Sports Explains the World

At the 2022 IFSC Climbing Asian Championships, Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi competed without a hijab, sending shockwaves through Iran's political establishment. Many Iranian athletes have been targeted by the country's "morality police," and driven from their homes to seek new lives, and new competition, elsewhere. Captivated by her mother’s stories of pre-revolution Iran, reporter Sanam Skelly has watched waves of her home country's unrest her entire life. Sanam travels to Germany to meet two Iranian refugees, a weight lifter and a taekwondo competitor, who say they were forced to flee in order to compete.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

Stanford University holds the record for most Division I NCAA titles -- which means its marching band has plenty to root for. The Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band became a student-run organization in the midst of the turbulent 1960's. Decades of debauchery, irreverence, and protest ensued. The group now faces a crossroads in the wake of the #MeToo movement and the scrutiny of college hazing rituals. Can it survive? Should it? Reporter Rachel Miller-Howard interviews the members trying to save it, the officials trying to kill it, and the Tree mascot willing to die for it.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

Reporter Tommy Andres comes face-to-face with the intruder he saw in his living room. After Jermain Thompson is released from prison and agrees to sit down for an interview, Tommy begins to understand the tragic series of events that led the former wrestler on a downward trajectory and to break into the Andres' home.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

Two lives were forever changed one night in May of 2021, when an intruder broke into the home of reporter Tommy Andres while his wife and daughters lay sleeping. After the police were called and the broken glass swept up, Andres learned that the intruder was a former college wrestling star named Jermain Thompson. In part one of The Eyes of the Fighter, Andres begins to piece together the man's story, and tries to figure out how Thompson ended up in his family room that fateful night.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

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.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

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.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

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.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

Former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey Morey’s ill-fated tweet in support of the 2019 Hong Kong protests sparked an existential showdown between the NBA and China, where, by some estimates, there are more basketball fans than people in the United States. In part two of Two Dreams, reporter Kerry Seed looks back at the crucial time during the 1980s when the NBA and the People’s Republic of China began to form a unique partnership.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

The NBA is considered one of the most socially progressive leagues in all of sports. Yet the league's fortunes are intertwined with China, a country with a complicated history of human rights abuse allegations. The tension between these competing interests exploded into the public discourse in 2019, when then Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey sent a controversial tweet during massive protests in Hong Kong, and the NBA found itself at the center of a storm. In part one of Two Dreams, reporter Kerry Seed tells the story of how sports, politics, and business combined to form a multi-billion dollar tornado.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

The Dominican Republic produces more professional baseball players per capita than any other country in the world -- but one city in particular specializes in shortstops. Reporter Jeffrey Bissoy travels to San Pedro de Macorís to discover how the city consistently exports excellence for one of the most difficult positions in all of sports.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

As mensur combatants Felix and Max prepare to fight, reporter Leo Hornack documents their training, while exploring larger questions about the sport. Leo tries to understand how such an antiquated sport still exists, and what it does for those who dare to take part in a match. But as the fight nears, police begin to infiltrate fraternities in the hopes of putting an end to mensur, placing months of training, and an ancient art at risk.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

How far would you go to prove yourself? Is there still a place in modern society for violent competition? Should frat bros carry swords? These are some of the questions surrounding Mensur, an ancient but underground form of sword fighting practiced at fraternities throughout Europe -- like "Fight Club", but with swords. In part one of this story, reporter Leo Hornack embeds with two mensur fighters in Germany as they prepare for an upcoming match. Along the way, we hear the history of the underground sport that even the Nazis thought was too crazy, and Leo goes face-to-face with a real blade.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

Davy Rothbart struggles with whether to tell Allison what he's learned about the murder of her mother nearly four decades ago. He seeks out advice from an unlikely source: Allison and Davy's all-time favorite baseball player, former Detroit Tigers outfielder, Chet Lemon.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

11-year-old Chet Lemon superfan Allison cheers on the Detroit Tigers on their path to World Series glory in 1984. The team's success is a comfort for a girl whose mother was tragically murdered by a stranger in a robbery gone wrong. Nearly four decades later, Allison's friend, reporter Davy Rothbart, reaches out to the woman convicted of the crime to learn more about the tragic day that changed all of their lives.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

In the sixth grade, Davy Rothbart fell in love — with a girl named Allison...and Detroit Tigers outfielder Chet Lemon. It didn't hurt that Allison loved Chet Lemon at least as much as Davy did. But months into their innocent courtship, tragedy struck when Allison’s mother was shot and killed in a random robbery. More than 30 years later, unable to forget the heartbreak Allison endured, Davy goes back in time for answers to questions he couldn’t have known to ask as an 11-year-old.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

