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705
May 22, 2020

Time Out

While sports of all kinds have been put on pause, we bring you favorite stories from back when people were still on football fields, boxing rings, and basketball courts.

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  • Transcript

Saroj Baizu/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Prologue

Prologue

Host Ira Glass talks to sportswriters Jason Kirk and Spencer Hall about life in a sportsless world. Read Jason and Spencer’s essay about this. (7 minutes)

By

Ira Glass
Act One

Friday Night Floodlights

Lisa Pollak tells the story of a high school football team in Mississippi getting ready to play its first game just a month after Hurricane Katrina upended everything. (18 minutes) 

By

Lisa Pollak

Song:

“Backfield in Motion” by Mel & Tim
Act Two

Dunk and Go Nuts

Producer Nancy Updike talks to her friend Mary Conway about the strangest-looking trophy she got in her years playing basketball. (11 minutes)

By

Nancy Updike
Act Three

Those Who Can’t Play

Daniel Alarcón’s dad was obsessed with soccer when he was growing up, but he was only average at soccer. But those who can’t do...find something else to do. Daniel first told this story on his show Radio Ambulante. (6 minutes)

By

Daniel Alarcón
Act Four

The Girl With the Golden Gloves

A story about someone with a complicated relationship with the sport she loves, from Meema Spadola. (12 minutes)

By

Meema Spadola

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How did Alberta, Canada pull off a feat that has eluded the rest of human civilization? Ira visits the largest rat-less land in the world. (15 minutes)

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