On The Ball with Andrew Maraniss

Author Danny Funt and Vanderbilt professor Eric VanEpps join the show to discuss the high societal costs of sports betting. Funt is the author of the highly acclaimed new book, “Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling.” The book looks at addiction, predatory marketing tactics, massive lobbying efforts, and the 180-degree shift by sports leagues in their embrace of sports betting. Along with colleague Jackie Silverman, VanEpps is studying how gambling on events makes people more willing to root for antisocial outcomes and the resulting degradation of empathy in society.

Janelly Farias, an Emmy Award-winning soccer commentator, came to Vanderbilt to speak to the women’s soccer team and the ‘Fútbol-Soccer: Culture, Gender, and Diaspora’ course taught by Prof. Celso Castilho. A former professional soccer player and Mexican National Team member Janelly is the author of a new memoir, “Surviving Women’s Soccer.” She writes candidly about lifelong mental health struggles, coming out as a lesbian athlete, taking on unjust systems in NCAA & Mexican pro soccer, and a near-death experience on a reality TV show. 

Charles Waters and Irene Latham join the show to discuss the new book of sports poems they have compiled in “For the Win: Poems Celebrating Phenomenal Athletes.” Aimed at children ages 7-11, the poems, written by a diverse group of poets, feature 20 contemporary athletes who have overcome obstacles, broken records, and inspired fans around the globe.

Author Adam Henig joins the show to discuss his new book, ‘Baseball’s Outcast: The Story of Ron LeFlore.’” When twenty-three-year-old Ron LeFlore played his first organized baseball game, it was in a yard at the State Prison of Southern Michigan where he was serving five to fifteen years for armed robbery. An extraordinary athlete, the Detroit native had luck on his side: his coach, a convicted felon, had connections to the Detroit Tigers. Within three-and-a-half years, Ron went from a prison inmate to a Tiger centerfielder. His rags-to-riches life story became a bestselling book and a made-for-television movie starring actor LeVar Burton, fresh from his performance in Roots. But the good times did not last.

Bestselling author Keith O’Brien joins the show to discuss his new book, “Heartland: A Forgotten Place, An Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird.” The book focuses on the period between 1973-79 when Bird leaves tiny French Lick, Indiana to play for Bobby Knight’s Hoosiers; departs IU after just a few weeks; nearly quits college basketball altogether; and leads underdog Indiana State to the NCAA national championship game.

Dr. Pavel Brunssen, a research associate and lecturer at Heidelberg University in Germany, joins the show to discuss his book, “The Making of ‘Jew Clubs’: Performing Jewishness and Antisemitism in European Soccer and Fan Cultures.” Why do non-Jewish football fans chant "Yid Army" or wave "Super Jews" banners—especially in support of clubs that are not Jewish? The Making of "Jew Clubs" explores how four major European football clubs—FC Bayern Munich, FK Austria Vienna, Ajax Amsterdam, and Tottenham Hotspur—came to be seen as "Jew Clubs," even though they have never officially identified as Jewish. In this transnational study, Brunssen traces how both Jewish and non-Jewish actors perform Jewishness, antisemitism, and philosemitism within European football cultures over the 20th and 21st centuries. Drawing on a wide array of primary sources—from fan chants and matchday rituals to media portrayals and club histories—the book reveals how football stadiums have become unexpected stages for negotiating memory, identity, and historical trauma. Offering a new approach to Holocaust memory, sports history, and Jewish studies, The Making of "Jew Clubs" shows how football cultures reflect and reshape Europe's conflicted relationship with its Jewish past.

Emma May-Bradley and Erin Ryder are experienced sports media and marketing professionals who co-founded Playmakers Nashville, a non-profit supporting women working in, or aspiring to work in, sports. Emma and Erin joined the show to talk about the purpose of their organization, the state of women’s sports nationally, and the opportunities for women in a growing field.

In Panel 3 of our third annual Sports & Activism online symposium, Kevin Blackistone of the University of Maryland leads a discussion on the state of sportswashing with three experts on the topic: Jules Boykoff (Pacific University), Minky Worden (Human Rights Watch), and Sarath Ganji (Autocracy and Global Sports Project). The symposium is a collaboration between the Vanderbilt Sports & Society Initiative and the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at the Vanderbilt Divinity School.

