Jackie Robinson and the civil rights movement April 10
Guests:  Chris Lamb and Michael Long On April 15, 1947, when Jackie Robinson took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Boston Braves on opening day of Major League Baseball, marriage between blacks and whites in most [...]

The Rutgers University basketball coaching scandal April 8
Guests:  David Ridpath and Eric Zillmer Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice was fired last week after videos of his abusive behavior towards players were made public.  Rice was shown being physically aggressive and yelling homophobic slurs during practice.   [...]

A Circus Life: the art and history of the big top March 8
Guest: Duncan Wall Have you ever dreamed of running off to join the circus?  That's exactly what DUNCAN WALL did.  After studying the circus in Paris he became so intrigued he decided to apply to the prestigious Ecole [...]

Separating fact from fiction on weight loss and obesity February 12
GUESTS:  DAVID SARWER and STELLA VOLPE An article in last week's issue of The New England Journal caught our attention. It's authors identified seven commonly held beliefs about obesity and weight loss that actually have never been scientifically [...]

True confessions: Lance Armstrong comes clean January 18
Lance Armstrong confessed last night in an interview with Oprah Winfrey to taking performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career. Yesterday, the International Olympic Committee stripped Armstrong of his 2000 bronze medal and last fall cycling’s governing body, the [...]

Gov. Corbett's suit vs. the NCAA over Penn State/Sandusky penalties January 8
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett sued the NCAA last week on behalf of the Commonwealth, claiming that the governing body for college sports went overboard in penalizing Penn State in response to the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal. In [...]

What's happened to recess? January 7
As school districts cut budgets, worry about litigation and squeeze more academics into limited time, recess has taken a hit in terms of frequency and duration in some schools throughout the country.  Only six states mandate 20 minutes [...]

Lance Armstrong, doping and the culture of cycling October 23
Yesterday, cycling’s governing body, the UCI, announced that Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven straight Tour de France wins from 1999-2005 and permanently banned from the professional sport.  These were the recommendations of the United States Anti-Doping [...]

Pennsylvania school update: Achievement, school choice, and student drug-testing October 1
Pennsylvania student achievement scores dropped last year for the first time since the tests began in 2002.  Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis blamed the decline on a statewide crack down on cheating but others say that recent [...]

A local rower-turned-filmmaker goes "Backwards" September 14
Hour 2 A promising Olympic rowing candidate is chosen, yet again, as an alternate for the U.S. team, and quits, goes home and tries to reconcile her rowing dreams and family life, as she coaches crew at her [...]

Joe Frazier — his life, career, and the City of Brotherly Love September 13
Hour 1 Boxing legend Joe Frazier moved to Philadelphia in 1958 from rural South Carolina as a 14-year old boy and lived here the rest of his life. Despite being considered the greatest fighter in Philadelphia sports history, [...]

Joe Posnanski's controversial biography, 'Paterno' August 30
Hour 1 When acclaimed sportswriter JOE POSNANSKI set out, in early 2011, to write the definitive biography of Penn State football coaching legend Joe Paterno, he had no idea what he was in for. Months later, a grand [...]

Olympics 2012: A look back at London & NBC August 13
Hour 2 The 2012 Olympics are over, and in this hour of Radio Times, we look back on the remarkable athleticism, struggles and successes, defeats and drama, hype and history of the London Games. From Michael Phelps dripping [...]

A Dip into the joys of swimming with Lynn Sherr August 1
Hour 2 Yesterday, sixteen year-old Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen won her second gold, this time in the 200 meter individual medley.  On Saturday, she swam a world record breaking 4:28:43 in the  400IM, blowing away the competition and [...]

Jim Thorpe's 1912 Olympic dominance & a London preview July 27
Hour 2 Before the Opening Ceremonies of the London Olympics tonight, we look back to the remarkable Olympics 100 years ago in Stockholm, Sweden. Those games were a fascinating moment in time – differences from today’s Olympics included [...]

The Freeh report's damning conclusions about Penn State's Sandusky scandal July 13
Hour 1 Last month, former Penn State football defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts of child sexual abuse, for a reign of terror in his home, in his car and in the locker room of [...]

The science of exercise July 4
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] What do you do for exercise? Go for a run or a walk with the dog?  How about a game of tennis or golf?  Maybe you garden, do yoga or a Zumba class?  Most of [...]

Ed Rendell sees 'A Nation of Wusses' June 26
Hour 2 Former two-term Pennsylvania Governor and Philadelphia Mayor ED RENDELL comes in to discuss his new book, “A Nation of Wusses: How America’s Leaders Lost the Guts to Make Us Great.” He looks back on his years [...]

Bicycling in Philadelphia & around the world June 25
Hour 2 The Philadelphia region is a growing bicycle hub. We’re ranked in the top 20 for bicycle-friendly American cities, according to Bicycling magazine, as we possess over 200 miles of bike lanes and paths and have a [...]

