would imagine. So if we think of the NFL, the NFL ha generat more revenue than any, uh, sports league in the world. Uh, this year it’ll come in somewhere around 22 ish billion dollars. Uh, that certainly seems like a lot of money. On the other hand, a Sherwin Williams paint store comes in at about that same sort of, uh, revenue, you know. On many podcasts talking about talking about paint, right? Um, if we talk worldwide, all the sports leagues all put together, uh, we’re talking about maybe a hundred billion or so, maybe 120 billion, roughly the same size as Johnson and Johnson. So, uh, you know, it’s a big industry. It’s a, you know, billions in with a B, but it’s also a tiny percentage of, of the total amount of economic. Being generated every year, and, and so we can easily get, uh, um, we can easily get ahead of ourselves and say, well, you know, uh, it’s the biggest company in the world, the NFL, it’s, it’s not even 500. Interesting. Um, so let’s talk a little bit about this, um, uh, how value is created in these leagues. So, so, you know, you said professional leagues are built on the economics of controlled scarcity. So talk a little bit about that, if you would, how this scarcity model drives value and, and, and protects, uh, uh, profitability. Right. So let’s compare, you know, let’s compare a Walmart. To the NFL, right? Uh, so Walmart takes a look at all these potential places that you could put a Walmart and they say, oh, this would be a good one. And a Walmart goes in. And now that Walmart’s generating economic impact and generating revenues for the, for the. For the company and all these sort of things. Now let’s look at the NFL, right? Uh, the NFL does the same thing. They said, Hey, uh, let’s look at Las Vegas. Would that be a good place for a, for a team? Uh, is is London gonna be a good place for a team? Uh, and they look at those. Uh, but here’s the deal. If Walmart looks at 50 places and says, Hey, these 35 would be good places. They’re not gonna just pick the best one for a franchise. They’re gonna put. Walmart’s in all of those, right? Uh, the NFL on the other hand, very specifically saying, you know, we actually don’t wanna put an NFL franchise in every place that we could, uh, make a profit in because we want to be in the, in a world where there are fewer NFL franchises than there are cities that want them, and that generates demand for this. Um, Walmart can’t do that because if Walmart doesn’t put in a franchise somewhere, uh, you know, Target’s gonna come in instead. Uh, that’s not gonna happen in the NFL, uh, because there’s no other competitor to that. So they can actually restrict the number of franchises they have, which means that every franchise is selling at a, a super premium price. These are, you know, at the lowest end, we’re talking five, six, $7 billion franchises. Now, uh, they could sell multiple new expansion franchises, but they choose not to. To maximize the value of those existing franchises. It’s been a while actually since the NFL expanded, um, the league. And I’m curious, what are, you know, what is it that drives them ultimately to do that? I mean, again, you just mentioned there’s this whole scarcity issue. I mean, what do you think are sort of the limitations or sort of the. You know, the, the, the points at which they say, well, gosh, maybe we do move to London, or maybe we do that. Like, do you have a sense of that? Yeah. So a couple things they wanna do. So first of all, one of the big things that all of the leagues in the United States have done is they want to be a big enough league to make sure that they cover all of the good spots or most of the good spots for a team. You don’t wanna leave enough good team locations that a rival league could come and start to challenge you. Right? So thinking back to the 1950s, uh, one of the most important sports leagues ever to come about in the United States. Actually never even existed. And this league is what was called the Continental League. And the Continental League in the 1950s arose as a challenger to major league baseball. Major League baseball in the 1950s was exactly the same size as it was in 1901. It was 16 teams. But the United States had grown immensely and the league had started to move, you know, the Dodgers to LA and the Giants to San Francisco, but you still had huge amounts of the country uncovered by baseball. And so this Continental League came about as an idea saying, you know what? We can take on Major League Baseball by putting franchises in places that it doesn’t exist. They said, oh, here’s our new eight league team. And the way Major League Baseball responded to that is before continental baseball could even start, uh, start existing, it said, oh yeah, well we’re gonna put a team in Minneapolis. We’re gonna put a team in Houston. We’re gonna put teams in these Lee in these cities that the Continental Baseball Association was gonna go into. And therefore, uh, continental baseball never got into existence because Major League Baseball expanded into those locations and everyone has taken that, that hit. You need to be big enough to make sure that every place with a, a good chance at having a team, or at least most of them, uh, are covered so that there’s 8, 10, 12 cities out there, uh, a big enough footprint that you could have your own new league. Uh, do that. So, I mean, if you look at the NHL, if you look at NBA major league baseball, NFL, all about 30 teams. There’s about 30 or a few more big cities. But what’s very important is there’s not 10 or 12 big cities out there, uh, without NFL teams, without football teams that. A rival league could move into that space. You know, I’m curious when you, you brought up that Continental league in baseball. It reminds me when I was a kid of, uh, the United States football, like the USFL and all, they got all these, uh, players, like I remember Herschel Walker started there and, and there was a number of actually guys who ended up in the NFL and being big stars there. So they, they definitely, uh, started out pretty strong. What went wrong for the USFL? It’s so funny you say that. Uh, the answer is actually one big, uh, name. It’s actually Donald Trump. Yeah. So, so what USFL did is, is they noticed that their niche was, um, was the spring, right? We play college football, we pay play high school football, and we play the NFL in the fall, which means that, uh, people out there in the spring, there’s no football out there to be had. The USFL said, you know, we could move into this market. So first of all, we’re gonna move into the spring where there’s not a rival. Second of all, we’re gonna take at least some cities where there’s not active, um, football teams either places like Birmingham, right? Uh, so any case, uh, what happened there is the USFL. Kind of got a little, its ego kind of got ahead of itself and it said, Hey, now that we’ve established ourselves in the spring, we do have some big stars like, uh, uh, Herschel Walker, like Doug Flutie, uh, some of these others. We’re gonna try to take the, uh, take the NFL on, uh, head to head and we’re gonna move from the spring to the fall. And the other thing they did that was very important is they filed a lawsuit against, uh, the NFL, saying that the NFL was engaging in antitrust activity that was keeping this rival league down. It was, uh, keeping them off TV by using their market power with some of the broadcasters. It was using its market power with stadiums to keep these teams out. And so they took him to court, and I think the, the hope was that there would have to be a settlement and that settlement would result in the USFL merging with the NFL. And the owners of the big teams in the USFL would kind of get a backdoor into the NFL this way. As it turns out, the court, in fact did find in favor of the USFL. Uh, they said yes, the NFL is engaging in illegal antitrust activity, but they also said. You guys are insane. Uh, going against the NFL in the fall, there was no way you’re gonna make it. So even though the NFL was found guilty, the jury only awarded $1 of damages. Uh, technically in antitrust cases, that’s tripled. So they actually were awarded $3 in damages and the league basically folded the next day. They won their lawsuit, but they folded the next day. But of course, the owner that had most. Most importantly pushed the league to go head to head against the NFL was the owner of the new, uh, New Jersey team, the Generals New Jersey Generals. Right? And it was Donald J. Trump. Donald Trump. Uh, so Donald Trump pretty much bankrupted the USFL. By, uh, by saying we’re gonna go head to head, uh, with the NFL instead of trying to build a, a Spring Sports League. Now, to be fair to Donald Trump, which I don’t necessarily want to be, but to be fair to him, um, there’s no guarantee that the USFL would’ve made it as a spring league either, but I think anyone, again, a jury looking at this said there was just no chance of that league, uh, surviving against, uh, the NFL. If you try to go head to head in the poll. Just, just outta curiosity, uh, you know, there, when you talk about Trump, I know like he’s had an interest in, you know, professional football teams for a long time where he did, at least, there’s a certain politics that goes into buying an NFL team as well, right? Right. So the NFL is a partnership. Yeah. Which means that they can choose who they decide to partner with. And, uh, the presumption was, uh, in the 1980s when Donald Trump was trying to become an NFL owner that Donald Trump, uh, neither had the money, nor had the friendships among other NFL player, uh, NFL owners, uh, to get into that very exclusive club. And so again, he was able to get into the USFL because it was a much lower buy-in, in terms of, of cost. The USFL owners couldn’t be as picky about who they wanted as fellow partners, and again, I think Donald Trump saw the USFL as a way to potentially get into the NFL through the back door through this lawsuit, and, and by moving directly in the, in the fall because the jury just didn’t find that, that there was any plan. By which the USFL teams could have ever become profitable, uh, going head to head in the fall against the NFL. Let’s talk a little bit about sort of valuations, because what’s interesting is, you know, you’ve talked about scarcity and, you know, the way that the leagues have manipulated, uh, that to make sure that there, you know, the values continue to grow, but at some point in the last 30, 40 years, the numbers just really skyrocketed, right? Where these football teams, you know. It wasn’t a straight line in terms of how much they were worth. What, what went into that massive inflection of, uh, of, of valuation? So, first of all, I think you’re exactly right. There has been this massive inflection. Uh, so I’ve been teaching sports economics since the 1990s and, and the 1990s were kind of at the end of an era where this was really one of the sames back in the seventies, eighties, and even as late as the early nineties, that if you wanna become a millionaire. Start out a multimillionaire and then buy a sports team because it was a, it was just a, uh, a dumpster fire that you could just burn up cash without any hope of any sort of real return. And that changed in probably the late eighties, early nineties. That really changed, uh, a couple things. Change that, uh, first of all. By the nineties and certainly by the two thousands, um, most of the big professional sports in the United States had solved lots of their labor relation problems with the, with the athletes. So there was always this question about, uh, you know, do athletes have the ability to bargain with other teams? Are they able to get free agent, uh, agency, are teams going to be constantly fighting and, and spending every dollar that they can down to the point of bankruptcy to buy that superstar team? And what happened again in the nineties, starting in the eighties through the nineties and the two thousands is pretty much leagues have, uh, agreed to a world where. We’re gonna limit the amount of spending, uh, that we’re gonna do on players so that we’re not all bankrupting each other, bidding for players. In order to get the players to go along with that, we come to an agreement that we’re gonna share basically half the money with the players. And that’s exactly how the NHL works, the NBA works and the NFL works. Major League Baseball is not like that yet. And we may see not this season, but the next one, um, them trying to finally join ranks with the other, uh, with the other leagues. Uh, the question is whether we’re gonna see that happen without a gigantic, uh, work stoppage that. You know, some people who are pessimistic think we’re, we may not have baseball at all in 2027. 