#The number of universes should dwarf it by any measure after just a few iterations of session nesting

[thewertsearch]

TT: We are like the emissaries to what lies beyond this small bubble in their unfathomable dark foam. TT: Derse skirts its edge, and during the lunar eclipse, we graze it, and that's when their intent for us becomes clear.

Is that it, then? You can only understand Horrorspeak when you're in the Furthest Ring?

If so, it must take nerves of steel to actually try and negotiate with them. We've seen what that place looks like without Bubble protection, and it is not pretty.

TG: what am i supposed to do [...] TT: They will teach you how to navigate the unnavigable. TT: The result should be a map. [...] TG: why TT: To plot a course through the Furthest Ring. TG: plot a course to what

Aradia said Rose would never find the Green Sun - and she was right.

But Rose isn't the only Derse-born Player in the session.

TG: whats the deal with this thing [...] TT: I don't know that there is a deal with it. [...] TT: It is what it sounds like. TT: A huge sun out in the literal middle of nowhere, and it is bright green. TT: It is simply, TT: The Green Sun.

I feel like Rose is being a little too flippant here. If you're planning on messing with one of the cores of reality, I don't think there's such a thing as too much caution.

The Sun is an enormous, intensely supernatural pseudostar of unknown, possibly unknowable origin. The game taps it to create First Guardians, but we don't know if that's its intended purpose, or if it even has an intended purpose. Unlike everything else in Sburb, it is not duplicated across sessions, doesn't feature in the game's storyline, and is only referenced in a cryptic stone monument buried hundreds of feet under LOLAR.

It's not even in the Medium! It's 'part of Sburb' only in the loosest possible sense, and feels more like something completely foreign to the game that Skaia is just using. Even the Horrorterrors feature more heavily in the game than the Sun.

Rose doesn't seem too curious, but I am. Just what the fuck is this thing? Is it the only one of its kind, or does Skaia draw its power from other enormous structures, hidden deep in oblivion?

TT: It is nearly twice the mass of our universe.

Scaled against every Sburb session, that's actually pretty small.

We know from Doc Scratch's introduction that every planet supporting intelligent life will have a First Guardian. Every universe will have at least one of these, since its creators will want somewhere to live. There are also universes with a surplus of intelligent species - the Alternian Empire has to be conquering someone.

In other words, this Sun is powering, at an absolute minimum, one First Guardian per universe. It's impossible to estimate how many universes there are - but if (as was implied) every intelligent species is destined to spawn sessions, and if even one session on a planet is successful every million years, the numbers get exponential really fast.

From a metaphysical standpoint, 10^50-ish kg just isn't that much. The First Guardians themselves probably have more collective mass than the Sun.

[rickhorrow]

10 to watch 111218

As the U.S. honors those who have served on Veteran’s Day, Navy Federal Credit Union and the NHL have struck a multi-year U.S. partnership designed to “recognize and support veterans, active duty service members and their families at NHL tent pole events.” According to Cynopsis Sports, Navy Federal served as the presenting sponsor of the inaugural NHL Veterans Appreciation Night broadcast on November 7 on NBCSN, in which the partners honored retired service members during the Wednesday Night Hockey doubleheader. As part of this agreement, the NHL and Navy Federal have launched “Stick Tap for Service,” a digital destination for veterans, active duty service members, and their families to share personal stories of how hockey has impacted their lives. Navy Federal will also be an official partner and the presenting sponsor for military-themed ceremonial elements at the NHL Winter Classic, the NHL All-Star Weekend, and the NHL Stadium Series. The NHL was not alone this weekend, of course, as the NFL, NBA, college football teams, and others in sports paid tribute to our military veterans and acknowledged active duty servicemen and women.