In Panel 2 of our third annual Sports & Activism online symposium, Carl Suddler of Emory University leads a discussion with Lou Moore (Michigan State), Ajah Hawley-Alexander (Iona), and Tracie Canada (Duke), on the economics of college sports in the age of NIL, particularly as it relates to race and gender. The symposium is a collaboration between the Vanderbilt Sports & Society Initiative and the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at the Vanderbilt Divinity School.

In Panel 1 of our third annual Sports & Activism online symposium, Michael Fletcher of ESPN interviews legendary sports sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards about founding the field of study, the 1968 Olympic protest, and the state of sports activism. Olympian John Carlos also makes an impromptu appearance during the recording. The symposium is a collaboration between the Vanderbilt Sports & Society Initiative and the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at the Vanderbilt Divinity School.

Michael Butterworth, Director of the Center for Sports Communication & Media at The University of Texas, discusses the Center’s fifth annual Politics in Sports Media report featuring survey results and case studies. As the report states, “in these interesting times, understanding the relationship between politics and sports remains as complicated and vital as ever.” View report at politicsinsportsmedia.org

Braden Brown, director of mental health at BYU Athletics, joins the show to discuss the immense value of mindfulness for athletes. "Based on the Lochbaum et al., 2022 systematic review of 30 meta-analyses across 40 years of sport psychology research. Mindfulness wasn’t just effective—it was THE most effective variable in the entire dataset. In a world obsessed with confidence, self-talk, and motivation. The data shows mindfulness is the foundation. If you want clutch performance, emotional stability, faster recovery from mistakes, better training efficiency, and improved well-being."

Vanderbilt women’s lacrosse coach Beth Hewitt joins the show to discuss the state of the sport and of her program as it celebrates its 30th anniversary on campus.

Bestselling authors and sports scholars Randy Roberts (Purdue University) and Johnny Smith (Georgia Tech) discuss their acclaimed new book, “The Fight of His Life: Joe Louis’s Battle for Freedom During World War II.”

Bestselling author Scott Ellsworth stopped by our Kirkland Hall studio while on campus to discuss his new book, “Midnight On the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America.” Ellsworth is also the author of the PEN/ESPN award-winning book, “The Secret Game: A Wartime Story of Courage, Change, and Basketball's Lost Triumph."

Former collegiate (San Francisco, Duke) and international pro baseball player Sam Granoff joins the show to discuss his life in and out of the sport. A Fulbright Fellow and literary review founder with a passion for music, movies, books, and writing, Granoff is now teaching at the University of Tennessee and writing a novel partly inspired by his love of baseball.

Dr. Alex Diamond, Vanderbilt Athletics team physician and founder of the Vanderbilt Youth Sports Health Center, joins the show to discuss everything parents, coaches, and young athletes should know about the state of sports medicine for kids.

Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post joins the show to discuss an interactive feature he put together on the top 10 greatest sports theme songs of all time. From the Monday Night Football theme to John Tesh’s “Roundball Rock” to John Williams’ classic Olympic them, Dave breaks down what makes each song an unforgettable piece of sports culture. A music major as a Vanderbilt student, Sheinin’s interests converged perfectly on this project.

Tennis pro and journalist Gabriel Allen joins the show to discuss his new book, “Tennis Tensions: Class, Race, and Gender in The Evolution of The Sport." Former Vanderbilt women's tennis coach Geoff Macdonald joins as co-host to add some tennis expertise to the questions! 

James and Lauren Osborne are the founders of the Exchange Running Collective in East Nashville, a running store that brings the community together through ‘running culture, art, and social change.’ Their inclusive approach demonstrates the power of sports to create a better world. 

Legendary sportswriter and bestselling author Jane Leavy joins the show to discuss her acclaimed new book: “Make Me Commissioner: I Know What’s Wrong With Baseball and How to Fix It. 

