Good Sport

TED

There's no better way to understand our world than through sports. Epic wins. Heartbreaking losses. The feeling you get when you look a teammate in the eye. Sports reveal the strange and fascinating psychology that competition brings out in all of us. Good Sport dives into worlds like F1 racing, table tennis, NBA shooting, and beyond. Asking questions like: Is "the zone" a real place? What are talent hotbeds, and how do we create them? And… is it still baseball if you're wearing a giant banana suit? From host Jody Avirgan (30 for 30, FiveThirtyEight, Radiotopia) and the TED Audio Collective, Good Sport is your guide through an array of stadiums, pitches, pools and slopes that shed a light on the ups and downs of being human.

A quick favor: We're doing a listener survey, and we'd love to know what you think of the show. Please take a few minutes and fill it out at tedtalks.social/sportsurvey. Thanks!

read less

Our Editor's Take

Pro athletes like golfers, MLB, NFL, and NBA players get into a mindset called "the zone." The Good Sport podcast talks about this and other topics around sports psychology.

Sports are part of pop culture worldwide. Soccer unites nations across Africa, Asia, and Europe. Super Bowl Sunday is an American phenomenon. Sports fans fight over games and players they've never met. People bond in bars across America over the NBA playoffs. What do all these elements mean? The answer is simple. Sports are much more than the outcome of the competition. They are a psychological phenomenon that has united generations. Good Sport attempts to understand the psychology behind sports and their impact. Anyone looking for a sports podcast that's more than recaps may find the podcast worthwhile.

The Good Sport podcast tells unconventional sports stories. It offers listeners a different perspective on sports. The podcast examines topics like the psyche of a sport's fanbase and the vulnerable emotions that come with losing a game or competition. Fantasy football involves drafting a made-up team from real players and watching as they perform. Players often invest real money into these fantasy football worlds. Why do they do this? Host Jody Avirgan created the podcast to find the answers to these questions.

Avirgan's other credits include hosting This Day in Esoteric History and Death at the Wing. On the Good Sport podcast, Jody chats with experts and professional athletes. He discusses getting in the zone with Steph Curry. Another episode has Jody discussing with another sports journalist Bomani Jones. They speak about that "it" factor many successful athletes have. A biathlon pro talks about shifting between mindsets as she speeds down a snowy trail. The stories and discussions are thorough, entertaining, and thought-provoking. This podcast may appeal to sports fans of all levels.

read less
SportsSports

Episodes