For and Against

The World Cup plunders on, providing more material than we know what to do with: armband bans, Infantino's multi-personality diatribe, the beer sales backflip, etc. etc. And was the early morning Socceroos opener the real reason no-one turned up to an Aust v Eng ODI? Red Card Yellow Card has a football focus, with a can't-be-unheard nomination for Wayne Rooney. After impressing in the qualifiers last show, journo Kevan Sangster comes in off the bench, deputising for Reills ('soreness').

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Show me the money! Or at least where a savvy advertiser should place it. The team work through the usual suspects and a few surprises on this year’s Most Marketable Athletes List. They can’t agree about the future of Pickle Ball or the Giteau Law, but they do agree that this show has one of the most fun interviews ever: one half of Australia’s recently crowned Wife Carrying Champions, Nick Topham (yes, you did read that right…and yes, we are very very careful). Enjoy!  

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The World Cup is about to kick off in Qatar and the team talk to journalist, Kevan Sangster, who helps us navigate player protests, FA remedy petitions and Denmark’s black kit. We also venture into the virtues of Netball sponsorship and the values of the Essendon football club and its one day CEO! The banter in this one is deep and meaningful, though there’s also $50,000 NFL lunches and a star-studded Red Card Yellow Card. It’s another great episode of For & Against!

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The ink is barely dry on the AFL’s new $4.5b contract and the team bring in Dr Hunter Fujak to put it under the microscope…and bring the hammer down on the NRL (who must be feeling very sorry for themselves). We also object to a Scottish legal ruling that sport is not a religion and discuss the holy relics known as sporting collectibles. Amen to another great episode of For & Against! 

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In this show, the For & Against team get serious - if just for a short time - to discuss head injuries, concussion and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). And given that they can barely pronounce encepha… encephalo… CTE, they bring in Dr Alan Pearce, world-renowned neurophysiologist, to talk about how we might reduce the chances of our sporting heroes spending their later lives suffering from cognitive impairment, depression, suicide and short-term memory loss. To lighten the mood, they also talk LIV Golf (much to Roachy’s chagrin), Bledisloe on a Thursday and why everyone should crush their medication and take it to the casino in a plastic baggie! Please enjoy another great show of For & Against

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Yes, we’re making up words, but only because words can’t describe the high drama and controversy that For & Against’s intrepid investigative team uncover in this show!
The NRL is looking for bidders to host their Grand Final, Super Bowl-style. Will it catch on? Or is it just another piece of V’landys brinksmanship? 

And the noble sport of Cornhole has been rocked by allegations of cheating by the game’s elite…Simon’s world has been rocked and you’ll never look at competitive bean bags the same way again…as I said, words can’t describe!

But For & Against is here to make sense - and fun - of it all!

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First it was One Dayers, now it’s the jewel in the traditionalist’s crown, Test Cricket, whose life is on the line. South Africa might be the number one ranked team in the world, but does their lack of sponsors mark them as a canary in a coal mine?
Fear not, because the For & Against team is all over it! Listeners should also take heart that Ash Barty has a new job, we have discovered the Excel world championships and sporting champs are being called out for acting like chumps in Red Card Yellow Card.
It’s another great episode of For & Against.

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He’s back! Sound the trumpets! Wave your flags! The walking encyclopaedia of all things football, David “Bear” Gill, is back from sabbatical to celebrate and reminisce over the 30th Anniversary of the introduction of the back pass rule! We also cover other great rule changes, Sam Kerr achieving legendary status on the cover of FIFA2023 and Australia’s secret championship credentials in Obstacle Course Swimming. The back pass was introduced to reduce time-wasting, but you won’t want to miss a minute of this - another great episode of For & Against.

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Is it sacrilegious to watch sport on Christmas Day? Or sacrilege not to? To figure it out, the team interview Sydney Kings Co-Owner, Paul Smith, who recently announced the NBL’s intention to break the taboo and own Christmas Day. Paul gives an off-the-cuff, sports business masterclass on potential benefits of first mover advantage, the risks that he and the NBL are taking and, most important of all, why it just might work. Also on the show: Has Ben Stokes signalled the end for 50 over cricket? Has Roachy had enough of LIV Golf? And is there anything Johnny can’t stomach about the Tom Brady of Hot Dog Eating? This one’s got everything - we hope you enjoy another great episode of For & Against.

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After the team celebrated a century in our previous show, it’s time to get back down to business - specifically, the business of spending billions on cricket and football. The ever-insightful Ritam Mitra joins us to dissect the IPL’s latest jaw-dropping deal and what Apple might be thinking taking Major League Soccer to the world. The team also dig into the most important part of the Commonwealth Games - the opening ceremony fashions! - and the potential behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing to secure the 2026 World Cup Final. And lastly, Red Card Yellow Card takes aim at a former world champion, a misguided singing superstar and a would-be authoritarian sporting CEO. We know you’ll enjoy another great show of For & Against.

