EPISODE 431: "Return of the King" - With Tom Aiello

Valdosta State University history professor (and Episodes 334 and 244 guest) Tom Aiello is back — this time for an intriguing look at one of the most politically and culturally charged nights in American sports history: Muhammad Ali’s comeback fight against Jerry Quarry on October 26, 1970, in Atlanta.

After nearly three and a half years in professional exile, Ali returned to the ring having lost far more than his world heavyweight title. His refusal to be drafted into the Vietnam War had stripped him of his license to box, cost him his prime athletic years, and turned him into one of the most polarizing figures in the country. By 1970, however, the nation had changed. Public opinion about the war had shifted, Ali’s moral stance looked increasingly prescient, and the question was no longer if he would return — but where and on whose terms.

Atlanta provided the answer. The fight was as much a civic and cultural event as a sporting one, staged before an audience that reflected the city’s rising Black political, economic, and social leadership. Civil rights figures, elected officials, entertainers, and power brokers filled the arena, transforming the evening into a declaration of legitimacy and self-determination. Ali’s presence — confident, defiant, unapologetic — symbolized a broader shift in who held cultural authority in America.

Quarry, a skilled and respected heavyweight contender, became the necessary counterpart in Ali’s rebirth. The fight itself ended swiftly, with Ali winning by third-round stoppage, but its significance far outlasted the final bell.

Drawing from his new book "Return of the King: The Rebirth of Muhammad Ali and the Rise of Atlanta" Aiello helps us understand how this night fused boxing, politics, and spectacle — how Atlanta became the stage for Ali’s return, and how the event marked a turning point not just in his career, but in the public embrace of a new, unapologetic vision of Black power and identity.

ALSO: A computer pits Ali vs. Rocky Marciano in "The Super Fight"; the curious ringside inspiration for "Uptown Saturday Night"; and the notorious tale of Gordon 'Chicken Man' Williams, as fictionalized in 2024's "Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist".

PLUS: Your chance to win a copy of "Return of the King" in this week's trivia contest! 

Return of the King: The Rebirth of Muhammad Ali and the Rise of Atlanta - buy book

EPISODE 430: "Everybody Loses" - With Danny Funt

This week, we pull back the curtain on one of the most seismic shifts in American sports and culture: the explosive rise of legalized sports gambling. Once condemned as a corrosive menace to the integrity of competition, betting on games is now a pervasive part of how fans watch, interact with, and spend on sports. But at what cost? 

Our guest, journalist Danny Funt, has spent years investigating the forces behind America’s betting boom. His new book, "Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling," lays bare how fantasy sports startups, professional leagues, and tech platforms helped normalize wagering — transforming billions of everyday fans into active gamblers. 

Drawing on explosive interviews with former sportsbook executives, VIP hosts, lawmakers, and people who’ve seen their lives upended by addiction, Funt reveals how the industry is engineered to benefit the house and keep bettors coming back for more.

We’ll explore how a 2018 Supreme Court decision ignited this rapid expansion, how major leagues reversed decades-long opposition to gambling, and why the odds are stacked against individual bettors’ success. 

Along the way, Danny explains the social, economic, and ethical consequences of marrying sports and wagering — from the relentless barrage of advertising to concerns about corruption, exploitation, and long-term harm.

 PLUS: Your chance to win a copy of "Everybody Loses" in this week's trivia contest! 

Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling - buy book

EPISODE 429: The Negro Leagues' Memphis Red Sox - With Keith Wood

Author and baseball historian Keith Wood ("The Memphis Red Sox: A Negro Leagues History") joins the show to explore the rich yet often overlooked story of the Memphis Red Sox, one of Black baseball’s most resilient and community‑rooted franchises. From their semi-pro origins in the early 1920s to their run through the Negro Southern, National &  American Leagues, the Red Sox embodied sustained Black ownership and stability in a turbulent era for segregated sports.​

Wood details how the Martin family, a group of influential African American professionals, uniquely controlled both the club and its home field, giving Black Memphis rare economic and cultural autonomy around the ballpark. We dig into the social life of Martin Stadium, where Sunday doubleheaders doubled as civic gatherings and a showcase for elite Black talent passing through the Mid-South.

