Dangerous Passwords, Best and Worst April Fool’s Pranks and Why Alterna-casts Are the Future of Sports

Dear Fellow Non-Obvious Thinker,

In this week’s newsletter, you’ll see my review of an ingenious and award winning tourism campaign from Colombia, why alterna-casts may be taking off to customize the hosting for live events, a review of a new memoir from Ideapress, the best and worst of this year’s April Fool’s Day pranks and the latest new videos from me featuring the chaos of SXSW, street art in Australia and three books to help you improve your memory.

Enjoy the stories and stay curious!

This Week’s New Videos …

The Future of Sports & Live Broadcasts Is In “Alterna-casts”

I used to love listening to football games on the local radio. Unlike the national broadcasts for NFL games, the hosts on the radio were from my region and were clearly cheering for the same team as me. They were biased and unconcerned about remaining neutral in how they described the game or reported on what were clearly bad referee judgements when they went against us.

It’s a different experience of watching a game and for years that was pretty much the only other option. Watch the neutral national television broadcast or listen to the game with your people. Now on broadcast TV, one of the hottest trends taking off is so-called “alterna-casts” where they are taking a similar idea even further. This week ​ESPN launched “Courtside”​ in time for the Women’s College Basketball Final Four tournament. This will include four hosts sitting courtside offering a more “immersive” experience for fans.

Perhaps the most popular example of this model is an alterna-cast launched back in 2021 featuring the former NFL quarterback Manning brothers (Peyton and Eli) offering a ​remix of their own coverage​ for Monday Night Football games that was described as a cross between a zoom call and hanging out with buddies watching the game at a bar:

Despite all the attention, the brothers don’t go in for anything fancy, in either setup or presentation. They talk over each other. They barely acknowledge when the show must stop for a commercial break. Guests like Dwayne Johnson get to talk about their love of football, tequila investments and upcoming movie projects — and even a T-Rex skull replica on display in the background — without the slightest pressure to dig deeper. When the Mannings signed off after a Wild Card game not too long ago, they did so without the faintest whiff of TV-hosting skills. “Bye!” yelled Peyton. Neither of them told viewers to stay tuned to watch late-night ESPN mainstay Scott Van Pelt on “SportsCenter.”

This is the golden age for a new idea that is increasingly being applied and commercialized by network TV for all sorts of live programs perhaps beyond sports too. Insiders believe the future of the Oscars, Grammys, World Cup and many other events could include this same alterna-casting idea to broaden the fan appeal for events and offer a more personalized experience. What we all give up is the same thing that has disappeared thanks to streaming media — a shared entertainment experience. As this continues to happen, I wonder if we are losing something here, or is it just a better experience for everyone? Let me know what you think.

Colombia’s Brilliant Tourism Campaign Focuses on Animal Behavior

Colombia is the world’s fourth most visited country … by animals. When it comes to humans, it’s barely in the top 50 but a very clever ad campaign is aiming to change that. The Humanimal Tourism program uses a combination of videos, digital ads and big activations like an experiential video on the Las Vegas Sphere to promote the idea that animals choose Colombia as an eco-paradise for migration so maybe you should do the same. Aside from smart video assets and a great message, the campaign aligns with real data and action too.

Based on tracking animal movements, not only can the country’s eco-tourism board identify where animals are going but they can also redirect tourists to other locations when a certain spot becomes overcrowded and human presence might adversely affect the animals. The entire campaign is designed to attract a growing number of travelers interested in sustainable travel and deeper experiences with local wildlife. For your viewing pleasure, a link to the full video is included above from this campaign that ​earned a Cannes Lion award for advertising​ at last year’s Cannes Festival.

Why America Needs Less Quietly Obedient Leaders

In the headlines this week here in the US are the moves from the current administration to try and remove citizenship rights from Americans who were born in the country but may not meet certain additional criteria such as having parents who were also citizens. It has also become a big deal because of President Trump’s choice to​ attend the Supreme Court hearing in person​. Pew Internet Research has a few pieces released this week that help to add some useful context on this issue. Firstly, there is the point that across the countries of the world, the ​birthright citizenship model currently used in the US is relatively uncommon​.

According to NPR, the ​proposal appears unlikely to pass​ and perhaps the best way to understand the difficulties here is to consider some of the thoughtful questions that Supreme Court Justices have been asking about the proposed policy:

  • How would you know who the father is, or the mother? What if they’re unmarried? Whose house do they live in?
  • How would you adjudicate these cases? You’re not going to know at the time of birth whether they have the intent to stay or not, including U.S. citizens by the way.
  • So [are] we bringing pregnant women in for depositions? What are we doing to figure this out?

This is the part I find most interesting about the story. Too often, there seems to be little to no discussion or thought about the realities of HOW things will actually work once rules are made or changed. Case in point – the recent moves by US Department of Energy to reduce safety regulations at nuclear power plants which are ​highly likely to literally kill power plant workers in the long term​ .

So when the questions get real and are asked by people other than deeply invested journalists, it’s worth paying attention. We need more people in positions of authority to ask these kinds of questions about proposed policies instead of choosing blind loyalty and quiet obedience.

The Non-Obvious Media Recommendation of the Week

Two Outspoken Podcast

A podcast between two self-described progressives, the UK perspective here is one that often surfaces a new aspect of an issue that I find valuable. Though the full podcast does require a paid subscription, even the summaries and ​shorter versions available online and on Spotify​ can offer some useful insights about the world’s news. The rest of the media group that this is part of is called ​Zeteo​ and they have a range of other podcasts worth checking out as well.

The Non-Obvious Book of the Week

I Bottled My Mother

This is the story behind the “cult-favorite cleaning line inspired by Monica’s real-life mom, Thelma Meyer: a whip-smart, no-nonsense Midwesterner who raised nine children with little more than elbow grease, common sense, and a garden full of geraniums.” It’s an unusual memoir because of the combination of business advice and real-life stories, but it works because of the personality that comes through. Also, this one is a bit more personal for me since my team worked with Monica for the past year to get this book out into the world. Available for pre-orders now and you can also catch ​my podcast interview with Monica​ in last week’s episode.

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About the Non-Obvious Book Selection of the Week:

Every week I share a new “non-obvious” book selection. Titles featured here may be new or classic books, but the date of publication doesn’t really matter. My goal is to elevate great reads that perhaps deserve a second look which you might have otherwise missed.

Even More Non-Obvious Stories …

Even More Non-Obvious Stories …

Every week I always curate more stories than I’m able to explore in detail. Instead of skipping those stories, I started to share them in this section so you can skim the headlines and click on any that spark your interest:

How are these stories curated?

Every week I spend hours going through hundreds of stories in order to curate this email. Looking for a speaker to inspire your team to become non-obvious thinkers through a keynote or workshop? 

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