Run Along

Growing up, Isa Berardo didn’t feel like the labels of “male” or “female” quite fit. Processing their gender identity as an athlete become complicated, however, in sport, an activity which really loves a binary. So, how did this All-American goalkeeper come to find acceptance in the very space that once isolated them? Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Ryan O’Callaghan didn’t have a plan for life after football. Stuffing down his sexuality for over 15 years had dragged the NFL player down to an incredibly dark place. Then, a meeting with a Kansas City Chiefs psychologist in 2011 changed everything. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Content Warning: This episode contains references to suicidal ideation.

Check out rofdn.org to learn more about his foundation that aims to support LGBTQ+ youth.

On today’s show, former SF State long jumper Hilary King talks about her track journey, finding a next chapter, and her experience being a Black police officer in June 2020. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 

Dr. Brandon E. Martin comes on the show to discuss his work “Athletic Voices and Academic Victories: African-American Male Student-Athlete Experiences in the Pac-10” and his current role as an NCAA athletic director and educator. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

The folks who dedicate their lives to non-traditional sports are a special kind of athlete. They know how to leave their ego at the door, what it means to work tirelessly far away from the perks of the mainstream...and they probably have the most interesting fun fact to share in any social situation. Today, a curler and a team handball player talk about their journey to the Olympics and the power these unique sports communities harbor off the rink and court. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 

Colleges and universities are places for learning, research, and finding community. They're also businesses. And, like all businesses during a pandemic that has choked the economy, they are looking for ways to save money. For a few of these institutions, this has meant making difficult decisions—decisions like eliminating entire sports programs. So, what’s it like to have your athletic career come to an end because your sport was deemed less “valuable” than others? Today, twins wrestlers at Old Dominion discuss moment they were told their program would be cancelled and their time as members of the Monarch’s final wrestling team. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Every spring sport athlete saw their season end due to the spread of COVID-19. For the seniors of these programs, this meant having their last run grounded before it really even took off. No traditional senior days. No last games against conference rivals. Today, two spring sport seniors share their stories of coming to terms with their collegiate experience and the final season that never was.

The release of “The Last Dance”, the announcement by Rob Gronkowski...we’ve got un-retiring on the mind. Today, an expert explains what motivates this group of athletes to return to the game, what sports might see more of these stories than others and what can determine whether the success of the comeback. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

By the time March rolls around, only the best of the best collegiate winter sports teams still stand. For these most talented student-athletes, making it to March means a chance to fight for a national championship. Most years, that is. Not this one. So, what’s it like to watch a dream end to a season slip away at the hands of a pandemic? Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Chase Brannon had been pursuing the Olympic dream for over a decade. A serious shoulder injury in 2018 led the pole vaulter to decide that he would give it his all to make the 2020 trials, but that after, he would retire. That was the plan…until March 24th when the IOC announced Olympics would be postponed to next summer. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.