A gambling addiction nearly ruined Arnie Wexler’s life in the 1960s. Since then, he and his wife, Sheila, have dedicated their lives to helping compulsive gamblers recover. Now, as states rapidly legalize sports betting, Wexler warns of an industry that prioritizes profit over people.

Wexler, a certified gambling counselor, co-wrote All Bets Are Off: Losers, Liars, and Recovery from Gambling Addiction with Sheila.

Peanut farmer, president, humanitarian… and distance runner. Jimmy Carter was both an athlete and a devoted sports fan—just not of golf. Sports played a surprising role in his life and presidency, shaping key moments and controversies. Jonathan Alter, author of His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life, joins me to explore the little-known story of Carter and sports.

When the Riverdale Falcons’ football season was cut short due to a series of injuries, Athletic Director John Pizzi reached out to the Concussion Legacy Foundation with a mission: “change football.” This moment, followed by a comprehensive study, led to a series of reforms, the most significant being the elimination of the kickoff. Riverdale, along with its peers in the Metropolitan Athletic League, made history by becoming the first high school football league in the nation to ban kickoffs.

So, what made Riverdale football the first of its kind? Will more high schools follow their lead? And with all the talk of “reforming football” and “player safety,” could this small New York league be providing the blueprint for meaningful change?

Columbia University professor and sports historian Frank Guridy traces the political history of American stadiums—from the circus to the Sugar Bowl to taxpayer-funded arenas—showing how politics unfold in these spaces “all the time.” Guridy is the author of The Stadium: An American History of Protest, Politics, and Play.

Writer and former New York Times sports columnist, Robert Lipsyte, talks about the politics of sports—and the sport of politics—ahead of the 2024 US election.

Studies show that exercise can help decrease feelings of fear and anxiety. So, in an experiment on myself, I run alongside the things that scare me with someone who doesn't.

Molly is part of a quickly growing demographic of NFL fans… Swifties. After a Super Bowl season with her Chiefs and some time on the road with The Eras Tour, Molly reflects on how Swifties and sports fans have more in common than they think.

NYT -- How Often Is Taylor Swift Actually Shown at N.F.L. Games?

Throughout his life and Presidency, Theodore Roosevelt spoke about the virtues of a “strenuous life.” That strenuous life, Professor Ryan Swanson argues, was “very tied to physical activity.”

Swanson, author of The Strenuous Life: Theodore Roosevelt and the Making of the American Athlete, tells a sports story of an asthmatic, unathletic child who turned into a physical fitness evangelist and the 26th President of the United States. Oh, and he played a role in preserving the sport of football.

For years, I’ve heard the Reverend J. Donald Waring preach about baseball. He’s used the game as a metaphor enough to make me wonder if there’s a story behind the sermons. In today's show, Don discusses who has influenced his preaching and why he thinks God “must” be a Mets fan.

Robert Paylor suffered a spinal cord injury in the 2017 collegiate rugby championship that left him unable to move anything below his neck. Now, he walks with an assisted device and works as a motivational speaker.

Today on Sidelines, Paylor recounts an athletic injury that left his body paralyzed and his mind searching for a new purpose.

What is theme music in sports trying to say? The Olympic Hymn is a tune about the brotherhood of nations, the NBA track on ESPN has a trap beat, and the NFL opening songs on FOX and CBS are percussive and aggressive. Listen closely to the sounds of the game and you'll begin to understand the myth of certain sports, and what sports TV is trying to sell.

On the first episode of Sidelines, Professor Jeffery Segrave (Skidmore College) discusses the role of music in sports. Through analyzing a handful of sports television themes, we can begin to understand how songs shape athletic events... and even define certain sports.