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Welcome to a very special edition of For & Against: our one hundredth show! 77 on ABC Grandstand and 23 on the Diamantina Network. And in a first for the team, we discuss whether we owe Greg Norman an apology. Speaking of sell-outs, the spontaneous sale of the Netball Grand Final venue gets examined as do the chances of the FFA spending the bounty of a fifth straight World Cup qualification. Last but not least, in fact maybe most important of all, we celebrate one hundred shows with a seminal segment of Red Card Yellow Card, highlighted by a return of the usual suspects (AFL players behaving badly) and a doozy of a nomination for Nick Faldo. Thank you to everyone who has joined for our previous 99 shows. We hope you enjoy this special 100th!

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We're joined by former Aussie cricketer and now coach Nathan Hauritz, to talk about bridging the generation gap in coaching (and his very recent appointment to Ireland). Still on cricket, is the giant awakening in the US? If the money is any guide, that's a yes. And to the disbelief of many, FIFA dumps FIFA!

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Wimbledon takes a stand against Russia and the ATP/WTA return serve…where’s the moral high ground? Probably a lot closer to US soccer, where gender pay parity has arrived. And was the federal election coverage better than watching sport? As with sport, depends who you support…

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Where will it end? And do we want it to? In this episode, For & Against discuss the next sports looking to emulate the success of Netflix’s Drive to Survive. We also count the costs of Ash Barty’s retirement…to the cost of TV rights to next year’s Australian Open! And there’s an absolute classic nomination for It’s Not Sport But We Like It: Extreme Ironing! It could only be another episode of For & Against.

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For & Against gets tribal as Rugby League great, Brad Clyde, joins the team to debate whether Rugby League should break with tradition and move the Grand Final north of the border to Lang Park! The team also discuss the Wimbledon sanctions, the not-dead-yet Saudi golf league and the legacies of two departing administrative giants, John Coates and Gil McLachlan. And of course, there’s Red Card Yellow Card. Join us for another great episode of For & Against.

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Does live sport have a future? Will the crowds come back as COVID recedes? Join Paul, Simon and Stephen, as they discuss what sports need to do to get people buying tickets again. Or is the future of sport virtual, and coming soon to a metaverse near you? Find out on another great show of For & Against.

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Ash Barty's retirement shocked the world and blindsided sports-mad, hero-worshipping Australia. Join Paul, Simon and Stephen as they explore whether her actions are unprecedented or enlightened! The team also covers the march of private equity into sport and the consequences of Italy's failure to make the World Cup for the second time in a row. It's an extra-sensitive, game-changing episode of For & Against. 

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Who says sport and politics don’t mix? No-one on For & Against, that’s for sure. The team tackles Russian sporting sanctions, with a special interview with sporting economist and sanctions afficionado, Tim Harcourt, and discuss their impact on the hearts and minds of fans…and the budgets and sponsors of sporting administrators like FIFA and the IOC. They also look at 2022’s 'new and improved' Formula One, speed sky diving and Phil Mickelson hitting himself with a nine-iron. And that's before Red Card Yellow Card. Get ready for another exciting episode of For & Against!

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The fall of Tim Paine, the rise of Crypto-in-Sport and how the Great White Shark plans to unite the world in peace and harmony...these topics and a whole lot more can only mean one thing...it's time for another great episode of For & Against!

The team dissect whether Tim Paine fell on his sword or was pushed (can you be pushed onto your own sword?) and debate whether anyone can meet the standards of the world today.

They also interview the Sports Geek himself, Sean Callanan (https://sportsgeekhq.com), to help them make sense of cryptocurrencies, NFTs and the blockchain, and how they are finding their way into sport and the business of sport.

Then it's on to Red Card Yellow Card, where the show's own personal marriage celebrant, Greg Norman, tries to save the world. Only on For & Against...well, and all over Instagram!

Please note that this episode contains commentary and banter about cryptocurrencies, NFTs and other potentially investable collectibles. Please note that all comments are general, in nature, and do not in any way represent financial advice. 

No matter how knowledgeable, humorous or good-looking the team sounds, the information presented in this episode has been prepared for entertainment purposes and does not take into account your particular financial needs, circumstances and objectives and is therefore not suitable to be acted on as investment advice. You should assess your own financial situation and may wish to consult an adviser before you make any changes to your financial affairs.

And now that you've read the blurb and the disclaimer, it's time to enjoy the show!

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It's a party in the USA! Well it is if you are an F1 fan. The team dissects how the world's most popular motor sport is finally drawing fans and TV ratings in the final frontier known as America. If that's not enough, there's more sportswashing, expansion club economics in the IPL and NRL, lawnmower racing and the most philosophical red card yellow card ever! And if THAT'S not enough, Paul finally acknowledges the most unlikely of sports as a sport. We hope you enjoy another great show of For & Against!

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