On The Ball with Andrew Maraniss
"On The Ball with Andrew Maraniss" is a captivating podcast that explores the intersection of sports, culture, and politics through thought-provoking conversations. Hosted by Andrew Maraniss, bestselling author and director of the Vanderbilt Sports & Society Initiative, the podcast features a diverse lineup of guests—including athletes, authors, activists, and thought leaders—who bring unique perspectives on topics ranging from sports history and social justice to personal resilience and current events. Whether you're a sports fan, history buff, or curious thinker, "On The Ball" is your ticket to meaningful dialogue and inspiring storytelling.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Episodes
98 episodes
Episode 100: Candice Lee
For the 100th episode of our podcast, we’re joined by Vanderbilt Athletic Director Candice Lee. On the eve of the 2026-2027 academic year, Sports Business Journal’s national AD of the Year talks about growing up in a military fam...
Episode 99: Leadership Through Boxing
Vanderbilt sociology professor and former US Olympic Boxing Coach Dr. Christy Halbert introduced an unusual course last semester: Leadership Through Boxing. Students strapped on gloves, put on headgear, and challenged themselves like never befo...
Episode 98: Darren Ambrose
Vanderbilt women’s soccer coach Darren Ambrose had a front-row seat at the World Cup, serving on the field maintenance crew at the championship game. He joins the show to discuss this once-in-a-lifetime experience, allegations of FIFA corruptio...
Episode 97: Ryan Middagh and Beth Wiese (Music for EA Sports College Football)
Ryan Middagh is director of jazz studies and Beth Wiese is associate professor of tuba and euphonium at Vanderbilt’s acclaimed Blair School of Music. Both were part of a 100-piece band assembled to record music for EA Sports’ popular College Fo...
Episode 96: Karim Zidan
Karim Zidan, Sports & Dictators Program Lead at the Human Rights Foundation, is an author and investigative journalist who focuses on the intersection of sports and politics. He is the founder of Sports Politika, a media platform dedicated ...
Episode 95: Nate Bell, Thomas Jones, and Bailey Ratzburg
In May, Vanderbilt assistant athletic director Nate Bell helped lead a group of Vanderbilt student-athletes to Iceland for an immersive week of sightseeing, learning, and team-building. Bell, along with Thomas Jones of the Vanderbilt football t...
Episode 94: AnnaSofia Dickens
AnnaSofia Dickens is a teenage author, singer-songwriter, and flag football player from Southern California who has become a national advocate for the sport she loves. She joins the show to discuss flag football's explosive growth in the US and...
Episode 93: Kelsey Davis
Kelsey Davis, Episocpal priest and co-founder of Christian Athlete Circles, joins the show to discuss her work to provide an inclusive and non-proselytizing resource for college athletes. A former collegiate, national team, and professional soc...
Episode 92: Ricky Thrash and Darren Ambrose
Our resident soccer expert Ricky Thrash guest hosts this episode with Vanderbilt women’s soccer coach Darren Ambrose. They discuss the meaning of soccer in Darren’s life, the rise of the women’s soccer program at Vanderbilt, and the state of th...
Episode 91: Michael Husain
Filmmaker Michael Husain joins the show to talk about his incredible documentary, The Waiting Game. The film tells the little-known story of a renegade basketball league that inspired today's NBA – and the mostly Black players who have had to f...
Episode 90: Danny Funt and Eric VanEpps
Author Danny Funt and Vanderbilt professor Eric VanEpps join the show to discuss the high societal costs of sports betting. Funt is the author of the highly acclaimed new book, “Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling.”...
Episode 89: Janelly Farias
Janelly Farias, an Emmy Award-winning soccer commentator, came to Vanderbilt to speak to the women’s soccer team and the ‘Fútbol-Soccer: Culture, Gender, and Diaspora’ course taught by Prof. Celso Castilho. A former professional soccer player a...
Episode 88: Charles Waters and Irene Latham
Charles Waters and Irene Latham join the show to discuss the new book of sports poems they have compiled in “For the Win: Poems Celebrating Phenomenal Athletes.” Aimed at children ages 7-11, the poems, written by a diverse group of poets, featu...
Episode 87: Adam Henig
Author Adam Henig joins the show to discuss his new book, ‘Baseball’s Outcast: The Story of Ron LeFlore.’” When twenty-three-year-old Ron LeFlore played his first organized baseball game, it was in a yard at the State Prison of Southern Michiga...
Episode 86: Keith O'Brien
Bestselling author Keith O’Brien joins the show to discuss his new book, “Heartland: A Forgotten Place, An Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird.” The book focuses on the period between 1973-79 when Bird leaves tiny French Lick, India...
Episode 85: Pavel Brunssen
Dr. Pavel Brunssen, a research associate and lecturer at Heidelberg University in Germany, joins the show to discuss his book, “The Making of ‘Jew Clubs’: Performing Jewishness and Antisemitism in European Soccer and Fan Cultures.” Why do non-J...
Episode 84: Emma May-Bradley and Erin Ryder
Emma May-Bradley and Erin Ryder are experienced sports media and marketing professionals who co-founded Playmakers Nashville, a non-profit supporting women working in, or aspiring to work in, sports. Emma and Erin joined the show to talk about ...
Episode 83: The State of Sportswashing
In Panel 3 of our third annual Sports & Activism online symposium, Kevin Blackistone of the University of Maryland leads a discussion on the state of sportswashing with three experts on the topic: Jules Boykoff (Pacific University), Minky W...
Episode 82: The Economics of College Sports: Race, Gender, and NIL
In Panel 2 of our third annual Sports & Activism online symposium, Carl Suddler of Emory University leads a discussion with Lou Moore (Michigan State), Ajah Hawley-Alexander (Iona), and Tracie Canada (Duke), on the economics of college spor...
Episode 81: Dr. Harry Edwards in Conversation with ESPN's Michael Fletcher
In Panel 1 of our third annual Sports & Activism online symposium, Michael Fletcher of ESPN interviews legendary sports sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards about founding the field of study, the 1968 Olympic protest, and the state of sports activ...
Episode 79: Michael Butterworth
Michael Butterworth, Director of the Center for Sports Communication & Media at The University of Texas, discusses the Center’s fifth annual Politics in Sports Media report featuring survey results and case studies. As the report states, “i...
Episode 78: Braden Brown
Braden Brown, director of mental health at BYU Athletics, joins the show to discuss the immense value of mindfulness for athletes. "Based on the Lochbaum et al., 2022 systematic review of 30 meta-analyses across 40 years of sport psychology res...
Episode 77: Beth Hewitt
Vanderbilt women’s lacrosse coach Beth Hewitt joins the show to discuss the state of the sport and of her program as it celebrates its 30th anniversary on campus.