Our Weekend with the Most Extra Player in the NFL

EPISODE 166: A love story.

You should know that it’s not easy to visit with an NFL player like this in the middle of the season. But Cam Bynum — the 26-year-old starting safety for the Minnesota Vikings — isn’t most NFL players.

As you’ll see.

I’d first met Cam this spring, in New York City, when I had no idea the 5-2 Vikings would be this good. But as of a year ago, almost exactly, I already knew I wanted to tell Cam’s story. And the story of his wife, Laine. Even outside of the fact that we’re members of the same karaoke-loving, pork-roasting, Southeast-Asian diaspora.

And so when I caught wind of a very special party being planned for the pivotal Lions-Vikings game, which took place nine days ago, in the middle of October — which you should also know is Filipino American History Month! — I wanted to find out what that specific Sunday in Minneapolis looked and smelled and sounded like. In person.

The result is one of my favorite episodes.

DKN/YOUTUBE SPOILER ALERT:

AN UPDATE:

My guy Jon Caramanica recently informed me that he had once met Cam Bynum, also, but completely randomly. And that it was briefly chronicled in a New York Times article he wrote — about the return of live music, in 2021 — which, in retrospect, completely tracks with the theme of this episode:

Salamat,

Pablo