Sporty: Recent Episodes
ABC Radio
Sporty is your guide to the powerful place of sport and fitness in Australia’s cultural life. Recognising it’s much more than a game, Sporty charts and analyses big-time spectator sports, celebrates the amateur athlete and encourages anyone struggling to get active. You don’t have to get sport, to get Sporty!
Can you change how you think about pain, and therefore your experience of it? In this series, four very different people are each trying to take control of what they can in their lives. So far it's been exercise, diet and sleep. Now, it's pain
There's an awful lot that can keep you awake at night.
In this series, four very different people are each trying to take control of what they can in their lives. So far it's been exercise, and diet.
Now they discuss their difficulties with sleep - and what sends them into the arms of Morpheus.
Life is full of slings and arrows that are outside of your control. So what about the things that are within your power, to make you feel better? This time the focus is on what you eat and drink. Four people each on a quest to take control of this share their experiences and insights.
Life is full of things that are beyond your control. You lose your job. A relationship ends. Someone dies. Or indeed, there's a global pandemic. So what about the things that are within your power, that can make you feel better? This special series over four weeks in turn focuses on diet, sleep, pain, and in this episode - exercise. They're the controllables.
Summers of long ago are evoked by old abandoned crumbling cricket pitches. Meet a sports lover whose mission is to find and photograph them.
We're dreaming of a white Christmas here on Sporty, with Australian Winter Olympians, past and prospective
Formula E, Extreme E and eSkootr are all new forms of electric vehicle racing. They're pushing the high octane motor racing industry to environmental responsibility. But how can you be a petrol head when there’s no petrol?
Back in 1978, a couple of thousand runners lined up to compete in the first-ever Melbourne Marathon. Among them, 5 young men - who've run every single one of those marathons ever since. They're now well into their 60s and 70s, and about to do it all over again. So what's compelled them to keep going? And why are more and more ordinary people drawn to competing in endurance events?
Why do some people sweat a lot, others a little? If you sweat so much that you have trouble holding a tennis racket or weights, are there safe and successful treatments?
Olympic gold medallists Cate Campbell and Bronte Campbell have competed against each other their whole lives. Surely there's massive sibling rivalry between them?
When you exercise do you sweat a lot, or hardly at all? Why are there such differences from one person to another? And how can the chemical composition of your sweat be used to monitor your training load and athletic performance?
Are you okay about watching sports events where it's pretty likely competitors are doping? What about when your club says it won't tolerate sexual violence from players, and yet there they are on the field again?
One of the battles fought on the home front during the First World War was over the meaning and purpose of sport. Why?
And, stories of youthful formative experiences in cricket from former international player Adam Gilchrist and commentator Alister Nicholson
Lots of lifestyle factors are known to influence the variety of microbes living in your gut, and therefore your health. The focus is now turning to the role of exercise. It’s emerging that top athletes have microbes that the rest of us don’t, that affect sports performance.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have made their mark in lots of sports at the top level, but not netball. Jemma Mi Mi is currently the only Indigenous Super Netball player. Former Australian Diamonds player Sharon Finnan-White has a radical proposition: an all-Indigenous team for the Super Netball competition.
What's a soccer match like when there's no heading the ball? Is it still a good game?
Plus, is going vegan better for sports performance?
How many people have their best ideas when out for a walk? Well, Aristotle, Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed and Steve Jobs would all be in that category. Why does walking affect how you think?
And - football is all about running to get possession of the ball. And yet, the soccer player who's regarded as the best of his generation prefers to walk. It's been said that Lionel Messi walks better than most players run. Why?
We all do it without thinking about it. We breathe in, we breathe out.
How much does the way you breathe, though, affect you physiologically and psychologically?
How can breathing techniques improve performance in sport and exercise, as well as reduce stress and pain in daily life?
What makes surfing a distinctive sport unlike any other? And, how one tennis club has kept its juniors active and engaged through numerous lockdowns.
Meet the world's first carbon neutral football club.
Plus, a run through AFL footy banners.
How do you reconcile growing up with expectations that you're going to be a star footballer, but you don't quite make it? It's not the stuff of the usual football memoirs, but almost making it to the top of professional football is actually a much more interesting story.
What needs to change and what needs to stay the same about the way the Olympic Games operate?
Jessica Fox won the gold medal at Tokyo in the women's canoe slalom. Her father Richard is a former canoe world champion. The two have a bond forged over years of early mornings on rivers and race courses.
Dennis Cometti is a much-loved veteran sports broadcaster, best known for his AFL coverage on TV and radio. His son Mark became a professional wrestler in the U.S, before returning to Perth and joining his father in the radio commentary box.
