Plus: Tourism's Trump slump; economic shocks are no longer local
| | | | Top headlines Lead story I still remember the poster of William "The Refrigerator" Perry that hung on my brother's wall in 1985, the year of the Chicago Bears' dominant 15-1 season. Maybe it was the angle at which the poster hung over the bed, or just my small stature, but the 335-pound defensive tackle seemed impossibly huge. It was the Fridge's size that inspired Bears coaches to use him in a novel way – though he was a defensive player whose job was to prevent touchdowns, they started putting him in to score them. And in the third quarter of Super Bowl XX, he crossed the goal line yet again. As fans in Chicago went wild, so did gamblers in Las Vegas: Caesars Palace had set odds on whether the Fridge would score a touchdown, in what is now considered to be the United States' first legal prop bet, one made on a specific play rather than a game's outcome. In this week's episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, John Affleck, Knight chair in sports journalism and society at Penn State, explains how this single play opened the door to a deluge of prop betting. Unfortunately, Affleck tells us, it has also opened the door to scandals that are threatening the integrity of American sports. [How faith and religion drive the world. Sign up for our weekly newsletter, This Week in Religion.] |  | Katie Flood Science Audio Producer, The Conversation Weekly Podcast | |  William "The Refrigerator" Perry of the Chicago Bears scored a 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter of Super Bowl XX against the New England Patriots on January 26, 1986. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images Sport Gemma Ware, The Conversation Sports scholar John Affleck talks to The Conversation Weekly podcast about the history of prop betting in American sports. | Health + Medicine | -
Emily Messina, Florida International University When a hobby becomes something larger, with a focus on improving skills and developing deep knowledge, it can deliver surprising rewards. -
Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia; Sonia Suter, George Washington University Four years after the Supreme Court's Dobbs ruling gave states the power to ban abortion, further restrictions are arriving through legislation and litigation. -
Alla Katsnelson, The Conversation Public health scholars worry that the resurgence of measles may signal a coming wave of other vaccine-preventable diseases. | | Environment + Energy | -
Eve Bohnett, University of Florida Emerging digital tools can help authorities prioritize inspections and rapidly identify illicit goods by linking online monitoring, legal references and on-the-ground investigations. | | Politics + Society | -
Mark Robert Rank, Washington University in St. Louis Whether the American Dream is centered in economic mobility or personal freedom, many citizens believe its achievement has grown more elusive. -
Charlie Hunt, Boise State University In dozens of states, an increasing number of legislative seats are going completely uncontested by one of the two major parties. | | Economy + Business | -
Jack Buffington, University of Denver The grocer offers low prices and plans to build its own distribution center. -
Josh Ederington, Miami University; Jenny Minier, Miami University New research adds evidence to a common thesis offered after the end of the Cold War that globalization was making physical distance economically obsolete. -
Frédéric Dimanche, Toronto Metropolitan University; Kelley A. McClinchey, Wilfrid Laurier University Talk of boycotts have added to fears among the US tourism industry that foreign tourists will continue to stay away. | | Science + Technology | -
Casey Fiesler, University of Colorado Boulder Following the app's sale, the company's updated privacy policy and terms of service set off alarm bells. The reaction shows Big Tech has lost the public's trust. -
Mary Magnuson, The Conversation Athletes will use physics concepts such as friction and lift to their advantage on the world stage in the 2026 Olympic Games. | | | | The Conversation News Quiz 🧠 |
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Here's the first question of this week's edition: This year's Winter Olympics are based in Milan, but many events will be held in what Italian mountain city that also hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics? - A. Cortina d'Ampezzo
- B. Castel d'Aiano
- C. Gamberi e Salsiccia
- D. Portia d'Rossi
Test your knowledge More of The ConversationLike this newsletter? You might be interested in our other emails: Follow us on social media: Tell your friends about us! Forward this email to them so they can sample our journalism. About The ConversationWe're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you.
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