Best of the Best Podcasts: Sports Q3 2018

Today we have the 2nd installment of the third quarter 2018 “Best of the Best” series. My favorite 10 episodes about sports are below and they cover a wide range of topics. I hope you enjoy listening to these as much as I did!

~ Join others who receive podcast emails twice a week about business, sports, leadership, success and more! Sign up here ~

Nick Saban

• Origins with James Andrew Miller: Mind First; Body Second. This is Miller’s second episode on Saban this week and this is a must listen for everyone. It goes over how Saban runs the Alabama football program and his “process.” This is truly a must listen for anyone interested in leading a company, accomplishing their goals, or striving to be great. [August 10, 2018–44 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify| Overcast
• The Origins with James Andrew Miller: When Failure Contributes to Success. This episode is the 3rd part of Miller’s season on University of Alabama Football Coach Nick Saban, and it’s another great one. Lots of fantastic Lane Kiffin quotes/stories, how Saban’s adapted to college football evolving, expecting perfection while giving second chances, and more.[August 13, 2018–42 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Overcast | Stitcher | Website Link

Applying Data and Economics to Sports

• Capital Allocators: Ben Reiter — Moneyball 2.0. This is one of my favorites, if not my favorite, episode of the year. Guest Ben Reiter works for Sports Illustrated and recently authored Astroball: The New Day To Win It All. He discusses the book and the process of how the Astors went from the worst team in baseball to winning the 2017 World Series. They discuss the rationale behind tanking, embracing data and taking Moneyball to the next level with incorporating the human element, and why taking a long term view requires patience. This episode is just as much for investing as it is sports. [August 13, 2018–47 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Overcast | Stitcher | Website Link
• The Curious Investor: Hot Hands and Cold Feet. This episode reviews a couple studies that debunk famous sports myths: the “hot streak” theory in the NBA and why you should go for it on 4th down in the NFL. They tie both ideas to investing — the hot streak myth is viewed as fact because we do a poor job handling randomness, and teams don’t go for it on 4th down because of loss aversion. [August 22, 2018–21 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Overcast | Stitcher | Website Link
• Freakonomics Radio: Why We Choke Under Pressure (and How Not To). No matter your profession, this episode relates to you. They talk with FSU professor Anders Ericsson, creator of the 10,000 hour rule, and look at choking in the Olympics and golf. [July 18, 2018–45 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Overcast | Stitcher | Website Link

The Business of Sports

• Masters In Business: Al Guido Discusses the Sports Industry Business Model. Guido has a very interesting background and is now the President of the San Francisco 49ers and CEO of Elevate Sports Ventures, which works to bring comprehensive business solutions to the sports and entertainment industry. He talks about helping Jerry Jones build AT&T Stadium (Dallas Cowboys) and how that changed the economics of sports forever. Then they talk about his decision work for the 49ers, the 49ers unique decision to expand their new stadium into different revenue generating areas, and how that experience led to Elevate Sports Ventures. This is a fantastic episode on the business of sports. [September 7, 2018–43 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Overcast | Spotify | Stitcher | Website Link
• The Business of Sports Podcast: RTAB #99: Adam Grant. They start with negotiating and then the Eagles and Celtics performance the prior year…but I’d start the pod at 23:20 to listen to them talk about what to look for when you draft players: character, givers not takers, grit, and humility. Grant suggests defining what those mean so your process becomes more scientific and precise. He finishes by suggesting what to ask when speaking to people involved in players’ lives and focusing on what are they do that’s immeasurable [diving for loose balls, attending practice when hurt]. [June 27, 2018–33 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Overcast | Stitcher

Interviews with NBA Legends

• The School of Greatness: Kobe Bryant: Mamba Mentality and The Mind of a Champion. The interview starts at 6:15. Kobe covers a lot in this episode and it relates to everyone. He discusses why you have to take a long-term view for improvement because you can’t catch up to people overnight, how he developed the Mamba Mentality to destroy his competitors, and why losing is exciting. They finish the episode with plugs for his his new podcast for kids called “The Punies” and his book, The Mamba Mentality: How I Play, which comes out in October.[September 10, 2018–53 minutes] iTunes Podcast| Spotify | Overcast | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Website Link
• The Bill Simmons Podcast: Stephen Curry on Battling LeBron, NBA Twitter, Klaytheism, and the Quest for Immortality. Curry covers a lot, from the toll four straight NBA Finals takes on you, his new teammate, monitoring Twitter for Woj bombs, growing up as the son of an NBA player, his relationship with Charlotte, the best Draymond Green stories, and more. [August 16, 2018–1 hour, 25 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Overcast | SoundCloud| Stitcher | Website Link

Mental Health of Professional Athletes

• The Woj Podcast: Jackie MacMullan. MacMullan is an NBA columnist for ESPN and in the middle of releasing 5 articles spotlighting mental health issues in the NBA. This is a powerful episode, and the articles are as well. Her talk with Woj covers some of the topics she wrote about, including Kevin Love opening up about a panic attack last season and Paul Pierce discussing effects from being stabbed 18 years ago. [August, 21, 2018–36 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Overcast | Stitcher