The Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life

Nowadays, barely a day passes by during a transfer window without hyperbolic transfer speculation amongst both the traditional Tabloid media and 'fan media' outlets.  However, in the summer of 1989, a transfer saga ensued that was genuinely seismic.  The signing of Maurice Johnston by Glasgow Rangers turned a century of tradition upside down, led to potential boycotts amongst Rangers fans and saw fans on the other side of The Old Firm divide shattered by 'an almighty blow' that Graeme Souness had delivered to Celtic through securing Johnston's signature.Johnston was presented as the first high-profile Roman Catholic player to be signed by Rangers.  Staunchly loyalist Protestant fans of the Ibrox club were aghast at the decision not only to sign a Catholic, but one who had previously been outspoken in his condemnation of both Rangers fans and the club's "religious policy they maintain(ed)".  Fans interviewed on the day threatened a boycott, some burned season tickets and others vowed never to set foot inside Ibrox again, seeing the signing as a betrayal of the club's traditions.If the transfer in itself was not sensational enough, the situation was compounded by the fact that only a matter of weeks previously, Johnston had been paraded as a Celtic signing ahead of the 1989 Scottish Cup Final (a contest between the two Old Firm titans, which Celtic won 1-0 denying their arch rivals a domestic treble).  At Hampden that day, Celtic fans saluted their returning hero - chants of "Mo, Mo.  Super Mo!" echoing amongst their jubilant support.  The Rangers' fans response of "Mo, Mo.  Fuck your Mo!" made their feelings on the matter clear.In the immediate aftermath of the fixture, Rangers manager Graeme Souness made an off-the-cuff remark about Rangers being about to do something over the course of the summer that would hurt Celtic for years to come.  No-one could have foreseen what happened next.In this episode of 'The Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life', we explore how the transfer took place, why it represented such a seismic shock and landmark transfer and what the long-term impact of the transfer was.  Did it represent “a quantum change in Scottish football and Scottish society” as was suggested at the time or was it merely more a reflection of wider societal shifts that had already taken place with respect to the role of The Church in Scotland?

In the opening chapter of 'Down Under', the account of his epic journey across Australia, Bill Bryson once wrote that Europeans and Americans pay "shamefully scant attention" to their Antipodean cousins. It is hard to argue with his conclusion. While Ashes Syndrome might strike the UK every few years, and those nostalgic for teenage memories might occasionally bop along to the music of Kylie Minogue, it is rare that news of political wranglings in Canberra or the sporting agenda at the Adelaide Oval engender much attention in the media beyond Australia's shores. Yet Nathan and Chris have long held a passion for two aspects of Australian culture that exist outside of the mainstream consciousness of most in the UK: State of Origin Rugby, and the Premiership of Paul J Keating.The annual rugby league contest between New South Wales and Queensland is as titanic a sporting rivalry as anyone could ever wish to witness. Sparkling skill, unparalleled intensity (not to mention the occasional "blue"), and matches which often go right down to the wire, we defy any sports fan to engage with a State of Origin series and not be hooked for life. It really does represent the pinnacle of a sport that is dear to the heart for both Nathan and Chris. Likewise, to watch a political performance from Paul Keating, Australia's PM between 1991-96, is to watch a supreme political operator at work.In the latest episode of 'The Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life', the podcast makes a case for why those interested in sport and politics should pay a little more heed to events in the Antipodes. We hope you enjoy this attempt to encourage you to Look Down Under.

In our last episode of 'The Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life', 'Clough, Revie and The Perfect Debate', we explored how the infamous televised clash between arch rivals Brian Clough and Don Revie at the end of Clough's tumultuous 44 day reign in charge of Leeds United represented TV gold and an illustration of what constitutes a great debate.Inspired by the theme and content of our previous episode, Chris wanted to explore why the decision to appoint Clough was such a shock in the first instance and why (in spite of Clough's obvious talents and abilities as a manager), this was an appointment that was perhaps doomed to fail from the outset.Given his previous vociferous criticism of Leeds and Revie, it was unsurprising that Clough's initial welcome to the club and the city was somewhat frosty.  That said, the jocular and gladitorial nature of another Calendar News special 'Clough Comes To Leeds' is illustrative of the frostiness; hostility even that he encountered when arriving at Elland Road.Analysing why Clough failed at Leeds, Chris assesses why the decision to appoint the former Derby man was so unfathomable.  In addition to his previously outspoken lambasting of the players he was now managing, Clough also felt he was a much warmer leader than Revie.  Whilst in the interview at the end of his ill-fated tenure, he rejects the notion that his leadership style was so markedly different to that of his predecessor, it is clear that this was also a huge factor in why he failed at Leeds.  His style was so markedly different and the weight of his prior rivalry with Leeds meant that he was unable to gain the trust of the players and he was soon sacked.  Put simply Clough was not a good fit at Leeds United.Exploring Clough's dismissal in comparison with that of another disastrous 44 day reign (that of Liz Truss's Premiership) and this season's managerial merry-go-round at the club at which Clough restored his reputation (Nottingham Forest), we assess how the way in which leaders are appointed and how the concepts of 'Leadership Style', 'Fit' and 'The Weight of History' can be seen to influence whether a leader succeeds or fails.

On September 12th 1974, Brian Clough walked into the Yorkshire Television news studio less than 24 hours after being sacked as manager of Leeds United. What followed was 30 minutes of TV gold, as the ever forthright Clough went toe-to-toe in discussion with his predecessor at Leeds, Don Revie in a 'Calendar' Special entitled 'Goodbye Mr Clough'.  It was an interview that became infamous and provided much of the inspiration for David Peace to write 'The Damned United', a fictitious account of Clough's turbulent 44 days in charge at Elland Road.The art of debate is the topic under discussion in this latest episode of The Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life. Chris and Nathan consider why the Clough/Revie debate was such a brilliant watch, while considering other verbal tussles across the ages. From Christopher Hitchens to James Baldwin; from George Galloway to Bill Clinton, your hosts attempt to untangle why some debates sizzle when others fall flat.We hope you enjoy this exploration of what makes a scintillating debate on TWWSS, TWWSL.

