Scott Kutcher, a clinical professor of psychiatry and behavior sciences at the Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine, joins the show this week to talk about the scientific world of sleep and what other teams can learn from the Yankees’ decision to start their spring training workouts later in the day than usual. How significant are the benefits of a good night’s sleep at the highest athletic level?

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How teams use sleep science

March Madness has descended upon the sports world once again, and from casual fans to diehard bracket-trackers, everyone is on high alert for the next team from a little-known school to take the NCAA tournament by storm. But why are we so predisposed to pulling for the little guy? On this week’s episode, USF professor Joe Vandello joins the show to discuss his research on this topic and its impact not only on how Americans view the tournament and other big sporting events but how they approach presidential elections and other major world events.

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Why do we root for underdogs?

Former NBA player John Amaechi discusses his life after basketball as an organizational consultant and performance coach, how his career might have gone differently with the lessons he’s taken from his post-NBA graduate studies in psychology and what impresses him most about the Warriors’ team chemistry.

John Amaechi’s post-NBA career

This week’s episode features a conversation about how fans self-identify with Ed Hirt, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Indiana University. Hirt has studied, among other things, how wins and losses affect fans’ perception of their own abilities and why the attachment to a sports team can create a more powerful group experience than almost any other movement or event.

Fandom and self-identification

On this week’s episode, Jon Wertheim talks with middleweight fighter Luke Rockhold ahead of his middleweight championship rematch against Chris Weidman at UFC 199 on June 4. Calling in from Las Vegas, Rockhold (15-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) talks about his preparation, mentally and physically, for his fight against Weidman, whom he beat for the UFC’s 185-pound belt at UFC 194 in December.

UFC's Luke Rockhold on the mental side of fighting

Sports Illustrated executive editor Jon Wertheim and Tufts University psychology professor Sam Sommers analyze the the hidden side of games, athletes, fans, owners, officials and more with special guests and interviews. 

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