Death at the Wing The Binge

In the late 70s, basketball was changing rapidly, as was the country. The ABA, a start-up basketball league showcased a faster style of play that captivates fans and introduced a 3-point line to professional basketball. But it was struggling financially. The NBA was just the opposite — gaining a foothold but lacking that “cool” factor. After a merger, and the rise of satellite TV, everything came together — Dr. J, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird’s highlights reached fans across the country. Cable and satellite TV would showcase a revolution in the rest of America as well — and no politician was better equipped for the moment than the movie-star-turned-president, Ronald Reagan. A new era of superstardom and fast living was on the horizon — one that would also leave many behind.



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Death At The Wing is hosted by Adam McKay (The Big Short, Vice, Succession) and produced by HyperObject Industries and Sony Music Entertainment. Jody Avirgan, executive producer and editor, Raghu Manavalan, senior producer, Brian Steele, producer.



Want to get in touch? Email us datw@hyperobjectindustries.com.



Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.
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Flint native Terry Furlow, a Michigan State legend, was a mentor to Magic Johnson, and was primed to make it in the new run-and-gun NBA. But Furlow struggled to adjust to the league, and bounced around from team to team, just at the same moment that a party culture was taking over the NBA and the country. Stories of rampant cocaine use plague the league, and what was once a fun party drug reveals a darker side. In the end, the league and the country decide to react not by supporting their own, but by framing drug use as a personal failing through three simple words: “Just Say No.”

Want the full story? Unlock all episodes of Death at the Wing, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

Just click ‘Subscribe’ on the top of the Death at the Wing show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you listen.

A Hyperobject Industries & Sony Music Entertainment production.

Want to get in touch? Email us datw@hyperobjectindustries.com

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com.

Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

A cocaine overdose claims the life of collegiate superstar and ‘can’t miss prospect’ Len Bias before he ever plays in the NBA for the Boston Celtics. This causes a moral and political panic. Weeks after his death, the Reagan administration, with overwhelming Democratic support, passes the "Len Bias Law," installing mandatory minimum sentences and a system that prioritizes incarceration over rehabilitation. As one writer put it, Len Bias became the “Archduke Ferdinand of the total War on Drugs.”

Want the full story? Unlock all episodes of Death at the Wing, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

Just click ‘Subscribe’ on the top of the Death at the Wing show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you listen.

A Hyperobject Industries & Sony Music Entertainment production.

Want to get in touch? Email us datw@hyperobjectindustries.com

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com.

Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

The ‘next Magic Johnson’ gets murdered after an argument outside a Chicago High School. Chicago residents had been scapegoated by politicians and cut off from social services for decades, leaving a vacuum for a flood of guns and violence in the 1980s. Benji’s death was a product of that neglect, but his legacy may provide a path to hope.

Want the full story? Unlock all episodes of Death at the Wing, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

Just click ‘Subscribe’ on the top of the Death at the Wing show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you listen.

A Hyperobject Industries & Sony Music Entertainment production.

Want to get in touch? Email us datw@hyperobjectindustries.com

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com.

Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

A shooting guard considered 'Reggie Miller with a handle' commits suicide, at a time when the country is ill-equipped to talk about mental health.

This episode discusses mental health, self-harm and suicide. If you or someone you know needs to talk to a counselor, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255). If you would like to speak to a counselor online, please visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

Want the full story? Unlock all episodes of Death at the Wing, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

Just click ‘Subscribe’ on the top of the Death at the Wing show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you listen.

A Hyperobject Industries & Sony Music Entertainment production.

Want to get in touch? Email us datw@hyperobjectindustries.com

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com.

Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

Thanks to the 1992 “Dream Team,” basketball becomes a truly global brand. Overseas stars begin to make it in the United States, the land of opportunity, even as US foreign policy leads many parts of the world to fracture.

Want the full story? Unlock all episodes of Death at the Wing, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

Just click ‘Subscribe’ on the top of the Death at the Wing show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you listen.

A Hyperobject Industries & Sony Music Entertainment production.

Want to get in touch? Email us datw@hyperobjectindustries.com

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com.

Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.