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NFL 2023 – Bieniemy of the State Edition

Eric Bieniemy

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 Trubisky? What lessons can we learn from this about assessing talent and uncovering inherent biases in a system like the NFL?

Then we pivot to Big Red, aka Andy Reid, to understand his success and that of his coaching tree before zeroing in on what the stories of Eric Bieniemy, Steve Wilkes, and Lovie Smith (and his beard) teach us about where the NFL is today and how far it still has to go.

Subscribe to Running It Back wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at RunningItBack.fm for more amazing Lessons Learned from the world of sports.

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The 2022 Sports Year in Review

Running It Back 2022

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 with potentially different outcomes and risk profiles. This sparks a conversation about system quarterbacks versus tailoring the system to the quarterback. After a brief sidetrack to talk about the transcendent World Cup Final we just witnessed and the importance of learning how to shout “MBAPPE!!!” in public, we return to the examples of Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, and Brock Purdy in a free-flowing exploration of identifying talent, building chemistry, and being willing to innovate around the talent you have, not the talent you think you should have. We include quick thoughts on the release of Brittney Griner and how it should make Tarlin watch the Ali Documentary on PBS before concluding with some notes on Chemistry in the NBA and more.

We had an amazing year. Thanks to everyone who is listening. Be on the lookout for more episodes on lessons learned from sports in January of 2023!

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LIV Golf, Sportswashing, and Sports Watching

Liv Golf

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 sports watchers? What does this mean for the players? And what are the implications of the innovation, intrigue, and other soap opera-like that are being infused into an older and more conservative sport? Don’t miss this wide-ranging, relevant, and thought-provoking conversation that is in fact our 54th episode of Running It Back.

Subscribe to Running It Back wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at RunningItBack.fm for more Lessons Learned from Sports.

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The Redeem Team

The Redeem Team

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 there lessons to be learned from Kobe’s leadership? Or from Coach K’s coaching tactics? And how do even the greatest players in the world have to relearn the game and how they can contribute to the team in new ways to win?

Listen in to find out! Subscribe to Running It Back wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at RunningItBack.fm for more amazing lessons learned from sports.

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Tua’s Concussion and the Warrior Ethos of the NFL

Tua Tagovailoa

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 also reflect on the NFL’s tendency to be reactive to situations like this and anticipate changes to the NFL concussion protocols in light of the Tua incident. Are they exhibiting “an abundance of caution” or are they ultimately driven by their bottom line? How did Coach Mike McDaniel, the Players Association, and the NFL respond and what lessons can we learn from there? And what do we think about the future of Thursday night games? We cover all of this and reflect on the joys of a good night’s sleep. Don’t miss it!

Subscribe to Running It Back wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at RunningItBack.fm for more lessons learned from the world of sports.

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Running It Back – Season 3 Kickoff

Season 3

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 of our perspectives there. Then we look to the NFL for quarterback controversy and think through how the Trey Lance and Jimmy G. saga might analogize to CEO succession planning. We touch on the Mets and Dodgers from baseball as well as the Robert Sarver affair in the NBA before a few parting shots regarding the LIV Tour in golf in a free-ranging survey of the topics we’ll be digging into as we come back strong for Season 3 of Running It Back. Thanks for joining us for the ride!

Subscribe to Running It Back wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at RunningItBack.fm for more incredible lessons learned from across the wide world of sports.

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Running It Back – 50th Episode Celebration

50th Episode Celebration

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 appearance, Tarlin’s Ode to Tiger, and much more. We let listeners in on our creative process as we learn from the data and spitball what topics to cover next. And of course, there’s plenty of talk of Space Jam, Scottie Pippen memoirs, The Rooney Rule, Black Quarterbacks and more. We even celebrate some great 50s before we wrap.

Thanks to everyone who’s been with us so far. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to keep up with the latest. Visit us at RunningItBack.fm for more as we embark on our next 50. We look forward to you joining us for the ride!

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Title IX and the Overturning of Roe v. Wade

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 discrimination in education “on the basis of sex.”

How has Title IX led to the evolution of our cultural understanding of women as athletes, teammates, and leaders? How did the work of Patsy Mink and other lawmakers in 1972 set the stage for the ongoing fight for equity in women’s sports? What should we expect from athletes like Megan Rapinoe, Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and others in light of the recent ruling? And how have we benefitted from the personalities and narratives we’ve followed in women’s sports since 1972.

We also take a moment to reflect on the impact of Title IX on male athletes like recent NBA Draft pick, Jaden Ivey, whose mother, Neile, benefitted from the opportunities afforded by Title IX to raise her son as a successful WNBA player and leader. Is this reflective of the experiences of other #boymoms everywhere? How should we understand how Title IX impacts men?

We conclude by thinking of the future of women as leaders in the coming years and how we can continue to push to provide more opportunity and access in these challenging times.

Subscribe to Running It Back wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at RunningItBack.fm for more lessons learned from sports.

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Sports Protests in the Wake of Uvalde and Buffalo

Steve Kerr

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 Abdul-Rauf, to the leading role of the WNBA, the Brittney Griner situation, and Muhammad Ali’s historic protest of the Vietnam War, among others, as we try to make sense of the senseless. And there’s plenty of reference to famous soundbites from Marshawn Lynch, Rasheed Wallace, and Allen Iverson along the way to keep things lighter.

What lessons, if any, can we learn from all of this? How can we use sports narratives as tools to work through our response to the unthinkable? And what does this tell us about leadership and acts of conscience in these challenging times? We cover all of this and more on our latest episode. Listen in and enjoy.

Subscribe to Running It Back wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at RunningItBack.fm for more.

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Lessons Learned from the 2022 NBA Season

NBA

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 brings to the Celtics. Mike explains why he likes the Celtics to take it all as we acknowledge what Ime Udoka, Brad Stevens, and a cohesive, defensively-minded unit from Boston.

From there, we talk Luka and what Jason Kidd and team are doing in Dallas, even though we don’t see them getting past Steph and the Ws. Tarlin fights back the tears as we look back at the disappointing performance of so-called Super Teams like the Lakers, Nets, and Sixers.

We talk about the Suns’ mysterious and embarrassing disappearance in Game 7 at home versus Dallas. We may never know what happened but it doesn’t keep us from speculating.

Tarlin wraps us up with our note of support for the Buffalo community, looking for inspiration from the many successes of Black Coaches in the NBA.

Thanks for listening. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Visit us at RunningItBack.fm for more incredible lessons learned from sports.