The Middle

Megan R
  • 4.7 (9)
  • Sports
  • Updated Weekly

Where the game gets personal. From world championships to everyday athletes, we dig into the human side of sports told by the athletes, coaches and industry insiders that lived those career-changing moments, near misses, unexpected wins, season-ending injuries and inevitable transitions.

  1. Aug 12

    ENCORE: Inside the Leadville 100: What It Really Takes to Run or Bike the Toughest Race in the Rockies

    After a season filled with uncertainty due to Colorado wildfires, the Leadville Race Series has been given the green light to move ahead with their 2026 race season. Now, we're days away from the two most challenging and legendary races: the Leadville Trail 100 MTB and the Leadville Trail 100 Run. Earlier this year Megan sat down with race director Tamira Jenlink to talk about the race series and what it takes to put on these events. Enjoy this encore episode of their discussion on one of the most popular and prestigious endurance Race Series in the world. -- At 10,152 feet in the Colorado Rockies, the legendary Leadville Race Series looks like a dream for endurance athletes chasing the Leadville Trail 100 Run, the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race, the Leadville Trail Marathon, and more. In this episode, race director Tamira Jenlink takes us inside the unseen side of endurance racing, where split-second safety decisions, unpredictable mountain weather, and the logistics of supporting athletes above 12,000 feet collide. More than a race, Tamira explores the inclusiveness of the endurance community and the delicate balance between hosting world-class events and supporting the future of towns like Leadville. The Life Time Leadville Race Series is a variety of annual mountain bike and running races held in the heart of the Rocky Mountains in Leadville, Colorado. The most grueling of the races – the 100-mile mountain bike and the 100-mile run – have attracted cyclists and ultrarunners from around the world since 1983. The Middle finds the sport stories the big outlets skip, told by Megan and the athletes, coaches, and insiders who lived them. Follow the Leadville Race Series on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and X, or learn more about the races on the website. Follow The Middle on Instagram, Threads, and YouTube. Connect with Megan on LinkedIn.

  2. Aug 5

    Inside NFL Training Camp

    What really happens inside NFL training camp? This episode goes behind the scenes of the NFL's most chaotic six weeks, from the official practices, what players actually eat, the rookie hazing traditions that have survived decades, and "the Turk," the mysterious figure who delivers the five words no player wants to hear. In between is a glimpse at preseason strategy and who to pay attention to during the 2026 NFL preseason. The Middle finds the sport stories the big outlets skip, told by Megan and the athletes, coaches, and insiders who lived them. Follow The Middle on Instagram, Threads, and YouTube. Connect with Megan on LinkedIn.

  3. Jul 29

    Why 70% of Kids Quit Sports by 13

    Research shows 70% of kids quit youth sports by age 13, and it’s not because they got cut or lost interest in the game. Dr. Michael Berrebi joins Megan to break down what’s driving kids out: the professionalization of youth sports, the pay-to play system pricing out entire communities, and the burnout nobody’s trained to spot in younger kids. Dr. Berrebi explains what anxiety and stress look like for athletes at these ages (hint: it’s not laziness), which words to pay attention to when kids describe their practice or game, and the simple question any parent can ask to help determine if their kid is struggling. Dr. Michael Berrebi is a licensed professional counselor with a Ph.D. in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology. Based in Denver, Colorado, he specializes in working with youth, high school, and college athletes from every sport. He founded Elevation Sport and Performance Consulting to help athletes break through the mental barriers that hold them back on and off the field.  The Middle finds the sport stories the big outlets skip, told by Megan and the athletes, coaches, and insiders who lived them. Follow The Middle on Instagram, Threads, and YouTube. Connect with Megan on LinkedIn.

  4. Jul 22

    Can the Women's Pro Baseball League Break the Baseball Curse?

    The inaugural season of the Women's Pro Baseball League (WPBL) kicks off on August 1, 2026, marking the first professional women’s baseball league in the U.S. in decades. But history tells us this isn't the first attempt. This episode explores the deep, complex history of women’s professional baseball in America, from the iconic All American Girls Professional Baseball League of the 1940s to the barnstorming Colorado Silver Bullets and the Ladies League Baseball of the late '90s, analyzing why past leagues failed and how the WPBL’s business model aims to survive. Can the WPBL break the cycle, or is history bound to repeat itself? The Middle finds the sport stories the big outlets skip, told by Megan and the athletes, coaches, and insiders who lived them. Follow The Middle on Instagram, Threads, and YouTube. Connect with Megan on LinkedIn.

