Running It Back

Get your red wine bath ready, Tarlin and Mike are back after a SXSW panel, a Good Morning America appearance, and a bout of Covid-19(!) to talk about the age-old question of what's the right way to hang it up at the end of a long and successful sports career. Don't call it a comeback, we've been here for (nearly two!) years and we're not planning to retire any time soon. We begin with Tarlin recou...

In a special bonus episode, we bring you highlights from Mike and Tarlin's live panel in Austin at the SXSW EDU conference. We're joined by Terri Givens and Dan Harrison in an exploration of storytelling, sports as a microcosm of the broader world, and the mythic elements of sports. We focus on recent conversations about the Rooney Rule and the Flores Suit before showcasing some of our favorite mo...

Tarlin and Mike are back, talking solace in basketball this time on the heels of the NBA All-Star weekend in Cleveland. We reminisce over All-Star Weekends from times gone by, including 1988 and 1992 before fast-forwarding back to the present to talk about a dismal Slam Dunk Contest, the 3 Point Shooting Contest, and the display put on by Stephen Curry during the actual All-Star Game on Sunday. In...

Tarlin Ray and Mike Palmer are back to talk about the Flores Suit against the NFL and to follow up on our previous conversations about the shortage of Black Head Coaches in the League. Tarlin almost gets irate but keeps it on a simmer as we revisit questions about why Eric Bieniemy (of The State), Byron Leftwich, and Brian Flores still don't have head coaching jobs even as Lovie Smith and Mike McD...

As of the release of this episode, Mike Tomlin is the lone Black Head Coach remaining in the NFL. Tarlin and Mike run it back to ongoing conversations about the Rooney Rule, referencing Tomlin, Art Shell, and Jim Caldwell. We talk Eric Bieniemy and Byron Leftwich. Reminisce and look for lessons from Tony Dungy and Bill Belichick. And ultimately celebrate Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's recent hiring as GM of...

Tarlin and Mike are back to find lessons learned from sports. This time we look at the spectacle surrounding Antonio Brown's exit from the Tampa Bay Bucs game versus the New York Jets during the 3rd quarter of the game last weekend. Why did Tarlin not want to cover the AB story? How does this situation compare to the broader challenges of working with divas and other selfish personalities on teams...

Tarlin Ray and Mike Palmer are back to look for lessons learned from a year’s worth of podcast episodes in 2021. We think back on the 20 episodes we released and break down the topics, themes, and human stories that made for an incredible year of programming. Whether it’s Simone Biles, the Rooney Rule, Sports Parenting, or Kyrie and the Vaccine, we talk through our conversations about what bubbled...

Tarlin and Mike return to talk about the recent changes to the NCAA regulations about college players' ability to monetize their Name, Image, and Likenesses. We run it back to the case of Ed O'Bannon who was the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against the NCAA on violation of antitrust regulations based on the use of his image in an EA Sports Video Game in 2009. In addition to Easy Ed, we...

Tarlin and Mike are back, this time to run it back to a new perspective on the legacy of the 1990s Bulls. This time it's from Scottie Pippen's perspective based on his recent memoir, Unguarded. What was it like to be Robin to Michael Jordan's Batman? How did Scottie demonstrate the flexibility and adaptability that are critical to being an effective teammate and collaborator? And where did he go t...

Tarlin Ray and Mike Palmer are back looking to find lessons learned from the Aaron Rodgers situation in Green Bay. Now that it is confirmed that Rodgers is not vaccinated against Covid-19 and that he was referring to alternative treatments when he told the media he was immunized, what wisdom and leadership lessons can be found in all of this? We watched the Pat McAfee Show Appearance where Rodgers...

Tarlin and Mike look for lessons learned from the acrimony surrounding Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers as we head into the 2021-2022 NBA Season. After another disappointing finish for the Sixers in the NBA Playoffs in the Summer of 2021, neither Joel Embiid nor Doc Rivers gave Ben Simmons the support he was looking for. Then after Ben asked for a trade, the drama increased as his request ha...

Tarlin and Mike are back. This time it's to talk about vaccines and the NBA with the spotlight on Andrew Wiggins, Bradley Beal, and the mercurial Kyrie Irving as we head into the 2021-2022 season. We touch on the comments by LeBron James and Draymond Green in response to the decisions of several players to opt-out of the Covid-19 vaccine despite its impact on their ability to suit up regularly. Wh...

