To be an Olympic champion, you gotta be the best. To be number one on this show means you’re probably the worst. Ash and Alaina from Parcast Network’s Crime Countdown explore the crimes and scandals that rocked the world’s most prestigious sports event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Building a massive doping operation to cheat the Olympics was one thing, but for Russia, keeping it secret was the bigger challenge. After one of its former athletes blew the whistle on the operation, Putin oversaw a massive cover-up that saw top officials fleeing the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
For Vladimir Putin and Russia, the Olympics were not simply a sports competition; they were a show of power on the world stage. And ahead of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, the national team was criminally advantaged—by a top-secret, state-sponsored steroid program. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In 2013, a year after signing one of the biggest contract extensions ever granted a tight end, Hernandez was involved in yet another shooting. His career, and his life, collapsed after his arrest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
At the University of Florida, Aaron Hernandez won two national championships and the John Mackey Award for best tight end. He went on to play for the New England Patriots, earning millions. But behind closed doors, he was reckless and violent… And a murder plot gone wrong only made him more frenzied. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the mid-to-late ‘90s, during the second half of his NBA career, Dennis Rodman struggled to maintain his celebrity. As his star faded, he resorted to more and more outrageous antics to get the public's attention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
He went from college dropout to one of the most dominant NBA defenders of all time. But Dennis Rodman’s tough childhood in the 1960s and ‘70s left him with a need for attention that threatened to overshadow everything he worked for. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As the 1910 baseball season came to a close, few were focused on the World Series. Instead, fans all over the U.S. were clamoring to know whether Ty Cobb or Nap Lajoie had finished the season with the highest batting average. What they didn’t know was that one player’s team was trying to cheat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In April of 1910, the baseball season began, with even more on the line than usual. Whoever had the highest batting average across the American and National Leagues would be awarded a brand-new Chalmers 30 automobile—a baseball promotion that would become a full-blown embarrassment after officials tried to fix the results. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
FIFA president João Havelange built international soccer into a global marketing phenomenon—and used it as his own personal piggy bank. Though he got away with perpetuating a cycle of corruption and cronyism for years, eventually his scandals would finally come to light in 1998. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
He was an Olympic athlete and marketing genius. With the help of some well-connected friends, João Havelange soon rose to the top of international sports and became the president of FIFA in 1974. But behind closed doors, Havelange profited off of bribes and attempted to seal his legacy with corruption and nepotism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
He made headlines in 1920’s England after running ringers in some high-profile horse races. Finding he could no longer work in England, Peter Barrie travelled across the pond to the United States, where he once again tried to cheat his way into fortune and fame. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
He was one of the most skilled and prolific horse racing cheaters of the early 20th century. Peter Christian Barrie got his start in Australia, but quickly struck it big in England after discovering his talent for painting horses. But like any gambler, Barrie insisted on pushing his luck well past its breaking point. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Only in his mid-20s, Rae Carruth's life was already hanging by a thread. His career as an NFL wide receiver was shattered, and he was running out of money. In 1999, at his lowest point, he even hired men to murder his pregnant girlfriend, Cherica Adams. After the shooting, Carruth tried to dodge the consequences of his crime, but he couldn't escape justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In 1999, 25-year-old Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth destroyed his career and life when he paid a hitman to murder his girlfriend, Cherica Adams. The two hadn’t been in a real relationship for a long time, but were inexorably tied together… Adams was eight months pregnant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
After retiring from the MLB in 1972, Denny McClain had no idea what to do next. Baseball was the only thing he knew. Desperate to make a living, he turned to a life of crime—including fraud, drug dealing, and numerous other federal offenses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
We are thrilled to bring you a brand new episode of Sports Criminals today and for the foreseeable future. We thank you for your patience during this unprecedented time. In 1968, Detroit Tigers pitcher Denny McClain became the first person in over three decades to win 30 games. But his career was derailed by injuries, gambling, and a refusal to follow the rules. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
If you enjoy the true stories told in Sports Criminals, check out this episode from our series Unsolved Murders: The mysterious circumstances surrounding Sonny Liston's death in 1971 from an alleged heroin overdose still drew suspicion. As police and journalists looked into his death years later, they discovered more than a few viable suspects. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
If you enjoy the true stories told in Sports Criminals, check out this episode from our series Unsolved Murders: Former heavyweight champion Sonny Liston had a drive and motivation that was infectious. So when Geraldine Liston hadn’t heard from her husband for a few days, she didn’t think much of it. Then she returned home from a trip and found him at the foot of their bed...dead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In 1980, Rosie Ruiz beat out past champions to win the Boston Marathon. Other runners and reporters were shocked as they watched Ruiz take her place on the winner’s stage. But the truth was that Ruiz hadn’t run the race at all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
She came out of nowhere to win the 1980 Boston Marathon—only for it to be revealed later that she won the race by cheating. Discover how Rosie Ruiz’s mysterious beginnings led to a lifetime of lies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Due to the unfortunate spread of COVID-19, Parcast has decided to halt recording for the time-being. This is a precautionary measure taken to ensure the safety of our hosts and staff. In the meantime, we're excited to share one of our classic episodes that we know you'll enjoy! As an NBA referee throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Tim Donaghy was expected to neutrally uphold the rules of his sport. However, he used his position to enrich himself in the worst way possible: betting on games he officia...
Going into the 1950-1951 season, the CCNY Beavers were the odds-on favorite to defend their titles. But the starting five decided to get in bed with a notorious game fixer, shaving points of the score for a few grand. And soon, it would be revealed that CCNY wasn't the only team in on the scheme. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
During the 1949-1950 Men's college basketball season, the City College of New York Beavers did the unthinkable: they became the first team in history to win both the NIT and NCAA tournaments in the same year. But behind the scenes, several disgruntled players agreed to fix games for money. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
We have reached the year 2020! So that means this is the last episode of our special, but it’s a good one! It’s about the sign-stealing scandal and the Houston Astros. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This is our penultimate episode—covering the mysterious deaths of horses at the Santa Anita racetrack during 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Today we go back to 2018, with a cheating scandal that rocked the cricket world. You’ll never believe how these players got caught—and how rough the consequences were. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Back in 2017, an executive for the Sacramento Kings spent July 4th with his family at a recently purchased multi-million dollar Southern California home. A home the FBI would later question him on how he could afford to buy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Today we head to Brazil for the Summer Olympic Games of 2016, when swimming star Ryan Lochte and three teammates reported being robbed after a night on the town. But the real story of what happened would be far more outrageous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Today, we’re going back to 2015, when an accusation against New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady left him feeling deflated. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
