Are College Athletes Getting a Raw Financial Deal? (0:33)

Guest: Allen Sanderson, Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of Chicago

After decades of insisting college athletes not be paid, the NCAA just changed its rules to allow players to cut their own celebrity endorsement deals. The move was probably inevitable, as University of Chicago sports economist Allen Sanderson explained to us a month ago. Why? Because California had just passed a law allowing athletes at its state-run universities to make sponsorship and endorsement deals. California basically forced the NCAA’s hand –and has now cracked the door to a long-running argument about whether college athletes should be paid like the pros. (Originally aired October 2, 2019)

One of the World’s Tallest Men (20:34)

Guest: John Kauwe, PhD, Professor and Department Chair of Biology at Brigham Young University

The average basketball player in the NBA 6’ 7”, which is almost a foot taller than the average man. And then there are the few NBA players who tower over their own teammates. At 7 feet 6 inches Shawn Bradley is tied for the third tallest player the NBA’s ever had. And it turns out that he’s always wondered why he’s so tall. (Originally aired September 19, 2019)

Future Smithsonian Museum Exhibit Will Feature Bob Ross Paintings (38:12)

Guest: Eric Jentsch, the Entertainment and Sports Curator for the National Museum of American History

You can paint along with Bob Ross on public television almost any day of the week. He was on the air for 31 seasons over nine years and in constant reruns ever since. Where did all those paintings of happy accidents and friendly trees and mountains go? It’s next to impossible to buy one. But New York Times reporters found them –stacked in a warehouse in Virginia. A few months ago we spoke with Eric Jentsch about all of this. He’s a curator for the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, which has acquired some original Bob Ross landscapes for its collection. (Originally aired September 16, 2019)

Teenage Sleep Deprivation Leads to Bad Decisions (51:09)

Guest: Wendy Troxel, Ph.D. Senior Behavioral and Social Scientist, RAND Corporation

The one good thing about switching off Daylight Savings Time, like most Americans did last weekend, is that it’s a little lighter in the morning when kids head off to school. And lots of American teenagers are heading off to school very, very early –with start times even before 8 a.m.! Meanwhile, only one in ten American teens are getting a full 8 hours of sleep on a regular basis. That leads to higher risk for lots of physical and mental health problems –also, and parents hate to hear this –sleep-deprive kids are more likely to make risky decisions. (Originally aired July 15, 2019)

Want to Be the Fastest of Fast-Talkers? Go to Auctioneer School. (1:12:24)

Guest: Jeff Stokes, Professional Licensed Auctioneer, Co-founder of Stokes Auction Group, Instructor, Western College of Auctioneering

How do auctioneers talk so, so fast? Do they go to auctioneer school? Actually, yes. Jeff Stokes is a sought-after instructor at the Western College of Auctioneering and a world champion auctioneer. (Originally aired January 16, 2019)