The Intersection: Recent Episodes
SSI at Ohio State
This is the official podcast of the Sports and Society Initiative at The Ohio State University. We're discussing how sports and society intersect and the effect that intersection has on the world we live in. Hosted by Matt Goldman, a second-year student at Ohio State and Mick Walker, a fourth-year student at Ohio State.
With March Madness coming to an end, a new period in the basketball world begins: which athletes will stay with their schools (and gain more money through NIL deals) and which athletes will be drafted by the NBA and WNBA?
SSI writer Katy Popovich and Senior Lecturer in the OSU Department of Economics Dr. Ryan Ruddy sit down and discuss the upcoming Sports Analytics Conference set for April 5th-6th.
Cameron and Eli sit down and talk about how March Madness has an impact on the economics of cities, the admissions of colleges, and the wallets of gamblers.
Holly Wintering, freelance media professional from the ACC Network, joins the show to talk about some of the opportunities that OSU offers through B1G+ and how the program led to more career opportunities in sports.
Ohio State Defensive End Caden Davis joins us on this episode to discuss some of the trials, tribulations, and triumphs that walk-on athletes face at a large university, such as OSU.
We sit down with Linda Logan of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission and discuss what makes Columbus so attractive in the world of sports and where Columbus sports could go in the next decade.
Cameron sits down with Emma Maltais, former OSU Women's Hockey player and current PWHL player, to discuss how athletes can use their platforms to create positive change in their communities.
The Sports and Society Initiative Career Readiness Fair, "So You Want a Career in Sports", took place on February 2nd and Nicole Kraft and Aaron Klein discuss some of the highs, lows, and key takeaways from the event.
Eli and Cameron discuss the multitude of opportunities available for OSU students in the world of intramural sports and how important recreational sports are to students as a whole.
Dr. Nicole Kraft and Professor Tim Miller, both SSI advisors, join the show to discuss opportunities in SSI and many of the events going on this upcoming spring semester.
Bri Gazmarian joins the show to talk about her journey to becoming the Director of Digital and Social Media at The Ohio State University, as well as how she best connects with students athletes in her current role, being a former student athlete herself!
Maria Slovikovski joins the show to talk about her journey to becoming an SID (Sports Information Director) at Ohio State, and how she builds relationships and connections with student athletes, coaches and other staff!
Bill Rabinowitz, from The Columbus Dispatch joins the show to talk about NIL and the transfer portal, and where Ohio State stands in the new NIL era of college football!
Kevin McGuff, Ohio State women's basketball head coach, and Adam Jardy from The Columbus Dispatch join the show to talk about the past, present and future of the Ohio State women's basketball program!
Ben Ferree, former OHSAA Administrator, and Andrew King from The Columbus Dispatch join the show to talk about the HBO documentary, "BS High", and the roles they played in revealing the truth of the Bishop Sycamore high school football program.
Columbus Blue Jackets Digital Media & Content Strategy director Katie Tsukamoto joins the show. She discusses the new digital media age and staying updated with the latest trends!
The countdown to Creative Con has begun as sports graphic designer Brad Lefeld joins the show on 4/21 to discuss everything graphic design with hosts Kole and Greg. Brad discussed getting into graphic design, his 365-day plan, and the importance of overcommunicating. The episode is now available on all platforms!
Ohio State women's basketball analyst Kristin Watt joins the show. She has been an analyst for Ohio State women’s basketball since 1987. Watt played in 78 games for the Buckeyes from 1981-85 and helped lead the Buckeyes to three Big Ten championships and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance. She talks ball with hosts Greg Wilson and Kole Emplit, the growth of women's basketball, and everything in between.
Ohio State baseball development and player intern Joe Burkemper joins the show to talk with hosts Greg Wilson and Kole Emplit. Burkemper assists the coaching staff on the Ohio State baseball team in developing and running the first mental performance and player development room in collegiate baseball. They are focused on improving the mental approach of both pitchers and hitters and maximizing their potential as a player through that avenue. Great episode for the people.
WUFT News anchor Ashley Weinstein joins the show to chat with hosts Kole Emplit and Greg Wilson on International Women's Day. She talks about interning with WJXT in Jacksonville Florida and anchoring for WUFT News at the University of Florida. We wrap up by discussing the best career advice for young students with high aspirations. It's a can't miss episode.
Katie Krall joins this week's show. She's been in baseball her whole life, most recently as a development coach in the Red Sox organization from Jan 2022-Oct 2022 helping make history as the second female coach in the organization. She talks with hosts Greg and Kole about her journey.
Yusty Sanchez joins The Intersection. He is the Block O football director at Ohio State, leading one of the most prominent student organizations in the country. Sanchez joins hosts Kole Emplit and Greg Wilson to talk about inclusiveness and diversity within college athletics here at Ohio State. The three bring together key ideas of how sports and society unite students from different walks of life.
Jarred Martin, the Ohio State field hockey head coach joins the show. Martin talks about his student-athletes and how they always make sure they're comfortable on and off the field. We discuss how Ohio State field hockey was the first team at the school to host its first "pride game," in celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and is a celebration of pride as a whole. A must listen episode for the people!