The Oakland Raiders have signed on Caesars Entertainment as the first founding partner for their new stadium in Las Vegas. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Raiders inked Caesars Entertainment to a 15-year deal, though financial terms have not yet been disclosed. The $1.8 billion stadium is expected to open in time for the 2020 season and Caesars will "host a branded stadium entrance and drop-off zone, digital signage, media, radio and print assets in addition to alumni, player and cheerleader appearances” as part of the deal. This marks the soon-to-be Vegas franchise’s first deal with a gaming and hospitality company, a seemingly perfect fit for a team located in the nation’s gambling capital. The Raiders-Caesars deal also becomes the fifth alliance between casino companies and NFL teams. Expect the Raiders to continue to develop sponsorships in the gaming space when they make the official move to Nevada from the Bay Area – “What Happens in Vegas” can often be quite lucrative.

Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid has been plagued with controversy and drama since its inception — and rest assured, it will only intensify. According to the London Times, due to the scorching Middle Eastern heat in the summer, the tournament is set to be staged with a shortened timeframe from November 21-December 18, 2022, yet FIFA President Gianni Infantino wants to expand the field from 32 to 48 teams. In order to pull this off, Infantino is hoping that some of the games will be staged in neighboring countries while having multiple group stage games played at the same time — something that the World Cup currently does not do. The peninsula nation of Qatar only shares a land border with Saudi Arabia, though the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are not far. The timing of the next World Cup is not ideal for domestic leagues around the world, as they will have to forfeit a crucial part of their season to allow players to leave for international duty. But at least it likely won’t be 105 degrees on the pitch.

As the NFL continues with business as usual, two other North American football leagues are making big changes. According to the Winnipeg Sun, Mexico’s Liga de Futbol Americano Profesional (LFA) and the Canadian Football League (CFL) are pushing forward with their multi-phase partnership that “could include an exchange of players.” The LFA’s upcoming fourth season is set to run from February through April, ending less than two months before CFL preseason camps kick off in June. The coordination of the schedules could allow for an easy swap of players from Mexico to Canada and vice-versa. CEO Oscar Perez said that it is his "preference to place at least nine and hopefully 18 Mexican players with the nine CFL teams for the 2019 season.” Another possibility being explored in this partnership is hosting regular season games in the opposite country. Both leagues want to expand their brands on a global level — this is a great first step for them. More to come on this alliance after I interview CFLPA Executive Director Brian Ramsay at the annual PrimeTime Sports conference in Toronto November 12-13.

The Center for Sports Analytics at Samford University has released a study based on 7 million U.S. sports fans’ social media data that shows that the NFL brand recovery is “in full swing.” According to the study, the league’s overall relevance is up by 9.38% since the midpoint of last season, and 29 or the 32 NFL teams have experienced a significant increase. Fans who switched off the NFL over the last few are returning in mass. While TV ratings are showing slight increases, social data is a better measure of cultural trends, according to the Samford University numbers. The NFL also benefitted from political ad spending. On the heels of a record turnout for a midterm election, there was a record turnout in midterm ad spending - $2.9 billion, according to Advertising Analytics. The amount is nearly double what was spent in the 2014 midterm election. The biggest beneficiary was broadcast TV, raking in almost $2.4 billion. And while NBC got heat from running the controversial Trump “Caravan” ad during its November 4 “Sunday Night Football” broadcast, the NFL and all its broadcast partners undoubtedly received a hefty slice of that midterm ad revenue pie.

The media’s stake in North America’s sports market is growing at a faster rate than expected and will see the industry worth $80.3 billion by 2022, according to new industry research. Media rights holders became the region’s largest commodity last year, according to findings from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) – and is predicted to grow to almost $24 billion over that period. In comparison, though gate revenues across North America are also expected to increase, ticket sales will grow at a significantly slower rate (2.2% annually) – the report projects a $21 billion stake in four years. While sponsorship is also demonstrating promising growth (3.8%), PwC’s 2018 Sport Outlook claims licensing deals within the media will gain the greatest momentum (4.5%) and suggests a shift towards digital platforms. A digital revolution is "attracting new entrants into this exclusive competitive space," PwC says, also noting Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google among the major technology disruptors “putting pressure on sports rights holders to create new fan experiences.” The report claims there will likely be a shift in brand exposure when broadcast contracts for the NFL and MLS expire in 2022, which is considered a pivotal year. Competition will continue to drive up license fees post-2022 and, clearly, mobile rights are still complimentary to live TV.

