Episode 22: The NFL Regular Season - Madden's Game

"The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else."

John Madden, Super Bowl XI winning coach, broadcaster and Pro Football Hall of Famer

The richest sports league on the planet, the most elite group of athletic talent in any sport, anywhere, and a competition never far away from controversy or legend.

There are over a million High School football players that every season vie for one of the 50,000 Division 1 College roster spots. Each Spring, around 260 of them get drafted into the NFL. Their average career length is barely three seasons, and those who don't make it have very few alternatives to remain in professional sport. There is no pyramid, no farm leagues, few overseas options and none that even remotely stack up to it in terms of prestige or recompense. Those who make it are the best of the best, putting their bodies on their line for a shot at a starting spot, another contract, and for those lucky few maybe even a ring.

Ben and Jack talk money, scale, structure, cheerleaders and records and how much Jack hates loving the New York Jets, as well as profiling one of the most fascinating men every to have graced the sport - John Madden, a name familiar to anyone with even a passing knowledge of football, with a story and legacy like few others. There is simply no league in the world of sport quite like the NFL.

Episode 21: The US Open Tennis - Arthur Ashe, Althea Gibson and the Power of Tennis

"From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life."

Arthur Ashe, 1968 US Open Champion and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient.

The US Open can be more than just a great sporting occasion. Arthur Ashe became its first men’s champion in the Open Era as an amateur amongst professionals, using his voice and his platform to challenge injustice long beyond his career ending prematurely due to ill health. Althea Gibson broke barriers as the first Black Grand Slam winner, later forging a path in professional golf - and even recording music along the way.

This episode explores their stories alongside the wider history of the tournament: Billie Jean King’s role in reshaping the game, era defining talents like Connors and McEnroe, of Venus and Serena Williams too, and the ongoing wait for another American man to lift the trophy, 22 years after Andy Roddick in 2003.

From its venue hopping origins to its move to Flushing Meadows, onto the opening of its centrepiece at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, the US Open has grown into the sport’s biggest and richest stage - but its power has always rested with the players who used it to change the game, and sometimes the world beyond it.

Episode 20: The Rugby Championship and Women's World Cup

How did Rugby Union make its way to the southern hemisphere? How does the game down south differ from the bruising northern style? And why, exactly, are New Zealand so damn good at it?

This week, we’re serving up a double helping of rugby. With the Rugby Championship kicking off this weekend and the Red Roses gearing up for their date with destiny next Friday, Ben dives headfirst into the pinnacle of southern hemisphere rugby, while Jack takes a quick look at the rise of the women’s game and the teams to watch at this year's World Cup.

There’s an unexpected shortage of English bias… swiftly undone by some unprovoked Jonny Wilkinson fawning. But Ben also waxes lyrical about the only man he rates higher than Wilko - one Daniel Carter - while both of us get misty eyed over the unstoppable force, icon and legend that was Jonah Lomu.

For newcomers, Jack crams everything you need to know about Rugby Union into a breathless three-minute bit for no reason whatsoever. For the seasoned fans, there’s plenty too - from Kiwis looking to snatch their crown back from South Africa, to Wallabies just praying to finish above Argentina, and England’s burning quest for revenge against the Black Ferns… with Canada waiting in the wings.

The Rugby autumn starts here - buckle up and enjoy the ride.