Return of the Great White HopeIn the 1980s, many white Americans invested their emotions in a handful of white athletes—athletes both real and fictional. In the last episode of Season One, we explore the popularity of Larry Bird, Gerry Coone

Adam v. Eve

Jun 2nd, 2021 35m 55s

Adam v. EveThe story of the Women’s Sport Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s is really two stories—it is the story of women pushing for access in the American sports world; and it is the story of many men opposing their participation and pushi

The Russians Are Coming

1 May 26th, 2021 43m 22s

The Russians Are ComingThe Cold War was a military contest, a fight to secure economic markets, a race for scientific breakthroughs—and it was an athletic competition. Every four years, the Olympic Games provided an arena where American and

Man is a Free Agent

May 19th, 2021 44m 22s

Man is a Free AgentFor over a century, professional athletes in the United States were the exclusive property of the team that signed them first. In baseball, team owners called it the “reserve system” and they said it was essential for the

The Fight of the Century

May 12th, 2021 39m 59s

The Fight of the CenturyOn July 4, 1910, in a makeshift wooden boxing arena in Reno, Nevada, a white man named Jim Jeffries climbed into the ring to fight a black man named Jack Johnson, and the nation held its breath. Taking place in an era

USA v. All Y’All

May 5th, 2021 37m 12s

USA v. All Y’All Where did the Modern Olympic Games comes from? Why do athletes have to compete as representatives of nations? And what would happen if the United States hosted an Olympic Games and nobody showed up? [Spoiler alert: people

Civil War on the Racetrack

Apr 28th, 2021 44m 54s

“Civil War on the Racetrack” In the years leading up to the Civil War, North and South put their pride and prestige on the line in a series of intersectional horse races. Fueled by the passions of the debate over slavery in the United States,

Trailer

Apr 12th, 2021 4m 35s

Americans love sports. We are fanatics who dress in team colors, root, root, root for the home team, and live and die with the success and failure of our favorite athlete. But if we take the time to look beneath the surface and beyond the simpl