We start this week talking about the London Marathon and our disappointment in the NBA Finals. It is indeed still a strange sports world! We dig into this more with our main topic: What positive things has Covid revealed to us about the sports world? We touch on the way we consume sports, how important they feel and the hypocrisy that is being shown (amongst other things). Music: Trad Godsey
As usual, we start off by talking about what we are paying attention to. The sports world just keeps getting more crazy! Then we move into a conversation about whether ignorance is ever an adequate defense. How do we understand people who don't have the reasoning capacity? What about people without access to information? Is education a viable option? How ignorant are we? Should we sympathize?
This week we start off intending to have a normal show, but we wound up just talking about Pogacar's transcendent performance at the Tour de France. It was a truly stupendous experience! Music: Trad Godsey
This week we dive right into all that has been going on recently. First, of course, we talk about the NBA strike and the complicated nature of everything involved. We spend a while looking at the complexity of it all and how we learn to live in the grey. Then we discuss a few other odds and ends, including the Messi saga, the Tour de France and a pervasive sense of uncertainty. Music: Trad Godsey
This week, we start off with a discussion of the disaster of college football and the interesting ways smaller clubs are staying relevant. Then we move into a conversation about adventure racing and why it might be compelling. Finally, we come to our main topic this week, disc golf. How is it packaged and presented? What about the money of it? What do we like or dislike? What could the future hold if growth is upcoming? How do you grow a sport without losing its soul? Music: Trad Godsey...
This week we start off talking about golf, the NBA and how we watch sports. Why do we prefer a slightly less polished production? Then we move into a discussion of our main topic of decoding how we talk about youth and age in sports. What euphemisms do we see all the time and gloss over? What does how we talk about it mean for how players and fans interact with the game? What might be better? Should we be looking at how we make sense of this in our context? Music: Trad Godsey...
This week we start off talking about the proliferation of violence on the ESPN homepage and the absurdity of MLB trying to make things work. Then we dig into our main topic, the new look of the NBA. We spent some time watching this weekend's games and reflect on the experience. How do we feel about the look and feel? What about the quality of play? How are they handling social justice issues? Are we likely to watch more? Music: Trad Godsey
This week we start off trying to be a bit positive with some spotlights for good stuff. We mention that the NBA, unsurprisingly, seems to be coming back in a good way and what we might get re-engaged with sports for. Then we move into our main conversation about corruption in sports. What does it even mean to be corrupt in sports? Why is there so much of it? Why do we put up with it? Is any of it justifiable? Music: Trad Godsey
This week we start out talking a bit about soccer and the rise of Pulisic. Then we move into a conversation about golf and divergent visions of how it should look moving forward. This is followed by a discussion of how we should probably be more naturally curious about things that are interesting to others. For our main topic, we share some thoughts about the state of corporate social responsibility and how it intersects with sports. When can it be a tool for good? When does it fall short? Shoul...
This week we start off with a discussion of Woj going off and how much we should be talking about sports right now. It's a strange time and we see both positive and negative things coming to the front. Then for our main topic, we discuss what would we do if we were to take over the MLS (not that anyone asked...). Would we start from scratch? What about relegation? Would we maintain a single entity? How would we approach growth? Music: Trad Godsey
This week we starting off talking UCLA and Under Armour and the coming disastrous restarts. We spend a bit of time on controversy in the disc golf world and then move into some talk about our appreciation for Adam Silver. Our main topic this week is the Netflix show Sunderland Til I Die. How does it glorify and perpetuate problematic narratives of sports teams as saviors? What happens when an owner stops investing? Why should we humanize leadership? How much does leadership matter? Why do we lov...
This week we start off talking about the complete absurdity of college sports, the ways we expect the NBA to fail in its bid to restart and Djokovic being a fool. It remains a strange time for sports and it only seems to be getting more complex! Our main topic this week is how sports impacts our thinking about aging. Does it feed into how we dismiss the elderly? How does it limit the impact of both the young and the old? What does it tell us about peaking? Is there almost a class distinction? Ho...
We missed you all last week! We're back this week with a discussion of how Covid is changing the sports landscape with each passing day. Every week seems to complicate plans and make sports seem farther away. And maybe that's ok... Our main topic this week is how we understand player's unions and labor disputes during this time. We start off with Kyrie asking if the league should even play during a time of momentum for Black Lives Matter and Covid. Even without the social justice sense of things...
This week we start off declaring that Black Lives Matter and that we endeavoring to educate ourselves and act in the ways most appropriate. Then we move onto the NBA restarting and MLB potentially not. It's a weird time in the sports world as we look to what the future might be. Then we move into a conversation about Drew Brees being stupid and how his teammates have responded. How do teams cope with this friction? How do individuals deal with this racism everyday in the locker room? Why is it t...
This week we start out with a discussion of the golf match featuring Tiger, Phil, Brady and Manning. It was a strange event and we have a lot of feelings! Then we move into a discussion of the current high profile police brutality incidents and athlete responses. We are not sure how to respond to this ongoing unacceptable situation, but we really appreciate those taking stands and speaking out. Finally, we move into our main discussion of anger in sports. Why do both Jordan and Lance seem so ang...
This week we welcome special guest Sam Lev back to the show. He joins us as we start off with a discussion of golf in quarantine and what the NBA is thinking about. Then we move into talking about both Lance and Jordan. We share final thoughts on The Last Dance and how we feel about Jordan now. Then we move into our main topic, cheating in amateur sports. Why do people do it? How should we respond? How are they doing it? How has social media changed things? How should our institutions be respond...
