The Boston Marathon is one of oldest and most prestigious races in the world. But from its inception in 1897 to 1972, women were not permitted to race due to barbaric and downright ludicrous medical theories on what a woman’s body could handle.

However, those rules did not stop a few brave women who dared to race anyway, breaking the mould and showing race organisers and the world that women can run.

These women’s names are Roberta ‘Bobbi’ Gibbs, who unofficially raced in 1966, Katherine Switzer, who officially raced in 1967, and Nina Kuscsik, who was the inaugural winner of the 1972 Women’s category.

Lace up your shoes, meet us at the start line, and if you’re wearing an Uncle Sam outfit make sure you steer clear of Jock as we unpack the stories of these pioneers and their impact on Marathon running.

Sources:

https://web.archive.org/web/20150508010414/http://www.distancerunning.com/inductees/1999/kuscsik.html

https://www.runnersworld.com/races-places/a61808909/best-womens-marathon-moments/

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/sports/nina-kuscsik-dead.html

https://kathrineswitzer.com/2017/04/marathon-struggle-of-runner-who-changed-athletics/ (picture of Kathrine)

https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/66615089

https://www.aausports.org/

https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/history/

https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/18/sports/will-cloney-91-dies-put-boston-marathon-on-the-map.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896_Summer_Olympics

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1090581/olympics-number-athletes-by-gender-since-1896/?srsltid=AfmBOorm4_gM4P74wCS1SrnR-dpDQg6SyynIPAo7y2DCQc6InIu5rJZD

Presenters:

James Whybrow

Ben Whybrow

Carlin Sheaves

Music and cover art:

Zoe Behrendt

In 1991, the bar for what athletes can and can’t get away with was forever changed when a 19-year-old Manny Ramirez was drafted 13th overall by the then Cleveland Indians. Ramirez went on to have one of the greatest MLB hitting careers, with 555 home runs, a career Batting Average of .312 and an On-Base Percentage plus Slugging of .996.

But the real story with Manny is the infamous stories of ‘Manny being Manny’ which include: stealing the team bus; fighting club officials; forcing his PED supplier to read him bedtime stories; peeing inside the Green Monster (which does not have a toilet); and many, many more.

So step up to the plate to hear all the wild, crazy, and strange stories of Manny Ramirez, and find out where this enigma of a human ranks on our journey to find the wildest story from the world of sport.

Sources:

https://beckertime.com/blog/the-rolex-watches-of-the-boston-red-sox/

https://www.bostonherald.com/2008/10/22/manny-ramirezs-car-rolls/

https://www.mlb.com/player/manny-ramirez-120903#:~:text=Manuel%20Aristedes%20Ramirez%20was%20originally,proceeds%20were%20split%20between%20ThinkCure!%2C

https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-opening-day-rosters-feature-265-internationally-born-players

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUc2fnsCvhQ

https://www.twinkietown.com/2024/7/25/24202151/mlb-new-york-yankees-boston-red-sox-jason-varitek-alex-rodriguez-curse-of-the-bambino-2004-fight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsuYIN7y8Ew

https://www.jeffspevak.com/look-out-kid/

https://www.mlb.com/news/manny-ramirez-posted-astonishing-numbers-c264796776

Presenters:

James Whybrow

Ben Whybrow

Carlin Sheaves

Cover art and music:

Zoe Behrendt

During the Australian summer of 2013, the cricketing world was treated to perhaps the greatest bowling performance in Test Match history. Mitchell Johnson terrorised England with bat and ball for the entire five match series, scaring batters, forcing retirements, and threatening to break arms - and it was all because of a moustache.

This week we pad up and prepare to face the chin music that was Mitchell Johnsons 2013/14 Ashes. Join us as we relive that glorious summer of cricket, chat about our favourite Ashes moments, and hear Carlin desperately try and relate this to Football as we attempt to rank this story on our journey to find the wildest story from the world of sport.

Sources:

ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKtvZhmAn0I

https://www.espncricinfo.com/records/best-career-bowling-average-283256

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/6033.html?class=1;template=results;type=allround;view=match

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/3262001

https://www.cricket.com.au/players/CA:1663/mitchell-johnson?tab=biography

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNokixQnb04

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/34842494

Presenters:

James Whybrow

Ben Whybrow

Carlin Sheaves

Cover art and music:

Zoe Behrendt

During the Australian summer of 2013, the cricketing world was treated to perhaps the greatest bowling performance in Test Match history. Mitchell Johnson terrorised England with bat and ball for the entire five match series, scaring batters, forcing retirements, and threatening to break arms - and it was all because of a moustache.