The Red Sox story features future Major Leaguers and other notable figures who wore the Memphis uniform - including Dan Bankhead, Bob Boyd, Buck O’Neil, and even country music hall-of-famer Charley Pride - and what their stories reveal about the broader pipeline from the Negro Leagues to integrated baseball. 

Wood also explains how the forces that followed Jackie Robinson’s breaking of the color barrier led to the slow decline and eventual disappearance of the franchise by the end of the 1950s - while leaving behind a powerful legacy of entrepreneurship, community pride, and baseball excellence.

PLUS: Charley Pride's only Billboard Top 40 pop crossover hit!

The Memphis Red Sox: A Negro Leagues History - buy book

EPISODE 428: "Stadium City" - With Helen Morgan Parmett

Sports stadiums are often framed as engines of civic pride, economic development, and shared spectacle. But what if they are something more consequential — and more complicated — than that?

In this episode, we’re joined by University of Vermont professor Helen Morgan Parmett, author of "Stadium City: Sports and Media Infrastructure in the United States", for a wide-ranging conversation that rethinks stadiums not merely as venues for games, but as powerful urban media infrastructures shaping how cities function, govern, and imagine themselves.

Drawing on case studies from Atlanta, Seattle, and Minneapolis, Parmett explores how modern stadiums operate as connective nodes linking sports, media systems, urban planning, political power, and civic identity. We discuss her concept of the “sportification of place” — the idea that cities increasingly organize space, culture, and public investment around sports and spectacle — and how broadcast media, branding, and digital platforms amplify the influence of these massive projects far beyond game day.

Our conversation examines what stadium development reveals about who cities are built for, how public resources and attention are allocated, and how issues of race, class, governance, and belonging are deeply embedded in sports infrastructure. We also explore how everyday civic voices — not just those of team owners and politicians — surface tensions over access, identity, and urban priorities.

This episode offers a deeper look at stadiums as contested civic spaces — where entertainment, media power, and urban life collide — and considers what their rise reveals about the modern American city.

Stadium City: Sports and Media Infrastructure in the United States - buy book

EPISODE 427: "Baseball in the Roaring Twenties" - With Thomas Wolf

Baseball's 1926 World Series was more than just a championship showdown — it was emblematic of America in a decade defined by financial excess, social rebellion, and societal reinvention. We explore that dramatic showdown through "Baseball in the Roaring Twenties: The Yankees, the Cardinals, and the Captivating 1926 Season," a riveting new book by historian and author Thomas Wolf.

Wolf takes us beyond the box scores of this unforgettable seven-game clash between Babe Ruth’s New York Yankees and Rogers Hornsby’s St. Louis Cardinals. He traces Ruth’s improbable resurgence from a disastrous 1925 season — a comeback that reignited the public imagination —and revisits the iconic moments that still echo through baseball history, from Grover Cleveland Alexander’s legendary Game 7 performance to Ruth’s controversial, series-ending stolen base attempt.

But the story extends well beyond the field. Wolf situates the Series within the broader cultural currents of the Jazz Age: Prohibition-era speakeasies, a rapidly modernizing society, and the parallel world of the Negro Leagues, where Rube Foster’s bold vision flourished even as hopes for integration faced overwhelming resistance.

The conversation also uncovers lesser-known (and darker) chapters, including the game-fixing scandal involving Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker that surfaced during the Series, and Commissioner Judge Landis’ unexpectedly lenient response.

A historian and lifelong baseball devotee, Wolf has long examined baseball’s cultural meaning. “Baseball in the Roaring Twenties” is his most ambitious work yet — using one remarkable season to probe the contradictions, triumphs, and tensions at the heart of 1920s America.

Baseball in the Roaring Twenties: The Yankees, the Cardinals, and the Captivating 1926 Season - buy book here

EPISODE 426: The 6th Annual(-ish) Year-End Holiday Roundtable Spectacular!

It's our year-end Holiday Roundtable Spectacular, featuring a look back at the year's newest additions to "what used-to-be" in big-time sports (RIP Pro Volleyball Federation, Utah Hockey Club, three UFL teams, half of Major League Rugby, and the NCAA's LA & Bahamas Bowls); AND semi-educated guesses as to what might be ahead for 2026 - with three of our favorite fellow defunct sports enthusiasts: Paul Reeths (OurSportsCentral.com, StatsCrew.com; Episode 46); Kenn Tomasch (Kenn.com, Soccer Rewind; Episode 39); and Scott Adamson (Adamsonmedia.com; Episodes 184 & 240).