  5. Jul 15

    Gamers Are Athletes: Building the League Traditional Sports Excluded

    Clinton Sparks, founder and CEO of the new Global Gaming League, makes the case that gaming isn't a fringe hobby but the biggest sport nobody's calling a sport yet. He breaks down the real difference between esports and gaming, why the stereotype of the isolated basement gamer is wrong, and how players of all ages and genders (nearly half of all gamers are women, after all) are rewriting who counts as an athlete. Clinton also gives a behind the scenes look at how he's built the first-of-its-kind gaming league, including how their draft works, which celebrities own teams, how they’re keeping online safety in mind, and why they’ve had such explosive growth in only a few short years. The Global Gaming League (GGL) is a premier gaming entertainment league with gamers of all skill levels who play both modern and classic video games. Called the UFC, WWE, and NFL of video gaming, gamers can join the platform and rise through the ranks for a chance to be drafted into celebrity-owned major league teams. You can join the league for free here. You can follow the GGL on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. Clinton Sparks is the CEO of the GGL and a Grammy-nominated DJ, producer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He founded the GGL to make gaming more accessible and bridge the gap between amateur gamers and professional esports. You can follow Clinton on TikTok, Instagram, and X. The Middle finds the sport stories the big outlets skip, told by Megan and the athletes, coaches, and insiders who lived them. Follow The Middle on Instagram, Threads, and YouTube. Connect with Megan on LinkedIn.

  6. Jul 8

    The Tour de France Explained: A Guide to Cycling's Biggest Race

    In this episode, Megan walks through a beginner's guide to the Tour de France: how the race started, how it works, how the winner's jersey came to be yellow, how riders survive three weeks of racing (hint: it used to involve wine), the growth of the Tour de France Femmes, and why the 2026 race could make history. No cycling knowledge required! The Middle finds the sports stories the big outlets skip, told by Megan and the athletes, coaches, and insiders who lived them. Follow The Middle on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠Threads⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠, and ⁠LinkedIn⁠. Connect with Megan on LinkedIn.

  7. Jul 1

    What Athletes Get Wrong About Mental Health

    We’re all told at some point to toughen up. But what if the version of toughness we celebrate is making us more fragile? Megan sits down with Dr. Dillon Small, the Director of Sport Performance Psychology at the U.S. Air Force Academy, to talk about athlete mental health and why the conversation around mental performance has moved beyond awareness… but still has a long way to go. They explore the difference between resilience and mental durability, how stress can become part of training, and why the strongest performers are often the ones willing to ask for feedback. Megan and Dr. Small also talk about how the U.S. Air Force Academy is changing the conversation around mental health with its athletes and cadets by embedding it into the larger performance systems and treating is as seriously as sleep, nutrition, and recovery. It’s a conversation about what strength really looks like when people are trained to understand pressure instead of simply pushing through it. Dr. Dillon Small is the Director of Sport Performance Psychology at the U.S. Air Force Academy and a licensed clinical psychologist. Prior to this role, he served as the Chief of Psychological Health for the Air Force Academy Cadet Wing where he and his team worked with cadets to ensure high performance in academics, athletics, and leadership. He has worked with special operators, elite athletes, and air crews for multiple airframes including C-17s, F-16s, and F-35s. He also serves as the Commander of Aerospace Medicine Flight in the Colorado Air National Guard’s 140th Fighter Wing. Connect with Dr. Small on LinkedIn or through his consulting firm Overcoming Ordinary. Follow The Middle on Instagram, Threads, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Connect with Megan on LinkedIn.

  8. Jun 24

    The Real Reason Women's Sports Are Booming Right Now

    Women’s sports are experiencing an unprecedented commercial boom, but is this sudden love affair a genuine cultural breakthrough, or are athletic gatekeepers just finally doing the math? In this episode, Megan looks past the triumphant headlines to expose a colder historical reality: women don’t break through in sports, they get let in. By tracing 100 years of history across five pivotal stories and athletes, she looks at everything from the outright lies that kept women from running in 1928, to the secret funding that resolved the 2017 U.S. women's hockey team's boycott, to the jaw-dropping court ruling that came after 15 female ski jumpers sued for being excluded from the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Once you see the hidden pattern running underneath every open door and every closed gate, you might never look at the women’s sports "moment" the same way again. Follow The Middle on Instagram, Threads, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Connect with Megan on LinkedIn.

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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Where the game gets personal. From world championships to everyday athletes, we dig into the human side of sports told by the athletes, coaches and industry insiders that lived those career-changing moments, near misses, unexpected wins, season-ending injuries and inevitable transitions.

Information

  • Creator
    Megan R
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    48
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Megan R
  • Show Website
    The Middle