Why do people rave about the physical and mental health benefits of cold water swimming? Also, do fitness trackers make you more active?
While the Olympic Games were a 19th century invention, the Paralympics didn't get going until well into the 20th century. The stories of three pioneering Australian Paralympians who competed in those early days of international disability sport.
He’s just turned 40. He's been a top tennis player for 20 years and it seems hard to imagine the game without him. Why is Roger Federer so good, so enduring and so popular?
'Older, wiser, slower, stronger' is Dean Karnazes' motto these days. The veteran U.S endurance athlete and New York Times bestselling author has run vast distances everywhere from Death Valley to Antarctica. He says he runs not to live longer, but to live more fully.
If you've been watching the gymnastics at the Olympic Games, you'll be an armchair expert by now on the various events and apparatus. Imagine then if one those pieces of equipment was not properly set up - like, say, at the wrong height? It wouldn't happen, would it?
One of the Olympic cycling races is the keirin. It's a version of a Japanese cycling sport that's popular but not altogether respectable
At the 1964 Tokyo Games, the Olympic flame was lit by a young runner, born in Hiroshima on the day the atomic bomb was dropped there in 1945. What symbolism and stories has this Tokyo Olympic opening ceremony evoked?
Can you change how you think about pain, and therefore your experience of it? In this series, four very different people are each trying to take control of what they can in their lives. So far it's been exercise, diet and sleep. Now, it's pain
There's an awful lot that can keep you awake at night.
In this series, four very different people are each trying to take control of what they can in their lives. So far it's been exercise, and diet.
Now they discuss their difficulties with sleep - and what sends them into the arms of Morpheus.
Life is full of slings and arrows that are outside of your control. So what about the things that are within your power, to make you feel better? This time the focus is on what you eat and drink. Four people each on a quest to take control of this share their experiences and insights.
Life is full of things that are beyond your control. You lose your job. A relationship ends. Someone dies. Or indeed, there's a global pandemic. So what about the things that are within your power, that can make you feel better? This special series over four weeks in turn focuses on diet, sleep, pain, and in this episode - exercise. They're the controllables.
Swimmer Maddie Groves' raw comments on social media about a culture of 'misogynistic perverts' in sport have focused attention on the lack of women in leadership and top level coaching positions. Can real cultural shifts only happen when this changes? Plus - hurling an axe at a target is a sure-fire way to release any pent-up rage you might be feeling with the world. As a sport, axe throwing is less than 20 years old.
We're living longer, so should we be surprised when a 50 year old wins a major golf tournament, or an athlete competes across multiple Olympic Games?
Plus, you know how you can be really sore a couple of days after you've done some new exercise. Why does it happen? Is it bad?
Why are post-match press conferences obligatory for tennis players? For players now used to controlling their own narrative through social media, maybe having to front up to journalists and answer their questions is outdated and intrusive.
Plus, is concussion the existential threat that all the football codes face? Do these sports have to do more, not only to protect their players but to safeguard their financial viability, as lawsuits loom?
Sometimes you end up leading a life you never expected to.
Tanya Hosch is the first Indigenous person on the AFL's leadership executive. She's got no background in sport, but she's kicking goals, metaphorically. Mel Hoffman had no idea what rugby league was, until she met and married an NRL player. Thus began a life of getting to know this game, warts and all.
Cricket bats have been made from English cricket willow for more than 200 years. A more sustainable and cheaper high-performance bat made from bamboo could disrupt this. But how does any sport decide whether to permit or reject a radical new equipment design?
It's pre-dawn in the middle of winter. Think of plunging into the sea without a wetsuit, especially in parts of the country where the water gets really cold. Surely this can only lead to extreme discomfort, and possible hypothermia? So why do plenty of people do it, and extol its physical and mental health benefits?
Women's gymnastics is one of the most popular sports, at the Olympic Games. It's also a sport where bullying and abuse is rife - around the world, including Australia. But if you peel back the layers, it's possible to reveal how, step by step, this became a sport vulnerable to a culture of abuse.
Why do the countless public health campaigns encouraging people to be more active tend to fail?
From Gallipoli to Baghdad and Kabul, cricket has been used in warfare for deception, distraction and diplomacy.
Imagine if Rugby League and Aussie Rules merged into one football code. It was once a very serious plan, that nearly happened. Who knew?
And - can you love playing a team sport if you're not very good at it? Bushrangers Basketball says yes!
Competitive swimming has historically been white and middle-class. How might it better start to reflect the nation's cultural diversity?
