Crunching Tackles

Ted Lasso has rocketed its way to the Emmy's, to the viewing charts, and into the hearts of its viewers. What makes Ted Lasso so special?

This week, we discuss:

- Ted Lasso season 1,

- Ted Lasso's themes and best moments,

- Ted Lasso's cultural impact,

- Jon Meacham's "It Was Said,"

- and stay tuned for a shocking surprise at the very end!

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

2021 has been a monumental summer for NCAA football. With conference shakeups, unusual alignments and the debut of player profit, what are the stakes for the NCAA? Can the current college football system survive all the changes, or are we destined for a semi-professional, team led system? This week, we discuss:

0:55 — John's adventures with Ted Lasso, and one of the great comedies of our time.

2:50 — Chad's pop culture roundup with music and Marvel.

7:50 — THE STORY: What has changed in college football, and what will change in the future?

29:34 — Chad's VAR Corner: A feud in NYC.

38:09 — John's VAR Corner: Bishop Sycamore and the greatest hoax on ESPN.

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

What is the importance of sportsmanship in sports? Is it better when athletes display mutual respect, or competitive animosity? What is the role of showboating and taunting in sports? Do they make competition fun, or violent? This week, we discuss:

- A happy reunion for Chad and John

- Sportsmanship, showboating and taunting in sports

- The NFL's taunting rule changes

- Marvel's Spider-Man trailer and the first three episodes of What If...

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

Barcelona shocked the world by announcing late last week that Lionel Messi would not return to the club. A few days later, Messi was unveiled as the newest member of PSG. What happened behind the scenes at Barcelona to cause this collapse? Have we ever seen a superstar of this magnitude leave a club under circumstances like this? This week, we discuss the entire Messi situation, with a behind the scenes look at Barcelona, some examination of Messi's legacy, and what his move to PSG means for the sport.

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

Endless amounts of stories from the Tokyo Games! John and Chad are here to highlight several of the most significant stories to come out of the Summer Olympics, and why they matter culturally. With plenty of sarcasm and laughs along the way, stay tuned for John's important promise at the end of the pod. This week, we discuss:

3:02 — Should adults wear jerseys with player names and numbers on them?

5:21 — An update on the Simone Biles story, including her stunning return to win bronze on the beam.

10:49 — The shocking story of an Olympic athlete fleeing her home nation.

15:33 — A brief medal recap, including some blatant Israeli patriotism on John's part.

19:50 — A wild week of disappointment—and headlines—for Novak Djokovic

23:27 — Laurel Hubbard's Olympic failures complicate the debate around transgender athletes

27:44 — The Norway handball team was fined for WHAT?!?

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

After Simone Biles pulled out of the Olympic team all-around final, many people took to social media with a vast array of controversial takes. We break down what really happened to Biles, and why so much of the reaction to her decision was misguided. On today's episode, we discuss:

— Shark bites

— The NBA Draft

— The biggest stories from the Olympics so far

— Simone Biles and Olympic gymnastics.

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

Behind closed doors, in the midst of a Japanese national emergency, the Olympics are happening. But should they be? What are the implications for these games, and what are some of the major storylines for the next weeks of competition? On today's episode, we discuss:

— A brief sports roundup:

     - Jadon Sancho to Manchester United

     - NBA Finals

— Olympics preview

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

In this special bonus episode, John and Chad recap a significant week in Marvel cinema and television. What did we see this week—both in theaters and on Disney+—and what is the future of the MCU looking like going forward? On today's episode, we discuss:

2:10 — Loki season 1 finale and implications

20:35 — Black Widow review

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

What are the cultural implications of the biggest sports stories this week? How did the EURO final instigate a new wave of racist attacks? Is Shohei Ohtani the face of baseball? Will this year's tennis US Open be the biggest event in tennis history? On today's episode, we discuss:

5:50 — EURO 2020 final and cultural implications

18:10 — Lionel Messi wins his first international title in the Copa America

19:00 — Shohei Ohtani is unprecedented and what the state of baseball is

27:36 — Men's tennis is the greatest era in sports right now.

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

When major sports news collides with a major Supreme Court ruling, you know Chad and John will be on the case! Today, the guys break down a significant legal defeat for the NCAA, and explain why Brett Kavanaugh's opinion will likely change the future of amateur sports forever On today's episode, we discuss:

2:36 — NBA conference finals

5:06 — Nearing the Stanley Cup Finals

6:01 — Knockout Rounds at the EUROs

12:49 — Why MLB pitchers are so upset

14:16 — NCAA vs. Alston

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