Britt Hunter was the consensus National Player of the Year in high school and the first woman to compete in the Slam Dunk contest at the McDonald’s All-American Game. After suffering a potentially career-ending injury at Duke and spiraling into a life-threatening depression, she faced new pressures rehabbing from her injury after transferring to UConn. After college, she struggled to find her identity, ultimately finding purpose as an educator in Harlem before earning an MBA at Vanderbilt and entering the corporate world at Microsoft. Now she uses the power of her story to inspire, educate and train student-athletes and business professionals to take charge of their lives and shape their futures. Highly recommend her if you're looking for a speaker! 

Former Vanderbilt and NFL defensive end Jonathan Wynn has always been more than a football player. As a kid, he enjoyed spending time in libraries and bookstores. In the NFL, he kept a journal and wrote a novel. Now, he and a partner have launched a Nashville nonprofit that boosts BIPOC creatives and are planning to open a coffee shop on historic Jefferson Street. Listen to Jonathan discuss his life in and out of football and how learning the story of Vanderbilt pioneer Perry Wallace helped shape his vision for his next chapter. 

Celso Castilho, Vanderbilt history professor and director of the university’s Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies, joins the show. Castilho discusses recent protests by soccer fans in Nashville and Los Angeles and the implications of ICE raids on events such as the Club World Cup. 

On the heels of CMA Fest and in the midst of Pride Month, country music artist Bryan Ruby joins the show to discuss his one-of-a-kind career as a pioneering LGBTQ musician, professional baseball player, and nonprofit founder. 

Nick Cormier, founder and editor-in-chief of “The Fabric of Culture,” joins the show to discuss the connections between athletes, marketing, and fashion. As one apparel company founder said recently, “Sports stars are the new Hollywood stars.” 

From the third panel in our Sports & Activism symposium, Courtney M. Cox, professor at Oregon, Perry B. Johnson, professor at Southern Cal, and Joanna K. Love, professor at Richmond, lead a presentation on the connections between sports, music, and activism in the context of the Super Bowl halftime show. 

As part of our second annual sports and activism symposium conducted in partnership with the James Lawson Institute, Jesus Ortiz of Our Esquina.com hosted a session on the state of Latino athlete activism. Joining Jesus are professor Adrian Burgos Jr., former pro soccer player Janelly Farias & sports exec Sara Toussaint. 

Yussuf Khan, founder of FirstandPen.com, leads a discussion on the current state of athlete activism at both the professional and collegiate levels. Joining him are Michigan State professor and author Lou Moore, former NFL player Chris Kluwe, Benedict College professor Aquasia Shaw, and Ursinus College professor Johanna Mellis. This discussion was recorded during the 2nd Annual Sports & Activism online symposium hosted by the Vanderbilt Sports & Society Initiative and the James Lawson Institute for Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at the Vanderbilt Divinity School on May 15, 2025. 

University of Oregon professor Courtney M. Cox joins the show to discuss her new book, “Double Crossover: Gender, Media, and Politics in Global Basketball.” The book “considers how Black women and non-binary athletes maneuver through the global sports-media complex.” Cox is also co-director (with Dr. Perry B. Johnson) of The Sound of Victory, a multi-platform digital humanities project located at the intersection of music, sound, and sport. 

Former Vanderbilt quarterback Kurt Page, the first SEC QB to throw for 3,000 yards in a season (1983), joins us from Europe to discuss his experience as the quarterback coach for the Wroclaw Panthers in Poland and how the opportunity has expanded his horizons and changed his life. 

Former Vanderbilt placekicker Rob Chura joins the show to discuss his recent trip to the US-Mexico border. A football coach, teacher, and director of Global Education at Saint Louis University High School in Missouri, Chura took a group of students to the Kino Border Initiative in Nogales, Mexico to work with deportees and migrants. 

ESPN Senior Writer Michael Fletcher joins On The Ball to discuss his recent article on legendary sports sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards. Fletcher calls Edwards, 82, “arguably the strongest advocate for Black athletes in history.” Battling cancer, “Edwards is clear-eyed about his illness, as well as the challenges that he will one day leave behind,” Fletcher writes. “After all of his work to promote diversity, he is witnessing the federal government vilify and undermine those types of efforts. Yet, he is not discouraged. He says he believes setbacks are inevitable and can be rendered temporary by continued activism.‘There are no final victories,’ Edwards said. ‘There's just struggle. The only two things that survive are the struggle and the people, and they are perpetual.’”

