The Season

By WNYC Studios

Sports & Recreation College & High School

What's The Season about?

How do you go from losing to winning? Columbia University's football team hasn't won in two years. Each week, we see what it takes to make a comeback. This isn't just about football.

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The Season episodes:

11.25.2015
Episode 11: Year One
In their 10-game season, the Lions have seen success with wins against Wagner and Yale — the team's first victories in years — but remained a team that lost far more than it won. Yet the Lions did learn to hold their own — at least...
11.19.2015
Episode 10: And The Band Plays On
The Lions define success by wins and losses. But members of the Columbia University Marching Band — who are sometimes the only Columbia students in the stands — couldn't care less how their team actually does. (At least, that's what they'd like you to think.) Both groups...
11.12.2015
Episode 9: Moral Victory
The Columbia Lions are quick to tell you that they don't believe in "moral victories." In football, you either win or lose; there's no gray, in-between area. But it's not so simple in real life. Take the story of senior defensive lineman Chad Washington....
11.05.2015
Episode 8: 'The Worst Part About Our Sport'
Everybody knows football is a tough, violent sport. But the long-term consequences of playing — particularly as they relate to concussions — have only recently started to emerge. The game has gotten safer, but it still poses big risks for the...
10.29.2015
Episode 7: Necessary Toughness
Hang around a football team long enough and you'll probably start hearing one phrase over and over again: mental toughness. Coaches, athletes, and fans alike say it's an intangible factor that separates good teams from great ones. And it turns out it's way...
10.22.2015
Episode 6: The Bagnoli Bowl
Fresh off its first win in more than two years, the Columbia Lions go up against the University of Pennsylvania Quakers and try to prove last week wasn't just a fluke. But Penn is where Columbia’s new coach, Al Bagnoli, confronts...
10.15.2015
Episode 5: It Happened
After three weeks of steady progress — but still no win — there was a sense that Saturday's game between the Columbia Lions and the Wagner Seahawks could be the night things finally changed. And let’s not sit on the news: After two...
10.08.2015
Episode 4: They’re Losing, Better
At many colleges, football players are like celebrities. Tens of thousands of fans pack the stadium — home or away, rain or shine — to root for their team. This isn't the case at Columbia University where players are met most often with indifference,...
10.01.2015
Episode 3: Scrub Talk
There's an unwritten rule in Columbia football: no bragging about past glory. On a team like the Lions, it's the last thing that matters. Plus, we hear from Bill Campbell, the former chairman of Columbia's board of trustees and onetime head...
09.24.2015
Episode 2: 'Where Is It Written That You Guys Can't Win?'
Fans of the Columbia Lions hadn't seen a football game like this in years. Though the team ultimately fell to the Fordham Rams 44 to 24, the Lions were in it for the first three quarters. They scored two touchdowns; one of...
09.17.2015
Episode 1: The Closest Person You’re Gonna Get to a Miracle Worker
Columbia University’s football team hasn’t won a game in over two years. They've had just three winning seasons in the past five decades. Turning things around won't be easy, but this year, the university is redoubling its efforts to try. "What we're trying to...
09.10.2015
Welcome to 'The Season'
The Season is a new weekly podcast from WNYC that will follow Columbia University's football team, the Lions, over their ten-game season. It's been two years since the Lions had a win. That’s a 21-game losing streak. But this fall, hopes are high, because...

What's The Season about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Season episodes:

Episode 11: Year One

Episode 10: And The Band Plays On

Episode 9: Moral Victory

Episode 8: 'The Worst Part About Our Sport'

Episode 7: Necessary Toughness

Episode 6: The Bagnoli Bowl

Episode 5: It Happened

Episode 4: They’re Losing, Better

Episode 3: Scrub Talk

Episode 2: 'Where Is It Written That You Guys Can't Win?'

Episode 1: The Closest Person You’re Gonna Get to a Miracle Worker

Welcome to 'The Season'