In part three of the Big Dipper, Wilt Chamberlain signs a record-breaking contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and wins L.A's first NBA title. But despite his storied career full of MVP awards and every basketball accolade imaginable, his legacy also includes well-publicized sexual exploits and a controversial alignment with conservative politics. How will one of the greatest to ever play ultimately be remembered?Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

Wilt Chamberlain goes from sideshow to superstar early in his career. But as his profile rises, so do the challenges of being a famous black athlete in the midst of the Civil Rights Era. Wilt's formative years in the NBA are spent repeatedly losing to Red Auerbach's Boston Celtics; one of the most successful dynasties in league history. In part two of the Big Dipper, Wilt's outlook and political ideologies are at odds with his rival team's biggest star, Bill Russell, making him a target for critics and naysayers.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

Wilt Chamberlain is the greatest basketball player ever. This may sound like a controversial statement to some and even heresy to others, but reporters Shaun Assael and Peter Keating can prove it. They unearth archival footage, get a little help from Reddit and enlist data scientists to gather new and more accurate stats from Wilt's career. And those numbers don't lie. Tune in to part one of the incredible story of Wilt Chamberlin's life and career.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

In part two of Sneaker Con, the other shoe drops. Michael Malekzadeh’s alleged scheme comes to light and his company, Zadeh Kicks goes under. With thousands of orders left to be filled, Reporters David Gardner and Diana Moskovitz visit the former Zadeh Kick’s warehouse, and go to Michael Malekzadeh’s parent’s house looking for answers.

Social media sensation and sneaker reseller Michael Malekzadeh helmed Zadeh Kicks, an online company that netted $6 million a month. He was at the top of his game until the U.S. Department of Justice accused Malekzadeh of running a Ponzi scheme. The unregulated sneaker reselling market is projected to reach $30 billion in sales by 2030 and everyone from common criminals, to Nike executives, to Michael Jordan’s own son have tried to secure their part of the bag. In part one of Sneaker Con, reporters David Gardner and Diana Moskovitz explore the collision of two of America’s favorite pastimes: basketball and the reckless pursuit of riches.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

The legend of Rashun Richardson's rise to high school basketball glory crumbles, and a much older man named Sidney Gilstrap-Portley is left to pick up the pieces. What starts as a tale of deceit and second chances, turns into an introspective look at who gets to profit from someone's story. In part two of The Imposter, reporter Max Marshall concludes Richardson's saga, and catches up with the former high school star for an honest conversation.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

In 2017, Rashun Richardson enrolled as a freshman at Hillcrest High School in Dallas. He claimed to be a Hurricane Harvey refugee from South Houston who had just lost his home, and everything else along with it. Just a few weeks later, Rashun became the star of the Hillcrest Panthers varsity basketball team, perennial losers who suddenly found themselves winning big behind an unstoppable player putting up 30, and sometimes 40 points a game. But just after the season, where Rashun was named the district’s offensive player of the year, there’s a knock at his door. It’s the police and they have some questions. Reporter Max Marshall reveals the truth of Hillcrest High’s star, delving deep into a story that’s as much about class and opportunity as sports.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

In part three of The Mighty Bucks, the Pinebridge Bucks try to weather the storms of a losing season, dwindling ticket sales and a steep drop in team morale. But the Buck's survival is crucial to the health of all of professional hockey, whether the owner Robert Bailey knows it or not. Could a new coach mean a fresh start for the fledgling team? Reporters Sean and Louise Flynn examine the impact of the small but mighty team hailing from deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

In part two of The Mighty Bucks, the town of Spruce Pine falls in love with the Pinebridge Bucks, even if the stands are full of novice hockey fans. The Bucks players become local celebrities around Spruce Pine, as the Bucks represent a first step and even a last hope for NHL prospects. The financial realities of fielding a professional sports team prove to be tricky, and are complicated even more by a mysterious religious cult that tries to lay claim to Robert Bailey's business.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

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.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

In a westside suburb of Cleveland called Brecksville, nothing is more important than football. Well, football and gymnastics. The girls gymnastics team at Brecksville-Broadview Heights has won every single state title since 2002. In Dynasty: The Legend of the Brecksville Bees, reporter Nina Mandell looks back at how the team rose to dominance— starting with the Ganims, an unlikely coaching family, and reveals why the incredible pressure the gymnasts are under this season is a 10 out of 10.