Connie Carberg, the first female NFL scout, joins the show. Carberg talks about her first time gaining interest in scouting, befriending Woody Hayes at Ohio State, and how opportunities today are endless. A can't miss episode for the people!
Holly Wintering is the second guest on The Intersection this season. She discusses with host Kole Emplit how she got involved with the production side of Big Ten Plus during her senior year at Ohio State and how it transformed into having a full-time job.
Daniel Meyerhoff joins The Intersection as the first guest of the season. Meyerhoff is a junior at Ohio State and is the Nuthouse director for Block O, the men's student section advisor. Meyerhoff and host Kole Emplit discuss community building within college athletics. The two bring together key ideas of how sports unite communities, improve collective mental health, promote inclusion through a celebration of diversity, and more.
Alison Lukan is a contributor to the team website for the Seattle Kraken of the NHL and is also an analyst for Root Sports Northwest covering the team. Lukan used to cover the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Ohio State women's and men's hockey teams. Lukan and host, Matt Goldman, discuss the disparity in the world of women's sports and how there needs to be made changes. They also discuss the growth that women's sports has had and how there is positive growth continuing.
Marco Fragale is the Big Ten Network+ Video Production Manager at Ohio State. Fragale oversees the production to sporting events all throughout the campus from men's and women's basketball, men's and women's ice hockey, baseball, softball and etc. Fragale works with students who want to be in the TV production industry from the broadcasters to graphic operators to camera men and women and more. Students who want to get involved at Ohio State should contact Marco in the email provided in the episode.
Stacy Wray is the mother of former Ohio State and Colorado football player Max Wray and one of the founders of Life over Logo. Wray talks about what the group is, why she and a group of other mothers wanted to start it and what is next for them.
Brian Schottenstein, the president of the Schottenstein Real Estate Group and founder of "The Foundation" a 501 (c) (3) organization that helps Ohio State athletes earn money through NIL distribution talks his newest idea with Matt. Brian and Matt talk about the decision to start this unique NIL foundation as well as how fans of Ohio State can help be a part of this. They also talk how "The Foundation" and Ohio State will collaborate together to help the student-athletes.
Music: Bensound.com
Liz Schepers, #21 a forward for the Ohio State women's hockey team talks about how the team continues to succeed and is one of the top teams in the nation. Ohio State is currently #3 in the WHCA poll and is heading to another "Frozen Four" appearance and is hoping for their first national championship in school history.
Austin Ward is an Ohio State football reporter for Lettermen Row who has been on the beat since 2012. Formerly of ESPN, Knoxville News-Sentinel, Casper Star-Tribune and Land of 10. Austin discusses with Matt how the new NCAA rules took place in 2018 and the effect it has on the sport. Also talked about was some high-profile transfers for Ohio State and other schools like Justin Fields and Quinn Ewers. Lastly, NIL and the outlook the portal will have on the landscape of college football was talked about.
Host: Matt Goldman
Audio provided by bensound.com
Fritz Schierl is a R-Senior who wrestles on the Ohio State wrestling team at the 174 lbs class. He has been on the team since 2016 and is now pursing a graduate degree while in his final year of wrestling at the collegiate level.
Sound courtesy of Bensound.com
Max Cohn, president of Scarlet and Gray Sports Radio discusses how to get involved with sports broadcasting as a student at Ohio State. Patrick Engels, president of Sports Society and Initiative comes to discuss the various outlets on how students who want to be in the sports world can get involve.
Murphy Horning steps in for Matt Goldman this week as he hosts Ben Koo, the creator of the website "Awful Announcing" who comes on to discuss how message board culture in collegiate athletics affects fadnom. Koo broke the story on the Buckeye Scoop message board issues and dives deep into the culture of how it can be negative in ways and also be a positive.
Music provided by Bensound.com
Dr. Yolanda Bruce Brooks joins host Matt Goldman to talk about her role as the team psychologist for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. Dr. Brooks also runs a program called Sports Life Transitions to help athletes and people to get through life's challenges. From talking about her time as an Ohio State student to traveling every week with the Cowboys, Dr. Brooks gives great insight into the mental health side of sports.
Marvin Davies IV- A walk-on player of The Ohio State Football team comes on to discuss with Matt Goldman what life is like balancing school and football. Davies IV also discusses how he ended up at Ohio State, NIL, and how he wants to get into the finance world.
Andy Schwarz-- Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at the Professional Collegiate League and economist discusses what has occurred in the Alston v. NCAA case and gives his insights into what we can look towards in the future as it is deliberated further.
Professor of Economics and former University of Michigan Wrestler, Ryan Ruddy and Ohio State Wrestling Beat Reporter for The Lantern Chase Brown discuss what wrestling looks like during COVID-19 and how it might impact the athletes.
Gary Petit discusses the changes that have come with his job during COVID-19, what changes he wants to see stay after COVID-19 and more!
