Obsession, the most fun job in China, and a new green card policy

Is gambling the reason we have pro sports?

To hear author David Bockino tell it, gambling has always been a key ingredient of pro sports in the U.S.—it’s as American as apple pie. Bockino is the author of the new book Over/Under: An Unexpected History of Sports Betting [https://www.davidbockino.com/over-under]. So what gave rise to this new wave of sports gambling? And what are we risking placing so many bets on games?  Fact checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez].  Your Next Listen  — Prediction markets are threatening national security. Who’s gonna fix it? [http://lnk.to/pRWjp2]  Connect with The Indicator  — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter [https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter]  — Buy the Planet Money book [https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE]  — Find our socials, YouTube and more [https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr]!  — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ [https://plus.npr.org/] See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Your American Dream is pending review

The Trump Administration recently announced changes to how would-be immigrants get green cards. And it’s causing a lot of confusion, fear and even panic. Today on the show, we hear firsthand from people navigating green card uncertainty.  Fact checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez]. Your Next Listen  — If economists controlled the borders [https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/02/08/514152963/episode-436-if-economists-controlled-the-borders] Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter [https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter] — Buy the Planet Money book [https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE] — Find our socials, YouTube and more [https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr]! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ [https://plus.npr.org/]  See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Community colleges are kind of underrated

Community college is an increasingly popular hack for those who want to change their career. Here’s what you should know about this gateway to economic mobility. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez]. Your Next Listen  — Which jobs are future-proofed? [http://lnk.to/NS9YKY] Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter [https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter] — Buy the Planet Money book [https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE] — Find our socials, YouTube and more [https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr]! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ [https://plus.npr.org/] See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Inflation is bad, work from home sad, FIFA World Cup tix NOT deal to be had

It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@planetmoney]!). It’s our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.  On today’s episode: Inflation is back, working from home is making us sad, and World Cup ticket sales are NOT hitting their goooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!! Fact checking by Emma Ferrara and Cooper Katz McKim.  Your Next Listen  —Who is the World Cup for anymore? [https://lnk.to/HTETgMWE] Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter [https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter]  — Find our socials, YouTube and more [https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr]! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ [https://plus.npr.org/] See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

The SpaceX IPO drama explained

What the SpaceX IPO, the largest ever, reveals about big tech, the NASDAQ and more big IPOs to come. Sure it will make Elon Musk a trillionaire, but what does this mean for your retirement account?  Fact checking by Emma Ferrara.  Your Next Listen  — What a second Trump term could mean for SpaceX [http://lnk.to/69hGvC]  Connect with The Indicator  — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter [https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter]  — Buy the Planet Money book [https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE]  — Find our socials, YouTube and more [https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr]!  — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ [https://plus.npr.org/]  See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]