The Pod Piper

THE LIST 1. Upon Further Review  -  "What if Tom Brady Never Became The Patriots' Quarterback?" This may be the most niche thing I’ve ever heard in podcasting: two fictional sports casters bantering in a future where one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play the game never ascended to greatness. It’s like Stugotz and Dan Lebatard wrote a scripted audio sitcom. The fictional podcasting world needs more levity along these lines..  2. Revisionist History  -  "General Chapman's Last Stand" Immigrants don’t all want to come to America and stay forever, but tougher border policy leads more and more to the thing it purports to quell. Sensible. Timely. Excellent.. 3. We Came to Win  -  "Mutiny at the 2015 World Cup" As World Cup action heats up, this is a great reminder that we are far from properly rewarding the hard work and talent that women display on the pitch. An inspiring story of a star player and a rising star of a team tha...

THE LIST 1. Upon Further Review  -  "What If the 1999 U.S. Women's National Soccer Team Had Lost the Women's World Cup?" Part real audio footage, part dystopian future, all set against the backdrop of a USA-less World Cup.  2. Hang Up And Listen  -  "The Monday Morning Center Back Edition" Prime advice for which squad to take up with in lieu of your home country (if you live in the US). 3. Caliphate  -  "The Briefcase" A treasure trove of ISIS documents.  HONORABLE MENTION Sleepover  -  "Native Child and the Full Moon 4: Jordan" Hidden Brain  -  "When Everything Clicks" SOMETHING NEW As a proud podcast connoisseur with 12+ years of listening under my belt, I’ve developed a bit of a tendency to overcommit. So many excellent shows with no signs of stopping roped me into subscribing, and there is a real companionship that such long-running affairs engender. Much as I crave the intimate consist...

THE LIST 1. On the Media  -  "The Worst Thing We've Ever Done" The issue of slavery in America has not been properly dealt with. Sure, most Americans acknowledge that forced labor built the foundation of this country, but have we had an honest reckoning with this atrocious part of history? Germany aggressively shouts down their Nazi heritage in the public sphere, but the United States has been content to dismiss the large-scale injustice of slavery as a dusty remnant of a bygone era..  2. Revisionist History  -  "Free Brian Williams" Can't journalists make honest mistakes? Or, for that matter, can't we all? Malcolm Gladwell drops misconceptions of memory out of the window, and lets the sun glisten off them as they slowly plummet and shift before our very ears. 3. Planet Money  -  "REDMAP" This is an issue most of y'all are going to recognize but, if you're like me, sort of dismiss subconsciously as another broken lim...

THE LIST 1. This American Life  -  "LaDonna" Power is somewhat about perception of control. But what happens when the illusion of control is shattered time and time again, when no accountability is doled out? This is a little bit #MeToo, a little bit bureaucratic nightmare, and an extremely maddening picture of workplace inequality. 2. Radiolab  -  "Poison Control" Who’s on the other end of the help line, and how did that line come into existence? The crazy-interesting history of poison control. 3. Lend Me Your Ears  -  "Julius Caesar" A book club with Shakespeare plays headed up by the amazing cultural minds of Slate ? One man’s post apocalyptic hell is this man’s gleeful indulgence. HONORABLE MENTION Flashforward  -  "Federal Project Two" Planet Money  -  "Nice Game" SOMETHING NEW This is embarrassing, but I’m ready to admit it: despite avowing its importance to our world, I have never been able t...