Wild World of Sport

Cynisca, princess of Sparta was born in the late 5th century BCE and lived into the 4th century BCE. Cynisca is famous for holding the prestigious title of being the first woman to win an Olympic event in history - during a period when women were not allowed to compete or even spectate the event, under punishment of death. She accomplished this by exploiting a loophole in the rules, and her victor...

Umamusume Pretty Derby is a horse girl racing franchise created by Japanese company Cyber Agent. The franchise includes an anime, manga, and mobile/PC game, as well as limitless merchandise opportunities. The franchise follows the lives of the horse girls (umas) and incorporates the real life events of the horses they are based off - including race wins, injuries, and unfortunately deaths. The fra...

The Boston Marathon is one of oldest and most prestigious races in the world. But from its inception in 1897 to 1972, women were not permitted to race due to barbaric and downright ludicrous medical theories on what a woman’s body could handle. However, those rules did not stop a few brave women who dared to race anyway, breaking the mould and showing race organisers and the world that women can r...

In 1991, the bar for what athletes can and can’t get away with was forever changed when a 19-year-old Manny Ramirez was drafted 13th overall by the then Cleveland Indians. Ramirez went on to have one of the greatest MLB hitting careers, with 555 home runs, a career Batting Average of .312 and an On-Base Percentage plus Slugging of .996. But the real story with Manny is the infamous stories of ‘Man...

During the Australian summer of 2013, the cricketing world was treated to perhaps the greatest bowling performance in Test Match history. Mitchell Johnson terrorised England with bat and ball for the entire five match series, scaring batters, forcing retirements, and threatening to break arms - and it was all because of a moustache. This week we pad up and prepare to face the chin music that was M...

In ancient Rome there was one sport that towered above everything else - chariot racing. These athletes raced in front of a packed 250,000 seat stadium for a chance at glory and wealth, with one man standing above the rest - at least in terms of career earnings - Diocles. The potential former slave whose long career in the deadly sport helped propel him to the top of all time ranking of highest ea...

There are moments in out lives that seem insignificant at first but ultimately change it forever. For Bill Fong, he could never have imagined that when he visited a Texas Plano Super Bowl in 2010 that his life would change forever - when he had a chance to join the allusive club of people that have bowled a 900 series. Join us as we learn the intricacies of bowling, Bills story, what Carlins strip...

By the 1980s, all the records and milestones in aviation had been achieved. We had been to space, broken the sound barrier, and crossed the largest oceans. But one milestone remained, circumnavigating the globe on a single tank of fuel. Enter Vietnam fighter pilot Dick Rutan, his brother Burt, and his then-girlfriend Jeana Yeager. On the back of a cocktail napkin, they drew the first plans of the...

WARNING: This episode features discussion of abuse, torture, and cruelty of animals. These events are discussed in the historical context of the story and the actions, views, and treatment toward these animals are not condoned by Wild World of Sport. It’s no secret that during the 19th century people did some awful things to animals in the name of entertainment. Bloodsports was a sport involving t...

The Ancient Greek Panhellenic games were a series of prestigious and honoured festivals which saw the bravest and boldest athletes complete for the ultimate glory. That was until Nero came along and disrupted the sacred traditions by manipulating officials, proceedings, and even the history books to crown himself Periodonikes, universal victor of all four games. This week’s story is presented by e...

There are some things that just don’t mix, but apparently football tournaments and war isn’t one of them; and neither is playing sport and drinking beer. In 1967, the Vietnam war was in full swing, but that didn’t stop the Australian Football team (not yet the Socceroos) from winning their first international trophy there while drinking nothing but beer. Discover the crazy details behind this wild...

The 1970s was a wild time of liberation and self-expression. One form of this was the emerging trend of streaking, the act of running through a public place naked. It didn’t take long for the craze to find its way from college campuses to stadiums the world over. In this week’s episode we trace the story of the first streaker at a major sporting event back to an Australian (sorry New Zealand).  Jo...

The 1900 Paris Olympics are a treasure trove of wild stories from wacky events like fire truck racing to live pigeon shooting. But this week we discuss the wild story of Margaret Abbot Ives, the first American woman to win gold at an Olympics and the Olympic record she held for over 100 years. Join us as we discuss the oddities of 1900 golf, explore the strange Olympic prizes in place of medals, a...

One of the most controversial and prolific cheating scandals in e-sports history occurred during DreamHacks Counter-Strike: Global Offensive winter tournament in 2014. Except, it technically wasn't cheating. Join the Wild World of Sport boys as they discuss whether Fnatic, the team behind the infamous 'Boost', are the a-holes of this story and what this meant for future tournaments. Find out where...

In 2005, the National Football League was rocked by a drug scandal involving Minnesota Vikings running back Ontario Smith. It wasn't performance enhancing drugs, it wasn't even the fact he was taking drugs. It was because he was caught trying to cheat a drug test using a fake penis. This week we unzip the story of 'The Whizzinator', an infamous product used as a way to pass drug tests with synthet...

Chris Moneymaker wasn’t a pro, wasn’t sponsored, and had never played an in-person tournament before. But in 2003, this unknown accountant from Tennessee bluffed his way past the best players in the world and changed poker forever - all because of an $86 online poker tournament. On what could be our wildest story yet, we go through every step of Chris Moneymakers improbable journey at The World Se...

In 1999, unknown South African runner Sergio Motsoeneng stunned the ultramarathon world when he crossed the finish line of the prestigious Comrades Marathon with a remarkably strong performance. But race officials soon discovered that Motsoeneng had orchestrated one of the most infamous cheating scandals in distance running history. Our fourth episode unpacks how the plan was carried out, the clue...

In the spring of 1390, three French knights staged one of the most famous tournaments of the Middle Ages: the Joust at St. Inglevert. Over the course of a month, they challenged all comers in a display of martial skill, chivalric ideals, and international pageantry. This episode explores the pillars of chivalry, the art of jousting, and how circle-jerk knights are. Join us as we unpack the sheer i...

WARNING - This episode contains language some may find offensive. The language is used while quoting those from a less tolerant era, and does not reflect the views of Wild World of Sport. In one of the most unforgettable moments in baseball history, a 3-foot-7 man stepped up to the plate—and straight into the record books. For our second episode, we dive into the remarkable life of Eddie Gaedel, t...

The unbelievable true story of Carlos "Kaiser" Raposo, the man who built a career as a professional footballer—without ever playing. In our debut episode, we learn how Raposo hustled his way into top clubs, faked injuries, forged friendships, and maintained the illusion for over a decade. Tune in for a wild ride through one of football’s most bizarre legends and discover where it ranks as we set o...