Conversations with Sports Fans

Believe it or not, we're just about five months away from the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina in northern Italy.

To help us get in the spirit and - perhaps - make some travel plans to attend the Games, we're rejoined by Olympic superfan, Ken Hanscom.

Ken, who's attended every Olympics allowing full fan participation since the 2012 London Games, first joined Conversations shortly after the conclusion of...

Our guests in this episode are two-thirds of a trio of midwestern friends who spent 44 hours in the Bethpage (NY) State Park earlier this summer for an opportunity to play its famed Bethpage Black Golf Course, site of the 2025 Ryder Cup.

We learn about how the trip came to be, the devastation when they realized what was supposed to be one night in the parking lot was going to be two, and what the feeling of finally playing the cours...

Tyler Leipprandt is the creative force behind Michigan Sky Media which utilizes drones and chartered aircraft to shoot images of iconic landmarks (both natural and manmade) from high above. Tyler's also recently published the stunning coffee table book MIconic: Stunning Photos and Stories from Iconic Michigan Landmarks.

During our dicsussion with Tyler we learn about how this former NAIA basketball player turned teacher happene...

Our guest this episode is septuagenarian John Yandle.

By day, John works in the commericial real estate business.

It's John's side-gig that we find way cool.

A 1-time Stanford Cardinal pitcher and minor league hurler, John's been serving as a San Francisco Giants' left-handed batting practice pitcher for 41-years.

Yes, you read that correctly.

John's been tossing BP to the Giants since the days of Candlestick Park, a...

Fresh off a nearly 2-plus mile walk back to their flat from the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying match between host Argentina and Venezuela, host Doug Hill and frequent Around the World in 80 Sporting Events traveling partner, Tim Parker, discuss what it was like to be at Estadio Mas Monumental on what might have been Lionel Messi's final competitive match for the national team on home soil.

The pair also compare and contrast the d...

We're joined this week by a fellow fan of sports fans, Matthew Barry.

Matthew hosts and produces the website, newsletter, and podcast entitled "Heart of the Fan."

An outgrowth of his graduate work at Northwestern University, Matthew's goal with Heart of the Fan is - as it states on the website is to "... spotlight the people who shape fan culture from the ground up - because the stories of sports fans deserve to be told, remembered,...

Our guest in this special bonus episode in conjunction with Event No. 24 of the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project (South American soccer matches), is Sam Kelly, host of the first and, he believes, still only English-language Argentinian soccer (er, futbol) podcast, Hand of Pod.

We chat with Sam, a native of southwest England, about his early affinity for Manchester United in the English Premier League and how and when ...

Our guest this week is Nick Schroeck, a Detroit-area native who just happens to be the current Dean of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

Sure, we talk plenty of Detroit-area sports with Nick (think Detroit Lions), but this fellas well-traveled, having studied outside Chicago as well as Edinburgh, Scotland, so there's some Windy City sports chatter as well a moment or two of Six Nations Rugby talk.

But, as Nick's areas o...

Our guest this week, Robert Boudwin, spent 21 NBA seasons in the "Clutch the Bear" costume serving as the Houston Rockets' mascot.

It took us about the length of an NBA TV timeout to discover why Boudwin was perfect for that role. With a mind that is constantly in motion and a gift for engaging with people, this is easily one of our favorite Conversations to date.

Beyond discussing his time as "Clutch the Bear" we also learn about h...

Our guest this episode is Josh Harrellson who's about to embark on his 15th season of professional basketball. Later this month he'll report to training camp in Saga, Japan, to play for the third consecutive season with the Saga Ballooners in Japan's B.League.

Josh grew up outside St. Louis, MO, and during our Conversation we learn about his dream of following in the footsteps of childhood hero, Mark McGwire. Once he reached high s...

Our guest is Wisconsin native, Carl Meyer, who - since 2007 - has played at least 100 holes of golf each July 4 as a fundraiser for organization, Hire Heroes USA, an organization that assists in placing U.S. military veterans and their spouses in civilian jobs once their military duties have ended.

To date, Meyer has raised $1.9 million since beginning his annual July 4 golf-a-palooza.

During our time with Carl we learn about his sp...

(A quick note about this episode featuring Detroit Free Press columnist Neal Rubin: This Conversation was recorded in late April and then, for a variety of reasons, it's been on the shelf waiting to air. We apologize for the delay and any of the dated references that may be made.)

In addition to working at the Free Press, Neal has also written for the Detroit News, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and the Las Vegas Sun.

And, much ...

Our guest in this episode is a member of New York City broadcasting royalty: Len Berman.

Len was the lead sports anchor for NYC's WNBC for 27 years and won mulitple Emmy Awards and New York Sportscaster of the Year honors on six occasions.

Those of us from outside New York became familiar with Len through is regular appearances on the Today Show when he'd share the always popular "Spanning the World" compilation of sports bloopers ...

We're live on tape from the front seat of our car again in this episode which features guests Carol and Helena Hill - host Doug's spouse and daughter - who collectively discuss what their first rodeo experience was like during their day at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, Event No. 22 from the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project.

If you're enjoying Conversations with Sports Fans please consider supporting ou...

In advance of host Doug Hill's attendance at the 129th annual Cheyenne (WY) Frontier Days to take in rodeo, Event No. 22 of the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project, we're joined by Jim Walter, Vice President of Visit Cheyenne as well as Rodeo Program Manager.

Jim provides us a terrific overview on the history of Frontier Days, its impact to the community, and why Cheyenne's a terrific place to visit any time of year but ...

Since The Basketball Tournament (aka TBT) starts up again this week, we felt it apropos to check back in with the man who developed the wildly popular Elam Ending that's used in all TBT games - Dr. Nick Elam.

When last we chatted with Nick (S:2, E:33) he shared the unabridged version of how his eponymous ending came to be and we wound up not having time to discuss his other unique pursuits.

For example, did you know that Nick works o...

Our guest this episode is Dr. Shanyn Lancaster, Medical Director of USA Gymnastics.

Herself a former NCAA Division I gymnast at the University of Minnesota, Shanyn and her 1998 Golden Gophers teammates are in that school's Athletic Hall of Fame after securing the school's first Big Ten Championship.

Prior to taking the role at USA Gymnastics, Shanyn was the Head Team Physician for Arizona State University's athletic prog...

Just in time for the United States' 249th birthday celebration, we're joined by Dr. Dan Wann, a psychology professor at Murray State University, whose area of specialty is the psychology of sports fandom.

No, we don't delve into the rise of competitive eater Joey Chestnut, but we do spend quite a bit of time discussing fans, their behavior, and the positives and negatives of being a sports fan. The answers to which shou...

Our guest this episode is the 15-year head coach of the Rochester (MI) Christian University men's basketball team, Dr. Klint Pleasant.

Klint also serves as a RCU senior vice president and was just named to the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan's 2025 Hall of Fame class where he'll join his father, Garth (Class of 2008).

During our Conversation with Klint we learn about his early life as the child of a successful basketball c...