Running It Back

In this episode of Running It Back, Tarlin Ray and Mike Palmer dive into the 2024 Paris Olympics, exploring the captivating stories and performances that have captured the world's attention. We discuss the remarkable comeback of Simone Biles, highlighting her resilience and continued dominance in gymnastics. Check out our episode about Biles at the Tokyo Olympics for more on this. We also shine a...

We dive deep into the legacy of the late Bill Walton, the legendary but controversial UCLA and NBA star who played through tremendous pain and injuries during his career. Walton was uncompromising in his countercultural beliefs, from his anti-government views to his refusal to take pharmaceutical drugs. Yet he was also one of the most dominant players ever, winning titles in college and the NBA MV...

Is the Superstar "Big 3" Era Over in the NBA? 🏀 Knicks' Cinderella Run & the Rise of the WNBA 🌟 On this episode of the Running It Back sports podcast, hosts Tarlin Ray and Mike Palmer break down: Golf star Scotty Scheffler's bizarre arrest before the PGA Championship 🚓 Drawing hilarious comparisons to Tiger Woods and John Daly mugshots The New York Knicks' unexpected underdog playoff run led by...

Running It Back recorded live together in person for the first time! Mike Palmer and Tarlin Ray record this podcast live from the 39th floor of a hotel in San Diego while attending the ASU+GSV education technology conference. Despite the non-sports setting, we manage to discuss a variety of basketball topics in our signature free-flowing style. Our main focus rests on Jalen Brunson's impact on the...

Mike and Tarlin are back with another must-see episode of Running It Back, and this time we're raving over the transcendent athletes taking the sports world by storm. The dynamic duo kicks things off by marveling at Anthony Edwards' jaw-dropping block against the Pacers, with the "Ant-Man" soaring through the air and hitting his head on the rim and backboard in a play that instantly etched itself...

We're back with another episode of Running It Back, finding lessons learned from the world of sports, old and new! Tarlin shares stories about his 50th birthday and dealing with rainstorms in LA. Mike talks about playing in the snow with his 5-year-old son. Discussing NFL season highlights, we debate whether Patrick Mahomes can already be considered a GOAT after the Chiefs' Super Bowl win or if it...

Mike and Tarlin kick things off by chatting about their recent adventures - Tarlin's trip to see Usher perform in Vegas, his progress in the step challenge (down 9 lbs!), and a podcast he discovered called Smartless. But the main event is a discussion about Florida State University's football team getting snubbed from making the College Football Playoff, despite their undefeated 13-0 record this s...

Tarlin and Mike kick things off chatting about Tarlin's recent trip to Barbados, including some turbulent flights thanks to Tropical Storm Tammy. But we quickly segue into a step challenge Tarlin is participating in, where he's determined to beat his very competitive and fit coworkers. He's even wondering if there are any tricks to game the step counters. We're open to suggestions. We then dive in...

Tarlin and Mike are back connecting amazing entertainers in pop culture to lessons learned from the world of sports. This time we follow up on the success of our Taylor Swift / Must-See Athletes episode by hearing about Tarlin's Beyoncé concert experience and his thoughts on finding the right "drip" for the show. We debate which athletes compare to top musicians, landing on LeBron vs MJ for Beyonc...

In our Season 4 Kickoff episode, Mike and Tarlin are lacing up their kicks to run it back on must-see athletes and entertainers. After Tarlin's mind-blowing experience at a Taylor Swift show, we debate who reaches T-Swift levels of fame and fandom. Is it His Airness Michael Jordan back in the 90s heyday? The GOAT Ali? Eldrick "Tiger" Woods tearing up the links? Or do queens like Serena and Beyoncé...

In a special bonus episode, Mike and Tarlin share their thoughts about the recent PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger. We reflect on what has transpired since we first talked about LIV and Sportswashing with the recent surprise merger between rival leagues. How does this connect to preview splits and mergers? How does it connect to Voldemort and the USFL? And as we gear up for the US Open which is happening...

Tarlin and Mike return to talk Lessons Learned from the 2023 NBA Finals as Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the Denver "Chicken" Nuggets prepare to close out the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. We start with a conversation about the crazy weather and some (TMI) details about Tarlin's footcare regimens before digging into what we can learn from the selflessness and chemistry of the 2023 Denver Nuggets....