After budget cuts put the fate of the Quinnipiac University women’s volleyball team in jeopardy, the players dug in against an unlikely opponent: competitive cheerleading. The battle didn’t take place on a court, though. It took place IN one. In 2009, the volleyballers, along with the ACLU, sued to have cheerleading officially nixed as an NCAA sport. Their cause was backed by a major corporation that claimed to own cheerleading. In part two of Cheering For Themselves, Reporters Rose Eveleth and Lisa Pollak conclude the Title IX tale that continues to send ripples through cheerleading across the country.

In the early 2000s, a group of coaches banded together to try to make cheerleading an official NCAA varsity sport. But it turns out that was no small feat. The torchbearers faced sexism, disrespect, and a powerful corporation hell-bent on keeping cheerleaders on the sidelines. In part one of Cheering For Themselves, reporters Rose Eveleth and Lisa Pollak tell the story of a group of students and parents who went to the mat to develop cheerleading into a recognized sport.

Yao Ming was the number one pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, and he came in with the hope of the entire country of China behind him. Basketball had become a hugely successful American export in the country, and Ming was the face of the confluence between cultures and continents. But after his playing career ended, Ming flipped the script, bringing a talented but largely unproven coach from the US to China to head up the Shanghai Sharks, a professional basketball team Ming bought in 2009. Reporter Kerry Seed follows coach Bob Donewald’s search for basketball salvation and success in Shanghai.Listen to Sports Explains the World on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/sports-explains-the-world/ now.

After suffering sanctions and scrutiny, the Howard University soccer team rises to the top again, earning another chance to play for the national championship in 1974. A win would be redemption for the Bison, who believe they were targeted unfairly. Reporter Mark Wright dives back into the story with five decades of hindsight to examine the NCAA's decision to strip the Bison of their 1971 title.

Shortly after the championship parties die down, the NCAA makes a grave announcement about the Howard University soccer team, alleging that some of Howard's players weren't eligible to be college athletes. The NCAA strips Howard of its '71 title and denies the players their glory, their White House visit, and their place in history.

Ian Bain and Alvin Henderson were just boys when they first met on the schoolyard soccer fields in Trinidad. They battled on the field with the same common goal, to become professional footballers. Years later, the duo is recruited to come to the United States and play soccer for the Howard University Bison. Together, they are the young anchors of the first HBCU team to win an NCAA Division I championship in 1971. It's a story of triumph, until the rumors start. Reporter Mark Wright presents the first chapter of a redemption tale 50 years in the making.

In part two of Volley and Serve, reporter Tim Rohan shows the real consequences of Sergiy Stakhovsky's decision to join the Ukrainian Army to fight against Russia. The choice destroyed his marriage. Every mission could be his last. Troops are dwindling, too. And he's now being sent out to fight in one of the most deadly battlefields of the war.Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Sports Explains the World early and ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.

Ukrainian tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky gained fame when he upset Roger Federer at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships. Stakhovsky carved out a solid tennis career that lasted nearly 20 years, and earned more than $5 million in prize money. But after retiring from tennis in 2022, Stakhovsky heard the news that Russia was invading Ukraine, and decided to enlist to help defend his homeland. Reporter Tim Rohan travels to Kyiv to meet Stakhovsky and his family, and hear the story of the professional athlete who ran towards the fight.Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Sports Explains the World early and ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.

Disgraced former Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow takes the reigns of a cherished, but downtrodden, professional soccer team in suburban Madrid. But can the man who built a championship baseball team by mining in the depths of Central and South American talent do the same by recruiting young African soccer players? And will Luhnow's controversial leadership style be accepted in a town steeped in tradition? Reporter Josh Lewin has the second act of Luhnow's surprising second act.Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Sports Explains the World early and ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.

In 2017, Major League Baseball implicated the Houston Astros in a sign-stealing scandal that rocked the sport, right after they'd won the World Series. At the center of the controversy was the team's general manager, Jeff Luhnow. In the wake of the scandal, the Astros cut ties with Luhnow, who still maintains his innocence. Reporter Josh Lewin tracked Luhnow down in his new home in Leganés, Spain to learn about his efforts to bring his moneyball approach to a new sport: soccer.

Curt Schilling did something many Boston fans thought was impossible. He led the Red Sox to their first World Series title since 1918, finally destroying the dreaded Curse of the Bambino. And he did it with an ankle so injured, it visibly bled through his socks on live television. This larger than life accomplishment made many people believe he could do anything, including Curt Schilling himself, who after his retirement turned his attention to the other love of his life—video games. Reporter Bijan Stephen delves into Schilling’s wild and epic second act as the founder of a controversial video game company.Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Sports Explains the World early and ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.

