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. 3d ago

    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.

    41 min

  2. 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.

    29 min

  3. Jun 17

    The Olympic Sport That Still Excludes Women

    Alexa Brabec is one of Team USA’s top women’s Nordic Combined athletes, and she’s competing at a pivotal moment for the future of her sport. Nordic Combined is the only Olympic sport that excludes women from competing in the Olympic Games. Women have built a World Cup circuit, competed at world championships, and grown the sport across multiple nations. Yet in 2026, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will vote on whether to add women’s Nordic Combined to the 2030 Winter Olympics or potentially remove the sport from the Olympic program entirely. In this episode, Megan and Alexa talk about what that uncertainty feels like, why Olympic inclusion matters for funding and visibility, and why Alexa still believes the sport has a future. They also talk about Alexa’s recent historic World Cup season, what it was like watching the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics from the sidelines, and what’s at stake for the next generation of women in the sport. Want to support the U.S. Nordic Combined team? Follow Nordic Combined USA on Instagram and Facebook, share their posts, or donate to support the athletes who receive limited Olympic funding. Learn more about Nordic Combined USA on their website. If you want to help tell the IOC to add women’s Nordic Combined in 2030 without removing the sport, sign the petition. Follow The Middle on Instagram, Threads, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Connect with Megan on LinkedIn.

    33 min

  4. Jun 10

    Hidden Figures: Seven Roles That Secretly Run Sports

    Professional sports is powered by a shadow world of people with special talents, and you probably don't even know their names. From the upside-down world of an NFL long snapper to a cricket role called the "the human sacrifice," sports has mastered the art of finding one person to do one incredibly specific thing brilliantly. In this episode, we dive into seven wildly unique, unsung roles across seven different sports to profile the hidden figures who don't just support the teams; they make their success possible. From the 36 year old accountant who saved a game for the Chicago Blackhawks to the lacrosse "FOGO" specialists whose dominance forced the NCAA to temporarily ban the position entirely, sometimes the most important person on the field is the one you never knew existed. Follow The Middle on Instagram, Threads, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Connect with Megan on LinkedIn.

    28 min

  5. Jun 3

    Turf, Tech, and the 2026 World Cup

    Trey Rogers didn't know what the World Cup was when he got a call in 1992 asking if he could build a soccer pitch made completely of natural grass, put it over a concrete floor, and keep it alive in a domed NFL stadium over the course of several months. Trey and his Michigan State University research team accepted the challenge. They engineered a natural grass field, grew it in California, shipped it to Michigan, and rolled (yes, rolled) it into the Pontiac Silverdome for one of the biggest soccer tournaments in history: the 1994 World Cup. Creating a modular, natural grass playing field that could be inserted and removed was a new idea back then. Now, Trey’s doing it again, at 16 stadiums across three countries for the 2026 World Cup. As a professor and leading turfgrass expert, Trey explains how color television accidentally started the artificial turf revolution, why NFL players practice on grass even when their stadiums use turf, and how a single bad sod job on Monday Night Football can set an entire field of science back decades. We get into the surprisingly complex science beneath the playing surfaces of our favorite teams, and how those same fields play a surprising role in player longevity. The most important part of your favorite stadium might be the part you’re overlooking. Learn more about Trey Rogers and Michigan State University's turfgrass program, considered one of the premier institutions for turfgrass management in the U.S. Follow The Middle on Instagram, Threads, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Connect with Megan on LinkedIn.

    43 min

  6. May 27

    Fantasy Sports, Betting, and Holograms, Oh My!

    What if the golden age of sports fandom isn't in the past… it's right now? In this episode, we break down how the fan experience has undergone one of the most exciting transformations in sports history. From fantasy sports and RedZone to legal betting now live in 38 states, alternate broadcasts like the Manningcast, and stadium tech that lets you order food to your seat without missing a play, fans have more control over how they experience sports than ever before. At the same time, athletes like LeBron James, Derek Jeter, and Caleb Williams have taken ownership of how they show up for their fans, building media companies, telling their own stories, and using technology like Proto Hologram to have real, personalized interactions with fans thousands of miles away. The result is a sports experience built around you. So where does it go from here? We explore how fan personalization and athlete ownership are colliding to create something entirely new, and ask whether the next generation of fans might be more connected to the sport than any generation before them. Follow The Middle on Instagram, Threads, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Connect with Megan on LinkedIn.

    26 min

  7. May 20

    Can We Create The Immortal Athlete?

    Picture this: you walk up to your favorite athlete at Yankee Stadium or Lambeau Field and have a real conversation with them. They’re standing next to you, life-size, answering your questions in real time… except, they’re hundreds of miles away. What if you could do that same thing in your living room? Proto Hologram founder David Nussbaum is building exactly that: AI hologram technology already operating in over 50 arenas and stadiums that lets fans talk to, hear from, and experience athletes in ways that have never existed before. Backed by athlete investors like Marshawn Lynch and Brittany Griner, Proto is bringing athlete access to fans like never before: they beamed Caleb Williams to fans at Soldier Field immediately after his draft selection and brought George Brett back to Kauffman Stadium. But the conversation goes deeper than just talking with today’s stars. David and I got into whether this technology can have us talking – actually talking! – to legends of the past, and whether an AI composite of the greatest coaches in history could one day stand on an actual sideline. The future of fan experience and athlete legacy is being built today, and Proto is what it looks like. Learn more about Proto Hologram on their website, and follow them on Instagram, YouTube, X, TikTok, and LinkedIn to get the latest updates. Follow David on LinkedIn. Follow The Middle on Instagram, Threads, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Connect with Megan on LinkedIn.

    51 min

  8. May 13

    “Forward Is a Pace” | A Marathoner’s Story of Grief and Purpose

    In July 2020, a grieving widower in Indianapolis signed up for a 500-mile walking challenge, not because he had a plan but because he needed to move. He had lost his wife to colorectal cancer 16 months earlier. He had a 5-year-old at home. And somewhere inside the grief and the uncertainty and the obligation of still being alive, he laced up and walked out the door. From that virtual start line to completing the New York City, Boston, Chicago, Berlin, and London Marathons, Alex Baker has run over 4,200 miles and counting. Today he runs under the banner of Ketchup to Cancer, the non-profit he started to help raise money for childhood cancer. One race away from completing the Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star finish, Alex opens up about what happens when you stop running from your grief and start running through it, and when the road becomes therapy, community, purpose, and memorial all at once. Because no matter the speed, forward is a pace. Follow Alex and his racing updates on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, or visit his website. If you want raise money for Ketchup to Cancer for your next individual or team race, or if you want to donate to fight childhood cancer, click here. Connect with Megan on LinkedIn and Instagram. Follow The Middle on Instagram, Threads, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

    43 min
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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
    42
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Megan R
  • Show Website
    The Middle

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