2026 is fine, but 20, 27 may, may fall. So as soon as like your costs are all covered up, that you know that everyone is kind of playing on a level playing field. Once we know that we don’t have to worry about bankrupting ourselves. We are only paying players, what we’re bringing in as revenue. All of a sudden, this is a fairly safe investment in a way that it never was prior to, you know, this all dying down. Couple other things going on here as well is, of course, the country’s gotten bigger. We have gotten bigger, but without adding additional, many additional franchises, which means, uh, those, those tickets are becoming increasingly expensive. We’ve gotten richer in a, in a skewed fashion, so that, uh, that of course the rich have gotten richer, a lot faster than the poor have. But of course, going to a baseball game, especially with those luxury boxes and things like this, is, uh, an activity that is reserved for the wealthy. And as the wealthy have gotten more, uh, uh, have gotten, you know, increasingly rich, uh, that means that. You know, businesses like Major League Baseball in the NFL that cater to the upper class, uh, do disproportionately well. And the last thing, and I’m sure you’ve talked about, uh, this before, is on your show, obviously you can have, um, you can have investments that are irrational as long as you think there’s someone later that’s irrational, that you can, you can hand it off to, right? This is, this is all the Greater fool theory. Uh, although I don’t think necessarily in this case, the, the owners are fools, but. Sports teams are a toy of billionaires that you say, well, look, I, I am, I’m a Mark Cuban. I’ve made billions of dollars. Now I want to spend some of my, my money on a, a fun asset. You know, you and I might collect a baseball cards. Mark Cuban might collect baseball teams, right? Uh, so, uh, in a world you might be willing to overpay because you wanna be a sports soldier and you wanna rub elbows with. You know, KA Leonard, you wanna rub elbows with, uh, with, with Shhe Tani. Um, and you may be willing to overpay for that asset, but guess what? 20 years down the way, there’s still gonna be another billionaire who wants to rub elbows with that next generation of superstars. And so you’re fairly sure that the next time when it comes to sell your franchise, there will be another person who’s willing to pay a premium for that asset as well. So again, as we’ve gotten more billionaires, more billionaire wealth, um, this is something that, uh, you know, has attracted folks like Steve Ballmer to, to part with, with big money. And, uh, again, as billionaire assets have grown, uh, the ability and the desire to buy these teams has grown as well. I would think a major driver of the value. Is also coming from, um, the, the media sources, uh, that are changing, right? Where, I mean, I remember, you know, again, being a kid and there was this, you know, there was Monday night football and it was on NBC and. And that, that’s how it worked. But now there’s like bidding for these things and you’ve got Amazon, uh, doing Thursday night football, which is a little weird. Um, and you know, you sometimes you have, uh, uh, you have games on Peacock. What’s going on with that? How does it affect the economics? Uh, and ultimately, like where is this headed? So, uh, in a, in a league like the NFL, uh, over 60% of all revenues that they generate is media revenue, right? Because most of us aren’t going to games every day, uh, too expensive for us, or too time consuming or all sorts of other things. But, uh, lots of us tune in on tv. So we’re talking about, uh, well over $10 billion of annual media contracts with the NFL. Um, and those numbers have been going up, uh, at least in part because you have media companies, uh, in a pretty competitive environment bidding against one another for these things. Now, one of the things about, again, things like the NFL or the NBA is it allows broadcasters or other types of TV networks to bring in customers in a way that their regular programming doesn’t. So a, a company may actually be willing to overpay for the NFL, kind of as a way to get people to buy all of your other products. A famous example from early days, uh, is, is Fox, right? So in the old days there were three big networks. So old days, I’m talking, you know, 1970s, there were the three big networks, right? There was A, B, CNB, C, and CBS, and they all competed against one another. And then in the 1980s, this rival network came up and this is Fox. And they wanted to get into all these markets nationwide. Well, how do you make sure that a. A local station decides to pick up the Fox programming. So for example, I grew up in Denver and Denver had a, had a, an independent channel that, you know, played reruns and all sorts of other things, and, and so they have a broadcast license already. Fox goes up to them and says, Hey, would you like to carry our regular programming? And, and that, that channel said, well, I don’t really think so. We’re doing fine showing Gilligan’s Island and Love Boat and things like this, and we don’t need, uh, an entire set of your programming. We’re doing just fine, as as it is. Uh, so Fox couldn’t get a foothold in that Denver market. So what Fox does is they buy rights to the NFL. All of a sudden now they go back and say, Hey, we’ve got all this Fox programming, we’ve got the Simpsons, and we’ve got, I don’t know, uh, you know, uh, you know, these early, these early Fox programming. But, um, they say, but we also have the NFL. You can’t, you can’t turn down the NFL. And then all of a sudden that existing affiliate says, okay, all right, we’ll add the whole line of Fox programming because you’re right, we can’t turn down having the NFL. So what, what basically happens here is the NFL serves as this kind of must stock item. And uh, you know, Fox was willing to overpay for the NFL because now they’re gonna get everyone to be able to buy the Simpsons and everything else they were offering at the same time. Uh, and so media rights have gone much, have gone up much faster. And we see this all over the place, right? How do you get people to buy. Amazon Prime. Well, let’s say that’s the only way you get to watch, uh, football on Thursday nights. How do you get people to buy, you know, apple tv? You offer major league soccer games as part of their package, right? Uh, and so this is how you kinda legitimize yourself as an actual, real, uh, you know, quote real media company is by offering some, uh, live. Live sports. And that gets people who would not otherwise buy Netflix or Amazon Prime or Apple, uh, to actually purchase those because again, they’re offering this secondary item. Then presumably that in turn drives up the value of of the NFL and you know, they’re bringing in a lot more money because they’ve got not just the three major networks bidding on them, but they’ve got all sorts of big companies with deep pockets. Willing to, you know, increase their, their, their revenue is and, and that sort of snowballs. Is that, is that fair? No, and that’s exactly right. And, and for as much as I talk about, you know, that billionaire who wants the an NFL team or an NDA team as a. Prestige asset. Uh, they’re also concerned about having it as an actual functioning asset as well. So I’m willing to pay, you know, a lot more, even if I’m willing to pay a premium. That premium is based on a fundamental value in the first place. And how do you drive that fundamental value? You drive that fundamental value by maximizing the revenue you generate through things like media contracts, and by maximizing. And by minimizing your costs, by making sure that your labor costs aren’t gonna run away with you, uh, because again, hopefully you, uh, most of the leagues have solved kind of their long-term labor, uh, their labor strife between them and the players within each league. There is also some different rules, and specifically, again, being a big NFL fan, I love the fact that the NFL has a salary cap and profit sharing for each team. ’cause it makes for a much more competitive league, basically, you know, for people who don’t know what that means, essentially each team can pay, has a salary cap of how much they can pay players for a given year. But not all of the leagues have that. Uh, I don’t really follow the other ones. I, I’m not sure who has it, who doesn’t, but I know that, like in baseball, I don’t think they have that. And it creates a situation where you’ve got the Dodgers or the Yankees in, in, in the World Series. More often than not, and you know, you’re not getting the smaller teams usually. No. So you’re exactly right. So the NFL has what’s called a, uh, a salary cap, and it’s actually got what’s called a hard cap. So they’re actually quite serious about this, and there are very few exceptions that can be made to go over this cap. Uh, this cap is based on the total amount of revenue that’s being generated by the league. Uh, and again, the cap basically is the way that they make sure that they share. A fair proportion of the money with the players. Uh, what’s also important is they also have a floor. So the, the cap this year is about 225 million, if I remember right, but the floor is about 200 million. So every team in the league basically is spending the same amount on labor this season, which makes for a very even playing field. And we know that some teams are gonna lose and some teams are gonna win. And it seems like the Browns and the, and the jets never win. And it seems like other teams always do. But what’s important about that is it’s not just because they’re in a big city, that they have these gigantic revenue advantages and that they can buy a championship. It really is, you know, who is smartest with their money, who’s smartest with your coaching, who’s lucky with the draft and things like this. And, uh, that makes for a very nice thing here. What’s also super important is the NFL has a gigantic amount of revenue sharing, and the reason for this is every single game you watch on TV is part of a contract that’s being sold by the league, not the team. And because of that, the league is generating all these, all this revenue, and then is equally distributing that money to each of the individual teams. So a, a team playing in little tiny Green Bay is generating exactly the same amount of media revenue as the New York Giants. Or the LA Rams. So that’s really nice. Uh, again, gigantic amounts of, uh, again, even revenue sharing to all the participants. As a matter of fact, of all of the businesses in the United States, the NFL is probably the single most socialist company. In the United States. So this Great American pastime is wildly socialist when it comes to how they distribute their, their income. So what incentivizes a team to be better and to win Then from the ownership standpoint, if there’s revenue sharing, is it just at the, the other sources of income that come, like advertising, things like that. I’m, I’m just curious, like if there’s so much revenue sharing, what is it that drives a team to, you know, try to be better from the ownership standpoint? So first of all is that being bad doesn’t help you, right? This isn’t major league baseball, so we’re gonna go the o. The other extreme, at least for a US sport, is major League baseball. No, uh, salary cap there at all. So you can pay, uh, players as much as you want, although there is what’s called a luxury tax. So as you, as your, uh, salary, your total payroll gets too big, you start getting, uh, uh, paying penalties to the league, which is then redistributed to the poor teams in the league. That being said, you can spend as much as you want. So yeah, the Dodgers, they spent somewhere, uh, by some accounts somewhere around $400 million this year on talent, including, you know, gigantic contracts to folks like Shhe, Tani, right? Um, but there’s also no minimum either. So if you’re a team that decides, hey, we’re not even gonna bother to try to compete this year, uh, you are the. I don’t know to, if I should call them the Oakland A or the Las Vegas a a or the Sacramento A or the Traveling through the desert, sort of a for a while. Um, but, you know, this is a team that made a decision not to compete and had a, had a tiny payroll. Uh, other teams have decided to do this, and the, and the NFL you could decide that you didn’t wanna win. But it wouldn’t save you any money because again, not only is there a salary cap, there’s a salary floor. So if I have to pay $225 million each year anyway, I might as well try to win with that 225 million. Uh, ’cause I don’t have a choice to just collect my paycheck and hire, you know, the Minnesota Gophers for $20 million, uh, for my, for my team this year. ’cause that’s not an option. Right. Um, one of the things I wanted to just kind of, uh, drill down a little bit on is the model of the Green Bay Packers. As you um mentioned, it’s a tiny little town, northern Wisconsin. Uh, not much going on there. I’ve, I’ve been there myself for a game. It is unique in that it is owned, not by billionaires, but it’s owned essentially as by the fans. How, how does that work? And, and I guess the question is like, why, why aren’t other teams modeled that way? So other teams are not modeled that way because the NFL does not want other teams to be modeled that way, nor do any of the other, uh, major leagues out there. Uh, it’s not good for the NFL for a couple reasons. Uh, first of all. They have to open their books. If it’s a public company and they don’t like to open their books, um, you also don’t have a face for that, uh, league in a way that, that a person couldn’t, couldn’t be in there, uh, pouring extra money in as a kind of a, an, an angel investor. Uh, on top of that, uh, you can’t threaten to relocate to another city unless you get taxpayer subsidized. Um, you know, uh, stadiums and things because it’s a publicly owned team and we know that, that those public owners will not ever decide to move that team out. How did they get that status in the first place? That’s an interesting story, and it’s a story that’s not unique to. The Packers, but it is fairly unique to the United States. So, uh, in the rest of the world, this type of ownership model actually is fairly common. Um, teams that your, you know, listeners would’ve heard of, like Barcelona, like Al Madrid, these are club owned teams. Um, there is not an owner there. They are owned by the fans themselves, and they’re in the business of. Trying to stay in business every year while winning as many games as possible. Uh, there is, they’re not trying to win trophies for a, a Steinbrenner or a Mark Cuban. They’re trying to win, uh, trophies for that fan base. That literally, again, the, the season ticket holders are those owners. Um, the NFL itself, you know, was, was a very hard Scrabble league for a long time. It started in 1920, uh, and between 1920 and 1935. Roughly 55 teams played at least one season in the NFL. And of those 55 teams, basically all but about six of them, had gone outta business or relocated at some point in here. Uh, this is why actually we got such a socialist, uh, uh, business model here is because the owners of the big teams, the owners of the bears. Uh, the owners of the Giants, uh, they said, look, you know, this league isn’t gonna work if we can’t actually find someone to play. And yeah, we’re making money here, but we’re not gonna continue making money if we can’t find other teams that are gonna work in this league. So they said, Hey, we are gonna be very generous. We’re gonna make sure that, that we share our revenues with the people, uh, the other people in our league. We would rather have a small piece of a big pie, uh, than a big piece of a pie that is tiny or disappears completely. Uh, so that’s why we ended up with this, uh, revenue sharing. And of course they were very open to any sort of model that kept stable teams around, including a model where rather than some rich owner in, in Green Bay owns that team. Instead, it’s a municipally owned team. As long as that team had stability and conform long-term rivalries and can afford to put forward a product that’s gonna, that’s gonna work on a, you know, on an NFL field to make a competitive product, they were happy to kind of do whatever they needed to do because again, this was a, this was a really tough league to be in. For the first roughly 20 years with, you know, a lot more successes. There’s been a lot of talk, uh, I know about private equity entering the, uh, the NFL. Tell us, give us a little bit of an understanding of that. I mean, obviously, I, I kind of think of these owners in these buying groups as private equity already, so what’s the big deal? Is the point. So in most