A scary swim shakes creek boater Anna Wagner's confidence. She must decide whether or not to leave the world of extreme kayaking behind. But can she live a fulfilled life without it? Our second part of Running on Water drops us back into the world of creek boating, and into a decision that will forever shape Anna's life.Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Sports Explains the World early and ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.

Girl meets river. River meets girl. The two hit it off. Girl falls in love. She moves to a town minutes from it. Her life revolves around the river. Life is perfect. But when a gnarly rapid on the river nearly kills her, she must rethink her relationship. Paddle back in, or leave it behind for good? In part one of Running on Water, Sarah Fox introduces us to a 5-foot-2 dragon slayer named Anna Wagner. Anna fell in love with creek boating at an early age, and found community amongst a group of athletes who seemingly duel death for daps, but are really in it for a completely different reason.

When Lithuania broke off from the Soviet Union, they wanted revenge. Their players had led the USSR to gold medal glory. And now, ahead of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, the Lithuanian men's basketball team had the chance to win for their own country. One problem? The country was broke and couldn’t afford to send them to the Olympic Games. The team started looking for benefactors. And so begins The Skullman Cometh, a tale involving a tie-dye T-shirt, large sums of cash, and the Grateful Dead. It goes from Vilnius, Lithuania to the Bay Area, and all the way to the set of Friends. It’s a long, strange trip. But it provides a window into understanding the current relationships that former Soviet-block countries have with Russia, and why skeletons are in the closet of streetwear enthusiasts. 

In part two of The Real Jay Mullen, CIA operative Jay Mullen finds himself in trouble when the ruler of Uganda launches a campaign to force Asians out of the country, resulting in a genocide that would kill an estimated 500,000 people. As Mullen tries to save family friends, he also has to coach the Ugandan National team against a team of Soviet professionals, recruit double agents who are up for turning against the USSR, and stay alive.

In 1972, in the middle of the Cold War, the Soviet military sent a team of all-stars to Kampala to compete in three goodwill basketball games against Uganda’s top players. But the Soviets, who were hoping to curry favor with the leader of the new regime, Idi Amin, didn’t know that the Ugandan national team was being coached by an undercover American CIA operative named Jay Mullen. Sent to Uganda earlier that year to spy on the Soviets, the well-meaning history teacher from Oregon ends up courtside with one of the most notorious dictators in history. Reporter Shaun Raviv brings us close to the story in The Real Jay Mullen. 

Long summer nights and baseball on the radio. Like many other Baltimore Orioles fans of his generation, host Sam Dingman grew up listening with his dad to Jon Miller, Chuck Thompson, and the voice of his childhood, Fred Manfra, calling play-by-play on the radio. The story of every Orioles game became the story of Sam learning how to communicate with the man who was otherwise a mystery—his dad. Sam embarks on a journey to revisit those sounds of summer magic, and understand more about his father in the process.

In part two of Spider's Web, reporter Gloria Liu travels down the winding slopes of recollection and rumor to discover a decades-held secret about Spider Sabich that completely alters the skier's legacy.

American Alpine skier Vladimir Peter Sabich became a sensation at the 1968 Winter Olympics. He had movie-star good looks, a famous girlfriend, and even a cool nickname—Spider. His ascent to the top of the skiing world matched the sport's own growth into the global spotlight. But at just age 31, Spider Sabich's life was cut short by a loaded .22, held in the hands of his girlfriend, the French actress Claudine Longet, who claimed it was an accident. Reporter Gloria Liu explores what was lost when skiing's bright young star was killed in his prime.

As a kid, Kieran Morris, a cheeky lad from Liverpool, loved pulling pranks to fool the press. When England played Honduras in a friendly soccer match, he found a young player on the Honduran side, inflated his stats on Wikipedia to equal those of a young Messi and Ronaldo, and then dubbed the player the “Honduran Maradona.” Sky News, a top outlet, fell for the prank. But so did an MLS soccer team. They signed the “Honduran Maradona” and the story became the jokester’s go-to tale at the pub. But Kieran always held on to some low-grade guilt for tossing a player into a situation where he would no doubt fail. The Engineer is a comical and cautionary tale about fake news that takes us across continents, as Kieran Morris, now grown, sets about retracing his prank, culminating in a face-to-face meeting with the player whose life he altered: the "Honduran Maradona."

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 athletics in provocative and unexpected ways. You’ll never view sports the same way again.Wondery Plus subscribers can hear upcoming episodes of Sports Explains the World right now ad-free. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. Get started with your free trial at wondery.com/plus.