An athlete, an author & 'The Road Back' from tragedy June 22
Hour 1 Pulitzer Prize-winning author MICHAEL VITEZ's new book, "The Road Back: A Journey of Grace and Grit," tells the story of MATT MILLER, a member of the University of Virginia triathlon club who suffered a near-fatal accident, [...]

Girls & women in sports: The 40th anniversary of Title IX June 19
Hour 2 This Sunday marks the 40th anniversary of Title IX, the civil rights law passed by Congress and signed into law by President Richard Nixon on June 23, 1972. It prohibits gender discrimination in educational programs or [...]

A critical look at the horse racing industry June 7
Hour 1 All eyes are on Elmont, New York this Saturday for the running of the Belmont Stakes where the three-year old thoroughbred I'll Have Another is poised to win the coveted Triple Crown.  If he pulls it [...]

How a bond between brothers led to 'Dr. Death' April 26
Hour 2 March 18, 1997 began like any normal day in the working class suburb of Warminster in southeastern Pennsylvania. But JIMMY MILEY didn’t take his older brother Buddy to the scheduled eye doctor appointment. Instead, Jimmy and [...]

The science of exercise April 25
Hour 2 What do you do for exercise? Go for a run or a walk with the dog?  How about a game of tennis or golf?  Maybe you garden, do yoga or a Zumba class?  Most of us [...]

The Practicing Mind April 18
As a full-time professional piano tech for over 25 years, our guest THOMAS M. STERNER sat down and repeated a task at least 88 times on a grand piano, and each piano has a potential 34 different adjustments [...]

Jamming with the Philly Roller Girls April 12
Hour 2 Roller derby, specifically women’s flat-track roller derby, is a fun and serious sport growing in popularity, especially in U.S. cities and definitely here in Philadelphia, where the Philly Roller Girls is the local league affiliated with [...]

Joe Paterno's complicated legacy January 27
Hour 1 Following two days of public viewings attended by students, alumni, sports icons, government officials, dignitaries and fans, former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno was buried on Wednesday. His death on January 22 came just two [...]

Should Big-Time College Athletes Be Paid? January 9
Hour 1 This fall in an article in the Atlantic, civil rights historian Taylor Branch made a compelling case for paying college athletes, calling the current system "the shame of college sports." The National College Athletic Association responded: [...]

Hazing, bullying and how to stop them January 5
Hour 2 A number of hazing-related deaths have made headlines in recent months. Florida A&M University drum major Robert Champion died within an hour of a hazing ritual, according to the state medical examiner, that involved “multiple blunt [...]

What's wrong (and right) about college athletics November 15
Hour 2 Over the years , in what he called the Grand Experiment, Penn State football coach Joe Paterno set out to prove that it was possible to build and field a championship caliber football team without sacrificing [...]

Penn State Child Sex Abuse Scandal November 10
Hour 1 In a disturbing and graphic grand jury report (pdf), the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office has provided details of the child sex abuse case against former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky. The report alleges that while [...]

Remembering Smokin' Joe Frazier; then Retirement Heist November 8
Hour 1 Philadelphia boxing legend Smokin' Joe Frazier died yesterday.  We'll get reaction from Philadelphia boxing promoter RUSSELL PELTZ.  Then… Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter ELLEN SCHULTZ analyzed internal corporate documents and confidential memos, and conducted interviews with retirees [...]

PTSD: A Mafia mole & NBA ref blows whistle on recovery November 4
Hour 1 BOB DELANEY’s life has already brought him deep inside worlds most of us can only dream about. In his first act, he spent three years infiltrating the Mafia as a young New Jersey state trooper. Then [...]

Philly sports: High expectations & anxiety for Phillies, Eagles fans September 23
Hour 2 In this hour of Radio Times, we’ll talk sports, specifically the Phillies and the Eagles, with a pair of Philadelphia sportswriters. The Eagles season, following a preseason full of “Dream Team” hype, took a worrying turn [...]

Major League baseball snagger Zack Hample August 8
Hour 2 Our guest ZACK HAMPLE catches Major League baseballs. Not just an errant foul or fly ball at a game – he’s worked at this art for a long time and has created a career for himself. [...]

Overcoming homophobia in sports June 1
Hour 1 Gay Americans are living and competing openly in the workplace, in politics and elsewhere. But what about the playing field and sports arena? Are they safe spaces for athletes to come out of the closet? Recent [...]

Kids and sports — when is it too much? June 1
Hour 2 For parents with kids involved in sports, spring and summer schedules are overflowing with and dictated by Little League, soccer and lacrosse games and swim meets — but could all this focus on athletics detrimental to [...]

ESPN's rise to sports media dominance May 26
Hour 2 If you are, or live with, a sports fan, you know all about ESPN, the “worldwide leader in sports.” Now, the writers who brought the world the acclaimed oral history of Saturday Night Live are back [...]

Sports preview: NCAA Final Four and Phillies Opening Day April 1
Hour 2 With snow in the forecast, it feels more like winter than spring. But at 1:05 this afternoon, the Boys of Summer return to the baseball diamond at Citizens Bank Park, when the Phillies host the Houston [...]

