The Other 51

“This wasn't gonna be a soccer book. This was gonna be a book about a weird soccer team.” Leander Schaerlaeckens returns to the show to talk about the writing and reporting of his excellent new book, “The Long Game: U.S. Men’s Soccer and its savage, four-decade journey to the top, or thereabouts.”Leander talks about the idea for this book dates back to the US failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and how an article he wrote for The Ringer got him started on this process. He discusses how he landed on the book’s structure, how he picked which historical events to focus on and how he worked to make sure the six player  profiles are not just standalone pieces but also speak to larger issues facing US Men’s Soccer. He also describes the leap from writing magazine-length pieces to a book and the biggest challenge.Leander tells Brian about how this generation of US men’s players don’t view media obligations the same way as previous generations did, and how that created both a challenge and an opportunity. There’s also a quick digression about Christian Pulisic’s coffee table book.“What I’d like people to take away from the book is just how weird and wacky the US National team’s history is and how kind of miraculous it is in a sporting sense where they are now." Note: We recorded this episode in June 2026, early during group play of the 2026 World Cup.LinksThe Long Game on AmazonThe Long Game at an independent book store near you.Pulisic: My Journey So Far The Nazi and the Psychiatrist by Jack El-Hi  (The Best Thing Leander’s read lately.)SupportSubscribe to Sports Media GuyFollow us on Instagram.Subscribe at: Apple PodcastsSpotify

“I had this moment, this great joy and excitement, followed by an equal sense of panic and fear because, I got the deal to write the book, and then I realized I had to write the book!”Bob Crawford returns to The Other 51 for a deep dive into the research and writing of his excellent new book: “America’s Founding Son: John Quincy Adams, from President to Political Maverick.”Bob talks about how he built on his 2022 podcast about Adams, Founding Son, and was able to expand the story in book form. He and Brian talk about how the book is as much a snapshot of America in the 1830s and 1840s as it is the story of any one person. Bob talks about how he decided to make Adams’ evolution into an abolitionist the center of the book and how he learned about Theodore Weld and Benjamin Lindy and how important they were to this storyBob describes how life on tour with the Avett Brothers was actually very conducive to writing, how he had a tub of books on the tour bus and how digital media made his work much easier. He also tells the story of his unboxing video gone wrong and describes what makes John Quincy Adams so fascinating to him.  “He’s America’s greatest public servant, hands down.” LinksAmerica’s Founding Son on AmazonAmerica’s Founding Son from an independent book storeAmerican History HotlineThe Road to NowThe Living Declaration (The Best Thing Bob’s read lately.)SupportSubscribe to Sports Media GuyFollow us on Instagram.Subscribe at: Apple PodcastsSpotify 

“Here’s what I felt through this entire process in writing this book: I felt complete trust.”Joe Posnanski and Michael Schur join Brian to talk about their new book, Big Fan: Two Friends, 81,589 Miles, and the Wild, Wonderful Sports We Love.(*I’m told it’s actually 82,490 miles. Thank you to Joe Posnanski, now the official ombudsman of The Other 51.)Joe and Michael talk about how a clip of the World Darts Championship inspired this whole project and how they figured out what events they would attend. They talk about why avoided the big events, and how Joe’s career as a sports writer made that easier. Joe discusses what it was like to write collaboratively, and Michael talked about how they worked to capture the vibe of their friendship on the page. They also say what they learned from writing about each other. “If you have an ego about your writing, you will miss great ideas, you will not be receptive to criticism or rewriting or editing and you will stubbornly stick with whatever your first stupid idea was and your thing won’t be as good.” LinksBig Fan on AmazonBig Fan from an independent bookstoreThe Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout (the best thing Joe’s read lately.)On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle (the best thing Michael’s read lately) SupportSupport the show at Buy Me a CoffeeFollow us on Instagram.Subscribe at: Apple PodcastsSpotify