Tarlin and Mike are back after a couple of months of laying low since our Advice for Ja Morant episode. Tarlin dives right into his takes on "Himmy" Butler’s clutch performance versus Grant Williams in the Boston Garden. Note: some of his prep was done with Hoops GPT. When does it make sense to “poke the bear?” How great is Jimmy Buckets as the playoff competitor as the Heat makes a heroic run rem...

Tarlin Ray and Mike Palmer are back from youth volleyball tournaments in Vegas and SXSW EDU in Austin to dig into the ongoing Ja Morant story as we outline a series of incidents that have resulted in his suspension from the Grizzlies. What advice do we have for a "Likes-to-Fight" guy like Ja? What lessons can we draw from the story of Gilbert "Agent Zero" Arenas and Javaris Crittenton bringing gun...

Mike and Tarlin are back to talk about Lessons Learned from the NBA with the recent team shakeups across the league as we prepare for the stretch run after the All-Star Game. Kyrie and KD are no longer Nets and that has set off ripple effects that have transformed the NBA. We get Mike's reactions to the new look Knicks and Nets, hear from Tarlin about his revamped Lakers before digging into the ne...

Tarlin and Mike are back to kick off 2023 with our NFL Super Bowl, Black History Month, Black Quarterback, and Coaching Carousel edition. We start by running it back to NFL Combine reports on Super Bowl QBs Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes. From there we talk about swagger, high floors, low ceilings, vice versa and more. How do Hurts and Mahomes compare with fellow draftees Zach Wilson and Mitch Tr...

Mike and Tarlin are back again. This time to reflect on what we've all just witnessed as we look back for lessons learned from an incredible year in sports. We begin with Tarlin's shout-out to Aaron Judge for betting on himself and winning with a big contract as something to learn from and be inspired by. This leads us into discussions of football with QBs like Lamar Jackson making similar bets wi...

Tarlin and Mike are back for our 54th episode of Running It Back. We're taking the occasion to dig into LIV Golf, Sportswashing, and the disruption we're seeing to the staid traditions of PGA Golf. What can we learn from golfers choosing to go to a new league backed by Saudi money with big purses, fewer holes, and what we hear are fantastic amenities? How will this affect the product we consume as...

Tarlin and Mike are back to break down the recent Netflix documentary, The Redeem Team. What lessons can be learned about leadership, storytelling, and redemption? How does this connect back to the history of US Mens Basketball, the Dream Team, and even the origins of Running It Back? We explore all of this while showcasing one of the most compelling offensive fouls in basketball history. Are ther...

Tarlin and Mike are back to talk about their guilty pleasure, the NFL, in light of the concussion(s) to Tua Tagovailoa in recent games--within four days from Sunday to Thursday night. We explore Tua's extensive injury history and find parallels in other players like Austin Collie who also displayed the "fencing position" after a concussion and who never returned to the same level afterwards. We al...

Tarlin and Mike are back. This time to kick off our third season of Running It Back with a far-reaching crossfade across the various narratives and lessons learned capturing our attention from the sports universe. We talk about Serena and Roger moving on from tennis and how Roger's range may be a dwindling resource in an age of early specialization. Hat-tip to David Epstein's book Range for some o...

WE MADE IT!!! Tarlin and Mike are back to celebrate our 50th episode of Running It Back, the Lessons Learned from Sports Podcast. What began as an outlet for us in the midst of the sports-starved days of the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has now grown into a real body of work, an oeuvre and a platform to grow. We share highlights from our favorite episodes including Mike's son Matthew's appe...

Tarlin and Mike are back. This time to remember the 50th anniversary of Title IX and its impact on equity and sports. Our taping occurred just after the decision by the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade to return reproductive rights to the states. We use the time to look for lessons from Title IX while processing the potential impact of the ruling. We read the 37 words preventing discrimina...

Tarlin and Mike react to the powerful moments from sports leaders in response to the tragic shootings in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York. We listen to what Steve Kerr said and talk about what Gabe Kapler did as coaches and leaders of their teams respond publicly to the unthinkable events. Then we run it back to the history of sports protests and activism ranging from Kaepernick, to Mahmoud Abd...

Tarlin and Mike are back, this time just ahead of the NBA Finals where two teams will square off for all the marbles. We look for lessons learned from the NBA Season, the end-of-year awards, and what we've seen so far in the Playoffs. We begin by talking about Marcus Smart, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year. Tarlin runs it back to The Glove as we recognize the energy and other intangibles he b...