There is little doubt that Donald Trump is a completely different President to anyone who has held that office before him. As mendacious as he is, Trump possesses a talent at hogging the limelight and an unparalleled skill for crafting his own political narrative. Attempts to explain Trump’s success in the 2016 and 2024 elections, after ricocheting through scandals that would’ve finished any other candidate, usually centre around his history with the media – in particular, his connection to the U.S version of 'The Apprentice'.Yet in this episode of 'The Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life', Nathan and Chris explore a different element of Trump’s past that they feel goes a long way to explain the very particular nature of his Presidency – namely, his connection to the world of professional wrestling. From hosting Wrestle Manias IV and V in his own personal convention centre, to participating in the Battle of the Billionaires a couple of decades later, Trump’s connection to the wacky universe of WWE is substantial yet rarely commented upon. Fortunately, both Nathan and Chris have a fondness for pro-wrestling which enables them to consider how this unlikely environment might just have been pivotal in helping Trump to develop a skillset which took him all the way to the White House.

Sir Martyn Oliver, the Chief Inspector of Schools in England, says he wants Inspections to be “done with” schools rather than “done to” them. This suggests that the latest manifestation of Ofsted has learnt lessons, and is keen on ensuring that its most recent inspection framework is fit for the modern world. Yet, both within the teaching profession and wider society questions remain about whether anything fundamental has actually changed, and if it is ever possible to provide objective terms on which to gauge the quality of something as complex as education?In the first episode of the latest series of 'The Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life', Nathan and Chris explore the difficulty involved in making holistic judgements on the nature of quality in any field – sport or education. Is Neil Warnock a great manager due to his record in the Championship, or a poor one based on his failings in the Premier League? Is Haseem Hameed a prodigious talent, or someone who couldn’t live up to his potential? And is it ever fair to subject someone to trial by public opinion? In the words of Teddy Roosevelt, “it is not the critic that counts…”

In the second of our festive double-header, Chris and Nathan investigate the history, traditions and future of Festive Football.  The inspiration for this episode came during a WhatsApp conversation between the two hosts in which Chris highlighted how this Boxing Day sees only one fixture taking place in the Premier League (between Manchester United and Newcastle United), as opposed to the usual full calendar.  As ever, Nathan was keen to remind Chris that football does exist beyond the top-flight with a full league and non-league programme taking place on Boxing Day!Within this second Christmas special, the co-hosts explore how football became as big a part of British football fans' festive calendar as Roast Turkey and all the trimmings.  We touch upon how modern football's synonymity with Christmas could perhaps stem from traditional forms of football such as Orkney's Kirwall Ba game or Ashbourne's Shrove Tuesday game and their association with public holidays.We then touch upon how football's growth coincided with societal changes such as the 1871 Bank Holiday Act, which granted workers time off over Christmas and with many clubs historically being linked with traditional industries or based in working-class communities fans flocked to stadia to watch their local team.Football was not the only sport to embrace the opportunities presented by the festive break.  Prior to the advent of Super League, Rugby League in England was traditionally a winter sport and Boxing Day was a key date in the sport's calendar seeing clashes between local rivals such as St Helens and Wigan, Warrington and Widnes and Halifax and Huddersfield. Nathan recounts some of his Grandfather's recollections of this fixture.The fact that 2025 sees only a single fixture on Boxing Day is perhaps reflective of and in response to criticism of the traditional British festive calendar from the likes of Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, both of whom have expressed criticism of the demands of the festive period from a 'player welfare' viewpoint.  All of this is discussed and more as we ask whether the traditional festive calendar is an upstanding tradition to be treasured and celebrated or whether it is an outdated practice that needs to move with the times.We wish all of our listeners a Merry Christmas and look forward to a prosperous and successful New Year for us all!

What is the most famous football match of all time? Geoff Hurst's hat-trick in 1966? Pele's demolition of Italy in 1970? Huddersfield Town's 3-0 triumph over Nottingham Forest to secure their first league title back in 1924? All worthy contenders, but it is probable that they all play second fiddle to a game that took place in front of no fans, with makeshift goalposts and on pockmarked, uneven terrain. We speak, of course, about the Christmas Day football match of 1914, played between German and British soldiers who were at war with one another, on a battlefield full of shell craters.In this Christmas special of The Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life, Nathan and Chris look back on an event that was, first, underplayed and, thereafter, mythologised. The two presenters cover Blackadder, the Farm, and a range of primary source accounts as they seek to explore the true story of a football match played within a war zone. Was it quite the triumph of peace over war that is usually framed as? How did it happen? And why did it never happen again? If you're interested in the story of the most famous football match of all time, we urge you to give this episode a listen. Regardless of whether or not you do so, Nathan and Chris wish all their listeners a vey Merry Christmas.

In football, much is often made of the Lisbon Lions – a Celtic side that conquered Europe in 1967, with a team in which the majority of the starting eleven were born within a mere 12 miles of their Parkhead ground (the exception being Bobby Lennox, who was from Saltcoats, 30 miles from Glasgow). Yet decades after the Glasgow side had long embraced the contributions of national and international talent, one European side holds true to a strict policy of regional recruitment – Athletic Club of Bilbao.In this, the second episode of a two-part special, Chris and Nathan continue to explore the pros and cons of a Cantera recruitment policy. After expressing a somewhat critical take on Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s attempt to select local talent in the 70s and 80s, the presenters consider why Bilbao tend to be lauded for continuing a similar approach to the one abandoned by Yorkshire decades ago.This is a story of the Basque Country; with a narrative that begins in prehistory, centred around a language different to any other on the same continent. It winds its way through Medieval times, before concluding with such influential twentieth century figures as Franco and Picasso. We hope you enjoy this journey into the unique identity of a very special football club, one that markets itself as 'Unique In The World'.  This episode of TWWSS, TWWSL explores what makes Athletic and their approach so special and to consider what it tells us about globalisation and identity in the modern world.

In 1968, Yorkshire County Cricket Club were untouchable. No other team in the country could compete with their ethos, their production line of England greats, or their roll of honour. Seven league titles in the previous decade had confirmed their position as titans of the county game. Yet the next two decades would yield the most barren spell in the team's history. As other counties welcomed an array of global talent, Yorkshire held true to the belief that they shouldn't select any player born outside of the county's borders.In this, the first of a two-part special, Nathan and Chris begin to explore the benefits and drawbacks of a 'Cantera' recruitment policy - an approach to player selection that emphasizes the cultivation of local talent at the expense of welcoming players from further afield. As the world got ever more globalised, Yorkshire CCC (between 1968-92) and Athletic Bilbao stood as anachronisms; teams which turned away from attempts to recruit the best the planet could offer in favour of selecting those from within the region they represent. In doing so, these two proud clubs bring into focus the fine line between local pride and insularity. Athletic Bilbao will be the focus of the second episode but, for now, we hope you enjoy an edition that includes some of the greatest names to have ever played the sport of cricket; from Rhodes to Vaughan, from Trueman to Root. It charts the highs and lows of a county that still stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of the number of County Championship triumphs, but faced existential crisis during the racism scandal that engulfed the game in recent years. It is a story of Yorkshire Cricket, warts and all.

