Odds & Ends: March 14, 2025

Against the Rules with Michael Lewis. A few months ago, I had the pleasure of hosting Michael Lewis on the AoM podcast to discuss the latest season of his podcast, Against the Rules, which takes a deep dive into the world of online sports gambling. When we spoke, he was halfway through the season, and I continued to listen to the episodes that were subsequently released simply out of personal interest; the installments are quite fascinating and well done. When I interviewed Lewis, he wouldn’t give away spoilers as to what happened when he gave his 17-year-old son $5,000 to gamble with online, and the episode that covers the ultimate outcome is both hilarious and incisive. Overall, the series is both enlightening and deeply troubling, as Lewis makes a compelling case that we’re witnessing the birth of America’s next major addiction crisis.

Inside the Erectile Dysfunction Industrial Complex. Katherine Dee examines how ED medications have been rebranded for younger men through minimalist Gen-Z friendly ads and discreet delivery services. Despite little evidence of increasing ED rates among this demographic, visits to telehealth platforms offering these treatments have surged nearly 1,700% in just two years. The piece questions whether there’s a genuine medical need or if companies are capitalizing on performance anxiety and unrealistic expectations fueled by pornography. Urologists suggest that many young patients seeking pills don’t have clinical ED but rather psychological barriers to performance. The article highlights how today’s “optimization” culture, where normal function isn’t enough, creates demand for medical interventions that may be unnecessary. 

The Harrington Jacket. Spring has arrived here in Tulsa, bringing with it that familiar seasonal dance of warming daytime temperatures and stubbornly chilly mornings and evenings. For this time of year, you want a jacket that will keep you warm, but isn’t too heavy. That’s why I recently busted out my trusty Orvis Harrington jacket, which I purchased nearly a decade ago. The Harrington jacket is a classic menswear item that never goes out of style. When I put my jacket on, Kate remarked that I looked like “a cool dude.” I have to admit, slipping into that natural khaki jacket with its tartan lining and standing collar does make me feel a bit like Steve McQueen. 

Orvis doesn’t make a Harrington jacket anymore, so I can’t offer up a specific field-tested recommendation for one, but this one looks good, especially for the price.

Borgata: Clash of Titans by Louis Ferrante. I’ve had Louis Ferrante on the AoM podcast twice: first to discuss his time working for the Gambino crime family and the gangster’s code, and then to talk about the first volume in his epic three-part trilogy on the history of the mafia. The second installment in that series is now out and covers the pivotal 1960-1985 period when the mob faced existential threats from both external forces and internal power struggles. What makes Ferrante’s work so compelling is his unique perspective as a former mobster — he brings an insider’s understanding to historical events that have often been clouded by speculation and Hollywood dramatization. His exploration of the potential connections between the mob and the Kennedy assassinations is particularly fascinating. Ferrante also offers up a theory as to what happened to Jimmy Hoffa. If you’re interested in American history, intrigued by organized crime, or simply love a meticulously researched narrative that reads like a thriller, this is a book worth picking up.

Over on our Dying Breed newsletter, we published Sunday Firesides: The Loudest Part of Yourself and an interview with Michael Easter, author of The Comfort Crisis.

Quote of the Week

The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another; and his humblest hour is when he compares the volume as it is with what he vowed to make it.

― J.M. Barrie

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.