sports leagues have already allow private equity and already allow ownership groups with multiple owners, uh, to, to own teams. So again, uh, you know, the, the Red Sox, they have multiple owners of, of that team. Uh, again, Celtics, same sort of thing. Um, but in the NFL we have required basically one owner, right? So this is a, a person. That owns the team and is the face of the team and is this controlling majority owner, uh, they’re going to explicitly allow external people unrelated to the ownership group, to own pieces of NFL teams here. Uh, and I think the, the real issue here, uh, has to do with, uh, there are some franchises in the NFL where the owners are asset rich, but cash poor. I’m thinking actually, for example, the Bears. So the bears are still owned by the same group. Who bought the Bears back in 1920 ish. Right? So this, you know, the, the same family, the Halas, uh, have owned this team for a hundred years. Uh, by this point, you know, little pieces of the team have been handed down to all the cousins and the grandkids and the great grandkids and this sort of folks. Uh, so, uh, you know, I think in total there’s something like 86 different owners of the, of the Bears now, but they’re all part of that original ownership group that everyone. You know, has inherited a little, a little share here. Now mind you, you know, one 86th of the, uh, of the bears is like a hundred million dollars. You know, the bears are probably an $8 billion franchise. And so that’s a hundred million dollars of assets that each one of these grandkids has just because, you know, their grandfather made a smart, uh, smart investment a hundred years ago. Um, but it doesn’t mean that they can live the lifestyle of a person with a hundred million dollars. Because they’re not allowed to sell their share to anyone because private equity was never allowed. And the amount of money that that team is actually generating in terms of annual operating profits isn’t super high. So you’ve got a world where you’re wildly rich, but you can’t really do a lot with those riches. So you know, this is a team that would be prime for the idea of, well, let’s sell off 20% of this. 20% of the team is gonna be maybe a couple billion dollars. And, and then we will just share that basically it’s a big Christmas present to each one of these, uh, these kids here. And again, the, the thing here is that’s $2 billion in cash that each of these small minority owners gets rather than, you know, an asset that they can’t actually use. To buy a yacht in Monaco. Right? And so that’s giving these kids, or the, you know, these minority owners an option to basically, uh, you know, get liquidity for their ownership. And, and that’s the big difference, right? And of course the other thing is, is there are lots of wildly rich people who would like to be an owner of a team in a way that you could do that 20 or 30 years ago by being just a, you know, just a multimillionaire or a multi, multi multimillionaire. That was enough. Uh. You know, you can be a billionaire nowadays and not have nearly what it needs to become an owner in one of these big groups. So, uh, you know, if we think about, uh, Arod, right? Arod bought, uh, the Timberwolves, uh, in the NDA, um. But he couldn’t do it alone despite the fact that he was, uh, you know, for 10 years the highest paid athlete in the world, you know, signed the single biggest contract, uh, in the history of professional sports, uh, when he did so. Uh, and even a guy with that sort of money doesn’t have enough money to buy a sports franchise. So, uh, I think the NFL is, you know, looking down the, the road to a, a world where. Someone wants to sell, but there’s not that many folks with $10 billion out there. And so the idea that we were gonna keep a, a world where there’s gonna be one single owner forever, uh, you know that that’s a pretty small pool of people in a world where you’re thinking about selling franchises at $10 billion. But if we allow these to be sold private equity wise. Then people can live their dream of being a sports owner, you know, for a mere couple billion dollars. And of course, that increases the pool of, of potential people by a lot. You know, you, you mentioned, um, during, just a minute ago in, in passing that these teams don’t actually necessarily throw off a lot of cash. They’re not, you know, they’re not super profitable. It’s not like a bunch of money’s being distributed to owners. Uh, can you talk a little bit about that? I, I didn’t know that actually. Sure. So a bunch of these teams in, in fact, in terms of operating revenue, don’t actually generate gigantic amounts of, of money every year. Uh, again, taking an an NFL team, so an NFL team is gonna generate, you know, somewhere around $500 million, maybe six or $700 million a year, but you’re already competing about 250 million of that to, uh, to the players. So half of that revenue coming in automatically is going to the players. If you built yourself a new stadium anytime recently, obviously you could have big payments on that. Uh, there’s other operating expenses associated with that. Um, in, in a world where you’re not the NFL, but you’re a world like, uh, major League baseball, where. You have much more variability in your, in your player costs year to year and more variability in your revenue. Uh, you could easily end up with years where you’ve got negative cash flow or at least negative profits, and, uh, and that means that you need, you need to be able to weather that. And so of course that’s one of the reasons, for example, why the NFL, you know, wouldn’t just take anyone as an owner, you need to be for sure rich enough to, uh, to weather both the ups and the downs. Again, if you borrowed any money to, uh, to purchase the team, uh, that’s obviously a big, uh, big interest payment there as well. So you could easily have teams again, depending how the owner purchased that, that are not kicking out gigantic amounts of cash on a year to year basis. One of the things that I’ve been hearing about, I don’t really know how this would work, is the, is of private equity moving into potentially like college sports. So we’ve seen some changes in, uh, for example, in college football where now these players can legally get paid. So it’s, it’s starting to look more and more like a professional. Uh, professional league. So how would that work if you’ve got private money essentially buying, uh, the sports teams of an individual university? Or maybe I’m not, maybe that’s not exactly what’s happening, but that’s kind of the impression I got. So first of all, that is exactly what could be happening and, and what people are talking about. Uh, I am deeply skeptical that this is a good idea for the institutions involved. Um. So basically it works exactly like any other sort of, uh, sports franchise, right? Uh, basically you would have an owner, uh, you know, let’s call him Mark Cuban, although he’s not, you know, he’s, he’s not talking about doing this. But imagine Mark Cuban decided he wants to buy, uh, Ohio State, right? Uh, so he comes up with a a billion dollars hands over a billion dollars to Ohio State. And now Mark Cuban is the recipient of any revenues being generated by the Ohio State, uh, program here. Um, and so this works like, just like anything else, right? So this is, this is basically, um, a person like bringing money in, in exchange for a piece of the action. Uh, the reason I’m highly skeptical about this because. Uh, remember the name of your university is very, very strongly tied with the name of your athletic program, right? So, you know, the Ohio State University is the name of both the educational program as well as the, uh, you know, the sports teams, right? And so, uh, one of the reasons that that schools have sports teams in the first place. Is as a method of advertising for their other things, right? So they, they use spectator sports to bring in the students to, uh, bring in, uh, actually, you know, public taxpayer money, all sorts of things. Um, and of course if the school controls the money from the, uh, you know, controls the athletic program as well as the academic program, then we can presume that the interests of the athletic program and the academic program are aligned. As soon as you’ve sold off your, your athletic program to an external, uh, you know, an external buyer, then you have every reason to believe that the incentives of that athletic program, the incentives of the. Academic program are no longer aligned in, in a way that is useful. Um, for example, you could have that, that equity person say, you know what? I’m gonna make money no matter what, and I’m just gonna tank all of our programs because I’m gonna generate more revenue by spending less. And that’s what maximizes my profit. But that may very well harm the academic side. And so if you allow, you know, private equity to come in and they have any control. Over that, uh, athletic program, you basically outsourced an extremely important part of your business while still meaning that your business in the athletics is, is importantly tied to the other parts of your business that you haven’t outsourced. And, uh, that makes me deeply concerned for anyone who would consider going down this route. Is, is that likely to happen, do you think? I don’t think anyone who makes predictions about college sport to this point, uh, can, can do that with any certainty at all. It’s fascinating stuff. Um, and one last question I guess for you, which is, you know, we talk about like people who own teams, uh, being, you know, multi-billionaires. Um. Is there any way that fans can still get a stake if they’re just simple millionaires? Is that just not something that’s po un unless you’re live in Green Bay, I guess, is that pretty much non-existent? So it depends what you’re interested in doing, right? So if you’re a mere multimillionaire, uh, you’re not gonna become an NFL owner. You’re not gonna become an NDO owner. Right. Mm-hmm. Um, if you’re very famous and a multimillionaire, you might be able to come into an ownership group because they want you as the face of the organization. Right. Um, one example of this was George W. Bush who came in with a very tiny ownership stake, uh, when, uh, he bought the Texas Rangers and he owned about. 2% of that, that team. But he was the face of that because he was the son of the president. Right. Uh, and, and then when the Rangers did well, uh, you know, he, he made a fortune doing that as well. So, um, the answer is generally no. But as long as your heart isn’t wedded to the NFL or NBA, there are certainly options that you can come into. Right. Um, we have seen. One tier down, uh, buying into things like the WNBA or the, uh, NWSL in women’s soccer or, uh, or women’s basketball. Uh, even that’s become pricey nowadays. These are a hundred million dollar franchises now these days. Or you can take chances with lower level, essentially minor league, uh, soccer in the United States or, uh, elsewhere, uh, in, in the world. And I think you know where we’re going here. So if you’re a merely. Multimillionaire, uh, and you’re a, a famous, uh, movie star or two, you could put your money in and buy a football or soccer team in Wales, uh, called Reim. Right? And of course, that’s exactly what Ryan Reynolds did. And Malaney and, uh, you know, they did not have anywhere close to NFL money despite being famous guys, you know, big movie stars, you know, you know, tens of millions of dollars in, uh, in money. They’re nowhere close to being NFL owner money. Guess what they were wreck some owner money and, uh, they get all the fun and excitement of being an owner without needing to be a billionaire. Interesting. Well, listen, uh, I, I appreciate all your time and, uh, it’s, it’s fun for me personally as a sports fan to see how this stuff works. Um, do you have a site where you write, do you have people curious about this stuff or, or how can they learn more? So how people can learn more is, uh, is there is some fun sports economic stuff out there. Uh, the classic, uh, book in sports economics is of course Moneyball by Michael Lewis, who of course is a great writer about all things finance and, and people who are interested in, in general interest books about, you know, all sorts of things related from to the tech boom to, uh, obviously the financial crisis of the two thousands to. His early days in, in junk bonds in the 1980s. Uh, Michael Lewis is one of the, one of the great writers out there. Um, uh, other fun books by colleagues of mine, uh, omics by Stephan Semanski is, is a fun one. Uh, and, uh, you know, you can catch up, uh, with some, uh, some. Other podcasts that, uh, that follow these sort of things, including Freakonomics has often things on sports that are, that are fun as well. Uh, unfortunately if you wanna, you know, hear from me, it’s all textbook stuff and then I’ll have to give you a grade. And so probably that. Uh, but again, it, it’s a great time to be a fan of sports and of economics ’cause there’s just so much good stuff out there. Thanks so much for being on the program today. Again, my pleasure. You make a lot of money, but are still worried about retirement. Maybe you didn’t start earning until your thirties. Now you’re trying to catch up. Meanwhile, you’ve got a mortgage, a private school to pay for, and you feel like you’re getting further and further behind. Now, good news, if you need to catch up on retirement, check out a program put out by some of the oldest and most prestigious life insurance companies in the world. It’s called Wealth Accelerator, and it can help you amplify your returns quickly, protect your money from creditors, and provide financial protection to your family if something happens. Steve, the concepts here are used by some of the wealthiest families in the world, and there’s no reason why they can’t be used by you. Check it out for yourself by going to wealth formula banking.com. Welcome back to the show everyone. Hope you enjoyed it. And, uh, once again, uh, I wanna just wish you a happy Thanksgiving and, uh, thank you for, you know, being a listener of this show. And one more thing, just a reminder, uh, we are heading into sort of the last month or so. Of, uh, investment possibilities in the investor club. Wealth formula.com is where you go to join that group. And if you’re looking for a last minute tax mitigation type investment, make sure you sign up as soon as possible. Uh, that’s it for this week on Wealth Formula Podcast. Happy Thanksgiving. This is Buck Jre signing off. If you wanna learn more, you can now get free access to our in-depth personal finance course featuring industry leaders like Tom Wheel Wright and Ken McElroy. Visit wealthformularoadmap.com.