In the latest episode of 'The Way We See Sport', we return once again to the sport of Rugby League, focusing on the transformative role played by Maurice Lindsay, a divisive, yet visionary figure whose influence developed during the Thatcherite period, initially as the figurehead of 'The Gang of Four' directors who helped to transform the fortunes of Wigan during the 1980s.Embracing the pro-market values that were at the heart of Thatcherism, Lindsay reshaped the Wigan club recruiting big money signings such as Ellery Hanley, Joe Lydon and Andy Gregory, alongside putting in place measures that enabled the club to capture the brightest young talents in the game such as Shaun Edwards and Andy Farrell.  Lindsay's influence was responsible for resurrecting the fortunes of Wigan and resulted in the club winning 8 Championships, 8 consecutive Challenge Cups and 3 World Club Challenge titles between 1987 and 1996.  As part of this success, Wigan (as Lindsay saw it) were "setting a standard of excellence that others should seek to emulate".  Critics and fans of other clubs on the hand, claimed Wigan's fiscal policy was merely proof of an unlevel playing field.Having driven Wigan's regeneration, Lindsay's influence began to increasingly permeate the wider sport.  He became Great Britain's Team Manager and was in part responsible for a shift in the national side's fortunes, before he became the Rugby Football League (RFL) Chief Executive in 1992.  Installed in the hotseat at Chapeltown Road, he sought to revolutionise the sport of Rugby League with his characteristic zeal.  He had little time for smaller clubs and many traditionalists, believing that the sport needed to embrace commerce and replicate football's rebirth through the establishment of the Premier League.Rupert Murdoch's role in the Super League War down under saw Sky make a "once in a lifetime" offer of £77 million to the RFL to establish a Super League, move to a summer season and to uproot a century of tradition.  Ridiculous mergers were proposed and met with a great degree of hostility.  However, the Super League was ultimately established and offered Lindsay the opportunity to implement his vision for Rugby League's 'Brave New World'.In this long-form episode, Chris and Nathan discuss his rise to prominence with Wigan, his role in the establishment of Super League and how despite the fact he was a divisive and at times unpopular figure, much of the discourse he led during the 90s around the future of the game, particularly in relation to expanding the game  remains prominent in Rugby League circles.

In the wake of the release of 'Original Sin', a book by Jake Tapper and AlexThompson detailing the deterioration of President Biden between 2020 and 2024,Nathan and Chris explore the one opponent no sportsperson can defeat - age.This episode looks at three sporting icons who, arguably, pushed on too long beyond the peak of their powers. Michael Schumacher was the all-conquering motor racing champion, but his return to Formula 1 was somewhat underwhelming. Muhammad Ali was a boxing icon, but the later fights of his career may well have done him untold damage. Matt Busby turned Manchester United into the most glamorous football club in the country, but his decision to remain involved with the club after his tenure as manager ended cast a shadow over the work of his successors.Each of these stories reveals something slightly different about the cruelty of theaging process, the impact it can have on an individual’s legacy, and the damage itcan do to institutions if it is not properly acknowledged and understood. In 2020,Biden was the man who defeated Trump. By 2024, his unwillingness to accept thelimitations of his age created the conditions for his opponent’s return. This episode of 'The Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life' seeks to understand how and why this happened.

During the 1974 World Cup, the tournament featured a clash between the hosts (West Germany) and their Communist neighbours (East Germany) during the Group Phase.  'The Bruderduel' between the two Germanys was heralded as "The most politically charged football match of all-time".  It represented a fascinating clash of cultures and ideologies, with the Communist East (appearing in their first World Cup) being drawn alongside the hosts, the more famed West Germans, who had cemented their standing as a footballing powerhouse winning the European Champions of 1972.Before 'The Bruderduel', the expectation and fear amongst those in The East was that the game would be a mismatch and would see West Germany showcase their status as one of the favourites for WM74.  However, these fears proved to be unfounded as the plucky East German side shocked and outgunned their more established neighbours, claiming a surprise 1-0 victory thanks to a strike from Jürgen Sparwasser.Join Chris and Nathan as we take a deep-dive into the history of the two Post-War Germanys, how they emerged and how their international and club sides fared during the 1970s up until reunification in 1990.

From Martina Navratilova to Serena Williams, few sports have provided as manyiconic female icons as tennis. Yet, this does not mean that the sport has beenimmune from criticism over the manner in which it treats its female stars. The factthat tennis Grand Slams showcase female players alongside the men makes it allthe more apparent when inequity exists.In the latest episode of The Way We See Life, The Way We See Sport, Nathan andChris delve into the twentieth century’s three waves of feminism, identifying tennis as a means of considering the different objectives and themes of each wave. From an attempt by the Suffragettes to burn down the All-England Club, through Billie Jean King’s participation in the Battle of the Sexes, to the triumphs of Venus Williams on and off the court, this episode explores the battle for true “Egalite”.We hope you enjoy this latest episode in the podcast series that seeks to use sportas a prism to understand the social and political trends of the last century.