Buckle up for our annual mashup of amusement and bemusement at the fringes of the pro sports establishment, as we simultaneously marvel at and lament some of the most curious events of the past year, debate who and what might be next to stumble into oblivion, and conjecture about future scenarios for the next generation of defunct and otherwise forgotten pro sports teams and leagues - including:

• UFL Year 3

• NASCAR antitrust trial aftermath

• MLB's A's, Rays & realignment

• NFL international expansion & flag football

• MLS calendar reset & conference realignment

• An NBA European league?

• MiLB's private equity boom

• The Savannah Bananas' Banana Ball Championship League

• Major League Rugby contracts

• Major League Cricket bickers

• Major League Volleyball vs. LOVB & Athletes Unlimited

• The Women's Pro Baseball League steps up to the plate

PLUS: Will FIFA's greedy delusions of World Cup grandeur in 2026 catapult North America into soccer's global firmament - or spark a revolt among the fans it claims to serve?

AND: Are we in a sports investment bubble?

The Home Team: My Bromance With Off-Brand Football - buy book here

The United States Football League, 1982-1986 - buy book here

EPISODE 425: Fox Sports Soccer Rules Analyst Dr. Joe Machnik

He’s been called “American soccer’s renaissance man,” and in this episode, Dr. Joe Machnik returns to trace the remarkable arc of a life spent pushing the sport forward in the United States. When Machnik first joined us for Episode 24 back in 2017, he brought a rare, firsthand view of American soccer’s highs and lows. Today, with his new memoir, "From the Sandlots to the World Cup: Inside Seven Decades of American Soccer" freshly in hand, we revisit that conversation with even richer context and perspective.

Dr. Joe’s story began in Brooklyn, where an immigrant neighborhood and a love of the game planted the seeds for a career that would — like the domestic trajectory of the sport itself — defy easy categorization. From playing as an All-America goalkeeper at Long Island University and helping win the U.S. Open Cup with the New York Ukrainians, to coaching college teams deep into NCAA championship territory, Machnik’s early years were defined by a deep connection to the grassroots of American soccer. He went on to assist the U.S. Men’s National Team during its historic qualification for the 1990 World Cup — the country’s first appearance in four decades — and even helped the U.S. futsal team earn a bronze medal on the world stage.

But Machnik’s influence didn’t stop with players and coaches. In the chaotic early years of modern professional soccer in the U.S., he was one of the architects of the rules themselves. He helped devise the original rulebook for the Major Indoor Soccer League, later served as commissioner of the smaller-market American Indoor Soccer Association, and even coached the MISL’s New York Arrows — bringing structure and professionalism to a game still trying to find its identity in the American sports landscape.

Outdoors, his imprint has been equally deep. Machnik led refereeing operations for Major League Soccer during its formative years, establishing standards that helped turn a fledgling league into a stable, competitive professional circuit. He also directed officiating for national collegiate bodies and served as a FIFA and CONCACAF match commissioner, carrying the credibility he built in American soccer onto the global stage.

Today, "Dr. Joe" is widely known as FOX Sports’ Soccer Rules Analyst—the authoritative voice millions hear during World Cups, Gold Cups, MLS matches, and international tournaments — explaining the game’s most controversial calls with clarity and patience. But beyond the broadcast booth, Machnik’s legacy lies in the countless players, referees, coaches, administrators, and fans who came to love the game because he helped make it possible.

Machnik reflects not only on the milestones of his own career, but on the larger narrative of how soccer in America has grown, stumbled, reinvented — and ultimately endured — over decades. 

PLUS: Tim and Dr. Joe fret over the crassly commercial optics surrounding the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 next summer, and lament their shared frustrations — so far — in trying to obtain reasonably-priced tickets!

From The Sandlots To The World Cup: Inside Seven Decades Of American Soccer - buy book here

EPISODE 424: Baseball's Most Outrageous Promotions - With Joseph Natalicchio

Baseball has long been America’s pastime — and the stage for some of the wildest, most outrageous marketing stunts in sports history. From the postwar era through the 1970s, team owners and promoters pushed the limits of spectacle to fill seats, generate buzz, and entertain fans, often blurring the line between creativity and chaos.

