Episode 95: Nate Bell, Thomas Jones, and Bailey Ratzburg

Episode 95: Nate Bell, Thomas Jones, and Bailey Ratzburg

In May, Vanderbilt assistant athletic director Nate Bell helped lead a group of Vanderbilt student-athletes to Iceland for an immersive week of sightseeing, learning, and team-building. Bell, along with Thomas Jones of the Vanderbilt football team and Bailey Ratzburg of the women’s swimming team, join the show to discuss the highlights and meaning of the trip.

Episode 94: AnnaSofia Dickens

AnnaSofia Dickens is a teenage author, singer-songwriter, and flag football player from Southern California who has become a national advocate for the sport she loves. She joins the show to discuss flag football's explosive growth in the US and internationally and her work to grow the game.

Episode 93: Kelsey Davis

Kelsey Davis, Episocpal priest and co-founder of Christian Athlete Circles, joins the show to discuss her work to provide an inclusive and non-proselytizing resource for college athletes. A former collegiate, national team, and professional soccer player, Davis says "being an athlete is a great gift and a great challenge. In a world centered around the commodification of bodies, high-pressure environments, and ruthless schedules, it is extremely difficult to simultaneously train and perform at a high level while trying to live a life that is centered and intentional with meaningful conversations around your experiences."

Episode 92: Ricky Thrash and Darren Ambrose

Our resident soccer expert Ricky Thrash guest hosts this episode with Vanderbilt women’s soccer coach Darren Ambrose. They discuss the meaning of soccer in Darren’s life, the rise of the women’s soccer program at Vanderbilt, and the state of the global game.

Episode 91: Michael Husain

Filmmaker Michael Husain joins the show to talk about his incredible documentary, The Waiting Game. The film tells the little-known story of a renegade basketball league that inspired today's NBA – and the mostly Black players who have had to fight for decades for fair compensation and recognition. The ABA innovated pro basketball with the 3-point shot and slam dunk contest, and embraced Black culture in ways that the NBA had not yet. And despite the pioneering way the players of the ABA players played basketball, when the two leagues “merged” ABA players were forgotten in a business deal gone bad. The Waiting Game follows a dogged not-for-profit’s pursuit of benefits for former ABA players now struggling to survive. While the NBA generates $10+ billion a year, former ABA athletes struggle to buy life-saving medicines, avoid eviction, and worse. This documentary is about the fight to get them their due.