When Merseyside's footballing titans (Everton and Liverpool) were drawn together in the 5th Round of the FA Cup in 1991, the stage was set for the latest instalment of a gripping rivalry, one that had dominated English Football for much of the previous decade, when the First Division title seemed to reside permanently on Merseyside - with Liverpool claiming six titles and Everton emerging from the shadow of their bitter rivals to claim the league championship on two occasions.In addition to the sides domestic dominance, they also both claimed European prizes; Liverpool adding two further European Cups to those they claimed in the late seventies and Everton added the European Cup Winners Cup to the league title they won in 1984/85 and were only denied a unique Treble when a Norman Whiteside curler gave Manchester United the FA Cup.Evertonians would have been keen to emulate their neighbours achievements in being recognised as Europe's premier club side, but Liverpool fans behaviour in the Heysel Stadium meant that their neighbours would be denied the opportunity to compete in the following season's European Cup. English clubs were banned for an "indeterminate period of time" from UEFA competitions.It has been claimed that the ban was integral in Everton’s decline. Indeed, of the Big Five clubs who led the moves to establish a breakaway Premier League in 1992, their drop in performance has unquestionably been the most marked. However, they matched their bitterest rivals’ stride for stride during the 1985/86 campaign, narrowly losing both the league championship and the FA Cup Final to Liverpool in player-manager Kenny Dalglish’s first season.  The following season, it was Everton who prevailed in the title race, but at the end of the 1986/87 campaign, manager Howard Kendall departed Goodison for sunnier climes. The only surprise was that he did not move to Barcelona or Real Madrid. Instead, he moved to the Basque Country taking the Athletic Bilbao job.  Seeking to replicate Liverpool’s happy knack for promoting from within, Everton appointed Kendall’s assistant (Colin Harvey) to the Goodison hot seat. Harvey claimed the Chatity Shield early in his tenure, but he struggled to mirror the achievements of his former team-mate as manager.Having suffered the rare indignity of a trophyless campaign in 1986/87, Dalglish spent heavily to reshape Liverpool’s side. England forwards John Barnes and Peter Beardsley were added to replace the outgoing Ian Rush. When Barnes and Beardsley lined up alongside John Aldridge, they provided an exhilarating sight and one which inspired Liverpool to reassert their dominance, sweeping to the league title in 1987/88, a season in which they were described as “better than the Brazilians”.The following season was overshadowed by Hillsborough, and it was perhaps fitting that after the disaster when football resumed, Everton were not only Liverpool’s first league opponents, but also their opponents in the second all-Merseyside FA Cup Final.By 1991, English football itself was set to undergo seismic changes. The discussions that would ultimately result in the establishment of a new Premier League in 1992/93 were well underway.  A swagger and associated feelgood factor were back in English football following the national team’s unexpectedly stellar performance at Italia 90. Greater commercial opportunities were on the horizon through the introduction of ‘A Whole New Ball Game’ via the Premier League’s arrival.  This series of matches (particularly the epic 4-4 draw broadcast on the nascent BskyB) have entered footballing folklore in Merseyside and beyond. Whilst this game itself was a clash for the ages, the fallout from this titanic struggle was felt for a long time afterwards, particularly on the red half of Merseyside.

In February 2018, double World Champion, Evgenia Medvedeva, skated onto the ice to pursue the one medal that had up to that point eluded her: Olympic Gold. What followed was a routine so mesmeric, so creative, and so moving that it astounded everyone who watched it…including one of your hosts from 'The Way We See Sport, the Way We See Life'. For one short moment, the Huddersfield Town fan became a devotee of ice-skating! Yet for all its beauty, the routine did not yield the gold medal Medvedeva desired.In this latest episode of TWWSS, TWWSL, Chris and Nathan consider the question of whether greatness and victory are the same thing; whether there can be glory in failure, or whether triumph is a pre-requisite. For the first time, the podcast ventures to the Winter Olympics to discuss a skating routine that set the ice on fire. By the end, Nathan will try to convince you not that Medvedeva was great in spite of her defeat, but that she was even greater because of it.We hope you enjoy the episode.

In this week’s episode of ‘The Way We See Sport, The Way See Life’ we continue our deep dive into the sport of boxing assessing whether its historical standing as ‘Sport of Kings’ rings true in modern society.In the first part of our two-episode special, we focused on how during the sport’s growth in the early to mid-twentieth century, boxing had offered shady characters from the mob and criminal underworld an opportunity to muscle in via promotional and management opportunities.  The apex of the underworld’s influence perhaps came with the coronation of Sonny Liston as Heavyweight Champion of The World in 1962.  Liston was very much seen as ‘The Mob’s Champion’ and was felt to be unbeatable.  This was until he met Cassius Marcellus Clay, better known as Muhammad Ali, whose two victories over Liston in 1964 and 1965 catapulted him to international stardom and heralded a new era in heavyweight boxing.In this episode, Chris and Nathan chart the journey of heavyweight boxing from Ali’s first reign, which ended abruptly when his stance as a conscientious objector who refused to serve in the US Army during the period of the Vietnam War put him at odds with the American establishment and saw him stripped of his title.  Ali was subsequently exiled from the ring for three years, at a point when he would have been considered to have been at the peak of his powers.The vacuum created by Ali’s enforced absence led to a scramble amongst heavyweight contenders to claim Ali’s title.  Ultimately, ‘Smokin’ Joe Frazier, a tough and uncompromising heavyweight who had settled in Philadelphia - the city later to become synonymous with the story of ‘Rocky’ - stepped into this breach.   Having defeated former amateur rival, Buster Mathis to claim the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) title, Frazier then defeated Jimmy Ellis to claim the WBA and WBC titles.  The stage was now set for ‘The Fight of The Century’ between Ali and Frazier, a fight that represented the start of a new series of ‘Superfights of the 70s’ that represented a golden era for heavyweight boxing. Frazier’s victory over Ali set in motion a chain of contests that have taken their place in history as some of boxing’s most storied contests.  In an increasingly globalised era, heavyweight boxing was perhaps the first sport to truly embrace the commercial prospects this offered and the ‘Superfights’ series beginning with ‘The Sunshine Sundown’ between Frazier and George Foreman and culminating with ‘The Thrilla in Manilla’ in which the rivalry between Ali and Frazier was crystalised in a contest for the ages is seen to represent a golden era for the sport.  In spite of this, boxing at this point was continuing its dubious reputation as despite these exotic locations, many of the nations chosen as host venues were ruled by ruthless dictators.We conclude our story by reflecting on the current situation in which boxing is increasingly a plaything for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a regime whose human rights record is dubious at best.  Promoters herald the increased investment in the sport and highlight how it has enabled boxing to safeguard its standing as the world’s premier combat sport and has heralded a new era of ‘Superfights’.  Whereas critics point to the fact that once again boxing appears to being underpinned by ‘Blood Money’.

