Two Percent with Michael Easter

Every four years, Americans suddenly remember soccer exists. The World Cup is here and it may be the single biggest sporting event in human history: 48 teams, 104 games over 39 days, and a final that draws north of a billion viewers. Host Michael Easter sits down with two guests to make the case. First, soccer writer Leander Schaerlaeckens, author of The Long Game, on why this World Cup is bigger than ever. He also shares his take on if the USMNT can actually make a deep run, the players you need to know, and why America took so long to get good at the world's game. Then psychologist Dr. Daniel Wann, who has studied sports fans for 40 years, explains why caring about sports is one of the most underrated things you can do for your mental health. The World Cup and fandom might be exactly what a lonely, divided country (and world) needs right now. Two Percent is hosted by Michael Easter. Today’s episode was produced by Joey Fischground, Robbie Hiser, Dana Brawer and Julia Nutter. From Kaleidoscope, our executive producers are Mangesh Hattikudur and Kate Osborn and Julia Nutter. From iHeart, our executive producers are Katrina Norvell and Nikki Ettore. Our Head of Video is Maria Paz Mendez Hodes. This episode was edited by Will Mayo. Our theme music is by the Heater Manager.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if you juiced a roster of athletes to the gills with performance-enhancing drugs and let them compete for a million-dollar prize? That's the Enhanced Games — the billionaire-backed "Steroid Olympics" held in Las Vegas — and the results were not what investors expected. Michael Easter sits down with journalists Chris Gayomali and Sam Eagan, hosts of the Superhuman podcast, who were embedded with the founders, athletes, and scientists during the games. Despite being hyped as the future of human performance, almost no world records actually fell. In many cases, non-enhanced athletes beat the juiced ones. Within about a day, it became clear the event was really a marketing engine for selling testosterone and peptides to the public, and a glimpse of how we're increasingly being sold a frictionless, "enhanced" version of ourselves, all with the swipe of a credit card. Two Percent is hosted by Michael Easter. Today’s episode was produced by Joey Fischground, Robbie Hiser, Dana Brawer and Julia Nutter. From Kaleidoscope, our executive producers are Mangesh Hattikudur and Kate Osborn and Julia Nutter. From iHeart, our executive producers are Katrina Norvell and Nikki Ettore. Our Head of Video is Maria Paz Mendez Hodes. This episode was edited by Joey Fischground. Our theme music is by the Heater Manager.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.