

The Sport of Life: Chats w/ Comedians, Filmmakers, Sports Figures, Musicians, & Intellectuals
Trey Elling
Trey Elling chats with comedians, filmmakers, sports figures, musicians, and authors about their stories.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 16, 2022 • 59min
#275 - Randy Lanier on SURVIVAL OF THE FASTEST
Legendary race car driver and marijuana smuggler Randy Lanier chats with Trey Elling about SURVIVAL OF THE FASTEST: WEED, SPEED, AND THE 1980s DRUG SCANDAL THAT SHOCKED THE SPORTS WORLD. The book details how Randy became one of the most lucrative international marijuana traffickers in US history during the 1980s, part of which coincided with his rapid ascent in professional auto racing, before it all came crashing down.

Aug 12, 2022 • 19min
#274 - Earthquake
Comedian, actor, and radio host Earthquake chats with Trey Elling, ahead of his shows at Cap City Comedy Club. Topics include:
Today's kids being bored by the childhood entertainment of the past (0:44)
Cancel culture (4:21)
Why Washington DC cranks out so many funny comedians (5:17)
How he was shaped by serving 11 years in the Air Force (6:41)
Audience members attacking comedians (9:00)
Will Smith going after Chris Rock at the Oscars (10:31)
How he got the name "Earthquake" (11:18)
Worst earthquake he's been in (12:43)
What he loves about Dave Chappelle (16:04)

Aug 11, 2022 • 45min
#273 - Mike Leach
Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach, aka "the Bill Murray of College Football", chats with Trey Elling ahead of the 2022 season. Topics include:
The collective impact of conference realignment, NIL, and possible playoff expansion on the sport (1:52)
Wanting to chat with Elon Musk (20:13)
Mike's offseason (23:33)
Pikes Peak & Buffalo Bill trivia (28:33)
Craziness in the Florida Keys (35:16)
Bigfoot (38:36)
Previewing Mississippi State football's upcoming season (42:52)

Aug 9, 2022 • 45min
#272 - Justin Gregg on IF NIETZSCHE WERE A NARWHAL
Dolphin social cognition expert and science writer Justin Gregg chats with Trey Elling about IF NIETZSCHE WERE A NARWHAL: WHAT ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE REVEALS ABOUT HUMAN STUPIDITY.

Aug 4, 2022 • 1h 1min
#271 - Nate Ebner on FINISH STRONG
Super Bowl champion and US Rugby Olympian Nate Ebner chats with Trey Elling about FINISH STRONG: A FATHER'S CODE AND A SON'S PATH. The book tells the story of Nate's special relationship with his father growing up, his dad's tragic murder, and how Nate used the lessons learned from his dad to walk on at Ohio State Buckeyes football, win three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, and represent US Rugby at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. Nate and Trey discuss some of those details.

Aug 2, 2022 • 23min
#270 - Comedian Jeff Ross
Comedian Jeff Ross, aka the Roastmaster General, chats with Trey Elling, prior to his shows at Cap City Comedy Club on August 4 - 6. Topics include:
Jeff's status as an elder statesman in standup (1:59)
Performing bits that have nothing to do with trash-talking (3:04)
How losing Bob Saget and Gilbert Gottfried affected his comedy (3:45)
Disappearing airport etiquette (4:43)
Jeff growing to love dogs during the pandemic (5:36)
A lack of hecklers at his shows (7:51)
Jeff connecting with his audience after performing (8:36)
Making roasting an integral part of his act (9:58)
Initially deciding to pursue standup (13:07)
Minoring in poly sci in college (14:21)
Having to turn down 'in memorium' opportunities (15:53)
Performing comedy in 2022 (17:06)
Jeff roasts Trey (21:53)

Jul 28, 2022 • 32min
#269 - Bryan Callen philosophizes on comedy, life
Comedian, podcaster, writer, and actor Bryan Callen chats with Trey Elling, ahead of his standup shows at Cap City Comedy Club on July 28, 29, & 30. Topics include:
Performing in Austin (4:12)
Pronoun- & trans-politics (6:58)
Interviewing Sammy "the Bull" Gravano (15:16)
Upcoming standup special & cranking out new material (17:36)
Standup in the 'cancel culture' era (18:54)
Getting back into standup in 2005 (24:13)
Places he won't go with his comedy (25:32)
Failure (27:35)

Jul 26, 2022 • 32min
#268 - Rebecca Rolland on THE ART OF TALKING WITH CHILDREN
Speech pathologist, writer, and Harvard lecturer Rebecca Rolland chats with Trey Elling about THE ART OF TALKING WITH CHILDREN: THE SIMPLE KEYS TO NURTURING KINDNESS, CREATIVITY, AND CONFIDENCE IN KIDS.

Jul 21, 2022 • 41min
#267 - Ron Shelton on THE CHURCH OF BASEBALL
Legendary filmmaker Ron Shelton chats with Trey Elling about THE CHURCH OF BASEBALL: THE MAKING OF BULL DURHAM: HOME RUNS, BAD CALLS, CRAZY FIGHTS, BIG SWINGS, AND A HIT. The book is part memoir, part screenwriting/directing masterclass, and part oral history of one of the best sports movies ever made.

Jul 19, 2022 • 55min
#266 - Nicklas Brendborg on JELLYFISH AGE BACKWARDS
Molecular biologist Nicklas Brendborg chats with Trey Elling about JELLYFISH AGE BACKWARDS: NATURE'S SECRETS TO LONGEVITY. Topics include:
Why we age (:51)
How a certain jellyfish ages backwards (1:29)
The unique aging of salmon (2:26)
Large animals outliving small ones (3:17)
The curious case of the naked mole rat (4:19)
Genetics and lifespan (6:49)
Why eradicating major diseases wouldn't extend average lifespan (9:20)
Distinguishing the queen bee from worker bees (12:04)
Antioxidant supplements bad for our health? (12:59)
Hormesis (14:30)
Heat shock proteins (16:25)
Human growth hormone (19:30)
Insulin-like Growth Factor 1, aka IGF-1 (21:25)
Rapamycin and fungi (2:22)
Spermadine (25:43)
Telomeres (26:44)
The epigenetic clock (28:33)
Do old people benefit from young blood transfusions (34:13)
The microbiome and aging (36:31)
Fecal transplants (39:06)
Caloric restriction (40:05)
Insulin and the aging process (45:45)
Metformin (48:33)
Exercise (51:35)