SportStories - The Podcast

Nathan Merkel

Hello everyone! My name is Nathan Merkel, welcome to SportStories - The Podcast. This Sports catered podcast will discuss different stories that we as humans have experience in, with, and through Sports. Hopefully, providing context to these questions: What makes Sports so special? and How do Sports impact us as humans? I will dive head-first into these questions through critical conversations with a wide variety of guests on the show. With my current background in research and academia, I will be looking to bridge the gap between practicality and research. I truly hope you enjoy the show! 

  1. 1d ago

    Pitch Pretty Please...Stories of the MLB v2 - A Conversation with Brian Leahy

    Part 2 of the series with Brian Leahy! We talk all things MLB and what the future holds. Hope you enjoy the episode!! [Disclaimer: The opinions in this episode are of my own accord and DO NOT reflect the opinions of any respective organization or institution.]

    47 min

  2. Jun 4

    Pitch Please...Stories of the MLB - A Conversation with Brian Leahy

    I wonder what Babe Ruth and Stan Musial would think of the MLB today... Do we think they would be proud of where the league is right now? These questions have flooded my brain recently, so I reached out to baseball expert, Brian Leahy. Brian is the director of Camp Chen-a-Wanda in Pennsylvania. CAW is a sleep-away summer camp in the Poconos, but don't get me wrong here, Brian knows ball, that is a fact. Brian is a superfan of the Dodgers, not one of those bandwagon fans, trust me. We sat down to discuss all things MLB in this 2-part episode series. We discussed Brian's background and the current landscape of the MLB. Stay tuned for part 2 of this MLB series! Hope you enjoy the episode. [Disclaimer: The opinions in this episode are of my own accord and DO NOT reflect the opinions of any respective organization or institution.]

    1h 2m

  3. May 7

    Stories of a COO(L) Executive - Life of Ella Chan, COO of Pedalheads

    Have you ever wondered what life is like for an executive (i.e., CEO, COO, CFO, etc.)? Well, I have always been curious as to what exactly do executives...do. Sure, we understand that executives are the leaders of the organization, but what does their daily life look like? My curiosity landed me to a conversation with Ella Chan, the COO of Pedalheads. Pedalheads is a privately owned company in Vancouver, British Columbia, specializing in Kids day camps & lessons that grow skills & confidence through sport and recreational activities. Pedalheads, over the 40 years of their company, has reached over 1,000,000 children and is operating in over 400 unique locations within Canada and the United States. I hope you enjoy the episode!! [Disclaimer: The opinions in this episode are of my own accord and DO NOT reflect the opinions of any respective organization or institution.]

    49 min

  4. Apr 6

    Season 1 Recap - A Years Worth of Stories

    Thank you for listening to a FULL YEAR of SportStories The Podcast. The journey has been challenging over this last year. We transitioned from audio-only to providing video and also underwent a branding change. The podcast initially began as "Rebuilding the Ivory Tower: Perspectives on Sport in Society", whew. Realizing now, this name was WAY too long. Also, nobody knows what the "ivory Tower" is and what am I "rebuilding"? Given these concerns, I changed the platform to SportStories The Podcast, with the goal of sharing unique stories that we have with Sports. I hope you enjoy the recap of this years' episodes! Stay tuned for some great episodes in Season 2. [Disclaimer: The opinions in this episode are of my own accord and DO NOT reflect the opinions of any respective organization or institution.]

    1h 12m

  5. Mar 26

    Stories of an Athletic Director - A Conversation with APSU AD Jordan Harmon

    With the current landscape in the NCAA being compared to the wild west, I wondered what life was like behind the scenes. How does an AD approach the transfer portal? How does an AD build a culture within their athletic department? I sat down with Jordan Harmon, the Athletic Director for Austin Peay State University. We discussed his story from being a student athlete at APSU to working within the Athletics department to eventually being elected as the new AD for APSU. Here is a short bio of Jordan: Named the 15th Director of Athletics at Austin Peay State University on February 9, 2026, Jordan Harmon is a two-time APSU graduate and former Governors baseball student-athlete who previously served as interim director of athletics and general manager, leading revenue sharing and name, image, and likeness initiatives. A St. Louis native, Harmon returned to APSU in 2024 as deputy director of athletics and chief revenue officer after serving as director of development at Bishop Verot Catholic High School, and earlier helped drive one of the most successful fundraising periods in department history. A 2017 finance graduate and former pitcher for the Governors, Harmon also earned his master’s in management from APSU in 2020 and, alongside his wife Reagan, a former APSU women’s golfer, is the proud parent of their daughter, Parker. Please consider donating to the platform to support video production: buymeacoffee.com/nathanmerkel I hope you enjoy the episode!! [Disclaimer: The opinions in this episode are of my own accord and DO NOT reflect the opinions of any respective organization or institution.]

    43 min

  6. Mar 11

    State of the League Address - Stories about the NHL

    With Jack Hughes scoring the golden goal to award the US its' first Gold Medal since 1980, we began to think, who cares? I am joined by the hosts of Royally Quacked, Cody & Gary, an in-depth hockey podcast focusing on the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings, to answer this question. With the recent success of the US on the Olympic stage, will this actually influence people to watch more hockey? We sat down to discuss some of the below questions: Do people even care that we won Gold in the Olympics? What is causing the 40% increase in female fans over the last year? Is the stadium series getting boring? We hope to provide some answers to these questions and will be publishing a bi-annual State of the League Address that will answer the question: Why should we care about the NHL and why should we care about Hockey? Please consider donating to the platform to support the video product of the podcast. https://buymeacoffee.com/nathanmerkel [Disclaimer: The opinions in this episode are of my own accord and DO NOT reflect the opinions of any respective organization or institution.]

