The insistence upon exalting athletes and selling dreams of everything from Olympic gold to Ivy League college admission is turning sports into a miserable experience, especially for us parents and our kids. Also, Bull Durham is one of the best movies ever. Also, how do you explain 9/11 to a second-grader?

This episode has some audio glitches that I hope to squash in future episodes. At one point, I think I picked up some extraterrestrial communications. If the aliens invade, episode 3 of this podcast might take a while.

Links from this episode:

• Sports Song by Weird Al Yankovic, which will make you laugh
• Breathing Underwater by Metric, which will make you think
• Still Fighting It by Ben Folds, which will make you cry
• Peaceable Kingdom by Rush, which will make you wonder
• A look at the cost of Nationals Park
• My resource page for examining the U.S. women’s soccer team’s “equal pay” pursuit
• Database on Title IX compliance (as it relates to sports, not education or opportunity)