This week on The Deep Dive: What asterisks in sports and the boogeyman have in common, the most repeated answer to the most repeated question asked on Love Island, esports could’ve been the next NFL if it weren’t for those meddling VCs, how driverless cars ended up parking themselves in the first place, and the 1970s weird-girl muse with a 2024 it-girl look.

SPORTS

asterisks in sports by hydn (26:58)

Ask any sports fan about asterisks, and you’ll be inundated with a flood of opinions around championship wins and world records, including but not limited to Barry Bonds, The Houston Astros, Wayne Gretzky, and who knows what else. The concept of the asterisk looms over athletes and their legacies, whether they were in control of the circumstances or not, even whether an asterisk ended up being issued or not. In this video, hydn dives deep into the lore of the sports asterisk and the so-called cheaters whose careers are forever marked with them. But where is the line between the asterisks and non-asterisks? And who keeps the records that hold the asterisks?

MEDIA

Tall, Dark and Racially Ambiguous by Princess Weekes (40:04)

We hear it all the time, from characters in our favorite literature to descriptions of contestants’ type on Love Island, but who gets to be “tall, dark, and handsome?” Regardless of what writers initially imagine when using the word “dark” to describe a character’s physical appearance, in a Euro-centric culture that has a history of minimizing the experiences of Black and Brown people, dark can mean anything but dark. In this video, Princess Weekes analyzes the meaning of whiteness, how mainstream media represents characters described as having “dark features,” and why it all matters – from Jon Snow to Jo March to Katniss Everdeen to Ben Affleck, I guess. What was behind the racism toward Rue from The Hunger Games? And would audiences have identified with the story differently if Katniss was less…white?

GAMING

The Crooked Business of Esports by Modern MBA (40:40)

I know there’s a lot going on, but has anyone checked on esports lately? Once a venture capital darling among America’s richest who didn’t want to miss out on investing in the next NFL or NBA, the esports industry today is slowing to a halt. Underwhelming IPOs, the departure of big-name pros, and game publishers pulling their support are just the beginning – and grifters seem to be taking over. In this video, Modern MBA breaks down the rise and fall of esports, and its resemblance to the promises made by 2010s tech companies is hard to ignore. As the 2010s turn into the 2020s, one thing is becoming clear: a football fan can be a fan for life, but a League of Legends fan is only a fan until the next game comes along. And esports relies on the buy-in from too many separate players to keep it all together for long.

TECHNOLOGY

AI is here. What now? by Eddy Burback (46:15)

So, here’s the thing. If you spend as much time on YouTube as I do, you’ll know that there are a lot – and I mean a lot – of recent commentary YouTube videos about the rise of AI, its implications, and its possible consequences. It was getting to the point where, as much as I agreed with them, I was starting to get a little annoyed with hearing the same take over and over again. Like, yes, I get it, AI bad, AI uncreative, and AI make funny mistake because AI not human. But in this video, Eddy Burback got my attention. Sure, it might’ve been because of his focus on human-replacement technology in Los Angeles, the city I happen to live in, but it’s also because of a question he posed that I hadn’t noticed anyone else ask yet in the same way: what’s the long game here?

FILM

Shelley Duvall: The “Unconventional” Muse by Be Kind Rewind (1:05:42)

If you already know who Shelley Duvall is, you’re a cultured film lover – good for you. But if you’re like me and your first introduction to her was in the title and thumbnail of this video, something about her may have struck you as ahead of her time. In 2024, Shelley Duvall would be an “it girl” of the moment akin to Sydney Sweeney or Margaret Qualley. But Shelley Duvall was born about 50 years too early, so she instead was the film muse of Robert Altman, a director of unconventional films and seemingly the only person who understood Duvall’s appeal upon taking one look at her, even if he never did give her full credit for the weight she pulled on his sets. In this video, Be Kind Rewind hooks me yet again with the story of a film personality who I otherwise would’ve never known about.

The Deep Dive’s Bonus Video of the Week

This week’s bonus video isn’t a subscriber recommendation – instead, it’s another recommendation from yours truly. Hopefully, you aren’t too mad about it. If you’ve been here a while, you’ll know that two of my many, many favorite video essay creators are Be Kind Rewind (mentioned above) and Broey Deschanel. And wouldn’t you know it, they made complementary videos posted one day apart.

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