When did humans start to swim? Extraordinarily, the earliest archaeological evidence lies in the Sahara desert.
And, women and motorcycles.
Women and girls often feel uncomfortable about having to wear tight and revealing sports outfits. It's a reason they drop out of sport. For some it's about body image. For others it's cultural and religious. What are sports doing to address this?
A violent off-field altercation between players from two local cricket clubs led both clubs to completely review their values and purpose.
A first-of-its-kind study analyses the differences in the way women in the AFLW kick a football, compared to male players.
How does breaking get to be in the Olympics? Is this really stretching the definition of sport?
If you're a keen runner you could be going through 3 or 4 pairs of shoes a year. What do you do with the old ones?
You've probably heard of resistance training, but are you doing it - and should you?
Plus, making the transition from one top level sport to another. Sharni Layton's story.
Summers of long ago are evoked by old abandoned crumbling cricket pitches. Meet a sports lover whose mission is to find and photograph them.
Do fitness trackers make you more active?
And, why did tennis become one of the world's top sports?
When he was a kid and fell into a filthy, polluted river, his only choice was to sink or swim. Harry Gallagher went on to become one of Australia's most successful swimming coaches. He died last month aged 96.
The Australian Institute of Sport opened on 26 January, 1981. Prompted by Australia's poor performance at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, it was unashamedly designed to be a 'gold medal factory'. Has it succeeded?
If you're a reluctant exerciser, it may help to know that it's because we evolved that way. You have to override ancient powerful instincts to choose to do optional physical activity.
Once upon a time it would never have happened. You'd never hear or see a woman commentating on top men's sports like football or cricket. But that's changing...
India and Australia are both great at cricket. But why does India do badly at the Olympic Games? Will Australia only truly make it on the world stage in sport when it plays in a Football World Cup final?
It's a combination of nightclub entertainment and Chinese acrobatics, that's become a dance fitness thing. Get on the pole for some enjoyable exercise!
Meet the boxing champion who got a law degree to fight injustice.
Plus, for some enjoyable exercise, how about having a go at the flying trapeze?
What's the latest on how to protect yourself from heat stress while playing sport and exercising? It's not as high-tech as you might think!
It started with a bang and ended with a whimper. The first 20 years of this century began with all the joy and optimism of the Sydney Olympic Games. It finished with empty stadiums and cancelled events.
'I move as a man in love with life'. John Connell is an Irish farmer. In his spare time he's a runner. And a wordsmith.
Do you think you could do this: go for a 1 mile run, do 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, then another mile run? How about doing all this as many times as you can over 24 hours?
If you're a reluctant exerciser, it may help to know that it's because we evolved that way. You have to override ancient powerful instincts to choose to do optional physical activity.
Once upon a time it would never have happened. You'd never hear or see a woman commentating on top men's sports like football or cricket. But that's changing...
It's the Grand Finals of our two major football codes this weekend. But which code fared better under COVID: AFL or NRL?
And - for fitness and fun - try Bollywood dancing.
Kick boxing for fitness and fun. Plus, one man's role in a major cultural shift in Australian rugby league.
Six months down the track, there are people still struggling to regain their pre-COVID fitness. What's helping?
How to get fit and have fun: try trampolining.
Plus, is it appropriate for athletes to speak out about social issues?
Why has Ireland's lacrosse team pulled out of the 2022 World Games to make way for the Iroquois Nationals?
And, have fun while improving your fitness with roller skating.
What effect did wearing a special full body, hooded suit have on Cathy Freeman in the race of her life?
It's been hard to stay active during the pandemic restrictions. Congratulations to all those who took up the Sporty Fitness Challenge.
India and Australia are both great at cricket. But why does India do badly at the Olympic Games? Will Australia only truly make it on the world stage in sport when it plays in a Football World Cup final?
Are human line officials in tennis about to be a thing of the past, as electronic line calling gets more sophisticated?
Obedience was trained into us and we were terrified to speak up.
Jennifer Sey, former US national gymnastics champion
They were known as the 'make-do-and-mend' games. There were no new venues built. The medals had no ribbons on them. Visiting athletes had to bring their own towels.
Coronavirus has brought about a boom in cycling. But if you haven't been on a bike for a while, or you never learnt to ride, perhaps you need a lesson.
Taking on the Sporty Fitness Challenge as an able bodied person is one thing, but what about if you're a wheelchair user?
Let's go for a walk. It's free, it's something you already know how to do, and it's Australia's most popular recreational activity.
How good a physical and mental workout can you get from gardening? What about housework?
There's a common factor among the world's all-time greatest sports teams. What is it?
