Claim OwnershipThe Untold History of Sports in America
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Description
Join celebrated history professor Matthew Andrews for discussions about sports from their earliest days in the colonies all the way to their present status as culture defining billion dollar industries.
Sports are more than a collection of games, much more. From Jackie Robinson to the 1968 Olympics to Mia Hamm, sports have provided a stage for important conversations about equality and justice, and helped push the American experiment forward one generation after the next. Check back for new episodes every Tuesday & Thursday.
Available on the Curiosity Audio Network, the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
37 Episodes
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![Inside the Olympic Prison [from Very Special Episodes]](https://s3.castbox.fm/5c/3d/10/8d501996badfce3f918c649fe35e293a00_scaled_v1_400.jpg "Inside the Olympic Prison [from Very Special Episodes]")
In the winter of 1980, the world turned its eyes to Lake Placid, New York, host of the Winter Olympics. But behind the pageantry, another structure loomed in the Adirondack woods. Built to house 1,800 athletes, the Olympic Village looked less like a dormitory than a detention center — because that’s exactly what it was designed to become. Listen to Very Special Episodes wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Elizabeth Swaney fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming an Olympian, defying all odds. But it wasn’t supernatural athletic ability that got her there. And by the time she made it to the 2018 Winter Olympics, a lot of people were rooting against her. Here's the incredible story of a woman who made it to the Games by understanding those odds better than anyone else. Listen to Very Special Episodes wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
![Who Integrated the NFL? [from American History Hotline]](https://s3.castbox.fm/2a/e9/1a/90ace653367fa879269aae8d98efa9f6e7_scaled_v1_400.jpg "Who Integrated the NFL? [from American History Hotline]")
Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball. That's a well known piece of history. But who integrated the NFL? Well, it's an amazing story with lots of binge drinking, miraculous comebacks and hot dog eating. Seriously. We called up David Fleming, author of A Big Mess in Texas: The Miraculous, Disastrous 1952 Dallas Texans and the Craziest Untold Story in NFL History. He explains how one of the worst teams in NFL history shaped the game we know today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
You gotta keep 'em separated. That's a lot of people's opinion about mixing sports and politics. But as the world turns its eyes to Italy for the 2026 Winter Games, you have to wonder if this is the ideal place to make a political statement. To understand how acts of political activism have played out at the Olympics throughout history, we call up Jules Boykoff. He's the author of numerous books about the Olympics, including What are the Olympics For? So, are the Olympics fair game for protest? Or should athletes keep their eye on the ball ... or épée ... or curling stone? You get the point. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
John Quincy Adams finally defeats the Gag rule, but his feud with Andrew Jackson lasts until the bitter end. And Congressman Abraham Lincoln witnesses from the House floor the dramatic final hours of Adams' life. Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeartPodcasts and School of Humans. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When the fates of the enslaved captives of the Amistad are put into the hands of the Supreme Court, John Quincy Adams feels it's his duty to represent them. Adams’ son and wife would have preferred he stayed away from the case altogether. Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In our final episode, Matt Andrews explores how athletes have protested in the modern era, from Craig Hodges' direct plea to President Bush to Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the national anthem. Those protests, just like similar ones before it, were criticized by some Americans who told those athletes to "shut up and dribble." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why do we sing the National Anthem at sporting events? Is patriotism part of sports? Matt Andrews explains how American sports have been intertwined with national tragedies over the last century, including September 11th. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Baseball, Cycling, Golf....why are we so obsessed with athletes cheating? Matt explores this question through the stories of Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Women's soccer began to take off in the U.S. in the 1990s, culminating in the frenzy surrounding the 1999 World Cup and one of the greatest female athletes, Mia Hamm. Matt tells that story and explains how a sports bra created a controversy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Matt Andrews tells the story of one of the greatest athletes of all time, Michael Jordan, and how his relationship with Nike changed the world of sports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In the 1980s, white athletes for some Americans came to represent white excellence in a sports world dominated by black athletes. Matt Andrews illustrates this through the stories of three white sports legends-NBA player Larry Bird, boxer Gerry Cooney...and fictional fighter Rocky Balboa.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Soviets and Americans both hosted the Olympics in the 1980s. Matt Andrews explains that the fraught political situation of the time spilled into the Games, including boycott threats and fallout from a shot-down commercial airplane. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Before the 1970s, the average American stopped exercising after their high school days in gym class. But with modern technology came sedentary lifestyles and rising health issues. Matt Andrews breaks down the beginnings of the American fitness boom and how the jogging craze was partly about the need to feel in control.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We won't spoil which movie Matt Andrews declares the "greatest," but he feels pretty strongly about it. And that's because it's the first of its kind to be brutally honest. Hint: It's not Hoosiers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1When President Nixon signed Title IX into law in 1972, the goal was achieving gender equality and fairness in education. But it led to a women's revolution in sports, with high school and collegiate participation for women soaring in the 1970s-1990s. Matt Andrews explains the complicated story of Title IX, including a famous naked protest and the debate over its impact.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It's the age of women's athletic revolution, with female athletes battling on the field for equality and respect. Nothing encapsulates that more than the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Matt Andrews tells the story of the "Battle of the Sexes." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Matt Andrews tracks the evolution of professional football in America, from the origins of the Super Bowl to the celebrity of the New York Jets' Joe Namath. He rejected norms and challenged how a professional athlete can act off the field See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists on the podium of the 1968 Olympic Games, it reverberated across both the political and sports worlds. Matt Andrews delves into the unrest that led black athletes to take a stand at the Olympics, including the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
During the Cold War, black athletes were touted on the world stage by the U.S. as proof that the American system was superior. But soon, some of them chose to speak out politically against their country, and they were led by Muhammad Ali. Matt Andrews explains Cassius Clay's journey to "The Louisville Lip" and The People's Champ. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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