Jan 23, 2024

How much do you spend on sports?

Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

As mobile sports betting booms, calls to gambling addiction help lines have skyrocketed. Plus, the history of the modern barcode.

Segments From this episode

When it comes to live sports, consumers show streaming services the money

by Meghan McCarty Carino

Jan 23, 2024

Sports content "drives eyeballs," and advertisers know it.

Jalen Ramsey of the Miami Dolphins, right, and the Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce (aka Taylor Swift's boyfriend) tussle at an AFC Wild Card game. About 23 million people watched on Peacock — the biggest exclusively live streamed event ever.

David Eulitt/Getty Images

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Why are middle managers so unhappy?

by Matt Levin

Jan 23, 2024

According to a new Gallup analysis, only 1 in 3 American workers say they are engaged with their job, and less than half say they know what is expected of them at work. And apparently the most bummed out are middle managers, who report more burnout and work-life balance issues.

Remote work has made it more difficult for managers and their subordinates to understand their roles and feel recognized for their work.

AFP via Getty Images

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Getting the "USDA Organic" seal costs time and money, but it can open doors to a growing market

by Stephanie Hughes

Jan 23, 2024

Farmers and food companies need to pass rigorous inspections by third-party certifiers.

Organic inspector Dovi Naparstek at work in a facility owned by a chocolate maker in New York.

Stephanie Hughes/Marketplace

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The little black lines that could: The barcode and its staying power

by Sarah Leeson

Jan 23, 2024

"Part of the reason they've succeeded this long is that they work fine," says Jordan Frith, a Clemson professor and author of "Barcode."

Barcodes are scanned billions of times a day, says Jordan Frith, a Clemson University professor.

Michel Porro/Getty Images

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Rents for New York retail space haven’t caught up to pre-pandemic highs

by Samantha Fields

Jan 23, 2024

Retail rents in Manhattan in late 2023 were still 20% to 30% below 2019 levels, thanks in part to fewer tourists and office workers.

"Some of the retail corridors like Fifth Avenue and Times Square have a little bit more vacancy than they did," said Keith DeCoster of the Real Estate Board of New York.

Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images

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Sports betting is booming. So are calls to gambling addiction helplines.

by Henry Epp

Jan 23, 2024

Some advocates are calling for federal support to treat gambling addiction — and to enact limits on wagering apps.

Some fear an expansion of online sports betting is fueling gambling addiction.

George Rose/Getty Images

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Music from the episode

"Lush" Four Tet

"Feather" Little Dragon

"Mystic Voyage" Roy Ayers

"Relax Moment" SURAN

The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer

Maria Hollenhorst Producer II

Andie Corban Producer I

Sarah Leeson Producer I

Sean McHenry Director & Associate Producer II

Richard Cunningham Associate Producer I

Sofia Terenzio Assistant Producer

Jordan Mangi Assistant Digital Producer

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