Following the end of our second series, we have developed another long-form special over two parts.  This time, assessing the sport of boxing and whether it is truly a ‘Sport of Kings’ or merely a brutal blood sport that has provided the platform for shady characters to make untold riches often through exploitation of fighters.The notion of boxing as a ‘Sport of Kings’ stems from the sport’s historic links with the nobility.  In this first part of our journey, we chart boxing’s progression from the barbarism of bare-knuckle prize fighting to the modern-day sport governed by the Queensberry Rules, placing a focus on the sport’s historic links with the mob and the mafia and how boxing provided figures such as Frankie Carbo with a vehicle through which they could conduct illicit criminality behind a curtain of supposed legitimacy.  Carbo was a career criminal who rose from hired gun for Murder Inc to ‘Boxing’s Czar’ heading a syndicate known as The Combination who were famed for fixing boxing matches during the 1940s and exerted tremendous influence over Mike Jacobs, who at the time was Head of Madison Square Garden, boxing’s premier venue.Carbo’s influence was at the heart of the rise of ‘The Ampling Alp’, Italian giant, Primo Carnera, who stood at 6 feet 6 inches at a time when the average man was around a foot smaller.  Given his size, imposing physicality and hulking physique, Carnera was easily marketable as an unbeatable Goliath-like creature.  Despite this, Time Magazine were sceptical of Carnera’s abilities as early as 1931 with a cover article commenting:“Since his arrival in the US, backed by a group of prosperous but shady entrepreneurs […]  His opponents were known to be incompetent but their feeble opposition to Carnera suggested that they had been bribed to lose. Suspicion concerning the Monster's abilities became almost universal when another adversary, Bombo Chevalier, stated that one of his own seconds had threatened to kill him unless he lost to Carnera.“Despite this, Carnera’s career continued to progress, he became Heavyweight Champion in 1933 and became a poster boy for Benito Mussolini’s emerging fascist regime in Italy.  ‘Il Duce’ was impressed by Carnera and saw his rise to the top as a signifier of Italian strength.  However, ‘Mussolini’s Boy’ was to come a cropper in 1934 when he was matched against the half-Jewish fighter Max Baer, who fought with The Star of David on his trunks at a time when Anti-Semitism was becoming increasingly prominent due to the growth of fascist dictatorships across Europe.  Baer was something of a playboy, noted for not always training seriously, but on this occasion, he was fired up and destroyed Carnera in a fight so one-sided it was almost cruel when shown in cinema newsreels.  Downbeat and defeated, Carnera’s embarrassment was compounded by the fact that his earnings were largely redirected into the pockets of his handlers and his story later served as the inspiration for the Hollywood picture The Harder They Come, about a physically impressive, but limited fighter whose success was manufactured by the mob.  Carnera was stung by this and submitted a lawsuit, but this was dismissed in a manner akin to his in-ring beating at the hands of Baer.  If this was not enough, Baer himself appeared in the film, which appeared to make a mockery of his former opponent’s career.Lastly, we focus on the mob’s champion, Sonny Liston.  A truly terrifying heavyweight, who emerged from a horrendous, poverty-stricken childhood to become perhaps to that point the most frightening and mysterious Heavyweight Champion.  After relocating to St Louis to escape his abusive father and to reunite with his mother and siblings, Liston was convicted of robbery and was almost constantly in trouble with the police.  In pris<

In October 1993, Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis made history when they met in Cardiff with the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title on the line.  The contest was the first time that two British born heavyweights had contested a world title, but the build-up to the bout was overshadowed by a bitter war of words between the fighters.  Bruno questioned both Lewis's legitimacy as a champion - he had won the title when Riddick Bowe refused to face him and had dumped the WBC title in a waste bin - and perhaps more acutely Bruno questioned how British Lewis was, given he had emigrated to Canada as a boy and had won Olympic Gold representing Canada in 1988 - ironically defeating Bowe in the Final.  Bruno was at the time, a national treasure in Britain and in the build-up to the fight, he sought to utilise this support in his favour declaring himself a 'True Brit'.Perhaps stung by Bruno's words, Lewis responded accordingly, questioning Bruno's credibility as a boxer; highlighting how the popular Bruno had spent more time in recent years "dressed up in girl's clothing" during pantomime performances than he had in the ring.  Lewis then went a step further and declared that Bruno was an 'Uncle Tom' such was his perceived subservience to White Britain in Lewis's eyes.  Understandably, Bruno was furious, declaring he was going to "knock Lewis back to Canada!" and the stage was set for 'The Battle of Britain'.In this episode, Chris and Nathan assess the spiky build-up to the contest, what occurred in the ring on the famous night at the Arms Park and how the fight impacted upon British boxing and its status in years to come.

On one particularly glorious afternoon of rugby, the French national team conquered opponents from the British Isles to be crowned Champions of Europe.  Yet, the year was not 2025, and the code of rugby was not Union; the year was 1939, and the code was Rugby League.A love of rugby is surely in the blood of any Gallic sports fan, but it may come as a surprise to those who follow France in the Six Nations Championship that, for a brieftime in the late 1930s, it seemed as though League might well supplant Union in the affections of the French nation as their national team rose to the pinnacle of theEuropean game.  However, this success would be short-lived, as French Rugby League would be left a casualty of the shifting political grounds on a war-torn continent.  Following on from Chris’s exploration of why Rugby Union gained predominance over the alternate code in Wales, Nathan narrates the story of 'The Rise, Fall and Riseagain of French Rugby League' in the inter-war period.  At a moment when professionalism clashed with amateurism, and socialism clashed with fascism, the civil war within French rugby created animosity which has never truly disappearedand captured a moment in time when sport and politics connected in a way that could never have been predicted.

