🧭At the Center

Revealing the patterns shaping sports, culture, and capital.

Helping you navigate the modern cultural economy and learn the playbooks defining the industry.

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Weekly · Every Friday

IN YOUR INBOX, EVERY FRIDAY

01.

Essays

Long-form deep dives into the structures behind sports, media, and culture.

15 - 25 min reads

02.

Patterns

Quick reads connecting the headlines and commentary to the bigger picture.

3 - 5 min reads

PUBLICATIONS

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Revealing the patterns shaping sports, culture, and capital.

Publication

🧭 IRL

Why the anti-AI bet finds its fullness in a HoldCo.

Matthew Jester

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Sep 25, 2026

Culture

🧭 IYKYK

The return of "if you know, you know"

Matthew Jester

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Sep 18, 2026

Publication

🧭 Enduring Assets

Part IV: what I got right, wrong, and completely missed

Matthew Jester

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Sep 11, 2026

Publication

🧭 New Kids on the Block

Part III: the rise of emerging leagues and "Venture Capital-ization" of sport

Matthew Jester

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Aug 28, 2026

COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

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A four-part essay series on the NCAA and current state of collegiate athletics.

College Athletics

May 22, 2026

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22 min read

🧭 The Wild West

Part I: the complete history of the NCAA

Matthew Jester

College Athletics

Jun 5, 2026

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22 min read

🧭 Icarus Falling

Part II: the broken economics of the NCAA

Matthew Jester

College Athletics

Jun 19, 2026

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21 min read

🧭 The Fall of Man

Part III: the Serpent in the Garden strikes the NCAA's heel

Matthew Jester

College Athletics

Jul 3, 2026

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20 min read

🧭 95 Theses

Part IV: the NCAA is the Catholic Church, and Martin Luther is here

Matthew Jester

EVOLUTION

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A four-part essay series on the evolution of sports as an asset class.

Evolution

Jul 31, 2026

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12 min read

🧭 Monopoly

Part I: the hold sports have over us, and the forces converging to deepen it

Matthew Jester

Evolution

Aug 14, 2026

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18 min read

🧭 Bend the Knee

Part II: how the NCAA, NBA, and NFL each built a different kind of power

Matthew Jester

Evolution

Aug 28, 2026

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15 min read

🧭 New Kids on the Block

Part III: the rise of emerging leagues and "Venture Capital-ization" of sport

Matthew Jester

Evolution

Sep 11, 2026

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20 min read

🧭 Enduring Assets

Part IV: what I got right, wrong, and completely missed

Matthew Jester

PODCASTS

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All-In style sports business riffs with Brent Peus Jr. and Dominyck Bullard.

Matthew Jester

I invest in and build cultural capital assets across sports, media, and entertainment as a partner at CNC Partners, working alongside institutional partners to source, structure, and scale the ecosystem's most consequential opportunities. Former NFL athlete and graduate of Princeton University. Texas-native.

SHARPEN YOUR PATTERN RECOGNITION, EVERY FRIDAY

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