Crunching Tackles

The 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremonies are less than a month away, and we are here to prime you for the events and athletes that you need to be paying attention to this year. On today's episode, we discuss the international soccer tournaments currently going on, the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, and an extremely controversial decision by NBC for their Olympic coverage. As always, make sure to sh...

As the city of Paris and the nation of France prepares to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, there's one area they need to focus on that previous hosts of the games haven't: cybersecurity. On today's episode, we discuss: 4:15 - We briefly consider how to choose a British soccer team as American fans and who we would support if we were doing it all over again. 13:50 - We recap the first week of th...

Although college sports have been trending toward professionalization in recent years, it's still a historic day when the NCAA finally agreed to pay its athletes. On today's episode, we discuss: 1:20 - We briefly discuss Scottie Scheffler's charges being dropped and what was most strange about his situation. 4:30 - Caitlin Clark has had a very controversial rookie season, not because of her play,...

The Premier League title came down to the final day, but it never really felt close. Manchester City won their fourth consecutive title, and we are here to figure out what all the other teams need to do to challenge the champs. On today's episode, we discuss: 4:26 - We take a look at the NBA Playoffs, focusing on the Denver Nuggets Game 7 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. 10:20 - We react to the...

Scottie Scheffler won the 2024 Masters Tournament, but he wanted to talk about something different: his faith in God. So we are going to spend some time discussing the various intersections between religion and sports. On today's episode, we discuss: 2:45 - We take a brief look at the collapse of PSG in France and look ahead to a very tense week for Arsenal fans. 8:20 - We recap The Roast of Tom B...

As sports gambling continues to dominate our culture, we take a closer look at the issues surrounding sports betting. We react to how the sports leagues and sports media have responded, as well as offer some legislative suggestions on how to fix some of the most problematic issues. On today's episode, we discuss: 1:30 - We start with a really quick look at the NBA Playoffs and the matchups that ar...

For the first time in television history, the women's NCAA basketball championship had more viewership than the men's. What does this mean for the future of the game? How important is this breakthrough in the present? On today's episode, we discuss: 8:15 - We start with the women's tournament, talking about South Carolina's dominance, Caitlin Clark's unprecedented greatness, and the breakthrough i...

Major League Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani has been implicated in a major sports gambling story concerning his professional interpreter. While it seems like at the moment Ohtani is unscathed, this investigation opens the door into a wider conversation about sports gambling in our culture. On today's episode, we discuss: 3:45 - March Madness Opening Weekend and previewing the Sweet 16! The baske...

The world's most controversial sport is enmeshed in one of its biggest controversies to date. Christian Horner—the team principal of Red Bull F1 racing—has held onto his job despite a tremendous amount of scrutiny. On today's episode, we discuss: 3:45 - We briefly recap the Oscars, covering subjects like Oppenheimer , Ryan Gosling, Lily Gladstone, and the controversial acceptance speech by Jonatha...

Dune 2 is finally here! After a months-long delay, the much anticipated sequel film has arrived and we are here to break it all down in this special bonus edition of Crunching Tackles. As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

The most recent incident of court-storming by a student section in college basketball has ignited a huge debate about the future of this behavior. So we had to way in. On today's episode, we discuss: 8:30 - Everton have been given a lifeline in their continued attempt to stay in the Premier League while facing point reductions due to financial malpractice. Will getting 4 points back be enough to k...

Super Bowl 58 featured the two longest field goals in Super Bowl history, and two historic comebacks from Patrick Mahomes. On today's episode, we discuss: 6:30 - We break down the game, including the key fourth quarter and overtime drives, and why the 49ers will be thinking about their missed opportunities. 40:00 - We reopen the conversation about where Patrick Mahomes ranks in the history of NFL...

In 2022, the Ontario police and NHL opened investigations into sexual assault allegations against several members of Canada's 2018 Junior World Championship team. This week, 5 members of that team were ordered to surrender to the police. On today's episode, we discuss: 2:50 - The Super Bowl matchup is set, with the Kansas City Chiefs returning to face the San Francisco 49ers. We react to how each...