This week we pad up and prepare to face the chin music that was Mitchell Johnsons 2013/14 Ashes. Join us as we relive that glorious summer of cricket, chat about our favourite Ashes moments, and hear Carlin desperately try and relate this to Football as we attempt to rank this story on our journey to find the wildest story from the world of sport.

Sources:

ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKtvZhmAn0I

https://www.espncricinfo.com/records/best-career-bowling-average-283256

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/6033.html?class=1;template=results;type=allround;view=match

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/3262001

https://www.cricket.com.au/players/CA:1663/mitchell-johnson?tab=biography

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNokixQnb04

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/34842494

Presenters:

James Whybrow

Ben Whybrow

Carlin Sheaves

Cover art and music:

Zoe Behrendt

In ancient Rome there was one sport that towered above everything else - chariot racing. These athletes raced in front of a packed 250,000 seat stadium for a chance at glory and wealth, with one man standing above the rest - at least in terms of career earnings - Diocles. The potential former slave whose long career in the deadly sport helped propel him to the top of all time ranking of highest earning athletes.

Tie those reigns to your waist and saddle up as we break down the legacy of sports richest athlete, the economics of Ancient Rome, and the use of the Xylospongium (the infamous poop stick) on our journey to find the wildest story from the world of sport.

Sources

https://youtu.be/TcSsvfTFUh0?si=3KOgpRUg_PpThoQS

https://youtu.be/Rrjtkv5QpPQ?si=0vF6vIC1oBqkZFTW

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/gaius-appuleius-diocles-legendary-charioteer-ancient-rome-c-jkncf

Beard, Mary. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome. Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2015.

https://medium.com/teatime-history/the-millionaire-maverick-of-roman-racing-gaius-appuleius-diocles-ff5f8c150526

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna38957186

https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2024/08/flavius-scorpus-the-hispanic-charioteer-who-won-2048-races-without-losing-a-single-one/

https://romanempiretimes.com/from-circus-maximus-to-amazon-the-real-story-of-scorpus/

https://www.historyextra.com/period/roman/circus-maximus-facts

Presenters:

James Whybrow

Ben Whybrow

Carlin Sheaves

Cover art and music:

Zoe Behrendt

There are moments in out lives that seem insignificant at first but ultimately change it forever. For Bill Fong, he could never have imagined that when he visited a Texas Plano Super Bowl in 2010 that his life would change forever - when he had a chance to join the allusive club of people that have bowled a 900 series. Join us as we learn the intricacies of bowling, Bills story, what Carlins stripper song would be, and rank Bill's story on our journey to find the wildest story from the world of sport.

Sources:

https://bowl.com/about-us/about-usbc

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/900_series_(bowling)#:~:text=To%20date%20in%20the%20United,night%20were%20not%20unusually%20high.

https://www.mrbowling300.net/post/glenn-allisons-900-series-2154751

https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2017/02/10/bill-fong-bowling

https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2012/july/the-most-amazing-bowling-story-ever-bill-fong/#:~:text=When%20Fong%20was%20young%2C%20his,was%20going%20on%20behind%20him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULaCMJlW4Ow

Presenters:

James Whybrow

Ben Whybrow

Carlin Sheaves

Cover art and music:

Zoe Behrendt

By the 1980s, all the records and milestones in aviation had been achieved. We had been to space, broken the sound barrier, and crossed the largest oceans. But one milestone remained, circumnavigating the globe on a single tank of fuel. Enter Vietnam fighter pilot Dick Rutan, his brother Burt, and his then-girlfriend Jeana Yeager. On the back of a cocktail napkin, they drew the first plans of the aircraft that would achieve the last aviation milestone in 9 days, 3 minutes, and 44 seconds.

Join us for Ben’s return to the show as we hear the wild story of Dick’s life during the Vietnam war, the adventures of his circumnavigation, and the legacy of his achievement. And, of course, rank it on our journey to find the wildest story from the world of sport.

Sources:

https://makingmaps.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/makingmapsannotatedvoyagermaps.pdf

https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/rutan-voyager/nasm_A19880548000

https://freshairarchive.org/guests/dick-rutan

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/americas-forgotten-heroes/id1553324105

Presenters:

James Whybrow

Ben Whybrow

Carlin Sheaves

Music and cover art:

Zoe Behrendt

WARNING:

This episode features discussion of abuse, torture, and cruelty of animals. These events are discussed in the historical context of the story and the actions, views, and treatment toward these animals are not condoned by Wild World of Sport.

