How Gear Changed the Game

How a new material shook up pole vaulting at unprecedented pace, and changed the sport into what it is today. As of August 2024, the world record height is 20ft 6in. It took 40 years for that record to grow by a foot (19ft 5 3/4"in record set in 1984). But from 1960-1963 the world record also grew by a foot. Why did the record grow so high so fast during that time? You gotta hear why! We cover it...

What do golf and microchips fueling the AI revolution have in common? The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club….well ok their common ground is a place even more unique than Augusta.   This episode talks about sand that is more than just sand. That pure white sand is mostly quartz and comes from a mine that produces the purest quartz in the world. So pure that microchip makers can’t produce their...

The boot of Tom Dempsey changed football. In more than one way. Hear how a boot and a big boy named Tom changed the record books, the rulebooks, and the playbooks of the NFL in this episode of How Gear Changed the Game. You can find this boot in the pro football hall of fame and boy is it a sight to behold. Imagine if a golf driver was made of plastic and lace and then put into a microwave for a m...

Kicking would be NOTHING like it is today without this special shoe made for a mutilated foot. Ben Agajanian made kicking a specialized role instead of it being an extra duty for players who had other things to do. Thus he completely reimagined how kicking was utilized in football. By the 1960s, thanks to Bootin’ Ben, kicking was no longer a hardly-used afterthought. Ben didn’t stop there. As a co...

Placebo Effect or True Unfair Advantage? Belly putters met their official demise in 2016 with the rollout of USGA Rule 14.1b (now rule 10.1b). The putters themselves aren’t banned but the way they’re used, anchoring, is. And rule changes aren’t the only effect belly putters have had in the game of golf. From the PGA TOUR, to the Senior PGA, to the amateur ranks, it has left a ripple effect through...

They were saying "The Golden Bear" had entered hibernation, and maybe for good. Jack Nicklaus was at another crossroads of his playing career, and going into the 1986 Masters there were other PGA golfers who questioned whether Jack would be able to win any tournament again, let alone The Masters. What happens on that Sunday in Augusta is one of the most legendary moments in golf. But there's way m...

When the hockey stick changed its shape, it shaped change in the game of hockey. This episode explores all the effects that the curved hockey stick had once it became common in the 1960s. Who were the originators, who fought against them, and how did the hockey world react? You'll be surprised to learn it reaches beyond Stan Mikita or Bobby Hull of the Chicago Blackhawks. It was a ripple effect fe...

Bob Romanski and John Miranda of the Las Vegas Raiders Equipment Staff join the show to talk about gear, change, and all of the work that goes into preparing their team for practices and games. Mr. Romanski is a 2nd generation equipment manager in the NFL. He's been doing this since he was a kid and has officially held his title since 1980. This episode is a full interview that reveals a lot of th...

OJ Simpson walks into a courtroom....no, not THAT courtroom. A different trial. One in 1970. His strange appearance as a surprise witness in a civil suit about a football helmet creates a huge change in the sporting goods industry and the game of football. This episode covers the arms race that happens in the football sporting goods industry in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. A time when sports participati...

The story of the facemask is one of change brought about by change. Plastic helmets change blocking and tackling, which brings about a need for facial protection. We explore an extreme case of change at Baylor where a small football player is using his team's new helmets to make big hits. This change and shift to facemasks happens in the NFL, the AFL, the NCAA and in high school football. A coach...

Just when sales of Riddell's innovative plastic football helmet were about to skyrocket in 1941, America entered the war. Variations of Riddell's helmet would be heading into combat as well. This episode explores the role of the football helmet in the victory of the US and their allies in World War 2. After the war, a handful of teams would start using this new, hard, plastic helmet. The advantage...

The end of the leatherhead era. A new type of plastic leads to a new type of helmet and a new brand of football. This episode explores the beginnings of the plastic helmet, and how this harder helmet enables the emergence of a newer, harder brand of playing football. At the end of the 1930s, Chicago is a city of innovation. The Riddell company explores using a plastic called tenite to create helme...

Exploring how the role of the football helmet in the evolution of football. Starting with the context of needing helmets in the first place. The humble beginnings of football and how rule changes, a flying wedge, and the threat of "instant insanity" brought about the first models football head protection.    It's sports history, stats, and sporting equipment knowledge all wrapped into one!

Introducing a sports docuseries exploring the role equipment plays in the change, evolution, and outcomes of the sports we love. This episode details what the series will be covering and expands on the concept of "How Gear Changed the Game". It's sports history, stats, science, technology, and fun all wrapped into one. Also in this episode, a primer that serves as the thesis for what the entire se...