As we all know, Elizabeth Warren loves Ballers. Wait, you did know that, right? You knew that Elizabeth Warren loves Ballers? I hope you did. I discovered it a few years ago and I don’t think I’ve shut up about it since. She really, honestly, unironically loves Ballers, the HBO series starring The Rock as a former NFL star who became a financial manager then an agent then the owner of an extreme sports company and is now planning to buy the Kansas City Chiefs at the urging of a thinly-disguised version of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones who goes by “Bossman” and is played by Shooter McGavin from Happy Gilmore. Here’s proof.
Can’t wait for the Season 5 premiere of @BallersHBO tonight (Bruce and I still can't believe there won't be a Season 6). And congrats @TheRock on your marriage!
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) August 25, 2019
Anyway, the fifth and final season premiered this week. The Rock’s character claimed to be retired and was chilling on a beach when things got underway. Here’s the first thing we saw after the opening credits.
Fine, great, wonderful. The Rock is relaxing with a nice book. It’s always nice to take some time for yourself t-… wait a second. Enhance.
ENHANCE.
Well, this is terrific. The Rock’s character on Ballers is reading Elizabeth Warren’s book. It completes the circle of one of the weirdest pop culture love affairs I can ever remember. Elizabeth Warren professed her love of Ballers. People wrote about it. The Rock tweeted out a post I wrote about it. Elizabeth Warren quote-tweeted The Rock’s tweet about it. It was a whole thing. And now she got a shoutout on the show. Short of an actual cameo — IT’S NOT TOO LATE — this is about all we can ask for. I’m so happy right now.
But.
There is one weird thing worth noting here, and it’s worth noting mainly because I am unwell and prone to overthinking things. The book The Rock is reading here is This Fight Is Our Fight, Warren’s book that came out after the 2016 election. It’s all about trying to save the middle class and it’s not necessarily a book The Rock’s massively wealthy character would read if not for the off-screen tie-in, which would be something I might discuss if not for a more pressing issue. There are serious implications here. A butterfly has flapped its very muscular wings.
This is how that book starts.
Yes, Elizabeth Warren shouted out Ballers in the prologue of her big book about income equality. I love that so much I might just run around telling strangers on the street this afternoon. But…
… if The Rock is reading the book…
… that references Ballers…
… on Ballers…
… then…
… like…
… what’s going on here?
The entire Ballers universe has folded itself in half. It would be a problem if it weren’t so perfect. Let’s just take the win and stop asking questions.