I'm depressed, fuck Christmas

In this bedtime story Bernice is having ... a normal day. She has lots of homework, did well on her math test, and is super hungry again. It's a good thing that Papa Bear has some ginger cookies ready for her, with some warm milk. That night after a yummy dinner, Papa Bear tells Bernice a bedtime story about a Frong and magical mangos.  ✔️ Perfect for ages 4+ ✔️ Themes: Gratitude & Appreciation • Kindness • Empathy • Family • Self-Expression • Friendship and support Sleep Tight!, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

In dieser Doppelfolge, die wir live auf der SAE Convention aufgenommen haben, sprechen wir mit zwei außergewöhnlichen Persönlichkeiten aus der Musik- und Kreativszene:Fynn Kliemann – Musiker, Unternehmer und Allround-Kreativer – erzählt, wie er es schafft, bei all seinen Projekten motiviert zu bleiben, warum Authentizität für ihn wichtiger ist als Perfektion und wie er den Einfluss von KI in der Musik einschätzt. Außerdem geht's um Selbstvermarktung, kreative Balance und die Kunst, nicht aufzugeben.(00:30:32) Jan van der Toorn – Produzent und Songwriter (u. a. Backstreet Boys, Nana, Papa Bear) – spricht über seine Anfänge, seine Haltung als Künstler in einer sich wandelnden Branche und was es braucht, um langfristig erfolgreich und unabhängig zu bleiben.Zwei Gespräche, ein roter Faden: Leidenschaft, Ausdauer und der Mut, kreativ zu bleiben.Sound&Recording-Magazin | Studiosofa Website: ⁠⁠soundandrecording-magazin.de⁠⁠WhatsApp-Gruppe: ⁠⁠soundandrecording-magazin.de/whatsapp⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠@soundandrecording.magazin⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠@StudiosofaPodcast⁠⁠TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠@soundandrecording.mag⁠⁠Spotify: Studiosofa & SR-Magazin PodcastApple Podcasts: Studiosofa Podcast