This week, "Baseball’s Most Outrageous Promotions" author Joe Natalicchio joins for a wild ride across some of the sport’s most infamous attempts to spice things up at the ol' ballpark - where good marketing intentions went mightily awry.

Natalicchio takes us behind the scenes of the Chicago White Sox's notorious "Disco Demolition Night," where exploding records sparked a full-blown riot; the St. Louis Browns' "Grandstand Managers’ Night, which turned fans into on-field decision-makers; the Cleveland Indians' infamous "Ten-Cent Beer Night," a drunken frenzy that ended with fans storming the field; and the legendary story of 3-foot, 7-inch tall Browns pinch-hitter Eddie Gadel, who flummoxed the Detroit Tigers with a one-plate appearance/walk in a 1951 game forever enshrined in the MLB record book. 

Beyond the laughs and jaw-dropping stories, Natalicchio explains why baseball became synonymous with over-the-top promotions, how these events reflect broader cultural shifts, and what they reveal about the delicate balance between fan engagement, entertainment, and safety.

Whether you’re a die-hard fan, a student of sports history, or fascinated by the intersection of marketing and mischief, this episode offers a revealing, entertaining, and sometimes shocking look at baseball at its most outrageous — and unforgettable.

Baseball's Most Outrageous Promotions: From Wedlock and Headlock Day to Disco Demolition Night - buy book here

EPISODE 423: Philadelphia's "Broad Street Bullies" - With Sam Carchidi & Jeff Hare

The Philadelphia Flyers didn’t just win hockey games in the 1970s — they changed the sport, the city, and the culture around them. In this episode, we dig into the rise, reign, and mythology of the "Broad Street Bullies," the decade-long era (1971–1981) when the Flyers transformed themselves from an NHL expansion afterthought into the toughest, most polarizing, and most beloved champions in league history.

To unpack how a group of gritty, bruising, blue-collar players became civic folk heroes, we sit down with long-time Philadelphia Inquirer sportswriter Sam Carchidi and screenwriter/film director Jeff Hare - whose new book "Bullies: Catching Up with the Hound, the Hammer, and the Stanley Cup Champion Philadelphia Flyers," moves beyond the highlight reels and historic penalty minutes to reveal the human stories inside the chaos — the humor, the fearlessness, the insecurities, and the emotional glue that bound this unlikely team together.

Carchidi and Hare take us behind the curtain of the Flyers’ rise: Bobby Clarke’s galvanizing leadership, Bernie Parent’s brilliance, and the intimidating presence of Dave “The Hammer” Schultz and the enforcer corps that made Philadelphia both feared and admired. But they also illuminate something deeper — why these players resonated so intensely with a city hungry for identity and pride, and how the team’s swagger helped reshape the NHL itself.

From untold anecdotes to new reflections on how the Bullies view their legacy today, this conversation reframes one of hockey’s most iconic eras. Whether you grew up worshipping the orange and black or are discovering the Bullies for the first time, this episode uncovers the heart behind the havoc — and why the legend still looms so large.

PLUS: Your chance to win a copy of “Bullies” in our Flyers hockey trivia contest!

Bullies: Catching Up with The Hound, The Hammer, and the Stanley Cup Champion Philadelphia Flyers - buy book here

EPISODE 422: The "Super Bowl Shuffle" - With Jeff Cameron

Few sports moments have left as lasting a mark on pop culture as the 1985 Chicago Bears’ recording of the “Super Bowl Shuffle.” This week, we go behind the music, the madness, and the myth with NFL Films Senior Producer Jeff Cameron  — director of HBO’s new documentary short "The Shuffle" — who takes us inside the making of the iconic rap video that transformed a championship football team into cultural icons.

"The Shuffle" reveals never-before-seen, behind-the-scenes footage and fresh interviews with Bears legends Mike Singletary, Jim McMahon, Willie Gault, and Gary Fencik, who recount their experiences recording the track and performing in the video. Cameron shares the story of how Chicago record executive Dick Meyer conceived the idea and how the project unfolded in late 1985 — weeks before the Bears had even officially secured a playoff spot, let alone a Super Bowl berth. What began as a fun, irreverent recording session quickly became a lightning rod for debate: Was it playful confidence, brash hubris, or simply a team having fun in the middle of a historic season?