To kick off our second year of Running It Back, Tarlin and Mike are back to talk NFL, beginning by returning to 2008 and Terrell Owens’ legendarily tearful “That’s My Quarterback” press conference. We recall how Owens defended his quarterback, Tony Romo, who was taking heat from the press for vacationing in Cabo with Jessica Simpson during the Cowboys’ bye week prior to losing to the future Superb...

Tarlin and Mike are back to talk about the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. What initially may have touched on the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat across the full span of athletic competition has become a global conversation about lessons to be learned from Simone Biles' decision to opt-out of the Finals of the Team All-Around, the Individual All-Around, and several of the individual events in Wo...

Tarlin and Mike are back again with a special bonus episode of Running It Back where we look for lessons learned from the Space Jam franchise coinciding with the recent release of LeBron's new film, Space Jam: A New Legacy. To start, we give respect and a little tunefulness in honor of the late great Biz Markie, RIP. Then we begin by digging back into the context around the first Space Jam movie w...

Tarlin and Mike are back to break down the 2021 NBA Finals, beginning with CP3 before concluding with Giannis. How do we place players like Giannis and the Point God and their respective teams into the annals of history now that the Milwaukee Bucks have triumphed in six games? What lessons can be learned from the example of the Bucks culture and the leadership style of Giannis Antetokounmpo that c...

Tarlin and Mike are back looking for lessons learned in sports. This time we take a deep dive into the career arc and leadership lessons of one Christopher Emmanuel Paul III, aka CP3, aka the Point God. How have the last two years in his lengthy NBA career allowed for a new understanding of his leadership style and championship pedigree? We compare CP3 to other NBA greats who never won a Champions...

Tarlin and Mike run it back to November of 2004 where the infamous Malice in the Palace took place in Auburn Hills, Michigan. We draw parallels between a recent spate of incidents between players and fans and what quickly escalated into the worst fracas in NBA history during a game between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers. The Malice involved players fighting fans in the stands and on the co...

Tarlin and Mike are back to draw lessons learned from Naomi Osaka's recent withdrawal from the 2021 French Open citing mental health concerns around appearing for press conferences. We dig into this kerfuffle with the leadership of Roland-Garros over her decision to skip press conferences so she could focus on tennis and run it back to recent tennis history with Naomi's first Grand Slam title at t...

Tarlin and Mike return again. This time to run it back to the history of dominant sports dads who built cultures and drew fire as their offspring rose to unprecedented heights in the sports world. We begin by looking at the story of LaVar Ball who is attempting to build a family business in the NBA with Lonzo Ball and likely 2021 Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball already thriving. From there, we run...

With the NFL Draft approaching, Tarlin and Mike return to explore the history of black quarterbacks taken in the first round over the years. We begin with a quick breakdown of the prospects for the 2021 draft with Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields among those at the top of the list. How does race intersect with the predraft hype and projections for Fields, Lawrence and others. From there we run it...

Tarlin and Mike are back to talk about Jeremy Lin's historic hot streak back in 2012 when he took advantage of his opportunity with the New York Knicks to break through and lead the team to an amazing winning streak before being sidelined with an injury and getting traded to the Houston Rockets. We explore what got him to that point and why he captured the global consciousness at the time before s...

Tarlin and Mike are back to talk about Stephen Curry, the shooter and gamechanger. What lessons can we learn from Steph’s first emergence onto the national stage in the 2008 NCAA Tournament when Davidson advanced to the Elite Eight as a 10-seed? How does the House of Curry stack up against other NBA lineages? How does Steph compare to Reggie Miller and Dame Lillard? By analyzing the impact of an N...

We run it back to Tiger Woods' heroic return to greatness culminating in his remarkable win in the 2019 Masters Tournament. Tarlin shares his personal connection to Tiger over the years as we talk about his impact on sports and culture through the years. What began with his epic win at the 1998 Masters started a run of unequaled dominance until things took a turn in 2009 that required a different...

On the heels of Naomi Osaka's victory in the 2021 Australian Open, Tarlin and Mike spend some time reflecting on the legend and the legacy of Serena Williams. What lessons can be learned from Serena's career? How does she stack up versus other greats in Women's Tennis and against other athletes overall? We talk about her broader cultural impact beyond the court and conclude that Serena belongs on...