Sporting Around the World

Aruba is a unique melting pot of cultures located in the Caribbean. As a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, they have a noticeable Dutch influence, but Aruba takes influence from nearby Venezuela and Colombia as well. The result is a populace that speaks four different languages and prides itself in baseball and water sports. Sailing, windsurfing, kite boarding, and wing fo...

Bhutan carries an air of mystery around it. The Himalayan country has slowly opened itself up to the rest of the world, but maintains a rich cultural identity. This is reflected in the sports Bhutan plays as most of the popular sports are traditional to the country. We tell you all about khuru, soksom, dego, and the national sport: archery. And if you're looking for the popular ball sports of...

Spain doesn't need much of an introduction when it comes to sports. FIFA World Cup? Check. FIBA World Cup? Check. Over 170 Olympic medals? Of course they have that. We do our best to paint the picture of Spanish sports for you, covering their excellence in team sports as well as their famous athletes in individual sports. And if you're looking for some unique sports, we've got Basque p...

Libya is a sparsely populated country in North Africa, covered primarily by the Sahara Desert. So what sports do Libyans take part in? Well, association football for one. Libya have had their fair share of notable performances as a national team and have a decent domestic league as well. If you're looking for something more unique, we cover Ta Kurt Om El Mahag, also referred to as "Berber...

Kiribati is a collection of 33 islands that straddles the international date line in the Pacific Ocean. Many people haven't even heard of this country, let alone know about their sports, so we get you up to speed on everything in this episode. Kiribati enjoys a lot of the team sports that the rest of the world plays such as association football, basketball, and volleyball, and they've made...

The 19th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup is upon us! Spain enter the tournament as reigning champions and will look to fend off competition from 31 other countries, four of whom will be making their World Cup debut. We go through the format of the tournament and each of the nations competing this year, as well as provide streaming info so you can check out the games yourself (check out th...

Latvia haven't been competing as an independent nation for very long, but since leaving the Soviet Union, they've put up quite the impressive sporting resume. In 2023 alone, the men's ice hockey team grabbed their first ever medal at the World Championships and the men's basketball team qualified for the FIBA World Cup for the first time. In addition, Latvia have made a name for th...

There's a lot of complexity surrounding Taiwan which is reflected in the name they use in many international sporting events: Chinese Taipei. We do our best to explain the political background of Taiwan as we dive into the many sports the country is known for, including baseball, association football, and badminton. And while Taiwan may not always be at the same level as the Asian giants of Ja...

Malawi is one of the lesser-known countries in Africa, but that doesn't mean they lack in sporting success. In fact, Malawi are one of the top nations in the world in netball, even finishing on the podium in world championship tournaments. Of course association football/soccer is the most popular sport, and Malawi have put in some admirable performances over the years against the powerhouse te...

One of the biggest sporting events in the world is here: the FIFA Women's World Cup. With 32 nations competing in the tournament for the first time, we'll get to see plenty of newcomers in addition to the usual juggernauts of the beautiful game. In this episode, we cover the background of the tournament, share some info about the host nations (Australia and New Zealand), and give you the r...

Haiti may not be the first country that comes to mind when you think about sporting nations in the Caribbean. But it turns out that Haiti has had a lot of athletes make waves in the world of sports. Name any popular sport in North America and Haiti has had someone play it at the highest level (yes, even ice hockey). From a surprise world cup appearance to traditional pinge wrestling, we cover it a...

There is no bigger race in the world of cycling than the Tour de France. To get you ready for the 2023 edition, we've brought in our friend Eric to share his knowledge of the race and cycling in general. We cover everything from top riders, notable stages, cycling lingo, and even some historic shenanigans from the early days of the race. The 2023 Tour de France runs from July 1 to July 23. Tel...

When you think Scandinavia, you might think of skiing and various winter sports, but that is not what Denmark is known for. Denmark has stood at the top of the world in both men's and women's handball and surprisingly in badminton as well. Their underdog story in the Euro 1992 football tournament is one of the greatest tales from the beautiful game, and we can't forget about all the Da...

Guinea is one of the least visited countries in the world and admittedly info on their sports was a bit hard to come by. But we make up for that by going a bit deeper than usual on their two most popular sports: association football and basketball. With a surprisingly storied history in these sports and some promising youngsters on the rise, Guinea could make a name for themselves in the realm of...

The biggest event in sports at the club level is the UEFA Champions League Final. In 2023, Manchester City and Inter Milan will compete for the title of club football champs of Europe. We talk about this year's matchup and give you some background on what the Champions League is all about in this one. The 2023 final will take place in Istanbul on June 10, beginning at 3 pm eastern time in the...

Oman may not get the same attention as their neighbors in the Arab World, but they still have a lot to offer in the world of sports. With a rapidly growing population and economy, Oman is making huge strides in football and cricket, even qualifying for the T20 Cricket World Cup on two occasions. Their desert climate has led to the popularity of beach soccer and beach handball, and with a large coa...

With the 2023 French Open getting underway, what better time to take a dive into one of the most prestigious tournaments in tennis. We cover everything from the origins of the tournament, to the clay court surface, and mention some of the notable players to win the tournament before (as well as the stars who never won the French Open). The tournament proper for the 2023 French Open begins May 28 a...

Argentina are one of the giants of the sports world. This rings true in just about every conventional sport you can think of: association football, basketball, rugby union, field hockey, etc. But Argentina also show a considerable level of talent in things like polo and cricket that the rest of their South American neighbors aren't known for. Throw in individual sports like auto racing and ten...

Professional sports leagues around the world continue to look for ways to expand their influence. And in North America, what better way to do this than to expand your league with new teams. We talk about what factors go into deciding what city deserves a professional team and why league expansions aren't as common on other continents. We also share our thoughts on the future of expansion in th...

Madagascar is well-known for being a large tropical island off the coast of Africa with an abundance of wildlife. But how do they fare in sports? As it turns out, surprisingly well. Madagascar has been among the best countries in Africa in sports like rugby union, basketball, and pétanque in recent years, and have even played at the world cup level in some of these sports. Of course traditional sp...

Horses and horse racing have been a part of human culture for millennia. This week, we take a look at arguably the biggest horse race in the world: The Kentucky Derby. As the first race of the American Triple Crown of horse racing, The Kentucky Derby garners considerable attention every year from even the most casual of sports fans. We'll get you up to speed on the storied history of the race...

Laos may not be as well-known as their neighbors in Southeast Asia, but they've proven they can hang with them in the world of sports. While their population is far behind that of Vietnam or Thailand, Laos has put in strong performances in the realm of combat sports (such as Muay Lao) and the popular regional sport of Sepak Takraw. Association football is popular in the country as well, and yo...

While all sports in the world require a large degree of skill and expertise, sometimes a bit of luck is required in order to be the last team or person standing. Inspired by the book "The Success Equation: Untangling Skill in Business, Sports, and Investing" by Michael J. Mauboussin, we take a look at what role luck plays in some of the world's biggest sports. Specifically, we dive i...

Northern Ireland is known for many of the sports you associate with the British Isles: football, rugby, cricket, golf, etc. While they may not get as much attention as their neighbors in the sports world, Northern Ireland has produced world class stars like George Best, Joey Dunlop, and Rory McIlroy among others. And of course we have to mention the Gaelic Games, including hurling and Gaelic footb...

This week, we're taking a look at all the things that make the Masters Tournament special. Arguably the most prestigious golf tournament in the world, the Masters is held every year in Augusta, Georgia and features the greatest players in the sport competing for glory. We cover everything from the famous green jackets to the greatest players in tournament history, as well as give some insight...