Episode 29: Archery World Cup - Every Arrow Tells a Story

“Archery is not about being better than anyone else; it’s about being better than you used to be.” - Unknown

For tens of thousands of years, humans relied on the bow for survival. For thousands of years legendary archers have graced our lore, myth and storytelling. And for hundreds of years, we have taken aim at targets for prize, honour and pride, trying to outshoot our rivals for sport in front of adoring fans.

Today, Jack talks history and origins of the bow, how warfare and sport overlapped as nations tried to pack their armies with well practiced bowmen, how legends formed in history - and about some legends of the modern age.

Ben discusses the different types of modern bow and competition, and just why he's already so convinced of recurve bows superiority to compound bows. He also goes in to why we're here - the Archery World Cup final this weekend, how it works and why South Korea are so darn good at it.

So whether you could give Robin Hood a run for his money or are brand new to this oldest of sports, we've got you covered. So grab your quivers and get ready to let loose - Sport and History doesn't meet quite like this.

Episode 28: Super League Grand Final - Men of Steel

“For me, it’s the hardest sport in the world. It takes dedication, discipline and mental strength. You accept constant physical punishment. You push your body right to the limit... It’s too tough for me. Deep down, I would love to be a rugby league player.” - 2012 Tour de France winner and 5-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Bradley Wiggins

Some say it's the last true working class sport, a game of the people, formed in protest to a wealthy elite that insisted working men choose between feeding their families and playing the game they loved. In 1895, 22 Northern rugby teams broke away in protest at being denied so called "broken time payments"; not asking to be paid for playing, just asking to not have to lose precious wages to do so - for a level playing field against the upper and middle classes.

The story of how rugby came to this schism is a fascinating one, a story of myths of 1823, of the example given by soccer, of muscular Christianity that so influenced the amateur ethos. This week, half the episode is focused on where Rugby League came from and the rest on Europe's biggest competition and its Grand Final at Old Trafford this weekend - the Super League.

Expect big hits, relentless work rate and maybe some last second drama as Hull KR look to break the triumvirate dominance Wigan, St. Helens and Leeds have held on this competition for 20 years. Yorkshire vs. Lancashire, Pretenders vs. Champions - 80 minutes of blood and thunder to crown a truly Northern champion.

Episode 27: Major League Baseball Postseason - One, Two, Three Times You're Out...

"Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball." ~ American historian Jacques Barzun.

Baseball is more than a game.

It's memories, individual and collective. It's culture, consciousness and being. America's favourite pastime has been filling stadia for a century and a half, can boast the oldest professional sports league in the world and moments in its history that transcend the sport.

Each season since 1903 the champions of each of its two leagues have met for the World Series for the right to be called the best team in baseball. This week, Ben and Jack explore how this series came to be, and talk about a handful of its greatest - and darkest - moments, its legendary curses, and finally going in depth about the greatest man ever to swing a bat - The Sultan of Swat, the Titan of Terror, the Collosus of Clout, the King of Crash and the Great Bambino himself, Babe Ruth.

So let us take you out to the ball game, peanuts and crackerjack not included but love and reverence in abundance. Because baseball... it's more than a game.