    1h 23m

  7. Feb 18

    The Father, Son, and the Holy Touchdown - A Conversation about Sports and Spirituality

    "The Father, Son, and the Holy Touchdown" "I want to give all glory and thanks to God" - Fernando Mendoza after winning NCAA National Championship. Have you noticed that more and more athletes are praising God during post-game interviews? Maybe you noticed the amount of athletes praying before the game starts. Where did this come from and why are athletes so outwardly religious now? I spoke with Sterling Harris, an ex-NFL lineman turned spiritual minister. We discussed the convergence of religion and sports and how spirituality has become increasingly important in modern athletics. Please consider donating to the Podcast to help support video production and engineering: buymeacoffee.com/nathanmerkel Below is a biography of Sterling along with the URL to his website: https://sterlingharris.org/ Sterling Harris was born in Dallas, TX and grew up in Terrell. Sterling was a high school football standout with an array of awards including Super-Prep All-American, All-State, All-Area, and All-District, as well as a top four finalist for Class 4A player of the year in the State of Texas. He also excelled in the classroom as an honor roll student, and he graduated in the top 10% of his class from Terrell High School. Sterling was voted Best All Around Boy his senior year. During this time, he also owned and operated his own company specializing in acreage mowing and bulldozer work. During his years at SMU, Sterling worked for a variety of companies that include Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, State Farm Insurance, Sewell Motor Companies, and ORIX Real Estate Capital Markets where he refined his business skills. Sterling holds a Business Management degree from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. While attending SMU, he was a four-year football letterman at the right tackle position. After graduation, he signed an NFL contract with the Cleveland Browns. Sterling suffered a broken foot during his rookie season. After battling back from the injury, the Browns sent him to NFL Europe where he played and started at the offensive tackle position for the Frankfurt Galaxy. Sterling was forced into early retirement by a reoccurring foot injury he suffered in NFL Europe after his second year in the NFL. [Disclaimer: The opinions in this episode are of my own accord and DO NOT reflect the opinions of any respective organization or institution.]

    51 min

  8. Jan 26

    StartUp to StudyUp - The Story of a Woman's Journey from Business Ownership to PhD Pursuit

    Send us a text [Disclaimer: The opinions in this episode are of my own accord and DO NOT reflect the opinions of any respective organization or institution.] Hello everyone! This episode is a banger! I am gratefully welcomed by Alexia P. Hammonds, a 43-year-old self-made businesswoman with 23 years of experience as an exercise and wellness expert, fragrance specialist and doctoral student based out of Urbana, IL. After years of dedicated work in the fitness and sports industry as a classically trained Master Pilates and Yoga Teacher Trainer and instructor for professional and collegiate athletes, Alexia shifted her focus to the beauty industry. She worked as the Beauty Director of LaMode Magazine and ENVY Magazine in Dallas, TX and an on-air fashion and beauty expert for Fox 4 Good Day. But it was during her time as the co-founder and CEO of successful lifestyle brand Eat. Sweat. Undress. that she seized the opportunity to change the face of the fragrance world forever. Alexia is the first black woman to create fragrance of any kind in Grasse, France - the historic birthplace of perfume and the first black woman overall to create a hair perfume.  Her debut line of self-titled hair perfume was some of the first of its kind in existence. Made with hair-healthy ingredients like a special keratin protein derived from cashmere, her products are meant to nourish and protect hair while imparting an unforgettable, long-lasting fragrance. This storied achievement gained Alexia nation-wide recognition. Her products have been featured in publications across the world, including Huffington Post, NBC, Fox, ABC, Oprah Daily, Good Morning America, Essence Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Beauty Independent, tica, the Associated Press, and many more. She has also had the honor of being profiled in Forbes, Madame Noir, and Black Enterprise for her breakthrough success in the fragrance industry. After selling her company in 2022, Alexia focused on consulting for beauty and fitness brands, guest speaking, and appeared in NBA star Chris Paul’s 8-episode series “Why Not Us” on ESPN+. Alexia is currently a second year Ph.D. student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a top 10 R1 institution. Her research focuses on menopausal women and using exercise interventions to address physiological and psychological outcomes. linktr.ee/Alexiaphammonds I hope you enjoy the episode!! Support the show

    57 min
See All (22)

About

Hello everyone! My name is Nathan Merkel, welcome to SportStories - The Podcast. This Sports catered podcast will discuss different stories that we as humans have experience in, with, and through Sports. Hopefully, providing context to these questions: What makes Sports so special? and How do Sports impact us as humans? I will dive head-first into these questions through critical conversations with a wide variety of guests on the show. With my current background in research and academia, I will be looking to bridge the gap between practicality and research. I truly hope you enjoy the show! 

Information

  • Creator
    Nathan Merkel
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    22
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Nathan Merkel
  • Show Website
    SportStories - The Podcast