This week we start by discussing the strange reality of the Bundesliga. Is this what we should expect from sports without fans? We also talk about baseball and our continued interest in The Last Dance. Finally, we get into discussing the world of trading cards and how it has impacted our lives as fans. Is this world as capitalistic and exploitative as it seems? What is happening now? Why did it feel so important to us as kids? How do we think about that time now? Music: Trad Godsey...
This week we start by discussing how we are coping without sports. We also talk about reopening and what golf could do. Then we move into a discussion of Jordan and how to understand Jordan's extreme competitiveness. Finally, it's time for our main topic... Which 5 rules or regulations would we like to see changed or implemented? How would they impact the game? Why do we need a change? Music: Trad Godsey
This week we start by noting that the sports world was quite boring this week. Nothing grabbed our attention and maybe that's a good thing. Then we move into a discussion of The Last Dance. How do we understand Rodman in our context? How did Jordan become who he is? How valuable was Jerry Krause to this team? Then we move into our main topic: the 1980 Olympic Boycott. How do we understand Jimmy Carter's decision to boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics? How has the decision aged? How did it impact Ca...
This week we start with an exciting new intro. Thanks Trad! Then we move into a discussion about this past week's developments. Kyle expounds upon his love of Formula 1, while Brad supports the French Sports Minister's claim that sports isn't important right now. Then we take some time to think about the first two parts of "The Last Dance" and how it has influenced our thinking. Then we move into a conversation about who we are as spectators and fans these days. Why is it so compelling to be a s...
This week we start off talking about how there might be some positive implications of limiting sports activity. We are humanizing our athletes and seeing benefits in the climate change fight. Then we move into a multi-faceted conversation about Michael Jordan. What is his legacy? How do we understand him then and now? Was he a positive influence? What do we expect from this new documentary? How did he change the world of sports? Music: purple-planet.com
We start off bemoaning the events that seem to be leading to Sports Illustrated quickly losing all of its status so quickly due to poor management. Then we continue a discussion of what we are paying attention to before getting into our conversation about "All For One" and the Orica - Greenedge Cycling Team. We were both captivated by the sincerity and passion of the storytelling. Then we get into a discussion of what it's like to be a cycling fan these days and why Orica (now Mitchellton - Scot...
We start this week with our weekly look at the sports world on Covid-19. This includes a discussion of Trump's intervention, NBA stars playing horse and the strange world of Wrestlemania. Then we dig into a comparison of the Astros sign stealing controversy and the infamous Black Sox of 1919. We look at similarities and differences and how the power dynamics have changed. Why was the response look so different? Who was impacted? How has the sport changed over the years? What does this mean for b...
We start by looking back again at this past week in a new landscape. This includes a look at the NFL doing NFL things and auto racing turning to eSports. Then we dig into a look at the movie Fire in Babylon which looks at the West Indies Cricket during the 1970s and 80s. It documents their rise into being the best test match team in the world that went undefeated for 15 years and their struggle against colonialism and racism. We ask how if cricket can be an emancipating tool and how do we unders...
This week we again start looking at how Covid-19 is impacting the sports world. The move to online gaming and the fact that chess keeps going is quite intriguing. Then we move into our main discussion of Jackie Robinson and his impact on the sports world. How did we learn about Robinson and has he been whitewashed? Was he who we think he were told he is? How, again, do we allow our athletes to be complex and multifaceted individuals? In the end, we come to a better and more complete understandin...
This week we start by looking at our first week without sports. It is an unprecedented occurrence and we will be tracking it as we look to future weeks. Hint: We are super grateful to the NBA for being proactive and taking the lead! We will also be looking at historical events and inviting new guests in the coming weeks. But, then we move into a discussion of the first summit of Mount Everest and how we understand it in today's context. What did it lead to? How do we understand the need to climb...
This week we start out talking about women in sports and what a great time of year it is for the sports we love. Then we get into a discussion of what the state of the MLS is. What would a successful MLS look like? What changes would we institute? Is it good for US soccer? Do we enjoy it? Finally, we wrap up by looking at sports for empty stadiums and what we are looking forward to this coming week. Music: purple-planet.com
This week we start off by talking about stardom and the brutal (and stupid) world of bare knuckle boxing. Then we dig into our main topic of how to understand Coronavirus and its impact on sports. What historic events put sports in perspective and how do they reflect today? What will the potential curtailing of professional sports mean for society? What will the next few months look like? Finally, we dig into women in cricket and politics as sport. Music: purple-planet.com...
This week we start off by talking about Man City's predicament and the way athletes isolate themselves. Then we move into a discussion of about the mental health of today's athletes. More and more athletes are speaking out about their struggles. Is this leading the way to a better understanding of the toll of elite athletics? Are we doing enough to address the issues? How does it impact our young people? What has precipitated this change in tone? Finally, we wrap up by discussing what we are loo...
This week we start off talking about rugby and how we understand it. Then we talk a bit about youth sports before getting to our main topic. This week we dig into the trend of athletes also being business people. Is this a new trend? Why is it happening? Why is it more prevalent in some sports than others? Is there something that naturally helps bridge this divide? Finally, we wrap it up with Pete Rose and sports history, Music: www.purple-planet.com
