Head In The Game

Matt and Jonathan chop it up about the Paris Olympics, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Matt and Jonathan talk about the legacy of Pete Rose, his on field exploits and his off the field depredations. The Shakespearean tragedy of the demise of Baseball Commissioner, A. Bart Giamatti, and whether gambling in sports now should be viewed differently. Plus, bonus Luis Tiant content.

Matt and Jonathan discuss OJ Simpson's life, legacy and crimes.

Matt and Jonathan return to discuss March Madness, Cailtin Clark, Paige Bueckers and more.

Matt and Jonathan speak with Kevin Baker about his awesome new book, The New York Game, a history of baseball in New York City from 1845-1945. Spoiler Alert: Baker is working on Part 2, 1945-present, to Matt's great relief.

Matt and Jonathan take a trip down memory lane after hearing news of the mass layoffs at Sports Illustrated. They also take a trip down crazy lane to discuss the rightwing freakout over Taylor Swift and the Super Bowl.

Matt gets mail from a critic about his take on Larry Bird, Boston and race in the 1980s. We discuss.

Matt and Jonathan return to talk about the legends Bill Walton and Bill Russell, their legacies on and off the court and how they're viewed today.

In this episode, Matt and Jonathan chop it up about Deion Sanders' seismic impact on college football, name, image and likeness and hypocrisies of various sorts.

Another special guest! On this episode of Agony of Defeat, Matt and Jonathan talk with Tom Schaller - the author of the new book "Common Enemies: Georgetown Basketball, Miami Football, and the Racial Transformation of College Sports."

*Content Warning* This episode of the Agony of Defeat contains swear words. Listeners Beware. In this episode of Agony of Defeat, Matt and Jonathan sit down to talk with political sportswriter Dave Zirin. Zirin is the author of 11 books including his most recent "The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World," and is also the first sports editor in the history of The Nation magazine.

In this week's episode of Agony of Defeat, Matt and Jonathan sit down and talk with Sports Historian Victoria Jackson. Jackson is a history professor at Arizona State University and former NCAA champion in the 10,000 meters track and field event.

On this week's episode of Agony of Defeat, Jonathan and Matt share their thoughts on the new Netflix Documentary "Untold: Malice at the Palace." They dive into what happened on that particular night, the historical context going into the fight, and the repercussions for not only the players involved, but the NBA as a whole.

In this episode of the Agony of Defeat, Matt and Jonathan talk about the MLB's Field of Dreams game, Shoeless Joe Jackson and the Chicago Black Sox, and what kind of novelty game the MLB could do next. *Content Warning* This episode features two "older" guys who talk about baseball for almost 45 minutes.

In this episode of the Agony of Defeat, Jonathan and Matt reflect on their thoughts from the Tokyo Olympics. They discuss how COVID impacted the summer games, Simone Biles' sudden withdrawal from the gymnastics competitions, and whether or not Olympic medal counts still matter.

In this episode of The Agony of Defeat, Matt and Jonathan talk about Sha'Carri Richardson's suspension from the Olympics, what it means for Laurel Hubbard to compete as a transgender athlete, and how Gwen Berry is trying to change the standard for protesting at the Olympic Games.

Jonathan and Matt discuss NC State's abrupt exit from the college world series, the compensation of student-athletes in the NCAA, and how a tainted burrito may have stopped Shelby Houlihan from competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Baseball in February? Jonathan and Matt remember Hank Aaron and his historic 715th home run, discuss the decision by MLB to recognize the Negro Leagues as “major leagues,” and explore the Hall of Fame’s choice not to elect any candidates this year (trigger warning for all Curt Schilling fans).

Jeff Pearlman joins us to talk about his new book, The Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty.

Jonathan and Matt discuss the sports world's reaction to the shooting of Jacob Blake.