The Walt Disney Company went to great lengths to defend its territory last week during the midterm elections. According to JohnWallStreet, Disney spent $20 million to support a ballot initiative “that would give Florida voters the right to prevent the expansion of casino gambling within the state.” The move was made with the intent of protecting Florida’s tourism industry and the state’s brand as a “family friendly” destination. The initiative, Amendment 3 of the Florida Constitution, passed after garnering more than 70% of voter support. The new law “will require new casino projects to gain the support (60% must vote in favor) of the state-wide voting public prior to breaking ground; few (if any) projects are likely to meet the 60% benchmark.” MGM Resorts International, the Miami Dolphins, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers all spent money opposing the measure, but their $500,000 commitment was dwarfed by Disney’s spend. The initiative also greatly benefits the Seminole tribe, which dominates the Florida gaming landscape by operating in the state under a Federal gaming exemption afforded to Native Americans with little competition.

David Beckham’s conquest to finally get a stadium in Miami continues forward but is not yet in the clear. According to SportsPro Media, the recently-named club, Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami, cleared a major hurdle after voters “gave the green light for the city of Miami to negotiate a 99-year lease with club ownership for the construction of soccer stadium and adjacent commercial complex on what is now a city-owned golf course near Miami International Airport.” Sixty percent of voters showed support for Beckham and his ownership group on the agenda. “We won tonight,” said Inter Miami CF co-owner Jorge Mas of the vote. “We showed the world what Miami can do.” The development will go beyond just a stadium; in all, the 73-acre site will include 750 hotel rooms, municipal soccer fields and a public park surrounding the state-of-the-art 25,000-seat stadium. Not as fortunate was former MLS star Landon Donovan, whose attempt to bring an MLS team to San Diego under Measure E failed to garner 50% of the vote. However, San Diego’s Measure G, creating a western campus for San Diego State University, passed and may still pave the way for an MLS franchise in that city.

Miami Dolphins owner Steve Ross’ Hard Rock Stadium is seeking a football double header in 2020. South Florida 2020 Super Bowl Host Committee Chair Rodney Barreto said that his group is “negotiating with the NFL” to bring the Pro Bowl back to Hard Rock Stadium, according the Palm Beach Post. Should Barreto’s group succeed, the game "would be played" January 26, 2020, the Sunday between the two conference championship games and Super Bowl LIV on February 2. Miami "broke Hawaii’s stranglehold on hosting the Pro Bowl when it brought the game to Miami" along with Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. The past two Pro Bowls "have been in Orlando’s Camping World Stadium," which also hosts the next iteration of the game on January 27, 2019. South Florida is clearly a winter tourism mecca, and if Hard Rock lands the Pro Bowl in 2020, fans can potentially parlay their Super Bowl experience into a fortnight of mega sports events, from the Pro Bowl to SB LIV to Fort Lauderdale Beach Major volleyball action the weekend after. Travel agents, take note.

College basketball is back, but is its image? According to SportsBusiness Journal, last week’s opener marked the earliest start ever to the college basketball season, coming weeks before the typical Thanksgiving tipoff. The NCAA moved the first slate of games up to avoid a conflict with college football on the weekend, hoping to create more positive buzz around the sport after an FBI scandal tore through it. In response to the pay-to-play recruiting scandal that saw some of the country’s notable programs targeted, the NCAA "created new rules based on recommendations by a commission headed by Condoleezza Rice in hopes of curtailing the pay-to-play practices, but may not punish any programs or coaches ensnared in the probe until after the final trial, which is scheduled after the Final Four in Minneapolis.” Hopefully this college basketball season, which is nearly 200 days long, will feature more action on the court than off it.