Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward bring you the story of Althea Gibson - don't worry if you've never heard of her, few have!

Arthur Ashe is a name immediately recognisable to every tennis fan - and most sports fans.

He was the first Black man to win the US Open, the Australian Open and Wimbledon - and the largest tennis stadium in the world, the US Open main court, is named after him.

But he wasn’t the first Black player to win a Grand Slam. That honour went to New Yorker Althea Gibson, who won the French open in 1956 - a whole decade before Ashe. She also won both the US Open and Wimbledon in 1957 and in 1958. 

So why isn’t Althea Gibson as well known as Arthur Ashe? Why doesn’t she have her name up in lights like his? What is her story?

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

Tottenham’s lamentable performance in their 1-0 home defeat by Chelsea on Saturday was bad enough for their fans - but then worryingly for them manager Thomas Frank was snubbed by 2 of his players, Djed Spence and Micky van de Ven as they came off the pitch.

So Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward are asking, What happens when players and managers appear to fall out very publicly? What’s the long term impact for everyone concerned - and for the club? Hear stories of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo & Adel Taarabt!

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: George Sexton-Kerr

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

It's one of the most iconic photos in Olympic history: Mary Decker falling flat on her face as Zola Budd runs past her bare foot. Decker, America’s golden girl and the World Champion on home turf, against Budd, from apartheid-ridden South Africa, who acquired a British passport in double quick time to line up, against her own will.

Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward bring you the story behind the photo from the LA Games in 1984. How did two such different characters end up being the main protagonists in one of the Olympic’s most infamous moments? How did politics, the Daily Mail and fearsome fathers play their part? And what were the long term effects on both runners?

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Get in touch on socials: @playedoutpod

Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

Liverpool’s defeat at Brentford on Saturday night was their fourth Premier League defeat of the season in a row - that's as many as they suffered in the whole of last season.

In the past decade three reigning champions have lost that many in a row before - Leicester, Manchester City and Liverpool themselves. 

So Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward are asking, why do some Champions fall off so alarmingly when trying to defend their title? How did the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson famously buck that trend? And does this show footballers are human after all?

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We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected]

Get in touch on socials: @playedoutpod

Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Assistant Producer: Jasmine Wissart

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

From General Franco to Johan Cruyff, and from a pig's head to the Messi v Ronaldo rivalry - Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague joins Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward to explain how El Clasico became the biggest club match in the world.

And it's not all about fascism versus socialism, underdog versus serial winner...You might think you know the story but believe us, there's a lot of myths to be busted.

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Get in touch on socials: @playedoutpod

Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

Cricket’s oldest and greatest rivalry resumes next month when the first Ashes Test starts in Perth. 

But a month out the phoney war has already started - the sledging is underway. It’s two former players who are at the forefront this time - Australian opener David Warner and a man who got him out for fun during the last Ashes, Stuart Broad.

So, Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward are asking, what’s the history to this sledging? What purpose does it really serve? And does it ever work?

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

In the 1980s English football was at an all time low. Attendances down, stadia crumbling, hooliganism all too prevalent, and then three horrific disasters - Bradford, Heysel and Hillsborough.

Then almost out of nowhere Bobby Robson and his band of characters came within the width of the post of reaching the World Cup Final. England might have lost the semi-final against West Germany but they won the hearts of a nation who fell in love with football again.

So how did Italia 90 change English football?

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides & Adem Waterman

Producer: Sophie Penney

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

After Jude Bellingham’s shock omission from the latest England squad, surely Thomas Tuchel couldn't leave him behind for the World Cup? Well, it has happened before...

Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward tell the story of when Glenn Hoddle didn't take England's star player Paul Gascoigne to the 1998 World Cup - still one of the most controversial moments in English football history.

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We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected] And find us on socials: @playedoutpod

Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides & Adem Waterman

Producer: Sophie Penney

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

"This race was an incredible exhibition of sprinting brilliance and power, but only because it came from a drugs bottle."

In the scorching heat of Seoul during the 1988 Olympic Games, the world watched as two titans of track and field prepared to battle for gold in the men’s 100m final. Carl Lewis, the outspoken American, faced off against Ben Johnson, the quiet Canadian powerhouse and world record holder. What followed wasn’t just the fastest race ever run at the time - it was the most controversial in Olympic history.

We revisit this episode of How It All Played Out, where hosts Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward unpack the dramatic story behind the dirtiest race in history, which changed the face of athletics forever.

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Executive Producer: Adem Waterman & Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

At 17 years old boxer Barry McGuigan won Commonwealth Gold for Northern Ireland but just two years later he fought at the 1980 Moscow Olympics for the Republic.

So how did the Featherweight World Champion straddle the border and unite Ireland at the height of The Troubles, where bombs, bullets and killings were all too common?

Remember to follow or subscribe, and give us a 5 star review too!

We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected]

And find us on socials: @playedoutpod

Executive Producer: Adem Waterman & Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Head of Podcasts, Content and Production: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells