It Was Said: Sports

We hold speeches from the world of sports deep in our hearts and minds as timeless moments that continue to bring us inspiration, historical context, empathy, education and more. Welcome to It Was Said: Sports, a documentary podcast that guides you through six of the most impactful and timeless speeches in sports history, including Jack Buck’s “For America” poem following the 9/11 attacks, Muhammad Ali protesting the Vietnam War, Billie Jean King championing equal pay, Tim Tebow’s promise, Hank Aaron’s Hall of Fame acceptance speech, and co-captain Harry Flournoy’s powerful statement on race during Texas Western's Basketball Hall of Fame induction. From the team that brought you the Webby Award-winning Best Series of 2021, It Was Said, comes the sports version of the franchise. Narrated by NBA legend Doc Rivers and written by Pulitzer Prize winning and best-selling historian Jon Meacham. It Was Said: Sports is an Audacy original presented in partnership with Shining City Audio.

Episodes

Introducing About A Boy: The Story of Vladimir Putin

October 21, 2023 • 3 mins

In the West, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is always seen as one of two things: KGB spy or judo master. But to anyone who’s ever lived in the Soviet Union, Putin is something else entirely: a street kid. Join journalist Julia Ioffe as she explores how Putin’s childhood taught him lessons that shape his thinking and actions to this day. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.co...

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The Championship That Changed Everything: Texas Western’s 1966 NCAA Title

October 13, 2021 • 22 mins

In an historic moment in college sports, Texas Western becomes the first team to start five black players in the 1966 NCAA national championship. Their defeat over the University of Kentucky marked a victory over racial discrimination and changed college sports forever. Sportscasters Michael Wilbon and Verne Lundquist join Doc Rivers to look back on this historic moment in sports history. To learn more about listener data and our...

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Henry Aaron’s Quiet Grace

October 6, 2021 • 22 mins

It’s the Atlanta Braves versus the Los Angeles Dodgers on a warm spring day in 1974. One pitch changed everything when Hank Aaron’s milestone home run broke Babe Ruth’s legendary record. Major League Baseball manager and former player Dusty Baker joins Doc Rivers to talk about Hank Aaron’s achievements and his election into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. They discuss the adversity Aaron faced as he was forced to confront racism...

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Tim Tebow’s Promise

September 29, 2021 • 25 mins

In 2008, expectations were running high for Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow. The previous year, the Heisman Trophy winner set many major SEC records and was expected to continue leading the team to success. Tim Tebow joins Doc Rivers to discuss his humbling speech after the Florida Gators took a shocking loss to Ole Miss in 2008. Football coach Urban Meyer and sportscaster Verne Lundquist look back on Tebow’s college career an...

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Billie Jean King and the Fight for Justice

September 22, 2021 • 20 mins

In 1973, Billie Jean King wins the Battle of the Sexes, defeating her male opponent on the tennis court. And off the court, she uses her talent to make sea changes in the broader world, opening the way for female athletes to reach an entirely new level of public fame and fair compensation. In this episode, Billie Jean King joins Doc Rivers to talk about how she uses her voice today as a vibrant force for equality and opportunity fo...

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Muhammad Ali and the Making of a New World

September 15, 2021 • 22 mins

Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali was perhaps the most famous man on Earth, and not only for his epic skill in the ring. In this episode, Doc Rivers is joined by legendary sportscaster Al Michaels and longtime sports journalist Michael Wilbon to discuss Ali’s powerful and revolutionary words about race, politics, culture, and sport, especially during the height of the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. His words made their ...

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9/11, and America’s Season of Strength

September 8, 2021 • 24 mins

Legendary sports broadcaster Jack Buck delivers a patriotic and impassioned speech just days after the September 11 attacks on the United States. The nation froze, events were cancelled, and sports put on hold. But to signal America’s return to professional sports, Buck recites a poem of his own composition the day baseball resumed at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Monday, September 17, 2001. To learn more about listener data and ...

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Welcome to It Was Said: Sports

April 30, 2021 • 3 mins

We hold speeches from the world of sports deep in our hearts and minds as timeless and historic moments that still, to this day and beyond, bring us inspiration, historical context, empathy, education and more. We remember these iconic moments so that we too can share them with current and future generations as a way to remember why they touched us personally, and why they remain so relevant and important today. Welcome to It Was S...

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