Behind The Gold: Recent Episodes
Behind The Gold
Behind The Gold is a podcast at the intersection of sports and culture. From the history and the cultural significance of athletics to the business side of sports and the awe-inspiring achievements of the world’s best athletes, Behind The Gold covers it all.
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The 126th Boston Marathon is upon us and 30,000 runners will soon line up in Hopkinton to make the 26.2 mile long journey to the famous Boylston Street in Boston. Before the excitement of the race day kicks in, we are bringing you the ultimate guide to the origins of the world’s oldest marathon!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold
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Sources and further reading:
History of the Boston Marathon: https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/history
Transgender star of University of Pennsylvania’s women’s swim team, Lia Thomas, has dominated women’s college swimming this season. She has also become the face of tradeoffs between inclusion and fairness while her presence in the pool has divided America. Many, including some teammates, believe she shouldn’t be able to compete against other women.
In this episode, we tell the story of Lia Thomas, discuss different arguments in the debate of whether transgender women should be allowed to compete in women’s sports, and look at what the science has to say on the issue.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold
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Sources and further reading:
‘I Am Lia’: The Trans Swimmer Dividing America Tells Her Story (Sports Illustrated): https://www.si.com/college/2022/03/03/lia-thomas-penn-swimmer-transgender-woman-daily-cover
Watching Lia Thomas Win (Common Sense): https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/watching-lia-thomas-win?utm_source=url&s=r
Transgender Women in the Female Category of Sport: Perspectives on Testosterone Suppression and Performance Advantage by Emma N. Hilton & Tommy R. Lundberg: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-020-01389-3
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In a 2011 survey, 44% of elite track and field athletes admitted to doping but the percentage of athletes who are actually caught using performance enhancing drugs is significantly lower, it barely exceeds 1% on average. How do so many get away with using performance enhancing substances and why is no one doing anything to stop it?
In this episode, we talk about the IOC’s and World Anti-Doping Agency’s strategy for catching doped athletes, touch on Russia’s 2014 Sochi Olympics big doping scandal, and discuss why doping in sports remains even more prevalent than most think.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold
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Sources and further reading:
Tackling Doping Seriously - Reforming the World Anti-Doping System after the Russian Scandal by Antoine Duval: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2836388
Doping in sport: why it can't be stopped (The Economist): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z466itSHE58&ab_channel=TheEconomist
Doping in Two Elite Athletics Competitions Assessed by Randomized-Response Surveys by Rolf Ulrich et al.: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28849386/
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Building on the story from last week’s episode, we discuss media’s reactions to Women’s Figure Skating event at Beijing 2022 and their complicity in the cycle of exploitation that led to the situation Kamila Valieva and her teammate Alexandra Trusova found themselves in.
Furthermore, at Beijing 2022 Olympics, Chinese-American freestyle skier Eileen Gu became the first freestyle skier to ever win three Olympic medals at a single Olympic Games as well as the youngest skier to ever win an Olympic freestyle skiing medal. Her decision to represent her mother’s home country of China in international competition instead of the United States where Gu was born and raised, however, received more media attention than her historic medals. We discuss 18-year-old Gu as a face of geopolitical tensions between China and the United States as well as the impact of media’s coverage of her story on the future of sports.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold
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What to do about the social media shaming of figure skater Zhu Yi (CNN): https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/07/opinions/zhu-yi-olympics-figure-skating-positive-slamming-alaimo/index.html
Eileen Gu is Trying to Soar Over the Geopolitical Divide (The New York Times): https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/03/sports/olympics/eileen-gu-china-freeski.html
Dramatics skates, reactions from unforgettable women’s free skate (NBC Sports): https://twitter.com/behindthegold/status/1494725802583375877
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15-year-old Kamila Valieva sparked a lot of media attention during the Beijing 2022 Olympics - first for becoming the first female skater to land a quad jump in Olympic competition then for testing positive for a banned angina medication. As the world keeps asking questions about her doping test, there is a much bigger issue with the state of women’s figure skating that needs attention. We break down the evolution of women’s figure skating under Valieva’s coach Eteri Tutberidze who introduced the quad jumps into women’s skating and led teen skaters Yulia Lipnitskaya, Evgenia Medvedeva, and Alina Zagitova to Olympic glory.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold
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Sources and further reading:
