The Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life

Chris Bayes
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A podcast hosted by Chris and Nathan that explores historical events through the prism of Sport.

  1. Special - pt. 2 of 2 - 'When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going'? - An exploration into Mental Health through the prism of Sport

    5D AGO ·  BONUS

    Special - pt. 2 of 2 - 'When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going'? - An exploration into Mental Health through the prism of Sport

    In the second part of our two-parter released to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week | Mental Health Foundation, we take a deeper dive into the relationship Mental Health has with three specific sports: Boxing - Analysing how and why many fighters struggle with life beyond the ring 'once the lights go out' on their in-ring careersCricket - An exploration into the long-standing relationship between Cricket and depressionFootball - How Mental Health Awareness has become part of being 'match fit' and exploring whether the game has learnt lessons from the tragic cases of Gary Speed and Robert EnkeThe episode builds on some of the themes explored in our first episode of this special, in which we studied how attitudes towards Mental Health in Sport could be viewed to have evolved over time.  Within this second episode, we assess how these three sports are currently approaching supporting participants in terms of managing their Mental Health.  We explore whether there are any key takeaways and commonalities to be found in each of these three sports and whether the riches prevalent within the sporting domain can help us to learn any lessons applicable to wider society?

    1h 23m
  2. SPECIAL pt. 1 of 2 - 'When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going'? - An exploration into Mental Health through the prism of Sport

    MAY 9 ·  BONUS

    SPECIAL pt. 1 of 2 - 'When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going'? - An exploration into Mental Health through the prism of Sport

    In the first of a two-part special released to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week - Mental Health Awareness Week | Mental Health Foundation - Chris and Nathan explore how attitudes towards understanding Mental Health have evolved within the world of sport over the past 30 years or so. The episode begins by analysing what constituted old-school attitudes towards the concepts of Mental Health in sport.  We explore how mind games and mentality have been part of sport as long as we can remember, embarking on a journey that takes us through Kevin Keegan's famous 'I'd Love It' rant as the pressure of a Premier League title race reached boiling point.  We then discuss John Gregory questioning the validity of Stan Collymore's mental struggles - 'He's earning £20k a week, what has he got to be depressed about?', before assessing Bill Shankly's assertions that players experiencing the riches of top-level football success understanding of 'pressure' paled into insignificance when compared with the daily struggles faced by workers in traditional industries such as mining or those on the breadline struggling to find work.  Our overview of traditional assessments of the role mentality played within sport ends with a discussion of the infamous speech from Jim Telfer as part of the 1997 British and Irish Lions Tour.  Telfer's speeches from this Tour have taken on legendary status, but does his overarching view that "There are two types of Rugby players, boys.  There's honest ones and the rest." represent a gross oversimplification when comes to understanding the mental toughness required to succeed in elite level sport? Our focus then shifts to assess how three modern sporting greats (Michael Phelps, Mark Cavendish and Lindsey Vonn) and their thinking regarding their Mental Health.  We discuss whether their attitudes are representative both of a shift in societal attitudes and understanding of Mental Health, but also raise the questions of if and how sport can be seen as a forerunner in terms of pioneering approaches that could be more widely adopted across society as a whole. In Episode Two, we will take a deeper dive into three particular sports (Boxing, Cricket and Football) and explore how each of these sports are seeking to develop new approaches to ensure participants are 'match fit' and able to manage their own Mental Health.

    1h 4m
  3. 'Crossing The Great Divide’ – Maurice Johnston’s 1989 transfer saga and how it was influenced by and impacted upon Sectarianism in Scottish society

    APR 10

    'Crossing The Great Divide’ – Maurice Johnston’s 1989 transfer saga and how it was influenced by and impacted upon Sectarianism in Scottish society

    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.  F**k 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?

    1h 8m
  4. 'Look Down Under'

    MAR 29

    'Look Down Under'

    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.

    57 min
  5. 'Knives Out' - Clough, Truss and poor leadership decisions

    MAR 19

    'Knives Out' - Clough, Truss and poor leadership decisions

    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.

    1h 32m
  6. Clough, Revie and The Perfect Debate

    MAR 9

    Clough, Revie and The Perfect Debate

    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.

    1h 1m
  7. 'The Kayfabe President'

    FEB 28

    'The Kayfabe President'

    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.

    1h 2m
  8. 'It’s Not the Critic Who Counts...'

    FEB 20

    'It’s Not the Critic Who Counts...'

    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…”

    1h 9m
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A podcast hosted by Chris and Nathan that explores historical events through the prism of Sport.

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