Cameron walks us through the challenges of capturing that spirit on film: reluctant players, chaotic studio sessions, and the creative energy that turned a one-off novelty idea into both a Billboard pop chart hit and a Grammy nomination. 

We also explore how the song and video raised thousands of dollars for Chicago-area food banks, and how it became a blueprint for athletes crossing over into mainstream entertainment — decades before social media made such moves commonplace.

 "The Shuffle" debuts November 25th on HBO and HBO Max at 9pm ET/8pm CT 

“The Shuffle” - watch official trailer here

EPISODE 421: "There Is No Place Like Dome" - With Bruce Reynolds

Baseball may be a game of numbers, but Tampa Bay's Tropicana Field is a place of stories — and no one knows those stories better than Bruce Reynolds, longtime Rays "fan host" and author of "There Is No Place Like Dome."

In this delightfully off-beat episode, we venture under the famously tattered fiberglass roof — currently undergoing repairs and slated to reopen next spring — to explore the quirks, characters, and quiet magic of a ballpark that has been loved, mocked, misunderstood, celebrated, and everything in between. Reynolds shares 16 seasons’ worth of memories: the oddball fan encounters, dome-induced surprises, moments of chaos, moments of kindness, and the things that only happen at the “Trop” because — well, there's no place like it!

We talk catwalks. We talk cowbells. We talk about the time the dome shook, the traditions that only insiders know, and why a stadium often dismissed as a “quirky relic” might actually be one of baseball’s most human places. And yes — even as new ownership takes over, mulls a new stadium, and crews patch the roof to keep it safe for at least a few more seasons -- the Trop continues to charm in its imperfect, unforgettable way. 

Reynolds’ passion is infectious, his stories heart-warming, and his perspective turns a stadium often criticized into a character all its own.

PLUS: College bowl games, pro wrestling, the “ThunderDome,” arena league football, and the one-game wonder of the original UFL's Florida Tuskers!

There Is No Place Like Dome: A Fan Host's Unofficial View from the Top of the Trop to the Stands with the Fans - buy book here

EPISODE 420: America's "Cricket Odyssey" - With Beth Simpson & Mark Greenslade

Cricket and America -  two words that rarely appear in the same sentence without a smirk or a shrug. Yet, as authors Beth Simpson and Mark Greenslade reveal in their new book "An American Cricket Odyssey," the game’s roots here run deeper than most realize — and its revival is one of the great under-told stories in modern sport.

We trace the sport’s improbable journey - from its 19th-century heyday, when Philadelphia was a global cricket power; to its near extinction after baseball gained popularity; and finally to its 21st-century rebirth, fueled by immigrant passion and the game's modern-day incarnation, Twenty20 (T20). Along the way, Simpson and Greenslade take us inside the subcultures that have kept US cricket alive - from South Central LA's  Compton Cricket Club to equal rights-seeking women cricketers to youth development programs from Bronx, NY high schools to suburban North Carolina ballfields.

We also tackle the political dysfunction, internal corruption and repeated false starts that have haunted American cricket for decades - including the 2019 collapse of the USACA national governing body, its not-much-better replacement USA Cricket, and the additionally complicating factor of International Cricket Council (ICC) recognition.

And of course, we examine the handful of attempts to make pro cricket stick in the States from 2004’s erstwhile Pro Cricket to today's ambitious Major League Cricket, backed by nearly a billion dollars of domestic and global investment - and ask whether this latest experiment can finally overcome the sport’s chronic infighting and infrastructure gaps.

It’s a journey through sport, culture, and identity - one that reveals how America keeps rediscovering cricket, and why the game still struggles to find its true home on US soil.

An American Cricket Odyssey: A Journey into the Soul of the Cricket in the United States - buy book here

EPISODE 419: Basketball "Prophet" Moses Malone - With Paul Knepper

The story of Moses Malone is one of basketball’s most remarkable - and underappreciated - journeys. Rising from poverty in segregated Petersburg, Virginia, in the early 1970s, Malone became the first modern player to jump straight from high school to the pros, quickly establishing himself as one of the game’s most dominant forces. A three-time NBA MVP, relentless rebounder, and driving presence behind the rise of the early 1980s Houston Rockets and the Philadelphia 76ers’ 1983 league championship, Malone redefined greatness - quietly, humbly, and unstoppably.

