You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the numbers tucked inside the news.
$137.5 million for five years
Jimmy Garoppolo, the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback, is the NFL’s most expensive lottery ticket, my colleagues wrote yesterday. Based on just five starts worth of work last season, he’s now set to earn $137.5 million over five years. It’s the most money earned by a player at the position based on such a small sample of play. Sure, they were five good starts that led to five wins, but just how good is a matter of some statistical debate. [FiveThirtyEight]
$30
(Sponsored by Mott & Bow) For many men, a simple t-shirt goes a long way, but not all t-shirt manufacturers think in terms of style and variety. Fortunately, a brand that boasts to offer the “softest and most stylish clean tees available on the internet” just added five new and unique t-shirt colors to their extensive list of options. At just $30 each, many men will see this as a prime opportunity to expand their t-shirt-day options.
2.4 million subscribers
Google’s YouTube, following similar actions by Apple, Facebook and Spotify, terminated the page of Infowars’ Alex Jones for “violating YouTube’s Community Guidelines,” reportedly related to hate speech and harassment. Jones had 2.4 million subscribers on the video service. YouTube had previously levied punishment against Jones in July, citing “child endangerment and hate speech.” [TechCrunch]
15 percent of victims
From the Department of Seriously Come On Enough Already, a new and scary tick species is invading the United States. It’s called the Asian long-horned tick — aka the bush tick, aka the cattle tick — and it has been found in seven eastern states. In Asia, this particular species “carries a virus that kills 15 percent of its victims,” according to the Times. [The New York Times]
+4.45 percent on the day
Facebook stock, which was still hurting from the Cambridge Analytica data scandal and took a further historic nosedive in value last month, recovered somewhat on the news that the company had … asked large American banks to “share detailed financial information about their customers, including card transactions and checking-account balances.” Capitalism, boy, I dunno. [The Wall Street Journal]
31 Michelin stars
Joël Robuchon, the most Michelin-decorated chef in history and the “Chef of the Century,” died on Monday at the age of 73. His most famous recipe was for “the humble mashed potato,” the BBC reports. It is said to be half potato and half butter. I will prepare it tonight in his honor. [BBC]
60 taste testers
Ferrero, the maker of Nutella and Ferrero Rocher chocolates, is hiring 60 taste testers to taste cacao, hazelnut and chocolate products. Come with me, and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination. Take a look, and you’ll see into your imagination. We’ll begin with a spin traveling in the world of my creation. What we’ll see will defy explanation. [CBS News]
If you see a significant digit in the wild, please send it to @ollie.