In 1895, Rugby's Great Split occured.  Working class players situated largely in Northern England broke away from the sport's governing body - The Rugby Football Union (RFU) - due to the fact that the RFU's unwillingness to compensate players for the "broken time" incurred through playing the sport.The RFU and Rugby Union were very much synonymous with the English Public School system from which the game of rugby stemmed and the breakaway 'Northern Union' that ultimately became the Rugby Football League (RFL) was clearly aligned with the working classes.  Therefore, a schism that lasted for a century was established, with boundaries firmly set around class distinctions.  Whilst the advent of professional rugby has somewhat thawed rugby's Cold War  (with England internationals such as George Ford and Owen Farrell being the sons of esteemed Rugby League players) the respective codes of rugby remain largely representative of a North-South divide in England.As the esteemed author and rugby historian, Tony Collins states the Welsh "national side has traditionally comprised of miners, steelworkers and manual labourers, exactly the type of person who made Rugby League what it is in Northern England."  This begs the question 'Why did Rugby League not become popular in Wales’s working-class communities?' and that is what we focus on in this episode.We explore how the emergence of the Northern Union and the controversy of 'The Arthur Gould affair' led to the development of Rugby League in Wales.  Given South Wales's similarities with the Rugby League heartlands of Lancashire and Yorkshire, there was belief that Wales could adopt the breakaway code of Rugby League rather than continue to play Rugby Union.  Why did this not happen? Whilst the majority of those playing rugby in Wales were from working class communities, the governing forces in Wales, the Welsh Football Union (WFU) later to become the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) was controlled by a "leadership […] (which) was privately educated in England, Conservative in politics, Anglican in religion.”  In essence, they shared the same background and prejudices of the RFU leaders and therefore a compromise was reached.The WFU's cause was no doubt supported by the Welsh national side being the only home nation to defeat the all-conquering New Zealand tourists in 1905 in a match that was dubbed 'The Match of The Century'.  The WFU were able to cleverly position Rugby Union and Wales's national team as "the pre-eminent expression of Welsh consciousness and a signifier of Welsh nationhood.”  This presented Rugby League with a great challenge, one which it struggled with for the remainder of the Twentieth Century – “To challenge Welsh Rugby Union was to challenge Welsh national identity itself”.Whilst Welsh star players were always liable to 'Go North' and crossover to Rugby League, the game was never able to truly establish itself at club level in the Welsh heartlands, despite repeated attempts to do so.  We explore the attempts to set up clubs and a Welsh Rugby League competition and why these were unable to take off.

Is it possible to think of England’s 1966 World Cup win without hearing KennethWolstenholme describing how "some people are on the pitch” before he delivered the immortal line "They think it's all over, it is now!" as Geoff Hurst slammed the ball home, completing his hat-trick and securing the English National side's greatest triumph? Would the Asheswin at Edgbaston in 2005 have been as iconic without Richie Benaud’s call of“Kasprowicz…Jones…Bowden”? If your memories and perceptions of sporting events are best recalled through the prism of the commentary that brought those moments to life, thenthis week's episode of 'The Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life' is for you.  Over the course of this episode, Chris and Nathan delve into the intangible worldof sports journalism, exploring how the way in which sport is covered and reported can often shape our perception of the events we have witnessed.From the squared circle of the WWE to the inimitable styling of Castleford Rugby League commentator Mick Morgan, this week's episode of TWWSS, TWWSL examines the fundamental question of whether there can ever be a truly objective narrative of sporting competition. In a world in which populist politicians increasingly delight in bending reality to their will, Nathan and Chris consider whether sports broadcasters and fans have long ago laid the precedent for a post-truth take on the world; an existence in which a lie can pass into history and “become the truth”.

In 1987's FIFA Youth World Cup, a dynamic and exciting young Yugoslav side featuring multiple players (Robert Jarni, Igor Štimac, Zvonimir Boban, Robert Prosinečki, Predrag Mijatović and Davor Šuker) that would go on to have stellar careers in the game, defeated the likes of Brazil and West Germany en route to claiming the prize.Numerous members of this side went on to represent Yugoslavia at Italia 90, where the side recovered from a chastening 4-1 defeat to eventual winners West Germany in their opening Group game to reach the Quarter Finals where they were eliminated on penalties by Argentina.  Building upon this relative success, Yugoslavia powered to qualification for the 1992 European Championships winning seven of their eight qualifiers and winning a group containing Denmark, Northern Ireland, Austria and the Faroe Islands.  Inspired by the afforementioned players, along with additional stellar talents such as Darko Pančev, Srečko Katanec, Dragan Stojković, Alen Bokšić and Dejan Savićević, Yugoslavia would have been heavily fancied to perform well at Euro 92, particularly given the fact that Red Star Belgrade had been crowned as European and Intercontinental Champions in 1991.However, the Yugoslav side were not able to participate in the tournament, simmering tensions between the constituent nations of the Yugoslav State (that had been bubbling since the death of Tito in 1980) morphed into the Yugoslav Wars with nationalist sentiments driving Croatians, Slovenians and Bosnians to seek autonomy outside of Yugoslavia.  Football was at the core of the disputes with a match between Red Star Belgrade and Dinamo Zagreb being abandoned due to rioting between fans.  Dinamo's captain, Boban kicked a Police Officer, who was assaulting one of the Croatian club's fans.  This match has subequently been heralded as 'The Match That Started A War'.  Alongside this, the Yugosalavian team and national anthem were roundly booed by Croatian nationals at the last Yugoslav international hosted in Zagreb ahead of the 1990 World Cup.  However, in the 2000 documentary 'The Last Yugoslavian Football Team', Yugoslavia's victory over Spain in the Second Phase of Italia 90 is shown being greeted with jubilant celebrations on the streets of Sarajevo with fans joyously chanting "YUGOSLAVIA!  YUGOSLAVIA!" in scenes that suggest football was capable of uniting the Yugoslav state despite the ongoing tensions.In this episode, Chris and Nathan chart the journey of this side and how the hotbed of ethnic and political tensions that culminated in the Yugoslav Wars  resulted in the Yugoslavian side were forced to withdaw from Euro 92 - which was ultimately won by the side who replaced them, Denmark.  We also analyse the performance of the constituent nations of the former Yugoslavia (Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia) in subequent tournaments.

There are few sports which elevate the importance of the so-called “spirit of the game” quite as much as cricket, but in the Antipodean summer of 1932-33 relations were decidedly frosty between the national teams of Australia and England.This episode of ‘The Way We See Sport’, The Way We See Life sees Nathan and Chris launch series 2 with a deep-dive into the infamous Bodyline Ashes Series. As tempers flared between the Australians and an England team desperate for revenge after defeat in 1929, it looked for a time as if a Test cricket match in Adelaide might erupt into a fully-blown diplomatic crisis. A tale which encapsulates sporting genius in the form of the Australian batting great, Don Bradman, and tactical ruthlessness from the England captain, Douglas Jardine, also provides a perfect window into the complex concept of national consciousness. In 1914, Australia had answered Britain’s call to arms for the First World War, and lost many soldiers on the battlefields of Belgium and Gallipoli. By 1942, Australians would be fighting. not just in Europe, but in defence of their own continent, as they sought to delay the Japanese advance down the Kokoda Track. Both events would inevitably prompt reflection on the nature of Australia’s relationship with Britain, as well as its broader place in the world.The Bodyline Tour of the 1930s captured a moment in which the notion of what it meant to be an Australian was shifting, and signposted something of a cultural shift away from the Mother Country.