This week, biographer Paul Knepper, author of "Moses Malone: The Life of a Basketball Prophet," joins us to explore the man behind the legend and how his life reshaped both the sport and professional basketball culture.

Knepper traces Malone’s rise from a modest upbringing to his groundbreaking 1974 leap to the American Basketball Association’s Utah Stars - an unprecedented move that paved the way for future hoops prodigies like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James. On the court, Malone was a tireless worker, perennial All-Star, and the most dominant offensive rebounder in league history. Off it, the “Chairman of the Boards” quietly mentored rising stars like Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon, showing that greatness could coexist with humility.

Through rare interviews and meticulous research, Knepper restores Malone’s rightful place in basketball history - not just as a Hall of Famer, but as a "prophet" of professionalism, perseverance, and quiet excellence.

PLUS: Your chance to win a copy of "Moses Malone" via this week's trivia contest!

AND: Is the new Amazon Prime NBA theme song "Victory" better than John Tesh's iconic "Roundball Rock"? You make the call!

Moses Malone: The Life of a Basketball Prophet - buy book here

EPISODE 418: More Lost Tales of the Original MISL - With Tim O'Bryhim

Unwitting US pro soccer historian Tim O'Bryhim ("Make This Town Big: The Story of Roy Turner and the Wichita Wings" and "God Save the Wings") makes his third trip to the show - this time in celebration of his wild new collection of stories from the original Major Indoor Soccer League (1978-92).

O'Bryhim has spent nearly a decade chronicling the MISL's wild and woolly history (including his essential "MISL 1980s" Substack) - and his new book "MISL 1980s: Tales From a Lost Soccer League" delights in its recounting of some of the truly underappreciated trials, tribulations and characters of what made this influential circuit special - and, to O'Bryhim's credit, memorable.

We discuss some of them, including the 1974 NASL indoor exhibition that accidentally launched the league, the tumultuous year leading to Pete Rose's Cincinnati Kids taking on the New York Arrows in the MISL's first game, Jerry Buss' foray into indoor soccer with the Los Angeles Lazers, the Dallas Sidekicks' improbable 1987 championship run, and the absolutely bonkers ending to that 1985 playoff series between the San Diego Sockers and Minnesota Strikers.

"MISL 1980s" also delves into the careers and lives of players and coaches like Erik Rasmussen, Kevin Kewley, and Alan Merrick, examines how players approached their post-MISL careers, celebrates the fans who have kept the league's history alive, and explores why the MISL ultimately failed to become America's next major league sport.

From the short-shorts to the mullets to the pulsating synth music, O'Bryhim's book is a lovingly curated look at the pop-culture sensation that was indoor soccer in the "Me Decade". 

PLUS: Your chance to win a copy of "MISL 1980s" via this week's trivia contest!

MISL 1980s: Tales From a Lost Soccer League - buy book here

EPISODE 417: When Minor League Baseball Almost Went Bust - With George Pawlush

In the immediate years after World War II, the trajectory of America’s pastime looked unstoppable. 

By 1949, Minor League Baseball had swelled to 59 leagues, 448 teams, and some 10,000 players - the largest network in its history. But within a decade, the advent of television, suburban migration, and shifting leisure habits began to drain fans and revenue. Hundreds of teams folded, and by 1963, the entire minor-league system was on the brink of collapse.

We explore that turbulent era - the golden age of small-town clubs and ballparks, the struggles of owners and players to stay afloat, and the rescue plan that reshaped the minors for the rest of the twentieth century - with SABR baseball researcher George Pawlush, whose current books "When Minor League Baseball Almost Went Bust: 1946–1963" (a SABR-driven collection of essays); and "Dawn and Dusk of the Colonial League," which chronicles a short-lived Class B circuit from 1947 to 1950, both illuminate this fascinating period.

Pawlush describes stories of teams traveling on dangerously aging buses, cash-strapped franchises uprooting for survival, and the rise of players both transformative (like Jackie Robinson, whose minor-league stints with the Montreal Royals in 1946 helped pave the way for MLB integration) - and forgotten (like Ron Necciai, whose early 1952 strikeout feats dazzled fans and earned a call-up to the Pittsburgh Pirates later that summer) before injuries ended their careers. 