Adventures of Dirk: An Oceanside Bikers Gathering - Part 1 Dirk finds his favorite place on earth. By Original Aramis. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. The day was bright and clear without a cloud in the sky, the weather was warm without being hot, and there was little if any wind. Traffic was minimal at best, and this enabled Dirk to relax as he rode his Harley down the highway at 70MPH, a black duffel bag full of his clothing and gear strapped across the rear seat. Riding his bike in conditions like this was one of the things that Dirk loved most in the world, and like most bikers this was a kind of therapy for him that couldn t be found anywhere else. Whenever life s concerns and distractions got to be too much for him, Dirk would fire up the bike and hit the road, not going anywhere in particular but just going until either the bike needed gas or he needed food, or both. But today was different. Dirk was travelling with a destination in mind, specifically the clubhouse of one of his MC s charters that was in the neighboring state. They were celebrating their 10th anniversary and had planned a monster party, one that Dirk wouldn t have missed for the world. The charter was also located in his favorite beach resort town where his favorite beach resort hotel, The Windjammer, was located, so there was no way he wasn t going to make this party. He had already made his reservation at the hotel, although he knew he d most likely end up spending the majority of the night at the clubhouse enjoying the party and the hospitality of the club. He d had several invites from club members to stay at their house, but Dirk politely declined them all. As much as he loved the members of his club he always felt a little out of place when he stayed overnight with one of them, and preferred the privacy of his own hotel suite instead. Besides, if he got lucky with one of the many girls he knew were going to be at the party, he wanted a place to go where he could be assured of privacy and comfort. It was late in the afternoon when Dirk pulled into the parking lot of The Windjammer, having been on the road for a little more than eight hours. He was achy and tired from the ride, needing both a shower and a drink in the worst way. He pulled his bike up under the awning of the main entrance to the hotel and dropped the kickstand, his loud pipes turning every head within ear shot. He drew a few disgusted looks from some of the snootier patrons when they saw his colors and his long hair, but he truly didn t give a shit. He was worth more than most of them on his worst day, so he really couldn t care less about their opinion. He shut down the engine and got off, stretching for a moment before going into the hotel and checking in. He came back out with a card key for his room less than three minutes later, then got back onto his bike to move it into the parking lot. Once there he shut the bike down, locked the ignition and the forks, unstrapped the duffel bag and headed up to his room. The room was located on the 22nd floor of the hotel and had a magnificent view of the ocean. As soon as Dirk got into the room he dropped his bag on the bed and went out onto the balcony, standing there and looking out at the ocean. He smiled as he smelled the salt air and felt the ocean breeze on his face, then closed his eyes and just listened to the sound of the waves and the water for several long moments. Then he opened his eyes and looked up and down the beach, still smiling. This is my favorite place in the whole world! he said out loud to himself, his smile getting bigger. It was late in the day on Saturday so the beach was packed with tourists, but this didn t bother him. He wasn t there to go out on the beach this trip, he was there to party and have a good time, so the crowd of people on the beach wasn t important. He stood there for a few moments longer, then turned and went back into the room to shower and change. He took his leather vest with his club s colors on it off and dropped it on the bed, the rest of his clothes following. A few minutes later he was in the shower, standing under the stream of hot water and letting it wash away the achiness and the road grime from today s ride. After his shower he unpacked, tossing his clothes into the drawers of the dresser in the room, then got dressed and headed down to the lounge to have a drink before going over to the clubhouse. He knew the party was going to be big and loud, and he wanted to have at least one drink in relative peace and quiet before he subjected himself to the noise of the party. He walked into the dimly lit lounge and headed towards the bar, glancing around the room as he did so. It was early in the evening so the lounge wasn t very full, with only two or three tables being occupied and less than half a dozen people sitting at the bar. As he walked up to an empty stool he noticed a group of three people, two women and a man, sitting at one of the tables. Dirk could tell that the man and one of the women, a brunette with a very cute face and a huge pair of tits, were obviously together since they were holding hands and sitting very close to each other. The man looked to be quite a bit older than the woman, maybe 20 years or so, he couldn t be sure, but Dirk was positive that the man was at least old enough to be her father. And by the way they were acting, he knew that wasn t it. Husband, maybe, but father- no. Not unless they were into something really kinky, that is. The other woman, a short blonde wearing a pink two piece outfit consisting of a tight top that tied in the front and equally tight shorts, was sitting on the other side of the table from them, smiling as they talked. She looked up at him as he walked towards the bar, quickly giving him the once-over as she continued talking to her friends. Then she smiled at him, pausing for a moment in her conversation, before turning back to her friends and continuing the conversation. Dirk continued on to the bar and sat down at a vacant stool, ordering a shot of Blanton s straight up when the bartender came over to him. Very good, sir! the bartender said, acknowledging Dirk s taste in bourbon. A few moments later he brought the drink over and set it on the bar in front of him, and Dirk picked it up to take a sip. He eyed the blonde woman in the mirror behind the bar as he did so, taking his time and looking her over good. She was small, around five foot nothing Dirk would have guessed, with long blonde hair down to the middle of her back. She had a cute face with angular features to her cheeks and nose, with slightly almond shaped eyes that fit her face perfectly. Her teeth were white and straight, accompanied by lips that were full and apparently very soft. They weren t full enough to be called dick sucking lips but they were close damned close. 'Man, I wonder what it would feel like to have those lips wrapped around my dick! Dirk thought to himself as he looked down to his drink to take another sip. He didn t see the brunette look up at him sharply just as he had this thought, a look of mild surprise flashing across her face for a moment before she broke out in a smile, turning her attention back to her friends. Dirk also didn t see the brunette reach out and touch the blonde s hand as she spoke, her words causing the blonde to glance over at him before she, too, broke out into a smile. When they all got up to leave Dirk noticed that the blonde had a stout, firm, and slightly muscular body. Her stomach was flat and her waistline slightly tapered, with shapely legs and a firm, rounded ass that flexed when she walked. And on top of all that was a large, firm bustline that sat high on her chest, the twin globes bouncing and jiggling inside her tight top as she walked. She glanced over at him and smiled again as she walked away, the three of them walking out of the door and out of sight. Dirk turned and enjoyed the sight of her ass flexing inside of the equally snug shorts she was wearing, and he couldn t help but wonder how those globes of flesh would feel in his hands. Dirk turned back to his drink, smiling to himself as he took a sip. Half an hour later Dirk was on his bike and headed out to the clubhouse for the party, and just as he expected there was a very large crowd of bikes and people already there. He parked his bike in front of the clubhouse with the others, not bothering to lock it knowing that the prospects who were positioned around the parking area would keep an eye on it. Watching the bikes of full patch members was part of their job as prospects, and to lock your bike while at the clubhouse with the prospects there was considered disrespectful to the host club. Besides, the prospects knew they d get their butts kicked if they let anything happen to the bike of a full patch .. When he got inside, he saw that the party was already in full swing. He walked over to the packed bar, exchanging greetings, hugs and handshakes with at least half a dozen other club members along the way. The club was hosting an open bar as usual, and Dirk was sure that by the time the party was over the grounds and the clubhouse would be littered with empty beer cans, discarded solo cups, and drunken bikers, all passed out and lying wherever they had fallen. Dirk didn't plan to be one of them, so he took it easy on the beer. There was a time in his life when he'd be the first one to pass out drunk, but those days were long over. Hangovers hurt a lot more than they used to, so he avoided them whenever he could by staying mostly sober. Weed was his intoxicant of choice these days, and there was just as much of that to be had as there was beer and hard alcohol. One of his close brothers fixed him up with a couple of the biggest, fattest doobies Dirk had ever seen, and after he had made the rounds of the clubhouse, which took about an hour he sat down at a table in a corner of the clubhouse to relax, enjoy his beer and his weed, and watch the party unfold in front of him. Two beers and half of the doobie later, Dirk was feeling pretty good, enjoying sitting at the small table and watching the goings-on in the clubhouse. Party parties were always loud, raucous, and entertaining, and tonight's party was no different. He put the joint to his lips to take another hit but stopped his hand in mid-air when he saw the petite blonde from the hotel bar walk into the room. Instead of the tight shirt and shorts she was wearing at the hotel, she was now wearing faded jeans tucked into black leather boots that came halfway up her calves, a tight white v-neck shirt that showed a generous amount of cleavage, and a denim jacket that was just as faded as the jeans she wore. She turned heads as she made her way through the crowd to the bar, stopping to talk to several people along the way. As she was talking to one of them, she turned in Dirk's direction, and a smile crossed her face when she saw him sitting at his table. She finally made her way over to the bar and got a beer, then made a beeline for Dirk's table. Mind if I sit down? she said, smiling down at him, her deep blue eyes sparkling. Please do, Dirk said, motioning to the empty chair across from him. She put her beard down on the table and then sat down, leaning forward onto her elbows as she crossed her forearms on the table in front of her. I was hoping you'd be here tonight, she said, smiling at him. My name's Amy, by the way. Nice to meet you, Amy. I'm Dirk. What made you think I'd be here? he asked, taking a swig from his beer. Your colors, she said, referring to his leather vest with his MC patches on them. I saw them when you sat down at the hotel bar earlier, and I had a feeling that you were in town for the party, she replied, still smiling at him. You seem to know a lot of people here, he said, taking a drink from his beer. Are you somebody's old lady? he asked. If he was going to make a move on this highly attractive and very sexy woman, he needed to know if she was the wife or girlfriend of a club brother. To move on another man's woman is a cardinal sin in the MC world, and he had no desire to get involved in that. No, I'm not, and I'm not a sweet butt either, she said, sitting back and taking a drink from her beer. A sweet butt was a woman who lived at the clubhouse, kept the place clean, and serviced the club members whenever they wanted it. I have my own place over on Vincent Lane about 20 minutes from here, so I don't live at the clubhouse. I'm more of a house mouse, actually, I help the club out with some of their administrative functions and help organize fundraisers and things like that, but I'm not looking for a partner or an old man. I actually helped organize this party, I'll have you know, she said, looking around briefly and gesturing with the beer in her hand as she did. From what I can see, you did a good job, Dirk replied, smiling at her for the first time. So if you're not somebody's old lady or a sweet butt, how did you get involved with the MC to begin with? he asked, genuinely curious. She looked down for a moment before replying, a solemn look on her face, before she looked back up at him and replied. I was the old lady of the founding sergeant at arms, Papa Bear. He was killed in an accident about a year after the charter was granted, and the way the club treated me when that happened was just,.. she stopped for a moment, a small smile creeping onto her face and her eyes tearing up just a bit. They showed me so much love and compassion, I knew I'd found a home here and would never leave it. So I haven't. I'm not looking for another old man or another club member to hook up with, and everyone knows that, so they leave me alone. They all watch out for me like a band of big brothers, and I appreciate that, she said, her smile returning. The brotherhood of an MC is something that you have to experience to really understand, Dirk said, nodding at her. Being the MC was one of the best things I ever did, and I love it, he said, taking a drink from his beer before continuing. So why were you hoping I'd be here tonight, may I ask? Because you make me tingle in all the right places, she replied, looking into his eyes. When I saw you at the bar earlier tonight, the tingling began immediately, and by the time I left it was so intense I could hardly stand it. I was so wet I was surprised I didn't squish when I walked. Her eyes were bright and shining as she looked at him, a big smile on her face. You're very direct, aren't you, Amy? Dirk asked, smiling back at her. Yes, I am, she replied, nodding her head. Life is too short to waste time fucking around, you know? Unless you're actually fucking, that is. She was absolutely grinning by now. So are you tingling now? Dirk asked. Let the games begin, he thought to himself. Absolutely, Amy replied, giving him a big smile as she replied, without missing a beat. And my panties are absolutely soaked, she picked her beer up and took another drink before putting it back on the table and speaking again. You know, Dirk, if you play your cards right and I think you will, not only will you find out how my ass feels in your hands, you'll also find out what it feels like to have my lips wrapped around your hard dick! Dirk's mouth fell open, a look of utter surprise on his face. She laughed at his reaction to what she had just said, and the surprise was evident in his voice when he finally spoke. How the fuck did you know that, he said, incredulously. What are you, psychic or something? No, but my friend Sherry is. Amy replied, still grinning. She's the woman who I was with at the hotel bar, and the man was Rob, her husband. Rob is a lieutenant with the local police department, and I've known Sherry since high school. She's always been a little bit psychic, and when she picked up on what you were thinking in the bar, she told me about it. Okay, I'm officially freaked out. Rob said, picking up the joint and taking a hit. Amy held her hand out with the palm up and wiggled her fingers at him, so he passed the joint to her. She put it to her lips and took a big hit, holding the smoke in for a moment, before blowing it out and passing the joint back to him. Most people are, she said, following the hit on the joint with a drink from her beer. Freaked me right the fuck out too, the first time Sherry told me something that I was thinking. I don't know how Rob handles it on a daily basis, I really don't. She put the beer down and leaned on the table again, crossing her forearms as she had before and creating about a mile of cleavage for Dirk to admire. A slightly evil smile crossed her face as she spoke again. So do you want to find out or not, Dirk? she said, her voice low and sultry, her eyes smoldering. Oh, yeah, Dirk replied, returning her smile. That, and a whole lot more, I hope, he said. I think you can count on that. Amy replied, grinning at him. My hotel? Dirk said, and Amy shook her head. Let's go to my place, she said. When I fuck you, I want it to be in my own bed, not in a hotel. I'm guessing you live alone? Dirk asked, just to be sure. Not even a cat, she said, giving him a big smile. Works for me, Dirk said, picking up his beer and draining it. He took one last hit from the joint before dropping it to the floor and crushing it under his boot. Where do you live? 102, Vincent Lane, about 20 minutes from here, she replied, draining her own beer and putting the empty bottle on the table. You gonna let me be your back warmer on the ride over there, she asked. Only if you promise to press those big tits against my back. Dirk replied, giving her a dose of her own medicine. Amy laughed as she responded. What kind of a back warmer would I be if I didn't? Hell, I may even give you a reach around, as well, she said, standing up. Dirk stood up as well, looking down at her from across the table. You're really something, you know that, Amy? he asked. You ain't seen nothing yet, high side, she replied, calling him by his road name that she got from the patch on the front of his vest. Just wait until I get you home. They walked out of the clubhouse and over to his bike, and Dirk got on first. He held the bike steady while Amy climbed on, then cranked up the engine. The loud pipes roared as the engine came to life, and Dirk dropped the bike into gear and pulled out of the parking area. Amy leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, pushing her big tits into his back, just as she had promised. She held on tight as he maneuvered the bike through traffic and out onto the open roadway, following the directions Amy was saying into his ear as she clung to his back. A few minutes later, they were out on the open roadway, headed towards her house and what Dirk knew was going to be a very interesting evening. To be continued in part 2 . By Original Aramis for Literotica