Kamila Valieva failed her drug test. Blame her coaches. (Vox): https://www.vox.com/22929275/kamila-valieva-trimetazidine-eteri-tutberidze-olympics-2022
The Eteri Expiration Date: Kamila Valieva and Russia’s Quest For Figure Skating Gold (Business Insider): https://www.businessinsider.com/the-revered-but-controversial-coach-who-could-make-olympic-history-2022-2
Nassar whistleblower says Valieva case highlights vulnerability of young athletes (Reuters): https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/figure-skating-nassar-whistleblower-says-valieva-case-highlights-vulnerability-2022-02-12/
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Happy Super Bowl Sunday! As Rams and Bengals gear up to play Super Bowl LVI, we are bringing you the ultimate guide to the origins of the annual football game turned international phenomenon.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold
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Sources and further reading:
Super Bowl 1 | The Lost Game | Green Bay Packers vs Kansas City Chiefs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BspHrUquNVo&ab_channel=ClassicSports
Super Bowl 3 Highlights - Jets vs Colts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYDk8phu6tA&ab_channel=SavageBrickSports
Super Bowl XXXIII Recap: Broncos vs. Falcons | NFL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HgxrcoG_bI&ab_channel=NFL
Devin Hester Opening Kickoff Return | Superbowl XLI | Extended Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGtxZlQwxNQ&ab_channel=SemiFlared
The Greatest Comeback in Football History | Super Bowl 51: Patriots vs. Falcons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09nbc6sr7Xg&ab_channel=NFL
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It’s time for another Olympics! In today’s episode, we give you all the information you need to know ahead of Beijing 2022. Tune in to hear about the Beijing’s Olympic bid, diplomatic boycott of the Games, the pandemic’s impact on the event, and the potential environmental issues surrounding these Winter Games. And, to wrap this preview up, we introduce you to 10 athletes to watch over the next two weeks!
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In response to China’s mistreatment of Uyghur People in the Xinjiang Region, the United States announced Monday that the country will not be sending any government officials to the upcoming Beijing Olympics but the athletes will still compete. Several other countries have since joined the US in their diplomatic boycott which is expected to further increase tensions between the United States and China.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold
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Sources and further reading:
Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games Announcement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx5xyOR4uOg&ab_channel=IOCMedia
The White House Announces Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Olympics (Associated Press): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCcr0VhNp7E&ab_channel=AssociatedPress
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On one hot and humid afternoon, 32 runners lined up to race the 1904 Olympic marathon race on the dusty roads of St. Louis. With no access to water and vehicles kicking up dust into their lungs, the runners soon started dropping like flies. Some were chased by wild dogs, others stole fruit from spectators, and the most desperate ones resorted to taking rat poison as a performance enhancing drug. This is the story of the 1904 Olympic marathon.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold
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Sources and further reading:
The 1904 Olympic Marathon May Have Been the Strangest Ever by Karen Abbot (Smithsonian Magazine): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-1904-olympic-marathon-may-have-been-the-strangest-ever-14910747/
The Unbelievable True Story of the Craziest Olympic Marathon by Ashwin Rodrigues (Runner’s World): https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a37039437/1904-olympic-marathon/
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On the night of November 4, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Kheira Hamraoui was attacked by two masked men in an effort that seemingly aimed to injure her legs. Less than a week later, her teammate Aminata Diallo was taken into custody for possible involvement in the attack. Aminata had since been released and was likely not involved, but a new suspect emerged.
Two days earlier, on November 2, Chinese professional tennis player Peng Shuai accused a former Chinese vice premier of sexual assault in a social media post. Her post had since been removed and Peng Shuai entirely disappeared from social media. The WTA soon took action to ensure her safety but, as of November 21, no one associated with the WTA - including players and officials - had been able to directly reach her.
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold
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She landed a backflip in the 1998 Olympics to cap a career for the books. Surya Bonaly is a French figure skating legend. Her strength and athleticism revolutionized the sport of figure skating. Her successful landing of an illegal move made Olympic history. This is her story.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold
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Sources and further reading:
Judgement, Losers (Netflix): https://www.netflix.com/title/80198306
Howard, J. (1995). Over easy for Surya Bonaly the skating has never been the hard part. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved from https://vault.si.com/vault/1995/03/06/over-easy-for-surya-bonaly-the-skating-has-never-been-the-hard-part.