Members of the Sports Business & Analytics student organization at Vanderbilt discuss their 2nd place finish at the SABR Case Competition in Phoenix and the purpose & work of their club.

Geoff Macdonald, the former national championship-winning women’s tennis coach at Vanderbilt and the real-life “Most Interesting Man in the World,” joins the show.

Washington Post sportswriter Dave Sheinin discusses his recent three-part series, “Beautyball.” The analytics movement helped revolutionize sports. But now the all-consuming influence of those efforts is being blamed for harming the aesthetics of our games, forcing league officials to make a course correction before it’s too late.

Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, joins the show to discuss the past, present, and future of the Museum, the incredible success introducing Black baseball history to kids through a partnership with the MLB The Show video game, and the importance of the museum in today’s political climate.

Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe made headlines recently when he was arrested after engaging in civil disobedience in his hometown of Huntington Beach, Calif., following his remarks at a city council meeting. Kluwe has been an outspoken advocate for social justice issues and has expressed views comparing MAGA to a fascist movement. He joins the show to discuss his path to activism and his opinions on the state of the country.

Author Tim Gay joins the show to discuss his new book on PGA star Rory McIlroy: “Roryland: The Up and Down World of Golf’s Global Icon."

Author Steve Dittmore joins the show to discuss new book “Jim Gilliam: Forgotten Dodger,” on the Black Nashville native who succeeded Jackie Robinson at second base in the Brooklyn Dodgers’ infield and became a mainstay with the franchise as a player and coach until 1978.

Former Kentucky and NBA basketball star Rex Chapman joins the show to discuss his bestselling memoir, the traps that come with success and failure in life and basketball, and his recovery from opioid and gambling addiction.

Clinical and Sports Psychologist on their recent article in Psychology Today on "Sexual Violence Prevention in Sport"

Vanderbilt professors Gabriel Torres Colon and John Sloop join the show to discuss the introduction of a new Sports & Society minor at the university.

Megan Chopra, a high school student at Sidwell Friends in Washington, D.C., has written a book she hopes will inspire girls and illuminate the stories of women working in sports. The book is titled “Redefining the Field: The Triumphs and Tribulations of Women in Sports.” Megan interviewed 30 accomplished women from a variety of positions in sports. She joins the show to tell us what she learned – and how she did it.

Journalist Jesus Ortiz and author Erik Sherman join the show to discuss the life and legacy of former Dodger great Fernando Valenzuela, who passed away Oct. 22 at the age of 63. Ortiz, founder of OurEsquina.com, credits his sportswriting career to Valenzuela’s inspiration. Sherman, author of a book on the Mexican phenom, says Valenzuela is among the most influential players in the game’s history.

LJ Rader is the mind behind the popular Art But Make It Sports social media accounts. The 2011 Vanderbilt graduate joins us to discuss a hobby, matching sports moments with works of fine art, that has gone wildly viral.

Former Vanderbilt football players Pat Toomay and Christie Hauck starred in the Commodores’ 14-10 win over Alabama in 1969. Up until Oct. 6, 2024, it was the last time Vanderbilt beat the Crimson Tide in Nashville. Toomay and Hauck share memories of that memorable win in ’69 and their pride in this year’s toppling of the nation’s No. 1 team.

Historian and author Lou Moore joins the show to discuss his acclaimed new book: “The Great Black Hope: Doug Williams, Vince Evans, and the Making of the Black Quarterback"

Vanderbilt students Callie Drake and Paige Peters join the show to discuss their interest in mental health support for athletes, including their leadership with the Morgan’s Message nonprofit chapter campus. They discuss the pressures on athletes, the challenges in seeking support, the importance of open conversation, and the legacy of the organization’s namesake, Morgan Rodgers.For more information or to contact the Vanderbilt Morgan’s Message chapter, visit @morgansmessagevanderbilt on Instagram.

Vanderbilt student-athletes Coleson Messer (basketball) and Jackson Heis (football) join the show to discuss the new Athletes in Business student organization they have co-founded. Former high school teammates at Highland Park HS in Dallas, Messer and Heis are looking to prepare other student-athletes for life after sports.