Win the Super Bowl, Lose Thousands: California’s Jock Tax Scam

You're listening to American Ground Radio with Stephen Parr and Louis R. Avallone. This is the full show for February 9, 2026.

0:30 Chicago’s murder rate is plunging—but the political fight over why is just getting started. We break down the stunning drop in homicides and violent crime in Chicago, including a nearly 30% decline and the lowest murder total in decades. While even Mayor Brandon Johnson is forced to acknowledge the numbers, the real debate centers on what caused the turnaround: tougher enforcement, consequences for criminals, and the impact of President Trump’s National Guard deployments. From Chicago to Washington, D.C., the data is colliding head-on with the narrative, raising an uncomfortable question for Democrats—do results matter more than politics?

9:30 Plus, we cover the Top 3 Things You Need to Know.

A federal appeals court has backed the Trump Administration on detaining illegal immigrants without bond.
A Georgia man was sentenced to three years and five months in prison for threatening to kill President Trump.
Teachers in San Francisco left students stranded today as they went on strike in the middle of the school year.

12:30 Get Prodovite Plus from Victory Nutrition International for 20% off. Go to vni.life/agr and use the promo code AGR20.

13:00 The NFL’s Super Bowl halftime show sparked backlash after sidelining its majority English-speaking audience, despite those same fans driving ratings, advertising revenue, and the league’s bottom line. While advertisers spent millions on English-language commercials to reach the Super Bowl audience, the halftime performance was entirely in Spanish—raising questions about who the NFL is actually trying to reach. The controversy has shifted attention away from the game itself and onto concerns about brand dilution, misplaced priorities, and a league that appears more focused on symbolism than delivering the best possible football experience.

16:30 We got a question in for our American Mamas Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson: Why are so many young women out rioting against the police in Minnesota? We discuss the idea that women are biologically wired to nurture and protect the vulnerable—and what happens when that instinct has nowhere traditional to go. As motherhood and family life are increasingly discouraged, that protective drive is redirected toward political causes, activist movements, and protest culture. The discussion looks at how this “mama bear” instinct hasn’t disappeared, but has been repurposed, helping explain why modern progressive activism is often dominated by young women fiercely fighting for causes they believe are under threat.

If you'd like to ask our American Mamas a question, go to our website, AmericanGroundRadio.com/mamas and click on the Ask the Mamas button.

23:00 As sports become increasingly wrapped in spectacle and political messaging, a rare voice cuts through with an old-fashioned reminder of what competition is actually for. Drawing on a message released at the opening of the Winter Olympics, the Pope emphasizes discipline, sacrifice, humility, and the lessons learned in both victory and defeat. Winning isn’t about outperforming others—it’s about the journey, the grind, and shared commitment. Losing isn’t failure, but a teacher. Against the backdrop of a Super Bowl dominated by controversy rather than the game itself, this moment highlights what sports are meant to be: a shared human endeavor that builds character, not a branding exercise or political platform.

26:30 Winning the Super Bowl in California can actually leave NFL players poorer than when they started. Because of California’s aggressive “jock tax,” players are taxed not just on their Super Bowl bonus, but on a prorated share of their entire season’s income based on the days they spent in the state. The result: some players owed California tens of thousands of dollars more than they earned from the game—even after winning it. We break down how state tax policy dramatically affects player earnings, why teams in no-income-tax states have a built-in financial advantage, and how the same tax logic is now being used to chase businesses and high-income earners who leave states like California and New York.

32:00 Get Performlyte from Victory Nutrition International for 20% off. Go to vni.life/agr and use the promo code AGR20.

32:30 The Super Bowl halftime show is under fire after translations revealed sexually explicit lyrics broadcast to a national audience—hidden behind a language most viewers don’t speak. Critics argue the content crossed the line into obscene and pornographic material, violating FCC indecency standards that apply regardless of language. A U.S. congressman is now calling for formal action against the NFL, the network, and the performer, saying content that would never be allowed in English was effectively smuggled onto broadcast television in Spanish. The controversy raises serious questions about double standards, broadcast decency laws, and whether the NFL knowingly exposed families to explicit sexual content during America’s biggest sporting event.

36:00 U.S. liquefied natural gas exports are surging to record highs, marking a major reversal from the export restrictions that held the energy sector back in recent years. With LNG shipments climbing and new global buyers emerging, American energy is once again displacing Russian gas in Europe and beyond—cutting off funding for hostile regimes while strengthening U.S. leverage on the world stage. The boom is also fueling jobs at home, from drillers and welders to shipbuilders and landowners, while delivering cleaner energy with lower emissions. Rising LNG exports aren’t just an energy story—they’re about national security, economic growth, and America reclaiming its role as a global energy powerhouse.

39:30 Weight loss and self-improvement are supposed to strengthen relationships—but new data suggests the opposite is happening for many couples. A growing number of people using GLP-1 weight-loss drugs report breakups triggered by jealousy and insecurity from their partners after major physical changes. When one person improves and the other can’t—or won’t—celebrate that success, relationships begin to crack. The discussion highlights a deeper issue about modern relationships: whether couples are truly built on mutual support, or only comfortable as long as neither person grows beyond the other.

41:30 And we finish off today's show with llamas who help police catch a criminal.

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