Beyond the Arena

Former Colorado State and Rick's College sharpshooter and BYU Women's Basketball Head Coach Trent Shippen talks about setting a Madison Square Garden record, experiencing March Madness and the positive impact sports has had on him throughout his life.

Scroll Sidelines sports show host Harrison Kelley reflects on covering BYU football at the 2026 Big 12 title game, creating BYUI's official sports show, bonding with his dad over sports as a youth and more.

Welcome to Season 2 of Beyond the Arena! Former BYU-Idaho Radio senior producer and fellow BYUI football and basketball broadcaster Austin Pace speaks on how sports has helped him become more confident in all aspects of his life. He talks about the importance of networking and not being afraid to be told "no" as he chases his sports career dreams.

Beyond the Arena host Jack Esplin shares his story about how sports has impacted his life and how it has given him purpose and joy in the many opportunities he has had, from making his own YouTube channel (JackEspy) to doing play-by-play and color commentary for college basketball games.

Chris Hall doubles as the General Manager for the Idaho Falls Chukars baseball team and Vice President of the Spud Kings hockey team. In this episode, Hall talks about how he lives to take advantage of his dream job every day. Halls says he owes everything in his life to his wife and sports.

Deseret News sports writer Krysyan Edler talks about how everyone should be a fan of sports because of their ability to inspire people to overcome adversity. A graduate of BYU-Idaho, Edler gets to live her career dream of writing about sports every day.

BYU-Idaho Scroll's lead sports editor Rhett Vasseur talks about how sports has taught him to be tough and that he can get through every trial. Sports has given Vasseur "everything" in life and he loves sacrificing both time and sleep to attend any games he can.

Sports poetry writer Mark Bennion talks about the marriage of sports and literature in his life, and the lessons he has learned to never give up on anything in life. He even reads a few of his poems for us!

Former Utah Utes running back Mason Woodward discusses embracing the underdog mentality and never being satisfied. He shares what he's learned about being grateful to suffer in the process, and pursuing his absolute best in everything.

Former Boston Red Sox grounds crew member Chandler Doerr talks about how sports has been "romantic" in his life, and how he has learned to never take any moments or experiences he's had for granted.

In Episode 1 of Beyond the Arena, sales leader Jaxon Curtis details the lessons he learned from the sports marketing industry on being "the hardest working person in the room," and that success sometimes takes longer than you think.

Welcome to Beyond the Arena! I'm your host Jack Esplin. Get to know a bit more about me and what this podcast is about. This is going to be fun!