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Good Sport

TED

There's no better way to understand our world than through sports. Epic wins. Heartbreaking losses. The feeling you get when you look a teammate in the eye. Sports reveal the strange and fascinating psychology that competition brings out in all of us. Good Sport dives into worlds like F1 racing, table tennis, NBA shooting, and beyond. Asking questions like: Is "the zone" a real place? What are talent hotbeds, and how do we create them? And… is it still baseball if you're wearing a giant banana suit? From host Jody Avirgan (30 for 30, FiveThirtyEight, Radiotopia) and the TED Audio Collective, Good Sport is your guide through an array of stadiums, pitches, pools and slopes that shed a light on the ups and downs of being human.

A quick favor: We're doing a listener survey, and we'd love to know what you think of the show. Please take a few minutes and fill it out at tedtalks.social/sportsurvey. Thanks!

There's no better way to understand our world than through sports. Epic wins. Heartbreaking losses. The feeling you get when you look a teammate in the eye. Sports reveal the strange and fascinating psychology that competition brings out in all of us. Good Sport dives into worlds like F1 racing, table tennis, NBA shooting, and beyond. Asking questions like: Is "the zone" a real place? What are talent hotbeds, and how do we create them? And… is it still baseball if you're wearing a giant banana suit? From host Jody Avirgan (30 for 30, FiveThirtyEight, Radiotopia) and the TED Audio Collective, Good Sport is your guide through an array of stadiums, pitches, pools and slopes that shed a light on the ups and downs of being human.

A quick favor: We're doing a listener survey, and we'd love to know what you think of the show. Please take a few minutes and fill it out at tedtalks.social/sportsurvey. Thanks!

4hr 27min
Thumbnail for "After the Glory Fades".
Competitive sports give athletes structure, community and purpose. And an outlet for their passion. So what happens when, because of injury or age, they can’t play anymore?
Thumbnail for "The Past and Future of Gender in Sport".
We often take gender for granted as a “natural” division in sports and life. But did you know the first decisions to divide sports into “male” and “female” categories were in many ways the result of women beating men in mixed gender competitions?
Thumbnail for "How to Survive a Losing Team".
No one loves to lose. But even if you are a GOAT on a great AND lucky team (and sure, we can debate about who the GOAT is – drop us a line at goodsport@ted.com), no one wins every time.
Thumbnail for "How to Make a Fan: From F1 to Banana Ball ".
If a sport isn't thinking about how to entertain its fans, it usually doesn't last long. And with so much competing for our attention, what makes someone follow a specific team, or show up to a game?
Thumbnail for "The Hidden World of Stadium Deals".
Stadiums are not just a place for sports fans to cheer on the home team – they’re also concert venues, convention centers and even serve as makeshift shelters in emergencies. Stadiums are important.
Thumbnail for "The Truth About "The Zone"".
When it comes to sports, is there anything more evocative –and elusive– than “the zone”?
Thumbnail for "Pardon the Interruption… But Did Sports Debate Shows Change the World?".
t does it take to be a sports hot-take artist? And, could Jody do it?
Thumbnail for "Something in the Water: Where Do Great Athletes Come From?".
“Muck City”, Florida. Kinston, North Carolina. The courts of New York City in the 80s and 90s. These places share one unique trait: they found a way to produce a particular kind of great athlete over and over.
Thumbnail for "Welcome to Good Sport".
What can sports teach us about life – and each other?