On Easter Monday, 1957, stewards waited near the start of a half-marathon race in Doncaster, in the north of England. They each clutched a photograph of a man who, they had been told, must not be allowed to compete under any circumstances. That man, John Tarrant, was lurking in the crowd in disguise, ready to once more defy those who tried to stop him.

One of Britain's finest long-distance athletes of the late 1950s and 1960s, Tarrant ran multiple world records, but was denied his full share of glory by stubborn authorities who banned him from racing. But he wouldn't let them stop him. He was a dogged and brilliant competitor. A numberless outlaw. They called him the Ghost Runner.

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The first Brazilian striker to play for Barcelona scored more times than Ronaldo and Romario combined, had a better goals-to-games ratio than Neymar or Rivaldo and got the goal that knocked Real Madrid out of the European Cup for the very first time - before crossing that bitter divide two years later.

For Brazil, he holds a goalscoring record that Pele never matched, yet was prohibited from playing at the 1958 World Cup. As a manager, he led 16 different teams, including Iraq, where he worked alongside Saddam Hussein's son.

This is the story of Evaristo.

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When Leon Edwards was nine years old, he moved with his mum and younger brother from a one-bedroom shack in Kingston, Jamaica, to start a new life in Birmingham, England. Four years later, his mum got a phone call at 2am. Leon could her crying. His dad, a gang leader, had been murdered.

Over the next few years - the "darkest" of his life - Leon was himself drawn into a world of gang violence. This is the story of how, against the odds, he found a way out by forging a path in mixed martial arts - and went on to win the sport's biggest prize.

From the Curse of the Bambino, to the Drake Curse, the Curse of the Billy Goat and the Curse of County Mayo... this St Patrick’s Day, we’re exploring why some sports fans and players believe their teams could actually be cursed. Why are sport and superstition so intrinsically linked? Whether it’s wearing lucky pants on match days, sitting in the same spot for every game or even peeing on the field before kick off - why do some of us seem to believe cosmic forces could help lead us to victory?

After investigating an apparent 70-year-old curse on County Mayo‘s Gaelic football team, Irish-American sport reporter Dave McKenna is back for this special episode. He’s delving into the minds of fans and athletes to try to understand why sport and superstition seem to be so entangled.

For Dave’s full, three-part investigation into the Mayo curse, scroll back to episodes of Amazing Sport Stories from the end of 2023 or search for The Curse of County Mayo, wherever you get your podcasts.

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"The audacity!" Roberta 'Bobbi' Gibb had just received a nine-word slap to the face: "Women are not physiologically capable of running a marathon." That was the reply she received when she applied to enter the Boston Marathon. She crumpled the letter and threw it on the floor. Bobbi knew she’d be running the race - whether they let her or not.

This is the story of one woman’s battle against derogatory sideswipes and archaic attitudes, and how far she went to remove the barriers that kept women from running practically every marathon in the world.

When former Dutch boxing champion Barry Groenteman used to visit his grandmother at her retirement home, he would often see an older man shadow-boxing. "He showed me his ring with the Star of David on it. And my grandmother would whisper: 'That's Ben Bril.'"

This is the story of a Jewish boxer from Amsterdam who had his life transformed by invasion, violence and anti-Semitism. A champion forced into hiding, then captured and sent to the Nazi concentration camps - after being betrayed by a former Olympic teammate.

There had been no apology. The “Black 14” moved on. Decades later, was that about to change? The American footballers had tried to take a stand against racism but they can’t forget what happened that day in 1969, back in Laramie, Wyoming. It has affected the entire course of their lives. Then, one of them receives a phone call.

This four-part season includes interviews with eight of the Black 14: Guillermo Hysaw, Ted Williams, Ron Hill, John Griffin, Tony McGee, Joe Williams, Mel Hamilton, and Lionel Grimes.

Kicked off the Wyoming Cowboys, the “Black 14” watch the next game from the stands. Then, they turn to the courts to try to seek justice. It is October 1969 and word of their dismissal, for wanting to stage a protest against racism, has spread around the university campus. Their story is about to go national. The next match is against Brigham Young University, but they cannot play.

Warning: this episode contains the use of racist language.

After facing racism on the field, “the Black 14” American footballers have made a decision. They’re going to ask the Cowboys’ head coach, Lloyd Eaton, if they can wear black armbands to protest at their next game against the Mormon-run Brigham Young University (BYU). They don’t expect convincing him will be easy. But they’re totally unprepared for his reaction, which will rock their lives forever.

This four-part season includes interviews with eight of the Black 14: Guillermo Hysaw, Ted Williams, Ron Hill, John Griffin, Tony McGee, Joe Williams, Mel Hamilton, and Lionel Grimes.

Content warning: This episode contains lived experiences which involve the use of strong racist language.

Sport, racism and protests are about to change the lives of “the Black 14” American footballers. It’s 1969 in the United States. They’ve arrived on scholarships at the University of Wyoming to play for its Cowboys American football team. It was a predominantly white college. The team is treated like a second religion. Then, the players make a decision to take a stand against racism in a game against another university.

This four-part season includes interviews with eight of the Black 14: Guillermo Hysaw, Ted Williams, Ron Hill, John Griffin, Tony McGee, Joe Williams, Mel Hamilton, and Lionel Grimes.

Content warning: This episode contains lived experiences which involve the use of strong racist language.

Podcast artwork: D8

Audio for this episode was updated on 2 February 2024.