NFL fumble and riding for $212M

New York does the impossible this week by piling on the NFL in ways that make you sorry for the league.

Claiming improbably that the NFL “was the most unifying public institution we had,” it goes on to compare its crisis to “the fall of Rome.” Author Will Leitch goes on to cite new “concussion protocols” and “targeting” penalties for helmet-to-helmet hits.

“They’ve made the game less fun to watch, and they’re probably not keeping anyone safer,” he writes.

The truth is whole networks and TV shows envy the NFL’s comparatively modest 5.9 percent ratings decline. And, come Feb. 4, Super Bowl LII will quash Leitch’s contention the future of sports belongs not to the NFL but to the NBA.

Leave it to the effete New Yorker to pass on the gird iron grit for the sport of kings, with a surprisingly ground-level piece by writer John Seabrook on Irad and Jose Ortiz, two Puerto Rican brothers, who “have been electrifying New York’s racetrack in recent years.” The eight-page article covers the racing scene from “bug boys” to riding goggles.

The Ortizes are only 24 and 25, but between them have already earned $212 million in purses.

Seabrook spends plenty of time on racing itself — the difference between turf and dirt tracks makes the read worthwhile — but his sweep extends to hot walkers, exercise riders and the jockey agents who match riders with horses.

What’s even more surprising is the agents must not only pick horses but also play diplomat with every upgrade of a client’s mount.