We'll dig into how the minors were both a proving ground for future stars and a fragile ecosystem vulnerable to social and economic change: What caused the rapid collapse of so many leagues in the 1950s? How did the Colonial League embody both the promise and fragility of postwar baseball? And how did the 1963 Player Development Plan finally stabilize the farm system?

When Minor League Baseball Almost Went Bust: 1946 - 1963 - buy here

Dawn and Dusk of the Colonial League - buy here

EPISODE 416: Denver's "Olympics That Never Happened" - With Adam Berg

In the late 1960s, Denver’s business and political leaders were convinced they had secured the ultimate prize in international sport: the 1976 Winter Olympic Games. With the backing of the US Olympic Committee and a successful bid before the International Olympic Committee, Colorado seemed poised to showcase itself on the world stage. But just two years later, that dream collapsed in spectacular fashion — when the state's voters did the unthinkable, and told the Olympics to go elsewhere.

This week, we explore the fascinating saga of the “Olympics that never happened” with cultural historian and UNC Greensboro professor Adam Berg, author of "The Olympics That Never Happened: Denver ’76 and the Politics of Growth." Berg examines how an elite coalition of boosters and officials promised a glittering event, only to face escalating costs, shaky logistics, environmental concerns, and — most importantly — a grassroots multi-issue opposition movement that united environmentalists, taxpayer advocates, and suburban "NIMBY" homeowners.

It’s a story that goes far beyond sport — one about power, growth, democracy, and the limits of civic boosterism in a rapidly changing/modernizing Colorado. Berg reveals how the defeat of the Games energized a new political consciousness, launched the career of future governor Richard Lamm, and reshaped how host cities and the IOC think about public consent for mega-events.

It's one of the most remarkable “what-ifs” in Olympic history — and a story whose impact still resonates today.

The Olympics that Never Happened: Denver '76 and the Politics of Growth - buy here

EPISODE 415: The NFL's Dallas Texans - With David Fleming

Peabody Award-nominated writer and Episode 389 guest David Fleming (“Breaker Boys: The NFL's Greatest Team and the Stolen 1925 Championship”) returns to the show to unpack one of the National Football League’s most chaotic and fascinating chapters: the disaster of the 1952 Dallas Texans.

In his new book,"A Big Mess in Texas: The Miraculous, Disastrous 1952 Dallas Texans and the Craziest Untold Story in NFL History," Fleming chronicles the league’s first attempt to plant a professional football franchise in football-crazed Texas — a venture so ill-fated that the NFL reportedly still disavows it.

Fleming guides us through the Texans’ brief and turbulent existence, from their origins as the financially struggling New York Yanks to their relocation to Dallas under the ambitious but ill-prepared Miller brothers. We explore a 1–11 season riddled with logistical nightmares and meet the team’s unforgettable characters: future Hall of Famers Art Donovan and Gino Marchetti, unsung heroes like Buddy Young and George Taliaferro, and a broader cast of characters who fought to keep the team afloat despite unrelenting chaos.

You'll hear about rattlesnakes on the practice field, barroom brawls, bounced checks, paternity suits, one-legged trainers, humiliating defeats, a miraculous victory, strip poker with groupies, and even a future Hall of Fame coach stealing a cab. Amidst the madness, Fleming spotlights the Texans’ lone shining moment: a Thanksgiving Day "home game" upset over the Chicago Bears at the Rubber Bowl in Akron, Ohio — an improbable triumph that perfectly captured the team’s fleeting flashes of brilliance against a constant tide of organizational mayhem.

PLUS: your chance to win a copy of "A Big Mess in Texas"!

A Big Mess in Texas: The Miraculous, Disastrous 1952 Dallas Texans and the Craziest Untold Story in NFL History - buy here

EPISODE 414: The Professional Women's Hockey League - With Karissa Donkin

How do you build a professional women’s hockey league from the ground up — and convince the sport’s best players, skeptical investors, and hungry fans that this time it’s built to last? CBC Sports journalist Karissa Donkin, author of "Breakaway: The PWHL and the Women Who Changed the Game," helps us dive into the incredible backstory of the Professional Women’s Hockey League.

