People love a scapegoat. In the wake of Liverpool's failed title chase in 2013-14, many fans and pundits pointed to their captain's infamous gaffe in their match against Chelsea as the reason for their demise. He's been blamed nearly exclusively ever since, by both friend and enemy alike. History and psychology, however, would recommend against that approach. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/student-of-the-game2/support

Student of the Game

In Defense of Steven Gerrard

Sometimes thing happen in sports that look highly questionable, and sometimes those things happen at the most pivotal moment possible. In Fall 2005, Matt Leinart scored a game-winning touchdown that initially seemed fine, but upon further review, it became clear that he'd gotten some significant (and at the time illegal) help. In this new segment, we look at how and why calls like this don't get made, and how it impacts the way the view sports. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/student-of-the-game2/support

It Shouldn't Have Counted: The Bush Push

From 2008 to 2011, the Phillies enjoyed one of the most fruitful periods in their franchise's history, and their pitching staff was largely responsible. In this Team Building Exercise, we look back at how the Phillies built their dominant rotation, and how the famed "Four Aces" came together for a memorably dominant 2011 season.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/student-of-the-game2/support

Team Building Exercise: The 2011 Phillies' Four Aces

Athletic Bilbao has maintained a Basque-only policy for recruitment for decades. That stance, however, got pushed to its limits when the club wanted to sign French (read: not Basque) starlet Aymeric Laporte.  This episode of SotG explores the baffling, ambiguous dance that Laporte and the policy have done around each other over the years, and what it can tell us about what it really means to be "from" somewhere.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/student-of-the-game2/support

The Curious Case of Aymeric Laporte

This episode will make you want to twist and shout for sure. In an SotG first, we venture across the pond to talk to Dr. Simon Warner about music, soccer, and the deepest roots of England's biggest rivalry. And we provide a theory of how with music, no matter how deep the divide between fanbases, ultimately, we can work it out (get it?).  Dr. Warner's Paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14660970.2011.530468 YouTube videos incorporated: Luis Suarez Your Teeth are Offside - Misha Cherchinyan Harry Kane Chant - The12thMan "You only sing when you're winning" - BVB Borussia Dortmund Manchester City CL 2012 Fans - Borrusen.TV --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/student-of-the-game2/support

S1E2 - "You Only Sing When You're Winning"

Hate is a strong word, but we still use it for sports teams! In this inaugural episode, SotG interviews Dr. Joe Cobbs, a sports marketing professor at Northern Kentucky who's at the forefront of rivalry research and theory. And while you may think you know why you don't like that one team, this episode may convince you that there's actually a lot more to it.  --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/student-of-the-game2/support

S1E1 - Into the Rivalryverse

You have a team that you love dearly....which also means you probably have a team that you hate. Season one of SotG looks into the history and mechanics of the most important and entertaining rivalries in sports.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/student-of-the-game2/support

Introducing Season One

It's time to elevate the quality of the water cooler discussion. Let's be smarter about sports. Student of the Game looks at the biggest topics in sports according to the smartest people currently studying them. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/student-of-the-game2/support

hubhopper

Student of the Game

hubhopper