In 1983, Spruce Pine, North Carolina set a record for the smallest town to ever have a professional sports team, a record that remains intact to this day. In an act of perseverance and blind ambition, a remote town of only 2,000 residents ended up with a 5,000-seat hockey stadium. In part one of The Mighty Bucks, reporters Sean and Louise Flynn introduce us to Robert Bailey, a starry-eyed stove maker who knew nothing about hockey, but battled the elements and mixed expectations to build the Pinebridge Bucks.

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22 | The Mighty Bucks | Part l

Sports Explains the World unveils some of the wildest and most surprising sports stories you’ve never heard. And they’re all true. From the unemployed history teacher turned CIA agent and Uganda national basketball coach, to the teenager who invented a mythical athlete…then watched him sign a million-dollar deal, these stories will amaze and move you at every turn. From award-winning journalists across the globe, Sports Explains the World reveals the human side of sports in provocative and unusual ways. Whether you’ve ever thrown a spiral or been in one, prepare to experience the action on and off the field from an unexpected – and sometimes shocking – vantage point. 
 Enjoy Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Get started with your free trial at Wondery.com/plus.

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Following the bloodshed of Port Said, the families of the supporters killed in the stadium are left to mourn their loved ones and seek justice in whatever way they can. The Ultras themselves, now labeled as a terrorist organization, are left to ponder their unclear future. Reporter Kieran Morris catches up with the Ultras more than a decade after the massacre, and investigates whether a government can ever truly ban the passion of football fans.

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42 | Ultras | Part ll

When Frank Farian first laid eyes on Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, he saw everything he wasn’t. They were handsome, young, and Black. But Frank had something they didn’t. He had power.




So, Frank offered them a devil’s bargain. Almost overnight, Milli Vanilli’s debut album went five times platinum and scored a Grammy nomination. But when the lie at the center of their success started to unravel, Rob and Fab would discover the hard way the difference between star power and real power.




From Wondery, Blame It on the Fame is a story about the lie that shot to #1 and what it cost to tell the truth. Hosted by Amanda Seales.




Listen early and ad-free exclusively on Wondery+: Wondery.fm/BIOTF_MV

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Listen Now: Blame it on the Fame: Milli Vanilli

Amidst the protests that swept through Egypt during the Arab Spring, an unlikely group helped tip the scales towards Democracy – soccer fans. The Ultras Ahlawy were hardcore supporters of the Cairo-based football club, Al Ahly. They were also effective in the fight to oust Egypt’s leaders. But after the attempted revolution, pro-government forces took their revenge on The Ultras in a violent attack inside the Port Said soccer stadium. In the end, dozens were killed. Reporter Kieran Morris tells the story of when sports and politics collide.

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41 | Ultras | Part l

Get ready to hear your favorite stories remixed with beats and hooks that you can’t find in books!




In Once Upon a Beat, host DJ Fyütch and his sidekick/turntable Baby Scratch drop the needle on classic stories, spinning them up with a hip-hop twist. They’re turning the tables on your favorite fables – putting the Rap in Rapunzel, letting Goldilocks rock out, and helping the Ugly Duckling march to his own beat! Where hip hop and fables meet, It's Once Upon a Beat!




Listen to new episodes of Once Upon a Beat here.

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Listen Now: Once Upon a Beat

When late NBA Commissioner David Stern arrived in Beijing, he came with a lucrative business proposal. Stern pushed for American basketball games to be broadcast on Chinese national television, introducing millions of Chinese people to inspiring NBA narratives of individual glory. As the country’s spirits rose, so did the league’s revenues. In the final installment Two Dreams, reporter Kerry Seed explores the budding partnership between China and the NBA at the turn of the millennium, before the infamous Daryl Morey tweet. 

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22 | The Mighty Bucks | Part l

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