Surya Bonaly (FRA) - 1992 Albertville, Ladies’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCUZW9vbIMc&ab_channel=3Axel1996
Surya Bonaly (FRA) - 1993 World Figure Skating Championships, Ladies’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLyAq4L9obA&ab_channel=3Axel1996
Surya Bonaly (FRA) - 1994 Lillehammer, Ladies’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5ugmU-_EXc&ab_channel=3Axel1996
Yuka Sato (JPN) - 1994 World Figure Skating Championships, Ladies’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZD_N4FY3B0&ab_channel=3Axel1996
Surya Bonaly (FRA) - 1998 Nagano, Ladies’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGNtP4TSy2M&t=204s&ab_channel=SKATING102
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There are very few dynasties in sports like Russian pairs figure skating. At the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, the Russian pair, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, were set to go head-to-head against Canadian favourites, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier. Russia hadn’t lost the Olympic pairs’ gold since 1960. Canada hadn’t won the Olympic pairs’ gold since 1960. The long awaited competition between these two pairs, however, resulted in one of the biggest scandals in figure skating history.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold
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Sources and further reading:
Pairs Free Program - Figure Skating | Salt Lake City 2002 Replays: https://olympics.com/en/video/pairs-free-program-figure-skating-salt-lake-city-2002-replays
Gold War, Bad Sport (Netflix): https://www.netflix.com/title/81084829
2002 Olympics Jamie Sale crashing into Anton Sikharulidze: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=926UKxoOzl8&ab_channel=hatula87
Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze (RUS) - 2002 Salt Lake City, Figure Skating, Pairs’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4S7c9s56A4&ab_channel=3Axel1996
Sale & Pelletier (CAN) - 2002 Salt Lake City, Figure Skating, Pairs’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjY_LtNtVDc&ab_channel=3Axel1996
Sale & Pelletier interview to CBC post Free Skate 2002 Olympic Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10WQ-yrmjW8&ab_channel=PatinajeArtistico
Medal Ceremony - 2002 Salt Lake City, Figure Skating, Pairs’ Skating: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ438bOgENI&t=182s&ab_channel=3Axel1996
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After a disappointing 4th place finish at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, Tonya Harding decided to give it another shot at winning the Olympic gold. As the 1994 Olympics approached, Tonya’s rivalry with fellow a American skater, Nancy Kerrigan, reached its peak, and a scandal changed both of their lives forever.
This episode is the second of two episodes covering Tonya Harding’s career and the 1994 Cobo Arena Attack.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold
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Sources and further reading:
Tonya Harding-Gillooly - 1993 US Figure Skating Championships, Ladies’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMCk8pxx1tg&ab_channel=3Axel1996
Tonya Harding - 1994 US Figure Skating Championships, Ladies’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JKmKMBLbU4&ab_channel=TripleAxel1991
Nancy Kerrigan Attack, Raw Footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voUMQrLy_uY&ab_channel=IntersportChicago
Tonya Harding’s Statement (CNN): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LD4Mj3wZoY&ab_channel=CNN
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At the 1991 US Figure Skating Championships, Tonya Harding became the first American woman to ever land a triple Axel in a competition. She came from nothing and made history. Had her career stopped right then and there, it would have been one of the happiest sports stories you could imagine. Unfortunately, her achievements were later overshadowed by scandal. Tune into this episode for the first part of her story.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold
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Sources and further reading:
Tonya Harding - 1985 U.S. Olympic Festival, Figure Skating, Ladies’ Short Program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXiHaW4c8Is&ab_channel=3Axel1996
Tonya Harding (USA) - 1986 Skate America, Ladies’ Long Program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJuZuqr8nXQ&ab_channel=3Axel1996
Tonya Harding 1988-1989 Long Program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEeobjVVJsw&ab_channel=SkateHistorian
Tonya Harding - 1991 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Ladies’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIGoWGjetog&ab_channel=TripleAxel1991
Tonya Harding (USA) - 1991 Skate America, Ladies’ Original Program (First 3A-2T Ever Completed): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgBpDDjZAx8&ab_channel=3Axel1996
Tonya Harding finishes in fourth place at 1992 Olympics, behind Nancy Kerrigan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luEZ9lkEgEU&ab_channel=ABCNews
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With the emergence of virtual reality, sports industry is quickly adapting to technological advances. In this episode, we discuss the incorporation of VR in sports broadcasts, how VR is already changing the sports media landscape, the NBA and UEFA’s attempts to incorporate VR in basketball and football, and virtual reality’s potential for future sporting events.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthegoldpod/
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Sources and further reading:
Fuchs, P., Moreau, G., & Guitton, P. (2011). Virtual reality. CRC Press.
Joshi, N. (2019). Revolutionizing Sports With Augmented Reality. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/10/26/revolutionizing-sports-with-augmented-reality/?sh=77c5e0df1416.
