Sports

The dream of waking "the sleeping giant." 

 This audio postcard is part of Word of Mouth's series on the North Country. 

Today, two stories about different kinds of ambition: one a desire to sculpt the body and the other a desire to sculpt legislation. NHPR reporter Todd Bookman followed one amateur bodybuilder as he prepared for his first competition. Then, we learn all about propositions - the civic kind - from Civics 101.

For a long time, professional and recreational athletes have been separated by gender, for physical and cultural reasons.  Today, it's more complicated: depending on the community, the sexes are both more divided, and more together, when it comes to sports.  

One of the most hyped young baseball players in the country right now happens to have a Fisher Cat on his uniform.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the son of soon-to-be Hall of Famer Vlad Sr., is playing third base for the minor league New Hampshire Fisher Cats this season.

He’s generating national attention, and a buzz around the Manchester ballpark.

Even casual baseball fans have probably heard about Guerrero Jr. by now. The 19-year old hits baseballs, and he hits them hard.

At an Oyster River High School baseball game few weeks ago, junior Brennen Oxford took the mound. He didn’t know it, but he was about to throw a no-hitter.

At his next game, he did it again.

Then, to everyone’s great surprise, he threw two more no-hitters, which brought his streak up to four consecutive games. This remarkable show of talent earned Oxford a few headlines, including on Major League Baseball’s website.

When confronting transphobia, what's the best way to encourage understanding? How about a face-to-face discussion? Today, a study follows a group of door-to-door canvassers, and quantifies what we probably know instinctively - conversation is an effective tool for empathy and persuasion.

Plus, just because you saw The West Wing 10 years ago, does not mean you understand how government works. And that's ok. Today we introduce Civics 101 to untangle the fundamentals you learned in school and probably forgot - like what exactly does a Chief of Staff do?

Presidential candidates talk a lot about what they'll do to jump start the economy. But what about local TV stations that rely on campaign ads to pay the bills? They're hurting. Today on the show, it may feel like all campaign, all the time, but not on TV.

And, the Rio Olympics have ended - and green pool and Ryan Lochte-gate aside, it wasn't half the disaster people feared. But now with the Paralympics just around the corner, and only a fraction of tickets sold, disaster might just get another chance.

Want to guess how America's internet speed stack up to the rest of the world? Not even top 20... That means below Mongolia, Slovenia and dozens of other countries.Today, find out why the leader of the free world lags so far behind in fast -and affordable - access.

Plus, love is complicated. Most people can agree that they want love in their life, but we are messy, imperfect beings and a lot of ways to get it wrong. From sibling resentments to misguided crushes to good old self delusion, one podcast is jumping in to take a closer look at love in all its forms.

Public concern about concussions has mostly centered around football and other male-dominated sports. But another population experiences concussions at an even higher rate...female athletes. Today, some alarming research on the frequency, diagnosis and treatment of concussions in women and girls.

Then, we may be on the verge of the next major milestone in long-distance running: the sub two-hour marathon - that's if one scientist has his way. So, can new technology, training and even genetic selection make people run long distances even faster?

With the NFL recently admitting that repeated blows to the head can cause degenerative brain disease, we take a time-out to scan the research on brain trauma, including innovations in reducing incidents and assessing concussions.  But is what we're learning discouraging participation in contact sports? And is rising concern over brain injury backed by science?

In 2013, journalist Adrienne LaFrance scanned her own reporting and found that only 25% of people mentioned in her reporting were women. Two years later she did the same thing. The result was…disappointing. Today, a reporter owns up to perpetuating gender bias.

Then, from TV's campy crusader to the Dark Knight, Batman has been reflected American anxieties and social norms for almost 80 years. We'll explore his appeal as a mere mortal among superhumans, making him a magnet for our heroic dreams. 

As Super Tuesday results came in last night, Google searches for how to move to Canada spiked 350%. Whether Obama in '08, or Trump in 2016, a surprising number of people threaten "if so and so gets elected, I'm outta here". But where would they go?  Today, when Americans commit  self-imposed political exile.

And there's no farther place to travel than outer space - we'll talk to the designer behind one of NASA's viral ad campaigns, a beautiful set of travel posters that put a fifties spin on space tourism. 

From dreaming of the big leagues to a roller derby revival— today, we enter the wild and wacky world of sports, starting with the origin story of the most successful non-carbonated beverage in the US and a staple of the pro sports sidelines: Gatorade. Plus, for a long time, being a Red Sox fan was to be an outsider, hardcore. That hard living, punk attitude motivated a group of teenagers to produce the most popular, and aggressive, T-shirt in Boston history. We’ll hear the Hollywood-worthy story behind the “Yankees Suck” t-shirt.

As autumn progresses, it’s getting to be time to turn up the thermostat, and pile on the blankets. Or maybe not. On today’s show, we consider the benefits of being cold. And, we explore the curious history of one of sports’ key beverages: Gatorade.

Harvard, like other prestigious Ivy League schools, is a non-profit. Still, its 36-billion dollar endowment is bigger than the GDP of Jamaica. Plus, a poll finds that forty-four percent of families in low-income, low-education households with a high school athlete think their kid has a chance at the majors – we’ll hear about the myth of pro sports as viable career option.  And look into the secretive underworld of illegally modified softball bats.

When the Manchester Monarchs won their only league championship this year, and then promptly moved to California, it had to be the weirdest thing that’s ever happened in New Hampshire sports, right?

Not even close.

Over the years, New Hampshire teams have been involved in some of the strangest moves to have ever happened on a court or a field. In fact, you could make a case that the Granite State may be the one of the weirdest places in America for sports.

Tug of War, Capture the Flag, Croquet ... for many, these games are childhood staples: hours of outdoor fun until the fireflies come out and it's time for bed. We talked to Paul Tukey, co-author of the book "Tag, Toss, And Run: 40 Classic Lawn Games" about some of the classics and up-and-coming games. We compiled some random facts about five of our favorite games -- and links to rules, so you can play them!

We've also got a survey at the end of the post, tell us your favorite lawn game.

On Sunday night, the U.S. Womens Soccer team goes up against Japan in the World Cup Final. Ten year old soccer player Abby Bentley of Newmarket is looking forward to the game. NHPR's Emily Coriwn met up with Bentley at a summer camp held by Seacoast United in Hampton, N.H.

For the first time this year, the Exeter Classic – a “criterium” style bike race – offered equal prize money in their pro women's race as their pro men’s race.  In September, the Portsmouth Criterium will also offer an equal purse to women for the first time.

Top female bike racers say regional race directors in New England and Northern California are pushing national and international governing bodies toward equality for women as they make room for women’s races and attract sponsors for equal prize money.

Some local hockey fans are trying to understand why the Manchester Monarchs are leaving town just days after winning the only league championship in their fifteen-year history.

With thousands of empty luxury apartments in China’s new cities, desperate measures are being taken to lure buyers. On today’s show, we’ll explore the booming business of renting foreigners as props to give these ghostly city centers an air of international glamour.   

Then we hit the pitch for an inside look at the world’s greatest sports rivalry, between the Pakistan and Indian cricket teams, and what it reveals about the complicated relationship between the nations.