Conrad Anker is one of the most accomplished mountain climbers alive and has spent his whole life confronting death by choice. During a 2016 climb, Anker suffered a heart attack while on the side of a Himalayan mountain a 19,000 feet. What did he do? Climb down, of course. Less than six months later, he was climbing again. 

In this episode, we look at what it means for athletes to face their mortality, and why they push themselves to the edge of life and death.

Guests

Conrad Anker

John Urschel

Deepak Chopra

Myth of the Lifetime Warranty (Mortality)

Many of us experience sports much like religion: they give us a shared identity, a sense of community, and a common purpose. So what wisdom can we draw from the sports world to help us navigate the chaos and confusion -- and also the awakening and transformation -- happening today? Join host Varun Soni, Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life at the University of Southern California, in this limited-run series from Religion of Sports.

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Sports

In Religion of Sports' latest podcast series, Host Iggy Monda takes listeners inside America’s locker rooms and field houses to explore hazing in high school sports today. Through deeply personal stories of kids who have hazed, parents who have fought for accountability, coaches who are scared of what their players do when they’re not looking, and people who have hazed others, he ultimately asks why hazing is so ingrained in American culture – and what it says about us.
Find and follow ROS Presents: Roughhousing for the full series.

Introducing: Roughhousing

Religion of Sports and PRX present False Idol, a new podcast examining the rise and fall of South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, and the murder of Reeva Steenkamp. Join Host Tim Rohan as he revisits this tragic story through the eyes of the people that Pistorius impacted, the lives he devastated, and the wake he left behind. In this special broadcast of episode 3, Tim explores Pistorius’ dangerous and reckless behavior off the track and the warning signs that would be overlooked by fans around the world as he rose to fame.

Religion of Sports presents: False Idol

In difficult times, setting aside time to play feels almost frivolous. But is actually even more vital because it provides us with balance, joy and connection with one another. Host Varun Soni talks with Salman Ahmad, cricket player and one of the most famous and beloved musicians in Pakistan, about the value of play during challenging times, his recent battle with COVID, and the role sports can play in easing tensions and building bridges.

Play, with Salman Ahmad

Volleyball player and mental health advocate Victoria Garrick is a mentor to many student athletes and others who have been inspired by her public journey of vulnerability and strength. During this time of global pandemic and civil unrest, host Varun Soni asks Garrick how she has managed to deal positively with adversity without shying away from it, and what she learned about this subject from one of her great supporters and sources of inspiration, the late Kobe Bryant.

Resilience, with Victoria Garrick

Host Varun Soni and his guest, author and TV host Reza Aslan, are both die-hard, long suffering, eternally optimistic fans of two of the worst franchises in American sports: the Clippers and the Raiders. Together, they discuss how they find hope -- in their beloved teams and in the future, during what feels like a cursed time.

Myth of the Lifetime Warranty (Mortality)

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