Kalmenson, J. (2016). Virtual Reality May Be the Next Ubiquitous Sports Broadcast Platform. Medium. Retrieved from https://virtualrealitypop.com/virtual-reality-may-be-the-next-ubiquitous-platform-in-sports-media-135cb40ed65.
Liwei, L. (2012). Applications of Computer Virtual Reality Technology in Modern Sports. 2012 Fourth International Symposium On Information Science And Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1109/isise.2012.87
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Who doesn’t love a great mix of gaming, strategy, and sports? In this episode, we explore all things fantasy sports. Who plays fantasy sports? What are their motivations? How do fantasy sports influence television viewership? And what does rotisserie chicken have to do with all that? Tune in to find out!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthegoldpod/
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Sources and further reading:
Farquhar, L., & Meeds, R. (2007). Types of Fantasy Sports Users and Their Motivations. Journal Of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), 1208-1228. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00370.x
Nesbit, T., & King, K. (2010). The Impact of Fantasy Sports on Television Viewership. Journal Of Media Economics, 23(1), 24-41. https://doi.org/10.1080/08997761003590721
Raney, A., & Bryant, J. (2014). Handbook of sports and media. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
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Over the last few decades, industries across the spectrum have been going through substantial transformations with the rise of digital technologies. In this episode, we examine the fitness industry’s digitalization, the rise of Peloton and at-home workouts during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we look into the ways in which traditionally fitness and lifestyle brands are making their way into high-performance sports.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold
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Sources and further reading:
Are they the HBO of fitness? by Bloomberg Business of Sports:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6AM0YleNkQ1fVyyFUeIHxF?si=k2BOgrsAQbS4CEJA3k7G4g&dl_branch=1
John Foley, Founder and CEO of Peloton (Talks at Goldman Sachs):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocUz3kyJfXM&ab_channel=GoldmanSachs
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On October 12, 2019, Eliud Kipchoge achieved the impossible and became the first man ever to run a sub 2 hour marathon. He broke this once unattainable barrier wearing Nike's previously unreleased Vaporfly Next% running shoes, claimed to improve running economy by 4 percent. In this episode, we examine the technological advances in running shoe production, talk carbon plate running shoes, and consider the shoe technology’s impact on the fairness and integrity of long distance running.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold
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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@behindthegold
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Sources and further reading:
Abstract: The Art of Design | Tinker Hatfield: Footwear Design:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaSvGVhtszo&ab_channel=Netflix (YouTube, free)
https://www.netflix.com/watch/80093805?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C0%2C7d85ea957496727f6f65bed2c7e073fadd42d621%3Aedca83568a5d473f8fc3863db6d9a3f2235f9f9c%2C7d85ea957496727f6f65bed2c7e073fadd42d621%3Aedca83568a5d473f8fc3863db6d9a3f2235f9f9c%2Cunknown%2C (Netflix, with subscription)
Why The Vaporfly Was Almost Banned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi3QzA-h1Rs&ab_channel=Runner%27sWorld
Modeling: optimal marathon performance on the basis of physiological factors by M. J. Joyner:
https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/jappl.1991.70.2.683
Is it the shoes? A proposal to regulate footwear in road running by Geoffrey T. Burns and Nicholas Tam:
https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2019/10/14/shoes-and-sub-2-hr-marathon/
Inside the success of Nike’s Breaking2 ‘moonshot’ by T. Dua: https://digiday.com/marketing/inside-success-nikes-breaking2-moonshot/
Kipchoge The Last Milestone: https://www.kipchogemovie.com/ (available in select territories only)
Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
Behind The Gold is back! In our latest episode, we discuss the impacts of technology on sports media. Tune in to learn about the history of sports broadcasting, anti-siphoning laws, timing technologies (including the story of the controversial men’s 100m dash at the 1932 Olympics), and how different technologies not only contribute to the fairness of the game but also enhance the fan experience!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold
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Sources and further reading:
20 Ways Technology Makes Sports Better: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/773227-20-ways-technology-makes-sports-better
The First Ever Photo-Finish in the Olympics Ends in a Heartbreak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugmcJNcFXG0&ab_channel=Olympics
You cannot be serious! Public understanding of technology with special reference to “Hawk-Eye” by Harry Collins and Robert Evans: https://web.archive.org/web/20111003222351/http://www2.geog.ucl.ac.uk/~mdisney/teaching/1006/papers/collins_hawkeye.pdf
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