Let me put my Historian Hat on

In this episode I celebrate Constitution Day by sharing the history and debates that led to the creation of the U.S. Constitution.

In this episode I don’t talk about sports! Instead, I offer a brief discussion of the tariff in American history. I also share some insight into the strangeness of historians and how we do research and build our own personal archives.

In this episode I discuss college football as “the Santa Claus of campus.” I look at how the sport developed as a big-time commercial enterprise and adapted overtime to new media and regulations. You’ll learn about the development of the NCAA in this context as well as how and why our current moment is so significant for reshaping our national sporting infrastructure.

In this episode I discuss Pit Bull’s naming rights deal with Florida International University as well as the history of stadium names, and how college teams serve as marketing arms of American colleges and universities, providing taxpayers a return on their investments.

After years of people telling me that I need to start a podcast, and even having people eager to co-host, I’ve finally sat down and made one. Full disclosure: I am learning how to do this all on the fly. It’s a fun new adventure!

This first episode introduces me and my work as well as shares a few storylines I am following for the 2024 college football season (because I can’t not talk about sport). It’s short (under 15 minutes) but I hope you’ll listen, ask questions, and suggest topics for future episodes.