Crunching Tackles

Shohei Ohtani has put together one of the most impressive seasons in baseball history. After spending some time discussing the Premier League and the NFL, we turn the focus of this podcast to MLB, and try to put Ohtani's historic season into context.

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

Tyreek Hill was pulled over and detained by Miami police on his way to Week 1 of the NFL season. The reaction has been understandably and expectedly strong. John and Chad break down every angle of the incident and what we can learn.

10:20 - We look at Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka winning the U.S. Open and where the state of tennis is going into 2025.

27:30 - We recap Week 1 of the NFL season, focusing on the Chiefs, the Bengals, the Jets, and the 49ers.

40:30 - We examine the body cam footage from the Tyreek Hill situation, finding what Hill did wrong, what law enforcement did wrong, and who is responsible for these kinds of confrontational situations.

1:07:20 - We briefly touch on a new civil sexual assault lawsuit against Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson, and why we are so angry and so unsurprised by these new allegations.

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

For the first time in over 3 years, Chad and John are in person together for a podcast!

They celebrate this occasion by discussing the U.S. Open, Jannik Sinner, and Alien: Romulus.

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

The 2024 Olympics were incredible, and we convene one more time to go through all the final stories from the games. On today's episode, we discuss:

2:15 - Our general impressions and what we loved about this Olympics

9:30 - The closing ceremony, including Tom Cruise's stunts

214:00 - The final medal count and who won the games

29:00 - We recap the most interesting stories from the final week of events

42:15 - We discuss what will be different for L.A. 2028 and what sports we would like to see added or removed

1:02:00 - We pitch an alternative competition: The Military Olympics

1:07:30 - Lastly, we consider how and why Snoop Dogg made such a big impression on the festivities in Paris

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

The Olympics have soared to an incredible level of success, and we are here to recap the most important moments we've seen this week. Simone Biles, Novak Djokovic, Scottie Scheffler, Mondo Duplantis, and Imane Khelif are just a few of the athletes we mention. On today's episode, we discuss:

10:00 - We recap the medal table and see where Team USA is stacking up

13:20 - Pole Vaulter Mondo Duplantis and the moment of the Olympics

20:50 - Simone Biles and Team USA Gymnastics

31:10 - Noah Lyles' dramatic run for the gold and the future of his Olympic campaign

37:20 - More chaos from swimming courtesy of the River Seine

42:00 - Novak Djokovic wins tennis gold

47:00 - Scottie Scheffler's comeback to win golf gold

49:20 - THE BIG STORY: Imane Khelif and the gender controversy surrounding women's boxing

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

The medals are flying in Paris as we take stock of an action packed first week of the Olympic Games! From the Opening Ceremony to the tennis to the swimming, we have it all covered for you right here! On today's episode, we discuss:

3:10 - We open with some general thoughts about the games and how we feel about the experience of watching so far.

8:10 - We turn quickly to the medal count, tracking how Team USA is doing compared to our primary rivals, and share how we feel about America's performance so far.

14:10 - Turning our attention to the pool, we discuss the dominant day by France swimmer Leon Marchand and also look at the highlights from Katie Ledecky in her signature event.

24:00 - Going from the pool to the gym, we recap the amazing team gold by USA women's gymnastic and their catalyst, Simone Biles. We also look at the men's gymnastics team, and their newly coronated superstar Stephen Nedoroscik.

34:30 - Up next, we close the final chapter on the saga of the Seine, where athletes actually did swim in the bacteria infested water. Is this a signature Paris failing, or did they finally turn it into a success?

41:30 - In many ways, the career of Rafael Nadal seems to be over. He lost in singles to his fiercest rival, Novak Djokovic, and the fan favorite "Nadalcaraz" doubles team also crashed out. Is this the end? We also briefly discuss Coco Gauff and her dramatic singles loss.

53:30 - Almost before the games got underway, scandal was already present. That's because Team Canada women's soccer were discovered to be using spy drones to surveil their opponent's practices. They faced severe punishment. We also briefly look at the USWNT and how thing are going for the favorites for gold.

59:00 - Finally, we recap the Opening Ceremony, which featured one of the greatest images in Olympics history (hats off to you, LeBron), and also one of the worst and most controversial images we've ever seen.

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

The COPA America Final was delayed by over an hour because of a brutal crowd crush at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Fans and police officers were injured, and 27 people were arrested as Colombia fans attempted to storm the stadium. On today's episode, we discuss:

4:15 - We open with a conversation about the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, our desire for unity, and we also briefly examine how Trump has used sports to boost his reputation.

19:10 - We recap the final of the EUROs, which saw Spain take down England. John has some strong thoughts about England—both their players and their manager.

33:00 - We talk about the continued rise of Carlos Alcaraz, as he wins Wimbledon for the second year in a row over Novak Djokovic. Is the torch now officially passed?

43:45 - THE BIG STORY: We look at Argentina's win over Colombia in the final of the COPA, and speak frankly about the riot that delayed the game by about 90 minutes.

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

The 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremonies are less than a month away, and we are here to prime you for the events and athletes that you need to be paying attention to this year. On today's episode, we discuss the international soccer tournaments currently going on, the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, and an extremely controversial decision by NBC for their Olympic coverage.

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

As the city of Paris and the nation of France prepares to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, there's one area they need to focus on that previous hosts of the games haven't: cybersecurity. On today's episode, we discuss:

4:15 - We briefly consider how to choose a British soccer team as American fans and who we would support if we were doing it all over again.

13:50 - We recap the first week of the 2024 European Championship and preview who we expect to succeed.

24:00 - We dive deep into Manchester City's lawsuit that is actively ongoing against the Premier League and talk through the ramifications of either outcome of the case.

37:45 - THE BIG STORY: John leads us through a conversation about cybersecurity, how hackers will try to undermine the Olympics, and what fans and players can expect at the games.

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

Although college sports have been trending toward professionalization in recent years, it's still a historic day when the NCAA finally agreed to pay its athletes. On today's episode, we discuss:

1:20 - We briefly discuss Scottie Scheffler's charges being dropped and what was most strange about his situation.

4:30 - Caitlin Clark has had a very controversial rookie season, not because of her play, but because of the narratives swirling around her. We discuss what these narratives are getting right, and the many things people are getting wrong.

37:45 - Why are French Open matches ending after 3 a.m. and how can the tournament get this under control?

40:30 - The same gambling story that recently hit the NBA has now come for MLB.

44:30 - Manchester City have sued the Premier League. Is there any merit to their case?

45:40 - THE BIG STORY: The NCAA has agreed to a settlement that will involve retroactively paying former college athletes and paves the pathway to future athlete compensation. We discuss the historic nature of this moment, how it changes the landscape of sports, and also highlight the questions we still want to have answered.

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!