32 teams from 1998 World Cup
From 1998, the World Cup expanded to 32 teams, creating more space for commercial sponsorship and, by extension, more opportunity for corruption.
Snapshot · Fin vs History
Hanging Out The Blatter it | The History of The World Cup (Part 4/4)
Explore episode
Jun 18, 2026
Where this was said
Chuck Blazer
At 31:18 · chapter starts 25:24
The 1998 expansion to 32 teams opens the door to a new era of corruption, and the hosts introduce their star character: Chuck Blazer, CONCACAF delegate, boisterous New Yorker, and a man so visually gluttonous that his physical excess perfectly mirrors his financial one. Horatio reads out the key biographical details — the $6,000/month Trump Tower cat apartment, the decade of unpaid IRS taxes, the hidden keychain recording device used at the 2012 London Olympics — with increasing delight. Fin traces the structural shift: earlier FIFA corruption had been facilitated by fascist regimes and military dictatorships, a 'gentleman's corruption' that benefited countries. The new era is about people personally lining their pockets in a globalised brotherhood of graft. Blazer is the emblem of that shift — a man so corrupt he eventually ended up accidentally doing the right thing by betraying the entire organisation, purely for personal gain.
Maradona weighed 130kg at 2004 public appearance
Diego Maradona weighed 130 kilograms at a 2004 public appearance, a striking physical decline from his playing peak.
Similar snapshots
CrossFit athlete: top 2,000 worldwide
Thomas's wife is already ranked in the top 2,000 CrossFit athletes in the world — roughly the top 1% — and Thomas wants her to pursue the sport professionally now that he is graduating law school.
Athletes improve with mental rehearsal
Research shows athletes who mentally imagine practicing basketball or soccer have better performance than those who do not include imagination in their training.
~10 rounds dominated vs Usyk
Rico Verhoeven dominated approximately 10 of 12 rounds against undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk before a controversial post-bell stoppage.
Stopped after the bell
Rico's appeal confirmed the fight was stopped after the bell rang, and the ringside doctor found no concussion or disorientation — yet the result was never overturned.
Glory uses 5 judges vs boxing's 3
Glory Kickboxing uses 5 judges rather than boxing's 3, which Joe Rogan argues reduces the chance of a corrupt or incompetent minority swinging the result.
1 professional boxing match before Usyk
Rico Verhoeven had only one professional boxing match before fighting undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk for the WBC title.
15 years of boxing training
Despite having just one pro boxing match, Rico Verhoeven had been training boxing for 15 years alongside his kickboxing career.
6-month boxing transition camp
Rico used a full 6 months to transition from kickboxing stance to a proper boxing stance under trainer Peter Fury, calling it essential rewiring.
75+ kickboxing fights in career
Rico Verhoeven has had approximately 75 professional kickboxing fights, giving him a massive combat sports experience advantage over pure boxers.