It’s no secret that during the 19th century people did some awful things to animals in the name of entertainment. Bloodsports was a sport involving the hunting, wounding, or killing of animals. The impact of this cruelty had a silver lining, which was the creation of the RSPCA. The animal that helped lead this charge was Jacco Macacco, a dog-fighting monkey who finished his career undefeated.

Join us as we hear the story of Jacco and the people around him who helped changed the world of bloodsports, and as we try to rank his story on our quest to find the wildest story from the world of sport.

Fight against animal abuse:

https://www.rspca.org.au/report-animal-cruelty/

https://hsi.org.au/animal-welfare/stop-greyhound-racing/

https://www.four-paws.org.au/campaigns-topics/topics/companion-animals/preventcrueltytoanimals/ways-to-prevent-cruelty-to-animals

https://www.animaljusticeparty.org

Sources:

https://metro.co.uk/2024/12/16/sad-tale-jacco-macacco-monkey-forced-fight-death-22105501/amp/

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1848-0205-41

https://historycollection.com/in-a-cruel-and-bizarre-twist-the-champion-fighting-dog-of-victorian-london-was-an-ape-named-jacco/

https://allthatsinteresting.com/animal-blood-sports

https://education.rspca.org.uk/documents/1494931/0/FS+The+story+of+the+RSPCA+(A).pdf/935a7bb3-7863-bc9d-827a-69b0341dfad6?t=1555163255316

Presenters:

James Whybrow

Felix Senden

Carlin Sheaves

Music and cover art:

Zoe Behrendt

The Ancient Greek Panhellenic games were a series of prestigious and honoured festivals which saw the bravest and boldest athletes complete for the ultimate glory. That was until Nero came along and disrupted the sacred traditions by manipulating officials, proceedings, and even the history books to crown himself Periodonikes, universal victor of all four games.

This week’s story is presented by executive producer Zoe Behrendt, who takes us back to AD 67 to relive both the fascinating games, and the tyranny of Nero’s reign. Find out where this story ranks on our quest to find the wildest story from the world to sport.

Sources:

https://www.olympics.com/ioc/ancient-olympic-games

https://historycollection.com/the-strangest-sports-stories-in-history/

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/2800827

From gladiators to mock naval battles, what were the major sports events in the ancient world?

Articles of the Olympic Academy

Tacitus: Annals: Book 14 [20] | Sacred Texts Archive

Suetonius • Life of Nero

Cassius Dio — Epitome of Book 62

https://www.britannica.com/story/did-nero-really-fiddle-as-rome-burned

"Nero Fiddled While Rome Burned" — Classical Journal 42:211‑217 (1947)

Did Nero Really Fiddle While Rome Burned? | HISTORY

https://historycollection.com/musical-tyrant-5-facts-emperor-nero/

Nero: The End of a Dynasty - Miriam Griffin - Google Books

Nero at the Theatre « Roman History 31 BC - AD 117

Case Study I: Nero – Spectacles in the Roman World

Was the Neronia a Freak Festival? on JSTOR

The embarrassing spectacle when Emperor Nero competed in the Ancient Olympics - History Skills

Nero Was The Worst Best Olympian Ever | Defector

Ancient Olympics

The Ancient Greek Tragedy Competitions | by Rune Myrland | Storyknot | Medium

Nero, "Periodonikes"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4DwgbSMcR5WZcxYjC2p1c9Z/nero-to-zero-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-brutal-roman-emperor

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nero-Roman-emperor/The-approaching-end

Presenters:

James Whybrow

Zoe Behrendt

Carlin Sheaves

Music and cover art:

Zoe Behrendt

There are some things that just don’t mix, but apparently football tournaments and war isn’t one of them; and neither is playing sport and drinking beer. In 1967, the Vietnam war was in full swing, but that didn’t stop the Australian Football team (not yet the Socceroos) from winning their first international trophy there while drinking nothing but beer. Discover the crazy details behind this wild tournament triumph and find out where it ranks on our journey to find the wildest story from the world of sport.

Sources:

Presenters:

James Whybrow

Ben Whybrow

Carlin Sheaves

Music and cover art:

Zoe Behrendt