Donkin traces the roots of the PWHL back to the collapse of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League in 2019 and the rise of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association, whose “Dream Gap” tours kept women’s hockey in the spotlight when no stable league existed. She also unpacks the complicated legacy of North American professional women’s leagues: the original National Women’s Hockey League (1999–2007), and the later NWHL launched in 2015 — the first U.S.-based league to pay salaries — which eventually rebranded as the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). The overlap of these leagues, combined with the PWHPA’s touring circuit, splintered talent and divided attention, but it also highlighted what was missing: a single, unified, and financially sustainable league. These years of struggle, advocacy, and experimentation ultimately set the stage for the PWHL’s 2023 launch.

We’ll explore how the Mark Walter Group, Billie Jean King, and a coalition of powerful allies turned that vision into reality, and why the league’s first collective bargaining agreement matters so much for players seeking true professional standards. Donkin also unpacks the drama and exhilaration of the inaugural 2024 season — from record-breaking crowds to the intensity of Boston–Montreal showdowns — and explains how the league is balancing rapid growth with the need for long-term sustainability.

Finally, we look ahead: what does expansion to markets like Vancouver and Seattle mean for the league’s future? How will the PWHL navigate the ongoing battles for sponsorship, broadcast exposure, and cultural relevance in a crowded sports marketplace? And most importantly, how will the next generation of girls growing up with the PWHL on TV — and in their hometown arenas — reshape what professional hockey looks like in North America?

Breakaway: The PWHL and the Women Who Changed the Game - buy book here

EPISODE 413: "The NFL Today" (And More!) - With Jayne Kennedy

The incomparable Jayne Kennedy ("Plain Jayne: A Memoir") joins us for an intimate conversation about a career that defied expectations and left an indelible mark on both sports broadcasting and American culture. Raised in small-town Ohio and catapulted to national attention through beauty pageants and professional ambitions, Kennedy soon found herself in early 1970s Hollywood — landing a succession of parts on TV variety shows, commercials, and film. But it was her move to CBS’s The NFL Today in 1978 that cemented her place in television history.

For two groundbreaking seasons, Kennedy sat alongside Brent Musburger, Irv Cross, and Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder on what was then the most influential NFL pregame show in America. As one of the first women — and among the very first Black women — to co-anchor a national sports broadcast, she brought poise, charisma, and depth to a space long dominated by men. 

Kennedy reflects candidly on what it was like to navigate the high-pressure world of network television, from the excitement of breaking barriers to the behind-the-scenes tensions that eventually led to her controversial departure in 1980.

In a conversation that spans both triumphs and challenges, Kennedy shares how her time on The NFL Today shaped her career, the lessons she carried into later endeavors, and why her story still resonates in today’s conversations about representation in media. 

PLUS: Your chance to win a copy of "Plain Jayne" via this week's trivia question!

Plain Jayne: A Memoir - buy book here

EPISODE 412: "Madden & Summerall" - With Rich Podolsky

Veteran sportswriter, Sports Broadcast Journal columnist, and Episode 233 guest Rich Podolsky ("You Are Looking Live!") returns to the show — this time to explore the story of perhaps the greatest broadcast partnership in NFL history. 

In his new book, "Madden & Summerall: How They Revolutionized NFL Broadcasting," Podolsky offers a rare inside look at how kicker-turned-play-by-play man Pat Summerall, and coach-turned-color-analyst John Madden became the voices of America’s Sundays — and why their impact still reverberates across sports media today.

Through Podolsky’s storytelling, we uncover how the duo’s unlikely chemistry — Summerall’s minimalist gravitas paired with Madden’s booming energy and boundless teaching — redefined the way fans understood the game. We trace their journey from the heights of CBS to their groundbreaking leap to Fox, where their presence gave a fledgling network instant credibility. Along the way, Podolsky reveals how Madden transformed the role of analyst, turning film sessions and telestrators into staples of the craft, while Summerall perfected the art of saying more with less.

What emerges is not just a portrait of two men, but of a cultural moment: the rise of the NFL as America’s most powerful television spectacle, carried into living rooms by a duo so iconic that no team since has truly replaced them.

PLUS: Your chance to win a copy of "Madden & Summerall"!

“Madden & Summerall: How They Revolutionized NFL Broadcasting” - buy book here