Adventures of Dirk: An Oceanside Bikers Gathering - Part 1 Dirk finds his favorite place on earth. By Original Aramis. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. The day was bright and clear without a cloud in the sky, the weather was warm without being hot, and there was little if any wind. Traffic was minimal at best, and this enabled Dirk to relax as he rode his Harley down the highway at 70MPH, a black duffel bag full of his clothing and gear strapped across the rear seat. Riding his bike in conditions like this was one of the things that Dirk loved most in the world, and like most bikers this was a kind of therapy for him that couldn t be found anywhere else. Whenever life s concerns and distractions got to be too much for him, Dirk would fire up the bike and hit the road, not going anywhere in particular but just going until either the bike needed gas or he needed food, or both. But today was different. Dirk was travelling with a destination in mind, specifically the clubhouse of one of his MC s charters that was in the neighboring state. They were celebrating their 10th anniversary and had planned a monster party, one that Dirk wouldn t have missed for the world. The charter was also located in his favorite beach resort town where his favorite beach resort hotel, The Windjammer, was located, so there was no way he wasn t going to make this party. He had already made his reservation at the hotel, although he knew he d most likely end up spending the majority of the night at the clubhouse enjoying the party and the hospitality of the club. He d had several invites from club members to stay at their house, but Dirk politely declined them all. As much as he loved the members of his club he always felt a little out of place when he stayed overnight with one of them, and preferred the privacy of his own hotel suite instead. Besides, if he got lucky with one of the many girls he knew were going to be at the party, he wanted a place to go where he could be assured of privacy and comfort. It was late in the afternoon when Dirk pulled into the parking lot of The Windjammer, having been on the road for a little more than eight hours. He was achy and tired from the ride, needing both a shower and a drink in the worst way. He pulled his bike up under the awning of the main entrance to the hotel and dropped the kickstand, his loud pipes turning every head within ear shot. He drew a few disgusted looks from some of the snootier patrons when they saw his colors and his long hair, but he truly didn t give a shit. He was worth more than most of them on his worst day, so he really couldn t care less about their opinion. He shut down the engine and got off, stretching for a moment before going into the hotel and checking in. He came back out with a card key for his room less than three minutes later, then got back onto his bike to move it into the parking lot. Once there he shut the bike down, locked the ignition and the forks, unstrapped the duffel bag and headed up to his room. The room was located on the 22nd floor of the hotel and had a magnificent view of the ocean. As soon as Dirk got into the room he dropped his bag on the bed and went out onto the balcony, standing there and looking out at the ocean. He smiled as he smelled the salt air and felt the ocean breeze on his face, then closed his eyes and just listened to the sound of the waves and the water for several long moments. Then he opened his eyes and looked up and down the beach, still smiling. This is my favorite place in the whole world! he said out loud to himself, his smile getting bigger. It was late in the day on Saturday so the beach was packed with tourists, but this didn t bother him. He wasn t there to go out on the beach this trip, he was there to party and have a good time, so the crowd of people on the beach wasn t important. He stood there for a few moments longer, then turned and went back into the room to shower and change. He took his leather vest with his club s colors on it off and dropped it on the bed, the rest of his clothes following. A few minutes later he was in the shower, standing under the stream of hot water and letting it wash away the achiness and the road grime from today s ride. After his shower he unpacked, tossing his clothes into the drawers of the dresser in the room, then got dressed and headed down to the lounge to have a drink before going over to the clubhouse. He knew the party was going to be big and loud, and he wanted to have at least one drink in relative peace and quiet before he subjected himself to the noise of the party. He walked into the dimly lit lounge and headed towards the bar, glancing around the room as he did so. It was early in the evening so the lounge wasn t very full, with only two or three tables being occupied and less than half a dozen people sitting at the bar. As he walked up to an empty stool he noticed a group of three people, two women and a man, sitting at one of the tables. Dirk could tell that the man and one of the women, a brunette with a very cute face and a huge pair of tits, were obviously together since they were holding hands and sitting very close to each other. The man looked to be quite a bit older than the woman, maybe 20 years or so, he couldn t be sure, but Dirk was positive that the man was at least old enough to be her father. And by the way they were acting, he knew that wasn t it. Husband, maybe, but father- no. Not unless they were into something really kinky, that is. The other woman, a short blonde wearing a pink two piece outfit consisting of a tight top that tied in the front and equally tight shorts, was sitting on the other side of the table from them, smiling as they talked. She looked up at him as he walked towards the bar, quickly giving him the once-over as she continued talking to her friends. Then she smiled at him, pausing for a moment in her conversation, before turning back to her friends and continuing the conversation. Dirk continued on to the bar and sat down at a vacant stool, ordering a shot of Blanton s straight up when the bartender came over to him. Very good, sir! the bartender said, acknowledging Dirk s taste in bourbon. A few moments later he brought the drink over and set it on the bar in front of him, and Dirk picked it up to take a sip. He eyed the blonde woman in the mirror behind the bar as he did so, taking his time and looking her over good. She was small, around five foot nothing Dirk would have guessed, with long blonde hair down to the middle of her back. She had a cute face with angular features to her cheeks and nose, with slightly almond shaped eyes that fit her face perfectly. Her teeth were white and straight, accompanied by lips that were full and apparently very soft. They weren t full enough to be called dick sucking lips but they were close damned close. 'Man, I wonder what it would feel like to have those lips wrapped around my dick! Dirk thought to himself as he looked down to his drink to take another sip. He didn t see the brunette look up at him sharply just as he had this thought, a look of mild surprise flashing across her face for a moment before she broke out in a smile, turning her attention back to her friends. Dirk also didn t see the brunette reach out and touch the blonde s hand as she spoke, her words causing the blonde to glance over at him before she, too, broke out into a smile. When they all got up to leave Dirk noticed that the blonde had a stout, firm, and slightly muscular body. Her stomach was flat and her waistline slightly tapered, with shapely legs and a firm, rounded ass that flexed when she walked. And on top of all that was a large, firm bustline that sat high on her chest, the twin globes bouncing and jiggling inside her tight top as she walked. She glanced over at him and smiled again as she walked away, the three of them walking out of the door and out of sight. Dirk turned and enjoyed the sight of her ass flexing inside of the equally snug shorts she was wearing, and he couldn t help but wonder how those globes of flesh would feel in his hands. Dirk turned back to his drink, smiling to himself as he took a sip. Half an hour later Dirk was on his bike and headed out to the clubhouse for the party, and just as he expected there was a very large crowd of bikes and people already there. He parked his bike in front of the clubhouse with the others, not bothering to lock it knowing that the prospects who were positioned around the parking area would keep an eye on it. Watching the bikes of full patch members was part of their job as prospects, and to lock your bike while at the clubhouse with the prospects there was considered disrespectful to the host club. Besides, the prospects knew they d get their butts kicked if they let anything happen to the bike of a full patch .. When he got inside, he saw that the party was already in full swing. He walked over to the packed bar, exchanging greetings, hugs and handshakes with at least half a dozen other club members along the way. The club was hosting an open bar as usual, and Dirk was sure that by the time the party was over the grounds and the clubhouse would be littered with empty beer cans, discarded solo cups, and drunken bikers, all passed out and lying wherever they had fallen. Dirk didn't plan to be one of them, so he took it easy on the beer. There was a time in his life when he'd be the first one to pass out drunk, but those days were long over. Hangovers hurt a lot more than they used to, so he avoided them whenever he could by staying mostly sober. Weed was his intoxicant of choice these days, and there was just as much of that to be had as there was beer and hard alcohol. One of his close brothers fixed him up with a couple of the biggest, fattest doobies Dirk had ever seen, and after he had made the rounds of the clubhouse, which took about an hour he sat down at a table in a corner of the clubhouse to relax, enjoy his beer and his weed, and watch the party unfold in front of him. Two beers and half of the doobie later, Dirk was feeling pretty good, enjoying sitting at the small table and watching the goings-on in the clubhouse. Party parties were always loud, raucous, and entertaining, and tonight's party was no different. He put the joint to his lips to take another hit but stopped his hand in mid-air when he saw the petite blonde from the hotel bar walk into the room. Instead of the tight shirt and shorts she was wearing at the hotel, she was now wearing faded jeans tucked into black leather boots that came halfway up her calves, a tight white v-neck shirt that showed a generous amount of cleavage, and a denim jacket that was just as faded as the jeans she wore. She turned heads as she made her way through the crowd to the bar, stopping to talk to several people along the way. As she was talking to one of them, she turned in Dirk's direction, and a smile crossed her face when she saw him sitting at his table. She finally made her way over to the bar and got a beer, then made a beeline for Dirk's table. Mind if I sit down? she said, smiling down at him, her deep blue eyes sparkling. Please do, Dirk said, motioning to the empty chair across from him. She put her beard down on the table and then sat down, leaning forward onto her elbows as she crossed her forearms on the table in front of her. I was hoping you'd be here tonight, she said, smiling at him. My name's Amy, by the way. Nice to meet you, Amy. I'm Dirk. What made you think I'd be here? he asked, taking a swig from his beer. Your colors, she said, referring to his leather vest with his MC patches on them. I saw them when you sat down at the hotel bar earlier, and I had a feeling that you were in town for the party, she replied, still smiling at him. You seem to know a lot of people here, he said, taking a drink from his beer. Are you somebody's old lady? he asked. If he was going to make a move on this highly attractive and very sexy woman, he needed to know if she was the wife or girlfriend of a club brother. To move on another man's woman is a cardinal sin in the MC world, and he had no desire to get involved in that. No, I'm not, and I'm not a sweet butt either, she said, sitting back and taking a drink from her beer. A sweet butt was a woman who lived at the clubhouse, kept the place clean, and serviced the club members whenever they wanted it. I have my own place over on Vincent Lane about 20 minutes from here, so I don't live at the clubhouse. I'm more of a house mouse, actually, I help the club out with some of their administrative functions and help organize fundraisers and things like that, but I'm not looking for a partner or an old man. I actually helped organize this party, I'll have you know, she said, looking around briefly and gesturing with the beer in her hand as she did. From what I can see, you did a good job, Dirk replied, smiling at her for the first time. So if you're not somebody's old lady or a sweet butt, how did you get involved with the MC to begin with? he asked, genuinely curious. She looked down for a moment before replying, a solemn look on her face, before she looked back up at him and replied. I was the old lady of the founding sergeant at arms, Papa Bear. He was killed in an accident about a year after the charter was granted, and the way the club treated me when that happened was just,.. she stopped for a moment, a small smile creeping onto her face and her eyes tearing up just a bit. They showed me so much love and compassion, I knew I'd found a home here and would never leave it. So I haven't. I'm not looking for another old man or another club member to hook up with, and everyone knows that, so they leave me alone. They all watch out for me like a band of big brothers, and I appreciate that, she said, her smile returning. The brotherhood of an MC is something that you have to experience to really understand, Dirk said, nodding at her. Being the MC was one of the best things I ever did, and I love it, he said, taking a drink from his beer before continuing. So why were you hoping I'd be here tonight, may I ask? Because you make me tingle in all the right places, she replied, looking into his eyes. When I saw you at the bar earlier tonight, the tingling began immediately, and by the time I left it was so intense I could hardly stand it. I was so wet I was surprised I didn't squish when I walked. Her eyes were bright and shining as she looked at him, a big smile on her face. You're very direct, aren't you, Amy? Dirk asked, smiling back at her. Yes, I am, she replied, nodding her head. Life is too short to waste time fucking around, you know? Unless you're actually fucking, that is. She was absolutely grinning by now. So are you tingling now? Dirk asked. Let the games begin, he thought to himself. Absolutely, Amy replied, giving him a big smile as she replied, without missing a beat. And my panties are absolutely soaked, she picked her beer up and took another drink before putting it back on the table and speaking again. You know, Dirk, if you play your cards right and I think you will, not only will you find out how my ass feels in your hands, you'll also find out what it feels like to have my lips wrapped around your hard dick! Dirk's mouth fell open, a look of utter surprise on his face. She laughed at his reaction to what she had just said, and the surprise was evident in his voice when he finally spoke. How the fuck did you know that, he said, incredulously. What are you, psychic or something? No, but my friend Sherry is. Amy replied, still grinning. She's the woman who I was with at the hotel bar, and the man was Rob, her husband. Rob is a lieutenant with the local police department, and I've known Sherry since high school. She's always been a little bit psychic, and when she picked up on what you were thinking in the bar, she told me about it. Okay, I'm officially freaked out. Rob said, picking up the joint and taking a hit. Amy held her hand out with the palm up and wiggled her fingers at him, so he passed the joint to her. She put it to her lips and took a big hit, holding the smoke in for a moment, before blowing it out and passing the joint back to him. Most people are, she said, following the hit on the joint with a drink from her beer. Freaked me right the fuck out too, the first time Sherry told me something that I was thinking. I don't know how Rob handles it on a daily basis, I really don't. She put the beer down and leaned on the table again, crossing her forearms as she had before and creating about a mile of cleavage for Dirk to admire. A slightly evil smile crossed her face as she spoke again. So do you want to find out or not, Dirk? she said, her voice low and sultry, her eyes smoldering. Oh, yeah, Dirk replied, returning her smile. That, and a whole lot more, I hope, he said. I think you can count on that. Amy replied, grinning at him. My hotel? Dirk said, and Amy shook her head. Let's go to my place, she said. When I fuck you, I want it to be in my own bed, not in a hotel. I'm guessing you live alone? Dirk asked, just to be sure. Not even a cat, she said, giving him a big smile. Works for me, Dirk said, picking up his beer and draining it. He took one last hit from the joint before dropping it to the floor and crushing it under his boot. Where do you live? 102, Vincent Lane, about 20 minutes from here, she replied, draining her own beer and putting the empty bottle on the table. You gonna let me be your back warmer on the ride over there, she asked. Only if you promise to press those big tits against my back. Dirk replied, giving her a dose of her own medicine. Amy laughed as she responded. What kind of a back warmer would I be if I didn't? Hell, I may even give you a reach around, as well, she said, standing up. Dirk stood up as well, looking down at her from across the table. You're really something, you know that, Amy? he asked. You ain't seen nothing yet, high side, she replied, calling him by his road name that she got from the patch on the front of his vest. Just wait until I get you home. They walked out of the clubhouse and over to his bike, and Dirk got on first. He held the bike steady while Amy climbed on, then cranked up the engine. The loud pipes roared as the engine came to life, and Dirk dropped the bike into gear and pulled out of the parking area. Amy leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, pushing her big tits into his back, just as she had promised. She held on tight as he maneuvered the bike through traffic and out onto the open roadway, following the directions Amy was saying into his ear as she clung to his back. A few minutes later, they were out on the open roadway, headed towards her house and what Dirk knew was going to be a very interesting evening. To be continued in part 2 . By Original Aramis for Literotica

