The Untold History of Sports in America
iHeartPodcasts
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.
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Top 10 The Untold History of Sports in America Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Untold History of Sports in America episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Untold History of Sports in America for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Untold History of Sports in America episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
The Politicized Olympics of the 1980s
The Untold History of Sports in America
10/20/22 • 28 min
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.
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The Sweet Science
The Untold History of Sports in America
08/16/22 • 27 min
Love it or hate it, boxing is competition in one of its purest forms. In our fifth episode, Matt Andrews details the rise of the sweet science in 19th century America.
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Play Ball
The Untold History of Sports in America
08/11/22 • 27 min
Welcome to Episode 4, where Matt talks baseball. How did baseball become our national pastime? How did a relatively simple game become such a massive business? And what can the rise of baseball teach us about the evolution of America?
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Founding Son: Episode 5 - Amistad
The Untold History of Sports in America
05/04/23 • 32 min
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.
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Taking A Knee: Athlete Activism
The Untold History of Sports in America
11/10/22 • 30 min
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."
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Patriotism's Role in Sports
The Untold History of Sports in America
11/08/22 • 27 min
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.
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Mia Hamm and the World Cup
The Untold History of Sports in America
11/01/22 • 27 min
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.
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The Return of the Great White Hope
The Untold History of Sports in America
10/25/22 • 29 min
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.
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Let's Get Physical
The Untold History of Sports in America
10/18/22 • 29 min
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.
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Founding Son: Episode 6 - The Last of Earth
The Untold History of Sports in America
05/11/23 • 33 min
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.
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FAQ
How many episodes does The Untold History of Sports in America have?
The Untold History of Sports in America currently has 33 episodes available.
What topics does The Untold History of Sports in America cover?
The podcast is about Podcasts, Education and Sports.
What is the most popular episode on The Untold History of Sports in America?
The episode title 'Founding Son: Episode 5 - Amistad' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on The Untold History of Sports in America?
The average episode length on The Untold History of Sports in America is 27 minutes.
How often are episodes of The Untold History of Sports in America released?
Episodes of The Untold History of Sports in America are typically released every 5 days.
When was the first episode of The Untold History of Sports in America?
The first episode of The Untold History of Sports in America was released on Jul 25, 2022.
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