Sports have always played an important part in Ted Carter’s life, but he’s come to understand just how much they mean to Ohio State fans in his first six months as OSU’s president.

Just before the halfway point of his year as the leader of The Ohio State University, Carter sat down with us for a 30-minute conversation last week to talk about his first six months on the job, what sports mean to him as a former Navy hockey player, the athletic director transition from Gene Smith to Ross Bjork, how Ohio State is preparing for a new era of college sports and more.

We bring you that conversation in its entirety on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays.

The rundown of what we talked about with Carter:

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:27 What Sports Mean to Ted Carter
• 1:49 Carter’s First Six Months as President Have Been “Awesome”
• 2:40 How Sports Have Helped Shape Carter’s Approach as President
• 4:12 Working with Gene Smith A “Privilege” for Carter
• 6:06 Why Carter Hired Ross Bjork as Athletic Director
• 7:11 OSU Expects Athletics to Remain Self-Sufficient, But Won’t Cut Sports
• 9:22 Carter Wants Athletes to Remain Students, Not Employees, in Revenue Sharing Era
• 12:51 How Carter Balances His Many Duties as OSU President
• 16:54 What West Coast Expansion Will Add to Big Ten
• 18:29 How Naval Career Prepared Carter to Embrace Change
• 19:59 Carter Learning Just How Much People Care About OSU
• 21:16 Carter “Very Impressed” with Ryan Day
• 21:58 Miracle on Ice Jersey, Blue Angels Helmet Among Carter’s Prized Possessions
• 24:58 Women’s Hockey National Title An Early Highlight of Carter’s Presidency
• 25:21 Carter Expects Ohio State Football to “Be Really Good This Year”
• 25:46 Carter Already A Columbus Blue Jackets Fan
• 26:46 Carter’s Favorite Moment from His Own Hockey Career
• 29:12 Becoming OSU President Beyond Carter’s “Wildest Imagination”