Collin Ginnan and Brendan Kucera look back on their time in Miami covering Ohio State Football at the National Championship during COVID-19.
Scarlet and Gray Sports Radio, the student home of Ohio State athletics, provides opportunities for young aspiring broadcasters to gain experience in the field by covering sports around campus. President Collin Ginnan joins Brendan Kucera to discuss the importance of the student organization and how COVID-19 has impacted them.
Ohio State Football Senior Reporter for Eleven Warriors, Dan Hope joins to discuss how canceled games impact Ohio State and how the outbreak was handled within the football program.
Stephanie Miller, a member of the fencing team at Ohio State, sits down with Matt Goldman to discuss the differences in training during COVID-19.
Host Matt Goldman discusses the changes to covering football and what it is like broadcasting a game with no fans with Scarlet and Gray Sports Radio President Collin Ginnan.
Big Ten football looks a lot different this year with no fans in attendance. Matt Goldman talks to Keaton Maisano and Jack Emerson who are sports editors at The Lantern to discuss what it was like covering a game during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ben Johnson the director of media and public relations for Ohio State joins the show to talk about what game days will look like in the fall around campus during COVID-19.
Block O, the Official Student Section of Ohio State Athletics, won't be able to attend sports in the fall barring any major changes. President Nick Wead joins the show to discuss the new plans they have had to put in place for this unprecedented situation.
Monica Johnson, the mother of Paris Johnson Jr. and Kristina Miller, the mother of Harry Miller, join the show to discuss how Ohio State parents handled the Big Ten's initial decision to postpone their season and their thoughts on the new format for this year.
Linda Logan sits down to discuss the difficulty of navigating through the pandemic in her role as executive director for the Greater Columbus Sports Commission and the impact of the virus on the city.
With fall sports across the Big Ten postponed, BTN Student U is missing out a semester of learning about both broadcasting and production. Mariesha Gibson, the current production manager, gives insight into what she is doing currently for BTN while there are no sports, a plan they have in place to stay safe and distanced should fall sports return and more!
Paul Keels joins us to talk announcing without fans, predictions for the Ohio State football team and the challenges of broadcasting during a global pandemic. Make sure to subscribe and like to the show on apple podcasts!
Adam Jardy, Ohio State mens basketball beat writer for The Columbus Dispatch joins us to talk The Basketball Tournament and the groundwork it's laying for other sporting restarts, the future of Ohio State basketball, and advice for young journalists navigating through a global pandemic.
Hosts Kevin Lapka and Brendan Kucera welcome Zach Fleer of 270 Hoops to talk all things basketball. Fleer details how the landscape of college recruiting may change due to COVID-19, his thoughts on the new NBA return-to-play format, and reasoning why OSU mens basketball has seen an uptick in transfers with starting minutes. Make sure to like and subscribe and follow @sportssociety on Twitter.
Assistant general manager of OhioHealth Chiller Rinks, Jeremy Rogers, joins hosts Kevin Lapka and Brendan Kucera to break down the process if Columbus is selected as a host city for the NHL's new return-to-play format.
Ohio State alum and Redskins ESPN reporter joins hosts Kevin Lapka and Brendan Kucera to talk to the NFL's handling of the draft, the 2020 schedule and plenty more about Keim's relationship with Buckeyes on the Redskins.
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After a bit of a hiatus, the intersection is back to discuss the impact COVID-19 has had on Esports and how the lockdown will affect gaming in the long run. Host Kevin Lapka is joined by the director of Esports at Ohio State, Brandon Smith as well as program coordinator Matt Spiedel. The three discuss the future of gaming, how COVID could change it forever, and personally, which games they're playing to get through quarantine.
Host Kevin Lapka is joined by Ohio State Digital Visual Manager Dana Lewin to discuss the impact of social media in sports. From content creation, athlete branding and some tips from Dana on how to thrive in the social media industry, this episode is full of strong insight and conversation. Thanks for listening and make sure to drop a review and a subscription!
Kevin Lapka is joined by special guest Joshua Perry to discuss the biggest issues facing sports and society today. Discussed was mental health in sports and tons of great conversation about a variety of other intersection's between sports and society. We appreciate Joshua joining the show, providing expert insight and analysis and couldn't be happier he is involved with SSI to help shine light on the most prominent issues of today.
Host Kevin Lapka is once again joined alongside director of SSI and Ohio State sports media professor Nicole Kraft to discuss the media wrong-doings during the tragic event involving Kobe Bryant and how Bryant himself was a representation of the 'intersection' as a man who was very involved in society while being a prominent athletic figure. Make sure to drop a like and a review on our page! Thanks for listening.
Host Kevin Lapka is joined by director of the Sports and Society Initiative, Nicole Kraft, to discuss the basic functions of SSI and its impact on the Columbus community and beyond. Nicole and Kevin detail the importance of SSI and the awareness of mental health ahead of the April 16th event, 'Mind Games.' Make sure to follow us on Twitter @Sportssociety and head to our website at https://sportsandsociety.osu.edu for more information!