Enter the Sporty Fitness Challenge!
How late can you leave it to get active and develop the kind of muscle strength and function that will benefit you into old age?
In the early 1980s a bunch of West Indian cricketers changed their lives forever by playing in apartheid South Africa
A few sleepless nights and you definitely won't be at your best. So what's the effect of poor sleep on an athlete's performance?
Australia's newest sport revealed as the winner of the Invent-a-Sport competition is announced
How have your habits around physical activity and sport changed over the past weeks? What will stay the same and what will change again as restrictions ease?
The Olympic Games have a long history of disruption. War, terrorism, protests, boycotts and cancellations are all part of the Olympic story.
Sometimes the remedy can make you feel even sicker. Can exercise help counteract the negative effects of chemotherapy?
What do you do if your religion stops you from playing the sport you love? The Ajax Thirds Aussie Rules footy team have found a way.
How about making up your own sport? There are 3 types: fight, flight, flounce. Which will yours be? Enter the Invent-a-Sport competition.
Exercise and see the world, even amid all current restrictions! Virtual cycling lets you go anywhere from your lounge room.
How are the major sports in Australia addressing the Government's proposed Religious Freedom Bill?
Plus, improve your balance, concentration and reflexes - with table tennis!
If you got your arm bitten off by a shark while you were surfing, would you - could you - go back in the ocean?
In the years following the grief and loss that bushfire causes, how are local communities using sport for relief, distraction and as a way of recovering?
Why are a bunch of cricketers doing their training in the local swimming pool? How did the career of a national league netballer come to a sudden and dramatic end? In both cases: extreme heat.
What's it like to be on a motorbike doing close to 400kph? Plus, does stem cell therapy work for sport and exercise injuries?
Do some people avoid being physically active because they register pain more acutely than others?
Learning to swim as an adult isn't easy. How do you overcome a fear of water? And, why is parkrun so popular?
Should sports stars be able to express religious views at odds with the stated values of their sport?
Wheelchair racer Louise Sauvage is the first Paralympian to be given legend status in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, although early in her career she wasn't even recognised as an athlete.
How are your ball throwing skills? Essential to many sports (as well as handy if you have a dog), we get a lesson from a pro.
How late can you leave it to get active and develop the kind of muscle strength and function that will benefit you into old age?
Who has the better time of it, fans of Aussie Rules (aka aerial ping pong) or Rugby League (aka cross-country wrestling)?
Want to improve your life? Titus O'Reily can help you, with lessons he's learnt from healthy, wealthy professional sportspeople.
You're on a charity run and it means a lot to you to finish the race. But it's getting hotter and hotter. Should you stop?
Are you stoked that surfing is now an Olympic sport? It's a long way from Endless Summer...
Back in 1994, how did one athlete change the perception and status of the Aboriginal flag in Australia?
Remembering sport's most famous podium protest plus everything you need to know about sports supplements.
If you like running and you care about the environment, you'll want to know about plogging
"See the barrackers a-shouting, as all barrackers should". A history of verbal abuse in Australian football.
Why do so many girls drop out of sport by 16? What does it take to be a champion teenage rock climber?
When kids have to compete against others in their age category who are bigger and stronger, is it unfair?
What's it like to be on a motorbike doing close to 400kph? Plus, does stem cell therapy work for sport and exercise injuries?
What do women and girls get out of playing team sports that are traditionally male, like the football codes?
How did the combination of the 1960s counterculture and the Cold War create the desire for superhuman athletes?
Concussion on the sports field hasn't always been taken seriously. What are the consequences?
Getting into the great outdoors bushwalking and camping is great, but hard to do if you have a serious physical disability. So what would a weekend camp designed to take wheelchair users off the beaten track be like?
Walking is officially Australia's number one physical activity, but is it enough for your health and fitness?
Two very different personal stories of lives lived in devotion to a physical discipline.
Do some people avoid being physically active because they register pain more acutely than others?
Sport divides into competition for men and for women. But not everyone fits neatly into these categories. And not everyone agrees who belongs where.
What was your first time on a bicycle like? Terrifying? Exhilarating? A thrilling mix of both?
Is high intensity interval training for you? How do you know if the sport you're watching is free from cheating and corruption?
For Valentine's Day, give your own heart some love, with exercise. It's possible to protect against heart failure and even reverse damage if you do it by a certain age.
What does it take to run a big sports league or competition these days? Parkrun is currently the biggest mass participation sporting activity in the world. What's the appeal?
For adults, learning to swim is difficult and scary. How do you overcome a deep fear of water?