A Deal with the Devil

EPISODE 239: Blood empty.

Earlier this week, in front of the entire world, Russian president Vladimir Putin proposed “restarting” peace talks directly with Ukraine — the nation he, you know, invaded — in order to ostensibly end the war that has impacted all of Europe. As well as the United States.

As for a timeline, Putin suggested that these talks should “start without delay, as early as May 15.”

Today.

And if the posturing of Vladimir Putin might not immediately seem like a sports story to you… I get it.

But the reason we asked PTFO correspondent Bradley Campbell to help us bring you this episode today — in coordination with this news, after reporting this story for months — is because it absolutely is.

So this episode is going to be about a lot more than Europe, and international politics, and the particular way that Vladimir Putin likes to threaten both war and peace.

This is a story about about the strings that get attached to offers of sports salvation.

As seen from inside a beloved professional soccer team, in Germany, which made a Faustian bargain.

Which means that this is a story about your favorite team, too.

YOUTUBE SPOILER ALERT:

Dánke,

Pablo