In this bedtime story,  Bernice comes home to the usual yummy smell of Papa Bear's cookies, but she's worried about something. Her English teacher has asked the class to write about three things they're most thankful for, and Bernice can't decide how to choose just three when she's thankful for so much. ✔️ Perfect for ages 4+ ✔️ Themes: Gratitude & Appreciation • Problem Solving & Decision Making • Family & Friendship Bonds • Finding Focus • Self-Expression Through Writing • Friendship and support Sleep Tight!, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

This week, I’m checking out “The Giant Bat Cave” and “The Wild Wild Honey!” Get ready for political corruption, eco-terrorism, and a sexually aggressive bee queen! Sister Bear overthrows city planning, Papa Bear declares war on insects, and it gets sticky!

It is getting colder outside, and practices have started. Bernice gets home from hockey and wants to surprise Papa Bear, but Cookie breaks her concentration. After talking to Papa and having some hot cocoa, Bernice gets ready to go to Gertrude's house for tea. They chat, eat, and spend a great afternoon together when she arrives.  Sleep Tight!, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

Twitter Beef Turns TOXIC! Cardi Says Papa Bear Is Non-Verbal After Nicki Calls Kulture Ugly!

In this bedtime story, Bernice wakes up from the most delicious dream. She visited a chocolate factory hidden deep in the mystical forest! At breakfast, she tells Mama and Papa Bear all about it.  ✔️ Perfect for ages 4+ ✔️ Themes: • Imagination & Creativity • Family Connection • Emotional Awareness • Joy & Gratitude Sleep Tight!, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

A Papa Bear has to rally his children without much success. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Go Away Asteroid. Talkback Callers. Morons in the News. Tale of the Lost Stuffy.   Talkback Callers. Consider Mama and Papa Bear. Everyone Needs a Laugh.   Talkback Callers. Project Rebirth. Can You Believe This?   Talkback Callers. From the Vault.

In this bedtime story for kids, Bernice comes home from school to the smell of Papa Bear's freshly baked cookies. But something is different today—Bernice isn't sure if she should eat them. After a class discussion about sugar and healthy food, and some comments from friends at lunch, she starts to wonder if cookies are “bad.” Papa Bear helps Bernice learn that treats in moderation can be part of a happy, balanced life, especially when they're shared with someone you love. ✔️ Perfect for ages 4+ ✔️ Themes: Self-awareness · Healthy choices · Conflicting messages · Moderation · Empathy · Family connection · Comfort and reassurance Sleep Tight!, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

He's baaaaaaack!The conversation ranges widely as we circle-back to our content benefactor and friendly acquaintance, Jesse D-is-for-dreamy-but-also-for-David Armstrong. Mountainhead? Check. Protein intake? Check.AI robots? Check. Funniest fish? Also check. Don't thank us, honestly. You deserve a treat like this after we went M.I.A.Write to us: fuckoff@firecrotchandnormcore.comSupport us financially, Sara's spending £3 a day on compresses for her weeping wound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bernice is getting ready for bed and tells Papa Bear that she made a mistake. Papa Bear tries to discover the mistake, and then they talk about what happened. Bernice says she is tired and asks Papa Bear for a short story. Papa Bear decides to tell her a story about Boo-Boo and Kai-Kai visiting the Whispering Tree.  ✔️ Perfect for ages 4+ Sleep Tight!, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

This week I'm talking about The Berenstain Bears Get Outdoors (2025), a simple Level 1 reader where the Cubs camp in the backyard, Papa Bear makes a mess of things, and—out of nowhere—Mr. Raccoon shows up. Along the way, I share a few of my own disastrous camping stories, look back at the old Ghost … Continue reading "Episode 489 – The Berenstain Bears: Get Outdoors"

In this bedtime story for kids, Bernice comes home from her second day of school full of stories to tell. There are chocolate chip cookies waiting on the table, and Papa Bear is eager to hear everything—about Bobby's brand-new “raptor cut” haircut, her science club's lessons on the human brain, and even her very first French words.  ✔️ Perfect for ages 4+ ✔️ Themes: Curiosity • Growth Mindset • Self-Expression • Friendship • Supportive Family • Resilience Sleep Tight!, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

After a break to work on my Fringe show, I'm back in Bear Country with a look at The Berenstain Bears: World's Best Papa Bear, a gift book from 2024. On the surface, it's a sweet, simple tribute to dads—but reading it got me thinking about my own father, what it means to protect your … Continue reading "Episode 487 – The Berenstain Bears: World’s Best Papa Bear"

Do you like fractured fairy tales? You know, when the story you think you know gets flipped turned upside down!? Yeah you do, you know you do and today's guest has got a fun one! On this episode of the podcast author Patrick Horne stops by to share his debut release, "Bear and the Three Goldilocks" and what path he took to get to this point. It's a fun conversation we think you'll really like so pull up a chair and enjoy! About Patrick Horne I've worn many hats throughout my adult life.  I've been a tennis coach, a teacher and more recently a children's book author.   Every experience that I have had has made a great impact on my life and I'm so happy to be able to share those experiences here. About 'Bear and the Three Goldilocks' You'll laugh out loud at this funny fractured folktale with pictures by a popular artist! The Goldilocks family leave their campsite to go on a hike while their s'mores cool off . . . when along comes Bear. “What's that yummy smell?” Bear wonders. S'mores, of course: too gooey, too chocolatey . . . and just right! Bear eats them all. Bear continues to wreak havoc by breaking a chair, smashing musical instruments, and extinguishing the fire. When the Goldilocks return, they are flabbergasted. They try to make a lot of noise to shoo away the bear . . .  when Mama Bear and Papa Bear show up. Mama and Papa apologize profusely for the behavior of their naughty offspring, but the Goldilocks don't speak “Bear.” They just hear a lot of LOUD GROWLING. So they decide to hightail it out of there, and the Bear family gets to enjoy the tents and snacks that are left behind. This hilarious story, a perfect readaloud, and its hilarious pictures will delight children and parents alike. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection   Make sure to check out the Dtalkspodcast.com website! Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast! Nostalgia is something everyone loves and Empire Toys in Keller Texas is on nostalgia overload.   With toys and action figures from the 70's, 80's, 90's, and today, Empire Toys is a one-stop-shop for a trip down memory lane and a chance to reclaim what was once yours (but likely sold at a garage sale)   Check out Empire Toys on Facebook, Instagram, or at TheEmpireToys.com AND Thanks to Self Unbound for this episode of the podcast: Your quality of life: physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, is a direct reflection of the level of abundant energy, ease, and connection your nervous system has to experience your life!    At Self Unbound, your nervous system takes center stage as we help unbind your limited healing potential through NetworkSpinal Care.    Access the first steps to your Unbound journey by following us on Facebook, Instagram, or at www.selfunbound.com  

It is summer and Bernice and her family take a camping trip where they get to sleep in a tent and stare at the stars! After a long drive and a fun-filled day at the beach, Bernice cooks something special over the campfire, which is super yummy and delicious. When bedtime comes around, Papa Bear tells a magical bedtime story inside their tent, all about Bobby, a glowing orb, and a mysterious Moonflower.  ✔️ Perfect for ages 4+ ✔️ Themes: Making New Friends, Gratitude, Empathy, Family Bonding and Connection, Bedtime Story Sleep Tight!, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

Bernice has just gotten home from swimming and has so much to tell Papa Bear. After she chats with Cookie for a while about what she is doing, she heads into the kitchen to tell Papa about her afternoon and have a special treat for a snack.  Perfect for ages 4+ Sleep Tight!, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

In this bedtime story, Bernice wakes up unsure if she's still dreaming—after all, her dreams were very silly! One featured cookie trees and a lion named Cookie, and another involved Bobby's robot turning everything into homework (even lunch!). As Bernice shares her dreams with Papa Bear over honey cakes, she begins to wonder: how do we know when we're awake? Perfect for ages 4+ Sleep Tight!, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

A record three million young adults are heading off to college this fall, and for many parents, this milestone brings a powerful mix of emotions: immense pride, underlying fear, and a touch of heartbreak. But beyond the emotional rollercoaster, there's a sudden, stark reality – your 18-year-old is now legally an adult. This means no more automatic access to their grades or healthcare decisions. Join us as we tackle this significant transition with the help of 3 special guests - the Momentum Advisors' summer interns. We'll explore the landscape of sending your child to college and, importantly, guide you through the legal preparations. We'll also introduce you to the MamaBear website, a valuable resource for preparing the necessary legal documents to help you navigate this new chapter.

