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The Sporting Almanac Podcast

The Sporting Almanac Podcast

By: Jack Senior and Ben Davies
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About this listen

The Sporting Almanac Podcast is your ultimate repository for the history and stories behind the biggest events in the sporting calendar. Hosted by Jack, an engineer and grassroots football coach, and Ben, a lawyer who has dabbled in anti-doping, this podcast dives into what makes major sporting occasions across all disciplines so special.

Each episode digs into the history, drama, and unforgettable moments of the event, unearthing fascinating stories about its greatest competitions and competitors. Whether it’s the controversies of drugs in sport, great comeback stories that bring grown men to tears, or the untold tales that help shape the games we love - Jack and Ben aim to give you a deeper insight into the next stop on the sporting calendar.

Whether you're listening to prepare yourself in advance for the next event, or just binging through for some good stories - so long as you love sport, its history, and the tales that make it special, The Sporting Almanac Podcast is for you.

Jack Senior and Ben Davies 2025
World
Episodes
  • Episode 7 - The Men's and Women's FA Cup Finals
    May 12 2025

    Episode 7: The Men's and Women's FA Cup Finals - Of Dreamers and Giant Killers

    After three weeks over the Atlantic, Jack and Ben are back in Blighty ahead of the 144th Men's and 55th Women's FA Cup Finals.

    There's no fairytale like the FA Cup. It is where semi-professional players line up against the gods of the game on equal footing, where one drop of the hip or one act of bravery can make you immortal, and where there are no impossible outcomes if you believe in the magic of the Cup.

    From giant killers to last second winners, from lionhearts to lionesses, the Cup delivers drama like nothing else. So warm up your voice for Abide With Me, and join us on the climb up the Wembley steps to grab the greatest and most beloved trophy in football together.

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    1 hr and 35 mins
  • Episode 6 - The NHL Playoffs and Ice Hockey World Championships
    May 5 2025

    Episode 6: The NHL Playoffs and Ice Hockey World Championships – Goals, Goons, Graft and Glory.

    This week, we're checking out one of the toughest sports on the planet – ice hockey, home to the brawling, bruising, toothless titans of the rink. Jack and Ben skate through the NHL Playoffs, where 16 teams chase the (quite literally) biggest trophy in the sport: the Stanley Cup. Meanwhile, across the globe, another 16 nations face-off for international glory at the IIHF World Championship in Sweden and Denmark.

    We explore hockey’s wild history, from mysterious origin stories and fearsome enforcers to, somehow again, Kentucky Derby winners. We unpack the unwritten rules, the culture of fighting, and the darker toll of the game - including the growing conversation around CTE and player safety, illustrated through the turbulent highs and tragic lows of the legendary Bob Probert.

    There's even a Cold War era subplot, with tales of invasion, rebellion, and the unifying power of sport in the face of oppression. So lace up and tune in – this is ice hockey like you’ve never heard it before.

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    1 hr and 28 mins
  • Episode 5 - The Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown
    Apr 29 2025

    Episode 5: The Kentucky Derby and the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing - The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports

    This week, Jack and Ben are Stateside once again, heading to Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, for the iconic Kentucky Derby. But it’s not just the history of one legendary event they're diving into - they’re also unravelling the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, as they rein in the facts, tales, and controversies surrounding the greatest and most elusive title in North American horse racing: the Triple Crown.

    In true American fashion, there's plenty of food, drink, flowers, and music to discuss, along with a few detours into true crime, conspiracy theories, and even a nod to Lewis and Clark - though that last bit is mostly Jack showing off his history chops. Once all that's (mostly) out of the way, there's even some racing to get into, led - as always - by endless admiration for the legendary Secretariat.

    With heartache, scandal, and suspicion never far from the Triple Crown trail, saddle up as Jack and Ben take you beyond the track and deep into the history behind one of sport’s greatest challenges.

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    1 hr and 42 mins
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