When we left the story exploring the parallels between the tenures of Graham Taylor and John Major at the end of Part One in the summer of 1992, both men were perhaps at the peak of their powers.  Taylor’s England were looking forward to that summer’s European Championships having already comfortably seen off one of their Group Stage opponents (France) 2-0 in a friendly at Wembley earlier in the year and were on a run which had seen them record only a single defeat (against World Champions, Germany) in Taylor’s opening 21 matches.  However, England completely flopped at Euro 92, failing to win a single game, scoring only one goal in three matches as they limply exited the tournament at the Group Stage.  Having lost the crucial final game to hosts Sweden, Taylor was cruelly lampooned in the press with his head superimposed onto a turnip accompanied by the savage headline ‘SWEDES 2 TURNIPS 1’ on the back page of The S*n.  Taylor’s honeymoon was well and truly over and the knives were out amongst the press given England’s poor performances, Taylor’s bizarre selections and his decision to substitute national treasure Gary Lineker when England desperately needed a goal.For Major, despite the fact he had achieved the unthinkable in winning an election that many (including members of his own party) had thought was unwinnable, his majority was greatly reduced and it was not long before the pressure began to mount.  Britain’s relationship with Europe and its membership of the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) had contributed to the downfall of his predecessor and on 16th September 1992, the events that became known as ‘Black Wednesday’ fatally undermined both Major’s credibility and the Tories reputation for economic competence.  Despite increasingly desperate attempts by Major and his Chancellor, Norman Lamont to remain in the ERM, Britain humiliatingly tumbled out of the ERM as interest rates soared.Over the course of the next couple of years, the pace of events increasingly got out of control and continually blighted the reigns of Major and Taylor with both men increasingly resembling Basil Fawlty rather than the smooth, consummate professionals they had appeared to be back in 1990.  Taylor inexplicably agreed to make a fly-on-the-wall documentary with Channel 4 chronicling England’s attempts to qualify for the 1994 World Cup Finals.  What exactly motivated Taylor to do this is uncertain, perhaps he wanted to showcase warts and all, the realities of international management?  Whatever the motivations, the resulting film ‘An Impossible Job’ has become a cult classic.  As England toil in their quest to reach USA 94, Taylor and his assistants (Lawrie McMenemy and Phil Neal) resemble ‘The Three Stooges’ as the campaign increasingly veers into tragi-comic territory as poor performance follows poor performance.  Taylor himself cuts an increasingly desperate and isolated figure and his relationships with his team, the press and even his loyal assistants become strained.  The nadir of the campaign perhaps comes in a crucial double header of away games against Poland and Norway.  Ahead of these games, Taylor comments that “the public back home expect (England) […] the results that will get us into the United States”, what instead unfurls is nothing short of a disaster.  England grab a perhaps undeserved point in Katowice, but a crushing defeat to Norway leaves England with an awful lot to do in their remaining games. Matters come to a cruel and brutal head in Rotterdam, when a combination of poor refereeing and bad luck leads to a 2-0 defeat that left both England’s World Cup hopes and Taylor’s reputation in tatters.Like Taylor, John Major sought to put the seismic events of 1992 ‘Black Wednesday’ behind him at the autumn Tory Party conference, he sought to reassert his authority and show he was capable of leading the party forwar

During the autumn of 1990, the winds of change were blowing with respect to two of the most prominent positions in British culture, the England National team manager and the Prime Minister.  Two long-standing incumbents, Bobby Robson and Margaret Thatcher were both swept from power and replaced by less experienced and notably lower key successors (Graham Taylor and John Major).Taylor and Major had both risen rapidly through the ranks during the late 1980s and both had seen off perhaps more celebrated candidates en-route to securing ‘The Top Job’.  The similarities between the two men were clear.  They had both come from relatively humble backgrounds; both men were seen as charming, modest and courteous in their dealings with both colleagues and the media.  In short, they were small c conservatives, exactly the kind ‘safe bet’ required to lead their respective administrations (The FA and The Tory Party).Over the next few years, the synergies between the respective reigns of Taylor and Major continued.  Despite both having to follow in the footsteps of significant figures and being under pressure to deliver almost immediate results, they both got off to relatively successful starts.  Taylor was unbeaten in his first twelve matches and led England to qualification for the European Championships, emerging from a group containing sides (Poland and The Republic of Ireland) who had undone previous England managers.  Major’s initial successes were perhaps even more marked, stepping out from the looming shadow of Thatcher and the bitter wranglings that had blighted the latter days of the premiership of ‘The Iron Lady’, he led the Tories to an unexpected fourth successive consecutive election victory.  In the process, he won more than 14 million votes.  A figure that has never been bettered.  Whilst his majority was significantly smaller than that which he had inherited (a fact that would cause him continued strife during the latter part of his premiership), to win at all from the position he had inherited was a remarkable achievement.In this first part of a two-part special of ‘The Way We Sport, The Way We See Life’ we provide an overview of the early successes of Taylor and Major, charting their respective rises to power, assessing their impressive opening salvos and begin to explore why the seismic events of 1992 proved to ultimately be the undoing of both men.

29th May 1985.  A date that has gone down in infamy due to the tragic events that occurred ahead of that season's European Cup Final at Heysel.  39 fans (mostly Italian Juventus supporters) lost their lives when a wall collapsed as they were trying to flee from an attack from Liverpool fans.  The event was the culmination of a decade or so in which hooligan activity had come to be seen as 'The English Disease' as fans of many English clubs and the national side were involved in rioting and behaviour during European competition.  This brought shame upon the nation and led to football fans being cast alongside striking miners as part of 'The Enemy Within' by Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.Heysel presented Thatcher's government with an opportunity to strike dual blows against this growing hooligan influence, which had become a stain on the national game and against Liverpool, the city that perhaps more than any other had stood steadfastly in opposition against Thatcherism and her cabinet's monetarism agenda.  Thatcher acolyte, Geoffrey Howe had famously commented that he felt the city should be left to a "managed decline" in the wake of 1981's Toxteth riots.The Thatcher government's response was swift, two days after the disaster, she instructed the FA to withdraw English clubs from European competition before they were banned.  Within a matter of days, UEFA, European football's governing body banned English clubs for "an indeterminate period of time".  There was a bittersweet twist as the ban denied Liverpool's neighbours, Everton the chance to emulate their rivals' European dominance and build on their existing success under Howard Kendall.In this week's episode, Chris and Nathan look back at the tragedy, what caused it to happen and the impact it had on English football.  The episode's title refers to an interview that former Liverpool legend, Mark Lawrenson conducted with the 'On The Ball' podcast in 2022 in which he commented "Heysel is never, ever mentioned" in comparison with the Hillsborough Disaster of 1989.  Is this true?  Are Liverpool FC and Liverpool fans guilty of seeking to sweep Heysel under the carpet as has been suggested by rival fanbases?  The increased prevalance of tragedy chanting in recent years amongst fans of other clubs would suggest they share this belief.  Join Chris and Nathan as we explore the roots, causes and aftermath of this tragic event.  