Today is the day Bernice is going on her long bike ride with Mama and Papa Bear, but when she wakes up, it is raining really hard. Bernice cannot believe it. More rain? It has been raining so much lately, and now they won't be able to go for their bike ride. What is she going to do? Perfect for ages 4+ Sleep Tight!, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

In this bedtime story for kids, Bernice is feeling a little overwhelmed. Summer is just around the corner, and she wants to do everything—science camp, swimming, running, bike rides with Papa Bear, and maybe even robot camp with Bobby! But with so many exciting options, how can one little bear possibly choose? With her usual curiosity and a little help from her friends (including her cat Cookie, of course), Bernice learns that sometimes, making time for rest, play, and just being present can be just as important as doing it all. Sleep Tight, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

In this bedtime story for kids, Papa Bear tells Bernice a magical tale to help her fall asleep on a night when she's feeling nervous. When Boo-boo the bear can't sleep before a big school presentation, her friends Kai-kai the dragon and Bluebell the unicorn invite her on a midnight adventure that leads to a glowing secret hidden deep in the forest: the Midnight Library. But something is wrong, and it's up to Boo-boo to summon her courage—even when she's unsure she has any. Sleep Tight, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

Bernice arrives home and spends some time telling Cookie about her day. Papa Bear tells her he is just finishing up their treats and to come on in. Bernice finishes talking to Cookie and walks in and tells Papa Bear she thinks she is going to need a few extra treats today and Papa Bear is surprised when he sees her. Sleep Tight, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

The cubs learn how to show love to their Papa Bear on his special day.

In this story, Bernice returns home from a rainy day field trip to the museum and shares all the highlights—and misadventures—with Papa Bear and her cat, Cookie. From dinosaur bones and future tech to lunchbox surprises and Bobby's latest robotics fiasco, Bernice has plenty to share. Sleep Tight, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

Bernice has come home and says she can smell Papa Bear's cookies all the way from school. After she takes her boots off she realizes that Cookie didn't come to greet her. Bernice asks Papa Bear where Cookie is and Papa Bear says he doesn't know, maybe they should go and look for her. Sleep Tight!, Sheryl & Clark❤️

Rennie & Dunny look back at the Conference League Final, and discuss the potential of Cole Palmer. Is he a new kind of maverick? Is the maverick coming back? Is he the best worst interview in all of sport? Plus we're talking how expensive it is if your kids want to play football in America, and Manchester United in Malaysia update (SPOILER: it's going great!). Follow Week in the Tackle on ⁠Twitter⁠ and Instagram and be sure to subscribe to our ⁠YouTube⁠ channel to get full episodes and clips of the show! Follow Tom Rennie on ⁠Twitter⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠. Follow Brian Dunseth on ⁠Instagram⁠. Follow Tim Horsey on ⁠Twitter⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠. Submit your questions for Tom & Dunny here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, I head outside—despite my deep hatred of bugs, gnats, and all things “outdoors”—to talk about The Bears' Picnic, the third “I Can Read It All By Myself” book by Stan and Jan Berenstain. It's a classic tale of a well-meaning family picnic gone hilariously wrong, with Papa Bear dragging the family across bear … Continue reading "Episode 486 – Berenstain Bears: The Bears’ Picnic"

Take a breath and do your A4 page, because we're back for De Mol België Season 13 - and its visit to the one place that Logan spent six months that we're actually allowed to talk about - Thailand! Over these nine weeks, two guys who are different, not negative - Michael & Bindles - have been recapping and breaking down everything that happens as we try and work out who has been given the task to spread bad luck in the Land of Smiles and become the Mole - concluding with the reunion episode! In this episode - Bindles still hasn't packed, we wonder where Logan is, Eurovision is touched upon, our ears are burning thanks to Papa Bear, Sarah loses out in the end, Pedro proves our point about disadvantageous advantages, we run through the clues, there's a fear of pandering again, the season is eulogised, we reveal what's next, Production give us an assist, there are so many clues to get through and we look at how Fuzzy did overall. Thanks for listening all season long - we'll be back on July 2nd for some Historians! Please note: This episode is intended on being spoiler-free, but references to any season we have already covered (WIDM 10-11, 14, 16-25 and Renaissance; België 4-12) may be made. This episode is supported by our friends over at Zencastr. Create your podcast today! Social Media: Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Bluesky Threads Patreon

Bernice has a new teacher, and she thinks she is very strict. As she tells Papa Bear about her day and why she feels this way, they eat some new cookies. Bernice has some homework to do before dinner and hopes that the new teacher won't be too angry with how she has done it.  Sleep Tight, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

In this story, Bernice is full of springtime energy—school projects, birthday dreams, and big plans for the garden! Bernice and Papa Bear discuss her excitement about planting flowers, her upcoming birthday, and her usual thoughtful reflections on school, friendships, and what it means to work hard. The episode ends with Papa Bear's bedtime story about Flora, a spring sprite who patiently helps a reluctant flower bloom, teaching that everyone awakens in their own time. Sleep Tight, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

Just don't do anything stupid, because we're back for a very special De Mol België Season 13 episode, live from Kinepolis! For the fourth time, we returned to the press room, as we find out who the Mole is and talk to both the winner and runner-up, as well as our now-annual chat with Gilles! In this episode - Papa Bear gets a clean sweep, Alexy could be the new Lloyd, Logan learns about Gilles-y Wonka, Canada doesn't have microphones, Gilles provides a service, a four-year quest could be over, the Mole is more flexible than we anticipate, we wonder where they find Hilde, Michael tells a joke, Gilles reveals that a clue hasn't been found yet, Michèle can't understand why we all suspect her, we find a kindred spirit, Alexy is unsuspicious, Logan learns how to pronounce Kinepolis, we go alumni spotting and there's a bit of a debrief back at the hotel. Thank you so much to Gilles, Isabelle & everyone at Play4 for inviting us again - we'll be back on Thursday to recap the finale proper! Please note: This episode is intended on being spoiler-free, but references to any season we have already covered (WIDM 10-11, 14, 16-25 and Renaissance; België 4-12) may be made. Social Media: Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Bluesky Threads Patreon  

with special guest Anna Shoemaker

In this story, Bernice shares lunch with her friends but meets someone new—a classmate named Addi who has celiac disease. The group learns why Addi can't eat certain foods, Bernice and Papa Bear talk about kindness, inclusion, and how we can make everyone feel welcome at the lunch table. Plus, there's always time for cookies and a cozy bedtime story! This story encourages empathy, understanding, and curiosity about the world around us. Sleep Tight!, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

Bernice has come home very excited and can't wait to tell Papa and Mama Bear about her day at school. When it is time for bed, Bernice has some trouble getting settled, so Papa Bear tells her a short story to help. Sleep Tight!, Sheryl & Clark ❤️

Mumble when you're not confident around the sixtieth digit or so, because we're back for De Mol België Season 13 - and its visit to the one place that Logan spent six months that we're actually allowed to talk about - Thailand! Over these nine weeks, three guys who love to get to know people while dancing - Michael, Logan & Bindles - will be recapping and breaking down everything that happens as we try and work out who has been given the task to spread bad luck in the Land of Smiles and become the Mole - beginning with the premiere and elimination of no-one! In this episode - Logan surprises us all, Fuzzy gets a bingo square right away, Michael's been improving community relations, we touch upon Jeopardy! UK, the Muay Thai challenge gets improved, the mildly-offensive descriptions return, Papa Bear's been watching Taskmaster, the Bible is rewritten by Tolkein, Bindles goes down a rabbit hole, we wonder why they needed drivers in Thailand and not Vietnam, Gilles shows off, we reveal the fourth pad thai item, medical emergencies are sexy, we sing Hilde's praises, our history comes back to bite us in the form of a fake podcast, we've got a little addition to First Suspicions and we lock in our first set of suspects. You can join in with our First Suspicions game by filling in the form here and play along with this week's Bother's Bar Suspect List here. We will see you next week for Episode 2! Please note: This episode is intended on being spoiler-free, but references to any season we have already covered (WIDM 10-11, 14, 17-25 and Renaissance; België 4-12) may be made. This episode is supported by our friends over at Zencastr. Create your podcast today! Social Media: Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Bluesky Threads Patreon  

fitz solo dolo

We are extremely honored to have Mr. M. R. James, founder of Bowhunter Magazine, share some memories of his close friend, Fred Bear. Fred Bear was one of the greatest bowhunters in modern times. But beyond his hunting accomplishments, Papa Bear did as much to promote modern bowhunting as anyone. This week M. R. and Alan Altizer discuss the impact of Fred on their early bowhunting careers as his films fueled their bowhunting passions. After meeting their hero, they share their time spent with Fred and the realization that he was still just another passionate bowhunter, a good man, and friend. M. R. shares some little-known facts of contributions Fred made to ensure bowhunting's future. M. R. James and Fred Bear, what more could you ask for? We all owe a huge debt to these two men who have devoted their lives to making the future of bowhunting better for us all.  God bless them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/papa-bear-on-the-trinity

With Rob (still) out, Papa Bear returns (again). Patrick, Cado, and Austin recorded this ahead of The Game Awards, which helps explain three hours of talking (extensively) about board games, Cado and Austin attending (but not meeting up at) PAX Unplugged, an unhealthy obsession over (opening packs in) Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, a small amount of Eagles talk, a slightly bigger amount of New Waypoint talk, and more. Plus, Patrick's been playing (and loving) Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, while Austin's got thoughts on Mouthwashing and IndikaDiscussed: Let me tell you about Netrunner 2:08, PAX Unplugged 26:46, Pokemon Card Game Pocket 49:01, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle 1:25:10, Mouthwashing 1:48:35, Indika 1:53:56, Caves of Qud 2:03:51, The Question Bucket 2:0813See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Though Rob is out because of some ongoing construction, Patrick, Janet, and Cado were lucky to find a suitable replacement: Austin Walker. Naturally, we must first address the breaking news of a Gundam series coming from the creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion. But after that, it's several long discussions on Arctic Eggs, 1000xResist, NYU's recent No Quarter exhibition, Arco, Grunn, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard. We talked about so many games that we had to cut the news section! But hey, we had some great questions about early access and puzzles.Discussed: Gundam News 3:58, Arctic Eggs 13:43, No Quarter 40:39, Arco 52:40, Grunn 59:52, 1000xResist 1:03:35, Dragon Age Veilguard 1:36:22, The Question Bucket 1:51:08, Outro and Announcements 2:43:40See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We want to thank Ken M. for donating to our movie Papa Bear! At his request, we recorded a Frame Rate discussing our first attempt at indie filmmaking some 15 years ago. If you haven't seen it, it's available on Plex (for free), as well as Youtube and Amazon Prime. We talk about the struggles and blessings of making a movie with an ultra-micro budget as well as what it was like on set day to day with an ensemble of talented sketch comedians! Features: Michael Swaim: https://bsky.app/profile/michaelswaim.bsky.social Abe Epperson: https://twitter.com/AbeTheMighty Support Small Beans and access Additional Content: https://www.patreon.com/SmallBeans Check our store to buy Small Beans merch! https://www.teepublic.com/stores/the-small-beans-store?ref_id=22691

It was going to be a spooky day at school, and Bernice was super excited. The kids were dressing up and having a party. Bernice finishes her costume and takes a picture with Cookie to show her friends. When she gets ready for bed, she asks Papa Bear to tell her a spooky story but to make sure it is not too spooky as it is time for her to go to sleep, and she is tired. Papa Bear says okay and starts his story. Sleep Tight!, Sheryl & Clark❤️