In their 10-game season, the Lions have seen success with wins against Wagner and Yale — the team's first victories in years — but remained a team that lost far more than it won. Yet the Lions did learn to hold their own — at least sometimes —

And The Band Plays On

Nov 19th, 2015 22m 1s

The Lions define success by wins and losses. But members of the Columbia University Marching Band — who are sometimes the only Columbia students in the stands — couldn't care less how their team actually does. (At least, that's what they'd like

Moral Victory

Nov 12th, 2015 22m 26s

The Columbia Lions are quick to tell you that they don't believe in "moral victories." In football, you either win or lose; there's no gray, in-between area. But it's not so simple in real life.Take the story of senior defensive lineman Chad W

Video Extra: How to Cheer for the Losing Team

Nov 12th, 2015

How do you root for the Columbia University football team when they're always losing? Meet the marching band that does."At a lot of games, the band are the only people there, along with the parents of the football team," said Karl Wagner, head

'The Worst Part About Our Sport'

Nov 5th, 2015 26m 45s

Everybody knows football is a tough, violent sport. But the long-term consequences of playing — particularly as they relate to concussions — have only recently started to emerge. The game has gotten safer, but it still poses big risks for the y

Necessary Toughness

Oct 29th, 2015 22m 5s

Hang around a football team long enough and you'll probably start hearing one phrase over and over again: mental toughness. Coaches, athletes, and fans alike say it's an intangible factor that separates good teams from great ones. And it turns

The Bagnoli Bowl

Oct 22nd, 2015 22m 5s

Fresh off its first win in more than two years, the Columbia Lions go up against the University of Pennsylvania Quakers and try to prove last week wasn't just a fluke.But Penn is where Columbia’s new coach, Al Bagnoli, confronts his own legacy

It Happened

Oct 15th, 2015 25m 3s

After three weeks of steady progress — but still no win — there was a sense that Saturday's game between the Columbia Lions and the Wagner Seahawks could be the night things finally changed.And let’s not sit on the news: After two years of los

They're Losing, Better

Oct 8th, 2015 18m 4s

At many colleges, football players are like celebrities. Tens of thousands of fans pack the stadium — home or away, rain or shine — to root for their team. This isn't the case at Columbia University where players are met most often with indiff

Scrub Talk

Oct 1st, 2015 17m 20s

There's an unwritten rule in Columbia football: no bragging about past glory. On a team like the Lions, it's the last thing that matters.Plus, we hear from Bill Campbell, the former chairman of Columbia's board of trustees and onetime head coa

'Where Is It Written That You Guys Can't Win?'

Sep 24th, 2015 20m 33s

Fans of the Columbia Lions hadn't seen a football game like this in years. Though the team ultimately fell to the Fordham Rams 44 to 24, the Lions were in it for the first three quarters. They scored two touchdowns, one of them a first-in-a-dec

The Closest Person You're Gonna Get to a Miracle Worker

Sep 17th, 2015 17m 35s

Columbia University’s football team hasn’t won a game in over two years. They've had just three winning seasons in the past five decades. Turning things around won't be easy, but this year, the university is redoubling its efforts to try."What

Trailer

Welcome to 'The Season'

Sep 10th, 2015 2m 29s

The Season is a new weekly podcast from WNYC that will follow Columbia University's football team, the Lions, over their ten-game season.It's been two years since the Lions had a win. That’s a 21-game losing streak.But this fall, hopes are hi

Rate