In the shadow of the Gulf War, two teams of golfers met at Kiawah Island in 1991 for what soon developed into the most explosive and ill-tempered Ryder Cup ever to be held.In this latest episode of 'The Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life', Nathan and Chris delve into an event which is often considered to be an example of when healthy sporting rivalry crossed the line into disrespectful jingoism. They consider whether the Gulf War was the true cause of the increased levels of animosity between the American and European golfers, and dig into the history of the Ryder Cup in order to question why such tension emerged at this particular point of what had previously been a competition noted for its sportsmanship. The Ryder Cup is the most marketable event in golf, so Nathan and Chris seek to ensure that they do justice to the story of the so-called 'War on the Shore'.

During this week’s episode of ‘The Way We See Life, The Way We See Sport’, Chris and Nathan look back upon the forays of both of Ireland’s football sides during the successive World Cup competitions of 1982, 1986, 1990 & 1994.  At a time when day-to-day life on the Island of Ireland was beset by the sectarian conflict, the participation of Northern Ireland (1982 & 1986) and The Republic of Ireland (1990 & 1994) in “The Greatest Show on Earth” provided a welcome distraction from the everyday horrors of ‘The Troubles’.The successes of Billy Bingham’s Northern Ireland and Jack Charlton’s Republic of Ireland sides threw up some of the most memorable moments in successive World Cup competitions.  Within this episode, we will explore the story of how football was able to act as both an escapist vehicle and force for positive change.Whilst day-to-day life in Ireland was undoubtedly affected by the conflicts of ‘The Troubles’, the outstanding performances of both Irish soccer sides meant that Irish hearts were happy and four successive World Cup tournaments seemed brighter and gay as result.

In this week’s episode of ‘The Way We See Sport, The Way See Life’, we are going back to a sunny Autumn afternoon in 1972.  Three years after Woodstock, The Moon Landing and the New York Jets' stunning victory in the third iteration of the Super Bowl, the team from the Big Apple met once more with their vanquished opponents from that day - the Baltimore Colts.What followed was one of the finest examples of duelling quarterback play in the history of American Football. Records tumbled as touchdown followed touchdown, and all those in attendance knew they were witnessing something special. In an era when conservative play was more often the norm, two sporting superstars showed the world the benefits of fearless attacking play.The game saw a meeting between two of the finest quarterbacks the game has ever seen: the Colts' Johnny Unitas (who had been a marquee performer since the late 50s) and the Jets' Joe Namath (a flamboyant star whose off-field exploits saw him labelled ‘Broadway Joe’ in the 1960s). It represented not just a competition between gifted sportsmen, but a clash of styles, personality and temperament.In today’s episode, Nathan leads a deep dive exploration into the notion of the quarterback as the modern-day equivalent of a gunslinger.  We investigate how the role of quarterback is perhaps one that predominates over all other individual roles in the world of professional team sport.  We also explore how this is perhaps reflective of America’s belief in the concepts of freedom, individual liberty and how this sense of the elevation of the individual is integral both to understanding American society and appreciating the sport’s standing as ‘America’s Game’

In 1895, clubs in Northern England broke away from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) to form their own Northern Union.  The key issue was payment to players.Southern clubs stemming from Rugby's roots in the English Public School system sought to uphold the sport's amateur status, considering it obscene to pay players.  Northern clubs, on the other hand, tended to be based in the industrial working class heartlands and therefore felt it fair and necessary to compensate players for missing work through "broken time payments".This issue caused a schism in Rugby and led to the establishment of two-codes that remained largely separated by entrenched class distinctions for the next century.By 1995, Rugby was changing.  The establishment of the Rugby World Cup (RWC) in 1987 had facilitated greater levels of professionalism in Union and following 1995's RWC, it was announced that Rugby Union would become an "open game" and turn professional.  Yet, in terms of fitness levels and intensity, it was felt the game was light-years behind Rugby League.As the cocktail of 'Cool Britannia' began to percolate, the two predominant powerhouses of English Rugby of the era (Bath and Wigan) announced they would meet in a two-game 'Clash of the Codes' series.  What were the results?  Did Wigan's superior conditioning and athleticism show Bath to be preening, pri-madonnas as anticipated and what were the longer-term legacies for both sports?Join Chris and Nathan as we explore 'History' being made towards the 'End of a Century' as League and Union collide against the backdrop of Britpop...   

Joe Louis was the trailblazing boxer who had become the hero of black American communities across the U.S.A during the 1930s. Max Schmeling was the German heavyweight with ties to the very top of the Nazi Party. At first glance, their two-fight series can be seen as a clash between good and evil. It was the champion of liberty from the “shining city on the hill” against the brutal antagonist from the regime more synonymous with racism and intolerance than any other in history; a real-life manifestation of Captain America against the Red Skull. Yet the truth is much more complex, and significantly more interesting. Louis’ relationship with boxing fans and authorities within the U.S.A had created an identity far more complex than one underpinned by the two-dimensional patriotism espoused by Captain America, and Schmeling was far from an unstinting advocate for an evil ideology.In this, the first episode of The Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life, the podcast which seeks to use sport as a window through which to investigate political, social and historical events, we explore the complicated relationship that each boxer had with their respective country. It is a tale of sporting rivalry, political betrayal, social tension and, ultimately, unexpected friendship. The narrative reveals a far more nuanced picture of the norms under which American society operated in the inter-war period, and serves as a reminder of the fact that “German” is not necessarily a synonym for “Nazi” when considering the Third Reich in the 1930s. Louis vs Schmeling is a sporting story that transcends the boxing ring, and exposes the flaws in any attempt to reduce a multi-layered sporting rivalry to a simplistic cartoon duel.