Should 16- and 17-year-olds be able to vote? March 9
Hour 2 Should teens younger than 18 be allowed to vote? That’s the finding of new research by Camden-Rutgers childhood studies and nursing professor ROBERT ATKINS and DANIEL HART, Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center [...]

An early Christmas for Philly sports fans December 16
Hour 2 Local sports fan got an early Christmas present on Monday when pitcher Cliff Lee rejoined the Phillies.  Add that to the Eagles win over Dallas Sunday night, led by leading Pro Bowl vote-getter and controversial comeback [...]

Philadelphia's Sinful History/Aronimick Gulf Club's First African American Member July 1
HR 2            11:00-11:40a As locals and tourists walk around Philadelphia this Independence Day weekend pondering the founding fathers’ aspirations of virtue, social historians now view the prim city in the late 18th century as a destination party town. [...]

Radio Times talks soccer! June 24
Hour 2 After a thrilling victory, The U.S. soccer team has advanced in the World Cup and we're talking soccer. We'll handicap the matches, get the scoop on the players to watch and learn about what soccer tells us about the world. We'll talk with two folks who are all over world cup soccer — James Clark, a reporter who also blogs about soccer at the Atlantic City Press, and Franklin Foer, editor of The New Republic and author of "How Soccer Explains the World."

The Quarterback, the Pitcher and the Golfer April 7
Hour 1 It's a big week in sports with the Eagles trading Donovan McNabb, the Phillies starting their season with newly acquired ROY HALLADAY at the mound, and Tiger Woods returning to the Masters in the wake of a scandal that rocked his marriage, his brand and the world of golf. We’re talking football with RAY DIDINGER, baseball with TOM VERDUCCI and golf with MICHAEL BAMBERGER.

Racehorse Retirement April 1
Hour 2 An organization on the grounds of Philadelphia Park is leading the nation in finding homes for ex-racing thoroughbreds. Race horses take a beating on the track and the average age of one of these animals is four years old, but their life expectancy is twenty to thirty years. What do they do with the rest of their lives? If the horse is a ‘sound’ horse, no lameness issues or injuries that prevent from jumping, many families adopt them and keep them as riding horses for their children or for companions. These thoroughbreds are high maintenance and require a lot of care – the horses that don’t make the cut are often sold to auctions and then on sent to Canada and Mexico to be slaughtered. The U.S. shut down horse slaughter houses as recent as 2007. We’ll speak to BARBARA LUNA, the program administrator for Turning for Home, which is the only non-profit organization on the grounds of a racetrack that helps to find homes for retired racehorses.

Doug Glanville, talking baseball and more March 3
Hour 1 DOUG GLANVILLE played centerfield for the Philadelphia Phillies for six seasons, part of a distinguished 15-year professional baseball career, including nine in the majors. These days, the University of Pennsylvania alumnus is also a regular columnist for The New York Times, where his "Heading Home" column centers on the game, its controversies and what it has taught him about every day life. He is also a partner in a green-homebuilding firm in Chicago, a sports commentator on TV, and in May, he'll be able to add "published book author" to his resume, as his "The Game from Where I Stand: A Ballplayer's Inside View" is set to be published by Henry Holt Books. Glanville joins Marty to discuss his life and careers, and, in the wake of falls from grace including Tiger Woods' infidelity and Mark McGwire's steroids admission, what life is really like for professional athletes.

Racing While Black February 4
Hour 2 This hour we talk to the father and son owners of Miller Racing Group, about what it is like to be an African American team in a still predominately white sport. Leonard W. Miller was the first black auto racing team owner to enter the Indy 500 over thirty years ago. His son Leonard T. Miller has written a book about their experiences breaking through the color barrier of NASCAR called "Racing While Black: How an African-American Stock Car Team Made its Mark on NASCAR."

Athletes and concussions December 11
Hour 2 Last week, the NFL issued new guidelines on managing players with concussions. Previously the league has faced widespread criticism on its approach to their handling of the issue. We talk about the NFL's actions and what it means to athletes of all ages with New York Times sportswriter ALAN SCHWARZ and Boston Unversity neurologist BOB STERN.

What Tiger Woods tells us about celebrity, privacy and our need to know December 3
Hour 1 What Tiger Woods tells us about celebrities' privacy vs. public curiosity. Icon Tiger Wood is having trouble at home. Does he owe us an explanation and why do we care anyway? Guests include crisis management counselor ERIC DEZENHALL.

How to keep exercising through the aches and pains November 23
Hour 2 We talk with orthopedic surgeon NICK DiNUBILE and MARC HARWOOD an internist who specializes in sports medicine.

Phillies vs. Yankees October 27
Hour 2 The 2009 World Series promises to be one for the ages. In one dugout its the returning champions, the Philadephia Phillies. But the guys in the other dugout know something about dynasties: It's the dreaded, hated New York Yankees.