New Books Network

American West May 6, 2022

Sky Rider

Park Van Tassel and the Rise of Ballooning in the West

Gary B. Fogel

Hosted by Troy Hallsell

With a reputation as the hot-air balloon capital of the world and the home of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the southwestern desert city of Albuquerque frequently showcases the magic …

Sports May 5, 2022

Rethinking Fandom

How to Beat the Sports-Industrial Complex at Its Own Game

Craig Calcaterra

Hosted by Joel Tscherne

Sports fandom isn't what it used to be. Owners and executives increasingly count on the blind loyalty of their fans and too often act against the team's best interest. Intentionally …

Sports May 4, 2022

African Football Migration

Aspirations, Experiences and Trajectories

Paul Darby, James Esson, and Christian Ungruhe

Hosted by Miranda Melcher

The global success of football icons like Samuel Eto'o, Didier Drogba and Mohamed Salah has fuelled the migratory projects of countless young men across the African continent who dream of …

Sports April 27, 2022

Hoops

A Cultural History of Basketball in America

Thomas Aiello

Hosted by Paul Knepper

From its early days as a sport to build “muscular Christianity” among young men flooding nineteenth-century cities to its position today as a global symbol of American culture, basketball has …

American West April 22, 2022

Rodeo

An Animal History

Susan Nance

Hosted by Stephen Hausmann

Animals are both the focus of rodeo and its most invisible participants, argues University of Guelph history professor Susan Nance in Rodeo: An Animal History (U Oklahoma, 2020). Nance flips the usual …

On Religion April 18, 2022

The Buddha at the Bellagio

(Teaching) Religion in Sin City

Corey Landon Wozniak

Hosted by Gregory Soden

Today I talked to Corey Landon Wozniak about his Revealer article (2022) "The Buddha at the Bellagio: (Teaching) Religion in Sin City." As Wozniak points out, Las Vegas (for all that …

Nordic Asia Podcast April 8, 2022

Why Is Eileen Gu the New Poster Child in China?

A Conversation with Jiang Chang

Jiang Chang

Hosted by Julie Yu-Wen Chen

What is “binary nationalism” and what has it got to do with free-style skiing? The explosive popularity of Eileen Gu’s is an excellent case for understanding the common Chinese mindset …

Sociology April 6, 2022

Privilege at Play

Class, Race, Gender, and Golf in Mexico

Hugo Ceron-Anaya

Hosted by Rituparna Patgiri

Privilege at Play: Class, Race, Gender, and Golf in Mexico (Oxford University Press, 2019) is a book about inequalities, social hierarchies, and privilege in contemporary Mexico. Based on ethnographic research …

General History March 24, 2022

Breathe

A Life in Flow

Rickson Gracie and Peter Maguire

Hosted by Michael Vann

Rickson Gracie is one of the most fascinating professional athletes in the world. It is not hyperbole to call him a "living legend". A scion of a famed family of professional …

Sports March 21, 2022

By the Grace of the Game

The Holocaust, a Basketball Legacy, and an Unprecedented American Dream

Dan Grunfeld

Hosted by Paul Knepper

When Lily and Alex entered a packed gymnasium in Queens, New York in 1972, they barely recognized their son. The boy who escaped to America with them, who was bullied as …

Sports March 9, 2022

The Evolution of a Cricket Fan

My Shapeshifting Journey

Samir Chopra

Hosted by Keith Rathbone

Today we are joined by Dr. Samir Chopra, Professor of Philosophy at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and author of The Evolution …

Psychology March 7, 2022

The Mental Impact of Sports Injury

Carly D. McKay

Hosted by Jolie Ho

Much is known about the physical strain that athletes’ bodies are subjected to, but until recently, the role of psychological factors in risk and rehabilitation has been poorly understood. In …

Sports February 18, 2022

The Master

The Brilliant Career of Roger Federer

Christopher Clarey

Hosted by Paul Knepper

There have been other biographies of Roger Federer, but never one with this kind of access to the man himself, his support team, and the most prominent figures in the …

Sports February 17, 2022

Roller Derby

The History of an American Sport

Michella M. Marino

Hosted by Keith Rathbone

Today we are joined by Dr. Michella Marino, the Deputy Director of the Indiana Historical Bureau, a division of the Indiana State Library, and the author of Roller Derby: The …

Sports February 14, 2022

Before March Madness

The Wars for the Soul of College Basketball

Kurt Edward Kemper

Hosted by Kelly McFall

Big money NCAA basketball had its origins in a many-sided conflict of visions and agendas. On one side stood large schools focused on a commercialized game that privileged wins and …

Sports February 11, 2022

Bidding for the 1968 Olympic Games

International Sport's Cold War Battle with NATO

Heather L. Dichter

Hosted by Keith Rathbone

Today we are joined by Heather Dichter, Associate Professor of Sports History and Sports Management at the International Centre for Sports History and Culture at De Montfort University. She is …

Dan Hill's EQ Spotlight February 10, 2022

No One Playing

The Essence of Mindfulness in Golf and in Life

Martin Wells

Hosted by Dan Hill

Today I talked to Martin Wells about his new book No One Playing: The Essence of Mindfulness in Golf and in Life (John Hunt, 2022). As Martin Wells explains, to imagine you’re …

Sports February 3, 2022

The Sports Revolution

How Texas Changed the Culture of American Athletics

Frank Andre Guridy

Hosted by Kelly McFall

When I was a teenager, I spent entirely too much time at the Pontiac Silverdome watching the Detroit Pistons play basketball. In all the games I watched, it never occurred …

General History January 20, 2022

Degrees of Difficulty

How Women's Gymnastics Rose to Prominence and Fell from Grace

Georgia Cervin

Hosted by Miranda Melcher

Electrifying athletes like Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci helped make women’s artistic gymnastics one of the most popular events in the Olympic Games. But the transition of gymnastics from a …

Sports January 12, 2022

The Story of Yoga

From Ancient India to the Modern West

Alistair Shearer

Hosted by Keith Rathbone

Today we are joined by Alistair Shearer, a freelance scholar of South Asian religion and culture, and teacher of yoga and the psychology of yoga. He is also the author …