Everton and Nottingham Forest are facing more financial charges from the English Premier League, casting a shadow on the fairness of the finances of elite soccer. On today's episode, we discuss: 3:50 - THE BIG STORY: Everton and Nottingham Forest are facing charges of financial misconduct. They are not sustainably managing their money and have faced significant monetary losses, and now they are at...

2023 has been a consequential sports year. We've seen aging superstars cement their legacies, young phenoms announce their presence, and Saudi Arabia stage a takeover of multiple professional sports. We also spent a lot of time this year watching and thinking about film. We've shared a lot of those thoughts on this podcast, but we decided to spend the last half of this podcast talking about the be...

Shohei Ohtani has signed a historic and unconventional contract to play baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Meanwhile, Jon Rahm announced his departure from the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, despite having previously stated that he isn't motivated by money. On today's episode, we discuss: 1:30 - The final College Football Committee Rankings, and if Florida State University has a case to say they were s...

Everton Football Club have been hit with the largest sanctions ever given by the Premier League after they were found liable for mismanagement of funds and inability to retain a proper revenue margin. Their 10-point sanction is the largest points deduction the league has ever given. On today's episode, we discuss: 1:30 - A very brief run through the recent slate of NFL games. 5:30 - Alejandro Garn...

There is no event more prestigious than the World Cup, and the 2034 edition is going to be gifted to Saudi Arabia, as they continue their expansive sportswashing project. On today's episode, we discuss: 7:00 - Jim Harbaugh has been suspended by the Big Ten following evidence that his program was illegally spying on opponents. But we aren't convinced the NCAA rules on surveillance are fair, or even...

Our eyes are telling us that athletes look bigger, stronger, and faster than they ever have before, and the empirical data backs that up. On today's podcast, we're looking at the growth of the athletic body and how we can contextualize the modern day elite. We discuss: 1:00 - A few additional thoughts about the conflict between Israel and Hamas and the cultural response. 18:45 - A brief check-in o...

We're doing something a little different on the podcast today. We'll weave a couple sports stories into this discussion, but we are mostly focused on a frank and raw conversation about the state of the war in Israel, our connections to it, and what we can learn from the cultural response to this conflict. As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all you...

For the past two weeks, Taylor Swift has been in attendance to see the Kansas City Chiefs, and Travis Kelce, play football. Her presence has in many ways dictated not just sports media, but all of culture. We here at Crunching Tackles have been swept up in Taylor-mania as well. This week, we discuss: 2:20 - What in the world is going on with Jimmy Butler? 4:16 - Video Review in the Premier League...

The 2023 US Open saw one of the youngest female champions in Grand Slam history, and also one of the oldest mens champions. We recap the entire tournament and look at what the future for Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic might be. This week, we discuss: 1:45 - Our week 1 takeaways from the NFL season so far. 11:15 - The drama in the Spanish Football Federation in the aftermath of the Women's World Cup...

Michael Oher, the subject of the hit movie The Blind Side, has filed a lawsuit against the Tuohy family who took him in and became the heroes of the film. What is Oher alleging, and how does this taint the beloved film? On this pod, we discuss: 0:45 - John gives a full recollection of seeing Lionel Messi—in person—lift his first trophy on American soil. 6:20 - Novak Djokovic has gotten some reveng...

It was a disappointing outing in the Woman's World Cup for the USA, and we are here to react to the worst result the American ladies have ever suffered in the history of the tournament. On this pod, we discuss: 2:30 - Lionel Messi has continued to dominate in MLS in his first four games for Inter Miami. Is this a huge success for everyone all around, or is it highlighting the issues with our domes...

Full disclosure: there is a lot more talk about movies on this episode than there is about sports. But that doesn't mean we don't have a whole lot of important sports content for you as well. This week we discuss: 2:45 - Carlos Alcaraz is the 2023 Wimbledon champion, and we assess whether he is now the best tennis player in the world. Is it time to reflect on Novak Djokovic in the past tense, or d...