BenchMarks

Empty The Bench Network

BenchMarks is an audio-first documentary series from the Empty the Bench Network, where the biggest moments in sports aren’t just remembered — they’re re-examined. Hosted by Callan McClurg and joined by voices from across the Empty the Bench Network, BenchMarks lives at the intersection of E60, 30 for 30, and Real Sports. Each episode digs deep into the controversial moments, polarizing figures, and defining games and plays that refuse to fade with time. These are the stories that sparked debate, shaped careers, altered leagues, and still echo through locker rooms, broadcasts, and barroom arguments years — sometimes decades — later. Through immersive storytelling, original reporting, archival sound, and thoughtful conversation, BenchMarks revisits the moments that history never settled. Not to sensationalize them, but to understand them — the context, the consequences, and why they continue to matter. This is sports history told with humanity, curiosity, and a willingness to ask the uncomfortable questions. If you believe the best sports stories don’t end at the final whistle, subscribe to BenchMarks wherever you get your podcasts and join us as we revisit the moments that defined the game — and the people inside it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

에피소드

  1. 4일 전

    BenchMarks: The Fail Mary

    It was a primetime Monday night matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks, but the true opponent was the men wearing the stripes. For three agonizing weeks of the 2012 NFL season, fans and players had suffered under the chaos of the replacement referees amid a labor dispute. The entire country was waiting for a catastrophic breaking point. It arrived on the final, unbelievable play of September 24th. In this episode of BenchMarks, Tom Albano dissects one of the most controversial and consequential plays in modern football history: The Fail Mary. We relive the final, desperate Hail Mary throw by rookie Russell Wilson into the end zone, contested fiercely by Seattle receiver Golden Tate and Packers safety M.D. Jennings. We examine the moment of bizarre confusion as two different officials—Side Judge Lance Easley and Back Judge Derrick Rhone-Dunn—gave two different signals: one for a game-winning touchdown, one for a touchback. Albano dives into the specifics of the simultaneous catch rule, the blatant, uncalled offensive pass interference by Tate, and the fateful decision to uphold the ruling as a Seahawks victory that sent an entire nation into outrage. More than just a blown call, this is the story of how the sheer incompetence of the replacement officials forced the NFL's hand, bringing the league's labor dispute to an immediate, dramatic end less than 48 hours later. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    15분
  2. 5일 전 · 보너스

    BenchMarks: The 11 Hour Marathon

    Before the era of "Super Bowl Sunday" as a national holiday, the game was exactly that: a game. You tuned in, watched the kickoff, saw a trophy presentation, and went to bed. There were no 6:00 AM breakfast panels, no celebrity cook-offs on the sidelines, and certainly no 11-hour pre-game countdowns. That all changed in 1978, thanks to a sudden downpour in the desert. In this fascinating bonus episode of BenchMarks, Callan McClurg—who hasn't touched an NFL broadcast since the Chargers packed their bags and left his native San Diego in 2017—uncovers the "accidental" origin of the modern Super Bowl broadcast. The story begins on January 15, 1978, the day of Super Bowl XII. CBS had a lean 90-minute pre-game show planned, intended to lead directly into the Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos matchup. But a few hundred miles away, the final round of the Phoenix Open was washed out by a rare, torrential Arizona rainstorm. Suddenly, CBS had a massive hole in their afternoon schedule and millions of viewers with nowhere to go. McClurg explores how a panicked production team decided to simply "stay with the football," stretching the pre-game coverage into a three-hour-plus odyssey of interviews, highlight reels, and filler. To their shock, the ratings didn't just hold—they soared. We trace how this "accident" gave birth to the "11-Hour Marathon" we see today: a multi-network, sunrise-to-sign-off spectacle that covers everything from the arrival of the team buses to the brand of the kicker’s socks. The 11-Hour Marathon is a look at the commercialization of time itself, and how a literal "rain check" in golf created the most bloated, profitable, and iconic day in American television. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    17분
  3. 1월 26일

    BenchMarks: "Who do you think you are?! I Am!"

    For decades, bowling was the quintessential American Sunday afternoon sport—quiet, focused, and relentlessly polite. Then came Pete Weber. In this episode of BenchMarks, Nick Morgasen profiles the most electrifying, controversial, and polarizing figure the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) has ever known. As the son of bowling legend Dick Weber, Pete was destined for the lanes, but he forged a legacy entirely his own: a dazzling career that includes 37 PBA Tour titles, a record five U.S. Open victories, and the distinction of being the only bowler to complete the "Triple Crown" twice. Yet, Pete Weber is perhaps best known for his sheer, unadulterated passion. Morgasen traces Weber's journey from a teenage phenomenon with a high-flying backswing to the perennial Hall of Famer whose fire burned so hot it often boiled over. We dissect the intense showmanship, the D-Generation X-inspired crotch chops, and the public outbursts that earned him the moniker "The Bad Boy of Bowling." Finally, we zoom in on the moment that cemented his pop-culture status: his triumphant, chaotic, and utterly nonsensical post-strike roar at the 2012 U.S. Open: "Who do you think you are? I am!" Discover the true context behind the quote, the heckler who inspired it, and how a botched line of trash talk created a legendary, generation-defining sports meme that put bowling back on the map. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    16분
  4. 1월 12일

    BenchMarks: Billion Dollar Lines

    The National Basketball Association’s relationship with China is a modern, billion-dollar balancing act, fraught with political tension and ethical conflict. On this episode of BenchMarks, Nick Morgasen dives deep into the complex, often contradictory, ties that bind the world's most globally successful sports league to the world's second-largest economy. We trace the history of the NBA's expansion into China, that all began with then commissioner Larry O'Brien and the Washington Bullets stepping foot in China inn 1979, that would be further spearheaded by the vision of former commissioner David Stern, which evolved into a multi-billion-dollar market fueled by broadcasting deals and the legacy of players like Yao Ming. The episode then unpacks the 2019 crisis, where a single, seven-word tweet from then-Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey expressing support for Hong Kong protesters triggered a diplomatic and financial firestorm that cost the league hundreds of millions of dollars. Billion Dollar Lines examines the difficult choices the league, its owners, and its socially conscious players face when American ideals of free speech clash with the commercial pressures and political realities of doing business with an authoritarian state. We explore the financial stakes, the human rights concern regarding regions like Xinjiang, and the lasting precedent the controversy set for American corporations navigating the global political stage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    20분

소개

BenchMarks is an audio-first documentary series from the Empty the Bench Network, where the biggest moments in sports aren’t just remembered — they’re re-examined. Hosted by Callan McClurg and joined by voices from across the Empty the Bench Network, BenchMarks lives at the intersection of E60, 30 for 30, and Real Sports. Each episode digs deep into the controversial moments, polarizing figures, and defining games and plays that refuse to fade with time. These are the stories that sparked debate, shaped careers, altered leagues, and still echo through locker rooms, broadcasts, and barroom arguments years — sometimes decades — later. Through immersive storytelling, original reporting, archival sound, and thoughtful conversation, BenchMarks revisits the moments that history never settled. Not to sensationalize them, but to understand them — the context, the consequences, and why they continue to matter. This is sports history told with humanity, curiosity, and a willingness to ask the uncomfortable questions. If you believe the best sports stories don’t end at the final whistle, subscribe to BenchMarks wherever you get your podcasts and join us as we revisit the moments that defined the game — and the people inside it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.