On Sunday, February 3, the New England Patriots will play the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII, one of the year's biggest sporting events.

For today's Reason Podcast, I talked with my colleague Matt Welch, who has written in depth about how the cultural, political, and economic aspects of sports often mirror and influence the direction of society. In a wide-ranging conversation, Matt and I spoke about how the Super Bowl has changed since its first iteration in 1967, how the relationship between fans and athletes in many sports developed since free agency, why politicians and team owners remain remarkably successful in bilking taxpayers out of money for stadiums, the gender dynamics of a sports-crazy father raising two daughters, and more.

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